(Disclaimers: no, it's not about Byler (at least not really/fully, but Byler has something to it). no, I'm not homophobic (the only homophobia i could have is self-hatred (or, in the past, Internalized homophobia) lol). this is my opinion, so if you don't want - don't read;if you wanna hear me out - here we go<3)
I still can't stop thinking about how bad Duffs fumbled Will's acceptance arch. Like it pains me sooo much😭
I had hopes after vol1 - all that talks with Robin about dating and signals and accepting yourself just set them high as sky. Vol2 burried them deep down in some pit. Why?
First, Robin and what I think we all know (sorry if I'm mistaken, feel free to correct me): Robin thought Tammy was the one and would save her/make her feelings alright/make her alright/fix everything. In her tape she saw herself independent, happy, free (of all that bulshit growing up gave her), which lead to realization that she never really needed Tammy. She could be Robin just for Robin, not Robin for Tammy. And that what was important.
Second, Will: his whole life he had some monsters that others protected him from - first Lonnie (with Jonathan and Joyce protecting him), then Vecna (with literally everyone (one way ot another) in s1 trying to find him and rescue him from the Upside Down), then the Mindflyer (again with lots of people protecting him and trying to help him, example Bob with his advice and in the lab, helping them get out). After all of that (so Will not being able to protect himself) he never really made a 'real' difference in fights (like El with her powers or Dustin with his smart mind), which I honsetly always though he had a problem with and felt guilty about (you can't convince me that he didn't). I always viewed him as someone who had a hard time accepting that he loved someone and that they love him back (in any way -romantic, platonic - you name it, he has issues, half bcs of trauma, half bcs of being gay in the 80s), which also leads back to him being 'a burden' to others.
Third, Will's "tape": The main message of Robin's acceptace speach was "I had all the answers. I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared", which along with her tape meant what I wrote in 1st point. Now, for Will I thought it would be dofferent bcs of all the shit in point2. In his 'tape' he saw his loved ones in the moments when they visibly loved him (so Joyce, his mother, complemeting/loving his drawing, Jonathan, his brother, listening to music with him and building Castle Byers, Mike, the love of his life (and don't get here with this Tammy bulshit. This boy was never going around with crushes. This is Will "to date" Byers, we're talking about), asking to be his friend and them playing D&D, himself as a cleric/wizard, the way he was expressing himself for a good amount of his life (basicly Will loving himself here)). After that realization, he found a STRENGHT in HIMSELF to PROTECT HIS LOVED ONES (fighting the demos) when they needed it(needed him), when they were in a death situation, just as they did for him in many ways in all those years. Against his own opressors too.
Four, what I was hoping for: I was hoping for Will's acceptance arch to be about how he can love people (anyhow, platonic, romantic - you name it) and they can love him back. He is not useless, he is not helpless, he is not a burden. He is loved. That's why all those people did what they did all those years - because they loved him and cared for him. And he can, he will, love them back, he will protect them and help them too. His love is important, he is important. (also, live, laugh, love a good friedship-is-magic trop)
Five, why is it so important to me: it not only fits Will more (in my opinion ofc), but with this version of Will's acceptance arch, we'd get two different (kinda opposite??? maybe, but not really; if you know what I mean then good, if no - i'm sorry i can't explain it really) acceptance arches - Robin being free by herself/thanks to herself, finding out that she doesn't need other people to be Robin (even if she sometimes wants them in her life, just like most of us do, I'm not trying to make her a loner or smth), not being scared of who she is and Will finding his strenght in his love, in the people that he loves, who love him back and not being scared of that, not being scared of his feelings.
Right now, with the shit from vol2 and finale, it's baiscly reheating Robin's arch, with Will calling Mike his Tammy (mind you, it's Will "to date" Byers we're talking about, I don't think he's really doing crushes like hallway-crushes and if he did it wouldn't have been his childhood bestfriend, let's be for real) and doing everything she told him about her arch (again - Tammy thing), not really finding his own way through all that. And don't get me wrong, I love how Robin helps Will out in this olders-sibling way of queerness (with the talk about signals and how you know when somebody likes you and everything like that, hell, even what to do if they don't like you back (which, if it happened, would be a great way to introduce Will's-love-towards-Mike-getting-from-romantic-to-platonic plot, without him losing it in a day or so (please let's be for real here, you can't get rid of crush that quick, or I at least don't think you can???), if you wanna do that), I just don't think it's a good idea to do copy-paste of Robin and make Will blindly follow (come onto exact same realizations, even tho they are in different circumstaces) her arch.
And that is also one of the reasons of why I hate vol2 and finale.
That's it, thank you for reading <3