reminiscing how good we had it with s4 byler lowkey
we're not kids anymore.

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@lightgetsin
reminiscing how good we had it with s4 byler lowkey
just holding hands💙💛
ok im in
i used to “dabble” in the foah spaces back in their s2 era (2017 onwards) since one of my close friends got into rpf and noticed finn and noah’s closeness (i.e possessive finn???? idk that one video where they watched s2’s trailers) and with tumblr as my old main space, i was passively getting information about them though i didn’t bother to keep track of it….. how much of the rumors regarding them are true?? a lot of what i see seems to be the same stuff (s5, atlanta etc etc)
disclaimer i am high asf rn so if nth makes sense well ur on the foah bus for better or for worse /hj
we rlly got to way of knowing fs,,, ppl infer things and get pretty convincing but some r also straight up making shit up for the love of the game (esp some twt strawpages omg saying shit for the sake of saying shit, very entertaining tho). i can let u in on the latest buzz (also bc i js love yapping abt them bc this rpf is juicy)
the best things we have rn is parisgate, noah and finn were late to the event bc they were having lunch tgt in noah’s suite b4 arriving (multiple anon sources) THE FOAH HUG (one of the best and we have been blessed w a couple) then the whole fack fiasco, years old too, jdg got jealous of n and f and lowkenuinely starts hitting on n (some video + old ss from n’s stories, if not edited then thats messy asl) and then f never liked j bc n came first and now he’s dabbling w f’s ex e, and they’ve been photographed tgt, and js their overall behaviour during promo this season is so sus the list never ends, like japan tudum, texting in the interview js from their expressions is so sus do not tell me they were looking for songs smh, (finn being a frustrated dl). their tarot/astrology readings omg. libra x capricon is messyyyy. and finn’s songs. some amazing analyses on here.
search up foahproof or wolfnapp on here (dont expect super concrete stuff like ppl on twt be saying, its not like that, a few niche dedicated gossip blogs w tea and thassit) u’ll get some stuff if u make past the whole ‘oh no byler it was foah all along’ posts
my fav rumours im not super interested in believing but im js like thats so funny are-
n gets so clingy and will cuddle w anyt when inebriated and c uses it to piss off f, g acts as mediator (i trust that lmfao, js look at japangate, i 100 per cent believe naleb was a pr clutch to distract from foah)
m wanted that n cookie bad but he’s for the boys and fucking her frenemy which is why he got demoted from best man to guest at his bsf’s wedding (insane i cackled, esp w news from ppl on s5 set that f and m did NOT want to kiss for ep8)
i shd add that pic of n and g brushing their teeth, g and f roomed tgt during s5 so it infers n stayed over w em long enough to have to brush his teeth. streets say he’s not wearing his own shirt. f’s music taste going drastically pop esque and n becoming more indie, their styles mirroring each other, and those gd insta comments r smth we are witnessing. and streets say in ‘23 when n was cancelled and was doing not good at all f was there w him and always supporting him which i can get my head around, have u seen him talking and looking at n jesus, and crew saud f and n were inseparable during filming at least for s4, atlanta spotting said blank and blank got super close emotionally filming s5, n said he and f had the most scenes and got close, so dots connected
the buzziest is the caleb ig post, foah kiss man thats unreal. analyse anyt abt it leads to foah kiss like no way. 1 day after byler bones.
yeah thats the buzz but trust me it doesnt scratch the surface ts foah stuff runs DEEP, 2022-2024 was acc insane w no crumbs at all but man dl f needs to get his shit tgt (straw pages b saying chloe cant keep her mouth shut and n and f are on a break rn tok among others, not smth i believe but to consider ig)
also theyre js so obv. so buzzy. ykwim.
ik i strayed so far away from what u asked i am js very much buzzed out from the foah and the weed but i hope u had a happy re-integration into the foah bus???? its almost full baby
them saying the finale is going to be PHENOMENAL, ABSOLUTELY GROUND-BREAKING, NOTHING WE'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE and then giving us that snooze fest? i mean, i'm sure the ga are mostly satisfied because it's predictable and they never expected this show to be better than it is—they didn't pay attention to detail like we did.
also, no matter how many gaping plot holes they left, no matter how safe and boring the finale was, at least it wasn't about WOKE.
aside from the obvious hints and plot holes, the poor acting from actors we know are good, the out-of-character behavior (and not just mike—i'll never in my life believe he'd be like this even if depressed, THAT'S NOT MY SON), it's everybody else too. will is a caricature of a young gay man. partying, clubbing, leather jackets, drinking and smoking? don't piss me off.
finn said the ending was so brave, he was almost afraid for the duffers because of how brave they were with it. absolutely nothing about what we got is brave. nothing. even if people liked the ending, nobody's calling it brave or phenomenal; it's kind of just there lol.
and my son going everywhere with his little figurines and bringing up mike the brave only not to do shit the whole time 😭 possessed will is not addressed, will just being okay after vecna dies even though seconds before he was in as much pain as he is because of an arm. that's just not how you close a chapter unless you want to lose everything you're known for, or unless it's a deliberate fuck you to netflix higher-ups for not letting you do what you want. and as of now, nothing suggests the latter.
also, i think the most important thing is that i choose to believe what i saw. as a directing and screenwriting student, i was 1000% convinced byler was happening in the finale not because i want it to happen, but because THAT'S THE STORY THEY'VE BEEN WRITING. IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES SENSE NARRATIVELY.
and when it comes out, i'm sure it will be phenomenal and ground-breaking, just like they said. ep8 was for elon musk, ep9 will be for their loyal fans, and everybody who was okay with the false finale will have to just accept byler becoming endgame simply because of how much more intellectually powerful and satisfying that finale will be. they'll have to turn a blind eye to mike being gay if only because they'll be left speechless by how it all unravels. it'll just be a better story than whatever it is we saw on jan. 1.
so yeah. conformity gate is 100% real. i didn't believe in the cut scenes gate even for a second, but i believe in this. the real ending is coming. i can feel it.
So, at the end of the day, Mike the Brave needed the courage to do what exactly? To finally kiss El after being emotionally constipated all season?
And remember the crucial lesson, gay kids. If someone doesn't flirt back with you once, go move somewhere away from everyone you know and love and be gay there.
And first crushes at 12 years old are true love, so long as it's a boy and a girl.
My volume 2 timeline prediction: Byler, Will Byers, & the Upside Down
I will warn that this is somewhat using a very vague leak from Twitter which very well could be total bs but it lowkey sounds believable and it got me thinking. Basically they just said ep7 won’t be screened and is being hidden the same way ep4 was, that Mike and El will have to save Will after ep5 and Mike goes full s1 mode, that bylers will be happy with what El does for them in ep6 and that Will and her are giving wonder twins. So yeah… very vague but like, timeline makes sense so let’s use it as a basic guide.
Some of this, I feel very strongly on. Parts of it, is more wishful thinking. And towards the end and with Byler, since we've had so much of those scenes hidden, it's more me freestyling buttttt it makes enough sense and is satisfying enough that my brain feels content with it.
Ep5: Shock Jock
We pretty much know that vol2 picks up right after vol1. We see Joyce and Mike run to Will, with Mike probably looking so in love and awestruck, when I think Erica will interrupt them as she's stationed up in the tower (meaning she watched the entire thing which is crazy) like “hey guys that’s great but uh… the kids got taken.” They’ll jump back into action with everyone in the rightside up reconvening at WSQK. I have a feeling this is when everything begins weighing on Will too as he couldn't save the kids.
Given what they know, I think they will devise a plan to reach everyone else in the Upside Down -- because they have A LOT to tell everyone. They need to tell them Will has powers, that Vecna took 12 kid, and if their theory is correct, has everything he needs. So, because I don't think that was the end of the military, the gang has to find another way to get into the UD without going back to the MAC-Z.
Enter episode name: shock jock. I believe they make a plan to reanimate a dead demogorgon (because you can't tell me that that is not a dead demogorgon in that green sack in the above photo) so that Will can use it to open a gate right there. They're going to use electricity to shock the demo back to life on top of the radio tower.
Will uses his powers to get the demo to open a gate, which is what I feel pretty confident is going on below with Will's eyes white next to Robin and Mike. However, it goes wrong -- because I am also pretty confident that this is the 'run! Mike, do you hear me? You need to run!' scene as well.
Now I've seen some people say that the 'run' scene is Will seeing Vecna send demos after Max. However, I think this is too soon, based on other sequencing of shots (which we will get to soon) and will not happen until ep6. I think this is when we'll get a big reveal -- that the mindflayer is alive and the true big bad. I think the mindflayer may start coming out of the gate or Vecna appears, but either way, I belief Will is going to have visions where they reveal part of the truth of his role to him. However, this will be very unreliable as they are going to want to make Will feel hopeless. That they purposefully unlocked his powers. That he's just like Henry, and there's no way out. That everything was done from the moment they took Will.
Now, if you’re interested in my thoughts on what the UD really is, the Mindflayer/henry/Will relationship, and what this means for the end of ST, I made it a separate post so this wouldn’t get too monstrous here! I think we’re really going to find out the details through a mix of Will’s visions from the mindflayer and Vecna, as well as Dustin and Steve’s investigating.
Anyways, back to my proposed timeline.
Whatever Vecna/mindflayer shows Will, leads him to go through the portal into the UD after yelling at the others to run away. Maybe he has a vision that leads him there or he just genuinely acts on impulse. And you know who I think will follow him there before the temporary gate closes behind him?
Our other two gay idiots: Robin and Mike (I'm 90% sure they end up in the UD because of following Will, especially when we know Finn and Noah filmed most of their scenes together).
In the left photo, I'm going off of outfits to place this as the first in the sequence of their trips to the UD. Mike is still wearing his sweater, Robin is behind him with her black converse. I originally thought the white shoes behind Mike were Will's, but someone helpfully pointed out El's bracelet, meaning they meet up with El and Hopper (and likely Kali as well). Also, note the person has long pants on, indicating that El is still in her vol1 outfit as well. During this time, Lucas, Erica, Murray, and Joyce stay at the radio station (I have limited photos here but the shot of Lucas throwing popcorn with Erica next to him where I imagine they brainstorm).
I think that here we are going to get Will and El scenes where we realize how close they are, full wonder twins vibes, and possibly some Hopper/Will bonding? Somewhere around here is also when I think we'll see the rightside shot of El trying to go into the void. It looks kind of like they're in the lab more than radio station to me tbh... but I think based on what Will saw, El is going to try and find Henry again, maybe working with Kali. But it doesn't work. They need to get El to her tub. And they need to piggyback again.
Like how El uses Max's mind to get to fight Vecna, I think they will realize that El can go through Will's mind to find Vecna since they are so deeply connected. So, cue El, Mike, Will, and likely Robin heading to the rightside up (while I believe Kali and Hopper will stay in the UD to find Dustin and Co. and fight the military).
This is where I believe El will change into her wetsuit and we will get these two scenes happening in the cabin with daylight coming in.
Will, after seeing those visions, feels utterly hopeless, hence him telling Joyce they already failed. I think he feels guilty, like he's a part of the monster, like he's responsible for the kids going missing, and like there is no way out of this for him: either he becomes part of the mindflayer's army, or if they defeat Vecna and the mindflayer, it will kill him too. Cue his hug with Joyce. It make me sick.
Meanwhile, we have the Mike and El heart-to-heart where he’s nervous and worrying about Will. We know from when El goes into the military guy's mind that staying in someone's mind for too long can hurt them. Also, I think Mike is freaking out at everything Will has learned about himself. El tries to reassure him, strongly hinting at the fact they are no longer together, Mike says some DnD stuff about how they can save the day, and El tells him that this isn't like one of his campaigns.
Then she enters the void.
El goes to Will’s mind and finds Vecna. Through this, I think she also finds Max and Holly as they are trapped in Vecna's memories. I'm not sure she'll be able to communicate with them as that feels maybe too easy, but she at least is able to watch them enough to figure out that Max has a plan -- she has a possible way to escape with Holly.
However, it goes wrong. I think Vecna will figure out what they're doing. He'll sense it. And then he goes after Will in his mind. I think he'll put Will into a trance, leading to this terrifying shot above where they're in the UD (hence the lighting), Vecna possibly revealing even more to Will -- like maybe that the UD was his creation? I think he will then torment Will further using Mike (like how the mindflayer uses Pattie against Henry). But because El is in Will's mind, she's going to see it. And if this is how the painting comes back up (because we know it does)... then this makes sense for El doing something that helps Will/Mike.
El is going to snap out of the void as Vecna traps Will's consciousness (similar to what he does to Max, but not necessarily in that same memory). The mindflayer and Vecna need Will alive -- hence why they don't just kill him -- but they can't let El use him either, so they put him into a coma.
El freaks out and tells Mike what happened (to some extent), before rushing into the other room where Will hasn't woken up. Cue the end of the episode.
Ep6 Escape from Camazotz
Now, the four have gone back to the radio station from the cabin. El tells Mike in more detail what she saw and asks him about the painting. This is how Mike finds out.
Cue this scene where Mike is lingering behind Joyce and an unconscious Will on the couch. I'm sorry, imagine the ANGST of Mike knowing about the painting and not being able to talk to Will about it. Imagine the Joyce/Mike heart-to-heart. Ugh.
But they come up with a plan based on what El saw. They send Lucas and Robin to the hospital to get Max -- if El saw her, she knows that she's going to escape (from camazotz) soon, and they'll need to protect her. And based on what we've seen from the hospital, yeah, that's a good idea. Because Henry finds out Max and Holly are going to escape. And if Max's consciousness gets back into her physical body, part of the connection between the UD and rightside up (created when she, as the final victim, 'died') will be destabilized. So, Henry sends demos to the hospital to kill her.
See here how Vickie is right there, yet the demo ignores her. It's because it is specifically after Max, who we know Lucas picks up and carries as the demo continues after them. Eventually, they'll make it out, and I think with Erica and Murray waiting in the car, all of them head back to the Squawk, where Max I think will wake up (or in the car on the way). I also think through their escape, we are going to find out more about Henry -- and why he's so scared of those damn rocks. But I think ep6 will really be where Henry's role and life is made clear.
Meanwhile, Joyce stays with Will's body while El and Mike go to the UD -- cue what the leaker said about Mike and El teaming up to save Will and bringing out s1 vibes. Cue their 2nd trip to the UD.
I've placed this here in the timeline based on outfits once again. Notice that Mike, hugging Dustin, is still wearing his sweater, while El (labeled with a J for Jane) is wearing the wetsuit still. Then, I think it could be Hopper behind them. But here, El and Mike find the rest of the crew and have to devise some kind of plan to get Max and Will out (I think they will try to get Holly out but it won't work as planned -- after all, her body is still trapped, in what I think IS the wall with the rest of the kids). Maybe they temporarily breach the wall somehow, the logistics get a bit fuzzy here. But the important thing is that whatever they do, it gives Max, Will, Holly, and maybe the other kids (?) the chance to escape. Now this might all be a lot to fit into one episode, but stick with me.
Will and Max wake back up, and we finally have everyone reunited in the rightside up -- cue Will group hug. Will has now changed into his final outfit -- the hoodie and vest -- indicating it's later in the timeline, while El is still in the wetsuit and Mike is in his sweater.
Also given the circumstances, I think them all hugging Will makes a lot of sense, especially the emotion on Jonathan's face: they have found out he has powers, that he is a part of (or literally IS) the UD, and probably even more that I can't fathom yet from Dustin's discoveries.
Now, cue group plotting time and what I think leads to the last trip we see in the trailer of them to the UD. Possibly the beginning of the final battle. And oh yeah, Mike finally gets a damn change of clothes and is back into his camo getup.
The whole group breaks into the UD (with murray driving them in the truck), and splits off into groups. I think Will is going to be some kind of bait here or have a dangerous part in the plan. And Mike will be losing his shit.
Cue this scene between Mike and El. To me, this reads as acceptance and guilt. To me, this is El telling Mike that it's okay, that he should go be with Will, that Will needs him. And she says it with such a knowing look, now having fully put together Mike's feelings for Will, that it hits Mike. He feels guilty, hit by the realization that El knows, that she knows he never loved her that way, and that he loves Will. But he accepts it. He backs up, and goes to find Will.
Now, this is where much of my certainty ends. But as an ep7 "The Paladin and The Cleric" truther, I believe ep6 ends on a byler cliffhanger. So hear me out...
The Byler of it all into ep7
Time to freestyle. I think that here, Mike is going to confront Will about the painting, finally having time alone (mimicking Lucas and Max's lil moment before everything in the s4 finale). It appears in the above shots that nothing is happening yet, they're in a waiting mode.
While they wait, Mike brings up the painting. Will gets tense, they begin arguing possibly (Shawn Levy did hint at an angsty byler fight after all). But the cliffhanger? It turns into a Vecna vision.
Mike is being Vecna'd.
Imagine this: they're arguing, and all of a sudden Will becomes cruel. He possibly tells Mike he loves him and the second Mike reciprocates, starts telling Mike that he's disgusting. Saying that he knows what Mike really is. And the 'Will' slowly morphs into Vecna.
Roll credits. That's why El/Mike fans will hate the end up ep6 according to that leak.
Now, episode 7. The supposed leaked title being 'The Paladin and The Cleric,' only to now be called 'The Bridge.' However, the leaker got every other episode name right aside from 7 and 8. I think it's a high possibility that 'The Bridge' could be a fake name to avoid spoilers, like what they did in seasons 2 and 3. Or, at the time the leaker had the information, ep7 was going to be titled that. Either way, I think ep7 is byler time. And I think it's where we get Mike's perspective for the first time in SEASONS.
I think ep7 will pick up here, now going back through Mike's memories and recontextualizing EVERYTHING. We see him getting Vecna'd (losing sleep and then drinking coffee, having nightmares, etc.). We will possibly see missing scenes from prior seasons (like the mysterious motel scene of s4??), the missing 18 months, or even just going through scenes we have seen but in this new light of knowing Mike's feelings.
Now, if I'm trying to incorporate basementgate into this somewhere, I think it could be here -- a memory of Mike's, possibly one he hides in to escape Vecna. It will be them in the basement, sharing a moment, and leading to an almost kiss (or even a real one? but I think not quite yet).
But it will end with Will saving Mike. Maybe he goes into Mike's mind somehow, or he gets El to help. But I think Will is going to say something to Mike, not directly confessing his feelings because I think it'll be Mike first, but maybe telling Mike he needs him. And Mike hears it, and realizes that Will didn't just lie about the painting and make those words up -- no, they were Will's words.
Now, alternatively, if Mike is not Vecna'd, though I really think he could be considering how hard they have hidden his perspective this season, I could see Vecna putting Will into a trance instead. But, for this, I'm going to assume it's Mike because I want it to be <3
Mike wakes up, and immediately hugs Will. Cue the post-near death moment where Mike confesses everything to Will. And we get a beautiful, breath-taking, 360, spinning camera, 'Heroes' playing, soul-crushing, passionate, intense byler kiss.
We have a quiet moment.
But back to the action. Again, logistics of the party's plan get fuzzy, but I know how I believe the episode will end.
A fake-out death of Will.
Imagine, Will does it on purpose, believing that nothing will save them unless he dies, to collapse the UD. Imagine him using his powers to HOLD MIKE BACK. The ANGST. I don't think reciprocal feelings from Mike would stop Will from doing this; in fact, I think it would actually make Will a bit more content to do it, because that -- kissing Mike and knowing he loved him -- was more than he ever thought he'd have.
Or, it's an accident. But they get a big hit on Vecna or the mindflayer (possibly even kill Vecna, leaving the mindflayer as the final enemy for the finale) that hurts Will so badly, they think he dies (or if Vecna is killed, he potentially does tie temporarily).
I think that's where ep7 will leave us, a 'Deathly Hallows' Harry Potter esque scene where we see everyone absolutely destroyed. We get Joyce falling to the ground. Jonathan holding onto Nancy and having to look awake. Mike refusing to get up, sobbing over his body.
But don't worry, it won't end like that. Will is getting his happy ending. Because his power comes from love, not anger or fear. He will be able to break out. He will be given a chance to cut his ties to Henry, like Harry cutting off the part of him that was a Horocrux.
So, yeah. This is the longest a post has taken me, but I feel good about this explanation for vol2. I think I loaded a lotttt into ep6 so some of it might actually bleed into ep7 too. Pleaseeee let me know your thoughts, I am so curious and so ecstatic (and so, so scared) to see where this season is taking us.
I wanted to expand on this thread here by saying that the problem in S3 wasn’t Mike necessarily being overprotective towards El. It was more that he failed to directly communicate this with her and was telling everyone else that “we can’t let her do this”.
It’s why it pisses of Max so much and she has to tell Mike to treat El like her own person and let El make her own decisions.
It was never about Mike’s overprotectiveness, but his failure to treat El as her own person, and that’s why Max was super annoyed.
When they’re arguing, Mike simply proves her point by refusing to accept that it was El’s own decision to spy on Mike even when Max told him that, he was convinced that Max was the one corrupting her.
Even during the breakup scene, he’s confronting and blaming Max for letting El go to the mall hence Max says “is she your little pet?” in response because Mike was making the assumption that El needed a keeper of some sort.
It doesn’t help that when they were together El was constantly clinging to him and failed to interact with the other party members as we see in EP1. They both were constantly around each other and making out. There’s a reason why Hopper calls that unhealthy and not normal because it really isn’t.
I do admit that he does get better and listens to El when she tells him to trust her and I do think he communicates better with her in S4 than in S3. However, there’s a new set of problems in S4 in itself where he doesn’t seem to be able to understand her and give her what she wants. Even when he does, he isn’t able to help her and the day isn’t saved in the end.
In contrast to El, with Will, it’s different. He isn’t making decisions for Will or treating him like glass like he was doing with El. He’s directly communicating with Will and hearing him out.
He listens to Will when he tells him about his episodes in S2. He listens to Will when he talks about the MF in him and calls him a superspy. When Will says “what if he spies back”, Mike reassures him by saying that they won’t let him.
He listens to Will again in S5 when he’s talking about his demo visions and how he feels so helpless not being able to anything. He empowers him again by suggesting that he’s capable of pulling the strings too like a sorcerer because his powers are innate! It makes Will smile and he’s actually able to tap into this ability in order to save Mike, Lucas and Robin later on.
Mike failing to view El as her own person, failing to understand and failing to help her save the day vs Mike makes Will feel seen and empowered, he understands Will and has always believed in him, and he did help Will save the day.
This contrast is just another case of “why Mike and El are incompatible” vs “why Mike and Will are compatible”.
This post I just made on how Mike and El are the only couple who doesn't flirt and that's why they feel like they're missing something, and that I just realized:
THAT'S what's different about season 4 Byler. The shift.
They never flirted before. They started writing them to flirt.
They were more like Mike and El. Good foundation: understanding, deep talks, comfortable with each other. But they didn't put romance on top of that with Mike and El, just told us that basis created romantic feelings and then had them date.
But with Byler, they laid that ground, then starting adding in...
"Guess it's gonna be up to us again" "It always is, isn't it"
"I was being a total self-pitying idiot" "I didn't say it" "You didn't have to"
"You're saying I'm evil and hell-bent on destroying the world" "Totally. No!"
Mike and El don't have any of that. I found my best in that linked post. It's.....well, it's friendship.
What I'm saying is yes we look for where it's always been there. But we also need to look for the shifts. Those are big proof too. Where it was always this way but also where it changed.
Where the writers said "it's time". And the fact that they changed something then tells us they did say "it's time".
And that flirting specifically is ALSO that "mutual energy" I talk about. That whatever they feel, it's the same.
Unreciprocated couples don't flirt. They just don't. It's very straightforward, that one I don't have to explain. They are not written to flirt. Even if one of them is completely oblivious, even if it's not awkward, even if they're close friends. They don't don't flirt. And it is entirely possible to write comfortable, non-awkward interactions that DO convey romantic feelings without any flirting. Again: Mlvn did it.
But starting in season 4, Byler started to flirt.
Season 2, they talked, sometimes there was some sweet nothings that seemed to hint at something. Season 3 they were close in a way they didn't seem with the others, singled out. But starting in season 4, they teased, they giggled, they coyly turned away and blushed, they referenced prior conversations inside- hinting ways. In season five, they've teased, they playfully pushed, had sarcastic insults that turn into compliments.
They flirt now.
They CHANGED to START flirting, and it increased as the payoff got closer. They were romantic. They became playful.
The more comfortable the characters became, the more clear their interest - the more clear they were comfortable being about it to each other. The more TRADITIONALLY they expressed it - the more 'known ways' they used.
Remember. Queerbaiting rarely moves. It's one of the key identifiers: "does it look like romantic buildup or does it look like an established couple they just won't call that?" If it's the latter, it's probably queerbait. But this looks like romantic buildup. That's the thing about it.
Every year, it adds something new it does. It is always moving closer to an end point. Friendships don't have payoff "end points". Queerbait looks like queerness. Queerbait looks like romance. Queerness looks like tropes.
It much less often looks like buildup. It much more seldomly looks like characters are visibly closer, of a different dynamic, than they were two, even one season ago. There are not transitional phases because there are not destinations. There are not levels because there are not peaks.
If you see "married couple" vibes, that's usually queerbait, I'm sorry. There have been recent instances of it not being, there are other factors to check, but it is a staple.
But flirting. Not just flirting, but a progression from not flirting INTO progressively INCREASING flirting...THAT
That is romantic buildup. That is motion. Set in motion, because queerbait likes to be suddenly stopped, and you can't do that if you set something in motion. This is momentum. This...
Well, this is what we like to a call "a snowball rolling down a hill".
you don't know how happy it makes me to have mike wheeler back and gayer than ever
This is killing me.
The dog growl when he looks at Lucas...