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Because of this fanfic, I watched The Normal Heart (HBO Max), a film that depicts the health crisis caused by AIDS in the 1980s. It shows how, for a long time, no one did anything—not the political authorities, not much of the medical community, and not the church, which went so far as to portray the disease as divine punishment.

For years, inaction allowed thousands of people to die, while the limited information available only served to increase the stigma against gay people. When treatments finally began to be developed, they were extremely expensive, which meant the crisis could be managed primarily in developed countries. Meanwhile, in Africa, where a large proportion of those infected were concentrated, access to these medications remained very limited.

It was called 'gay cancer', even though it was always a virus that didn’t discriminate. However, when the circle of people affected expanded beyond the gay community, and other forms of transmission were discovered, the crisis began to receive greater attention. This laid bare a horrifying reality: for a long time, much of society didn’t care because those who were dying were gay men, drug addicts, or sex workers.

By the way, as is often the case in crises, it was women—especially lesbians—who stepped up to the plate during this crisis.

They donated blood en masse when blood banks were running dry due to the crisis, cared for sick gay men who had been abandoned by their families, worked as nurses and activists, and actively participated in political advocacy groups.

They were indispensable when even medical staff refused to treat them, and the scientists and doctors who wanted to do something lacked the financial support needed to research the virus and find a treatment or potential cure.

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Es increíble el nivel de odio y resentimiento que muchos hombres sienten hacia las mujeres, al punto de usar IA para modificar el gameplay de un videojuego. Han creado videos en los que la protagonista de God of War aparece fregando pisos, lavando ropa o embarazada. Incluso hacen versiones en las que puede ser maltratada. pero luego dicen que las exageradas somos nosotras, que somos nosotras quienes los odiamos.

esto me recordó a lo que ocurrió con The Last of Us Part II. Cuando murió Joel, muchos hombres dejaron de jugar porque la protagonista pasaría a ser Ellie, cuando en realidad ella siempre fue la protagonista. También les molestó que hubiera dos mujeres protagonistas. Les molestaba la apariencia de Abby y que Ellie fuera lesbiana.

a muchos les gustan las mujeres en los videojuegos, pero solo cuando encajan en ciertos estándares; poca ropa, pechos y trasero grandes, cintura pequeña, escotes y actitudes hipersexualizadas. Si no pueden sexualizarlas, dejan de interesarles. Y si un personaje femenino es más fuerte o más competente que uno masculino, sienten que eso amenaza su ego.

Con solo leer los comentarios de este video te das cuenta de que a los hombres realmente no les importa, solo les importa cómo serán percibidos por otros hombres si intervienen. les preocupa no quedar mal con el amigo, que no los llamen 'simp' o que les lancen el clásico 'no la vas a poner'.

los hombres tratan bien a una mujer o son amables con ella únicamente cuando esperan obtener algo a cambio. y qué es ese algo? Sexo.

No nos ven como iguales; nos ven como un beneficio potencial, sexual o doméstico.

ellos están mucho más interesados en la aprobación masculina que en el bienestar de las mujeres. Por eso guardan silencio. Por eso no dicen nada.

a los hombres no les gustan las mujeres como personas: solo les atraen. Pero a quienes admiran, respetan, idolatran y buscan impresionar es a otros hombres.

sí, sí, sí. no todos. podría contar con los dedos de una sola mano las excepciones.

illustrator @MikWielder (X/twitter)

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And after 14 chapters, they finally kissed!!! When I read this yesterday, I was over the moon.

Will... I'm glad this story isn't told from Will's point of view—it would be pure agony.

When they decided to end their 'game', it felt almost like a breakup; I felt so bad for them. This fanfic is a masterpiece.

that 'so stupid' from season 3...

Ouch, Will let himself feel it even though it might hurt him.

I love the way this girl writes and expresses herself. It's beautiful.

I appreciate the author's decision not to make their first kiss sexual. especially since it was Will's first kiss.

I feel like in every fanfic I've read where they're young, their first kiss is sexualized. And I'm not saying that's good or bad—I just prefer what this author did when it comes to Will's first kiss.

Thank you for giving Will a first kiss that was intense, sweet, and full of love—even if he doesn’t know it yet.

illustrator @meowwwzah (X/twitter)

And another thing I really love about this fanfic is that even though Will and Mike don’t communicate well because they don’t choose the right words, they make all their decisions together. They respect each other so much. They listen to each other. They don’t even know what kind of relationship they have, but even so, they’ve made every decision thoughtfully.

Anyway, even though the premise in the first few chapters was something you wouldn’t take seriously, it’s so beautifully written that it was worth reading. And once things got serious between them, building up from there, it became a masterpiece that captures every emotion so perfectly that you feel both Mike’s and Will’s feelings. It’s so deep that you connect with their emotions.

I love this.

illustrator eskabalbes (X/twitter)

illustrator @thefieldscene (X/twitter)

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Matador has come to an end... one of the best fanfics I've ever read.

<3

eeew, they're so cute. Will deserved this in the canon. He deserved everything.

Of course he'll get Will another shelf to store all his odds and ends aaaww.

:v

Aww, they're uploading their own comic, just like Will and Mike from How to Disappear Completely <3

It really hits hard to read this during Pride Month...

I like these versions of Will and Mike. Despite everything, they never doubted that they belonged together. For them, it was like, 'Okay, we love each other, so let's be together'

Cover designed by @lovemail4byler (X/twitter)

***I loved this fanfic from start to finish. I really admire the author’s ability to weave together a supernatural plot, trauma, pain, loss, and romance so skillfully. Especially all of Will’s physical and emotional pain—the consequences of everything he went through during those four years of solitude and isolation. His strength, resilience, and courage.

I was thinking about my favorite queer characters. About how only one of them was able to find happiness with the person they loved.

A queer person deserves not only self-acceptance and self-love, but also to be loved by the person they love.

...because queer love and sex aren't a fetish

Oh, the first illustration I’ve seen of this wonderful fanfic, besides the incredibly talented Kidovna (X/twitter). It’s beautiful!!!

It’s Will at the Eisner Awards—that image Mike searches for on Yahoo every time he finishes chatting with Will. If he lived alone, he would have printed it out by now, I’m sure.

I'm also sure Will must have a ton of nerdy guys looking up to him and crushing on him.

I love that this fanfic is getting the attention it deserves.

These wonderful edited images are by @catinnoodles (X/Twitter)

lol, this is tragicomic.

Wow, it looks like Mike has Will's painting in his study or at his office.

The next chapter won't be out for maybe another three weeks. But they'll finally see each other after five years of being apart and three since the last time they met in person! The author will write the reunion in traditional prose, and I actually like that decision. I want to know everything—absolutely everything.

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Oh wait, Mike didn't clear his Yahoo search history!!!

I’m in love with you, do you think it shows? by apateangle

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A new chapter of the fanfic about Mike with amnesia has been released, and it looks like there will be 15 chapters instead of 14. I love it. It’s a really beautiful chapter. I love it when they portray Will and Mike’s relationship in such a wholesome, sweet, and respectful way.

I’ve come across several illustrations for this fanfic, and fuck, they’re beautiful.

MaryamYukki (X/twitter)

chapter 8

“Shut up,” he murmured, glancing back down as he tightened the knot. “You used to do it for me, remember?”

@bylercleradin7 (X/twitter)

chapter 13 <3

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Will is so sweet, kind, empathetic, and selfless. This opens a door of hope for him, but even so, he doesn't seek to benefit himself.

Mike's unsent emails.

this fanfic is going to consume my life.

That was the last casual relationship Will had, and honestly, I seriously wonder how that guy didn't want to hold him if Will is that adorable😔

Mike: 'Will's ideal guy would be...' Also Mike: proceeds to describe himself.

Damn. This is wrong, but I like it :,v

eeeew they're ridiculously cute

Aww, Mike talks so sweetly about Will with his therapist.

Honestly, after this chapter and his second individual therapy session, I see Mike as more relaxed, more at ease. I mean, he feels guilty and all that, but somehow he’s being himself and not forcing himself to do things he doesn’t want to do. Although, of course, he’ll hurt people in the process, and he’s lying more and more.

I know that once they cross that invisible line, Will is the one who’ll feel the worst. I know the fanfic is written from Mike’s perspective, so we know almost all of his thoughts. But Will... he’s going to get what he’s always wanted, but the cost will be high, and he’s going to suffer a lot, and he’s going to feel terrible about himself😣

@oharashusband (X/twitter)

"...I don't think forcing yourself to stay miserable forever is automatically noble just because it hurts you instead of somebody else"

New chapter of How to Disappear Completely!!!

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And well, I can't help but wonder how Will must be feeling about all this. Imagine if your best friend from childhood—the love of your life, who's been with a woman for ten years and married to her for three—told you that he might be attracted to men. Waaaa

fuck...

This fanfic is consuming so much of my brain that it leaves me speechless.

Take a shot every time Mike looks up pictures of Will at the Eisner Awards.

He's looking for Pokémon cards aaaww!

And wow, he's actually thinking about going to see him.

omg. Look, I really, really feel bad for Maggie, but selfishly, I want Will to be happy on his birthday—and forever :/

***I feel like I don't have much to say about this chapter, but I'm just so lost in my own thoughts that I don't know what to say.

Because on one hand, I feel bad for Maggie—really bad—but on the other, I love the dynamic between Will and Mike. They're so cute, nerdy, sweet, and understanding with each other. They have a healthy bond.

Mike and Maggie do have a nice connection, but I think it’s more platonic—they could be good friends.

***I don't have the image credits; someone sent it to me. But of course, I'll give full credit where it's due***

I really love the Byler fandom. I think I’ve met some of the most talented, creative, and intelligent people out there. But over time, I’ve realized that the fandom is divided, and there are things I simply don’t agree with.

There’s a group that supports Mike much more than Will, which in itself isn’t a problem. We all have favorite characters. The problem, at least for me, is when that support comes with putting Will down. I’ve seen it in posts, in edits, but mostly in fanfics.

Mike has all the narrative freedom in the world to be hurtful, self-centered, aggressive, even a jerk, while Will has to forgive him, understand him, and comfort him, because he’s the good guy, the sweet one, the kind one. Haven’t I seen this before? *coughcoughstraightmoviescoughcough*.

I recently came across a fic with an interesting premise that started off well, until Mike insults Will out of jealousy, literally calling him a slut—and not just in that context, but in others as well. He mocks him. The classic cliché of the fuckboy who hides his feelings behind cruelty because he’s afraid. And what does Will do? He tolerates it, understands it, and comforts him. I've come across this dynamic in almost every alternate universe story I've read, where Mike is the confident bad boy with issues and Will is the insecure nice guy who will heal him with the power of love. In other words, Will's world revolves around Mike; Will exists because of Mike (obviously, there are exceptions). But you also find traditional heteronormative dynamics in stories that stick to the canon.

A clear example is how roles are handled in intimacy. Will is always the bottom, Mike is always the top (I’m talking about fics where they’re of legal age, of course). I’ve seen people get angry—really angry—when Mike is portrayed as the bottom or versatile. And I can’t help but think that’s a deeply misogynistic way of thinking. Why does Will have to be the bottom? Because he’s sweet, sensitive, and kind? And why does it bother you so much that Mike takes on that role? Does that make him weak? Aren’t you being misogynistic by thinking that way?

Bottom ≠ submissive.

Top ≠ dominant.

And this goes beyond sexual roles. Will’s world in these narratives revolves exclusively around Mike. Mike can explore, grow, and be loved by other people. Will cannot. Every boyfriend Will has before being with Mike turns out to be a jerk, someone who doesn’t truly love him, or worse, someone who loves him, but in a toxic and unhealthy way. Is Mike really the only one capable of seeing Will’s true worth?

Yes, for a young gay man, finding a stable partner is genuinely difficult. Many queer people discover their sexual orientation as adults; they explore first, and love comes later. That’s real. And it’s much harder for Will with everything he’s carrying from his past. But seriously, can no one else fall in love with Will besides Mike?

And finally; the tendency to distort Will’s personality to fit him into the most classic and superficial gay stereotype. Not just his personality, but also his tastes, his interests—everything that makes him unique.

Yes, fanfics exist to entertain. They have no obligation to follow canon or to represent anything or anyone. I get that. But I still wonder: isn’t it a bit counterproductive to take Will and Mike—two characters who break the mold—and turn them into a heteronormative couple?

That’s why I usually read and enjoy fanfics where Will moves on, puts himself first, and fulfills his dreams—even though he still loves Mike, that love isn’t the center of his universe. Meanwhile, Mike suffers as a result of his decisions.

Sorry, Mike