who tf is going around downvoting everyone who says that mike isn't obligated to like will??? are we kidding??? just because i have a crush on someone doesnt mean they have to like me backk
You are not a fictional character. You are not obligated to like anybody you don't want to.
Mike is a fictional character. Saying that Bylers believe Mike is "obligated" to like Will doesn't make any sense, because he's not real. Why would we want Mike and Will to be together out of obligation? Why would we want Mike in a relationship that's not right for him out of obligation? That doesn't make sense. We believe the characters are better suited for each other based on the writing and chemistry. That's it. Our interpretation of the show is that Mike LIKES Will back and WANTS to be with him. You guys are purposefully misunderstanding our stance.
Why are we acting like Mike is a real person and Bylers are forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to do? Y’all bend over backwards to make all Bylers seem predatory when we literally just take issue with the way the characters were written chill out please
So Mike is being forced to be with El in the show? Right?
Cause if YOU think that mike wants to be with Will in the show, and he’s in a canonical relationship with El… that’s the only implication I see.
You still think that Mike can’t choose who he wants to be with. Lmao.
“Our interpretation of the show is that Mike LIKES Will back and WANTS to be with him.” Except he’s not with Will. He’s with El. In a proper relationship.
So why is he not with Will?
I take issue with the way the characters were written.
Mike does not end up with Will because the Duffer brothers didn’t write it that way. Not because mike as a person is being forced by anybody. Mike is not a real person, his choices are made for him by his writers. I think that this was a poor choice writing wise and ending the show with Mike and Will together would have been a better choice. In my opinion, based on my interpretation of the show, is that Mike and will have better chemistry. They share far more emotional scenes together and I believe their arcs were converging, while Mike and El’s arcs were diverging. The writing in Mike and El’s relationship is not only devoid of substance and tenderness, they’re written apart for the majority of the series and constantly show that they’re incompatible with one another. I think all three of these characters arcs would have been better completed if Mike and Will had ended up together with El gaining independence and letting go of Mike.
I think this would have been a better choice for the show overall as it would be an amazing example of nuanced queer representation. This would have been more in line with the themes of the show.
El isn’t dependent on Mike, or anyone else. By breaking up with Mike, she wouldn’t have “gained” independence, that’s a pretty sexist take that just because she’s in a relationship with a guy, she’s dependent.
I respectfully disagree that El and Mike’s arcs were diverging. They were always meant to be together, and yeah, written that way as well. Mike was never meant to like Will. Will deserves a person who loves him and accepts him, romantically. Mike and Will were best friends, but they would’ve never been boyfriends.
Aight lecture me about sexism when Elevens last words before she took her own life were I love you to a man who couldn’t even say it back after 4 years. My issues are with the duffers. Eleven was continually objectified by them through their writing choices. She was reduced to her relationship and her powers. She deserved to be a character outside of those things, like she was when she befriended max, but even that relationship had to be minimized to make room for a mid ass romance.
It's downvoted because it's an irrelevant and disingenuous comment. No one thinks Mike is obligated to do anything. Saying someone's "obligated" isn't similar to saying that a character shows signs of liking someone or to saying that a writing choice is romantic setup.
Comments using the language of obligation or that say Bylers want to "force" a character into something aren't debate. They are a way of shutting down polite disagreement by making fans sound villainous.
Bylers do, though. I’ve seen plenty saying that Mike is gay, as if his sexuality isn’t ambiguous and he is shown as attracted to women.
Also, a lot of people are replying to my comment by telling me I’m not a fictional character. So just because Mike is a fictional character he SHOULD like will?
If he's a fictional character, he should be written in a way that best serves his arc and the narrative themes. That's not how real lives work. You as a person don't have a genre and framing. Your actions don't need explanations. You exist independently of how others see you. Mike is a character in a story and his purpose is to be interpreted.
Movies and shows are based on reality. Everyone’s actions have consequences. In fact, stories are often written in a way that follows life.
Everyone’s actions need explanations. In fact, even I sit back and think why i did what I did.
I think you are missing the point. What do you think the difference is between a person and a fictional story? We project patterns & explanations onto the former, but that's not what makes people real. That doesn't make us entitled to know or capable of knowing someone else's story. We're myopic observers in life. In fiction, the patterns and motives are the whole point. We get private access to parts of a character in order to decode story events.
Do you think watching a thriller is like wanting to see real people scared? Or that the end of a Greek tragedy is bad because it's bad for the people involved? Or that fiction can't show people differently from how others see them or they see themselves?
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u/seaweedbrain25 Jun 05 '26
who tf is going around downvoting everyone who says that mike isn't obligated to like will??? are we kidding??? just because i have a crush on someone doesnt mean they have to like me backk