#see also: bttf and references to time in the show

[pinkeoni]

Will Byers & Bran Stark Connections

Recently I've been catching up on Game of Thrones after taking a break from the series awhile ago, and I started to think about how Will's powers in season 5 could be similar to Bran Stark's abilities. Considering how much the Duffers like to take from other sources, I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case, and I believe they may have taken from GoT already.

(Spoilers for Game of Thrones btw)

For those who don't know, Bran Stark is the second youngest Stark sibling who gains magical abilities. Bran is something called a Warg, meaning he can go into the minds of animals and humans, and see through their eyes and control them. He has possesses an ability called the Sight which gives him prophetic visions. As the series progresses, he becomes more powerful, and is even able to influence past events and becomes practically omniscient. (x)

Some of Bran's abilities already remind me of what we saw with Will in season 2. His warging abilities reminds me a lot of Will's now memories. We haven't seen Will have any visions of the future yet, but we have had this line in season 3, which to me feels like very on the nose foreshadowing.

When Bran uses his powers, his eyes roll into the back of his head, very similar to what we see with Vecna victims in season 4. This also happens to people that Bran wargs in to.

Bran and Will are similar types of characters as well. Being small and defenseless, both rely on others for help in times of danger. But what they lack in physical ability, they make up for with mental abilities, such as Will using his now memories to spy in season 2.

I wonder if in season 5, the show will expand Will's abilities to be more similar to Bran's, such as receiving visions of the future, being able to see the past, or even as far as becoming omniscient or being able to influence the past. I think that this would be a logical progression for what we have already seen in the show, and makes sense with the "Will the Wise" label. And if you choose to believe in leaks, we have already seen talks of Will seeing visions in the new season 👀

[sterlingarcher23]

Happy memories=Season 5: Addendum & Will foreshadowing

I already altered my previous post (link down below) a bit - I overlooked something: Lucas.

Time jump (correction)

Lucas telling Max that he's there, right in front of her, and she's kind of ignoring him is foreshadowing the scene they shot with Sadie and Caleb: Max in coma, "ignoring" Lucas who tells her that he's there. "I don't want a letter. I'm right here."

It's either that or the scene in S4 in which he reads the book. And the sequence includes Season 4.

The "I'm right here" scene in the memory corresponds with Lucas sitting at Max's bedside (but she is looking just like Sleeping Beauty because she's not in cast and Ross saying that she's in a coma - which means in this scene),and her "ignoring" him. It's possible that this is this scene. It's also possible that it refers to S4. - His watch shows Thursday 11 2 (!), so November 2nd and that's 1989.

Next is Max swallowing the red Skittle (You were wearing that yellow Benny's Burgers t-shirt and it was so big it almost swallowed you whole - like a Pac-Man swallowing the red ghost in the scene, red jacket Max enters the Arcade.), then El and Max link and we hit the time barrier...

Note how in the memory scene they cut the original moment before the linking and after the linking - that's a time jump in itself:

Season 3 mall scene = time jump in Back to the Future. (JC Penney - they used the brands without getting money for it, it's not because they want to make commercials but used them for specific reasons like KitKat, Skittles, M&Ms) The linking/vanishing and reappearing part isn't in it.

The original version is cut in three segments (not sure about the exact terminology here, so I better leave that out, in German which differ from English terminology its probably: halbnah, Totale, nah). If you see the original footage as a single sequence, the edited memory version is visually a temporal jump.

Here again the comparison between this scene (without the final shot) and Back to the Future:

So this is the time jump - it's the third element in the memory sequence (and those are completely out of chronological order) and my guess is, that there are like two jumps potentially. - There's also some contradicting Infos about the time jump, like some say "immediate" time jump but other sources say from Episode 1 to 2. It's still possible that there are multiple time jumps and the hand holding scene IS right before waking up.

(Caleb is wearing a jacket in the bts shot and we don't see what he's wearing under it but in the hand shot he's definitely in role.)

The Back to the Future time jump reference in the memory is happening right after the "I'm right here/Lucas at Max's bedside" scene - however these moments are probably much closer than I initially thought.

And these segments of Lucas touching Max, the red Skittle are connected and the BttF time jump sequence may show us the result of this.

My guess is that there's at least one scene, maybe more, before the actual jump, involving Max (that has not been filmed yet - it would need summer weather) and we get to see already a partial resolve of the jump with Lucas holding Max's hand. Still comatose but a coma is only important if and how someone wakes up.

The coma is a "time jump"

"I'm right here" is either Season 4 ending or the scene from S5. Thinking about it, both would make sense. The first one even a bit more if we think of the coma as the actual starting point for the memory sequence to foreshadow everything the follows after.

Falling in coma, swallowing the red Skittle, time jump sequence and the rest is the boys who meet the killer, the ghost trap scene, ElMax foto session, fotos (in media metaphorically) freeze people in time like:

(There are some Whovians out there that say, that some Doctor Who is also in Stranger Things. And those stasis cubes are visualized as paintings. - An endless summer skateboarding sounds very much like a stasis cube or a pocket dimension. )

.. the movie date (storytelling technique called promise gets it's payoff) ElMax hugging...ElMax & Lumax Endgames.

And they could only use existing scenes but those are very deliberately chosen (there's a scene not in this sequence that has it's own rhyme and I only just discovered it but it demands another moment like it, it involves ElMax, certain posters but most importantly: a sea shell lamp).

And it's been foreshadowed how we would react to the time jump that the JC Penney reference alludes to - I didn't make it up, the Duffers made this connection in the show by showing us the exact moment including Doc saying "The temporal displacement occurred at 1:20 am"

Yepp...these two idiots. That's us.

Conclusion?

The coma is a time jump. "I didn't disintegrate anything. The molecular structure of both Einstein and the car are completely intact. I sent him into the future.", Doc Brown.

In the memory scene, except the "coma" segment as a starting point and the Endgame (It's you and me won't be unhappy), the answer to EVERY memory sequence is ElMax, shown as inseparable after linking. That's neither queerbaiting nor is it just a "regular" relationship. This is not even slightly one of these stories.

Nonetheless is gives us some basic elements of the plot.

And it's ElMax making Lumax Endgame possible: High five. 1st place. Winners....whatever you want to call it.

Soo... The sequence foreshadows some basic elements of Season 5 in regards to the character relationships. - And ElMax appears like inseparable in these moments, either linked, very close by, hugging ...

It doesn't get more obvious. They tell it straight into our faces.

And I would say that it's obvious that they make a huge deal out of Max's coma. Just her having powers? That's it? How is this such a huge deal? The Vecna has absorbed her and stuff can easily be debunked too.

Will

And I have Will proving that they do this shit with the window and foreshadowing ...just differently. This is almost not so surprising, is it? That they show us that he has a "crowbar" in his head. - Oh, yes, people.

And while the class scene in Season 2 is about him. It's also about Max, she however has light reflections like "God rays" pointing to her head when the focus changes with Mr Clarke's words on top. Seriously, people. This is a subtle as fireworks in the middle of the towns square.

ElMax Endgame

ElMax will turn out to be a dissociative identity/multiple personality disorder system of two individual minds residing inside the same body. Max's body. They'll be together. Literally.

This way Max is healed by the cure/medicine: El. - This way ElMax and Lumax can happen and it's in line with the themes of the show. And it fits in regards to the inspo for Eleven taken from Elfen Lied - kids having supernatural powers do do some lab science MK Ultra style etc etc, why not Fringe? Because Elfen Lied has a main character that has DID.

"One skull, two tenants"

Previous post:

[cheriboms]

BTTF Year-End Tag Game!

Thank you to both @bttf-dork and @future-boi for tagging me in this ;w; also pika ur comments about my art WAHHHH ILYSM <33 oTL

This year:

How many times would you guess you watched the first back to the future movie?

Since I only hopped on this time train towards the final third of the year lol: fully all the way through, at least 4! Otherwise I've jumped around a lot while looking for clips and references and stuff. So if I stitch all those together, then we'll say approx 5ish :) The first movie is my favorite one!

Did you get any sweet bttf merch? If so, what?

Noooo, I don't really have any merch for things I like, actually... it gives me too much anxiety to publicly show my interests ;w;

How many cans of Pepsi Free did you chug this year?

None LOL I don't really drink soda to begin with, but if I do, I prefer white (lemon lime) soda anyway :P

What was a favorite bttf fanfic you read this year?

I'm going to be honest, I... don't read fanfic very much. 🫣 I usually end up creating my own stuff (art/writing) when I have free time vs looking at other people's, which ik I need to get better at T_T So I don't have a loooot to rec... that being said I MUST shout out "Emmett's first weather expirement." by @alex-a-fans !!! <3 It is my greatest treasure of the year <333

I also really liked "incredible" by @penny-anna, which I read before I officially entered le fandom ;w; lone pine doc and baby marty my beloveds !!!!!

Finally, like basically all of the Doctober prompts from @doctorbrown *O* Days 8, 22, and 30 are some of my favorites, but I really recommend them all oTL theyre SOOO GOOOOOD !!!!!

A favorite bttf fanart you saw this year? (please give us a link, not a screencap/repost!)

See: everything I reblogged. Jk but fr, everyone is so so talented it's really hard to choose :'0 Here's a bunch of some of my faves in no particular order!!

[x] from @hearts-for-winona | [x] from @maxintime | [x] from @future-boi | [x] from @bttf-dork | [x] from @synthsays and @daryfromthefuture | [x] from @therobotwig | [x] from @22194isbestboy | [x] from @mythical-bookworm | [x] from @mkayeatsspaghetii | [x] from @tobytost / @tobytost-star

Did you create any bttf fanart or fanfic? If you did, what one(s) are you proudest of?

Yes I did !!! It is actually the most fan content I've ever made for a fandom since I was in... maybe junior high? So like YUH. Tbh, it's very difficult for me to find what you would call 'pride' in my art so ehh >_>; that being said, I do think that I had a lot of good IDEAS for Doctober (esp days 19 and 28), but my execution wasnt really the best. I would have liked to draw days 17 and 24 (+ time travel day) a little more properly too; like, I'm not as disappointed at how they turned out, but I still wish they were better and/or I could have given them more time. The ones I most actually-tried-and-dont-mind are days 7, 9, and 21 + under the sea dance day. (So many links was probably cheating but tbf I've kinda bent the rules for the past few questions so... whatevs lol). I've ALSOOO still been working on my godforsaken essay, it is 40 pages rn but even tho it's not done, I'm INSANELY proud of it Q_Q

How many times were you late for school this year?

None! B) For one thing I'm graduated lol, but also I'm typically early gang. I'm that person who'd sit in the classroom by myself for like 5 minutes before everyone else would show up LMBO ^^;

Did you watch any other movies/tv shows with BTTF actors in them?

Yess I did!! A... lot actually :0 Most of them were by chance/pre bttf era, but still :P Here is my list as well as I could find, sorry it is soooo long, but what are ya gonna do:

Star Wars/The Mandalorian; The Addams Family (1991); The Tale of Desperaux (2008); Cyberchase; & Clue (1985) -- Christopher Lloyd, havent rewatched the latter 3 since I was a kid and literally went :0 to learn he apparently was in them. Also Kings Quest (2015) which isn't a movie/show but I think it counts uwu

Stuart Little (1999) -- Michael J. Fox, which also rocked my world to discover O_O like hearing it now I'm like "yeah thats him alright" but as a kid I would never have been able to tell you that was the same guy from that time travel movie, despite watching both way too much LMBO

Elf (2003) & Last Vegas (2013) -- Mary Steenburgen, nothing much to say except that she slayed ^_^

Love at the Christmas Table (2012) -- Lea Thompson, I didn't care for it and was shouting "LEA GET OUT OF THIS MOVIE, UR BETTER THAN THIS" like the whole time lol.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) & Curious George (2006) -- apparently these have Donald Fullilove (Goldie Wilson) in them? Same w Jason Scott Lee (Whitey) in Lilo & Stitch (2002)??? And Star Wars/Kenobi show apparently had Flea (Needles)????? ...HUH.

I binged both the entirety of Law and Order: SVU as well as Seinfeld this year w my sister; apparently Mary Steenburgen, Lea Thompson, & Casey Siemaszko (3-D) are in at least one episode of the former, while Elsa Raven (Clocktower Lady) and Ricky Dean Logan (Data) are apparently in a random episode of Seinfeld each. So like, technically I saw them, tho I don't distinctly remember it :'D Also, I have been making my way through Little House on the Prairie recently, which has Matt Clark (Chester the Bartender) in a few episodes !

Finally finally finally, I watched I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017), as well as the LOTR trilogy like. Twice? And they all have Elijah Wood of course >:3c

Was there a memorable moment you heard a Huey Lewis song this year?

None in the wild, no :P But I did end up being in the top 0.1% of listeners for Huey Lewis this year... so UHHHHH take that as u will LMBO

How many times did you fall down this year?

Hmmm idk?? Probably at least 1 I would think ???

Did you get to see BTTF: The Musical? What was your experience like!

Nooo, I didn't even know it existed until like October !!! It looks super fun but atm/last I checked it doesn't come to where I live so :( I should listen to the soundtrack soon!

How many times did your mom retell the story of how she and your father met?

At least three times, and then probably a few times I'm forgetting :P

If you could describe your year in a BTTF quote, which one would it be?

The year in general is definitely "Oh great, the atrocity channel!" LMBO (but when hasn't it been since like... 2020? 2016???). For me personally, I think it's either "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection." or "Don't talk to anyone, don't touch anything, don't do anything, don't interact with anyone, and try not to look at anything." ^^;

⚡️LIGHTNING ROUND⚡️ Did you get to: go on any trains, skate on a skateboard, ride a horse, drive a Delorean, run in the rain, go to a dance, hang up a clock, play the guitar, pull an all-nighter, read science fiction, or drive thru Burger King this year?

Your future is whatever you make it! So what are you going to make of this coming year?

I think I'm going to try to post more of the things I make, like my art and especially my writing ;w; Most of the time I'm quite George-ish and am too scared to put any of my stuff out there, for fear that no one will like it, so... I need to get better about that. Also I'd LIKE to get a full-time job and my own place some time next year, but we will see !!!

Idrk who to tag :0 ik @brinkle-brackle @mythical-bookworm and @alex-a-fans have already been tagged but havent technically done it yet... maybe also @backintime @tobytost @ectojester @stillpreoccupiedwith1985 @itsthemorph @doctorbrown @knickynoo and @fourth-dimensional-thinker :) but no pressure to do it, just didnt catch if youd been tagged or not!

[faeriejones]

hey!!! deimos here :)

i hope you're having amazing holidays!

first of all, id like to apologize for not being so active these past weeks. they've been way busier than i expected and i wish i'd had more time to chat with you. however i do hope we'll become friends even though we didn't talk as much as i expected :)

now, about your last response to my ask:

i loved back to the future! i've watched the three films but its been a few years since i've watched them, so i cant quite remember exactly what happens. (but i do remember i liked them a lot!)

i prefer icarly mainly because i watched it more than victorious when i was a kid (i dont really know why......i just know it was easier for me to watch icarly????????). my favourite icarly episodes are any episodes where spencer has tons of screen time. i really like those where they go to japan as well! and spencer is definitely my favourite character. spencer and gibby – they are THE best!

speaking of nostalgia, i've recently started playing club penguin again. i grew up playing it, got really sad when it ended and now i'm back at it (obviously not playing the original BUT its still cool)

it really was amazing. i'm curious for what's going to be the theme for next year's presentation. i think it's going to be an even nicer experience since i'll probably feel more confident :)

yes!!!!!!! make pluto a planet again!!!!!! pluto's been a planet for so long why not just let it be a planet??? it's not harming anyone!!!

lore olympus is really lovely. i hope you enjoy reading it! i don't think deimos appears at least for the parts i've read. who knows what happened after that?

again, i hope you've had/are having lovely holidays. i loved being your secret santa and i really really wish i'd had the time and energy to talk to you more often during this. but what's done is done and i really hope we'll keep chatting (you're so nice and interesting aaaaaaah!!!!!!)

have a great day :)

- lilly

hello, lilly/deimos! it’s nice to finally meet you!!! i apologize for the late response, as i’ve been busy with work and i also have a concerning tendency to stall before responding to people. so don’t even worry about giving late responses, as i completely understand how difficult it can be at times! with that being said, i hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday!

there’s this little quirk about bttf 2, which is most notably one of the most random subplots in cinematic history, where marty suddenly gets pissed off every time someone calls him ‘chicken’. it’s absolutely hilarious when you go back and watch that scene where he turns around and says, ‘nobody calls me chicken’ with a serious tone. where did this subplot come from? why is it pertinent for the movie to establish that marty doesn’t like to be referred to as a barnyard animal? i don’t know, but it’s funny as hell lmaoooo

spencer and gibby are the backbone of icarly, to be completely honest. spencer’s niche artistic expression paired in with his genuine passion for his little sister’s show is what makes him such a great character. and gibby’s eccentricities are also what makes the show so iconic even years after its final cancellation. (although, noah munck did admit that he began to feel exhausted by how fans of the show would constantly go up to him and ask him to pull off his shirt—the whole “gibbyyy” routine) it’s a shame that gibby’s anticipated spinoff show was cancelled before an official pilot was released. it would’ve been interesting to see how that character’s life would’ve progressed post-series finale. instead, we got ‘sam and cat’ ; a decent show that contained two of the most beloved characters on nickelodeon at that point in time, but a failed emulation of its predecessors

icarly tangent aside, that’s awesome that you reconnected with club penguin again! did you play any other online games that were popular at that time like petpet park, movie star planet, poptropica, ect.? (damn.. we had so many virtual games that catered to our demographic back then :( )

okay, if you receive any hints as to what’s going to be next year’s theme for your presentation, i’d love to know! it’s great to know that you’re gradually becoming more comfortable with performing in front of others!

YOU’RE RIGHT!!! pluto has never committed a single crime (besides being too short, i guess) this is a noble cause for short kings/queens worldwide : advocate for pluto’s validity as a planet!!! and hopefully, deimos makes at least a minor appearance in the most recent issues of lore olympus. he deserves more representation, poor chap :(

as i’ve said previously, don’t fret about not having sent enough asks during this event. i wholeheartedly enjoyed exchanging messages with you and hope to become good friends as we enter the new year! you’re very kind and interesting, and you’ve introduced me to media that was unfamiliar to me before. overall, you’re really cool and i anticipate that we continue to keep in touch here on tumblr :D

have an amazing day!!!

[legobiwan]

Book of Boba Fett: 1.3 "Chapter 3"

Was there a title for this episode? Somehow I missed it.

Anyway, uhhhh, what is going on with diamond spider here in the intro? Come on, Disney, up your CGI game a little bit. (Also, did Obi-wan have to fight a giant spider at some point during his stay on Tatooine?)

Oof, these Tatooine "present-day" sequences are a lot of exposition dumping.

Now this, I find interesting. Imagine, if you would, a semi-underground cult following of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader after the fall of the Empire. Imagine a bunch of Tatooine-born young adults modding their bodies the same as Anakin/Vader would have (of course, that's not the reality of it, but history has a way of getting warped). We get zero character development for the Back to the Future/Star Wars hoverboard gang, but there's part of me that would like to believe that the impetus for such body modifications lies in some seriously distorted history re: Anakin, especially considering their employment prospects seem no better under the New Republic than the Empire.

That speculation aside (and damnit, Sith cults would have been the perfect setup for the Sequel Trilogy one day I will outline my plot for the Sequels including all the known characters but with a wildly different plot arg). ANYWAY, Boba Fett's interaction with the BTTF-gang had me doing a bit of whiplash. I went real fast from, "oh no, don't be a Boomer" to "okay, this guy gets it." (And, like, the economics of Tatooine, especially post-Empire and post-Jabba, would be fascinating to get into and tie into Boba Fett's haracter development if this show could actually a) choose a storyline and b) be longer than Disney's seemingly codified 6-8 Episode format. Everything is just so fucking rushed.)

I do have to laugh at the BTTF-gang a little bit. I swear I've seen this party somewhere in [redacted city] before.

Full honesty, here. I prefer Clone Wars Pyke Syndicate. They were creepy as hell and "The Lost Ones" is a wildly under-appreciated episode if for nothing else, the absolute sense of inexorable demise present the entire time (not to mention the A+++++ duel with Dooku).

At least Fennec has her priorities straight. Enjoy the damn food, Boba. (This is like, an almost Hannibal-esque montage).

Exactly.

As for the rest of the episode, nothing much of interest really happens. I always enjoy a good Danny Trejo cameo (I'm assuming he'll die horribly just as he did in Breaking Bad) and I already made my Back to the Future parallels post earlier.

Unfortunately, this episode did rather little to forward the narrative. I also am fully aware of how the next two episodes play out and to be honest, I am not convinced we will get any kind of satisfying story out of this show. I will wait to pass ultimate judgement until the end, but so far, I would have been happier to have stuck with the Sandpeople/Boba Fett finding-a-new-identity narrative and leave out the supposed "underworld" dealings (which have been milquetoast at best).

I will say this. The relationship between the twin Hutts could be read as a little incestuous, which is probably the most interesting thing to happen in the present-day Tatooine narrative thus far.

Ugh. I really want to like this show, but between this and some of Disney's recent Marvel shows, everything just feels a bit...beige, or at least, algorithmic. Like, I love the concept of Boba Fett forging this new identity and hanging up his mercenary boots, but the execution with the narrative has just not worked, especially in the present-day Tatooine sequences. Apparently the Mando episode is very good, so we will see when I get to that installment. Episode 3 = 6/10, mostly for the Back to the Future references.

[knickynoo]

BTTF Headcanons

As suggested by the wonderful @tsukinikawatteus, I’ve put together some of my headcanons. Honestly, these are going to revolve solely around Doc & Marty, because I don’t really have any developed ones involving other characters.

I’ll hide it under a ‘read more ’ in case it gets too long and ramble-y. Which it will, because this is me we’re talking about.

First, I’ll answer the ones I got in the ask.

- How Doc & Marty met: For this one, I just go by the official Bob Gale answer that Marty was 13 or 14, had heard rumors about the crazy old scientist in town, & snuck into Doc’s lab one day & got caught. The comic series actually shows this event happening, but I tend to dismiss that version because honestly, I don’t like the way it’s handled. (Plus Bob Gale has said that the comics/game/etc can be take it or leave it as considered canon, so yay) Anyway, I imagine a young Marty hearing all these whispers around town about Doc and being curious. Maybe he was looking for danger/adventure in going to investigate, but I also like to think that part of Marty felt sorry for this guy who everyone seemed to look down on. So he made his way over to Doc’s lab to see what the deal was & was initially scared when he got caught. But he saw all the cool experiments and the general chaos & was totally into it.  (And btw, in my headcanon, Marty is the one who first refers to him as Doc & establishes it as his “name,” unlike the comic version where Doc tells Marty to call him that?? Def didn’t like that part.)

- When they started to consider each other best friends/what impact did they have on each other’s life: I’d say they considered the other a best friend pretty quickly. Doc was absolutely thrilled to discover that this kid thought he was awesome & was so interested in his work. After spending so much of his life without true connections or relationships, having Marty around really changed Doc’s life. He finally had someone (aside from Einstein) to talk to about all of his experiments and the science behind them.

The same goes for Marty considering Doc a best friend. Seeing as he was growing up in such a dysfunctional environment, with parents who probably weren’t super attentive or close to him, he loved being around Doc. Not only was he treated as an equal, he also had someone to listen to him, which he didn’t get at home. He found encouragement and felt respected around Doc. Plus, my general headcanon is that Marty really doesn’t have other friends & was always kind of an outsider.

Now onto some of my other headcanons....

- As I mentioned above, I don’t see Marty as a guy with many friends. He’s friendly towards a lot of people, but doesn’t have a specific group he belongs to. He really only interacts with his band mates while he’s at practice & it’s more of a business situation than a friendship. Marty gets to practice, runs the show (playing sick guitar riffs) & then just leaves. His band mates serve as a convenient cover story for when he wants to go somewhere with Jennifer, but that’s pretty much it. He has three friends, ok? And one of them is an animal.

- Upon finally settling into the improved ‘85 timeline, once all the time-traveling was over, things were understandably very jarring to Marty. One of the things he found hardest to adjust to was the sudden affection from his parents, namely the good morning hugs & kisses like we see Lorraine give him at the end of the first movie. Marty was previously used to spending the mornings in solitude since his father would already be at work & his mom would sleep in (often because she was still out of it from drinking the night before). The idea of family breakfasts & being greeted so warmly when he woke up, and when he got home from school, was super weird to him at first.

- Marty has ADHD. (this seems to be a very common headcanon, lol). Doc, being the kind of guy who’s interested in a wide variety of topics, came across some research & information on it at some point & instantly recognized the signs in his friend. When Marty came over one day, frustrated after a particularly rough day at school, he sat him down & talked to him about his suspicions. And since Doc was well aware of the lack of potential support (because this is the 80s after all, & SO many people with ADHD just didn’t have resources to get help), he took on the role of giving Marty advice and tips on how he could cope with it.

- Related to above point: Marty found that wearing layers helped keep him calm/feel grounded, hence why our boy rocks the t-shirt/button up/jean jacket/puffy vest look. And honestly, the suspenders might play a role in that too, since they put subtle pressure on part of the chest/shoulders/back. This also explains the leather jacket from part II! Aside from just thinking it looked awesome (and perfectly inconspicuous), Marty liked that it was a thick, weighted material.

-Doc is autistic. As he was diving into the world of research concerning ADHD & other various conditions, he came across a series of studies on Asperger’s syndrome & instantly connected the information with his own childhood and current life. Since he grew up feeling isolated from his peers & like nobody understood him, reading through the studies made him feel like he had found an answer. (A fact nobody asked for: the first study printed in English on Asperger’s syndrome was released in 1981. Yes, I checked to make sure this headcanon would be possible.)

-Doc set up a bed for Marty in the garage partially for the nights they were working late & his friend was too tired to head home, but also because he realized that a lot of the time, Marty simply didn’t want to be at home. Marty got into the habit of sleeping in his clothes so that at any given moment he could head over to Doc’s garage if he needed to. Doc made it clear to him that he was welcome anytime & doesn’t bat an eye when the boy wanders in at night & flops down into the bed.

-For Doc’s birthday, Marty went out & bought him the most colorful, “loudest” Hawaiian shirt he could find. It was sort of a joke, but Doc absolutely loved it.

-On Marty’s birthday, Doc asked him to come over under the guise of needing help with an experiment, but it was really a mini party with the lab decorated with streamers & balloons & cupcakes Doc had gone to pick up. Einstein wore a party hat. 

- We all know Doc & Marty eat a lot of Burger King. When they eat it in Doc’s garage, Marty takes pieces of the fries and slips them under the table to Einstein. Doc does not appreciate Marty encouraging Einstein’s begging but the boy can’t resist sharing with the dog.

- Occasionally, when they’re taking a break from working or are just hanging out, Marty takes out his guitar & Doc takes out his saxophone & they jam. Sometimes they play actual songs & other times they create their own. Whenever they try to make up lyrics, it quickly devolves into complete nonsense, usually ending up with the two of them laughing so hard that they can’t even play anymore.

-Marty also sometimes puts on a Huey Lewis tape while the two of them are working. Doc initially wasn’t really into the music, but he eventually found himself singing along to the songs with Marty. 

Okay, I need to stop myself because. Wow. If anyone actually reads this thing, I commend you on the effort. Kai, you had no idea what you were unleashing when you sent me that ask the other day.

[rose-of-pollux]

1, 3, 11, 17, 20, 21 and 22? :o)

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it? My current project is my in-progress BTTF fic "'Cause I Might Not Make it Back" (which I just posted the next chapter of!). Basically, in the summer of 1986, Marty gets caught up in a case of time-traveling spy intrigue and ends up in 1932 with amnesia and a Bon Jovi tape--and young!Doc finds him. Fun fact: before I went with Bon Jovi, the original outline had him go back to 1932 with a tape that Marty had made to record Queen's Live Aid performance; the chapters were all originally Queen-themed (and it was originally titled "Though You're Many Years Away"). I switched to Bon Jovi after I remembered that Live Aid was summer of '85, not '86, which was when Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album was released.

The other project I'm planning is a 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo fic called "Sands of Time and Space" (so yeah, bit of BTTF influence in this one); since I don't count the Curse movie as canon to the series timeline (they retconned waaaaaay too many things for it to make any coherent sense), this will be my way of showing how Fred and Velma found out about the shenanigans they missed out on after the rest of the gang visits Velma in Florida to watch the launch of a new Mars probe developed by her supervisor at NASA.

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be bothered to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway) A. MYSTERY. SCENE. ON. A. TRAIN. Like something intriguing a la Orient Express, but I am thwarted either by either by there already being such a scene in canon (MFU, Scooby-Doo), or there isn't enough of a premise for it (Hogan's Heroes, Pokémon). ...At this point, BTTF might be my only chance to pull this off; maybe Doc and Marty end up on the actual Orient Express via time-travel... (and Marty breaks out his "inconspicuous" Secret Agent Man disguise from Part II again while Doc just facepalms in the background).

11. What do you envy in other writers? HOW DO YOU ALL UPDATE YOUR FICS SO QUICKLY???

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations? I honestly don't know if they perceive my work differently than I do--they'd have to tell me themselves. At this point, I don't think I have any surprises--most people know I write about character relationships, with some drama and angst, but always with a happy ending.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?) Most of the fics I write are all meant to be in the same timeline. And I have a lot of references that tie events from other fandoms together; if I listed them all, we'd be here all day, but here's one example-- In my MFU Halloween fic, "The Jack o' the Lantern Affair," I had Victor Marton mention to Napoleon and Illya that he had a "very distant cousin in Tibet" to whom he bore some amount of resemblance to. This was meant to be a throwaway reference to Vincent Van Ghoul, an in-joke since Vincent Price played both roles--at the time, I never imagined I'd be writing 13 Ghosts fic. Now that I am writing 13 Ghosts fic, I have to make it come full circle--Napoleon and Illya will have a cameo in the party scene in "Sands of Time and Space," as Velma's supervisor is also Napoleon's childhood friend, Takeshi (who, in one of my many MFU short affair pieces, I revealed as working for NASA--which I only did at the time because I wanted him to have a space-themed bachelor party so that Napoleon would come home drunk after having one too many drinks that had been dubbed "Supernovas"), and Napoleon and Illya will pull the mother of all double-takes when they see Vincent Van Ghoul at the same party and momentarily mistake him for Victor Marton.

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?) Well, I intend for my stories to fit right into canon, so I generally see them in the same medium that they're originally in. Exceptions are whenever there are crossovers/cameos--I wrote a Scooby fic last year that had the 13 Ghosts fam being chased through ruined Hyrule by Calamity Ganon and basically imagined the fam drawn in Breath of the Wild/Age of Calamity-style for this fic, which was a very intriguing image, indeed.

22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them? Yes, I do! For the most part, I like to see it as how far I've progressed since I started posting fic. Obviously, I'm going to think my newer stuff is better (though I also consider some of my older pieces "classics"), but that's only natural.

[glowyjellyfish]

I considered stopping and writing out thoughts periodically but after a certain point I couldn’t stop watching

-cried a few times. During Billy’s memories and during the entire last episode

-they were right, it is as sad as they said

-...that being said, I am absolutely convinced that Hopper escaped through the portal in order to survive and now he’s the American in the Russian prison. We’re all in agreement on that, right? If that is the case, I really must applaud the show for not going for the easy way out, the big twist cliffhanger of showing him to us and robbing the tragedy of its power. 

-also, I am pretty distraught about Billy. I mean, his chances of survival were pretty low and redemption = death was as sweet a deal as that character was gonna get, but it still tears me up that he didn’t, couldn’t fight his possession because he had nothing and no one. Max cared, but there was no bond between them. Will survived his possession because he had so many people who cared about him to work their asses off to bring him back; Billy had so little that it took a girl he didn’t know reminding him of his mom, and that was the only thing that made him fight back and sacrifice himself to stop the Mind Flayer from killing/absorbing Eleven. I mean, I actually kind of appreciate episode one’s “Billy has a nice day” now, even if it was super sleazy. I’m glad he had what to him was a nice day before all this shit went down. Ugh, I just feel bad for him. He was a complete puppet, no idea what was going on or happening to him, nobody on his side (and yes, there’s a reason for that, but it doesn’t make it less tragic), nothing worth fighting back for. Poor kid, I really wanted him to survive and learn how to deal with things and become a better person, but I’m glad he did good and got such juicy character development.

-Alexei was precious and I cried for him, too

-listen I have played Parasite Eve, many Silent Hills and Resident Evils, but that hospital scene was fucking terrifying man

-on that note, somehow it was way more alarming for the kids to face off against Billy than against the Demogorgan. More real, I guess

-last season, I found it real creepy that Murray pushed Jonathan and Nancy, two teenagers, to have sex. It was way less creepy although still vaguely annoying when he did it to Joyce and Hopper. I mean, I understand the urgency in getting them past the bickering this season; my instinct is just “don’t you push them! They have to figure that out for themselves!”

-Robin is gay and I love her. I hope she and Steve and Dustin are BFFs forever and they all constantly wingman for each other all the time, and go see every BTTF together.

-SO MANY BTTF REFERENCES. PERFECT. 

-I think literally everyone had at least one moment of amazing badassery, which is really the best part of this show. I can’t even sort out who was the most awesome this season; I was going to list top contenders but THEY WERE ALL AMAZING. Oh, I do think I wanna give special mention to Jonathan for being completely on the ball about performing impromptu BUTCHER KNIFE SURGERY on El (Jonathan is quiet and awkward and sometimes a little dense but HE GETS SHIT DONE), and El specifically for getting through to Billy when she can’t use her powers. (I mean basically every use of her powers is automatically amazing, I just want to point out that it was also super badass to figure out how to reach him and do it successfully while completely helpless)

-and now that they have apparently killed off Hopper (they totally did not, he’s the American in the Russian prison, still calling it now), I’m deeply curious what the next step might be in terms of raising the stakes.

[muffintonic]

MY CROSSOVER LIVEBLOG

Yes, I decided to just watch the PnF/MML leak instead of waiting because i’d rather not have to dodge spoilers until January. (Also, i’m still going to buy the new season on iTunes when it comes out, so whatever.)

For just the analysis bits, look for actual paragraphs instead of single sentences.

Doof was seriously considering Cavendish’s offer: his nnnnnnnnnnno was drawn out, it had more of a curious/hesitant tone at the beginning, and he freaking glanced down. In the end, he’s already got a boyfriend, though.

Continuing PnF’s habit of showing Buford and Baljeet hanging out alone, I see....nice.

DID BALJEET JUST DAB

They’ve already done “Act Your Age” and confirmed that Doof stayed a high school teacher after “Doof 101,” but he seems to be an agent here, so.......”The OWCA Files” takes place...before....this???? So this special takes place.........after “Doof 101??″ PNF USED TO BE SO GOOD AT CONTINUITY; GIVE ME SOME INFO, HERE.

DOOF CONTINUING TO SEMI-UNDERSTAND PERRY IS MY LIFEBLOOD.

DUCKY MO-GO

BUFORD STOP SACRIFICING BALJEET

I always love Phineas being supportive of Ferb talking/expressing himself. :’)

YES. YES, IT HAS. THREE YEARS.

Oh, Phineas.

They already played darts across the city in “Bullseye!” and badminton in Across the Second Dimension....isn’t this kind of redundant?

It’s actually pretty lucky that Doof’s time machine has food on it...otherwise they’d have been long-dead.

PERRY AND DOOF PLAYING HOT SAUCE TOGETHER. :’’))

Cavendish insisting that Dakota be careful a ton of times: good stuff.

YEAR. MONTH. CUP-HOLDER. I LOVE YOU, DOOF.

THAT’S RIGHT, HE’S GOOD AT INVENTING THINGS!!! HE’S A LEGITIMATE SCIENTIST, AND SOMETIMES SCIENTISTS CAN BE LIKE THAT! (source: i’m a doctorate student)

How long has it been since they started openly taking over, exactly? For the kids to have been aware? Phineas and Ferb knew long enough to have a satellite workshop with a lot of inventions housed in it...

“Weaponize it?“ Buford, PLEASE.

They already studied good/bad luck in “Just Our Luck,” so this shouldn’t be too hard.

SOLDIERS?? Phineas is Ready for war. D: Poor baby.

“We...have no frame of reference for that“ THAT’S RIGHT, THEY HAVE THE WORLD ON A SILVER PLATTER. Phineas and Ferb are, like, the opposite of Murphy’s Law.

“Lemony fresh.“ God, i’ve missed Buford.

Doof is really stuck on that soda.....mood.

QUIRKY WORKY.

Candace being pragmatic, but also knowing that her brother is going to want to keep Milo around: good stuff.

DON’T BE RUDE ABOUT HER NECK. SHE WAS A MODEL IN “Runaway Runway.”

FOUR MEN AND A PLATYPUS. ....I still don’t like how MML uses cutaway gags (and physical humor, actually)--too Family Guy for my taste.

Oh, shut up, Cavendish. He’s the one who invented time travel in the first place.

HIS VOICE IS GREAT, SHUT UP!

NOW HE’S TAKING IT OUT ON DAKOTA??? SHUT. UPPPPPPPP!

So escape is shorthand for “self-destruct?”

WHY DIDN’T PERRY GO WITH HIM. PERRY, THAT’S YOUR BEST FRIEND WHO’S SAD!!!

They’re going to beat the pistachions with the soda, aren’t they.

Mr. Slushy Dawg reference??

Doof.....already built a time machine all the way back in “Lotsa Latkes,” though.... I miss PnF’s excellent continuity............ (his apartment’s interior in the beginning of this special was different, too, yet we saw in AYA that it hadn’t changed in 10 years...and what happened to Xavier Onassis, anyway?)

I’m still not completely on-board with the whole “Doof-is-Professor-Time-and-he’s-venerated-in-the-future” thing. He wanted to be big and important in PnF after spending most of his life being ignored or actively bullied, but by the end realized that he didn’t need to be the ruler of the Tri-State area or anything to be loved and have a good life....this kind of reveal feels like it’s sort of flying in the face of that.

Why do Dwampy love rap so much? I’m not a fan.

THE ISLAND OF LOST DAKOTAS??????!

THE PHINEAS AND FERB EFFECT = THE MYSTERIOUS FORCE

Remember how Candace has super bad luck? Like, Phineas even commented on it in “S’Winter” when she kept getting the brunt of obstacles. Doof seems to have this kind of bad luck, too. My theory: certain people, like the original Murphy, have concentrations of the negative ions that cause bad stuff to happen. Murphy just happened to have a lot, and they got passed down to his descendants. Doof and Candace happen to have negative ions, but just not to the level of those descended from Murphy’s line.

BUUUUUUFORD

CAVENDISH FINALLY LEARNS

THEY’RE HUGGING HIM

UGH, CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, GUYS. Wait, wasn’t Doof into “Greevil” (green + evil) and stuff before? What happened to that??

I mean, they don’t really need the suit...Phineas and Ferb can just stand on either side of Milo.

THE POWER OF ORANGE SODA REPELS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ISABELLA!!!!! Looks like she was getting ready for war/a rescue mission, too.

Perry saving Doof from falling...ah, yes, just like always.

CAVENDISH SAVING DAKOTA FOR ONCE

“And if you get hurt, I don’t have one either“ CAVENDISH CONFIRMED TO BE WILLING TO ISLAND HIMSELF FOR DAKOTA

Okay, I just can’t take this whole dramatic “compassion” scene seriously because the MML art style looks like Word clipart. Sorry, Dwampy. (I think they should’ve used slo-mo, too)

Perry protecting his family. :’)

DAKOTA JUST BODILY PICKED UP CAVENDISH AND RAN AWAY WITH HIM. STRONG.

IRVING!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

BUFORD!! AMANDA!!! (my favorite MML character)

RADIOACTIVE WATERMELON. Why are watermelons such a running gag for Dwampy?

BLOWTORCH AND PEANUT BUTTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

LINDA AND LAWRENCE GOT PISTACHION’D, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Come to think of it, i’m getting some “Night of the Living Pharmacists” vibes, now.

I think Dwampy left Isabella out for half the special and got her pistachion’d so quickly because they knew she’d be able to save everyone otherwise (like in NOTLP).

Nice speech, Doof!

So....this timeline is originally 15 years too early for Doof to be Professor Time. In AYA, which takes place 10 years in the future, he has white hair. When he comes back through time from the future right here, he doesn’t have white hair. WHAT THE HECK, CONTINUITY?! I’m so disappointed.

God, the way they do time travel in this series is....so confusing. Give me BTTF simplicity any day. Honestly, realistically going back and stopping the whole thing in the first place should have created an altered timeline....or this whole thing happened in an altered timeline in the first place since originally nobody was supposed to be replaced with pistachions until Derek got knocked into the timestream.

Dakota hugging Cavendish and calling him partner: GOOD STUFF.

Again, Doof’s building has to have been rebuilt some time between now and AYA.

Mmmmm, so MML takes place on the other side of town. In Jefferson County. So, now we know PnF takes place in Danville, which is in Jefferson County, in the Tri-State Area.

Okay, it’s confirmed: MML is merely an OVA for PnF. Dwampy honestly should have just either continued PnF, or let it die a good death as a wonderful period piece with fantastic continuity. Seriously, Doof was 47 in PnF and was a teen in the 80s....MML takes place after 2016, so DOOF WOULDN’T BE THAT AGE IN 2016. THERE WERE FLIP PHONES AT THE BEGINNING OF PNF. GOD. I’m beginning to consider not thinking of anything that happens in MML to be canon to PnF, especially since it seems to take place in the “The OWCA Files” continuity where they got Doof’s ocelot backstory (and bedroom) completely wrong.

[abouttiimeadjacent]

Things I like to know about rp partners meme

FILL IN:

I like to be called: rory !

My favorite color is: probably yellow like my favorite sweater

Gender: female

One thing you should know about me: i'm so bad at talking to people ooc like i always wanna talk to people on disco and stuff but then like dang i'll see the message sometimes and be busy and think 'oh i'll reply to that later' or i will have mentally figured out what i'm saying back but then i get distracted and forget to reply bc i think i have already so honestly one thing people should know is that i am a mess and either i'm online a whole bunch or not at all bc i'm playing videogames or marathoning a show or something

but also if you get me on a subject i'm wicked into expect me never to shut up like fuck don't get me STARTED on bttf or mjf bc i get v into it with all the behind the scenes trivia and shit i know like dang

One thing you should know about my muse: he's bad at not being obvious about being a time traveler. he makes a lot of weird comments in the movies and game-- sometimes it's just him trying to fit in references he enjoys (from various movies and video games) but just as often it's him answering without thinking (the 7-Eleven mention being the best example of this) or enthusiastically realizing that he knows that thing! whether it's a person or event. if marty recognizes something he's gonna let everyone know, no matter how out of place his comments in the moment are. 

First language: english

Second language?: i mean... i was v good with latin once upon a time but not so much now

I live in: ohio! for a few more months at least!

HIGHLIGHT:

Age range:  under 13  |  14–17 |  18–22 |  23–25  |  26–29  |  30+  |  70+

Am I okay with NSFW?:  YES  |  no  |  sometimes

My favorite/most common thing to RP is:  angst  |  fluff  |  smut  |  crack  |  other

OC friendly?:  yes  |  no  |  depends

RP blog  does |  doesn’t  contain OOC posts.

TAGGING:

Tagged by: @verycivilofyou

Tagging: 😎👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉

[comicteaparty]

January 31st, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on January 31st, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on Apricot Cookie(s)! by Louis Lloyd-Judson.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Apricot Cookie(s)! by Louis Lloyd-Judson~! (https://apricotcookies.net/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustinbros

Hello!

RebelVampire

hey super~!

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Hi everyone This is late into the comic, but I loved the reveal of Apricot's family -- how it was treated as normal and matter-of-fact in-universe, because for her it is, even though it's a real Wham Moment for the readers.

Superjustinbros

Glad to be here!

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

(And that's gotta be the reason why she can't transform properly, right?)(edited)

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1265858 This oen gave me a good chuckle

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Yeah, I love all the self-aware genre jokes.

RebelVampire

i agree with erin. my favorite scene is when we find out that apricot's secret is that shes the princess of darkness. because i did not expect the secret reveal right then, and just like the entire process as things evolved was personally comical for me. cause first her dad shows up in this weird attire, then grandma darkness, then the helmet thing, and then just more from there. like it was a bunch of puzzle pieces all falling into place. if i was a cartoon character thats when a lightbulb and exclamation point wouldve appeared over my head.

Superjustinbros

the genral humor of the comic is top notch

and how it plays with stereotypes

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Ooh, it was totally unexpected. And most people would consider this as a possible reason why she can't transform! But it's perfectly in-character for her that she never spoiled the reveal by even thinking about it.

She's such a ditz, I love her.

RebelVampire

yeah. the humor of the comic is definitely top notch. this, imo at least, is parody done right. because its walking that fine line between mocking the tropes but having them and loving them anyway.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Definitely.

RebelVampire

i also love the reveal cause suddenly this page made more sense https://tapas.io/episode/274726

and i love that sneaky foreshadowing i didnt mark in my mind as sneaky foreshadowing

Superjustinbros

Yes^(edited)

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Ooh, nice.

RebelVampire

but yeah, i definitely think everything played out in a natural way for apricot. cause of course she denies all the things. cause her family doesnt fit into her tragic back story

which btw i love when shes talking about that and her dad is just sitting there reading the newspaper

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

A+ introduction there.

mathtans

I like how it all clicked together too. Though I think my favourite moment was on this page: https://apricotcookies.net/5/31 ... Not only a BTTF reference at the sake of fashion but also a callback to an earlier joke that I hadn't expected.

Superjustinbros

Time traveling movie references in a reference to a past joke. Genius(edited)

mathtans

Yeah, it's interesting the stuff in the background, not just that bit with her dad, but her sister in the background of one shot, and I was like, hmmmm wait? Then it all gets explained.

Missed the "An" bit though.

RebelVampire

yes. i love that this joke made a comeback. like this is the sort of attention to detail i love and that i think really makes the comic's humor top notch.

mathtans

Speaking of which, I will say, not impressed by the fart humour. I feel like it's (comic's) too clever to need to reach for the bottom shelf there. It's the one thing I shake my head over.(edited)

But that's me.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Nah, it's me too.

Superjustinbros

Fart humor in 2018/19?

mathtans

Back to the amusing, the line about her being "16 but 18 outside of Japan". OMG.

RebelVampire

that was way too topical and i loved that line

cause its so true

Superjustinbros

Indeed

mathtans

I was thinking about it again when she was in England. Like... hm?

RebelVampire

especially now with more companies cracking down

and suddenly all these 18 year old high school girls

mathtans

Yis. eyeroll

Superjustinbros

eyerolls

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

That's a good example of a joke that's clever and genre-savvy, it just happens to refer to something that's bad news IRL. In contrast to the "it's gross, that automatically makes it funny" bits.

mathtans

Yeah, there's lots of clever genre stuff.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

A little more seriously...I really liked Starlit Pony's whole arc. It's irreverent and wacky but there's actually something sincere underneath.

mathtans

Sorry, which? Abysmal with names.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

The trans one!

mathtans

Ah! I suspected but wasn't sure. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about that one, like I almost wish it had gone deeper. I wasn't sure if the dad was being sarcastic with the "son" comments near the start or not. But I agree there was some good consideration there.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

She's a great counter-example for the kind of people who say "what, you don't want us to make fun of crossdressing-boy characters?? How will we be funny now? You obviously just hate jokes!"

Like, no, you can be funny and respect trans people. Here's proof.

Superjustinbros

^

RebelVampire

i really liked they involved the trainers aspect more in that arc. because i also love the boys all card duel just as much as i love the girls are all magical girls.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

And her dad refers to her as his daughter eventually -- it's a happy conclusion, that he comes around to accepting her gender.

mathtans

Yup, smashing stereotypes through use of stereotypes. Or something.

Erin: Yes, but I wasn't sure if she was actually a girl who liked cards, or a boy who liked magic. Like, the way it was presented felt ambiguous, even through the dad's comments, until later.

Of course, I'm also sleep deprived.

Gawd I hate January.

Superjustinbros

As someone that dislikes stereotypes anything that's used to bash/take shots at them is welcome by me

I know that feel

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Well, she's a girl who likes magic. But she has the card-based powers because apparently those are divided by biology, not gender identity.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. One of the main aspects of the comic is to parody manga and anime in a comedic manner. Of all the parodies so far, which one do you think is the most accurate? What about its execution in the comic do you think makes it work as a parody? Additionally, which of the parodies did you find the funniest? Outside of the writing, there are also plenty of visual gags. Visually speaking, which moment stood out to you as particularly comedic? Lastly, what do you personally feel the underlying commentary is saying about manga and anime? Has any parody in the comic made you think about manga or anime in a new light?

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

It's really funny that there's this whole card-game-based conflict going on in the same world, in the background to the magical-power-based conflict.

Like, that's how the industry as a whole feels sometimes -- though obviously it's not along such a rigid divide (much as marketing companies wish it was).

mathtans

The visit to the Convention was rather amusing. There's these times when the creator pokes fun at themselves, visually or otherwise. (eg "No one does these things in full colour").

Superjustinbros

lol

Yeah, doujinshi are rarely drawn in full color

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Yeah, that was good. I love that even the in-between pages have that kind of self-referential gag. "This is best read out loud, in a crowded place, such as on a train."

mathtans

I had feels for the artist when Apricot critiqued. Though Apricot also seems to appreciate things that are "hard to draw".

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

XD

mathtans

Yeah, the explanation pages are clever. I like how it's actually a different character and bird each time.

I still remember when they were looking at that post with all the wires too.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Usually "that looks hard to draw" is a cartoonist's lampshading of the fact that they're fudging their way out of drawing something. Here, nope, we get to see the whole thing.

Superjustinbros

This^

RebelVampire

i love thatd moment where they took a moment to look at the electrical telephone pole

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

("They", I say, as if I'm not included in this group, heh.)

RebelVampire

for the hard to draw thing

A+ joke

mathtans

I liked the dark lord muttering about having to watch teenage girls too. With the globe he got and everything. He probably would prefer Anzu to be doing it as part of her training.

Actually, his intros are hilarious.

I'm not sure what it parodies, but it works.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

He seems like a riff on the standard Video Game Final Boss to me.

RebelVampire

i think my favorite parody of them all is the one where apricot actually does wake up late and then takes the time to go get bread, and etc. etc. cause its just so drawn out in how long it takes. but its true, you cant go late to anime school without toast in your mouth.

Superjustinbros

lol yes

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

...realizing now that I don't actually have much personal experience with Video Game Final Bosses, I'm basing this impression mostly on how they get parodied in other webcomics. Like RPG World, or Adventurers.

mathtans

Heh. That was clever (the toast). I felt like it went on a bit long was the only thing. (Also, in the background, 11-11. Subtle.)(edited)

The language thing (are we speaking Japanese or English) felt like it went on a bit long too. I think it only stands out because usually the pacing feels very good.

I don't play the Video Games, I only watch Let'S Plays.

RebelVampire

i also loved the translation bit. it did go on for a bit, yet i think what sold me on it was the OK that was supposed to be english was actually changed to the correct universal font for trying to show things in english

mathtans

I did notice that. Another clever detail.

RebelVampire

he seems most assuredly a riff on video game final bosses, especially considering everyone mistook him for sephiroth at the convention

Superjustinbros

lol

mathtans

Do not challenge him. He will summon your parents.

Superjustinbros

that would be amazing

RebelVampire

one of my fave visual gags is probably this page https://tapas.io/episode/483838

mathtans

The navigation is also really clever (on the main site). My first time there, I just clicked right arrow. It brought me to the first page again, and I had to actually read what was going on.

RebelVampire

where shes telling jacques shes surely pretty under that helmet

but nope

Superjustinbros

those eyes tho o_o

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

And the "sorry if you were looking for recipes" in the header cracks me up.

mathtans

Jacques is creepy. Another nice detail with the missing a leg in human form, but like, wtf with birds.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I'm so glad she put the helmet back on

RebelVampire

yes i really loved that detail in the header

mathtans

Header's good too, yup.

RebelVampire

but makes me wonder how many ppl have gotten to this site wanting apricot cookie recipes XD

mathtans

I like how "Anzu" means "Apricot". Though it just adds more language confusion.

RebelVampire

oh lol, i didnt know that. never crossed my mind to translate her name XD

mathtans

I suspected, so I went to a translation program.

Superjustinbros

god bless translations

RebelVampire

smart. thats a great detail then

https://apricotcookies.net/5/21

i enjoy the last panel

about the adaptions

especially cause the hollywood one would be terrible

too accurate

but i also appreciate the art style switch in the next page

cause that takes some skill

Superjustinbros

yes

RebelVampire

and i love the filters kind of effect on it that references the kind of shit quality 90s anime had

mathtans

I'm bad for noticing art stuff at times.

Interesting how she started blonde though.

RebelVampire

i assume the blond is their natural color, and their hair only becomes black when infused with dark power

so ya know

typical anime stuff

QUESTION 3. The comic features a slew of colorful characters with even more colorful personalities. Which character at the moment is your favorite and why? Further, of the comedic moments related to them, which one do you think was the best? What sort of scenarios are you hoping to see this character in in the future? Finally, what do you think their relationship with our protagonist Apricot adds to the story? Speaking of relationship dynamics with Apricot, how do you feel like those dynamics in general might change between all the characters as the story continues? Overall, what typical manga scenarios are you hoping to see addressed in the comic, and which character are you hoping to see participate in them?

mathtans

It amusing that Apricot wants her parents to be dead in her backstory, but her real story is kind of messed up too.

Superjustinbros

Design wise, Meal Deal and Moonlight Spritzer.

mathtans

Cream ftw. For definite.

Can't beat teleporting and quipping like Spiderman.

I'm bad for noticing designs too.

Superjustinbros

Especially with a name like Cream

RebelVampire

im really sad there wont be more moonlight spritzer cause shes now an office lady

Superjustinbros

r.i.p.

mathtans

... ... I had always pictured it as "cream and sugar" until you said that ...

I was amused by "that doesn't count". I'm not a motorcycle fan though. ^.^

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I was thinking whipped cream. To go with the other desserts.

mathtans

I guess I was automatically onto the tea or coffee mindset.

Wait, butter's a dessert?

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Butter cookies are?

They're not all desserts, just several of them.

mathtans

Did not even pick up on that. Point.

Superjustinbros

mmm, butter

mathtans

Speaking of, Apricot's interest in Butter, like trying not to look at her transforming or how she reacted to the idea it was just the two of them at a sleepover... that amused me. Because of the yuri implications. ^.^

Though I guess Apricot's turned out to be... pansexual?

RebelVampire

they at least all have a food theme i think.

mathtans

Not sure if that's the right term.

RebelVampire

i assume apricot is just into whatever although i doubt were gonna get any actual ships going on alas.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Bisexual or pansexual would both work. Unless she uses a specific word in-universe...and AFAIK there aren't separate words in Japanese.

She just says she's into "men and women...and trains."

mathtans

Bisexual implies male or female to me though, versus the trains thing. ^^

RebelVampire

apricot x trains otp

mathtans

apricot x ships?

Superjustinbros

apricots on ships sounds liek the name to a song

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Eh, there are straight and gay people who talk about weird xeno attractions too.

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

Geh. 9A9 I'm late! jumps in anyway

I like the Apricot x Butter ship. XDDD

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

So many anime with trains/planes/boats/etc personified as sexy moe girls...

Superjustinbros

^

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

Much agreed with Erin. ; v ;

RebelVampire

i wonder if jacques plays hatoful boyfriend

mathtans

Erin: ... Point. I hadn't even gone there yet. O.o

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

It would be some epic planning if the endgame ships turned out to be foreshadowed by "they're named after foods that go together well."

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I've had Apricot Butter before... 8L

mathtans

Well, the girls seem to go for harem-style guys (aside from Butter).

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I do have to say, I didn't expect Butter to be called Butter because she's got a blue scheme going.

Superjustinbros

In before there's a yellow-themed girl called blueberry

mathtans

I wonder why Butter sleeps underwater.

RebelVampire

yeah butter's mostly blueness really stood out to me. but maybe reflective that you dont want too much butter

Superjustinbros

Yeah, lol

RebelVampire

cause you put too much butter on something and it tastes icky

mathtans

I can't believe it's not Butter.

Superjustinbros

Too much butter on something is kinda gross tbh

I can't believe I missed that reference/joke Math just said

RebelVampire

the character i really want to see more of is jammy smasher the head bully. cause she and apricot need to have that arc where they become the true best friends who still constantly bicker but are on the same team and all those shenanigans. cause im really interested to see what punches the comic throws at all those tropes

mathtans

Just gotta put Butter on Apricot.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I'd be into this Jammy Smasher arc.

mathtans

I could see that, Rebel, though it might get subverted.

ShaRose49

I only read some of the beginning so far but I wanted to say all it’s breaking of the fourth wall was great. I liked the lord of darkness guy the best or whatever his name was

mathtans

I'm still on about Cream. She knows more about Apricot's family now, could be relevant later.

Superjustinbros

always love me some good fourth wall destruction

ShaRose49

@Superjustinbros sometimes it needs to be broken

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I actually got a bit confused when I started out reading because I thought Lord of Darkness would be the main character. XDDD

RebelVampire

he can be the main character in your heart

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

True, true. ;v;

RebelVampire

and im sure hed be the type to tell you everyone is the main character of their own life story

mathtans

Dude can't even figure out slide shows, let alone the internet. (Though I guess now we see where some of Apricot's incompetence comes from.)

RebelVampire

and his mom did say his love story with his wife would be like a 10 year manga so he can be the protag of that

and 100% its gonna get subverted cause this is a parody comic. no way theyll play it straight. i half expect apricot to turn to jammy in the climatic bond moment where they admit they arent so bad and apricot just goes "just kidding youre a bitch"

Superjustinbros

well stories aren't limited to just one main

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

That too~~. XD

Superjustinbros

Sometimes you get a side character or two that has such a large impact on the story that they become a major fofure

RebelVampire

i really did like the opening introduction though where the lord of darkness treats it like a business meeting and such.

although

who exactly are we in this context. like what if this isnt just a fourth wall break, but were just first person cameraing a character

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I actually felt like I was being thrown back into the days when I was in Uni. XDDDD

Like, Lord of Darkness felt like a professor and his powerpoint struggles... ; v ;(edited)

RebelVampire

i enjoyed that he called tech support XD just wasting more of the time. and i enjoy that panel where hes crying about the wasted hours he spent on a powerpoint that doesnt even work

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

RIP oh great Lord of Darkness. XDDD

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Apricot’s one true dream in the story is to become a magical girl. Do you think that Apricot will achieve her dream eventually and learn to transform? If so, what measures do you think she might have to take to ultimately achieve this dream? How might this affect Apricot’s relationship with her family? Alternatively, will she eventually come to accept her role as the Princess of Darkness? Regardless of which event occurs, how do you think Apricot’s friends/school mates would react to finding out who her parents are? Do you think they’ll find out or will it stay a secret forever? Finally, what shenanigans do you think Apricot will get up to in general throughout the story?

💩 💩 💩 YY 💩 💩 💩

I havent' read that far, but I think Apricot will become a magical girl at some point.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I think she's gonna get a Devil Homura type of magical-girl form. And it'll be epic.

Superjustinbros

Yes

mathtans

(Back - little one's entered a fussier time of the evening.)

RebelVampire

that would be awesome if her form just winds up being pretty evil looking. as long as all the others comment loudly about it. like "Wow who would expect the ditz girl to have a form like this." "Isn't this form a little evil looking?" and apricot just has to flail assuring them nah its fine, perfectly normal

mathtans

The others are all aware of a great power when Apricot tries to transform. Thing is, didn't someone say at some point that Princesses couldn't transform? I think she'd need to renounce her throne for it to work. Which she might do, but then regret.

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I thought it was "only the Princess can transform without relying on her bird companion."

mathtans

I'm torn between thinking her form would show off too much, or like practically cover her entirely like a snowsuit. (There's few in betweens with her.)

Erin: Oh, that might have been it, good call.

Maybe that's the important thing the bird had wanted to tell her, the power's in you, I'm only holding you back.

RebelVampire

it was specifically the princess of light though. who can transform without a bird companion. and her sister is the princess of light and i assume its a there can only be one thing.

Superjustinbros

Hmm

Is that so?

RebelVampire

although idk what would happen if the parents decided to have a third child

very convenient they stopped after two

mathtans

Princess of darkness might have similar restrictions.

What if it was a boy? Would darkness have a deck of cards?

Superjustinbros

What about the princess of in-between?

RebelVampire

yes i support this if the third child is a boy. a boy who is destined for a magical cube that contains the soul of an egyptian pharoah. and that even as a baby he becomes the best dueller in japan.

and you cant have a princess of in-between. theres only light and darkness. this isnt real life where all the things are actually gray and cant be fit into two boxes O_O

Superjustinbros

Are you sure about that

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I get the impression there could be multiple light/dark Princesses within the family -- it's just that this kind of power can't manifest outside the family.

Superjustinbros

Aah ok

RebelVampire

definitely can agree it cant manifest outside the family.

i def cant wait to see the fallout when others find out apricot's secret. not that i expect huge amounts of drama

but no way they wont react

i could actually see them encouraging apricot to accept her role

cause once her dad retires what are they supposed to fight if theres no ruler of the darkness

director of darkness

cause suddenly remembered the appropriate title

Superjustinbros

Director of Darkness sounds badass

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Maybe at some point they'll meet a girl who hates being a frilly magical girl and longs for a dark evil powerset. (With parallels/foreshadowing in how Starlit was born with the deck-of-cards powerset but wanted the frilly powerset.) And then she and Apricot can engineer a swap somehow.

Superjustinbros

Lol

Well not every girl wants to be some sweet and dainty rightly colored girl that's for sure

RebelVampire

this does seem like a potential arc, but more like the kind thatll blow up in their faces and not work out. XD

mathtans

(Back again.)

RebelVampire

i really hope chapter 7 is about cream though. cause as i think math mentioned earlier, i want to see cream deal with being the only one who knows at the very least that almond and apricot are sisters

mathtans

Maybe the family decides to adopt.

I just want more Cream! ^.^

Superjustinbros

*ads more cream to Math's dessert

mathtans

I wonder, if students transfer to Japan, do they get wrapped up in this stuff? Because there aren't magical girls in the UK, as Cream indicated.

RebelVampire

i think cream is evidence that yes

Superjustinbros

What about in the US?

RebelVampire

yes they do

it is destiny

the comic hasnt said anything about the US

mathtans

So what if they move away? Powers are sealed?

(Reminds me, they're able to toe the line rather neatly, what with tentacles and rope tricks, without crossing over.)

RebelVampire

thats basically what is implied. that they dont get to use their powers anymore. since cream was barely there a few mins before the visa kicked in

i was looking at earlier pages

https://apricotcookies.net/1/8

i wanna know who the figure is that got her own panel

cause that is the chara who shouldve been butter if we go by color scheme XD

mathtans

Oh yeah, the figurine. I'd forgotten about that.

Also, sleeping in hair ties for branding. Hah.

Superjustinbros

If only we had known

mathtans

(Was it Cream who said "in the name of the spoon?"... I forget but it sounds like something she'd say.)

Maybe the figurine is Mom when she was younger.

Superjustinbros

Anyways since the tea party's ending I'd like to wish Louis luck on continuing the comic, this is a great read so far and I'l looking forward to what happens next

mathtans

One last wondering, is Apricot's last name "Cookie"? Or is that a web cookie pun? Because her real last name is "Hikari", right?

Superjustinbros

Lol, that'd be one hell of a last name

RebelVampire

i assume its apricot's pre-chosen magical girl name

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Same.

RebelVampire

considering her first name is anzu

not apricot

Superjustinbros

Fair enough

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

But anzu means apricot, yes? So that's just a translation thing.

RebelVampire

yeah but still her actual first name. i dont think its necessarily just a translation joke

mathtans

I suppose. I wondered about translations.

Superjustinbros

Anyways cya (edited)

mathtans

Anyway, final remark is the recipe if people hadn't spotted it yet. With 3D printing. Well done. https://apricotcookies.net/specials/2

All very clever.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Louis Lloyd-Judson, as well, for making Apricot Cookie(s)!. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Louis Lloyd-Judson’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://apricotcookies.net/

Louis’ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Louistrations

Louis’ Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/louistrations

Louis’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Louistrations

[sterlingarcher23]

- ElMax goes "Back to the future" -

"When this baby hits 88 miles per hour you're gonna see some serious shit."

Bear with me, people, this is a going to be a wild ride with a lot of details the Duffers used and placed into the show. - Same is true for example for the Back to the future franchise itself that made references and placed props similar to what the Duffers do. Example: the clock's hands in BttF 3 are at 8 minutes and 8 o'clock: 88 mph.

It's not meant literally but in terms of reference, pointing to scenes showing the future, having to do with temporal displacement etc. - And keep in mind that ElMax is constantly Blue and Yellow since Hopper adopted El due to the yellow watch (Max) and blue hair tie (El):

The shopping scene, disappearing and reappearing in front of a JC Penney: That's "Back to the Future"

They made a reference to the Back to the future scene by showing us the whole thing from left to right, saying: What we see there IS meant to be the future because of the JC Penney brand ; its the same scene but mirrored.

Now, the shopping scene gives the complete process:

Max blind/ability of vision taken(puts glasses on), gets killed (person covering her), revived (looking at El) and her mind disappears... Outatime ... El disappears next (since she isn't killed by someone there's no need to put someone there and it wouldn't work too at that point from a filming perspective). Then Max reappears: she wakes up from the coma and is at this point linked to El: Max's vision is still gone but she has a substitute ability: El's vision. Possession turns the eyes brown. At least something close to that depending on adjustments they made in development of 4 & 5...

I'll talk about the various ways how this joining/fusion is foreshadowed from Season 2 on forward in another post. It's them literally linked. In Max's head as the diner window predicts. Season 4s ending only started the travel, El needs to join Max in the other dimension (she sent her to according to the script: link further down below), sends Max back and she herself comes back linked with El: Time jump complete.

Keep also in mind that Brenner said that to stop One, El needs to fly. The DeLorean flies. And is powered by "Mr. Fusion." - more in the other post.

"Outatime" - the license plate is California. The skateboard memory is: in California. - I'm not a native English speaker but if I'm not completely wrong this can be interpreted in various ways like in "having no time", being late or... You can interpret it a "Outside of time": Timeless . Endless. Neverending. Like a specific poster:

Season 3 gave us a "Back to the future" reference at the 20 minutes mark.

The Upside-down is a timeless place, it's stuck in time. What happens when something from there intrudes and you build up a shield looks very similar to DeLorean breaking the time barrier.

And of course the dialog

Marty: Ah, Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ, Doc, you disintegrated Einstein!

Doc: Calm down, Marty! I didn't disintegrate anything! The molecular structure of both Einstein and the car are completely intact.

Marty: Then, where the hell are they?!

Doc: The appropriate question is, "When the hell are they?"!

El doesn't disintegrate but transports people and minds into timeless dimensions: "The temporal displacement occurred at exactly 1:20 am", Doc Brown.

I think the time displacement is merely meant in terms of the timelessness of the dimension. We just do not have a clue how it works in regards to our understanding of time. She opened up a portal, phases the person out of time and space and sends them via a beam, a rainbow bridge/Bifröst into another dimension. El is a living transporter room! Energize! - They just combine the several media inspos into their own version.

It is also possible that there is actually a temporal displacement in terms of "time travel" involved when El does this, that these dimensions not only exist outside of time but that those dimensions only begin to exist further in the future. It doesn't need to be much, just hours or days in which the dimension is fully formed - Now, the Wiki puts Henry's arrival in the dimension under the same year of the massacre, 1979. I'm not disputing this. It's logical that things happen right away because of the portal in the lab. But not necessarily since we do not know how timelessness there and time in reality do work.

Stranger Things shows us Henry falling into a maelstrom of clouds and lightning, a thunderstorm (El is afraid of thunderstorms!). What if this maelstrom was some sort of time vortex?

Nonetheless: sending someone into a dimension that has no time is a "temporal displacement" anyway.

Additionally: It takes exactly 1:21 minutes between the disappearance and reappearance of the time machine (not a minute) in movie time - the DeLorean is supposed to reappear at 1:21 am. I bet the Duffers set there and took the time ; it must have been a deliberate choice by Robert Zemeckis because not only was 1:21 a.m. the time the DeLorean came back, it also takes 1.21 Gigawatt to make the time jump.

And the Duffers loved it: 1:21 or 1 2 1 = I II I. The clock with the blue and yellow hands. It shows only I and II. And always of course a I next to a II next to a I: (and they love hiding clues in props no one with a right mind would ever notice) - The blue hand is exactly between 2 and 3 o'clock and the yellow hand between 4 and 5. The blue hand is a point, the yellow hand marks the end, reading as: 1.21

The clock in the counseler's office is by many believed to be a reference to Henry because he's called a "clock maker"

And the poster on the left is meant to show Max running. But she's running towards the clock. If the clock is Vecna, shouldn't the girl in the picture not run away? I mean it looks wrong. She should flee, so that poster on Max's side, showing "her" running away, that would make sense.

She is however running into the direction of the clock. The hands show 12 & 1... 1.21 Gigawatts. The lightning bolt, the "fuel", the electric output it needs to make the jump. That's Marty driving the DeLorean right before the lightning bolt strikes the clock tower in Back to the Future.

1.21 Gigawatts. Remember how the Duffers use flickering lights and electricity to point to love relationships, it flickers a bit for Byler, Dustin makes a remark about Lucas and Max "The electricity". Or the lights in the diner start to flicker.

El and Max are...1.21 Gigawatts. They are a bolt of lightning! That's another reason why El has no fear of lightning when she's with Max.

Back to the clock. Count the lines: it's 8xI lines and 4xII=8 lines. That's the 88 mph! The clock is a tachometer. Everything is set, we have 1.21 Gigawatts and speed is at 88 mph. (I wouldn't be surprised there are more 1.21 or 88s hidden like in the Grandfather clock I talk about further down below. ) . The jump has started and will be completed once they have linked.

And: The clock tower in Back to the Future is struck by lightning at 10:04. 1004. Mirror it. When the 4th victim is killed by 00I/Vecna/Henry, the bolt of lightning strikes the clock with 1:21 Gigawatts! Max's heart stopped for a minute. And El not only revived her but also froze her in time by sending Max's mind into another dimension.

Will the Duffers use the numbers again in Season 5? Very likely. With props or timing. Something like it.

I don't think they go into classic time travel stuff (even though the references to Dr Who and Back to the future are there) ; it has something to do with time. "Endless Summer" "Neverending Story" or the "Spirit World" in Legend of Korra. Those are themes around timelessness. And maybe when you are sent into the dimensions like the Upside-down or the mind-dimension you are also pushed into the future.

Nevertheless there is a "time travel" impending. In fact Season 4 already had a time travel: the "2 days later" is a narrative time travel. A time jump. And that's what's gonna happen in Season 5. So to speak, we get time travel. Or maybe more than one? I can't say with certainty - definitely at the end there will be narrative time jumps, showing the future of the characters.

With Vecna's clock that Max sees is something wrong. It shows the long hand almost hitting the 12 and the short hand between 1 and 2. (It's hard to see, sorry) . The short hand should be close to 2 not visibly between 1 and 2.

The numbers are interesting. As usually the case with Roman numbers, the Xs and Vs are made with thick and thin lines. The thin lines are almost not visible.

In the school, the long hand is almost at the \ (X), then follows II and I before the short hand marks the end:

The long hand points to the thick line of the X: \. The short hand marks the end.

\ II I = 1 2 1 = 1.21 because the first 1 is represented as a thick \ of the actual X, the straight lines, II and I, come after the point.

About details: the crack in the clock's window is representing the portal opening by the end of Vol2.

The Duffers love hiding in the background and using numbers such as dates etc. The clock in Season 3 points to 6 and the short hand is closing in on minute 5. They probably also love looking at numbers and use pop culture as an inspo and reference:

Doc loosens the handbrake milliseconds before the tachometer shows 65 mph. Its 64.xx to 65.

At normal speed you only notice the 65 because it's to quick. 6+5=11 - Another reason why they used Back to the future as a reference. The DeLorean starts driving with 65 mph. And it goes at 87... to 88 mph.

Maybe 1987 is indeed the year they'll complete the jump meaning, Max wakes up then. 1987 is a good year for several other pop cultural reference reasons that are of relevance, from Mad Max 4 to Green Lantern. It is said that they are looking for cars from 88,however I doubt that one uses a brand new car in an apocalyptic area? So, it's likely more for the final scenes, I guess. Then 1989 would also be interesting. - It is unclear which year it actually will be. My best guess is 1987 and 1989 is the year of the final moments of the show. If there is a clear hint, I haven't found it yet. So, that's more in the realm of speculation. Yet.

Anyway, there's another reference in Season 4 that El started the "time travel" and they hit the 88 mph and lightning struck with 1.21 Gigawatts when she revived Max:

The original time machine from Back to the future was meant to be a refrigerator and was referenced in Indiana Jones 4. And they wanted to use an atomic explosion in Back to the Future. Atomic tests were done in Nevada. The diner is in Nevada and they use a huge refrigerator. - So, El jumped into the time machine and started the travel... 65 mph = 11.

When it comes to the Duffers there's very little room for coincidence. They go as far and even picked the flowers that Mike gave El themselves.

Conclusion Not only points it once more to what I postulated earlier, the link between El and Max and that both will fuse (Mr Fusion!). ..

... but it confirms Elmax as a couple in itself. Because they can only work when together, the mall scene shows it, the reference is there and points to the: 1.21 Gigawatts at 88 mph.

PS: although not made from scratch for the show, the Grandfather clock was modified by the production team.

Part 2:

[miguelmaia]

Retro-Tech: The 1972 Desktop 'iPod' Imagine if someone tried to create an iPod type device for the home in 1972 using mechanical technology...this is what it would look like. CLICK 'SHOW MORE' TO REVEAL ALL THE TEXT! According to the adverts - the Panasonic RS-296US could play 2.5 days of music non-stop...that's roughly the same play time to the '1000 songs in your pocket' that the first 5GB Apple iPod boasted in 2001. NOTE 2.5 days of play time equates to 60 hours which would require 20x 180-min cassettes. Whilst these tapes did exist at one point, 180-minute lengths were also very fragile and best avoided. A more realistic play time is to load this machine up with 20x 90-minute cassettes which gives you 30 hours, and that's why I refer to the 'day and a half' of continuous music at the end of video. ----------Links------------- The Antikythera Mechanism I mention at the beginning* is a 2000 year old computer that has been in a number of documentaries - someone has uploaded a BBC video about it here: https://youtu.be/nZXjUqLMgxM You may have spotted two special cassettes in the video - a Back to the Future Replica "Edward Van Halen" tape and a Guardians of the Galaxy "Awesome Mix Tape Vol. 1" - both were provided by my good friend Hugo from Walkman Archive - you can find more info on his tapes here: BTTF: http://goo.gl/k86dod GOTG: http://goo.gl/HMd5GT My Akai "Auto-reverse the hard way" video can be found here: https://youtu.be/2CE_zmpHcWQ My website is here: http://goo.gl/m0i0jg Youtube Audio Library music can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music -------------SUPPORT--------------- This channel can be supported through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/techmoan Patron Supporters usually get to see videos early. ---------------SUBSCRIBE------------------ http://www.youtube.com/user/Techmoan?sub_confirmation=1 * when I mention that the RS296US's place in history is similar to the Antikythera device - this is a patently ludicrously overblown statement merely said for comic effect.