#AND FUTURE BYLER CONTENT

[howstrangethingshappen]

it is so noah to go on tik tok live & fanboy over the s5 scripts he’s sm like us

[despapillon]

after Noah and Cara fighting for their lives at the con to be subtle about Byler i just know soon someone from the crew is gonna swoop in with M*leven content to do damage control. either gonna sacrifice Finn and have him say something during a future interview or they’ll post an official pic. if they won’t that means they truly dgaf

[pinkerthings]

the importance of mike and will simply getting each other, cont. (pt 3):

i covered the significance of Mileven not understanding each other here, and the first part of byler getting each other here. time to finish what we started ! Continuing on with--

season 2:

Crazy together, because byler isn’t byler without it:

This scene is important. It’s a direct parallel of a couple Mileven scenes, like the grocery store scene of Mike trying to tell El he loves her & the season one scene of Mike talking to El about the snow ball.

There is no confusion in this entire scene. Will tells Mike what he’s been experiencing, Mike understands, and tells him if one of them goes crazy, they’ll both go crazy. They are in it together. Literally crazy together. I don’t know what else anyone could want from this scene. It’s the epitome of Mike and Will understanding each other.

In episode 3 during Will’s “episode” seeing the Mind Flayer again, lo and behold, who is the one to find him in the field?

Of course you’re the one to find him Michael ! You’re always the one to find him !

Later on in episode 5 Will is in his bedroom explaining the shadow monster visions and feelings to Mike, and he just gets it, even if he doesn’t get it.

Finishing Will’s sentences, not asking a lot of questions, understanding what he’s trying to say, etc. Mike is just getting what he’s saying.

He’s also trying to be positive and uplifting, reassuring Will that everything will be fine.

And then we get the byler handhold:

bad pic but we all know what it looks like so idc !

Moving on, one of my favorite parts about season 2 is just how much Mike and Will content we get. They are literally glued to each other's hips for nine episodes. The rest of the party us off doing whatever it is they were doing and Mike has literally not left Will's side once.

The hospital scene where Will (being partially possessed by the Mind Flayer) doesn't remember Hopper nor Bob, and barely remembers Joyce, but recognizes Mike almost instantly ? Just how much space does Mike take up in Will's brain? Get a grip Byers!

season 3:

Season 3 is interesting because this is where things start getting ...... weird between them. Starting in episode 1, the first scene they have together is the movie theatre scene, where Will senses something is wrong and Mike immediately notices. I mean, literally right away.

(peep the blush on both their cheeks when they first sit down lmao.)

Will senses something and has this far away look on his face, to which Mike interrupts his thoughts with, "Hey, you okay?" Will nods and says yes. Mike presses again, "You're sure?" And Will says, "Of course." Mike then nods and leans back in his seat.

The first minutes of season three, we are met with a protective Mike, similar to season two. The Duffers are still showing the audience, "Hey! These two are best friends! Mike watches over Will and Will watches over Mike, and they are very protective of each other."

For the first few episodes of season 3, they seem to be in this awkward rut, but still somehow are almost always at each other's sides ? (interesting considering there's always one person who disrupts their compatibility)

Their next interaction includes Will thinking Mike and Eleven's little "curfew at 4" stunt is "gross," right before feeling the shadow monster and touching his neck (but that’s a theory for another day).

Episode 2: Mike lying to Eleven about his Nana because he doesn’t want to hang out with her (per Hopper’s wrath) and the boys shopping at the mall. (Just another example of Mileven not understanding each other. Their relationship is almost always centered around lies !)

Next is infamous “I dump your ass scene,” yet another example of Mileven misunderstanding each other that I should have included in post one.

Episode 3: The byler fight !

Begins with Will waking up Lucas and Mike with medieval music and his speech about d&d, which I find….interesting.

“I have seen into the future, and I see that today is a new day. A day…free of girls.”

Now, this is Will Byers we’re talking about, he’s not the biggest fan of girls. But that line is interesting. We know the Duffer’s love putting little hints and clues in earlier episodes to allude to future things. (Or maybe I’m just delusional)

Lucas isn’t that opposed to the d&d game with Will, but Mike is a little weary because it’s so early in the morning But he eventually gives in and plays the game.

Mike and Lucas are clearly uninterested in the game, unlike Will, who is clearly invested and trying to have fun.

Mike answers a phone call in the middle of the game thinking it could be El, and ends the game with an easy way out. Will gets upset and tears is costume off, shutting off the music and heading outside.

Mike’s ENTIRE demeanor changes in an instant. It goes from annoyed and bored to apologetic and empathetic in a literal second.

“Will, I was just messing around.”

Michael, you certainly weren’t, but just realized that your attitude actually hurt your best friend and you feel bad about it.

“Will, let’s finish for real. How much longer is the campaign?”

Will says, “Just forget it, Mike.”

And Mike says, “No, you want to keep playing, right? We’ll just call the girls after.”

It doesn't matter what Mike wants, because Will wants to keep playing, Mike is willing to push his immature attitude aside and play the game for his best friend.

“I said, forget it, Mike!” Will yells.

Mike has a hurt look on his face, sort of similar to the s2 e2 look on Will’s face when Mike is slightly annoyed at him for letting Max trick-or-treat with them. It’s the look of, “Oh no, I made my best friend mad and I didn’t mean to. How could I do such a thing?!”

Will says he’s going home and pushes past Lucas and Mike, and only one of them follows.

You guessed it !

“Will come on, you can’t leave, it’s raining.”

This scene makes me giggle because since when has RAIN stopped anyone in this show from accomplishing anything? Will has literally been through hell and back and Mike is worried because he doesn’t want him biking home in the rain?

Anyways byler rain fight:

Mike literally says it himself:

El’s not stupid.

(crazy + stupid = love)

Mike literally says himself he and El aren’t compatible.

(screw tumblr for only allowing 30 images per post)

next part coming i promise !!!!

[castlebyersafterdark]

hiii i just wanted to come on here as a lesbian who is very pro spicy byler to maybe give a little personal experience and perspective to this convo. it’s also 5am for me rn so this might get too personal and also not make any sense sorry 😭😭

so at least for me, and not speaking for any other lesbian’s here cuz idk what their experience is, a big reason that i like spicy byler is Because i’m a lesbian and not attracted to men. in my own life i don’t think about men’s sexuality or have to consider men in a sexual way, so i can view sex between two men from a completely outside perspective - i don’t need feel inadequate about my own sexual experience because i don’t want to have any sexual experiences with men, there are no notes i need to take on technique, there’s nothing to feel insecure about never doing before and going “oh it would have been better if i had done that” or “that’s how it should have been? i’ve been doing it wrong this whole time? fuck.”. its almost like - because it has nothing to do with me and experiences i actually want to have in the future (at least technically, with anatomy and stuff, i definitely crave the emotional intimacy aspects) it’s just pure high fantasy. it can be hot and i can just enjoy it as hot because the characters find it hot. i think i also have a very deep attachment to these characters and their relationship that seeing them show their love in any way is very cathartic, whether that be sexually, where the release of catharsis is very much 1:1 mimicked by actually coming, or romantically, where tension is really built up and a simple, well written confession can be just as much of a release.

i do think that when i first started reading mlm smut i was definitely confused about what it meant for Me sexually. cuz it was like, ik i’m not sexually attracted to either of these men, i definitely don’t want to be in any sort of sexual situation with them, why do i find this so hot?? do i like men in general?? do i like male anatomy?? am i lying to myself??? but i’ve since realized it’s that its the emotional intimacy that i can relate to and enjoy from the character’s whereas the physical intimacy is something completely divorced from my reality, allowing me to enjoy it just as what it is without having to think too hard about my personal experience. there is no overthinking i have to do that gets in the way of my enjoyment. i can imagine for people who do have sexual experiences with men or are men that physical or sexual inaccuracy or just a general sense that this is an unrealistic physical feat or reaction can take you out of the moment and/or make you cringe - since i don’t have any experience with that, the only thing that takes me out of the moment is emotional and characterization inaccuracy. its the fact that i didn’t have to actually involve Myself (whether that be my own pleasure or how to go about pleasing a partner in a technical, physical sense) that allows me to enjoy it so much. there are zero personal implications that i have to take to heart thus allowing me to fully enjoy it without getting in my head about technicalities. its just - these people are finding pleasure in this, them experiencing pleasure is hot, what they’re experiencing must be hot. it feels very much like escapism for me. (i feel like i just said the same exact thing 10 times and still didn’t get the wording right lmao)

from what have gathered, its a very common formative experience for queer women to read and be turned on by male ships and the sexual experiences that are written about them - and ik friends irl that definitely relate to that as well. now, idk if this is the reason for all or a majority of enjoyment of this type of content, but i imagine this is not a completely unique experience in fandom for lesbians.

Thank you for sharing this!!!! Super super super interesting!!!! I kind of thought as much for some of your points but I've never seen it all spelled out quite like this. ❤️

[parkitaco]

ok people. i really don't want to have to be saying this but i am once again being struck by the lack of etiquette in the byler fandom and just in current fandom in general so i just. have to say something ok

first off i'm gonna say that fandoms come from a place of love and i know everyone most people have good intentions and love their fic authors but the etiquette around fics and art and all that lovely stuff is,, how shall we put it,, literally nonexistent.

listen. i love writing fic. i love that people like reading my fics that's insane hello?? i love getting comments and kudos and getting messages from ppl who are excited about my future projects it's great!!!

that being said, when i receive messages asking when things will be out/comments on wip wednesday snippets asking if the fic is out yet/messages asking me to tag them when the fic is published, regardless of how good the intentions are it comes off as very demanding and doesn't make me feel good as a writer who is doing this Voluntarily and For Free.

fanfic writers do this for fun!! we are not machines, we are people with our own lives outside of fandom and those lives have to take priority most if not all of the time. this means that yes!! sometimes fics take a while to write!! sometimes chaptered fics take a while to update!! and guess what?? that is totally ok. fanfic writers taking their time is not a bad thing. it means they care and are taking their time to create quality content. it means that they are spending time tending to their real personal lives, which is a normal and healthy thing to do.

there are plenty of posts about why demanding faster updates is bad, and i think that's pretty common knowledge, but i want to talk specifically about these very enthusiastic comments/messages/etc because i don't think anyone means harm but the thing is that fic authors simply do not owe you anything. we don't owe it to you to let you know when a fic will be out, we don't owe it to you to tag you when it is, and we definitely don't owe it to you to provide information that you can easily find out for yourself. as a writer i'm already putting insane amounts of pressure on myself and receiving it from other people, even if that's not the intention, is just not a good feeling.

especially because much of this information is readily available to you!! while you may not be able to find out when a fic will be out (which is probably because the fic author doesn't know either), you are entirely capable of checking the timestamp on a post to see how old it was, then using a little thing called Critical Thinking Skills to determine whether it's likely the fic has been posted or not. if so then great!! most authors have their ao3 accounts linked somewhere on their blog page so YOU (yes, you!!) can go look for the fic on ao3!! if you don't find it, ao3 has a super cool feature where you can subscribe to an author, so you'll get an email notification whenever they post!! and while you're there, if you're truly desperate for something to read, you can always go through the fics they've already posted, and if you've read everything there already and/or they haven't posted anything yet, check their bookmarks and see if there's anything there you like!! and as a last resort, there's always the trusty old search bar on ao3, which you are capable of filtering to every last preference!! the byler fandom is huge and there are tons of fics out there so undoubtedly something will fit your taste.

i know that can feel daunting, and i know it's disappointing when a fic hasn't been posted or updated yet, but the good news is that if you're seeing a snippet it means the author is working on it!! a little patience never hurt anyone, and taking those steps to determine for yourself what's going on with the fic rather than bugging an author who is just trying to go about their life and work on content during whatever free time they have just proves that you care. the simple fact of the matter is that fic authors don't do this for attention, they do it for fun, and therefore we can't cater everything to you or answer questions that you should find the answers to yourself. it's not our responsibility to keep track of people who want to be tagged when a fic is published or want to know when it will be out, because all our energy is going into creating the content you so desperately want!! i'm just begging everyone to be a little bit independent. asking an author for this information just shows you don't care enough to find it for yourself and this sort of laziness is part of why fandoms die.

tldr: fic authors are not machines designed to please you, use some critical thinking once in a while, and please for the love of GOD just go touch grass. breathe some clean air. you'll feel better i promise

[noahschnappinfs]

I want to believe that all the hate will subside before season 5 release but tbh, I think after byler becomes endgame, there will be a new hate wave directed at noah. I expect a lot of homophobia and people bringing up these fucking stickers again and again and again-- 😮‍💨 I mean mleven shippers/mllie stans were at the forefront of cancelling noah in this fandom, so it's basically guaranteed that they'll bring all of this up again.

I just want noah to be done with st at this point. I think that's the only way for all of this hate to stop.

if byler doesn’t happen, the bylers will hunt him down and if byler happens, he will get some homophobic backlash for sure so no matter what, noah can’t win here lol

i also sometimes would love to leave the ST fandom behind already so we can just enjoy our corner of the internet in peace with noah’s future projects and content. i can bet you that the fandom will die out pretty fast after the show ends because the actors will move on pretty fast considering all of them barely interact with the fandom due to their behaviour. the only one that was giving them crumbs was noah and they keep slandering him every day so even he has cut back on giving them content.

anyway, i think the majority of people would’ve moved on by the time season 5 gets released and with noah’s performance, i’m sure he’ll be able to win people over.

[theladyrebecca2]

It's human nature to gain or lose hope when you see Netflix socials promoting Byler or Midleven, but we've gotta pull back the curtain to see the full picture.

First, always remind yourself that the Stranger Things team and Netflix are completely separate entities. Netflix is the vehicle the ST team are driving their story on, but they're not the same people who actually create it. They get little to no say in what the ST writers write.

I say 'little' because the bones of each season will have been greenlit by select Netflix higher-ups (with NDA's signed). But if the Stranger Things team want Storyline A, and Netflix were to say no, what about Storyline B? Then the ST team are absolutely capable of standing their ground and not moving. Perhaps some compromises can be made, but the final say will be down to how stubborn the ST writers can be. This was made apparent by the Duffer Brothers’ open stance on the writing and acting strikes, which directly opposed Netflix. It mattered to them that in the future, writers will continue to have control over their work. That Netflix can't just weasel out of their contracts with shows and write their own endings with AI. Right now, Netflix provide funding, connections, and a platform to host stories on. The ST team provide their content, the original idea, the heart and soul. It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

When it comes to promoting stuff on social media, we have several teams working separately. This leads to exchanges like this from the Netflix Tudum event:

This is two completely different social media teams interacting with each other. Most important to remember though - right now, the Netflix social media team won't know anything about Season 5. The earliest they may be told anything important will be at the start of the Season 5 promotional campaigns, but even then, it's not a given. NDA's will be in effect at Netflix right up until the bitter end. The social media people will be working in tandem with the marketing team, all of them given set content or working under guidelines when told what they can promote/ talk about.

Secondly, they're just ordinary people doing their job. When it comes to liking comments or replying to them, it will all differ depending on which person happens to be logged into the Netflix account at that time.

For ST5, it looks like Dana and Chris are two Senior Social Media Managers at Netflix US:

But look at all the related connections, and you begin to realise just how many people make up these social media teams (and marketing, which is related). And remember, this is just Netflix US - not the ST team.

So just think about how each person has their own opinions, has their own views on the show. How many of these people might ship Byler? How many ship Midleven? I bet they have their own interpersonal work politics behind the scenes, hoping their idealised ending is the right one.

My point is, there's no point freaking out about this occuring underneath Netflix US's recent post about ST S5:

All this shows is that we have a Midleven shipper in the social media team. After Season 4, a lot of people got excited at this:

But again, all this indicates is that we also have a potential Byler shipper in the Netflix UK team. It's just as pointless getting happy and excited about pro-Byler stuff on there, as it is to get worried or upset about pro-Midleven stuff.

[alcalystrasz]

I'm trying to think about possible byler proofs, but I feel like everything has been said. We already analyzed the whole show, frame per frame to look for some juicy details... So to change up a little bit, I wondered if spreading my theories about Stranger Things 5's future events could be interesting. I have various theories: future deaths, Vecna's role, few characters' reappearance, few characters' powers developpement, ships who make up, ships who break up, etc. First because my theories are not like every others, I never saw them being like a top theory. And also because they are very well written and developed. So here is my question....

[ekza-art]

do you still like byler and will you draw them in the future? 🥺🥺

i get if you don't want to draw them right now cause we don't have any new content of them, but i really hope you draw them again eventually. i love your byler art so much 🫶🫶🫶

Hi!

I came out of the hyperfixation of drawing for Stranger Things, but I think with the release of the final season I'll do a few more drawings to close this era for myself

[crush-like-that]

Byler fic in the future where Will moves away after highschool (ABANDONING Mike) and he ends up living in some city and he's happy (enough) and even has a boyfriend. And yeah maybe it does hurt when he goes into a bookstore and he sees Mike's books up in the front on their own shelf but it doesn't hurt THAT bad (lie). Anyway Will is happy in his life and he has a boyfriend and he does freelance art and things are GREAT but then Mike shows up at his door, kinda drunk, mumbling something about "was in town for a book signing" and "got your address from your mom" and Will practically has a melt down but he can't say no to Mike so he lets Mike sleep on his couch while his boyfriend stands in the kitchen confused as HELL

and and and

I know that I will love again I'll meet someone and I'll make amends I'm sure she'll be a gentleman And I will be content

I know that I would be fulfilled See the world and pay my bills Have a drink and eat my fill Of dinners and free will

But if you come to me In my home with my three kids If you'd asked me to leave To be with you and split Well I'd at least have to think about it

You never loved the same amount You spent a week at my mother's house And honest, I can tell you now I'll love you more than my future spousе

And if you come to me When I'vе promised to commit If you told me that you loved me And asked me for a kiss Well I'd at least have to think about it

You are my Achille's heel The weakness only I can feel I've been a liar and you've been a pill But I'd still have to think about it

Things just won't be the same I'm scared to death that I'll scream your name And still, there's not a thing that I'd change And that's okay, when I think about it - I'd Have to Think About It, Leith Ross

[cosmorom]

Hello :)

Im kinda bored rn , so I decided to ask some of my fav mutuals about their season 5 Byler theories ( or season 5 theories in general. ( you don’t have to answer this ofc ) )

Have a great day 🩵

omg my first ask i'm so excited

soo these are mostly random toughts than theories.

firstly i think that mike, lucas and dustin's parents will become very apprehensive to them because of the hellfire club, now the entire hawkins is convinced that the hellfire is a satanic cult.

i would like to see el fighting the final boss (vecna/the mf) with the whole group and not just by herself or just with will. plus, in the finale i want she losing her powers for good. just let el trying to live a normal life and being loved for her own person.

vickie will be part of the (extended) party. it's not a want, it's a need

max will wake up before the time jump.

i would love to see mike silently feeling guilty for max's death because he believes that's his fault but he can't tell this to anyone bc this would mean admitting that he lied to el.

i honestly don't know how they will find the time for romance bc s5 will be so crazy. in fact i don't know how or when the byler first kiss will happen, but i'd prefer a quiet moment than one full of tension (like before a battle).

i hope robin's character won't fully rotate on vickie. i mean yeah i want to see rovickie content but i want that robin (and maybe also vickie in the future) stays her whole character.

after the final battle everyone will leave hawkins (maybe we will see the party in a short timeskip (2-3 years. like seeing them in 2020s would be so weird...).

the return of s2 byler, thanks.

another lumax kiss bc we need it.

for the jon/nancy/steve thing i didn't get the duffers intent so we'll see...

eddie is fucking dead.

thank you for the ask!

[thefourchimes]

Talking more about The Four Chimes AU because yes

so there’s been an interesting surge of apocalypse four (though most people call them vecna four) content recently, which i am very much thrilled to see

in line with that, i’m gonna share a bit more on the au that has been built from the ground up ever since last year, having definite arcs and various aus and sub aus of it already

the four chimes au

this universe has been mine and @lumaxramblings 's blood, sweat, and tears for the past year, ever since July 14

i've made a few posts about it, and shared some snippets on it in some wip weds and weekends, but i never fully explained the universe beyond the little bubble of the discord thread in the discord server im in

so let me explain now. we know this already but the apocalypse four are vecna's four sacrifices to make the four gates, but in this au, they're not just the four sacrifices. they're the four chimes too.

you see, vecna had a vision. he had remembered the story of the four horsemen of the apocalypse from a time victor creel had brought him and alice to the Church to listen

the four horsemen of the apocalypse, he had mused...and inspiration struck him.

he had a vision, and he saw it through.

and he got them all. he won.

and now he has his four horsemen of the apocalypse, or in this universe rather...his four chimes of catastrophe.

you all know who they are, but the question is, who is who? well, as @lumaxramblings has said in that fateful ask that started this whole universe in the first place, it would be:

chrissy = famine

fred = death

patrick = war

max = pestilence

as for the reason, canon itself gives some details and evidence to point out who would be who. (tw ed mention on chrissy's part)

chrissy is famine because of her eating disorder and her "hunger" to be free in a sense. fred is death because of his survivor's guilt and all the constant grave and death visuals. patrick is war because of his home life and how he's always in constant conflict. and finally, max is pestilence because of her thought process on being something that plagues others...and vecna!lucas' "you are sick."

there's quite a few more points that can be brought up, along with how some of the canon scenes actually fuel this universe, but i'll talk about that another time

so now, vecna's sacrifices are no longer who they were before everything.

now, they are his soldiers, his little experiments, his four chimes of catastrophe.

and just as they had been broken, they will now be the ones to break the world.

...

(but then...you remember, the apocalypse 4 weren't the only ones who got caught in vecna's curse and vision.

you know who else did?

nancy wheeler.

and in the four horsemen of the apocalypse lore, wasn't there something going on with the white rider of the horsemen? the fact that...there's a bit of confusion on whether the white rider is pestilence...or conquest?

...in another universe, nancy is conquest, the fifth chime of catastrophe.

an incomplete chime.

...but maybe that's a story for another day...)

—————————————————————————————————

i actually had started the fic of this already, but it's been a few months since i've updated it, oof :")

anyway, that's a bit of an explanation on the four chimes au.

it kind of becomes a s5 alternate universe in a sense? finnthony and i already have an idea on what happens all throughout the main story, complete with arcs already lmao (and that's not even talking about the sub-aus, like the conquest au...)

its lots of angst though, lemme tell you

i dont want to reveal too much but there is a lot of platonic and romantic dynamics here

platonic being the party's friendship (heh), the teens' friendship, best friend soulmates stobin ofc, and all other platonic relationships that can be connected with each member of this ragtag, traumatized group

for romance, we got lumax (with future elumax), byler, duzie, ronance, stongyle (aka steve x jonathan x argyle), jopper, and...well. a few others too, but i'll be keeping those quiet for now.

i’ll likely post more stuff at some point, to get it out here lmao and because this au is just <3

tagging the people who’ve been here all through out:

@laurienotteddy @mitski-slope @itsanotheridiot @hellsfireclub @history-of-stories @she-wont-miss

[castlebyersafterdark]

is this a safe space to say that older byler art always makes me feel unhinged bc older mike looks so hot? 😭 like jfc he is treating will RIGHT in life and in bed. the finger under will's chin? phew. my fave design fr

so much so that every time I see similar ones the vision gets clearer. like these:

https://www(.)tumblr.com/greenfiend/749131092412563456/hello-firstly-i-wanted-to-say-how-much-im-been?source=share

https://www(.)tumblr.com/solisevart/748698715155546112/please-plspsls-can-you-post-a-close-up-of-the?source=share

i hadnt thought about older byler looks much til some started hitting and now I see it clearly. they grow up so gorgeous I know it!

Oh you know I REALLY love older Byler. It's just such an important and dear concept to me, you know?? The idea that they find each other young and stay together, it's Mike and Will forever, "for the rest of our lives" and that they're a team. They're so in love. A gay couple that got together as kids in the 80s and got to live and grow old together? Beautiful and sweet. I know they're fictional, but the concept is so important to see.

And it doesn't hurt that they are just stunners for life, as well. Older Mike is always sooooo fine. Older Will is just gorgeous too, but thinking of an older Mike who find confidence and contentment is also a lovely thought. And him and Will having passion and a really full and active love life well into the future - siiiiiigh. Yes yes yes. All great art you linked to - but also the one you're referencing makes me a little insane as well, they're so sweet and sexy and ahhhh older Byler is incredible. Hope more people come around to it, I know for some reason some aren't into it.

[parkitaco]

Umm 51. Kissing each finger + byler???? (If you want 👀)

hi toy tysm!!! i decided to make this one into a lil extra/missing scene set in the gaps and the silence universe - the original fic is not required reading but like. u should read it. bc i wrote it and it's cool. anyway~ fic below the cut <33

Will wakes up feeling, in a word, optimistic.

He usually feels that way, these days - optimistic for his future, his relationships, basically every aspect of his life. He hadn’t really realized how much he’d missed the feeling, these past few years, or how drastically it would affect everything. It’s happiness plus something, happiness that isn’t tainted by the worry of everything being snatched away from him. Happiness that promises to last.

He rolls over onto his back, opening his eyes and releasing a contented breath as he stares up at the ceiling, smiling to himself. It’s Tuesday today. He used to hate Tuesdays. Now, though, it’s sort of hard to hate anything for any extended amount of time.

The primary reason for his optimism is still sleeping, chest rising and falling gently on the other side of the bed, and Will chances a glance at him, the smile on his face growing tenfold. Mike’s hair spills out over the pillows, one arm thrown over his stomach and the other brushing Will’s. He’s a pretty sight, even in the weak sort of sunlight that January offers through the half-closed curtains. But then again, Will’s a little biased.

Everything is so good, lately. Even this morning, a Tuesday, where he’s doomed to spend the unfortunate majority of his day helping ungrateful customers at the convenience store where he works and then come home to a darkened apartment and be forced to throw something together for dinner- it’s good. It can’t be anything other than good, when he gets to wake up next to his boyfriend.

Said boyfriend stirs, rolling over onto his side and shoving his face into Will’s neck, tossing an arm over Will. “Hi,” he mumbles, lips pressed against Will’s skin, and Will grins.

“Hi,” he whispers back, quiet in the delicacy of the morning, and presses a kiss to the top of Mike’s head. “Sleep okay?”

“Mhm,” Mike hums, still half-asleep as he wriggles closer to Will, chasing his warmth. “Your bed is so much more comfortable than the one at the motel.”

Will huffs a soft laugh, reaching up with one hand to trail his fingertips through Mike’s hair. “I would certainly hope so.” Not that Mike even sleeps at the motel that often anymore, only occasionally going back to get clothes or prove to the staff that he does, in fact, still need the room, but still. Will likes to think he has a little more to offer than a dingy motel room.

Mike hums, and Will can feel the vibration of it from where Mike is pressed up against him, warm and sleepy, and for a second Will is tempted to quit his job just so that he can stay here with Mike for the rest of time rather than standing behind a checkout counter all day trying to stay awake. He’d go broke, probably, and stop being able to afford this apartment, and then he wouldn't even have a place to hide away from his responsibilities anyway, but- it might just be worth it, for a couple extra hours curled up beside Mike. 

He glances at the clock, one hand resting gently against Mike’s bare shoulder blades as he shifts, and winces when he sees the time. “Shit, I have to start getting ready.”

“Nuh-uh,” Mike says immediately, tightening his hold on Will’s waist and pressing his nose firmly into Will’s shoulder. “Stay.”

Will smiles, settling into Mike’s grip if just for a moment and pressing another kiss to the crown of his skull. “Tempting,” he murmurs, as Mike trails a gentle hand over his ribcage, “But I can’t. Sorry.”

Mike whines in protest, flopping back over to his side of the bed and throwing a dramatic arm over his eyes. “Fine. Go, see if I care.”

Will smirks, leaning over and gently nudging at the arm blocking Mike’s eyes. “You can stay here if you want,” he offers, as if it’s not obvious, as if Mike has not spent the majority of the month since they reconnected hanging out in his apartment, “I’ll be back by five.”

“That’s forever from now,” Mike huffs, breath fanning across Will’s face as he leans in to press a kiss to the sliver of jaw not obstructed by Mike’s arm. “I’ll die of loneliness.”

Will laughs. “I’ll be sure to write a heartfelt eulogy for your funeral. ‘Mike Wheeler died as he lived; being a dramatic loser.’”

Mike lifts his arm in order to glare at him, lips twisting into an exaggerated pout. “Mean.”

“You love me,” Will replies, kissing his forehead one, two, three times before slipping out of bed and heading in the direction of his dresser. The sentiment still sends a little thrill through his ribcage, a confirmation and a confession at once, slipping more easily off his tongue every time he utters it. It feels true, these days, something he’s gradually learning how to let himself believe. 

“Yeah,” Mike agrees, already back to burying his face in his pillow, arm tugging the covers further over himself, “That’s kinda my point.”

Will grins, pulling a t-shirt out of his drawer and pulling it on. “Bowie will keep you company,” he says, nodding to the cat curled at the foot of his bed, sleeping in a patch of sunlight. 

“I can’t believe you named your cat Bowie,” Mike huffs, as Will zips up his jeans and leans over to grab the cat off the floor. “You are so pretentious.”

Will feigns a scowl, cradling a squirming Bowie in his arms and pressing a kiss to the top of his furry head. “You love me,” he repeats, and Mike opens one eye as he smirks up at him, “And you love Bowie.”

To prove his point, he dumps Bowie onto the bed, earning a scathing glare from both his boyfriend and the cat. Bowie swishes his tail, giving Mike an appraising sort of look, and Mike frowns. “I don’t think he loves me,” he points out, as Bowie turns his little head firmly in the other direction. “He bites me every time I try to pet him.”

“Yeah, well, he has trust issues,” Will says dismissively, grabbing his bag off the floor and leaning over to kiss Mike’s temple. “He’ll warm up to you eventually. Especially if you feed him.”

Mike doesn’t look convinced, but he sends Will a soft smile anyway, relaxing back into the pillows. “If you say so,” he says warmly, and Will swoops in to kiss his cheek one more time.

“I’ll see you later,” he murmurs, lips still pressed against Mike’s skin, and Mike reaches up to tap a finger against the tip of Will’s nose as he pulls away. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Mike murmurs, already fading back into sleep, and Will can feel his ridiculous, ballooning optimism exponentially increase as he ruffles Mike’s hair and slips out of the bedroom, leaving the door ajar behind him. 

He grabs an apple off the counter on his way out of the apartment, keys clutched in one hand and jacket thrown over his arm as he takes a bite. In the back of his mind, he can already hear Mike’s lecture later about taking care of himself and getting enough protein, because he takes the being-back-in-Will’s-life more seriously than he’s ever taken anything else in his life. It’s an entirely hypocritical lecture, considering Mike is deficient in maybe every vitamin in existence, but it’s endearing anyway. Mike cares so much, all the time and about everything, but especially Will. He’d forgotten that, in the time they’d been apart. It’s nice to be reminded.

Will does a final scan of the apartment, making sure he has everything he needs, before steeling himself for the bleak world outside his warm, cozy apartment and opening the door. He takes another bite of apple as he fumbles with his keys, part of him still wondering if it’s really too late to call in sick to work, really. His meager salary of seven dollars an hour, times the eight hours he’d be working, so he’d be missing out on- oh, forget it. Will’s never excelled at math, but he knows skipping out on that paycheck would be a missed opportunity.

“I knew Will first, you know,” he hears Mike say to Bowie from the bedroom, in the split second before the front door swings shut, “You’re not special.”

Will grins.

---

Will gets home at five-thirteen p.m., lugging a back of groceries over one arm and swinging his keys in the other. The day had been long, in standard Tuesday fashion - an eight hour shift under fluorescent lighting followed by him scouring the aisles of the grocery store for the cheapest items his meager income can allow, and he’s exhausted, hair limp and floppy against his face and feet heavy.

He kicks the door closed behind him, muttering to himself about stupid minimum wage jobs and college schedules, and glances up to find Mike sitting at the counter, eating a bowl of cereal and reading a book. It’s the last of the cereal, probably, because he’d been down to the end of the box and had forgotten to buy more, but it’s cool, Will would give everything he has to Mike Wheeler and cereal is probably the least of it.

He stops short, grocery bag slipping off of one shoulder as he takes in the sight. “Hi.”

Mike glances up, smiling and setting down his spoon. “Hey. How was work?”

“Um- good,” Will says, even though it wasn't, really, although at least this time he didn’t have to deal with old Mr. Becker and his millions of discount codes and gift cards that he can’t ever manage to use in a timely fashion. “You’re still here,” he says observantly, noting that the oversized t-shirt he’s wearing is, in fact, Will’s, as are the sweatpants he’s wearing, too short in the cuffs. 

Mike smiles a little confusedly, sliding off the stool he’d been sitting on and walking over to Will, gently taking the bag of groceries out of his hands. “Yeah,” he says slowly, setting the bag down on the table and taking Will’s keys as well, “Was I not supposed to be?”

“No, it’s- good,” Will says, feeling a little dazed. His brain is overtired from the day, and he’s having some trouble processing information. “I’m glad you’re here, I was just surprised.”

Mike huffs a wry little laugh. “You told me to stay, remember?” he asks, and now that he mentions it, Will does vaguely remember telling him he could hang out at the apartment for the day. He just hadn’t expected Mike to, you know. Actually do it.

“Yeah,” he says, still reeling a little, and that strange optimism strikes up in his chest again. It shouldn't be a big deal. It’s not a big deal, because Mike comes over all the time, and spends four to six nights a week sleeping beside Will in his bed, but something about Mike staying here, sitting at the counter eating food from the fridge and reading one of Will’s books off his shelf, waiting for him to come home after a long day - there’s intimacy there. That’s seven-year-old Mike, sharing half his sandwich with Will during lunch without even thinking twice about it. That’s twelve-year-old Mike, wrapping an arm around Will on Halloween night and telling him he was taking him home, only to end up in the Wheeler’s basement instead of Will’s own house like it meant the same thing, which to Will it truly did. It’s twenty-year-old Mike, traveling halfway across the country on the off chance of seeing Will and twenty-year-old Mike standing in front of him now, here in Will’s apartment with a bemused little smile on his face like it didn’t occur to him to be anywhere else.

Will’s brain kicks back into gear, and pulls Mike into a kiss.

Mike makes a pleased, surprised sound against Will’s lips, hand flitting up to press against Will’s arm like an instinct, and Will shivers as he reaches up to cup Mike’s jaw. He can get used to this, he thinks incredulously, just like he has every day for the past month - he can get used to the feeling of Mike’s lips against his own, his arms wrapped around him when he wakes up in the morning, the soft lilt of his voice when he talks to Will. It’s not getting taken away this time, as Mike makes a point to remind him of at every possible opportunity. Mike is Will’s, for as long as he wants him.

Will presses in closer, kissing Mike firm and slow, tongue tracing gently over his lip. Mike holds him close, protective and solid and just as awed as Will feels, and it’s a few long moments before Will pulls back, breathless and dizzy as a wide smile splits across his face. 

Now Mike is the one who looks dazed, eyes hazy as he presses his forehead against Will’s. “What’s that for?” he asks softly, leaning in to kiss him again quickly, soft and gentle and lips disconnecting with a soft click when he pulls back. 

Will drags his thumb over Mike’s jawline, eyes tracing over his face. He feels like he’s overflowing, a little, his optimism spilling out over everything he touches, and it should be embarrassing, but Will can’t remember ever being this happy before. He couldn’t begin to figure out how to apologize for it even if he wanted to, and for once in his sorry excuse of a life, he doesn’t want to.

“I think,” he says, fingers trailing over Mike’s flushed cheeks, tracing over his freckles, “You should let the motel have their room back.”

Mike’s eyebrows draw together, lips twisting contemplatively. “What, like, find somewhere else to live? I guess, but that might take a while-”

“Mike,” Will interrupts, laughing, hand pausing where it caresses Mike’s cheek, “I meant- you should live here. With me.” He pauses, flushing, and is a little shyer when he adds, “I mean, if you want.”

Mike’s eyes widen almost comically, and he releases a soft breath against Will’s hand. “Oh,” he breathes, sounding a little awed, a little like how Will feels every time he looks at him. “Oh, I- yes, of course I want, are- are you sure?”

And- it’s only been a few weeks. There’s still so much to work out, so many conversations to be had, so many broken things to be mended. They’re still getting used to this new, wonderful thing between them, and there’s still five years of silence to make up for, and even in terms of normal standards it’s moving pretty fast, and-

And yet. 

He thinks of Mike, stepping into Will’s apartment on the third day after they reconnected, looking around with that reverent look on his face and whispering I feel like I’m home, and all the excuses, all the protests the practical part of his brain tries to make, all the worries that the part of him that still wants to doubt insists on, fade away like melting snow.

“I’m sure,” Will says, giggling a little and kissing Mike’s forehead quickly, “I’m definitely sure.”

“Okay,” Mike agrees breathlessly, sounding as giddy as Will feels, “I- shit, okay, yeah.”

Will loves him. He loves him so much. “Even though you’ll have to deal with Bowie?” he teases, as the cat in question appears from the direction of the hall, swishing his tail and looking expectantly at his empty food dish. 

“Me and Bowie are gonna be best friends,” Mike declares, grinning as he wraps his arms around Will’s waist and hitches him closer, “I fed him today and now he doesn’t try to bite me.”

Something warm and light settles in Will’s chest, and he blinks up at him. “You fed him?”

“You said he’d like me if I did!”

Which, again, Will remembers saying, but again hadn’t expected Mike to pay all that much attention to. He presses his thumb over Mike’s cheek, right at the corner of his mouth, feels the dimple in his cheek when Mike smiles at him. “I love you,” he murmurs, the only way left to describe the way he’s feeling right now, that invincible, warm, giddy feeling. He, for the first time in a long time, feels like everything might turn out okay. Better than okay, even.

He goes back to tracing Mike’s freckles, but Mike catches his wrist, bringing Will’s hand around to his lips and kissing the pad of his thumb before trailing to his other fingers. Will laughs softly, Mike’s thumb brushing over his knuckles as he kisses Will’s index, middle, ring fingers, hooks his own pinky through Will’s and kisses the knuckles there like a promise. “I love you too,” he murmurs, flipping Will’s hand around and pressing a firm kiss right to the center of his palm. “So much.” His lips trail back over Will’s fingertips, feather-light and almost ticklish, and Will feels- rosy, bathed in warmth and light and love even in the dead of winter. “Do you want help with the groceries?” Mike offers, lips still pressed against Will’s hand, and Will had almost forgotten about the bag of food abandoned on the kitchen counter, lost in Mike’s touch. 

It’s all so domestic. Will could fucking cry. “Yeah,” he whispers, as Mike presses a firm and final kiss to his knuckles and pulls away, sending Will a soft, pleased smile as he steps over to the counter and reaches into the bag. I love you, Will thinks again, balling his fingers up against his palm like he can hold the ghosts of Mike’s kisses there forever. 

From his spot on the ground, Bowie twitches his tail in warning, needing attention and probably food. Outside, rain falls softly on the concrete of Will’s - Will and Mike’s - apartment building. Mike hands Will a carton of eggs, smiling as Will brushes past him to put them away. 

All is well.

[thestrangestthing89]

Season 1. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 2. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Season 3. Part 1

Mike Character Analysis: Season 3 Part 2

I'm going to go off about Dawson's Creek in general for a bit before I get to the relevant plot point.

A bit of background for those of you unfamiliar with Dawson's Creek. It was a teen-angst filled soap opera drama from the late 90s-early 2000s that scandalized many people because it covered some pretty dark topics that most teen shows shied away from (teen suicide and drug and alcohol use being some examples). It's funny in retrospect because most teen shows now cover all the complexities of growing up in a pretty realistic way. But at the time they got a lot of backlash. Now this show was incredibly popular with teens during this time because it was the first time people saw anyone discussing and addressing a lot of the uglier, darker aspects of growing up. It's worth a watch if you haven't seen it. But one of the things it did that was radical was have one of their characters be openly gay - a thing that did not happen on teen shows at the time. And yes they got a lot of backlash and homophobia for this. But what they also got was people being incredibly grateful that they finally saw someone struggling with their identity in a way that was relatable. And not only that but it showed how straight friends can help support their friends who are questioning their sexuality. So this show that most teens were watching decided to suddenly in season 2 make one of their characters gay. People were already invested in the show and the characters when this happened and this wasn't labeled as an LGBTQ friendly show because that label didn't exist. So it wasn't just people who were apart of the queer community who were watching. And the thing is - even after this gets revealed, people kept watching. Because they were invested in the show and the characters already and the coming-out storyline was written in a way that people could understand and empathize with even if they weren't gay. Which brings me back to Stranger Things and Mike and the impact this story could have on mainstream media. Because while LGBTQ friendly shows have come a long way since then (they are often better written and less stereotyped now) they are still labeled as LGBTQ friendly shows which makes straight people not watch them because they think that content isn't for them. So people who don't have first hand experience dealing with homophobia or internalizing that hate have a difficult time understanding it and it's why we are seeing such a disconnect with audience and Mike. But here's the thing - Everyone watches this show. And everyone is invested in the plot and the characters. It is not labeled as an LGBTQ friendly show, even now that we have 2 characters openly gay. It is not just for a queer audience and it shouldn't be. Because this implies that straight couples are the norm and mainstream and that if Stranger Things went and did the crazy, radical thing and made byler happen it would alienate the audience. But we have seen this isn't true. Because Dawson's Creek wrote a well-written and relatable coming-out 20 years ago when this was just not ever done, and it didn't alienate the audience. It was well-written so people could understand it. That's really all that matters here. It needs to be done right. Stranger Things has the potential to change the game again and make this kind of storyline more mainstream. And I think that they will because they have already been writing it this whole time. It's been there in the show already, people just don't know how to recognize it. But once they do I think it will help them to reconnect with Mike and understand him better and maybe be more comfortable seeing this in the future. Of course there will be backlash, homophobes aren't going anywhere. But I don't get the impression that they care or that Netflix does. Because again, they are already doing it. It's already the story.

So now back to the relevant plot point for Mike.

On Dawson's Creek, Jack moves to town and he starts dating Joey (Josephine). They date for a couple episodes and do all the normal teen dating things- they kiss and hold hands and at one point almost have sex. But then Jack's asshole English teacher makes him read a poem he wrote in front of the whole class. And this poem is about his attraction to men. Jack starts getting bullied for being gay and Joey is confused and asks him about it. Jack denies it and Joey is relieved but it's clear to the audience he is lying. But we don't understand why or have context for it until he has a break-down at his father. He talks about how his father recognized he was gay when he was little and he tried to fix it and all it did was confuse him and make him hate himself and it's his fault he's insecure. He is correct and it's a pretty emotional moment that allows for the audience to not only understand him better but understand why he is dating Joey. Because he was ashamed and afraid. Because Joey is a girl. How could he date her and kiss her and almost have sex with her if he knew that he was gay. And the answer is this - he was trying to be normal. He was trying to fix himself the way his father told him to. And the audience understands this because of the way it is written. Jack, like anyone else, is fully capable of dating, kissing, and/or having sex with someone he isn't attracted to because being attracted to someone is not required for any of those things. Does this sound like Mike yet? It should, but here's some more. After his revelation, Jack goes to talk to Joey. At this point she realizes that he's gay and is basically just waiting for him to tell her. He talks about how he cares for her so much (Michael in season 4 not being able to tell El he loves her - I care for you so much. It's the same damn thing) and how she's been such a good friend which is why he didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to hurt her. But she is grateful for the truth. She remains a good friend to him through the series (albeit not his BFF like Jen becomes). Jack also struggles the rest of the series with internalized homophobia even though he's openly gay. I will fully admit that this part of the story isn't always well-written and is at times cringey. But the gist is this - even though he accepts his sexuality he is still struggling with his identity as a gay man and this is shown through his discomfort with being around other gay men. Especially gay men who are feminine and stereotypically gay. Because Jack isn't like that nor does he want to be associated with that. He even goes as far as joining a fraternity to prove how manly he is even though he's gay. So here we see what happens when people are presented with one type of person. That person - in this case feminine/stereotypically gay men - are treated as embarrassing when there is nothing actually wrong with this. But the other important thing is that it makes it difficult for people who aren't this to understand their own identity. They have no frame of reference. Because Jack is gay and masculine so it's hard for him to come to terms with what his identity as a gay man means because he isn't seeing anyone else like him do it. And this also provides a nice excuse for Mike, because he also isn't a stereotype (neither is Will). He likes video games and nerdy things so internally he can tell himself easily that he isn't gay. Because he doesn't act like he is in the way that he knows gay men to act. He isn't feminine. He only has the one frame of reference. So it makes it very easy for him to tell himself that he isn't gay. And it's the same reason the audience can't recognize him as gay either. Because he kisses a girl and he doesn't act like a stereotype and they don't have many other references in media (at least not ones that they aren't avoiding watching).

So when people say they'll never do Byler, it's too crazy and out of no where and it'll alienate too many people. I'm assuming these people are either very young or they have been living under a rock (or deliberately avoid content not about them personally). Because of course they will. They have no reason not to. They are already doing it. And there is also precedent for it. So back to season 3 and Mike. Part 3

[bylerbigbang]

2023 Challenge Rules

Please note that the rules have changed from last year's, including eligibility criteria and content requirements.

Eligibility

Participants must be 18+.

Participants do not need experience with fanworks or fan events; the event is open to all levels of experience and skill.

You may register as both an author and artist, but you may not make art for your own fic.

Expectations

Participants agree to be respectful and kind in community spaces and to other members of the challenge.

Participants must meet defined deadlines and listen to mods or risk being expelled from the challenge. Dropping out after art claims may result in being banned from future challenges. 

You are expected to read, understand, and adhere to the challenge rules. Failure to adhere to the challenge rules may result in disqualification from future rounds. If you do not understand something, it is your responsibility to contact the mods for clarification.

You must have reliable internet and email access.

No participant may offer services in exchange for payment or solicit donations/tips from other participants for any work they do as part of the BBB.

You will be paired with a partner through Art Claims and may not form your own teams. As is the spirit of challenges, you never know who you will be paired with. We ask that you be open and communicative with each other, and work together to make your posting date requests to avoid any conflict. At no point may you drop your team member and choose a new one on your own. If you are having trouble with your partner, please contact the mods for a solution.

All posted art or fics should remain publicly available for at least one year. 

Art

Artists must create 1 full piece of visual art for fics claimed. You are free to create more than the minimum number of required pieces at your discretion.

Video edits, playlists, etc only count as a full piece of art for pinch-hitters

Artists cannot work on more than 1 fic unless they are pinch-hitters

All materials and styles of art are welcome, including traditional and digital, illustration of photo manipulation

Art should be a minimum of 540px wide if it will be posted to tumblr, but the final size and orientation are up to the artist.

AI art is explicitly forbidden. All art must be your own original creation. 

Art can be embedded in the fic (if the author permits it), posted to the artist’s website of choice, or both. Where art is hosted is at the artist’s discretion.

Fics

Fics must be a minimum of 10,000 words

All fics must tag all relevant warnings even if they are potential spoilers

Your fic must be at least 50% complete with the remainder outlined to qualify for Art Claims.

Authors may not share about their work outside the private authors channel until after art claims to preserve anonymity

Your work should be brand new for the challenge or a previously unpublished WIP, and no part of it may have been published prior to Art Claims (this includes sneak peeks on social media).

Fics must be written in English. If you are multilingual and would like to publish the fic in other languages as translations of the original after the Byler Big Bang posting period is complete, that’s very welcome!

Finished fics must be posted to Archive of Our Own publicly. There will be an official AO3 collection for this round and all fics are expected to be added. You may cross-post (for example, to Tumblr, Wattpad, etc.) but Ao3 is the minimum requirement. 

Each author may write a maximum of one fic for this round. If you co-write, that fulfills your eligibility for the round. You may not submit a second fic as a solo author or as part of a second writing team.

If you are co-writing, each author must register individually. Do not sign up as a pair. We need each participant to agree to receive emails.

Dropping Out

If you can’t complete the Byler Big Bang, please contact the mods and we’ll remove you from our mailing list. Be aware there may be penalties depending on when you drop out (please see below).

Do not use social media to announce drops, since we don’t want your partner finding out that way.

If you have already gone through claims and need to drop, please contact the mods immediately so we can arrange for pinch hitters. You must contact your author or artist directly to let them know you’re dropping out. Please know that you may not be eligible to participate in the next round of the Byler Big Bang if you drop post-claims for anything less than an emergency.

In the event that an artist drops out of the challenge before posting occurs, the moderator team will work to find a pinch hit artist for their author. If an author drops, artists will be offered the opportunity to post their art on their original posting date.

In the event of an emergency, please contact the mods as soon as it is reasonably possible and safe for you to do so. We will work with you in any way we can.