#retrologist

[rolandopujol]

Happy Sunday! It’s always a thrill when my photos inspire art. So I was so happy to see these two works created by @homefront_design. First up is White Manna Hamburgers in Hackensack, New Jersey, followed by the beloved Pizza Land in North Arlington, New Jersey, featured in the opening of “The Sopranos,” which I’m binging yet again. In other news today, my latest newsletter is out! You can read it at the link in the bio, or visit my story for the link. I’ve got a lot of news on diners — some on the market, others in new hands; an update on the former Nabisco cookie factory that’s about to crumble; news from the L.L. Bean factory store in Freeport, Maine (you’ve got to see the big Bean Boot!); and much more. If you enjoy my Instagram, I think you’ll love my newsletter. Thanks as always for your support! #retrologist https://www.instagram.com/p/CoSyV75vMYB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#retrologist

[crawlingforwardx]

@retrologists | continued from ( x )

Last night had taken a rather unexpected turn but Steve wasn't all that upset about it, especially after a particularly long dry spell following his post-graduation struggles to figure his life out. It was all on the up though with this newfound best friend in Robin, his new job at Family Video, and well, it was good to know that he hadn't lost his charm after all. Heather is easy on the eyes and she's a lot of fun to hang out with on top of that, so he would say it had been a pretty good night.

He's not sure what time they actually fell asleep last night, but Heather is already awake when he blinks his eyes open, catching her gazing out his bedroom window that overlooks the backyard. He's not sure whether that's a good sign or not, if she's staring out the window contemplating her life choices or whatever; wondering if he potentially screwed up this fun little friendship they had going by getting a little too heavy on the flirtation. Heather jumps when he announces his waking with a question, seemingly spooking her in the process but she recovers with remarkable speed before he can so much as apologize for it. Smirking instead as she assures him that there's nothing wrong and lays herself across the foot of his bed, he shifts to sit up in bed, eyes falling to the familiar shirt that he only was just now noticing she wore like a night gown. It was definitely his, he had worn it the previous night and discarded it on his floor with the rest of his clothes when things got heated between them.

Heather was being very casual about everything, so Steve adopted the same attitude though he was curious what else might be going through her head. He had come a long ways from the douchebag that he was back in high school who was always just looking for some action when it came to women. He got a taste of what love could be like with Nancy, so he kind of had an inkling of what he wanted now in terms of his dating life but while he was still figuring out the rest, he wasn't about to throw all that on Heather, lest he make himself look like an idiot in the process. Especially if she was just looking for something more casual, which he was also completely okay with for the time being.

"Well, I'm all about quality service here at the Harrington Hotel," Steve retorts with a flirtatious grin, noting the way her eyes shamelessly roam over his bare chest and enjoying the attention he was receiving. "I strive to create only the best experiences here. I see you've already collected the complimentary morning after shirt." He gestures to his navy blue polo shirt she wore as he finally verbally acknowledges the fact that she was wearing it.

Sparing a glance toward the window as she gestures toward it, a smirk threatens to break as he picks up on her intention. "Oh yeah?" Throwing the blanket that was covering the rest of him aside, he swings his legs over the side of the bed and gets up to stroll over to the window, giving Heather the full view in the process. He gazes out, catching the bright orange and yellow of the rising sun and wondering just how early it truly was because he usually wasn't awake till at least noon if he could help it. Even back in high school he would frequently be running late due to him hitting the snooze button on his alarm clock one too many times and his rather lengthy hair care routine, which was important and he refused to leave the house with flat hair. He was a bit more responsible and on schedule these days with his job though. "Huh. So that's what that looks like. Amazing," he muses as he finally looks away from the sunrise and back toward her.

#retrologists #( thread: retrologists. ) #( steve & heather. ) #// he's all about pleasing the crowd (her) lol

[thebabysittertm]

@retrologists continuing from here for Tommy

ㅤThe bitterness bled into his tone, and Steve, reformed asshole that he was, might not be entirely strong enough to take the high road there. He laughed, but it was that soft thing, eyes leaving Tommy as he shook his head - nothing funny, just frustrating and so much more hostile than necessary. It's a fallback habit, laughing off something aggressive in a way that comes off as dismissive; Tommy could act like "King Steve" was dethroned by Hargrove's appearance back in senior year, but the cool, easy way that he handled people wasn't gone. That wasn't some dumb hierarchal 'perk' thanks to hanging with the popular kids, no. The social intelligence was all his, trained into him by his parents and learned along the way, adapted to giving a shit about people but still so easily turned to protecting himself.

ㅤ"I did you a favor? Gimme a break, Tommy, you really wanna tell me you enjoy hanging out with Peterson and Carlyle?" he asked, almost like he was amused by the very idea of that, but it didn't linger before the seriousness started seeping back into his tone, if not fully into his expression. The smile lingered like armor, cocky and dismissive, but his eyes didn't entirely hold it. "You always cover your lying up by being mean, man. Same thing when you're upset about something. If you didn't give a shit, you wouldn't still be bringing Nancy up and getting in my face."

ㅤIn fairness, Steve was also pretty damn bitter about the whole thing. They'd been friends forever, and Tommy was a shitty influence, especially with Carol around, but Steve was just as guilty for letting it all slide. He'd been so damn worried that his friends and the popular crowd that he'd essentially lorded over would abandon him at the first sign that he was a decent guy that he'd gone along with the mean, petty shit. In turn, that had encouraged it to keep going, hadn't it? Like he was condoning it, helping normalize it just by not using what chance he had to shut it down. The occasional dismissive comment about this loser or that nerd not being worth the trouble to de-escalate hadn't been enough, and that was on him.

ㅤMaybe if he'd had more of a spine about it all sooner, he could have salvaged this before it got where they were, standing out by the street with his car at least a block away, maybe two? There was no quick, easy exit, and he felt like the coward that Tommy had accused him of being before for even thinking about just walking away. It wasn't a coward's move to walk away from a fight, but he knew all too well that it wasn't the fight that he'd be walking away from.

ㅤ"I don't want you to say shit. What I want is for you to cut the mean bullshit and talk to me, or leave me the fuck alone. You don't give a shit? Act like it," he snapped, and that's where his act of being vaguely amused was slipping away more fully. "But I know you and you can't lie to me."

#retrologists #retrologists || .001 main tommy #pretty damn good babysitter ✇ [v. main] #so I'm sorry I've been absent and I'm brushing the rust off #so if anything in this at ALL needs to be edited please tell me and I'll hit it up asap #I just wanted to get to it sooner

[cinnapositivity]

order up for @retrologists / @hairoic!

#🧁 shoutout #🧁 retrologists #🧁 hairoic

[hiisheart]

@retrologists (NANCY) || CONT.

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ❝ NOPE, not stupid, ❞ he retorts, not even bothering to look up and meet her gaze as he drags the sleeping bag across the floor. he briefly leaves her to collect an ARMFUL of blankets from his room and his favorite pillow from his bed.

❝ you've already been protecting me for years, nance. it's what big sisters do, and i understand that. but don't you want to give me an opportunity to return the favor? ❞ it was kind of a STUPID argument, but he hoped she would at least understand where it was he was coming from.

but he nods at her, sensing apprehension in her tone as she continues. ❝ of course. a team of two is better than someone by themselves. ❞ he swallows, AVERTING his gaze briefly before looking back up at her. ❝ i mean ... i guess i'm also scared. of losing you ... ? now that i know what you've been through. ❞

#retrologists #「 ♥︎ 」 » IN CHARACTER. ⋮ ━━ ˗ˏˋ IF WE’RE BOTH GOING CRAZY WE’LL GO CRAZY TOGETHER. ˎˊ˗ #「 ♥︎ 」 » QUEUE. ⋮ ━━ ˗ˏˋ FILE THIS UNDER FUCK IT. ˎˊ˗

[hawkinshellraiser]

@retrologists inquired ; ❛ will things ever go back to the way they were? ❜

Eddie turns away from his dresser to her sitting on his bed, the pants he was about to put on still in his hands. Her short bouncy hair is still sticking out in all directions from how Eddie had been pulling and pawing at it for the better part of the past hour. She always looks so good like this; after. When her cheeks are still flushed pink and the love marks he's made yet to develop.

Besides this he doesn't know how to read her expression. What he's looking for specifically is what she's hoping his answer will be. Does she want things to go back to the way they were? Does she want to take them further?

He feels a bit like a fish out of water, since he's been following her lead this whole time. Eddie knows what he would chose, but for now he's simply content with her wanting anything to do with him at all.

"Uh..." Eddie's so unsure of how to answer that he doesn't have the extra energy to put on any kind of pokerface, leaving him a little fidgety while he tries to piece together his reply. "Yeah, probably. No one really knows, right? Did you... did you want to go back to b ack to the way things were?"

#🖤 / retrologists #🖤 / ‘86 baby: verse #🖤 / your beauty never ever scared me: e+n

[fireheld]

UNKNOWN : for both muses to wake and find themselves in a strange place. | for Robby. — @retrologists

It’s cold, that’s Billy first thought, this place is so cold. He’s curled up on the ground, hard and unforgiving against his body, cold seeping in through his leather jacket. Peeking his eyes open, he finds himself met with the familiar black of the road, his cheek is pressed against a yellow line.

And then he sees the ashes falling from the sky, knows it’s ash because he’s spent his whole life in a place that catches fire every summer, and he doesn’t understand how that could be. It doesn’t make sense, it should be snow. He should be panicking but instead he stumbles to his feet and starts at the sight of someone else, looks to be just waking the same as him.

He doesn’t understand how he got here. One minute he’s speeding down the road, blasting Fade To Black, and then he’s here, his car nowhere to be seen with a complete stranger.

He hates that he isn’t more panicked about this. (he wonders briefly if he’s in shock, if he crashed his car and he’s just an unlucky soul trying to make sense of the afterlife but he feels alive enough).

He looks around, seeing nothing but abandoned cars and buildings, and then towards the foggy sky. Blinks away the ash that sticks to his eyelashes before he turns back to the other.

“Guess there’s no use in asking you where we are but how the fuck did you get here?” He was driving alone, after all, he remembers that much.

#[ I DID GIGGLE AND KICK MY FEET SEEING THIS ASK BC I WANT TO WRITE THIS VERSE SOOO BAD ] #[ :3c ] #revving the engine — ( ic ). #mother is god in the eyes of a child. — ( silent hill verse ). #retrologists — ;; #cw car crash mention

[vntagetee-archive]

⸻ @retrologists asked: sender takes a [ picture / video ] of receiver. ( delilah & casey )

caught   off   guard,   delilah’s   head   whipped   around   when   the   camera   flash   went   off   in   her   face.   the   last   thing   she   needed   was   a   horrible   picture   of   her   in   the   yearbook.   “wait.”   she   argued,   taking   out   her   messy   ponytail.   “my   hair   looks   like   shit.   take   another   one   when   i’m   actually   smiling.   aren’t   you   supposed   to   be   a   wannabe   professional   photographer   or   whatever?”  

#╭ answered. delilah profitt #retrologists

[dirtfacedgospel]

❛ i had it under control! you didn’t need to do that! ❜ (mickey from stu) /// @retrologists

" really ? that's what we're calling 'under control' now ? " mickey's words are dripping with a healthy mixture of amusement and something bordering disappointment — he supposes there's something to be said for never meeting your heroes.

he clicks his tongue, brow raising in an expression of disbelief before his focus shifts to the camcorder in his hand, checking the footage, swearing under his breath at realization that he'd been too shaky to get details, that was why static shots were always best.

" you should be thanking me, man. that was under about as much control as a girls gone wild set. "

#𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ━━ [ mickey altieri. ] #retrologists #retrologists: stu macher #[ is mickey in woodsboro? is stu at windsor? ] #[ idk. all i know is that mickey's an asshole ]

[rolandopujol]

“Hamburg Pickle On Top! Makes Your Heart Go Flippity Flop!" That classic slogan for Kewpee Hamburgers applies not only to the food but to the charming architecture at The Kewpee here in Lima, Ohio. On Tuesday, I made my second visit to this roadside treasure, and unlike my first in 2019, the restaurant was open and hopping at lunchtime. I found a corner booth and snapped pictures between taking bites of their iconic square burgers, theorized to be an inspiration for Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas. The very first Kewpee hamburger joint opened in Flint, Michigan, in 1923, called the Kewpee Hotel, making it one of the earliest fast-food chains, and the second oldest hamburger chain after White Castle. In 1928, husband-and-wife team Hoyt and Julia Wilson opened the Lima store, and their shop was so popular that in 1939, they constructed this stunning Art Moderne building clad in porcelain enamel here on 11 N. Elizabeth St. Kewpees once totaled over 400, but today, there are five locations left – one in Lansing, Michigan, another in Racine, Wisconsin, and three here in Lima (pronounced Lie-Ma). The ones in Lima, separate from the first two, are run by the Shutt family. The two other Kewpee restaurants in Lima are yellow mansard-roofed buildings. But the one you see here is the very picture of cuteness overload. Greeting us is cherubic Kewpee, inspired by the Kewpie dolls (note the different spelling) that were all the rage in the early 20th century and are still cherished by collectors. Kewpee has two siblings inside watching over things. Getting a clean shot of the facade was difficult, as the lunchtime drive-thru crowd meant an endless queue of cars on Elizabeth Street, but I stood there until I had my opening. Once upon a time, they offered curbside and drive-in service here. There was even a turntable for cars to exit the lot, which provided kids of all ages with a thrilling end to a tasty meal. These days, the turntable is gone, but very little else has changed, thank goodness. There's an old expression, “to win a Kewpie doll," meaning to win a trinket at, say, the state fair. But there's nothing cheap or insignificant about this Kewpee. ❤️ #retrologist #retrologist (at Kewpee Hamburgers) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfurq6PLTat/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#retrologist

[resplendentdare]

[ share ] sender and receiver share something from the menu at a restaurant (robby)

[ @retrologists ]

The diner wasn't the fanciest place in the world but it was a far cry from a gas station with a microwave and it gave Saskia an excuse of dressing a little classier than she normally would, even with the gigantic bruise on her forehead. When Robby offered to split a burger, she had no plans of saying no, although she did ask for extra fries.

Taking a sip of her milkshake, she gave him a gentle but slightly awkward smile. "Y'know, you didn't have to treat me to dinner to apologise. I was the one who walked into the door you just so happened to be opening."

PROMPTS FOR PLAYFUL AFFECTION

#[ saskia's ask box ] #retrologists #[ never let me down again; queued ]

[crawlingforwardx]

❛ you don't have to leave just yet... you could stay the night if you wanted to. ❜ (heather, post s3!)

🐝  *  ―  𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑶𝑴 𝑫𝑰𝑨𝑳𝑶𝑮𝑼𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑷𝑻. 𝑰.

The official story behind the 4th of July Starcourt affair was a tragic accident. The papers were reporting a deadly fire had started in the food court and engulfed the entire structure, leaving no trace of anything behind. Steve knew better though; it was a cover-up by the government to destroy any evidence of the Mind Flayer and the secret Russian base that lied underneath the mall. Most people in Hawkins were ignorant to the truth though and bought into the story being fed to the general public. It was kind of a shame because so many people had died that night and their families would never really know the truth behind it.

Maybe that was a blessing though, Steve thought as he made the rather spontaneous decision to drive down Heather's street after dropping Robin off home. Unlike most of Hawkins, she was one of the few that knew the truth because she had been forcefully involved in the worst possible way. They had been friends back in high school and he knew from experience how horrifying it was to just be unexpectedly thrown into the Upside Down chaos like that so maybe that was why he felt an obligation to check on her because someone ought to.

"I kind of just wanted to check in on you. See how you are..." Steve explains with his hands tucked away in his pockets as he stood in Heather's living room with her. Now that he was here, he wasn't so sure what to say to her because nothing was really going to make it any better. "I thought maybe you'd want some company or, I don't know, someone to talk to who kind of... Understands. So if you want, you can call me whenever. I'll leave my number with you." Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he quickly scrawls his number down on a notepad that was sitting out on her coffee table before giving her a tiny smile as he starts back toward the front door.

Before he could turn the handle to open it though, he feels a hand on his shoulder followed by her urging for him to stay. Turning around to face her, he thought he could see the silent pleading to not be left alone right now in her eyes. His hand slipping away from the door knob, he quietly nods his head in response to her request. "Yeah, okay. I can stay for a little while."

#retrologists #( steve & heather tag. ) #( answered. ) #// set it maybe a month or two following the Battle of Starcourt? #hope this is okay!!

[alwaysanangcl]

"you okay? caught you staring off into space again." (robby)

"Hmm?" Glazed-over gaze comes back into focus at the sound of Robby's voice. She'd been lost in thought, her father's birthday a distraction that she was usually better at navigating around but for some reason tonight it'd called her away from the work she was supposed to be doing. Jessica cleared her throat lightly, nodding with a soft giggle, "Sorry, yeah, I didn't mean to disappear on ya."

Her hands began the familiar rhythm of sorting the different glasses from the guys in the back on the shelves under the bar as she slipped her usual mask into place. "What were you sayin'?"

#retrologists #⊹ · answered ask * . from lilith’s lips #PRIMARY : au; stranger things . ⧽ — — one little promise she was gonna keep.

[v1ctimplagued]

i would sleep better on your floor than i ever would in my bed. (heather!)

memes. / always accepting.

　Will he ever be fine again? Would they? It was no surprise that sleeping often eluded them. Having been put in such a horrible and haunting circumstance and making it out alive–sometimes Billy thinks it would have been easier to not survive. Enduring the guilt, the responsibility, and the weight of his actions that truly had not been his own was enough to bring him to his knees. He barely functioned when he pondered it too much. So it was no surprise that she might be suffering too.

“You know you’re always welcome.” He says after a moment, eyes softer around the edges and somewhat aged, one might say defeated. “It is an open invitation. Most girls would kill for the offer for free range of my bedroom.” His joke is a farce, a power struggle for control, retaining some semblance of his old self although he’s been long since graved. “I don’t sleep much anymore.” It was far too like being under the control of the Mindflayer. Not fully knowing what was real and what wasn’t–or what he was doing and having no control over those actions. The screams, the pleas, and the darkness. He hated it all. “Never tried sleepin’ with someone else after everything. Maybe it would help. Knowin’ we’re not being dragged under again.” He worries about that most. Was his mind still susceptible to that influence? Was he in control of himself? 

#retrologists #&. dialogue. #&. answered. #( they need traumatized cuddle sessions tbh ) #tw ; suicidal ideation

[hawkinshellraiser]

Ship Bias!

1- eddie x steve

2- eddie x nancy

3- eddie x jason

4- eddie x heather

5- eddie x billy

🖤 in that order 💅����✨

#🖤 / retrologists #🖤 / oh god it’s admin

[fireheld]

[ rainfall ] sender finds receiver out alone in the rain | from Chrissy. — @retrologists

Billy hates how the rain makes Hawkins smell. He can’t quite put his finger on it but there’s this undertone of something sick, of something that has just begun to rot. Billy hates it but he doesn’t let it burrow too deep, he has this off-putting feeling that if he does, he’ll start rotting too.

His cheek is that stinging warmth that means a bruise but it’s not as bad as it could be and for that he’s grateful.

He’d driven himself to the little picnic park after his dad locked him out — he’d only just managed to grab his car keys before the door had slammed shut. Now, he’s planted himself on one of the two rickety old wooden tables, letting his hair mat and tangle the wetter it gets, staring off at nothing when he feels more than sees someone encroaching on the space he’s made for himself.

Glancing over, Billy’s brow furrows — “Chrissy? What’re you doing out here?” As if he’s got any room to ask.

#[ :3 ] #revving the engine — ( ic ). #verse tbt. #cw child abuse #retrologists — ;;