#will byers / pre s1

[mlchaelwheeler]

btw when i say "miwi" i mean this:

gifs by @emblazons here and here

[cringengl]

Missing them <\3

[heartsgettingwiser62]

10 y/o miwi starting to crush on each other + Lucas and Dustin. That must've been SO funny like-

Will absent-mindedly doodling Mike all over his notebook during class; Mike with the biggest, brightest heart eyes talking about the last drawing Will gave him like it was a Da Vinci; Will randomly zoning out of conversations bc he got distracted staring at Mike; Mike tripping on air while walking bc he was too busy focusing on telling Will a joke; Will always separating and saving Mike's favorite candy so he could give it to him; Mike whispering god-knows-what into Will's ear and Will trying to stifle his giggles for the next 10 minutes...

All of this while Lucas and Dustin look at each other like '??????'

[nicxxx5]

will learned how to put syrup on his eggs from mike at their first sleepover

little six year old will wandered downstairs with mike and sat down at the table with him, mike's mom had said she was making pancakes, hash browns, eggs and bacon. will had never seen so much food for breakfast in his life.

after mrs. wheeler set down the food and told the boys to help themselves, will and mike started to scoop some food onto their plates. will was chewing on some eggs he grabbed, along with some bacon, when he looked over at mike and did a double take.

mike had the syrup bottle in his hands, which initially made sense considering will noticed he had grabbed pancakes, but he was not pouring it only on his pancakes...he was pouring it on his eggs...

"you're putting syrup on your eggs?" will asked him completely shocked, not believing the two flavors of sweet and savory would work at all

mike looked up at him mildly surprised before he grinned "yeah! it's really good! you should try it"

will looked apprehensive at the suggestion "i don't know..." but mike stopped him

"trust me will, it's really good! and you're my friend so i would never lie to you because friends don't lie"

will contemplated looking down at his plate and back at mike because mike was right, friends don't lie. he finally nodded his head a little and said "okay, i guess i'll try it"

mike grinned wide as he passed the syrup bottle over to will "you're gonna love it, i'm 100% sure"

will took the bottle and popped the cap. he tipped it and nervously poured the syrup over his eggs. he trusted mike, but a small part of him was worried he was gonna end up having to throw his breakfast away and apologize to mrs. wheeler for wasting food. he picked up his fork, scooped up some eggs and hesitantly brought them to his mouth before he took a breath then took a bite. he chewed apprehensively, worried he might smart gagging or something, before he realized they taste...wasn't bad? actually...it was really good! mike was right

"so? i was right, wasn't i? it's good?"

will snapped his head up to look over at mike, who was looking back at him expectantly with a slight grin on his face. will smiled at him "yeah, it's really good"

mike clapped his hands "see! i told you! syrup on eggs is the best breakfast food" he said excitedly. will giggled at his antics

just then mike's mom entered the room "boys, how's the food? everything good?" she asked. she was observing what they had ate before she noticed mike's plate and sighed "michael...i've told a dozen times to stop putting the syrup on your eggs"

mike looked at him mom and groaned "but mooom! it's really good! even will agrees!"

quick to support his friend, will nodded his head and as he finished chewing said "it's true mrs. wheeler. it is really good"

mrs. wheeler finally turned to look at will and his plate and noticed the same odd combination of food "oh don't tell me michael convinced you to do it too. oh my goodness..." she started mumbling to herself, shaking her head as she walked away

mike and will looked at each other once she left and immediately burst into a fit of giggles. for whatever reason, they don't know, but regardless they continued to enjoy their breakfast of syrup covered eggs, pancakes, and bacon

[withacapitalp]

Quiet

For the STWG Daily Prompt today! This one is a little roundabout, but I just wanted to write some of the boys being goofy little besties!!!

-----

“Class, this is Dustin Henderson. He just moved here all the way from Arizona, isn’t that interesting?” Mrs. Wren said, gently nudging the boy further to the front of the room and giving him a soft smile, “Dustin, why don’t you tell us about yourself a little?” 

Dustin looked like he would rather eat raw goat brains, and Mike couldn’t blame him. If Dustin was a kid who looked like Jimmy or Troy, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, but Dustin was a chubby short kid with a shock of wild curly hair and two missing front teeth. His shirt was black with a picture of a microscope with the words ‘Enjoy the little things’ underneath it, and he was wearing a wide brim hat with Einstein's theory of relativity stamped on it. 

The new kid was a total nerd, and Mike’s heart went out to him. 

“I moved here from Flagstaff. Um that’s a city in Arizona-” Dustin started to mumble, his eyes firmly on his shoes. 

“Wow. We thought it was in Canada,” Troy interrupted with a mean little laugh. 

A twitter went around the class, which was completely stupid in Mike’s opinion. It wasn’t even a funny joke, just something mean to say, and it made Dustin cringed back like he had been physically hit, his shoulder curling inward as he reached up to tug at the brim of his cap. 

“Shut up, Troy,” Mike said without really thinking. He kind of wished he could take it back when Troy’s entire desk clump turned to him with murder in their eyes, but the tiny grateful look Dustin shot up at him made it worth it. Sort of. 

“Boys,” Mrs. Wren droned, calling them both out even though Mike hadn’t done anything but defend Dustin when she should have. She sighed and shook her head, turning back to their newest student, keeping him on the pyre when she could have just let him go free. 

“What was your favorite part of Flagstaff, Dustin?”

“I really liked going hiking with my dad,” Dustin answered, slightly perking up, “There’s this mountain called Humphrey’s Peak by us, it’s the biggest mountain in Arizona and it’s the start of the San Francisco peaks! There’s these lizards there called Gila Monsters, they’re the only venomous lizards in North America, and-” 

Mike was leaning forward, drawn in by curiosity about the strange creatures, but oddly enough Dustin cut himself off with a sudden jolt, going back to his curled up turtle position from before. Their teacher waited for a second more before sighing again and adjusting the papers on her desk. 

“Well, we don’t have much in the way of lizards here in Hawkins, but hopefully your classmates will help you to explore some of the local wildlife. We’re going to have some silent reading time now students, so take out your books. Dustin do you need me to help you pick one?” She asked, finally cutting him loose. 

“No I’m okay,” Dustin said as he scurried to his seat, immediately opening his backpack and digging in it, conveniently not looking up at any of the boys near him. He pulled out a huge book, burying his face in it effectively cutting off any attempt to catch his eye. 

Maybe he just needed another push. Mike was still pretty curious about those monsters. 

“I’m Mike,” He offered. 

“My name is Lucas,” Lucas added, catching what Mike was thinking immediately and following through like always. 

“I’m Will, it’s nice to meet you,” Will rounded off, holding out his hand for Dustin to shake. 

“Hi,” Dustin said shortly, still nestled tightly into his book. 

Mike’s brow furrowed, and he looked away from Dustin to his friends, seeing if they had a plan. Lucas shrugged, and Will turned his face down to where he was secretly doodling under the book their teacher had assigned him. They were both just giving in that easily, which was just not acceptable. 

Not when the prospect of information on a giant lizard was at their fingertips. 

“What are you reading?” Mike tried again, still not willing to admit defeat. 

“Oh this is Blackmoor. It’s a rule book,” Dustin explained, holding the book so they could see the front cover picture of a huge castle on a tall rock and a smaller picture of a wizard. Will was instantly intrigued by the wizard, leaning into Dustin’s space to point at the title above the castle. 

“What’s Dungeons and Dragons?”

It was like a switch flipped. Dustin’s eyes lit up and he put the book flat on the desk so they could see inside, giving them all an eager little grin as he scooted his chair closer to the desks. 

“It’s this super cool thing where you make up characters and adventures and use dice to decide what happens. My character is a bard who has a flute that can put people to sleep and this badass dagger!” Dustin exclaimed, pulling out a notebook so they could see a rudimentary drawing of a man holding a knife and a flute. Mike was sure Will could’ve done a much better version, but it was still pretty awesome. But Dustin wasn’t done, pulling out a tiny figurine and putting it in the middle of their desks. 

“The game has got all these monsters like a mimic that pretends to be a treasure chest and this one is called the demogorgon-”

And then it was just over. Dustin jolted back, snatching his hand back like it had been caught in a cookie jar and pulling his hat practically over his eyes.  

“I mean, it’s just a game,” Dustin murmured, playing with his fingers and tucking his chin to his chest. 

Damn! Again! Now Mike was getting pissed. 

“Why do you keep doing that?” Mike asked, frustrated that twice he had missed out on something fun. 

“What?” Dustin replied, looking confused. 

“Start talking about something cool and then cut yourself off right in the middle,” Lucas explained, already aware of what was annoying Mike. That was why they were best friends- Lucas just always seemed to know what was bugging him, “It’s weird.” 

Weird was apparently the wrong word to use. All of the joy in the air instantly vanished, and Dustin’s shoulders were at his ears. Mike shot Lucas a tiny glare, the two of them having a silent argument as Dustin gathered up the courage to explain. 

“Oh, um…My dad told me that I should try to be quieter if I wanted to make friends,” Dustin whispered, his cheeks beet red as he stammered out the words, “He um- he said it’s uh rude, you know? To not to let other people talk once in a while?” 

Ouch. 

Mike’s chest instantly seized up, and he looked down at his own desk, his copy of Tuck Everlasting staring back up at him. A quick sneak peek up at Lucas and Will revealed that they were doing the same, Will’s lip caught firmly between his teeth and Lucas’s mouth in a thin straight line. 

It wasn’t exactly the same, but all three of them knew what it was like to be told to be quiet. They knew how hard it could be to have everything you love ridiculed or talked down to. Usually it was Troy or Jimmy or some of the other boys in their class doing it though, not their own parents.  

“Tell us about the demogorgon,” Mike declared, speaking for all three. Judging by the looks he was being given not only by Lucas and Will, but also by Dustin, he had said the exact right thing. 

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Steve sighed as he collapsed on the couch. He barely noticed when Nancy sat down next to him or when Jonathan sat down next to her.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked Steve.

"I'm trying to adjust. . .suddenly, my entire perspective has suddenly changed. Monsters exist and not just human monsters. . .but actual monsters. Suddenly, what was important before didn't seem to matter as much. . . My grades, basketball, and whether or not my parents can stick around long enough to notice - " Steve suddenly cut himself off and winced. "I mean, they're important, but - does anyone else feel small?"

"Yeah, but I was born that way," Nancy said softly.

Steve looked at her at the same time that Jonathan did. They looked at each other over her for a moment before bursting into laughter. Nancy giggled. After laughing for a while, they settled into comfortable silence.

"One minute, I was coming here to apologize, and then - oh, shit, I came here to apologize," Steve said in realization.

"Man, you apologized when you got here, and then proved it by coming back in here. You risked your life," Jonathan said softly.

"All the more reason why I need to get this out because we could be dead and we're not," Steve said. "I'm sorry for what I said at the theater, and I'm sorry to both of you. I should have stopped Tommy and Carol from doing that shit. I was too caught up in my own anger because of what I saw."

"What were you supposed to think? That I had just been dragged into another dimension by an otherworldly monster?" Nancy asked.

"I should have trusted you. Instead, I, uh, and this isn't an excuse, but all I could see was me and my mom walking in on my dad," Steve said.

"Jesus, how old were you?" Jonathan asked.

"Six, and it never stopped, which is why my mom started to go with him on his business trips," Steve said. "All I could see that very first time and suddenly, my dad's voice was taking over then it was coming out of my mouth. When I said those things. . .I wanted you to hit me. I deserved it. I acted out of jealousy. . .not just because of Nancy but because Will had someone out there looking for him. I don't want to be like my dad. . .what my dad wants is someone who isn't real."

"I get it," Jonathan said, swallowing thickly. "Not wanting to be like your dad. Sometimes, you try so hard not to be like them that you end up doing something that they would do. Nancy confronted me about the pictures, and all I could do was get defensive, make up some bullshit about how she was trying to be someone she wasn't. It wasn't my place to say, Nancy, and I'm sorry. I am actually sorry this time because at the time, I wasn't thinking about how you felt. I couldn't see what I did was wrong, then I thought about Will. . . If Will was in that position. . .if my mom. . .I think I would have slammed the camera in the guy's face. I'm sorry, Nancy."

Nancy got up and stood in front of them, seizing them up for a moment. She picked up the bat off of the floor. She swung it around and twirled it. Jonathan and Steve shared a nervous look.

"I think apologies don't mean anything unless you have the actions to back them. You both have more than made up for it. You have proven yourselves worthy. Enough apologies from my boys. . .I deem you both. . .forgiven," Nancy said and pointed the bat at both of them. "From this day forward, neither one of you need not apologize. . . And if you try to, I'll punch you in the throat. . ."

"Her boys?" Steve asked Jonathan.

"She's wielding a deadly bat, I don't think we have a choice," Jonathan smirked.

"All three of us have wielded the bat tonight. It started out as Nancy's, then Jonathan made it. . .right? Right. I used it, Nancy used it, Jonathan used it. . .it's ours, right?" Steve asked. "Let me see."

"Yeah," Nancy said.

"You have a knife?" Steve asked.

"Here," Jonathan said and placed the knife in his hands, his fingers brushing against his palm.

Steve stuck out his tongue as he carved their initials on the bottom of the bat.

"Ours," Steve said.

"We don't have to be perfect or try to be anyone else," Nancy said softly as she sat down on the coffee table in front of them. "Just us."

She took their hands and rubbed her thumbs over each of them. Jonathan stared at Nancy's and Steve's hands.

"You have big hands," Jonathan blurted out.

"Well, you know what they say about a guy with big hands," Steve smirked.

"You're all talk," Jonathan said.

"He's not," Nancy giggled. "Give me the knife."

Steve handed the knife over to Nancy. She flipped Jonathan's bandage hand over before doing the same with hers. She flipped Steve’s hand over. Smooth. She traced the tip of the blade over his skin. Steve shuddered.

"Nancy. . . ?" Jonathan asked.

"It seems only fair. . .I get it if you don't want to," Nancy said softly.

"Do it," Steve swallowed.

Nancy pushed the blade with more force and dragged it across his palm. He winced as she opened up his skin slightly, blood welling up. Jonathan immediately grabbed something to press against his hands.

"Ours," Nancy breathed.

"You know, we could have sealed it with a kiss," Steve said, half joking.

"We could still do that," Nancy said and paused. "I want this. . .both of you, but I'm just not entirely sure that I'm ready for a relationship after all this, but when I am. . .I know it's going to be with both of you. So, what happened now and what's going to happen next. . .it's a promise. I hope you don't mind."

"Take all of the time you need, Nancy," Jonathan said softly.

"I think after this, we could all use some time to adjust," Steve said honestly.

Nancy smiled and touched Steve’s cheek gently before leaning in to kiss him. It was soft and sweet but quick. She pulled back and kissed Jonathan just the same. When she pulled away, Jonathan and Steve stared at each other. Nancy bit her lip, staring at them, hopefully. They gazed at each other thoughtfully, and then their eyes drifted towards each other's lips. Steve and Jonathan moved at the same time, their lips meeting in the middle. They smiled into the kiss. It was just as short and sweet as Nancy's, but it was enough to know that they both liked it. Nancy stood up and held out her hands for her boys. They took them.

"Let's get back to the others," Nancy said softly.

Perhaps it was strange. . .the three of them. They were all just trying to live in this world, and it's hard when society wants you to hide but also stand out. They weren't going to pretend anymore. Jonathan, while still a photographer, wasn't going to hide behind his camera. . .at least not with them. Steve wasn't going to surround himself with the wrong people just because he didn't want to be alone. Nancy's wasn't going to take shit from anyone about who she wants or what she wants. And together. . .they were determined to live as honestly to who they are as much as possible.

Later, in the hospital, as they waited for Will to wake up, the promise of tomorrow hung in the air. What would the future hold for the three of them? Given enough time, would they still want the same things? Things change, people change, but maybe the most important things didn't. When Will woke up, Nancy stared at him as his friends celebrated at the sight of him, and Nancy couldn't help but feel Barb's loss. She should be here. Suddenly, a hand slipped into hers. It was Steve, and he looked at her like he knew what she was thinking. Nancy smiled sadly and looked back at Jonathan, who peered over Mike's head. No, she was going to fight to keep them in her life, no matter what, as hard as she fought for Barbara, as hard as Jonathan and Joyce fought for Will. This was who she was.

[unfinishedslurs]

weird jock shit (stonathan)

“Byers knows what I’m talking about,” Steve cheers, and follows it with a slap to Jonathan’s ass. A zing of heat goes up his spine. 

He straightens, startled, and he and Steve stare at each other. 

“Um.” He’s at a loss for words. There’s no way Steve Harrington actually just slapped his ass. That is not his reality. He refuses it.

His mouth is hanging open. He shuts it. 

“Sorry,” Steve says sheepishly. “Habit.”

His mouth opens and closes, until finally he forces words out. “Habit? I—who—Nancy?”

“Jesus, no!” Steve yelps. “No it’s, uh…theguysontheteam.” It’s rushed and under his breath, and Jonathan has no idea what he just said. 

“What?”

Steve lets his head thump onto the table. “It’s locker room shit,” he admits wearily.

Jonathan hasn’t set foot in the locker room since middle school. Mr. Grayson could yell at him for wearing jeans and a t-shirt instead of the gym uniform all he wants, there’s no way in hell he was going into that cesspit of jocks who’d take one look at him and call him gay for being in the same room as them. 

“You just…routinely slap other guy’s asses? Like it’s normal?”

Steve nods, steadily growing redder. 

“And they called me queer?”

As soon as it’s out of his mouth, Jonathan wants to take it back. He basically just said that Steve and every other jock was doing gay shit. Steve might regret the shit he’s said and done, but that doesn’t mean he’s okay with someone implying things about him. 

To his surprise, Steve just chuckles. 

“Yeah,” he sighs, running a hand down his face. “It’s fucking weird, huh? Assholes, the lot of us.”

“You said it, not me.”

[emily-mooon]

I'm so glad you agree, bc if there's one thing Jonathan Byers did between November 1983-November 1984 it was pine. So OF COURSE he made a mixtape about it while denying it was about that

OH YES HE WOULD DENY!!!

After multiple weeks of playing it, Will or Joyce ask him what it’s all about since another way Jonathan expresses himself is by making mixtapes, so they are like “Jonathan the music you have been playing constantly sounds sadder than usual are you okay?”

Jonathan, not wanting to admit he likes Nancy, lies and says that he’s fine. Shortly afterwords he goes and turns ‘Please Do Not Go’ at full volume and lies face flat on his bed because that day, Nancy stared at him from across the library during study hall and he’s now screaming into his pillow because he can’t stop thinking about her and he has to study for a test or write an essay.

[brionysea]

the current point of intrigue is how much jonathan knows about mike at any given time. it took him until season 4 to be sure about will, and maybe he's just nice and tries not to openly assume things even if he is unfairly observant, but mike's less "good at hiding" like will and more "inexplicably invisible unless you know where to look despite constantly wearing his heart on his sleeve and shouting about it because no one seems to listen unless he does", and jonathan, observer extraordinaire, knowing mike since he was five provides a lot of time for him to pick up on things before we even met these characters

[f1ct1onwh0re]

I belive so hard that Mike and Will had the cutest little middle school romance before Will disappeared. Just shared a little kiss, held hands sometimes, glanced cutely at each other. Just Will admitting to rolling an 8, how desperate Mike is to find Will compared to the others, how in denial he is about his “death”, the way he’s looking through Will’s old drawings. It all SCREAMS young love.

Then Will disappeared and I think part of Mike’s grief process was suppressing the feelings. “It wasn’t that serious after all”. And El was there, the others were telling him that he liked her, so he just convinced himself of that, while she did the same.

No one can tell me that their relationship was anything other than a blossoming friendship. Literally no romance. I was genuinely surprised (as much as you can be in this hetero world) by the fact that they ended up together at the end of s1 the first time I watched ST

[cringengl]

Look at this and never EVER say that Will isn't down horrendous for Mike ever again😡😡😡

[sheisjoeschateau]

misha's masterlists

Hi, I'm Misha. Thank you for diving into my stories and supporting my writing :)

My fanfics [+this blog] are dedicated to Steve Harrington. All fanfic series, one-shots, blurbs, etc. listed below are written by me. Do not repost or share anywhere without proper credit. Thank you.

SERIES MASTERLISTS:

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"Oh, so we DO love Steve..."

Steve Harrington x Bauman!fem!reader enemies to lovers, heavy angst, hurt/comfort, upside down mayhem, S2-S4, post S4 universe hot-take, end-of-the-world / dystopian setting, ugly fights turned smut (...but with hella plot). 18+

[PART I] | [PART II] [PART III] | [PART IV] | [PART V] [PART VI] | [PART VII] | [PART VIII]

[Part IX - blurb] | [Part IX - full]

[Part X] | MORE COMING SOON

SUMMARY: WHEN THE UNEXPECTED NIECE OF MURRAY BAUMAN GETS THROWN IN THE MIX, THE GANG HAS NO IDEA JUST WHAT THEY'RE IN FOR. SCRATCH THAT - STEVE DOESN'T KNOW. YOU GET ALONG WITH EVERYONE WELL. YOU BANTER WITH THE ADULTS, WHO APPRECIATE YOUR HELP. THE KIDS LOVE AND WORSHIP YOU. YOU'RE HELPFUL ALL AROUND. BUT AS FAR AS STEVE IS CONCERNED, YOU'RE JUST NUISANCE. AFTER ALL, YOU'RE THE REASON HE LOST THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE AND MISSED OUT ON A LIFE THAT "COULD'VE BEEN." IF YOU HAD JUST KEPT YOUR SORRY ASS OUT OF THE PICTURE... IF YOU HAD NEVER GONE WITH NANCY AND JONATHAN AFTER THEY LEFT YOUR WHACK-JOB UNCLE, MURRAY BAUMAN'S, BUNKER? HE WOULD BE HAPPY. SO F*CKING HAPPY. BUT HERE YOU WERE. YOU WERE BASICALLY THE COOLER (...AND SURE, MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE) FEMALE VERSION OF MURRAY BAUMAN. YOU WERE SARCASTIC, QUICK-WITTED, TOO SMART FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, AND APPARENTLY BUILT FOR THE WAR. SURE, YOU WEREN'T AS BRASH AS YOUR UNCLE. BUT IN STEVE'S EYES, YOU WERE SOMEHOW FAR MORE OBNOXIOUS. HE DOWNRIGHT HATED YOU.

HE WILL FOREVER HATE YOU...

BUT WILL HE?

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"You're there. You've always been there."

Steve Harrington x OC!fem!reader Childhood friends to lovers. Sloooowburn. Angst. Romance. Smut with plot. Action. Told from second-person view, reader is Nicole (character from S1), different POV, hurt/comfort, upside down mayhem, pre-S1-S4, eventual post-S4 universe.

[PART I] | [PART II]

Summary: Steve Harrington was six years old when he met you: Nicole St. James, the girl who carries the other half of him. Since 1972, the two of you have been inseparably tethered by the soul. You give Steve a home in his big house with no parents, and he gives your introverted heart a longing for someone. The King of Hawkins High and princess of this small town, you tell each other absolutely everything...except that you are in love with each other.

Everything changes that one afternoon at school, when you catch the school's social outcast -- Jonathan Buyers -- has been stalking Steve, his posse and his girl, Nancy. Little do you both know, the monsters in your favorite fairytales are real. And you're both going to have to fight them together.

You both share the best days and worst days, through childhood and teen years, until you both find yourselves roped into the perils that exist beneath your feet in Hawkins.

But through it all, despite all the doubt, Steve knows one thing: you're there. You've always been there.

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"At the Chateau, We'll Be Alright."

Steve Harrington x Jonathan Byers x fem!reader A crossover au inspired by Saltburn and Call Me by Your Name. Additional Inso from Joe's theater performance as in Spring Awakening. Song Inso: "Chateau" by Djo

Strangers to best friends to lovers. Slowburn. Angst. Romance, with polyamory themes and schemes. Smut with hella plot.

[MULTI-PART SERIES] COMING SOON. Click here for a preview.

Summary: The reader lives with her parents at a fancy chateau, in France.  This year, her father offers their home as a housing sanctuary to a select student or graduate.  He decides to invite two graduate students to live with their family over the summer, coming from different working class backgrounds, and help with their academic paperwork as a professor of archaeology.

Steve Harrington: a rich kid from a swanky boarding school with a bad boy reputation and too much charm for his own good.  Surprisingly, his grades say otherwise.  A’s and B’s, his parents claim that is seeking one-on-one tutoring so that he can progress in his studies — but it sounds more like an excuse to ship him off for longer periods of time, giving them an out for having their son around during the summer.  The pretty boy’s all about ladies…but that’s only because he hasn’t met a boy who awakens his bisexuality.  Yet.

Jonathan Byers: a kid from the lower working class, excelling in his studies and AP programs at the same boarding school as Steve which he only got into because of community sponsorship and grants.  Quiet wallflower, little to no friends, a bit cynical.  A closeted gay, he’s more determined to stick with being perceived as “ace” than come out of the closet.  Until he goes to stay at a chateau with a handsome boy, and a beautiful girl who understands him.

Twists, turns and terrifying risks, you all put your hearts on the line that summer at the Chateau. Add the reader's cousin Eddie into the mix, along with her best friend Robin, Steve's ex-girlfriend Nancy, Jonathan's estranged mother and your progressive parents alongside Steve's absent parents -- it's a cruel summer.

[carigm]

THE NEW ST VR GAME IS BYLER AND WILL BYERS GOLD!!!

Okay, so if any of you are on Twitter you might have seen mlvns throwing a tantrum over a clip from a new ST VR game. Here’s the clip:

https://x.com/1987byler/status/1761026225823449094?s=46

If anyone doesn’t want to watch it, I’ll describe it here. It’s a hypothetical of Will having a Vecna vision/or hearing Vecna talk to him set during pre S2 time. He’s listening to Mike talk about how different and amazing El was and he starts to hear Vecna’s voice telling him to “tell Mike how you feel” “your stomach is all in knots” “you don’t want her to come back”. Basically Vecna going “I know what you are” lol

Mlvns are grasping at straws and saying Will hates El because of something Vecna said to make him insecure, because that’s how Vecna operates. He puts negative thoughts in his victim’s heads and uses their biggest insecurities against them. I guess mlvns weren’t watching the Vecna parts of the show if they don’t get this. Never mind that this was also before Will ever met El, and well, it’s also not canon because it’s not in the show so…

Regardless of this game not being canon or fully canon, like I said, there’s a lot of emphasis on Will’s feelings for Mike. Like the game makers literally implying Will has been in love with Mike since S1…

As Vecna taunts Will, Will ends up hiding inside a memory of him and Mike at Castle Byers. His happy memory. It’s not like this show hasn’t made a big deal of characters having to use happy memories to find strength, it’s not like they haven’t been doing this since S2.

In another scene, Vecna finds Will in the UD and remarks how he is “the key to everything” you don’t say 💀

As for mlvn, well they’re as unimportant as always. There’s a moment where Mike mentions he hopes El comes back to play a game with them (remember the game is set pre S2) and the moment he talks about how cool El is, in which the literal focus is Vecna taunting Will.

Again, I can see why mlvns are so pressed and clinging to that line said by Vecna (which they think makes Will look bad) in order to avoid looking at the bigger picture.

Because even though this game isn’t fully canon, it’s pretty damn clear that Will having Vecna visions in S5 is a given. He will be taunted for his sexuality, his love for Mike, what happened with his dad. I wouldn’t even be surprised if there’s a vision of Mike rejecting him/choosing El over him. However, here’s what mlvns are afraid of:

Vecna is a liar, and they as much as us, know that if such a vision happens in the show Byler will be endgame.

Reality will be the opposite of Vecna’s visions, and that’s what they’re setting up. Will thinks he’s unloved, Vecna will use that to his advantage, Vecna will be wrong. It’s a simple set up really 🤷‍♀️

[puppy-steve]

maybe if i keep talking about the pre s1 au i'll actually write it

Robin has spent plenty of time watching Steve Harrington from the shadows. The way he continuously stayed on the sidelines of the rest of his friends' bullying was interesting. He never said too much of anything when it happened, didn't look all that interested in it, either. Just leaned against a locker and looked bored out of his mind.

Until a week before Thanksgiving break a couple years ago, when Tommy Hagan started bragging to anyone who'd listen about how Steve got his shit rocked by Jonathan Byers and promptly dumped him and Carol to the curb after. Sure, Tommy made sure to mention that Steve was the one to push until Jonathan finally snapped and punched him, but he didn't say how Steve had gone limp after. Letting Byers rearrange his face until a teacher ran over to break them up.

She remembers how lost he'd looked in the aftermath. Like he was a shell of himself.

So yeah. Steve Harrington isn't the same person he was in high school. Or at least he's trying not to be, that much Robin has noticed since he started working at Scoops at the beginning of the summer. But she didn't think he'd changed so much to be openly flirting with the Freak of Hawkins.

Well. Not exactly flirting, but there's something there Robin can't quite put her finger on.

Steve's manning the counter, right where she'd left him twenty minutes ago, but instead of looking like the picture of boredom slinging ice cream to annoying kids, he's leaned his elbows on the counter where Eddie Munson is doing the same on the other side. They're too quiet for Robin to hear what they're talking about but Steve's fingers are hooked on Eddie's watch, not pulling or tugging. Just resting.

Eddie's hands are clasped in front of him but his pointer finger keeps reaching out to lightly stroke Steve's arm, and that's when it hits Robin like a slap in the face.

They're domestic.

The lobby is empty, save for Eddie's friends that now occupy one of the booths, loudly arguing over something but Robin could care less because at that moment, Steve says something that has Eddie letting out a cackle laugh, his nose scrunched up and his shoulders shaking as he laughs. Her eyes slide over to Steve and he's.

Huh.

Gone is the usual smug smirk that graces his face when a girl laughs at one of his (awful) jokes, and is replaced by something... fond. His face is relaxed into a small smile and his round Bambi eyes are shining with mirth. Like he'd expected this reaction. Sometime during this, their fingers have tangled together in a subtle hand-hold across the counter and holy shit.

Steve Harrington is dating Eddie Munson.

One of Eddie's friends (Jeff, she thinks. They had pre-calc together.) says something and Steve only rolls his eyes as he replies. Eddie's grinning at them over his shoulder. Neither of their postures have changed. Robin feels like the room's spinning.

She knows about Eddie. Eddie knows about her. It's never been verbally said, but birds of a feather and all that. It doesn't have to be. She must accidentally bump into something in her attempt to rebalance the world because Steve's head is snapping toward her and panic flashes in his eyes as he tries to rip his hands away from Eddie's.

Eddie only holds them tighter as he locks eyes with her.

"It's alright, sweetheart," he tells Steve in a hushed tone. In front of him, Steve's visibly shaking like a leaf, mouth opening and closing but not making a sound. Robin's heart breaks a little. He looks downright terrified. Eddie's eyes haven't left her. "She's safe. Aren't you, Birdie?"

The question is directed at her. She swallows and nods quickly. "Y-yeah!" She winces at the volume of it. Clearing her throat, she tries again, taking a step forward like she's approaching a frightened animal. "You can trust me, Steve." Uses his first name instead of the 'dingus' that's grown affectionate. "I'm—" She glances over at the booth that's gone quiet. She doesn't want to out herself to the entire freak population of Hawkins High.

"I'm a friend," she settles on.

It takes Steve a moment for it to sink in, and when it does, his eyes somehow grow bigger in understanding. "Oh," he breathes out, like a sigh of relief. Eddie's rubbing his thumb over Steve's knuckles.

"Yeah, dingus." Robin's close enough now to nudge his shoulder with hers. "Oh. Why don't you go on break? I've got this."

Steve gives her a grateful look and tugs Eddie to the booth to join Eddie's —their— friends.

"It's about damn time you guys joined us," the curly haired one complains as they both slide in on the same side. Eddie throws a straw wrapper at him and Robin stops paying attention after that.

[aemiron-main]

do you think the multiple timeline plot is a plot point that’s more introduced in S4/for the HenVecWard TM plot specifically?

Like is there anything from earlier seasons/not related to Henry you would consider as proof that we’ve been seeing multiple timelines the whole time?

I think it would be kinda odd if multiple timelines are so important to the plot but there’s only real proof of it in S4 so that’s why I’m asking

I LIKE COMPLETELY 100% BELIEVE IT BUT IM REWATCHING RN AND I WANNA SEE IF THERES ANYTHING I SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR

OOHOHOHOH SO!! THERE IS A LOTTTTTT OF ALTERNATE TIMELINE STUFF IN PREVIOUS SEASONS!!!

I totally agree that it would be odd if there was only proof of it in S4- thankfully, there’s evidence across all seasons!

So, let’s get into it!

Evidence of Multiple Timelines/Timeline Weirdness Prior To Season 4

So, one of the main things re: multiple timelines pre-S4 is Will’s vanishing. I touched on this in the Edward video too, but I also have a bunch of posts on it!

Basically, we saw two different Wills back in S1, each possibly from a different timeline.

I made this post, this post, and this post about Warm Will versus Cool Will, but TLDR, we see two different Wills on the night he vanished, one with longer, shaggier hair, who looks older & more exhausted & has cooler colour grading (hence why he’s Cool Will) and one with shorter, neater hair who looks younger & less tired & has warmer colour grading (hence why he’s Warm Will):

And there’s also the two different versions of the Byers’ phone- both versions of the Byers’ phone have “AREA CODE 501” written on the white part, but one version has nothing else underneath “AREA CODE 501” whereas the other version has some extra, unreadable line of text under it:

Which, not only is “501” the wrong area code for Hawkins, but “area 501” also connects to NINA (and all of the NINA timeline weirdness as a result), because the NINA coordinates from S4 lead to area 51.

And then there’s also the two different Wills in Castle Byers- the Will that El sees in Castle Byers in the void is different than the Will that the audience saw singing in Castle Byers (see this post and this post).

How are they different? Well, the Will that El sees in the void is more exhausted, barely able to move or speak- whereas the Will that the audience saw singing in Castle Byers has enough energy to sing and shiver.

And each of them also has a different version of Castle Byers- the Will that El sees in the void has drawings on the wall that are a.) in colour and b.) noticeably wet, wheres the Will that was singing and shivering has drawings on the wall that a.) have no colour and b.) are dry:

And one of the BIGGEST pieces of evidence of multiple timelines in the whole show actually comes from the end of S1 & then ties into the beginning of S2- the newspapers.

I talked about this in this post, this post, and this post, but the article we see at the end of S1 about Will’s vanishing has a TON of alternate timeline stuff.

It’s the article that mentions Richard Brenner, who’s likely Martin’s timeline counterpart or something along those lines (ie if Martin was Henry’s Brenner, Richard was likely Edward’s Brenner, especially considering the connections between Eddie Munson and Reefer Rick versus the subtext there re: Edward Creel and Richard Brenner, especially with Reefer Rick being a drug dealer versus Richard Brenner being the head of narcotics at HNL) (see posts like this post and this post and a bunch of other posts LMAO)

Not to mention all of the weirdness with Joyce in this article, and the fact that according to this article, Joyce claims that she found Will as a test subject at HNL, with no mention of the upside down:

Which ties into something I’ve talked about re: how it’s weird that the lab let will go to a normal hopsital- they were ready to straight up KILL HOPPER to prevent any info about the UD/lab getting leaked, and yet, they supposedly just let will go to a normal hospital instead of keeping him at the lab?

Plus, we never actually SAW joyce and jim leave the UD or the lab with Will- if they somehow escaped the lab & got will to a regular hospital after escaping the lab, how did they get through all of those guarded and locked doors that they had to go through to get to the mothergate?

Especially without a keycard and being vastly outnumbered + carrying a dying kid?

So, I wonder if that scene of Will at the hospital might be a different timeline where Will was found in one of the rooms at HNL, rather than in the UD, and if Joyce and Hopper broke in & got a keycard the way Hopper did earlier in S1/were able to get in and out of the lab & to a normal hospital more easily because Will was in one of the upper rooms & not down through all of those extra guarded doors/quaratine rooms that they had to go through to get to the mothergate.

Especially since that newspaper where Joyce seemingly claimed that Will was found as a HNL test subject also says that Will was currently at Hawkins General Hospital- which is where we see him at the end of S1, so it would make sense for those scenes to be the same timeline as that newspaper clipping (and therefore also in the same timeline as Richard Brenner):

And also, that S1 article is also DIFFERENT from the S2 article about Will’s vanishing despite the two of them seemingly being the SAME ARTICLE, with the same title, the same picture, and the same author (Benjamin Buck), but with different content- they seem to be alternate timeline versions of the same article.

There’s also the matter of Will’s poster and eye colour- the S1 poster says that his eyes are brown, but the Will we see in S2 has greenish-greyish eyes. So, yet again, we seem to have two different Wills, especially since they make a point of showing us what Will would look like with brown eyes when flayed, so they arent just calling his green eyes “brown” as a catch-all term.

Which, speaking of Flayed Will’s eyes, why did Will’s eyes turn brown when he was flayed but Billy’s eyes didn’t?

Why did Billy’s eyes stay blue (although sometimes becoming a more saturated shade of blue much like 1979 massacre Henward’s eyes) whereas Will’s turned brown?

I personally wonder if Will’s eyes changing colour is connected to all of the twinner/timeline stuff, especially with the scene in TFS where Alice asks “Henry” where Henry is and “Henry” responds with “he’s right here,” as if he himself isn’t Henry- does flaying somehow combine the two versions of people from alternate timelines?

And as a result, did we get Edward and Henry in the same body/connected mentally somehow/combined (therefore explaining that Alice scene), and were the two Wills combined, therefore explaining the eye colour change if the other Will has brown eyes?

I feel like there’s something here re: flaying & the idea of the hivemind being active across timelines (ie if two people are flayed, but theyre both in different timelines, would they be able to communicate with eachother via the hivemind/would they be connected to the same hivemind?)

Is that why Billy’s eyes didn’t turn brown? Because Billy’s alternate timeline self also has blue eyes? Anyway!

S1 is also the season where Mr Clarke brings up the idea of parallel universes/infinite alternate timelines:

And Connie Frazier from S1 is likely Alice Creel- but not Henry’s sister, Alice- Edward’s mother, Alice (see: this post ), hence how she’s still alive after 1959- she’s not the Alice that we saw laying dead on the floor, this Alice was an adult in 1959 & is Edward’s mother, not his sister, and is Victor’s wife, not his daughter, as according to the Edward paper/Indianapolis Gazette, Edward’s mother was named Alice and his sister was named Virginia, his mother and sister are swapped compared to Henry.

And then, in S2, we have my beloved 8:15gate, which, TLDR, there’s footage on Bob’s JVC on Halloween when Will was using it to record that a.) has timestamps that change when they shouldnt (ie, when Will was supposedly recording the footage, it says 8:04, but when Joyce watches that EXACT same clip back, it suddenly says 8:15) and b.) has footage that shouldnt even exist, because some of the scenes that he supposedly recorded are scenes where he HAD THE CAMERA DOWN AND WAS NOT RECORDING! That footage shouldnt even exist! And yet, it’s there, with a messed up timestamp.

Not to mention all of the stuff in S2 that directly contradicts TFS & reinforces the idea of multiple timelines (for example, in S2, Bob talks about how Joyce didnt even know his name in highschool- whereas in TFS, not only do the two know eachother well in highschool, but Bob also claims to have known Joyce since first grade).

And in S3, there’s a bunch of stuff (including the idea that S3 is its own weird timeline), but one example is what I talked about in this post re: the reference to temporal displacement in S3 and there’s a bunch more in S3/I’m just keeping this relatively brief LMAO!

And that’s not even all of it across the seasons! Not by a LONG shot, these are just a few little examples! The multiple timeline weirdness stretches all across ST, through every season and affects every character- although Henward is more overtly tied to it than the other characters, ALL of them are still tied to it, and there’s evidence of multiple timelines in every season- hell, like I said, some of the best evidence comes from S1, because that’s where we find out about Richard!

[castlebyersafterdark]

hello! I love your blog and the way you have fun here while also speaking eloquently about the dynamics and mechanics of the show. bravo for such a great space!

what do you think of people who don't see will as a main character? i've found my first on tumblr:

'i get he has importance. but also like, he is very much a plot device of Bad Stuff in at least the first 3 seasons, if not the 4th as well. (kidnapped, possessed, ominous Warnings that dont really matter except for building up tension) - we very much do only care about him because other characters do.'

this is less a comment on how they wrote will than his overall meaning in the narrative. even without the whole noah confirmation that will is BACK and BIG in s5, why do you think so many people, including GA, couldnt pick up on will's importance?

i recall first watching the show in s1 2016. even before ship wars existed, even before i knew about 'byeler' as it was called, i felt in my soul that will was important. there was a magic about him! he felt so intriguing and special. i even wrote in my journal that 'will byers is an iconic figure'. i have that old journal somewhere, and there's no elaboration! just that one sentence! haha

will was so mystical and powerful to me. i am not queer and did not pick up on this part of him, at least consciously, until s3. but something about him i adored and he mattered to me. these viewers who don't see will as important... do you think they truly missed the point of the show? if so, its a shame, but theyre very adamant that it's others who are missing the point and that we're not supposed to care for will, and i just can't see how that would ever be something the creators would want for any of their original characters. + will isn't an extra, or even a secondary character despite his lack of screentime because the heart of the story and narrative hinges around him. he is subtextually, implicitly important - this is storytelling 101!

(many of these will-indifferents also want fics of mike where will is only background/not important, even though they see mike as gay. they want a s5 gay mike arc, but where will doesnt figure in it, and i dont understand how that can make sense in this show when mike and will have always been part of each other's lives, even as friends???)

what are your thoughts my friend?

Hello!!! Glad you're here!

I honestly cannot understand Stranger Things fans who don't like Will. Or view him as non-important. Yeah, even though he was in so little season one, he is sooooooo so vital and if you don't care about that little boy, what are you doing here? The show failed you and its purpose. I cared so much from the moment he ran from that monster and disappeared, hooked for life on this silly little show. Will did that! Plot device? Sure, of course. All characters are plot devices to an extent. But to say that's all he is? We learn so much about who he is from little snippets in s1, he's a real character. Sure, we care about the story of finding him, but why do we care? Defined haunting the narrative. That's so sad if people only see him as this afterthought to move the story along.

Did people not watch season 2? I can kiiiiiind of get what people meant if we were thrown back in time to pre-s2 times and we only know what we know and as a casual watcher, maybe you just saw the show and didn't think too deep. (Not me, I loved Will and was looking forward to what else was in store with him after that s1 cliffhanger with the slug, are you kidding??? How interesting!) How can you still view Will this way after season2?

I think these people missed the point of the show. Truly. Surface level watching, I honestly don't know. I can excuse the fandom colloquial and snarky read of the "GA" because these are just people who like the show but with everything they like, it's not deeper thinking. Still goofy how they miss so many points I feel are blatant in the show, but a lot of people barely absorb what they're watching ("omg I love ST, Dustin and Steve are so funny haha I hope they bring Eddie back haha the show is so scary haha") <- like that's honestly how randos sound.

The fandom fandom people who are actively on sites like tumblr and into actual fan shit??? How do you hate Will if you're not a milkvan stan? Why?? What is the reason to care about a Mike sexuality storyline and think it has nothing to do with Will?????? Whose arc thus far has that play a huge role in his character? They are so entwined. Just say you're a FW stan and stop pretending to be anything deeper, that's totally fine, but just admit that. The rest of us aren't crazy for analyzing deeper and understanding the point of the show - that Will has always been and will always be the heart of the storyline. Season 5 gonna be a huge wake up call for a lot of people. But I try not to think about or indulge those people too often. Stay positive, ignore dumbass interpretations and takes. We know what and who are important.