#I had a DREAM about byler Canon last night

[mikequeeler]

I don’t understand how people hear the concept of byler and are normal about it like I eat sleep and breathe byler to the point where I have to take time away from the internet to calm down sometimes and even then I’ll still be thinking about them

[dingus0401]

guys help😭😭😭last night I literally had a dream about byler. I’m not even a byler stan how did this happen. lol so ig that’s now a thing in the universe of my dreams💀. it’s the closest way byler will get to being canon tho.

[jxncywarrior]

Stranger Things characters and ships as Taylor Swift albums

Part Six: reputation

*Disclaimer: I’m tagging all the ships and characters featured. I’m gonna try not to be biased. MOST of these are strictly based on canon. No hate to ANY ships or shippers.*

…Ready For It?: Ronance (Robin’s POV)

“In the middle of the night, in my dreams. I know I'm gonna be with you so I'll take my time”

End Game: Jancy (Jonathan’s POV)

“Knew her when I was young. Reconnected when we were little bit older. Both sprung, I got issues and chips on both of my shoulders. Reputation precedes me, in rumors I'm knee-deep. The truth is, it's easier to ignore it, believe me. Even when we'd argue, we'd not do it for long. And you understand the good and bad end up in the song. For all your beautiful traits, and the way you do it with ease. For all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities. I've made mistakes, and made some choices that's hard to deny”

Just all of Ed Sheeran’s verse tbh lmao

I Did Something Bad: Stancy (Nancy’s POV)

“He says, "Don't throw away a good thing.” But if he drops my name, then I owe him nothin'. And if he spends my change, then he had it comin'”

Don’t Blame Me: Mileven (El’s POV)

“For you, I would cross the line, I would waste my time, I would lose my mind. They say, "She's gone too far this time"”

Delicate: Jancy (Jonathan’s POV)

“Third floor on the West Side, me and you. Handsome, you're a mansion with a view. Do the girls back home touch you like I do?”

Look What You Made Me Do: Eleven to One

“But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time. Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time. I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined”

So It Goes…: Jancy (Nancy’s POV)

“Cause we breakdown a little but when you get me alone, it's so simple. 'Cause baby, I know what you know. We can feel it”

Gorgeous: Ronance (Nancy’s POV)

“You should take it as a compliment that I'm talking to everyone here but you. And you should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in the darkened room. If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her but if you're single that's honestly worse”

Getaway Car: Stancy (Nancy’s POV)

“It was the great escape, the prison break. The light of freedom on my face but you weren't thinkin' and I was just drinkin'. While he was runnin' after us, I was screamin', "Go, go, go!" But with three of us, honey, it's a sideshow and a circus ain't a love story, and now we're both sorry”

King Of My Heart: Lumax (Max’s POV)

“Late in the night, the city's asleep. Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep. Change my priorities. The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury”

Dancing With Our Hands Tied: Byler (Will’s POV)

“I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us. So, baby, can we dance, oh, through an avalanche? And say, say that we got it. I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted”

Dress: Byler (Will’s POV)

“All of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation. My hands are shaking from holding back from you. All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting”

TIWWCHNT: Eleven to One

“It was so nice being friends again. There I was giving you a second chance but you stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand”

New Year’s Day: Jancy (Nancy’s POV)

“Don't read the last page but I stay when it's hard, or it's wrong, or we're making mistakes”

Links to other parts of this series: Debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, Lover, folklore, evermore

[sade-alicious]

summer reading list except byler edition (all AO3) - im still reading new fics btw so there’ll be updates on this post (updated 10/22)

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a dream always the same

Mike learns more about himself in four months than he has in fourteen years and comes to realise that he's fallen in love with his best friend.

A four part historically accurate coming of age story set between July and October 1985.

this one is my number one, its set between the battle of starcourt and when the byers move away, its from mikes pov and not short of amazingly written, it includes all of the canon events in the show towards the end of the s3 finale but manages to tie them in really well, absolutely read this

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over a bridge of time

Hawkins isn't the same without Will. So Mike goes to visit him in Chicago.

Set during Thanksgiving in November 1985.

this is a sequel to adats, same thing goes for this work, but be warned, this is the second (but not last) completed work in a series, so its gonna end on a cliffhanger/unresolved problems like the first fic

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the red envelope

Will writes a letter to Mike, confessing everything. Unknowingly and stupidly, he lets Mike take the envelope home, forgetting just the amount of secrets inside. At the end of the letter he tells Mike to meet him at Castle Byers Saturday at two, to tell him yes or no. Because of course Will had to ask for Mike to be his boyfriend at the end of the letter. So now Will has two choices, somehow get the letter back, or wait at Castle Byers praying for a miracle?

this one is good, it has an interesting concept and was “will they or wont they?” for me. u can read the sequel, but i really dont like because 1. smut (ew, but dont worry only the sequel has it) 2. it follows a will byers has powers trope, and i dont care for it

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touch like velvet

It was easy for Will Byers to fall in love with Mike Wheeler.

The trouble came when he had to pretend it wasn't real.

this one is an au of will and mike not meeting until they’re 17, there is no upside down and el isnt a lab experiment but instead a normal person. will still has the rest of the party, but its sort of split in two. will, lucas, and dustin are all bsfs, and el and max are gfs who are coworkers/friends with mike. this one i truly recommend so so much. its a lengthy slowburn, but it is unfinished and updates slow

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im tearing you asunder

The world ends, and then some. Mike and Will find each other again, amidst the debris and distance.

someone made AMAZING fanart based off of this which ill link here. but anyways this ones really nice, mike isnt an asshole and actually treats will like a friend. its a lead off of the s4 finale and ive been obsessed with those fanfics rn. (if you have any recs please comment them🙏)

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kiss it better

Mike and Will, through the years and in between the lines of friendship and something more.

i LOVE young mike and will and this one has plenty. it has byler scenarios over the course of their friendship from 5 to 18 which shows their relationship evolving the years. its a great concept in it of itself. but yeah, please read this one

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let me lead

this one just has a snippet of the fic so ill try to explain. basically this is a lead off of s4, so pretty much everyone thinks this is their last night alive, and to which mike says “screw it” and invites will over and confronts him about some things

so for my opinion, they wrote it in a scenario like, if i dont say what i think/feel now…when will i? which is great because it helps move things along quickly, so its not exactly a slowburn but they write everything in just under 6k words from el breaking up with mike, to an angsty fight, to byler confessing in a way that doesnt feel rushed

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pictures of you

Will is the last one left at Mike's house after a day playing DnD.

Mike brings out an old box, full of memories of their past.

ugh this one is short but its so good. it does a lot in under 3k words and is a great byler first kiss scenario

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a game of truths

Mike and Will play a game of truths.

this one is amazing, like the rest of the fanfics ive listed. its one of the more byler centric ones. most of it is just mike and will talking and having their moments. its really cute (esp with young mike and will) and does byler justice without writing two long paragraphs of them just making out. 

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8/14/22

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where is my mind?

On November 6th, 1985, Will Byers crashed his bicycle while riding home from the Wheeler household, damaging his head and waking up two days later with no recollection of who he was.

Plagued with the absence of his memories and a dark haired boy who refuses to tell Will his name, all Will Byers has to do is remember. That's the hard part.

this is by the same author that wrote “touch like velvet” and they’re a GENIUS. this one like the other fic, its an au aside from the upside down where will just suffers from memory loss instead of getting kidnapped and everything, but its really cute because its like no matter what will and mike still love each other

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static re-connection

A miles-apart, oblivious mutual pining, emotional summer vacation disaster-fest starring Mike, Will, and one incredibly unreliable radio connection.

miscommunication trope at its FINEST. once the angst started it hurt, the confession is great and we get plenty of mike and nancy sibling moments👍

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i never find out ‘til i’m head over heels

Wherein Mike believes he’s being obvious, Will doesn’t know what he believes, and the pair of them could use a lesson or two in effective communication. Somehow all of this has both nothing and everything to do with five years' worth of school dances.

this ones great but also kind of funny because will’s being the oblivious one instead of mike. its light angst btw so u dont have to worry abt your heart being ripped out of your chest.

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10/13/22

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head over heels

On their way to Hawkins, the group decides to stay at a motel for the night.

Mike and Will get a moment alone to talk.

i was praying for more byler scenes in volume 2 whether be at a gas station, motel, or literally anywhere else so this fanfic gave us what we deserved, but yea its really cute def recommend !!

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undertow

Will has never had his first kiss. Mike is happy to lend a hand

as you can tell its gonna be a mike teaching will how to kiss and those are always cute even tho ive only read two successful versions of this scenario. also madwheeler🫶🫶 its really fluffy and cute at the end so this was also a good 3am read

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force of gravity

Will loved ordinary things, an uneventful existence was something he craved. Sadly, when Mike Wheeler walks into his life, Will’s easy going path snaps right in half. A passion he could never imagine overtaking his whole being.

It was too bad their friend groups hated each other and his sister had a huge crush on the musician. Off limits.

Fantastic.

you already KNOW i had to include this one, its too good not too. and you probably already heard of this if not read it bc its like the most popular fanfic among the byler ship/fandom (it might as well be a fandom at this point) right now. but yea the amount of times when i thought they were gonna have a normal conversation but then start argueing is INSANE. hella angst. fluff if you look past the bucket loads of angst and just GO READ IT IF YOU HAVENT

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10/22/22

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to hell and back again

After Mike unwittingly stumbles into a series of interpersonal bombshells, he immediately sets out to find Will so he can find out what, exactly, that painting meant, and why Will lied about it. Unfortunately, Mike is obsessively obstinate and relentless to a fault, and he'll go to the literal ends of the earth to get the answers he needs.

Or: Mike and Will's Apocalypse Romcom Spectacular

this one is actually super underrated and i havent seen many people talking abt it, and the author has been updating the fic recently too. but ANYWAYS im on chapter 11 rn and its really giving apocalypse byler, what we’ve ALL been praying for for season 5🙏 but other than that its really good so far but OML MIKE NEEDS TO GET HIS PRIORITIES STRAIGHT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THINGS GOOD HE IS SO DOWN BAD ITS LAUGHABLE

[byler-4-life]

It finally happened guys! With how much I obsess over them, I would've thought it would've happened sooner. But last night, I had my first Byler dream. And man, it was a WILD ride lmao.

So first, Netflix must've been releasing the series weekly, (which I would hate), because my family decided to get together and watch the series finale together? Like my whole extended family. Which is weird for a few reasons. First, only a few people in my family actually watch the show (none are obsessed like me). Secondly, I would've told everyone to fuck off irl because there's no way I'm watching Byler become canon with anyone else, especially the "General Audience". But dream!me must be nicer than I really am in reality, because I agreed to go.

So I'm over at a distant relative's house, and they've got it streaming in like every room in the house, but it's utter chaos. People are walking around, talking, not really paying attention. Kids are running around yelling, people keep passing in front of the TV. And I'm sitting there trying to watch, getting more and more annoyed. And I guess in my dream version of the show, Byler hasn't gotten together yet even though this is the last ep (please don't make this happen for reals). And then right before the final battle with Vecna Mike pulls Will aside with a serious expression and is like "Can...can we talk?"

And I'm like, oh fuck, here it comes. I'm NOT missing this. So I find like an out of the way bedroom in the back of the house, no one else is in there. And Mike says something like "Are we ready to talk about that painting yet?" And you can SEE Will's nervous gulp and then -

My AGGRESSIVELY HOMOPHOBIC mother somehow pops up in the room and asks why I'm back here by myself. I scramble to try to pause the scene, but somehow end up hitting fast forward. And it starts playing on screen at like 2 or 3 times speed, and I can't stop it. I can't see what they're saying but there's angry yelling from both, and then, I can't be sure, but I think it's actually William Byers that surges forward and kisses Mike first. Then there's a bit of a pause and shock like he's getting ready to apologize before Mike is the one that dives back in and kisses Will.

Mind you this whole time I'm trying to get it to stop or pause but can't, and here comes my mom. who's never watched one second of the show before, with "OMG, are those TWO BOYS kissing!?"

At that point I'm like fuck this, I'm done. I'm going home so I can watch this shit in peace and come celebrate with Byler tumblr. So I get in my car, I'm angry at how this played out with my family, but grinning like an idiot that Byler is happening. I'm nearly home and then some IDIOT rear ends my car...which has the unfortunate effect of jolting me awake.

SO I NEVER GOT TO ACTUALLY WATCH THE BYLER KISS IN REGULAR SPEED WITH DIALOGUE 😩😩😩

I was so upset when I woke up ugh. Anyways, hoping to revisit this dream tonight and get to properly watch lol.

[sevensided]

I had an extremely vivid dream last night that footage from S4 was leaked online. In my dream it had been online “for only a minute” before being taken down, but it was enough for people to have downloaded and shared it. I remember there was a lot of filler footage in this video, like shots of the new Hawkins and other characters, before it finally showed the Party (and all I wanted to know was what their hair looked like uh anyway). There was this bit where the Party were hiking (?). I also remember something about them all standing around a TV which was going to be a portal (?) into the Upside Down. BUT MOST OF ALL the video ended with this long scene where Mike and Will were in the rain, and one of them had almost died, and it was the moment where they realised they loved each other, and they were passionately like, kissing and crying, and it was very emotional. And in the dream I was watching this with a bunch of ST fans and we were immediately analysing the video and trying to figure out what everything meant and even though it literally showed Byler being canon, there was this one person who was like, oh it can’t be real, it’s just part of the story (?). Wild.

[blackberryjqm]

Can you name your Top5 ST characters and ships?

sorry it took me so long to get back to you, i really had to think about this one!

characters

will byers - i feel like i relate to will the most, out of the wide range of characters we are introduced to during the three seasons. he’s a little odd, on the outside at school and is generally sad. also, his fear of things changing and everyone moving forward without him? we are practically the same person (but i don’t have a bowl cut). i find him a fascinating character, through his experiences with the mindflayer and the upside down, and how those event affect the way he interacts with people. i’m really looking forward to seeing how his character progresses in the seasons to come. notable scenes: “the demogorgon. it got me.”, the whole of season two, “can we play d&d now?”, “is it early, michael?”

max mayfield - i really liked the way max was written, in both seasons (especially season 3) and really respect her feminist, the very best kind of friend, taking-none-of-mike-wheeler’s-shit attitude. she’s a strong, independent woman, and i really like her interactions with lucas. notable scenes: picking the lock to get into the av club, every time she sticks her finger up at billy, “well, it’s this legal term, called divorce.”, “boyfriends lie, all the damn time”, the entire shopping sequence, all of the el & max moments.

el - the way they wrote her very first interaction with max makes me want to curl up and die, but overall, el is independent, strong, and most importantly, a badass. even through rewatched, when i know what’s going to happen, i still get a thrill every time she saves the gang from an imminent threat. notable scenes: her facial expressions when mike tries to put the makeup on her, all her scenes with joyce, her season 2 haircut and overalls, “yeah, am i your little pet?”, literally getting a knife in her leg and walking on it later in the scene, every time she breathes

lucas sinclair - in my opinion, lucas is a really underrated character. he uses his wits, is realistic, and really cares for his friends. his skepticism of el, in the first season really shows how hard his grip on reality is, rather than mike who trusts her blindly. notable scenes: when he gives his whole spiel about el in season one and it’s kind of on a beat as if he was rapping, his insistence to befriend max, “is that a new zit?”, every time he fights with erica, his firework plan.

erica sinclair - listen, i know erica is mainly used for comedic relief, but i found her character really refreshing. along with having some of the most iconic lines of the series, she’s smart and alert and knows more about capitalism than i ever will. notable scenes: fighting with her brother almost every scene, “just the facts”, “you can’t spell america without erica,”, “plan child endangerment”, “i’m ten, you bald bastard!”

ships (i found this one a lot harder to come up with!)

max/lucas - as stated above, the interactions between max and lucas are funny and heartfelt, and i find them really sweet. i really enjoy their relationship dynamic. notable scenes: their talk at the junkyard in season 2, the snowball, the “is that a new zit?” scene, the very implication that they have broken up five times.

joyce/hopper - the will-they-won’t-they, fighting one minute, friends the next, just really want to protect my kid(s) kinda relationship. notable scenes: every single interaction between them, sharing cigarettes, enzos, “yes, every man i talk to from now on has to be my boyfriend”

nancy/jonathon - they went through so much together, fighting the demogorgon, exorcising will, even getting a job at the same place. even though they fight, i think their personality types just fit really well together. notable scenes: hunting the demogorgon together, visiting murray’s + the pullout joke, “sorry, i had a late night with fagin and the gang”, the entire hospital scene, every single time they’re in a car together.

mike/will - okay, sue me, i’m partial to a little byler. it would be interesting to see it represented in canon, but no matter how much subtext can be found between them, i doubt that the duffer brothers would scrap the relationship they’ve been building between mike/el for the last three seasons, no matter how iffy it came across last season. still, a girl can dream. notable scenes: mike’s determination to find him during season one, all of season two, “what if you want to join another party?”

dustin/susie - it had to be said, the running joke that susie doesn’t exist, only for her existence to be proven in the most inconvenient way, has got to be one of the best moments of season three. notable moments: the never ending story

thanks for the question, anon! i really enjoyed answering it!

[ferrisbuellersgender]

I had a very depressing dream last night.

I heard someone at a store say smth about how gay Will went canon so I rushed home and found what was presumably s5ep1 of stranger things.

But Will’s coming out scene was basically: Will, Mike, Hopper, and some other dude (Murray maybe idk) were hiding from smth in a stairwell and for some reason Will was like “guys. I have to tell you something. I’m gay.” And they all just looked at him and then started laughing and being like “haha good joke Will you’re so funny!” while they walked away, although Mike kinda stared at him a little longer. And Will just. Sat there like “oh.”

After I finished the episode I was like “ok the rest of the episodes better make byler canon” but the other eps weren’t out yet😭