#the boys won’t see 2e until 1989

[wheeler-things]

I promise one day I’ll stop bringing up this screenshot but today is not that day because uhm.

Thinking about @madwheelerz’s manifestation theory and like. When this happens:

…they’re describing the Upside Down in terms of the Veil of Shadows. Which. Okay, cool.

Except generally, when they use D&D as a metaphor, they use actual things from D&D irl. The Demogorgon, the Mind Flayer, Vecna… all are real, actual things in irl D&D, even if they’re not exactly 1:1 like the things they (nominally) describe/foreshadow.

…but not the Veil of Shadows. The Veil of Shadows is not a thing. They made it up for the show. And they didn’t have to. Because in real D&D, Shadowfell exists. Described as “the toxic plane of darkness and power. It is the hidden place that hates the light. It is the frontier of worlds unknown”. It’s literally alternately called the Plane of Shadows.

But the Veil of Shadows? Sounds a hell of a lot like Shadowfell in description, but Shadowfell is never referenced as the Veil of Shadows.

And… Shadowfell is from 4e. The kids, especially in s1, are playing 1e. They should not know what Shadowfell is at all.

Idk I just find it interesting that so many of the D&D references are real, and to things they could at least know the name of because they really did show up by name in 1e. Except for the one describing the UD as a whole? Thus comparing the UD to something entirely made up?

Just… interesting.

#manifestation theory #also interesting that even if it WAS a real name for Shadowfell #Shadowfell itself is anachronistic #like #the boys won’t see 2e until 1989 #which is why I really hope the time skip is to then because… #literally #that’s when the game changes #so *4e* is so far away as to be weird to reference #something something #the UD is paralleled both to something *made up by the writer/s* AND to something from the wrong time period #something something the UD *does* have funky time shit going on so… #yeah what if it IS also made up by the DM? #even though it LOOKS official/like something that’s always been there because the sheet Dustin reads from was clearly not made by Mike #unless he somehow convinced Nancy to let him use the school newspaper tech to put it together or maybe got Mr Clarke to help #something something Dustin says he wouldn’t be surprised if the UD predated the dinosaurs #but we have no real way to know or assume that #plus the UD didn’t even look like the Veil of Shadows or Shadowfell at all until sometime between Henry meeting the shadow & Will vanishing