#tacobellgate

The glaringly obvious connection that all of us have been missing.

And it goes WAY deeper than you thought.

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Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger) = Mike Wheeler:

-> the love of his life is the man highlighted in yellow below;

-> repressed feelings;

-> refusal to fulfill what he truly wants;

-> refusal to accept & admit who he really is;

-> beard relationship with a woman who knows he’s gay & she’s extremely jealous & resentful of it (this is true for Ennis; and while we don’t yet truly know about Eleven, let’s just say my controversial opinion on s5 is that… things in this department are not going as smoothly as most are assuming right now).

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Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) = Will Byers:

-> more emotional expression;

-> higher emotional & sexual needs that he needs to fulfill;

-> more ease at being & expressing his true self.

-> the love of his life is the man highlighted in blue above;

-> however, because that man won’t properly commit to a gay life, Jack/Will finds himself forced to try to fulfill his emotional & sexual needs somewhere else.

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“Somewhere Else”™️ = Mexico 🇲🇽

That’s right, fellow Bylers…

In the iconic quintessential most universally famous queer movie Brokeback Mountain, there’s a crucial point in the story where Jack (Will) goes to Mexico (near the border) & “cheats” on Ennis (Mike) with Latino male prostitutes & also other affairs (including cowboy!David Harbour himself lmfaoo).

Jack & Ennis’s most famous & iconic scene is literally them arguing over this, and Ennis (Mike) feeling extremely betrayed, hurt & jealous over this entire Mexico thing.

Jack (Will) snaps back basically saying that he did want a life with Ennis (Mike), but Ennis wouldn’t give him the presence, the affection, the frequency that he needed. And so, obviously, Jack looked elsewhere.

That was the last time they saw each other & from then on the story only gets even more tragic.

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Chance & Will have so far been associated to Mexico & Latin America in at least seven different ways:

1 — 🇲🇽 Sombrero hat:

The Mexican sombrero hat on the Tiger 🐅 plushie in Will’s s4 bedroom— right when Mike & Will have their heart-to-heart where they pledge to be best friends again (duffers you’re diabolical).

PLUS the video the Duffers had s3 Noah take while wearing the very same sombrero. It’s Will jumping on a bed seductively while cheering “¡Hola!” in a cheeky smile 😭 (duffers you’re diabolical).

I included & go over both of these in the following posts:

2 — 🎃 “Día de los Muertos”:

Halloween, pumpkins & “Día de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead): originally a Mexican tradition.

Also Mike’s “best night of the year” (duffers you’re diabolical).

Additionally, the entire “diseased pumpkins” plotline in s2 is a reference to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

I’m going to link a previous post I made about how this Halloween connection to Chance was officialized in the show:

3 — 🌶️🌮🔥 (Spicy!) Mexican Food:

Tacos, Taco Bell & other Mexican food that they have been referencing throughout the show, but especially in their latest marketing efforts too.

S3 Starcourt Mall: Eleven uses her powers to explode Stacy’s orange 🍊 drink (Chance is also associated to orange, both the fruit & the colour), covering everyone around her in liquid (hmmmmmm…). It just so happens that the boy Stacy was talking to looks A LOT like Chance.

El & Max laugh & run away. “See? What did I tell you? There’s more to life than stupid boys!”. This Max line is also foreshadowing for Will’s s5 arc, where he attempts to “get over” Mike.

Right while she’s saying this, the camera is showing the huge TACO BELL 🌮 sign behind them.

It then immediately pans to a lush green fountain 🌿⛲️ where Will, Mike & Lucas are seated. “Can we play DnD now?”… “No!”. This foreshadows Will waiting & waiting for Mike, while Mike stalls & stalls.

Will is bored, impatient & needy. He looks outwards, in the direction of the Taco Bell 🌮 sign (duffers you’re diabolical).

ST Marketing: in their official accounts, especially @strangerthings.things on Instagram (their merch & promotion account), they have been including SO MANY hints. Many of them relate to tacos, Taco Bell & other Mexican foods.

4 — 🦅 Thunderbird:

Thunderbird totem pole (Native American memorabilia) in Will’s s2 bedroom.

The Thunderbird was also referenced in the “Hawkins’ Horrors” ST book, inside Steve & Robin’s suspicious story about none other than Lovers’ Lake.

There’s also tons of associations with birds of prey in ST: Hawkins, “Squawk” the s5 radio station, Mike’s consistent associations to hawks & falcons, etc. I talk about this in the following reblog (check the whole thread if you can):

Let’s not forget the association of the Thunderbird to the concepts of thunder, storms, weather, lightning, electricity ⛈️⚡️🌀🌪️🌨️ that are so prevalent in Stranger Things (neural connections, synapses, emotions, attraction 🧠🫀).

Is this Thunderbird foreshadowing a… stormy relationship?

5 — 🦇 Camazotz:

“Escape from Camazotz” s5 episode.

Camazotz being a Mayan deity. The Mayan civilization having been located in Central America, including what is now Mexico.

“A bat spirit at the service of the lords of the underworld. In Mesoamerica generally, the bat is often associated with night, death, and sacrifice.” (Wikipedia).

Underworld = gay community in the 1980s = hidden sexual practices

I talk about these themes (sacrifice, etc. = loss of virginity) in the following reblog exploring Max’s story in “Hawkins’ Horrors” book & its insane references to them:

Also… Bat 🦇-> baseball bat ⚾️ -> Lonnie -> Will’s CSA trauma.

6 — 🕺🏻 Physical Appearance:

Even though Chance’s actor, Hunter Romanillos, is listed as being of Philippino descent, his surname is Hispanic & his appearance matches a Latino guy extremely well.

He was probably chosen & cast meticulously for this specific effect.

Check this post for reference (I included many pictures of him):

7 — 🎶 Should I Stay Or Should I Go:

What language is spoken in Mexico?

[Intro]

Oh! Hola!

[Verse 1]

Darling, you got to let me know

Should I stay, or should I go?

If you say that you are mine

I'll be here till the end of time

So you got to let me know

Should I stay, or should I go?

[Verse 2]

It's always tease, tease, tease

You're happy when I'm on my knees

One day it's fine, and next it's black

So if you want me off your back

Well, come on and let me know

Should I stay, or should I go?

[Chorus]

Should I stay, or should I go now?

Should I stay, or should I go now?

If I go, there will be trouble

And if I stay, it will be double

So come on and let me know

[Verse 3]

This indecision's bugging me (Esta indecisión me molesta)

If you don't want me, set me free (Si no me quieres, librarme)

Exactly whom I'm supposed to be (Dígame que tengo ser)

Don't you know which clothes even fit me? (Sabes que ropa me "quedrá"?)

Come on and let me know (Me tienes que decir)

Should I cool it, or should I blow? (Me debo ir o quedarme?)

Split

[Bridge]

(Doble! ¿Me frio o lo soplo?)

(Esperda, rrattarrattattaa...)

[Chorus]

Should I stay, or should I go now? (Yo me enfrío o lo soplo)

Should I stay, or should I go now? (Yo me enfrío o lo soplo)

If I go, there will be trouble (Si me voy va a haber peligro)

And if I stay, it will be double (Si me quedo sera el doble)

So ya gotta let me know (Me tienes que decir)

Should I cool it, or should I blow? (Tengo frío por los ojos)

Should I stay, or should I go now? (Tengo frío por los ojos)

If I go, there will be trouble (Si me voy va haber peligro)

And if I stay, it will be double (Si me quedo será el doble)

So ya gotta let me know (Me tienes que decir)

Should I stay, or should I go?

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Mike: “My girlfriend saved the world twice!”

Dustin: “Yet, you still got a C in Spanish…”.

[…to be continued…]

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 🧸🤗

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Tagging: @ven0moir @bylerlipglances @greenfiend & everyone can tag more ppl if you want!

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You’ve reached Taco Bell. Order or whatever.

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This is a response to this post by @offsidetracked:

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EXCELLENT POST, and also:

"A big theme in Will's S5 arc is ✨TEMPTATION✨ Resisting it, giving in to it. And finding out the consequences of both."

Huge theme in The Phantom of the Opera (1910), Dracula (1897), Labyrinth (1986) & especially Nosferatu (1922). And many other works I'm sure.

It's no coincidence that Vecna 🦇 embodies the characters' trauma & is played by Jamie Campbell Bower—who played vampire Caius Volturi in Twilight, "one of the three ancient leaders of the Volturi, who are based in Volterra, Italy [...] Caius [...] is the most ruthless of the three leaders." (Twilight Saga Wiki)

TROPE: The "innocent" damsel being seduced by an older, lustful, hypnotizing, usually rich/powerful man (often a vampire 🧛‍♀️). A relationship which ultimately has the power to corrupt & destroy her.

We know that Chance/Jedediah is older, probably lustful (lol), hypnotizingly beautiful, & likely drives a cool car, which symbolizes material status.

(last pic by @ven0moir)

We’re approaching Will’s ✨material gworl✨ era, hence the s3 Max-El-Starcourt 🛍 connection to Taco Bell (Chance).

Will is waiting & Mike won't make a move!

Max & El are representative of different facets of Will's femininity. Taco Bell 🌮 is a reference to Chance probably being of Mexican origin. (For more info on this, check this post & this post.)

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Bychance was always RIGHT THERE. 😭😭😭 Anyone who thinks this theory is "baseless" or "unlikely" has just been deluding themselves from the start.

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What then… 🥀

Mexican food is ALWAYS referenced when Mike is facing relationship & jealousy problems.

BONUS AT THE END OF THE POST: I also theorize / speculate on the possible bychance timeline, byler development & Will’s s5 character arc.

🌯 BURRITOS (s4)

El talks about “burritos for breakfast” right when Mike is internally seething with jealousy at the airport. “That’s a little weird”, he says, pissed.

This was after the “shitty knockoff” comment. @ven0moir (I think) has pointed out how this refers to Chance. I think this is how bitter jealous Mike is going to see Chance: a shitty knockoff of himself.

“Are your friends gonna meet us there [at Rink-o-Mania]?”. Will: “Friends? What friends??.”

El = Will

Burritos = Chance

Friends = Chance & maybe some kind of secret queer scene (Chance’s friend group outside of the jocks -> @ven0moir has pointed out how Chance is visually & tonally framed as distanced from the other jocks -> this probably means he was heading towards another place or activity before Jason pulled him to the basketball celebration party -> “What friends??” seems to imply these clubbing guys would not exactly only be Will’s friends but something more intimate or promiscuous).

Rink-O-Mania = disco / club where that queer community & friends usually meet for partying (El: “I go to lots of parties here”).

🧀 NACHOS (s3)

“What did I do wrong?!?!” asks Mike while eating nachos messily & stressfully, lying on the sofa, after being dumped. “I just don’t understand what I did to deserve this.”

Lucas: “Mike. Relax. You got this.”

Mike: *burps* “Dude. You can SMELL the nacho cheese”.

Nachos = Chance

Mike being dumped by El in s3 = Mike being “dumped” by Will in s5, when he finds out Will is seeing Chance.

(by that time, Mike’s not dating Will or actually breaking up with him, but in his emotional possessive mind he is lmfao).

“*burps* You can SMELL the nacho cheese” = Mike being jealous, resentful & a douche to / about Chance, calling him “cheesy”, lame, etc. -> & this is likely why Will gets annoyed or pissed off at Mike & temporarily “dumps” him as a friend.

🌮 TACO BELL (s3)

“See? What did I tell you? There’s so much more to life than stupid boys!” Max says while running around Starcourt with El & a big Taco Bell restaurant sign is seen behind them.

Meanwhile, Mike is frustrated because of having been dumped & unable to find a reconciliation gift.

Will couldn’t care less, he’s bored, impatient & eager to “play D&D”.

Taco Bell = Chance

“Stupid boys” = Mike

El = Will

Max = someone or even just a part of Will who breaks him free of his dependency on Mike & empowers him to explore other options romantically & sexually.

D&D = (bear with me lmfaoooo) Dick & Dick 😹 = gay activities basically -> especially associated to Byler, as D&D is framed as their love language & a sign of their compatibility as nerds.

🧠 TLDR. FOR SEASON 5:

— As he becomes 16 years old, Will incrementally feels the need for emotional, romantic & sexual connection;

— However, Mike is stalling: he won’t leave El, be honest with himself & others, come out or make a proper first move;

— Will feels lonely, frustrated, tired of waiting for Mike, out of hope & convinced that his true love will never be properly requited;

— Will also has a certain impatient, impulsive, gambling, masochist, self-deprecating & even self-harming unhealthy side to him that barely anybody on the ST or Byler fandom ever talks about in a serious way or is even willing to recognize. But it’s still a fact that it’s there, and we kinda know why that is (hint: Lonnie). Now, what do these tendencies mean for s5 exactly? Only God knows, but we can certainly make some guesses.

— Will starts exploring his sexuality with other people (Chance & what I predict is Chance’s “unofficial” friend group which will probably be comprised of an underground queer community involved in partying, sex & drugs).

— This is… very likely & predictably not going to end well. Mike will need to step in at some point.

💉🌿💊THE DRUG THEME (a small observation):

I think Chance is also a drug dealer.

This tracks with the drug dealer Eddie Munson foreshadowing & also the common association of Mexico to illegal drug production & trafficking (fulfilling Stranger Things’ customary use of cliché tropes & stereotypes).

Maybe Chance, being Mexican, has family in that business back at home— & that’s how he manages to traffic drugs into his partying peer group.

I don’t know though! This is all just speculation. But let’s also acknowledge how it kinda fits & makes sense…

🔞🚳 TW: CSA & TRAFFICKING

This entire “party, sex & drugs” ordeal seems to me like one of those narrative ‘cycles’ or ‘loops’ in Stranger Things where future events ‘echo’ the past (and vice-versa).

What I mean by this:

The experimental lifestyle above is going to echo / mirror a much more serious & dark past version of it.

This past version being all the illegal & nefarious activities & circles Will’s father, Lonnie, was involved in:

The alcoholism, the drug dealing, the promiscuity, the abuse, the prostitution, & even the child sex trafficking ring— stuff that has subtly but surely & consistently been foreshadowed in subtext throughout the entire show & other official canon materials.

What this means for Will:

In the middle of his— less serious & less illegal, I would hope— s5 situation, he will get in trouble, FOR SURE. SOMEHOW. I don’t know what will happen exactly, but I do have to say I’m pretty fucking scared tbh.

It will mirror and even trigger his past trauma.

Which is obviously going to intertwine with the supernatural plot as well.

This is where I believe Mike is going to truly step in & prove himself to be Will’s true love— sticking to his side through thick & thin. ⚔️🔮

🩷 Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think.

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Tagging ppl who are usually interested in bychance theories: @ven0moir @bylerlipglances @greenfiend @offsidetracked @byerstst

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