tired perfectionist

This is my own personal theory for how Vecna and the Mindflayer took over Hawkins. It started at the end of Season 4, and by the Epilogue of Season 5, all the characters were affected.

I'll do a basic rundown, and then get into my explanation below. For brevity, I refer to "Vecna and the Mindflayer" as "V + M".

Here's the basic rundown:

When Vecna opened the huge X-shaped gate (S4 Ep9), he caused everyone to breathe in the Upside Down spores – these spores made it easier for the Mindflayer to take over their minds later.

V + M aimed to take over the minds of everyone in Hawkins, but they started with the kids first. After that, they "cursed" our main characters to be next.

When Will saved Mike in Sorcerer (S5 Ep4) by remembering their childhood memories, he accidentally caused Mike to become V + M's prime target.

Everything that takes place in Hawkins is real, up until Shock Jock (S5 Ep5). Around the time Will is put into a trance by Vecna, reality starts "glitching".

Parts of S5 Vol 2 are real, and parts are not.

The Upside Down may not actually be a wormhole (there's a "hole" in the theory).

By the 6th of November (S5 Ep8), everyone is under Vecna's curse – however, the vision we are shown in the Epilogue is heavily centred around Mike, the heart of the Party. He is no longer the Dungeon Master; he is just a storyteller who isn't in control.

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THE UPSIDE DOWN SPORES

Whether it was real or not, that final battle was a total red herring; they may have defeated that giant roaring flesh monster, but it was NOT the Mindflayer.

Just take a look at the Abyss. It’s yellow, dry and hot. But the Mindflayer “likes it cold”, so why the hell would it ever stay there, when there's an option much more tailored to its preferences?

The Upside Down is always cold, it’s always dark, and its air is filled with mysterious, currently-unexplained spores. 

Throughout the series, characters ask countless times whether the spores are toxic. “Is this shit safe to breathe?” Nobody has a clear answer. Isn’t it such a coincidence that ever since the gates opened up, our characters have been acting “reckless”, and “not [themselves]”? We are told this multiple times, but we don’t have a definitive answer for why. I believe these two unanswered questions are connected. 

When the Upside Down’s atmosphere leaked into Hawkins, and everyone breathed it in, it made it significantly easier for Vecna and the Mindflayer to slowly infiltrate their minds. Remember how Will first got possessed? HE BREATHED THE MINDFLAYER IN. 

That’s why spores appeared in Billy’s mind when he was flayed. That’s why Vecna and the Mindflayer opened the massive X-shaped gate in Hawkins. Everyone breathed in those “springtime snowflakes” in Season 4. Now, everyone is ultra-susceptible to the hivemind. Perhaps that’s why the military has quarantined everyone and forced them into mandatory medical checkups.

Now… let’s go back to the Mindflayer for a moment. If it doesn’t live in the Abyss, but in the Upside Down, then what's the significance of the Abyss? It's significant, because the Upside Down is technically NOT a wormhole at all…

THE HOLES IN THE WORMHOLE THEORY

Remember what Erica said? “Wormholes are neat because they allow matter to travel between dimensions WITHOUT touching the space between.” The Upside Down is the space between. How is it possible that everyone can not only touch it, but travel freely within it? 

As Dustin and Mr Clarke point out, wormholes are supposed to be extremely volatile, and collapse immediately after being created. Why is this wormhole so different? Dustin questions this himself. Sure, the “exotic matter” is keeping it stable, but what is the exotic matter, how did it get there, and what is keeping the exotic matter stable? Furthermore, why is Will framed in the middle of the wormhole at least three times throughout the show, suggesting he is somehow responsible for the so-called “exotic matter”? Additionally, why are the diagrams in Dr. Brenner’s journal so detailed when he’s “not much of an artist”? Finally, Dustin never fully decoded the journal, which means that canonically there is still information the characters do not know. 

This wormhole theory is full of holes. It’s clear that what we learned in the show is NOT the full story.

I believe that Vecna planted a fake journal as evidence for an incorrect theory that he knew would throw everyone off from his real plan. At most, the Upside Down is simply a dimension sandwiched between two other dimensions; our world and the Abyss. It is shaped like a wormhole, but it isn’t truly a wormhole. Will has something to do with the “exotic matter” holding it together; he’s framed in it for a reason. 

The Abyss may be real, but that final battle wasn’t. Where were the Demogorgons? They were shown roaming the terrain in Season 4. 

NOVEMBER 6TH

By November 6th, everybody was put under Vecna's curse. The title card we saw was all wrong; it didn't say the time, and it didn't say the location. This is a strange departure from the show's previous style.

This would be the PERFECT moment for a parallel! We all know how much the Duffer brothers LOVE their parallels. It would add to the intensity of the moment... so why no parallel?

It's almost as though they're not in Hawkins, and their sense of time has been disrupted. Where do we know that is "stuck in time" (possibly even completely timeless)?

The Upside Down.

As for the claim that Vecna wasn’t expecting an attack? MY ASS. He manipulated them into doing exactly what he wanted. By letting him follow through with his plan on November 6th, they fell right into his illusion. Vecna told us himself. He told us exactly what would happen.

“I have travelled far and long beyond our dimension. In my travels I discovered another world. A world far from earth. This world is much like ours, only good, free of monsters and darkness. It is the light.”

That's why there were no Demogorgons in the Abyss. That's why nobody got injured like they did just days ago. They had ridiculous plot armour because there was no darkness allowed.

“As the light reaches the darkness, the light will expel the darkness."

In the Epilogue, Jonathan says, “It’s too much light, it needs diffusion,” then puts the curtain back up. When light is diffused, it appears softer, it spreads more, and it REDUCES HARSH SHADOWS. No darkness allowed.

"...Your loved ones will be saved, and you… you will be heroes.”

Holly's loved ones (Mike, Nancy etc.) were "saved" when the worlds merged, along with everyone else in Hawkins.

What song plays during the credits? Heroes.

“Tomorrow… tomorrow it begins.”

And it did.

WHO FIRST?

Since the spores infected everyone in Hawkins, Vecna and the Mindflayer have had easier access to their minds than ever before. They were going to take over everyone’s minds, so it was never a matter of “who”, but “who first”?

And… again, Vecna told us already. He went for the kids first, taking advantage of their “weak” minds to use them as “vessels to reshape the world”. They’re not just vessels, though. Children have their own power; their imagination and optimism. He connected them to the hivemind and immediately took control, using their combined power to construct an elaborate false reality, free of monsters, and full of comfort and happiness. 

(No wonder Will was the first pick; a sensitive, imaginative artist who turned his drawing of Castle Byers into reality.)

After that, it was ridiculously easy to take over more and more people’s minds without them even knowing they’d been taken over. Our main characters were next, since they were the most likely to stop Vecna. Mike was especially important, given his connection to El, and especially Will, Mr. Honest-To-God Real-Life Sorcerer.

Please rewatch Shock Jock (S5 Ep5), and fast-forward to the moment that Will is thrust out of Vecna's mind. Everyone runs towards him.

When Mike goes to reach out to Will, he suddenly pulls his arm away, and his sleeve GLITCHES FURTHER UP HIS WRIST. Vecna already has some form of control over the characters minds by this point, because they've been acting "not [themselves]". Now it's like Vecna is editing Mike in real-time, preventing him from getting too close to Will and breaking the vision.

Remember: even if you don't see him, Mr. Whatzit could still be there.

During Volume 2, reality began to glitch more and more. Objects changed colours, characters stole each other's lines, and it's really difficult to tell what's real and what's fake.

After that, it was easy for our characters to relax into their comfortable happy illusions; they defeated the big, bad monster without even a scratch on them, they drove back into Hawkins as heroes, somehow bypassed the military, moved on from El's explosive death, graduated with confetti and a speech, and they all lived happily ever after.

I reckon this quote from Mindy Flair on WSQK’s final day sums everything up nicely...

“Spreading, connecting, becoming something larger… we really took over this town, didn’t we?”

Everyone's trapped by Vecna's curse now. But who will get them out? Well, the person who is the key to keeping them all trapped...

MIKE: THE HEART, THE BRAVE, OR THE STORYTELLER?

“Getting to Mike, now that was the key.”

When Will saved Mike, he did so by remembering their childhood memories together. However, by doing this, he accidentally cursed Mike to become Vecna’s prime target.

Vecna knows all of Will’s thoughts, his memories, his secrets. Vecna knows that to Will, Mike is “the heart of the Party,” and “without heart, [they’d] all fall apart.”

Did you notice how Mike was totally absent from Will’s second memory flashback when he woke up from his trance?

When Vecna tormented Will with his vision of a future where everyone drifts away from each other, he was able to bypass the strength that Will found in his happy memories with Mike. Now, Vecna has found ANOTHER way past: Will is living a future that is absurdly comfortable and happy; he's already happy right now, he doesn't think he needs to be saved, so he doesn’t need to remember his happy memories.

Meanwhile, Vecna uses him as a vessel – a builder. (Will is an illusionist, with the innate power to construct subtle false realities.)

Will is the builder of Vecna’s illusion, sure, but Mike is the storyteller. He may not be consciously controlling the narrative, but by keeping Mike trapped in his vision, Vecna is able to keep everyone trapped; therefore, Vecna must tailor the vision to suit Mike in particular, more than anyone else. This is why the Epilogue centres on Mike.

Mike is the guy who always notices when things are off. He comes up with plans, gives advice, and even though he can lash out sometimes, he still fiercely protects the people around him. He is deeply connected to both Will and Eleven, the two people who are most capable of defeating Vecna.

If you can get to Mike, you can get to everyone.

This is where Mike directly parallels his sister Holly. Remember, Max tells her, “You’re not like your brother – you ARE your brother.”

Henry tells Holly she’s clever, and that he’s glad he saved her first. Because if you save the clever one first, then the others will follow their lead; if the clever one thinks it’s okay, then everyone else trusts them. The same applies to Mike.

This is why Mike is the MOST IMPORTANT character when it comes to everyone escaping the vision. Mike is allowing the narrative to stay out of his control. He knows something is wrong, but he chooses to believe things are fine. That's why Mike's new label of "master storyteller" is incredibly fitting.

As long as Mike keeps telling the story that everything is fine, everyone will believe him.

"I believe," "I believe," "I believe."

Mike chooses to believe a lie, therefore he cannot discover the truth about his false reality. As long as everyone believes him, they can never escape.

Throughout the show, lying/hiding vs. telling the truth are HUGE themes. "Friends don't lie" has been repeated since Season 1. Moreover, bravery and truth are associated with each other; Henry himself tells the kids, "You are brave enough to know the truth." Well...

Mike "the Brave" has NOT been telling the truth.

I'm just gonna say it. Just like Holly felt her Holly the Heroic persona was a lie, Mike believes he is too scared, and can never be Mike the Brave. He is queer and in love with Will Byers, and he is too scared to admit it.

“Just as you lie to Jane, you also lie to yourself.” This line was spoken directly to Hopper, yet it also applies to Mike, who was deliberately included in the scene.

That’s why it was so important that Vecna separated Jane (possibly keeping her stuck in her own personal vision), and kept her away from Mike before the Epilogue portion of the vision began.

Just like the director of the Truman show manufactured Truman's trauma to keep him trapped in his show, Vecna manufactured trauma for Mike, leaving him wracked with guilt about Eleven’s death, keeping him helplessly stuck believing in a false story; meanwhile, everything else is so perfect that he doesn’t want to move on, either. Just like Will, his false reality is full of "comfort and happiness"; he doesn't want to remember his trauma, or his happy memories – and with Eleven no longer directly in his life, he won't confront the lies he had been telling her, either. That's in the past now. He can tell himself she’s living happily far away, move on like everyone else, and keep himself in limbo, never confronting the truth.

But he needs to.

It is only after confronting the truth that Truman is able to confront his false reality. The same is true of Mike.

He needs to face the false reality of "comfort and happiness" that he is trapped in. He needs to confront the trauma and lies he's kept suppressed for years, admit his queer love for Will, and get himself and everyone else out of this "Never-Ending Story".

It's all on Mike.

THANKS + BONUS PREDICTIONS

Thanks for reading my theory! You must be just as insane as me if you were willing to survive that avalanche of text. Now, I don't believe any future episodes are necessary for all of this to make sense. However, if there are any more episodes announced on Jan 7th/12th (which I sure fucking hope for!!!)...

...Here are some bonus predictions!

Mike is the KEY to escaping the vision. Vecna keeps you trapped with your trauma, secrets and lies; Mike is a "storyteller" (AKA a liar). He needs to stop living in fantasy, accept his reality, and admit the truth about his trauma, his queerness and his love to truly become Mike the Brave.

Eleven is still alive, but she has been separated from the others. Vecna can't let her enter anyone's mind, or she'll break their illusions.

Will is broken out of the curse with music from a tape labelled "For Will" (this merch hasn't appeared in the show... yet). Mike probably made this tape with Jonathan's help.

Mike and Will play "central roles" in the finale, as Shawn Levy mentioned in an interview. Byler is not just canon, but crucial to saving everyone from the curse.

Bonus notes:

I've been cooking up elements of this theory since Season 5 Vol 1, and it was only after the finale dropped that it all came together – in part thanks to the conformitygate tag, which helped to revitalise my excitement for the show and provided me with some evidence that I hadn't noticed before!

So thanks Jess, and everyone else who has participated in the conformitygate tag. I wouldn't feel so excited, and my theory wouldn't be this comprehensive without you all!

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The fact that Luca used this phrase to silence the intrusive thought Alberto had about himself at the end was such a really beautiful and powerful throwback. 😭

I don’t mean Australians are a “stick it to the man, fight back against those in power” kind of people – we’re generally not. And I don’t mean we have a “we’re going to do the status thing but pretend we don’t and pretend to all be equal in mixed company” thing that middle-class Americans do. I mean the status-respect system does not exist, and if you try to use it, it weirds people the fuck out at best, and insults them at worst. Treating someone most countries would say is ‘above’ you differently in Australia is basically telling that person that you hate them; it’s saying “I’m forced to interact with you due to our current circumstances but I don’t see you as a person and won’t grant you the basic respect of treating you like an equal”. (When I was in America, I was constantly suppressing the instinct that random service people were sassing me because they overuse honourifics and were so keen to help me.)

This makes interacting with foreigners really baffling in a lot of circumstances. In university, my international friends would often describe Australians as “friendly, but very rude”. They thought we were all arseholes because of the way we spoke to our PhD supervisors and soforth, and wouldn’t believe us when we explained that our behaviour was respectful and that being deferential would be weird and awkward and insulting to them. Learning Japanese had a similar problem; everyone in the class could get the concept of different levels of formality and deference in language, ans was happy to memorise the usage of various words for Japanese people, but using them on each other was super weird, and we’d only ever use the most casual form of anything unless specifically instructed otherwise by the teacher.

The reason I’ve been thinking of this lately is because I’ve recently become aware that a lot of countries have like… a special respect for their country’s leaders? I don’t just mean “yeah, that guy makes the rules”, but that having that office makes them better than everyone else, somehow. Which I expect from countries with royal families, because Tradition, but I’ve recently found that Americans feel this way about their President, too. (Except the current one, who seems to be enough of a dick to break the system.) Like, if six Americans were in an aeroplane that was going down and there was only one parachute and one of the Americans was A Generic Non-Trump President, it’s just assumed that that guy gets the parachute? Like he’s automatically the life worth saving over the others, and they’d just give up their chance in favour of him? And that’s so weird to me. An Australian prime minister would have a 1 in 6 chance at the parachute; however the people decided, “this guy happens to be the leader of the country” wouldn’t be a factor. 

When Americans don’t like a President, they usually feel the need to work in how he’s “not my president”, either through sheer denial, or by finding some way he’s theoretically illegitimate (different ways votes are counted, wild conspiracy theories about birth country, etc.), and while making sure those rules are obeyed IS extremely important, I’ve recently noticed that part of the motivation seems to be that they’re invested in whether he’s Really The President because being the President somehow makes someone Special rather than just a normal dick who’s been put in charge of the group project. (You see the same thing in “THIS IS TRUMP’S AMERICA!”, like him becoming President gives him superpowers or something).

( @time-dolphin-ryan-lochte )

and then you realize that youre judging your worth by whether or not you are objectifiable to a man and thats so fucked up like honestly its so fucked up 

“kiddo”

“buddy”

inform a friend to ensure you’re never left alone with them

refer to own age in conversation

“yeah, I know I look young, but you wouldn’t BELIEVE how awkward it is being mistakenly hit on by a teenager!”

upon that child turning 18:

“Happy birthday, kiddo!”

“Have you registered to vote yet?”

the bible (king james edition)

a copy of the U.S. consitution

a copy of my school’s current rulebook

i do this so that whenever someone at school tries to make a point and then defends it by saying ‘it’s in the constitution!’ or ‘it’s from the bible!’ or something else along those lines, i can pull out my own copy and say, ‘where exactly does it say that?’