[iconsumebylerfanart]

When you realize that Mike’s parents also thought he was gay like how Johnathan and Joyce figured out about Will.

Ted says something about Will’s disappearance along the lines of “you see Micheal? You see what happens?” Keep in mind everyone in the town probably knows about the rumors of Will, and Ted being Ted probably knows that people believe Will’s gay.

Karen says something about how she wants Mike to know he can talk to her, that she’ll love him no matter what.

Bonus that all of the slurs that Troy says about Will he says directly to Mike.

Someone has definitely pointed this out but I believe that one of the Duffers excuses for not making byler cannon (I don’t remember where I heard this) was that they wanted to keep the characters true to themselves but along with the fact that a majority of the characters were butchered Mike being gay would have been more in character from hints than him being straight. Even Mike being Bi would make more sense than him being straight.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk

[danijela04]

Mike is gay, but his character can unfortunately only be read through his personifications and mirror characters 💙

[danijela04]

Stranger Things and The Duffer Brothers (Matt and Ross)

I find it important that the series is understood so that we can precisely take action against that kind of people. I'm talking about the ignorant and homophobic people in our society who are sure that it was never about Mike and Will. People feel, just like in the series, simply much too superior. They try to belittle, suppress, and dominate others (in the series, it's the Mind Flayer, Vecna, Dr. Brenner, the military, or Ted). The series should actually do the opposite.

If you would take the effort to understand the series, then the queer community would definitely be in the majority.

The proverb "You have to read between the lines" describes the most important characteristic of parable, as this short epic form never states its actual message directly. A parable (from the Greek parabolé for "comparison" or "juxtaposition") requires the reader to translate the concrete story onto a deeper, figurative level.

The Principle of the Two Levels

Every parable is structured around a dual system that the reader must decode:

The Literal Level (Image Domain): This is the superficial, concretely told story. It often seems mysterious, mundane, or even absurd.

The Figurative Level (Subject Domain): This is the deeper, hidden meaning. It contains the moral, philosophical, or socio-critical lesson.

When reading, you must bridge the gap from the literal level to the figurative level by interpreting symbols and metaphors.

Famous Examples of this Principle

In the 20th century in particular, the parable was used to disguise complex human or political conditions:

Franz Kafka: His texts (like Before the Law or The Vulture) push "reading between the lines" to the extreme. The plot is often a nightmare without a clear resolution, forcing the reader to project their own existential meanings into it.

Bertolt Brecht: In his Stories of Mr. Keuner, he uses parables as didactic pieces to criticize social grievances and political behavior.

Therefore, when you read a parable, you must never take the text literally. Instead, you must always ask yourself: What is the author actually trying to tell me about real life or society through this situation?

The Duffers never wanted to disappoint anyone, but wanted to make people think. The main characters are Mike and Will and their trauma. The metaphors, personifications and mirror characters were super staged. It's just a shame that people are only simply knitted and only read the text. That's why they are disappointed. But unfortunately, many fans are also much too ignorant. It's the damn ignorance. It is sometimes deliberately ignored (like the rainbows). In reality, the Duffers wanted to show that there should be more transparency. Nobody is perfect and no one has to be or pretend to be. It shows the struggle of Mike and Will against the norm and the hard compulsion of society (Mind Flayer). It should help the queer community and not do the opposite. Mike is about courage and that's exactly what they wanted to show. No one has to hide. You are special, no matter how you define yourself and who you are. You can be proud of yourself. Stand by yourself and stay strong. Always stay true to yourself.🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

It is frightening how much hate the series has collected. So much homophobia and that in the 21st century. Some call it queerbaiting, others delusional to believe in byler.

[danijela04]

Tammy Thompson (He was just my Tammy)

I read so many misunderstandings about Tammy (the conversation with Robin), the field scene and the coming out. Should I explain it again? It is not negative at all. Quite the contrary…

Yes please.

No. I think I got it.

Remaining time: 16 hours 40 minutes

I was looking for the answer in someone else. But I had it all the time….

[lune-moon-nuit]

The duffer's are the classic example of white average cis men that are extremely mediocre and self inflating and have great opportunities in life just cause of this, but really think themselves as "misunderstood geniuses" that doesn't understand why they being criticised and where they are mistaken, cause it's always "people that don't understand what we wanted to say cause you not brilliant like us"

I am honestly in complete agreement with you. The Duffer Brothers increasingly strike me as the embodiment of a very particular cultural phenomenon: average white cisgender men elevated by an industry that has historically granted immense authority and credibility to people who mirror its own image. And because that system has rewarded them for so long, they seem to have developed the conviction that criticism itself must automatically stem from the audience’s inability to “understand their genius,” rather than from genuine flaws in their writing or storytelling choices.

What frustrates me most is not even mediocrity itself, because mediocrity is human. No artist is perfect, and every creator is capable of failure. What becomes insufferable is the arrogance that often accompanies it: this almost mythological self-perception of being misunderstood visionaries while dismissing legitimate criticism as intellectual inferiority from the audience. Historically, we have seen this pattern countless times in art, academia, cinema, and even politics. Power and praise can become mirrors that distort self-awareness. The more a person is applauded without accountability, the more difficult it becomes for them to distinguish admiration from infallibility.

And ironically, truly brilliant creators are usually the opposite. The greatest writers, filmmakers, philosophers, and artists throughout history were often deeply aware of their own limitations. They questioned themselves constantly. They revised. They listened. They understood that storytelling is not simply about imposing meaning onto an audience, but about creating something coherent enough that people can emotionally and intellectually engage with it in good faith.

What makes the situation around Stranger Things particularly frustrating is that the criticism did not emerge out of nowhere. People are not upset because the story was “too intelligent” for them. On the contrary, many criticisms came from viewers who were paying extremely close attention to characterization, symbolism, narrative structure, emotional continuity, and thematic consistency. The audience noticed contradictions because the audience cared. There is a profound difference between a viewer failing to understand a story and a story failing to honor the emotional and narrative foundations it spent years constructing.

And I think that is why so many people feel disappointed rather than merely angry. Disappointment only exists where there was once admiration. People saw potential. They saw depth. They saw emotional intelligence within the earlier seasons and believed it was leading somewhere meaningful. So when that complexity collapses into incoherence while the creators react defensively instead of reflectively, it creates the feeling of witnessing wasted potential rather than artistic tragedy.

There is also, undeniably, a sociological dimension to all of this. Industries have historically been far more forgiving toward white male creators, especially when compared to women, queer creators, or marginalized artists, who are often scrutinized ten times harder for mistakes half as severe. Mediocre men are frequently allowed to brand themselves as tortured geniuses, while others must constantly prove their competence simply to be taken seriously. That imbalance shapes not only who gets opportunities, but also who develops the confidence to believe their perspective is inherently authoritative.

At some point, intelligence without humility becomes intellectual vanity. And art created from vanity eventually loses the very humanity that made people connect to it in the first place.

[danijela04]

Yes, unfortunately you didn't understand the series and the Duffers know that very well. I understood the subtext and all the characters but I can understand the disappointment of the fans. You just overlooked that Mike is only the storyteller. There are metaphors, personifications and mirror characters. If you understand all this, the ending is beautiful, believe me. Unfortunately, you can only read and understand Mike about the personifications and his mirror characters. The series is brilliantly made, but only those who understand the meta level can understand the series. Unfortunately, the text level is not enough because it is a parable.Its really sad.

[danijela04]

Holly und Derek

"Delightful Derek" and "Holly the heroic".

I believe no one really understood the significance of the two characters. She is not just Mike's little sister, but also his mirror, and Derek mirrors Will. The two are the part that survived and existed before the fathers. They fight and must survive in the end so that Mike and Will have a chance.

Do you actually know why Joyce calls him that or why she has so much trust in him?

Or do you know why Holly and Erica call him a complete idiot and don't like him at first? Although that's not entirely true either.

I think both of them are very well written…

[danijela04]

Stranger Things is brilliantly written if you understand the subtext.

I'll ask the question now: What would interest you that you absolutely didn't understand?

I still plan to write about Vecna (he's really well-written). Then a small piece about Suzie and Erica (both personifications). Furthermore, about Eddie (an important foil and mirror character of Mike) and his relationship with Dustin and Steve. Lastly, about Ted and Karen + Billy (mirror characters of Mike and Ted, with El reflecting the girlfriend and Billy reflecting Will).

Is there a specific character you don't understand or a scene? Or why exactly 12 children? Why 4 years? Or baby Dart? Comment and let me know, and I'll explain it. In the end, there is no plot holes.

No one has to insult the Duffers and call them bad writers, because its not true.

[danijela04]

The small hint about Mike's true sexuality that no one noticed.

It's of course this scene here. Mike and El are surprised when Karen comes home. And where does he hide El now? He hides her in his closet. Again, she is locked up, a terrible feeling for Eleven.

Here follows a conversation from Karen to Mike. Karen is, of course, not at all angry that little Michael so easily skipped school. Quite the opposite. She understands Mike. All that is happening with Will right now. She can understand how all of this must be for Mike. She wants Mike to feel that he can always talk to her. She doesn't want him to feel like he has to hide anything from her. She is there for him. Yes, she will always be there for Mike. Just as she utters these words: That you have to hide something from me, El faints in the closet. There is a "thud" that Mike, Karen, and we as viewers perceive. But it's much more than that. It was the signal.

She suspects that little Michael, her son, is hiding something from her. She suspects that it has something to do with Will and also that her son is different. It is a mother's love. Just as Joyce always suspected. No, actually, she always knew it. Just like Lonnie knew it and Ted knows it. Ted and Karen are Mike's mirror characters (they show the present and future). What will happen to Mike if he continues on the normal path? The question is: How will Mike decide? For the legacy of the father (I marry a woman I don't love and have children, conforming to the norm) or do I choose the love of my mother (Safe Space: You decide to break free and love whom you want, even if it's dangerous).

[danijela04]

How could El have known Will without ever having seen him before?

Many believe that she met Will in the UD. But how and when is that supposed to have happened? She disappeared first. She broke out of the lab and Will was still there. He disappeared later. But of course, she knows him and has a connection. She later also knows where to find him. She leads Mike, Dustin, and Lucas to the Byers' house. But they don't see him, just like we don't see him there. Because Will is on the other side. But wait a moment. Actually, he is right there. He is at home, but on the other side. At first, it is believed to be another dimension. It is the metaphor for the hidden (the closet). It's all just like Hawkins, only dark and cold. There is no warmth there. So Will is exactly where Eleven led them. Will was never really gone. But why does she recognize him now? When Mike shows Eleven his room, she discovers the photo. El moves closer, breathing heavily and becoming very nervous. Mike asks: Do you know Will? Then they are interrupted. So the answer is yes. El knows Will. She is a personification and represents something abstract. She is the love of Mike and Will. She shows exactly the reaction that Mike has at that very moment. We as viewers (readers) should know exactly what it's about. It's about Will. Mike is thinking about Will in that moment, and El reacts to it. These are the feelings Mike has for a boy. For a very specific one. And that is his best friend Willam Byers.

Actually, Stranger Things isn't that strange, is it?

[danijela04]

When blue 💙meets yellow 💛in the west

I really like this scene and everything that happens afterward.

It says: Only those who crack the code will understand that this is a story about Mike and Will’s love. When the yellow and blue hands point to 9 in the west, it’s 945. Of course, the sun sets in the west, and there’s that one scene where we see both. It’s, of course, the field scene. WSQK operates on frequency 94.5. The radio tower in the background represents sending and receiving signals. I’ve already mentioned this. Mike subconsciously sent a signal, and it was received by Will. Robin noticed it. But she’s been collecting data since Season 3, so she’s been paying attention to the signals. Will suppressed it and wasn’t ready because of the trauma. Now he is, so he ends the projection (Tammy).

Mike, on the other hand, didn’t pick up Will’s signal because of his trauma. He’d rather run away. His mind is protecting his heart, but his whole body felt it—including his heart. That’s why he hits the pipe, and the emotions burst out. He can’t hold them back anymore. The water and the burst pipe are the perfect metaphor for pent-up and releasing emotions. It was the smile that gave him away and Will’s touch that triggered an explosion in Mike. So here in the field, they met. It is the moment when Will frees himself from the projection and Mike decides to finally be real. He frees himself from the illusion (of the girlfriend).

[danijela04]

The boy in Will's epilogue ✎

As most people suspected, it’s Mike himself, of course. Will doesn’t know him. Will doesn’t even know he exists. It’s Mike’s imagination. Only Mike and the audience see this boy. Many find the idea of Will in a gay bar cruel or inappropriate. I think the Duffers chose it perfectly. It’s the exact opposite. It’s the ultimate contrast to the fact that Will lived in hiding for years, just like Mike. Here, Will finally experiences the acceptance he needs and deserves. And Mike himself sees himself in it, even before Mike reveals the true story of the mage. And why is it no one else but Mike? He’s just called “cute college boy.” Who introduces themselves that way in college? Yes, it’s Mike. Yes, that’s how you portray the death of the ego. It’s the face without a mask. Mike hid behind a mask for four years. The girlfriend was the ego—an illusion. So it wasn’t the real Mike we saw, but the one who was pretending. The one who pretended to be normal and straight to fit in with the norm. He imagines that Will not only finally finds acceptance in the big city, but also finally deserves the real Mike. Because Will loves Mike and Mike loves Will. It’s Mike’s smile, his silhouette, and his hair—just a different face. Free of illusions and masks. Exactly the person Will deserve.

[iamallthemadmen]

can I just say something cause I'm still really fucking angry.

I always said that if Stranger Things didn't make byler canon it would be a massive flop, and some people (at least around me), even though they were byler shippers, thought that was too far, but I genuinely don't think they could have even made that shit good without making byler canon. It's like what people were saying with conformitygate, 'if they do it but byler doesn't happen, I don't want it'. Byler was such a strong narrative force in the show. To subvert the conformist ending they would've had to make byler canon. To make the ending good in the first place they would need to be true to the show, and how could they be true to the show while forgetting all these laws they had set up with byler?

By ignoring byler like they did, they had to ignore the laws of writing. The laws that they set for themselves when writing it in earlier seasons, especially season 4, because that painting was the point of no return. You can't introduce something like that and never address it. It's just unfinished business that doesn't make any sense because you never resolved it.

And they can't resolve it with a rejection, because I think they knew how stupid that would've been, or maybe they didn't care and wanted to break our hearts, but I digress. If they did some slow burn rejection thing, that would have been a very strange and genuinely anticlimactic writing choice. They would have had to actually explain the painting and make it undeniable for the viewers. They would've had to acknowledge that how Will spoke in the van is how he feels about Mike, and what is that if not love? Pure love, the way they wrote it. The way they acted and directed it, scrutinising it for hours and telling Finn 'it'll pay off.'

If I had done all that, just to end it in rejection, I would be embarrassed of myself.

So they didn't do a rejection, they acted like it was never real in the first place. The coward approach, even more embarrassing In my opinion, but at least all the casual watchers will forget there was ever a painting in the first place.

My point is, no matter what they did with byler, without making it canon, there were always going to be cracks in the dam.

It could be one of the reasons they nerfed Henry And Patty, because the parallels were too obvious. Mike and Will were meant to be their foils, I will die on this hill. Where things ended in tragedy for them, Will and Mike's story was going to be different, because Will was possesed, but he wouldn't lose to the mindflayer like Henry did, right? Mike would have pulled through, not because of a speech from his best friend, but because it was what was in his heart.

In the end, they literally just annihilated all of that. Henry was actually just an evil sycopath with no feelings, who wanted to do everything he did, going against canon lore that they created/approved of with the First Shadow. Patty wasn't even introduced, which should have happened in a good ending for Stranger Things, but they already had a cast of like 80 people by then. They couldn't have forgotten fucking Murray because we all know how important he is.

I don't know what the stance on this is, but I genuinely believe that Stranger things was going to have it's good ending, and something happened behind the scenes that ruined it. I'm not glazing the Duffers, I hate them. I'm saying that Stranger Things was written for misfits at some point. I didn't make that up. There were genuinely beautiful moments in that show and for all it's flaws, it's relationships were what held it all together. I don't really know how it all works, and I guess we'll never get answers, but what the Duffers wrote did not take two years. That took six months at least. It was the definition of rushed. And I know the Duffers never cared about their representation, you can tell by the way that they talk about it, but someone did. Someone laid byler into the groundwork. Someone wrote down those laws and said, 'hey, this is how it works. Don't fuck it up.'

And they did, catastrophically.

It screams cowardice.

In order to nuke byler, they also had to do a last minute save for mileven, cue Jane carrying all the weight.

There were rules for mileven, too. And they broke all of them, too. They wrote again and again about how little Mike and Jane didn't understand eachother. They bored us with fights instead of giving those two something to stand on. In order for Mike to have his big saviour moment for Jane, he needed Will. You can't be told what comes from your heart. Only you can decide that. But Will decided it for Mike, and the show went along with it. Making it difficult to understand how Mike's feelings for Jane worked or whether he even had them.

They wrote Jane's season 4 arc in support of an ending where byler was endgame, and when they backed out, they had to throw her under the bus. Literally get rid of her. Suddenly, Mike always understood her and mileven was all that mattered and all that she was in those mere four years she was out of the lab. Barely able to speak when she had her first kiss with someone she thought of as family. Crying because Mike wasn't loving her right, and gaining her final strength in season 4 not because Mike said something from the heart, but because Will did.

Can't you see? All of this was leading to their endgame.

Its a fucking joke.

[danijela04]

It was byler all the time until the end. The painting was also explained. Do you want to know why? For that you have to understand that it is a story and you have to understand who Eleven really is. It was neither queerbaiting nor anything else that was not clarified. You only overlooked the personifications, metaphors and mirror characters or did not understand/not read them. Mike and Will, especially Mike's character can only really be understood through it. Go to my Tumblr and you will understand it. El is a personification (love). Will says: El gave me the order. She told me exactly what to paint (it was his love for Mike). The series is not disappointing but mega good. Eddie (Mike's mirror character): You don't have to be perfect, but just real. He is a foil and mirror character. Through his death, Mike inherits his courage.

[danijela04]

Ted und Karen Wheeler (mirror characters of Mike) and Billy Hargrove (Wills mirror)

Did you understand the meaning of the characters for Mike and Will?

Yes, I do

No, I need an explanation

Voting ended on4h

Ted and Karen show Mike the future if he goes this way…then the flirt with Billy. That's really well done. Mike definitely decides in the end for love (Will) even if hardly anyone has understood it. He decides for the love of his mother, who loves her son, as he really is.

I can only say that they were decisive for Mike's path. And no, he does not decide to live in the closet forever 💜

[danijela04]

Did you actually know that there was already a reference to Mike's sexuality in the first season? Do you know which scene it is?

Yes, I knew

No. I'd like to know which one it is

Voting ended onJun 11

It was season 1 episode 2….

[danijela04]

When blue meets yellow in the west 💙💛

Do you still remember the code from the Russians in season 3? Only those who decipher the code, and Robin did, will understand where blue meets yellow in the west. Do you know where it is?

Yes

No

No, but I'm interested.

Voting ended onJun 10

[danijela04]

Eddie (a mirror character in Stranger Things)

How did you actually find Eddie's character? Did you understand his significance in the series? What role he played for Mike. Or together as the trio: Eddie, Dustin, and Steve. His death was very significant and important. He is, after all, a mirror character.

I thot Eddie was good and understood his role.

I liked Eddie, but I didn't understand his role.

I didn't like Eddie.

Voting ended onJun 10

He is an important mirror character, just so you know.

[danijela04]

Was the character next to Will in the epilog understood by you?

What do you think who he is?

Just a guy who wasn't even introduced

Will's future boyfriend (as most claim)

Mike himself

I have no idea

Voting ended onJun 10

If you paid attention, you would naturally understand why Mike introduces the boy exactly like that and in a bar (for gay people). He is, of course, not just anyone. He goes by the name "cute college boy" but he is definitely not Carlton (whoever came up with that name).

[danijela04]

The true ending of Mike and Will Much more beautiful than everyone believes or thinks

Is Mikes character gay? For all those who still have plot holes in Stranger Things and don't understand the ending ,the hint that you definitely missed: It's just a story. Mike is the storyteller, the born storyteller. It's his story. This story is about trauma, fear, self-acceptance, and love. But also about family, friendship, and, above all, having the courage to be yourself. You don't need to be perfect ; just be real.

What you see is therefore not real. There are metaphors , analogies, personifications, and mirror characters. That's how you write good stories. The monsters, the lab, the rainbow room, Vecna - all of that represents something in Mike's real life. Henry is the mirror character of Will (antagonists are often mirror characters of the protagonist): "What would have happened to Will if he had accepted the Mind Flayer ? " The lab represents conditioning (metaphor), the lab child represents stigmatization (experiments, seeing gay people as monsters). Songs and water are perfect metaphors that describe the emotional state of the characters. Just take a closer look.

Remember the fallen hero Eddie. Eddie wasn't perfect, but he didn't care. He was just real. He starts as a foil to make the protagonist's cowardice visible. Thru his death in the arms of Dustin (Mike's heart), he becomes a mirror of potential – he leaves a gap that the protagonist can only fill by becoming brave and "real" himself.

As long as he lives, he serves as a classic foil. The contrast: Mike hides, is afraid of rejection (also because of his sexuality), and adapts. The mirror character, on the other hand, lives openly, authentically, and doesn't give a damn about what others think. The function: His mere existence painfully reminds the protagonist of how incomplete and cowardly he himself lives. Thru death: The emotional catalyst: When he dies in the arms of the heart, his role changes. He becomes a mirror with extreme potential: The personification (Dustin) of the trauma: That his heart (symbolically or physically) has a trauma shows that his openness and courage have made him vulnerable. The legacy: His death forces the protagonist to shed cowardice. The protagonist must now "inherit" the courage of the deceased to honor their memory. The trauma of the mirror becomes the driving force for the protagonist.

"The mage you saw die was not real (the love). She was an Illusion (girlfriend). " The goddess Kali has killed the ego. El to Mike: "You saw the real me."

El sacrificed herself at the end as Mike's girlfriend so that the illusion would finally die. Because Mike chose, Hop chose. He gave her freedom. The freedom she always wanted and deserved. In the end, love became too strong and matured. El made this choice.

So, is Mike's character gay? Yes, 100 percent.