aurorabyler

hi, i’m elle! i’m an 03 (she/her) and am a long time stranger things fan (circa july 2016) so i’m here to share my love for it and all it’s incredible details right here! hope you enjoy :)

[aurorabyler]

Masterpost: Stranger Things Theories (Mainly Byler)

Hi everyone!! I've been missing making theories and the energy of summer 2022 (and just any stranger things release era for that matter), so I thought I'd compile my theories and important posts into one big master post! Enjoy, and feel free to share :) I can't wait to make more theories and analyses once we get more content.

Will's First Lie and First I Love You: Musical Symbolism Analysis

This one is a personal favourite of mine--I really recommend you check it out. The Stranger Things soundtrack is more than just pretty synthwave songs...it is integral to the story and the repetition and remixing of certain soundtracks really shows the amount of love and care that has gone into the show. This post describes the connection between the songs "The First Lie," "The First I love You," and "Being Different."

Flashbacks in Stranger Things: When, Why, and How They Are Used (Long Analysis)

This analysis applies a lot of key writing skills to a byler-focused analysis, with an emphasis on the varying use of flashback as a literary device across the show. From my analysis, you'll see that the way flashbacks have been used across Stranger Things, and particularly season 4, tell an interesting story about the more "real" relationships in the show.

Destruction: Byler's Repeating Musical Motif (With Video!)

I feel like this post is kind of underrated, but it's such an important musical symbolism moment, much like "The First Lie..Love You...Being Different" connection! It's yet another repeating musical motif that actually spans THREE seasons of the show and started in season one. Give it a read (and a watch!)

Comparing David Harbour and Noah Schnapp's Interviews About ST5

There are quite a few striking similarities between the way Noah and David have spoken about the end of Stranger Things. Check them out here!

Interpreting the Surfer Boy Pizza Scene: Leading Up to Breakup

This analysis looks at the scene between Mike and El at surfer boy pizza and argues that if it was leading up to an "I love you" or them getting back together, there needed to be more emotional buildup to that during El's time at the Nina project or Mike's on the road.

Will Byers Has the Power Vecna Needs to Deal with What He Hates Most: Time Itself

Ooooh, I love this one too! This theory looks at the pretty much inevitable relationship between Will and Vecna, and how time could play a key role in that.

Parallels Between El and Will Feeling Different

A short one, but this is a key parallel between how El and Will both feel different, and how Mike responds to that.

Significance of "A Book of Letters"

Why it's important that Will specifically mentions El having "a book of letters" from Mike.

Willel: I'd Get Him to Swap Our Places

My thoughts on willel and the potential significance of "Running Up That Hill" to their connection

"You're The Heart" and "Her Heart Stopped"

A little analysis of the connection between Mike's failed monologue and Max's heart stopping.

Brenner and Mike: Superhero Discussion Parallels

I feel like this topic is underrated in the fandom generally, but it deserves more attention as it's probably one of the most outright parallels that we have...lol...it's literally spoonfed to us. Give it a read :)

My Fan Expo Audio of Finn Talking About Mike's Pocket

Just a fun little addition! Fan Expo was such a fun experience :)

Thoughts on Response to Finn's Acting From GA and Implications for Byler

"Finn is expressionless during Melvin scenes!" yeah...maybe because that's the point? LOL

Me Roasting Mike's Arc if Taken At Face Value

Just....LOL. It's just funny.

Endgame Ships Not Needing to Say "I Love You"

What do the seemingly endgame ships have in common? They show, not tell their love for each other.

I hope you enjoy reading my posts! <3

[aurorabyler]

heard daniel radcliffe say stranger things s5 “stuck the landing”

[aurorabyler]

stranger things 5 shitty writing pissed me off so bad that it motivated me to write my masters thesis

[onceuponlia]

Stranger Things Ending Betrays Its Own Values — and Its Fans

I’ve been thinking a lot about why watching V2 and the finale was so emotionally difficult for many of us. While the handling of Will, Mike, and El is a major part of it, the issue runs much deeper than any single storyline.

From the very beginning, Stranger Things has presented itself as a show that “shelters freaks and outcasts.” For years, it genuinely seemed committed to that mission and to the core values it claimed to uphold.

The final season, however, erased those values almost entirely. Instead of subverting tired, harmful tropes, as the show once promised, it doubled down on them. The ending stands in direct opposition to the principles the story was originally built on.

Despite claiming they didn’t want to cater to audiences, the creators ultimately did just that — only not for the fans who had spent years analyzing the narrative and engaging deeply with its themes. Instead, they catered to the general audience. Steve almost falling from the tower, his dynamic with Dustin, crude jokes, an overload of action scenes, and preserving “the main couple” despite their relationship having been intentionally non-romantic since the start of S4 — these are just a few examples.

Even setting aside the plot holes, contrivances, and unanswered questions, the season felt shallow for a show that once insisted every detail mattered. What we thought was a thoughtful, niche sci-fi horror story for nerds and outcasts was reduced to a cheap blockbuster imitation, stripped of its depth and meaning.

What’s even more troubling are the “lessons” the creators chose to convey through the story:

1. If you’re a victim of abuse, exploitation, and lifelong trauma, the best solution is to sacrifice yourself so others can find peace.

2. If you’re queer, the most you can hope for is self-love and acceptance. Don’t expect real queer love (certainly not on screen). Go somewhere far away and find “happiness” out of sight.

3. If you’ve treated the people around you poorly for years, one apology is enough. Emotional growth and self-work are optional; bottling everything up is apparently fine.

These messages were delivered through some of the show’s most prominent characters — characters whose arcs required genuine growth, payoff, and subversion of expectations. Instead, they were denied the very things the writers repeatedly told us they wanted most.

These are deeply harmful messages, especially given the show’s massive influence and the current state of the world. The creators chose shock value over care, regression over growth, and — ironically — conformity over integrity.

It’s also worth noting that the writers chose to introduce love triangles that did nothing for the overall plot but succeeded in dividing the fandom and fueling ship wars. That conflict wasn’t necessary for the story at all — it feels like it was added purely for spectacle. And that choice is exactly why they later claimed the ending wouldn’t satisfy everyone: they ensured it wouldn’t, and in doing so, managed to disappoint almost the entire fandom.

On top of that, the Duffer Brothers openly disrespected their most invested fans by dismissing them as “noise,” making promises they didn’t keep, and attempting to gaslight the most vulnerable portion of their audience — the ones who trusted them and believed in the arcs they themselves established.

The final season, particularly the last episode, turned our understanding of Stranger Things completely upside down. We believed in this show because we never expected its creators to become the villains of their own story. Our analyses and theories weren’t delusional — they were narratively sound, built from the groundwork the writers had laid themselves. We expected them to stay true to their story instead of retconning it. We expected the season to live up to its own hype. Most of all, we expected basic integrity.

Instead, they betrayed their values — and with them, our trust. They broke our hearts and turned a once-beloved story into something many of us can no longer even watch.

It’s devastating, especially because they had every opportunity to create something bold, meaningful, and genuinely revolutionary. They wasted that potential entirely.

No matter how compelling the plot once was, what they ultimately did to these characters and how they treated their fans makes it incredibly difficult to engage with this story anymore.

I truly hoped to part with Stranger Things on a good note. Maybe one day I’ll be able to look back and appreciate what it once was. But for now, it’s been fundamentally altered for me.

[aurorabyler]

god created and sent heated rivalry into the universe as an apology for stranger things

[a-che-delat-to]

With this piece i bid the show farewell.

Thank you, stranger things, for the good and the bad you provided. We as future creators will learn from both.

Them in fantasy x dnd au with Skyrim soundtrack again bc im a sucker for that like you don’t know

[miwiheroes]

when i unmuted the audio and heard the best piece of video game soundtrack ever made i was gagged this is so peak

[aurorabyler]

byler with skyrim. byler with my most beloved soundtrack of all time. my god. i didn't know i needed this but i love it so so so much

[musicalcompanions]

It’s the end of 2016: a popular piece of queer media about a skating sport is released changing fandom landscape.

It’s the beginning of 2017: A beloved show with a very popular non canon queer ship has just aired its final season. The finale is so bad fans think there’s a secret episode.

It’s the end of 2025: a popular piece of queer media about a skating sport is released changing fandom landscape.

It’s the beginning of 2026: A beloved show with a very popular non canon queer ship has just aired final season. The finale is so bad fans think there’s a secret episode.

[hideaway311812]

This is something Jacob Tierney said in regards to the M/M romance Heated Rivalry.

I just couldn't help but think of Duffers in this context. This is what they lacked. The kindness, the empathy. Will deserved kindness. He deserved to be treated with respect as a queer character rather than just a checkbox in the name of diversity and a way to extend a heterosexual relationship.

[aurorabyler]

heated rivalry literally cured my stranger things and byler hyperfixation GOD IS REAL!!! HAVENT HAD A NEW HYPERFIXATION IN YEARS I’M CURED I’M CURED!!!!

[nightnut]

I’m not sure whether it’s funny or sad, but I’ll leave it here 🥲

[distantffuture]

You really know you’re a bad writer if the only thing that makes the ending of your show make sense is a fan theory that the finale episode was a hallucination created by the show’s villain and that there’s a secret extra episode where the real ending happens

[lucystark12]

the whole world thinking it was a fakeout ending is such a fuck you to the duffers like i'm sorry but if i wrote an ending so bad that people thought there was a secret other episode coming you'd never hear from me again

[sugarcubetikki]

I am still confused on how we went from queerness being linked to the freedom of childhood and how embracing that lead to the main character tapping into their powers and that being depicted as the iconic midpoint twist of your season to a finale that sidelines/erases queer characters, adds in jokes against queer shippers, features abuse/trauma victims killing themselves, etc.

What happened? How did they go from centring queerness to erasing it in four episodes?

[lover-never-dies]

Hawkins should've turned more cold, seasons ceasing to change, only ice and snow blanketing the town. Vines should've grown from where the 4 gates opened, aid camps should've been set up, army should've shut down places. Conspiracy theories should've been shown, power outranges should've taken place, demogorgons should've roamed the streets of Hawkins.

The lost wasted potential makes me cry.

[aurorabyler]

hopper should have stayed dead. nothing feels earned.

genuine question. now that we know the ending of stranger things, what purpose does hopper coming back to life after his fakeout death in season 3 actually serve for the story?

if the duffers were going to take the route of el’s story being about found family and learning how to keep going after extreme trauma and abuse, then hopper being alive does make sense. hopper and el’s relationship would have been central to that message. yes, el has joyce, but hopper occupied a completely different emotional position in her life: father, protector, etc. his survival could have meant something.

added to that is the fact that season 4 does not explore el's relationship with joyce at all - they literally hug at the end when they reunite in hawkins and that's it. joyce supposedly occupies a 'mother' figure in el's life but we never see that relationship on screen. heck, joyce being a mother figure to el was a stronger theme in SEASON ONE when joyce had literally only just met her. now el literally becomes their supposed adoptive daughter but we just see nothing of that relationship. in season 5 there is that one brief scene at the beginning during el's training sequence but again, the purpose of that scene is not establishing relationships but really just moving the plot forward.

but now that el is gone, any purpose that found family arc had kind of disappears with her.

they spend seasons rehashing hopper’s trauma about sarah over and over again,and then at the very end his conclusion is basically just telling mike “yeah, you just have to move on from these things.” that’s it. that’s the payoff. so what was the fucking point of all of it?

like genuinely, what role does hopper serve in the story now that el is gone?

you could argue that it’s so joyce can get her happy ending, or so hopper can have a new found family with will and jonathan. but even if that’s the intention, the writing completely fails to support it. hopper has literally zero relationship with will and jonathan by the end of the show. we do not see them meaningfully interact at all until the epilogue and that little graduation sequence. it’s a cute montage, sure, but it completely glosses over the fact that these characters have no established relationship.

while watching season 5 with my parents, they literally asked me who jonathan was and whose kid he was. they forgot he was joyce’s son. that’s how badly joyce and jonathan’s relationship is handled -they basically don’t have one on screen anymore.

and joyce’s character writing this season is especially bad, but honestly this problem starts way earlier, like season 3. joyce gets flattened into a function of the plot instead of a person, and hopper gets flattened into a trauma machine who never meaningfully evolves. so nothing about the way their story ends feels earned. it feels like the show insisting something is emotional without actually doing the work.

if they wanted to preserve literally any sense of stakes, hopper should have stayed dead after season 3. that would have actually meant something. it would have removed the fuckass russia plot. it would have told the audience that actions have consequences and that no one is protected by plot armour forever. it would have made the danger feel real.

instead we got a corny fakeout death that had zero lasting impact on the story. and now that eleven is gone, there is genuinely no narrative reason hopper needed to come back at all.

nothing in this season feels earned whatsoever.

[thecharliechip]

Dan and Phil reposted this on their joint TikTok account holy shit

[basilosu]

college byler