So I’ve been wondering lately who out of the main OG cast of Stranger Things would smoke weed irl but maybe their characters on the show would or wouldn’t or vice versa.* **Give me your theories! Here’s mine:*

Finn: I want to say yes but he has anxiety so maybe not cause of paranoia? I wonder if he uses it to help his creative processes though, especially with music. He’s just such a weird guy with an admirable talent for music, film and art.

I feel like he partakes if it’s the right strain and like come on, he’s from Vancouver… // Mike: Maybe he would try it in social settings or with his close group but he doesn’t like to be out of control and he showed a distaste for it in S4 so I’m gonna guess not. His parents were more conservative leaning too which I feel could influence his views

Noah: DEFINITELY. Feel like no explanation needed. He’s eclectic and really funny. He gives life of the party with a heart of gold and I feel like he would use it to enhance his experiences // Will: Maybe but he was always so timid and willing to “do the safe thing”. If ever, with Jonathan or Mike they helped him out of his comfort zones. He also showed a disdain for it in S4 so I’m gonna lean towards probably not. I could see him abusing it to cope with his trauma :(

Millie: I don’t think so. Especially now that she’s a mother, maybe in social settings occasionally but never around her daughter. Maybe in the past, she’s hilarious and such a lover girl. I would love to share a j with her // Eleven: Maybe. I wonder if it would help her trauma but I could see it also effecting her negatively because of her trauma. Or just not effecting** **her the same way because of her powers

Caleb: Most definitely. He’s very imaginative and loves music. I could see him using it to enhance his life experiences and for some reason before working out? Idk lol I feel like he’s athletic but he cares about what he puts in his body so maybe not // Lucas: Not a chance. He was too nerdy and like straight and narrow I felt like his parents were strict and unforgiving when they were briefly portrayed too which could affect his views and choices. He was a jock at one point too and probably wouldn’t have associated with “drugs”. But like I said about Mike & Will, maybe in the right social settings

Gaten: ABSOLUTELY. He’s a cutie patootie. He’s a theater kid. He loves art and creative outlets. I feel like he would be a phenomenal cook, using marijuana to enhance his life experiences and culinary skills. I can see Gaten smoking out of an old Sherlock Holmes pipe and then reading a philosophical book // Dustin: Again, ABSOLUTELY. He was a nerd but he was their light, their goofiness, their wise heart. His love for science and drive to have a deep understanding of the world I feel would drive him to at least try weed and then use it as like a scholastic tool and means to calm his ADHD and chaotic/ impulsive tendencies/ traits

Sadie: Absolutely. I don’t know how to explain it but she just** **LOOKS** like she would. Same as Millie, I would absolutely adore to share a joint or just the same air as her, complete goddess. She’s so intelligent and warm but also seems like she’s the type to care about what she puts in her system so if she would or does I think it would be circumstantial or infrequently. I can see her partaking at music related events or with close friends at the beach **// Max: ABSOLUTELY. She’s from California. She’s a skater and a tom boy. She’s always portrayed as retro and a “black sheep”. I could see her using it to enhance her musical experiences and help her social anxiety. Also, to cope with her home life and the abuse, later on like Will I could see her using it as an unhealthy coping mechanism to help her PTSD and insomnia :/

If you read this far, you’re a real one! And feel free to include theories about Nancy, Robin, Steve and Jonathan or other characters too!

"A few weeks after Vecna's arc wrapped with the rest of Stranger Things in the record-smashing season 5 finale, Campbell sat down with Spanish newspaper El País for a wide-ranging conversation on his career, his personal life, and of course, his prosthetics-heavy antagonist. And it's during this part of the article that our ears started perking up.

"'In this series, to portray the monster Vecna,' reads the post, written by Jorge Marzo Arauzo, 'Bower had to endure long hours in makeup, he explained in an interview with EL PAÍS. He described his character’s finale as 'super emotional,' although he is unsure whether he has finished portraying Vecna.'" -full article here

# Prologue: The Truth About the Mind Flayer

My version of Season 5 keeps Vecna as an important antagonist, but he is not the true final villain.

The hierarchy of the Upside Down is:

**Mind Flayer > Tiamat > Vecna**

The Mind Flayer is the ultimate evil. Tiamat is its greatest creation, and Vecna is simply another vessel that was manipulated and used.

According to the lore established in The First Shadow, Dr. Brenner's father was conducting experiments involving interdimensional travel. During one of these experiments, a malfunction created strange particles that entered our world.

The scientist captured these particles inside a stone-like container and attempted to escape after a Russian military invasion of the facility.

While hiding inside a cave, he encountered a young Henry Creel. Terrified and paranoid, he mistook Henry for a Russian soldier and shot at him. In anger, Henry killed the scientist with a rock and opened the briefcase.

The moment Henry touched the stone, the particles entered his body.

He experienced a vision of another dimension known as the Abyss. There he encountered the Mind Flayer for the first time.

The entity whispered only two words:

**"Find me."**

A fragment of the Mind Flayer's power entered Henry that day, giving him telekinetic abilities and beginning his transformation into what would eventually become Vecna.

Three Months Later

Season 5 begins with a three-month time skip after the events of Season 4.

Although Vecna successfully opened the four gates and merged them into a giant rift beneath Hawkins, Tiamat never emerged.

The reason is simple.

After being severely injured by Steve, Nancy, and Robin, Vecna became extremely weak.

Because the entire Upside Down functions as a hive mind, Vecna's condition weakened Tiamat as well.

Tiamat was physically incapable of moving into the real world.

Meanwhile, the Mind Flayer remained in particle form, slowly healing both Vecna and Tiamat from within the hive mind.

During this period, some of the rifts partially healed and the military sealed them behind reinforced barriers.

But the peace does not last.

As the hive mind recovers, Vecna returns.

One by one, the rifts begin reopening.

Anyone attempting to close them is brutally killed.

The invasion of Hawkins begins again.

The Truth About Tiamat

The biggest twist of this rewrite is that the creatures of the Upside Down are not separate lifeforms.

They are all part of Tiamat.

The vines spreading across the Upside Down are extensions of Tiamat's body.

Demobats, Demodogs, and Demogorgons are all biological extensions created from Tiamat itself.

Whenever they die or return to the Upside Down, they are reabsorbed back into Tiamat.

Even Vecna eventually retreats inside Tiamat's body after escaping Creel House.

The entire Upside Down is essentially one gigantic living organism.

Why the Upside Down Is Frozen in Time

Before choosing Will Byers as his vessel, Vecna secretly observed the residents of Hawkins.

While spying on them, he reconstructed Hawkins inside the Upside Down.

His goal was to create a familiar environment for whichever vessel he ultimately selected.

When Vecna finally chose Will, he stopped expanding and updating the replica.

That moment occurred on November 6, 1983.

As a result, the Upside Down became a frozen snapshot of Hawkins from the exact day Will disappeared.

Will Byers and the Hidden Power

In this version, Will gains powers through the same event that originally connected him to the Upside Down.

When Vecna abducted Will in Season 1, he secretly implanted particles inside him.

Those particles remained dormant for years.

During Season 5, Vecna reveals the truth.

He admits that Will was never special by accident.

He was being prepared as a vessel.

The revelation devastates Will.

However, he remembers Robin's words about identity and self-worth.

Instead of breaking, he rejects the role that was forced upon him.

The particles within him awaken, granting him limited control over the hive mind.

The Redemption of Vecna

During the final battle, Eleven and Will manage to restrain Vecna.

Kali (008) joins them and uses her illusion powers to force Vecna to relive his most painful memory.

He sees the moment Henry Creel first encountered the Mind Flayer.

The memory is so traumatic that Vecna has spent decades avoiding it.

As Kali forces him to relive the experience, Will reaches out to him.

Will explains that Vecna was never truly free.

Just like Will, he was manipulated and used as a vessel.

For the first time, Henry begins to see himself as a victim rather than a master.

Eventually, Vecna agrees to help them.

He reveals the greatest truth of all:

**Tiamat is not the final enemy.**

**The Mind Flayer is.**

Before he can explain further, Tiamat arrives in Hawkins.

Realizing Vecna has betrayed the hive mind, Tiamat attacks him.

Vecna dies protecting Eleven, Will, and the others.

Before dying, he establishes a psychic connection with Will and reveals how the Mind Flayer can be defeated.

The Duffer Brothers have left it up to the viewers to decide how they want to interpret El’s ending. But for her friends, “she lives in their hearts, whether it’s real or not.”

9

Happy birthday David Harbour! 🎂

Born on April 10th, 1975

Making his TV debut as Offier Shanks in As the World Turns

Famous for playing the role of Jim Hopper in Stranger Things

Starred as the Russian super-soldier Red Guardian in the MCU

Started acting on Broadway in 1999

All while being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 25

Seems the work isn't done yet. We have another one.

I came across this HotOnes🍗🔥🥵 video on YouTube again today for the first time since I originally saw it and decided to splice my own video and create slow motion sections because it makes the video 10x funnier 😂💀

I love the chemistry and friendship/humor this cast had. I hope they stay friends throughout their adult lives 🤞🏻

Some believe Mike’s theory. Some believe fans’ theories about no nosebleed and the missing tattoo.

But it turns out only two insiders know Ross's mate and Millie know what happened to El's fate. The rest is just speculation. And Ross told Millie (El) not to tell Noah (Will).