blinkt | Python Library for Blinkt ; 8 APA102 LEDs

I've been working on a rock paper scissors game against the computer on my raspberry pi. I have the Blinkt HAT installed on it so I can show the score and play a nice animation when someone has won. Everything works fine but I want to make a nicer winning animation

This is where the problem comes in. I wanted to write a code that lights up some of the LEDS at the same time. But when I tried to make some code it didn't work. I went looking into the examples that the blinkt comes with the library and I found one example that nearly does what I needed. It is called pulse.py. But I don't understand some part of the code:

I am trying to make a mini 8-bit binary display using Pimoroni Blinkt! on Raspberry Pi, and when I input a binary number, it outputs random numbers: I enter 00010011 and it outputs 4105, when it should output 00010011

My code:

I know the topic has been covered a few times however I have attempted, or at least tried virtually all solutions however being a fairly new python basher I've not been able to get any of the previous solutions to work.

The basic premise of the script is that its subscribed to a MQTT broker and waiting for commands, the single action commands work 100%, however one of the commands required a loop to run indefinitely until another command is received, thus the most appropriate solution was to run the "loop" in a separate thread while the main subscriber loop continues to "listen" for the next command.

Everything is working 95%, the "static" commands come through and the tasks is run fine, then when the "mtg" command comes through it actions the thread and the loop runs 100%, however this is where it falls down, when the next command is received I can confirm the "if" statement processes the command as it prints the message to the console, but the thread.stop() is not run, or it may be run but it does not terminate the thread --- I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure it out.

Some code: