#Hollis Brite

[bookguide]

The Betrothed

Author: Kiera Cass

Book: 1/2

Genre: romantasy

Summary: Growing up in the royal court, Hollis Brite’s dream has been to marry the King. When King Jameson declares his love for Hollis, she begins to question if being crowned queen is truly the happily ever after she yearns for. Hollis’s heart begins to lead her toward another adventure when she meets a mysterious foreigner, transforming her love story into something she never imagined.

Review: I enjoyed this book, though it was definitely used as a build-up to The Betrayed, the second book in the duology. Cass did a wonderful job with the world building, character development, and overall story structure, but I found this book to be a bit slow and I was more excited for the second book. The tension between the rival kingdoms made me eager to read more, and the plot twist near the end set the scene perfectly for the next book.

Rating: 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Keep reading🌹

[breakfastandblueboxes]

“He spoke so sincerely, with such feeling, that my eyes welled once more. His affection was overwhelming, and as I looked into his eyes, only inches away from mine, I trusted that I could do any task that might be demanded of me so long as I was beside him. ”

-Kiera Cass, The Betrothed

[readingabookmostofthetimes]

Hollis is now Queen, but the reason why is so stupid

[wheelercore]

I always think it's so so interesting that in the areas of the creel home where Henry finds spiders, there is no rose imagery. Like in the bathroom and the attic, there is intentionally no sort of rosey wallpaper that we see all over the place. In the dining room, it's a bit of a stretch, but I suppose Henry was the "spider" in that scene which is why the wallpaper is plain orange. Almost like the roses are meant to represent "rose colored glasses" in a sense. Like the wallpaper hides the spiders behind the walls. It makes me think of Alice's line about how it's all like a fairy tale. Also, brings to mind the references to the creel home in the wheeler home, including the rose wallpaper + urn/fake urns.

But also not only that but the trend of wheeler women wearing rose patterns as to imply that they're not being honest about themselves. Nancy wore a rose design in the first wheeler family photo, and even though she wasn't wearing the same shirt when Jonathan snapped that pic of her when she was taking it off in Steve's bedroom, his comment about how she was "being herself" is interesting (also Nancy just wears a lot of pink-white-blue in s1+s2).

(which honestly I think my interpretation holds weight when you consider how the writers took a risk of possibly making Jonathan out to be a creep just to get this point across. And it always seemed like a pretty strange line to me at least).

Especially, again, a person faking in ST is often conveyed through clothing, as with Argyle's comment on Mike's clothing at the airport.

And also I love Rose Robin so much because Steve's line about how Robin just needs to be herself, and how she was too uncomfortable in her "Rose Weaver" outfit? Because it just wasn't her? And Virginia in her white-pink gown when she sees the spiders in the bathtub and just simply runs away and hugs Victor- "rose colored glasses" (which honestly I could write so much about how victor is associated with the spiders + the grandfather clock but not in a way that condemns Victor himself but instead it's an image that being unfairly projected onto him- which honestly makes me feel even more sad for his character).

Honestly given Holly is fully submerged in this symbolism also in s4 - despite only being six- I could bring in (back on my bullshit again) Ted's relationship with his children and how that seems to be intertwined with this.

[conflictofthemind]

holly wheeler - who/what are you? an informal post about all of the holly oddities I've discovered so far.

where do I even begin with this one? I'm just going to jump into it and show you all the weird connections I've found that mostly relate to holly-el/jane, holly-alice and holly-sarah. I have no real conclusions so far so I invite everyone to take a look and share their thoughts.

oddity one: the hair

All four are blonde girls, and three have pigtails or twin braids, reminiscent of rabbit ears.

oddity two: the rabbits

terry ives' home, inside what should have been jane ives' room:

holly wheeler and her rabbit lite-brite:

alice creel and the dead rabbit:

And why the rabbits? Well, they're all a reference to Alice in Wonderland. The first rabbit in the painting in Jane's room is just literally the rabbit from AIW, fitted with a pocketwatch.

Alice in Wonderland:

Just check out #whiterabbitgate for more on the two above, the song 'White Rabbit' is also connected to El and just general HNL activities.

The Rainbows:

(above is the Terry Ives flashback from season two)

Holly's outfit in Season 5 is incredibly colourful and there are at least 3 different rainbow items inside her room.

The Flowers:

^ Holly even has yellow red and blue flowers on her bicycle basket.

My questions have already been: why is Vecna/Henry seemingly interested in her enough to not only lure her but continue 'playing' with her for multiple scenes? Why is Holly suddenly relevant?

I'm also a BTVS fan, and the idea of a younger sister suddenly introduced had me thinking of Dawn. Dawn was Buffy's younger sister introduced suddenly in Season 5 (literally out of nowhere) - until it turned out that she wasn't a fully real person, but a powerful energy turned into a human that was sent to the Summers' house where they would protect her. She never existed until she was fourteen, but they all believed she had with false memories. Furthermore, she becomes the target of that season's villain which Buffy has to protect.

So then we get to Holly's room:

Most notably for this post are ALF and the 'A Royal Pain' book. Let me just show you the plot summaries for both, starting with ALF:

I initially thought the ALF reference was just a reference to El (and it very much could be a dual thing). But considering the strangeness.... and the parallels that are coming to light between them.

A Royal Pain:

There has already been baby-switch precedent in the show. In fact it's a major theory about Jane Ives and El - that they aren't the same child. But when it's been specifically brought up, it's been in relation to the Wheelers. Karen, was your other daughter swapped in the hospital? Or something even crazier?

I'll get to more when my ideas are less of a mess. But there's also something interesting @bylerposting has brought up - the way that Mike has this whole interesting out of place dialogue with El.

But what if it wasn't about El - what if it was also subtext for Holly? She came into the family even though she wasn't a biological daughter. The Wheelers were like her new parents, and Nancy was like her new sister.

And there's so much more I'm thinking of but can't get to right now, like Holly with the lights and her perception of the supernatural before others sense it. I just want to get this ball rolling for real.

[lighthouseas]

rb for a bigger sample size

[jazy3]

ST5 Casting News

So in addition to Linda Hamilton joining the cast for Season 5 it looks like we've got some other new faces! In the Behind the Scenes teaser trailer and the Season 5 Tudum article that was recently published we got some new information about who will be joining the cast this season!

First up, we've got Nell Fisher who has been cast to play an older Holly Wheeler! And based on the trailer it looks like Vecna might be targeting her this season. In it we've got footage of Holly in her bedroom with the lights flickering on and off. You can see that the wallpaper matches the previous BTS pic we got in March of an Alf poster and a copy of Peter Pan and Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock and some other books in a holder. We now know that this is from Holly’s desk in her bedroom.

This feels so validating because I called it back in March that the photo was of Holly's bedroom! A lot of people thought it was Erica's but to me the vibe didn't match. I love Holly's taste in books too! I'm a big Nancy Drew fan and Secret of the Old Clock is one of my favourites! Seeing it is a nice callback to Season 3 when the newspaper guys kept mocking Nancy by calling her Nancy Drew and suggests that the sisters might be more alike than we thought.

In this new clip, we can see Holly’s Lite-Brite, a music stand, and shelves full of board games and stuffed animals. Which means Holly likely plays an instrument of some kind and I'm curious to find out what that is! Next we have a scene of her standing in the kitchen panicking and looking at something off camera while the lights flicker. This could be Vecna or a demogorgon coming through the wall or something could be happening to Karen. Either way this is going to be a rough season for Holly!

I had theorized after Season 4 came out that Holly might play a bigger role this season and I'm glad to see they're doing more with her character. I think this plot could be really interesting because she seems to notice things her parents and siblings don't. We know Holly saw the lights flicker in Season 1 and moved towards them when Will tried to communicate with her. And in Season 3 she noticed the trees moving in a weird way when she was on the farris wheel with her parents. Then in Season 4 we saw Holly was playing with her Lite-Brite in the living room while the Erica, Dustin, and Lucas discussed the mindflayer and watergate in the kitchen.

So we know she's observant and may have knowledge about what's really going on that she's not sharing. I feel like Mike, Nancy, and Karen are going to be so surprised to find out that she's known the whole time that weird stuff has been going, but I feel like Will and the others won't be surprised at all! Next up we've got Jake Connelly whose been cast as an unnamed friend of Erica’s. In the trailer we get footage of Priah Ferguson and Jake Connelly in costume at a barn.

Which makes me wonder if the G.I. Joe lunchbox and Transformers blanket we got photos of back in May belong to him? And if the 80’s Bedroom we got photos of with the computer, board games, stuffed animals, and ET game are from his room? That would make more sense than some of the other theories I've seen so far as the items seem too young to belong to any of the Party members, but too old to belong to Holly.

To be honest, I'm not sure why a new friend of Erica’s that we’ve never heard of is getting screen time when they could be giving Will a love interest or focusing on the characters they already have. I'm not sure why they expect us to care about a character we've never heard of when there are so many other characters who deserve screen time and love interests and to make new friends.

Speaking of love interestes where is Vickie in this trailer? We know she was filming at the hospital with Robin in either episode 1 or 2 and we know she's a part of the main cast so I feel like she should be here. The only thing I can think of is that whatever she's filmed so far is really spoilery so they can't show it to us yet.

Lastly we've got Alex Breaux whose been cast as an unnamed military character. In the trailer he’s seen in a black jacket holding a rifle with a scope on it and he's bathed in red light that's coming from somewhere else in the room. We previously got a BTS pic in February of a crew member in a room with similar lighting next to a lab coat so it's possible he’s at the lab here. To be honest, I'm not sure why they expect us to care about this character when all the military personnel we’ve seen in seasons 3 and 4 have been utterly stupid and ridiculous.

Like getting me to care about Erica's new friend and this guy is going to be a tough sell! Introducing Argyle as a character took a lot of screen time and dialogue away from Jonathan, Mike, and Will in Season 4 in what should have been their storyline and their time to shine. So I'm a bit concerned that these two new characters are going to do the same thing and take away more screen time from the existing cast of characters we already have.

Since we know there's going to be a large military presence in Hawkins this season I'm wondering if maybe this guy is going to be our heroes' inside man the way that Owens was in past seasons? I'm also not sure how old this actor is so it's also possible he could be a love interest for Karen or another character on the show. I'm still holding out hope that they're going to introduce a new love interest for Will this season and that he's going to get his happy ending! Cause the boy has been through it!

Tudum Article: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-title-of-stranger-things-season-5-episode-1-revealed

BTS Teaser Trailer: https://youtu.be/vEhYTJpC2No?si=la95B7BwxWgav4Dq

ST5 BTS Teaser Trailer Thoughts Parts 1 - 4: https://www.tumblr.com/jazy3/758215736865013760/st5-bts-teaser-trailer-thoughts-part-4?source=share

[girlygirltournament]

(32 bracket base here by @mad-scientist-showdown)

This is the full 128 bracket!! Full list of matches under cut!!

Preliminary Polls

Round 1 Statistics

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6 (the finals!)

Directory

Bracket 1 - Side A

Mizuki Akiyama (Project SEKAI) Vs. Maria Campbell (My Next Life as a Villainess)

Flora (Winx Club) vs. Abby Sciuto (NCIS)

Mitsuba Sousuke (Toilet-bound Hanako-kun) vs. Forrest (Fire Emblem)

Enid Sinclair (Wednesday) vs. Pearl Houzuki (Splatoon)

Haley (Stardew Valley) vs. Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Veruca Salt (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Willy Wonka) vs. Sonoko Suzuki (Detective Conan)

Cinderella (Cinderella) vs. Silena Beauregard (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

Kim Possible (Kim Possible) vs. Amy Rose (Sonic)

Bracket 1 - Side B

Sakura Chiyo (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun) vs. Lydia Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

Caroline Forbes (The Vampire Diaries) vs. Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter (Sailor Moon)

Rosie Mayfield (Style Savvy) vs. London Tipton (Suite Life of Zack and Cody)

Momoi Satsuki (Kuroko's Basketball) vs. Tuesday Simmons (Carole and Tuesday)

Effie Trinket (The Hunger Games) vs. Stella (Winx Club)

Honey-Senpai (Ouran High School Host Club) vs. Victorique de Blois (Gosick)

Sakura Minamoto (Zombieland Saga) vs Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Cure Sparkle/Hiramitsu Hinata (Precure Pretty Cure) vs Lindsay (Total Drama)

Bracket 2 - Side A

Lola (Shark Tale) vs. Colette "Coco" (Thea Sisters)

Therese Wolf (Fable Comics) Vs. Orca/Dex @labor9 (Tumblr User)

Princess Ozma (Wizard of Oz) vs. Aelita Schaeffer (Code Lyoko)

Webby Vanderquack (Ducktales) vs. Hiyoko Tosaka (Hatoful Boyfriend)

Fernet (100% Orange Juice) vs. Donko (Taiko no Tatsujin)

Blythe Baxter (Littlest Pet Shop) vs. Shezow/ Guy Hamdon (Shezow)

Numbah 3 / Kuki Sanban (Codename: Kids Next Door) Vs. Ami Onuki (Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi)

Jessica Day (New Girl) vs. Caitlin Cooke (6Teen)

Bracket 2 - Side B

Shirou Fuji (Mizutama Honey Boy) vs. Kitty (BBC Ghosts)

Rainbow Brite (Rainbow Brite) vs. Zari (Duolingo)

Momoko Ryugasaki (Kamikaze Girls) vs. Peaches (Ice Age)

Barbie (Sandman) vs. Tilly (Rent a Bridesmaid by Jacqueline Wilson)

Sally (Ninjago) vs. Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony Generation 3)

Princess Pea (Super Why!) vs. Mai Oota / P-Chan (Gokinjo Monogatari/Neighborhood Story)

The Cat (Red Dwarf) Vs. Queen Red Riding Hood (The Land of Stories)

Arcee (Transformers Generation 1) vs. Gaby Solis (Desperate Housewives)

Bracket 3 - Side A

Cher Horowitz (Clueless) vs. Cornelia Hale (W.I.T.C.H)

Marianne Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility) vs. Clover (Totally Spies)

Perfuma (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) vs. Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Lilligant (Pokémon) vs. Biscuit Krueger (Hunter x Hunter)

Allison Reynolds (The Foxhole Court: All For the Game) art by @detrinity vs. Isabella Garcia Shapiro (Phineas and Ferb)

Hello Kitty (Sanrio) Vs. Barbie (Mattel)

Mari Tsutsui (Rainbow Days/Nijiiro Days) vs. Ella (Total Drama)

Tahani Al Jamil (The Good Place) vs. Rosalina (Mario)

Bracket 3 - Side B

Elle Woods (Legally Blonde) Vs Daphne Blake (Scooby-Doo)

Ty Lee (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs. Amulet Heart (Shugo Chara!)

Holly Munro (Lockwood and Co) art by @lucy-j-carlyle vs. Nikki (UP2U: World Traveller, Love Nikki, Shining Nikki)

Birdo (Mario) vs Lambdadelta (Umineko: When They Cry)

Smurfette (The Smurfs) vs. Regina George (Mean Girls)

Tsukimi Kurashita (Princess Jellyfish) vs. Todomatsu Matsuno (Osomatsu-san)

Blossom (The Powerpuff Girls) vs. Rarity (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

My Melody (Sanrio) vs. Nui Harime (Kill La Kill)

Bracket 4 - Side A

Emily (Stardew Valley) vs. Mitsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer)

Nana Komatsu (Nana) vs. Lucia Nanami (Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch)

Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes) vs. Minako Aino/Sailor Venus (Sailor Moon)

Rose Lavillant (Miraculous Ladybug) vs. Marie (The Aristocats)

Glinda (The Wizard Of Oz) vs. Hilda Valentine Gonreil (Fire Emblem)

Ichigo Momomiya/Mew Ichigo (Tokyo Mew Mew) vs. Coco (Bluey)

Princess Peach (Mario) vs. Starfire (Teen Titans)

Draculaura (Monster High) vs. Charlotte La Bouff (Princess and the Frog)

Bracket 4 - Side B

Bee (Bee and Puppycat) vs. Natsuki (Doki Doki Literature Club)

Bubbles (The Powerpuff Girls) vs. Strawberry Shortcake (Strawberry Shortcake)

James (Pokémon) vs. Kurako/Kuranosuke Koibuchi (Princess Jellyfish)

Platinum the Trinity (BlazBlue) vs. Aoi Hyōdō (Maid-sama/Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama!)

Mad Mew Mew (Undertale) vs. Minnie Mouse (Disney)

Tsunoda (Aggretsuko) vs. Cure Coral/Sango Suzumura (Tropical Rouge Precure)

Daisy Duck (Disney) vs. Cure Flora/Haruka Haruno (Go Princess Precure)

Yukiko Kanzaki (Assassination Classroom) vs. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

[therainscene]

2/5. lights confuse me so much in general. like, why does it require effort from will in s1 and teens in s4 to make lights flicker, but in the presence of smn/smth dangerous lights flicker by themselves? also, why do people and vecna affect lights directly from the UD but demogorgons & the flesh monster only affect lights in the normal dimension? i'm sure monsters are always roaming in the UD, but they don't mess with lights in hawkins the way vecna does (i suppose he does it unintentionally, so the lack of effort doesn't explain anything to me)

Hi, thanks for sending me these asks about the Upside Down! I'm going to address all five of them in this post -- but I'm going to leave this particular question for last. You'll see why in a bit.

First though, you're getting a rolled-up newspaper to the snoot for calling yourself stupid and your questions dumb. 🗞️🐶 There are still a lot of mysteries in this show, and questioning its inconsistencies is exactly how you solve them!

Why is the Upside Down literally upside down at some points but oriented the right way up at other points?

The Upside Down isn't literally upside down; that's just a visual metaphor the show uses to illustrate its trippy extra-dimensional nature. I wrote a post explaining the basics of extra-dimensionality a while ago that you might find interesting.

Why are the Christmas light decorations at the Snow Ball visible in the Upside Down if it's supposed to be frozen on 6th Nov 1983?

We know from the teens using Holly's Lite Brite in S4 that electronic lights in the real world naturally produce glowing particles in the corresponding spot in the Upside Down, even if those devices weren't there on 6th Nov 1983. Most likely that's what we're seeing at the Snow Ball.

Alternatively, it could be the case that the flow of time in the UD is more complicated than S4 led us to believe, and the Snow Ball lights will make more sense once we've watched S5. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

What's up with the random temporary gate in the tree that Nancy uses to visit the Upside Down in S1?

Nancy's tree isn't the only weird gate -- we see lots of temporary portals open throughout S1.

The show doesn't explain how these work beyond heavily associating them with Demogorgon attacks, and I think we're supposed to assume that the Demogorgon is opening them itself. This would explain Nancy's tree -- the Demogorgon was nearby at the time.

The trouble is, this raises far more questions than it answers. Why don't Demogorgons seem to use portals outside of S1, especially the ones imprisoned at Kamchatka? Was that one Demogorgon from S1 just a special boy with unique abilities? Why did Vecna need to wait for a gate to be opened by El if his minions were capable of opening their own gates? Did the Mothergate "unlock" this ability while open and "lock" it again when closed? If so, why no temporary gates in S2?

We're not supposed to know the answer to these questions yet; it's pretty clear that they're saving it for some big reveal in S5. I have a theory on what that reveal might be... but that's for another post.

Why are the circumstances of El banishing Henry to the Upside Down in S4 so different from when she does the same thing to the Demogorgon in S1?

On a literal level... yeah. The differences don't make a lot of sense. It's probably safe to assume that El opened a portal in S1 like she did in S4, and it had already closed itself by the time the particles dissipated enough to unblock our view... but as for how she ended up in the Upside Down, and why the Demogorgon wasn't in there with her...?

To answer this one, I think it's helpful to remember that literal readings only get you so far when you're dealing with a story as steeped in metaphor as Stranger Things.

When El banished Henry to the Upside Down, it was a triumphant act of self-defense, asserting her autonomy against an abuser. But when she banished the Demogorgon, it was a tragic act of self-sacrifice -- she defeated it (thus why it disappears), but at the cost of remaining stuck in the "weapon" role Brenner had forced her into her whole life.

Both Henry and El were at a low point when they "died", and getting sent to the Upside Down afforded them an opportunity to start a new journey of self-discovery free from Brenner's influence. But while One stayed there and became Vecna, Eleven chose to escape and be "reborn" as El.

[The rebirth symbolism really couldn't be any more on-the-nose. 👀 Speaking of this portal -- you wondered where it came from -- it's the same one the Demogorgon burst through in the S1 finale.]

And so we've arrived at your final question.

In my opinion, the lights are part metaphor, part mystery being saved for S5.

I think I'd need to comb through the whole show double-checking every instance of the lights flickering to properly address the mystery stuff, and unfortunately I don't have time for that right now. But I'll say this much: I think you're on the right track for questioning the way the lights behave, because it's possible the show has been misleading us into thinking we're looking at one thing (let's say a monster) when really we were looking at something else (let's say a kid with powers).

As for the metaphor? When Will and the teens were trapped in that cold, dark, despairing realm from which it seemed like there was no escape, what saved them was reaching out to the light of hope -- their loving friends and family.

Even El, who escaped all by herself, was still beckoned back to the real world by its light shining through the portal.

At the end of the day, that's what this show is about: love and hope conquering the despair of being different and rejected and abused. Bearing that in mind makes it a lot easier to figure out what's going on with the lights and the Upside Down, in my opinion.

It's why monsters only make the lights flicker or go out when they breach containment and enter our world: because they're destroyers of hope. It's also why powers sometimes make the lights flicker and sometimes make them surge: being different can be difficult to cope with... but it's also a beautiful and valuable thing to be.

[aemiron-main]

i feel like we dont talk enough about the sparkling lights in the upside down in s4???? why does a random light fixture in the wheeler house sparkle and allow nancy, steve, eddie and robin to tap on it and communciate with the real world?? why does holly’s lite brite do that?? why don’t other light fixtures that ARE turned on in the real world do that??  why do THESE items/sources of light specifically act as a conduit between worlds?? much in the same way that will does, seeing as he’s canonically the only person who can exist physically in the upside-down, and the real world at the same time (his episodes in s3) and interact with both environments physically at the same time, just like those lights??  is this all somehow tied to how will managed to talk through the lights?? because the lights in the bedroom and the xmas lights don’t exist in the upside-down yet (as we see in s1 when joyce goes there), so the lights that will communicated through seemingly HAVE to cross that barrier between the upside-down and the real world and be able to exist in both at once, just like the lights we see in s4. just like we see will doing in s2. or else how did will know that those lights were there?? and even if he knew they were there via true sight, how did he physically communciate with them unless the lights themselves (and/or will) are capable of physically existing in both planes at once (which will canonically is, as we see in s2) and when combined with that fact that will is the light (as we see with mike’s pov of him bathed in sunlight 24/7), i don’t think it’s a coincidence that both will and these lights seem to have the same interdimensional abilities. we also know that will’s abilities aren’t just true sight/seeing into the upside- down. not only do mike, lucas, and dustin say during their av room conversation that “when it comes to dnd true sight, things in the upside-down shouldnt be able to hurt him” and mike says that this is real life, not dnd, implying that the things CAN hurt him. but we also SEE canonically that the upside-down and the physical world absolutely can interact with will at the same time when he’s in one of his episodes, and HE can also interact physically with both worlds (ie, when he runs in the upside-down, we see him running in the real world, when he sits down in the upside-down on halloween, we see him sitting in the upside-down in the real world, and that CANNOT be explained by him teleporting back into the real world at that moment based on where he was in the upside-down, because we SEE will’s physical body, still in the real world, when joyce watches the tape- and we know that will was also in the upside-down at that moment because we hear him yelling for mike on the tape, which he was doing in the upside-down, AND we see the mindflayer on the tape. which is interesting, because based on the fact that we see it on the tape, like will, the mindflayer seemingly also has that ability to exist in two realms at once???  like ok i’m just a bit baffled and feel like im on the cusp of something here because  a.) why are the litebrite and that one light fixture in the wheeler house special?? why do they sparkle?? did holly’s litebrite even exist on the day that will disappeared? it doesn’t seem like it, considering that none of the gang find it in there in s4, but maybe it does?? but why those two lights and not any of the other lights that are on in the wheeler house?? and why none of the lights in eddie’s upside-down trailer?? or when joyce goes into the upside-down byers house in s1???  b.) will being in the upside-down in s1 is different than his episodes in s2 because he seemingly is physically only in the upside-down (because his physical body seemingly disappears from the real world in s1), whereas in his s2 episodes, he is physically able to interact with both the upside-down and the real world at the same time, and both can physically interact with him.  c.) those s1 xmas lights and bedroom lamps didn’t EXIST in the upside-down, so how did will use them to talk to joyce?? it’s one thing to say that he could manipulate lights with his mind, sure, but how did he even know the lights were there in the first place considering that they definitely don’t physically exist in the upside-down?? i’d say it was true sight/his existing in both planes ability if it wasn’t for the fact that he seems to physically only exist in the upside-down in s1 because of what happened to him in the shed + his physical body being taken to the upside-down, and leaving the real world. instead of existing in both like it does in s2.  Maybe joyce’s lights worked the same way as the litebrite?? Where will could see the sparkles coming from them even though the light wasn’t there?? But then why didn’t the gang see the sparkles coming from the litebrite when they went through the upside-down wheeler house?? because holly WAS using it in the living room at that point?? and why did none of the other lights in the wheeler house sparkle except for that one kitchen lighting fixture?? and how did will manage to see the alphabet in s1, even if he COULD see the lights somehow??  and why are those streetlights always on in the upside-down despite other lights like the arcade immediately dying??  and when joyce and hop went into the upside-down to rescue will in s2, why did the irl xmas lights light up wherever joyce walked but none of the other lights in the house did but the one yard light outside also did??????  conclusion: what on earth is going on in the house of commons?? what the hell is happening here?? what is UP WITH THOSE SPARKLIING LIGHTS I NEED TO KNOW  WHAT IS GOING ON DUFFER BROTHERS I NEED TO KNOW. THERES SO MUCH THAT NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK 

[loveinhawkins]

ooo, can I have a snippet of nbtdad pls? ^^

Steve’s eyes light up when he sees Holly. “Hey, how’s my girl doing?” he says, smiling, embracing her as much as he can in a side-hug.

Eddie thinks of the Christmas memory: of gravy in Steve’s hair, of Steve feeling the weight of her as he held her close.

After hugging Steve, Holly almost immediately starts searching for somewhere to plug in her Lite-Brite; Nancy says, “Oh, she’s not letting that out of her sight. Apparently,” her lips twitch in amusement, “Dustin, Erica and Lucas stole it from her.”

“Imagine that,” Eddie says, as if in great surprise, and Steve chuckles in the middle of showing Holly the nearest socket.

-

WIP Game

[bookguide]

The Betrayed

Author: Kiera Cass

Book: 2/2

Genre: romantasy

Summary: The Isolten King has his throne in an iron grip, going as far as to cause chaos and tragedy to keep it. However, the Eastoffe Family may have the power to overthrow the tyrannical king. Hollis’s passion for her new homeland drives her stand along side the Eastoffes, despite the heartache that haunts her.

Review: Cass’s build up from the first book to the second book was fantastic. The plot was written gorgeously and I loved how each character was developed throughout the story. This book was exciting, and of course Cass gifts us readers with ANOTHER plot twist. I will forever be in awe of the enchanting way she writes her books and makes the story come to life. I would recommend this duology to anyone interested in the romantasy genre, a rival kingdom concept, or looking for a unique tale of romance.

Rating: 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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[boysdontcryboycry]

so i just scoured all four seasons on UrnWatch leaping from @wheelercore's post(s) because This Shit Is Fascinating and the wheeler family keeps me up at night and i need answers anyway this one's a doozy

i might've missed a few because i was just going by memory and didn't rewatch the entire show, but these are the important ones for sure.

first is the golden urn that falls during the earthquake, which isn't actually golden! it only looks golden in that specific scene, presumably from all the bright, warm yellow lights in the room, but the timing of the change being exactly when the four gates converged is a little suspect. in every other appearance, the titular urn is a silvery black and fairly large.

the first appearance of The Urn is in 1.01, right behind mike and ted as he fiddles with the tv antennae, watching what we now know is possibly the next week's episode of knight rider, as mike asks for 20 more minutes to keep playing

next is when el is looking at the wheeler mantle photos in 1.02, and in 1.04 when karen and nancy argue about nancy lying to the cops about sleeping with steve

in season 2, it's visible in the 2.02 flashback when ted insists the wheelers' patriotism to the lab agents, and in 2.05 when karen yells for ted to answer dustin's incessant ringing of the doorbell

we don't spend much time at the wheeler residence in season 3, but it still is just barely visible behind nancy's head in 3.05 when nancy and karen joke about nancy's fighting spirit coming from ted

and in season 4, The Urn returns in full force, lurking behind mike for the sweetie pie scene in 4.01,

for a flash behind dustin in 4.07 as holly menacingly dodges him with her white rabbit lite-brite, and hiding behind the fridge and dustin's head as he starts to put together the pieces about watergate and vecna opening portals and also erica threatens to reveal lucas' secret,

again in 4.07 when dustin and lucas steal holly's white rabbit lite-brite,

and finally The urn shot in 4.09 as it tumbles from the mantle along with several family photos

we don't see it again for the rest of the season, the camera stubbornly avoiding its designated location as we get a new angle of ted in his chair, turning off the news and rejecting the societal hysteria as holly continues to built her white rabbit on her lite-brite, as karen tucks nancy's old rabbit toy into a donation box

and it's times like these i wish i used desktop because i'm limited to ten photos on mobile because let's just say there is a LOT going on with the wheelers and urns, and either karen just really likes collecting decorative urns or the wheeler extended family are dropping like flies. i hope i can reblog with more photos. hold please.

[readingabookmostofthetimes]

Hollis can overreact about so much. It's start to get annoying

[wheelercore]

Ever have a Thought and go actually I would sound absofuckinglutely insane if I posted about this now *puts in internal brain storage for later future ST canon confirmation*

[kaittalkstoomuch]

Hi guys! Hope you guys had a safe amERICA day - if you know you know! Here’s the new chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Six: Another Brick in The Wall

“What’s going on?” Robin and the other two run down to the dining room where Steve and I are at. “You guys don’t hear that?” I ask, pointing in the direction of the faint voice of my brother. Eddie squints and really tries to figure it out. The lights flicker as Dustin, Lucas and apparently Erica, come up with a plan.

“DUSTIN! DUSTIN!” We all scream as we check for any type of way. “Check the lights. That’s how Will communicated with Joyce.” Nancy says as Robin and Eddie continue to scream for Dustin. Steve, Nancy, and I turn on switches, but to no avail, nothing. “Goddamit.” I utter under my breath. As Dustin continues on with his theory, Steve flashes his flashlight to the main light fixture of the room.

“You guys seeing this?” He asks as the four of us look at the flickering light. We cautiously walk to it, while Dustin yaps about the gate. Nancy reaches her hand in the dust and it gets brighter, finding a possible solution. Eventually, we all follow Nancy, entranced by its glory.

“It… tickles.” Steve says as I chuckle a bit with Eddie. I stand in between Nancy and him, feeling his body vibrate as he laughs at Robin’s, “kinda feels good.” My smile grows. We may be in a shit situation, but I can’t help but to think it’s kinda fun. “Does anyone know Morse code?” Nancy asks. “No.” We all say. “Wait… does SOS count?” Eddie asks the four of us look at him dumbfounded. I can’t help but to laugh a bit. “Oh, sweetheart.”

We start with the code, just hoping my brother shuts the hell up. “Is it working?” Robin asks as we hear “are you listening to me?” Dustin speaks with panic. Erica responds. “Yeah, I’m listening. It’s just that, you said follow Vecna in lights right?” “Yeah, why?” “Because I think he’s here.” Okay, maybe we’re getting somewhere.

“I think it’s working!” I say excitedly, smiling at everyone. “Hey, uh, remember when I, uh, said they wouldn’t be stupid enough to go through Watergate?” Dustin says finally figuring it out. Although, ouch. “I overestimated them.” Indeed you have brother.

********

We sit in Nancy’s bedroom, hoping they find a way to communicate. I grip onto Eddie’s hand as we lean against the wall. He eases me. “This is such a wicked way to celebrate our one year together.” He says, making me chuckle. “It is… the adventures of The Dungeon Master and Mistress.” We share a kiss and the three look at us quietly. This seems to kinda bring down the panic in the room somehow.

“Dustin’s a smart kid.” Eddie says, easing me up a bit. “I know. He is my brother after all.” We both laugh. Steve utters a “c’mon” as we all wait impatiently. We all jump as Dustin speaks.

“OKAY, ARE YOU GUYS SEEING THIS?” Dustin screams disorientingly and faintly. Nancy gets her hand in the light, dazzling in its red glow. “HOLY SHIT!” Erica screams as Dustin and Lucas get excited, just as we are. We’re also in awe with however they chose to communicate with us.

Dustin instructs us to stand by, while Lucas unplugs the Lite Brite - poor Holly. “Okay, try now!” Dustin's voice echoes. Nancy tries to figure out what to say, eventually settling for “Hi”. “That worked!” Dustin screams and we cheer. Robin and I hug then Steve and I high five. “My brother is a fucking genius!” I celebrate exclaiming to Eds. “HI!” Eddie screams while Robin and I laugh.

Nancy thinks of what to say next. “STUCK!” She eventually writes out. “‘Cause you can’t get through Watergate?” Dustin yells. “What the hell is ‘Watergate’?” Steve asks. “‘Cause it’s in water and it’s a gate.” Robin says. We all get it. “Dustin does have a way with words.” I say laughing. “GUAR” the other three on the other side spell out. “DED.” Nancy finishes.

“Uh, okay. Watergate’s guarded.” They make sense of it. “Yes.” Steve says. “WE THINK WE MAY HAVE A THEORY WITH THAT!” Dustin says. Well, go on Dusty Bun. “WATERGATE ISN’T THE ONLY GATE! THERE’S A GATE AT EVERY MURDER SITE.” Eddie’s trailer, Chrissy.

“Does anybody understand what he’s talking about?” Nancy asks while I go silent with the wheels in my head turning. Nancy draws a question mark, leading to a daring comment from my brother. “Okay, seriously? How many times do I have to be right on the money before you guys just trust me?” I start cracking up at my brother being a smart ass, then Steve’s comment. “Jesus Christ, this kid’s gotta get his ego in check.” “It’s his tone right?” Eddie replies.

“WAIT GUYS!” I start piping up, finally piecing it together. “Chrissy! Eddie’s trailer! Dustin may be a smartass but he has a point!” Nancy understands completely and looks at Eddie. “How far is your trailer?” “Seven miles.” Both Eddie and I say. “We’ll bike there.” Nancy snickers a bit. “There’s only four bikes.” “I’ll ride with Eddie.” I say, earning a chuckle from Eddie and Steve. “Let’s go.” Nancy draws “Eddie’s trailer” before we leave.

*************

We look around our hellish surroundings as we make it to the Upside Down trailer. “That’s gotta be a world record.” Robin says as the five of us get off our respective bikes and rapidly approach the trailer. “Roxie deserves one for not falling off.” Eddie laughs and I start laughing. “We were going so fast, I had to hang on to my man.”

Eddie kicks the door open and I can’t help but to be a bit…. Aroused. We quickly run inside as it’s one step to freedom. “Okay, where’s the gate?” I ask, looking up at the ceiling with Eddie and Robin while Nancy and Steve get inside. “Right here.” Eddie soberly utters, remembering what had occurred just two nights prior. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. We’re okay.” I whisper softly to him and I kiss him.

Just then, we see the gate being broken open. We know immediately who it is, the kids! We stand in a circle eagerly waiting to be free as they set everything up. Dustin and Erica are making a makeshift rope of bed sheets. Max and Lucas bring Eddie’s mattress out, leading to both Nancy and Robin awkwardly looking at Eddie and I.

I purse my lips concealing my laugh as Eddie acts like he doesn’t know what’s on it, our little rendezvous’. “I don’t know what those stains are.” He clears his throat as I stifle my laughter. Dustin throws the makeshift rope to us. Way to go little bro. We look up them as Dustin tells us about his theory. “And if my theory is correct”, he says as he lets go of the rope.

“Abracadabra.” “Holy shit.” Max and I both say. Robin pulls on it and smirks. “Guess I’m the guinea pig.” She grunts as she pulls onto it and climbs up, eventually falling onto the mattress.

Eddie smiles at me. “Here goes nothing.” He kisses my cheek before repeating Robin’s actions. I watch in awe as I prepare for my turn. “That… was fun.” He gasps on the other side. I eagerly grab onto the gateway, ready to be free. Then, I hear panic from Steve. I turn my head and join him. Nancy.