#conformitygate masterpost

Here are all my theories, in semi-chronological order, from most recent to oldest. Enjoy :)

CURRENT THEORIES:

Anniversarygate 🤕🧠🌈

The entirety of Stranger Things is an altered reality; a fantasy re-telling of traumatic, real-life events which Mike and Will experienced.

They wished they could live in a world where these events never happened – so, that world was created. But as Dr. Owens explained in Season 2, "The Anniversary Effect" brings back traumatic memories on the date they originally occurred. Except in this world, they come back bigger and more fantastical.

November 6th, March 22nd... the trauma is leaking back into this reality with every new cycle of their "never-ending story", and their fantasy is getting out of hand. They need to accept the truth.

Mike and Will's real memories will be the key to escaping this altered reality; the real story, including Mike and Will's love and their shared trauma, will be revealed through these memories.

Part 1: Mike and Will have been trapped in an altered reality since Season 1... Part 2 How the "illusion" plot twist has already been set up...

Rightsideupgate 😵‍💫⏰🌈

During Season 5 of Stranger Things, Mike is trapped in a fake world called "The Rightside Up", created by Vecna.

All scenes until the Epilogue are altered versions of real events, based mainly on Mike's own memories.

Vecna is keeping Mike trapped in this fake world through his trauma, guilt and shame; a story with an ending of "comfort and happiness", that Mike wishes was true.

His real memories will be the key to escaping this fake world; the real story, including Mike and Will's love, will be revealed through these memories.

I would recommend reading Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 9

ORDER OF EVENTS:

Part 1 Mike is the "Storyteller" of Season 5 Part 3 Season 5 will have 12 episodes (turning back the clock) Part 4 Why MWTFDYDgate = conformitygate Part 9 A timeline of the Wheeler house attack -> Mike's kidnapping

SCENE ANALYSIS:

Part 2 Will's coming out scene was actually Robin's Part 5 Rainbows are a symbol of forgotten/altered memories (which means Holly's kidnapping was misremembered) Part 6 Mike's roof talk with El was also a talk with Will Part 7 Dustin fought with Mike, not Steve Part 8 El went missing on June 6th Part 10 Byler had a missed date, not Rovickie Part 11 What if Vecna disguised himself to Holly as Will Byers? Part 12 Byler saw Rovickie kiss Part 13 Will's painting is crucial to Mike escaping his fake reality

OLDER ANALYSES:

Precursors for Rightsideupgate and/or Anniversarygate 👶🥚🐣

Click here – Memories relating to Will are being altered Click here – Things have been weird since before Will moved away Click here – Will/El parallels, Eddie's D&D game, and why Will is going to defeat Vecna Click here – "The Rightside Up" is a PLACE (origin of rightsideupgate) Click here – They played "Heroes" in Episode 8 of Stranger Things, because Mike lost Will again Click here – Analysing Will's frame in the Episode 8 credits... Will is an illusionist?!

Early conformitygate posts 🤔⁉️🤯

Click here – Conformitygate is a deliberate stunt, and the One Last Adventure documentary gives us the evidence Click here – Conformitygate hints in Finn's SNL episode (half-ironic) Click here – [Old theory] What if the Upside Down's atmosphere is having an effect on characters' mental state? Click here – [Old theory] The illusion started at the end of Season 4, when the Upside Down's atmosphere seeped into Hawkins Click here – Stranger Things will have a "bad ending" and a "good ending" Click here – I believe... (the fifth ever conformitygate post on tumblr. wow what an incredible achievement. truly amazing. #sarcasm)