The Yapper Machine

A mix of my own interpretation and canon supporting evidence.

With our new canon information that the mind flayer played a massive role in his misanthropy, I wanted to do a deep dive on how I think it all formed together from his end. Because if you frequently read my blog, you know that I don’t agree with the whole: “the mind flayer completely forced him to.” theory.

It didn’t force him; it conditioned him. (said by a couple Henry blogs on here)

I definitely feel as if the mind flayer possibly showed Henry the dark side of humanity (while he was vulnerable and already witnessing first hand how cruel the world was on his own terms but the mind flayer being there to present external force) and with that, Henry independently formed his own emotions and worldviews from there. After being isolated and abused all his life, he had no other choice but to believe it since he never had any good influences in his life—and his ONE good influence, Patty, was presumed dead, so he truly had no other way, which is why he didn’t fight it anymore. He independently aligned with the shadow and formed his own perception of life and chose to be the villain over the good guy because he doesn’t know how nor does he want to be good for a world that has done nothing but treat him like garbage, and life would only go downhill from there after being imprisoned in the laboratory for over two decades, which altered his worldviews even more and provoked him to pursue his dark path of revenge.

It wasn’t only after seeing full-on proof humanity was evil (from both his own experiences AND the shadow) and that he chose to finally lose hope and began using misanthropy and nihilism for a coping mechanism as a trauma response. (The mind flayer could also be used as a metaphor for Henry’s darker thoughts and urges! Might be a hot take, but he definitely had some ounce of disdain for humanity even without the mind flayer, especially after the cave incident where that man shot him along with his parents and other kids at school bullying him.) But he was still a sweet boy nonetheless.

What I’m saying here is simply a personal interpretation but The mind flayer didn’t simply implant the thoughts like Henry was a machine but It instead orchestrated horrible situations for him to experience, so that he could form his own worldviews, and realize the mind flayer’s influence was right and the one thing he had left. Since he never experienced and went through anything good throughout his life, he realized the mind flayer was right and from there formed his own opinions about humans based on both the influence and what he went through. It’s a mix!

And while the flayer’s influence briefly stopped after the soteria was implanted, I still feel as if Henry’s hatred only grew; it was the same endless and suffocating loop in the laboratory, so it’s why his monologue to Eleven was spoken so inhumanly. (Which I like to believe Henry became more in control as an adult in a way? I feel as though he was already ruined, so therefore the mind flayer had no more reason to possess him; hence, it left him alone since it had already got what it wanted: “a broken Henry.”)

As for the massacre and season 4 killings, I do also firmly believe those are his own independently committed as well because he genuinely believes what he is doing is the “right” thing. (ex: killing them to “save” them.)

I believe possibly the mind flayer gains more power BECAUSE Henry’s thoughts are formed independently. Otherwise, it wouldn’t need power if it could just simply implant them as if he is some mindless vessel. So the stronger Henry feels, the more he lets his emotions get the better of him, the more powerful the entity grows along with henry’s abilities (and I mean the more stronger Henry feels WITHOUT the influence itself because there is something twisted there as Henry’s worldviews are incredibly personal because he shows genuine resentment and depression over the state of the world, humanity, the system in general and even wanted Eleven to join his cause! His alienated response is a result of dehumanization and being the black sheep. (with a touch of the shadow’s influence)

it’s not just the shitty timeline that makes me believe TFS shouldn’t have been canon but also THE CHARACTERS!!!

The first time Will goes missing, strange occurrences begin to happen in the town. Despite investigating together when the animal killings were occurring and witnessing strange things with their own eyes, Joyce and Hopper genuinely believe Hawkins is a normal town. They never suspect anything else could be happening.

Oh, and don’t get me STARTED on the fact Hopper and Joyce knew Henry but they didn’t have an official scene of them TELLING anyone? It’s almost as if the first shadow didn’t have to be canon since the duffers treated it as it wasn’t important and ran with the idea of Henry being this irredeemable and evil man. (Which if they were going to go with that idea why not at least write it better and give him some sort of closure?)

I know it’s stretchy to say but why make something canon if you aren’t going to treat it as such? Because if it were so important, why not include those details in the show itself so that everyone could have a better understanding of Henry’s character? This isn’t me hating on the first shadow; I absolutely love it—But even without the mind flayer, the Henry we know in the show is so much different from the one presented in the first shadow.

..And yeah, that’s most likely because in the first Shadow, he was an innocent kid who got corrupted while in the show, we are witnessing his corrupt version’s actions.. But the timeline between the show and the play doesn’t add up because in the show, Henry is portrayed as way younger, and we see clips of him rather independently cursing his family while in the play, he doesn’t do that. (It’s canon Henry is an unreliable narrator and the first shadow is there to reveal the truth of it all but it didn’t show the parts that took place in the show in the first shadow nor did they explain it in the finale either and THATS what ticks me off!) The timelines and general events that took place between the two absolutely make zero sense and I was hoping they would be able to sum that up in the show and really elaborate to us what was going on and add more to Henry’s story, but instead, they left it off “ambiguous,” which also made it the biggest plot hole ever. Even in the first Shadow, there are plot holes, so that’s why I think it shouldn’t have been canon. the first Shadow only explains why Henry did what he did, and that may be me answering my own question, but we did witness some very crucial parts of Henry’s backstory in Season 4 that weren’t included in the the play whatsoever (see? so it just doesn’t add up) nor do they connect to Season 5 either due to how bad the writing was.

Because on the show it’s made out that Henry is the one “pulling the strings” and during his infamous monologue in season 4, there aren’t any signs (at least to me) of him being FULLY possessed or that the Mind Flayer is spewing through him. It’s just a theory to believe that that was the case, but it’s confirmed that the monologue is Henry’s explosion of negative emotions after everything that’s happened to him. As for him killing the other numbers—that was because he GENUINELY thought it was right. It was the Henry after he was conditioned by not only the Mind Flayer but also everyone else in his life (his parents, his bullies, Dr. Brenner). All of these horrible influences made him into a monster, and he was aware of that and didn’t want to be good for a world that hated him. He simply didn’t know how, and I hate how they didn’t dive further into that in TFS or the series finale itself. I genuinely believe this is the case rather than just “Henry was being controlled the entire time and doesn’t have his own ideology or autonomy” because SOMETHING had to be there, you know?

it’s really stupid that it was left up to viewer interpretation. how can you be so lazy that you let the viewers decide?

Anyway!! my personal interpretation is that Henry was only half influenced by the Mind Flayer. That’s only because I don’t like the idea of him being a forced, mindless puppet. (That’s just a boring and stereotypical twist in my opinion and gives off Henry getting the Will Byers treatment.) I have always viewed Henry as this whole anti-conformist guy who possesses a disdain towards humans even without the Mind Flayer’s direct influence. The Mind Flayer only conditioned and fed off what was already there and Henry’s worldviews were definitely an unhealthy coping mechanism.

- Does what I’m saying make any sense at all? I worry I sound dramatic. 😅 I don’t want to come off as someone with “hater energy” cause I’m really not trying to be like that. I only just hate how the Duffers handled and treated Henry’s character. I’m a pretty strict person when it comes to writing, and while the show both supports the idea that Henry is either evil independently or just the Mind Flayer’s puppet, I feel like it should’ve been confirmed to be one or the other rather than leaving it open for debate because it further complicates things. (I’m just bitching at how unprofessional all of it is)

After everything Henry has endured, I really feel like he’d end up age regresssing as a trauma response. At least, that’s my personal headcanon for his character.

Note: Don’t be weird in the comments. I do not condone sexualization or fetishization of age regression.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

⟡ Henry would both regress while in the laboratory and, if he escaped the mind flayer’s influence and was given a second chance by the party.

⟡ At the time, the concept of age regression was foreign. No one understood it, not even Henry himself to a full extent.

⟡ Henry doesn’t know what he truly needs while regressed. He usually shifts from a calm and calculated state to a non-verbal child-like state and prefers to be left alone.

⟡ He doesn’t like being around too many people while little because it triggers sensory overload. He would only like to be accompanied by only one or two individuals whom he trusts.

⟡ But even so, he has trust issues so he’d unintentionally push away anyone who attempted to help him on instinct.

⟡ When little, Henry has both an avoidant attachment style and an anxious attachment style. He’s clingy and touch starved all the while wanting everyone else to give him space.

⟡ However, he would indeed get attached to someone who shows him love and actually understands him.

⟡ In the lab, his regression would sometimes be triggered after Brenner would punish him. He’d cry, curl up into a ball and wish to be held and consoled. Before regression, he’d usually take the punishment and only be left with thoughts of resentment afterwards with the urge to enact vengeance.

⟡ Sometimes he would get the urge to play with the toys in the rainbow room. Henry would also desire to play with the other kids. But only felt comfortable doing these activities with Eleven.

⟡ Brenner caught him one time, and he got in trouble. All he was doing was coloring with Eleven. Brenner ordered Henry to act like an adult and to not grow attached to the other test subjects.

⟡ All these events are mainly why he’s so reclusive while in his little headspace.

⟡ Nowadays, his regression is rather involuntary and usually occurs after stress, nightmares, flashbacks, or sickening guilt that eats at him every day.

⟡ Waking up from nightmares in the middle of the night and going into little space is something he hates most of all

⟡ He is scared of the dark so waking up in freezing pitch black room doesn’t help. He’s alone as no one sleeps with him and has nothing to comfort him.

⟡ He has a nightlight set up so that he can keep it on throughout the night. The dark is his phobia

⟡ The only thing he has to comfort him is a soft spider plush that he cuddles to his chest while crying. He frequently wishes someone was present to wipe his tears and stroke his hair.

⟡ Henry sucks his thumb. He did this in the first shadow when he was a little boy, and I feel like he secretly never broke out of that habit.

⟡ He cries more easily when regressed even over the smallest of things. Insanely prone to mental breakdowns and psychotic breaks.

⟡ Henry uses shorter sentences and speaks in a more child-like tone.

⟡ Apologizes and needs constant reassurance. He’s such a overthinker while little. He’s a combination between a puppy and black cat. (The puppy best fitting his clingy personality and the cat for his reserved personality)

⟡ Henry suffers from both mommy and daddy issues, so if he had a caregiver, he’d refer to them as such depending on their gender. (It wouldn’t be a constant thing though)

⟡ If someone catches him crying he naturally tries to cover it up and mask. He always hates coming off as weak.

⟡ Henry likes wearing oversized clothes and using big fluffy blankets. Napping is one of his coping mechanisms while in little space or watching a nostalgic cartoon!

⟡ He’ll wear knee-high or fluffy socks, oversized t-shirts, sweaters, and either soft sweatpants or super baggy shorts.

⟡ He finds comfort in eating waffles and drinking fresh orange juice while regressed (or possibly warm milk) He likes Eggo waffles now because of El.

⟡ Would want to be held and read to. He’d be instantly soothed if so.

⟡ He fidgets a lot when regressed. Henry would fiddle with his fingers, bite his nails, sit in a corner, tug at his own shirt or twirl the ends of his hair in an awkward manner.

⟡ If overstimulated, he covers his ears and hides under the blanket so the “shadow can’t get him” and the “loud noises.”

⟡ Carries his fluffy pink blanket and spider plushie with him from room to room. Sometimes he doesn’t even realize when he’s doing it.

⟡ Will caught him before and asked: “Henry, why are you carrying that around?” It wasn’t a judgmental statement but Henry was flushed in embarrassment afterwards.

⟡ Henry sits on the floor, knees curled to his chest rather than sitting on furniture. If he was ever feeling social while little, he’d join the party in the main room and sit on the floor with Kali and Eleven. (Since those are the few people he trusts.)

⟡ Loves having his hair brushed! If someone were to brush his hair. He’d find himself leaning into their touch ever so subtly.

⟡ Overall, Deep down is a scared little boy that has always longed for unconditional love and care.

⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔

- How his experience with the mind flayer really was deep down. How they communicated, how it influenced him, more of what happened after Eleven banished him to dimension X.

- More flashbacks to Hawkins Laboratory, focusing on Brenner’s control over everything and everyone followed by Henry’s perspective.

- A deep dive of Henry’s relationship with Brenner, Eleven and Kali

- What methods they used to torture Henry in the laboratory, given that it’s canon that he was severely abused there throughout his life. It would be fascinating to learn about the methods employed, his reactions, and the reactions of others.

- How the soteria implant restricted his powers because that was NEVER explained in full detail. Just brushed off and never brought up again.

- Henry’s POV of the season 4 massacre. I’d love to know his thought process during it.

- Henrys entire thought process, how he evolved into a misanthrope, how he became so calculated, not just due to the mind flayer’s influence.

- His high-school relationship with Patty.

- His relationship with his parents and alice and followed by more flashbacks to the way they both treated him.

I want to briefly address a situation that recently occurred within the server I moderate. There was an issue between two individuals that unfortunately escalated into drama being started and some misinformation being spread regarding my server and another person who wasn’t even in my server. One of the individuals involved showed problematic behavior, and the conflict between both parties ended up spreading beyond them and affecting the space as a whole. As the one who created the server, I was pulled into the drama while it was actively unfolding. I will be honest and confess that I was unfortunately under a lot of pressure and feeling overstimulated at the time, which meant I didn’t handle everything diligently. Mostly due to the fact I got roped into the feud with people I don’t know all too well (despite the drama not originally having involved me. I am only being involved now because the problematic person joined my server temporarily and I wasn’t aware of their behavior) My server hasn’t been up for very long (maybe only over a week) so the fact this all happened so fast was stressful and overwhelming. I was criticized for stepping out of line and not being educated enough regarding said drama which I wasn’t around for at the time in a call-out post that another Henry theorist on here who didn’t have my full perspective of the situation. So this post is being made to reveal my POV of things and debunk the rumors that were made about them.

Both individuals who were involved have been removed from the server due to the fact that they were both tied to the drama. I did this for safety measurements. It wasn’t to blame the other person who was innocent but because they both had ties to one another, the best solution was removing them both for the greater good. I admit that I did not ban the person who was causing problems at first, and this is mostly because I did not know how problematic they were deep down, while i was being updated the individual who updated me also wasn’t aware of how much of a threat they were until it was too late. (Both persons were in the server at the same time. I did not know they had beef at first. they were both banned the same day when the drama became more dangerous) I knew insults were said, but I didn’t know about the depths of the harassment.. I barely knew the person mainly causing issues along with the other person who was actively informing me regarding the drama and false allegations being made within the server about a mutual friend of theirs. It took me a few days to process everything as I was getting slow updates each and every single day, and my mind takes a longer time to register compared to others. (I am also not used to being brought into messy situations, so it was quite scary on my end. I get flustered and nervous easily due to my anxiety disorder and learning disabilities) As for the rumors that were spread in my server regarding this Henry theorist being pedophilic, they were proven false and deleted as I don’t allow controversial gossip. (These allegations were made by the person who had beef with this individual, which triggered conflict. they were not made in my server specifically but rather spread amongst some of the members in my server!) These allegations are not true at all! So please let’s not spread this propaganda anymore as it can be harmful. (These allegations were mostly spoken about privately in a GC and to me. they weren’t spoken of in my server a lot) Moving on, there was also confusion on whether or not minors were involved in the NSFW part of my server (to which NO minors are! There is a section that’s private and dedicated to proven adults). There was a quote said in my server taken out of context that the banned member, who I will not name for privacy reasons, changed their status to, which caused a lot of concern. As for the semi-sexual/weird comments, once again, these were made by the problematic person who was banned. Who gave my server a really bad name and as far as I’m aware there weren’t any other younger folks participating in NSFW topics in my server. (this was still around the time I was unaware this individual was predatory as they manipulated me too.)

This server is meant to be a safe, respectful, and drama-free space for people who enjoy discussing and appreciating Henry Creel/Vecna, sharing fanart, and interacting with others in the community. I want to make sure that environment is maintained for everyone here. I’m sorry for all the trouble. I do NOT condone what that person did within the walls of my server nor the harmful actions committed outside of it. I wish them the best and hope they can recover as they’re not in the right headspace from what I’ve heard. I also take full accountability for not handling it right away. I tend to let my emotions rule-out my logic. To be fair, the drama took a few days to go over and I wanted the full story before taking action as I didn’t really know the person too well so it’s why the ban against the problematic person took a hot minute. Anyway, I don’t want to be the type to get called out randomly nor be forced into online drama with people who I don’t know too well so if you have any issues with me please consult me personally VIA dm!

I’d like to thank those who remained respectful and patient while the situation was being handled. I appreciate your understanding, and I will continue doing my best to uphold my responsibility to keep this server a safe and welcoming space. The situation was a lot to take in, and because I am new to the fandom, it was very difficult for me to register, especially with things escalating so fast. Admittedly, my mod wasn’t aware of the full story while I was aware of most of the drama but didn’t take action because as I mentioned going over said drama took a few days. I was also busy at the same time so it’s why the action was delayed and due to my mod not knowing the severity of the situation, they did not take action either but we’re both going to change our ways. In all honesty, I didn’t find out how bad it was until it was too late but action has been taken and everything is chill now. It was a devastating case of the wrong people joining, and I was not knowing how to handle it as I am awkward with social situations. But I’ll do better moving forward, and if anyone wants to join, you can still, as long as you aren’t tied to Tumblr beef.

It was absolutely not my intent to be oblivious or possess an irresponsible persona. I had no idea this would occur as it all unfolded quickly! My intentions were from the good of my heart to try and defuse the situation, but I unfortunately wasn’t educated enough and didn’t handle the situation in a timely manner. But now it’s settled, and I’ll be more caring as we move forward. The intentions behind my server were to just make friends since I am very hyperfixated on Henry.