#conformitygate: { The Sherlock Conspiracy }

I have to open this by saying that my "Achilles Heel" when it comes to suspecting #comformitygate and I guess now entertaining it for a bit is none other than ...

#birthdaygate🎈

You mean to tell me that ALL of those hints led absolutely NOWHERE, and not only that, the duffers did not RETCON Will's birthday despite APOLOGIZING to the fans for their MISTAKE and claiming they would GEORGE LUCAS it?

REALLY???

If there is any truth to #conformitygate AT. ALL, it HAS to be connected to birthdaygate. There is NO WAY around it.

Also, it's kind of interesting to me that people in the comments are bringing up the 2017 Sherlock Conspiracy when we have this 4th-wall-breaking moments in S4:

Coincidence? Who the hell knows atp. But tagging some people talking about this in case it helps or rings any bells:

@greenfiend @cypher-heart-no-key @maysileeewrites @itswhatyougive @o11yradio

very much recommend y'all look into the Sherlock Conspiracy because it was the exact same thing:

and surprise, surprise. That didn't really go anywhere. So is the same happening here, or is there a level of self-awareness / meta at play?

i'm so tired

Just remembered my Void!Mike theory and will post it to cope tbh

it was connected to this theory and this prediction

like i called him void!Mike bc he was the part of Mike that is in the subtext and I thought he has been outsmartin the audience + Will this whole time and had a plan to run away with Will once they graduated or something

but Will would confess to everyone that he was gay and "expose" Mike and Mike was gonna be Angry AF with him and that's what their season fight was gonna be about + the painting lie + the phone calls would also come out and it would be cool af so who knows maybe I was onto something there.

*sighs and opens ao3* if byler isnt engame / canon i might turn this into a fanfic bc honestly it was delish

I have a whole ass Mike as the DM analysis sitting on my drafts about this that I never had the heart to finish bc I ran out of juice but yeah if it turns out real then I'll polish it up and post it at some point

Byler prediction: Will won't believe Mike loves him

I'm starting to think we were onto something with this:

something about Will confessing under duress because he thinks that he's a stupid child ( weak and easy to reshape ). He thinks he failed / never stood a chance and that everything that is happening is his fault omg.

So what did he do? confess in a room full of people, which turned out well and frees him from Vecna's manipulation.

Or so he thinks.

Because now imagine MIKE confesses and Will thinks it's a trick oh my goddddd if we're anywhere within the ballpark with this I'm going to lose my shit fr fr bc this is also similar to when Laurie confessed to Amy and she didn't believe him either

Top reasons why I believe Will and Mike could become a romantic pairing in S5.

#. "It's not my fault you don't like girls."

first curtain:

Mike meant it as a 'yet' statement, which if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure Finn confirmed in an interview.

second curtain:

aka the subtext. this scene is visually and thematically similar to the TV show "Eyewitness" which @beepboop358 pointed out in her Byler Master Slides.

This show and Stranger Things have in common the whole "small town mystery" vibe, so the chances of the Duffers having watched this show are quite high.

And because the scenes are not only visibly similar, but thematically as well, I'm inclined to believe they made it feel similar on purpose to queer-code this scene.

conclusion:

if byler is endgame, then this scene is definitely a hint that Mike was experiencing internalized homophobia.

#. The infamous one-way sign into the closet.

first curtain:

closets don't exclusively symbolize queerness, as in sexuality, in Stranger Things. They can represent characters hiding/not wanting to share vulnerability, secrets, etc, etc. the "ONE WAY" could be interpreted as "ONE OUTCOME" too, as per the season's heavy emphasis on odds and risks.

second curtain:

aka the subtext. taking this into account, I do find it suspicious. Especially because this season, we find out Will has feelings for Mike. So could this be implying Mike shares Will's secret?

conclusion:

if byler is endgame, then this would be confirmed as a hint.

#. The airport hug

first curtain:

Mike was jealous. We saw him be jealous over Lucas in ep 1, just like how Lucas was jealous over El in s1, so that's not inherently romantic.

second curtain:

aka the subtext. this scene is similar to Hermione hugging Harry but not Ron in HP: A Chamber of Secrets, which is in S4's inspiration board and I mentioned in my #birthdaygate🎈 post.

And moreover ... is it just me but the framing looks like they are smooching? lmfao.

conclusion:

if byler is endgame, then this scene is Mike struggling with balancing his feelings for Will and El/trying to pretend he didn't care that Will might be straight/the painting wasn't for him like he wanted.

#. the rink-o-mania disaster.

first curtain:

Mike was setting a boundary because he got the vibe Will wanted more from him than Mike could offer. Not necessarily because he suspected Will liked him, but because Will wanted to be held to the same regard as his girlfriend. He didn't tell Will he did call him because he was being prideful.

He was watching every Will move because of what I said earlier about him suspecting Will liked El. Like how Robin said she was obsessed with Steve and couldn't stop staring at him because Tammy liked Steve.

second curtain:

aka the subtext. even the GA noticed the Gabriella x Troy "what about us?" parallel. I remember it going viral and everything. High School Musical is in the s4 DNA board as well.

Moreover, I mentioned Sixteen Candles in my #birthdaygate🎈post, and in that movie, Jake Ryan tries to call Samantha to no avail too.

conclusion: If byler is endgame, then Mike was being a gay disaster here.

#. the "try before you deny" scene @ surfer boy's pizza

first curtain:

i guess you could say it is a minor scene foreshadowing something else other than sexuality. and whereas there could be some truth to this, there really is no other logical explanation for this that doesn't require you to wreck your brain. I'd say this is the #1 clue for me honestly, it's the only one that cannot be interpreted in any other way than queer-coding.

second curtain:

Will ( aka BOY ) is the pizza, plain and simple

conclusion:

yeah this one's deadass queer-coding on Mike / a nod at his potential sexuality discovery or however they end up doing it.

#. The final shot + Mike's 'heart' pocket

first curtain:

the three pairings here represent the three groups: adults, older teens, and younger teens.

The triangle could be a reference to Mike loving and choosing Will, but not necessarily in a romantic sense, as per the high standard this show puts on friendships, and how it has subverted common romance trope through its friendship dynamics.

second curtain:

aka the subtext. but even if I do see that, two things can be true at once, and they're sandwiched between two romantic pairings, while El is ALONE at the front?

We get confirmation that the triangles in Robin's clothes are queer-coding.

conclusion:

if byler is endgame, then this can be considered foreshadowing that their arcs together would culminate in a romantic resolution.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Literally, this is all I need to consider it not only a realistic possibility, but the most likely outcome given the disaster that is Mileven + the fact they confirmed Will's feelings for Mike as a plot twist, so they can just copy/paste and do it again.

Everything else can be fit within the show's themes and how they've handled friendship and platonic love so far, but these instances are quite specific.

ANTI-BYCHANCE ARGUMENT #1

"It could confuse the GA bc it would come out of nowhere"

If we're talking about the GA, at least a small portion of the GA sees the Bychance vision already without even knowing about Bychance--this post is 3 YEARS OLD.

This fits in very nicely with some ideas I myself had too.

Whereas unpacking Will's internalized homophobia through symbolism, metaphor and eventually a coming out scene makes narrative sense ( "pairs nicely with his physical and psychological torments" ) I'm personally just exhausted of seeing him go through that ( "but from a viewer standpoint, it's just not fun to watch at all." )

Bychance not only gives Will agency--it also gives him ( and the writers ) an opportunity to depict him actively working through his internalized homophobia in a way that the GA would understand and even RELATE to. Will's self-exploration arc NEEDS to include a love interest ( Mike does not count bc we all know that'll realistically only happen at the END ). This is his coming of age, and the season he gets to stand up for himself and what he believes in. That's what we have been told, right?

My jaw was on the floor when I read the "maybe a jock who isn't a sociopath?" comment because that is the basis under which Bychance was created in the first place 💀 it follows a very popular and TIRED trope: jock x nerd. and we KNOW Stranger Things loves its tropes, only to subvert them.

In fact, they count of the show's derivative nature to weave clues and hints and even BRING OUR ATTENTION to that.

My current assumption is that the GA will be surprised, yes. But they'll just need a bit of context to get on board. At least the side of them that isn't homophobic. I know my GA friend, when I told her about Bychance, said that she'd be on board with a storyline like that even without all of the Bychance hints. The hints just suggest the person filling that role is going to be Chance.

So yeah, if anyone has a rebuttal to what I just presented here, feel free to add your thoughts in good faith!

hi anon!

IF he was referring to bylers in that sentence, then this is what I'd assume; I think he was speaking generally. the most beloved byler theories ( flickergate, loverslake, wallgate, heroesgate, ud kiss, etc ) do not fit with the tone of the show, so they're very beloved, but noah himself once said that the fans are very creative ... yet wrong about everything.

that's why I do not even attempt to make "theories" about how Byler's kiss will happen or entertain that idea, its just wasted creativity bc they don't WANT you to know. Prediction theories will likely be wrong unless the Duffers WANT you piecing things together ( like how they said that they left enough clues IN VOLUME 2 for someone to piece together why the UD is frozen the day Will went missing. They wouldn't have said that IMO if they didn't want to encourage fans to figure it out. Otherwise it's sort of wasting your fan's time for no good reason ..? )

IF byler's endgame, chances are some of their storyline ( and Will's arc ) won't be satisfying to some of them ( *cough cough* I think you might know exactly what I'm talking about ) bc from everything they've said so far they ARE departing from this 'hopeless, martyr Will who suffers in silence and waits for Mike' vision that the fandom expects for him when it comes to his feelings for Mike. ( I have a friend who believes the 'choice' is mike's and mike's alone and Will is important but in his love life, he gets 0 say like let's be so fr here for a second. One thing I think Milevens are right about, that Bylers refuse to accept is that Will let go of his idea of being with Mike romantically in that van, and any hope he had left after that faded when Mike gave that speech to El and essentially locked them in as endgame in HIS eyes lmao )

and I personally would rather not have byler endgame than them literally removing the power of CHOICE from the character named Will ( power of CHOICE/Free Will/Will power ) in the season that is his coming of age and that has centered his sexuality and feelings for Mike so much.

That sounds like a genuine snooze fest

like GIVE ME THE SUPERNATURAL AS A REFLECTION OF HOW THEY START OFF S5. GIVE ME FULL ON QUEER HORROR

BUT I'LL BE RIDING THAT WAVE BABY I JUST KNOW I WILL PERSONALLY LOVE IT AND BE CHEERING WILL AND THE DUFFERS ON FOR THAT

I'm pretty sure some of this expectation of 'martyr Will' comes from some confusion over S4 El's arc being projected onto him, ( and that's totally fine! honestly I'm still understanding stuff myself but damn some people around here need to rewatch the show and set aside their fanon version of Byler for a second ) but that's why the most common version of Byler endgame that Byler fans are expecting/hoping for ( and the GA doesn't buy, mind you ) is basically a rewritten version of S4 Mileven.

"Leave the station, Nina. Don't keep waiting for a lover that won't return."

She also resisted Henry's influence and tried to reach him despite everything he's done--much like how she reached Billy in S3. She's been coded as an angel, a Jesus figure, El literally means God, etc. SHE'S MY DAUGHTER I LOVE HER SM I'm scared for her ending the most omfg

I have the awful feeling she'll experience a metaphorical death ( like, staying in the UD and transforming it as the gatekeeper I SO HOPE IM WRONG PLEASE I HOPE THIS IS DUE TO MY LACK OF UNDERSTANDING STILL and not bc they will really do that to her hhh )

Will? imo Will's being set up to go batshit unhinged and reckless and careless and fucking up as he figures himself out and tbh so far, everything they've said falls in line nicely with what I was HOPING for.

thank GOODNESS

And whereas I do not believe for ONE second the Duffers are perfect ( thank god, perfection is so boring and artificial ) I AM choosing to trust they're choosing to be brave and genuinely love their show. The fact people on both sides will be pissed/triggered due to some of their writing choices I think will just be an unfortunate consequence. Sometimes we forget these guys are not rocket scientists and at the end of the day, they're DnD nerds who love their play. If you're not having fun analyzing, chances are you're not approaching it the right way since both DnD and the show are about community and connection. It's inherently what makes them both fun.

I already went through my "acceptance arc" where I internalized that I do not write this show and have 0 say in its outcome. I definitely recommend others do the same and be prepared for whatever happens bc we've put a lot of emotional investment into the show, and that's okay, we're in this together, but we gotta make sure we're prioritizing our mental well-being and I do worry about some Bylers in the tag that I do not think ... should be watching this show ... ( especially after the reactions I saw during that Bychance / Byler "Civil War" .... yikes )

but yeah let me know if any of this makes sense / share your thoughts!!! they'd be cool to know <3

this birthdaygate/001/chance bullshit over here making me feel like some mad scientist archetype with all my polls and research and debates and anons 🤡 its super fun

Anti-Bychance arguments

working on this rn i cant wait to show you guys @offsidetracked @cypherheartnokey @anotherjlynn i'd actually LOVE your guys input aaa

also if there's anyone out there who has any anti-bychance arguments that doesn't include these, I'd LOVE to know btw:

Are MIKE & WILL aware they like each other? And just aren't sure it's mutual, or if they're just being delusional?

This is a wip but, I was DYING to post it following this beautiful read by @cypherheartnokey and @offsidetracked , my bychance moots:

tl;dr

As the title implies, I suspect that Mike and Will are both being more intentional in S4 than we have been giving them credit for.

They were playing a little game. Why do I believe this? Because this is ✨ Television ✨

And I'm going to be as bold as pinpointing the EXACT MOMENT IN TIME when their GAME began. It was right here:

The Moment Hope Bloomed between them, because Will Spoke Up.

WILL ROLLED INITIATIVE ( "I did, I guess I did" )

✨& INSPIRED ✨

MIKE'S ACTION ( "He'll come crawling back to you in no time." / "Will, I'm sorry, man" ).

😈 ACTION INTERRUPTED BY THE WORLD ( aka the horrors came back )

GA BONUS: my GA friend, when we watched this together the first time, saw Mike biking and went "Oh yeah he's going to apologize to El like Max sa----" the AWKWARD SILENCE that followed had me HOWLING. He literally just shut up in that moment and didn't say anything else HELP ... 💀 SIDE NOTE And yeah sure at surface level it feels like Mike spent the whole season trying to make up with El--I don't want to get side-tracked trying to "explain how Mileven isn't romantic", so this is all I'll say about it:

MILEVEN = SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO PLATONIC "I love you's" BYLER: SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO ROMANTIC COUPLES.

GA BONUS: The first time we saw that last scene, myself AND my GA mother actually screamed when Hopper and Joyce held hands bc for One Second, ✨we BOTH thought it was Mike and Will. ✨ She's not a "Byler shipper" and has no stakes in this situation--my guess? That was INTENTIONAL visual language to make us, the audience, associate Mike and Will as a pairing that 'holds hands'. My conclusion, like cypher pointed out in her post, this confirms to me that Romantic Mileven is the real JOKE SHIP here & Will thinks so too.

Now, back to THE GAME

WILL'S ACTION ( "Not possible" ) 😈 ACTION INTERRUPTED BY THE WORLD( aka the current circumstnaces: byers moving away )

look at the way he looks at Mike after he smiles like that + that CHEEKY, CONFIDENT LITTLE SMIRK as he trots off. But sure, he's totally not picking up on Mike's Queercoding™

✨INSPIRED ✨

MIKE'S ACTION ( foreshadowed by Phone behind Will ). 😈 ACTION INTERRUPTED BY THE WORLD ( aka Joyce's new job )

But not before his action ...

✨INSPIRED ✨

WILL'S ACTION ( "Will's been painting a lot") 😈 ACTION INTERRUPTED BY THE WORLD ( Mike self-sabotaged & kept Will from giving him the painting )

WILL'S ACTION pt ii ( Seeing through Mike + "What about us?" ) 😈 ACTION INTERRUPTED BY THE WORLD ( Mike keeps self-sabotaging / doesn't finish the conversation ) Being true to his name Will, he isn't deterred by Mike's perceived rejection. Will The Wise also sees through Mike. This is to say, in levels of maturity, Will is more emotionally aware, BRAVER and READIER than Mike to confront his feelings.

He's AHEAD of him in S4, and unlike Mike, he's SINGLE. Available.

S4 Will was 'playing with advantage' because of that. My question is, what gives Will hope? And right now, I suspect Mike said something during those phone calls that he perceived as a "clue"--we'll see in S5!

Will only seems deterred when Mike said "well, maybe you should've reached out more" because phone calls were supposed to be Mike's Action, according to him. So now, he looks like he's Questioning His Entire Reality. Because maybe he was wrong ...

To quote Jason, is he questioning if he ✨started playing a game on his own and WARPED FANTASY with REALITY and now he can't tell what's real vs what's not ✨?

The GAME was PAUSED once The World Went To Shit For Real this time. until ...

WILL'S ACTION ( "It always is, isn't it?" / Making Mike Laugh ) Will started off being there for Mike, but he naturally threw that flirty "it always is, isn't it?" line, Which we can count as his action ...

✨because it INSPIRED ✨ ...

MIKE TO RESUME THE GAME ( Flirty Mode On + "Hawkins isn't the same without you" + "let's be a team" )

COMMERCIAL BREAK:

I need to crash out for a second bc SNEAKY LITTLE POS ( affectionately ) ISTG WAS MIKE WHEELER INTENTIONALLY SENDING A ROMANTIC MESSAGE HERE??? Did he know EXACTLY what he was doing???--I think he thought he was SINGLE here and WAS HOPING the conversation would motivate Will to give him the painting?! I mean, it's all over the symbolism in this scene which I'll make an adjacent post on ( that's why you see the little numbers ) but anyway like I genuinely SEE him in my Third Eye, this mfer rehearsing what to say to Will in the bathroom before going into his room. It's giving:

I'M COO COO BUT I AM FREE

Back to THE GAME

✨Mike's Action INSPIRED ✨ ...

WILL'S ACTION ( Taking the painting with the intention to give it to him when The Moment Felt Right )

Aaandddd ... then The World Went To Shit For Real Real. Ensue Miscommunication trope, Mike's responsibility towards El, etc etc and then ...

MIKE'S ACTION ( "i'm just some random nerd" / corrupted by Intrusive Thoughts + Self-Doubt )

💀 "INSPIRED" 💀 ...

WILL'S ACTION ( Giving him the painting ... but lying about it )

Which then 💀 "INSPIRED" 💀 ...

MIKE'S ACTION ( corrupted Love Confession ... to the Wrong Person )

They both LOSE THE GAME

VECNA WINS THIS ROUND.

Now, let's go back to this scene, because there is a LOT to unpack here:

of course an incoming CAR interrupts them 💀 but anyway, it is my personal belief that

IF The World hadn't interrupted MIKE'S ACTION here, THEN ...

Mike asks Will to be his teammate -> Will gives him the painting In This Same Scene + gives his whole "you're a leader, inspiring us" speech but NOT disguised behind El -> Mike is visibly Happy / Flattered and Makes a Direct Move™--we'll say it is a Cheek Kiss bc it would've paralleled S2 Jancy -> ( GIFT GIVING + CHEEK KISS )

BONUS: Will loves gifts too and Christmas is his favorite holiday likely bc he loves presents and in S4 they forgot about his birthday entirely I'm going to freaking cry scream throw up my sweet baby GIVE HIM A BELATED BDAY GIFT DUFFERS OR I SWEAR .....

alternatively, Will ends up being the one giving the kiss, which I think S4 Will and even S3 Will WOULD have done. S5 Will is another story. I'm of the belief that at the start of the season, he'd rather DIE than confess to Mike tbh.

But the reason why I think the cheek kiss ( or whatever the Duffers decided ) would've been initiated by Mike is because I'm currently asking myself ...

is S5 Chance going to hijack whatever S4 Mike's Move would've been & thus S5 Bychance will start off somewhat similarly to how S5 Byler *would* have, if Mike and Will had Won The S4 Game?

Mike: too slow Chance: too fast

Let's explore why I' m asking myself this.

S1, S2 and S3 Chance exist strictly as a concept. S4 Chance though, exists as both a concept & a random bg character nobody expects anything from outside of his role as a follower/bully.

S5 Chance?

He is ...😭he was foreshadowed as Will's ... First #Something & Mike's Rival in AT LEAST S1EP1, S1EP4, S4EP1, S4EP4. The pattern made my brain go haywire because of the MIRROR numbers. So I googled the meaning of 14:41 and I got this:

Seeing 14:41 PM continuously on your clock has a very clear message that you can't miss: you must be careful, because the path you've taken might not be the best one.

This reversed hour is related to exploration, freedom, adventure, and independence, but all of them together have two sides. The first, positive, is what they clearly demonstrate. The second, somewhat more complex, is that of responsibility. And that's precisely what your guardian angel, the universe, or whoever else is telling you: be careful, because you're straying from the path. This message can apply to the world of finance, family, romance, or friendship. Either way, you need to be careful. The good news is that you still have time to correct your course. It's in your hands to turn around now and find a solution to all of this. Otherwise, you may miss something very important. source

Uh ... is that not what we've been saying about Bychance? I'm screaming. But there's ... so much more ...

so much more ....

✨ to be continued ✨

NEXT POST:

BYCHANCE HINTS ( The Trojan War )

hi anon!

have you maybe asked yourself why there's bylers out there that are taking it seriously?

it would NOT be the first time that Will stans, particularly, are called 'delusional' only to be right. ( re: the whole "is Will gay?" debate )

if you haven't read the theories, I recommend at least checking the bychance intro slides I made and then draw your own conclusions.

if you're still bothered by it, then go ahead and block the blogs that are theorizing about it seriously for your own peace of mind. It's literally just like two or three people.

honestly, I for one will not stop discussing it or creating theories, so you might want to go ahead and block me now 🤷

hi anon! so it's not my job to convince you of anything and I'm not gonna try to bc that's the Duffer's job. And I'm honestly tired. SO MANY Bylers have gone above and beyond to try to explain why Byler is happening and you just don't wanna see it anyway.

But since you seem invested enough to have sent this anon, let's review something you guys don't seem to appreciate much. The FACTS, centering only one scene:

You said that Bylers can't agree on what Mike's arc is with the whole POV being hidden from us thing, so my question to you is: What's happening in this scene, in your opinion? Because Byler deniers also can't agree on what's actually going on in this specific scene.

Some say Mike's just awkward bc he knows Will likes him, others say that he's just awkward bc he hasn't seen Will in a while, etc. The thing y'all agree on, that us Bylers ALSO agree on is that: Mike was awkward. That's a FACT.

But for some reason y'all choose to ignore this:

( also, if someone knows the Byler who first made this discovery please let me know bc what an absolute queen )

This is SUBTEXT, yes, but it's not entirely "up for interpretation"--I'd actually love to see your counterargument to this.

This scene is from the Chamber of Secrets, which ...

is on the S4 DNA board.

Many Bylers like to call this a "parallel" but let's not even call it that: what we're REALLY seeing here, is writer's intent. These are the facts: They watched this movie, which is an INSPIRATION for them, and DECIDED to recreate the Awkward Tension™ that they saw in this scene, but with MIKE ( in Hermione's shoes ) and WILL ( in Ron's shoes ).

If they REALLY had to do this, why not do it like this:

Will in Hermione's shoes as the #Awkward one, and Mike in Ron's shoes as the #Confused one. Just, imagine it like that for one second.

no Byler would be referencing this scene as "Byler Proof" if they had done it that way. Even MILVENS would've accepted it as "Proof that Will likes Mike" because it wouldn't be perceived as a threat to their ship or whatever.

As for Chance, Bychance is going to be "Byler proof" to Mike ( lmao ) bc seeing them together confirms to Mike, without a shadow of a doubt, that Will Likes Boys.

"omg there's no time / Will would never / its bad writing / it doesn't make any sense / *insert other anti-bychance arguments here*"

Sure, maybe. Again, not my job to convince you of anything, just ... check this out and tell me what you think it means? But considering the first requirement to maybe possibly entertaining the idea that the writers might be hinting at Bychance, is to Believe Byler Is Endgame ( and you don't meet that requirement ), I guess I'm asking for too much.

Brokeback Mountain ft Byler ... & Bychance

✨ CLICK HERE ✨ for an intro on what Bychance is if you haven't heard of it / are confused as to why we're theorizing about it!

*SPOILERS FOR BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN AHEAD*

We Bylers are no strangers to the idea that Stranger Things might've drawn inspiration from Brokeback Mountain for the Byler storyline. I mean, the show's very own David Harbour is featured there!

I was recently motivated by ✨ cypher's post ✨to rewatch this movie ( I've seen it 3 times already, it truly is a classic ) but this was my first time watching it with the Bychance possibility in mind ... and oh boy did some things stand out.

So, we get these two scenes right after the other. DEAD SHEEP + JACK. He's bathing by the river in a vulnerable position. It's very subtle, but when you know Jack's fate and rewatch this scene, it's very noticeable. :( ugh I loved him sm he deserved so much better.

I'm bringing this up bc ST does similar foreshadow-ey things in its show. Here are two examples I can recall off the top of my head:

S2. "Bob Newby, Superhero" + transition to DEAD GUARD S4. "First time, you feel like you'll Split In Two" + SPLIT BY GATE DEATH

The GA ate up Jason's scene. It went #Viral. So yeah, just so you get an idea that these little hints and clues are not only not "delusional", they're actually pretty clever and the GA actually really likes them when they notice them. It's fun as heck.

Later on in the movie, we have Ennis tell Jack a story about how when he was young, his father made him and his brother see a dead gay man's body. And this very much ensued his Internalized Homophobia for sure :(

It reminded me of Mike seeing Will's dead body in S1 and made me wonder if we'll get Mike talking about how much that impacted him in S5 omfg.

2. MOTEL ENCOUNTER

I've drawn a type of connection between Bychance/Byler and a motel before,

But I didn't remember that Ennis and Jack also had an encounter at a motel ... at first glance this isn't much, considering that this whole 'staying at a motel' is certainly not anything new, but here's what I find interesting about the Motel Scenes in ST:

What all of these scenes have in common with Brokeback Mountain's scene is that the characters who went to these motels were Hiding Something + Conspiring Together.

Jancy, their monster hunting adventure Billy + Karen, 'swimming lessons' ( aka code for affair ) Joyce + Murray, on a mission to save Hopper

They also all can be connected to Will in some form. Y'know, the character whose 'emotional arc ties the whole show together'?

S2 JANCY ( Will is directly mentioned in this scene ) S3 BILLY + KAREN ( No direct mention of Will, but Billy's name is 'William' ) S4 JOYCE + MURRAY ( No direct mention of Will, but Murray talks about a 'One Year Old's Birthday Party' )

Geez, what're the odds I'm onto something here huh? Jack and Ennis' were having an affair, like Billy and Karen, though theirs never went through since Karen backed down & Billy got flayed.

3. MEXICO TRIP

Cypher talked about this before, but what I didn't remember that had my jaw dropping was that Jack's Mexico Trip was triggered by the fact that Ennis got divorced from his beard wife, and Jack thought that meant they could finally be together--his DREAM of living in a ranch with the love of his life would come true. However, he soon found out that Ennis had NO plans of partaking in that dream.

Heartbroken, Jack went straight to Mexico.

Sound familiar? Because to me this is the blueprint for S4 + S5 Byler ... ft. Bychance. I might delve into more detail about this part later but for now, consider that Jack, like Will, is very much a DREAMER and a SURVIVOR--despite the pressures of society, they refuse to stop living their truths, even if they have to LIE and CHEAT to SURVIVE in a world where they're seen as Wrong.

4. THE CAR SCENE

Before we continue, consider these two things:

This post ( Hopper = car + romance / Stancy = car + romance ) The Car Sketch in Jock #2's locker *( Which we believe is Chance's )

This is to say, there seems to be some type of association between Chance/Bychance and cars. Logically speaking, teens meeting to make out in cars is one of those universal things that Teens Just Do. And we know how ST loves its tropes and everything, yeah?

So imagine my face when I realized that Jack's First Encounter with his Fake Relationship led to a Car scene

Something about Mike running out of time / taking too long to make a move vs Chance being TOO FAST

Of FREAKING course. Like, I wasn't even surprised with this one I'm going to be so fr. I just went like 'Of course ... of course ...'

Something about Hopper saying he and Chrissy were at the back of his dad's Oldsmobile ... yeah Chance either has a car ( like Steve ) or it belongs to his Dad.

So yeah, there you have it. Byler canon but at the cost of Bychance also being canon for like 2 episodes I guess.

Stay safe out there Bylers! Bc if we're right about this, an Actual War is coming.

But we'll see what happens. Maybe I'm just being ✨paranoid ✨

We won't really know anything for sure until s5 drops. Bychance is so much fun *because* there's such a Small Chance they'll actually happen in canon. Some of you even think there's 0 chance.

Evidence? Lmfao it's not my job to convince anyone of anything, we're not at trial here 😭✋️ go ahead and read the slides, they're linked on my profile.