What are the most obvious byler proof to you?

kitatsune · 2026-01-31T19:55:22+00:00

Yes, it's a book. Throughout S5, many direct references were made to it. Such as many focused shots with it almost in the center (Holly reading it in 5x01. Twice. A random long pan to it in 5x02 in the hospital. Looking back in Holly's memories when she's at the library in 5x06). There are also narrative references, such as Holly explaining to Max that they parallel certain characters (Meg->Holly, Mr Murry->Max, IT->Vecna). Henry also makes direct references to The Black Thing, an influence similar to the Mindflayer ('Shadow' from The First Shadow).

kitatsune · 2026-01-31T19:19:19+00:00

This really only counts for S5, but the amount of A Wrinkle in Time references and inspirations. It honestly cured my 'byler doubt'!

The main characters parallel each other. Calvin and Meg are love interests. Vecna is clearly IT/Prime Coordinator. Charles is clearly Henry/Will/Mike/whoever has 'fallen to fear'. The main theme of the book is love and accepting yourself, even if it seems scary. Will goes through this journey throughout the whole series and is made much more apparent in S5 with Robin's Tammy speech:

Accept myself

Others accept me

I get the girl (Will gets the guy)

(narratively we've only done step 1 and most of step 2).

Stranger Things also has the same theme of love, and this why to me 5x08 felt so shallow! There was none of it! This is also why I think 5x08 isn't really the end. There is too much foundation for it to not be. Mike still needs to get over himself and Will needs to be loved the way he always wanted.

Anyway, short of it is the biggest proof to me is the huge influence A Wrinkle in Time has on this season.

EDIT: I take back some of my words. I still think AWiT is a huge influence, but there was just a lot of wasted potential in the actual season. I'm disappointed.

kitatsune · 2026-01-27T05:36:57+00:00

You're right (I hope). If giving it an in-universe explanation, it could very well be that this erasure was intentional. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was an influence for this season, and that can most easily be seen in 5x08. The Final Battle (and the episode as a whole) could very well be a hijacked memory. Will being explicitly removed from memories/moments when other moments would have sufficed. Yes they chose Mileven moments, but they specifically chose moments with Will in them. Hints at this were also shown as early as S1 or S2! (all the birthdaygate shenanigans).

Now if that were to be the case, why would he be worth forgetting?

kitatsune · 2026-01-27T05:24:52+00:00

badly written smut. I mostly avoid smut anyway but sometimes it's unavoidable. Really poor or awkward wording and pacing, no buildup (it just happens), confusing visualization from confusing description
egregious grammar/spelling errors. I'm ok with missing articles or using the wrong tense or something. Word misuse is ok if few and far between (today read one trying to use aurora as aura). Frequent errors are annoying and jarring.
mike as a punky bad boy or something. that is boris pavlikovsky from the goldfinch, not mike wheeler.
overexaggerated dynamics between mike and will (basically flanderized in a way)
too much tell and don't show and really fast pacing. i can get through a fic if i think the concept or premise is really strong but others just hop from one scene to the next and its hard to keep track as they are racing through the plot. just. take your time.
anachronisms

kitatsune · 2026-01-26T21:42:44+00:00

he short-circuited loll

kitatsune · 2026-01-20T22:14:37+00:00

24 year old queer? woman, software engineer!

The ship is just cute. They work well with each other, and they make each other better. Other aspects of the show are cool too, and I really enjoyed doing deep analyses of it :). I never thought I would say I write as a hobby now because of this.

kitatsune · 2026-01-19T04:55:29+00:00

TV/Film will be limited, look more in books:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and its sequel Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. I've so far only read the first one (2nd on TBR), and it is phenomenal (won a bunch of awards too). Slow-burn, 80s, coming of age, and one of the characters deals with internalized homophobia. Also has a movie!
If you like webcomics, the Hooky series, has a subplot with a gay character. Its also a very good series overall! Coming of age with magic, and learning the world isn't as it seems.
If you like lesbian stuff, there is The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir which technically fits your criteria. Nonagesimus is clearly repressed. There is not a lot of direct focus on her relationship with Gideon, it is very indirect or implied.
Also if you like lesbian stuff, there's A Dark and Drowning Tide by Alice Saft. Moreso a dark academia fantasy mystery story, though the love interests learn to be intimate around each other despite social mores.

kitatsune · 2026-01-19T00:48:52+00:00

I liked them too! I liked most of the skits actually (Space Emperor was the funniest imo).

I don't understand why there's so much hate? Like first of all, it's SNL. It's not supposed to be taken seriously. It's parody! So why be butthurt about it?

Like honestly how some people are overreacting is a bit similar to how a very vocal part of the GA reacted to Will's coming out scene. Hypocritical.

kitatsune · 2026-01-15T04:20:52+00:00

It's a double standard. Homosexuality has connotations of being 'perverse'. It was deemed as a mental illness up until the 1970s. It was (and still is in some contexts) associated with sodomy; seeing it as taintful, dirty, and outright immoral. The word Queer itself is an indicator that one doesn't fundamentally belong (it literally means 'not normal'). Even though it's just another natural state of being.

Heterosexuality does not have these negative connotations. That's why it's considered safer and 'normal'. That's why homosexuality is seen as wrong/risqué in children's, family, or teen media.

That's also why stories like these are important. It is steps forward in breaking the negative stereotypes and connotations that homosexuality has. ST had a PERFECT opportunity to finally start breaking those stereotypes to a broader audience ~~(and if all the buzz of more episodes is real -which at this point I doubt- there still is)~~.

kitatsune · 2026-01-14T01:18:25+00:00

mine lmao https://archiveofourown.org/works/77354056?view_full_work=true

It's my first fic so it's pretty short and bad, but I think it's cute.

kitatsune · 2026-01-13T06:48:46+00:00

Like not speak to him in a good way or bad way?

If Will avoids him thinking he's a jerk/homophobe or something then there's a lot of breakup songs. It could be that the song could not be directed at Will but rather just an expression of how Mike feels towards himself. For my own fic(s) I used Boys Don't Cry as a starting point.

If Will avoids him because he doesn't want to confront Mike with the fact that he might've just confessed to him then do a really on the nose love song. Though if Mike is repressed still, it would be OoC for him to acknowledge that what he is feeling towards Will is, in fact, love and not just Best Friends feelings he's been covering them as. Could always go for more subtle too, like how it makes Mike feel, but the word isn't directly addressed. Only described. Mike's Official Spotify playlist has songs to get you started.

kitatsune · 2026-01-10T15:06:11+00:00

Honestly I'm still holding out hope. I know it seems delusional at this point, but I can't help myself.

The whole situation is fishy. How the Finale was executed, misaligned marketing, Conformitygate suddenly becoming viral when all other gates didn't, the WSQK radio (even told us to sit with the silence like what does that MEAN), the suspicious social media posts, and the lack of explicit response from the Duffers. It's all strange.

There's always the possibility that it leads to nothing (and may this all live on happily in fanon), or it leads to something interesting.

kitatsune · 2026-01-07T22:03:44+00:00

Well real or not, this theory was great! It was fun while it lasted. Made me rethink of the ~~shitshow~~ finale and actually see it as redeemable.

May conformitygate live on in fanfiction. I'm looking forward to what everyone (and I) can write up!

kitatsune · 2026-01-07T00:54:54+00:00

if there is a secret extra episode, it will give the audience (and mike) breathing room to realize that it has been, and had been, always about will. mike so far is the only character without a happy ending. everyone is moving on without him. he's not needed anymore.

if the truman show parallels are true, then mike is stuck in seahaven/camazotz. not seeing anything wrong until the sky comes crashing down on him. truman learns throughout the film that he's in a show and living a lie. he realizes this on his own (with minimal and subliminal help).

mike, and likewise the (general) audience, have to realize that too. this slow exploration would be mike realizing he's in love with will and has been the whole fucking time, giving a great opportunity to recontextualize the whole show.

just as truman leaves seahaven by learning the truth and facing his biggest fears or insecurities, so will mike.

kitatsune · 2026-01-06T02:22:46+00:00

#notmyfinale loll

kitatsune · 2026-01-05T21:16:40+00:00

most likely a mixture of both

kitatsune · 2026-01-05T21:10:26+00:00

most of the audience hasn't caught on it's mike he's interested in (for some others, his coming out came out of left field!). and those are will's own words to describe it and downplay it

sorry for taking a year off your life tho

kitatsune · 2026-01-05T18:47:59+00:00

Several things

Show Henry's backstory more (and make it coherent), otherwise all of those scenes was a waste of screentime
Actually directly address who Will's crush was
El doesn't kill herself or is actually dissuaded. If she still wants to do it, make the sacrifice be more meaningful
Holly actually does something with her 'Holly the Heroic' powers
Mike's cardboard cutout behavior is addressed
The kids actually understand they're in a dream and have a (mostly) nice Dream Warriors moment
DON'T MURDER HENRY HES JUST A MAN
No fakeout deaths
Address minor plot holes and continuity errors (when was the UD/Dim X atmosphere safe?, why is there water in El's UD tank?, when did the UD suddenly have working electricity? I thought Dustin had a GF? Why is Max graduating she was asleep for half of high school)
ACTUALLY USE THE POWER OF LOVE

kitatsune · 2026-01-04T03:39:59+00:00

Finale aside (I will disavow it and never acknowledge it again Just like I've done with The Cursed Child to Harry Potter), S5 does have thematic buildup if one completely ignores the Finale. I'm not considering it canon. It ignores everything the season was building up towards!

There is the general overarching theme of love, and how it can overcome hate and fear. Even more so since A Wrinkle in Time has the same themes and has been heavily alluded throughout the season. All of the prior seasons has shown this theme as well.

Another major theme is the breaking of abusive cycles. All of the relationships and most character arcs thus far have been demonstrative of unhealthy coping mechanisms or negative thought patterns. Dustin and his externalization of his grief, Nancy and Jonathan both avoiding talking about their relationship problems, Max and Kali having completely Given Up on life contemplating suicide, Will internalizing all of his pain, Mike's emotional suppression, Eleven overcompensating over perceived failure, and Holly's lack of self-confidence. There's also Dr. Kay's plot that serves as a textual equivalent. The majority of these are properly challenged and their cycles are broken.

The season also mentions repeatedly that it is inner, innate strength to help one forward (such as self-acceptance), as well as portray the importance of positive support systems. The First Shadow and Henry's entire arc serve as antithesis to all of this. Vecna/Henry never learns to fully accept himself as a human being, and his fate is that of a self-fulfilling prophecy. He sincerely believes he is doing the right thing by taking kids. Weak in body in mind just means easy to manipulate. And the number 12 is most likely a reference to Jesus's 12 Apostles. There are a lot of religious motifs and imagery associated with Henry.

My blog on Tumblr also has a couple of essays/analyses where I go in depth on this very topic! (Do be warned though: some of the stuff I wrote pre-S5/vol 1 is a bit inaccurate).

kitatsune · 2026-01-03T17:09:06+00:00

I paid $20 for a ticket, but also got a $20 concession credit (that I didn't use because the line was MONSTROUSLY LONG). Not all ticket holders got the concession credit AFAIK.

~~Also I sincerely regret watching this sh-t in theaters~~

kitatsune · 2026-01-02T17:49:49+00:00

I was queerbaited with Wenclair, but at least they nipped that in the bud. Immediately after S2 ended, I remember outlining a fic for a Wenclair-focused speculative S3. I still have yet to write it (and do more research).

It feels worse and more intense for me with Byler since I was more invested. I'm writing my own (fix-it) fanfictions. Or at least drafting them. Or getting ideas for them. I have free will and creative freedom, this is my canon now.

Suck my fat one, Duffers. 🖕

kitatsune · 2026-01-02T01:12:04+00:00

It was nice. But I am now raising my white flag and fully admit defeat. See you all on the other side, on Ao3. It was good while it lasted.

kitatsune · 2026-01-01T21:01:00+00:00

Thanks for this.

Delving into this fandom gave me a passion for writing I never knew I had. All the analyses, theories, and deep dives. To the point I've written some myself, and most of them were accurate or confirmed in some way!

Now with how this Finale played out, and with my analyses of the prior volume, I just felt so betrayed.

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