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longtallglasses · 7 months

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Heaven (Let My Love Open The Door) fic mixtape songs

Mike’s sappy cheesy lovey valentine’s mixtape he made for Will and all the lyrics and reasons why I think he added them and enjoys them. I feel absolutely insane for writing all this and posting it. I don’t think you have had to read the fic to get the vibes and the gist, it’s pretty much just byler through songs, but I do recommend.

Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townshend (1980) -

A song that when Mike first heard it when he was younger thought it was just a fun song, but now it feels like everything he wants to say to Will.

When people keep repeating that you’ll never fall in love, when everybody keeps retreating, but you can’t seem to get enough.

He feels this about himself - you can’t fall in love with a boy - and feeling like he’s at arms length with everyone because of how he feels so different. But also about Will, knowing that he turned on him in some way.

When everything feels all over, Everybody seems unkind, I’ll give you a Four Leaf Clover, Take all worry out of your mind.

Growing up in Hawkins has not been the best, especially for Will (his Dad, bullies), Mike wants to make that all better, better for both of them.

Take My Breath Away by Berlin (1986) -

On this endless ocean finally lovers know no shame, turning and returning to some secret place inside -

through everything they’ve been through, all the unimaginable horrible things they’ve experienced, falling in love with your best friend can’t be the worst thing now can it? Maybe they can return to how close they used to be, and maybe it won’t turn out wrong.

Through the hourglass I saw you, in time you slipped away, when the mirror crashed I called you, and turned to hear you say, If only for today I am unafraid.

Losing Will in the way he did, all at once and then slowly over time, because he was scared of what he felt. Now after everything, he feels maybe he can finally be— maybe not brave—but at least not be afraid of what he feels for Will.

Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon (1984) -

Is there ANY song more them ?? (yes, there is, because I will say this numerous times throughout this list)

What started out as friendship has grown stronger, I only wish I had the strength to let it show. Tell me Mike didn’t combust when he listened to that.

I said there is no reason for my fear, ‘Cause I feel so secure when we’re together, You give my life direction, you make everything so clear.

It’s so clear and seems so simple to be with Will but it’s scary!!

And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might. The months leading up to this Valentine’s day they’ve been closer than ever, more than Mike could ever think he would let himself.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by James Taylor (1975) -

This song is just so sweet and I imagine this also being a song that Mike heard on the radio growing up and thinking, hm I wonder if I’ll ever feel like this when/if I fall in love and now the song holds a whole new meaning.

I needed someone to understand my ups and down, There you were, with sweet love and devotion, deeply touching my emotion. You were better to me than I was to myself, For me there’s you and there ain’t nobody else.

Somewhere I hear Mike groan at these words, tossing and turning, Called Out!!

Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears (1985) -

Is there ANY song more them??? No actually this is the most them song I’ve ever heard. Turn it up, and scream and cry bc my god there is no cure, no chance for recovery.

I wanted to be with you alone, and talk about the weather, But tradition I can trace AGAINST THE CHILD IN YOUR FACE, WON’T ESCAPE MY ATTENTION. YOU KEEP YOUR DISTANCE VIA THE SYSTEM OF TOUCH I’M LOST IN ADMIRATION, COULD I NEED YOU THIS MUCH? Let That Sink In. Tears for fears is so underrated (or maybe so overexposed that they’ve become so) the poetry that haunts me.

And the most Mike Wheeler string of lyrics ever uttered,

Something happens and I’m head over heels, I never find out until I’m head over heels. And this is my Four Leaf Clover, I’m on the line, one open mind, This is my four leaf clover. He is MAKING that wish.

You’re the Inspiration by Chicago (1984) -

This is that song, that if Mike and Will were some cheesy rom com, when Will walks through the door and everything starts going in slow-mo, stars in their eyes when they lock eyes, this song would play, the chorus

You’re the meaning in my life, you’re the inspiration, You bring feeling to my life, You’re the inspiration.

A line that makes Mike feel very called out, And I know, yes I know that it’s plain to see, So in love when we’re together, Now I know (Now I know) that I need you here with me, From tonight until the end of time.

And my favorite part of this song, just the little added nuance with the phrase YOU SHOULD KNOW, everywhere I go, always on my mind, you’re in my heart added at every bridge and then at The Culmination, Wanna have you near me, I wanna have YOU HEAR ME SAYIN’. Mike knows Will deserves to hear it, he’s scared to tell him, but that doesn’t matter as much when Will deserves to know that someone loves him that much.

Space Age Love Song by A Flock Of Seagulls (1982) -

I saw your eyes, and you made me smile, for a little while, I was falling in love

I saw your eyes, and you touched my mind, although it took a while, I was falling in love

I saw your eyes, and you made cry, and for a little while, I was falling in love

I don’t think it needs any explanation. Will’s a snobby hater and when he listens to it he won’t think a flock of seagulls are that bad. ;)

Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen (1987) -

I’ve been meaning to tell you, I‘ve got this feeling that won’t subside

One look at you and I can’t disguise, I’ve got hungry eyes

I feel the magic between you and I

He’s been meaning to say, he’s been MEANING TO. He CANNOT disguise this desire!!!! It will Not go away. He’s fantasizing he’s fantasizing :)

Open Arms by Journey (1981) -

How could our love be so blind? We sailed on together, we drifted apart, and here you are by my side. I meannn. But now that you’ve come back, turned night into day, I need you to stay. With open arms, nothing to hide, BELIEVE WHAT I SAY… Hoping you’ll see what your love means to me.

Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac (1987) -

this song just makes me blush when I hear it, the vibe of this song has never been topped. Can you hear me calling out your name? You know that I’m falling and I don't know what to say. You know that I’m proud and I can’t get the words out. Will’s been picking up on his weird signals, he thinks he knows what’s going on but he’s not sure. and Mike just wants to be with him everywhere :’)

Father Figure by George Michael (1987) -

This song is now officially in my byler multi-verse of madness. In every universe I see Will loving this song, for what it represents and also bc he has a crush on George Michael. Like in my blair witch fic I see this as Will playing this song and album all the time and Mike being like, “ugh, why? girls like him, it’s so cheesy and weird,” but on close reinspection he discovers a lot to love about it and wants to let Will know that he gets it now.

That’s all I wanted, something special, something sacred in your eyes. For just one moment to be bold and naked at your side.

They’ve toed this line for so long, being so special to each other, but erring just on that side of caution, not fully letting their guards down to be completely uninhibited in their desire and be able to lay it all out on the table. But something tells me together we’d be happy.

This is one of George Michael’s most “controversial” songs because of the lines I will be your father figure, put your tiny hand in mind (it apparently is about a relationship between an older/younger person) wanting to teach them things, guide them,

I will be your preacher teacher, anything you had in mind.

I think Mike and Will both want to teach each other things, learn things together, learn and grow into whatever they want to be together.

I will be your father figure, I have had enough of crime… That’s all I wanted, but sometimes love can be mistaken for a crime. currently shedding my skin.

Historically Mike and Will have not been shown that who they love/being gay is a good thing. The aids crisis at this point in time is in the trenches, they are told good things do not happen to gay people, bad things, death, suffering that’s what this kind of love means but, If we have faith in each other, we can be strong… I will be your father figure… I will be the one who loves you ‘til the end of time.

Society might not like it, parents might not like it, but I’ll be that person for you, that unconditional support you need, if you so need it. And just another line to kick you down So when you remember the ones who have lied, Who said that they cared but then laughed as you cried, beautiful darling don't think of me…because all I ever wanted it’s in your eyes…

Mike may have run away, maybe Will thought he lied when he said they’d always be friends, but Mike doesn’t want Will to think of him that way, he wants to change that, tell him the real truth.

Everything I Own by Bread (1971) -

Another song from the childhood years, so I’m projecting onto Mike saying this was one of his favorite albums growing up because it was one of mine, every song on this album, it’s just so good (Bread was my jam, no pun intended sry). I imagine it playing in the Wheeler living room, it’s just classic rock sounding enough and in-offensive (besides that one government song, but I believe ted would purposefully misunderstand what it means) that I think it would be acceptable for the whole family to find something they liked on it.

And THIS SONG, again is there ANY song more them???

The finest years I ever knew, Were all the years I had with you

You taught me how to love, What it’s of, what it’s of, You never said too much,

But still, you showed me the way.

Mike didn’t know what loving someone felt like before Will. He learned what it meant to really care for someone, because of how he wanted to care for Will. He learned this through the rest of the party as well, all his values, “friends don’t lie,” “a friend is someone you would do anything for,” “you tell them stuff you don’t tell your parents,” Those innocent years were the best he’s ever known because he let himself practice those, and he just wants to get that back!

And I knew from watching you, Nobody else could ever know, The part of me that can’t let go

he just can’t let him go, and no one can know :(

And he would Give anything I own, Would give up my life, my heart, my home, Just to have you back again. FUCK OFF!

In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel (1986) -

I get so lost sometimes, days pass, and this emptiness fills my heart.

All the time Mike spent running away, feeling so lost.

When I want to run away, I drive off in my car, but whichever way I go I come back to the place you are.

He tried to fight it, but he can’t help that he feels most at peace with Will.

All my instincts, they return. The grand facade, so soon will burn.

When he’s with Will he can’t help but be himself, Will lets him be himself. It feels so good not to pretend!!

I get so tired, working so hard for our survival, I look to the time with you, to keep me awake and alive.

I mean Come On! Mike might as well have written this song, facing the possibility of the end of the world, always looking to each other to help keep them going.

The Lady in My Life by Michael Jackson (1982) -

It’s on the biggest selling album of all time, almost every household had a copy in the 80s. And Mike is BOLD for including it. He likes it for reasons. He knows it's a sexy song but he thinks the sweet aspects of the song overpower all of that.

Let me fill you with my dreams, I can make you feel alright

And baby through the years, (even when we’re old and gray) gonna love you more each day

So I’ll promise you tonight, that you will always be the lady in my life.

I also think Mike would enjoy the ‘nighttime’ aspect of this song, so much of their bonding recently being sleeping together, as well as when Will’s (and his) nightmares come.

There’ll be no darkness tonight…Our love will shine, lighting the night…And I will keep you warm through the shadows of the night…

Forever Young by Alphaville (1984) -

I feel like I could write a paper on this one. Not just about Mike and Will, but the whole party growing up, the time period they live in (cold war, reagan, aids) it’s just…

But for Mike, Will is so tied to his childhood, and so tied to his dreams of the future.

Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?

Again this song is about the cold war, referring to an actual bomb, but I see Mike thinking of wondering if he’s gonna take that plunge, dropping this bomb onto Will (and also perhaps in the future having to do the same with his family and friends), going back and forth on whether that’s going to be received well.

Let us die young or let us live forever, We don’t have the power but we never say never.

Silence = Death. I have to wonder if part of Mike thinks that accepting that he’s gay, or that living a gay lifestyle he might have to accept a young death if he’s unlucky. I assume he knows as much as what most of middle america knew about aids at the time (which wasn’t the full breadth of the situation and definitely wasn’t all true, they were still discovering new things at the time) - and should he let himself do that or should he continue on as he is, even if maybe he’s not strong enough.

It’s so hard to live without a cause, I don’t want to perish like a fading horse.

Nope that’s why he can’t continue on as is. How could he when he knows what it is to live to fight for something, for someone, for all the people he’s cared about.

Heaven by Bryan Adams (1984) -

Ok whew back to the sappy shit. Is there ANY song more them???? NO! This is The One!!

Oh thinkin’ about all our younger years, there was only you and me, we were young and wild and free

Now nothing can take you away from me, we’ve been down that road before, but that’s over now.

They had it all, but lost it over and over again. All the things that had taken Will away are gone, now the only thing in their way is them.

Yeah nothing can change what you mean to me, Oh there’s lots that I could say, but just hold me now.

Oh does Mike have things to say, oh does he have things to share, so much, finding those words are hard for him though, that’s why he’s saying it through all these songs. They can say it all in time, he just wants them to come together now.

And love is all that I need, and I found it there in your heart,

isn’t too hard to see, we’re in heaven.

:) :)

AAAHHH thank you for your time.

#byler #byler fanfic #mike wheeler #will byers #ao3 fanfic #my music #my writing

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tineteenieworld3 · 2 years

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The reason I get irritated with some m*levens is because of how they look at El. Many times they claim to love her or relate to her or anything like that. But most of the time they really only talk about her in relation to Mike or ways to shit on people for not liking their ship instead of analyzing her character. Of course I will not claim that they all do this or that some Bylers don’t and it’s not a big deal, but I think it’s important to talk about. Especially when I see a new hoard of people calling others ableist for saying El shouldn’t be in a romantic relationship.

El is such a complex character with an insane background that literally no one can understand or relate to. I mean, her plot line in season 4 really showed us just a snippet of the shit she’s been through. Grasping her character is extremely difficult because there is no one that can relate to her, not really.

Of course all the characters go through shit that’s unimaginable, but talking specifically about their upbringings we can somewhat relate to their characters or lives. El isn’t like that, she literally had 12 years of her life taken from her and then continued to be traumatized and hurt over and over which made it impossible to heal even a little bit. She loves and is loved, but even with her fight with Mike we get a lot of insight on how she’s viewing herself as a whole and finally speaking up.

It’s not just about Mike, she’s saying ‘no, no one understands, you don’t understand’ and she’s completely right. She’s not trying to shit on Mike in his attempt to relate, we can see her frustration because she has every right to be like ‘I don’t have a group of friends that I can relate to and find comfort in, my mind is alone and I don’t know how to exist in this world that you’ve grown up in.’ She’s just stating a fact when Mike is trying to comfort her. He doesn’t know what it’s like because she’s not just talking about the bullying, she’s talking about everything. I think it’s hard to fully grasp that scene because no one watching can understand either. At the start of season 4 we see this attempt to be like everyone else or even just be like Will and Mike or any of the other kids. That’s what she wants, she’s trying so desperately to move on from the fact that her life was stolen from her and she doesn’t have anyone to lean on that understands her. When it all falls to shit, she tells Mike exactly how she’s feeling and he still just doesn’t understand. He’s thinking very surface level when she’s trying to explain her feelings.

“I do not belong.”

“You mean in Lenora?”

And then we see that first spark of frustration in her: “anywhere.”

Instead of Mike trying to understand, or maybe he is and just can’t, he just tells her that’s not true. There’s a lot beneath those few lines El has in that scene, the not belonging is a feeling not a fact.

El is a very strong character, but she’s a very lonely character as well. I see alot of people try and find ways to make her relatable with headcanons and stuff like saying she’s disabled in some way, which is totally fine, I think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! You want to relate to characters you love, and nothing is wrong with doing that. But I think it’s important to pay attention to her actual storyline. You can’t relate to El, nobody can it’s literally impossible. She didn’t just grow up in the same world as the other characters, she wasn’t like Will or Mike or Max or Lucas or Dustin. She doesn’t just have a learning disability or struggle with speech:

She was a lab experiment for 12 years, then had to fight the upside down and save Will. She lived in the woods until Hopper found her and was then locked away once again from any civilization. She only got to have a spec of fun with Max and learn about herself before it all went to shit and she lost her father figure and was forced to move across the country. Her first time ever going to school was freshman year and honestly she did a damn good job. Of course you can see she doesn’t understand social cues and stuff along those lines, but we know exactly why that is and I feel like people don’t talk about the canon real reasons as to why her character is the way she is because it’s hard for us to relate and all we wanna do is relate to characters we love.

I mean, no other character has someone they can’t relate to. Even Will, he can find comfort and relate to El, but flipping that around it only goes a very short way. El shows this feeling she’s probably had the whole show when talking to Mike with simple wording. Her saying ‘anywhere’ is so important because for a second you can see into her head, that fear and frustration of having absolutely no one who gets it, having no world where she can easily slip into. Her life was taken from her and no matter where in the world she goes, there won’t be someone who gets it. Except for those kids in the lab that, guess what? All died and she thought she did it until the end of season 4. Can’t even begin to imagine her fear of not only not understanding the world, but not understanding herself either.

I love talking about El’s character, but I do think there is a tendency to simplify her to make it more digestible because, just like Mike, we can’t understand even a tiny bit.

#byler #el hopper

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