my fantasy @ruslananech - Tumblr Blog

✨ HEWWO 🗣️✨

If everything goes well AND MY DESIRE TO CONTINUE COMICS STILLS THERE, I will return to making sequels or things related to my alternate universe. For now, it was just how they met.

Maybe I'll do a shorter one later, depending on the context. Also, if all goes well, you can go to the questions section and I'll answer anything (even with art) about it.

First fact: Will’s mark can be made invisible with magic, but it consumes a lot of energy. (It’s a mark of cursed users.) The mark can spread across his entire body, and it turns completely black when the curse takes control of him. The mark reacts to his emotions—negative emotions are what make him lose control of both himself and his magic.

isosceles-is-never-here

Company Shared by Artists

Will and Henry both being artists and sharing in that hobby~

This is not exactly a specific scene from he chased me, and he wouldn’t stop by @michaelswilliam it is more inspired by multiple river side moments and the focus art has in the fic. Had to sneak in Dr. Pepper the rabbit, and added a deer cause I’m a sucker for deer symbolism associated to Will (and it was sorta empty before..)

I was going for “maybe Will created this with smudged charcoal & pencil in his sketchbook, while Henry gave him a few pointers” (saves me from having to color this beast, I just don’t have that skill or energy or time) even though I think Will would rather use color pencils

My favorite part is where the water meets the rocky shore, and the two minnows there

leavesinhair

💛💛💛

cokelipgloss

fuusart

Sketchbook pages again (pages because technically those are two pages)

radagasttt

messy will byers and laura palmer sketch cause it wouldnt leave my head🚬

nasapis

i was listening to phantom of the opera while working on this and now it's permanently stuck in my head

therainscene

I watched Nosferatu (2024) in Feb and immediately knew I'd have to recreate this scene with Will and Vecna at some point. 🧛

(The final panel is super rushed and I'm not happy with how it turned out, but overall I'm pleased I got this done in time for Halloween for once!)

[@bylerween day 4 -- Witching Hour]

michaelswilliam

Hello this is fic-rec anon! I’ve compiled a few of my favorites if you or anyone who is itching for more ST fic to read. These are mostly Will-centric with some byler and wiseone thrown in

Obligatory disclaimer that I am a reader who claps my hands when authors drag characters to angst and torture city *especially* in a supernatural genre. I think only 2-3 of these recs are actually pure fluff with zero or minimal pain lmao.

First few fics are non-supernatural focused character studies and/or relationship centric, the rest have supernatural/horror elements tied into the plot

1. Make a move by astrobi.

Post-canon high school senior year written before s5. Mike thinks Will might be psychic. featuring confident Will affectionately teasing Mike, Mike being a bit of a mess and realizing his feelings for Will

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45380008

2. I can’t make you love me by eyeofmw

Post-canon fixit: Will is hiding that he can’t see with one of his eyes anymore. Mike notices. Featuring some madwise

https://archiveofourown.org/works/76978256

3. Each time (close to knowing) by mouthlikeawound

Byers brothers 5+1 fic about Jonathan not getting to be a kid and Will never falling in love. Warning for discussion of off-screen Lonnie abuse

https://archiveofourown.org/works/76211061

4. Point and Shoot by AirDoodles

Jonathan-centric one shot about his love for photography. Lonnie gives him a gun. Joyce gives him a camera. Also featuring five seconds of the cutest tiny Will ever written. Warning for abuse from Lonnie.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8048029

5. heads or tails? By yousaidyes

Mike realizing both his attraction and feelings for Will and being a mess. Featuring The Party, Mike realizing how much he observes Will and how flustered he gets every time Will turns the light beams (eye contact) on him. Love the characterization throughout. Unsure if this is post-canon or a no upside down AU as this fic starts in medias res. Rated explicit for third chapter

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24944635

6. We all have a hunger (tell me what you need) by papenathy

A classic. Post canon college byler. Will dresses as a vampire for Halloween. Mike goes into a crisis and discovers his feelings

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65157475

7. I’d make a deal with god by smoosnoom

In which Mike doesn’t let Will rip off the bandaid.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41171127

Fics with horror, supernatural and/or wiseone elements:

Of course your fic first in case there’s followers who don’t know about your wonderful wonderful modern gothic AU :D

8. He chased me and he wouldn’t stop

I love it for the gothic horror atmosphere, slowburn wiseone manipulation, slowburn byler, Will Byers hurt, how you write the nightmare/dream segments and all the characters, and how you weave details and foreshadowing that build up on each other bit by bit into a colossal tower of dread. This story is the deep-dive of my dreams into Will’s struggles and his relationship with himself, Mike, and Henry. Cannot praise it enough!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/74469706

9. Something’s wrong with the morning by meadowlarkutility

alternate s5. Will is slowly getting more and more possessed. fantastic chilling horror atmosphere writing. I also love a Hawkins that clearly has something going wrong]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58185175

10. come to me again (in the cold, cold night) by perexcri

Vampire AU in which Vampirism is a pandemic and Hawkins has not been spared. Will returns to what was once his home to save Mike but the situation is not as simple as it seems.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45580750

11. Bury your doubts and fall asleep by anonymous

alternate s5. Wiseone psychological torture with byler haunting the narrative. Vecna little by little convinces Will that deep down he’s a monster too and his love and attraction to Mike is only proof of that corruption. Read the tags.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/74602551

12. no more shame, no more fear, no more dread by Duck_Life

s5 canon-compliant wiseone introspection fic. Will grapples with the differences between himself and Henry. Fic delves into Will’s trauma from the csa Vecna subjected him to and his fear of furthering the cycle of abuse. Read the tags.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/77190691

13. so (so sorry) central rain by fireflywitch

Alternate s2 ending. Will kills Bob, El kills Terry. Willel grappling with feeling like monsters finding understanding in each other. Little by little they learn how to heal. Fantastic writing and prose all around.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44824258

14. center of gravity by bluebears

alternate s5. byler, wiseone, and gothic heroine manipulation and corruption. It’s got nightmares, it’s got creepy visions, it’s got a 12 kids rescue plot with actual tension.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/75356466

15. California show your teeth by fireflywitch

https://archiveofourown.org/series/3774865

Cannot emphasize enough how blessed we are to have this *series* in our fandom. Basically a whole-series AU (you read that right) in which the Byers originally lived in California when Will got taken and possessed and El escapes the lab in Lenora and is found by Jonathan, and the Byers move to Hawkins to investigate the supernatural occurrences that echo what they’ve gone through.

We have wonder twins and Byers family up the wazoo, The Party, coming of age, really interesting reinterpretations of the supernatural within this new AU’s premises, character dynamics unexplored in canon and such good small-town horror. The mindflayer and upside down are interestingly still tied to Hawkins despite Will not having grown up there which is an ongoing mystery the story is exploring. Author is also wonderful with character voices and the whole series is a study on how to properly handle a large cast and organically developing everyone’s arcs to fit the story all while keeping the spotlight on the main characters (full shade to the Duffers). The author literally has an installment for every season with the s5 one currently in the works. It’s a feast.

ANONN!!!!

i just want you to know that you will be reincarnated as a lotus flower grown in a princess garden in a tropical country where the sun and the rain always come in enough and gentle touch. the birds will sing you wake every morning, and the crows will guard you from any evil during the night. you are a godsent, a hero without cape. THANK YOU THANK YOUUU I will copy paste your rec her and link them all like they deserve:

1. Make a move by astrobi.

2. I can’t make you love me by eyeofmw

Post-canon fixit: Will is hiding that he can’t see with one of his eyes anymore. Mike notices. Featuring some madwise

3. Each time (close to knowing) by mouthlikeawound

Byers brothers 5+1 fic about Jonathan not getting to be a kid and Will never falling in love. Warning for discussion of off-screen Lonnie abuse

4. Point and Shoot by AirDoodles

5. heads or tails? By yousaidyes

6. We all have a hunger (tell me what you need) by papenathy

A classic. Post canon college byler. Will dresses as a vampire for Halloween. Mike goes into a crisis and discovers his feelings

7. I’d make a deal with god by smoosnoom

In which Mike doesn’t let Will rip off the bandaid.

Fics with horror, supernatural and/or wiseone elements:

Of course your fic first in case there’s followers who don’t know about your wonderful wonderful modern gothic AU :D

8. He chased me and he wouldn’t stop

9. Something’s wrong with the morning by meadowlarkutility

alternate s5. Will is slowly getting more and more possessed. fantastic chilling horror atmosphere writing. I also love a Hawkins that clearly has something going wrong]

10. come to me again (in the cold, cold night) by perexcri

Vampire AU in which Vampirism is a pandemic and Hawkins has not been spared. Will returns to what was once his home to save Mike but the situation is not as simple as it seems.

11. Bury your doubts and fall asleep by anonymous

12. no more shame, no more fear, no more dread by Duck_Life

13. so (so sorry) central rain by fireflywitch

14. center of gravity by bluebears

alternate s5. byler, wiseone, and gothic heroine manipulation and corruption. It’s got nightmares, it’s got creepy visions, it’s got a 12 kids rescue plot with actual tension.

15. California show your teeth by fireflywitch

isosceles-is-never-here

a sneak peak of what im working on, cause i swear im in some sort of purgatory [waiting patiently] for the next chapter of a certain fic..

and posting this wip is a reward for myself for even attempting a full scene with tiny details

welgory

🧟‍♂️

good luck mike

hawkins-batman

Let's Talk About Noah Schnapp

In light of everything that's happened in the last few days—namely Netflix releasing its first teaser for Stranger Things Season 5—many are returning to Stranger Things spaces online here and elsewhere for the first time in months. Maybe years. So, it's time to have this conversation again, because many people weren't here when some of us were having this conversation in the lull between content; and we're due for an update.

Buckle up—this is going to be long. I intend for this to be a mega post on the whole situation in so far as I can cover it, with receipts and screenshots.

The Conversation Around Noah

Put bluntly—the vitriol around Noah Schnapp has become dangerously insane. It's been that way for 2 years, but the renewed spotlight on Stranger Things, especially as Noah is set to take center stage in a Will Byers-centric season, has revived some of the worst elements of the conversation.

"What do you mean?", you may be asking. Well, I think it might just be better to show you:

This is just a sampling. If I showed you every tweet — every post — every video I've seen with this rhetoric, I'd need another medium to do it. A tumblr blog alone couldn't contain it all. But I take it you see my point now.

How Did Things Get This Way?

There are people on this app and on #that app who will say this behavior/treatment is warranted. They'll tell you that Noah is a "genocide supporter." That he "cheered for the deaths of Palestinian babies." That he "celebrated as people were being murdered." But none of this is true.

As a reminder, this was what Noah actually said—his very first comments on the matter—right after the Hamas attack that happened on October 7, 2023:

Important to note:

"...we will hope and pray for safety, justice, liberation, and self determination in Palestine."

and

"...we will say a Jewish prayer for peace for all Israelis and Palestinians."

That is the literal antithesis of support for a genocide or the wholesale slaughter of anyone.

The very next thing to happen was the infamous "sticker video" about which the most lies have been told, so let's debunk them one by one:

He did not make the stickers.

He did not wear the stickers.

He did not hand out the stickers.

He did not hold up the stickers.

He did not even touch the stickers.

He did not post the video on any social anywhere.

I've posted a pair of screenshots here that give you the gist in lieu of the video itself, but you can Google the video and watch the entire thing to see that I'm telling the truth.

What actually happened was that Noah was taken to a restaurant by a pair of influencers who were his guides while on a school-sponsored trip to Israel. Both were significantly older than him, were responsible for the video in question, were the only ones in it (aside from the waitress) to actually touch the stickers in question... and yet? Noah bore the brunt of the hate that ensued. When the backlash came, they abandoned him and left him to the wolves. (And perhaps because of that, he no longer associates with either one of them, nor follows any related social media accounts—all of which he was required to follow in the first place as terms of going on the trip through his school.)

Noah had just come out of the closet earlier that year and was 18 years-old. He would only turn 19 years-old in the ensuing weeks.

He has addressed these events several times. Most famous was the TikTok that he made explaining his actual position (that he doesn't want anyone, Palestinian or Israeli, to die). Less famous were remarks he made to fans on Snapchat:

I'll post his remarks here for those who can't read the text:

Hey guys! I appreciate you reaching out. To give you context, I did not post this language or sticker. I was at breakfast with friends, it happened to be an Israeli cafe, and a girl was handing out stickers. Someone photographed me and posted and tagged me. As you guys know better than most people, social media can be used however people want to use it. I understand the weight of the situation and take it very seriously. I have friends of friends who are currently being held hostage in Gaza right now. My friends kids were killed in the massacre at the Israeli music festival. Standing up against this terrorism is important to me and why I made my statement after the attack. As one of the only few Jewish people with a platform, I absolutely think it's important to share my message about hatred for Jews around the world right now. However, everyone online is obviously twisting everything and saying I support genocide and am Islamophobic which is obviously entirely false and never have I stated either of those things. Seeing what is happening to the innocent people in Palestine pains me so much and I wish it would stop. I fully support everyone in Palestine as I said in my post on Instagram. One of my best friends in college is Palestinian and we talk about this issue allllll the time and agree on most things. I think people on social media are just animalistic right now so it's hard to even chime in because they just rip me apart so now I'm staying out of it.

I'll let that stand on it's own. I think it provides the context behind his remarks, the situation with the video/stickers, and his actual views versus how social media portrays his views. It also explains why he hasn't said anything else in almost 2 years.

The key takeaway: He was speaking out against antisemitism and the attack on Jewish people on October 7 and he supports an end to what is happening in Gaza and fully supports Palestinians. He literally says it.

And this support, by the way, has been corroborated by his own actions and the word of mouth from Palestinian organizations he has contributed to:

What Has Happened Since?

It would be easier to list the things that haven't happened; but I'll try anyways:

Noah has been called antisemitic slurs; gay slurs and targeted with gay stereotypes; been compared to antisemitic caricatures; he's been threatened with death and had posts go viral fantasizing about his brutal murder; his family has been threatened; he's been threatened with rape and sexual abuse; there are massive accounts on Twitter that doxxed his location while he was filming Season 5—particularly targeting him when he was alone; he's been hacked, had personal pictures leaked; he's had lies spread about his treatment of his cast mates (all of whom have spoken out and said that they've loved him at some point since, making these claims unequivocally false.

Here are a few examples:

Again, I can only post a sample. I hope that sample is enough to get the message across.

It's hard to overstate how cataclysmic this has been. Obviously, he's recovered and healed a lot since the initial incident; but the damage done needs to be acknowledged. These attacks drove him into a dark place by his own admission. He talked about needing therapy on his (now deleted) private spam TikTok account. And they are starting up yet again.

And Then There's the Fandom

The Stranger Things fandom in the wake of all this has been an irritating place to be. Not just because of the above behavior but because of the blanket hypocrisy.

The shipping sub-fandoms in particular have been rank with antisemitism and homophobia—even the Byler fandom, which is predominantly queer. People have:

A) Taken pre-Stranger Things photos—like his baby pictures or pictures with his family—to use as part of their content, their profile pictures, their banners, their fan art, their fan edits, etc.—violating his and his family's privacy for "Will" all while calling him "ugly," a "fag," and lobbing the above-listed threats at him. B) Tried to recast him with a fan cast. These fan casts are almost never Jewish actors, you'll notice. In fact, there's someone on this very app that recast Will Byers as himself. This is gross and absurd. Will Byers is intrinsically tied to Noah Schnapp. Tied to his identities as a Jewish person and a gay man. Tied to his experiences being a character he helped bring to life during his formative years. C) Persist in stanning or support his cast mates despite the fact that they continue to associate with him. This, in particular, is gross hypocrisy. If you're going to be mad at Noah Schnapp for being in a restaurant around stickers you object to—guilt by proximity/association, in other words—those SAME standards should apply to his cast mates, who continue to hang out with him outside of work, state that they love him, and post him on their social medias. I have a whole post about that here.

Instead, the cast is continually afforded blanket immunity while he is singularly targeted for continued abuse and harassment.

It should give the fandom some pause that openly pro-Palestine actors like Maya Hawke not only continue to hang out with him; but in her Instagram story, even stated that she misses it (check the link above for a screenshot of said story). She wouldn't do that if she thought he somehow supported mass-murder; and she knows him way better than any one reading this blog. That goes for the rest of them, too.

They know him better than you. They know his moral compass and what he believes. And they haven't abandoned him and obviously aren't going to. So, are you going to stick to your guns and apply your anger evenly; or maybe consider that you don't have the full picture?

So, Why Care?

I get this in my Asks so often. "Why do you care?" "He's a celebrity." "He don't know you." "He's not your pookie."

I know. It's not about that.

Yes, full disclosure, I am obviously a fan of Noah's. Have been since the show started. And no it's not because I'm gay and he's gay or because he plays my favorite character in Stranger Things.

Like many of his fans, I've spent the last decade seeing his lives on Instagram and TikTok, seeing his fan interactions, watching his vlogs and videos, and I've come to respect him as a human being quite apart from Will Byers or his role as an actor. Fundamentally, I really believe he is a kind and caring human being. The word of mouth from everyone who knows or has met him bares this out—and, yes, he's even been kind to me in the few conversations we've had.

This is only one example from Instagram during The First Shadow premiere this year; but I think it encapsulates what I like about Noah most. He's kind. He goes out of his way to be kind. He does things he doesn't have to do, contractually or just in general, for the sake of being kind. He always has been.

He's also stood up for a plethora of causes. Black Lives Matters, trans rights, the rights of women. He's known to be his cast mates' biggest supporter—and they'll tell you as much, too.

But quite apart from my personal feelings about him and more importantly: this is wrong.

Antisemitism is wrong. Homophobia is wrong. Both kill. Still, to this day. As I am sitting in my kitchen writing this, the news just broke that an Indigenous gay man and a celebrity was shot dead in front of his husband—after having his home burned down and dogs burned alive—in the United States. Yesterday, news broke that a gathering of peaceful Jewish protesters (which included children and the elderly) demanding the release of hostages still held by Hamas was firebombed in Colorado. Luckily, they all survived, but six people were injured in that attack.

Violence and bigotry are ascendent everywhere right now. Minority communities are being targeted. Normalizing the behavior I've described and shown above kills marginalized people. Regardless of your feeling about Noah as a person or celebrity, normalizing the violent and bigoted remarks, tweets, and behavior towards him harms Jewish and LGBTQIA+ people—all of us.

And just as an example of that, I give you the treatment Finn Wolfhard is now receiving just for the "crime" of shaving his head and being deemed no longer conventionally attractive by the fandom:

Yes, the general audience found out about Finn's Jewish heritage and now he's a target, too.

And this fandom is at fault for it.

You cannot normalize bigotry towards one person and expect it to stay contained to that one person. It will always harm everyone in that community. Finn Wolfhard—or any other actor/actress—being your favorite is not going to spare him from the consequences of a discourse you started.

ALL antisemitism and ALL homophobia needs to be called out. The people who insist it's okay that they do that for ANY reason—regardless of if they themselves are LGBTQIA+ or not—need to be ejected from the fandom and never let back in.

Noah Schnapp is a human being. He does not deserve this treatment. No one does. No one is saying you have to like him or even care about him. But you SHOULD care that this is how he's being treated and the impact it is having on others. The impact on Jewish people. The impact on queer people. Standing up and saying that does not mean you support genocide or murder or bigotry of any kind. Quite the opposite, in fact.

I am a person with left-leaning values. I'm tired of those values being spat on and dragged through the mud by people who think THIS is activism or is in any way helping a cause. It's not. All it is doing is perpetuating harm on a real person and real communities—queer and Jewish alike. And it needs to stop.

Related Blogs:

I've compiled some related blogs that expand on other elements of the situation that I've mentioned above in greater detail. This post was already long enough. I'll be updating this as more content comes out.

Examples of Noah’s Support for Gaza and Palestine (by @nymphus-fan-account)

The Evolution of a Lie

No, the Stranger Things Cast Does Not Hate Noah Schnapp

Lyric Vault’s Obsession with Noah Schnapp

There is also now a Twitter version of this post if you are on that app and want to share it there. It links to this blog post.

kaypeace21

Why I no longer think Mike is bi, but gay (deep-dive analysis)

I guess, I’ve been putting this off for a long time, because I was afraid of the backlash- since so many toxic-milevens send me hate despite the fact I never cross tag. But honestly, I’m so used to it now, it’s honestly become humorous. But, I think the main reason I didn’t want to discuss this was because so many people happily head-cannon Mike as bi/pan. Which is rare in a fandom, since even when a character is confirmed/heavily implied to be bi, people erase their sexuality and pretend they’re gay/lesbian. Which I find incredibly problematic, given how common bi-erasure is in real-life. And how it makes it seem like other gay people refuse to see themselves in a bi character- so they erase their sexuality instead. But, honestly, as someone who has head cannoned Mike as bi since s1ep2, it’s hard for me to see him as anything but gay now! This is because the evidence in s3, re-contextualized everything in the first two seasons. And him being gay (rather than bi) explains all of his out of character behavior. So, lets begin. Warning this is going to be long! XD

In the Montauk pitch (later named Stranger things) they describe the Mike and El dynamic by saying “ If Mike is the Eliot of our show,Eleven is our Et.” (AKA they’re from different planets)

And In s2 , Erica is forcing He-man and barbie to make out. Lucas angrily separates the two. And then this discussion happens.

Erica: “Hey , They’re in love!”

Lucas (livid- and standing right next to a rainbow): “No, actually, they’re not. They don’t even exist on the same planet.”

Mike (like Elliot) loves El (ET) and is deeply sad when she disappears but contrary to Mike’s confusion on the matter it was never romantic. We see El compared to Et on multiple occasions (the bike scene, reese’s pieces vs eggos, the makeover, etc). And then there’s the old euphemism of “girls come from Venus, and boys come from Mars”. So El telling mike he should ‘stick with his own species’ (aka boys). And the Duffers saying mileven isn’t in love cause they’re “not from the same planet” -is just them telling us Mike is gay. Further reiterated when Will tells Mike “welcome to my world (Planet)”

Similarly Dustin (like Lucas) is used as a narrative-device to foreshadow Mileven’s fate and give us insight about how the writers are actually portraying mileven.

While climbing up the hill, Dustin talks about Romeo & Juliet (while mileven is out of frame). R&J is about the dangers of not knowing the difference between love and infatuation. R&J were teenagers who claimed that they were in love with each other after knowing each for a few days and deciding to get married…sabotaging the closest relationships they had with their friends/family (all in the name of ‘true love’) . Similarly Mileven thought they were in love after only a week of knowing each other, and the second they are reunited they start dating and spend all their time with each other, becoming apathetic to the people they care about. Also, after Romeo (El ) is banished , Juliet (Mike) just complains about how in love/sad she is, but never pursues looking for him (sound familiar)? So the fact that after this R&J reference, Dustin describes mileven, saying “IT’S BULLSHIT!” Should raise a few alarm bells, because when was the last time someone used that line to describe a romantic relationship?!

(x)

Well, it was what Nancy (Mike’s sister) said about her first real relationship.Insert Murray’s conversation (with Nancy): “ Afraid that if you’d accept yourself for who you really are (cough queer-subtext), and retreated back to… name, name? Steve. Steve! we like Steve (El) but we don’t love Steve (El).”

Mileven is paralleled heavily to many doomed ships- but their’s an emphasis on stancy in s3. Being called “bullshit” (aka never in love). Mike and Steve singing to their gfs and neither being fans and cutting them off. Making out on a bed to cheesy music. In s1, both Nancy/Mike slap Steve and El and then both yell “ What is wrong with you?!” El and Steve both are compared to Ted. El being a fan of ted’s lazy boy. (Karen in s3 looks at Ted in the chair when the lyric “I should have walked away “ plays). And Steve and ted continuing to eat chicken as their gf /wife storm off from the table upset , and they do nothing. Steve and Ted both tell Mike to “stay on the bench/you’re on the bench.” And Nancy says about Karen/ ted that they “never loved each other” (just like mileven and stancy which are “bullshit.”) All 3 wheelers were with people cause it seemed like the rational choice ( rich guy/ popular guy/ girl). Not to mention mike said “ I don’t remember” ( in reference to saying he loved el ) . And doesn’t say it back when el says “I love you”. Which mimics Nancy saying “I don’t remember ” (saying the relationship is bs) . And she is also unable to say she loves Steve when he says“say you love me.” And Steve and el walking away as both wheelers stand there in silence. Unable to say “I love you” back. Also, when stancy officially breakup it also pans to mileven on the porch.

But we’ll talk more about s3 later but now let’s go back to the beginning…

Keep reading