#Groundhog Day Loop

[roosterbox]

Thinky Thought time yet again. This one, though, doesn’t need a cut.

Tags: Steddie, ANGST, not a happy ending, time loops

It’s 9am, I just woke up, and it’s ‘thinking about Steve Harrington being caught in a Groundhog Day time loop’ hours again.

The repeating day is the day of the final battle, obviously. The first couple loops are spent with Steve just playing things out as they happen in canon, but being verrrrrrry confused the whole time. Then, after he realizes that the day is just repeating itself, he starts trying to change things. It never goes well. For example…

Loops 6 through 10: Robin dies

Loops 12 through 14: Dustin dies

Loops 19 through 25: Nancy dies

Loops 26 through 30: El dies

Loops 31 through 40: Steve himself dies

And so on and so forth. Everybody dies at one point or another. Not to mention the numerous, numerous days that end with Vecna being victorious.

The loop still resets.

After reliving the same fucking day so many times, Steve is starting to lose it a little. Understandably so. I’m surprised that Bill Murray’s character in the original movie isn’t completely insane by the end, frankly. But back to Steve. Throughout all these repeating loops, he starts noticing something. That something is Eddie Munson. And isn’t that just a brilliant cap on his entire cursed existence: falling in love with a guy whose fate seems to be to die. And then he considers the possibility that maybe the way to potentially break out of this hellscape is to somehow get Eddie to fall in love with him too. (Worked in the original movie, so why not? Not that he’d have any knowledge of the movie, of course - that baby won’t come out in his universe for another seven years or so.)

This… also doesn’t go well.

He tries everything, but it seems like nothing between them ever changes. Hell, one time he answers Eddie’s “Make him pay��� with the most epic first kiss in the history of first kisses (Dustin covers his eyes, Robin screeches at them to “get a room!”), and yet… every time he’s had to come back from the battle of a lifetime only to see Dustin sobbing over Eddie’s inert corpse. Every. Time.

On one loop, he can’t take it anymore and just… confesses everything. Both that he’s in love with Eddie and that he’s somehow stuck in a time loop.

“I just thought,” he says to a very (understandably!) shocked Eddie, “that maybe if I could get you to fall in love with me, things would change. But I can’t. To you, it’s only been a day, but for me…” he chuckles, but there’s no mirth in the sound. “For me, it feels like years.”

Once Eddie manages to find his voice, the first thing he says is, “But that doesn’t make any sense.”

Steve nods, “I know, dude. The time loop-“

“No, not that part.” He reconsiders. “Well, not only that part. I mean-“ Eddie swallows, suddenly very nervous. “I mean, if that was the case, it would have already stopped.” At Steve’s confused look, he continues. “Steve, man, you didn’t have to try so hard - I’ve been in love with you since, like, 1985.”

The loop still resets.

One time - ONE TIME - Steve manages to work out a freaking miracle of a day. Not only do he and Eddie confess their love, but everyone survives. EVERYONE. They go to the hospital to get checked out, Eddie’s name is cleared, the whole fix-it fic shebang, and it’s all-in-all the perfect ending to a shit day. A shitty SEVERAL days as far as Steve’s concerned. He goes to sleep that night thinking finally, finally.

The loop still resets.

[homeforall]

So I love time loops as a trope, but i feel like not enough writers explore what happens after the loop breaks.

So many writers will have the loop go on for years or even decades and the thing about humans is that we are very adaptable. We get used to things. At some point I feel like the loop just wouldn't feel tragic anymore. It would just be a part of life. A routine you've grow used to. But once the loop breaks that routine is gone.

What happens? Did you really want it to end? When you get used to having no consequences to your actions what do you do? Suddenly things aren't what they were like for so long. The traffic sounds different, people aren't repeating the same lines you've gotten used to. Your money, seemingly endless in the single day loop, now feels deeply inadequate and quickly dwindles. You've spent so long in the time loop and now you are thrown back into a world that everyone else is accustomed to but you are lost in a way you can't explain. You used to have endless time to learn and explore your passions, nothing you made lasted of course, but you could make it. Now you are suddenly overwhelmed with things you need to do, the house must be cleaned, you have to actually return to work.

When was the last time you went to work? Was it 5 loops ago? 30? Or has it been years. Or decades. Do you still know how to do your job? Should you quit and use the skills gained via time loop to get another one?

How do you deal with people remembering the things you did? No longer do they say the same good mornings and vague hellos. At some point they had become simply background noise. Just game npcs that didn't have much meaning. Now they are once again fully human and what you say suddenly matters.

How do you deal with the fact that you are not the same person as you were two days ago. You are unrecognizable, even to yourself. Who are you after the loop breaks? Do you break as well?

[delicateharmonybear]

Twilight zone reboot really said we're gonna deconstruct the groundhog day romance trope for how creepy it would actually be and I think that's beautiful

[prattlinpeach]

It's February 2nd...that means it's Groundhog Day!

I didn’t even realize it today! I know it’s always Feb 2nd and I knew it was Feb 2nd, but it didn’t click until someone posted Happy Groundhog Day on a team chat at the same time I was looking at Yahoo. Oh wow! What did Phil see? Who’s Phil you ask? Why, only Punxatawny Phil, the groundhog who…if he sees his shadow means we will have six more weeks of Winter, but…if he doesn’t see a shadow, we…

[official-time-loop-posts]

Thank you to @sleepnoises for making the original poll & for giving us the idea to to this :)

Sorry if we couldn’t get your favorite on here, we were limited to only 12 options (11 if you don’t include the “other” option).

[futuristichedge]

Realized I forgot to post this. Timeloop

[slobfern]

not the most accurate chart probably but i thought it was funny. you should fill in the blanks i couldn't think of any more

[runawaymarbles]

Okay but how intense is the physical reset in your average time loop? Obviously your brain doesn't entirely go back because you still have the memories of the previous loops. But how far does that extend? Can you actually learn a physical activity, or are your reflexes going to reset? What about the connections your brain makes when it's learning a new language??? Harold Ramis get back here I just want to talk

[lostintransist]

Groundhog Day? I will grind that dog into the ground if I ever find the fucker

Reader gets stuck in a loop, has 4 days and 6 hours to convince them to help break the loop.

CW: Mentions of Johnny's canonical death

"The seventh hour is a liar."

You lay on the couch in the break room for the 141 tossing a cricket ball in the air before catching it. Predawn light filtered past the crack in the slat blinds. The light is not strong enough to catch the dust motes scenting the air.

It was nearly five am and Ghost had risen at his predictable time. You had stopped sleeping after the seven loop. You were experiancing groundhog day in all its fucked up "glory".

"What?"

He sounds confused, steps silent as he moves to peer down at you.

"When you and Johnny were talking on the comms trying to escape Mexico he made a joking agreement with you that if either of you were stuck in a time loop you would use the phrase 'the seventh hour is a liar' to tell the other about the loop." Cricket balls are hard, you are reminded of this as you jam your middle finger into the ball instead of catching it. It rolls away from you. Instead of sitting up to grab the escapee you nail Ghost with a blank but serious look. "In four days, thirteen hours, and," you lift your phone from your stomach and trigger the screen, "roughly seven minutes John "Soap" MacTavish will die by Markorov's bullet in his brain."

"And how the fuck do you know that?" He is still looking at you like you are crazy.

"At 0903 Captain Price will start a phone call with the phrase, "This is a secure line, who is this?" Soap is going to trip as he comes through the door at 0614 this morning as you sit next to me on the couch. Gaz is going to sneeze four times in a row at 0853. You will say bless you twice followed by two repeated fuck yous. Your mum joked that any more than two sneezes meant the devil could take your soul and no more blessings would help."

The place skin around his eyes and brows blanche. Ghost does not talk about his family, ever. You knew it was right thing to say though to prove the point. He had told you the last four times you convinced him that if he forgot to tell him that fact. Ghost would only remember the loop until you died though.

"You will believe me by 0930, and then we can talk about how to save him because I can't keep living this stretch of time. Not even death will keep me," your voice cracks on your last word.

He stares through you as he processes your words.

"Okay. Tell me everything," he commands, voice gruff.

Sitting up with a sigh you run a hand over your hair.

"Nice try, you can walk me to medical for an eval after 0930. That happened the first time I tried to tell you."

The silence became charged. Ghost was your commanding officer but he was also a man who did not like to be predictable. Ruined the brand.

"What now then?"

Standing you flick on your flashlight and start to look for your ball.

"Now? We wait until you believe me."

Should I do more with this? Probably.

Masterlist

[tickettoanywhere]

“And us?”

“We’re a tag. We’re A TAG.”

“Yeah well we used to be a FUNNY tag.”

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was repeating the same day of school over and over for eight months, and the only way out was to die.

[onthewaytosomewhere]

OKAY so first of all - did I post late night fic? - yes, yes i did - groundhog day fic!!! 'Cause you got me, and baby, I got you

so let's do a snip from that shall we?

under the cut for smutty bits and some tags - as always a BIG OPEN TAG WHO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PLAY

but b4 we get to the smut - one more quick lil thing - if ur looking for a prompt fest to write something for in the next couple months i have just the one for ya - safe smuttin' - come join the fun!!

Still, his thoughts refuse to cooperate. They circle back to Alex, as they always do. His smile and the way he bites his lip when lost in thought. He thinks about the warmth of Alex’s hand brushing against Henry’s when he passed him the tea this morning—he can see all of it so vividly. Henry’s hand drifts under the water, his fingers trailing over his chest and stomach. He pinches one of his nipples lightly, his body responding almost immediately. His other hand wraps around his cock, already hard again at the mere thought of Alex. He stares out, slowly stroking himself; the warm water laps against his skin as his mind brings forth an image of Alex—flushed, panting, looking at Henry like he’s the only thing that matters. The fantasy builds, and he hears Alex’s voice low and rough in his ear, feels his hands gripping his hips, and Alex’s lips tracing a path down his neck. It takes even less time than Henry thought it would. His breath catches, and his hips jerk as he spills over his hand with a soft groan that echoes through the bathroom.

okay tag ur it (in a no-pressure all that jazz way) @adreama-writes @anincompletelist @basil-bird @bitbybitwrites @blueeyedgrlwrites

@cactusdragon517 @caterpills @cha-melodius @cricketnationrise @dragonflylady77

@duchessdepolignaca03 @emmalostinwonderland @england-would-fall @eusuntgratie @everwitch-magiks

@firenati0n @firstprincehornyramblings @firstsprinces @iboatedhere @inexplicablymine

@judasofsuburbia @kiwiana-writes @myheartalivewrites @ninzied @nocoastposts

@orchidscript @porcelainmortal @priincebutt @seths-rogens @softboynick

@sophie1973 @sparklepocalypse @stellarmeadow @stratocumulusperlucidus @suseagull5914

@tailsbeth-writes @taste-thewaste @thedramasummer @typicalopposite @thesleepyskipper

@thighzp @tinyarmedtrex @zwiazdziarka @catdadacd @run-for-chamo-miles

@jmagnabo92 @dreamtigress @dizzymisslizzie @faketrex @stereopticons

Pretty sure i maxed out the 50 there but that's counting lolz

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

If I get stuck in a fuckin time loop tomorrow, so help me god...

[hrpffandomeventblog]

Time Loop Collection!

Friends, family and foes!

February 2, 2025 is Groundhog Day in Canada and the US. To celebrate this vastly unimportant day, create and share an HRPF time loop fic!

There's a collection on AO3 here that is currently open and will remain open for folx to add their work.

IF/WHEN you write your amazing fic, tag us so we can boost your awesome work!

Spread the word and think about all the pain joy a time loop fic can bring to YOUR favorite pairing!

[baronfulmen]

TIME LOOP POLL ASSUMPTIONS:

You have a few days warning and can do some reasonable prep before the loop starts.

You can start the loop on any day of the week, any time in the year.

You're going to be in the time loop for about a hundred years from your point of view, regardless of how long or short the loop is.

Randomness is minimized, so while there's some butterfly effect stuff for the most part everything will happen the same way every time even on a longer loop.

You may suffer some mental effects over time due to a time loop being a very strange thing to go through, but the loop resetting magically helps you recover from trauma (may take multiple loops). So if you die a bunch it won't leave you with a pile of phobias and stuff, but dying is still traumatic in the short term so killing yourself to reset isn't a thing you would want to do often.

The longest option on the poll is the longest you can do, otherwise choose the closest one to what you would want.

Benefit of shorter loops: Makes it easier to plan, means that the prep you do ahead of time can guarantee you're set up well for the whole loop. If you mess up and end up badly injured or in jail you don't have to tough it out for long. You can actually do the classic time loop thing of learning when little things will happen around town. If you want to do something crazy that will take multiple tries, you can pull it off easier. If you have a menstrual cycle you can make sure that just doesn't come up while in the loop. Never have to do laundry (or some other chores) again. Put off shit you don't want to deal with until just after the loop and you'll never have to deal with it.

Benefits of longer loops: Less repetition means better mental health probably. Work on larger projects. Make plans with people. Travel further before getting reset. Include a holiday or event without immediately getting sick of it. More time to build relationships, although that could also be bad in some ways since it would be worse when the reset hit. I think the longer loop has fewer benefits but they're bigger benefits - the travel one alone could be huge.

[atlantablack]

from a groundhog day fic I may or may not ever finish

He’s alone in the throne room when Bilbo finds him, a miserable look on his face. It’s been quite some time since he’s seen Bilbo look this unhappy and even with the arkenstone forefront in his mind he still finds the space to worry about it. Focuses on the tight lines of his mouth and the trembling of his hands and feels nothing but worry. 

Bilbo who helped him reclaim Erebor. Who is as precious to Thorin as the gold in the next room. Once the arkenstone was found and the thieves at his front door were dispersed, once he had time and space, he would make sure that Bilbo had a place of honor at his side. 

“Bilbo,” he says, blinking furiously as he tries to stay focused. “Are you well? Has something happened?” 

Bilbo shakes his head and comes to a stop in front of the throne, dropping to his knees in front of Thorin. It’s so out of character that for a minute Thorin’s vision tilts. 

“Bilbo,” he says again, softer, pressing a hand to Bilbo’s cheek and tilting his head up. While it is a dream to have Bilbo in front of him this way he doesn’t like the grief filling his burglar’s eyes. “Tell me, what has happened?”

“I’m sorry,” Bilbo says, a sob working its way out of his mouth after the words. “I keep messing up and I’m going to mess up again but I’m trying.” 

He frowns, not sure what Bilbo is speaking of. “I do not understand.” 

Bilbo smiles at him, tragedy written in every line of his face. “I know. But I needed to say it anyway.” 

“This isn’t going to work, but, I’m going to try anyway, okay?” Bilbo pauses, studying Thorin’s face like he’s looking for something. Thorin doesn’t know what but he would give it to Bilbo if he can. 

“Just,” Bilbo swallows, presses into the hand Thorin still hasn’t removed from his face. “Just, please, don’t hate me, okay?” 

“I could not,” he says, wondering what could have happened to make Bilbo think otherwise. It does not once occur to him that betrayal could come from the one in front of him and more fool him. He is blinded by his regard for the hobbit and so, when Bilbo reaches into the pocket of his robe, he has no expectations. 

None, until he catches a glimpse of light playing off of Bilbo’s fingers. No, he thinks, breath catching. The room tilts dangerously and he doesn’t realize that his fingers are digging into Bilbo’s face until he whimpers. 

In the end the most remarkable thing about having the arkenstone pressed into his hand is not the arkenstone at all. It is the tears silently streaming down Bilbo’s face as he presses the stone into Thorin’s hand, his fingers curl over Thorin’s, the stone hidden between their hands. 

“How long have you had this?” Thorin asks, knows his voice has gone dangerous, but he’s helpless to stop the fury licking at the base of his spine.

Bilbo closes his eyes and in the smallest voice Thorin has ever heard from him says, “From the beginning. I found it almost as soon as I went into the treasury.” 

Thorin can’t breathe, the betrayal so strong he feels as if he’s going to drown. For all that he had thought someone would take the stone he had not truly believed Bilbo capable of such a thing. “You,” he says. “You would steal from me.” 

“No, no, I didn’t steal it,” Bilbo says and he sounds as if he believes this. “I was scared to give it to you, Thorin. I’m still scared. You’ve gone somewhere I can’t follow and I don’t know how to help you.” 

“I have gone nowhere,” he says, frowning and realizing that it’s true, Bilbo is terrified, is shaking under Thorin’s hand. It doesn’t erase the fury but it tempers it. He is trying to understand. Feels as if there’s a fog in his mind as he tries. He wants to understand though, does not want to believe that Bilbo could betray him so thoroughly without a reason.

Bilbo tries to shake his head but Thorin’s hand holds him steady. “You’ve gone away into your own mind,” he says, looking up at Thorin with wet, pleading eyes. “You’re sick Thorin. I need you to break out of it.” His voice breaks and he’s a liar, a pretty liar, but a liar nonetheless. 

Thorin pulls away, holds the arkenstone up to his face and finds it as beautiful as he remembers. He looks back down at Bilbo and finds nothing but grief looking back.

“Get out,” he says, the words heavy in his mouth. “Leave Erebor. I will grant you safe passage only because you did, in the end, give me what is rightfully mine.”

But Bilbo is already shaking his head. “No,” he says, a stubborn tilt to his mouth. “No. I’m not leaving you.”

Thorin barely thinks before backhanding him “GET OUT,” he roars. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, there’s shrieking. Dwalin and Nori come running in and for a minute stop dead in the doorway.

Bilbo’s sprawled on the dais, one hand to the blistering red of his cheek, but he still sits back up, eyes terribly wide and betrayed, and says, “No.”

Thorin can see him trembling. Can see Nori, his jaw set, creeping towards them as if Thorin would not notice. “You will leave,” he says, leaning down to the hiss the words in Bilbo’s face, “or I will make you.”

Bilbo’s chin tilts up. “Then make me, Thorin.” And then, like he has no concept of how much danger he is in, he tips forward and presses his forehead to Thorin’s. “I can’t leave you,” he murmurs into the space between them. “I can’t watch you die again.”

Thorin feels frozen. The press of Bilbo’s forehead to his overwhelming. He clenches the arkenstone in his fist until it bites into his skin and dimly, he thinks that he should be concerned about breaking it.

“Get out,” he says again, voice gone unaccountably soft. “I do not want you here. Traitor.”

“Like I said, make me,” Bilbo says, leaning even closer, the words ghosting over Thorin’s mouth.

Bilbo’s mouth, when it finally brushes his, is soft. He presses against Thorin so sweetly and for a minute Thorin wavers. Presses back. Thinks, please, thinks, let me have this one beautiful thing. He wavers—

—and then he pushes Bilbo down the dais stairs. It is not a long fall but Bilbo falls easily and with a resounding thunk as his body hits the bottom. Nori is at his side before Thorin can blink, pulling him to his feet and pulling him towards the door. Thorin feels so dizzy he could fall over.

“You’re a fool,” Dwalin says from the bottom of the stairs.

“I am king,” he says, voice raspier than it should be. “I will not tolerate thieves and traitors.”

“Aye, but you have always been my king. Even without that stone. You used to know that.”

“Get out,” he snaps.

Dwalin leaves and Thorin stares down at the arkenstone for a very long time. Feels like his head is splitting apart. Feels like his heart has torn itself asunder. He’s not sure when he falls to his knees in front of the throne but he’s listening to Bilbo’s voice on repeat, You’ve gone somewhere that I can’t follow. Thinks of Dwalin’s words and the grief that had seemed to pass from Bilbo to Dwalin. A shared grief that Thorin can’t understand, doesn’t want to understand. You’ve gone somewhere that I can’t follow.

The arkenstone, when he throws it across the hall, does not shatter, but Thorin’s head feels clearer than it has in days and so of course, the guilt comes pouring in. By the time Bard and Thranduil arrive the gold haze has almost completely cleared from his mind.

It doesn’t fix anything.

——

“Thorin,” Bilbo gasps, sliding to his knees next to Thorin. “No, no, you can’t do this, not again.”

“Bilbo,” he sighs, reaching for Bilbo’s face despite the way it exacerbates the pain. “Amrâlimê, there is nothing to be done.”

“No,” Bilbo says, voice choked. “You can’t do this. You need to live. I need you to live.”

The side of Bilbo’s face is an ugly mess of blues and purples and Thorin’s heart manages to find the energy to clench. “I have done you a disservice,” he says, struggling to get the words. “You were right to keep the arkenstone from me for as long as you did.”

“No, don’t do this,” Bilbo says and he’s fully crying now. “I can’t do this again, please.”

Thorin presses his palm to Bilbo’s face, says, “I wish to part from you with you knowing that in any other circumstance I would have returned your affection.”

“Thorin,” Bilbo whispers, leaning down to press a furious kiss to his brow, to cheek, to his mouth. “Please, just hold on for a little longer. The eagles will be here soon.”

“Go home, master burglar,” he says, wishing he were not leaving Bilbo to such pain. “Go home to your armchairs and your books. Go home and live a good life.”

Thorin dies. Thorin dies and then—