#milkvan bones

[nightnut]

that’s one of my best jokes btw 💙💛 // full meme series

[fatfatgaybitch]

My personal favorite Byler Proofs that keep me believing that might help others with doubt as well:

EDIT: post V1 S5😝

- The difference of Mike calling El a superhero versus calling Will a sorcerer. Will won—El didn’t.

- Elmike rooftop scene discussing the happily ever after of the whole party, rather than secluding themselves like all the other couples have done when they make plans.

- Mike called El a superhero because of her powers. Will became a superhero because Mike said he had the potential to become one.

- “I knew right then and there that she was the one” —Robin regarding Tammy—“I knew right then and there that I loved you”—Mike to El.

- Mike returning to referring to El as Eleven…whilst Hop called her Jane.

- Will thought of meeting Mike first to restore his self-love and find powers because Mike made him feel loved. Like he wasn’t a mistake one might say…

- Mike in danger is the last thing Will sees before activating his powers—and the first thing he sees when he does activate them.

- Before we see Will being sexy and aura farming—the camera pans to Mike looking at the demogorgan—then back at the demogorgan as if we are seeing through Mike’s eyes, and then the camera pans towards Will. Showing how Mike sees Will.

- The look of absolute pride and love that Mike gives Will after Will snapped all of the demogorgan bones—versus Joyce being terrified of and for her son.

- Mike don’t gaf that El is in the Upside Down😭🙏and not that it is the same situation but it’s a vast comparison from his need to find and save Will in season 1–not to mention she went into the UD to find his sister.

- Lucas talks more about El and more highly of her than Mike does.

- The same flowers Mike gifts to El in 4x02 are the dead flowers that El holds up in the last moments of 4x09 and now at the beginning of 5x01 when Vickie is throwing away more dead yellow and purple flowers.

- “We’re hoping this emotional arc for Will is what ties this whole series together” -The Duffers

- “The show is to empower outcasts” -Shawn Levy, The Duffers, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Ma- I could go on.

- “You could never really tell if it was something romantic or just a special friendship” -Noah Schnapp on Mike and Will’s friendship at a Comic Con

- “Mike goes on a journey this season…” -Cara Buono following Schnapp’s words from the bullet point above.

- Midleven kiss at the end of S3.

- “They [Mike and El] have such different paths in life” -Finn Wolfhard on Mike and El’s relationship

- “Does he still see her as just the superhero?” -Millie Bobby Brown (2022 or 2023) saying her favorite Midleven scene was their fight over “From, Mike” with Sarah D. (Forgot her last name, she’s the hair stylist for the show)

- Mike’s behavior in the airport scene.

- Mike and Will’s Rink o’ Mania fight, specifically Mike saying Will not having a good time or smiling was what sabotaged the day, and not El being severely bullied and humiliated.

- Will’s feelings were what made Mike confident, and they are the reason for Leader Mike’s return in season 5–only Will disguised those feelings as El’s.

- Mike being paralleled to Brenner and Hopper. Especially Brenner.

^would love to put every single parallel on this list but that’ll take too long LMAO

- No midleven scene post the ‘love’ monologue in season 4, and instead we get confirmation that El didn’t talk much to Mike for two days after it on their way to Hawkins.

- Mike’s arc has been failing to please El for two seasons straight whereas she is able to forget Mike for the majority of her seasons.

- Familial Parallels. Obviously. And ew.

- Will was the one to push Mike to say he loves El, and Mike still hesitated, as well as lied about experiencing love at first sight.

- ‘The Heart’ being constantly associated with Mike’s character, tying him directly to Will’s love for him. Every time they say it, it is tied to the ship.

- Mike and El, although unintentional, continue to hurt each other and make one another feel inferior and less than.

- “Maybe I was worrying too much about El” To Will, after El was severely bullied and then taken away to a top secret location to get her powers back. Like dude.

- Final shot of season 4, and jancy, jopper and byler being coupled together.

- “We ask Finn to carry a lot of weight, we ask Noah to carry a lot of critical emotional content” -Shawn Levy at the ST5 LA Premiere.

(Will add more later when I think of them)

[clericscauldron]

It's giving straightbait 💖

[whylee-wheeler]

The difference between Mike saying "you KNOW what I think of you!" While El is clearly in doubt about how Mike thinks of her and is visibly in distress

And Mike seeing that Will is obviously teasing him but then reassuring him about what he thinks of him anyway

[shirothesilly]

milkvan is so fucking bones I'm crying

[higuysetc]

Real Bylers never speak ill of Platonic Elmike

[bylercrumbs]

A well-executed breakup between Mike and El should be grounded in emotional maturity and mutual understanding. By this point in the story, both characters have grown significantly, especially El, who has been learning to define herself beyond her powers and relationships. The breakup, then, shouldn’t feel abrupt or driven by drama, but rather by quiet realization: they’re becoming different people, discovering their actual identity/ feelings, and clinging to the version of love they had as kids no longer feels authentic.

Mike shouldn't be portrayed as someone who has “fallen out of love” suddenly or harshly. Instead, he should be shown wrestling with feelings he doesn't yet fully understand, particularly regarding Will. The key is emotional honesty. If Mike is open with El about feeling confused, about how much he still cares for her but senses something shifting inside him, rather senses his burried feelings carving themselves out with a knife, too hard to ignore now, he comes across as vulnerable rather than deceptive. He’s not rejecting her; he’s acknowledging that they’ve outgrown the version of love they once shared.

El, in turn, should be given emotional agency. She’s intuitive enough to sense that something is different, and if she responds not with rage but with reflection, recognizing that she, too, is changing, it makes the breakup feel mutual, even if it’s Mike who initiates it. Her sadness can coexist with her understanding. This allows both characters to walk away with dignity.

Importantly, the breakup shouldn't center on Will, it should center on Mike and El, and their evolution. Mike doesn’t need to say “I’m in love with Will” in that moment. What matters is that he’s honest about needing to figure out who he really is, and that El deserves someone who loves her with certainty. Later, his growing closeness to Will can emerge naturally, without making the breakup feel like a setup or betrayal.

Handled this way, Mike comes off as a young person learning how to be honest, both with others and with himself. And El, rather than being cast aside, is respected as someone worthy of real love and real honesty. The breakup, rather than being in a sad setting, would thus be portrayed in a realistic and mature way, making the audience (other than the hardcore Milkvans) sympathise and empathize, and move on from the break up. Thus valuing Mike and El’s deep connection that goes beyond just a false version of love they had once shared.

[I'm not sure if this BTS pic is the breakup scene, but it's definitely a heartwarming and genuine moment between them].

[miwiromantics]

wait wait waittt...

nancy brought purple and yellow flowers when she went to visit mrs. driscoll in season 3. in this scene, she was pretending to be someone she wasn't.

mike brings purple and yellow flowers for el when he visited california in season 4. ????