Chencan

Chencan is the slash ship between Gabe Chen and Ryan Lucan from the Life is Strange fandom.

Canon
How exactly Gabe and Ryan met is unknown, however what is known about their meeting is that they met in Haven Springs, Colorado when Gabe was looking for a fresh start at life/searching for his father. Gabe got a job as a bartender at the Black Lantern bar, which at the time was owned and operated by Ryan’s father, Jed Lucan. Gabe ultimately decided to stay permanently in Haven, and as he was rebuilding his life, Ryan helped him, cementing a close bond and the two became each other’s best friend.

Life is Strange: True Colors
On April 28, 2019, Gabe’s sister, Alex Chen, arrives in Haven Springs to reunite with her estranged older brother. Prior to Alex’s arrival, Gabe informed the residents of the small town of Alex’s advent. While Gabe is busy patching things up with his girlfriend, Charlotte Harmon, Alex decides to walk across the street to the town’s record store. It’s there she meets Ryan and the two make acquaintance. With Gabe as their only connection, they banter over what they think Gabe listens to as they search for the store’s hold list, as Ryan was sure Gabe had placed a record on hold. Upon finding the hold list, Ryan is surprised to discover that Gabe enjoys The Kings of Leon. Wanting to learn more, Ryan questions Alex if she can tell him about Gabe back when he was a kid, asking for “ammunition” he could use against Gabe later. Alex shares a belief recollection to her and Gabe’s childhood, leading to Ryan telling her that her being there in Haven is a “game changer” because it means he has her to help him with embarrassing Gabe.

Alex purchases The Kings of Leon record and a few minutes later Gabe enters the store. Alex didn’t have time to put the record in her traveling backpack, leading to Ryan stepping in front of the checkout counter, positioning himself as not to ruin Gabe’s gift. Gabe greets them, excited to know that his best friend and sister have already met, calling them both “his favorite people”. Gabe steps closer to Ryan, placing a hand on his shoulder as he tells Alex how not only is Ryan his best friend, but also how Ryan is the best guide to Haven given his profession as a Colorado state park ranger. Hearing Gabe compliment him, Ryan awkwardly attempts to do the same, placing a hand on Gabe’s back, and telling Alex how Gabe “hands him the best beers,” earning a chuckle from Gabe. Ryan pulls Gabe aside to inform him of local resident Mac Loudon wanting to speak with Gabe, allowing Alex the opportunity to take the record off of the counter and place it in her backpack. As Gabe and Alex prepare to leave the store, Gabe invites Ryan to join them. Ryan declines, given how earlier he offered to take over the store’s radio show to help out store manager/radio host, Steph Gingrich.

Later that evening, at the Black Lantern, Gabe was confronted by Mac, resulting in Gabe getting beaten. Gabe isn’t seriously injured, however he is enough that Ryan feels that the bar’s first aid is insufficient. He informs Gabe that he’s going to take him to the ranger station. Gabe is annoyed, though doesn’t protest much. Both men leave together and arrive back to the bar sometime later. Gabe and Alex head up to the rooftop garden while Ryan takes over Gabe’s work shift as back up bartender.

Sometime later, Ryan comes up to them, asking if they’ve seen Ethan Lambert, a local child of the town. With a mining blast scheduled for 9pm that night, all three head for the mines located on the mountains as earlier Ethan had informed Alex of his plan to explore the area. Up in the mountains, they encounter an old and long abandoned Typhon Mining building. Using Ryan’s sat-phone, Gabe calls Typhon’s safety manger, Mac, to postpone the blast. After a while of searching the area, Alex discovers Ethan is further away by a ravine using clues from the comic Ethan had created.

The search continues deeper into the forest, until Alex is first to spot Ethan across the ravine, with an old log acting as bridge. Gabe immediately moves to run for him, however Ryan stops him in his tracks. Ryan tests the sturdiness of the log, proving that he or Gabe weigh too much for log to handle either of them. Alex volunteers herself to be the one to go across. Ryan questions Gabe if he remembers how to anchor himself using a belay. Gabe is too stunned to answer, leading to Ryan shoving the ropes into his chest instead. Gabe begins to move again and does as Ryan tells him – he ties himself a large tree stump by tying a belay, anchoring himself to Alex. Seeing Gabe secured, Ryan gives him a thumbs up. As Alex walks across the log to Ethan, Gabe and Ryan are watching them carefully.

Alex and Ethan make it back across to them when moments later, sirens blare, an explosion sounds and the ground begins to shake. Everyone stands in confusion, trying to process what’s happening when Gabe is suddenly struck by a large boulder, sending him over the ravine’s edge. By the rope they’re still attached to, Alex is pulled toward the edge Gabe went over. Ryan is quick and runs over, pulling the rope to keep Alex from going over as well. Gabe’s dead weight is too much for him to pull by himself with little notice. Ryan turns back and sees more rocks and other boulders come streaming down the mountain. He pulls out his outdoorsman’s knife and cuts Gabe from the line. The three remaining take cover as more rocks fall.

On May 1, Ryan is in attendance to Gabe’s wake. Nearing the end of the service, Jed calls Gabe’s death a “senseless, tragic accident,” leading to Ryan stepping forward and stating is wasn’t. Ryan insists Gabe made a call to Typhon’s safety manger, Mac, further claiming that to be sure Gabe got through he gave him his sat-phone. Hearing the mention of Gabe’s call, Mac himself grows nervous, telling everyone he never received a call from anyone that night. Ryan accuses him of lying, even having the nerve to lie in front of Gabe’s own sister, Alex. The argument continues with Ryan and Mac getting into each other faces, ending with Charlotte yelling at them to stop, as this is nor the time or place for this. With the room still, all eyes are suddenly on Ryan seemingly judging him for Gabe’s death – Ryan being the one to cut the rope Gabe was attached to. Ryan defends himself, saying he wasn’t the one who killed Gabe. Still angry, Mac remarks he did kill him, leading to another argument breaking out. Having had enough, Jed yells for everyone to leave, claiming the wake is over.

Sometime later, Alex calls Ryan, asking where he is. Ryan informs her he’s at the ravine where they, Ethan and Gabe were that fatal night. Alex arrives to find Ryan standing over the edge Gabe went over. Using knowledge she learned earlier in the day about Mac, she tells Ryan he was right – about Typhon and about how Mac had lied about receiving Gabe’s call. Alex tries to explain how someone is putting pressure on Mac to keep quiet, only for Ryan to shout it doesn’t matter, because Gabe is still dead. As Ryan stands over the edge, he explains he keeps coming back to the ravine and replaying over that night’s events, only for it to always end the same. He repeatedly voices it don’t matter and tells Gabe he’s sorry. Ryan takes a step forward, closer to the edge, forcing Alex to grab hold of his sleeve, stopping him in his tracks. Alex eventually talks Ryan down and he falls to his knees into Alex’s arms and begins to cry for Gabe.

After a while, Ryan and Alex move back from the edge and Ryan shares stories of Gabe. When Alex is informing Ryan of her emotional ability, she learns of a particular story involving Ryan and Gabe that caused Ryan to express pure joy when recalling it. He and Gabe were driving down a road when a goose entered their vision. Ryan attempted to warn Gabe of the animal, only for Gabe to insist it’ll move out of their way. Gabe ended up hitting and killing the goose. Seeing the perfect opportunity, Ryan decided to play a prank on Gabe, telling him killing a Canadian goose is a “violation of international law,” further claiming how they’re “property of the crown”. Gabe is freaked out and Ryan has him dig a grave, saying how the Royal Canadian Mounted Police can spot a “goose grave at a hundred paces”. Unable to keep up the act, Ryan breaks into laugher, causing Gabe to realize he fell for a prank.

Knowing of Alex’s power, Ryan now understands how she knew of Mac receiving Gabe’s call and how the call was ignored by an unknown person working for Typhon when Mac did try to stop the detonation that night. Ryan realizes Alex is going after the mining company, leading to the two of them teaming up to get justice for Gabe.

Later the evening, as a final send off for Gabe, Ryan releases Gabe’s memorial lantern with Alex over Haven’s entry bridge with the town’s residents in attendance.

Life is Strange: True Colors

 * Alex’s gift to Gabe is still placed on the checkout desk, so Ryan moves to position himself in front of it.
 * Ryan is one of Gabe’s favorite people.
 * Gabe places a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, and Ryan places a hand on Gabe’s back.
 * Gabe compliments Ryan, and Ryan awkwardly tries to compliment Gabe too.
 * Ryan’s awkwardness at trying to compliment Gabe causes Gabe to chuckle.
 * Gabe invites Ryan to join him and Alex.
 * Ryan takes Gabe to the ranger station for proper first aid.
 * Ryan asks Gabe if he’s alright.
 * Ryan stops Gabe from blindly running over an old log over a ravine.
 * Ryan gives Gabe a thumbs up.

Life is Strange: True Colors
"You gotta tell me what Gabe was like as a kid. Any ammunition you can give me?"

- Ryan to Alex, wanting to learn more about Gabe, Chapter 1: Side A.

"You know, you being here is a game changer in the Gabe-embarrassing department."

- Ryan to Alex, excited to learn more about Gabe, Chapter 1: Side A.

"Speaking of, my two favorite people in my favorite place."

- Gabe to Ryan and Alex, Ryan being one of Gabe’s favorite people, Chapter 1: Side A.

"You know we’re trying to keep her in Haven, right?"

- Gabe to Ryan, about Alex, Gabe not afraid to tease Ryan on his nerdy interests, Chapter 1: Side A.


 * Ryan – ”Dad, I’m taking Gabe to the station. We need a first aid kit that doesn’t predate the discovery of bacteria.”
 * Gabe – “It’s fine, I don’t need to go–”
 * Jed – “Now, Ryan knows what he’s doing. You just go with him.”
 * — Following Gabe and Mac’s one-sided confrontation, Chapter 1: Side A.

"Remember how I taught you how to anchor a belay? [silence from Gabe] Awesome. Show me."

- Rescue mission for Ethan in underway, Chapter 1: Side A.

Fanon
Chencan is small ship within the Life is Strange fandom. Fans, not necessarily of just Chencan, quickly picked up Gabe and Ryan’s closeness – the way they banter with each other in their few scenes together and how devastated Ryan is following Gabe’s death. Due to Gabe’s death early into the game, the two’s relationship is mostly up to fan interpretation, excluding a few memories at their history through Ryan. Those who do romantically ship Gabe and Ryan are fond of two particular headcanons: that their relationship was one-sided – Ryan secretly harboring feelings for Gabe, or that Gabe and Ryan dated/hooked up/kissed at some point in the past before Gabe entered into a relationship with his canon girlfriend, Charlotte.

In the early months of True Colors release, Chencan gained some increased favor on Twitter when popular 3D artist LitoPerezito created a fan AU comic in which Gabe doesn’t die, in addition to he and Ryan serving as the main slow burn ship. Due to this, fans of LitoPerezito have created their own Chencan works off of Lito’s comic.

The ship name “Chencan” first entered the fandom when an anonymous Tumblr user sent in an ask 10 days following the release of True Colors, questioning if “Chencan” would be an okay ship name for Gabe and Ryan since the fandom has “yet to work out a name for them”. The general consensus, though incredibly small, being that it was a good name. As time passed, the name has been used more and more, typically on Twitter as the fanbase is more active there.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

Trivia

 * Gabe and Ryan are the same age, both born in 1993.
 * For Ryan’s 24th birthday, Gabe wished him a happy birthday on MyBlock, doing his yearly joke that Ryan is actually a 47 year old man.