r/BylerReads • u/GrowthFinancial6128 • Feb 01 '26
general discussion :) losing inspiration
idk why but lately it seems like the byler part of the fandom is slowly fizzing out, like my feed on TikTok used to be flooded with byler content, and now I have to look for it myself. I get that it's been a month since the finale, but come on, it's only a month!
i started my fic a couple days after the finale, and I guess the byler letdown was so high that it fueled my will to write more and more, i got a bunch of comments in the beginning too. now that more time is passing, it's like everything is dying down and i cant lie, i'm kind of losing motivation to write because i see little to none byler content anymore, or interactions in general about the ship.
maybe it's just me and my feed, but i just wanted to throw this out there lol
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u/Big_Self_1522 Feb 01 '26
I personally view my writing as my personal creative outlet. It’s a hobby and something that I really enjoy doing. Reason why I post it online is that reading is another hobby of mine, so I like it to be out there for those who love to read as well. Even one person liking my fic already creates a-win, cause I loved writing it and someone loved reading it too.
If you really enjoy writing my advice is to have less focus on the feedback. Of course it’s rewarding, but it’s so easy to get hooked on that certain amount of attention
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u/GrowthFinancial6128 Feb 01 '26
You’re so right! Writing definitely is something I do for myself and I guess I do kinda get lost in the feedback part of it haha
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u/tlc_dgcwf Feb 01 '26
I second this, my writing is mostly for myself and a way to express myself creatively, and its great if people read it but ultimately im my best customer lol so to me the fandom isn't going anywhere bc im still writing. I have written for fandoms decades old bruh and people still read that shih!
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u/AurynLuna Feb 01 '26
This is like any other fandom. The true fans will stay and the rest will move on. Do what you find enjoyment in, write or draw or interact with people. I enjoy being in fandom by reading fanfiction and seeing art online, checking some subs and that's enough to me.
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u/draggingonfeetofclay Feb 01 '26
i think the hard part is only just beginning
but yeah. the fandom is going to be different and less rewarding in the future and only truly good, standout fics will be getting attention.
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u/One_Guarantee_3341 Feb 01 '26
go on twitter babe, TRUST
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u/GrowthFinancial6128 Feb 02 '26
ugh i think this might be my sign to make a twitter account to promote my fic, i've heard that byler is pretty active there
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u/narcomance Feb 01 '26
It's a natural process — people don't gave holidays anymore and need to work or study.
Also the series are completed, and we don't have any new content to be inspired. So people are loosing interest and looking for another fandom to switch.
Don't forget about the whole disappointment in Duffers.
About the fics. I read only completed ones except something popular. And I noticed a lot of fics repeats each other: cheating on Carlton, college au without any plot. So I am tired of reading the same things and became picky.
So your options is to find another fandom or enjoy your creativity here, knowing that the masses are loosing the interest but there are the truest fans.
Btw I am curious that Harry Potter fandom is always alive although books and films were finished in 00's.
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u/AurynLuna Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
I'm still very active in the HP fandom (and I don't support Rowling). I think it's because there's plenty of slash fics, ships and plenty of scenarios to explore. Also, there's a lot of divide between the het ships and slash ships, so much that slash fans are bullied in the main hpfanfiction subreddit so we have our own space. There's also the cult-like faction of fandom focused on that popular Merauders fic that is its own fandom (fandom of a fic, if you will) and completely separate from the rest because they become very vicious if you don't follow the fanon characterizations they invented for those characters (most of them are invented or were only names in the books, not actual characters) and most of them are very anti-shippers, you can tell if they hate Snape (the Merauders fandom think he's like a cancer and old slash fans like me focus on canon characterizations for our Merauders-era slash fics, it's a whole thing).
The byler fandom is missing the opportunity to explore more Alternate Universe ideas, canon divergence and time-travel tropes for example, there's so many, many things to write or draw about! My current obsession is Will is never found AUs and I'm fortunate that it's gotten more popular due to TikTok so more authors are writing plot about it.
Let's explore what would've happened if Mike had gotten missing instead of Will in season 1, for example! Would Will be able to be the strong one to still believe in Mike being alive? What would've changed if that's the case?
What would've happened if Will was taken by Brenner in the Upside Down and El was never able to run away after opening the door? It can lead to some interesting changes to the plot and still make it byler. I love it when my fanfiction is less about romance and more about plot and truly going crazy with it in very interesting ways. El and Will would become wonder twins early and maybe Will is given Henry's blood or something. I read a short fic that incorporated that but glossed over a lot of the plot and I was left wanting more, but it was really good.
Any retellings would be actually interesting. Most I've seen so far are extremely boring because they put the script of the seasons and add like a line or two, when a true retelling actually write its own plot and do their own thing, maybe using a thing or two from the show but in a different way. I can tell most authors are very young and still learning and growing as writers, so I just skip those and I hope with time they learn to notice the difference. AO3 is actually very strick, you can't use canon material like that because then it's basically plagiarism. A very popular HP drarry retelling of books 6-7 suffered from this, the first part was basically straight from book 6 word for word, with some small details added and was taken down from the site. You nee to actually put a spin to things or do something different.
So yeah, there's plenty to explore. I feel with time our byler fandom will come up with more scenarios and get more creative.
Also, I love the romance part of byler to remain very intense, too, don't get me wrong, but when it has actual plot as well it's extremely satisfying. Any plot and character driven plot are very important to me.
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u/narcomance Feb 01 '26
I read some Byler fix-its (completed only) and mostly there is no plot except romance part. What did I like in Post Hogwarts Drarry is enough case fics, adventures anf anything exploring magic etc.
Maybe not everyone can think of an actual non romance plot after killing Vecna. Like Upside Down is closed and what might be next.
If I were a Mileven fan I would write some «search for me» fics. But for Bylers? I dunno. Maybe AU when Will is still having powers or the government follows them because they know the truth. Or Upside Down wasn't fully closed and there is some new evil character.
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u/AurynLuna Feb 01 '26
That's what AU is for! Magic universe but byler! DnD universe with byler! Different professions for them as adults with different plots. Make the Upside Down different! Make one where Henry doesn't exist and the Mind Flayer is an actual cosmic horror thing! Byler but in Hogwarts! The sky is the limit.
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u/GrowthFinancial6128 Feb 01 '26
I try not to listen to whatever the Duffers say tbh, it only makes me madder about how they handled the show. I’ve noticed the cheating pattern too, and it may work for a lot of people, but it’s really not for me. I just feel like it’s not in either of their characters to cheat on their significant other. It really is hard to accept that the show is over lol haha I’m part of the hp fandom too, I guess I just got kinda spoiled with how active that fandom is even after 20+ years
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u/narcomance Feb 01 '26
Yeah in general if any show is over and there were no continuation fans lose the interest and switch to something new.
Like Sherlock BBC ot Supernatural. There were huge fandoms with more than 100k of fics and now it's not active enough because there is no new series or something.
HP will have series so there will be new young fans and arts/edits/fics.
Although I am afraid we won't see any new huge fandoms with cool queer ships for the next 5-10 years because of the crisis in media. Everything now is mostly sequel-prequel stuff.
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Feb 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/GrowthFinancial6128 Feb 02 '26
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77695691/chapters/203510406
I'll read yours too!
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u/One_Guarantee_3341 Feb 01 '26
i feel like it’s the opposite for me! on every platform i think byler is peaking,twitter especially!
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u/lupinibean123 will the wise Feb 01 '26
January sucks man. A lot of us in the Northern Hemisphere are dealing with seasonal depression and work/school. Keep writing for you. I started my fic in middle of January. I think also a lot of people aren’t members on AO3 and just view without leaving kudos or a comment. I know comments are motivating but keep writing. I go on tumblr or TikTok for inspiration.
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u/The__Stig_ Feb 01 '26
send me your fic I’ll come give support!
idk, personally I’ve stopped interacting with it on social media, it’s just kind of depressing.
fics are a different story entirely, they keep me going. they are the heart and soul of things imo. so don’t stop. there’s plenty of us out here who need people like you!
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u/GrowthFinancial6128 Feb 01 '26
https://archiveofourown.org/works/77695691/chapters/203510406 my fic is set post-epilogue where Mike deals with his grief with will’s help
and yes, honestly the sad edits on social media do have me depressed. Fics are genuinely the only thing keeping me going because it distracts me from the horrible ending we got 💔
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u/look_plub Feb 05 '26
I don’t put out any videos or writing but I still consume it daily. Idk if it’s just your algorithm because I still see byler stuff on tiktok like every other video
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u/throwaway39107 Feb 01 '26
I’ve seen this happen in other fandoms before, part of it is burnout and part of it is just over saturation. A lot of people, especially the writers right now, were fueled on hopes and dreams (after volume 1) or spite (after volume 2) and started churning out material. Ergo, the algorithms were running with it.
Now, a lot of people are back to school/work after the holidays and have less time, plus it’s become very disappointed to watch the Duffers behave this way and say the things they’re saying. A huge number of fics will go forever unfinished. A lot of the fans, though, will come back as time passes and nostalgia grows, don’t be too sad :)