#bychancegate

GOOD MORNING MY LOVES.

The Jealous Mike arc has officially been introduced In s5. 🤭 (credits to @abc_toz on TikTok.)

And trust me, this is only just the beginning. RoWill is NOT going to be the finish line of this plot.

At the moment we barely just got ST5 Volume 1, and yet, the RoWill/Mike fake love triangle has already reached “full throttle” aka its maximum potential, as evidenced in the TikTok at the end of this post:

1. Will grabs Robin’s arm (close body contact);

2. Mike WITNESSES it;

3. Overwhelmed with jealous emotion, Mike overshoots his shovel throw and accidentally PIERCES through the EMOTION PIPES (bursting the emotional floodgates and causing an irreparable LEAK).

Everyone's shocked reaction the next moment:

Said leak forcing Mike and Will into the now widely famous and awkward pipe/hand-squeezing, blatantly horny innuendo shortly after.

There is nowhere the RoWill/Mike triangle can evolve towards past this. RoWill close body contact has been established; they can't go much further on that department between Robin and Will.

A bigger monster is coming. The real, huge Chekhov’s Gun is yet to fire.

Fellow Jealous Mike truthers, Angsty Byler truthers and Bychancers… I fear our moment has arrived. We are in for a WILD RIDE. 🏎️🏎️🏎️

HOLD ONTO YOUR SEATS BROCHACHOSSSS

TikTok by @abc_toz (i had to speed it up because Tumblr has a 10 min limit for videos):

previous: MAIN DATABASE

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activating: logical mode ⋆.˚👨🏻‍⚕️⋆

little note

but since I love to discover new POVs and covering my bases, I'm making this writing exercise, where I'll be attempting to debunk the possibility of Bychance being real, while also honoring the hints and clues that my fellow Investigators 🕵️ and myself, have found. It'll be fun to see where we end up!

I'm REALLY curious to see if by the end of this I'm swayed from Bychance. This is done to the best of my ability, so please bear with me! Let's tackle the easy stuff first, and then the hardest at the end.

please be mindful of the trigger warnings I've added at the end!

#. HE'S A HINT, NOT A CHARACTER.

Vecna/Henry/001, aka the character they spent planning THE MOST. Hence why they selected this random jock to associate these two names with, and #22. Because HENRY is the Duffer's favorite character. "Beloved of Jah."

He's also associated with Solomon "King of Magic" whom sinned by loving "foreign women". Hello? That's Henry! Will's 'UD version' and what have you, plus Henry x Patty!

#22 is not only Will's birthday, but the date of the Creel murders too, yes? And since Chance had 0 to do in the plot, and wasn't characterized, that might've been intentional tbh. He was just a stand-in for the word/concept of Chance + one + 22. He's not a real character, per se, he's basically just a hint.

Him looking like Mike is because he's the "UD version" of him. Chance as a name has a positive connotation: "good fortune", so Mike is also 'Chance'.

There's also something here about Mike learning that just because his meeting with someone wasn't orchestrated by fate/destiny, doesn't mean that everything that happened after was meaningless. Because technically ( and regardless of how his relationship with Mileven ends ), him meeting Will was also a result of chance.

They both got lucky.

From Mike's POV, Destiny/Fate is a stand-in for a higher power. God--re: his religious trauma-coding.

"If I'm meant to be with El then I HAVE to stay with her bc that's what makes me a hero. If I deviate from this path, I'd have departed from my intended destiny and therefore become worthless."

or something along those lines.

Chance, the character, is also not as connected to #22 as we've been thinking. Technically, we only learn his name is "Chance" in ep6 during the town hall meeting. Before that, back in ep1, you'd have to squint to see that he's wearing that jersey number, even if there's a sign that says #22 in the background.

I wouldn't even have picked up on it had it not been for Bychance existing as a crack ship in the fandom by the time I rewatched the season. I was only prompted to investigate when I saw a very CLEAR BTS picture of Hunter wearing the shirt. Otherwise? I'd have Very Likely remained none the wiser.

Once again, this is a tiger / 22 association because of Will and Vecna. The name "Chance" in his jersey isn't about him, it's just another way in which the writers made us associate the word "chance" with the "tigers", because of Vecna--and the text does this off the bat through Will's Alan Turing presentation.

#. CHANCE/BYCHANCE = PROBABILITY THEORY

Henry is heavily Alan Turing-coded. Alan's "probability theory" posits that out of a set of possibilities, the outcome is ultimately determined "by chance." Them winning the game with odds against them and only one chance at winning was also likely related to this. ✨ Luck/chance, and the writers, are ultimately on the heroes' side, even though victory might come at a price, in an unexpected way, or later than anticipated, but it comes. ✨

#. "S5 BYCHANCE" = S4 LUMAX

Technically, Lucas x Max fit the "jock x nerd" stereotype and subvert it, even! This is brought home further by the AWIT inspiration.

Their outfits, and even aspects of their personalities in S4 remind me of Calvin and Meg. Lumax is also, in my opinion, being set up to be the show's "flag ship", replacing Mileven.

Max was having an "affair" with Vecna ( aka metaphor for addiction/unhealthy coping mechanisms as per "master of puppets" ), and pushing everyone away/not opening up. In the end it was Lucas ( plus her friends ) who saved her, even though there WERE consequences for her.

I think we'll see Byler in these roles too in S5, as many Bylers have pointed out before. There's also the fact that S4 Max and Mike had similar outfits at one point:

Not to mention, Mike was present in Max's visions, sort of hinting at a connection between Max and Mike. Who knows tbh.

So, the "cheater boyfriend"-coding hint plus the "Chance" stuff is just Vecna hinting. Will having an "affair" with "Chance" is something metaphorical.

Max is also connected to a lot of that "dream logic" that Will is associated with this season, and even though it is Will's birthday who was forgotten, it is safe to assume birthdaygate will be a vision or something Vecna will use against Will.

#. ROBIN SET UP AS THE POTENTIAL "FAKE LOVE INTEREST".

However, there IS merit to the whole 'jealous!Mike' trope to help bring Byler together, and threemanoperation made a great post tackling that Robin might be the source of Mike's jealousy.

Which is backed by the fact that a lot of other Bylers seem to be on board with this idea, likely because they've picked up on its narrative need, set up & who knows, maybe even writing intent.

We also know Robin and Will were spotted together at some point, so interactions between them are a guarantee at this point.

Their dynamic could very well play out like the Mr. Clarke/Joyce/Hopper triangle--rather humorous and lighthearted, with the intention to make us see jealous!Mike in a way that isn't jarring.

#. TIGER SYMBOLISM

Now, adding to that "Chance + 22 + Tiger" pattern I found, we could say that the "tiger" is used as a symbol for queerness when it comes to Will, and potentially Mike. The Tigers were queer-coded because it was convenient, with all of the associations we have to contact sports ( hypermasculinity at its peak ), but it also represents Vecna. Tigers are predators.

Now here comes the hard stuff ...

DISCLAIMERS & TRIGGER WARNINGS:

For the sake of this bit, I'll treat WiseOne as:

a rival "romance"/dynamic to Byler ( WiseOne vs Byler )

an 'ally' to Mileven ( WiseOne + Mileven )

However, this is purely a symbolic association, strictly for organizational purposes--I am not suggesting that Vecna has romantic intent with Will, or shipping them, nor am I implying that the showrunners/creators are.

This inherently requires a dive into Will's CSA-coding as well as Vecna's coding surrounding that. So if you're not comfortable with this subject matter, please stop reading here! Take care of yourself.

I tried my very best to tackle this with as much care as possible, but it's just not a nice subject. I apologize for putting this ( or summoning it from your subconscious, I guess? ) in your minds but ...

as awful as this subtext is, I definitely believe the showrunners will be extremely respectful and handle this storyline with the care, thought, and intention it deserves, because it is SO important.

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#. WISEONE & MILEVEN

So, here are WiseOne and Mileven's first meetings, both chance encounters/meetings that happened by chance that were doomed from the start. The similarities, both narratively and visually, are hard to dismiss:

Visual language & narrative similarity

( strikingly similar / sudden / jarring )

Timing of their first meetings

( Wiseone @ BEGINNING & Mileven @ END of episode ONE )

Timing of Mileven's first kiss + Will & the vine

( The Will scene followed right after Mileven's first kiss--this subtext is also present in S3 with kissing = swapping spit = tentacle possession. )

So, this is to say, the 'Bychance' storyline as we have been discussing it already happened in S1 & S2. All that coding in S4? Murray's comment ...

Specifically when referring to Joyce's kids, aka El and Will? It's not just queer-coding.

It's a callback to something that already happened. For all intents and purposes, Vecna, whether accidentally or in the name of science, conducted a reproduction experiment with Will. That is also why Will and Nancy have all those parallels in S1 and S2, jarring losses of innocence, and all of the "traitor/cheater"-coding that we were saying was Bychance's.

So, in essence, Vecna has already been serving what we have been theorizing as "Chance's narrative function"--a symbolic fake love interest for Will's growth that he ultimately needs to break free from.

Textually speaking, WiseOne's dynamic might be similar to Harry and Voldemort or Hannibal Lecter and Clarice. But subtextually, we have this sort of imagery that is hard to ignore when discussing the arc that draws inspiration from a movie that's infamous for its male assault allegories:

This subtext will NEVER see the light of day, probably. What I think is, this is partly what the showrunners meant when they said that Will's emotional arc ties the whole series together: this type of subtext, which is prevalent both narratively and symbolically, hints at how the experience has imprinted itself on Will's subconscious.

The S3 monster represents puberty, and we have at least 3 instances of Will voicing disgust when it comes to kissing in that season.

To back this up, the season also heavily features grotesque imagery that harks back to Will's experience in the UD ( his abduction and the vine ) This makes me feel like:

Will feels disgusted at the idea of kissing, not because he's ashamed of his attraction to men, but because of how the whole UD experience made him feel about his body, its needs, and desires when it comes to romantic love.

Even if he and Mike had confessed/gotten together in S4 like most Bylers theorized before Vol II dropped, this would've been something Will would've struggled with. I genuinely believe this is how they'll handle his internalized homophobia in S5.

IN CONCLUSION:

BYCHANCE = WISEONE ... & it already happened. S5 is about Byler finally coming together after being pulled apart by miscommunication, etc. Will doesn't need "experience"--he's already had one, with Vecna. They technically 'broke up' in S2 bc his family wasn't okay with them being together ( talk about Romeo and Juliet, huh? )

All of this happened against Will's will.

@cypherheartnokey & @offsidetracked would LOVE to read your thoughts on this! I'm trying to make this as strong as possible but honestly it just feels like a possibility to me and not an actual "debunk" yet so if you guys got any ideas on how to make it stronger I'd LOVE to read them!

Without saying "it wouldn't make sense" I'm just curious by your reaction

Would you like it or would you get mad? Or something else?

Hi anon! omg thank you for asking this hoho. The words "it wouldn't make sense" do not exist to me in the context of analyzing this show because I do not write it and I do not know what the writers have ultimately decided to do. If there's anything I've learned is to keep my mind open because this show has such smart fans you never freaking know when they're right on the money on something that would've otherwise completely blindsided me.

How would you react if instead of a bychance in season 5 happened a chancewheeler?

I can tell you that I have considered both Wheelchance AND Elchance as possibilities in my quest for truth lmfao--I haven't given it too much thought but here's where I somewhat am with Wheelchance:

Metaphorically speaking, I do think Wheelchance makes sense, something about Mike surrendering and opening himself up to the idea of "chance" not being such a bad thing. Right now he has such a negative view of it. ( It's just "simple dumb luck, not destiny." "We can't take any chances, we have to assume the worst." ) The interaction between Mike and the Actual Character can be what it seems like it's going to be right now ( Mike being bullied by Andy and Chance, like Dustin ) but there might be a subversion imo, so whatever happens between Mike and Chance could be eye-opening for Mike. What do you think, anon? If you or anyone else has any thoughts I'd love to read them!

Would you like it or would you get mad? Or something else?

I know you ask about Wheelchance in a romantic sense, but I genuinely can't read them like that beyond a metaphor. I'd have to read a Wheelchance-leaning analysis to even picture it. ( if there's any or you personally have a read of it by all means I'd love to check it out! )

But I'm too Bychance-pilled 😭 whereas Will's emotional arc ties the whole series together ❤️, and Chance feels like a total wild card 🎲, them bearing the names doesn't mean they alone embody the concepts they're named after. These concepts are woven throughout the narrative and exist in all of the characters--we all have a will, we take chances or we don't, etc. If that makes sense!

So, to start, let's set aside the characters and focus on the concepts of FREE WILL and CHANCE.

How these two concepts are interwined, work together, and affect one another is a philosophical debate in our reality.

Some people think Free Will needs Chance to be able to truly exist, others think Free Will is actually undermined by Chance, so it boils down to how the Duffers themselves feel about this. Did they name these characters after these two concepts on purpose? Or am I assuming that due to bias? ( aka I do not want to get Lost in the Subtextual Sea of Endless Possibilities so just assuming it is intentional gives me peace 💀 )

I do think they fw the concept of Serendipity, which is "the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Lucky accidents, fortunate discoveries."

I believe this because of Hopper's letter to El at the end of S3--the idea of bad things happening but encouraging her to remember that pain instead of suppressing it, and to keep growing because sometimes, life is SURPRISING and HAPPY. ( Sometimes life is serendipitous! )

Moreover, in DnD, Free Will and Chance are two things the DM cannot control ( Free Will = player action and agency. Chance = the dice, the unexpected ).

As a DM, I can manipulate or persuade and deceive etc but can't really touch them bc that'd make me a Bad DM ( which Vecna is tbf--I mean look at how he's treated Will so far my poor pookie ) so yeah, that's a whole other can of worms too I'm still looking into and somewhat feels like it's stuff that'll be clearer once we've seen S5

#. EP 1 = 5 TIMES ( bonus: YMCA 🍀 + LUCKY CHARMS 🍀 ) 4 ( ROBIN ) 1 ( DUSTIN )

#. EP 2 - 0 TIMES #. EP 3 - 1 TIME 1 ( TINA )

#. EP 4 - 3 TIMES ( bonus: SERENDIPITY 🍀 + "Being Different" playing ) 1 ( DUSTIN ) 1 ( ROBIN ) 1 ( MIKE )

"Being Different" playing

#. EP5- 2 TIMES 1 ( JONATHAN ) 1 ( WILL )

#. EP6- 1 TIME 1 ( HOLLY )

#. EP7 - 1 TIME ( bonus: LUCKY CHARMS 🍀 + TAMMY ) 1 ( WILL )

<< REWIND TO EP 5

BACK TO EP 7 >>

IF TAMMY = MIKE IS TRUE, THEN VICKIE = ?