Time Travelers

Wes Colton

It was all his idea. He isn’t sure if the time portal in his pantry door was a creation of some alternate version of himself, or someone else entirely, but that doesn’t matter. After this Toy Run-winning, pop-culture-master, glue-that-held-a-group-of-90s-friends-together guy spent about a year in the past and breathed in all that nostalgic air, he came back to do it all again, this time with a grand plan in mind—that happens to involve his annoying yet somehow still adorable nephew! After working in IT for years, Wes knows how to solve problems, and to his credit, despite his mistakes and occasional selfish jerkiness, he doesn’t come back to July ’95 aimlessly. With a notebook full of ideas, logs, and observations packed into a metal case with a bunch of other junk and a fully loaded iPad, Wes isn’t taking any chances… After all, he already thinks he’s old, and he’s still aging, even in the past. There’s never enough time, so he’s prone to panic, but chilling out to some vaporwave helps that.

Jace Baker

He doesn’t want to hang out with Wes, especially not on some fake camping trip that turned out to be a living history lesson. Jace would rather stay home for the rest of summer, cooped up and trying to forget his pretty bad 5th grade experience by drowning himself in Nintendo Switch and Xbox games, and taking out his anger on some scrubs in his online shooters. Unfortunately, all that got him was a concerned mom that sent him packing with her half-brother. Tricked into taking a time trip, Jace is at first bewildered, but gradually settles back into his old ways that involve complaining about everything. The lad isn’t totally hopeless, though. Now in an era before any of the kids he hates have been born and just about free of consequences, the shrimp of his class suddenly has some free time to grow, and maybe even make a few friends, learning a thing or two about his hometown and formerly burnt out uncle on the way. He should remain stable, so long as his iPhone isn’t taken away.

Time Ninja

A lone figure clad in light, flexible, dark armor that Jace begins to notice stalking the duo from a distance. The guy (possibly girl?) is certainly out of place, Jace feels that it’s likely they too are a time traveler who is aware of the uncle and nephew team and their messing about in the past. Jace names the stranger after a character in one of his stupid mobile games, and despite his insistence to Wes, his sightings go downplayed. At least, until (SPOILER ALERT) it’s discovered that the Ninja is a he, and has been acting as a guardian angel of sorts, keeping the duo hidden from some guys that really are a threat. It turns out that he’s a teenager named Warren, who has a punkish, bad attitude and is in possession of a mysterious time quartz that lets him freely jump about in time. But what’s his end game? You’ll find out eventually. In the meantime, let’s just think on the fact that he has a voice modulating mask, a cool exo-suit robotic arm, and a carbon fiber sword with red light stuff running through it.

Fellow 90s Kids

Wessy Colton

He doesn’t actually let anyone call him Wessy, other than his mom, but the time-traveling duo uses the moniker for the kid version of Wes to avoid confusion. Not much has changed over the years deep inside; Wessy is just the carefree, fun-loving incarnation of his adult self, before he discovered cynicism. The glue that holds the gang together, Wessy is a constant sleepover host and surrounds himself with TV, movies, and video games, with a healthy dose of outdoor fun as well. Under that visage of childhood glee, however, is a kid that can’t and doesn’t want to stop moving, or the confusion and worry of more serious matters overtakes him. Why didn’t Dad stay married to Mom? Why does my half-sister get to live in a larger, nicer house that I only get to visit every other weekend? His legendary mentor in cool, Charlie Pippin, never told him how to deal with issues like that. Best not to slow down and dwell on such things.

Colin Robinson

The shrimpy, slightly nerdy kid of Wessy’s inner circle. He is also absolutely Wessy’s best friend, his right-hand man since preschool. Colin might scare or give up on things a little easily, but the kid has a heart of gold and will in the end stick by his friends no matter where they drag him. His head is also full of statistics, fun facts, and pop culture trivia. He enjoys fighting games and is on a local little league team with Jared. Though he certainly fits into his glasses, he’s actually only had them for a year or so. Colin sticks by Wessy even as the group begins to drift apart in later years, and is the last kid to go trick-or-treating with him on their last Halloween night out. Far later in life, he becomes more adventurous and ends up teaching English to Japanese students… while also living in Japan. Wes is proud of him, but the distance only further emphasizes his feeling of childhood loss.

Jared Reiner

Jared the Jerk would be the first words Wes would use to describe him when thinking back, but he’s not all bad. He’s a little jealous of what the others have because his family isn’t all that well off, and can get aggravated easily, but he still really likes his friends despite not always approaching them in the best ways. In the back of his mind, he sees himself as a guard dog, ready to protect his buds – though mostly with rhetoric and probably little to no actual action. In that same part of his mind, he’s also a rival to Wessy and his leadership. And when Wessy comes home after doing the Toys ‘R’ Us Toy Run, he really gets set off in a way that almost ruins their friendship entirely. The adult version of Jared has succeeded in ‘revenge’ by becoming Wes’ boss at the tech firm they work at, after their own development studio failed mostly due to their bickering. If there’s any chance at fixing things by that point, it remains in the past.

Sadie Lorraine

Colin has a tree house that has been popular with the gang since first grade. It has a sign with its one rule: No Girls. And then something changed in third grade. Sadie, a girl who grew up just a few houses from Wessy, began hanging out with the guys, and that tree house rule got crossed right out. Sadie is a cool kid in her own right, and though she isn’t quite a tomboy, she also finds it hard to associate with anything typically seen as girly, and would prefer playing a water gun game outside than dressing up Barbie dolls. She can be tough when she needs to be, likes west coast music and is a prodigy in rap battles, and doesn’t play favorites when it comes to the boys – although all of them, at one point, briefly ‘compete’ for a little upgrade in her affections. But the adult evolution of her is almost as miserable and lonely as Wes, whom she lives relatively near and still keeps in touch with online. Maybe, in another universe…

Zach Pentino

Cool. That’s the abridged version of Zach. Once Charlie Pippin got busted for chocolate robbery, Zach became the coolest kid in Desert Tree Elementary. But unlike Charlie, he didn’t get there with pranks or by rebelling – at least not too much. A kid with street cred and connections, he’s always looking to start a party or lead a mall run, while avoiding the mistakes Ol’ Charlie made. Often in Wessy’s group’s orbit but not always a full-time employee, Zach may try too hard to be a cool lone wolf and can get himself and others in trouble in competitions, but while refusing to burn out or fade away, he also gathers, exudes, and shares positive energy with his contemporaries. Zach’s looking to leave a mark on the playground and leave behind legends that will be talked about forever. Or at least a few years. And then after high school, following a few backyard keggers, he eventually disappeared as mysteriously as he emerged.

Arthur Teller

Arthur, known to his friends as Arty, is the solid rock at the heart of the group, the moral compass, and in some ways, the archivist of their childhood adventures together. He never leaves home without his multi-function digital watch, which he keeps perfectly accurate, and is in charge of keeping the day’s events on time. At least, until they suddenly aren’t because the others want to extend the newest fun activity. He also goes through disposable cameras to take snapshots of big events like birthday parties and other totally awesome outings that brought about totally epic moments – although this of course means that he’s often missing in those pictures. He gets along well enough with most kids, including his twin sister Ash, so he rarely has a chance to bust out the legendary insults he can fire back at any transient tormentors. As an adult, he has all but disappeared from Wes’ social circle, after taking up a mysterious job in the government.

Ash Teller

Arthur’s twin sister, often in the peripheral of Wessy’s group. She’s arguably a bigger nerd than her brother, though she keeps that side of her back at home. She has an infectious laugh and a bubbly personality, but also has a sassy side that might show up when she refuses to take guff from her peers. As a lover of film, she’ll often be in attendance with the big group movie outings, but otherwise lives a semi-separate life with mutual friend Sadie and not-so-mutual friend Celeste. More recently, rumor has it that Jace is a little bit smitten with her, but don’t pass that around. Wes, on the other hand, is somewhat aloof when it comes to talking about Ash, and even failed to mention her before her sighting at the King Arcade opening. But he actually has a good, personal reason for that. She and Arty also have a minor but notable claim to fame: in 1990, as five-year-olds, they appeared in hip kids’ clothing for a full-page local ad.

Millie Vanbusen

The scourge of Desert Tree Elementary, Millie is an enemy to all… at least until they want to dig up some dirt on someone – and then get promptly denied because she doesn’t share her findings. With a collection of composition notebooks full of files on many of her spied-on classmates from over the years, she knows things about other kids that they don’t even know about themselves. She takes a keen interest in Jace, quickly noticing something that no one else seems to: somehow, for some reason, he’s not from around here – making her a possible threat to the duo’s efforts. Although if she were to be befriended… perish the thought… she could potentially share a trove of useful, up-to-date intel on Wes’ old classmates. Like Jace and Wes, she lives in The Flamingo apartment complex, along with her dad who is the landlord of the place. That means she has access to their room, which is maybe just a tiny bit concerning.

Lucy Elaine

Jace’s mom, in her younger years, was a sad, confused, and often angry child already fed up with shallowness and hypocrisy she saw everywhere. Often seen buried under her hair and headphones, and in her old olive green shirt-turned-outerwear, she drowns out the world and presents a cynical worldview that came to her earlier than expected. As Wessy’s year-younger half-sister, she is forced to live with their self-centered but wealthy father and his trophy wife who, admittedly, at least dotes on her and sort of tries at being a young parent. She has several friends – also sort of, as the girls she’s seen with are more of a clique taking pity on her than anything – but isn’t particularly active socially. Still, she can get excited about certain games and movies if she gets a chance to play and see them. Somehow, during college, she undergoes a transformation and in the end, turns into a pretty cool mom, activist… and concerned sister.

More Kids

Celeste Vogel

Now living on the other side of Desert Tree and a fifth-grader at Sherman Miller Elementary, the “rival” school, Celeste has remained a friend of Ash’s and Sadie’s over the years, often attending sleepovers with the other two and keeping in touch daily. She has something of a murky history with Wessy, who won’t talk about it, but Millie certainly remembers those halcyon days of kindergarten gone by – and knows that the two held hands at least a few times back then. She moved afterwards, but still maintains something of a “long distance” crush for Wessy, which she struggles to hide on the rare occasion that the two come together again. She’s a bit rougher around the edges than Sadie and doesn’t mind getting in the dirt, and rumor has it that she has an eagle eye when it comes to light gun games and real world slingshotting.

Gavin Patile

A total arcade dork. He plays console games at home from his vast library, sure, but for Gavin, nothing beats the noise, lights, and competitive nerd-out atmosphere of a good old arcade. No wonder he was among the first in line at the grand opening of the video game-themed King Arcade amusement park, and one of the first kids in the country to play Area 51, during a marketing test. He knows every cabinet in the city – including those that pop up in convenience stores. Outside of video games, he’s also into outdoor activities, including his side of the neighborhood’s take on Wessy’s gang’s Bullet Water sport. When not hanging out with his buds Mikey and Stu, this seventh-grader can sometimes be seen teaming up with step-sister Vanni in co-op games, and GAV and VAN are plastered on quite a few high score screens.

Vanni Patile

Cool and calm under pressure, Vanni is a sixteen-year-old video game prodigy who also briefly became a sage to Wessy, passing off some words of wisdom of what it meant to leave childhood behind while keeping a grasp on the things that are really important. Her house full of game titles – including a cabinet of Double Dragon in her bedroom – are to her only part of a hobby, however; her true passion belongs to her drums, and she’s the drummer for a local garage rock band. With some legendary stories of her own already behind her, she’s ready to make the jump to adulthood, but not before chewing through a few packs of gum first. Don’t narc on her, but she’s also picked up on a bad habit that afflicted many 90s teens – smoking. But just for, like, dealing with stress or times when she’s in the zone, bro. Don’t freak out.

Felicity McAllister

The younger of two daughters from a rising prissy, proper, political family in Desert Tree, Felicity is made to dress in nice, bright clothes befitting of someone expected to smile and show manners. In truth – and she isn’t afraid to let that truth leak out at school – her mind can go into some dark places, and though she would never hurt any of her peers, she has shown some sociopathic proclivities. Which would be manageable if only her family took a moment to get to know her and respect her own personal likes, i.e. dark music, dark poetry, and dark colors. What she could really use is a friend or two and some distance from her older sister, who is embarrassed of her and is the main source of nasty rumors. If a few nice gestures aren’t thrown her way soon, she’s destined to go down the same lonesome path she did originally.

Park Myong

Forgot your pencil today? Do you need a ruler? How about a yo-yo? Or do you really need a slap bracelet for some reason, or, say, maybe the newest action figure or prank toy? Go see Park. This kid’s been selling gear on the playground since first grade. And while some of his wares are classroom safe and cheap, he also sells more “illicit” goods like novelty items and the hottest new toys, for a price. He’ll even do special orders if you’re just trying to buy something your parents don’t want you to have. Park is also a trusty messenger and representative of The Dump secret club. He has three older sisters, one of which works at his dad’s printing and decal shop on Main Street, where Park keeps his supply closet of good well stocked and maintained. He’s a trusty, dependable guy, and would never sell hot merch. Intentionally.

Gerald Eger

Gerald has always been known as Mr. Nice Guy on the playground. An intelligent kid who is into non-offensive music and safe network TV shows, Gerald has created the reputation of being a calming mediator who can help resolve arguments around the school and the breaker-upper of fights. His neutral, patient, and understanding nature has led him to become a judge and referee for playground competitions and sporting events, and troubled kids often reach out to him for advice, as well. Despite his efforts at being an impartial guru, the 90s is still a time where tastes are scrutinized. While hip-hop, rap, and gross-out humor rule the schoolyard chatter, it’s only a matter of time before someone turns their sights on him and his like for smooth jazz. He’s never really been criticized, so his possible reaction is unknown.

Carson Brook

Carson is the coolest kid in Ms. Porter’s class, no doubt, and is in the running for coolest in the school behind Zach Pentino. A suave and usually chill musically-inclined little dude, he is often seen on the playground wearing his oversized headphones and listening to some tunes on his CD player. When he’s not in his own world of nice beats, he’s often seen at The Dump, where his presence alone keeps things a few degrees cooler. He avoids debates and arguments at all costs, but he’d still vehemently defend his music tastes if he ever heard them getting smack-talked. But he knows his music, and is often the first to buy the hottest new CD and bring it to school to show it off. He tends to avoid physical activity because he doesn’t like getting sweaty, but his dad is actually a high school basketball coach, so go figure.

Wright Brody

Wright sees himself as the second coolest kid in Ms. Porter’s class, behind Carson but on most days, slightly cooler than Wes Colton. Not that he really makes his assumption known to the other students. Wright is pretty chill in class, but on the playground, he lets his competitive and risk-taking side get out. Known for taking insane dares in his younger years, he has mostly moved onto gambling and other forms of bet-taking. He holds an impressive collection of Pogs and various trading cards, as well. His thrills often get him in trouble, but he always comes back for more. He lives on Mansion St. in Desert Tree, a small off-shoot road that has disappeared and been forgotten by 2020. He grew up there alongside Willa and Robby, so he knows those two well, and they’ve staged a few interventions to help him with his addiction.

Spice Estero

The fashionista of Desert Tree Elementary with Spanish roots, Spice (her real name) is naturally a bit self-centered and thinks highly of herself, but she’s always willing to supervise or provide a makeover on the playground or after school. Born into a well-off family that has definitely called her a princess a few dozen too many times, her mother taught her everything about dressing to kill, and she brings that knowledge to school to help the less fortunate who would rather just toss on “whatever” each morning. Most of the other kids either embrace or at least tolerate her fashion advice, but she has been mortal enemies with Delilah since they were both young, who doesn’t care at all about what she thinks she would wear. The two were never meant to be friends, but that’s okay with them. Style has no time for bitter rivalries.

Delilah Lombardi

Delilah suffers from that ‘pretty name for a tough girl’ curse. The youngest child of three, with two older brothers that she gets hand-me-downs from, Delilah doesn’t always dress in the best clothes or put on the happiest face in school. She isn’t exactly a bully, but she is quick to anger and the other kids know not to get on her bad side. She’s definitely the meanest kid in Ms. Porter’s class when she wants to be, and hates Spice’s guts something fierce. Despite all that, she has a sense and respect of authority, and serves diligently as the playground’s secret club’s bouncer who keeps the peace; a role perfect for her what with her being the biggest kid in class and an intimidating presence. Still, she also has a softer side, and some of her toughness might just be an act she takes to school from her home’s family issues.

Tamatha Oliver

Trudy, I mean Tamatha Oliver, is one half of the inseparable BFF duo of “Tams and the Trude”, as their classmates sometimes refer to them. Although their personalities blend together in public, when she is on her own (which is rare), Tammy is a bit of a bookworm and is shy around other kids. When she’s around her best friend since basically forever, though, she forms an unbreakable superhero team-like bond. Unashamedly the girliest of girls on the playground, the two fall into their own world of Lisa Frank, glitter, gossip, pre-adolescent boy talk (90210 being a favorite topic), and overall, grossing out everyone else out who has to endure the sight of the saccharine friendship. It’s not as perfect as they think it is, though. Under the surface, the two have some disagreements that might be bubbling.

Trudy Glover

Tammy, I mean Trudy Glover, is the other hydrogen atom in the molecular bond she shares with her bestie. If the bond ever broke, they’d probably go nuclear. but that’s a worry for another day. They met in preschool and formed a trusting, sisterly relationship based totally on their personal likes among pop culture, but not much more, making their friendship’s foundation a little shakier than they’d ever admit. If their likes ever started to diverge, even this seemingly inseparable pair could call it quits with fireworks. For now, though, Trudy remains the more fashionable of the two, and spends her nights at home pouring through her tween mags and highlighting quotes from popular TV shows’ starring boys. She’s been voted more likely of the two to start a creepy shrine to a Hollywood cutie.

Brian Moreland

One of the quieter kids in Ms. Porter’s class, Brian suffers from a slight stutter and mild social anxiety. He comes from a sports family, with a college football star dad and an older brother in high school who is also athletic. They want him to get into sports, too, but Brian is really only interested in video games – specifically, game art. The sight of a well done character sprite or a location backdrop makes him almost drool, and he loves seeing what creators can do with a bunch of small colorful squares. When he isn’t obsessing over pixels, he’s often seen by himself on the schoolyard, filling in grid paper with varying shades of gray to create his own “game art,” sometimes basing the characters on the other kids. If he came out of his shell, they might even find his creations kind of cool.

Willa Meeks

Willa is needy, and clingy, latching onto her friends and other kids who live on Mansion Street. Her personality has always been like that over the years, but more recently her obsessive want has been focused on obtaining a feline. Unfortunately, her mother is allergic, so the best she can do is come to school in paw print-theme clothing, and she is rarely seen without her signature cat ear headband. She is a little eccentric and energetic as well, but there’s also a darker side of despair lurking in her that could come out if her personal world ever fell apart. She could really use another close friend or two to keep her from such a place. The closest thing she has to a pet is her younger brother, but he doesn’t even like the taste of cat treats, so what fun is he?

Robby Peterson

Robby is a sci-fi nerd who loves Star Trek! What a trope character, right? Well, he actually has a few more dimensions to him. When he isn’t playing imaginary holodeck with his favorite characters or heading home at warp 10 to see the newest episode of whatever (usually a Star Trek show), Robby still has enough other interests to keep up a social life with his other nerdy friends, and can talk about most any video game or TV show with the rest of them. Still, his one big obsession pretty much dictates his life currently. Truthfully, he watches the show mostly just to see the strange and exotic worlds, so there might be a chance he could actually get out of the house if he could be convinced that the outdoors held adventure, too. Oh, and Willa likes to think that they’re best friends.

December Helvetica

One of the smartest kids at Desert Tree Elementary, December has a keen intellect on all the class subjects and is a bit of a computer savant to boot, who is already getting into programming. She’s a straight A student and seemingly perfect all around, with no troubles that need solving. She’s even a pretty good athlete, too, and used to rock the kickball scene back when it was more popular on the playground. Destined to go to the city’s premier educational institution, Everette Academy, instead of Cookton Middle School like most everyone else, perhaps the only thing she’s apprehensive about is saying goodbye to all the friends she’s made these last six years. Colin especially, since the two have gotten rather chummy as of late. Oh, well. You can always make new ones, right?

Charlie Pippin

Across the country, the schoolyard definition of “cool” shifts around a bit, but to Royal Valley kids at least, Charlie ticked all the boxes. Though he got sent to a school with a “few more rules” before fifth grade, his presence and legacy are still felt both at Desert Tree Elementary, and across the entire neighborhood. And this kid was basically the mentor to both Wes and Zach, who try to keep the cool train rolling in his absence. They gotta. After all, Charlie made a fifth grade bully cry, when he was still in first grade. He “acquired” a wad of $20 bills and tossed them out from the playground fort. He brought an entire pizza to the cafeteria and ate the whole thing. He played a Game Boy in the principal’s office. He once made a teacher almost quit, and then he set fire to a trash can full of test papers. Totally cool… and well-adjusted.

Kyle

He has a last name, but he doesn’t really care to share it, and few ask what it is. Somehow the only “Kyle” at Sherman Miller, at least for Desert Tree’s other elementary school’s fifth grade student body, he runs the playground club, “The Shade” with a rather lax open palm. The hangout, so called because it’s an outdoor utility corridor that is amazingly positioned and built just right to block direct sunlight during recess hours year round, is a kid staple of the neighborhood’s older school, and Kyle continues the legacy of often chill owners, keeping the place a cool oasis from a sun-blasted playground. Kyle is extra chill, to the point of being a lazy kid in a loose adult tie who takes nothing seriously. He’d rather stand back and commentate on any physical activities, which probably won’t fly in upcoming middle school gym class.

Marianne Lowell

The youngest of three sisters, Marianne continues the legacy of her older siblings’ need to overachieve at Desert Tree Elementary. Since grade school only offers so many avenues to do so (for her, it’s just a warm-up to all of the many extracurricular activities that start in middle school), she has been mostly restrained to answering every question she can in her classes, getting Girl Scouts badges, and scoring wins for her school at Morning Dew Summer Camp, where her oldest sister began an annual competition with Sherman Miller. Rightfully considered a self-centered and bossy goody-two-shoes by her peers, she’s thankfully not in Wes’ class for the 95-96 school year, although Zach has to put up with her. Despite her nature, she was more easy-going in prior grades, and Robby once had a brief crush on her, which he still can’t live down.

Lex Skyler

Lucy’s childhood idol who later became her cool best friend in college, Lex made history upon being chosen by Zach to become the new owner of The Dump club on the playground for the 96-97 school year, becoming the first girl to oversee the chill hiding place, and successfully keeping it going after the tenure. Later coming out as non-binary by junior year at Royal Valley U, they had a kid young, just like Lucy did – Laurie, Jace’s best friend, who continues her parent’s bold confidence into another generation. Lucy’s infatuation with Lex began early, and she copied the look of neck headphones and big jacket in her own, not as successful way. Zach’s choice to let Lex lead The Dump resonated all the way into high school, and helped him some in “the ladies” admiration department. As an adult, Lex helps Lucy look after Jace and his gang.

Boring Adults

Chamomile Porter

An up and coming “fun” teacher now in her third year of educating, Ms. Porter cemented herself as one of Wes’ favorites from his time in the public school system, and she helped define what he and his friends saw as perhaps their best time at school – the ’95 to ’96 year at Desert Tree Elementary. Though she can be a bit air-headed at times and may sidetrack her lessons to touch on social and cultural issues, it’s all part of her charm, and one of the reasons a few of the boys – though they’d be hard-pressed to admit it – briefly had a “thing” for her at one point or another. Her personal life outside is rather lonely and she fits right into the role of late-twenties lovelorn elementary school teacher, but she doesn’t let that filter into the classroom, where she only truly feels at home. She’s still teaching in 2020, only, it’s in a high school and she’s a little older.

Wes’ Mom

A young single mother who sometimes treats her son as if she were more of an older sister, she had Wes as the result of something that was more of a fling than a true marriage with an older, wealthier man who left before his kid was even born. Even so, Wessy had a mostly happy childhood, partly as a result of having a mom that wasn’t too strict and was usually willing to give her kid any gift he genuinely wanted. Though Lucy grew up in a bigger house and got even more gifts from her parents, Wessy grew up happier, in no small part because his mother really liked him and passed on her love of movies and pop culture, along with stories of what it was like growing up in 1960s Royal Valley. All that said, Wessy is totally not a mama’s boy. She’s a good host to his friends as well, making her home a frequent sleepover spot.

Eddie Meeks

A walking sleazeball, Eddie Meeks is your typical strip-mall stockbroker who has illusions of grandeur, thinking he’s more important than he actually is. He started by selling penny stocks, then “moved up” in the world by setting up his own one-man firm. Sure, maybe he keeps anything unscrupulous on the hush-hush and sometimes even makes a few of his clients real money, but he’s actually just totally in it for himself and has no qualms about throwing away others’ finances at risky bets. With the commission fees he charges, what’s there to lose? When he’s out of the office, he’s either putting on the visage of good grand-pop to Willa, or is busy pestering his new golden boy with all the good investment foresight, Wes. If he ever found out that guy was a time traveler… Maybe he wouldn’t even be surprised.

Bailey MacDonough

A recent college graduate who moved from Oregon to Royal Valley, Bailey is an overly optimistic smiley guy full of enthusiasm for every little activity he supervises. He was first seen at the first annual King Arcade Laser Chase, where he gleefully went through the tournament rules and made sure every kid was armed with a laser rifle and vest before letting them engage in open warfare. His natural environment, however, is out in the woods, and it’s no big surprise when he returns as one of the counselors at Camp Morning Dew. Although his cheery disposition is a subject of ridicule for the campers, behind that grinning veneer is a mind full of dark, twisted stories just perfect for campfire horror. Maybe even a guy destined to be a cruise ship activity director has a few skeletons in the closet…

Min Myong

Of Park’s three older sisters – Nari, Haru, and Min – she is the eldest and most cynical. A local college student who is easily bored, Min spends her free time earning some cash by working in her dad’s printing shop downtown, often pulling some baby-sitting duty as well while her brother hangs out in his “merch closet” taking inventory or playing SEGA games. Though she can be sarcastic and comes off as cold, Min is also intelligent, calm, and logical, making for a good camp counselor at Morning Dew for the past couple of years. She secretly does respect Park’s business acumen, since he’s able to budget and pull a profit at a young age, but selling contraband at summer camp is a no-no, and she had to bust him several times during the 1995 big get-together. He didn’t like that, so he’s sworn off coming back if she’s working there again.

Big Kids

The adult versions of some of Wes’ childhood friends.

Lucy Elaine

A far cry from her younger self, when she was shy, unsure, and had toxic friends, the adult Lucy is much more well-adjusted and came out of childhood more confident than her half-brother Wes, who thinks he peaked in fifth grade before it all went downhill. In front of social issues and both physical and mental well-being, she’s grown distraught to see her son struggling so much emotionally and had started to seek out a therapist shortly before he went back in time with his uncle – who she worries even more about. As a single working mom who shares custody of Jace with her ex Conrad, it can be hard to always find time to help both Jace and Wes, and Wes often happily “sacrifices” any of that spare time chat opportunity for Jace’s benefit. Still, he’ll gladly come over to Luce’s daily for movie night… and to look at the old photo albums.

Jared Reiner

Wes and Jared’s friendship has always been a contentious one, sometimes bordering on rivalry, but they generally got along. At least until after college, when they tried to start a game company but watched it fall apart because they could never agree on anything. After both joined the IT division of a mobile game publisher (and Wes hates mobile games), Wes had to sit back and watch as Jared’s can-do enthusiasm got him places, while he instead wallowed in ever-increasing self-pity. Jared is admittedly a kiss-ass, but for Wes it’s the fact alone that he has to take orders from him that drives him up the wall, and he mistakenly sees it as some kind of long-game revenge for getting into the Toy Run way back. Wherever their relation is heading now, it’s likely going to end with Wes further isolating himself.

Colin Robinson

Life often takes people in unexpected directions, and Wes’ best friend definitely took a path that his younger self would’ve never seen coming. In 2015, Colin left California and headed to Japan to teach English to young students. And while not the biggest anime nerd, the move had the added benefit of getting to be around the country’s more well-known cultural exports 24/7. He’s never forgotten his roots, though, and his heart remains in Royal Valley, so as a teacher with breaks from school, he visits often for weeks at a time each year. When he, Wes, Jared, and on occasion Arthur if he’s passing by, the old gang gets a chance to (mostly) reunite. Naturally, Wes misses having his best friend around all the time, but Colin has always promised the guy that he’s just an ocean and a plane ride away should trouble arise.

Arthur Teller

Little Arty Teller was a bit of the nerdy introvert in the group, with a head full of  group schedules. As he got older and more confident, and after dealing with some personal issues in high school, he blossomed into a confident and intelligent guy who learned to read people almost as well as Jared. Eventually, he ended up in Washington with an intelligence job in the government. Doing what exactly? His friends don’t really know. They don’t think it’s too hush-hush, but rather, Arthur just likes to be secretive about it and sees no reason to divulge details. That said, he has a quick wit, insight, and connections that could really benefit in a crisis. His work keeps him busy and he doesn’t get home as much as he used to, and while he has a good relation with his twin sis Ash, his niece Hazel hasn’t really had a chance to get to know her uncle yet.

Millie Vanbusen

The version of Millie that Wes once knew, who all but vanished from social media and almost assuredly having had no kids, has been lost to time. While that Millie is long gone, the results of her involvement with the time travelers in the past, which led to some self-improvement, put her on a new path – and kept her an orbital acquaintance to the gang. Keeping here and there and helping out when she can, Millie has been careful not to interfere with the others’ destinies too much, but has also been preparing for the day when Jace and Wes return from their trip, assuming that they’ll instantaneously change in personality to reflect their journey’s lessons. In the meantime, she’s been working for the local paper, and has stocks to keep her afloat on slower days. She still can’t quite connect with others, making her dating game awkward at best.

Sadie

Sadie and Wes could have easily been closer, and Jared, his jealousies aside, was maybe the only one to always see that. But circumstances didn’t work out that way, and by 2020, Sadie has seen her share of failed relationships and moved out of town entirely. Though she still talks with Wes about the good old days online, their friendship is growing more distant, and they both have a longing they can’t admit or fully understand. While she knows that he’s hurting much more than she is, she doesn’t have any idea of its depths or how to fix it. Regardless, Sadie has retained the same self-assuredness she’s always had, and still has a nostalgic taste of her own for west coast rap and hiphop. On the rare occasion that the group has a reunion, she usually supplies the background ambience.

2020 Kids

Jace’s modern friends, living their best meme-filled lives.

Laurie Skyler

The offspring of Lex and an almost equally cool Hippie-ish dad, Laurie is a bit of a brash street smart young lady who sort of sees herself as the leader of her group. Having known Jace, Jamie, and Chad since early childhood – Jace since they were babies, actually – she knows their secrets and personalities well. Though she can be a little bossy, she isn’t judgmental, and her parents’ emphasis on being accepting of one’s self and mental well-being has rubbed off. She is especially concerned with Jace’s anxiety and anger issues, but there’s no way she can help him through those things alone, as much as she tries. She has a more combative relationship with Chad, worries about Toby’s fascination with social media, and sometimes the guys think she’s like an overbearing older sister, but she certainly keeps them all together.

Jamie Goteaux

The biracial child of two French-Canadians, Jamie has no discernible accent, other than Nerdish. A little more well-off than his friends, he uses his hefty allowance to buy up tech gear, and is one of two guys – the other being Toby – who has his own flying drone, which he uses as a spying UAV in the modern day Desert Tree laser tag fights. He’s generally good-tempered and gets along with the others, though Chad can still get on his nerves. On most days, he’s Jace’s second best friend, and is second in video game mastery after Laurie, as well. He’s not as competitive as she is, but does have by far the largest collection of games in the group, with Mario Kart 8 his reigning favorite among them. He gladly wears a smart watch that lets his parents track him while he’s out and about instead of relying on texting.

Chad Trenton

Every generation has them – that kid who thinks he’s top dog and fearless but is really just all talk. Gifted with what is currently considered by most to be an unfortunate name, Chad spends his hangout time with the gang talking up his accomplishments and video game achievements while pretending to know everything, but usually just ends up embarrassing himself. Still, like Jared before him, there’s no other squad that he’d rather hang out with, and they tolerate his buffoonery well enough. When he really puts his mind and effort into it, he actually can be decent at gaming, sports, and laser tag, at least until he gets distracted and tries to act tougher and cooler than he really is. Recently, he’s started competing with Toby for Emiko’s affections, but he’s so bad at it that she doesn’t even notice what he’s doing.

Austin Kilkenny

The happy-go-lucky kid of the gang, Austin is a bigger boy who is actually also physically active, and enjoys participating in all the sports. His current favorite activity are the laser tag games that the group has across Desert Tree. Austin rarely gets upset and just enjoys going with the flow, doing whatever the others wanna do. He was the fourth kid to join Jace’s squad, in third grade, so he doesn’t have as much history with the others. Still, he’s proven that he can be a dependable and mostly optimistic lad. Among everyone, he’s also the most excited for middle school, which the others all seem to worry about for their own various reasons. If the group is to make it through the coming three years in one piece, it might be partially thanks to a kid who knows how to keep things real and tries to avoid petty arguments.

Toby Sorrito

The modern revision of Zach, Toby is all about his generation’s definition of “cool,” being one of the “in” kids that keeps up to date on the always-changing trends and latest internet challenges. His fingerprints are all over social media, and he absolutely needs the biggest and most expensive phone among his peers. Like the Zach of the past, he’s here and there, sometimes with Jace and others; sometimes off on his own adventures. With the highs of social media and his need to keep things “fire” also comes the lows, and he’ll quickly cancel any of the social get-togethers he plans up if he gets upset or is otherwise just not feeling it, since he’d rather bury an expected flop of a party before it has a chance to fall apart. His very presence seems to make every little get-together unforgettable, but, really, he’s mostly just on his phone.

Emiko Hashita

The newest addition to Jace’s crew, Emiko’s family recently immigrated from Japan. She’s a little air-headed, and is still polishing off the intricacies of the English language, which only adds to her perceived bubbly, “cute” nature. Jace, Chad, and Toby all want to get a little closer to her but are usually subtle about it, although only Toby has succeeded so far in looking “cool” in her eyes. She likes butterflies and is easily distracted by anything pretty, but at the same time, is always ready to joke about her friends in Japanese, especially with Colin when he visits from his teaching job in Tokyo. In some ways, she’s the modern-day amalgam of Ash Teller, so it’s little wonder why Jace shows some affection for both girls. In laser tag games, she has a bit of a sinister side and often turns herself into “bait” for the opposing team.

Spoiler Characters

A few characters who can’t even be talked about with spoiling major story elements.

Time Police

The Time Cops may be a bunch of jerks from Wes’ perspective, but most of them are just doing their jobs in protecting unauthorized changes to the timeline. They are humans with cyborg bodies that allow them to work hard, longer, and more safely, and though their detachable heads with spider legs are off-putting and disturbing, they’re sure useful for letting them escape back into the far future when things get dicey. Their metal bodies also have their own power source, meaning they don’t need to eat or drink—so when combined with their use of solid state laser rifles, they leave nothing behind. With internal quartz for traveling, spy drone partners, and Time Daemon super-computers watching over everything, the enforcement wing of the TMB (Timeline Management Bureau) is well-equipped to handle temporal crises all across history.

André

The CEO of a local very successful real estate firm operating in one of Royal Valley’s business towers, André was one of the money-making kings of the city through the 1980s, but suddenly gave it all up and disappeared from view by 1992. Despite being an enigmatic figure to the public eye, he was one of the most important people behind the creation of King Arcade. Suave and personable, at least to the people he works with, he seems to blend right into the decade, even if his fashion sense isn’t quite perfect given the time. His office at his company, Athena, is impressive. And the truth is…

Malcolm

A mysterious MacGuffin of a character, Malcolm was first seen during a sleepover at Wessy’s, where Jace caught a glimpse of an episode of his old public access show that mentions him meeting a time-traveler. Adult Wes also tried to borrow a rare book about time travel authored by the man, but that didn’t really work out. It was also discovered that he was a professor at Royal University, which Wes attended but missed his tenure by about a decade. Both ended up assuming that Dr. Corathine was somebody they needed to find that could provide them all the answers. To what? They don’t even really get around to finding the questions. Still, Malcolm is central to the story, even if he’s enigmatic and in the background. 

Zeff

Here’s a “spoiler” right off the bat: Zeff isn’t real. I mean, do you know anyone named Zeff? He’s actually an imaginary edgy loner character Wes made up in high school as sort of his hero, or alternate persona of himself; one that traverses a broken world as a drifter who seldom speaks in his gruff, gravely voice. Naturally, he has an eyepatch, a sword, and a big revolver. High school was a stressful, strange time for Wes, and it made him create a detached badass who has lost all his friends and direction in life to help him make sense of it all. Don’t worry, he’s not that dramatic as an adult, and the idea of Zeff is laughable and cringey to him now. But it’s worth asking: does Zeff still linger, deep in his psyche… waiting to come out?

Sally

A young, somewhat shy and quiet girl who lives in modern day Royal Valley, Sally is heading into third grade at good old Desert Tree Elementary, with high grades but few friends. Her interests are more on the creative side, and she’s already a bit of a Lego maniac. Spoiled with the pricey toys by her parents, the colorful bricks give her something to put her focus on other than her own worries and the troubles of the present day. But why is she on the cast page? She must be the daughter of one of The 90’s Kid’s kids, right? Well, now that you bring that up…