In A Mike Wheeler With A Heart-shaped Birthmark Mood Rn

About the Byler scene that changed it all

The van scene is by no means my favorite Byler scene because it hurts. A lot. But at the same time, the power that it holds cannot match anything else between Mike and Will for me.

We’ve seen years of Mike worrying about Will from the very first “that’s weird. I don’t see him.” To the “it was the best thing I’ve ever done.” From “it’s not my fault” to “I’m sorry” to “maybe you should have reached out more” to “friends. Best friends,” Mike is sincere. Over. And over. And over again. He loves out in the open for all to see, yes, even in his mistakes, but that’s what makes him human. That’s what makes him who he is. He’s sarcastic and quick and irritable, but oh, when he’s leading, inspiring, and guiding?

Will plays an important role in Stranger Things wherein we rarely get to see his heart. But no, of course we do. He’s the one everyone fought for since season 1, so of course he’s known to us. But that’s just it, everyone else fights for him. They say that proof of good character is if other people recognize it in you, and Will has been the center of that treatment from the very start. Sure, he’s also seen in very negative lights, being made fun of even when he’s assumed dead, but I don’t care about the people who don’t know him. I care about the people who do. And those who do search for him until he’s found. Never give up even when it seems theoretically impossible. Protect him, family and friends alike.

And those things may just be givens in most loving relationships, so let’s take it a step further. What do people say about him? In season 1, Mike asserts that Will risked his character’s life for The Party - an imaginary compromise - and Lucas immediately understands the signal to go out and save him, taking even a fictitious virtue and ascribing it so meaningfully to Will that it’s worth fighting for him in real danger. Then in season 2, Joyce recounts about Will giving a little girl his own toy truck simply because she was sad. In season 3, when Will is explaining what he thinks happened to the Mind Flayer and why it inexplicably seemed to return, Mike is at his defense, saying he’s right without a doubt. Will is trustworthy, and the rest follow. Then in season 4 in arguably one of the sweetest scenes in the whole show, Will and Jonathan are on the verge of tears, and when Will says that he’ll always be there for Jonathan, Jonathan says that he knows he will be. Will is selfless, venerable, caring and wise in a sweet mixture, and when he loves, people know it.

For everything. Everything except his love for Mike. His love for Mike is something that cannot be easily digested or explained. Looking back at that Will and Jonathan scene by the tub before the mind fight, this is something that takes a step into the part of his heart that no one readily sees or pays attention to. If it is, again, it’s pushed in ridicule, covered in insensitive names, not celebrated. It’s something that makes him cry, something that he can’t even say out loud. Jonathan was the one to recognize that things were complicated for his brother and he reached out, knowing that it was hurting Will.

But despite the pain. Despite all of the shame that comes with being who he is, he lets his love out in a big reveal, the most anticipated hint all season long in season 4. And who does he reveal his heart to? Mike. He both risks it all in front of the very person of his affection and gives everything up for him, including his own love.

But be not despaired, because love is not a finite resource.

I know that this scene hurts on so many levels, especially because of what Will says about himself, but look at how Mike sees Will. I don’t think that I even need to put evidence here, but it’s just so tender and important to realize that this is not a hopeless scene.

This is the one who’s on the other end of Will’s message. This kind of attention is not going to become, ‘oh, hey, Will, I’m sorry, but I can’t accept what you said because you lied to me about who it’s from.’ If Mike does say this, he’s a liar. Look at him. He’s seeing Will plenty without a guise on his end. This is Mike falling in love with what Will is offering him.

And given everything that we know about Mike who stops at nothing to protect the ones he loves and Will who would give himself up for the ones he loves, both loving to the point of sacrifice, hand in hand, how can you come away from this scene saying that Mike would easily reject Will? That Mike won’t listen to Will and consider both of their own affections? That they won’t find an understanding? That forgiveness is foreign to them?

Will has given Mike the power to decide to buy the lie or realize it. And in a show that revolves around “friends don’t lie” and uncovering hidden truths, I doubt that Mike is going to simply buy it.

And from there, how beautiful would it be for Mike to openly accept him? To give the boy who thought he lost it all the chance to be loved in a way that makes him feel not different in a world that hates him? And how much more sweet would it be for Will to forever make Mike feel special, unceasingly, without the need to lie? To let him know how adored he is and how he doesn’t have to fight his heart anymore over a romance of obligation rather than bliss?

Byler is endgame. We’re almost there. It just makes sense.

Happy Byler Day. 💙💛

happy birthday mike wheeler 🥳 🎂

@acswywill on Twitter

Can someone call this and record it??

your honor i was just furthering the plot

it is 2am i cannot stop reading webtoons and byler fanfics, i have to get up at 6:45

Not to be a downer on the byler tag but I feel conflicted now that I'm back on st twitter

FIRST I don't want this whole post to be a rehash of the Noah controversy it's always a rinse and repeat of the same points. Yes, Zionism is bad (DUH) but I feel like we can seperate silly little gay characters from the actors, it's commonplace.

BUT I will say that death threats, threats of physical harm, or insults don't help. Those behaviors only cause defensiveness and if you want to change someone's opinion you have to be understanding. Everyone is shaped by their environment and if I was exposed to different influences growing up I'd be a totally different person today, not to say that people can't control their own decisions, but social pressure and ingrained prejudice is very real. Not everyone has the courage to become a social pariah, PLUS everyone believes they are a good person. That they are the one that is morally righteous, in any situation. It can make them blind to the truth, but you can't change that in one day.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A GOOD PERSON.

SECOND and the point I actually wanted to make is that I'm sorry but people will always be consumers, and you can't decide how they will spend their money, but do you think going to a con bc you like a tv show and ALL the amazing people in it is the same as openly supporting a genocide?!?? Like why direct all your (valid) frustration with the state of how people view palestinians onto 2 girls who are just there bc they like a ship in fandom??

Also I'll never understand the need to be mean to people online can't we all just be normal 😭

Like even if I know someone has opinions I am vehemently against I'm still cordial with them unless they bring it up, like I don't try to insult anyone but CEO's, billionaires, and those who sustain global war campaigns. Not anybody online who has an incorrect or even sometimes so disgustingly uninformed opinion. OR ARE JUST THERE TO DO SOMETHING THEY ENJOY LIKE????

Idk this was a ramble but I hate this, I understand that more people need to be aware of the horrible inhumane things continuing to occur in gaza, but this almost feels counterproductive, why use it as a reason to call people (who didn't even bring it into the conversation) ugly? The movement is all about SUPPORT and BRINGING AWARENESS is this the kind of awareness we need? where we call anyone ignoring or uncaring towards this massacre ugly when instead we could educate? Not to say we shouldn't call people out but be constructive! Help them understand instead of telling them to kill themselves, this feels like it isn't helping.

Thank you for listening to my tedTALK byler nation

I'm so fed up w these people on Twitter like bffr

12 minutes 🤞

doomed yuri this doomed yaoi that. whatever happened to good old-fashioned biblical doomed heterosexual relationships? it’s time to unpack your parent’s divorce

DO NOT get high then chug an energy drink

I REPEAT

DO NOT GET HIGH THEN CHUG AN ENERGY DRINK