#the cosmic eye 1986

[l-ultimo-squalo]

The Cosmic Eye (1986)

[cinemaocd]

10 people I want to know me better

got tagged by @kaelang12, THANKS

last song:

last book: The Letters of Stephen Gardiner.

last movie: Blue Velvet (1986)

I don't know how I forgot to spend three paragraphs on Dorothy in Blue Velvet on my lynch post earlier last week. I rewatched it and I have a lot of thoughts, but mainly, Jeffrey's comically naive question, "WHY DO MEN LIKE FRANK EXIST?!" is the whole point. Men like Frank are not born that way, they are made, through neglect and abuse. Sir why did you give this monster such wonderful taste in pop music? It's a movie after which you need a shower but also a glass of milk because of the overly sweet ending.

last tv show: M*A*S*H, Tuttle (1970), our family's ultimate pudding TV. Just one joke after another rapid fire, Hawk and Trap in full on flirt mode, Alan Alda's blue eyes in tuttle's funeral...HOLY SHIT SIR STOP. Henry's legit tears. The whole thing is perfection, why we love the show. We reached for it after Blue Velvet LOL...

sweet/spicy/savory: sweet probably...hardest thing to stick to in my "nutrition is self care" diet. I like fruit and a chocolate chip buckwheat pancake with syrup. I don't think I should give it up. Maybe just eat a salad for lunch, lol.

relationship status: Married, 23 year this summer. We have a son who turns 19 in a short while

last thing i googled: "searchable text letters of stephen steven gardiner"...

looking forward to: doing some writing, watching a film with friends online, burrowing in for a chilly evening with pizza with the fam and the final part of our annual Trylogia rewatch.

Yeah that's right. Spending the evening with these babes:

current obsession: Stephen Gardiner, Trylogia, Classic film, writing fic again, self care, yoga, and way too much of the blue hellsite (affectionate).

Ten People I want to know me better:

@ardenrosegarden, @miewmiew77, @historyartthings, @cosmic-walkers, @fuerst-von-argot, @mackdaddyofthecravate, @nicholasvanryn, @dykeofwellington, @mametupa, @cursemewithyourkiss

No pressure but it is nice to have the occasional show and tell as distraction.

Hope you all have a safe and warm holiday weekend.

[streamafterlaughter]

Fundamental Differing

Chapter XXIV: I’m Not Gonna Crack

prev chapter | masterlist | playlist | pinboard

summary: you’re spending your first week in months away from your band, your friends, and eddie.

a/n: wasn’t sure how to end this chapter but i will say i split it into two so maybe the next one will be out sooner than ya think. i can’t promise anything though sorry! thank u beta reader + wife @children-of-the-grave for ideas for this one i love u

Disclaimer: I do not give permission to have my work reposted on other sites. Reblogs are more than welcome, but please inform me if you find my work elsewhere unless otherwise stated. Reblog to support the author!

cw: angst, misunderstandings, silent treatment, i will never let these two catch a break sorry! , descriptions of nightmares

—

October 1986

Your POV

“I don’t get it.” You shake your head, willing yet another image of your boyfriend dying from your brain. “Shouldn’t you be getting these nightmares, too? Don't get me wrong, I’m glad you’re not. They’re fucking awful, but… You were down there, too. You saw it.”

Eddie shrugs. “I do get nightmares. I’ve had plenty of screaming fits that Wayne has had to jostle me from. You probably won’t ever see that, though.”

You wait for him to continue. “I don’t get them when I’m with you. Not that I can remember, anyway. I always wake up well rested. Not to brag, or anything.” He gives you a goofy grin, and you blush at the sight.

“Damn, I must suck, putting you through this. At least you have the decency not to wake me up.” You’re trying to be funny, but Eddie pouts at your words.

“Nah, I’m being selfish, sleeping next to you every night so I don’t wake up screaming. I’d much prefer to wake up to… well, you screaming, I guess. Though, I do wish I could make your nightmares stop.”

Your smile falters at that. “Yeah. Me too. I’m sorry, Eds.”

He shakes his head, tickling your nose with the ends of his hair. “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. Just know I’ve got you, I’m gonna be here when you wake up. I promise.”

—

present day

Eddie’s POV

“Call someone when you land?” Steve pats him on the back, letting the hug linger a little longer than Eddie would usually let him. Eddie nods into his shoulder, only keeping his grip on Steve until he’s sure he won’t choke. Goodbyes are being exchanged by those leaving for LA, and those taking their month off elsewhere. Robin lets her grip on you loosen, only for you to pull her back in with a dramatic outcry. She’ll only be a state or two away, but you haven’t spent more than a few hours apart since the beginning of the summer. Eddie supposes it’s sweet, the way you two lean on each other.

“Hey, you ready?” Gareth nudges him back to the present, where his plane is about to fly him twelve hundred miles away from you, mere hours after you’d both stopped avoiding each other. What kind of cosmic bullshit is that?

“Yeah, one sec.” He drops his bag on a free seat before approaching you, a blubbering Robin still in your embrace. “Mind if I cut in?”

Robin sniffles, parting from you to roll her eyes at the pair of you. “Ugh, I guess.” She winks at Eddie, causing a fresh tear to stream down her cheek. If he didn’t understand her pain, he’d have laughed at that.

“So, I guess this is…” He has no idea what this is.

“See you later?” You offer, and he swears he hears the crack in your voice.

It spurs him on, his next words tumbling out of his mouth without a second thought. “Come with me.”

You blink up at him, eyelashes wet. “What?”

“To Hawkins. Wayne’s place is huge, he’d be so happy to have you.”

“Eddie, you know I can’t do that.” He does, of course he knows. It’s not good for you. He wouldn’t be going back if not for Wayne, if not for having nowhere else to go. “I’ll come visit, okay? I just can’t… stay there. You can also come see me. This isn’t goodbye, silly.” You bring yourself up on your toes, leaving a peck on his cheek. “I’ll see you soon, pretty boy. Call me when you get home.” You land back on your feet, but he follows you, leaning over to capture your lips with his, a kiss that feels more like goodbye than see you later.

“I love you.” He says it against your lips, refusing to detach from you just yet.

“I love you, Eddie. We gotta go, though. You’re gonna miss your flight.”

“Don’t care.” He moves from your lips to your jaw, down to your neck, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

“Eddie,” You’re trying to scold him, but you’re weakened by his mouth on your throat. “Gonna have to fly coach at midnight… Think of all the leg room you’ll lose.”

Eddie finally pulls away from you. “Oh, the horror!” He rolls his eyes, and you giggle, beaming at him before throwing your arms around his waist, hugging him close. “I’ll see you soon, Ed.”

“Promise?”

“I do.” You give him one final squeeze before letting go, and he doesn’t try to pull you back in again. You give him a wave and he blows you a kiss. It’s gonna be a long month.

—

Your POV

Boston

Your parents greet you at Logan Airport with open arms. You run to them like a scene out of a cheesy movie, jumping into your father’s arms as your mother surrounds you both in a bear hug.

“Welcome home, baby!” Your mom holds you at arms length to take you in, and you have to wonder what she sees; does she spot the new lines etched into your face; can she see the tired way you hold yourself in her grasp? While she looks at you, your father grabs your bags from the carousel, ushering you both to the exit before you can make too big of a scene. “We missed you so much, kiddo.” Your dad loads your suitcase into the trunk of your family car, the same one you learned to drive in. You’d offered to buy them a new one, but they had insisted there was no need.

“I missed you guys, too. I’m really glad to be home.”

“We have so much to catch up on.” Your mom pats your knee enthusiastically from the front seat. “I have so many questions!” She’s giddy, and you try your best to keep a smile plastered on your face when you know she’s about to drill you on the events of the last month or so. You watch the city pass you by through the window as your dad throws on his turn signal, merging onto the highway, taking you further away from everything you’d called home these past few weeks.

—

Eddie’s POV

Hawkins

The sun is setting by the time the cab pulls up to Wayne’s house. He has no idea Eddie’s home, and Eddie suddenly regrets not telling him. What if Wayne doesn’t want him here? What if he’s interrupting the old man’s routine? What if he’d gotten a girlfriend while Eddie was away?

He grabs his bag from the trunk before paying the driver, adding a hefty tip to thank him for driving so far out of the city, and takes one final deep breath before knocking on the hefty front door. At first there’s no answer, not even the gruff “hang on” that he’s expecting to hear mumbled from his uncle. He’s about to knock again when the door swings open, revealing his disheveled old man, wrapped in a bathrobe, eyes heavy with sleep. Maybe he should have given him a heads up.

“Hey, Wayne.” It comes out as a sigh, exhausted as his uncle looks.

“No shit. ‘M I dreamin’ or something? C’mere, boy!” Wayne yanks his nephew over the threshold, pulling him into an almost suffocating hug. “They finally kick you out of the band?” He jokes, suddenly perky for someone that looks like he’d just woken up.

“Very funny. Nah, I figured I needed to come watch over my old man before he croaks from isolation.” Eddie drops his bag on the kitchen counter as he slides off his shoes, making himself comfortable in the house he still can’t believe exists.

“Good one. But seriously, and don’t take this the wrong way, why are you here?”

“What, can’t a guy spend his month off from tour with the man that raised him?”

Wayne chuckles, pulling out one of the dining room chairs to sit across from Eddie. “‘Course you can. Jus’ curious why you’d do such a thing, and not say a peep about it!”

“Honest, I didn’t even commit to coming until I got on the plane, didn’t wanna make any empty promises. If I’m interrupting something though, I can go—“

“Oh shut up, kid. Of course you’re not interruptin’. How else are you gonna catch me up on all the Hollywood gossip?” The sarcasm is palpable in his uncle's voice, but Eddie indulges anyway. “Ah, right, the Hollywood gossip you care so much about.”

“I care when it’s about my kid and his, whatcha call ‘em, sweetheart?”

Eddie tenses immediately, posture straightening as Wayne doubles over the table with laughter. “Oh relax Ed, I’m only yankin’ your chain!”

“Are you though?”

Wayne purses his lips. “I guess there’s some truth to it. How are you holdin’ up?”

Eddie wants to tell him everything. Wayne’s the only person his whole life he’s never felt the need to lie to, or to even sugarcoat the bad things. Wayne was there when he was framed for murder, he was there when you and Eddie had broken up. The only reason Wayne doesn’t know it all is because of Eddie.

“I’m doin’ alright, pops. Truthfully.”

“Yeah? And how’s…” He trails off, and Eddie rolls his eyes.

“Y/n is good. We’re good.”

“For Christsake Ed, give me something to work with here.”

“We decided to start again. Strings attached and all that shit.”

Wayne perks slightly at the confession. “No shit. How in the world did you get ‘em to go for that?”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Ye of little faith. Turns out they’ve loved me this whole time. Hard to believe, I know.”

It’s Wayne’s turn to roll his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how I could’ve raised such an oblivious kid, y’know.”

“How rude!”

He chuckles, standing from his seat at the dining table. “Look, as much as I wanna hear about it, and trust me I do, I gotta get to bed. Your room’s the way you left it, but if you plan on staying I’ll need help with groceries tomorrow.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

“And Ed,” Wayne pauses in the door frame, hand on the light switch. “I’m really happy to hear about you and Y/n. Do what you can not to fuck it up this time.” He switches the light, leaving Eddie in the dim of the dining room.

__

Your POV

“So…” Your dad starts, ending the dreadfully awkward silence over dinner. You twirl spaghetti around your fork sloppily, trying to appear focused on your technique. “How’s Eddie?”

Your mother, sipping her wine, chokes back a laugh, but recovers quickly. You feel eighteen again, shy and anxious about your parents’ curiosity of your love life.

“What about him?” You mumble, not daring to look up from your plate.

“How is he? A-and you? How are you doing, being with him? Wait, not with him—“

“Honey?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Shut up, my love.”

“Yes, dear.”

You blink at your parents, rosy cheeked and gleeful, giddy with each other’s presence. They make it look so easy, and you almost hate them for it. “It’s fine, I guess. Why do you care?”

Your words seem to wipe the smile off your father’s face. “Because you don’t call! All we know about what’s going on, it’s from stupid tabloids and bullshit television. We worry, Y/n.”

“Before you argue, we know you’re an adult, but you’ve gone through so much, so quickly. It would be hard for anyone. We wanted to be there for you, and you iced us out. We still don’t know what happened to you when—“

“Don’t.” You say it through your teeth, willing the tears not to fall. Before either of your parents can say more, you shove yourself from the table, abandoning your now cold pasta and garlic bread. As if you’re still in high school, you stomp up to the guest room, slamming the door behind you.

—

It’s not home. It’s a brownstone on a nice street filled with showroom furniture, smelling of overpriced candles you give your mom for christmas every year. You’d never lived here, and now your idea to come back seems stupid. Your dad’s right, you didn’t even call.

The phone rings then, freeing you from your increasingly frustrating thoughts.

“L/n Residence, Y/n speaking.” You answer, flopping down on the guest bed like it’s yours; like you’d never left, like it’s normal for you to answer the phone here.

“Hey, you.” His voice washes over you, soothing you instantly. You’re eighteen. Nothing bad has happened. It’s the furthest thing from painful.

“Hey, Eds.” You practically sigh, like you’d been holding your breath for days. “How was your flight?”

—

Eddie’s POV

“Eh, nothing special. Neck hurts like a mother.” He rubs the back of his neck as he speaks, attempting to massage out the kinks. What he wouldn’t do to have your hands in place of his right now. “You get home okay?”

“Yeah, guess you could say that.” He notices the hesitant tone, the way it dips when you speak.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Hm.” He barely hears you sigh into the receiver. “Don't wanna be a downer.”

“Nothin’ wrong with being a downer every once in a while. What’s wrong?” Eddie rolls onto his back, spread across his king bed, relishing in all the space, imagining you filling it.

“Just. Doesn’t really feel like home anymore.” He gets it. Hawkins feels less like home now than the tour bus, he has nothing to hold onto. There is nothing here for him he couldn’t find somewhere else. It’s not like you’re still here.

“I guess I know what you mean.”

—

It’s 2am when he hears you snore into the receiver. As much as he’d like to stay on the line to listen to your breathing, he can’t rack up Wayne’s phone bill like that, even if he can afford to pay for it. Eddie drops the phone back into its place, and switches off the bedside lamp.

—

He finds himself in the cafeteria, back at the Hellfire table, but it’s empty. The room around him bustles, voices blending together to create a harsh ringing in his ears. The flourescent lights flicker every few seconds, causing his eye to twitch.

“Eddie…” It’s barely audible, but he can almost feel the breath on the back of his neck. The voice is warm, familiar, sweet as honey. When he whips around, no one’s there, and the cafe goes silent, like a television on mute.

“Eddie…” It’s louder this time, coming from no direction in particular, without background noise to drown it out.

The cafeteria is deserted now, and dark. “Eddie…” Like it’s being spoken over the PA system, summoning him to get chewed out by the principal. Something tells him to find it. He gets up, searching desperately for the source.

“Eddie…” Louder now, he can tell he’s making progress. He can feel it in his gut, he knows where to look. Eddie bursts into what he knows should be Principal Coleman’s office, but instead ends up back in his trailer. Well, not actually his trailer, but the sick imitation of it he’d only seen one other time.

“Eddie…” It’s pitch black, but the voice is right in front of him. “Come here, pretty boy.”

No. He’s frozen, unable to keep moving. It’s not them, he reassures himself. This isn’t real.

“It’s very real, Eddie.” Your voice rings through his thoughts, shattering the barrier he’d begun to build. “It’s me.”

Eddie takes one more step forward, to where a figure sits on the shredded couch, face shrouded in darkness.

“Prove it.” His voice cracks when he speaks, revealing weakness without being pressed.

Instead of responding, the figure claiming your identity stands, revealing its face to him finally. It isn’t you. The furthest thing, really. Where your eyes should sit are black, empty holes. Your skin seems to sag off your skeleton, without muscle or fat to hold it in place. Before Eddie can react, you unhinge your jaw, setting free a swarm of winged creatures that fly right at him, shrieking something awful. He swats at them, thrashing his arms as he tries to run away, willing the image of your decaying, animated corpse from his memory as he screams your name, like you’ll somehow come back to life.

“Eddie? Eddie!”

—

Eddie wakes up screaming, with Wayne’s hands on either one of his shoulders, shaking him back to life. “Eddie?! Wake up, boy, it’s not real!”

“Wayne?”

“Christ, son, what the devil was that?!”

Eddie rubs a hand down his tired face. “Bad dream.”

“Yeah, no shit. But what in the world could’ve happened to warrant that reaction?”

Eddie shakes his head. “I’ll tell you in the morning.”

“It is morning, Ed.”

“What?”

“It’s five am.”

He groans. “You goin’ to work?”

Wayne scoffs. “Can’t get rid of me that easy. Now talk, boy.”

Eddie surrenders, and recites everything he can remember about the terror to his uncle. He wants to throw up at the memory, the way you’d looked, the way you’d spoken to him.

“This a normal thing for you?” Wayne quirks an eyebrow. Eddie shakes his head. He hadn’t had a nightmare that bad since before going on tour.

“So, it’s bein’ home then.” Its not a question, but Eddie shakes his head in disagreement.

“This isn’t home anymore, Wayne. It’s because I’m away from home. From them.”

Wayne screws his face up in thought. “Call ‘em. Wait til the sun’s up. Chances are they feel pretty similar.”

He hates how much he wants his uncle to be right.

—

Your POV

“…and that was Nirvana’s Lithium, thank you for the request Amy, good choice…” The radio wakes you from a dreamless sleep far too early, the sun streaming through the curtain you’d forgotten to close. You groan, throwing the pillow back over your head as the phone rings.

Suddenly, you’re no longer groggy as you pick up the call, cutting the ringing off with a too eager “Hello?!”

“Good morning, sweetheart. How’d you sleep?”

Truth was, you’d slept horribly, tossing and turning without him there to ground you, but you can’t tell him that. You can’t worry him. “Eh, I slept alright, what about you?”

You hear him release a breath into the receiver. “Not great, honestly.” You regret your white lie. “Being here is hard.”

You nod before forgetting he can’t see you. “How’s Wayne?” Maybe you should’ve gone to Hawkins. Boston is starting to feel lonelier by the second.

”He’s good, same old except for the big house.” You can hear Eddie’s smile in his voice, provoking your own to spread across your cheeks. “Hey, so, I was thinking,” Eddie interrupts himself, “I could fly out there soon, maybe next week? You could show me around your old stomping grounds?”

You avoid his question with your own. “You’ve never been to Boston?”

”’Course I’ve been to Boston, but I haven’t seen it with you, y’know? I wanna learn the history from the source.”

”Such a scholar, all of a sudden?” You giggle, twirling the cord of your phone between your fingers. “It’s not much, but I’d be happy to have you.”

“Great! I’ll book the flight tonight. It’ll give me something to look forward to.”

”Can’t wait!” There’s a knock on not-your-bedroom door. “Hey, Ed, I gotta go. Call you tonight?”

“Sounds like a plan, sweetheart. Talk soon.”

There’s a long pause during which you almost say “I love you” three separate times, but you don’t. The line clicks, and he’s gone.

“Y/n, sweetie! Breakfast!”

—

After you’ve stuffed your face full of your father’s chocolate chip pancakes and extra greasy bacon, you take it upon yourself to explore the city. You haven’t been here in awhile, unless you count the few hours before a show at the Paradise or Avalon opening for bands you can’t remember the names of, and you’re morbidly curious about the current state of your hometown.

The T takes you from your suburban neighborhood into the city as you gaze out the window, daydreaming. You get off at Boylston, planning to hit up your old haunts; the record stores, the coffeehouse, maybe Newbury Street now that you can afford it. Before any of that, though, you need a cigarette.

When you find the corner store, sign decayed with age, the front of the National Enquirer catches your attention. Munson’s New Boo! Source close to the rockstar confirms new fling with Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna. Your blood freezes, fingers careful as they pinch the corner of the magazine. It’s not real. Nothing in here is real. You repeat the words to yourself as you peel apart the pages, searching for the story.

When you find it, the pages are overrun with pictures of Eddie. In some of them, you’re with him; before the Metallica show, at the restaurant where that guy almost kidnapped you, even one of you and him in Hawkins the night you played there, but your face is obscured by hats or hoods. In others, though, different girls are draped around him in clubs. He’s leaning into one’s shoulder, one that may or may not actually be Kathleen Hanna. One of your biggest idols. Your face heats with embarrassment as you read the sad excuse for an article.

“They’re always together,” Our anonymous source says, “Either fighting or kissing, but always attached at the hip.” From what photos we’ve seen, we can’t disagree. Munson is obsessed with Hanna, and we’re obsessed with them.

You keep reading, each sentence making you feel dirty, exposed in a way you never knew you could be. Your heart is racing as you slam your ID onto the table, demanding a pack of camels to go with your shitty magazine. The cashier, an older man with charcoal hair and bushy mustache looks from the paper to you, squinting at the small photo in the corner that looks a lot like your own side profile. He doesn’t say anything though, much to your relief. You snatch the plastic bag from him as he bids you goodbye, thick eyebrows scrunched together.

—

Eddie’s POV

“Son, what the hell is this?” Wayne has returned from the grocery store with his hands full of bags, and what looks to be a newspaper in his grip.

“What’s what?” Eddie relieves his uncle of the load, unpacking the bags as the older man slaps the paper onto the kitchen table. Eddie’s eyes slide over the headline, his smile wiped completely from his face.

“Kathleen Hanna? I met her, like, once!” Eddie sputters, ripping open the magazine. “Oh my god, what the fuck?!” He scans the article, glancing at pictures of what he knows are you with him. Except one. One from months ago, before he’d even known he’d be spending his summer with you.

—

February 1992

New York City

Limelight is dark, the dance floor grimy with remnants of beverages long lost to the art of gyrating. He’s in a corner booth, reserved for him and some friends to occupy, a gift from his club promoter friend, Barry. Bernie. Something. Eddie’s too fucked up to remember, but it doesn’t matter. Surrounding him are his band, as well as some he’d only ever heard of before tonight. Across the table is Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, stunning as ever in a sheer black dress, nothing underneath. She made Eddie squirm in his seat as she uncrossed her legs, staring him down. Perched next to her is bandmate Tobi, and one table over sit Courtney and Kurt, talking amongst themselves.

It takes forever, but Eddie finally manages to approach Kathleen, only to trip and spill his beer all over himself. Somehow, though, it charms her, and she requests him to join her and her bandmates for a dance.

—

Present Day

“That must’ve been when they took the picture. I don’t know, it was so goddamn dark in there!” Eddie’s pacing his uncle’s living room while Wayne sips his coffee. “You think they saw this?”

“Who?” Wayne asks cluelessly.

“Y/n, Wayne! The one person I can’t lose the trust of right now!”

“Oh. Yeah, there’s no way they don’t know. That thing is everywhere, boy.”

“Shit. Shit!”

“Hey, calm down! It’s a misunderstanding, just call and explain it to ‘em! I’m sure they’ll understand.”

Eddie huffs. Right. Of course you’ll understand.

He punches each button of your phone number and it rings. And rings. And rings.

“You’ve reached the L/n residence, we’re unable to-“

“FUCK!” He dials again, faster.

And it rings. And rings.

—

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[reinardgrey]

STRENGTH AND DIGNITY IS WHAT HE MADE OF.

Every name, etched upon the soul. Every tale, whispered through the ages. Every transgression, a teardrop in the cosmic sea. Here, amongst the shadows, you are welcome. Welcome to the depths of his despair.

Reinard Alexander Grey.

Reinard, Reinard Grey.

Reinard Alexander Grey-Schäfer.

American-European news sources have been talking about him for years now. Over the past decade, his name has become a fixture in the financial world; a new king rising from the ranks.

He's the guy who took his company from obscurity to the esteemed Fortune 500 list, earning a spot in Forbes' pages. His success isn't just big; it's monumental.

Money seems to pour in without effort, and his influence is unmistakable. Naturally, with all this attention, people started asking questions—who is this man? What's his story? Is he from an old-money family, or is he a self-made genius who clawed his way to the top?

Then the name Schäfer started to surface.

Reinard Alexander Grey-Schäfer. The firstborn son of Carmen Schäfer and Viviana Gavinski, an influential couple from Rome, Italy—was finally unmasked.

When the truth about his identity came out, everything changed. Suddenly, his astute business instincts made perfect sense. He wasn't just any self-made billionaire; he was a Schäfer.

The Schäfer family name carries a legacy of power, wealth, and influence, deeply rooted in European aristocracy and high finance. Reinard Grey wasn't just some up and comer—he was born into a world where success is the expectation, not the exception.

Yet, despite the media frenzy surrounding his personal life, Reinard never showed any signs of pressure. Reporters probed into every corner of his world: his family background, his relationships, even his childhood—but he remained unflinching.

He continued to make bold moves in business, his confidence unshakable. Because to him, this was just another day in his life. Reinard Alexander Grey was raised on the idea that defeat doesn't exist.

It’s not just something his grandfather told him; it’s a belief etched into his very being. No matter what challenges come his way, Reinard knows one thing: he'll keep moving forward.

Because in the Schäfer family, there's no such thing as backing down.

The Identity,

FULL NAME:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Reinard Alexander Grey-Schäfer.

ALSO KNOWN AS:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Reinard Grey.

D.O.B AND P.O.B:

⠀⠀⠀⠀August 16, 1986. New York, USA.

GENDER:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Cis-Male.

ETHNICITY:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Italian, American, British.

NATIONALITY:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Italian.

HEIGHT:

⠀⠀⠀⠀5'11, 182 CM.

WEIGHT:

⠀⠀⠀⠀158-165 lbs, 72-75 KG.

EYE COLOR:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Brown Hazel.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Marymount International School, Rome. (91-95)

JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Institut Le Rosey, Rolle, Switzerland. (95-00)

BACHELOR's DEGREE:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Economics and Management, Oxford University.

MASTER's DEGREE:

⠀⠀⠀⠀Management & Economics, University Cambridge.

OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND:

⠀⠀⠀⠀1. General Auditor, JP Morgan Chase & Co. (04-07)

⠀⠀⠀⠀2. Head Human Resources, JP Morgan. (07-11)

⠀⠀⠀⠀3. Founder and CEO Grey's Capital. (14-Now)

Facts about Reinard,

He has a gentle personality, always soft-spoken and unable to shout unless a major fight causes him to lose control.

As a young boy, Reinard dreamed of becoming an athlete but lacked the courage to ask his father.

His ruthless approach to business comes from his grandfather, as he lived with him more often than with his own parents.

His mother's cooking is his absolute favorite. He prefers homemade food to anything else and hopes to marry someone who loves cooking as much as he does.

Reinard is an avid adventurer. Enjoying surfing, diving, and climbing, especially during vacations.

He is incredibly ambitious, craving authority more than his own father. However, he never flaunts this desire, preferring to let his actions speak for themselves.

With a net worth exceeding three billion dollars, Reinard is the one of youngest billionaire in Italy.

You might view him as an intimidating and scary person, but the truth is, he's very easygoing with a great sense of humor.

Reinard can't tolerate spicy food because of his sensitive stomach.

He has one younger brother he cares for deeply, though he seldom shows it because they constantly have a love-hate relationship.

A suit isn’t his usual choice of outfit. He prefers wearing casual clothes that keep him comfortable.

[spaghttioboobio]

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #30

Today's song is You’ve Got The Love by UK band Florence and the Machine from their 2009 debut indie-rock album Lungs. The track is an adaption of Candi Staton’s 1986 dance number You Got The Love, but Florence and the Machines track is its own beast. The song was first performed for festival sets early on in their career, and Welch has described how “even in rehearsals, playing it was just the most euphoric feeling. Then playing it live... was like tearing ourselves open and just exploding on the crowd.” As Welch describes, it is an emotionally charged number with its dainty harp, melodious guitar, and of course soaring vocals. It pulls you in with its strings, ensnares you when it expands after the first verse, then unleashes like a top spinning with Welch’s spiritual chants into a glorious run at 1:58. It is cathartic, it is brimming with love, it is a lightning strike of joy… it’s everything I love about music.

Lungs was the first CD I ever bought when I was a teen, and I cried and screamed whenever I made eye contact with Florence Welch when seeing the experience live for the first time in my 20s. I truly believe my life winds and unfurls with Welch’s music since her songs are so tied to many of my life's moments: from playing Cosmic Love while getting ready for a school dance, playing What Kind Of Man while dealing with hormones and heartbreak, playing Hunger as I was becoming my own person, to playing Free while moving out of my parent's house. I know I am coming across as ridiculous, but Florence and the Machine have defined who I am as a person the same way performers like Queen, Radio Head, My Chemical Romance, or even Taylor Swift may have for you.

“Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air

'Cause I know I can count on you

Sometimes I feel like saying ‘Lord I just don't care’

But you've got the love I need to see me through”

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Festival Accompanying Chapter 20

This chapter revealed a lot of things about Mion that I never knew.

Irie had been doing so well in the last several chapters. Could he please just not be a creep for one arc?

Rika decided to just go straight to Irie and tell him that Takano plans to kill her. Understandably, he finds it hard to believe because that would be the worst thing that could happen to her research.

I'm kinda surprised about how much he's willing to reveal to Rika when she asks though. Telling her their research is to be concluded in three years is one thing, but actually admitting that there is an emergency procedure to kill all the villagers if anything happens is not something you just admit.

And Irie says Emergency Manual 34 would be used "in case the villagers ever show signs of a mass outbreak." I should remond everyone that the Queen Carrier hypothesis is absolutely 100% incorrect as proven in Cotton Drifting and Eye Opening. In fact, the VNs make it even more definitely true because the Eye Opening epilogue reveals all the secondary characters were still alive and well 20 years after Rika's death.

Kinda wild that those arcs on a cosmic level are the "good" endings since they're the only arcs where Operation Apocalypse failed, the village was spared, and Nomura did not get what she wants.

Irie also survived those arcs as well. So I wonder if part of the reason he was targeted by Operation Apocalypse wasn't just to pin the blame on him but also to keep any medical experts on Hinamizawa Syndrome from being able to prove that a mass outbreak wasn't going to happen.

Now that Rika has more information and less understanding why Takano would kill her, Hanyu suggests doing what the story has kind of said you should always do at times like this: Go ask your friends for help. But Rika, understandably, feels like no one would ever believe her. Maybe she wouldn't feel that way if she had her memories from Massacre. Hanyu is so confident that they'll believe Rika because she saw them believe her before.

But Hanyu does manage to come up with a framing device to get Rika to talk about the situation:

This made me do a quick dive into what manga might be around at this time. In June 1983, Doraemon, Akira, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind were all very early into their serializations. Meanwhile two works of Osamu Tezuka's, Buddha and Black Jack, would finish serialization a few months later. Speaking of which, Tezuka was still alive at this time so maybe Rika was into Phoenix. Unfortunately, Tezuka passed away before he finished it.

Another manga I found that piqued my interest is Touch. It's a manga about two identical twins and the neighbor girl wanting to become professional baseball players. It ran from 1981 to 1986.

I have just learned some very interesting things about Mion right now. I can imagine her having the managerial skills to handle things like story-boarding, promoting, and publishing; but I'd never guess she has drawing skills or any ability with typesetting.

Rika tells them the plot points she's come with for her "manga" and I bet Keiichi realized she's just copying the plot of the Higurashi VN beta that the regulars at Angel Mort have been sharing with each other (No seriously, Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni's beta exists as an actual visual novel within the Higurashi universe).

When Rika asks for help about the "evil researcher's" motives, Mion suggests there is someone else manipulating her, and even though the "evil researcher" is doing something that doesn't benefit her, it would benefit the mastermind.

And Mion was exactly on point about what is going on.

It's a minor detail, but this moment really exemplifies Rika's "frog in a well" status that Massacre kept calling her. Rika has only known the village and the people living in it. When trying to understand Takano's motives, she isolated her thoughts entirely to the village and the villagers. She never considered someone completely unconnected to the village might be the reason for all this.

So did everyone realize that Rika was asking for help from the start or did they realize after Rika asked for help to figure out how the protagonist of her "manga" can win?

The very first thing Mion brings up is Satoko has built a whole trap mountain. Way back in Curse Killing chapter 1, Keiichi said Satoko could take on an army within the mountains and we're soon going to find out how true that is.

But just as Hanyu predicted, Rika's friends believe her and are ready to help. Now comes the time to plan their counterattack.

back

Spoiler Discussion

Near the end of this arc, we discover that Takano is beginning to suffer the symptoms of Hinamizawa Syndrome. At this time, she's very likely already low-level symptomatic and is experiencing the symptoms similar to Satoko's: Calm exterior with a burning internal hatred.

Hanyu said one of the ways to keep symptoms at bay is to go to others for help. We saw that at the end of Atonement when Rena calmed down because Keiichi was able to convince her that he cared about her.

In a far darker sense, Nomura is doing the same thing to Takano. She's convinced Takano that she cares about her and her research and Takano is becoming dependent on Nomura to keep from falling victim to Hinamizawa Syndrome.

And maybe finding out Takano is being manipulated is what affects Rika's motivations at the end of the story. Takano and Hanyu both have a wish that oppose one another. But at the end of this story, Rika will make a greater wish stronger than both of them, and her will shall be the one that wins.

[thewarmestplacetohide]

i've recently been getting into lovecraft & cosmic horror as a genre & was wondering if you had film recs? i can't seem to find many cosmic horror movies & am wondering if that's bc it's hard to film?

i would argue that there aren't that many good cosmic horror films for a couple reasons.

mainly, while it has been written for a long time, it has not been a genre that the greater public has been super aware of until the past few decades. but, also, it is hard to film a lot of elements of cosmic horror--namely, the incomprehensibility that often accompanies it.

my top cosmic horror films list would be:

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

From Beyond (1986)

The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

Absentia (2011)

Coherence (2013)

Southbound (2015)

The Endless (2017)

Annihilation (2018)

Color Out of Space (2019)

The Block Island Sound (2020)

Glorious (2022)

there's also A Cure for Wellness (2016), which isn't that great of a film, but has some really awesome visuals and a few neat cosmic horror ideas.

[odinsson2021]

Here's the Playlist of my Tonight's Show!

I hope you liked it!

Stormwitch-Rondo ala Turca-Eye of the Storm-1989-(Hot Blood Records)

Kansas-Carry on Wayward Son-Leftoverture-1976-(CBS Records)

Journey-Wheel in the Sky-Infinity-1978-(CBS Records)

Foreigner-Hot Blooded-Double Vision-1978-(Atlantic Records)

Mats Karlsson-Beautiful Life-Mood Elevator-30.06.2023-(MK Music)

Poison-Valley of lost Souls-Flesh&Blood-1990-(Capitol Records)

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons-Bite my Tongue-We're the Bastards-2020-(Nuclear Blast Records)

The Pretty Reckless-Death by Rock ‘n’ Roll-Death by Rock ‘n’ Roll-2021-(Century Media Records)

The New Roses-Can't stop Rock ‘n’ Roll-Nothing but Wild-2019-(Napalm Records)

Night Ranger-White Knuckle Ride-Hole in the Sun-2007-(Frontiers Records)

Skew Siskin-Life's a Bitch-What the Hell-1999-(Steamhammer Records)

Skid Row-Youth gone wild-Skid Row-1989-(Atlantic Records)

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy&The Conspirators-April Fool-4-2022-(Snakepit Records)

Slaughter-Reach for the Sky-The Wild Life-1992-(Chrysalis Records)

Tyketto-Sail Away-Don't come Easy-1991-(Geffen Records)

Gloryhammer-Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost-Return to the Kingdom of Fife-02.06.2023-(Napalm Records)

Helloween-Eagle fly free-Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. II-1988-(Noise Records)

Primal Fear-I am Alive-Metal Commando-2020-(Nuclear Blast Records)

Frozen Land-King's a Bitch-Out of the Dark-16.06.2023-(Massacre Records)

Helstar-Conquest-Remnants of War-1986-(Noise Records)

Herman Frank-Eye of the Storm-Two for a Lie-2021-(AFM Records)

Savage Grace-Barbarians at the Gate-Sign of the Cross-05.05.2023-(Massacre Records)

Night Legion-The Hound of Baskerville-Fight or Fall-30.06.2023-(Massacre Records)

Hellryder-Sacrifice in Paradise-The Devil is a Gambler-2021-(Rock of Angels Records)

Burning Witches-World on Fire-The Dark Tower-05.05.2023-(Napalm Records)

D.C. Cooper-Dream-D.C. Cooper-1999-(SPV Records)

High Tension-Hot Legs-Under Tension-1986-(Hot Blood Records)

Metal Church-The Dark-The Dark-1986-(Elektra Records)

Blind Guardian-Mr. Sandman(Single)-1996-(Virgin Records)

[enterprisewired]

James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Unprecedented Details of Uranus

The James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled a breathtaking new portrait of Uranus, offering an intricate view of the ice giant’s concealed rings, moons, weather patterns, and atmosphere. This detailed imagery, a far cry from the limited view captured more than three decades ago, showcases previously unseen facets of the planet, shedding light on its dynamic nature.

Unveiling Hidden Features

Uranus, observed during Voyager 2’s flyby in 1986, appeared as a bright blue world through visible light. However, the James Webb Space Telescope’s capacity to perceive infrared light, imperceptible to the human eye, has exposed a plethora of details typically absent in conventional telescope images. This revelation of Uranus’ intricate features marks a significant breakthrough, emphasizing the James Webb Space Telescope’s capability to unravel mysteries in our cosmic vicinity.

Insights Paving the Way for Future Exploration

Astronomers’ eagerness to send a dedicated mission to study Uranus has intensified, as highlighted in a 2022 report. Gathering comprehensive information about the icy planet, exemplified by the intricate Webb image, becomes imperative before launching a spacecraft for further investigation. NASA’s recent release of the image, surpassing a previous version from April, encompasses enhanced details, notably capturing Uranus’ usually faint inner and outer rings, along with nine of its 27 known moons depicted as blue dots.

NASA releases new images of Uranus, offering a glimpse of one rarely-seen feature

Unraveling Uranus’ Peculiarities

The image accentuates Uranus’ distinctive characteristics, notably its pronounced seasonal white north polar cap, taking prominence as the pole aligns toward the sun during its approach to solstice, anticipated in 2028. Uranus’ peculiar axial tilt, spinning on its side at 98 degrees, results in extreme seasons, where a year lasts approximately 84 Earth years. This unique spin accentuates a prolonged dark winter lasting 21 Earth years on one half of the planet.

Insight into Planetary Dynamics

The depiction of storms within Uranus’ atmosphere near and beneath the polar cap holds immense scientific intrigue. Astronomers eagerly anticipate observing shifts in the polar cap and the planet’s weather patterns as it approaches solstice, seeking to comprehend the meteorological forces influencing these phenomena. The study of Uranus’ complex atmosphere is poised to unravel deeper insights into the planet’s seasonal changes and meteorological dynamics.

Mysteries and Bridging Knowledge Gaps

Despite Voyager 2’s historic flyby, much remains enigmatic about Uranus and Neptune, the ice giants on the solar system’s periphery. Recent discoveries of X-rays emanating from Uranus and observations suggesting spacecraft encounters with magnetic bubbles have amplified the quest for understanding these distant planets.

Comprehending Uranus holds broader implications, aiding astronomers in deciphering the formation of ice giant-sized exoplanets beyond our solar system. Insights gleaned from Uranus could illuminate the origins and nature of similar worlds discovered among the thousands of exoplanets, enriching our understanding of celestial bodies in distant corners of the universe.

Curious to learn more? Explore our articles on Enterprise Wired

[dead-weird]

Horror Movie Genres: Complete List

BODY HORROR

A horrific change of the body, be that through mutation, disfiguration, or any other disturbing transformation. Differs from gore due to the existential dread that comes with losing yourself.

“A Cure for Wellness” - 2016 “Videodrome” - 1983 “Uzumaki” - 2000 “Black Swan” - 2010

MELT MOVIES

A specific type of body horror that includes the melting of flesh and bone.

“The Blob” - 1988 “The Evil Dead” - 1981 “Gremlins” - 1984 “The Beyond” - 1981

FOUND FOOTAGE

But where was it found?

“Cloverfield” - 2008 “Grave Encounters” - 2011 “The Blair Witch Project” - 1999 “REC” - 2007

PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR 

Horror that plays with your mind.

“His House” - 2020 “10 Cloverfield Lane” - 2016 “Cube” - 1997 “Silence of the Lambs” - 1991

HOME INVASION

Where you’re most vulnerable. 

“Us” - 2019 “Don’t Breathe” - 2016 “Hush” - 2016 “The Purge” - 2013

SLASHER

Surrounding a killer stalking and murdering a group of people. 

“Halloween” - 1978 “A Nightmare on Elm Street” - 1984 “Friday the 13th” - 1980 “Fear Street Part One: 1994″ - 2021

REVENGE HORROR

The perpetrators of an injustice getting their dues. 

“May” - 2002 “I Spit on Your Grave” - 2010 “American Mary” - 2012 “Ma” - 2019

GORE

What it says on the tin. Gore was very big in the ‘00s. 

“Martyrs” - 2008 “Saw” - 2004 “Hostel” - 2005 “Audition” - 1999

FOLK HORROR

Surrounding the darker side of “folk” - anything anti-modern and regionalised. Includes cults, lore, and sometimes ancient magic.

“In the Earth” - 2021 “Blood on Satan’s Claw” - 1971 “The Lighthouse” - 2019 “A Field in England” - 2013

WITCH-BASED FOLK HORROR

“The Blair Witch Project” - 1999 “The VVitch” - 2015 “Suspiria” - 2018 “Gretel and Hansel” - 2020

CULT-BASED FOLK HORROR

“The Ritual” - 2017 “Midsommar” - 2019 “Wicker Man” - 1973 “Kill List” - 2011

CANNIBAL HORROR

Horror surrounding the consumption of human flesh.

“Raw” - 2016 “Green Inferno” - 2013 “Cannibal Holocaust” - 1980 “The Hills Have Eyes” - 1977

GRINDHOUSE (AKA EXPLOITATION HORROR)

Often cheaply made, seen as trashy by some, uses sensationalist violence to draw in an audience.

“House of Whipcord” - 1974 “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” - 1974 “Frightmare” - 1974 “Death Proof” - 2007

GIALLO

Heavily stylised Italian suspense/horror movies that feature shocking scenes of gore.

“Suspiria” - 1977 “A Lizard in Woman’s Skin” - 1971 “Deep Red” - 1975 “Blood and Black Lace” - 1964

VAMPIRE HORROR

The bloodsucking undead.

“Let the Right One In” - 2008 “30 Days of Night” - 2007 “Thirst” - 2009 “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” - 2014

GOTHIC HORROR

Gothic themes such as old manors, vampires, and dreary weather.

“Crimson Peak” - 2015 “The Others” - 2001 “Dracula” - 1958 “The Whip and the Body” - 1963

SUPERNATURAL

Unexplainable phenomena. Can include ghosts, but doesn’t have to.

“The Exorcist” - 1973 “It Follows” - 2014 “The Omen” - 1976 “The Babadook” - 2014

GHOST/SPIRIT HORROR

The one does need to have ghosts.

“Ringu” - 1998 “Veronica” - 2017 “The Conjuring” - 2013 “The Grudge” 2004

ZOMBIE HORROR

Remember when everyone was really into the idea of a zombie apocalypse? What changed...

“Night of the Living Dead” - 1968 “28 Days Later” - 2002 “Little Monsters” - 2019 “Planet Terror” - 2007

CREATURE FEATURES

I count this as anything with an animal threatening your life, to differentiate it from a monster movie - killer bees instead of Godzilla, a massive bear instead of Frankenstein’s monster. 

“Crawl” - 2019 “Jaws” - 1975 “The Birds” - 1963 “Lake Placid” - 1999

INDIE HORROR

Usually made for a lower budget, independently from a larger studio. 

“The Void” - 2016 “Creep” - 2014 “V/H/S” - 2012 “Resolution” - 2012

ALLEGORICAL

A film that has one story on the surface, but is a metaphor for another.

“Hereditary” - 2018 “The Platform” - 2019 “District 9″ - 2009 “They Live” - 1988

SCI-FI HORROR

A mixture of science-fiction and horror. 

“Event Horizon” - 1997 “The Fly” - 1986 “Alien” - 1979 “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” - 1978

COSMIC HORROR

Surrounding the unexplainable phenomena of deep space/alternate dimensions. Notoriously hard to represent visually.  

“The Endless” - 2017 “The Thing” - 1982 “Annihilation” - 2018 “in the Mouth of Madness” 1994

AQUATIC HORROR

The scary deep sea. Or other body of water.

“The Abyss” 1989 “Underwater” 2020 “Sea Fever” - 2019 “Sphere” - 1998

[ufonaut]

this is a very niche complaint about a little known comic that’s nearly a decade old at this point -- and aimed at a younger audience, on top of all that -- but i recently read the all new batman: the brave and the bold #7 off what’s clearly a very bad recommendation and i sincerely can’t get over the fact that it manages to misunderstand alan scott/the original green lantern in favour of propping up batman to such a horrible degree it’s like nothing i’ve ever seen before. hell, it’s the kind of writing i find to be downright offensive to anyone who’s ever read a single alan scott comic before, let alone to fans of the character

the plot revolves around batman running into green lantern while on patrol early in his career and the following interaction takes place:

(the all new batman: the brave and the bold 2011 #7)

this is a symptom of a much larger problem regarding the public perception of alan scott as an elder statesman, as one of the ultimate powerhouses around, as a typical hero. that’s bothered me for a long long time and i find its source to be the way he’d been written in jsa 1999 & what came after but the specific way it’s put into words here, especially for the sole purpose of justifying batman’s existence as is, is plain ridiculous in ways i barely have words for.

the issue not only completely ignores the undeniable fact that alan’s motivation has always been plainly vengeance in every single version of his origin ever published

(”Alan reels homeward... a mad light in his eyes... revenge in his heart!” // all-american comics 1939 #16)

(”Then I’m going to find out if this was Dekker’s doing! And if it was I’ll kill him!” // secret origins 1986 #18)

(”It promised me power... power that I’d need to avenge my friends.” // green lantern corps quarterly 1992 #1)

but it elects to also overlook the fact that for the vast majority of his career alan had been fighting for the little guy, so to speak. costumed supervillains are few and far between during the height of alan’s days as the green lantern and throughout his appearances in every single title of the jsa’s heydey (all-american comics 1939, green lantern 1941, comic cavalcade 1942, all star comics 1940) he’d fought almost entirely mobsters, racketeers, saboteurs and small-time crooks. i’d be hard-pressed to name a single hero on par with alan’s powerset that has dealt with cosmic threats any less than he has!

what we see in the brave and the bold isn’t a particularly uncommon sentiment in the modern era but its bluntness took me aback like few takes do nowadays and i simply can’t stand to see something so utterly devoid of any trace of knowledge regarding who alan scott really is.

(green lantern 1941 #14, for those keeping track!)

[scribblesforthemad]

There and Back Again - Part 2

Here's part 2!

Many, many thanks to @skyfall8600 whose excellent Sucked In series not only inspired this one, but brought me out of a years-long writing slump! The first few parts of this series are heavily inspired by her work, while diverging more significantly later on. Regardless, I wholeheartedly recommend her work, and thank her for allowing me to use a few of her excellent ideas!

series warnings: swearing, misogyny, canon-typical violence, fluff, insecurity; sfw but gets a little ~steamy~ in a couple places

part two warnings: swearing, discussions of character death

You opened the door of and let it slam behind you, trying your best to steady your breathing as the tinkle of the bell announced your arrival. What am I doing here? you thought to yourself, your anxiety rising as you realized you had no idea what to do next.

“Welcome to Family Video, your fix for flicks. How can I help you today?” You turned slowly toward the voice, knowing who you would find but not quite daring to believe it.

Steve Harrington stood before you in his blue and white uniform vest, leaning tiredly against the counter. His hair—oh God, his hair—curled up and over his forehead, looking even softer and fluffier than it did on the screen. Your brain started to short-circuit.

Somehow, some way, you were in Stranger Things. Not as an actress, not as an extra, but in real life. There were no cameras, there was no soundstage—you were in Hawkins, Indiana in 1986, talking to Steve Harrington.

This was bananas.

Suddenly overwhelmed by the enormity of what had happened to you, you started to cry, sliding to the carpeted floor.

“Oh, uh,” Steve stepped towards you, looking utterly bewildered but deeply concerned. “Are you hurt? Do you need me to call 911?”

You shook your head. “I’m fine, I’m sorry, I just—I didn’t know where else to go!” You threw up your hands, laughing a little hysterically. “I knew you and Robin would be working here, or at least I figured you were, so I asked for directions and I just panicked—”

Your need for oxygen cut your rambling explanation short. Steve’s eyes had gotten rounder with every word, and his thick eyebrows knit together in concern.

“You came to see us?” he asked, confused, clearly racking his brain to see if he knew you as he crouched down in front of you. “Sorry to disappoint, but Robin’s at school until 3:00. Is there something I can do for you?”

“I—oh my god, I—um…” you closed your eyes and focused on your breathing. You had daydreamed about living in Hawkins, about meeting Steve and Dustin and the rest of the gang, but actually being here? That was a whole new level of crazy that you had no idea how to handle.

You took one last deep breath, centering yourself. Here goes nothing.

“This is going to sound crazy. I need you to listen to it, to all of it, anyway—and don’t ask me how I know anything until the end. Okay?” You asked with a sense of certainty that you didn’t feel at all.

He raised his eyebrow and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it into even-more-perfect disarray as he sized you up.

“Um, yeah, I guess I can do that,” he said, his expression wary. You looked him straight in the eye. “Promise me you won’t freak out? At least until the end?”

He nodded slowly, real fear creeping into the edges of his expression. You thought about how best to begin, trying to find an explanation that would be as succinct and understandable as Mr. Clark’s always were

“So, you already know that there are multiple worlds—here, and the Upside Down,” you said. Steve’s jaw dropped, and he made as if to interrupt you, but you raised your voice and continued. “The thing is, there are more than just those two. At least one more, anyway,” you said, suddenly wondering at the cosmic implications of your presence in Hawkins. You shook yourself. No time for that now, Y/N.

“I’m not from the Upside Down—you can tell that by my lack of razor teeth and my possession of a face, thank God—but Steve, I’m not from here either.” You took a deep breath. “I’m from a third world. I don’t know how I got here, but in my world? This,” you gestured broadly at the video store, Hawkins, and Steve himself, “is just a TV show. In 2022. Stranger Things,” you said, stifling a laugh.

Steve’s face was blank with shock and confusion. You didn’t blame him.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I promise it’s true. I can even prove it to you.”

Steve looked up sharply, still bewildered.

“How?” he asked simply. You took another deep breath.

“I know Robin came out to you in the bathroom of the Starcourt Mall last year. It was when you were both still high from the drugs the Russians gave you in their base underneath the mall, and you confessed that you had feelings for her. You were confused until she told you that she had had a crush on Tammy Thompson at the same time you did.”

You paused, giving Steve—and yourself—a moment to catch up. After a second, Steve’s expression morphed into a relieved, slightly exasperated grin.

“So Robin put you up to this, huh? She told you everything that happened last summer—God knows why—and sent you here to make me look like a dumbass.” He shook his head, laughing to himself. “You can come out now, Robin,” he said loudly to the empty room. “Your little prank didn’t work!”

You blew a strand of hair out of your face. This was going to be harder than you thought.

“Steve—Steve! Listen to me. Robin didn’t send me; this isn’t a joke.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ve caught on, you can let it drop now. Credit to you on the delivery, though—those tears looked real and everything.”

Frustration and anger filled your veins, though you could hardly blame Steve for being skeptical. How could you possibly get him to believe you? You watched as he mussed his hair again, triumphant grin shining.

“Farrah Fawcett spray!” you blurted as it suddenly came to you. Steve’s grin dropped like a rock, his face taking on a defensive cast.

“What did you say?” he asked, voice quieter than you’d ever heard it. You stifled a giggle.

“Your hair. It’s Fabergé Organics shampoo and conditioner, followed by three puffs of Farrah Fawcett spray. You told Dustin that two years ago when you were setting a trap for Dart, the baby demodog, and you told him you’d kill him if he ever told anybody.”

Steve’s face was pale. You could sense you were close to convincing him.

“Robin and Dustin are your closest friends. Do you really think I could convince both of them to tell me their deepest, darkest secrets when you’ve never even heard of me? Do you think I would know about Eleven, the Upside Down, Starcourt, even your job at Family Video?” You let out a shaky breath, pouring every ounce of yourself into your words, willing him to believe you. “I promise you, Steve Harrington—this isn’t a joke. I’m telling the truth.”

Steve sat back on his heels, expression unreadable. You sat in silence for a long moment, anxiously picking at your nail polish. Abruptly, Steve looked up at you and nodded.

“I believe you,” he said firmly, and you let out a sigh of relief you didn’t know you’d been holding. “I don’t know how, or why, but I believe you.” You laughed softly, relief flooding your veins.

“Believe me, I’ve asked myself the same question since I woke up in the woods this morning.”

Steve stood and extended his hand to you, helping you to your feet. Wiping your eyes on the sleeve of your jacket, you smiled to yourself. In some ways, this was what you’d always wanted—a portal into the fantasy worlds you dreamed about. You really were excited to be here, despite the dangers presented by the Upside Down and Vecna and—

You stopped cold. Steve frowned, noticing the change in your expression.

“What’s wrong, Y/N? I mean, despite the obvious,” he said, a little embarrassed. You couldn’t answer him; your thoughts were racing too quickly, trying to remember every detail you’d seen since you arrived. What date had the newspaper said it was? February something…February 21! February 21, 1986. That puts me… You swallowed hard. That puts me right before the start of season four.

“Earth to Y/N,” Steve said, waving his hand in front of your face. “You in there?” You jumped, the motion startling you out of your reverie.

“I’m fine,” you said quickly. “I just…realized where I am in the storyline.”

Steve nodded for a moment, then shook his head.

“Wait, you mean the Starcourt thing wasn’t…the end? You mean—”

“Yes, Steve,” you said solemnly, looking him in the eye. “I know what’s going to happen. And…you’re not going to like it.”

He grimaced.

“Wouldn’t be Hawkins if I did,” he joked lamely. You gave him a weak smile, appreciating his attempts to make you feel better.

“Maybe…” you mused, unsure of where your thoughts were headed. “Maybe I’m here to—to help you guys? To change some things?” Thoughts of every time travel book you’d ever read and movie you’d ever seen immediately flooded your brain. “But how can I? I don’t want to create some kind of Back to the Future paradox—wait, shit, has that even come out yet?”

“July 3, last summer,” Steve said, nodding. You looked puzzled by the specificity of his knowledge until he continued, gesturing to the video store around you. “Trick of the trade.”

“Okay, cool. I don’t want to create any kind of paradox and get more people hurt or—” Your voice broke as you remembered what happened to Eddie. “Or worse.”

“It’s that bad, huh?” Steve asked, sounding unsurprised. You nodded glumly. “You’d better tell me about it—at least the broad strokes,” he said, forestalling your objection.

“That I can do,” you said, and followed him into the office.

[kat330]

When the News Is Too Much . . .

My first experience with digital taglines was when I joined conferences on such computer relay systems as Fidonet and Wildnet in the mid-1980s. Users would add them to the bottom of a conference post, and they were mostly well-known aphorisms and sentiments circulating in the culture as a whole. An example of one I saw repeated often, to paraphrase: "Sure I'm in shape! Round is a shape isn't it?"

With my penchant for wordplay and limerick writing, I took it as a personal challenge to compose several unique tags to cap off my own posts at various user groups. Some of you dear readers may even have come across a few of my personal tags as they bounced around the globe. Below is a partial list of my original aphorisms written between 1986-1998. Hope something below brings you a smile today!

Beware of geeks bearing .GIFs! Never surf faster than your guardian geek can type. Freudian slips are the underwear of ideas. I seized the day, but it struggled free and slapped me in the face. When finally their minds' eyes met, 'twas love at second sight. Packing MIND.QWK with PKDICK Sheesh, Bokonon, not another pain in the karass?! Stop scrapin' the scab off my healin' heart, honey --Twavis Twit So he says to the Shapeshifter waitress, "Keep the change." We bought the whole nine yards from bolts of whole cloth. If you persevere in fanning lame flame, you only make ash of yourself. A balanced perspective is the one most often attacked. Earthworm movement against grass-roots organizations is underfoot! Her bad timing was bottled and sold in Zürich as a novelty item. Like lemmings happy to Rush out on a Limbaugh...humbug! He merchandised his issue-waffling, and it sold like hotcakes. Weird how a lot of its usage becomes "wierd how alot of it's" usage. Grammar Moses adds her to sense. I want to live with a synonym ghoul. Has subjunctive, as it were, become a passé case? Had one bad rap too many, so they seized my poetic license. Alternative Music: More Offbeat But Still on the Money Wouldn't feel like a pincushion if the world weren't so full of pricks. I heard it through divine grape / Not much longer would you be ape I'd rather be a recluse than a loose wreck. Ask not for whom the drummer drums; he beats off for thee. The angels wanna wear my blue suede shoes. I'll be baksheesh! --Sheik Yerbouti I’m Friday's Child in a Wednesday World Flamenco dancer, castanet round my heart! Content in proper context is magic in the making. In a universe of games, she who refuses to play is the true winner. Computer not responding to boot? Try flattery instead. Now paying for a lifetime of integrity. Filled with angst and wondering why my ex is tense. Who me? I'm just the observer observing the observer. She was a painting in search of a frame. a) prophet b) priest c) saint d) monk e) nun of the above I could see the "loco" motives in their trains of thought. I'm hardheaded against hard hearts. "This is the best of all possible worlds -- NOT." Wayne Candide That an Uzi in your pocket or some horribly grotesque mutation? _The Story of Disk-O_: A Hot Keys Tutorial However far I lower my sights, it's never enough to keep up. Ever feel like an experiment gone awry? A joke of cosmic proportion / A punchline from the gutter Individuation on ethereal waves over the astral plane You need a checkbook for a chick, a personality for a woman. Concoction: A very big shell sale Fantasy can take you everywhere and leave you nowhere. Best Blues Chip Stock: Kimberly-Clark Corp. Even at wit's end, I still can muster appreciation of true wit.

All taglines © Kathleen A. Martin

[geo-and-his-babies]

Sweet things, George has said about Ringo.

1. He describe Ringo's eyes as being like "Blue Crystals"

2. When Ringo had tonsilitis, Brain, John and Paul, when looking for a replacement, George refused to go on tour, saying "The Beatles weren't The Beatles without Ringo"

3. George once told Playboy in 1965 that he was going to marry Ringo, "Ringo and I are going to get married, but that's a thing you better keep a sercet"

4. In 1968, when Ringo temporarily quit the band, George called him, many times and when Ringo came back, George had decorated the entire studio with flowers.

5. When helping Ringo to write "Octopus Garden" George gave Ringo, high praise saying that Ringo had wrote a cosmic, spiritual song without realizing it.

6. During the band's break up, George made it clear that Ringo was always innocent in regards to the situnation, saying, "How could anyone be mad at Ringo?"

7. In 1986, George spoke of Ringo's dislike towards his scars, George said, "if Ringo can't love his scars, then I'll have to love them, twice as much"

8. In 1988, when talking about his solo work, George said, "that you can't have a solo Beatle song without Ringo"

9. In 1988, George called Ringo, "the world's greatest drummer"

10. When Ringo would complain that none of his songs had made it to number 1, George's response was this, "why are you worried about being number 1, you are number 1"

11. During the Anthology, George spoke about Ringo's same sex appeal.

12. In 2001, When Ringo needed to leave George's bedside to go see his daughter, Lee in Boston. George asked Ringo this, "would you like me to come with you?"

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #266: “... And the war’s DESOLATION!”

April, 1986

Earth’s Mightiest Super Heroes cannot save the Earth... this little man can. But to do it will destroy him!

Why does it look like they’ve put Molecule Man into the shame circle?

Actually, when I first saw this cover, I assumed that the Avengers plus Silver Surfer were putting Molecule Man on trial for some reason. Given what happens in Secret Wars II #9, it seemed like a reasonable dumb thing for them to try.

Anyway.

Last times on Avengers and on Secret Warses: In 1984, a super powerful cosmic being called the Beyonder kidnapped a bunch of heroes and villains and then bonked them off each other like action figures. Doctor Doom then stole his power and became the big bad of the story. Due to the heroes and a little skullduggery, the Beyonder got his powers back and then ditched the story.

Later, the Beyonder decided to come to Earth to experience life in his favorite universe. There are a lot of tie-ins where he tried various things and slowly became disillusioned and angry but here’s the Avengers’ side of things.

In issue #260, the Beyonder teleports Nebula away before the Avengers can catch her, due to Firelord saying something stupid and the Beyonder interpreting it ultra-literally. Then when they came back to Earth in issue #261, he played tag with the Avengers, without telling them he was doing this. This led to a lot of anxiety from the heroes as the super powerful cosmic being kept showing up and doing senseless things. Wasp tried to invite him onto the team to keep an eye on him but he declined, as he still had some more Earth tourism he wanted to do.

Then he became super disillusioned and decided to destroy Earth, the universe, and everything. He didn’t get around to it right away so several superhero teams tried to beat him up to no avail. The Avengers showed up to talk to him and he blasted them away with a tornado and captured Captain America. Then when the Avengers tried to rescue Cap in issue #265, he effortlessly stomped them but left without killing them.

That’s a lot.

But wait, there’s more.

Avengers #266 is an epilogue to the last Secret Wars II issue so I have to go over that in brief.

So the Beyonder was still going to totally destroy the universe. But he changes his mind because to get rid of this discontented feeling he’s feeling, he’d have to also erase his memory of the Marvel Universe and he doesn’t actually know what he is without it. Or whether there’s a him to know. His memory starts with his discovery that there was another universe.

Instead, he decides to take Molecule Man’s suggestion to become mortal. So he builds a machine that will make him a meat body, shoves all his power into a giant light bulb, goes through the machine and pops out a mortal, immediately panics, and hugs the light bulb to turn himself back. Then he’s immediately overcome with the ennui of being an omnipotent space jackass and turns himself human again. This time he enjoys running around and feeling mortal but Mephisto shows up and tries to torture the Beyonder now that he’s just a squishy mortal.

This makes Beyonder paranoid that becoming mortal will make him vulnerable to every jackass with a grudge (of which there are many) so decides to make a special new meat body that will have semi-unfathomable power but still be mortal.

While he’s working on that, pretty much every superhero is summoned by Rachael Phoenix to kick his ass. He distracts them for a bit with the dead and then resurrected and brainwiped New Mutants but they get down to his secret base and get their asses kicked. Molecule Man puts up a fight but he too is no match for Universe Man, Universe Man Powerful as an entire Universe Man.

The Beyonder slaps them all aside like flies, carving a gouge in Earth that wiped out the Rocky Mountains. The collected mass of superheroes were shielded by Molecule Man so they survived but the effort hurt him badly.

When the heroes return to the Beyonder’s base, they find that he’s put himself through the machine again and is incubating as a baby. The heroes question what the moral thing to do is given he is now baby. But they also question what is the smart thing to do since the machine is also containing the Beyonder’s UNFATHOMABLE power.

Molecule Man makes his own decision, exploding Baby Beyonder and then containing the outburst of released power by opening a portal to the Beyonder’s void. It sparks a big bang and starts a new universe but not THE New Universe. Although that would have been good arc welding.

Anyway, point being, the Beyonder is definitely dead forever and everything is good. Except that the massive wound he did to the Earth is causing the planet to fall apart.

That’s less than ideal.

Since Silver Surfer is a bit out of the loop with all these Secret Wars, Monica helpfully explains.

And since I’ve already fully recapped Secret Wars 1 and refuse to fully recap Secret Wars II, here’s the highlight.

Monica admitting that the Avengers just lost track of him for a while (despite building a Beyonder detector) and that by the time they were looped back into the story, he’d gone from being a friendly terrifyingly powerful cosmic entity who liked to play tag to a pissed off one.

And also Monica listing every superhero group that got involved seemingly in one breath. If she had to breath in her light form, which she does not.

Captain Marvel: “We Avengers finally confronted him here in the Rockies... That’s when the X-Men, the New Mutants, Alpha Flight, the Fantastic Four, the West Coast Avengers, the Vision and the Scarlet Witch, Cloak and Dagger, Power Man and Iron Fist, Spider-Man, the Hulk and you got involved! After it was all over, the Avengers and the F.F. stayed to mop up -- the others either left for their own reasons or we sent them home! But that was before we realized the magnitude of the crisis that still remained!”

I love the Avengers/FF telling everyone they can go home only to realize that the world is doomed.

Granted, of the people they sent home..... ehhhhh I think only Rachael Phoenix would be all that helpful. Maybe Magneto if he really stretches himself to his more bullshit levels.

After everyone was sent home, the ground started shaking and collapsing into an OCEAN of lava.

Black Knight dislocated his shoulder trying to catch himself on a rock and went plummeting. Namor flew down to save him but the intense heat dehydrated him so all he had the power to do was fling Black Knight to safety before falling himself. But Namor was rescued by Mr. Fantastic making an arm lasso.

I know that these are all super heroes but this sure is a lot of adjacency to hot molten lava with little effect. The fact that Namor is dehydrated by it but Black Knight doesn’t get cooked inside his own armor just makes it inconsistent.

Mr. Fantastic gets a pass though. Unstable molecules. They can do anything. They can fix the sun. It’s stupid but they can.

Anyway, all of that exciting nearly dying was an hour ago. The Avengers and FF are trying to think of a way to fix ‘Earth dying.’ The military is trying to support them but have their hands full preventing anyone from wandering into the giant gaping chasm in the Earth’s crust. Also tending to injured civilians.

Which is where Molecule Man wound up, actually. He and Volcana wandered off from the heroes to get Molecule Man medical help. Since the fight with the Beyonder really tore him up. But in a way that medical science for normal humans can’t really detect.

Would have been smarter to ask Reed but he has his hands full.

Full of a goofy geo-stress analyzer.

He has Johnny Human Torch Storm absorbing as much of the heat of the OCEAN OF LAVA as he can to try to stabilize things while Reed takes some Reedings.

And there’s bad news and weird news.

The bad news is that the Earth is totally going to break apart into cosmic rubble due to the damage in the crust causing axial wobble.

The weird news is that Reed’s first estimate is that the end of the world would happen within the hour. But the hour has passed and the old girl is holding together and it seems that the deterioration of the crust and mantle is slowing.

The bad news again is that his new estimate, based on his latest reedings, is that the Earth only has about six hours.

More than none but not a lot of time to find a solution to a chunk of the planet just being gone.

Meanwhile, Hercules gets bored of everyone trying to do science and not simply fixing things and decides that if the problem is a giant chasm carved out of the Earth, he’ll just fill it. With rocks.

She-Hulk tries to gently tell Hercules that um that’s not going to work but Namor tells Herc that he’s a big, muscle-brained dumb idiot who is immune to reason and will just have to fail on his own time.

Herc is not immune to reason (he was a fairly clever dude in his myths) so he throws away the giant rock and complains that he hates it when Namor is right.

But now that Captain Marvel has shown up with Silver Surfer, they might have better options than throwing a giant rock at the problem.

Wasp: “What’s the situation, C.M.? What does it look like from high up?”

Captain Marvel: “It -- it looks like the end of the world!”

Captain America: “Don’t talk that way, lady! We’ve been in tough situations before! We’ll find a way to lick this!”

Black Knight: Good old Cap -- ! Somehow, he always makes you believe you’ve got a chance! Boy, am I glad he’s here!

Not the last time it’ll be commented on that when Cap says something like ‘I’ve seen worse’ or ‘we’ve trained for this’ he’s instantly believable no matter how ludicrously absurd the situation.

Even though the Power Cosmic is one of those Do Anything powers (including letting you talk to squirrels) Reed is doubtful that even the Silver Surfer can handle this.

Mr. Fantastic: “I’m not certain even your power will be enough, Surfer. What the Beyonder did to this region extends far beyond the obvious geophysical instability.”

Silver Surfer: “You are right, Reed Richards -- millions of cubic miles of crust have simply dissolved away. If this wound in the Earth’s surface is to be sealed -- the dispersed matter must be drawn back and reassembled. I do not know if I am capable of such a task, but I shall try.”

And Silver Surfer tries. He tries with his “full, unfettered power!” He tries for fifteen minutes and expends terawatts of power and creates one (1) strip of land across the lava ocean.

Which immediately starts to collapse.

And then Silver Surfer gives up.

He just doesn’t have the oomph to close the chasm in one go and now further unsuccessful attempts might just worsen the chasm.

So... maybe call Dr. Strange? Or Phoenix Rachael?

Maybe a group effort?

No? No!

Captain America has an idea instead! Let’s find Molecule Man and get him to do it! He recaps the events from Secret Wars II #9 when Molecule Man shielded the heroes from the Beyonder’s wrath AND even moved all the civilians out of the path of the giant furrow he cut into the world.

He’s the only person that Cap knows who can operate on the level of power they need.

Captain Marvel says despite Molecule Man being a villain in the past, the fate of the world is at stake so they’ve got to ask him.

Hercules gets offended that they have to ask him instead of just forcing him to do it but Black Knight points out the obvious. If he can fix the Earth and they can’t, how can they force him to do anything?

Hercules: “What? You think him more powerful than I?”

Black Knight: “I’m afraid so.”

Weren’t you at the battle, Herc?

She-Hulk points out that he dropped a mountain (technically it was a mountain range) and that he might fold under the pressure and make things worse.

But they don’t really have other ideas, just a lot of naysaying, so Silver Surfer uses his COSMIC SENSES to locate Molecule Man. Which he can barely do since his energy signature is so weak.

Back over at the little medical center that Molecule Man and Volcana ran away to, Volcana has gotten nervous that all the doctors and soldiers have been asking questions about Molecule Man. So he comes up with an escape plan.

Which is beautiful in its simplicity.

He turns the tent around his medical bed into a balloon and Volcana fills it with hot air.

HA HA EAT DUST EVERYONE ON THE GROUND WONDERING HOW THAT HAPPENED

Truly Molecule Man and Volcana have gotten away completely.

Until Captain Marvel shows up just to talk.

Unfortunately, all Volcana knows Monica from is from Secret Wars where she went through Molecule Man’s impenetrable shield because it was invisible thus, y’know, light could go through it.

Anyway, Volcana immediately blasts Captain Marvel.

Volcana: “Gone... the witch is gone!”

(Thankfully, Monica was doing her ol’ hologram of herself trick and was immune to lava heat blast)

From her vantage point on Silver Surfer’s silver surfboard (Toomie), Wasp decides errors have been made.

Not in selecting Captain Marvel.

Wasp: “She’s the most capable Avenger I have -- next to Captain America.”

Hah, eat shit Hercules, Namor, and Black Knight.

Granted, that’s no knock on them. Monica is just cool.

But the error was that Molecule Man (and Volcana) are just unknown quantities so maybe sending someone to talk to them wasn’t a good strategy.

But Silver Surfer suggests his own plan.

Use the Power Cosmic to alter the winds to just gently crash Molecule Man’s hot air balloon hospital bed where all the heroes are so they can talk to him.

Reed tries to assure Volcana that this isn’t a trap and that they just want to talk.

It may have worked.

Maybe, maybe not.

But it definitely doesn’t work when Johnny loudly whispers that he could totally take Volcana in a fight. And that he kinda wants to. Please let him.

Volcana flips out, decides that the heroes want to hurt Molecule Man, and throws the first lava blast.

But her supervillain career is a couple of fights in Secret Wars I so she doesn’t really have a lot of supervillain discipline or whatever you’d call it.

When her first attack is effortlessly blocked by Invisible Woman’s invisible forcefield, Volcana just crumples to the ground and starts crying that she failed her “Owie” (Owen. Molecule Man’s name is Owen so her nickname for him is Owie. Its not great but they’re a very lovey dovey couple).

Monica reassures Volcana that nobody here wants to hurt them, they just want to talk, and after the talk if Volcana and Molecule Man want to leave, they can.

Although Silver Surfer points out that there’s not going to be much of a place left to leave to.

Silver Surfer: “The impending catastrophe threatens the entire planet!”

Molecule Man: “You think I don’t know that, Surfer? The ‘catastrophe’ would have happened by now if not for me! Even as we speak, I’m literally holding this planet together... and let me tell you, it’s not easy given my condition.”

Oh, neat. There’s that mystery cleared up.

But Molecule Man can’t do much more than slow down the Earth’s destruction. He’s way too wounded and worn out to stop it and if he tried to do more than he is, he risks burning out his power or dying.

Cap(tain America) tries to convince him given that... well, Earth is where Molecule Man and Volcana live. Its where all their stuff is.

Molecule Man: “Nope! We don’t have to die! You see, in a few hours I’ll be well enough to construct a little impregnable survival capsule for Marsha and me! It won’t be a palace but it’ll have life support and everything we need to live until I’m fully recovered! Then I’ll find us a new world to settle on! Or, who knows, maybe I’ll build my own!”

Molecule Man also suspects aloud that Namor and Hercules are both thinking of trying to punch him into saving the world, based on the fact that they’re giving him maximum stink-eye.

But. That’s also their resting pissed off face. So they may not even be paying attention.

Captain Marvel tries to reassure Molecule Man that the Avengers don’t coerce people to save the world but She-Hulk really is giving Molecule Man the stink-eye and all but punching her own palm.

So this looks like a job for... THE WASP!

Wasp: “You aren’t really going to just save yourself and let everything else go to pieces are you?”

Molecule Man: “The world didn’t do a whole heck of a lot for me most of my life!”

Wasp: “But, think about it -- ! No more Sak’s, no more children playing hide and seek, no more sunrises off Cape Cod...”

Molecule Man: “Hmm... no more of my favorite T.V. shows, either! Marsha and I sure would miss the F Troop reruns!”

Haaah.

When Cap(tain America)’s high-minded idealistic speeches can’t make the difference, trust in Wasp to remind what’s good in life. Shopping, the concept of children, and cool scenery.

No, I really love it.

Molecule Man is a dingus. A petty small-minded dingus. That’s why he was a joke despite his power-set. Even after getting an epiphany power-up in Secret Wars I, he really only wanted a girlfriend and a mundane life.

And that’s fine! Or at least better than when he tried to eat the planet just for the hell of it.

But it means that Cap’s idealism can’t really get its hooks in Owen but Wasp pointing out experiences that will be gone if Earth kersplodes works. It’s something he can connect to. Not her specific examples but like, it reminds him that his favorite show isn’t in space. I mean, it might be, but it would be a pain to track down those signals.

Kinda reminds me of in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when Arthur Dent couldn’t conceptualize the idea of the Earth being gone. Until he went smaller and thought of all the Things in his life that were now gone and knocked himself for a loop.

Anyway.

Molecule Man is still hesitant. Because if he tries and fails, he won’t have enough energy to escape.

It’s a death or glory situation.

Or a death or death or glory or worse situation. Because he can succeed and still manage to kill himself or burn out his powers.

And if he does that latter thing, he won’t be able to defend himself from the government kidnapping to try to reverse engineer his powers.

Cap(tain America) promises that the Avengers wouldn’t let that happen because rights! America! Apple pie!

Molecule Man asks Volcana what she thinks but she just says he’s the most important thing to her.

Molecule Man: “Uh-huh... Still, I know that it’s so hard for a truly cosmic being like me, to start over on a whole new world... but it’s a whole ‘nother thing for a relatively normal human like you! Okay. I’ll do it.”

Aww.

Doing it for F-Troop reruns and avoiding the inconvenience of meeting new neighbors.

After preparing for several hours Molecule Man sits by the edge of the giant lava chasm and prepares to SAVE THE WORLD. With Silver Surfer’s help.

Silver Surfer: “You understand that you must open yourself completely to my power if I am to be of any help.”

Molecule Man: “Tell me the truth, Surfer -- ! The reason you’re doing this is because you think I’m a wimp, right? You think when it starts to hurt -- and it will -- I’ll give up! So you plan to try to force me to go on even if I’m being torn apart inside, right? Let’s face it, you guys would rather I was dead or de-powered! You don’t like the idea of a guy as powerful as me walking around! Well, you’re going get your chance, Surfer! ‘Cause now our energies are linked! A little push from you at the critical point -- and I’m history!”

Then they start SAVING THE WORLD.

Mostly it involves glowing.

I mean, what it really mostly involves is reaching out and grabbing all the matter that was carved off of Earth and bringing it back but that’s happening far away so from a spectator’s perspective it mostly involves glowing.

Also some mountains start happening.

Molecule Man starts screaming and begs the Silver Surer to stop, which he does do. But it’s fine because the job is done.

The Rocky Mountains are back, there’s not a giant lava ocean, all the people Molecule Man shifted into subspace to protect them from the Beyonder fight are back, a place for every molecule and every molecule in its place.

Oh, and Molecule Man used so much of his power that he’s reverted to normal. His weird scars are gone and he’s just Normal Guy With Hot Girlfriend Owen Reece now.

The heroes say they can’t repay Normal Guy Owen Reece for sacrificing his powers for the world (but Namor secretly thinks how much saner the world will be without someone with Molecule Man’s power around) and promise to keep Molecule Man’s role in everything a secret if he wants. Which he does want.

He just wants to live a normal life. In Normal Denver.

Silver Surfer takes off with Normal Owen and Volcana to bring them back to Denver.

While Hercules and She-Hulk hit it off. Like immediately. Over their respective attractiveness.

And thus was born She-Hulk’s recurring romantic fantasy in her second solo book.

Anyway, when Silver Surfer returns Owen and Volcana to their apartment, Volcana is surprised to find it in great condition. It was busted up one of the times that the Beyonder popped in for a visit.

Owen explains that while he was fixing the Earth, he also fixed their apartment. I mean, why not? And why stop there? He also fixed the X-Men’s mansion, fixed earthquake damage that the Beyonder caused in San Francisco, and various other things.

Basically, Owen fixed all the assorted damage from Secret Wars II the event comic book.

Volcana: “But if your power was burning out, Owie, why did you do all that extra stuff? Unless you somehow forced him to, Surfer!”

Owen Reece: “No, Marsha. He didn’t. In fact, he could have pushed me too far... or possibly even have sucked my power out of me when he broke contact! But he didn’t! All he did was help me. And he was so unselfish, he gave me so much power, that I didn’t have to strain myself as much as I thought I would --”

Molecule Man: “-- so I didn’t lose anything, babe!”

DUN DUN DUN!

This is almost framed like a cliffhanger surprise villain reemergence.

Except its still Molecule Man and he’s still not much interested in being a supervillain anymore.

He just wants to live a private life with his girlfriend and with powers that make it so he never really has to worry about any material problems.

Silver Surfer: “I envy you.”

Ha.

Silver Surfer: “I lost the freedom of the cosmos in defending this planet -- while you risked all to save the Earth, yet kept your life and love! You are a lucky man, Owen Reece. May we all one day know such happiness!”

That’s nice.

Silver Surfer actually admits to Molecule Man that he very easily could have snuffed out his powers while they were linked. And that he was tempted to. But that would have been an act of fear while Molecule Man leaving himself open was an act of courage.

Silver Surfer: “Evil stems from fear, while true courage is a sign of good within! I simply allowed your courage to inspire mine!”

And Silver Surfer flies off and that ends Secret Wars II the comic book event. Both as a narrative and in this Avengers book.

And in terms of this issue as an Avengers issue, it wasn’t.

This is a Molecule Man story with the Fantastic Four and Avengers hanging around. I wish this had just been Secret Wars II #10 as an epilogue and not taken over the Avengers.

But it did happen and that at least lets me talk one more time about Jim Shooter’s apparent favorite theme.

The conflict of gods and humanity in one person.

Secret Wars II is about a lot of things but what it comes down to is the Beyonder and Molecule Man. An unfathomably powerful cosmic entity who is infected with humanity and ultimately can’t handle it. And Molecule Man, a normal guy who gains godlike power, has in the past been all supervillain out of a desire for more, but has found his happiness in life.

The various godlike people that Shooter introduced or reimagined in his Avengers run like Graviton, Count Nefaria, Korvac, and even Beyonder-power Doom in Secret Wars all mixed human desires with godlike power and became monsters.

Molecule Man is Shooter’s counter example. He has human desires but they’re fairly mundane. So despite once being an existential threat to the world, now he just wants to live a quiet life.

The Beyonder’s whole thing was desire. Wanting to know about it so bonking action figures together on Battleworld. Coming to Earth to experience more. Wanting more and more things, becoming infuriated when more and more didn’t bring him contentment. Lashing out at anyone that said ‘hey maybe you’re thinking too big, buddy.’

Maybe not very applicable to daily life what with all the superpowers and such but desire for more, more, always more is what made all these ‘gods’ into villains and monsters. While Molecule Man gets to watch F-Troop reruns with his girlfriend while shiny space man points and goes ‘that? that right there? that’s the kind of happiness people should aspire to.’

But if you desire more and more West Coast Avengers then good news for next week. They’re gonna fight the Rangers.

Follow @essential-avengers​ because I read (parts of) Secret Wars II for you! Yes, you specifically! Like and reblog if you want to but I’m not going to guilt you into it. I don’t know how to.

[cosmic-chelonian]

CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO OPENING THEMES - pros and cons

let's assess the relative merits of wum-in-ne-nums, oo-wee-ooos and much more!

1963

opening shwoop: alas, absent

wum-in-ne-num: TWANGY GRITTY! FULL OF CHARACTER! The Original Wum-in-ne-num™, you might say.

background: some very nice white-noise shwoopage, gives the thing a bit of texture and the idea of travelling through a time vortex

oo-wee-oo: perfection doesn’t exi-

middle eight: something about the resonance of the tune bugs me, but still gorgeous

VERDICT: there's no other word for it. Iconic. While, as a synth-head, I prefer some later themes, this one was absolutely pioneering for the time and lasted the show a good fifteen years, with some tweaks. The main tune has an eerie quality that all future iterations fail to capture.

1980

opening shwoop: damn, that's the majestic swoop we've all been waiting for. Hits you like a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. Peak shwoopage right here.

wum-in-ne-num: a fruity and distorted sound with a lot of character. Has such a sense of forward momentum, unlike the slightly more laid-back '63 iteration. I don't think there are many synth sounds in the world I love more that this particular wum-in-ne-num. I just *snivels* love it so much

background: nice fluttering noises. Somebody had a lot of fun playing about with their Moog. Gives me Morgenspaziergang vibes.

There's a lot going in in this theme, but I don't mind the thick texture. Special shoutout for the woo-woo-wooooo wooooo woo-wooo that takes over from the tune. Yeah, I heard you. Nyowm, baby.

oo-wee-oo: like an alien screaming through the cosmos about its own weird mix of joie-de-vivre and latent cosmic angst. Translation: bloody gorgeous.

middle eight: WHY, WHY, WHY WOULD YOU GO AND RUIN IT? Suddenly the alien has a Metebelis marsh frog stuck in its throat, and I'm the one with cosmic angst. A very harsh synth sound which doesn't go with the altogether mellow effect of this theme. Hearing it break into the middle 8 is like sunbathing at the Eye of Orion when the planet suddenly plays host to an impromptu Disaster Area gig. Translation: yeurgh.

VERDICT: my personal favourite tune with its killer combo of groovy wum-in-ne-num and killer oo-wee-oo. Plus it's SYNTHY. Yum.

1986

opening shwoop: solid, but a bit harsh in the high tones. Not much between this and 1980 though.

wum-in-ne-num: again, solid bass. A bit more faithful to the 'plucked' sound of the original, but I personally prefer the 1980 variant. It's still a synth bass, though, and it still slaps.

background: magic! space! time! the flutter noises are back, even weirder than before! But wait... this time our alien has been joined by the spectre of a trans-dimensional cat meowling about its own none too paltry share of cosmic angst. Not going to lie, I dig it. It really makes this version of the theme.

oo-wee-oo: ehhhh I mean I kind of like it. It's a bit less characterful that the 1980 one.

whatever the hell happens to the main tune: I mean... it is criminal to change the golden 1963 tune, but actually this gets away with it. It's still very clearly Doctor Who, it has the wum-in-ne-nums to keep that vibe, so it can afford to go into chaos-at-the-cattery mode.

VERDICT: a little out there but still a solid synth track with impeccable sixth doctor energy. Pretty good considering how quickly this one was knocked up.

1987

shwoop: a bit more low-key than previous examples of introductory swoopage, but it's quite a beautiful example imho

wum-in-ne-num: "hahaha what's that? I think you mean t t t-t t-t t-ttt-" Yeah. I'm sorry, 1987, but one does not simply change the Sacred Wum-in-ne-num. Naughty theme. Bad.

background: what did you do with my beautiful flutters? Unfortunately the stuttering bassline and lack of other other background noise means this tune loses some of the necessary momentum. Rather than flying through the time vortex, it feels like we're trying to roller-skate away from Daleks trying to be careful not to lose our balance.

oo-wee-oo: I actually have a secret soft-spot for this. Like most of this theme, it's a touch over-stylised, but I think it sounds kinda spacey. Good job.

Middle eight: Hem, yeah. Nice enough noise.

VERDICT: just groovy enough not to be criminal, but it's a fine line.

Discuss!