The Delusion Nook

a girl with a love for writing, reading and drawing - very proficient in obsessing over small to tiny book fandoms, over-analyses and under-sleeps

[blutmondlilie]

So, I want to say something about Tales From '85...

I did not hate it, which surprised me, but there are certain choices which make absolutely no sense to me. Many logic holes where already pointed out countless times before and I do agree that I disliked the whole Byler fight thing they included.

At first I thought I was bothered by what people already referenced before me: that it contradicts the main show, when Nikki points out that Mike treats Will like something broken, while it was a huge plot point of season 2 that Mike is the only one who doesn't treat Will as fragile, because then that line about Mike telling Nikki that Will is the bravest person he knows, almost felt like they were honouring that.

Then I thought it must be Nikki, that makes me mad, then. It feels like we are now post season 2, so we got Lumax, we got Mike and El, they didn't have a clue where to put Will. Why didn't they just team-up Dustin and Will, you ask? I absolutely don't know, especially because they tend to give Dustin so many solo missions?! Like it's not enough that the group is so split up in the later seasons...

And then I knew what my problem is.

Micheal. Wheeler.

Because whatever went down in the writing room... This shit cannot be canon.

Ok, so characterization in Tales? Not the best work, they are all flat versions of the true characters. They had the nerve to make Dustin kinda dumb? Lucas is just jokes although I would say the pumpkin Lumax scene is one of the better ones of the show. They made that whole annoying Hopper and Jane plot which we will see again in season 3 and also the Max and Jane friendship is kinda... Too fast? Because I had the feeling in season 3 that this was the point of them really getting to know each other while in Tales they already feel close.

And i don't know that they did to Will😭 Like he is so sassy...

But okay it is a cartoon, I can forgive that they cartooned down the complex characters to a bit more simple versions but then we have Mike.

He is just ooc. The Byler fight pisses me off and Nikki too, but in the way how Mike is treating Will and Nikki. Because what is Mike known for?

Mike is nice! Mike approached Will in Kindergarten on the swings because he was lonely! Mike is the person El firms a close bond with first because he is kind to her!

Mike would never yell at Will so close after season 2 end, like he did in that fight scene. The whole discussion wouldn't even happen because Mike is not mean like that!

And the most important part is how Mike treats Nikki! You're telling me, Mike Wheeler would be like that to the new kid with no friends, who is also a nerd?

There is a person Mike was that mean to tho:

...yeah right. So basically we have a parallel between Tales Mike and season 2 Mike hating on the new kid. Who invited Max to Halloween? Why did you invite Nikki to DnD?!

See, he was an asshole in season 2, right, so his behaviour in Tales from '85 actually makes sense, Mike is just an asshole, I mean, look at the van scene-

NO!

Because why was Mike behaving like that in season 2? Because he was grieving El!!!

It is pointed out in the show as atypical that Mike is failing classes, mean to Max, withdrawing from anyone because he just watched El die! (And still he never yelled at Will like that!)

So, maybe the writers were lazy and didn't do their homework.

Or maybe we are going back to season 2 characterisation because Mike is grieving again

Because they did confirm that the cartoon is canon. There are people theorising that we are actually seeing a campaign or camazotz.

So maybe it is canon but in a sense of post season 5. Maybe someone (cough Will) created that world from 85 and placed our characters in it, with everyone getting to live. It would explain why Mike is behaving that anxious about Jane/El. But why is he so angry if he lives in an illusion where his loss is alive.

Who is he grieving here then?

Why is Heroes playing as Season 5 Episode 8 end credits?

This was very chaotic and I'm sure much is missing, but just what I'm thinking about at the moment when it comes to Tales from '85

[blutmondlilie]

Weird things are happening on Google again, apparently if you are located in the USA and Google the release date for Back to the Future 2 it shows a wrong date (March 22)

There are a few people trying it out on twitter, but the user @naso4kek was the one that discovered it!

I tried it out myself but needed to use VPN plus inkognito mode to get that result since I don't live in the states

[pezzo-di-merda]

Um, is my brain warped or is this related to what I think its related to?

I have been through the comments and there didn't seem to be any consensus of understanding there. Obviously, I'm open to any normal explanation, but for now I'm happily confused.

[atsadi]

The "grunts" from the (apparently) deleted scene...

In this post, @amphibiaaccount noted this Stranger Things BTS video of soldiers storming the Upside Down Hawkins lab:

Post by @amphibiaaccount · 1 video

💬 11  🔁 36  ❤️ 211 · CRAZY NEW CONFORMITY GATE PROOF ‼️‼️ On one of the Crew Members Instagram page, they posted this video back on the 27t

The soldiers that go in first look like they're wearing the Wolf Pack uniforms, with the dark beanies and dark vests.

The other soldiers, with the hard hats, seem to be wearing very similar uniforms as the dead soldiers Nancy and Jonathan find in the melted/resolidified lab in 5.5.

It's hard to tell for sure, but the helmets maaay be slightly different—the melted soliders' look like they might be fabric-covered, or at least fabric-lined, while the BTS ones infiltrating the lab are definitely hard shell.

I had previously checked and confirmed that none of the soldiers in S4 or in the MAC-Z were wearing this uniform with the hard hats, but ahhhh I finally found them in 5.3!

The soldiers from the video (and possibly from the melted lab) are the "grunts" we see cleaning up after Hopper and El's attack on Akers's Wolf Pack, next to the Wall in 5.3.

Presumably these are the soldiers stationed with Dr. Kay in the Upside Down base at Gable Ridge Road.

Here they are with brightness and contrast boosted for clarity (still a bit blurry, but they didn't stay still for most of the scene!):

In My Top 10 bits of #conformitygate evidence, I noted that the button-up collars of the melted soldiers and the lack of camo print makes them look more like 1940s or 1950s uniforms than 1980s—but in light of that BTS video I would revise that statement.

I can't get a view of the soldiers' collars in the BTS video, since they're all facing the wrong way, but—

—the fact that those soliders are shown on the same operation as the Wolf Pack (Akers's team, "Sullivan's attack dogs") at the lab, means the melted soldiers most likely aren't from the past, they're from the present.

Meaning they must have disturbed the exotic matter at some point between:

when the MAC-Z gate opened in 4.9 (the first time the 1980s military would have had access to the Upside Down), and

when Hopper entered the Upside Down in 5.1 (he's in there from 5.1 to 5.6, and if the soldiers had disturbed the exotic matter after his entry in 5.1, we would presumably have seen the blast waves like we did after Nancy shot it in 5.5/5.6)

So, they apparently filmed the scene where the soldiers disturbed the exotic matter the first time, and we've been told repeatedly that nothing was cut—but we haven't seen that scene yet.

Did something notable happen in that scene, where the soldiers first disturbed the ball of exotic matter holding together this "wildly unstable" bridge between galaxies, dimensions, and times?

📍 My Stranger Things Meta Masterpost

[blutmondlilie]

I wanted to ask you guys if you have an idea when this took place? I don't know about the audio but the only explosion at Hawkins Lab I can remember is the helicopter and there was no screaming

[iamnudla0]

REAL ONES CLAIM YOUR TICKETS

[blutmondlilie]

WSQK sync S4 finale Mike's speech

So we have I Can't Fight This Feeling playing with Will telling Mike he's the heart again.

When Mike tells Jane he loves her the song is already ending:

'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fightin' for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crashing through your door

Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore"

Song shifts to Self Control around the time Mike tells her that his life began when he found her in the woods. "You take my self control" this is when everything goes wrong, Vecna got Max and (interpretation) Jane knows that Mike is lying here

Moving on to the shed scene with Will talking about the MF being back while Dreams by Fleetwood Mac playing, a song about a breakup, the hope of moving on, while we begin the scene with Jane not talking to Mike. Also mildly interesting the lyrics "I keep my visions to myself" plays when Jane is having a flashback of screaming for Max in the void and not finding her.

[blutmondlilie]

Edit: I think my math is wrong (it's so late here!) since I saw people talking about heaven is a place on earth and a girl like you (again) being in the van scene which... Absolutely yes! I'm too tired to double check tho

WSQK sync Van Scene Time!

Guys, I can't with this, to the painting scene they play Pass the Dutchie at first, they clearly got a request of Argyle or something, I was expecting god knows what but not this😭 When Will talks about feeling like a mistake it ends and they play Paradise City Google gave me this "Written in a rental van, the anthem reflects on pursuing dreams, youthful rebellion, and the gambling nature of success, with the "paradise" being a dreamlike escape."

Moving ooooon to the end of episode 8: we h Reunion with Jane blowing up the helicopter. We have an ad for rental movies with every movie being "an eleven out of ten" and then the WSQK plays Fernando to the reunion of Mike, Will and Jane

The gang drives away and we have Safety Dance again with Jane sitting between Byler ahhhh

[blutmondlilie]

WSQK sync Byler analysis S4 Ep5

Beginning with the junkyard conversation featuring Journey's Who’s Crying Now playing

Man, I miss ArgylexD I don't find many clues in the next scenes with the California gang but those are not very byler anyway!

[blutmondlilie]

WSQK sync S4 EP 4

Byler conversation

I can't say much about this one if my math is correct:'D it's a news sequence about alarming lack of fish in the water and the fish being afraid to bite?😭 Maybe with the conversation being interrupted by Jonathan because they have to leave

The bait could maybe be about the I love you Mike can't say like he hints to Will and Will not taking it (telling Mike to break up) but saying he can tell Jane when they see each other again

That whole sequence when they talk to the agents and call Argyle for pizza (to get out) Broken / Head Over Heels starts playing -> how it can be scary to fall in love when you have personal baggage

Cut:

The Byler conversation continues!

We're back in the room with Will packing and Waiting for a Girl like You playing when Mike apologizes and tells Will he missed him

After that personal baggage, that hurt from before we have a song about longing for someone, a love that makes your life a life again

The house gets attacked when the song fades out followed by them fleeing and the song Can't Seem to Make You Mine (literally the first two lines: "I can't seem to make you mine | Kiss and run all the time"

[blutmondlilie]

WSQK sync Rink-o-Mania S4 Ep3 beginning

When the scene starts we literally have an ad for a rollerblading rink (as if that isn't in California) more ads for the ride home

And we have the Dinner scene with "Kids in America," playing. I don't have a good interpretation for this except maybe everyone on the table performing with Jonathan and Argyle being high/youth in America and them all not talking about Rink-o-Mania incident

Other scenes in Hawkins

Back to Byler, conversation between Mike, Jonathan and Will followed by Mike bringing Jane dinner. Featuring: Psycho Killer is playing (nearing it's finish when Mike enters the room). Ads playing when Jane talks about thinking she is a monster. "From Mike, from Mike" synchronised with the Hawkins update talking about a Flower competition (Mike brought Jane flowers with a from Mike card) then the host talks about a new school pet and the reveal that it's a chicken (plus the chicken sound of the radio) is synchronised with a close-up to Mike's face😭 after Jane says not any more when Mike insists she is a "super hero"

Jane gets arrested with Vance taking over after the news sequence and playing Everyone Breath You Take as the police car is driving away...

[blutmondlilie]

More WSQK sync Rink-o-Mania

Through the Angela bullying Jane scene the English cover of "99 Luftballons" is playing. A song about ballons triggering a panic because they are mistaken for something dangerous like UFOs. Short interpretation: I think it's kinda reverse meaning of Mike's interpretation of Angela's behaviour as friendly because Jane lied to him, while it's actually malicious, as we then see.

Side note underlying WSQK synch theory before we go back to Byler: Shortly before we come back to that scene stuff happens in other places like Hawkins and at home in Lenora where Joyce makes a call to Russia. When she is talking to Enzo, I kid you not, there is an Enzo's ad on the radio.

Byler arguing "what about us?" -> the final countdown is playing followed up by The Safety Dance symbolizing non-conformism, individuality leading to Jane attacking Angela (for safety dance would be my timing being mixed up and it's when they find Eddie already)

[blutmondlilie]

This is literally so weird guys

Going on with WSQK sync:

Next scene I look into is of course the whole Rollerblade scene. And right when it begins (if I done everything correctly) when they leave the pizza van at Rink-O-Mania guess what's playing: Mister Sandman.

And it syncs perfectly from that moment ending when El and Mike enter the rink. So it's the El/Jane lying to Mike and Will calling her out when Mike gets socks.

Then we have Vance talking about that this song makes him smile so much like finding the last slice of leftover pizza you forgot(!) you had. Meanwhile we see Will third wheeling/following Mike and El to the rink.

Then a hunting Ad starts playing when Angela enters and spots them.

After this the scene ends/we go back to Lucas in Hawkins.

So:

Vance talks about pizza (Surfer boy pizza) linked to forgetting literally with a closeup to Will. And how he loves the accidentally creepy sounding song about a partner like A DREAM

And guess what, Will is not just forgotten here as being a total third wheel

This was the Scene where Will is not just forgotten but ERASED in its sketch-version in the Heroes Outro.

This also makes me think about that one behind the scenes pick of Noah geared up in the skating outfit...

[blutmondlilie]

Okay, you guys, the idea of WSQK sync is actually SO genius and fun!!! I never left the bus but have been casually enjoying other people theorising over Conformitygate here like reading a morning paper, but this theory actually gets me looking for clues myself again! I always had hope but after the dates where nothingburgers every time, I felt a bit exhausted and stopped but now... We are so back!

Now what I found:

I'm not sure if I have done it correctly, but I started to look into some random scenes, beginning with the airport scene! And it is so crazy! Right before we have a little break with host Vance talking about how annoying it is in Hawkins when the person in the studio doesn't put the correct records back in in the correct cover and the announcement linked to this that he didn't plan to play the next song for us and that the chicken (Mike) likes this one too.

Then they play Phil Collins' "I Missed Again", a song about failing relationships/missreading signs!

We have a switch up -> another song was meant to play at the Byler reunion, but the new song due to the mix up (a humourous song about failing again in a relationship) aka the Mileven reunion

[blutmondlilie]

Guys since when is the WSQK on air again? I know that a stranger things fan radio/parody took over after it ended, but now I saw one or two blogs and they call it WSQK again, so is this real??

[blutmondlilie]

I wanted to cry about the Heroes outro reel on the stranger things insta...

But more importantly, you guys, is my Google broken or is season 5 gone for anyone else? Also the dice thing is STILL here...

[blutmondlilie]

I'm 90% sure Noah edited that Instagram caption before the SNL episode aired and that it was around the time he posted the thing from Milano. I checked the post from January 5 (with the originally long description of leaving the set for the last time and so on) because it suddenly had a different front picture—I live in Europe, so this was hours before SNL aired and probably not a reaction to things happening in the episode.

Edit: you can see on Insta that the post I'm talking about was edited last around 14pm (NY time), so before the snl episode aired