#everything is a byler reference

[the7thsilvercat]

struggling with byler doubt?

here's how to fix it in 4 easy steps!

1. check that you have eyes

2. check that you have ears

3. check that you have common sense

4. watch stranger things

[jujuprincesinhasofia]

mike s1&2 never left but I need him even more obvious in s5

"he's quiet today" "you're barely talking" I see u mike

I need the will voice to be so apparent in s5, it already is (another 90 miles, why), but for s5:

"SHUT UP DUSTIN🤬 yeah will what were u saying☺️🥰"

and then someone who didn't grow up with them, maybe Robin and Steve looking at each other like

did u hear that too 😯

i did why is no one else discussing this 🤨

maybe they're already together, remember their double dates? 🤔

noo he was still dating the eleven girl during that 😬

what? 😟

[chirpsythismorning]

Watching Wayward Pines for potential ST5 inspo bc the Duffers wrote a couple episodes in s1, and when I got to their second (last) episode and their name crossed the screen, I noticed a visual parallel that might already exist on the show…

Recognize it??

It instantly reminded me of that last shot for the opening of s3, with the landscape peaking out behind the Russian base. But when I went back and actually compared the two, holy shit it’s near identical, and not just the landscape.

I didn’t even remember the helicopter being there on the left, not to mention the pillar-esaue contraption at the center. Like… they’re the same picture.!

With them being credited right at that moment, it’s obvious this was an intentional nod to their previous work.

I just thought it was cool so I wanted to share, but in terms of my watch overall, there is a LOT going on that they could pull from. I’m only halfway through s1, though I’ve heard the show goes downhill in s2 so we’ll see how that goes 😂

[dinitride-art]

Hi, hello, so I’m gonna be talking about this comic (“Best Friends”) again (because I’m working real hard on the next five pages) and I just wanted to throw an actual visual representation of the size of this comic out into the void. I wasn’t kidding when I said this might end up being 30 or more pages by the time I’m done with it. But anyways, there are only five or so pages in this entire thing that don’t have lines/paneling and speech bubbles inked in black. Every one of these pages has a sketch of the page and text written in (handwritten text on the page tho).

So uh, this is what this comic is! I usually only complain about it late at night so if anyone’s wondering how they didn’t know this exists that’s probably why lol. Sorry about that!

[lighthouseas]

absolutely infuriating to me when people do not understand basic storytelling

[snixx]

mike wheeler in the fic I'm reading has exactly as much tact as I did in high school. what can I say sometimes you really do have to learn the hard way that you do not immediately ask your best friend who is also your soon-to-be ex's sibling "nothing's going to change between us no matter how much your sister and i hypothetically hate each other in the future right?" when you're LITERALLY still in the middle of your very messy breakup and they're furious at you secondhand because of #siblingsolidarity. not to mention he handled the break up itself like an ass like go off thank you author i love it truly the representation for us completely oblivious emotionally challenged idiots we're starved of otherwise NO ONE EVER GETS HOW STUPID WE CAN TRULY BE

[ickyalienxx]

EXACTLYYYYYY

TUDUM occurring one day before pride month is actually a byler + rovickie reference guys, trust!!!!!!

[bylerweek2025]

Prompt list for BylerWeek 2025

Hello Byler Nation ☆

Here are the themes for Byler Week. You'll find those (and more...) below the cut 💚

Guide -> I wanted this event to feel inclusive for everyone and every type of content. The concept of Byler Week is to celebrate Byler in whatever way you can.

It shouldn't matter if you're a beginner or an advanced creator. It shouldn't matter if you're busy all day or have plenty of free time. Everyone should feel included.

For this reason, every day has a main theme, which is a color. The themes are meant to set the vibe for the day.

But it's not over yet. I felt like every day should feel like a 360° experience, so, not only you'll find a color to inspire you, but several other ideas:

A color palette

A moodboard

A song (that matches the colors, the vibes, and that has Byler-centric lyrics, woah)

3 prompts.

You can use all of these ideas as Legos, combine them as you wish ☆.

<- Previous post ☆ Next post ->

Day one (March 17th) ☆ Cobalt blue

Prompts

Blue hour

Ocean

Liminal pools

Day two (March 18th) ☆ Chili red

Prompts

Upside-down (interdimensional) portal

Rubies

Masquerade

Day three (March 19th) ☆ Mauve

Prompts

1800s ball

Butterfly effect

Lavender fields

Day four (March 20th) ☆ Gray

Prompts

Medieval knights

Growing old

Love locks

Day five (March 21st) ☆ Forest green

Prompts

Spring break

Hiking

Cottagecore

Day six (March 22nd) ☆ Gold

Prompts

Picnic

Sunset

Birthday party

Day seven (March 23rd) ☆ Rose gold

Prompts

Champagne

Engagement rings

Santa Monica Pier

+++

Extra ideas

Tag list -> @gabskullsblog @best-thing-at-this-party @drenandtarb2 @noihavenosanitythanksforasking @orlastarburst @misterfibbly @pythoness94 @dollsanddandy @sapphicsforseven @your-ivy-grows13 @dia-depeche @the--last-great-american-dynasty @elephantshoetoo @the-technorats @wistfulenchantress @vampwitchcoven @pjmin-95 @m4dlyn-s0uza @anqelsong @clericsandpaladins @lovemikewheeler @sykatz @fluffyfangirl @sara-yuna @lovebyler20 @bitchybylershipper

(If someone else wants to join, please refer to the previous post)

[love-byers]

here's something that'll drive me insane 

when s5 comes out and mike is being protective over will, people inevitably be like "he did that with el first" referring to season 3

NO HE DIDNT!!!!!!!!!!

HE DID IT WITH WILL FIRST!!!! DID YOU WATCH SEASON 2????

in FACT, HE NEVER STOPPED!!!!!! mikes first line to will in s3 is asking him if he's okay. when mike saw will in the woods during the storm he was extremely concerned with will's safety.

so many milevens and ga watchers think physical intimacy (those clips of mike holding el when she falls in s3) is the only way of showing concern and protectiveness.

it doesn't matter that mike noticed the slightest change in will's behavior, protected him from dart, went to wills house to be with him while he was struggling, slept on his floor, slept in his hospital room, and TOLD WILL ASKING HIM TO BE HIS FRIEND WAS THE BEST THING HE'D EVER DONE

and also, mike and will have done BOTH!!!

mike held his hand to comfort him, wouldn't let anyone else touch will when he had his halloween episode and put a comforting arm around him, put a hand on on his shoulder, and we'll definitely see more of that in s5

it's a theme in stranger things that true love and care for someone doesn't always manifest in physical intimacy. i'm praying with everything i have that they write byler very carefully in s5 so the ga will be sold on it. they CANNOT rush this

[imactuallyreallycool]

Just some byler content. I’m new to tumblr idk what I’m doing. I got the reference from Pinterest. Also I’m terrible at backgrounds lol and proportions of everything are probably off but whatever, I’m having fun :)

Anyway Lucas, Mike and Dustin were hanging out at Mike’s house to “study” (play video games) while Will stayed Home to actually study. Mike missed Will so they all when over to his to see him (Dustin took the photo). Ok byeeee.

[the7thsilvercat]

"___ is so byler coded"

"no, ___ is so byler coded"

wrong. everything is byler coded.

[aemiron-main]

a ridiculous amount of bylers think henry is straight and creelby parallels byler and they’re all so excited losing their minds over it and it’s actually so funny to me like wow you guys are so wrong and blissfully unaware of it. they really are clueless when the gay subtext isn’t about mike or will and is actually about henry. so obsessed with interpreting everything through a byler lense that they fell for the straight bait. which is ironic bc they constantly make fun of the general audience for not being able to recognize that mike is a closeted gay guy but they can’t recognize that henry is also a closeted gay guy. you have to laugh. sorry for the word vomiting in your inbox the hypocrisy is just insane to me

HELLO ANON!!! No notes, totally agree, it’s mind-boggling. (i would say more but im half awake rn and im just cheering and clapping at this message)!!! They really don’t want to consider Henry or Patty as being unique, individual characters with their own stories & also don’t want to consider the idea that a.) not everything in ST revolves around byler and b.) that Will isn’t the only supernaturally tormented little gayboy (and that even further than that, Henry is the original supernaturally tormented little gayboy).

And RIGHT??? They can recognize when Mike’s a closeted gay guy but not when Henry is- despite the fact that Henry has far more overt lines about it (we haven’t seen the word “gay” outright used in reference to Mike and yet TFS Henry’s got the “I like the gay ones best,” line directed at him- and bylers refuse to acknowledge the double-meaning & subtext of that line & just look at the surface level and go “oh it just means gay as in happy” but I know damn well that if that line was coming from El towards Mike, they would be ALL over it as gay Mike/Byler endgame proof.)

It really is crazy that they have the byler goggles on so tight that they fell for the straightbait.

Thanks for the message, anon! No worries about any wordvomiting, you’re extremely real for this LMAO

[chirpsythismorning]

Word on the street is negotiations between the WGA and the studios are still currently taking place going into the evening…

[willthewiz]

Season 5: The Truth | Mike's Arc

Season 4 focused on lies, season 5 will focus on the truth.

Mike and Hopper both care about:

Their Friends

Their Town

The Truth

Honesty

Eleven — A daughter to Hopper and a partner to Mike

Finn: "I think they weirdly have a lot of things in common. They really care about their friends and their town and they care about the truth and honesty and both very much care about Eleven. They both found a kind of love in this character, Hopper has found a daughter and I found a kind of partner."

Interesting. Mike found "A kind of partner"? Not Mike found a girlfriend. Not Mike found the love of his life. Instead, Mike found a partner.

Referring to someone as your partner means you have a close relationship with them. This can be taken in a romantic or platonic way.

In the video, Finn also mentions Byler first. "I know Byler's been very popular."

Then says, "At the beginning, I guess I would say mileven."

Similarities between Mike and Finn: They both…

Care about their friends

Want to remain loyal with their friends

Like to be a part of a team/leader of a team

Search for the truth

Make sure that their friends feel empowered (to make someone feel stronger and more confident--- Will to Mike: "You make me feel like I’m not a mistake at all. Like I’m better for being different. And that gives me the courage to fight on.")

It seems like season 5 will mainly focus on friendship, team work, and truth/honesty.

Finn: "I think we both really care about our friends, our friendships and want to remain loyal with our friends. And I think they like really being a part of a team and the leader of the team and I think searching for the truth and making sure that their friends are as empowered as they can be."

Mike is the heart<3

Differences between Mike and Finn:

Mike is more brave

Mike is more intense (concentrates very hard on everything he does and feels emotions very strongly)

Mike will be put in situations that showcase his bravery. He will obviously have to be brave to face Vecna and other threats, but Mike's also searching for the truth. Finn said that Mike cares about honesty.

We also know Mike is going on his own journey in season 5 (self discovery aka the truth).

Mike will have to be brave on his journey in searching for the truth.

Mike cares about honesty. Will lied about the painting. Will is not honest about his feelings. Mike is going to find out how both himself and Will feels.

Mike is searching for the truth. He will be brave by being honest with his feelings.

Don't worry, Will.

Mike will like the truth.

[carigm]

The “Teaser”, mlvn rooftop convo, and Lord of the Rings parallel…

This is gonna be a long post, so grab some snacks y’all.

First of all, the teaser the Duffers shared at this Netflix shareholders event was basically all BTS stuff, and according to someone that was there, we have mostly seen all of it. The actual clips from the show they showed were so short that most people missed it. However, over those short clips it seems they played a voiceover of part of the mlvn rooftop convo. Notice how the Suffer Sisters are literally incapable of sharing anything new, and the only audio they disclosed is from the ONE scene that’s been leaked to death, and even transcribed multiple times with the help of AI. In any case, Netflix did not share this teaser with the masses, and it’s unlikely they ever will. Stranger Things is not going to the Super Bowl this year (yes you heard that right) and the Tudum Event isn’t until May. Our only hope before that would be them releasing something on Will’s birthday, but whether in March or May, I believe we’ll be getting a proper teaser by then.

People that attended the event reported that El has a voiceover line where she goes “they don’t get to write the ending, we do” and apparently a voiceover Mike line where he goes “we’ll finish this together” (I’m not sure if this was paraphrased or not). Immediately, we all realized that these lines sound pretty close to what Mike is allegedly saying to her during the rooftop scene. Many people in the fandom have taken the time to transcribe that scene, some with AI and some without, and although some things could be wrong here and there, the general idea of it seems pretty clear. I’m attaching an AI reading of the scene here, so I can point out where I think his dialogue might be from…

Around the 1.43 mark, the AI picked up “enjoying it, together”, however I think this is where the “we’ll finish it, together” line comes into play. If anything, this shows AI isn’t 100% accurate, and it does call into question some of these previous lines 😂…I think it’s possible that after this speech from Mike about stories, fantasy endings and heroes, El tries to follow his advice and be positive, and maybe she delivers the “they don’t get to write our ending, we do” line back to him. It’s unfortunate because obviously we can’t see her face in the video, but I think it makes sense she would reply with that because right after it seems like he says “of, course…” and then proceeds to seemingly add that the Party can have a happy ending, without all the fantasy elements he mentioned before.

I find it very interesting that he’s choosing to speak to her with this storytelling analogy, which at first I believed to be a D&D analogy, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like he’s talking about an actual story. And then the lord of the rings parallel hit me, specifically with this scene. If you’re not aware, Finn Wolfhard has mentioned lotr twice now when talking about season 5, and I personally think it’s possible that Mike is using lord of the rings here as a reference to describe the hero’s journey and relate it to what the party has been through. Think about it, he’s trying to cheer El up, who has been stuck in that fuckass radio station for a year, who’s probably extremely tired of everything she has been dealing with for years, and he just wants to offer her some consolation so she can keep going and fighting. Does that sound familiar?

Well my friends, if it does, that’s because it is a direct parallel to Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings. I’ve always thought Byler were insanely samfrodo coded (funny enough the last S4 Byler scene is almost identical to this scene too), but it seems the Duffers are paralleling mlvn to them here. In lotr, Frodo bears the biggest burden of the story, as he follows his hero’s journey to Mordor to defeat evil. Along the way, ofc, he becomes increasingly weary and hopeless, and it is up to Sam (his best friend) to cheer him up and provide him with strength to keep him going. How does Sam do this? Interestingly enough, he encourages Frodo by describing all the beautiful things that will come AFTER they have won, what they and their friends will be able to enjoy when they get back home. Basically everything Mike appears to be saying to El in this scene, fantasizing about the end of the battle. To make the parallels even crazier, while on his hero’s journey, Frodo has to remain in hiding because there are multiple forces looking for him, and we know that El is basically hiding away from the government.

Another thing I want to point out is that in lotr (spoilers I guess 😭) good does win in the end, and the main characters get to return back home. However, Frodo is so changed by the journey and all the things he encountered that he simply cannot stay with his friends. Instead, he leaves and goes to the Undying Lands, where he finds peace. He doesn’t die, but he also cannot stay in Middle Earth. Him and Sam have a beautiful goodbye scene and then Sam is left with the literal book of stories Frodo started, and is told by Frodo to “finish it”.

Make of that what you will…

[bylrlve]

Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things 5 mentioned,

Rewatching episode 2, and I���m genuinely staggered by how many times Mike peeks at Will. It’s very clear his mind is on Will, in fact. I am also staggered by just how many small byler details are in here.

His whole face drops after no. 4 too, as @starbylers observed here.

I also want to include these @chirpsythismorning gifs from the roller rink scene, as they’re brilliant:

Mike watching Will get out of the van, and seemingly offering a hand to him.

Mike openly watching Will as they take their skates.

(X) (X)

These are very deliberate acting choices from Finn Wolfhard, and he was certainly doing it on instruction.

Some other notes on 402:

The transition from Mike and El being fake -> Murray looking up looking like he’s experiencing his Seeing Clearly -> Robin talking about Vickie laughing ‘and not like a cheap, fake laugh, but a real, genuine laugh’, right after we saw Mike hiding his genuine disgust at burritos for breakfast behind a tone of fake laughter.

Mike’s whole face just drops into an unhappy, spaced-out espression when it zooms in on El - this is after Will ignored his sock joke (video here by @buckybxarnes)

As many have observed, Mike and El look genuinely miserable when viewed from Angela’s perspective, as opposed to the shot of them skating with Will miserable behind them

It’s occurred to me that in s2, 3, and 4, the byler plot really takes off in episode 2. I’m wondering if that’s also the case with s5 - I’ve reconsidered my theory that the Mike + El rooftop scene takes place after the hospital plot in ep 2, as I’ve heard that the paparazzi at the filming site were told it was in episode 1.

The door slam/open transition between Joyce going to the bank to get the 40k random for Hopper, utterly singleminded, and Mike barging into the womens’ bathroom, being kicked out, and subsequently starting an argy-bargy with Will as opposed to continuing to prioritise El… well!

The disparity in time is so interesting. El counts off 185 days since she last saw Mike - which is roughly six months, as is canon within the show (Sept-Oct 1985-March 1986). And here Mike is, saying ‘you knew she was having trouble for, like, a year’ and Will saying ‘it’s been a year, Mike’ and, in 404, Mike saying ‘the last year has been weird.’ It’s pretty obvious the last one is Mike referring to their fight nine months earlier, plus the time prior that Mike had spent pulling away from the rest of the Party to focus on El. The second one is Will potentially referencing the time that elapsed since their fight - even if it’s moreso subtext from the writers. What, then, to make of Mike saying Will knew El was having trouble for, like, a year? What subtext could be meant by this? I’d love to hear your guys’ thoughts because u can’t quite deduce this.

Mike listing off everything Will did is so hilarious given the surveillance he carried out all day on the boy, and given the fact that poor El being humiliated publicly and assaulted with liquid before she skated off bawling did not, apparently, ruin the day. On second thoughts, I understand what Will meant… she’s in trouble having Mike’s gay ass for a boyfriend.

What’s striking me now is that this fight + El’s iconic roller skate moment, are the real emotional climaxes of this episode’s M/E/W plot. It could have been Mike finding El and comforting her before she lashed out at Angela. It could have been him talking to her afterwards. It could have been at the house - him following her up to her room and silently comforting her until she fell asleep. No, no. Mike and Will airing out their grievances (and Mike betraying which of the two truly emotionally affects him more) + El handling her own shit, while Mike thoroughly disapproves.

The way that Will just wants to be Mike’s friend, but it’s Mike making it so deeply weird.

The way, also, that they stick together at the rink even after the fight, and Mike openly is more preoccupied by Will in the van. I’ve seen it observed before: the parallel between El and Will staring out the same window in the van crying: Mike looks at Will in the shot. He does not look at El in the shot.

I think it’s hilarious that Mike ends the fight by feigning concern for El - he offered her no comfort whatsoever, actively stood away from her when she was waiting for Jonathan and Argyle to arrive, ignored her crying in the van, and of course:

She didn’t look fine.

Mike and Will are blocked together, not Mike and El

The sincerity of Mike’s concern over El juxtaposed with the rank falseness of ‘no, that’s…that’s not true, maybe I was a little upset in the moment’ etc really sticks out - the defensiveness is reminiscent of the tone he took with Will during the fight, but even then he was more sincere-sounding because he was more emotionally affected.

Bylers don’t talk enough about the insanity of ‘who… who said that I didn’t?’ In context, thinking logically, Mike is very likely referring to Will here (the bullies were shouting at her, he could hear what they were saying)- and why would his mind immediately go to ‘Will thinks I don’t love El, and has told her his suspicions?’ Why would he take a defensive tone?

Seriously, 402-403 M/W/E may well be the plot that (potentially) spells out byler endgame the most.