#actually no I’m not

[h4unted-d4rling]

[astrobei]

hi i love your fics and I was wondering if you had any byler fic recs

thanks

hello there! in all honesty, i have not had the time to read a lot of byler fic as of late, but it’s been a while since i posted some recs so i’ll drop a few that i’ve enjoyed recently! as always, i do endorse every fic in my bookmarks to the highest possible degree, so always feel free to look through those for new reading as well <3

say it with your hands by pseudologia (@hellfiremike) — will is a new employee at the movie theater mike works at, and mike starts thirsting over will’s hands to a degree that’s downright detrimental to his employment status

GOD. this fic. i gushed in their dms immediately after finishing it because this might be my favorite modern will characterization of all time, and this is coming from someone who has a million and one takes on modern era will byers. this fic just checked all of my boxes — from the summertime romance to mike’s painfully in-character teenage angsting to will being a frequenter of star wars reddit threads and an enjoyer of sufjan stevens. and the TENSION. oh god the tension. i’ve read all their fics probably three times over each, and i also highly recommend like i am home again, a college au set during a halloween party which made me stare at my phone refreshing ao3 hourly until it updated, and can this be a real thing (can it?) wherein mike and will reunite in a gay bar. enough said

landslide by chamb3rs — the party’s senior year of high school

i don’t often reach for chaptered fics since i usually have such limited reading time, but i’m sooo so so happy i stumbled across this one. there have just been very few fics that have touched me like this one did. i blew through this in one sitting a few weekends ago and subsequently experienced the full range of human emotions (and then some) all in the span of a few hours. everything about this was perfect — the will pov, the weird liminality of transitional periods, the party and byhop family dynamics, down to my favorite portrayal of theeeee jennifer hayes in any fic ever. on top of all of that, this fic perfectly captures the heartbreaking euphoria of being in love with your best friend, and all the ups and downs that come with it. i crawled out of the ao3 tab covered in blood and my chest was hurting and i was shaking and i had damn near chewed my own arm off — and then i sent the link to my friend 10 minutes later and watched her experience the same exact thing like a train wreck in slow-mo HAHAHA

what a time to be alive by passerine_in_jade (@newlesbianprideflag) — will disappears and haunts mike from the upside down

i’m forever a total sucker for a good haunting metaphor, so it’s absolutely not a surprise that this fic is appearing on this list. the premise for this was so so so cool and interesting, and it’s another chaptered fic i’m glad i had a little extra time to read. the way the author had me rooting for mike and will the whole time even though half of the pairing was offscreen for a large majority of the fic is a highly commendable feat. mike’s unyielding loyalty to will and will’s constant faith in him felt so true to their canon selves, and there were so many moments that were so quiet and intimate and tender that i really felt like i was intruding on something. good good stuff

that’s what you get for falling in love by harriet_vane — will gets his first boyfriend in college, and mike, ever the ally, has very normal feelings about it

i want to preface this by saying that this fic is rated m, mostly just for mentions/allusions to sex, and one largely non-explicit portion of a scene in the last chapter. if that’s not your cup of tea, it’s easy to tell when it’s coming up and to skip past it without detracting from the plot, but i think it would be a greater detriment to not rec this fic at all, because it has quickly made the list of my favorite byler fics of all time. something about this take on jealous mike especially resonated with me — his inner monologue is simultaneously hilarious and depressing, and his obliviousness regarding his feelings for will feels so true to life without being overdone or cartoonish. you can tell just how much they really care for each other, and the conflict in this actually made me start crying because it felt so visceral and so fundamentally them. you can tell this author really understands their characters, and the love put into this fic is soooo palpable. it’s the kind of fic where you want to bonk their heads together to knock some sense into them, but you are helpless to do anything but hold on as you’re swung along for the ride.

finally, i try not to just rec fics written by my friends, but my recent reading list would be incomplete without these two wonderful additions:

the way you love me by strangeswift (@strangeswift) — byler exes (absolutely heartwrenching edition)

i’ve been hearing abby talk about her ideas for this fic for the better part of a year as she worked on it, and she actually edited and posted the first two chapters while i was visiting her! and by god is this world a better place with her byler exes concept in it, because if you want angst, you’ll never have to look further than her ao3 page. something about the way she writes will in this fic just makes my heart shrivel up and die in my chest — his quiet resignation, the bitterness (always love a good bitter will byers moment) and the Longing that never quite went away. mike’s characterization is also top notch, and you can really feel the chemistry between them during every interaction. at the time of me posting this list, chapter 4 is not yet up, but trust me when i tell you guys it’s going to soooooo be worth it. :-)

the end is here by bookinit (@bookinit02) — a speculative byler-centric season 5

if you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that haven’s canon rewrite series is hands-down my favorite series across any pairing and fandom. her creativity with her season 5 concepts never fails to astound me — from the scripts she’s been working on as an alternative to the episodes she rewrote for s1-4, to her ideas for possible plot lines, and just incredible writing all around. i’ve had the privilege of reading through her scripts before she posts them to her blog (definitely go check them out) but special privilege bias aside, it takes soooo much skill to create such a visually powerful story in a medium that allows for such little narration, and the corresponding chapters just totally pushes it over the edge. pre-s5 required reading for every byler, and 100000% my new canon if the show doesn’t pan out

this definitely is not an exhaustive list because i have a million and one fics on my to-read, and one day i will get around to reading them all, but i hope there is something on this list that strikes your fancy!!

[urmumhaha]

Not to be gross on main but. Butch/femme posting is gonna win every time

[hom3landr]

My, My, I Could Never Let You Go

In which your extensive knowledge of teen movies and flair for the dramatic comes in handy

Homelander X Reader

You don’t know what put him in this foul mood but it must have been one hell of an event to have him this riled up and pissy. He barks at you for any perceived slight against him and even the sweetest touches don’t lessen the fire in his eyes or loosen the set of his jaw. His anger doesn’t seem to be directed at you specifically but rather you are forced to take the brunt of it as the only other inhabitant of the zoo exhibit that Vought considers a penthouse. Alas, while you need not fear him hurting you, you are not spared from the venom that spews from his lips. However, you’ve done this song and dance before and you know that times like these are when he needs you the most.

So you devise a plan and for once you’re grateful that being Homelander’s girlfriend means that you never have to wait long to obtain what you want.

~

Your grouchy boy had to leave for his meeting with the Seven. You wince when you think of how that’s going to play out. He has another engagement after which means you have a few hours to put together your brilliant plan. Your items arrive promptly and you practically vibrate as you begin your plot.

It takes a bit to figure out how to program the lights you purchased to sync to the music and you only have enough time to toss your boa around your neck and get in position before he’s stomping into the apartment with petulant purpose. Your fingers itch as you grip the remote, eager for him to turn around so you can start the show. This is a stupid idea and you feel stupid but if this works then maybe you can baffle him out of his bad mood.

He turns…and the lights dim. His brows furrow only to raise in surprise when the two spotlights you have attached to your laptop illuminate your pose as you stand confidently atop his bed. The mirror above catches the light and causes a disco effect which suits your purposes to a T. Another press on the remote and an upbeat song starts playing

ABBA fills the room as you strike a pose in your bell bottoms and fluffy boa.

Homelander may be the celeb but you can hold your own when it comes to showmanship. Your brush is held up to your mouth like a microphone as you belt out the eternal classic Mamma Mia. Your whole life has been building to this moment. You are holding a metaphorical boombox for the man you love and if he wants a romance like the movies then that is just what he’s gonna get.

Homelander stands frozen at the foot of the bed. He’s squinting at you in confusion as his hands rest on his hips. You bust a sick move and he emits a baffled scoff. He doesn’t stop you though. He waits, maybe not patiently, but he lets you have your moment as you serenade him happily.

When the song ends you take a bow to a silent audience.

You stand awkwardly for a few moments on top of the bed sheets that are now impossibly rumpled from your dancing. The hairbrush drops to the bed with a soft thump. You wait for any kind of response but eventually you realize you might not get one.

“What? Never had a cheesy teen romcom karaoke love confession before? I know I’m no Heath Ledger but…” You’re quickly cut off as Homelander tackles you onto the bed as soft as he can without causing you damage. You burst into delighted giggles as he presses kisses all over your face, leaving no spot untouched by his affection. You rest your hands on his shoulders and you feel warm inside as you realize that much of the tension is gone. He pulls back briefly to fix you with a soft bemused stare.

“Tha song doesn’t even make sense! You never left in the first place” he huffs, snuggling closer when your hands migrate to his hair.

“I wanted my Meryl Streep moment! Don’t judge me.” You squeal when he nips at your neck, his head briefly disappearing into the absurd mass of feathers. It tickles when he mumbles into your skin.

“Oh I’m judging. You didn’t see your dancing” he teases and you can feel his lips pull into a smirk. You swat him on the back of the head although you know it’s barely more than a breeze for him. You’re pleased that he’s pleased. Your boy is a sucker for cheese at heart and you’ll serenade him forever if it means he’ll smile the way he is right now.

After all…ABBA does have an extensive catalog of music.

[lenny-zesty]

my non MD moots when they look at what I’ve been saying about feral robots

[911birds]

damn tommy kinard is kinda ugly 🫡 sorry to the shoebill. you don’t deserve to look like him.

i hate that man with my entire being and would cheer if he spontaneously combusted.

[apollos-boyfriend]

jordan just said “elon musk can pry $8 from my cold dead hands” and that having the blue check mark was “cringe”

he’s so hot for this

[killerwithknife]

SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE A PROPHET! MISUNDERSTOOD, UNDER THE GUN, LIKE A NEW DISEASE

[franthonyofficial]

.

[opheliauniverse]

can’t wait to be subjected to seeing all the ugly boyfriends on valentine’s day :)))

[angel-babycakes]

I need it to be December already so I can write Doppio getting Christmas themed backshots and plenty of pregnancy moments, it’s the only time of the year my brain can be romantic and fluffy and I’m fiending-

[uluvjay]

This is me formally asking for Red Bull to give Daniel Checos seat and Alpha Tauri to give Liam Daniel’s seat🙏🏻

[madzwashere]

Bad day to have thoughts 😭

You think Juno ever tried to go back into his mind like in season two? His family is in there, the people that he doesn’t get to see in real life are there! He can touch them, talk to them, be a family with them again :(((

[ascendingtostardust]

Cant believe the rickenbacker…my beloved…has been a FAKE and an IMPOSTER this whole time

[unized-3]

why couldn't we just kill off brendon in 2015 after death of a bachelor was released

[coobsooby]

am I the only one that ends up listening to the same song on loop for hours on end then I get bored so I change it

like is it just me or