#merchgate

I was looking at ST merch at Hot Topic and found this jacket:

It's got a cassette player on the front and her quote: "Music has a way of finding you, even in the darkest of places" on the sleeves.

So far, so good! Wait, who's on the back? Vecna and...

Holly Wheeler?!?!

Max is nowhere on this jacket and Holly isn't even mentioned in the title or description:

The description clearly states the characters shown on the back of the jacket are Vecna and Max.

At first, I thought maybe it was a mistake, but that jacket has direct references to Max. There's no way they just put Holly's face on the Max jacket by accident. So, I looked for more merch like this, and I was right!

Once again, the description says Max not Holly:

This is just a side-note but why is Vecna using his right hand? He usually uses his powers with his left.

STEVE

Then Steve’s is the squawk signal, and Steve (and Johnathan) are like the only two in the show with a functioning gaydar. Steve was the one who picked up the signals that Vickie liked robin. Robins been talking with will about signals

Going to the scent chosen for Steve, it’s wild orchids. Orchids aren’t that blue greenish color, at least not naturally. Most orchids are actually purpleish, and the blue ones that are sold are mostly white orchids that get dyed blue. And I don’t really associate the colors with Steve (but maybe I’m wrong). The colors are more byler and mike. So maybe it represents the byler signals and Steve catching on the mike the same way he did with Vickie??

Blue orchids are really rare so they represent rarity and uniqueness (the party is all bullied for being outcasts/unique. Byler have a unique friendship). Yellow orchids are for happiness, strength, and friendship and to say congrats or good luck. Also orchids in general typically represent love

Also I just looked at the Steve soap on target and now I can see that it’s blue and yellow. Byler??

Also lavender gay as shit. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that

Then the cherry soda. Cherry coke came out in 1985 (same year as season 3) but I lowk can’t remember if they mention cherry coke specifically in st3. BUT they do mention coke a lot and other ppl have pointed out how it’s a metaphor for byler. And cherry also got mentioned a lot in s3 by alexei (rip alexei. I thought you and Murray were going to be a couple back when I first watched the season before I knew you died). Lowk cherries queer asf too. Idk why, but they just seem queer

I’m sure someone else could probably explain the whole cherry slurpee and coke being queer metaphors thing in stranger things and I feel like some ppl already have. I would just need to find the posts but I have over 7000 liked posts in the last month and i don't know if i can find it

was gonna make some mike in manhattan coke joke but got distracted and forgot. someone else can make one for me

Also it’s not a new radio. Steve and robin were just the new hosts

Also our music selection will turn you upside down. There’s that theory that robins been helping vecna by separating will and mike and all the things with her picking records for ppl. Her music selection is turning them upside down, not right side up. She’s making them vulnerable for vecna

Are friends electric?

VECNA

Now to further analyze vecnas soap

Juniper used to be used to ward off evil spirits and shit and vecna is evil

Also it’s evergreen which usually symbolizes endurance and strength (whether this implies the party enduring vecnas torture for so long or vecna enduring and not dying idk)

In flower language, juniper is usually protection, purification, and resilience. Protection is so byler and cleradin with Mike and Will protecting each other. Choosing whether to cast protection or fireball. They choose to attack the MF in the finale with fire but maybe to really save themselves from vecna, they should have cast protection to wash away (soap) vecna

Then the blood orange is passion (byler?), mystery (is conformitygate real?), and dramatic intensity (I feel like the finale was missing that with the lack of consequence or injury during the MF battle and the very flat m11 scene)

Also citrus fruits symbolizes hope of resurrection and eternal life in medieval Europe (vecna still alive) (el could come back from the dead cuz it was all fake)

It literally says Vecna lives

Going back to the actual scent for vecna soap, it’s vanilla, which is also part of the orchidaceae family, tying vecna and Steve (or maybe rather the squawk and robin) together

Vanilla is also considered an aphrodisiac (love) and I started looking more into it and I’m falling g down a research rabbit hole, so I’m making a separate vanilla and byler post before this gets too long (sharknilla anyone?)

And looking at the description, it also contains amber, which fossilizes stuff and represents a preservation of memories. Things are also trapped in amber like how mike is trapped in his memories. It was also considered to ward off negative energy (negative emotions let vecna in) and enhances mental clarity (mike needs to realize everything is not the way it’s supposed to be). He needs to find the memories that are trapped in amber because they are the ones that are still protected from vecnas influence and can help him realize the truth

Also correct me if I’m wrong, but I think miwi memories had a golden glow/tint over them like looking through amber. miwi memories will save them from conformity????

DUSTIN

This is a d12 based on the numbers that are touching each other and because half of the dice is shown, which is 6 sides, so the whole dice would be 12. Also it has the normal pentagon shape, which d12s usually have. I don't know why they would choose the d12 when most people in the ga and stuff probably think of d20 when thinking dnd, especially cuz of how many times they have to roll a 20 in the show. But 12 is a vecna number

The number between the 8 and 7 is throwing me off though cuz it looks like a 3, but on a d12 it should be a 2. But with the emphasis on the number 3, including in season 5, it might be an intentional thing.

tell me this isn't talking about mike and his internalized homophobia

the cloves represent dignity, being worthy of honor and self-respect (mike the brave sounding shit right there)

another meaning is loving someone without that person knowing (byler coded asf. they both suck at realizing their feelings aren't one-sided)

does anyone know if the date and time on the poster is correct for hellfire club meetings??

there's a red dragon on will's painting. heart shaped leaves like mike is the heart

the blood look is temporary on skin, and i've seen some people point out how jane's hands didn't have kali's blood on them when she sacrificed herself (the blood wasn't really blood and was temporary)

JANE

why 6 7? Why add numbers at all?

if you add them though, it's a 13, and that's what was needed in s1 ep1 when will rolled, but he only got the 7. he still needed the 6

67gate???

there's prolly something i could say about the iron, but im lowk getting sleepy

also step into the chill....you know who likes it cold?

lemon and lime... zesty... like mike

citrus stuff from before still applies

lemon blossoms symbolize fidelity, love, and longevity, often representing a promise of loyalty. lemon tree is prosperity, purification, and everlasting protection/healing (mike the brave defo promised loyalty to will the wise)

lime is protection and healing. will the wise??

lemon and lime together byler??

(you're wathcing my writing quality decrease in real time as I try to finish this before sleeping)

sage is wisdom, health, and immortality (someone defo had fakeout death)

also rainbow plant gay :D

there's 2 diff rainbow plant

for skincare: Rainbow Algae (prolly what was used here)

for health and shi: chameleon plant (meanign: adaptability, transformation, and complex emotions (mike wheeler stop blending in and be the beautiful gay butterfly you were meant to be))

and actually there's a third option too: byblis (we finna ignore the myth behidn the name) which is a bunch of carnivorous plants (meaning: tragic love, unrequited desire, and tears (womp womp)) better not be this option for byler

they lowk max's three options

rainbow algae is acceptance cuz its all like whatever shit dont mean nothing

carnivorous plant is the take your own life lowk. you see my vision? it's like you're eating away at yourself bieng all like they'll never be together and it's so joever (there's always fanfics to save you)

chameleon plant is the escape cuz it's like oh mike just hiding and he needs to get out and shi. he gay asl and byler so real, even in the current epilogue. flirty ahh looks and dialogue and then also getting out the teeth not when dustin was getting bitten, but only when will was??? gay ass loser (i mean that affectionately)

im spending way too fucking long talking about soap, esp now that i found out it realeased btwn vol 1 and 2, but i feel like a lot of the interpretations can still stand (assuming they were thinking at all about the meanings of plants when doing this. maybe it was just blood orange have blood like blood when vecna kill)

California = The Upside Down?

First, let's state the obvious: Lenora Hills, CA is not a real place. This isn't a big deal on its own, but considering the other evidence, I felt like I should mention it.

Second, what do you mean the kids were in California for spring break and went to a roller rink instead of the beach? Unless they couldn't go to the beach because there is no water in the Upside Down.

And third, why is there merch of Demogorgons in California, a place that is known for being HOT? [source: shirt 1, shirt 2]

This one doesn't have a Demo on it, but it does portray California as the Upside Down:

Also, the song “California Dreamin'” playing when we go to California for the first time feels a little on the nose.

The Party Was Being Watched👁️👁️

Going with the idea that season four—or at least some of it—is an illusion, then Vecna and the Mind Flayer are able to observe what's going on. This would explain some of the camera angles implying that some of the characters were being spied on, most notably (to me):

In Will's room, we saw the same "Jaws" poster from season two:

which represents the Mind Flayer. There was also a picture of tiger in the same scene:

Another tiger can be found in the Wheeler's basement:

Tiger = Vecna

Everyone is Separated on Purpose

It's clear their bonds with each other make them strong, so Vecna split them up to exploit their fears, making their minds more susceptible to his influence. In 'Stranger Things VR', Shadow Brenner told him that knowing El made them confident and that confidence made their minds too strong for him to infiltrate:

So, of course, he had to separate everyone in order to break them.

El makes them feel confident > take El away, isolate her, and force her to relive her trauma.

El got arrested and the kids are freaking out, they need an adult > send Joyce to go find Hopper, forcing the kids to deal with it on their own.

Hopper talked to Dmitri/Enzo about his fears—that he is a curse and only brings death to the people he loves > he blames himself for Joyce getting captured.

Mike can't say he loves El because that would be a lie > he doesn't end the relationship because he's scared of two things:

losing her again

his sexuality and feelings for Will

Will is in love with Mike, but doesn't think he feels the same, so he masks his feelings as El's instead > Mike thinks El feels that way about him—giving him false confidence in their relationship.

Lucas wants to be there for Max, and is scared of losing her > Jason, captain of the tigers basketball team, distracts Lucas from being able to save her.

Max is grieving Billy's death and has mixed feelings about it > she's afraid she's a bad person because of it.

Dustin had to watch Eddie die in his arms > now lives with survivor's guilt.

Now that he's learned their fears and exploited them, he can take control.

X is a Lie

At the end of season four, a giant X split through Hawkins:

And if "X a lie"

then Season Four is a Lie!