#byler?

[musicalchaos07]

Will Byers in 2001 watching The Fellowship of The Ring and annoying Mike every 5 minutes because "Micheal, what do you mean Samwise DOESN'T look like Bob???"

#they end up seeing it like 10 times and everytime Mike doesn't see it #and will is like you're blind #and Mike is like nooo that's the thing I'm sensitive about #stranger things #Byler? #Byler #will byers #Mike Wheeler

[noahsworld96]

ships where one of them has scary dog privilege but it works with either one

#byler? #jevon

[faramirsonofgondor]

Mike Wheeler Is Traumatized

I know a lot of people equate Mike distancing himself from Will & the rest of the party to him just being an asshole, growing up, or internalized homophobia, but I think it has to do with his trauma SO MUCH. A lot of people ignore that by the end of season 2/the beginning of season 3 Mike is probably the only child who has seen so much gore (besides El, and possibly Will). Like even Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan did not have to see what Mike saw in the lab. While I’m not trying to say Mike has more trauma than the rest of the kids, he definitely has a lot different trauma.

In Season 1, all the of the kids (I’m including Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve as a part of the kids because they’re still teens during seasons 1 & 2) have seen the demogorgon but they don’t really have to see the aftermath of what it does. They know on some level that their life is in danger, but they don’t know exactly what the demogorgon is capable of, just that it took Will & killed Barb. Although Nancy & Jonathan do see the deer getting eaten, it’s not really the same thing as a human. El is really the only one with the knowledge of what the demogorgon is and what it can do, and even then she doesn’t really have all the full facts. I’d say that the goriest thing the kids experience by the end of S1 is El killing the agents and even then it probably wasn’t as impactful because they probably saw those agents as bad guys (because they were). So maybe the goriest thing was Will’s body, but again, they only saw it from afar and then found out that Will was still alive not even 24 hours later. While Wild’s experience in the upside down was definitely traumatic I’m not entirely sure if it can be classified as gory because we don’t know the full extent of what Will experienced.

Then we get to Season 2. All of the younger kids on some level witness Will’s possession, but Mike is the only one who gets to see the full extent of it, and he’s consistently the one who finds Will first during his episodes. He’s the one who witnesses Will’s seizure while Bob, Hopper, and Joyce are still on their way out of the tunnels. He’s also privy to a lot more information than anyone else regarding Will’s experiences with the Mind Flayer. I think Mike himself wasn’t even aware of this fact, because when speaks to Joyce it almost seems like he’s under the assumption that Will told her about the Mind Flayer, when in reality she pieced it together herself. Will also gives Mike insight into his worries about being controlled by the Mind Flayer, but he doesn’t seem to tell anyone else. Now back to Will’s seizure and subsequent hospitalization, when Mike is first presented with idea that Will might forget him, it’s a lot to handle, because it’s not something Mike can fix, but then Will does remember Mike and Mike is relieved. And it’s Mike who Will turns to, who Will tells that he has an idea on how to stop him. It’s Mike who realizes a little too late that it had all been a trap and that there’s nothing they can do to stop it.

Somehow, miraculously, Mike, Will, Joyce, Bob, Hopper, and Dr. Owens make it to safety. But not before Mike has witness thousands of demodogs eating people alive, tearing them apart - people who were only trying to help Will, people who probably had friends and family of their own. And now they’re all stuck, and it’s only a matter of time before the demodogs get to them. Yet, somehow, they make it out, and they’re only waiting for Joyce and Bob when Mike hears her scream. Can you imagine how horrifying it would be? To be the only kid in a situation like that? Mike probably didn’t even know if Joyce was okay or not until she got outside. Can you imagine what was going through Mike’s head? Not to mention, had Joyce actually been hurt, then Hopper would’ve been the only adult left in that situation- and he went back inside. Those few moments must have been so fucking terrifying, because if Hopper died, then who was left to protect them?

I also honestly think in part that Hopper leaving them might’ve been a contributing factor to Mike’s blowup at Hopper - obviously Mike was upset that Hopper hid El, but his breakdown seems to be deeper than that. Hopper has been telling Mike since Season 1 not to get involved, that he’ll handle it, etc. but then Hopper and Joyce leave the kids at the end of S1 and the party ends up losing El, so when confronted with the fact that Hopper had abandoned them again, even momentarily, probably made Mike lose so much of his trust/belief in Hopper to keep him and the party safe. Finding out about El was just the final nail in the coffin.

Anyways, back to Will’s possession. Mike was also the only party to be there when they were trying to get through to Will in the shed. Mike had to witness Will scream that Mike was lying, to let Will go, etc. I think that all of this combined is what really causes Mike to distance himself from Will and the others, not only the fact that he had witnessed such brutality and gore, but also that he feels partially responsible for it. He truly had lost his innocence in a way the rest of the party hadn’t experienced, and the only one who understood on some level was El (because she felt partially responsible too) and that’s why they latched into each other so hard. I also think that’s the reason why Mike insists of ditching his childhood in Season 3, because it was D&D that had sort of started this whole thing to begin with, and it was Mike childlike belief that they would make it out okay, that supporting Will would be enough to stop the Mind Flayer, that made Mike feel like he should’ve done more in the aftermath of Season 2.

However, I would also like to point out that Mike seems to have other trauma that’s not related to the Upside Down that contributes to this behavior as well. Mike has been punished multiple times for not conforming or for acting out throughout the series. When Mike stands up for Will during the assembly in Season 1, he’s pushing back against idea that Will’s alleged queerness should be met with violence and bigotry. While this may have felt rewarding in the moment, this eventually leads to the Quarry scene in which Mike is forced to essentially jump to his death. Despite El saving him, I think this impacted him more than the show lets on. While I don’t El or Dustin fully grasped the implications of this scene, I think for Mike it cemented the belief that any having any perceived queerness was a threat to both his and Will’s safety. And it wasn’t just about him being queer - really it was about Will’s perceived queerness. I think that’s why after this scene we see Mike pushing so hard for romance between himself and El AND for romanced between Will and other girls (pushing him to dance with a girl despite seeming unhappy about it, trying so hard push the whole ‘teen summer romance’ and getting girlfriends thing during season 3). When it comes to sexuality Mike doesn’t just see conformance as a way to stop bullying or as the way he would actually like to behave, he sees it as necessary to protecting both his and Will’s life, because its really saying something that the closest Mike’s been to death wasn’t because of the Upside Down but because of two bigoted preteens. Not even full grown adults. Mike probably already knows some of what Lonnie was like, so the idea that the rest of the town might start to catch on, that someone older might try to hurt them probably plagued his mind at least a little.

I’m honestly a little scared for Season 5 because while I do think Mike started rejecting conformity in S4, Eddie’s death and the whole mob mentality towards Hellfire might set back into his Season 3 mindset of trying to fit in as much as possible. I guess I’ll just have to find out when S5 comes out and I pirate it which won’t be for a while.

Anyways pushing past Mike’s conformity towards sexuality, Mike also does get punished for acting out in S2 and he has to get rid of a bunch of his childhood toys. So Mike may associate getting rid of his childhood with punishment. So maybe when Mike tries to push away from his childhood in S3, it’s really because he feels like he has to be punished (for not saving Will on time, for not warning anyone fast enough, for not seeing through the Mind Flayer’s plot, for being a child and having hope only to see that it’s dangerous to hope, that life can be so harsh and unforgiving).

Anyways, if y’all want me to talk more about this (I have ideas about how this connects more in S3 and S4) or anything else just lmk!

#mike wheeler #stranger things #joyce byers #will byers #jim hopper #compulsory heterosexuality #comphet #comphet mike wheeler #byler? #queer characters #homophobia #societal expectations #trauma #trauma response #mike wheeler defender #they could never make me hate you mike wheeler #honestly even if mike is somehow straight i still diagnose him with comphet #social conformity #character analysis #in this essay i will

[kuumara]

milevens give the same vibes as those religious ppl when they talk ab atheists or other religions

#anti mileven #anti m*leven #stranger things #byler #byler? #yeah

[belovedharringrove]

*shamefully hides, knowing damn well i should be sleeping* i present to you my last post for the night. for the third time in a row, yes. leave me alone.

-

-

ok goodnight now

#harringrove #billy hargrove #mentioned steve harrington #eddie munson #william byers #byler? #steddie?? #harringroveson??? #rea's twitter aus

[crush-like-that]

will would come out to his family and Jonathan would be all supportive like "you go buddy!!" and El would be like "bitch tf I support" (how could she not, with.... yk) and Joyce would be like wiping away a tear or something like "awe baby I love thank you for telling us" but Hopper's been silent this whole damn time. And everyone kind of looks at him, kinda worried. So Hopper looks up from his hands and he looks at Will and he doesn't say anything and he isn't angry but he certainly isn't happy and all he says is "Tell me-- No Joyce stop, I'm not angry-- is it Mike?"

#and then he rages cause it is #he isn't homophobic #he's just mikephobic #byers siblings #jopper #jim hopper #joyce byers #jonathan byers #will byers #eleven #el hopper #byler? #byler #stranger things

[bylertheoriesgate]

Dear bylers and ryers if you ever lose hope, here are a few Richie x Will (Ryers) fics I've compiled for you to get emotional.

COMPLETE WORKS

In Bloom (16k/4c) - Hanahaki Disease, Richie x Will, Onesided Mike x Will.

inked flowers (3k/oneshot) - Tattoo Artist! Richie, Florist! Will, Modern Day AU

rare and sweet as cherry wine (2k/oneshot) - basically 2k words of Richie being protective of Will. Fluff and Cuteness overload.

see what we can be if we press forward (1k/oneshot) - drunk confessions, get-together, fluff. Will thought Richie butt-dialed him (but he was wrong)

'Til My Balance Starts to Set In (4k/oneshot) - Post season 3. The Byers moved to Maine. Typical but not PREDICTABLE.

INCOMPLETE/WIP BUT WORTH A TRY

99 Red Balloons (37/?) - super HUGE AU! Dr. Sleep crossover. And horror? Really? Hold my beer.

broken glass balloon (2/?) - Our boys dealing with PTSD/Depression. Fluff and Angst. Hate to see Will Byers sad but we've got fluff along the way. Onesided Mike x Will

#ryers #richie x will #make ryers great again #i miss ryers' peak #byler? #byler #you've got to see this

[abisbookshelf]

congrats noah! welcome to the wonderful world of being gay lol

but seriously congrats! i know it was probably really hard and we’re all really proud of you! (ps: always kinda knew, excellent gaydar) <3

#noah schnapp #gay #coming out #i always knew #stranger things #will byers #everyone is gay #pride #i love him <3 #<33 #big love #byler? #byler #be gay make byler canon

[thecharliechip]

can someone explain to me the "village with three waterfalls thing" what did I miss?????

#stranger things #byler? #idk im so confused but im seeing shit about it everywhere

[777marauders]

Will Byers Polaroids

Ahh, Will the Wise…

Again the colours were a true test to my digital art skills and I hope it looks somewhat good.

Up next is going to Mike!

Follow me on insta: @777marauders

#stranger things #fanart #stranger things 4 #digital drawing #procreate #will byers #noah schnapp #will the wise #dnd #will is gay #will is the heart #i know what you are #lgbtq #polaroids #st fanart #byler? #Will would have loved eddie #hellfire club

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

Hi! Could you write a fic about Max teaching El to skateboard and El actually getting to be pretty good at it?

No <33

Just kidding, of course!!

-------------------------------------------------

"But why learn how to skateboard when I could just bike?" El asked. She put her foot on the board and rolled it back and forth. "Is this even safe?"

Max took her hand in her own. "One, bikes or for boring people, and two, no. It's not safe, but I'll be here to save you from falling!"

El looked at her skeptically.

"C'mon, trust me," Max begged with her hands to her heart. "I'll be your own superwoman. Cross my heart and hope to die." El grabbed her hand and looked at her intensely.

"I trust you."

Max smiled and watched El kick the skateboard. It rolled to the redhead, who easily got on and circled El. "Step one, balance. Step two, kick hard. Step three, back straight." She stopped right in front of the other girl. "Now you try."

El looked at the board by her feet. She looked up at Max, who gave her a thumbs up. She glanced around the park. Will and Mike waved at them from the shade of a big tree down the grassy hills. Cowards, she thought. They're not even trying.

"Ignore them," Max said, "just kick and the board will do the rest."

El put her right foot on the board and kicked with the other. She tried putting her left foot on the board but instead she fell soon after.

"That was very good for your first time," Max said, offering her a hand.

"Are you sure I can't used my powers?" El groaned.

Max clapped her on the back and shook her head. "Let's try again!"

It was only when the shadows were getting longer did El finally get the hang of rolling down the street. She was still scared of bumps and cracks, and she couldn't steer, but she loved the trees blurring past her and she was on the board.

Her knees were scraped, and Will was proud of himself for bringing a first aid kit. "You see, you guys needed it!"

"One time thing," Max mutters. But she licked the ice cream the boys bought her. "I mean, she's doing better than either of you could do."

Will nodded as Mike tried to argue, but he gave up when El laughed. "I'm sure Will could skate. You should join us next time," she told her brother. "Max could teach you, she's a good teacher."

Max blushed at the compliment. "You're a good pupil," she said finally. "Way better than Lucas and Dustin."

El nodded. She bit the tip of her popsicle and hated how her head filled with pain from the cold. "Now I need to teach you something." She and Max smiled at each other. "I'm going to throw this out," she nodded at her empty wrapper.

"I'll join you," Max stood up quickly. The grabbed El's arm and they ran across the park, disappearing behind a small hill of grass.

"But the garbage is right here..." Mike mumbled and pointed at the trash near the bench they were sitting at. Will laughed into his hand. He hated and loved how oblivious Mike was.

"Yeah," was all Will said. He rolled his feet on Max's skateboard under the wooden bench table.

Max led El behind the big tree on the other side of the park. It was quieter here, except for the sounds of wind and bugs. Once she knew they were completely hidden from view, Max leaned in and kissed El. She tasted like vanilla and chocolate, and Max loved it. She put a hand on El's face to keep them steady. El put her hands on Max's waist.

When they broke apart, El laughed. Max started giggling too. They tried to stop, but every time they made eye contact they just laughed harder.

"Mike thinks I like boys," El laughed, which made Max fall into the ground laughing. She pulled El with her and they held hands as they laid on the ground.

El put an arm over Max's stomach and pinned her down. "Should I tickle you or kiss you?" she asked, adding her thinking tone into her question. "You are teaching me how to skateboard, plus we already laughed a lot, but..." She sat on Max's legs and looked down at the other girl. "Hmmmm," she put a hand to her chin.

"C'mon El, if you tickle me I'm going to tickle you back," Max stuck her tongue out at the other girl.

"Oh really?"

Max nodded. So instead of tickling her, El ducked her head and kissed Max. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I still like skateboarding more though," Max added quickly and El barked out a laugh. Both of them were stuck in fits of giggle until the boys found them minutes later, Mike looking confused and Will trying not to laugh.

#stranger things #elmax #eleven #jane hopper #max mayfield #max x eleven #eleven x max #skateboarding #byler? #i like writing fanfic #fanfic #st fic

[goblintendencies]

WAIT YALL WAIT OH MY GOD. IM REWATCHING STRANGERTHINGS AND IM ON SEASON 4 EP 1 AND WILL IS DOING HIS HERO PROJECT ON ALAN FUCKING TURING?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!? IM SOBBING OH MY GOD WHY HAVE I NEVER SEEN ANYONE MENTI9N THIS BEFORE

#i watched season4 really fast so i remember it but the little details arent there for me and OH MY GOD #my heart oh bb will #stranger things #stranger things 4 #will byers #byler? #i kinda hate mike so i dont really ship byler but yeah lmao

[certifiedl0serloll]

52:13.

Go to that time stamp stranger things, season 2, episode 9. Dustin looks disappointed but why does Mike? I mean both Mike and Dustin are looking in the same direction there is max, with Lucas and Will with that one girl. BYLER?

#byler endgame #byler? #byler #sad but happy all at once #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #will byers #snow ball #s2 #screaming crying sliding down a wall #kicking and screaming #did I find something? #idk what else to tag #idk what to tag anymore

[slaymaxuwu]

What happens when Mike says

" will... Will I haven't been totally honest... and... and I think that you should know"

" I- I think I know what you mean... neither have I"

*Mike looks up from his hands, slightly shocked*

"Mike ?"

"Will-"

"Will- I like you... I really like you"

*a blush begins to rise in both the boys faces*

"I like you too"

"I really like you"

#Byler #byler? #writing #byler fanfic #byler is canon #byler tumblr #stranger things s5 #mike x will #mike wheeler #will byers #byler analysis #byler s4 #byler is real #byler #byler is endgame #byler brainrot

[helpwhatsthis]

unpopular opinion but i hc that eddie fucking hates mike. like they'd be telling stories abt will one day and then later lucas tells the "it's not my fault you don't like girls" story and eddie hates mike from then. he's never met will byers but he wants to protect him so bad.

#eddie munson #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things season 4 #byler?

[spuffyfet]

#mike wheeler gay confirmed #I TOLD YOU #HES GAY #ISTG #BRO #im being dead serious please soneone let me rant to them about byler #i think im hyperfixated on the. #them #man #mileven? nah #byler? #yeah #we love byler here