hi friends!! I’m ev (and I’m comfy with you calling me that 🤗)
🌹 mid-20s • she/her • australian • latina • bi
🌹 I draw and my art blog is @solisevart (I’m trying to be consistent I promise *sweats*) insta
🌹 I love a bit of everything pop culture but my main fandoms are stranger things, mcu, star wars and scooby doo (you heard me). though rn it’s 99% ST and staying strong
🌹 my byler brainrot specialties: exploring the byler family in-laws (mike & jon/joyce/hopper, will & nancy/holly/karen etc), medieval royalty/fantasy au, adult byler & the Party, domestic/slice of life content
🌹 I love creating art, I’m a film lover and I am definitely the duality of deeply enjoying the horror genre and its aesthetics but if you wave soft cosy pretty things in front of me I chase after those too lmao
🌹 I love making friends, talking to people, and gushing about my ships so my inbox and DMs are always open I don’t bite!! unless—
what started as me noticing some parallels between byler and fraphne (bc I adore them both) has turned into this whole thing - throwing lucas and dustin into the mix and smiling when I see them in velma and shaggy's antics. and now it has officially turned into me making art, into headcanons, into finding it so so fun to make the party work as the gang!!
..which is what this post is all about! I've been dying to put this together with some similarities I love. (to every friend I've dumped any of this on for the past couple years, you know who you all are, please know I love you infinitely and your excitement fuelled me sm)
keeping in mind that SD has many, many iterations, I will be sticking with the parts of the characters that I know stay consistent across them, or happen to apply to byler/the party
and if you read anything and think “hm that’s a reach” - it’s not, there are no theories being made here it’s just me having fun with similarities between two of my favourite quartets!!
OKAY let's begin:
Mike Wheeler & Fred Jones
Our designated leaders of the gang
They are the Plans Guy: they are quick to come up with a relevant way of approaching a situation they're faced with, or working off of others
Impulsive, but calculated. Which leads me to my next point..
They love finding a melee weapon:
Other characters may make use of things around them as they do, but Fred and Mike are the ones that charge forward and just go for it, especially to get an antagonist to back off their friends and go for them instead. They do the split second math and pick up the spontaneous weapon every time danger is about to make a move. They are good at making use of the limited things around them
But they also don't always win the fight..
It doesn't mean they back down the next time though.
The knightly imagery with Fred is crazy considering it's Mike who pairs up with him in this AU, it really is so natural.
Huge nerds with fixations on and rambles about their hobbies, no further elaborating needed LMAO
This one is self explanatory, and I DID start it before season 5 and I'm not throwing it away just because of canon idc.. in my world it still works!!
And I thought this similarity was cute too
𐂯
Will Byers & Daphne Blake
Something I find so fucking cool and fresh about Will's entire character is how within his narrative he falls under tropes famously associated with female (mostly horror) characters/icons, and Daphne is another - more light hearted - example!
With all that in mind I may as well start with the obvious for the decision. "Danger-prone Daphne" is what she's been commonly known as for decades. Not so much clumsiness, but being in peril is just what can come for her character, much like Will is tied to the supernatural narrative.
However neither of them want the danger that follows them to define them, and they don't! It may continue happening to them, as is their fate, but it's not all they are and not what their loved ones think of them. I LOVE that Will is a damsel as a male character, it's not a bad thing to correct at all. And thanks to Daphne and other fictional characters, we know being considered a damsel doesn't make Will helpless 🙂↕️☝🏽
In multiple iterations, Daphne is written to fight back or stand up to threats more often, and I think that fits nicely with Will having his cathartic moments throughout ST5 of standing up for himself and succeeding!
(I had to add that one ^ it made me giggle)
There are times where the gang/party realise they can't prevent Will or Daphne from danger, but work to get them back, every time.
Next, another favourite... Will's painting and Daphne's song. I scream every time I think about it. Both of them poured their hearts into a piece of art for their love they don't feel they can express it to.
Daphne of course does, and the lyrics really do speak Will's mind. I was really hoping this comparison would come to fruition when I first started making this post, but the duffers are fucking cowards, so.
Both Daphne and Will are the most gentle and empathetic in the group, giving people a chance and taking other's feelings into account more often
Using full names on their partners 😭
𐂯
Now the next two.. I knowww this is probably an unpopular opinion to some, but you've gotta hear me out on this bc I've seen a whole lot of Scooby Doo in my life. It's not just about Dustin being smart, I think that's a weak association I'm sorry 🥹 I WILL SAY THOUGH this genuinely was hard for a bit because Lucas and Dustin DO fit both Velma and Shaggy in different ways, it can be either way honestly! - but ultimately Dustin and Dart are too perfect to not go with, and Lucas really does fit Velma HAHA
Walk with me..
Lucas Sinclair x Velma Dinkley
Huge dorks!! More than people realise until they really pay attention to them
Always out here insulting their threats lmfao
Both Lucas and Velma have had arcs where they stick to their opinion of a situation, or their beliefs, may even come across as a little close minded, but along the way they experience more that gets them to expand their view point.
For Velma, this was purely believing in science and not entertaining the idea of magic until she was forced to interact with it/actual supernatural antagonists. For Lucas, it was his initial lack of belief that Will could still be alive/trusting El in ST1. While understandable for his situation, they ultimately lacked some facts. Both are able to put pride aside and admit their minds were opened.
Velma often - to me - is mischaracterised as stone cold. I don’t see her that way at all, I think she values her friendships and doesn’t have much tolerance for silly people. Why would she? She has her way of moving about in the world where her logic ties with her staying true to what she believes. When they're with their friends, they have fun and banter heaps!
Staying true to what she believes is a part I see in Lucas too, he made the decision to join the basketball team and didn’t let his friends deter him; even when they asked him to reconsider, he did what felt best for himself at the time. The same as when he went off on his own to find Will, and, even in a childish situation - how he knew what he felt for Max and got her back those 5 times.
Both of them have an arc where trying to force being someone they may not be, to try and reach a particular goal/desire, and ultimately come back to who they are.
Lucas' arc is obviously very different, complex and important, but I have it here because the crux of it, with both he and Velma initially going against the core of themselves, is there!
Velma's arc wasn't very typical of her character either, "insecure nerd" wasn't what Velma was always about, and still isn't, but it works for a connection between the two of them here.
Even with their more serious, often realist approach to everything, they love their friends and always look out for them. They show up for their friends every time
𐂯
Dustin Henderson x Shaggy Rogers
I'm starting with my favourite one lmao: calling out the bad feelings and whether what they're doing is the right thing
Their association with food was another thing that jumped out, though as ST steps away from being so on the nose with 80s character archetypes like in season 1, Dustin gets much better character development than only that! Also Lucas snacks often on the show too lmao, which was one of the points I was like hmmm they're kinda a mix of these characters 😂
Another big writing similarity is having Dustin and Shaggy (and Scooby) going off on separate missions to the rest of the gang for an arc! For Shaggy it happens in almost every adaptation, and for Dustin it’s happened enough that we all want him back and interacting with the party every season
When they do come back to the others, they've been sorely missed
They also feel it pretty hard when their friendship groups have problems, valuing what they have as unconditional
They often have out of the box (and in Shaggy's case, sometimes accidental) ideas and solutions to problems that arise, bad guys or otherwise!
The scene where Dustin meets D’art is so similar to one of the iterations of how Shaggy and Scooby met in Scoob! (2020). Food was both a peace offering and a method of bonding. Both Dustin and Shaggy were incredibly gentle and only wanted to show D’art and Scooby that they meant no harm and even thought they were cool! Wow new friend! And all that :’)
Another similarity between Dustin and Shaggy is that they always exist as exactly who they are, and the most true to themselves even as everything happens around them, and to them
𐂯
+ A bonus!
D'art is the Scooby-Doo of my AU, as has been mentioned a few times in here! His name is "Demo-Doo" and I love him and how he fits in with the party hehe
Annnd I think I'll leave it here for now! I plan to explore some of these in posts/edits, and even more in art over time so feel free to follow @solisevart if you're interested, here's art of their introductions!!
I hope you guys see the vision pls yell with me any time if you dooo!! or tag me in anything! this AU is my heart fr 💙💜🧡💚🤎
a loooong, long time coming and I'm so happy to be sharing these ideas that I've wanted to for ages! thank you to every friend who listened to me yap about this over time, you can now officially meet the party as the gang 🙊
(and before anyone says anything about who is who pls refer to this post where I've thought long and hard about this thank you 🥰🥰)
I like to think: mike comes up with the ideal plans, will makes the most out of what's around them, lucas figures out the bad guy's patterns which gives them an advantage, and dustin thinks of elements and solutions the others might miss!
I've got so many thoughts that I'd like to explore in other posts/art but until then uhhh I'm always here to yell about this au if anyone wants to 🙈
what started as me noticing some parallels between byler and fraphne (bc I adore them both) has turned into this whole thing - throwing lucas and dustin into the mix and smiling when I see them in velma and shaggy's antics. and now it has officially turned into me making art, into headcanons, into finding it so so fun to make the party work as the gang!!
..which is what this post is all about! I've been dying to put this together with some similarities I love. (to every friend I've dumped any of this on for the past couple years, you know who you all are, please know I love you infinitely and your excitement fuelled me sm)
keeping in mind that SD has many, many iterations, I will be sticking with the parts of the characters that I know stay consistent across them, or happen to apply to byler/the party
and if you read anything and think “hm that’s a reach” - it’s not, there are no theories being made here it’s just me having fun with similarities between two of my favourite quartets!!
OKAY let's begin:
Mike Wheeler & Fred Jones
Our designated leaders of the gang
They are the Plans Guy: they are quick to come up with a relevant way of approaching a situation they're faced with, or working off of others
Impulsive, but calculated. Which leads me to my next point..
They love finding a melee weapon:
Other characters may make use of things around them as they do, but Fred and Mike are the ones that charge forward and just go for it, especially to get an antagonist to back off their friends and go for them instead. They do the split second math and pick up the spontaneous weapon every time danger is about to make a move. They are good at making use of the limited things around them
But they also don't always win the fight..
It doesn't mean they back down the next time though.
The knightly imagery with Fred is crazy considering it's Mike who pairs up with him in this AU, it really is so natural.
Huge nerds with fixations on and rambles about their hobbies, no further elaborating needed LMAO
This one is self explanatory, and I DID start it before season 5 and I'm not throwing it away just because of canon idc.. in my world it still works!!
And I thought this similarity was cute too
𐂯
Will Byers & Daphne Blake
Something I find so fucking cool and fresh about Will's entire character is how within his narrative he falls under tropes famously associated with female (mostly horror) characters/icons, and Daphne is another - more light hearted - example!
With all that in mind I may as well start with the obvious for the decision. "Danger-prone Daphne" is what she's been commonly known as for decades. Not so much clumsiness, but being in peril is just what can come for her character, much like Will is tied to the supernatural narrative.
However neither of them want the danger that follows them to define them, and they don't! It may continue happening to them, as is their fate, but it's not all they are and not what their loved ones think of them. I LOVE that Will is a damsel as a male character, it's not a bad thing to correct at all. And thanks to Daphne and other fictional characters, we know being considered a damsel doesn't make Will helpless 🙂↕️☝🏽
In multiple iterations, Daphne is written to fight back or stand up to threats more often, and I think that fits nicely with Will having his cathartic moments throughout ST5 of standing up for himself and succeeding!
(I had to add that one ^ it made me giggle)
There are times where the gang/party realise they can't prevent Will or Daphne from danger, but work to get them back, every time.
Next, another favourite... Will's painting and Daphne's song. I scream every time I think about it. Both of them poured their hearts into a piece of art for their love they don't feel they can express it to.
Daphne of course does, and the lyrics really do speak Will's mind. I was really hoping this comparison would come to fruition when I first started making this post, but the duffers are fucking cowards, so.
Both Daphne and Will are the most gentle and empathetic in the group, giving people a chance and taking other's feelings into account more often
Using full names on their partners 😭
𐂯
Now the next two.. I knowww this is probably an unpopular opinion to some, but you've gotta hear me out on this bc I've seen a whole lot of Scooby Doo in my life. It's not just about Dustin being smart, I think that's a weak association I'm sorry 🥹 I WILL SAY THOUGH this genuinely was hard for a bit because Lucas and Dustin DO fit both Velma and Shaggy in different ways, it can be either way honestly! - but ultimately Dustin and Dart are too perfect to not go with, and Lucas really does fit Velma HAHA
Walk with me..
Lucas Sinclair x Velma Dinkley
Huge dorks!! More than people realise until they really pay attention to them
Always out here insulting their threats lmfao
Both Lucas and Velma have had arcs where they stick to their opinion of a situation, or their beliefs, may even come across as a little close minded, but along the way they experience more that gets them to expand their view point.
For Velma, this was purely believing in science and not entertaining the idea of magic until she was forced to interact with it/actual supernatural antagonists. For Lucas, it was his initial lack of belief that Will could still be alive/trusting El in ST1. While understandable for his situation, they ultimately lacked some facts. Both are able to put pride aside and admit their minds were opened.
Velma often - to me - is mischaracterised as stone cold. I don’t see her that way at all, I think she values her friendships and doesn’t have much tolerance for silly people. Why would she? She has her way of moving about in the world where her logic ties with her staying true to what she believes. When they're with their friends, they have fun and banter heaps!
Staying true to what she believes is a part I see in Lucas too, he made the decision to join the basketball team and didn’t let his friends deter him; even when they asked him to reconsider, he did what felt best for himself at the time. The same as when he went off on his own to find Will, and, even in a childish situation - how he knew what he felt for Max and got her back those 5 times.
Both of them have an arc where trying to force being someone they may not be, to try and reach a particular goal/desire, and ultimately come back to who they are.
Lucas' arc is obviously very different, complex and important, but I have it here because the crux of it, with both he and Velma initially going against the core of themselves, is there!
Velma's arc wasn't very typical of her character either, "insecure nerd" wasn't what Velma was always about, and still isn't, but it works for a connection between the two of them here.
Even with their more serious, often realist approach to everything, they love their friends and always look out for them. They show up for their friends every time
𐂯
Dustin Henderson x Shaggy Rogers
I'm starting with my favourite one lmao: calling out the bad feelings and whether what they're doing is the right thing
Their association with food was another thing that jumped out, though as ST steps away from being so on the nose with 80s character archetypes like in season 1, Dustin gets much better character development than only that! Also Lucas snacks often on the show too lmao, which was one of the points I was like hmmm they're kinda a mix of these characters 😂
Another big writing similarity is having Dustin and Shaggy (and Scooby) going off on separate missions to the rest of the gang for an arc! For Shaggy it happens in almost every adaptation, and for Dustin it’s happened enough that we all want him back and interacting with the party every season
When they do come back to the others, they've been sorely missed
They also feel it pretty hard when their friendship groups have problems, valuing what they have as unconditional
They often have out of the box (and in Shaggy's case, sometimes accidental) ideas and solutions to problems that arise, bad guys or otherwise!
The scene where Dustin meets D’art is so similar to one of the iterations of how Shaggy and Scooby met in Scoob! (2020). Food was both a peace offering and a method of bonding. Both Dustin and Shaggy were incredibly gentle and only wanted to show D’art and Scooby that they meant no harm and even thought they were cool! Wow new friend! And all that :’)
Another similarity between Dustin and Shaggy is that they always exist as exactly who they are, and the most true to themselves even as everything happens around them, and to them
𐂯
+ A bonus!
D'art is the Scooby-Doo of my AU, as has been mentioned a few times in here! His name is "Demo-Doo" and I love him and how he fits in with the party hehe
Annnd I think I'll leave it here for now! I plan to explore some of these in posts/edits, and even more in art over time so feel free to follow @solisevart if you're interested, here's art of their introductions!!
I hope you guys see the vision pls yell with me any time if you dooo!! or tag me in anything! this AU is my heart fr 💙💜🧡💚🤎
I've been dyinggg to finally draw this one! in this au I kind of headcanon that it's a recurring nightmare of his? this program involves moves that feel like running & making himself smaller 🥺
I went for the lightning storm as the details, and the lower half of the torso is meant to be that thin material where the skin shows through!
will has his plushies and mike has his little miniatures ❤️❤️❤️ i love them so much
LOVEEEE THEM oh my god. They are so perfectly nerdy and it's clear to see that their home together will be so free of judgment, so encouraging of one another. they really, truly deserve that peace together.
Will and his plushies that make it from Hawkins, to college, and to Byler's own home. new ones that Mike wins for him at fairs because he knows it makes Will happy. Will, who pushed through the self-judgement at keeping plush toys as an adult, not perceiving it as a feminine thing, because that's just what society is trying to drill in - but why the fuck should Will care about society? 🙂↕️ (and irl we no longer judge ourselves and consider plushies for children, so neither should Will!)
Mike and his miniatures that go from living in a drawstring bag to dedicated shelves and glass displays in his home office, their living room. miniatures that Will loves to walk past Mike painting at their kitchen table, no telling him he's done enough for the night, instead he presses a kiss to the back of Mike's hair and asks how it's coming along. The one artistic hobby that Mike comes to rival Will on, after years of doing so.
meet antonio (tony) lopez, my vision for a post canon boyfriend! i crafted will and tony to be a matching set.
will’s story is about vulnerability, letting someone new see you and love you for all your deepest thoughts, including things that may be heavy or hard to hear. tony’s story is about authenticity, being inspired to be strong for someone else and for yourself and commit to your dreams for the future. they both learn that there really is someone for them in this world, and that love can be deep and comforting but also exciting and challenging.
if you’re interested in reading more in detail and checking out their full relationship timeline, check this doc out! i plan on posting more art / info about them in the future :)
When Sir Michael the Brave, Paladin Knight tumbles out of the ceiling and into Will Byers’ life, Will and his friends try to figure out where he came from, how he got there…and why he seems so religiously devoted to Will.
Or, my take on bravebyers.
Thank you @howtobecomeadragon for the beautiful moodboard and to @grandmags @escapefromcamazotz and @camel-casing for the beta reading, idea-bouncing, moral support, and editing help. Excerpt below.
“I followed thy magic,” whispered the creature wearing Mike’s face.
Will nodded. “Okay.” The wheels turned in his head, no real destination in sight. “But where– what’s on the other side of the gate?”
“Our home,” the boy said simply. “Hawk’s End.”
Will giggled in spite of himself. Perhaps it was the nerves, or perhaps it was the pure ridiculousness of the situation. “Hawk’s End?” he repeated. “Which end?”
Creature-Mike nodded again. “Our small village in the realm of Roane,” he elaborated, a smile beginning to form before stopping abruptly. “Dost thou remember naught?”
Will shook his head, mouth open to form words he couldn’t conjure. “I...” He put his head in his hands.
“Honey,” the knight said, and rose at once to gather Will in his arms.
The embrace was warm and tight and familiar. Will leaned into the touch, and was rewarded with even tighter arms. No creature or demon could imbue a hug with as much love as this one had. A Mike could, though.
& people who asked to be tagged: @hideaway311812 @giimgrim @tireddreamergirl @baglorbin
