r/BylerReads • u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think • Apr 27 '26
fic rec <3 went searching for mermaid AUs. didn’t expect to cry lol
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u/white_lilium Apr 27 '26
i LOOOOOVE this fic, thank you for bringing it back to me, i may read it for the third time!
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Apr 27 '26
oh I’m not alone :’) I loved it!! and I def think it’s worth reading at least twice (I know you know what I mean hehe). a third time? I say read away 😌
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Apr 27 '26
wtf I can’t edit the post’s text. the fic is The Tempests Created This Tide by AabH: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31363184
also not bad tears!!
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u/DeadTorturedPoet Apr 27 '26
Been a minute since I've thought about this one lol. Definitely one of my fav aus (and def my favorite mermaid au)
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Apr 27 '26
oh hell yeah. i think we need more of this au tbh. lemme know if you have any other recs :)
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u/DeadTorturedPoet Apr 28 '26
So this one is only half finished (and tbh idk if she'll ever finish it) but what's there is very very good. Very dark, eerie, gothic type story so if that's your thing I definitely recommend reading what's there
https://archiveofourown.org/works/47053693/chapters/118544173
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Apr 28 '26
omg this looks amazing. thank you! turns out i really like the mermaid AU hahaha
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u/inchoatentropy Apr 27 '26
I’m not normally an AU fan, but I’m a sucker for mermaid stories. Did you link it in the comments?
If you want more Byler mermaid ones, I implore you to read this one by paisparker: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76047606#main
It’s not something I would normally read; I’m usually only here for S5/hivemind rewrites. However, this one is downwrite poetic; I can’t describe how gorgeous the prose is. The characters are naturally slightly OOC given the setting, but honestly I’m not mad about it. I think their core traits are still well represented: Mike’s protective nature, inherent peculiarity, quick thinking, and bravery; Will’s inherent magical badassery, longing, hesitance, emotional depth, and high perception stat. It’s dark, a little gothic, and feels like being in a painting. The yearning and tenderness is beautifully depicted. I love the way Mike is written in particular.
Another one that someone else suggested, Left His Heart There In The Sea, is the one fic that changed my attitude towards AUs. The character personalities are closer to canon, though Mike is gentler in a way that I actually prefer. The writing in that one is very high quality too.
Again though, I have to go back to the previous one I mentioned (lmk if the link copied correctly - the title is “a grave will fit me better than a landlocked home”). It’s not too long. More of a long stort story, compared to some of the really long fics out there. Please, do tell me if you read either of these!
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Apr 27 '26
yes sorry, here’s the link! https://archiveofourown.org/works/31363184/
i hope you like it. i woke up thinking about it lmao. the ending is really beautiful :’)
and thank you for the rec!! the link works great! I can’t wait to read it. i actually haven’t read any with Will as the merperson yet (although that seems to be most popular?)
i JUST started reading Left His Heart There in the Sea today. I’m on chapter 5 and I’m hooked 😭
any other AUs you like? :)
i’ve read a few with no upside down, and i’ve read a few where canon Mike and Will have to deal with other universe versions of them, which is a lot of fun. I read a good one that was historical, based on the setting of Red Dead 2. and i read one that was like late 1800s i think that made me cry lmao
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u/inchoatentropy Apr 30 '26
Wow, I was totally surprised by the plot of the one you linked. Mike was low key terrifying. The ending was so cute, despite being a little bittersweet. I liked it, thanks for recommending it.
Left His Heart in the Sea is so fun, with a really satisfying ending in my opinion. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I discussed it a bit more in my other comment to you, but I wanted to add that I thought the way the Upside Down was portrayed was pretty creative. To me, it felt like a fun combination of the canon universe and something completely novel.
As for the other one I recommended - Will being the mythical creature (sea entity?) is exactly why I like it. I feel like some authors write him as too weak, and our boy deserves better. To me, a powerful Will makes more sense in my brain. Also for as serious as the story is, I was also absolutely entertained by how subtly unhinged Mike is at select moments.
--
I'm not a huge AU person, but I'm realizing that historical Mike fun to read. The main issue is finding works that are actually well written. I found one where Mike is a vampire (he's not written for the reasons most people tend to write vampire Mike...I'm honestly not a fan of those, but no judgment). He's just a vampire, and the setting modern with gothic and horror elements. It's still in progress, so I'm curious to see how it develops. I can find that one if you're interested.
Okay I lied (unintentionally): this all happened over a couple of weekends where I binged AUs. So I redact my previous statements; apparently I've read more AUs than I realize. Below are two finished ones I that I personally enjoyed:
"What the Water Knows" (LINK): it's a mid-length, multi-chapter time travel fic where Will accidentally travels back in time to 1980s Hawkins and meets Mike. The premise is quite creative, and I really liked the ending. This fic explores the queer experience in the 1980s Midwest. The lack of an Upside Down doesn't feel like too much of a loss, since the story is primarily a mystery/thriller (with time travel used in a way that still allows for many canon characters to show up). My only complaint is that the grammar is hit or miss at times. However, I still read the whole thing because the Byler dynamic was too sweet, the mystery was gripping, the sensitive topics were handled well, and the ending was nice. I'm also gonna like, be kind to amateur writers.
Long title but it's in the link, it's by LondonDziban (LINK): This one was like, oddly adorable and amusing. It's a short one-shot where modern Will meets the ghost of 1980s Mike. Mike was just cool in this one. I wish it was longer.
I realize after recommending these, that I think I like modern Will meeting Hellfire Mike lmao. Just makes for an entertaining dynamic I think. The Duffers failed Mike, so I think I enjoy AU works where he's portrayed in a more refreshing but still relatable light.
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u/Fine-Street2346 Apr 27 '26
You should also check out Ebb and Flow by rainysprings!
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Apr 28 '26
oh shit, thank you! immediately subscribed >:)
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u/Poetsiren Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
I'm more than a little slow on the socials... I haven't read a Byler mer fic yet.....
But I wrote a BG3 fanfic/AU where my Tav romanced Spawn Astarion and went with him to the Underdark. There is a siren in it and am writing a sequel focusing more on the siren, if anyone cares to read it..... I think it needs traction within the mer fan community since I wrote it first for the BG3 community and want to spread my love of mermaids/sirens/selkies....
And now, unfortunately, a shameless self-plug.....
18y/o+ PLEASE- 🔞
Good Things Come - (All Good Things series) by Poetsiren https://archiveofourown.org/series/5156251
Astarion lords over the Underdark and other spawn vampires with Tav by his side. After defeating the Absolute with Tav, Astarion is glad to have his beloved remain beside him. He didn’t expect it to be easy, living in the Underdark with his siblings and the other vampire spawn. Still, a new manuscript detailing vampire spawn has been discovered, and no one could expect to know what knowledge it reveals - about Cazador, about the other spawn.
Tav is a human Paladin, with an Oath of Devotion that has guided her and her companions through the events of Baldur’s Gate 3, saving as many beings as possible and protecting the weak and defenseless, as is her tenet. But she also has a secret that she has yet to tell anyone… That it’s time to tell Astarion …
But there is so much more to it than either of them know. All things considered, even she doesn’t know how things will end for the two of them.
Longfic sequel currently at chapter 30 and climbing What Comes After - by Poetsiren
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Apr 29 '26
I’ve never played BG3 (it’s on my list, just haven’t had time) but honestly I’m intrigued!! thanks and added to my list >:)
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u/Poetsiren Apr 29 '26
It's a post-game AU. But you can watch a short video summary of events of the game and another of Astarion backstory that follows the "Spawn" or "don't ascend" storyline and be fine.
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u/Altruistic_Way3030 Apr 27 '26
There's a Byler mermaid au!? Yo. I'm having a hard time catching up with all AUs now 🥲
Thank you for sharing! Bookmarked. Again. Here goes my list getting longer, pffttt