Rockin’byers

[ronanlysnch]

let's start a new party together. you and me.

[thebrokengate]

Season 5, Episode 8: The Rightside Up / Season 4, Episode 6: The Dive

[krrmnvv]

just a quick reminder: mike still canonically DOESN'T KNOW that he was the "crush" will was talking about. if he did, the duffers wouldn't have dodged that question—and the interviewer asked them twice. they never confirmed mike knew. the articles misinterpreted their answers.

[rockinbyers]

[rockinbyers]

It’s sad that Mike was ultimately reduced to a hollow audience surrogate character with literally no personal arc. He was just there to emote the emotions that Duffers wanted their audience to feel with the finale; grieve the end of the story and hold onto the nostalgia of it

[rockinbyers]

Ambiguous epilogue Byler is actually so buzzy once you realise that it’s literally S3 byler but reversed, where Mike is the one hung up on the memories of the past, while Will has moved ahead

[ab0g1arka]

okay but FIRST. let’s set the scene.

welcome to biased journalism in 2025, a thriving ecosystem where headlines are written by engagement metrics, nuance is considered a fire hazard, and “some guy answering a question normally” is framed like an attack on an entire demographic.

this isn’t your 2009-era bias where a newspaper quietly leaned left or right. no. this is algorithm-fed, fandom-powered, outrage-optimized journalism, and it is deeply unserious.

⸻

what biased journalism looks like in 2025

in 2025, bias isn’t usually loud or ideological. it’s structural.

it shows up as:

• emotionally loaded headlines

• selective quotes that strip context

• “fans react” sections built from three tweets and a dream

• framing that implies conflict where none exists

• urgency where there is none (“adds to doubt”, “sparks backlash”, “breaks hearts”)

the goal is no longer to inform.

the goal is to provoke.

because outrage:

• keeps people scrolling

• fuels quote tweets

• turns articles into discourse hubs

• boosts ad impressions

truth is optional. engagement is not.

okay. so. let’s talk about this article.

you know the one.

the one that reads like it was written by a sentient push notification whose sole mission is to start fandom discourse few days before christmas.

because besties. this post has “manufactured outrage” written all over it in size 72 comic sans.

the VIBES are off immediately

first red flag:

“Stranger Things star adds to doubt over ‘Byler’”

adds to doubt???

ADDS????

as if doubt is some sort of community soup that the cast members are taking turns seasoning.

gaten mataratzo did not walk into an interview twirling his mustache going, “ah yes. today i shall crush the gays.” he answered a question about fan theories. FAN. THEORIES. plural. casually. like a human person.

but the headline frames it like he personally unplugged the rainbow.

selective quoting: journalism’s favorite party trick 🎩✨

biased journalism 101:

take a nuanced quote

remove its context

slam it into a headline

add fandom buzzwords

stir until engagement spikes

the article zooms in on:

“I see them as just very good friends”

and then immediately skips over the part where he talks about:

• queer youth experiences

• emotional repression

• the pain of loving a friend who can’t love you back

• how that story can be powerful without romance

but nope. that doesn’t fit the “CAST DISMISSES QUEER LOVE” narrative, so into the journalistic void it goes.

if you have to ignore half the quote to make your argument work, you don’t have an argument.

“I find the Byler stuff very funny” okay but like… why is it funny 😭

because last time I checked, people hoping for queer rep that has been actively set up in the show isn’t a joke?

That’s suspicious…🤔

and listen. I know he probably didn’t mean it like that. I truly do. but the way it comes off is very much “lol fandom is silly” when in reality this ship:

• didn’t come out of nowhere

• is based on actual canon moments

• and means a LOT to a lot of queer people

like sorry we watched the show with our eyes?? god forbid we saw subtext and emotional storytelling and went “huh. that feels gay.”

it just feels kinda bad when something that’s genuinely important to queer fans gets brushed off as “funny” or “just a crush” or “just a silly little ship.” because to me will isn’t casually crushing — that boy is IN LOVE. capital letters. italics. underline.

even if byler never becomes canon, cool, fine, whatever. but treating it like we’re stupid or delusional for seeing it as a real possibility is just… :// not great!

I hate when the cast members downplay Will's love and call it a crush.

okay no because let’s actually laugh about it for a second or we’ll scream.

HAHAHAHA.

so funny.

people hoping for queer rep on one of the biggest shows ever = comedy gold apparently 😐

like yes king, hilarious. side-splitting. absolutely peak humor.

meanwhile—AND THIS IS WHERE I START SQUINTING—

a crackship. a fully unserious, never-happening, vibes-only ship like Eddie/Steve gets a cute little “aww Dustin would be supportive 🥺” moment.

but Byler?

the MOST popular ship in the fandom.

built on YEARS of canon moments, subtext, dialogue, framing, literal confirmed feelings on one side?

that’s “very funny” and “just friends” and “not canon” 😬

oh that’s not suspicious at ALL. totally normal. nothing to see here folks.

and like… you’re telling me:

• crackships = fun, harmless, encouraged

• queer ship with narrative weight = joke, dismissed, downplayed

hmm. interesting. fascinating even. 🧐

especially when this is said before volume 2, while fans are literally waiting to see how things resolve. like idk man, maybe don’t casually go “yeah that’s not happening lol” when:

1. the show isn’t finished

2. the writers haven’t said that

3. fans are deeply invested

4. you’re potentially spoiling or at least discouraging half the audience

because let’s be real: some people WILL stop watching if they feel mocked or written off. that’s just how fandom works.

emotional manipulation disguised as reporting

biased journalism in 2025 loves feelings.

not understanding. not clarity.

feelings.

anger. betrayal. disappointment. rage.

“fans’ hearts breaking”

“hopes dampened”

“unbridled fury”

these aren’t observations. they’re instructions.

the reader is being told how to feel before they’ve even finished the paragraph.

bias by omission (the quietest kind)

the most dangerous bias in 2025 isn’t what’s said — it’s what’s left out.

a full quote becomes a sentence.

a thoughtful explanation becomes a soundbite.

context becomes inconvenient.

journalists know most readers:

• won’t watch the original interview

• won’t look for the full transcript

• will react to the headline alone

so the article becomes the story, not the source.

this is how:

• nuance disappears

• intent is misrepresented

• people are pitted against each other for clicks

final verdict 🧑‍⚖️

is the article technically reporting something that was said?

sure.

is it framing that something in the most dramatic, fandom-baiting, emotionally manipulative way possible?

absolutely yes.

this isn’t journalism. this is:

• clickbait cosplay

• discourse farming

• “let’s quote three angry tweets and call it cultural analysis”

and honestly? gaten mataratzo did not deserve to be turned into the villain of a story he wasn’t telling.

anyway.

drink water.

log off twitter.

remember that tumblr taught us better media literacy than half of entertainment journalism.

[rockinbyers]

Shock Jock: Piecing the events together

So after Mac z fiasco, the team regroups in Wsqk, all worn out but stoked with the exciting revelation of Will having powers.

Joyce formulates the plan that Will jacks back into the the hive mind, but only this time he goes after Vecna and finishes the job. It’s reckless, but crew is in high spirit and gets to action.

For Will to connect back to hive mind, he needs to tap into a demo’s mind. That’s when Robin suggests jump-starting a demo’s heart by electrocuting it. The plan works and Will taps right back into hive mind.

But that’s when things go downhill. Vecna detects Will and breaks his connection. He then sends the demogorgons to the hospital. This time, Will fails to siphon his powers. Maybe that’s when he screams run and Robin and Lucas rush to hospital.

Now idk how they are able to escape the hospital, maybe Will is able to stop it, exhausting himself in the process, which would explain this scene.

But he wakes up in hopper’s cabin the next day. Maybe he looks so distraught because he believes that he blames himself for the hospital attack. Maybe he is thinking that he overestimated himself and almost got his friends killed.

[sticklystag]

All evidence that points at Will being the creator of the Upside Down:

(some of them should be taken with a pinch of salt).

• The Upside Down being stuck on the day Will went missing.

• The Upside Down wasn’t a thing till the 6th of november—essentially existing as it’s own pocket dimension inside dimension X.

• In a Hot Ones Interview, NS said that “Will built the tunnels” In s2. That never got verbal confirmation in the show itself or other interviews as far as we know. The clip was cut from the video (video under the cut1).

• In a leaked photo there was a line where Vecna says “You were my Vessel. My spy. My builder.” Arguably it could be fake, but the rest of the lines were correct and were said in volume 1. (picture under the cut2).

• In the recent volume 2 trailer, Dustin says “Everything we have ever assumed about the Upside Down has been dead wrong.” The party assumed the UD was just there/that El opened it, so if they were “dead wrong” about that, what else could it possibly be? Oh, right. Will.

• The tunnels in s2 were never fully shown till the Mind Flayer possessed Will. Now obviously the Upside Down tunnels were already underneath Hawkins, but Will’s connection was never severed, and in s2 he was already connected to Vecna (interview under the cut3), so who’s to say that Will wasn’t “building” during the time between s1 and s2?

• Vecna still needs Will for something, there is a reason why he hasn’t killed him just yet (interview under the cut4), Will getting powers should be a hindrance to Vecna—Will in general should be a thorn in Vecna’s side, after all he can partially see what Vecna is doing, so why not just kill Will? He needs him.

• “You showed me what was possible.” Is a line Vecna told Will in ep4, now what Will had possibly done to make Vecna say that? It’s not possession since the Mind Flayer obviously knows it can possess people. So far in the show Will technically didn’t do anything special (pre-ep4) that would warrant that line. Unless of course HE BUILT THE UD. And now Vecna is aware of the possibility of building a “bridge” into the Right Side Up aka Hawkins for the Mind Flayer to enter.

• “It is time. For a new world.” A line from the new volume 2 trailer. If Vecna had the ability to build a new world himself why wouldn’t he have immediately killed 4 people to open the gates right after the end of s3?

I hope I didn’t miss anything! If I think of anything else I will update this list :) Again, take everything with a grain of salt.

1. The interview. Again, this specific clip was cut, it now goes “Then season two Will’s possessed and then gets exorcised out of him—”

2.

*. Dustin’s Lines.

(It also looks like he’s talking to Mike in here—which in the trailer you can see Dustin and Mike hugging in the UD).

3. The Interview.

4. Same interview from 3.

*. Vecna’s Lines in order.

[rockinbyers]

When you put the creelby fries on byler burger

[rockinbyers]

I really wish i could just concern myself with the lack of byler in trailer, but what i really can’t stop thinking about is how distraught Will is over not being able to save the kids.

He really is stuck in this constant cycle of burdening himself with things he has no control over. It’s almost like the world is conspiring to break him down till he completely shatters.

Will Byers, i hope that at the end of all this, you are the happiest. May the best ending find its way to you.

[rockinbyers]

The fate of Hawkins and the world lies on the queers. They shall defeat the evil with the power of homosexual love.

[rockinbyers]

Joyce is literally the strongest person ever. Holding herself together, wearing a smile for her son’s sake, while the fear of losing her son again eats her from inside…

[rockinbyers]

Will Byers blames himself for what happened in Mac z. Let’s just all kill ourselves

[rockinbyers]

The Holy Trinity: Shocked Lesbian, Confused Bisexual and the Possessed Gay

[rockinbyers]

They really got Will Byers scenes locked deep down in the Pentagon vault…literally the only scenes with my son in it, i feel starved.

[rockinbyers]

Mike Wheeler has the type of greed they used to warn us about in bible