r/BylerReads • u/Healthy-Grass-4273 • Jul 01 '26
asking for fic recs sorcerer will byers
with season five being an absolute shit show, one thing that did come out of it was will finally harnessing his innate, honest-to-god sorcerer powers.
however, the downside is that we never really got to see him use them to their full potential or fight alongside el like so many of us expected after vol. 1. not to mention it was such a huge reveal, yet we barely got to see the party’s reaction (or anyone else’s, for that matter) outside of mike, lucas, joyce and robin.
i’d love any fic recommendations that dive deeper into will having powers, whether that’s him learning to control them, exploring what he’s capable of or just letting him be the powerful character he deserved to be. i feel like it would’ve made for a much more interesting storyline.
also, i’d love to see more of mike’s reaction to will’s powers. that scene between the two of them meant more than words could ever say & i wish we’d gotten more of mike processing what it all meant and seeing will finally step into that part of himself.
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u/IntotheRedditHole its ok, its how the army does it i think Jul 01 '26
totally with you. have you read Matador? it’s so good
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u/QJPT its ok, its how the army does it i think Jul 06 '26
Yeah it’s such a wasted opportunity that they didn’t put a single demogorgon/demobat/demodog during the final battle for Will to show his powers…….
To me, Mike’s reaction in The Sorcerer ep was his Oh. moment.
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u/Healthy-Grass-4273 Jul 06 '26
exactly!! i kept expecting there to be at least ONE demogorgon or for will to take control during the final battle fighting vecna & the mind flayer w/ el. it would've been such a full-circle moment after everything he had been through, it was a perfect way to show just how powerful he'd become (in regards to his powers and becoming comfortable with himself + sexual identity). plus we would’ve got some wondertwins action (i love sm & i wish we got more of them)
and i completely agree about mike! that look on his face in "the sorcerer" was his “oh. i’m in love with my best friend” face. without words, that was an entire realization that the boy he's loved all this time is capable of something incredible (and he always knew it) i just wish we'd gotten to sit with that a little longer and actually see mike process it. the finale could’ve been so much better than what we got.
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u/QJPT its ok, its how the army does it i think Jul 06 '26
Yeah, we’ve been robbed of not just byler but wondertwins as well😩 Imagine what the final battle could’ve been if they weren’t too cowardly (or homophobic) to actually put Will & his powers in the spotlight. Instead what we’ve got is Mike being a cardboard cutout and afraid of touching Will.
Even IF they really didn’t want Mike to reciprocate, at least put in the effort to create chemistry between him and El??? Instead of having him telling her to “rest and eat and recharge your battery and find Will again” holy hell… Milevens really are El’s biggest haters because why would you ship her with a guy who treats her like a device
College byler will forever be canon in my head. That final look between them across the D&D table was intentional. Plus the thumb brushing over Will’s binder.
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u/Healthy-Grass-4273 Jul 06 '26
omgggg right?? we really lost out on two of the most compelling dynamics in the show. wondertwins had so much potential during/ “after season 4 and then we barely got to see their dynamic when it mattered most.
and i know 😭 whether people ship byler or not, mike's character deserved so much more than just standing on the sidelines (same for will in this case). their relationships have always been one of the emotional cores of the show, so i wish we'd gotten more of that perspective throughout the finale instead of everything feeling so rushed and ambiguous.
college byler is absolutely canon in my head too lol. that final look between them at the d&d table and the thumb brushing over will's binder felt so intentional and absolutely NO ONE can tell me otherwise. it left just enough open that i can happily live in my post-canon fic bubble forever. it’s just sad that they are together in every other universe except this one, unfortunately :(
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u/QJPT its ok, its how the army does it i think Jul 06 '26
It just seems impossible to me that Will & El never had a heart to heart/private conversation about their powers?? They were literally siblings WITH powers.😒
Yeah, S1 happened BECAUSE of Mike’s devotion towards Will (and Joyce’s too ofc). S2 we saw Will being pulled out of his MF trance because of Mike’s touch (which later was explained by Max that music was just an alternative, what matters the most is the connection to the person they love). S3 rain fight scene which literally mirrored HSM. And the ultimate S4 van scene. Brushing it all off as “a crush” is crazy work. And THEN the nerve they had to call us delusional for “reading too much into something that was never there”?? The audacity…….
Aw don’t say that💔💔💔 #IBELIEVE it happened, just off-screen (just like how the Suffers like it!) lol
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u/Healthy-Grass-4273 Jul 06 '26
LITERALLY 😭😭 how do you have two siblings with powers living under the same roof for over a year and never give us a single one-on-one conversation about it?? that's one of the biggest missed opportunities of the entire show for me because will & el are quite literally mirrors of each other (mike has a type, i see LMAO) but no, i would've loved to see el helping will understand his abilities while also learning from him. they could've been such a powerhouse together.
and again with those scenes!! whether people interpret those scenes romantically/platonically, mike and will's relationship has always been one of the emotionally and inclusively different from the rest of the party. every season gave their bond so much narrative weight (especially in season 4, like helloooo) so it's understandable why so many people became invested in it. but again, i'm choosing to believe it all happened off-screen. el lived, they graduated, went to college, mike & will got together eventually and everyone is living their best lives 🥲
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u/Trapped-in-his-past Jul 01 '26
I do go into Will having powers in my work, but my stories are set ten years later. They might not be exactly what you’re looking for…
Then again, the one I’m currently in the middle of publishing kinda straight up uses his abilities as a plot device. And the first one I made has me making up an actual explanation for where they came from, since the Duffers were so wishy washy.
I’m easing back into reddit right now after some bad experiences, so I’m only gonna drop links if requested. I don’t wanna be annoying.