#byler i guess

[wibble-wobbegong]

this tweet is so fucking funny. to mike wheeler seeing “women” almost naked brings out the same fear as being attacked by a gigantic monster from hell

[sennqu]

**slightly anti miIeven post incoming. mostly ST redditor audience analysis though lmao**

truly gets me how a lot of ST redditors are of the mind that yes, mike IS in the right for basically hero worshipping his girlfriend. She has superpowers. She saves the world! Why wouldn't he be in love with her? Mike is so lucky. Mike really is a stand-in for this type of audience.

Hence the animosity for people who can't see Mike and El ending up together. Sidenote: something I've found interesting is how for many of these people, being "anti-miIeven" is the same as being a byler shipper. El isn't a fully developed character in their eyes: she's the superhero Mike keeps telling her she is. She's part of the fantasy. Mike's monologue reads as sincere to this part of the audience because their own understanding of the characters can be just as surface level and built on clichés just like the monologue was.

This audience isn't essentially homophobic, though that's a significant part too. The fantasy miIeven presents is just too important to them that they don't want to let go. in a way it's kinda similar to how the fantasy of the gay childhood to lovers romance Byler represents is important to byler shippers.

[mystickingstuff]

This is an intervention for Will Byers's back.

I know it's hard for you, on all levels, to be straight. BUT YOU MUST!

[hyzenth-lay]

I’m officially not sure in byler anymore who knew ONE anti byler blog could do something like this

[kidovna]

manifested mileven at the snowball in 2016, so now I’m manifesting byler at senior prom🪻🌻

[taeiris]

and the connection worsens

Flash warning!!!

still and closeups:

i tried making it a gif but it absolutely DESTROYED the quality so thats sad

[upsidedownlurker]

GUYS GUYS GUYS!!!!! I totally just figured out the lip-sync leak!!!1! Mike and Eleven have a very deep and romantic conversation together, and they completely debunk byler!!! so cute and slay <3

[Turn your sound on I promise it's better]

...

inspired by @will80sbyers lovely twilight interpretation :D

[hothammies]

concept designs for the zombie apocalypse au i'm working on - pt. 2 (small au details under the cut regarding their wardrobe)

---

max's design

takes off her jean jacket during supply runs / fights - used to be billy's jacket

signature weapon is a sawblade baseball bat - was taught how to swing from billy but the bat was modified by dustin

lucas' design

has started wearing jackets less and switched to dress shirts - the jackets were getting in the way of his new shoulder holster

signature weapon is a crossbow / revolver - the best marksman of the group and most knowledgeable with guns (his dad taught him everything as a war veteran) can really use anything!

dustin's design

found his vest off of some dead biker guy, thought it looked sick, and hasn't taken it off since - he puts pins on it to personalize it

no real signature weapon because he tends to stick away from fighting, more support - he knows basic fighting skills but is a beast with his crafted weapons (e.g. bomb traps, molotovs, etc)

is the pack mule when it comes to supply runs - he stays with mike and will to scout but brings a heavy backpack with possible backup supplies / weapons if need be

---

other notes: wanted to share that the apocalypse starts in 2019 while the kids were born in 2015. the first arc of the story takes place in apocalyptic 2028 and so on (their current designs are for arc 3). reason? i wanted them to experience some of the music and technology up to the 21st century :] i'll make a more official story thing later! maybe i'll write something for this au or draw a comic? idk my creative writing skills are pretty weak but we'll never know until we try LMAO

[kiirotoao]

No but holy shit the implications of “I think there is someone he likes, because he has been acting… weird.”

Just imagine El’s confusion over her brother. California is obviously not that great for the Byers. In that very intro scene, we see El making her diorama (which, as sweet and lovely as it is, it ends up getting nothing but ridicule in school), Joyce getting frustrated with a client, Jonathan hurriedly hiding the fact that he’s smoking weed; things are not picture perfect. But Will? Will’s in his own world, in a dreamland of his own, holding to his friends and his life back home by painting it with a focused and tender look in his eyes.

While everyone at home openly struggles with something, our first glimpse of Will this season is something precious and untainted, a struggle that doesn’t develop until much later when he chooses to face his feelings.

We never see Will acting, quote, “weird.” Will has never really been a character that we see out loud. It all lies underneath. It always has. And when I think about that underlying struggle and yet deep fondness, it just. God, it breaks me.

Imagine Will months prior, starting up this project. He picks out a giant canvas, a page that covers his entire easel. Maybe this is his first time using paint as his medium. Maybe not. But whatever the weather, it’s bigger than anything we’ve ever seen him craft. Ever.

Imagine El’s excitement. She learns that Will is a great artist, and she knows it the minute he shows her a single piece. After that, she’s interested in his art, and yet… it’s at the worst time, because he doesn’t let her into his room, anymore. But she knows that he’s working on his easel day in and day out. The minute he’s home from school, he’s playing music, painting again. Maybe he throws out one or two torn-up drafts. Maybe he skips dinner over it. Maybe he ends up so tired that he’s fallen asleep with paint on his face and doesn’t even know it until she points it out.

She’s impressed and she wants to see what he’s doing, especially because he seems so passionate about it all the time, but he never lets her. He bites his lip and shakes his head. He guards it with his very life. And El is left wondering what has him acting so secretive. So nervous. What is the emotion, where is the energy coming from?

It’s out of place. It’s weird when moving to California isn’t as fun as whatever is on that canvas’ face.

So it must be love. Of course it is. Of course it’s for someone, some girl. What else could it be? What else would make Will seem that out of place, seem that… crazy?

And for all of it to be happening upward of six entire months? That painting didn’t take a day or two, I mean, look at it. It must’ve taken him weeks to get in every detail.

And all of it. Every little smile. Every dreaming thought. Every ounce of passion. Everything. Was because of Mike.

God.

God.

[shifthours]

girls be like guess my hyperfixation :3 and then it's the only thing they've been talking abt for 6 months straight

[wibble-wobbegong]

will byers literally went to hell, redecorated it, came back to life, got possessed, and his biggest problem is some guy named Mike

[kaiminluu]

visited the louvre a few weeks ago and did some studies anyway baroque warrior mike

[theoriginalsapphic]

If Mike had the same focus on his mental health as part of his character arc in season 4 like Max did, he wouldn’t be as a disliked character by the general audience as he currently is.

I’m being serious.

Their behaviors throughout season 4 are similar enough to draw parallels between them.

They both treat Lucas like crap in less than ideal terms.

They both get their declining academic performance pointed out by another character.

They are both hiding things from people, and being open and honest about it could help them but they won’t do it.

They both mistreat and push away someone they love.

They both lack self-preservation, which leads them to have suicidal tendencies and put their lives at risk.

The show even makes a point of putting Mike next to Max in two of the symptoms mentioned in the Vecna’s curse.

The only difference is that Max’s character has a huge focus this season, and most of it is centers on her deteriorating mental state. On the other hand, the only time Mike gets a chance to explicitly and verbally acknowledge that he is struggling with something, he admonishes himself for caring about something so irrelevant considering the ongoing situation, and the scene shifts to be about Will and his disguised confession through the painting.

.

.

.

So, with all being said... what could this possibly mean for Mike in season 5? Well, Ms. Kelly said it best:

[fluffyfangirl]

Starting Bylerween with something cute because it will get bloody tomorrow

[silverliing]

i have an art prompt: imagine lesbyler at senior prom!!

(thank you for drawing lesbyler im fucking obsessed)

Class of ‘89 let’s go!

[yoitsjuli]

The way popular media went from “here’s two male characters who have an incredible amount of chemistry and fans ship them but it’s not canon and one or both of them are with women” to “here’s two male characters who have an incredible amount of chemistry and fans ship them and it’s canon but only in the way that one of them has an unrequited love for the other and either pines miserably forever or dies.” Progress right?