NETWORK | VIDEO

[mrsklover]

[The message starts off with nothing but darkness for a few long seconds. It's quiet and still until, finally, a groan comes through. Another one follows behind it and the video shifts to show it apparently just pressed into the dirt.]

Fuck...

[The video turns again, whipping around as the person holding the comm seems to drop it a few times before finally righting it, camera facing the wrong way.]

How does...fucking... Shit...

[It falls again but then is lifted back up, turned around, and at long last the owner is shown: Richie Tozier squints at the device almost like he's in pain. Which...yeah. Sort of.]

Uh... Hey everyone... [He scratches his head.] You ever get the feeling like you missed something? Or a few somethings?

Comments

[the_freak]

[That's a hell of a reaction. Eddie looks a bit awkward, glancing away and palming the back of his neck. Definitely a story there. Probably not a good one.]

Yeah? Sorry to uh...be the lesser Eddie. You can call me something else if it's weird or whatever?

[He blinks at that last part.]

Right, demon clown. The usual.

[He considers sharing his own less than typical experiences, but continues to withhold them for now. It's too hard to explain. Even to Mr. Demon Clown fucker.]

Also Earth, also boring and powerless- apart from my obvious charm.

[mrsklover]

[ He may not be his Eddie, but this one was pretty cool. Richie can't help but snort a laugh at that last bit and relax inch by inch. ]

Don't worry about the other Eddie. I'm not gonna change your name just because there aren't any therapists around to deal with my secret gay crush kicking it.

[ He taps his fingers a little and squints. ]

So. Normal guy. Earth resident. You look like you're...what, twenty? What the fuck is the Agrii's selection method over here?

[the_freak]

[That...was a very casual admittance to hear out loud, and Eddie hopes his face doesn't betray too much surprise. He's used to a lot more covertness when it comes to this topic, and he's not sure at first how to respond. Eventually he covers with a laugh and a bit of a smirk.]

Sounds like you'd have a lot to talk about between the crush and the demon clown. Too bad.

[He nods, and shrugs a shoulder.]

Almost, yeah. And who the fuck knows, man. They brought in one of my kid neighbors recently. She's like...15.

[mrsklover]

Dude, that therapist would make a killing on me. Gay in the Reagan era? Fighting a demon clown at twelve years old? Years of my life with drugs? Fighting the clown--who was also homophobic--again at forty? And then having my lifelong crush die?

[Listing it all out like that makes it all seem sort of rough. Richie laughs though because what the fuck else is he supposed to do? Cry? Yeah, right.]

Trauma! [He makes jazz hands.] The one tie that binds us all! Maybe that's their recruitment criteria...

[the_freak]

Ugh, Reagan. I'm so sick of that guy. I can't believe they voted him in for another term.

[His head tilts with a pointed smirk.]

...You know, you're sounding less and less boring by the second, dude.

[mrsklover]

Thanks, man...

[ Eddie's words finally penetrated his mind then. Especially the fact that they were all in present tense. ]

Wait. You are so sick of that guy? Dude...what year were you kidnapped from?

[the_freak]

Uh...'86? [Eddie sighs.] Fuck, are you another one of those future people? I should stop expecting anyone but Max and me to be from the present, clearly.

[mrsklover]

[Richie blinks but then a smile breaks out over his whole face.]

Dude! I grew up in the 80's! I was born in '75, actually. So, ha! You're actually older than me, sort of! I would have been like eleven in '86.

This place is fucking wild.

[the_freak]

Ah, shit! That's...really weird to think about.

[Eddie makes a face but laughs, crossing his arms.]

Eleven, huh? Few years off from my usual crowd. Feel like I can picture you though; bet you were a real little shit.

[mrsklover]

Dude, you have no idea. I had a group of friends and we called ourselves The Loser Club. I was always the kid stirring up shit and getting everyone else pissed off with me. Called me 'Trashmouth'.

[ He laughs, looking back at that time with fondness for the first time in a long while.]

And you... Take it from the hair you're a metalhead? God, I miss those. Emo kids just aren't the same, man.

[the_freak]

Oh shit, man, hang on-

[Eddie sets the device down and there some cursing and clattering off screen before he returns with his hellfire shirt, holding it up with a grin.]

Totally had the cooler Club name.

[Eddie nods, as if it's not obvious just from looking at him.]

Heh, yeah. One of the biggest in Hawkins. What the fuck is Emo?

[mrsklover]

Dude! That is fucking awesome! You got that from the comics, right? Shit, I miss those...

[ He feels like a kid again. Just one with bad knees, vision, and thinning hair. ]

Don't worry about Emo, man. It sucks. Whiny music and kids with like, hair over one eye? I don't know. I was too old for it when it was a thing. I included jokes in my set but that was as close as I got to touching that cesspool.

[the_freak]

Yes! [Eddie claps his hand excitedly and points at the screen, glad to have found a kindred spirit in this place.] Thank you! I swear, half the town was ready to believe it was some kind of cult thing- [He breaks off before he can continue 'even before the murders'.] Doesn't help that we meet to play D&D.

So, does that mean metal's not a thing in...whenever the hell you're from? How old are you now?

[mrsklover]

Oh, the fucking Satanic Panic. Jesus. I forgot about that shit. Freak out about some fucking dice and figurines but just ignore Reagan literally letting gay people die. Complete bullshit.

[ Okay so maybe he didn't miss all of the 80's, now that he thought about it... ]

But no, man. Metal is...sort of a thing? I wasn't a huge fan but there are people who still listen to it today. Which, for me, is 2016. Which...yeah, you can do the math on that. I'm old.

[the_freak]

Well, that's promising at least. If it's forgettable that means people get over it? We get any better than Reagan?

[Assuming Vecna doesn't destroy the world, he'd like to think Max and the kids'll have a better world to grow up in at least.]

Oh shit, yeaaah. [Eddie winces.]

[mrsklover]

Yeaaaah... I mean. Uh. You'll see.

[He shrugs.]

Maybe. Who knows, I guess, right? For what it's worth, this place is pretty free of Republicans.

[the_freak]

Yeah, the attitudes in this place are definitely a lot more...liberal.

[Eddie looks a little unsure still how to navigate that change. What does he rebel against?]

So...is this a 'welcome back' situation for you, or a 'sorry you're stuck here again', deal?

[mrsklover]

Liberal. Yeah, that's the word for it. But hey, it's got me out of the closet, finally! That's pretty nice even if the guy I love is dead. Living my truth and all that shit.

[ He shrugs a shoulder at the question, unconcerned. ]

Life back home wasn't really great when I left. There was that whole 'love died' thing for one. Also I had just kind of remembered my whole traumatic childhood and killed an alien clown. Being here is...I guess it's fine, actually.

[the_freak]

That's one way of looking at things I guess.

[Eddie gives him a look through the camera.]

Dude...you're making my life seem wholesome by comparison. I'm concerned.

[mrsklover]

[ Richie laughs and it's only partially sarcastic. ]

Yeah, but it's good material so I can't complain too much. Art comes from suffering or whatever? Either way, it's calmer here, surprisingly. Weird to say that: an alien kidnapping is less traumatic than my childhood.

[the_freak]

Yeah? You ever do a set here? I play sometimes at the bar. Even set up a tipping system where people can give you a replicator ration. You should get in on that.

[mrsklover]

Tips?

[ How had he never thought about that? What the fuck? How had he ever become famous and rich? It must have been the Clown and his weird influence. ]

That is fucking brilliant dude! You're a genius! I am absolutely gonna get in on that, man.

[the_freak]

Nice. Theme night.

[Eddie laughs and offers a highfive to the screen.]

I made a little stamp and everything so people can't weasel out of it.

[mrsklover]

[ Richie laughs and claps his hands, energized by this whole conversation. ]

Eddie, you are fucking cool. I think we're gonna get along real well. If there's anything I love, it's a creative mind. Loads of shit we can get up to with that.

[the_freak]

[This might be the first time an adult who wasn't Wayne complimented him, and Eddie can't help but beam.]

'Bout time someone figured that out.