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chirpsythismorning · 8 months

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Well, it looks like I've been shadowbanned by the Stranger Things subreddit for talking about the strikes.

This might not seem like that big of a deal, but considering the ST subreddit might very well be moderated by Netflix themselves in some capacity, has me pretty pissed off rn.

For some context, Netflix creating the ST sub has already been speculated since the sub's inception. The first season of the show didn't even start filming until November of 2015, however the subreddit for the show was created a month before that, in mid October of 2015.

It's not uncommon for Netflix to create social media accounts across the board for all of their content in order to promote it online, and so it makes sense that in the process of getting filming ready, marketing was going about creating social media accounts on every platform (their other official accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were also created months in advance of filming as well).

Also worth noting that there is a separate sub called Hawkins AV Club, which fans created themselves to talk about the show and other things related to it that they weren't able to on the main sub, most commonly leaks, which are prohibited on the main one (Netflix don't like leaks...).

Recently though, I noticed all the strike related posts were getting removed, with it being flagged as breaking rule three.

Rule three is pretty simple, in that all it really states is that users cannot post stuff unrelated to the show.

As far as I know, the main ST sub has never made an official post about how the strikes qualify as being unrelated to the show, so it's not like this is some widely understood specific point that has been elaborated on that fans have to follow. To me, it looks like this rule operates as a loophole for a moderator to remove strike posts and list it as 'breaking rule three', without having to acknowledge how fucked up that is.

And so I wanted to test this theory and decided to post the picture of Finn picketing at Paramount Studios in support of SAG-AFTRA the other day.

Right after posting, I added the comment, 'Also ST sub if you delete this, you're confirming you have a Netflix bias'.

For the first hour, the post remained public and so luckily I was able to get some comments on it from other users in the sub. A majority of the comments just acknowledged the picture of Finn and voiced their support, though there was at least one condescending comment speaking negatively against the writers and actors striking. But most importantly, I got a few comments from fans asking why I was insinuating that the post would get deleted aka my time to shine.

I replied by saying that I noticed all the strike related posts were being removed for 'breaking rule three' and how it was bogus because plenty of other unserious posts, that are even less related to the show, stay up all the time. And so, considering the speculation over the years that Netflix played a part in creating the sub and therefore likely still has a stake in moderating it in some capacity, means they are essentially blocking fans from discussing the strike.

I then went into how ST has one of the biggest fandoms for a TV series and how the sub reflects that with over 1 million users. There are plenty of other fandoms out there that are much more niche and small in comparison to ST's base, that have been able to come together and make a big difference by donating and spreading the word as a community, and how it's kind of embarrassing considering our size, that we have not been able to come together to show support for our writers and actors in a tangible way.

And that's when I speculated how I didn't think it was a coincidence that one of the biggest fandoms in the world isn't able to even merely talk about the strikes, in the one place that affords them the ability to come together in the masses, to potentially have the ability to play role in putting pressure on the studios in order to reach a fair deal sooner than later.

These strikes literally depend on the writers and actors not talking about their content in order to put pressure on the studios, and this sub basically operates in the exact opposite way. It allows free for all discussions about the show, but doesn't allow any discussions of the strikes.

Who benefits from that? Netflix. The studios.

The reality is the strikes have EVERYTHING to do with the show. Making posts about an actor protesting so that the writers and actors of said show can continue production in a way that is more just and humane, is about the show. Technically, in a reality where things are never resolved as a result of this strike and the studios being greedy, the show could literally cease to continue. So again, this strike has EVERYTHING to do with the show.

I then ended my comment by saying that despite my suspicions, I hoped that I was wrong and that my post would stay up.

Returning to the sub the following day, I found that my post was not only removed, but also all of my comments were. Everyone else's comments remained including the anti-strike one, and there was also the addition of a pinned moderator comment explaining why the post was removed ie Rule 3.

Now, I have had some of my posts removed on Reddit in the past. Byler posts for example tend to get removed pretty swiftly because the comments get nasty and so that's the moderators usual excuse for removing those, however they don't say it outright with a moderator comment, you usually have to message them directly to get the gist of why it was removed. I've also posted memes before with them being removed and being flagged as breaking rule three, however I have never seen an actual moderator pin the details of the rule. They usually just tag Rule 3 at the top, with it being implied that you have to go look into their FAQ to read up on the rules yourself.

The way they removed my post just came off soooooooooo corporate to me, where the moderator(s) didn't even acknowledge what I said, but basically just proved my point by taking advantage of their rule loophole, by listing off the irrelevant argument against it based on said rule, with no further elaboration on what I actually speculated.

Initially, I wanted to make a post about what happened on here, but I sort of just shined it on because I already assumed they were going to remove it, and so all they did was confirm my suspicions.

But then today I was on the sub and tried to comment on a recent post, only to see that when I tried to reread it after posting, my comment wasn't showing up.

To test if it was a me problem, I went to another subreddit I'm in, Shrek (naturally), and commented on a post. Low and behold it showed up and stayed there...

I then went back to the ST sub to comment on a different recent post and again it did not show up right after I posted it.

So apparently I am a threat to the ST sub to the point where they do not want me commenting on posts anymore, specifically after I posted about the strike and the subs intense measures to prevent it from being discussed at all. Like... ya'll just literally proved my point tenfold.

Now, I do think there very well could be several moderators that are not associated with Netflix at all that are in charge of moderating the main sub. That's actually very likely. However, whether Netflix was involved from the beginning or not, it's also very likely they are now, as the sub is MASSIVE and they probably don't want an account on that scale to be controlled entirely by fans. That would mean 1 million people having access to leaks or anything and everything. Not being able to moderate that would be a pain in the ass (and we're seeing how now in the case of a strike, they also benefit from preventing certain posts from being seen).

So I think that either Netflix created the account themselves from the beginning and have recruited a handful of regular hardcore fans over the years to help moderate it, or they hopped on after a bunch of complications with leaks getting posted to hundreds of thousands of fans during s2-3, taking control at some point from the original moderator, only to join the mix of other moderators that already existed and are basically none the wiser.

In the case of either of those, they can play off that they are an unofficial ST reddit, all because they have a few fan moderators, when it's clear that is not the case.

Anyways, the ST sub has a Netflix (studio) bias and everything that's posted on there is likely moderated by someone that works for Netflix. So, keep that in mind.

#byler #stranger things #reddit rambles #wga strike #sag-aftra #st cast #st tumblr: is this st related or am I cross tagging?#no but fr #I understand that the sub is intended to make posts about the show #i get that that rule can be useful so that there aren't a bunch of posts that literally have nothing to do with the show clogging the sub #however it also allows them the affordance of arguing that a strike entirely tied to the shows ability to even continue is somehow unrelate #you're telling me that an actor is protesting for THIS show...#THIS SHOW that cannot continue until a fair deal is made #has nothing to do with this show...?#like? make it make sense?

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thranduel · 2 years

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mike’s letter to will?

“something is coming…” is the first line in the entire show that mike says while they’re playing d&d…

then this was posted a few tweets down in response and the date says november 6th, 1983

what if the letter was actually written on that day from mike to will because he loves him and he’s so special to him but he never got to give it to him? what if that’s why mike was more distraught and heartbroken after seeing will’s body and the show purposefully focused on his reaction as he cried into his mother’s arms? and remember they actually filmed finn crying his eyes out while riding his bike away and they said it was one of the best scenes but they cut it? why would there be so much focus on mike and will’s relationship but not the others? there’s so much more going on here

and maybe mike and will wrote each other letters a lot as kids and sent them to each other? maybe mike wrote that after the boys left his house in episode 1 and wrote something like “anyway i think you’ll love the rest of what i planned for the campaign. sorry i couldn’t get it done tonight but you mean so much to me and it’s been so fun playing with you guys. hope this is something we can do together for the rest of our lives and it will last until we’re old. love, mike.” this would be such a beautiful and incredible parallel because in 3x03 during their fight, mike says “i mean what did you think, really? that we were never gonna get girlfriends? that we were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?” but will never actually implied that or said those words specifically, so imagine if mike used the words he wrote in his OWN letter to will years ago because he was projecting and struggling with internalised homophobia?? also will said “yeah, i guess i did. i really did” and then in 4x08, he talks about wanting to play nintendo and d&d for the rest of their lives. ALL OF THIS WOULD CONNECT SO BEAUTIFULLY AND IT WOULD MAKE SENSE

OR even if the letter wasn’t written on that exact day, that’s probably when they’ll find it when they’re in the upside down in season 5 because time is frozen on that date. it’ll probably be in mike’s basement or bedroom. maybe that’s another reason why mike struggled to write “love, mike” on eleven’s letters because he knows he did it for will and will is the one he truly loves, but he’s just so afraid and uncertain of everything. that’s also probably why he couldn’t send will letters because he was scared. because why else would you lose contact with your best friend? why couldn’t you send him letters when you sent your girlfriend letters? it could’ve easily been done but he purposefully avoided it and then later on admitted he was afraid to lose him. in eleven’s letter, she said will has been acting “weird” because there’s someone he likes. then when mike is talking to will, he says the past year has been “weird” without him. they both also admitted to pushing each other away out of fear of losing each other (mike says it in 4x04 and will says it in 4x08). why are they acting so weird all of a sudden if they’re “just friends”?

if this letter is from mike to will, it would be the perfect way to reveal that they’ve loved each other from the very beginning. the general audience will see it and realise time was frozen in the upside down and it’s an old letter that mike wrote years ago. then no one can say it “came out of nowhere”. they have the perfect opportunity to do this right!

#byler #byler analysis #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #this definitely has nothing to do with eleven because they already said it’s not about a couple #as in like a couple that’s already canon #this is 100% about will and mike #it has to be #the first tweet is literally referencing mike’s first line #and then the date is the day will went missing and the upside down is frozen on the same day

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sinclairstarz · 6 months

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the mischaracterization of byler is so weird bcs for a while it was like “oh mike is big manly alpha and will is tiny yaoi femboy” but then people were like “oh thats wrong” which is good but then they were like “its wrong bcs actually will is big manly alpha and mike is tiny yaoi femboy” and. its so weird to me like neither of them are either of that what are we doing. i thought we were past the whole “man and woman” stereotype gays like. theyre allowed to both be guys who like stereotypical teenage boy things like video games and scifi movies and theyre also both allowed to be unathletic loserdorks like. its ok. they are allowed to not be one dimensional gay characters that fit into the heteronormative mold.

#‘oh hehe buff byersss will would carry mike all the time’#what r we doing.#u need to be honest with yourself.#will ‘shoveled four (4) grains of sand and stood to the side while they lifted the car’ byers?#his ass walks the mile and always stays at the end of the line during kickball #this has NOTHING to do with me referring to mike as a she sometimes literally back off #shes just a silly teenage boy ok #nobody gets mike wheeler on this site i think #anyways #this is all rooted in narrow-minded homophobic deas of sexuality and gender #byler #mike wheeler #stranger things #will byers #harpersays

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maddy-ferguson · 11 months

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the way people use robin and vickie as a retort against bylers makes my blood boil they're not "the actually canon sapphic couple" people should focus on instead of byler they literally have three scenes and aren't together and they did such a shit job at establishing them that only 3% of the fandom thinks about them more than once a week. are you really saying that that's the great representation we should all be grateful for

#they're literally not more canon than byler just more obvious because vickie was introduced to be robin's love interest #like bro i wish robin's future relationship was the ship i cared about they did absolutely nothing to make me care about them #it's like yeah obviously lesbian ships are less popular in fandom but people will literally say everyone should be more interested in the #ship that literally has three scenes because...reasons. like do you hear yourself #THEY'RE NOT EVEN TOGETHER YET they're semi-canon just like will and mike are the only difference is vickie and her BOYFRIEND are broken up #also one queer couple is good. two queer couples is asking for too much. obviously #okay i'm not mad anymore #and like i say: brf slt

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snixx · 4 months

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mike wheeler in the fic I'm reading has exactly as much tact as I did in high school. what can I say sometimes you really do have to learn the hard way that you do not immediately ask your best friend who is also your soon-to-be ex's sibling "nothing's going to change between us no matter how much your sister and i hypothetically hate each other in the future right?" when you're LITERALLY still in the middle of your very messy breakup and they're furious at you secondhand because of #siblingsolidarity. not to mention he handled the break up itself like an ass like go off thank you author i love it truly the representation for us completely oblivious emotionally challenged idiots we're starved of otherwise NO ONE EVER GETS HOW STUPID WE CAN TRULY BE

#girlblogging.pdf #byler #mike wheeler i know what you are #willel #as someone who has a lot of mutual friends with my sister AND as someone friends with a lot of siblings #i obviously love all my friends to death and they love me but #if you have a choice. for future reference trust me do not befriend two siblings pick one if you must #it's an emotional shitshow for everyone involved #you have to give each of them exactly equal amounts of affection and love and everything all the time that's just the rule #you're an ass otherwise #also we will always pick each other over you even if you did nothing wrong #just know what you're in for when you befriend siblings okay it's not easy #you know my childhood ex best friend i keep posting about? we broke up over a fight she had with my sister #also my best friends are siblings and fighting with both of them because it was a both or neither situation in school was The Worst #i have like a zillion more stories just trust me okay #i love my sibling friends to pieces and the mutual friends i have with my sister and i wouldnt trade them for the world #but im sure as hell not befriending siblings simultaneously in the future #my sister and i are literally the tightest now too because our social circles barely overlap #anyway. that was another episode of me projecting way too hard onto byler fanfiction hope you enjoyed #vagueposting the shit out of tumblr dot com

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echoing-oursong · 1 year

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hot take: mike literally professing his love to el had NOTHING TO DO WITH EL FAILING! ALONG WITH WILL LYING ! AND PEOPLE WHO THINK MIKE LIED ABOUT HIS FEELINGS - THATS LITERALLY NOT WHAT DOOMED THE TOWN ! i’m so - how the fuck do people think that them lying is what doomed the town when it’s clear why they lost is because of vecna? i’m actually gonna -

#personal #literally not gonna tag it has anything cuz i know people will start shit #but also like them lying had nothing to do with them loosing at fucking all #like i don’t care if you ship byler but THEM LYING WAS NOT THE REASON THAT VECNA WON!#VECNA WON BECAUSE EVERYONE AAS SO FUCKING SPREAD OUT AND HE WAS MORE POWERFUL #IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 14 YEAR OLDS LYONG ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS #also it’s heavily like ummm - so apparently lying will destroy the whole town ?#they’re children and y’all want the message to be ‘don’t lie - otherwise if you do the whole world will die and that’s on your shoulders now #yeah nice going!

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gargoylepuke999 · 2 years

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#byler #dustin henderson #this literally has nothing to do with bylwr

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theoriginalsapphic · 2 years

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why is there always something happening in this tag?

#byler #i literally woke up from a nap #and you're telling me the script wss fake???#i angsted over will hating himself for nothing?#i speculated if jancy were bones for nothing?#bruuh #but for real #they are supported by cornell university as a reliable source #they have multiple scripts for multiple shows #it has been running for years now #what do you mean is a scam?#and i thought bible trumphers were going to be the weirdest thing i would see here today #never underestimate again

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its-tickety-boo · 2 years

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When you’re so far gone that everything single thing you read feels like a shitpost

The Byler brainrotted my brain too hard

#send help #I haven’t been sick in like 3 years #everything is horrible #images of bald Mike wheeler are dancing before my eyes #that’s probably not optimal #byler #trying to scroll through the tag and it’s so fucking incomprehensible #that picture literally has nothing to do with this post

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byerseason · 4 days

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why byler is the only logical way to end stranger things: a personal opinion

long post incoming. i've been thinking about what else can they do other than canon byler or is there any logical way which would please everyone. but i genuinely can't find any logical ending.

first of all, let's see the options i heard from people who doesn't think byler is gonna happen.

not adressing will's love for mike, mike never finding out about it and will's arc simply focusing on supernatural part : well, we all know that's impossible. not after spending a whole season to show us his deep love for mike. also it's confirmed that an emotional arc for him is what is gonna tie up the story.

"his love for mike was for him to explore his sexuality, he's gonna have another boyfriend." : they could easily show it to us without bringing mike into it. the byers moving to california was a perfect chance for it since it's a place better than hawkins when it comes to LGBT, they could easily give him a love interest, include him to their journey to find el just like they included argyle and give him a good character arc in s5, just like robin in s4. well, they didn't.

"mike is gonna reject will" : okay, then what was the reason of making him fall in love with mike? did the writers want to write a horrible story for the only gay child in the group? especially after showing us how miserable he feels about mike and how much he loves him? no.

now let's look deeper at the character arcs. my biggest reason to think byler is the only logical way is: will byers

i don't think i have to mention how much will suffered throughout the show and how he needs the happiest ending. they left season 4 at a point where everything about that love triangle is unresolved and they're obviously going to do something with it.

we all know mike is the one who understands will the most. he always been, since the very beginning. we've been shown that their bond is different and special. in a scenario where mike rejects will, we all know this is gonna be ruined. will is not gonna magically bury his love and go back to being besties with mike. and for mike, it's not possible for him to ignore will's love for him and stay friends as nothing happened. it would ruin their friendship for absolutely nothing.they can't simply take the only one who understands away from him.

will said he wants to spend the rest of his life with mike for two times. even if he doesn't have any hope, he desires it. so why giving him a love that he will never have? in this scenario will's character arc is literally "the gay kid always thought he will never have love just because he is gay, he thinks it's wrong and he is a mistake, well yes, he was right! he will never find the love and just watch the other straight people have it. thanks for watching stranger things." will's arc should be an arc where he is proven wrong, where he understands it's okay to love, where he is loved the way he loves, purely. otherwise his character arc is gonna be useless. where did we leave will in s4? he was thinking there's no chance for mike to love him and he has zero hope-- he ripped off the band aid. if mike rejects him the character arc and all the build up in season 4 becomes useless. he was at zero, and he is still at zero.

like i said giving him an arc where he is loved the way he loves was easy to be done without mike but now it's too late. they made it super clear that will doesn't want to be loved, he wants to be loved by mike. mike hurts him yet he still thinks mike makes him feel like he's not a mistake at all. that's not a simple crush. that's pure love. as a writer of a show you don't spend too much time to sympathize the characters love to the audience -something you never did with your other characters, at least not as much as will- you don't show them pouring their heart to a gift, just to waste it, just to make the character feel the worst they can feel just to make the person they love happy. will loves mike such a way that he prioritizes his happiness over his. this is what is gonna pay off.

the second character whose character arc needs byler: mike wheeler

mike has always been the most complicated character of the show, but most of his actions have no explanation other than him dealing with his own feelings. the show introduced mike as the leader of the party and i think it's okay to say he was one of the main characters in season 1 & 2. what happened after s2? a crazy character downfall. the audience started to dislike him and think he is useless. he didn't have any character development in the past 2 seasons. why? why? why?

because we all just watched him struggling. dealing with something inside of his mind that we don't know.

let's talk about a scenario where byler doesn't happen. this makes all mike's arc about being a love interest since s3. no development, no explanation for his behavior in the past 2 seasons. of course mike is traumatized and never talks to anyone which effects his behavior a lot. but there's still an unanswered question. why is he distancing himself from will specificially? the writers showed us that they understand each other the best, they know each other the best and notice if somethings wrong, so why is he distancing himself from the person who he needs the most as a best friend?

this is where we start to think if the problem is will himself, for mike.

why did we make will fall in love with mike just for mike to distance himself from will for no reason and make will upset? did we want will to suffer for no reason or create an empty storyline?

if mike is not how we think he is, he is going to end the show with an empty character arc who is nothing but a love interest, a side character. if mike ends up how we think he is, he is going to be the best onscreen representation of internalized homophobia. people think he is useless or just an asshole but he will turn out to be a perfectly written character who has his own arc.

people love to say "gay people didn't exist in 80s, byler would be unrealistic." which is completely wrong. gay people DID exist in 80s and they DID find love. did they have peace? they didn't. this is why mike and will are gonna be a real representation. we watched all the real struggles they went through. even if we don't get to see them as a couple, they will know they love each other by the end and that's what matters. and there's nothing unrealistic about it.

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #byler endgame #byler analysis #byler proof

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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I think because closets have being associated with Mike so much, is why a lot of bylers predict that s5 will finally explore his sexuality.

Why have all that closet imagery throughout the seasons, associated with Mike (even more so than Will), if the resolution to his arc is just going to be, "Will loves me and needs me?! Yay!"

5 years of build-up, hinting at Mike hiding his sexuality, and with an audience that's almost entirely convinced he's straight because he hid it so well, warrants addressing the deeper context of why exactly he felt the need to hide in the first place.

It wouldn't be satisfying, both to ga and milkvans who were straight-baited the entire series, nor to bylers and even viewers open to supporting byler, but who think Will deserves better, all because they don't understand Mike beyond what he's willing to outright tell us.

Mike's character has dealt with so much criticism post s4, to the point where any articles or buzz regarding his arc, minimizes his importance as either being El's boyfriend or how he's basically declined in development over the years from a beloved character to most hated.

To have Mike's arc close with his role going from being El's boyfriend to being Will's boyfriend, wouldn't give closure to what all that closet imagery was meant to represent in the first place; Mike hiding his sexuality.

#stranger things #byler #mike wheeler #will byers #will is going to be the main focus early s5 #and also s5 in general but ESP early s5 #theres a reason they're only willing to share info on Will's role in s5 #think about it #why has there been little to nothing said about el's s5 arc??#or mike's?#or literally anyone elses?#they're okay with giving away the importance of will's arc bc it will be integral to #yes s5 overall #but esp early s5 #content from the beginning of a new seasons is what they're most willing to share in trailers/teasers to hype people up #in contrast they are less likely to reveal content slated to be revealed later in a new season bc that constitutes as a major spoiler #i do think birthdaygate is likely to be early s5 #potentially even s5 opener #which would explain the lonnie actor at the s4 table read #as well as the evidence that noah was at the rink o mania location in his yellow plaid #i have a theory they took advantage of the hiatus and filmed their s5 opener during s4 filming #essentially pre s5 time jump #so that no one could complain about the age difference #and so s5 is going to jump us right back into the action of whatever vecna wants from will #why he targeted him in the first place #why will said he wanted to kill everyone except him #seeing will go through all that is going to give s2 will vibes #and in turn have mike also giving s2 mike vibes #it'll be interesting to see elmike's dynamic #i'm excited

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fruitybowl · 2 months

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Byler getting together wouldn't just be good for Will, but for MIKE as well. It's clear that he is very very insecure about himself. He doesn't understand why El of all people would like someone like him. In his mind El is SPECIAL and he's NOT. El has super powers and literally saved the world, and him? He's just a nerdy, socially awkward guy and there's NOTHING special about him. Him learning that Will loves him not despite but BECAUSE of his quirks will do wonders for his self image. Obviously Will telling Mike he's in love with him won't fix all of Mike's problems, but it will definitely help him knowing that Will's gonna love him no matter what.

#byler #byler is canon #byler is endgame #byler is real #byler endgame #byler is requited

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robynrocksforbrains · 8 months

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Mike Wheeler is important and there's nothing wrong with analyzing him

Since y'all wanna be insufferable bitches about it I'm gonna explain to you why he's important, why Will loves him, why his struggles should be acknowledged, and why his character depth is pivotal to byler endgame being a satisfying conclusion for both Mike AND Will. Deal with it!

We are not seeing smoke where there isn't a flame. We are seeing smoke where there is a literal fucking forest fire.

Starting off with something a lot of people aren't ready for but I've seen more people talking about: Mike is the main character of s1 at the very least. He is the character that brings us into the world of stranger things. He is the character that the writers chose for this. Mike is the main character of s1 and it was an instant hit. The writers love Mike. Contrary to popular belief, giving a character an arc where they are struggling and their behavior changes from what is normal for the character we know and love does NOT mean the writers hate that character. It means they deliberately chose to give that character complexity and depth. Your inability to like characters that do anything wrong ever is not the fault of the writers. Your decision to act as if a character is not important is not reflective of the actual narrative because it in fact is in direct opposition to the narrative. So just to be clear, if you genuinely believe that Mike isn't important, or that the writers hate him, or don't care about him, or that his story "takes away" from any other character's - ESPECIALLY WILL'S - you are simply wrong.

In s1 and s2 Mike is established as an extremely caring person. He's loving, loyal, brave, intelligent, and trying his best. He is also established to be hot headed, someone who speaks without thinking quite often, someone who is capable of hurting his friends despite that being the last thing he wants to do. He is all of these things and more. He is a human. He is a kid. So in s3, when suddenly he is entirely different, it is completely logical to assume that there is a reason for that. He did not just wake up one day and decide he wanted to be an asshole, push Will away, make his friends feel abandoned, and echo the same sentiments their bullies held. Something is happening with him. He has so much going on in his head and it is painfully obvious. He's holding something in, he's hiding from everyone and from himself. We see glimpses of what he's trying to hide after Will calls him out on his behavior. Will gets through to him. Mike is usually unresponsive to tough love, except for when it's coming from Will. After their fight, it is obvious that he's trying to be better. But he still doesn't wanna face certain things, and he doesn't know how to navigate that. Because he's 13 years old.

There is a reason for all of that internal conflict. There is a reason it comes pouring out of him at certain times. He's crumbling. He is quite literally falling apart because he's holding on to too much. It's not a stretch to assume that, it just takes basic media literacy. Why would the writers have Mike act this way if he was just supposed to be a one dimensional character? Why would Finn be directed to portray Mike the way he does if there was nothing more going on? There are times where Mike looks like he's in physical pain because of his internal conflict. There is a reason for that. And acknowledging that DOES NOT mean people are taking away from Will. That's the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Do y'all seriously not understand that more than one character can have emotionally complex storylines? Genuinely asking, is this a new concept for you?

Will's love for Mike

Will is head over heels in love with Mike. That is very much established. So when you're dismissing the emotional depth of Mike's individual arc because you think acknowledging it "takes away from Will" you are actually diminishing the significance of a huge aspect of Will's emotional arc. By taking away the significance of Mike, you take away from the significance of Will.

Let's do a quick recap of the very significant role Mike has played in Will's entire life:

Mike is Will's first friend.

They have grown up together and it can be assumed that they've reached important milestones together.

Mike has always been a safe person for Will. He's been a constant in Will's very chaotic and unfair life. Until the summer of '85, Mike had always been something good in Will's life. (That's not to say he is no longer something good, but it can be assumed that the summer of '85 is the first time Mike has been a causal factor in Will's unhappiness)

When Will went missing, Mike did not hesitate to search for him. It wasn't even a question of if. The moment he knew Will was missing he knew exactly what he'd be doing that night. He spearheaded the search amongst the party. He was the leader.

When Will came back, Mike was the only person that didn't treat him like he was gonna break. He cared for him, and he was there for him, but he didn't treat him differently; Will tells us as much. Which means we can infer that the way Mike was with Will in s2 - how gentle and loving he was - was nothing new. He had just always been like that.

When Will was possessed, Mike stayed by his side. Even when it was scary, even when it could've gotten him killed, he stayed. Because once again, for him, it wasn't even a question. That's just where he knew he needed to be. He was in the shed when they were trying to get through to Will. He was set apart from Lucas and Dustin, but he also wasn't equated to family. And his retelling of the story of the day they first met was the final push Will needed to find a way to communicate.

After a year of things being "weird" between them, Mike tells Will that he didn't deserve to be treated the way he had been. Mike tells him that he wants them to be okay again, and for the rest of the season he puts in the work.

Things get rough in s3, and at the beginning of s4, and despite all of that, Will confesses his love (albeit veiled). In a moment where Mike is feeling awful about himself, he tells him that he loves him and needs him, and he tells him why. And to him it doesn't matter that he's breaking his own heart to do it, because it's Mike. Mike, who makes him feel like he's not a mistake at all, and that he's better for being different. For Will, there was no other option. The person he loves was hurting and he knew how to help, and so he did.

Mike is the first person Will tells about Vecna still being alive. Because they're back to being a team. He knows he can trust Mike, and Mike seems to be very determined to prove him right.

SO.

These are all real and canon aspects of Mike's presence in Will's life. Will falling in love with Mike isn't something that just happened for no reason. Will fell in love with Mike because of who Mike is. When you acknowledge that, and when you acknowledge the reasons they've set out for why Will loves him - the reasons Will literally told us - you can better understand Will. But when you dismiss all of these things about Mike, you are dismissing a large portion of Will's emotional and romantic arc. You aren't being a Will Warrior. You are erasing so much of him and his feelings and his lived experience. That is not the hill you wanna die on.

Will loves a person. Not a feeling. Yes, he says that Mike makes him feel like he's not a mistake and that he's better for being different. But that's not why he loves him. He feels that way because he loves him.

Mike is a fully fleshed out character with his own feelings and struggles and fears and traumas and motivations. He's not a plot device. He's not just an accessory to Will's arc. He's not a character that was written only to be Will's love interest. He's Will's love interest because he's Mike.

If Mike didn't matter, and if Mike didn't play a significant role in byler, then they would be able to write in a love interest for Will in s5 and have it be somewhat satisfying. But they can't do that. Will's love for Mike has so much depth because Mike has so much depth. It is genuinely crazy that this has to be stated and that I have to back up this claim because it is simply a canon fact.

So yes, the rain fight affects Mike's character development and his involvement in it is important. Yes, the van scene literally could not exist without Mike and therefore his involvement in it is incredibly important. Yes, every single byler moment has an impact on Mike, and Mike has an impact on it because they are BYLER moments. Yes, Mike will have a lot of significant moments - with Will AND on his own - in s5 because his arc deserves and needs as much attention as Will's in order to execute byler endgame in a satisfying way.

No, none of these facts negate Will's importance or take away from his story. If anything, they add to it because Mike and Will's arcs are corresponding and intertwined.

Mike's struggles

To name a few

Dysfunctional family

Has been bullied his entire life

Extreme self worth issues

Inferiority complex

Hero complex

Lack of self preservation

Suicidal ideation (has been on display since SEASON ONE)

Internalized homophobia

To get this out of the way: Mike's internalized homophobia is allowed to be discussed. Discussion of it is not the dismissal of Will's internalized homophobia. Surprise surprise, two queer kids in the 80s have internalized homophobia! Who'd'a thunk it?! Their internalized homophobia presents in different ways but it is there for both of them. I personally relate to the way Mike's is portrayed way more than I relate to Will's. So why is it that we can't discuss it without being accused of erasing Will's experience? Or without people saying that we're "copy and pasting" Will's story? Because quite frankly, that feels dismissive of my - and likely many others' - real and lived experience. So please for the love of all things that are good just stop with this talking point because it will never hold up.

Moving on

I'm not gonna do a full breakdown of all of Mike's issues. Because contrary to popular belief, there are a lot. And that would be exhausting and I'd get carried away and it's not the point of this post. The point of this post is to defend the acknowledgement and mere existence of them.

If you're a byler that for some reason thinks Mike only exists to be Will's love interest and his trophy as compensation for his trauma, let me ask you this: Have you considered how awful it would be to have a queer character's individuality and emotional depth completely ignored for the sake of focusing on the queer character that "really matters"?

If Mike's own issues, with his queer identity and otherwise, aren't thoroughly explored... What's the point of all this? If Mike really is insignificant in this storyline and his individuality has no effect on it.. where's the emotional payoff? If his perspective doesn't matter... Why have the writers gone to such great lengths to ensure we don't have that piece of the puzzle yet?

Analyzing Mike and understanding Mike is very important to understanding byler. Once again, I think it's crazy that this needs to be said.

I also think it's important to note that characters can have similar struggles. There's no rule against that. Just like real life. Characters having similar struggles is not a bad thing, and acknowledging that their struggles are similar is not dismissive of either character. We're talking about STRANGER THINGS. Jonathan and Nancy's thing is "we've got shared trauma". They have literal matching scars. Shared experiences are some of the main building blocks for this show's romances. Byler has a TON of shared experience, basically their entire lives. We already know that. So wouldn't it be so beautiful for them to learn that they've been struggling with the same thing this whole time? That the entire time they felt alone in what they were going through when really they had each other and they never even knew it? Wouldn't it be so beautiful for Mike's acceptance of Will and Will's love for him was also a step toward accepting himself? Wouldn't it be beautiful for Will to learn that his love makes Mike feel like he's not a mistake? None of that would be in the realm of possibility if Mike didn't have emotional depth and if his individuality wasn't important.

And that leads me to my concluding point...

A satisfying execution of byler endgame hinges on Mike's individual emotional arc being handled well

God I hope this isn't controversial to say. I sincerely hope most people haven't forgotten that.

Here's a hypothetical:

Imagine season five has been released. You're watching it, and you notice that Mike has been relegated to just a supporting character for Will. We don't get any of his perspective. We don't get any explanation for his s3 and early s4 behavior. His breakup with El doesn't have any real tangible effect on him, it's really just used for El's character development. We never see him pining for Will like we saw Will pining for him. And then suddenly Mike is learning about the painting and then suddenly he's confessing his love and then suddenly byler is canon and official.

Now wouldn't that just be awful? Wouldn't that be unfair to the audience, to Mike, and to Will? For us to never learn just how much Mike had to go through to even be able to say it out loud? For Mike to never get the chance to prove to himself through word and action that he is the heart? For Will to never get an explanation for why things did get so "weird" between them? It would leave us with one big, nagging question: What was the point of everything Mike has said and done throughout the entire show if his conclusion is that lackluster?

Disregarding Mike for a moment (I know that's incredibly ironic given what the entire point of this is but just bear with me) - how would that be a satisfying conclusion for Will? I mean, Will's s4 arc was basically dedicated to showcasing his struggle with his sexuality and with his love for Mike. We were shown just how deep that love is. We were shown how patient, unselfish, unwavering, and beautiful that love is. So how would it be satisfying for Mike's love for him to not be shown with just as much depth? How would it be satisfying for Mike to just be a one dimensional character whose s5 arc is essentially "break up with girlfriend, wait to find out best friend is in love with him, say he loves him back, then they live happily ever after"? I think Will deserves for his love to be returned with the same intensity at which he gives it. And I think it should be clear to the audience and to Will himself.

Back to Mike!

Mike has been through so much shit. I don't think anyone that is denying that actually believes he hasn't been through shit. Because you'd actually have to watch the show on mute and with your eyes closed to think this kid hasn't had just the worst time. It's so ignorant to act as if this stuff hasn't affected him. There's stuff we've seen but there's stuff we also haven't seen. There are issues he has that date back to his childhood pre-canon. Just like Will, Mike has been a queer kid growing up in 80s smalltown conservative america. Acknowledging the pain he 100% carries because of that is so important. His perspective has been withheld from us, not because it's unimportant, but because it's the final puzzle piece. If we had Mike's perspective in s4, byler wouldn't be a "will they won't they" (even though we all know they will). If we got his perspective in s4, byler would be a "100% certain without a doubt they will". But the thing about his perspective is that it's so much more than just loving Will. It's fear. It's pain. It's insecurity. It's doubt. It's the belief that his happiness just doesn't matter all that much. All of that has to be explored. All of that has to be laid out in the open for us in order for byler endgame to feel earned. Mike's emotional payoff will lead to byler's emotional payoff.

Mike has known he loves Will. In s5 we will see him make a deliberate and active effort to overcome the things keeping him from doing something about it. And then he will do something about it.

And so when it finally happens. When both Mike and Will finally know that their feelings are requited, and when their arcs end with us knowing that they will face whatever life has in store for them together, that will feel earned. That will feel like the logical conclusion for both of them. Not just for Mike. Not just for Will. For both.

And Mike is just as important to that conclusion as Will is.

And one last thing...

Some people are going to talk about Mike more. Some people are going to talk about Will more. Because newsflash, people have preferences. Some people just relate to Mike more, or they find his emotional arc extremely compelling, or they just like him. It isn't an attack on Will or any other character. No one is saying Mike is more important than any other character (I'm sure there are people that say that but they are a vocal minority and they are simply wrong). We are just saying that he is important. If you wanna engage in media analysis, please understand that "main character" or "central character" does not mean "only important character" and "only character that should be analyzed". If you wanna talk about Will and only Will, that's fine. But you don't get to act like people that talk about other characters are doing a disservice to your fave, because that's not how any of this works.

#mike defenders i need you to back me up on this #i hope my points come across well #anyway #the way people have been talking about mike lately is so infuriating #its called BYLER analysis because its the analysis of BYLER the ship involving will AND mike #st fandom consistently proving that they have absolutely no idea how fandom works #its almost like people wanna talk about things they care about and you dont get to tell them to shut up #if you dont wanna see people talking about mike you can just mute tags about him #but if you dont wanna talk about mike youre missing a huge part of the byler puzzle and thats your loss #please just let people discuss whatever they want to discuss as long as its not ACTUALLY harmful #sometimes i think y'all are allergic to fun #byler #mike wheeler #mike wheeler analysis #will byers #< this is about him too #byler analysis #byler endgame #stranger things

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