#biff come back and talk about her

[skwistokwarrior]

talia from rtc but everytime you listen to it you think of biff and georgina

[scribefindegil]

Lorraine Baines McFly and Female Autonomy

Hello. I have spent the past month slowly losing my mind about Lorraine Baines McFly, Marty's mom in Back to the Future, so I am finally trying to articulate some of the reasons I'm so feral about her.

There's a quote from Lea Thompson, the actress who played Lorraine, that goes, "The three parts that women usually get to play are virgins, whores, and mothers, and in Back to the Future Part II, I got to play all three." While this is commentary on Hollywood and the limited roles that fictional women get forced into, I think it's also interesting to think about it in terms of how these roles are reflected onto actual women and used to limit their personhood and confine them to a very narrow range of acceptable behaviors . . . and then in turn to think about how the character interacts with these roles on a Watsonian level. They're affecting not just Lorraine the character as she was written, but Lorraine from an in-universe perspective trying to navigate life as a woman in a patriarchal world. Some of the sexism she faces is a deliberate narrative choice and some of it is a result of the writers' blind spots, but for the purpose of this essay I'm less interested in teasing out which threads are which and more in looking at it holistically.

Because the thing about Lorraine is that she's aware of what the acceptable roles and behaviors for women are, and the versions that we see of her across the various timelines alternately fight against and capitulate to these constraints. What is a woman allowed to be? How much is Lorraine willing to break from those restrictions? How much does she allow other women to break from them? Does she resent her role or embrace it? I have a lot of thoughts specifically about how the different iterations of her interact with concepts of female agency and autonomy.

(Putting this under a cut because it is. Long.)

I started thinking about this when I was talking with my partner about 50's Lorraine. She's extremely active and driven and planning to Get What She Wants (in a way that is very scary, if you are Marty) . . . but at the same time she's clearly aware that she isn't supposed to be. A Good Fifties Girl is demure and passive. Lorraine isn't--but she's still trying to toe the line. I think constantly about the scene where she shows up at Doc's garage to be like "I followed you home . . . so that I can ask you to ask me to the dance." The girl can embrace borderline stalking but she draws the line at directly asking a boy out! She's exercising a lot of agency but views doing so as rebellious and subversive--and risky.

And I also want to talk about the whole "boy crazy" thing because like . . . society (especially in the fifties) tells women that the most important thing they can possibly do is find a good man and become wives and mothers, that this will define the success or failure of their entire lives (and given how many things were unavailable to single women at the time this is in many ways true) . . . and then relentlessly mocks and punishes anyone who actually takes an interest in pursuing this instead of just sitting back passively and waiting. She is trying to do what society says will make her happy! And even her desire for a white knight is very much based in the reality of her situation! She's getting sexually harassed at school and around town and she's doing exactly what she's supposed to and standing up for herself and saying no and fighting back--and this is not enough. She does need backup! Biff harasses her in the middle of a crowded cafeteria and Marty is the ONLY person who does anything! No fucking wonder she latches onto him as hard as she does! (There's. I promise this is related but there's a BttF parody musical on YouTube where when Strickland comes to break up the lunchroom fight he says, "Now, I can excuse sexual harassment, but LIGHT SHOVING?" and like it's a haha funny joke but also?? Yeah?? That IS how it works. The way Lorraine's being treated is so overlooked and normalized that the authority figure isn't going to step up the way he will when it's a physical altercation between two guys. Screams.) I wonder if part of the reason she stuck with George in the original timeline even though they didn't have a lot in common is that "I have a boyfriend" is a boundary that some people might actually take seriously whereas "I'm not interested" is not.

But. In general 50's Lorraine is very much about grabbing as much agency as she feels she's allowed to . . . and then Twin Pines Lorraine is what happens when she regrets the result of those choices (because while we don't see it, it's pretty obvious that in the original timeline she pursued George as aggressively as she pursues Marty in the new one), and so she decides to deny, not just her own agency, but female agency as a general concept. She leans so heavily on the idea that her relationship was "meant to be" because it absolves her of any culpability in creating a life she's unhappy with. She's rewritten her own past to view herself as a passive participant in something inevitable. (Exactly the view of womanhood that she was fighting so hard against in the 50's!) And she extends this idea of female passivity to the women around her: telling Linda that she should sit back and wait and a relationship will "just happen," actively resenting Jennifer for doing something as simple as calling Marty on the phone. It's a really interesting form of internalized misogyny, perpetuating these sexist ideas as almost a misguided form of self-defense.

And then for Lone Pine Lorraine this is completely flipped! She loves Jennifer for the same reason she disliked her in Twin Pines: because she reminds Lorraine of her younger self. And like . . . this is something of an extrapolation, but while obviously her husband and kids are still very important to her, it also feels like she has interests and friends and other things going on in her life, whereas part of the isolation of Twin Pines is that her life has shrunk down to the point where she's ONLY a wife and mother with nothing else to define herself by. And it also matters that in this timeline she has a partner that supports her, not just in the big dramatic moments (although also that), but you can easily see the dance as a catalyst for George actually learning to listen to her and stand up for her about smaller things as well. George McFly feminism arc. (I'm being slightly facetious but like. George starts off kind of shitty. The spying is actively Bad and I hope Marty chewed him out for it offscreen, but also his reaction to the harassment scene being "I think there's someone else she'd rather go with," implying that he sees what Biff is doing as like. Normal flirting that he expects to work. He doesn't GET it. Unsurprising because he is. A teenage boy in the fifties. But I do believe that saving Lorraine was something of a wakeup call and after that he listened to her about things that make her uncomfortable and gave her the support that she needed. Which would also give her a lot more freedom in this timeline because she has someone with more societal power who has her back!)

And then. Hell Valley.

If Lone Pine is the version of Lorraine who has the most freedom, the most opportunities to make decisions based on what she wants instead of What Is Expected Of A Woman, Hell Valley is the opposite. The things denying her agency in Twin Pines is largely societal forces (and herself); in Hell Valley she is actively being denied autonomy by her evil husband who functions as the personification of a bunch of sexist ideas.

She's been objectified to the point that she doesn't maintain control over her own body; Biff pressures her to get cosmetic surgeries so she can continue to look attractive to him because that's the only value he sees in her. Her physical appearance is entirely tailored to his preferences.

Biff's view of Lorraine is wife-as-possession. He treats her like a prize he's won and her kids like parasites. And he is NOT subtle about this. But Lorraine is still desperately clinging to the idea that she's wife-as-family. She calls Biff "your father" to Marty when he arrives, and talks about "our children" because she wants so so badly for this to be something different than what it is. It's especially terrible because this is a timeline where she got seventeen years of being happy with George, she knows what she's missing, and she keeps trying to force this new relationship into a similar mold even though Biff is openly contemptuous of her and especially her kids. It's been twelve years and she's still trying to pretend. To call back to that Lea Thompson quote: it's obvious where Biff thinks Lorraine fits on the virgin-mother-whore axis, while Lorraine is actively trying to centralize her motherhood partially because the kids really are that important to her and partially as a defense mechanism.

(And it's also such a bleak cautionary tale about how fragile women's stability can be when they're dependent on their husbands; Lorraine was happy with George and had a fair amount of freedom, but he was the only one with an income so when he died she was suddenly forced into a truly horrific situation because she had no other means to support herself and her three young children. Especially given that the Hell Valley universe is also worse in some broader political ways that mean there were probably even fewer social supports available than in real life 1973)

And god. It kills me the way that we see her lash out, the way she's clawing for autonomy when she threatens to leave . . . and then exactly how Biff levels all his axes of control against her. It's very interesting that his first tactic is consumerist (Who will pay for all your things? Who will take care of you?) and that doesn't work even though not being able to support herself is a very real concern. It's only when he threatens her kids that she folds. And then she immediately crumples and pivots to rationalizing Biff's behavior and blaming herself for her own abuse (in a way that is both HEARTBREAKING and also? surprisingly sympathetic and realistic for an 80's movie?). It's similar to the passivity we see in Twin Pines, but here we see exactly where it comes from. She doesn't have any way out so she has to pretend. It's the only way she can keep going. She has these flashes of rage but they're immediately snuffed out by despair and denial.

There's not a lot of talk about Lorraine and what there is tends to reduce her to "well she's Marty's mom" as if she's a boring character who doesn't have a lot going on. But even though most of her role in the movies has to do with her relationships with the various men in her life, those relationships are really interesting if you actually pay attention to them! She's not just (in the 80's) a wife and mother--she's someone who has a complex relationship with marriage and motherhood and the societal expectations surrounding them. She's not just (in the 50's) a vapid boy-crazy girl--she's doing her best to go after what she wants in a world that doesn't want her to (the fact that one of the things she wants turns out to be her time-traveling son from the future is unfortunate but not something she has any way of knowing!). She's stuck in a society that doesn't want women to be people, and she knows this, and because we see her across two different time periods and three different timelines you can watch how sometimes society grinds her down until she gives in and tries not to be a person. And also how, sometimes, she fights back.

[pasta-in-the-pudding]

heyyy I absolutely adore your blog and I wanted to request some headcanons of jeff the kiler, masky and ticci toby with a jennifer check!reader from the movie jennifer’s body (if u don’t really know her character feel free to ignore this!) ty!<33

-🩰

𝕀 𝔻𝔼𝔸𝔻𝔸𝕊𝕊 𝕋ℍ𝕆𝕌𝔾ℍ𝕋 𝕋ℍ𝔸𝕋 𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔻 𝕁𝔼ℕℕ𝕀𝔽𝔼ℝ ℂ𝕆𝕆𝕃𝕀𝔻𝔾𝔼 𝔽𝕆ℝ 𝔸 𝕊𝔼ℂ𝕆ℕ𝔻 𝔸ℍ𝔼𝕀𝕌ℍ𝕎𝕀𝔼ℍ𝔽

ℂ𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕘𝕠 𝕥𝕠 @𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕤-𝕟-𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖!! 𝔾𝕠 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜!

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕠 𝕞𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘!!

Jeff The Killer

Jeff loves having more feminine partners

He is into masc people too, don't get me wrong but fem people just hit different in his eyes

Especially fem partners that are bad bitches?? Hell yeah

He loves to just show you off as his, because he totally knows he has the hottest partner in the world

Whenever he's lounging around in the manor, he will have you either sit on his lap or lay on him in some way

But he just loves to have you sit on his lap

He'll be playing cards and be too absorbed in you to pay attention to the game

He'll either be whispering words of admiration into your ear or kissing you passionately when all of a sudden, he hears someone call his name

He looks around to see the rest of the players looking at him expectingly

"Hm? My turn? My bad"

It's really attractive to see you acting all high and mighty too

Someone will have cat-called you on the street, and before he even gets the chance to open his mouth, you're over there shit talking that person into their grave

"You wanna talk about how someone else looks? Let's talk about that musty ass haircut that you obviously got done with a blind, drunk barber. Baby, you look like a motherfucking nuke came through that shit."

And as you saunter back over, looking as unbothered as ever, you don't miss the fire in his eyes and the way he bites his lip

Masky

He finds your entitledness adorable

He loves to see you get all angry, with the way your bottom lip biffs out and your eyebrows flare

And then you start talking

And boy, do you talk

He can't help but giggle to himself every time something upsets you enough you decide to speak on it

And whenever you decide to come back to him he'll grab you by your waist and pull you against his chest, kissing the top of your head

"You sure showed them" he mumbles with a hearty chuckle

You roll your eyes and lean into him "Hell yeah I did"

In his mind, he pictures you as a Harley Quinn-esque motorcycle chick with two pistols

Honestly, you could totally tell him to start kissing the ground you walk on and he'd do it

Not that he'd tell you that

He has a reputation to upkeep after all

Ticci Toby

You scare him in a good way

He is your little dude that follows you around

"Excuse me he asked for no pickles"

Yeah, that's him

And lord help the poor people that try to start anything with him

You'll be pushing him behind you and telling off that person

After you're done he'll pull you into a loving hug and starts kissing your face tenderly

"You totally saved me, hun"

"Yeah, it's what I do"

He kind of acts as your voice of reason too

He'll see you side eyeing someone, and before you can get up and confront them, he'll squeeze your hand and press his forehead to yours

"Ease up, Batman, Gotham doesn't need your saving"

You'll smile and kiss his head, and he'll lay his head onto your shoulder, making you unable to move until he says you can

[lavenderstobins]

The Complete Guide to Josieverse, AKA Single Parent Robin AU

(art by myself, @lazylittledragon and @sweepy-stringbean!)

What is Josieverse?

Josieverse is an alternate universe where Robin Buckley is a single parent to a daughter. She raises her with Steve and Eddie’s help initially, and then the help of the rest of the group once they move back to Hawkins.

Robin has a little girl named Josephine “Josie” Buckley, born April 28th 1989 while Robin is in her second year of college. They live with Steve and Eddie, who accompanied Robin to California, at first in an apartment, then later in a house they buy in Hawkins.

When Josie's six and a half years old, Nancy returns to Hawkins and learns about her existence, starting a ronance slowburn with mutual pining from both Nancy and Robin.

All in all, it's a universe centred on everyone healing post-canon, and one little girl being raised by an entire group of people who love her

When is it set?

The fic universe overall spans the events prior to her birth and as far as I’m concerned covers her entire life. I’ve pictured her marriage and her children and how Robin would be as a grandparent. I haven’t got much addressed pre-Robin going to college, but I’m pretty much picking and choosing from my various other fics and canon.

The ronance arc starts in 1995. In my head the universe is split into segments: Pre-Josie / The Pregnancy Saga / The Early Years / Settling Into Hawkins / Nancy’s Return / The Rest of Childhood / The Teen Years / Leaving the Nest / Josie’s Adulthood / Ronance Retirement

Can I read it?

Sure, kind of. I post fics for the universe as I finish them, so there are currently a lot of unfinished ones in my drafts. My fics can be found on my AO3. I also post about the universe here, on my twitter, and on my ko-fi.

Fic List

I’ll update this post whenever I post a new one, but here’s the series masterlist if you want to keep up (rearranged into timeline order, below fics are ordered chronologically by date posted).

bright as the morning sun — A slice-of-life oneshot revolving around Robin, Steve and Josie.

here's to my future (here's to my yesterday) — The party learn that Robin's pregnant.

all for freedom and for pleasure — Eddie discovers that Josie has learnt how to blackmail people.

tomorrow's coming at the speed of light — The day Josie's born.

what you fear the most — Steve comes home to find Robin and Josie stuck in the garden.

somebody that you used to know — A slice-of-life oneshot about Robin and Val, before.

FAQs

A separate post containing more information about the universe can be found [here].

AUs

Josieverse has a couple of alternate universes that I talk about occasionally. They are:

Jiffverse / Rockstar AU — AKA the Tiktok AU. Series timeline slightly altered so that Robin and Steve are in their late thirties during present day. Steve adopts his half-sister Elizabeth (Biff). Robin gets pregnant with Josie in college still, but this time they coparent them together. Set in @pukner's Rockstar Eddie universe but slightly to the left.

Fantasy AU — Little fantasy universe I've toyed with. Robin is the reigning queen of her kingdom, Josie is her heir, Nancy is her sworn protector.

Evil Josieverse — Josieverse, except Robin dies during the bubblescoops arc when Josie's four.

[ochrearia]

Youshould write BF showing Pico and GF the absolute dumbest videos. Like, they're incomprehensible and he's laughing the entire time he's showing them.

In PoPr Universe, so GF -> Cherry, BF -> Keith

"He's been giggling over the same fucking 14 second video for twenty minutes!" Pico shouted in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air when Keith, the he in question, burst into cackles again at the thought. "It is NOT that funny of a video, you're off your ass."

"It's so fucking funny, what are you talking about?!" Keith shot back between his laughter. "Fucking... 'look the hype train'! Fuck you gay boy!" He cut himself off with more laughter.

Pico stared at his boyfriend with the most 'I'm so fucking over this' look he could muster, while Cherry sat idly by smiling in confusion. She wasn't actually sure what the hell either of them were talking about, but the rapper was laughing pretty hard and she was happy to hear it. Though maybe context would help. "Um... what's this video exactly?"

"Oh god you've enabled him. He's going to laugh for another twenty minutes because he's going to show you the video and watch it again himself." Pico sighed. "You've doomed us to about seven hundred more quotings of the video."

"I dunno, anything that lets me hear Biff's giggling for this long is a good thing in my book." Cherry snickered. "Don't act like you wouldn't agree, Peeks. You can pretend all you want but I know you're just as obsessed with hearing us laugh like we are about you."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Pico snipped, purposefully refusing to meet her eyes as a flush bloomed on his cheeks.

"Babe, babe come here- hah- Fucking look at this shit." Keith wheezed, holding his phone out to Cherry with the video playing. He devolved back into ridiculous deep belly laughter as the punch line of the video played again.

"I... can't say I fully get it, but yeah, I can see why that's funny." Cherry sighed with a handful of amused huffs. "I think I'd end up laughing more at your laughter though. You're so adorably infectious."

Keith was too busy laughing at this point to reply, grinning so hard that one of his giggles ended in a snort. Which triggered a chain reaction, causing Cherry to burst out laughing as well, completely incapacitated by giggles. Pico sighed exasperatedly, but both of them saw the losing battle he was experiencing with his own grin at their antics.

[flashfuture]

Since I've been on it I wanna talk about Hal's parents. Cause I've seen some dislike for Geoff Johns take on them. But they didn't really, Jessica especially, exist before then. I feel like some people read the comic where Hal in hysterical grief over Coast City made a construct of his parents and then went off to kill all the Lanterns and Guardians and said yep that is exactly how his parents were.

But let's get into it. Martin and Jessica Jordan. For further context, the sibling order is Jack, Hal, Jim Jordan. Three boys. And it was sort of implied for years that they were Jewish and got confirmed not too long ago that Jessica is Jewish and Martin is Catholic. Hal was a grown man in the 80s. His childhood took place in the 50/60s. And before that he was a grown man in the 60s meaning his childhood was the 40s/50s. That absolutely influenced the type of life he had. Vs the further in time we drag this out the less natural it becomes to have super strict parents.

So to begin the first physical appearance of Martin Jordan comes in 1989 in Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn #1. This is a post crisis pre zero hour story so any events in this particular time window are wildly subject to change

Martin is a test flight pilot. He's Hal's hero. His plane goes down. Hal watches. This sequence of events stays consistent across every time line including Flashpoint which is you know fascinating.

"Hal got fired today-- and he got his mom to call up and beg for him."

"Talk about my father again Biff and I'll rip your lungs out."

In this version of events, we get a mention of Jessica. She's not named and doesn't appear. So you can tell she was brought up purely for a 'Hal is so irresponsible he needs his mommy's help' bit. Hal and Jack get along though and are violently defensive of their father. Hal also catches a drunk driving charge after this.

Speaking of drunk I know there's a comic out there where Martin is described as a drunk which I could not for the life of me dig up again but that's mentioned all of once so I just ignore it. What's with making test pilots drunks???

Anyways Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn is definitely not my favorite Hal Jordan story and I'm glad it's been mostly retconned out minus the very beginning parts with Martin.

(Green Lantern vol 3 #36)

"So you're back to flying planes, huh?"

"Dad's blood still runs through my veins, I guess."

This Christmas special in 1993 took place before Coast City exploded. Hal took Carol out to Jack's house to spend the holiday with the Jordan family. Hal directly attributes flying to his dad's influence.

Now Green Lantern vol 3 #48. Hal is standing in the ruins of Coast City not a soul left and he conjures an image of his parents. Reminder they are entirely Hal's imagination and again he is just about hysterical right now.

"I looked up to you. I worshipped the ground you walked on, or flew over. I wanted to grow up and be you... which probably has a lot to do with who I am now. Growing up, though, I never felt like you... I don't know thought that much of me."

As we saw Hal's dad died when he was Maybe ten. His little brother and older brother didn't have real accomplishments in elementary school. Jack the DA and Jim helping the campaign and having a family that's all modern. Stuff Martin would have never known about. Martin the pilot getting on Hal's case for having his head in the clouds? Really seems like Hal is the one he could have related to the most. Martin getting on Hal about not saving the city just proves Hal is projecting his worries about disappointing his dad onto his dad and then because he's so hysterical with grief forces himself to rewatch his dad dying.

Absolutely completely irrational state of mind he's in right now. At the end of this issue, he's going to fly off into space to kill all the Lanterns and the Guardians.

And then he summons Jessica. Calling her mother instead of mom is just really funny to me like informal with his strict dad formal with his chill mom. Lmao? Jessica only speaks on Martin. Reminding Hal of the good times they had. She's Hal's memory which which means Hal heard the story of dressing up as Santa he remembers his dad's aftershave. Summoning your mom just to talk about your dad is crazy work btw

Again Hal was so young when his dad died. Not a teenager not even close. What was Martin disappointed about? Maybe Hal who can't keep a job a girl or half his friends (Barry died and all super friends ditched him basically) is projecting backwards into time. And assumes his Dad would be disappointed in him.

"Personal gain? This is about personal loss!"

Personal loss and Hal's spent most of his time summoning his long dead father. He really never got over Martin dying and that's so apparent. Anyways this is where Hal decides to go into space and kill everybody. Seeing his dad taken from him one more time made him snap.

Hal is enamored with his father. Whether their relationship was tough or easy it wasn't necessarily the point. The point is Hal Jordan loves his father to Oa and back more than the rest of his family probably understood. He didn't just want to impress his father he wants to be him.

And Zero Hour royally fucked up Hal's family but like idk let's just say Infinite Crisis fixed it. That's two reality shattering events. Why not give Hal a little treat of being his dad's favorite. No one seems to miss when Jack, Jim, and Hal all went to the same college and the same fraternity and were besties

[pftones3482]

I've only been seeing people talk about how they're excited to see Isabella again in a phinabella context so far, so here's a list of Isabella-centric plots I'd like to see that don't revolve around her crush bc she's more than just a romantic interest:

I really want an Isabella and Pinky centered episode. Whether that's an "Isabella somehow accidentally temporarily finds out Pinky's an agent and shenanigans ensue" scenario or a "Pinky has to go to the vet but he ALSO has to fight Poofenplotz but Isabella is relentless" scenario is a toss up

I've said it before, but an episode about her cultural background/ethnicity that isn't based in stereotypes

Helping at a cousins quinceañera (or if it's set at any point in the future, HERS).

Give me an episode with just her, Baljeet, and Buford. I want to see more of their friendship so badly I love the trio

On a similar note, an episode with her and Ferb. Their friendship is everything to me

Another Fireside Girl centric episode or two - I want to learn more about the other girls and their relationship with her. A flashback of their first troop meeting, mayhaps

An episode focusing on her relationship with Candace - maybe a sister related event, with older sisters and younger sisters, and she asks Candace to go with her and they have a really good time and it's all soft and sibling-y

I want her to pet sit Biff and for some reason it's significantly more difficult than she expects. This could fully be a side plot to a normal episode like just:

Phineas and Ferb: *doing shit*

Phineas: "Hey, where's Isabella?"

Cut to Isabella at Buford's, holding a mile long list of instructions: "Why do I have to WALK HIM??"

For some reason completely not her fault (it's probably Doofs fault) Isabella is kicked out of the Fireside Girls and she has to prove she's innocent to be let back in (it's some absurd rule like "You can't wear purple striped socks on Thursdays" or something nothing actually bad)

She delivers cupcakes to Dr. D, recognizes him from CATU, and then proceeds to spend the whole day vibing in his lair watching him build stuff and critiquing it the whole time (bonus if Perry is still fighting Doof in the reboot and is Sweating Bullets™ in the rafters, bonus bonus if he calls Pinky and is like "come get your kid")

Again. Please. A Pinky and Isabella episode I was SO bummed she never found out about him 😭

[timechange]

MCFLY JULY ‘24 — synchronicity.

DECEMBER 3, 1985

It’s not often they have to venture out of Hill Valley for parts, but when it comes to fixing the amplifier, they have to get a little more creative.

After a twenty minute drive, Marty finds himself in one of Doc’s favorite haunts, somewhere that looks like a cross between Circuit City and an old warehouse full of junk. He trails behind the scientist, talking with him about transformers, speakers, and potentiometers.

They have to ask the clerk for the right size resistors and terminals, and Marty waits by the counter for her to get them from the back while @doctorbrown continues to browse.

“Here ya go, honey,” she says, handing over the parts, “give these to your pop.”

“Huh?” Marty, startled, searches the clerk’s face. She’s got cat-eye glasses on a beaded chain, a mohawk, looks like she’s his mom’s age, and could take Biff and all his goons in a fight, easy.

“It’s nothin’ to be ashamed of,” she continues, “I think it’s sweet, a kid your age still close to his old man. You got matchin’ shirts and everything.”

Marty looks down at the white patterned shirt Doc bought for him in ‘55 and kept all these years. He looks to Doc strolling around the aisles in one of his incredibly loud Hawai’ian numbers and realizes that they do match, in a weird sort of way.

He guesses they always have, cruising through the centuries and tornadoing through timelines.

His partner in time.

“Great Scott,” he murmurs, before flashing a smile at the clerk. “Hey, thanks a lot.”

“No sweat, kid. Let me know when you’re ready to check out.”

“Yeah, we will.”

[waywardrose]

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY 24

stranger things

eddie munson x reader

rated e

5.6k

spotify playlist

for @punk-in-docs​​​

fem/witch/goth!reader, sweetheart!eddie, magic, slow burn (for me), friends to lovers, angst with a happy ending, no y/n only pet names, series-typical horror, period-typical sexism and homophobia, historical inaccuracies and anachronisms, drug dealing and use, smoking, alcohol use, masturbation, mutual masturbation, fantasizing, one-bed trope, making out, fingering, dirty talk, chasing, oral sex, handjobs, condoms, piv sex, reader’s father is a dirtbag, mild spanking, magical violation, mental torture, body horror, blood, aftercare, nightmares, strict parenting, panic attack, past child abuse and abandonment, semi-public sex, break-ups, running away, guns, fist fighting, everyone survives, tags will be updated as needed

Eddie would have to wait until his lunch break to see this new, hot, weird chick. He wondered which flavor of weird she was. Art weird? Theater weird? Band weird? Weird weird? He shrugged. He liked weird. In other words, you’re the new girl in town, and Eddie is intrigued.

note: Idk if the Cali group arrives in Hawkins on Saturday or Sunday. I'm going with Saturday. If that's wrong, well, this fic isn't canon compliant anyway. Also, Unnamed Freak (aka Dave) has a canon name now with Flight of Icarus: Dougie. I've corrected this entire fic on all platforms. If I've missed a "Dave" somewhere, please tell me. 🖤

24

The phone rang, jolting you from your research. On reflex, you stretched across the spread of opened spell books for the phone on the nightstand. Then you remembered you weren’t at home. You sat on the bed in one of Steve’s guestrooms.

When he didn’t ask you to answer the phone, you straightened and found where you’d left off. The ringing ceased, then Steve’s voice drifted through the open door. At one time, it would’ve been an annoyance. Now, it reminded you that you weren’t alone. You had people who knew you for who you were and weren’t wary of your abilities.

Last night, Robin had stayed through dinner and Back to the Future. Working at Family Video had its perks, because there was a waitlist to rent it. Robin and Steve had talked through the entire movie, asking about you and sharing about themselves, but you hadn’t minded. You learned that ‘Scoops’ was Scoops Ahoy, an ice cream parlor. It must be a Midwestern chain, because you’d never heard of it.

Robin bragged Steve had slung so much ice cream, they had to put in special orders. Steve shrugged, all bravado, yet his flushed cheeks belied his cool demeanor.

“You should’ve seen some of the girls who came in,” Robin had said, face reverent. “They must’ve come from Fort Wayne or Indy—”

Eyes wide, Steve had interrupted. “Yeah, they weren’t local, that’s for sure.”

You’d glanced at him, then at Robin. He’d tried to divert the conversation. Maybe to protect her? That had made no sense until you remembered you were in the Midwest, where homosexuality — or even bisexual tendencies — was anathema.

To Robin, you asked with a sly look: “That hot, huh?”

“God, I could barely keep eye con—” She curled her lips between her teeth, but rallied. “I mean, they were, like, super intimidating.”

You grinned with a minute shake of your head.

“No, I get it. Girls are hot.”

“Yeah…” she breathed, eyes going glassy. “Girls are hot.”

The conversation had paused as George confronted Biff on screen. When George and Lorraine walked away together, you’d reached for your drink and glimpsed Steve holding Robin’s hand. He noticed you noticing and opened his mouth to speak. You stopped him with an understanding look.

“So, is there a girl at school you like?” you’d asked before taking a sip.

Robin glanced at Steve, who’d offered an encouraging shrug. She’d smiled, giddy and love-struck, and gushed about Vickie. According to Robin, she looked like Molly Ringwald, but even cuter. Vickie was talented and funny and smart. Steve insisted Vickie was into her despite what they’d seen at The War Zone. Robin waved it away, saying Vickie had a boyfriend. It was a lost cause. She’d pine from afar.

You’d said, “Well, not necessarily. She could be bi.”

“I don’t know? It doesn’t seem likely.” She’d gnawed on her bottom lip. “I would normally say that’s ridiculous, because this is Hawkins, but—” She gestured at herself.

You’d narrowed your eyes playfully.

“You could still win fair maiden’s heart.”

Steve laughed. “You sound like Munson.”

“What can I say? He’s rubbed off on me.”

Robin had snorted. “Yeah, I bet that’s not the only thing he’s done.” You’d giggled even as your face heated. You grinned now thinking about it.

Knuckles rapped on the doorjamb. Steve stood in the doorway, the sleeves of his teal henley pushed up his forearms. His perfectly tousled hair framed his face, his jeans showed off the goods, and his Nikes were clean.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey, lookin’ good.”

He put a hand on the back of his head and looked down as if bashful. Like he didn’t know how handsome he was.

You asked, “Going somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah, that was Nance on the phone. She wants to donate some stuff at the school, and I offered her a lift. I think I’m going to volunteer while I’m there, too. You know, whatever they need.”

“That’s…” You first thought ‘surprising,’ but that was insulting. “That’s really generous of you.” You glanced at your suitcase overflowing with clean laundry. “Actually, I bet I have a few things someone else could use.”

“Oh, wow, sure.” He nodded. “You wanna come with?” He waggled a hand. “I mean, I know you’re not ready, but I was going to call Robin and Dustin. See if they wanna join.”

“I want to, but I can’t. I need to heal Lucas and Max.” You gestured to all the opened books. “That’s what I’m researching.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

He pointed at his left eye.

“Wouldn’t everything be a little easier if you had both?”

“Probably, but Max is worse than I am, so…” You looked at the books. “I can manage.”

He surprised you a second time when he said, “It’s hard to take that ‘put your own oxygen mask on first’ advice, but you should consider it.”

You met his earnest eyes.

“I will.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. You should be the guinea pig before you sprung a healing spell on Lucas or Max. While you were certain a healing spell would never harm, that didn’t mean it would be effective.

Marking your place in the book you’d been reading, you eased off the bed. You knelt in front of your suitcase to pick out a few pairs of socks, a free promo t-shirt you wore when cleaning, and a pair of tartan trousers you hadn’t worn since moving.

There was more at home you’d be happy to donate. You realized you could drop in after healing Max to pick up more — as long as your parents hadn’t returned.

When Steve stopped at your door, you handed over the clothes and told him of your plan. He brightened with a nod. You jokingly assured him not all your clothes were black and scary.

He lifted the stack of clothes.

“Just most of them.”

You laughed as he smiled at you.

He stepped back and said he was leaving, adding he’d leave the spare key on the foyer console. You thanked him and wished him luck before he skipped down the stairs.

As the front door snicked closed, you plucked the book from the bed and found a white tea-candle in your magic supplies. After placing both on the en-suite bathroom counter, you flipped on the light. With a deep inhale, you found your center. Time to be a guinea pig. You opened the book and lit the candle.

Holding your fingertips above the flame, you said, “Magic mend as candle burns; Affliction end and health returns.”

You brought your warmed fingers to the dark, tender bruise on your jaw and repeated the chant. Your skin heated almost to the point of pain. You closed your eyes to concentrate on the feeling. Tendrils of cooling energy twisted through your flesh. You shivered and breathed through it.

Once the tendrils dissipated, you opened your eyes and withdrew your fingers. The bruise was gone. You wiggled your jaw, then put pressure where the bruise had been to find it recovered. Like Jason had never punched you.

That was one injury — and the lesser of the two.

You slipped the pressure patch from your eye and examined your reflection. The cursed eye was like any other injury, you rationalized. Surgeons removed damaged bits of the eye all the time. You were no surgeon, of course. You weren’t removing damage; you were healing it. That was different.

You couldn’t psych yourself out, though. It was like making the Creel house go unnoticed on Thursday. Size didn’t matter. Hence, the extent of the injury didn’t matter. It was all the same and all connected. There was plenty of energy in the candle, in the spell, in the universe, and in you to heal this.

You took a few deep breaths before holding your fingertips above the flame and reciting the chant. You closed your eyes as warm energy gathered. You brought your fingers to your left eye, swallowed the mounting tension in your throat, and repeated the chant.

Your fingers went numb. Heat radiated from your eye like needles of fire. Lightning burned under your skin. The floor left your feet. Or your feet left the floor. You couldn’t find the counter. You couldn’t move or think or orient yourself.

You clawed at the dark like a panicked animal. Red flashed across your vision. Rotting vines slithered across every surface, growing thicker. Their musty, sour smell invaded your nose. Your heartbeat thundered through the room. Red flashed again. A figure made of sharp edges and pain moved behind the vines. You stepped back. They stepped back. You reached forward. They reached forward. You screamed at them. Their mouth opened as though mocking you.

You charged forward to thrust your hand between the vines. Your palm hit cold glass. You met the figure’s eyes. They were your own.

You stumbled away. Your back slammed into something hard. Each blink of your eyes tore you through different realities. The gray Upside Down, your sunny reality, glowing lava fields, a silent city made of slate, a world full of unvoiced secrets, neon lights and the scent of stale beer. Time curved in on itself. No future, no past. On and on it flowed until you yelled for it to stop, stop, stop.

The soft bathmat cushioned your calves. You held onto the counter edge with your forehead pressed against the wood cabinet. The side of your nose filled the left border of your vision.

The spell hadn’t worked.

“Shit.”

You hauled yourself to your knees and braced your elbows on the counter. Thin tracks of blood ran down your reflection’s left cheek.

“Shit.”

You stood and bent over the sink to examine closer in the mirror. The cursed eye didn’t look any worse. Its milky pupil and iris were the same as before. Rheumy blood flaked under your touch.

If the spell hadn’t worked for you, you doubted it would work for Max. She’d taken part of the curse, the same as you. Your eye wasn’t only injured. It stood to reason her arm wasn’t only broken. Then you remembered both her eyes looked like your left.

This was more complex than any healing spell could manage—

Which you said to Lucas after mending his swollen cheek and eye.

From behind him, Erica asked, “Can’t you kill this son of a bitch already?”

You glanced over her shoulder at Susan, who slept on the alcove couch.

“I don’t know if a spell would reach him.”

Lucas turned to Erica.

“And if she kills him, she could kill Max.”

You frowned.

“Why do you think that?”

“El said she couldn’t find Max,” he said, tapping his temple.

He’d explained when you’d first arrived the other members of the party were back in town. On Thursday, El had fought Vecna by connecting to Max’s mind, while Vecna was also connected to Max. El then said Vecna had roared in pain and disintegrated into smoke in his own mindscape. Nancy had connected that to her shooting him and Robin Molotov-ing him.

El had seen Max unconscious in Lucas’s arms afterwards. She felt Max’s steady heartbeat then. Max’s heart continued to beat, which the EKG confirmed. However, El entered Max’s mind this morning to find a void.

“You think she’s with Vecna?” you asked.

Erica said, “Or she’s brain-dead.”

Lucas’s face became a mask of absolute anguish.

“Harsh,” you said to her.

Erica shrugged in lieu of saying it was a possibility. It might be, but you didn’t want to give up hope just yet. Lucas returned to the bedside chair to page through The Talisman. There had to be something you could do or something you could offer.

Erica cursed under her breath and went to Susan. After Erica repeated Susan’s name and shook her shoulder numerous times, she woke with a grumble. Erica announced it was two o’clock. Susan blinked in sullen confusion. Erica said Susan had work at four.

Susan’s voice was hoarse when she said, “O-of course. Thank you.”

Erica backed away as Susan coughed with a wince and sat up. She sounded like shit. Her pallid face looked more tired than yesterday.

You asked, “Would you like some water?”

Her drowsy eyes settled on you.

“Oh, you’re back.” She couldn’t seem to muster a smile, but she looked pleased. “It’s good to see you.”

Without waiting for an answer, you went to the squat pitcher and disposable cups on the overbed table and poured her some cool water. Her hands trembled as she took the cup from you, but she managed drinking half the water in one go. That appeared to revive her, and you offered her more.

She nodded with a soft, “Yes, please.”

As you filled her cup, you thought of a quick blessing. She needed strength to see this situation through. For all you knew, she might be the key to bringing Max back, because despite what Erica said, you didn’t think Max was brain-dead.

By the time Susan finished the water, her green eyes had brightened. She stood, fluffed her hair, and straightened her rumpled clothes. She announced she was going back to the motel to shower and change before work, and if anything happened, to give her a call.

You, Lucas, and Erica promised. Susan nodded to herself and hooked her purse over her shoulder. She went to Max, righted one of her braids, and murmured something to her. She hesitated a second, taking a quick look around, before leaving the room.

You placed the pitcher on the overbed table and threw Susan’s cup in the bathroom wastebasket. The tense silence made you aware of every noise you made, from the swish of the wastebasket liner to the crinkle of your clothes and faint footsteps. Rhythmic squeaking of wheels came from the corridor.

Watching the EKG display, you thought of something you could do:

“I can look for Max, too. I don’t have El’s powers, of course, but Max and I, we’re connected.” You shook your head. “I… I might have a better chance of finding her or finding a clue to get her back.”

Lucas asked, “Are you sure?”

“What if Vecna’s got her, and he takes you?” Erica leaned her elbows on the overbed table. “Then we’re down a magic-user — and we need as many as we can get.”

“He can’t get me here. He tried before and he failed.”

“But you died.”

“And yet, here I am, talking to you.”

“Died.”

You threw out your hands. There was no arguing that fact. Yes, you had died. Yes, Vecna’s curse had killed you. Nevertheless, you were alive. Also, Vecna was wounded.

Lucas asked, “What’s your plan?”

“I don’t know? Connect with her somehow?”

You thought of psychometry. Through touch you’d seen Eddie’s past. Perhaps through touch you could see Max’s. If you could see when the curse hit her from her point of view, maybe that would show you how to get her back.

“Maybe I can’t communicate with her,” you said. “But I might be able to see how Vecna took her.”

“Then you could reverse his steps.”

“Something like that, sure.”

Lucas sighed in thought, tapping his fingers on the book. He came to a conclusion before looking at you.

“It’s worth a shot.”

Erica huffed in disapproval and retreated to the couch.

You propped a hip on the bed, facing Max. Her delicate fingers curled over the cast. You tucked your hand around them and closed your eye.

Unlike with Eddie, you didn’t have to tell Max to relax and trust you. You loosened your shoulders, breathing deep. You focused on her hand, the stillness of her fingers and the fine skin of her knuckles.

The room went cold. Ambient noise disappeared. The mattress sagged under your weight.

Max’s grip tightened.

You opened your eyes. The pressure patch was gone — as was Max’s cast. She stared at you through milky eyes in a younger face. Her now-smaller hand held fast to yours.

The world went wound-red and drained of life. Only you and she remained in the room. No leaves grew on the trees outside. A motionless, stormy sky hovered close. You were in a frozen, bloody version of your world, like a paused horror movie.

“I can’t sleep,” said Max.

“You’re sleeping in our world.”

“What? How?”

“This isn’t your world.”

“Am I dreaming?”

You hadn’t considered that. She could be dream-walking. If she were, why would she choose this? Why would she be younger?

You said, “I don’t know, but you need to leave this place.”

“You mean I need to wake up?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I can’t. I can’t switch back. I don’t know how.” She frowned. “Where’s El?”

“I don’t know.”

Instinct kept you from telling her El had been at the hospital to visit her earlier in the day. This younger Max could be an illusion. You could be talking to Vecna. Or Vecna could be listening.

“How did you get here?” you asked.

“I was fighting Vecna, and he threw me. Everything went dark.”

“And then?”

“And then I woke up in the goddamn Upside Down.”

You examined the room, noticing how much differed from what you’d seen through the tumbler.

“You sure this is the Upside Down?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s red, and where are the vines? The lightning? The demo-creatures?”

From nowhere, an invisible force pushed you backwards. Your foot skidded across the floor. You held onto Max’s hand. She bent forward to stay with you, then struggled to her knees. Your hip dropped off the crumbling mattress. You gripped the edge of the tattered sheets until they tore.

Her eyes widened as she shook her head.

“Don’t go!”

“I’m trying!”

But there was nothing to fight against.

You met her panicked gaze.

“We’ll find you! Wherever you are, we’ll find you!”

Your heel hit the floor. You lost your hold on Max’s hand. She screamed your name, crawling to the end of the bed. You pitched backwards, your heel the focal point. For a second, it felt like flying.

You landed hard on your side. Your ears rang. Like Dorothy landing in Oz, the world bloomed in technicolor. The pressure patch was back. Hands rolled you onto your back. Above you, Lucas and Erica blurred and sharpened. Their mouths moved, but their voices couldn’t overpower the ringing. You touched Lucas’s shoulder to confirm you’d returned.

The room dimmed. Shadows deepened. The three of you paused.

Red light flared through the window. Thunder vibrated the glass, restoring your hearing. You froze. You’d brought the Upside Down — or wherever you’d been — with you. Any second, those rotting vines would slither over the walls, the floor, Max’s bed.

Lucas helped you sit. Erica peered at the window on the other side of the bed. The clouds darkened further. When the vines didn’t appear, you used the bedframe to hoist yourself to your feet. Erica went to the window first, Lucas right behind her. You followed them, keeping to the shadows. You dared not look at any reflective surface, lest that sharp-edged figure look back.

Red lightning cut through the iron gray tower of smoke now spewing from the mega-gate’s nexus. Deafening thunder shook your bones. Warmth quaked in your gut a second later, silver and true. It filled the emptiness that had settled days ago.

-

Pitch black surrounded him. He lay on ice — or something like it. It curved around the back of his bare arms, cooled his body numb. So numb he couldn’t move. And he needed to move. There was work to do, someone to find, wrongs to right. Too much had gone wrong in the world. Too many injustices to name. He could make it right. He could help, gather, hunt.

Blood hung in the air. Screeches echoed through his mind, a hungry call for vengeance. Vines pulsed with wrath. The Source promised a righteous purpose larger than himself. The Source was a kindred soul: misunderstood, rejected, and enraged by the world’s hypocrisy. They were misfits together.

And there was no need to be frightened of anything anymore.

He searched the dark, his fingers not offering the answers he needed. He moved his legs and found the curve of the surface he lay on. Raising a foot, his toe bumped into something hard and smooth inches above. He let his heel fall as he walked his hands across the surface. He pulled it down his body. Whatever he was on moved instead.

He walked his hands above his head to find more of the same smooth surface. To his left were round protrusions, like bolts. Yes, he thought, bolts. Bolts meant hinges. Hinges were weak points.

More bolts were on the right. That was the hinge. The left was the handle. Handles were weak points, too.

He placed his palm on the handle bolts.

The Source said he could free himself. Something as mundane as this wouldn’t injure him.

He slammed the heel of his palm below the bolts. The handle rattled. He struck a second time. The handle whined. He struck again. The handle clanged in the background. He waited for someone to come investigate — police, a guard, even an assistant. He pushed the hatch open and waited a few minutes more. It was nominally brighter beyond, yet there was enough light to see he lay on a metal drawer.

He pulled himself through the portal. The drawer rumbled. Still, no one came. All around the portal were similar metal doors with chrome latch handles. He recognized it for the morgue it was.

He’d been dead. He was dead.

The Source contradicted the thought, saying everyone had mistaken him for dead. They’d not looked close enough. They’d abandoned him. They’d thrown him away. Only Source accepted him and had seen him for the valuable individual he’d always been.

He sat and scooted up the drawer to maneuver his legs out. The skin on his torso pulled. He looked down and gagged. Lines of black stitches or patches of missing flesh disfigured his chest and stomach. He touched the flap of skin on a patch on his right side. It should’ve hurt—

Nothing hurt.

He should’ve been cold. He’d been in a refrigerated box for who knows how long, but he wasn’t.

The Source assured him he was beyond pain.

His right calf and left thigh had been gnawed on, too. Someone had attempted to repair the damage with more black stitches. Those injuries didn’t pull like his torso.

That hardly mattered, though. He needed to leave— wherever the fuck he was. He needed clothes for that, because he was very, very naked. Making anything right usually required covering your ass.

He slipped off the drawer, landing on feet that didn’t feel like his own. His legs wobbled. Every wound protested as he straightened. The skin stretched little by little until he could stand.

A shelving unit stacked with linens stood by the main door. He found a scrub top and held it up. His bare hands felt as naked as the rest of him. That wasn’t how it should be. He only took off— No, he hadn’t taken off anything. He was supposed to see someone. They were waiting— No, no one was waiting for him. Everyone thought he was useless — and dead.

He was forgetting someone— No, they’d forgotten him. He touched his upper chest. Something should be there. They’d stolen something from him.

Yes, someone had taken something from them. He needed to find this person— No, wait for this person. They had an essential component in Source’s plan, and he had to capture it.

-

“Something’s changed,” you said.

“Uh, yeah,” said Lucas, pointing towards the window. “The Upside Down is invading Hawkins.”

You shook your head.

“No, I feel the pull of something.”

You didn’t want to say you felt the silver flame of Eddie’s energy for the first time in days. That sounded hokey even to yourself. If the emptiness — which had to have been Eddie — was filled, it meant Eddie was alive. You couldn’t desert him. You had to find him.

Erica said, “You can’t go now.”

Lucas nodded.

“The party doesn’t separate.”

“Even if it’s for a member of the party?”

“Who is it?”

“I think it’s Eddie.”

“What about Max?” he asked. “Did you find her?”

With a nod, you explained the paused, red world where Max couldn’t sleep. Max thought she was dreaming, but you weren’t sure it was her dream. You theorized it was an illusion to keep her stuck. There had to be something to get her unstuck. She wanted to switch back, but she didn’t know how.

“She exists in two worlds,” you said. “Her body in ours, her mind in another.”

“Or in Vecna’s mind.”

“We have to unite her,” said Erica.

“She asked where El was, but I didn’t tell her. Because I don’t know, and because I didn’t want Vecna finding out.” The pull of Eddie being alive nagged at your consciousness, and you shook your head. “Look, I can’t stay. I gotta find Eddie.” You grabbed your purse from where you’d left it by the door. “Guard Max. Hide her, if you have to.”

Erica and Lucas shared a look.

“We can do that,” he said.

You gave them a nod before leaving the room. Eddie’s energy drew you outside. Though you didn’t understand, you took the service stairs down. Hospital personnel pushed open doors and passed you on the stairs without questioning you.

While the first-floor corridors bustled with people and staff, a hushed tension overlaid every conversation. You swerved around anxious groups of two or three and the occasional thousand-yard-stare loner.

Outside, the scent of smoke and hot ozone had your eyes near burning and your nose on the verge of running. Ash fell like snow from the low ceiling of the clouds. It disappeared when it touched your skin.

You brought your shirt collar over your nose, then crossed the parking lot to your car. You stowed your purse in the trunk and pocketed the keys. There, you hesitated. If Eddie wasn’t in the hospital, he could be anywhere. Perhaps Wayne had identified him and took him to another hospital. However, there wasn’t another hospital in Hawkins. Maybe he was at a doctor’s office. His wounds might’ve looked worse than they were. That didn’t explain his absence from Indra’s net or his reappearance, though.

You turned to the path that led through the trees at the back of the parking lot. Except for funeral homes, only the hospital and coroner’s office could store dead bodies. If Eddie was in a funeral home, word about it would’ve been everywhere by now.

His energy wasn’t far, yet it was muddled, like poor reception on a TV. You tried getting more of a read on him. Pain lit your nerves, making you back off. You pressed your shirt over the bridge of your nose and breathed deep.

Fine, you thought. The coroner’s office it is.

You had to get yourself worked up. An injured girl near tears could get sympathetic assistance and soothing information. You made your breath shallow and rapid as you marched across the parking lot. You brought to mind every stressor: your father rejecting your every idea, being a stranger in this town, Vecna disfiguring your face after stealing your magic, making mistake after mistake and not finding the strength to get over it or fix it, finding Eddie and losing him all in one night.

Tears rimmed your eyes as you walked under the coroner’s office awning. You righted your shirt and pushed at the door. It clanked in its frame.

“What the hell?”

You caught your breath. Maybe you had to pull it. You tried that, earning another clank.

It was locked. Still.

That was complete bullshit.

Your tears evaporated as you grit your teeth. You would not be kept from him any longer. It didn’t matter if he was alive, dead, or undead. You would see Eddie.

You placed a palm over the deadbolt.

“You are undone,” you whispered to it.

Its screws unwound and fell to the floor. The outside cover tumbled off. The interior mechanism flicked open and teetered in the hole. You encouraged it to drop with a jab.

You swiped the cover from the sidewalk before entering the building. Inside, you gathered the deadbolt pieces and dumped them in a potted plant in the dim waiting room. You went to the empty check-in counter to find the area beyond it vacated and dark, save for the blinking lights of the desk phone.

Heavy footsteps echoed behind the reinforced door to your left. With nowhere to run, you put on an innocent expression and curled your shoulders inward. A guard in fatigues tore back the door while another rushed into the waiting room, guns in hand.

“Hands up!” said the closest guard as the door closed behind them.

You raised your hands as your gaze bounced from one to the other. They both had black armbands with MP decorating the side. Military police. Your hunch yesterday about the Humvees had been correct.

“How did you get in here?”

“The front door?” You glanced at it. “The lock’s gone.”

“State your business.”

“I can’t find my-my parents.” You didn’t have to force any nervousness with two guns pointed at you. “They’re not at the hospital. And… and-and the ER told me to check he-here.”

The MPs scowled.

A frenzy of banging and clanging came from behind the door. The MPs turned from you with guns at the ready. You took a step back, heart in your throat.

What were they keeping back there?

The door flew off its hinges, springing off the linoleum by its corner. It ricocheted and crashed into an MP, who toppled to the floor. The door landed to cover his top half. His gun skidded into the waiting room.

“Back away!” yelled the remaining MP. “Hands up!”

You turned your attention away from the gun, thinking he yelled at you. Rather, his attention was on the person in the doorway.

You almost didn’t believe your eyes. You’d expected a demogorgon or some other sort of hellish creature. It was neither. It was Eddie. Unmistakable, even backlit by the severe hallway light. His usually wild hair hung limp around his face. Green scrubs had replaced his clothes.

Eddie hissed at the MP and stomped onto the collapsed door. The MP underneath bleated in protest.

If he kept on like this, he was going to be shot.

“Eddie?”

He turned his focus on you, his blank expression so unlike himself.

The MP shouted, “I said, hands up!”

Eddie’s eyes had you taking another step back. They were like your left: cursed. His skin was waxen like the dead. A tag hung from his big toe. You didn’t know who this was, but he wasn’t your Eddie. He felt like him, looked like him, had his silver flame, but he wasn’t Eddie.

The door was less than a yard away. You could make it out before anyone would reach you. Once outside, you could dash to your car — or lead Eddie away from the hospital.

You pivoted on one foot. A cold body plowed into yours. Hands grabbed your upper arms. The check-in counter dug into your back. Eddie reared up over you.

He’d moved too fast to be natural. In comparison, the MP turned in slow motion.

Eddie pulled the pressure patch down your face.

With a pleased look, he said, “Ah, I see you’re half ours already.”

His breath smelled of old blood.

“Eddie, don’t.”

“Don’t what? Have you join us?”

He leaned in to drag his nose over your cheek, inhaling as he went. You closed your eyes and pinched your mouth shut. His dry, cracked lips skipped up your cheek.

“Pretty, pretty witch.”

“Show me your hands,” ordered the MP.

“Should I let him shoot me?” Eddie asked you.

“Don’t shoot,” you called over his shoulder. “He’s… He’s not hurting me.”

Eddie hummed in your ear. “Take me to Max.”

You couldn’t let him get his hands on her. He’d take her to Vecna. If Vecna had you, Max, and Eddie — all cursed in one manner or another — it would be a recipe for destruction. He’d drain you like a vampire, sacrifice Eddie, and use Max as a pawn. Or maybe something even worse. You couldn’t let any of that happen.

You arched away to look into Eddie’s cursed eyes, so much like your own. You’d tear Vecna limb from limb for this. Apart from El, only you had power enough to destroy him. And you could with the Eradix spell you’d found on Thursday.

“Step away from the girl!”

Eddie snarled and turned his head like a predator. He released your arms before you could protest. You reached for his shirt to keep him with you. Your fingers grasped air.

A triple pop of gunfire had you hunching and covering your head. The waiting room window shattered. A gust of smoke and ash poured into the building. Boots shuffled across the floor. The MP grunted as something clattered.

You wanted to look, make sure Eddie hadn’t been shot, but you needed to get out of there. A wet gurgle and grind turned your stomach. You scurried to the main door, pulling it open. Wind dragged the door from your hand. It thudded against the wall.

With a flinch, you peeked over your shoulder. Eddie stared back. Blood dripped down his chin. The MP hung slack from his hands.

Everything narrowed.

Then everything sharpened as you steadied the main door and sprinted to the street.

[bo-ying]

As a casual Sunday afternoon texting with one of friends. He brough up a topic that helps me kill some time and found an interesting Album:

Album: 『結束バンド』《ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！》(結束バンド)

Date of Release: Dec. 28, 2022

Price: 4,070 Yen ($28.31 USD)

In side the album: 1 CD, 1 BD, 1 limited time edition sticker

Songs in Album: Total of 14 songs

01．青春コンプレックス

02．ひとりぼっち東京

03．Distortion‼

04．ひみつ基地

05．ギターと孤独と蒼い惑星

06．ラブソングが歌えない

07．あのバンド

08．カラカラ

09．小さな海

10．なにが悪い

11．忘れてやらない

12．星座になれたら

13．フラッシュバッカー

14．転がる岩、君に朝が降る

As an album that origins from one anime that talks about band, once the album had released it has sells 155,000 album out.

I was attracted to the album at first, I was impressed, this is an well done album with story, the story inside the songs seems to be about relationship of friends creating a band. yet, the struggle, the tingling feeling between each members. With that imagination scene appears in my brain. I start to watch the anime of this album.

青春コンプレックス 9.0

The very first song of the album comes from the opening of the anime (ぼっち・ざ・ろっく, Bocchi The Rock), with the quick tap of guitar sound with drum hits, it sudden hype up the audience's emotion while listening to it. After the opening with instruments, the words they used was simple and easy to understand. It's simply describing the main character, ぼっち(Bocchi) - a high school quiet girl that keep herself in her own world, she hides in a hoodie, stay distance with others, but love to play guitar more than anything else. With the simple lyrics and energizing music, this opens up the album.

ひとりぼっち東京 8.5

A song for people travel alone to new place and starts off a new live there, the pondering of loneness, and helpless of alone. With a light happiness beats dropped, representing meeting new friends discover the good food around the hope had shine in the world. Which, matches the story of the protagonist's journey of Highschool.

Distortion‼ 5.0

Its funny that they used Distortion instead of phase changing or any other words to described how Bocchi had stepped out her comfort zone and challenged to met new member in band.

ひみつ基地 7.0

After a long adventure of seeking a band practice room. The achievement of completing a task, the joy of that spreading to your body. Such emotion had express in the song by a strong and engaging melody to show the energy of it.

ギターと孤独と蒼い惑星 10.0

The best song out of this entire album, just by the melody, this song express an emotion of "Determination" to me. This song was dropped in the animation when Bocchi showed her talents on guitar in the band's first performing, that gives me goosebump all over my skin, from the wonder status to one the determine to participate as a guitar hero.

ラブソングが歌えない 9.0

With the success in the first show, the argon of people had shown, the numbers of practices had become less and less, and finally the biff between members had been exploded which was painful to see. However, the story end up with everyone comes back with passion and the love of playing their instruments.

あのバンド 8.0

After the biff of the band, this was on the next show, the melody had shown a strong unbalanced in the performing and less cooperation with each others. But with the song progress, the layer by layer start to seem more mixed up and start to become as a one.

The other songs were also played in the animation, but giving you all to watched the series of animation with the songs. With all of these songs and the story of the anime, this creates an incredible album that been named as the "Best Anime Album of All Time."

[chirpsythismorning]

a little nervous here bc while there are sus clues in the show that could be telling us abt willel being biological twins, there's also some stuff that could hint at mike and el being related too..☠️with all the strange creel x wheeler similarities and theories abt henry possibly being el's biological father.☠️ the latter is less luckily imo and personally i don't like the theory of willel being biological siblings very much either but i cant deny there's something really sus going on

Henry is definitely NOT El’s biological father, nor Will's. So you don't have to worry about that being a possibility. And so even if the Wheelers ended up being related to the Creels somehow, El nor Will are related to Henry by blood.

Joyce is 100% Will’s mom, and so because of all the twin imagery being associated with Will and El, I’m fairly confident that means Joyce has gotta be El’s mom too.

My theory relies on time trickery/false memories/memory stealing in general, which is why Joyce and Hopper don't know Will/El are their biological twins.

But also just to be clear, in 1959, Henry was 12 and Joyce and Hopper were 17… So yeah, he’s not El nor Will's dad.

I also think the play The First Shadow being added to canon as a prequel of sorts, supports this theory. The fact that it's set in 1959, and is going to focus on young Joyce and Hopper, dealing with 'the shadows of the past'...

It's likely that once Henry 'figured out' that he could turn back the clock (important to note that the clock in the Creel house little Henry watched turn back, was on the same time as the clock in Hawkins Lab...), then it would make A LOT of sense for him to go back to 1959, a time when Joyce and Hopper were together, to ensure they still had Jon/Will/El, but to change the events surrounding it so that they would essentially have no idea.

It's very much giving Back to the Future Part II, where Biff goes back to the past and messes up the trajectory of the future timeline, leading to George McFly dying, essentially leaving the kids with an absolute shit stain of a father whose not actually their father, aka Lonnie...

I'm still not certain about how it would all work and that's bc the implications of time trickery complicate things, making it near impossible to navigate. Not only are we dealing with turning back the clock, we're also potentially dealing with time-loops, where time could be getting turned back over and over and over again, without the character's knowledge that they've done this before.

And so if this is their 5th, 6th, 7th, or thousandth time going through this, they apparently aren't aware of it (at least not fully), which means their understanding of their past/present is pretty shaky as it is.

Though tbh I think where I get most confused about how all of this works is when it comes to the Hawkins Lab's stake in what's going on? Do they know about Henry's plans? Do they know there is time trickery going on? Are they playing a big part in orchestrating certain things?

Technically, in s4, Brenner and Owens admitted that they're keeping part of the truth from El. They literally showed her the 'true' events of the lab massacre in 4x07, only to reveal that wasn't even the full truth privately without her around? And so clearly, they know about something that is being hidden from us that we still haven't been clued in on, meaning it's being saved for s5. And so, what is it?

For now I'm not certain about everything, but there's a lot of evidence supporting this as a series long revelation.

And the fact that David Harbour has been saying for years that there are Easter Eggs in s1 that are going to lead to a really beautiful ending, makes it sort of click for me that he was probably talking about this...

[starsscarmyceiling]

Merrin is giving me anxiety with her whole ‘Things are not so simple now’ comment. I know she said they’d figure it out, but I swear.. if anything happens to those two in the next game I’m going to mcfreaking lose it

I mean I cannot lie to you anon, it gives me anxiety too. And it sucks to feel that way because I am sure all of us just want to imagine these two boning it out, getting some therapy, a nap, and a nice home cooked meal (in no particular order). And knowing how ALL Star Wars pairings have turned out, I feel like these anxieties are completely founded and valid. I really, truly hope Respawn rises above the rest and realizes that some people after everything all of these traumatized bbies have been through are allowed to be happy. In my mind, it's like--I feel that Cal and Merrin have been through enough, and if for some reason they are not ultimately end game, yeah I am going to Respawn and setting the building on fire.

BUT--to at least say on a positive note--Cal and Merrin, they are like the healthiest set of losers I have ever seen. They have just--the most outstanding communication skills between one another. They bring out the best in each other and always have. That cave scene meant sm to me because it only proved how I already felt about them: they are able to be open and honest with one another and they are also able to see things from the other's perspective, which is so important in a partnership.

To put it plainly anon, at least they are addressing it. At least they are saying it and acknowledging it out loud instead of ignoring it or just moving on. Because if they didn't, it would only fester and grow and who knows cause resentment to settle between them or whatever else aspect that can destroy two partners in such a way. It may seem tense rn, but it did just happen. It's not like all of that could go down and they be like lol so ANYWAY--

Because Merrin is right, things are not so simple now, and wow Cal pointing out if they ever have been kind of solidifies that they are both in this for the long haul. And so is them both recognizing that they don't want to go back to how they were before, being alone (though I do think them being a part was very important for them to find not only themselves and becoming their own person and then to find their way back to one another) and namely not being with one another. AND heh no longer being just "friends." At the end of the day, they are each other's rock, and they know this with a 100% confidence interval. I mean these two really met and said

between one another.

From this point on, I would like to hope they give one another the space to heal for themselves and together...that they give themselves the space to actually process everything that's happened, and they can only continue to build on their already solid foundation. That they don't put everything on themselves to fix everything, and allow others to come in and help take on this verbose responsibility they have ahead of them on Tanalorr.

But hey gd maybe that's just my therapist brain talking...how do the rest of you feel about this? It's a very delicate issue that I do believe Respawn can handle...they've proven that thus far, so let's all hope and pray and manifest that they don't biff the ending here besties.

[mama-qwerty]

Okay, so my husband and I were talking about this over supper tonight. Because we always get into the weirdest in-depth conversations and half the time I don't remember how we even got on the subject, but ANYWAY

Back to the Future. Fun little set of movies about time travel and messing up timelines and whatnot. All worked out in the end, right? Everyone's happy.

Except . . . the time Marty returns to at the end of number 3 isn't the timeline he started from. There are at least 5 different timelines in play throughout the trilogy.

Let's break it down. My rundown is at the top, my husband's is at the bottom:

1st MOVIE

Marty Prime blows out Doc's speakers, realizes he's late for school, laments to Jennifer about his chances at being a musician. Yadda yadda yadda. Gets woken up in the middle of the night to meet Doc at the mall. Einstein is off on a one minute jaunt forward in time. (That didn't create another timeline because it was just one minute and there were no changes made to anything). The Libyans show up, shoot Doc, Marty jumps in the time machine and gets sent back to 1955.

Takeaways from the Prime Timeline - Doc Prime is dead, Marty Prime is never seen again, and presumably wanted for murdering Doc.

Everything Marty does in '55 spawns a second timeline, where George is a famous writer. Marty Prime returns to the '85 of this timeline early, watching Marty (2) confront the Libyans as they gun down Doc, and then jumps in the time machine to go back to '55. What happens to Marty 2? We don't know, but presumably he's causing his own brand of timeline related shenanigans.

Marty Prime, relieved Doc (2) is alive, goes back home, where he essentially takes over Marty 2's life. He falls asleep, only to wake to a nice house, successful siblings, and equally successful parents who love each other. Hey, everything worked out, everyone's happy, and he got the truck and the girl.

Doc 2 shows up panicking about Marty (Prime) and Jennifer (2)'s kids. They hop in the time machine and screech off.

2nd MOVIE

They're in 2015. Shenanigans happen. Marty Prime stops his future son from doing something stupid, and all is well. Except Jennifer gets taken to future Jennifer's house, and Old Biff steals the time machine while Marty and Doc try to rescue her.

When Old Biff goes back in time to give himself the almanac, he effectively created timeline 3.

Doc (2) drops Marty (Prime) and Jennifer (2) off, and this is where we discover we're in Biffworld. Doc explains the theory of branching timelines, and have to figure out when Biff (3) got the almanac from Old Biff. Marty confronts Biff, and essentially makes himself a target for Biff's anger and spite, which will presumably come back to bite Marty 3 in the ass. In the Biffworld timeline, it's said that Marty (3) is in Europe. There is a Marty in this timeline. Marty Prime has released Biff's ire on his alternate timeline's counterpart.

Marty Prime and Doc 2 go back in time to stop Old Biff from giving his younger self the almanac. By preventing young Biff from using the almanac, they prevent the Biffworld timeline from happening, but they don't necessarily erase it. That timeline is still going on, just on a different branch of the time stream.

They burn the almanac, things look good, then the DeLorean gets struck by lightning, sending Doc 2 back in time to 1885.

3rd MOVIE

Now, the Doc in '55 is the Doc from the Prime universe, as he exists before any long term changes take place. BUT, theoretically, he sees how much trouble a time machine proves to be, so never builds one. Thus making that timeline a separate one from the original Prime universe. Timeline 4.

Anyway, he helps Marty find the time machine Doc 2 left hidden. They find Doc 2's tombstone. Marty goes back in time to stop Doc from being killed by Buford. He succeeds, they save Clara, and now everything's all screwed up. Timeline 5.

At the end of the movie, Marty Prime is sent back to the future of timeline 5. There's no telling where the Marty of this timeline is.

Yes, there are inconsistencies. Old Biff should have never been able to come back to the future of '15 if he gave himself the almanac in the past and thus changed things. (And I think he was supposed to fade away because he essentially erased himself when he changed his own path.) If the timeline at the end of everything is a different one from the Biffworld timeline, Jennifer theoretically should not have still had the faxed note in her pocket. (And she wouldn't be the same Jennifer of that timeline, anyway.)

Time travel stories can be a pain, and if they're more complicated than this, they give me a headache. I have a problem thinking 4th dimensionally.

My husband's take:

Part 1: The series starts with the PRIME timeline (T-prime). Doc is killed and Marty Prime shoots back to 1955 where he inadvertently spawns a second timeline, let's call it T-2.

As T-2 plays out George lays out Biff and becomes a famous writer, it's now Lone Pine Mall, and Doc survives thanks to Marty's letter. Marty then moves forward in time 30 years, BUT he goes forward from T-2 to und up in T-2's version of 1985 where, as mentioned, Doc lives, George is famous, and so on.  As Marty Prime arrives in T-2's 1985 he sees Marty-2 (the Marty that grew up in T-2) shoot off in the DeLorean.

So by the end of Part 1, Marty-2 is gone, Marty Prime is taking his place in the T-2 timeline. Doc Prime is dead but Doc-2 continues living. So we have Marty Prime and Doc 2 going about their business in T-2. Following so far?

But what about T-prime? We never see it again, but we can assume it goes on. Doc Prime is dead, shot in the parking lot, and Marty is missing forever. Nerd George and Drunk Lorraine never see their son again. Maybe he's wanted for Doc's murder, we'll never know. It's a pretty grim end for the prime timeline story.

Then Part 2 really throws a wrench in the works.

It starts where it left off. Marty Prime in T-2. Doc-2 shot off to 2015 but he flashes back in and abducts Marty Prime and Jessica-2 and takes them to 2015 where T-2 would see Marty's son go to jail. Again, time traveler intervention splits the timelines. Because it happens farther down the line let's call them T-2a (Marty Jr gets arrested) and T-2b (Marty Jr is off the hook). So far, so good.

But then we have Old Biff-2 (remember, this is Biff from T-2). Old Biff-2 steals the time machine and hops back to 1955. T-2 1955 to be exact. More timeline splitting occurs when he gives young Biff-2 the sports almanac. Now we have a NEW timeline, Timeline 3 (T-3) wherein Biff becomes rich and powerful and creates BiffWorld.

Now, I am going to mention right here that, based on how the timelines have been working so far, there is a continuity error coming up. Because Old Biff-2 created the T-3 timeline, when he traveled 60 years forward in time he SHOULD have shown up in T-3's version of 2015 - the BiffWorld version of 2015. Marty Prime and Doc 2 should never again see the time machine in the T-2b timeline they are currently in. But it's the magic of Hollywood, so somehow they get it back.

Let's recap: So far we have T-prime (Marty is missing, Doc is dead), T-2a (Marty Jr goes to jail), T-2b (Marty Jr is free, Marty-Prime and Doc-2 are visiting), and now T-3 (BiffWorld). 

So, Marty Prime goes back to 1955. Again. Presumably he ends up in T-3 because Young Biff (Now Biff-3) has the book. However, if Marty is good at anything it's creating new timelines. So Marty-Prime creates ANOTHER split (T-4) by getting the almanac back. Wait, doesn't this just reset it back to T-2? Nope. We can assume that in the T-2 timeline Biff went home after the dance and licked his wounds, but this time BECAUSE Marty(prime) is back Biff crashes his car AGAIN, something we can only assume did not happen after the events of the first movie. Thus we are now in T-4.

Now we have Marty-Prime and Doc-2 in T-4. Doc-2 gets zapped back to 1885 leaving Marty Prime to find Doc-4. By this time Marty-Prime is well and truly screwed. He's never getting back home, but since he has a real problem with thinking 4th dimensionally he doesn't know this. 

Now in T-4 (1955) Marty Prime and Doc-4 find out that Doc-2 died in 1885, shot by Buford. Thus they fix the DeLorean and Marty-Prime zaps back to 1885 where he does what he does best, splits the timeline again. This time he saves Doc, creating T-5 and now Doc 2a? Let's go with that. So in the T-5 timeline Clara doesn't fall into the canyon and Doc-2a and Marty-Prime steal the train and Marty-Prime shoots forward in time to T-5 (1985). 

Now we are at the conclusion of Marty-Prime's journey. Who knows how many splits Doc-2a made but as far as Marty, we have Marty-Prime now living in T-5. What about Marty-5? We assume that Marty-5 shot off in Doc-5s time machine at Lone Pine Mall the other night but we really don't know for sure. In T-5 maybe Doc never even built it. We can't be 100% sure. It is LIKELY that Marty-Prime will take the place of never-to-return Marty-5 but it is possible that Marty-5 is tooling around town at the very moment that Marty-Prime is talking to Doc-? in his magic train.

~~~

Hopefully one of those breakdowns made sense. 😆

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.

[daryfromthefuture]

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE since i have made a proper ramble on here BUT.

bttf the game.

i've been replaying it recently and i forgot how insane it was. the story is SO DAMN GOOD and now i'm going to explain why i think that the citizen brown timeline was, in my opinion, an even worse timeline for marty to experience than 1985a.

(game spoilers ahead!)

so we all know that what caused the citizen brown timeline (we'll call it 1986b) to exist: emmett marries edna strickland and she gets him obsessed with law and order and using his science to control people's psyche. this results in edna and emmett being the totalitarian rulers of hill valley when marty comes back to the 1980s.

doc's face is everywhere, telling people to sign up for citizen plus. he's an idol for everyone. and i'm sure that emmett, after all of his failures, is pretty proud of that. he probably thinks that life in law is the only thing that made him successful and science was a bad idea anyway lol. anyway this is not the point.

marty enters and discovers this new hill valley. it's all clean and neat and at first glance doesn't seem as bad. there's no crime like in 1985a, in fact, there's no danger at ALL. nobody's going to shoot you or roll you over with a motorcycle.

marty, though, knows everyone in this timeline but also. doesn't. his parents both are alive. jennifer is alive (though changed significantly), and doc is alive too. and marty needs to find him.

but doc does not know marty.

imagine being a teenage kid who has had this man as your only support system for your entire youth only for him to become a complete stranger when you need him the most? this is fucked up, and we see it in marty's reactions when he eventually goes to citizen brown's office and tries to convince him he's a time traveler. marty talks to him like he'd usually talk to doc, only in this case, it's the wrong way. he gets yelled at when he tries to address an issue in hill valley.

do you think marty ever got yelled at by doc. no.

marty is, in fact, partly scared of this doc: his voice grows quiet when doc silences him in that cellar where we eventually find edna with all her monitors, and he's careful when he talks to him. of course, he wants his timeline to be restored, but he needs any version of doc to do so and he's got to work with what he gets.

i think the worst and most messed up part of 1986b is that, in comparison to 1985a, you would not expect it to exist. would you expect biff to try and get himself rich as soon as possible? yes, sure. biff is a butthead and everyone knows that.

would you expect doc, the smart, kind, father-figure in the films to become such a drastically changed person to the point that not even marty can trust him anymore and who essentially becomes an antagonist? i don't think so.

marty was completely taken aback by this entire thing and has to navigate through this strange timeline by himself. he has ZERO allies in this one. everyone either is confused by him, doesn't know him or even dislikes him.

if i were him i'd honestly cry lmao

another huge thing about 1985a and 1986b are the ways they get erased.

all it took for 1985a was to get a book back from biff. that's it, that's all this timeline hinges on. marty gets it and burns it, and done.

but 1986b? damn. that's a thousand times more complex. you've gotta convince young emmett to dump someone who he genuinely is in love with and who keeps him motivated. bonus, you even caused this relationship to happen in first place.

i'm pretty sure it was easier for marty to just steal a book than to go and break his best friend's heart to get said best friend back.

marty knows what he wants, but citizen brown almost talks him out of it. we get another glimpse at marty's selfless personality; he wants his timeline back, but what about the doc who's standing in front of him? is this worth the risk of losing the doc he has only to try and get back the version he knows?

marty is hurt when emmett literally tells him he hates him and when he's faced with the fact that he, in fact, has ruined doc's youth instead of making it better. what is this boy supposed to feel. yes, he will get the doc back he knows, but at what cost? he will forever have to live with the fact that, at some point in his life, doc loathed him.

him, the boy who eventually become his best and most loyal friend, hell, even family.

this HURTS. marty collects trauma like pokemon cards

AND LISTEN. the final episode. when citizen brown gets hit by that car to get marty out of the way. we all thought he was AGAINST marty's intentions but then he fucking saves his life with absolutely no hesitation?? then he lies there and dies while marty holds his hand and grieves him????

telltale whY MUST YOU HURT ME LIKE THIS

marty mourns this strange doc because it was still doc in a way and all marty wanted the entire goddamn time was to save doc and get back HOME and instead he gets more PAIn

marty even ends up confusing emmett for doc when he steps out of the expo hall because marty just. he just wants to have his bff back for fuck's sake and emmett is also alredy his bff and he only wants the best for him even though emmett thought differently.

i can't even begin to express how happy i am about the fact that marty and the ACTUAL, REAL doc get to hug at the end. if only it had lasted longer than 2 seconds.

THIS WAS A MASSIVE RANT but i have been rotating these thoughts in my brain for the past week or so. enjoy.

bttf the game is a fantastic addition to the franchise, it makes me FEEL THINGS and i absolutely love how we, instead of like in the first film where we had to fix the relationship between marty's parents, we have to fix the relationship between the main characters which we all thought was pretty much unbreakable in the movies. a+ stuff right there.

play bttf the game if you haven't. and then go write some fanfics about it please there aren't many and this is a CRIME. i gotta love me some game content

[blackjackkent]

I just took basically all of Derryth's money to sell all my stuff so I guess it's only fair we go find her husband before we leave again.

On the way over to find him, Karlach got inspired by Hector shooting a mushroom and making it explode, because she is, fundamentally, just as much of a nerd as he is.

I was about to blow up a bunch more of these mushrooms in a cave further ahead and then I realized the person we are looking for is hanging out amid all of them.

So we'll have to come up with another strategy. These things are actually pretty dangerous when they explode, leaving behind a noxious gas that does not insignificant damage and lasts quite a number of rounds.

Luckily, our quarry is also aware of the danger he's in:

"Stop! Stop! Bibberbang!"

Hector utterly biffs his nature check to know what the hell the guy is talking about. "Bibber-what? Speak plainly, won't you?"

"These mushrooms - toxic! Scroll - escape! My bag! Please. I've dropped it - somewhere."

Hm. Okay, let's see where this bag is.

The answer, of course, is about 10m away from him. 🙄

The correct approach here (or at least one correct approach) seems to be to yeet Hector over to the backpack with Misty Step (from the boots he's wearing) and then use the scroll to get us and Baelen back out.

First attempt didn't go so well because I forgot to ungroup him from the rest of the party who then blithely followed right after him straight into the mushrooms and blew them all up. XD

Second try!

The scroll in question actually is, itself, a scroll of Misty Step - two of them, in fact, which is convenient. Let's try just yeeting one over at Baelen with the throw action.

OK according to Google this is in fact the correct move; however, we need to dismiss Scratch first bc he is the best boye and goes to fetch the scroll and bring it back whenever I throw it. 😭

I also apparently had to hit him directly in the head with it (for some damage, no less) bc otherwise it would just sit on the ground and he'd ignore it. >.<

But finally we got it to him and both Misty Step'd out of the mushroom field. Baelen seems more than a little out of it.

"Ah! Right as...what were you saying?"

"What are you doing down here?"

"I was just looking for - Derryth! She's - she'll be worried sick! I must - need to go! For you - for your trouble! Ta!"

And he gave us a scroll of invisibility and scarpered off.

[ochrearia]

Pico getting a massage bc hes tense asf 24/7 due to The Horros. Maybe a kiss too if hes lucky djdhdhd

In PoPr Universe, so GF -> Cherry

"You look like you're about to shatter into pieces under your own weight." Cherry said bluntly, grabbing Pico gently by the shoulders. "My god, you're so tense. When was the last time you let yourself relax, Peeks?"

Pico shrunk slightly, embarrassed that he's been caught. "Uh. Awhile? It's hard. I'm... not very good at letting my guard down."

Cherry sighed, shaking her head. "Well that won't do. Come on, lie down on your stomach. Off with your sweater. I know you need gentle massages and that's what I'm good at. Biff would just make it worse by accident."

Fucking hell, this woman. One of the only people Pico would be obedient to. He did as he was told, trying not to overthink about going without his sweater for a little bit. But his slight discomfort over being exposed melted the moment he felt her hands start massaging all his rigidity away. Yeah, okay, he had to admit it, this felt really good.

"I can hear your hypothetical purring." Cherry teased lightly. "Please, feel free to tell me more about how good I am at making you feel better. I like having my ego boosted."

"Crazy." Pico rolled his eyes, but cut himself off to give a pleased groan when she melted away a particularly tense spot between his shoulders. "Fuck, you are really good at it though. Suppose it's the least I can do to let you know."

Cherry laughed, a wonderful sound that always delighted the hitman's ears. He felt himself melting even further, sinking his body weight into the couch more and more. Man, maybe he really would be purring if he had the capability. He liked when Cherry purred, it was cute and it always managed to let him fall asleep despite his trauma and insomnia. It also was a really good way to tell how happy his girlfriend was, and he liked knowing that too. Actually...

"Could you... could you purr? Just so I don't go back to tensing right away?" Pico asked quietly, bashful about his request.

Cherry grinned at him, more than happy to oblige his request. "You're so adorable. Of course, sweet sunset. I'm here to make you feel better." Purring immediately rumbling out of her throat the moment she was done talking.

Pico sighed, closing his eyes. If he was lucky, she'd keep massaging and purring until he fell asleep, and he'd stay relaxed for a while.