Will The Wisest

15 y/o I mostly just reblog Stranger Things theories/analysis posts I sometimes make my own posts— Fanfic snippets, art, or mini character studies Neurodivergent 🌈♾️ Any/all pronouns 🏳️‍🌈🇵🇹🇬🇧

[ang333lgirl]

Jaspidot? Yes that’s chill I’m behind it.

Lapidot? Cool beans Daddio that’s a good ship

Amedot? Nice taste in ships *Italian Fingers*

Pearlmethyst? Heck yes my dude

Garnidot? Nice pairing there bucko

Jaspearl? Right on man

Pearlpis? That’s fresh my guy

Jaspis? Woah there partner that’s abusive

Stevidot? Pedophilia is certified uncool my man

[trippiedollie]

When will y’all be ready to talk about all of Jane’s friends still calling her by a number that was assigned to her while she was literally being abused? The second she legally changed her name to Jane (or rather decided that Jane was going to be her name) EVERYONE should have been calling her Jane.

[yearnforfilms]

oh well, we'll blame it on the genetics whatever

[willzardthewise]

let's all emotionally cheat like mama

[literallyidontwannadothis]

tbh, most unrealistic part of Stranger Things is that they don't reference things that happened in previous seasons more. I choose to believe that they make fun of each other a-la-Lucas and Max singing Never Ending Story at Dustin a lot more than they show:

Dustin: not right now, Lucas-

Lucas: BuT wHy ArE yOu KeEpInG tHiS cUrIoSiTy DoOr CLOSED Dustin??

Steve: I don't care-

Dustin and Robin, simultaneously: I don't CARE about Tina, or Uncle Jack's party-

Steve: I WAS STRESSED OKAY

El: Hop wants to talk to you

Mike: oh is it about my SICK FREAKING GRANDMA

Lucas: I need to tell you something, but it's a secret,

Max: should we go to the arcade

Anyone: Who do you work for?

Steve and Robin in unison: SCOOPS AHOY

Mike: I'm going over to the Byers to study with El and Will

Nancy, innocently: Oh, what's your test on, human ana-

Mike: SHUT UP SHUT UP RIGHT NOW

Dustin: I'm feeling low, I could really use a win

Steve: Aw, I'm sorry buddy, do you want-

Dustin: I'm going to challenge you to a fight

Steve: ... what the hell, dude

AND NOW THE ORANGE MOHAWK, I call bull, real life friends would be all over that: Don't let Mike make any decisions, he wanted to get an orange mohawk last year.

[doopydew]

Why Henderhop (Dustin x Eleven) is Better Than Mileven

By Dewart Doop (me)

in my opinion it should’ve started off as a lil love triangle. like instead of dustin-max-lucas and will-mike-eleven it should’ve been dustin-eleven-mike with season 3 ending in a win for dustin. here is 3 big reasons why…

1. The first simple reason is because I like their personalities together more. They’re both smart, kind, and brave in their own ways, and I think Dustin’s charm/warmth would balance well with Jane’s intensity and vulnerability. Part of the reason why Mike and El don’t work is because the way Mike is written makes him seem like he’s not attracted to El. Mike is queer coded, Dustin is not. His attraction to Jane would seem more genuine. Dustin is also pretty egoistical, meaning he’s not codependent the same way Mike is. He would be infatuated by Jane’s powers, yes, but from a scientific standpoint. He views them as equals, like a brains & brawn type deal, and doesn’t need to be needed. To put it more simply: Mike sees himself as Lois Lane, Dustin sees himself as Batman.

2. It would’ve added more depth to Dustin, Mike, and Jane’s characters. With Jane not being so worried about Mike, she could learn to be more independent. As of right now, it doesn’t look so good for either Byler or Mileven endgame. Using a woman to prop up a relationship between two men?? BAD! Queerbaiting with Byler?? BAD!! This way, Byler buildup doesn’t cause as much problems. Instead of starting season 3 with Mileven being together, it would’ve started with Dustin and Mike both pining for Jane. Dustin having genuine romantic feelings for Jane, and Mike having comphet (ik it’s controversial to use that term for men I just couldn’t think of a better term. I’m a lesbian, don’t start..). Dustin could touch up more on his insecurities he mentions to Steve, so part of his plot line in s3 being winning a girl would be kinda awesome. Not to mention how cool it would’ve been to have a physically disabled love interest in a mainstream TV show??

3. Relationship development. I mean, Wheeler sibling content? Score. Madwheeler? Score. Wheelclair? Score. Mike and the older teens???? SCORE! Not to mention finally getting to develop Will and Dustin’s relationship? I mean, the whole dart thing, he was the last person to talk to him before he went missing, they both like DnD an abnormal amount? The concept of Will opening up to Dustin about the way Mike and Lucas treated him over the summer and maybe coming out to him is just ugh so good. ALSO, Eddie is arguably pretty queer coded, so having an openly gay or bi dude Mike would confide in would’ve been so cool! Mike, according to Finn, is trying to be as normal as possible, so I think his relationship with the town freak should’ve been explored more. Yk who else was the town freak? Erm, Mr. William Byers. I think a chat with Eddie would’ve woken him up a lil.. ALSO the Lumax and Byler parallels? Both Mike and Max are pulling away while Lucas and Will are reaching in. COME ONNNNNN.

TL;DR: HENDERHOP SOLOS!

[stranger-things-yapper]

I needed One (1) scene of Dustin being like, annoyed or full mad at Mike for treating El like crap. Like, just him observing mileven and being like Why The Fuck Are You Like This™️

It would be all the better if El was actually growing closer to Dustin as a friend at this point, so he's even more attuned to what she's feeling. He can see El expects certain things that Mike simply does not deliver, and he doesn't understand because they're really simple things that Dustin has no problem doing for Suzie (or wouldn't have a problem doing for Suzie since they're long distance). I wonder if El would look so clearly disappointed that it propels Dustin to just step in and do those things himself.

Specifically I want a scene where El needs help, and someone asks Mike something about her - where she could be, what she could be doing - and Mike straight up doesn't know, but Dustin does. And then Mike feels like he should be mad, so he's like "how do you know that" and Dustin is like "because I freaking asked her about it - why do YOU not know that, she's YOUR girlfriend" and the whole room tenses up.

Maybe Dustin is the one that finds her first, even. And he sideeyes Mike when he finally reaches them, like super disapproving "why am I doing this, YOU should be doing this, fucking get it together man, you're HURTING HER"

I just needed more people caring more about El, okay 😭 more people seeing how bad things were for her after S3. DUSTIN WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT FOR THAT

[henderhop-is-endgame]

Henderhop is Endgame: Part I

Note: This post was drafted before Stranger Things 4 was released.

Byler, Lumax, and Henderhop are (what i believe to be) the endgame ships of the Party. I'm not going to do any analysis in this post; this is meant merely to be a compilation of interactions between El and Dustin (including canon evidence for the idea that Henderhop is endgame).

There are quite literally thousands of posts on Lumax (Lucas/Max) and Byler (Will/Mike), but comparatively few about the likelihood of Henderhop. Admittedly, El and Dustin have more obviously a friendship than a romance going on, but that doesn't mark off the possibility of a slow burn!

This is Part I of a series!

[DISCLAIMER: I'm not ignoring Suzie- or Mike- for the sake of Henderhop.]

Season 1

Chapter 1: "The Vanishing of Will Byers"

Chapter 2: "The Weirdo on Maple Street"

Dustin's first words to El: "Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?"

Dustin understandably is curious as to where El came from, why her head is shaved, etc. whereas Mike just wants to know if she can help them find Will. See? Already, we have Dustin being curious about El, whereas Mike just cares about Will. Dustin doesn't even know this girl- but he wants to get to know her; Mike literally just wants to get rid of her until he realizes she can help them find Will.

Dustin and Lucas converse when Mike is skipping school; Dustin wonders if El slept naked, which annoys Lucas.

"We never would've upset you if we knew you had superpowers."

El holds up the wizard figurine and says "Will"- Dustin comments in awe: "Superpowers".

Chapter 3: "Holly, Jolly"

Dustin brought snacks- "energy for our travels". Dustin is VERY IMPRESSED with El's powers. Dustin asks El to make Mike's model Millennium Falcon fly, which makes Mike snap, "She's not a dog!"

Dustin continues to be intrigued, wondering if El's powers were acquired or if she was born with them.

Chapter 4: "The Body"

"Will's body" was found, but El finds proof that Will is alive. Dustin continues to be impressed with El's powers- less skeptical than Lucas.

The boys give El a makeover, and she comes out of the bathroom after changing. "Wow. She looks..." Dustin remarks, before Mike says "Pretty." and Dustin GRINS in genuine delight.

Dustin is a good friend, lying to protect El.

Chapter 5: "The Flea and the Acrobat"

Dustin asks Lucas, "You're asking if the weirdo is acting weird?" - to this Lucas clarifies weirder than normal. - to which Dustin responds, rather unromantically "I don't know. Who cares?"

Dustin mediates between Lucas and Mike, not really defending El. Again, not evidence for Henderhop- rather the opposite- but i'm pointing it out for the sake of acknowledging that this is a slowburn.

Chapter 6: "The Monster"

Dustin & Mike go to Lucas' house. Mike says that El is "one of us, now". Dustin admits that El throwing Lucas with her mind was "a little awesome".

"Our friend has superpowers, and she squeezed your tiny bladder with her mind!" Troy & James run away in fear. "She's our friend and she's crazy! You come back and she'll kill you!"

Mike hugs El, and Dustin hugs both of them:

Chapter 7: "The Bathtub"

"Did... did you see what she did to that van?" (Mike responds sarcastically, "No, Dustin, we missed it.")

Chapter 8: "The Upside Down"

"Mike, look at her," Dustin says regarding El's exhaustion; her powers won't work. Dustin goes to get chocolate pudding- El "needs to recharge". When he returns with the chocolate pudding, Dustin tells El, "This will charge your battery right up, I'm telling you."

El kills 5 agents and collapses. Dustin picks her up and carries her through the halls.

After El destroys the demogorgon and vanishes, Dustin is the first to look up.

Part I [Part II] [Part III] [Part IV]

[bylerism-bible]

HUGE TW FOR CSA ALLEGORY IN STRANGER THINGS

The way some ppl will just totally deny the unavoidable allegory for CSA in Stranger Things when there's literally Freddie Kruger and Alien references and inspiration in the show. References that are clearly allegory for SA in both the original context and the context of ST.

Say it with me:

Fiction depicting something that makes you uncomfortable in a subtle way doesn't mean you can just deny the clear meaning.

Henry/Vecna/001 is a serial rapist and murderer via the coding of his actions. He literally has murdered underage people by forcibly penetrating their bodies with tentacles and making slug spawn much like facehuggers in Alien. Will SURVIVED this.

It's MEANT to be uncomfortable. That's the POINT. I'm a CSA survivor w OCD. I don't LOVE thinking about this shit, I get that. However-- it is IN the show. It is right there.

Ignoring it misses a huge point to be made, especially with Will and how acts of SA against queer people (esp queer kids like him) goes unacknowledged and denied, and how surviving something like that can affect something like your sexuality, which is openly declared to be a very important portion of Will's character development.

This isn't just accidental. Like, yeah. It's not fun, it's grotesque and sickening and that's exactly the feeling it's supposed to evoke. So please don't ignore it for what it clearly is.

It's not even just subtext y'all there are canonically tentacles and reproductive cycles involved. Is it disgusting? YES.

That's the point. Just like it was the point in ALIEN. Henry openly declares himself a predator and quite literally stalks, manipulates, and violates a bunch of teenagers. It's cinematography, not rocket science.

Please pay attention.

[timblriche-deactivated20260106]

Stranger Things Analysis + Theory Masterlist

(I finally updated it!)

Listed in order of newest to oldest by section :) *My favorites are marked with an asterisk!

This video deserves its own section!:

Heartbreak according to Will Byers*

S5 theories:

The white goo in the S5 teaser is the Upside Down dimension collapsing. My theory on exactly how Vecna and the Mindflayer will be defeated in the final battle in S5E8...*

Why are the upside down portals so fleshy, veiny, and biological?

Metaphors, allegories, symbolism, and themes in Stranger Things:

The most overlooked theme of S4 is prisons, and Mike is no exception*

Blasphemy, gay peanut butter, and the comphet "prison escape" metaphor in S4*

The dead guards in S4 represent Mike's emotional guard dropping*

Mike and El's masks and Michael Myers

Mike's "vomit green" socks*

The return of the S2 rainbow hair clip in S4 hints at the return of Mike's jealousy re: Will liking a girl*

El's bullies personify Mike's internalized shame (an allegorical reading of Mike's "little blip" at Rink-O-Mania)*

Media parallels:

The Cyrano trope in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind may have inspired the painting lie*

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 parallels*

Adding this to the "Karen might be cooked" pile

The Upside Down may be post-apocalyptic Hawkins after a nuclear war with Russia (inspired by Terminator 2)

Byler hints and S5 foreshadowing in the "Coming Soon" movie posters in S3*

"No one's moping," Moby-Dick, and Police Academy 3: Another Jancy/Byler parallel*

Food symbolism and movie parallels: Mike's "blasphemous" foods; Eleven's coke cans vs. bottles (powers vs. childhood); and Hopper's peanut butter death fake-out and Meet Joe Black

"The party," speaking in code, and the queer code:

This is NOT a party of "you and me"*

Sorry Argyle, you're not invited to this party...*

Why the writers made Robin a code-breaker *

Clues from the script and cinematography:

The Piggyback script might have already confirmed the theory that Vecna and the Mind Flayer are stuck in a predestination time loop*

In defense of 'Dart (who represents homosexuality)'*

The script suggests Will was stalked in the Wheeler house before being kidnapped

Follow-up: feedback from a film student/cinematographer on the unique purpose of the Will/Mike van shot*

Cinematography analysis: This was NOT Mike's POV looking forward, it was Jonathan's. What is Mike actually looking at, and what makes this shot different from all the rest?*

Mike, Will, and El Analyses:

ah, inauthenticity... the foundation of every healthy relationship amirite*

"Canonically suspicious"*

The "two-man rule" for nuclear launch: true love is the key against unhappy conformity*

El piggybacked in a coffin (El as a 'wish fulfillment' figure)*

Jopper's "crazy together" parallel*

Will's 80s period-accuracy jump scare (gender non-conformism)*

Eleven was always written to be Will's "sub"*

If the coffin fits... (which could mean nothing)

Mike and El's first kiss happened in the rainbow room*

El brought back to life two hearts that were as good as dead

Emergency care and "I care for you"

The Strangers Things Guide to conflict resolution in a happy marriage*

The Romeo & Juliet references were also about Mike and Will*

Mike's lightbulb went off in S1E1, and he turned it off*

Mike wore GAP (and GAP = Gay and Proud)*

Will's happy ending won't include having powers

Other meta commentary in the writing:

I have no idea what's gonna happen next*

Straightbaiting and double meanings in ST episode titles

Misc. analysis and potential foreshadowing:

Ted Wheeler might be cooked...*

Jonathan's good at pointing and shooting!! Not a gun tho...

“I understand”: El and Mike's scene in the S5 teaser is a parallel to Jonathan and Will's scene of unspoken understanding in the pizza kitchen

Other misc. thoughts

It is a curse to see so clearly*

(silly) Mike "boys only!" Wheeler

Byler doubt and "delusion" in a nutshell

Erase your Byler doubt at once!

How to build your skills in film & literary analysis (ST edition)

[queercodednat]

Chocked on my water and punched my wall when I read "he only had it rough for 2 seasons mind you"

Will has suffered A LOT. With this I'm not saying that Eleven hasn't suffered, she has, and maybe even more than Will. But that doesn't invalidate Will's experiences.

What I want to say is how it is so obvious the person who posted that cares little lo nothing about Eleven. They are just reducing her character to "if she doesn't end up with Mike her story won't make sense!" WRONG!

If El doesn't end up with Mike, her story will have a round and clean arc. A self exploring arc, were she finds her true self, and lives independently after all of this years of being abused and manipulatied, or maybe even finds someone else in the future when she has healed completly.

If Will doesn't end up with Mike, in the other hand, his character wouldn't have a clean, round arc. We are talking about the boy who, apart from all of the suffering the upside down has brought to this life, said this while in love with his childhood best friend:

"I'm not gonna...fall in love"

Apart from that, id like to remind everyone reading this all I can remember Will has been through since the show started.

Lets recap:

1- He has been taken to an alternate dimension, not knowing we're he was, were his family was, or his friends,probably thinking he was sent to hell for being queer.

2- He has been called homophobic slurs for, as far as we know, all his life, by adults and kids in his town, even by his OWN FATHER.

3- While trapped in that alternate dimension he did t know nothing about, he had to keep running for his dear life from literal monsters for a WHOLE WEEK, jumping from tree to tree to not be eaten alive, etc...

4- He actually DIED in that alternate dimension, and got a ALTERDIMENSIONAL TENTACLE stuck down his throat, probably used for breeding those monsters from that dimension (to then later, when he was back into the real world, VOMIT INTERDIMENSIONAL SLUGS INTO HIS SINK.)

5- Even after he was rescued, he kept having to relive those traumatic events for months (PTSD -> episodes)

6- While having to relive his traumatic experience in the alternate dimension, he got POSESSED by ANOTHER KIND OF MONSTER FROM THAT DIMENSION, making him not have control over his own body, and being used to KILL 20+ SOLDIERS.

7- He was BURNED ALIVE 3 TIMES. 3.

a) The tunnels incident

b) The exorcism

c) Nancy directly burning his torso's side with a heated up metal pole

8- He endured an EXORCISM, while being burned alive, and having to feel that monster leave his body.

9- During the time he was possessed, he had slight episodes of self consciousness, so he was AWARE of what was being done with the help of his mind, and not being able to stop it.

10- He was then ignored by his best friend for the next months, while he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend.

11- His bestfriend straight up told him it was "not his fault he didn't like girls", the same bestfriend he was in love with and had been shielding him agains homophobia for all those years.

12- He still felt the shadow monster's presence even AFTER the exorcism.

13- Had to be present while his brother and his brother's girlfriend, who was his crush's sister, faced a flesh monster without being able to do anything, afraid he could potentially die.

14- Had to move away from all of his friends and start a new life from scraps all the way in California.

15- Spent 6 months seeing his step sister (and his crush's girlfriend) getting letter after letter from the love of his life (and bestfriend), while he only got a couple of calls.

16- Was excited as he had ever been to finally reunite with his supposedly "bestfriend" for him only to give him the most awkward half hug, while he went all in for a big hug.

17- He was COMPLETLY IGNORED by his bestfriend and sister for the entire day, and what day was it again? HIS BIRTHDAY.

18- Had his stepsister El, he deeply cared about, ARRESTED, while his mom was off to Russia, so they had no way of helping her.

19- Had to bury his feelings for his bestfriend, just to use them as if they were his stepsister's feelings, to make them reconciliate with one another.

20- Had to watch his stepsister be ALMOST KILLED, as her boyfriend and his bestfriend gave her the most lie based monologue ever, using words on HIS MONOLOGUE with her.

It would be absolutely heartbreaking for Will to end up alone, without someone who loves him unconditionally, don't you think?

To sum it all up:

El not ending up with Mike (+ loosing her powers for good) would round up her arc, leading to her finally being free from having to depend on other people.

Will not ending up with Mike would only add up to the cycle of tragedy and pain he has been trapped in since November 6th 1983, the day everything started.

(if there's anything wrong, lmk in the comments, and please reblog if I have left anything important out! If there is any grammar error in this, lmk in the comments, since I'm making this with my pupils dilated, so I can't see properly, thanks!)

[eeriesilkworm]

It's All Relative:

Mike Wheeler’s bedroom isn’t just queer-coded, it’s politically charged in context — thanks to this print.

Alternative title: Triangles, triangles and more fucking triangles.

The more you look, the clearer it becomes that Mike's bedroom is an absolute masterclass in queer-coded set design.

I probably don’t need to address the famous "one way" sign pointing to the closet — that symbolism should be obvious. However, I do want to focus on the print which has been placed (quite intentionally) beneath it:

Relativity (1953) by M. C. Escher

Relativity is one of Escher’s most recognizable works. It’s a lithograph (originally a woodcut) that depicts a labyrinth of staircases inside a world where the normal laws of gravity do not apply. In fact, it appears to have three centres of gravity occupying the same space.

It plays with dimensions, which is fitting for a show like Stranger Things which is about alternate dimensions. The three gravitational forces could even be referencing the three known dimensions within Stranger Things: The Rightside Up, The Upside Down, and the mysterious Dimension X.

But beyond that, this image also speaks to Mike’s character and psyche. Otherwise, it wouldn't be placed inside his bedroom which represents his personality, privacy, and inner world.

The Meaning of Relativity

Relativity is obviously the state of being relative.

To be relative means that something gains its meaning or significance only when compared to, or understood in relation to, something else.

When you focus on a single point of gravity in Escher’s print, the scene appears normal. But when you assess the image as a whole, you notice that something is off. The three centres of gravity are made interesting when we notice them in relation to each other. That's why it's called Relativity.

Basically, we're being told that if we want to better understand Mike Wheeler, we need to look at him relatively.

We need to pay attention to the context and look at the bigger picture.

Well, you don’t have to tell me twice. Let's zoom back out.

In the bigger picture, the blocking has Mike stood between his bed and the closet. Framed above him is the "one way" sign, and the print of Relativity.

This is our point of interest: the spot our eyes are naturally drawn to.

All Signs Point to The Closet

As it turns out, the “one way” sign is highly relevant to this analysis.

That’s because the perceived significance of the "one way" sign is relative.

On its own, a “one way” sign in Mike’s bedroom is just a traffic sign and nothing more. In relation to the closet, however, it transforms into a visual cue for the state of being “in the closet.”

The symbolism of the “one way” sign depends entirely on its relationship to the closet, and Relativity (1953) underscores that fact with humour and cheeky precision.

It's a slapstick fish-to-the-face for anyone still denying the possibility of Mike being queer. It’s as if the set designers are saying, “Look at the sign in relation to the closet. And just to make sure you see it, here’s Escher’s Relativity sitting right between them to give you instruction.”

It's not even hidden in plain sight — it's being pointed to.

And here’s the kicker: the sign, the print, and the closet aren’t just thematically connected — they are spatially triangulated.

Their relativity is both metaphorical and literal!

It's also queer imagery: Special thanks to costume designer Amy Parris for confirming that the creatives behind Stranger Things are well aware of the triangle’s significance in LGBTQ+ history and symbolism. (More on that later).

The Penrose Triangle (Tragedy)

The triangle imagery becomes even more overt: at the centre of Relativity sits an inverted Penrose triangle, also known as the Penrose tribar or impossible triangle.

An impossible shape is a form that can be drawn, but cannot possibly exist in three-dimensional reality — unless it is an optical illusion. Psychologist Lionel Penrose and his mathematician son Roger Penrose popularised the Penrose triangle in the 1950s, describing it as “impossibility in its purest form”.

It's... actually quite tragic, when you think about it.

The impossible triangle suggests that Mike feels trapped in an unsolvable dilemma — caught between two realities (the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional) — with no way to reconcile them.

That’s because Mike is at the centre of a dysfunctional love triangle:

The two-dimensional reality that only exists within his mind: a romantic union with Will Byers. The three-dimensional reality that exists within real life: a romantic relationship with El Hopper.

But remember, the impossible triangle is an optical illusion — it doesn't actually exist.

Like Relativity, when you assess the bigger picture (rather than focusing on a single point) something about this love triangle is… off.

It’s not just impossible; it’s fake.

In Relativity, the three points of gravity hold equal importance. This mirrors the way Mike, Will, and El each contribute equally to sustaining this phony love triangle.

They’re all either hiding something or being dishonest.

Their dysfunction comes to a head in the Rink-O-Mania scenes, where it is most obvious. It's the crux of the blame-game that even fans can’t resist joining: Who’s the real asshole in this love triangle?

Dustin already gave the most succinct answer long ago: they’re all being little assholes.

But that’s the tragedy, isn’t it?

These aren’t bad people — they're timid teenagers. The impossible triangle isn’t a joke at their expense; it’s a reminder that all three are stuck in a structure that can’t hold.

And Mike isn't the perpetrator; he's just at the heart of it.

That’s why Relativity hangs in his room and not El’s or Will’s: the impossible puzzle is his to solve, because he’s the one with the most to lose. Since the problem with this love triangle is fakery, the only real solution is honesty. Relativity foreshadows that Mike will be the one to break the illusion — to reveal the truth.

The Pink Triangle (Triumph)

Of course, the fact that the triangle in Relativity is inverted is also significant. Maybe not in Escher’s original intention, but certainly for the creators of Stranger Things in relation to Mike Wheeler.

See what I did there?

As Amy Parris has noted, the inverted triangle is queer imagery, because it is linked to the pink triangle.

The pink triangle has a horrific origin:

During the Second World War, it was used in Nazi concentration camps to mark gay men and trans women. At the time, the inversion signified “sexual inversion” — an outdated, offensive term once used to pathologise homosexuality.

Much like the word queer which was used as a slur before being reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community, the pink triangle (or inverted triangle), was also reappropriated.

It’s now a symbol of pride, gay liberation, and equality.

This reclamation began in the 1970s, sparked by Holocaust survivor Heinz Heger’s memoir The Men with the Pink Triangle. In The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Dr. Frank-N-Furter famously wears a pink triangle over his heart.

I used the word triumph in my subheading with intention, because triumph implies victory over persistent struggle and enduring resilience.

After the Holocaust, the queer community faced another devastating battle: the AIDS epidemic.

The conservative Reagan administration was infamously silent during the crisis’s peak years in the 1980s — and Stranger Things is set squarely within this political backdrop. In this era, the pink triangle’s significance re-emerged, taking on new prominence as a symbol of the ACT UP coalition and the fight against AIDS.

Their slogan?

SILENCE = DEATH

Does this slogan remind you of anything from the show? Because it should. Eddie Munson said something strikingly similar in season 4:

"It's forced conforming... that's what's killing the kids!"

Silence = passivity, compliance and conformity.

This wasn’t just an empowering line to capture the spirit of Stranger Things; it was a direct and intentional reference to the fight against AIDS.

And let’s be clear: Eddie Munson is heavily queer-coded. He appears to have used the hanky code, showed a clear attraction to Steve, and was persecuted by his community during a mass hysteria that mirrored the real-life Satanic Panic.

So Mike Wheeler — a teen growing up in a Reagan-voting household, a member of the Hellfire Club, and one of Eddie Munson’s chosen protégés — keeps a symbol of queer resistance and liberation hanging in his bedroom.

He also wears a custom-made shirt with a triangle over his heart.

Is that significant? Is it intentional?

Well, we have to go back to Escher’s Relativity, which reminds us that it’s all relative: The inverted triangle in the print hanging in Mike’s room, and the triangle over his heart, only gain their full meaning when viewed in context: the bigger picture.

And in Stranger Things, a story about freaks and outcasts beating the odds, that bigger picture is the AIDS crisis: it's right there, providing the backdrop — the context.

Pride is a Riot

Queer liberation is not supposed to be polite or palatable: it’s about breaking down barriers, opening doors, making people uncomfortable, and demanding visibility.

One of the most prominent visual motifs included in season 4 of Stranger Things is the Creel mansion door.

A door — something which opens and reveals the truth inside (like a curtain, a gate, or a closet). Notice that doors, curtains, gates and closets all play a recurring role in Stranger Things; this show has an obsession with metaphors about opening barriers and revealling truths.

Now, the set designers haven’t just suggested that Mike is in the closet, they’ve implied it’s a “one way” destination. He can’t leave. It’s the impossible shape. A locked door. But Robin already demonstrated how we can open a locked door and let the light (truth) in.

By smashing it with a brick — a possible reference to the Stonewall riots.

They didn’t need to include this moment. The door didn’t have to be locked, and Robin didn’t have to be the one throwing the brick. Heck, they could have thrown in a little fanservice and had Steve take off his jacket and punch through the glass with his fist.

Like the “one way” sign, the significance of the brick is relative — relative to its wielder:

Robin Buckley, a canon lesbian who is partially closeted and partially out.

Interestingly, when we look back at Mike Wheeler’s room — and specifically his closet — we can see that the set designers placed a mirror inside.

Mirrors show our reflection; they expose truths and confront us with our reality and identity. In this case, the mirror also catches rays of light streaming from Mike’s window, just like the beams that poured in when Robin’s brick smashed through the Creel mansion door. Light is truth, illumination and exposure.

The Matter of Perspective

We can wax poetic about Escher’s Relativity all day, but its core principle is simple; it’s about perspective.

Is Mike Wheeler queer-coded?

Well, it's relative. Whether you read Mike as straight or queer depends on your point of view, and your way of seeing the world: Are you sympathetic to the struggles and experiences of queer people? Are you queer yourself and know that experience intimately? Do you see queerness not as an “inversion” of the norm, but as an equally valid expression?

If the answer to any of these is yes, then you probably interpret Mike as queer due to your perspective.

I don’t at all begrudge those who simply aren’t familiar with queer-coding — but I do detest those who refuse to see it, or see it and choose to deny it.

Because silence is death.

Mike’s sexuality needs to be both recognized and canonized, because overt queer representation matters. It doesn't matter if it makes Them™️ uncomfortable — queer lives matter more than stupid respectability politics.

Stranger Things has already been catering to Them™️ by watering down the narrative: keeping Mike hidden behind the curtain, and in the closet.

I don’t mind because I love a riddle, but we’re heading into the final season now. The endgame.

The curtain has to open. The door needs to be smashed. But will they do it? That likely depends on the perspective of the Stranger Things creators themselves. So, what is their perspective? What is the ethos that drives the show's storytelling?

For the answer, we can turn to David Harbour's SAG Awards speech (edited for brevity):

“This award… is a call to arms from our fellow craftsmen and women to go deeper, and through our art to battle against fear, self-centeredness, and exclusivity… and through our craft to cultivate a more empathetic and understanding society by revealing intimate truths… We 1983 Midwesterners will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts... we will get past the lies… And when we are at a loss amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions we will… punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the weak, and the disenfranchised, and the marginalized."

And remember the context: a story set in a conservative Midwestern town in the 1980s, in the shadow of the AIDS crisis and the Satanic Panic, where one of the main characters is a canon gay teen in love with his best friend.

I'd say their perspective is pretty fucking clear. 🔺

[eeriesilkworm]

Season 2 Mike definitely saw Max as a love rival for Will

Another Byler from Mike Wheeler's POV analysis—(Unrequited love trope edition).

Walk with me.

Sometimes I think about how when the party went trick-or-treating Mike specifically told Will that he, "should have checked with him" first before letting Max join them.

It's just a very peculiar moment. Why Will?

Even Will was confused by this, lol.

We know that Mike doesn't like Max in season 2 (for reasons we'll look into more), but why did he make this Will's problem/ responsibility? Especially after only knowing of her existence for 2 days at this point.

He wasn't angry at Lucas or Dustin—or at least, he didn't expect them to come to him for permission—otherwise he would have said something to them, too.

It was Will who he felt betrayed by and upset with.

Heck, go ahead and take a second look at the first screenshot provided above.

Does Mike look angry to you?

No—he looks forlorn.

Let me break it down for you:

I'll start by saying when the party learned of MADMAX the screename, they were all equally interested in knowing who it was.

But when Max is introduced to us as a character (and revealed to be a girl), we get markedly different reactions between the boys.

In the first frame, they have no idea who she is or what her name is. All they see is a new girl. (Played by Sadie Sink mind you, who is very pretty).

Look at Mike's face: he already looks sulky.

The second frame is after they learn her name is Max. Once again, all four boys show some level of interest, but Mike remains sulky.

Then we have the recess scene in which the boys are watching Max, which is very interesting.

Consider the blocking and body language in this frame:

Look at Will here: he's just as interested in Max as Lucas and Dustin are (even if his interest is not based on attraction). In fact, he's the main focus of this frame for some reason.

Mike is the only one who hangs back, and his body language is completely different from the other three (hands in pockets, meaning he is distanced). He has no interest whatsoever and his facial expression appears agitated.

Mike feels like the odd one out here.

Will fits in.

When they "lose the target" Will is the one who spots her and reinitiates the "watching." Once again, Will is the main focus of this shot and even seems to be showing the most interest; his expression is bright and engaged.

He runs with Lucas and Dustin to the wastebin while Mike trails behind begrudgingly, not wanting to be left behind.

It begs the question: why is Will the focal point among the four boys in a scene about looking at a girl, if he was never intended to be a love interest?

I argue it's because we're seeing this interaction from a very specific perspective—the perspective of Mike Wheeler, who is standing back and observing.

It's also worth noting that Will's change in demeanor and energy here is extremely apparent.

He is noticeably withdrawn and low in spirits this season due to his PTSD (both literal and metaphorical if you count the MF as a metaphor for trauma).

And Mike notices. He’s the one who points out that Will had been "quiet today"—a detail the others miss because they don’t watch Will the way he does.

Notice that Will is disengaged during the science lesson (before Max arrives), while the other three are nerding out. Will previously participated in the science fair—it typically interests him—but his mood is very low.

Then compare that with his immediate engagement when Max walks into the classroom, and the level of interest he showed during recess. Mike would certainly observe this shift, paying as much attention to Will as he does.

In fact, once the distraction of Max has passed and the principal comes to collect him, Will's body language retreats again; shoulders hunched, eyes downcast.

What conclusion do you think Mike would come to based off these few short interactions?

(And these are the only interactions Mike sees between Will and Max before trick-or-treating together the next day. Mike hasn't even spoken to her yet).

From Will's perspective, this girl is just a novelty: a light-hearted distraction from everything else going on, offering a spot of normalcy.

But from Mike's perspective, this is a pretty new girl showing up out of nowhere and immediately raising Will's spirits: something he felt like he failed to do.

And so it brings us to the trick-or-treating scene, in which Will (apparently) joins Dustin and Lucas in their enthusiasm for Max joining the party, while Mike hangs back and then begrudgingly follows, not wanting to be left behind.

Are we noticing the pattern?

Then we have Mike's confrontation with Will (this happens after Will is seen filming Max, btw). He tells Will he should have checked with him about Max joining them and that Max is, "ruining the best night of the year."

Uh... what? What did she do?

He then storms off: inentionally leaving Will behind this time.

(He wants him to know how that feels).

Following this interaction, Will has a big scare with the MF—and of course, it’s Mike who finds him first. Despite his mood, Mike is still attentive and protective.

Mike behaves possessively when he finds Will, not wanting the others to get involved. He takes Will “home” (his home) so they can be alone.

What follows is a scene that, put simply, is about reciprocation.

Interestingly, Mike’s attitude toward Max shifts after this scene with Will—he doesn’t have anything to say about Max joining the party in the AV room to look at Dustin’s pollywog.

This is the girl who apparently ruined Halloween.

You’d think he’d still be unhappy to see her.

But after that conversation with Will in his basement, Mike feels more secure and reassured about the state of their relationship.

He's no longer jealous.

So now, it's apparently fine for Max to be in the party.

Well, that changes again.

The next notable interaction is after Mike realises the pollywog is from the UD. Mike immediately goes into protective mode. It’s not Will who storms into the classroom to grab the trap—it’s Mike.

It’s also (presumably) Mike who locks Max outside of the AV room when they discuss this, yelling at her that she can’t come inside.

When she opens the door anyway, the pollywog escapes—and (of course) Mike blames her. No one else points fingers.

Now, the boys were hesitant to reveal any information about the UD for obvious reasons, but here we see the recurring theme in the Mike/Will/Max triangle: Mike’s protectiveness (and slight possessiveness) of Will.

So, a recap of Mike’s perspective so far:

First gripe: You’re hogging Will’s attention (possessive) Second gripe: You’ve compromised Will’s safety (protective)

Then we finally have the confrontation between Mike and Max:

It literally starts with Mike telling Max to leave because she's in the boys' room. (Similar to his "boys only" comment in season 3).

Let's not get it twisted: When Max finally asks Mike why he's been treating her the way he has been, he deflects.

Mike, who always has a ready opinion and is not afraid of confrontation, is not comfortable sharing the real reason why.

It’s commonly believed that Mike simply didn’t like Max because her presence reminded him of El’s absence—and I see it—but after a closer look, I no longer agree.

Firstly, I don’t think it’s fair to assume that Max would remind Mike of El (or rub salt in the wound of her absence) just because they’re both girls. Max and El couldn’t be more different—physically or otherwise—and that distinction feels intentional.

Mike would never compare Max to El, because to him, El is incomparable—a superhero who saved his (and Will’s) life.

Also, in Mike’s mind, El is still in the party—he lists her name off with the other members.

Max wouldn’t be a replacement.

He literally just stated that she would be an addition.

Secondly, Mike never actually makes this connection himself. He simply offhandedly mentions El when he’s trying to convince Max she’s not needed.

So why does he want her to stay away?

And when El is finally introduced (both through conversation and literally) to this dynamic, what happens?

Mike and Max begin to get along.

They share a smile.

If Mike’s issue with Max had anything to do with El, the scene wouldn’t have played out this way.

It’s classic misdirection.

The misdirection is so obvious they lean into it—even having El herself misinterpret Mike and Max’s relationship, becoming jealous.

She mistakenly assumes Mike is interested in Max, just like Mike mistakenly assumed Will was interested in her, too.

They’re giving the audience a warped perspective, urging us to look behind the curtain.

Mike’s behaviour towards Max fits perfectly into Byler’s shared arc in Season 2: Mike is attentive, protective, and possessive over Will, while Will—consumed by the MF—can’t fully reciprocate that attention.

The “crazy together” scene is the only time Mike receives the same energy back from Will the entire season.

I feel like people forget that when they talk about how cute Season 2 was for Byler. Cute from Will’s perspective, maybe (supernatural plot aside)—but for Mike?

We get multiple shots of Mike staring at Will or noticing his absence (Mike staring at Will’s empty desk being the most obvious example).

That’s called pining.

Will does not invite Mike to his house or show up uninvited—Mike does that. Will does not hold Mike’s hand—Mike does that. Will does not watch Mike closely or check in on him constantly—Mike does that. Will does not become possessive of Mike’s attention—Mike does that.

In fact, they play into this unreciprocated affection trope pretty blatantly—when Mike bares his heart to Will, tearfully recounting their first meeting, Will quite literally cannot respond because he’s possessed—even if he wants to.

Not to mention—Mike’s recount of their first meeting is also (thematically) about reciprocation:

“I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes.”

Mike puts emphasis on the fact that Will said yes: the fact that Will reciprocated his feelings.

That is what he wants.

He wants validation that Will feels the same.

That Will won't leave him behind.

And what happens at the end of Season 2?

From a Byler perspective, this season is about Mike’s (seemingly) unrequited love for Will—and it directly influences Mike’s (very different) behaviour in Season 3.

So yeah.

Mike didn’t like Max because he was jealous, and coping with feelings for Will he feared were one-sided—and in his mind that was confirmed as true.

Why wouldn’t he be relieved to see El at the snowball dance?

Why wouldn’t he kiss her?

Why wouldn’t he immediately start dating her and pushing Will away?

[pinkeoni]

The Big AIDS Metaphor Post

In her essay "Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?" from her book The Language of the Night: Essays of Fantasy and Science Fiction, science-fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin writes—

"The use of imaginative fiction is to deepen your understanding of your world, of your fellow men, and your own feelings, and your destiny."

It would be easy for me to claim that Stranger Things is a show that utilizes its science-fiction elements as an AIDS metaphor, but that only goes so far without being able to prove that the show is in fact employing said metaphor. "The show takes place in the 80's -> AIDS was a big part of the 80's -> therefore the show is about AIDS" isn't an airtight argument in itself. I can quote famous sci-fi writers all day but that still wouldn't prove that the Duffers themselves are actually following similar trains of thought.

So here's my big long post about why the show is utilizing it's science-fiction elements as an AIDS metaphor.

Lengthy discussion of rape, violent homophobia and drug use below the cut.

A Brief History of HIV/AIDS in America

For those not in the know about HIV/AIDS, and in order to all get on the same page, here is a short recap. For my information, I will be this timeline from hiv.gov as well as this timeline created by History Channel, as well as some of the supplemental hyperlinks provided. Any other sources I use will be linked throughout.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that attacks the body's immune system, making it highly susceptible to infection and cancers. The virus can progress to a more severe version of the infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. The virus spreads through bodily fluids such as semen and blood. The most common ways for HIV/AIDS to spread was through unprotected sex and sharing needles while using drugs.

The initial cases of HIV were present in America in the 70's but become much more rampant starting in the early 1980s. Because cases of AIDS were most commonly seen in gay and bisexual men, there was a large misconception that AIDS was a "gay plague" or a "gay disease" as it was nicknamed. By 1984, 3,500 Americans had died from AIDS related illnesses.

The reason that AIDS epidemic got as deadly as it did is often attributed to the Reagan Administration's failure to act, something that President Reagan denied. Reagan would not publicly acknowledge AIDS until 1985, despite U.S. health officials being aware of AIDS since 1981.

Understanding just how entrenched this metaphor is in the story will include going through each season and examining in detail how each one plays into this metaphor.

Season One: Establishing Metaphor & Government Cover Up in Early Years of Epidemic

The AIDS metaphor is most closely connected with Will's storyline, although it's not exclusive to Will nor is his storyline exclusive to AIDS. Furthermore, the supernatural elements of this show are multifaceted. AIDS is but just one of the metaphors expressed in the show, but for the sake of this post it's what I will be focusing on.

The setup begins following Will's disappearance in episode 1, when Joyce introduces Will's queer coding to us.

By 1983 the terms "gay disease" and "gay cancer" had been in the public vocabulary for a couple years now. So when Joyce brings up his queerness in regards to to his disappearance in a show that takes place in the early 1980s, there is a subconscious correlation that can be made in the watchers mind. His sexuality is significant to the why he went missing, otherwise why bring it up?

We then hear through Troy exactly what the town believes happened to Will.

I think that Troy essentially being a mouthpiece for his father is significant to show that Troy's beliefs are not exclusive to him and they do not exist in a vacuum. Troy's homophobia is a product of his environment, which includes his home and by extension, Hawkins.

The specification that Will was killed by "some other queer" adds another layer under the surface of Troy's statement, one that implies that Will was raped before he was kill, otherwise, again, why bring up sexuality in the first place? This was the attitude toward gay men— they rape and kill little boys.

In early 1984, there was a study conducted by the American Journal of Medicine to trace the sexual partners of a cluster of patients with Kaposi Sarcoma, one of the common cancers that killed AIDS patients. The study identified a flight attendant as "Patient O" who was among the first to exhibit symptoms of HIV/AIDS and had a rather active sex life with a multitude of sexual partners. The study was soon misconstrued by the public to claim that there was a Patient Zero who was "a promiscuous or even malicious gay man who single-handedly and knowingly touched off the AIDS pandemic in the United States."

Another crucial factor of the metaphor is the cover-up and blame shifting from the government lab, the exact thing that allowed the problem to escalate and become as deadly as it did to begin with. In the early years of the epidemic, Reagan slashed the budget of public health agencies like the CDC, and it would be years until he ever made a speech about it let alone even mentioned AIDS publicly.

We see how adamant the lab is to cover up any supernatural involvement with Will's disappearance in an attempt to cover their own asses. Framing his death as an accident was their call, all while being acutely aware of what the actual problem was. This confrontation from Joyce to Brenner puts it pretty aptly.

Tangent About Barb

This AIDS metaphor is something that I thought of when I first watched the show back in 2016 (humble brag) but what tipped me off the most wasn't Will or the lab but it was the fact that Barb was the other victim shown.

Barb's queer coding was clear to everyone and their mother. Hell, there's even a joke about it in the Bad Lip Reading of the first season. Barb, Nancy's short haired female friend who takes issue with Nancy's new relationship and has a hard time fitting in with with all of the heterosexual antics of Steve's house party. She's singled out, and while the rest of the gang get to casually enjoy the pleasures of sex, while Barb, another member of the queer community, sadly loses her life. The show cuts between Nancy having sex with Steve with Barb being killed to emphasize this stark contrast.

Season Two: Personal Effects of HIV/AIDS & Social Stigmatization

Season one was surrounding Will while not really showing us much of his pov, but season two dives right in to his perspective.

So, remember when I talked earlier about how Troy, and by extension the town, believed that Will was raped? Well, he wasn't exactly wrong.

This moment wasn't lost on me when I originally watched the show, although I think I ignored the implications because I didn't want to believe what I was seeing. But it's pretty well spelled out— A long, tentacle-like organ used for the sake of reproduction (Will "births" D'Art as a result of this), is inserted inside of Will's mouth without consent.

It's been a year, and Will is still dealing with the trauma of what happened, along with all of these new changes to his life. Will frequently attends doctors appointments at the lab, where the lab themselves aren't completely confident what is happening with him either.

When cases of HIV/AIDS were first appearing in the U.S., health officials were unclear as to what exactly this virus was and how it worked, only that clusters of otherwise healthy gay men were suddenly developing rare and aggressive infections and cancers.

Owens refers to the spread of the Upside Down very clinically— describing it as some cancer. One of the first articles published about HIV/AIDS in America before more information was known was a New York Times article titled "Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals." The cancer the headline refers to being Karposi Sarcoma, the rare skin cancer developing due to their weakened immune system.

HIV/AIDS in itself isn’t the disease that patients die from, but instead the weakened immune system allows for diseases to take over the body without much defense. After his visit to the Upside Down, Will faces a series of “True Sight” visions as Mike puts it, which allows for a destructive foreign entity to invade Will's body and slowly take it over.

HIV.gov lists the following as some of the symptoms of AIDS:

"Rapid weight loss"

"Profuse night sweats"

and "Memory loss"

To the government agents in the lab, we see just how disposable Will is to them. In their words, if it kills him, it kills him. (thank you to @emblazons for being the one to point this out to me)

Owens may have held more concern for Will, but he still continues the government cover-up started by Brenner in season one. We also see the fallout of Barb's death, with Nancy and Jonathan fighting to uncover and reveal the truth. Owens is the one who tries to put a stop to their exposé of events to Barb's mom.

Not only is Will facing trauma and his body being ravaged by this new illness, but he's also facing social stigmatization, something common among gay men with positive HIV statuses at this time. There seemed to be some sympathy from the townsfolk when Will was missing and presumed dead, yet he faces animosity almost seemingly because he came back.

The "Zombie Boy" Nickname

I once made a whole separate post about this, but Will's "Zombie Boy" nickname from season two fits in with this AIDS metaphor.

On a surface level, the nickname is in reference to the fact that Will seemed to come back to life despite having a funeral and being buried. In a literal sense, however, his peers are quite literally referring to him a walking corpse that spreads disease. Individuals suffering from AIDS often have very short life expectancies, and zombies are the re-animated dead that aim to infect and kill as many people as possible. It is a very coded nickname.

In the post that I linked, I speculate the possibility that some people in town may even believe that Will has HIV. Remember earlier when I mentioned Troy's comment "he was probably killed by some other queer" which implies a belief that Will was raped. The town don't know about any of the supernatural goings-on, but they do know that Will went missing, was found in a cabin a week later, was hospitalized shortly after and attended frequent doctor visits through the following year. I don't see a reason that malicious rumors would cease, especially considering that they already continue to be cruel and ostracizing with the Zombie Boy nickname.

Look also at this moment of Will getting weird looks as he is being pulled from school to attend his doctors appointment. Why so much stigma around simply going to the doctor?

The 1984 Reelection of Ronald Reagan

In 1984, Ronald Reagan won reelection in one of the biggest election wins in history. And— subsequently continuing his and the governments silence towards the AIDS epidemic.

Season two takes place in the week leading up to the reelection. There are small set pieces that draw attention to this, such as this election sign in front of the library.

If the date November 6th sounds familiar, it should.

Dr. Owens mentions the anniversary of Will's disappearance. The one year anniversary of Will's disappearance is the same day that Ronald Reagan was reelected. Will's trauma is being purposefully associated with that day.

I've also made a separate post before just about the Reagan/Bush '84 signs that litter the lawns of Hawkins houses. They appear most notably in the Halloween episode, building to when Will has his true sight episode that night. There is one clearly in frame just before Will is separated from the group, called a "Zombie Boy" and a "freak" (two very coded nicknames) before he falls into his vision.

We also get a clear view of the Reagan/Bush sign outside of the Wheeler house before Will describes his experience to Mike.

A Tangent About the Wheelers

And now the question on everyone's mind: Are the Wheeler's homophobic?

Ted and Karen Wheeler are not violent, homophobic bullies. That would be a massive reach. But it would also be a reach to say that they are vocal allies. And maybe that's just what the average middle class family

In the very least, the Wheelers are passively contributing to a system that enables homophobia. To be honest, they are probably just going along with what everyone else is doing. Like I said earlier, Reagan was an incredibly popular candidate for the 1984 reelection. The Wheelers have the privilege of being able to comfortably conform without having to worry about much of the consequences. (I'll talk more about the Wheelers later)

In the episode where Will is possessed by the Mind Flayer, Joyce calls the school and we get an extended shot with Reagan's portrait in the background. The shot begins with the portrait slightly obscured, then the camera dolly's in towards the receptionist with the portrait still in frame. Shortly after this Will is possessed in the field. Here is one of the camera begins the shot and where the camera ends the shot.

I also wanna note that when Joyce calls in this scene, the receptionist makes a side comment about her and rolls her eyes. There's a clear animosity towards not only Will, but the whole Byers family, including the adults of the town. Including Reagan's portrait in this shot is meant to create a subtle correlation between him and the stigma that the Byers' face.

Season Three: The Façade of Patriotism Over a Dying Nation

It's 1985, Ronald Reagan has been reelected, and this season introduces Hawkins Mayor Larry Kline.

Is Larry Kline meant to be Ronald Reagan?

I would say that Mayor Kline is probably exemplary of American politicians in a broader sense (in fact the Duffers may have been making allusions to Trump with his connection to the Russians) although the fact that he's in office the same time as Reagan is still significant.

In the beginning of the season, Mayor Kline is being met with protesters outside his house, not unlike many of the AIDS awareness protests from the 80's.

The townsfolk are angered with Kline for building the mall and running some of the small businesses into the ground. During Reagan's run, he implemented a system of economics called "Reaganomics," which aimed to cut taxes and support economic growth. Although critics of Reaganomics will point out that his policies had actually increased the wealth gap, making the rich richer and the poor, poor. I want to keep this post about the AIDS metaphor, although I wanted to point this out as it is a connection between Kline and Reagan. And as I said earlier in this post, the metaphors are multifaceted and not just about AIDS.

But continuing, later in the season Kline puts on a big 4th of July festival to celebrate the independence of his country with neon lights and flashy fireworks. Meanwhile, the people of his town are dying right under his political reign.

During season 3, the AIDS metaphor actually moves away from Will, with the focus of his story shifting slowly to romance. This was setup at the Snowball at the end of season 2, and season 3 hints at some of Will's feelings for Mike which will be carried into season 4.

But the metaphor is carried on by Will's name twin, Billy.

Billy and Will sharing the same first name, that being William, feels significant as Will basically passes the baton to him and Billy now becomes the focus for this metaphor. We learn from Max that Billy is very sexually active, and in the beginning of the season he has eyes for Karen Wheeler. It is while he is on his way to this illicit sexual affair when he is "infected" by the Mind Flayer. (this was pointed out to me in the comment of one of my posts, but have since lost it. If you are reading this— thank you.)

Billy then passes the "infection" along to a girl he was flirtatious with, before the "virus" begins spreading over town.

There is also language and rape imagery associated with being flayed. There is the repeated lines "hold still" and "it'll all be over soon." When Heather's parents are flayed, they are tied up something is forcefully inserted orally, not unlike what we saw with the tentacle inside of Will in season one and his possession in season two. (I first saw this pointed out by @kaypeace21

The flayed begin to eat chemicals, and Nancy makes the comment that Tom, one of the flayed, appears to have been on drugs. Another common way that HIV is spread is through the sharing of drug needles.

HIV/AIDS in the Press

Nancy's arc with the newspaper this season reminds me a lot of how AIDS was first being reported in the press. Nancy begins her search for a story with stolen fertilizer and diseased rats, not realizing that there was a much bigger and much more dangerous story at hand. One of the first reports HIV in the media was from a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from 1981, which cited five cases of pneumonia in previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles. While still a deadly number, it was relatively small compared to the massive number of AIDS cases and deaths that would soon follow.

When Nancy brings her story to work, Bruce, one of her higher-ups, sips from this rather patriotic coffee mug before telling Nancy to drop the story.

At the end of the 1985 summer in Hawkins, the flayed have died in a "mall fire" and Larry Kline is arrested for colluding with the Russians, and their patriotic façade is shattered.

In September 1985, shortly after actor and close friend of Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson dies, of an AIDS related illness, Reagan makes his first public acknowledgement of AIDS.

Season Four: Further Stigmatization & LGBT Witch Hunting

In season four the town is finally privy to the fact that there is something wrong going on, although they are unsure of exactly what. When things begin to escalate, instead of blaming the actual guilty party, they go on an all-out witch hunt.

Once again, Will's pretty removed from the AIDS storyline in this season with his arc focusing on his romantic feelings for Mike. With Billy dead and Will out of town, the baton passes once again for the metaphor to be carried by Eddie Munson.

In the first episode of season 4, Eddie is reading a magazine with an article about the Satanic Panic, a real case of wide-spread hysteria in the 1980's regarding the fear of rising Satanism, supposedly promoted by D&D. The article links the game to violent behavior, Satanic worship, sodomy and murder.

Tangent on Sodomy and Sodomy Laws

Merriam-Webster defines sodomy as "anal or oral copulation with another person." The definition is often expanded to include copulation with animals, although the term sodomy, according to Merriam-Webster, means "especially: anal or oral copulation with a member of the same sex."

While definitions may vary depending on states, some states have specific laws outlawing sodomy, even between consenting adults. In 1986, the Supreme Court upheld Georgia's anti-sodomy laws in Bowers v. Hardwick, after a homosexual man and his partner were arrested after being caught while having sex in his own home. Sodomy laws would eventually be challenged again in 2002 with the Lawrence v. Texas case.

While sodomy can technically can refer to both homosexual and heterosexuals, it is especially and historically has been used in regards to homosexual sex. When Eddie reads the word sodomy here, gay sex is being lumped in and made equivalent to violent behavior, Satanic worship, and murder. Quite literally in season four, Hellfire Club is seen as the evil Satanic sodomizers who bring death to their town.

While trying to find a substitute for the D&D game, one of kids Mike asks mentions 60 Minutes in his rebuttal of Mike's request. This episode takes place on March 21st, 1986. On March 16th, 1986, 60 Minutes played a segment called "Life and Death in San Fransisco," a segment about the AIDS virus on CBS. (EDIT: I originally attributed this to the wrong person, but thank you to @aemiron-main for being the one to point this out. Apologies for my memory mixing up my ST analysts in my head 😔) The archived footage can be viewed on YouTube.

When Chrissy is killed by Vecna inside of Eddie's trailer, leading the town to suspect that Eddie was the killer, she was going there to do drugs. Again, a common way for AIDS to be spread was through the sharing of drug needles. After the town and cops suspect Eddie, the town goes on an all-out witch hunt for him and other members of Hellfire, invoking Christianity as their reasoning. In Eddie's words— "Hunt the freak, right?"

Does this mean that Eddie is queer?

The black handkerchief in his back pocket and Joseph Quinn's flirtatious ad-libs with Steve are not completely lost on me. And the AIDS coding here does seem to be pointing in that direction, but here's what I think.

Eddie's actual sexual orientation, and by extension that of Hellfire, is beside the point and doesn't actually matter in the eyes of the town. Every member of Hellfire could be straight and every member of Hellfire could be gay, but what matters is that Hellfire Club is a group of outsiders that participate in recreational activity that is deemed dangerous, and that in itself is queer, regardless of who they may actually be attracted to.

Another Tangent on The Wheelers

During Jason's religious spiel in town hall which invoked the witch hunt against Eddie and Hellfire, we get this shot of Ted and Karen Wheeler upon remembering that Mike is a part of Hellfire. And boy do they look terrified.

This moment, right here, is what I believe to be the Wheeler rug pull. They may not have been signing up to witch hunt their son when they put that Reagan sign in their front lawn, but this is what it leads to. They're being confronted with the most extreme end of their forced conformity and they fear what they see. I think part of what causes this change in character is because they know Mike, had Mike not been a Hellfire member, who is to say if they would have changed their tune or join in the witch hunt. At the end of the season, when the news reports that the giant gate in town is a "doorway to Hell," both Ted and Karen scoff at the report, calling it "hysteria." The conformists are beginning to un-conform.

Concluding Thoughts & Season Five

Providing a story about HIV/AIDS through a science-fiction metaphor is both practical and ethical. The metaphor allows the show to tell the story to a wide audience without the reliance on outside knowledge. You don't have to be an expert in HIV/AIDS history to understand the story that it's trying to tell. It's ethical as well in that it doesn't force it's incredibly young actors to have to act out being raped and developing HIV/AIDS.

With Eddie Munson dead and Zombie Boy back in town, I think that the AIDS metaphor will shift it's focus back to Will. I think we may see a colliding of the AIDS plot with his romance plot. How do you pursue romance with a HIV+ status? Can you?

The way I see, season 5 has the choice to go in one of two directions:

But first, a short tangent about my uncle

In recent years, I came to learn that my uncle was HIV+, something that wasn't known to me when I was younger. Him and his partner are both in their sixties, and they currently bought a plot of land in which they plan on building their dream house together.

But anyways, the two choices are this:

Will dies by the end of the season. He becomes one of the many gay men with HIV/AIDS who lived a short life, unable to grow into adulthood and pursue his love life. His story is a tragedy.

Will lives. He becomes one of the many gay men with HIV/AIDS who survived and is able to live a long and happy life full of love. His story is an uplifting one full of hope.

Tagging: @emblazons @italiantv @gaysmindpalace @ven0moir @punkwillbyers @mikesbasementbeets @quinterobb @drangues @basiltonpitch @howtobecomeadragon

[demibanshee]

BYLER GATES: A GUIDE

(The official gates masterpost, explaining all the different theories for anyone who is also lost with how many there are)

THE BIG 4

Flickergate: This theory involves a lot of time shenanigans and is connected to the Will having powers in s5 one (possibly manipulation of time or electricity). Theory claims Will and Mike will kiss in the UD, specifically outside Mike's garage, paralleling 1x01. Will is going to tell the truth at the same time his s1 self is ("it was a seven"), causing the garage light to flicker on Nov. 6th 1983.

Birthdaygate: This theory suggests that the Duffers didn't actually forget Will's birthday is March 22nd (the day of the rink-o-mania incident). It claims that Vecna is actually manipulating the characters' memories (possibly even Will's), making them forget his birthday in the process, maybe in an attempt to make him feel excluded/lonely and making him vulnerable. (Similar to the beginning of Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets, which happened to be on the inspo board for S4)

But also the Creel murders themselves happened on March 22nd.

Churchgate: More UD kiss related theories! This one claims Will is going to get Vecna'd or possessed in the Upside Down church (and that he's going to hurt/choke Mike in the process). With a crazy amount of religious symbolism, Mike would be the one breaking him out of his trance, through a kiss or a confession.

(More thorough explanation here.)

Lettergate: This gate's truthers believe that Mike did actually write to Will in the time period between s3 and s4, but never sent the letters. Said letters (signed "Love, Mike") are going to make an appearance in s5, revealing his true feelings. (Great post that has to do with this gate here)

Also related to:

OTHER GATES

Pocketgate: Very connected to Lettergate™️, this theory has to do with Mike's infamous triangle shaped pocket in S4. It suggests that the letter signed Love, Mike is hidden in said pocket throughout s4, since it very closely resembles an envelope. Triangles have also been used in ST as a queer symbol (with Robin) and Mike's pocket consistently points to Will like an arrow.

Phonegate: Kinda similar to the previous two, this gate claims Mike did actually call the Byers in Lenora. For some reason, the calls didn't go through, either because of Joyce's telemarketer job OR because of Vecna manipulating things again (cough, birthdaygate, cough).

This is backed up by one of Dustin's lines, saying that the Byers' phone line is always busy and Mike won't stop complaining about it. We know he must have been calling WILL, since the whole reason he was communicating with El using letters is that they couldn't talk on the phone.

Loverslakegate: Related to Lovers' lake (obviously). The lake is shaped like a heart, tying into its name, but it was split in two after the gates opened, now resembling a broken one (and Mike is ofc referred to as "the heart" so it could be a reference to him).

According to this theory, Mike and Will are going to kiss/become lovers near said lake/Reefer Rick's house.

Heartgate: To put it simply: Heart reflections EVERYWHERE. This one is better explained through pictures:

Also: Different heartgate but really interesting

Colorgate: I don't think I have to explain this one tbh but anyway

Blue meets yellow in the west.

Mike and Will have been HEAVILY associated with blue and yellow respectively since the beginning of the show (even wearing eachother's colours in both of their arguments). There's an insane amount of evidence that backs this one up.

It's speculated that the Russian code in s3 was foreshadowing for s4 ("The silver cat feeds when Blue meets Yellow in the west") Silver cat: Vecna who started killing when Mike (Blue) met Will (Yellow) in the west (California, literally west of Indiana)

Curtaingate: "They don't spent their lives trying to get a look at what's behind the curtain [...] They like the curtain. It provides them comfort, stability, definition" -Murray 2x05

Mike and El are pretty consistently framed in front of CLOSED (and more often than not, yellow) curtains, or ones that have closed blinds. According to this theory, closed curtains represent not being honest with one's true feeling. So, the truth about Mike's feelings is beyond the curtain and in s5 he will open it (and come out)

Motelgate: This one has to do with the dreaded two day time skip at the end of S4. Theory claims the Cali crew stayed at a motel during that time skip and the scenes were cut for time, but we'll flash back to them in s5. It's based on a photo a production assistant posted from the New Mexico filming, as well as some bts pics of the Cali Crew playing board games in a motel.

Shoegate: In S4, we see a pair of Will's shoes in his bedroom. In s5, Mike seems to be wearing that exact pair. This, in addition to the fact that they wear the same shoe size (a 10 according to their rollerskates from 4x02), lead people to theorize they will share clothes/shoes in s5. More importantly though, this theory suggests Mike is figuratively being put into Will's shoes (maybe pining?). Also, both of them wear the same shoes they wore in s2. Interestingly enough though, even though the design is the same, the colors are reversed (so their roles will be reversed too).

Possessiongate: This one runs DEEP so I'm going to link a bunch of posts

To put it VERY simply: this theory claims Vecna somehow attached himself to Mike (maybe when the vine grabbed him by the leg in the S2 tunnels- right before he started acting weird in s3 and s4) and he has been influenced/possessed for some time now.

He's not the dungeon master anymore, he's not in control. Both in s3 and s4 someone ELSE is the DM when they play D&D (Will and Eddie respectively)

More here and here

Victimgate: Very closely related to the previous one, this one suggests that MIKE was originally supposed to be Vecna's 4th victim instead of Patrick. Since Max escaped the first time, SHE ended up being the last victim but the original plan was for it to be Patrick. However, Patrick's curse doesn't fit the theme of all of the previous ones. We only see one of his visions, he gets cursed for ONE DAY, as opposed to the other 3 that are cursed for almost a week and we also know very little about him, even though we gradually knew more about the previous victims. Chrissy (no relation to main characters) -> Fred (friends w/ Nancy) -> Max (main character who we've known since s2)

More thorough explanation here

Twelvegate: This one is not really Byler related but i wanted to include it anyway

Theory claims Will was one of the lab kids (specifically 012) and him and El are actual twins. There are mentions of Will and El looking similar since s1, and a lot of twin imagery.

This theory obviously ties in with the Will having powers one and some people believe he wasn't 012, but him and El have a deeper connection/may be actually related. It could theoretically explain Henry's connection to Will, as well as things like El seemingly recognizing him in s1.(Alternatively called rainbowshipgate, because of the rainbow ship drawing Joyce mentions in s2 and the rainbow room)

Eightfifteengate: Again, not explicitly Byler but it's quite crazy.

TL;DR: The time 8:15 seems to have great significance in the show and it's mentioned all the time, if not by the characters themselves, (Eg. "It's 8:15, you're late"- El s2) then by small details in the background. There's even a whole track named after it.

Will left the Wheelers' house at 8:15 and it's the EXACT timestamp of his disappearance in 1x01. It's also the time in which most of the UD related weirdness happens and so it's very likely the UD is stuck on 8:15. (Also you know, 15-8=7)

Radiationgate: Related to the previous one! Clocks in Chernobyl are stuck on 8:15 and Hiroshima has been described figuratively as being frozen in time. Henry has burns identical to Chernobyl victims and almost all of his + his victims' symptoms can be explained through radiation exposure. As this post explains, for radiation levels between 8.3-11 Gy (SI unit for absorbed radiation), symptoms start with headaches and disorientation, move on to unconsciousness and bleeding (the exact symptoms of his victims) and finally, death happens at around 7 days (which is about how long Vecna's curse lasts AND how long Will was in the UD for)

Whiterabbitgate: The song "White Rabbit" is the first song in the show and it plays when we first get a sense of El's powers. Theory suggests it will also be the last song in the show (coming full circle) with either Will using his powers, or Willel using their powers together.

In general though, ST has a lot of similarities/parallels to Alice in Wonderland. The white rabbit constantly being late (Mike is late to something at the start of every season), great significance to clocks/ticking/time, a lot of hallucinations/visions, the overall similarities between the Upside Down and Wonderland. Henry's sister was literally named Alice Creel and there is SO much rabbit imagery throughout the show. There are also direct references to AIW with set pieces and paintings.

Soundtrackgate: This one has to do with the Stranger Things OST and the overall insane musical symbolism throughout the show. A lot of different theories talk about the show's soundtrack, but this one talks about 3 tracks in particular: Being Different, The First Lie, The First I love You

To put it briefly: "The First I love You" plays in both Robin's coming out scene and El's kiss with Mike at the end of s3 (Already a weird parallel). The three tracks not only share the same melody, but they also sync up perfectly. "Being Different" (s4 van scene) and "The First Lie" (Nancy and Jonathan's kiss in s2) especially, match up together to create an entirely new track, completing eachother. The scenes featuring those three tracks also share very similar themes at their core. (This post goes into a lot of detail!)

Playlistgate: Character playlists! At a certain point, every character's official playlist on Spotify was deleted, except for three: Mike's, Will's and Billy's. Songs were seemingly being added/deleted for no reason to the Mike and Will ones and people were struggling to make sense of it all.

Also, Mike's character playlist in particular is VERY interesting (so many byler coded songs, as well as "Smalltown Boy" a gay anthem, about a young gay boy forced to leave his home town to escape from their disapproval and homophobia.) There are three playlists on Finn's spotify that are very incriminating. "Love songs" (That has "BOYS DON'T CRY" on it, a song that Will literally has a poster of in his room), "drive" and the most recent one "STurn". These playlists feature songs like "Let her go", "Angst in my pants", "Me and Michael", "Gay thoughts" just to name a few. Basically a lot of the songs on all four playlists seem very relevant to some complicated feelings about Mike's relationship with El/Will but also with himself and his sexuality.

Scriptgate: Oh boy. Here we go.

On August 5th 2022, the byler fandom got #bylerscript trending worldwide on Twitter while waiting for the 8flix account (run by Nick Runyeard) to release some supposed s4 scripts (that people PAID for, mind you). These scripts dropped on August 8th, featuring lines like: "I hate who I am" from Will in the van scene, "His mouth dry, like a California summer" from the bedroom apology scene and also, Will seemingly recognizing Brenner at NINA, despite never meeting him in canon.

These turned out to be fake and the community was in shambles. Nick started calling people psychos, the Stranger Writers tweeted that everyone got scammed, Nick privated his account and the authenticity of some released s2-s3 scripts was questioned. This post explains the entire situation in detail.

Breathgate: This one is also script related and specifically about a Mike/Max parallel.

In the official van scene script, when Mike sees Will's painting "his breath catches." Then, when Lucas asks Max to the Friday movie date, "(her) breath catches" as well. People caught on that parallel very fast and since the latter is obviously a romantic moment, it boosted their confidence for both Byler and Lumax endgame.

Piggybackgate: This one refers to two different situations/theories.

One, the seemingly deliberate framing of Mike and Will inside the little bubble in El's piggyback drawing (and it referening to Byler). The framing is especially suspicious, because the bubble drawing was drawn two separate times (it's different from one shot to the other). In the second shot, they're framed directly inside of it.

Two, Mike in his monologue essentially piggybacking off of Will's van confession. His monologue was going off of El's feelings, but since they weren't actually El's, the speech was based on Will's feelings. It also ties in with the parallel/foreshadowing between the monologue and Suzie's house, with Will being paralleled to the "director" kid, directing a "choking" Tabitha and their dad (more thorough explanation here).

Cleradingate: Originally created by @mikewheelerapologist4lyfe, this theory is based on a comment Ross Duffer made on the official s5 teaser, saying it pulls from every single episode, except from 5x07. Since someone earlier in the year leaked the episode titles and got all of them right except episode 7 ("the bridge"), which they instead called "The paladin and the cleric" , it led to the speculation of 5x07 being a standalone byler-heavy episode, similar to 2x07 being an El standalone, with both of them focusing on the characters' emotional/personal arcs. Since the Duffers have lied in past title releases as to not spoil plot points and/or changed their minds about certain titles, it is possible the actual title is in fact"the paladin and the cleric". Furthermore, in 4x07 Mike and Will were completely absent, so it would be a nice full circle moment AND it would explain why Finn and Noah started filming earlier than everyone else.

Footballgate: On December 25 2024, the vast majority of the byler community spent their Christmas watching hours of NFL football, in the hopes we would maybe get a teaser or at the very least a release date for s5. This started from leakers saying we would most likely get something during the game.

We got nothing.

People were disappointed they wasted hours of their lives watching a sport they neither cared for or knew anything about, and the only thing we learned is that we would probably get something before the end of January 2025.

THE SILLIES

(aka the joke-theories/memes)

Miniongate: Mike and Will are secretly minions. (Because you know, minions are primarily blue and yellow)

This information will be revealed to us in s5 and they will have a magical girl-esque transformation where we see their true minion form. (Original post here)

Localvillagegate: Related to the leaked Mike and El rooftop scene.

Basically, a mlvn used AI to lip read the scene and try to figure out what Mike is saying (and then posted the video on Twitter).

According to them, Mike was telling El they were going to leave the local village (AKA Hawkins) together and travel to a beautiful faraway land with "like, three waterfalls or something" (and also that she has to "improve her motivation", whatever that means).

People thought it was hilarious and started making a ton of memes based on it.

Parrotgate: This is directly connected to localvillagegate™️ and it was created by @cloudycleric in one of his streams.

Basically, the parrots are gay and represent Will and Mike, who in s5 will kiss under the three waterfalls depicted on the image.

Backgroundguygate: People making headcanons and creating backstories for random extras. The star of this gate is Barrett, an extra from the Lenora high school, who wears a barrette, bright red pants and a shirt that says "Hell".

According to this gate, he's actually gay and in love with Will. He has a goth best friend named Claire who is a lesbian and in love with El.

Chancegate: The theme of shipping Will with random extras continues on strong

Chance is one of Jason's friends and part of the basketball team. People thought he was attractive and somewhere along the line started making headcanons for him and shipping him with Will (Bychance). Basically, they're gonna date and Mike will be jealous.

Mikhailgate: More shipping Will with randoms! (I'm beginning to see a pattern here)

Originally created by @paladin-n-cleric

Enzo in S4 mentions his son, Mikhail Antonov. Mikhail is the Russian name for Micheal.

People started making jokes that Mikhail would arrive to Hawkins from Russia in s5 and shipped him with Will (Willhail), since he's like Mike but Russian and cooler. They made fanart, edits and posted pictures of Finn as Boris in "The Goldfinch" claiming it's Mikhail.

@will80sbyers then begun to ship Mikhail with El and thus the ship "Jail" was born.

Pastagate: On January 2nd 2025, Noah posted a 2024 recap on IG, which included a photo of a trailer door labeled "Rigatoni". People then started joking about Rigatoni being Will's new bf and the ship "Willoni" was born.

In reality, Rigatoni is a nickname for Noah and that was his trailer. But where's the fun in that?

Baldmikegate: Did you know Mike is actually bald and is bullied for it? Well, now you do.

In 2022, a cult was born and the byler tag was filled with edited pictures of Bald!Mike. Terrifying honestly.

Some people made posts about how the rest of the party feels about Mike's secret baldness and some even wrote FANFICS.

Gridgate/whiteboardgate/pixelgate: The Stranger Writers posted a picture of a pixelated/blurred whiteboard that had the entirety of s5 mapped out. People were desperately trying to decode it and figure out what was written on it.

On the space for episode 7, there was a "big black hole" that people went crazy trying to make sense of, only for it to be revealed as a pen holder.

Babygirlgate: The babygirlification of Mike Wheeler. That's it. That's the gate.

I think pretty much every line Will has ever said to Mike has been posted with the word "babygirl" replacing his name (it's hilarious and I love it)

Some examples here and here

Mattduffersbasementgate: Finn and Joe made up a third Duffer brother named Pete, who has no hair for some reason and is the actual writer of Stranger Things, while Matt and Ross are just the faces of it. Pete lives in a shed/Matt's basement and that's where he writes all of the scripts.

Finn and Noah are both also being held in Matt's basement however, and they're not allowed to leave so that they don't spoil byler endgame.

Lobegate: (This gate was officially named by @tripleatechie). In January 2025, a byler went undercover, sending asks to other members of the community pretending to be a Mlvn. In one of those, they accidentally misspelled "love" as lobe, which immediately became an inside joke. People starting speculating whether or not this was an actual Mlvn and an investigation ensued. On January 7th 2025, the identity of the undercover byler was revealed as @somewiseoutthere. The mystery didn't end there though, with people wondering if this was in reality a group effort with multiple culprits. Here is a list of all the possible culprits with a full timeline here.

Blankgate: On January 26th 2025, Atlantaspotting posted on Twitter a thread with controversial claims and gossip about the cast, but replaced all the names with BLANK, making pretty much incomprehensible, and impossible to figure out who it was about. Memes were then made, replacing every name and pronoun with BLANK.

Australiagate: In April of 2025, someone sent asks to byler accounts, with a paragraph they had written, in which Mike and El were dancing together. However, there was a mention of Will having randomly moved to Australia. People of course started making jokes out of this and even adding on to it, making Chance also move to Australia, essentially connecting this gate to Chancegate™.

Vangate: We have finally peaked and are now shipping vans. Vanler is the name of the crackship for the yellow pizza boy van from s4 and the blue WSQK van from s5, continuing the blue/yellow craze. A fanfic was soon made, called "When blue meets yellow in the intersection" (title based on this tweet) and edits followed as well. Anyway, vanler is my otp now <3

Madwisegate: Originally created by @4rielle, who sent anon asks to other accounts, claiming the one true endgame of ST was actually madwise. Essentially, Will is actually straight and in love w/ Max, who has also been in love with him since s2. @radiobyler then added on to this, creating hopnie (hopper x Lonnie) and palager (Mike x Lucas), which soon became midulu (Mike x Dustin x Lucas). El is also in love with Suzie Birmingham (creating Duziel, Dustin x Suzie x El).

Mpreggate: I...don't even know how to explain this one.

@4rielle strikes once again, sending anonymous asks to other accounts, asking them if they think there's gonna be a byler...mpreg arc in s5 and if so, which of the two is most likely to get pregnant. Mike gets the title and people come to the conclusion he was mean in s3 and s4 only because of his pregnancy mood swings. Basically, fandom goes batshit insane after waiting far too long for any new content to arrive.

~•~•~•~°~•~•~•°~•~•~•~°~•~•~•°~•~•~•~°~•~•~•~

I will keep adding as more gates surface!

[ross-hollander]

I assure you: somebody, somewhere, is on the exact same wavelength as you are.

[crisstinah]

Teehee

Collab together with @gloomyscapegoat who did the line art and I did the colours! :3

[gloomyscapegoat]

Mine and my moot's art collab!!! This was so much fun :D