#Unsung Heroes
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Healing
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CW: injured character, references to past trauma, briefly talking about drugging
Juno was still kneading the blanket and the monotone sound lulled Kell into a hazy state between sleep and consciousness. He’d do anything to fall asleep again, but the pain in his chest, in his arm, in his bones was slowly flaming up again. It was hard to think. His thoughts were so slippery he could barely grab hold of them.
He closed his eyes. His head was throbbing and it was almost impossible to resist the quiet panic flowing through him but he couldn’t give in, couldn’t give in, couldn’t …
“How is he doing?”
It was only a whisper but still it felt like fire in Kell’s ears. He opened his eyes at the same time as Saron answered.
“He’s awake,” she said.
A figure was standing in the opening of the door. For a moment he looked like the General but then Kell blinked and the General was gone. Instead there was someone else. Someone he’d seen before. Tall figure, serious eyes and short hair. The Varsennan was leaning against the doorframe, seizing him up.
“How are you feeling?” he asked softly. Kell could hear how he deliberately gentled his voice. Ice pickled in his stomach. Was he here to collect Kell? Would he take him to the General? His insides froze. Saron had lied to him. Of course she had. How had he believed her for even a second?
“You remember Julian?” Saron asked and interrupted him from his spiralling thoughts. “He took care of your injuries the last few days.”
The Varsennan - Julian - nodded. “I’m here to examine the wounds to make sure they’re healing properly.”
They both seemed to expect an answer from Kell but he was too tired to play their games. Maybe if he closed his eyes again they’d leave him alone and …
“You’re shivering, Kell,” Saron said quietly and pulled him from his thoughts.
He hadn’t even realised how cold it had become. The pain throbbing through his body was getting sharper with every breath.
“It’s cold …,” Kell said matter-of-factly. The fire had long burned down and the room was like ice.
Saron and Julian exchanged gazes, then Saron stood up maybe a little too sudden. “I’ll get you some tea and a hot bottle. Or two,” she said and then turned her face to Julian. “And you should get a look at him.”
Kell felt ill again. He didn’t even want to think about it. A part of him wanted to beg her to stay but she squeezed past Julian and was through the door, before he could even say something.
He felt Julian’s eyes on him but he didn’t dare to look up.
“I’ll come over to you, all right?” Julian said. He waited a few seconds before he shifted his weight and slowly moved towards Kell. When he was close enough he placed a satchel on the table and sat down, propping his elbows on his knees as if he wanted to appear smaller than he was. Which was impossible with his height.
Kell swallowed.
Hands pinned him down, fingers piercing into his skin. He struggled against the grip but they were so much stronger. Faces swam above him, hard eyes, cruel smiles. He yelled at them but no one listened. Something blinked metallically in the light as it was lowered to his hand. His face was wet and he screamed and then his world narrowed down to pain.
“I know you don’t trust me. You don’t even know me,” Julian said without moving. His voice snapped Kell from his thoughts but there was still a bitter taste on his tongue that reminded him too much of the medics in the General’s camp. “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“As if you’d let me refuse,” Kell said. The words were out before he could even think about it. He swallowed hard against the anger and fear clawing at his throat. “We both know the General won’t pay for a dead body.” His voice was too quiet to deliver the heat of the words.
Julian suddenly looked very tired. “The General isn’t here. And he won’t ever get near. This is my house and he’s not welcome here.”
As if anyone could tell the General no.
“He’ll search for me. He’ll …”
“He thinks you’re dead, Kell.”
Kell’s gaze shot up.
“Everyone thinks you’re dead now,” Julian said quietly.
He didn’t understand.
Julian sighed and Kell flinched again. “You were hurt very badly. I didn’t think we …” He broke off and shook his head. “It wasn’t hard to fake your death. Neither Oryn nor the General questioned it when they saw you.”
Kell heard the words but struggled with their meaning.
“As soon as you were stable enough we brought you here to Serenport.”
He must have seen the confusion in Kell’s eyes. “It’s a city in the south.”
It must be a very small city. Kell had never heard from it before.
“Oryn will never believe that,” he said. Oryn knew what Kell could do, even though Kell didn’t really know himself. He would know he survived … but would he? Even someone with healing powers could die, right? He thought about all the stories and legends and myths he’d heard throughout his life. Not a single person in them had been truly invincible.
“How about that: We’ll talk about it when you’re feeling a little better.” Julian said. His voice was softer again. “But first we have to take care of you.”
Kell managed a small nod. He knew when he’d lost a fight.
“How is your throat?” Julian asked while unpacking his satchel. Kell forced himself to look away, forced an indifferent expression on his face. “Do you have problems breathing?”
Kell shook his head faintly.
“Swallowing?”
Again, Kell shook his head.
“But your throat still hurts, hm?” Kell could feel his sharp eyes on his skin even though he made no move to touch him.
“I'll give you something for the pain.”
Kell opened his mouth but Julian interrupted him. “I can hear how shallow you’re breathing. You are in pain.”
“I’ve been through worse,” Kell said. “I don’t need your drugs.”
Julian didn’t answer right away but Kell heard the clinking of a spoon against glass. The room filled with a herbal scent oddly familiar to Kell.
“Have you ever had a fever as a child?” Julian asked, his voice remained soft. He lifted the glass. The liquid almost shimmered golden against the light. “Your parents probably gave you the exact same thing. It’s a brew made from willow bark and yellow summer root. It helps with infections, fever and pain. It’s not very strong and doesn’t affect your cognitive abilities.”
Kell remembered when Sabea had been sick once again. He’d been holding her hand, watching his mother pouring some medicine down her throat.
Kell swallowed. It’s a trick, Kell’s mind screamed. Panic twisted in his stomach. He didn't dare to move.
“Do you want to wait for Saron before you take it?” Julian asked.
The question was so unexpected Kell didn’t know what to answer. “We can do that?”
“Of course,” Julian said and there was something in his voice Kell couldn’t place. “There is no need to hurry.”
“Just rest a little until she’s back.” Julian turned away and started to pet Juno. She purred loudly and pushed her head in Julian’s hand. “And you’re watching over Kell, aren’t you?”
He delicately ruffled her fur with only the tips of his fingers even though his hand was big enough to easily cover Juno’s whole head.
“Are you okay with her lying on your feet?” Julian asked, turning his head back to Kell.
Kell managed a nod and for a while Juno’s purring was the only noise filling the room.
“I had a cat once too,” Kell said quietly.
Julian chuckled. “What was her name?”
“Raven.”
“Let me guess. She’s black?” Julian smiled mildly.
Kell wasn’t sure if he was making fun of him or not. He was still thinking about it, when footfalls came closer and they both turned their heads to the doorway.
“How is it going?” Saron asked as she walked in the room.
The room almost immediately filled with the minty scent of tea.
“We didn’t get that far.”
“What? What did you do while I was gone? Sharing childhood memories?”
Julian grimaced but didn’t answer.
“Don’t worry,” she said before she pushed something warm under Kell’s feet. “You’ll be feeling warm again in no time.”
She put another hot bottle behind his back.
“Better?” Saron asked from somewhere above him.
“Thank you,” Kell said quietly.
Julian wordlessly held out the glass in Kell’s hand and this time Kell closed his eyes and gulped it down so quickly he almost didn’t taste it.
Saron sat down next to him and gave him a tiny smile. “Don’t worry,” she said, her fingers lightly touching the back of his hand. “Julian is very careful. He’s one of the best medics out there.”
Kell nodded again. By now it was a reflex he could barely repress.
“He’s going to tell you what he’s about to do and you can tell us if you want to stop or take a break any time.” Saron’s voice was like her touch - light and careful. “You can hold my hand if you want to and squeeze it.” She offered her hand and Kell glanced down at it for a little too long. Part of him wanted to tell her that he wasn’t a child anymore. He didn’t need to hold her hand. But taking her hand - it was kind of giving him something he could control. Finally, he put his hand into hers and she pressed it gently for a moment.
“I’ll take off the bandages now,” Julian said.
Kell swallowed. He couldn’t look at Julian when he finally nodded. Somehow, it was worse to surrender himself into his care than them not asking.
His heart raced as Julian came closer and kneeled next to him on the floor.
Kell stayed stiff and still as Julian peeled away the bandage covering Kell’s chest. When it finally came off, Julian took a surprised inhale. Kell turned his gaze. He expected blood or worse but when he looked down at himself there was nothing like that. Something dark was sticking out of his skin. Slowly Kell lifted his hand but Julian put his arm in between.
“Better not touch it,” he said softly. “You’ve healed very well but we don’t want to try our luck.”
Kell lowered his hand but couldn’t stop staring at his chest. It didn’t look like it belonged to him. It took him a while to understand that his wound had been sutured.
Kell watched as Julian carefully probed around it.
“I think we can already pull the threads,” he said. His eyes flickered up to Kell’s for a moment, then back to his exposed middle.
Kell braced himself against the pain.
“Don’t worry. You’ll barely feel it,” Saron said, her hand pressing his.
He wanted to tell her that he knew she was lying; that he knew how much it hurted. Instead he just held his breath as Julian cut the threads and pulled them out.
But Saron had been right. It didn’t hurt.
Julian flashed him a reassuring smile. “How are you doing? Do you need a break?”
Kell shook his head. He just wanted him to get it over with.
Julian grabbed a jar filled with some kind of salve. “It will help you heal,” said Julian quietly and smeared it carefully over the wound. Kell’s skin prickled but it didn’t hurt.
When Julian uncovered the second wound the bandage stuck to his skin. Blackish blood crusted around the stitches.
“Don’t worry. That’s normal,” Julian said as he noticed Kell’s gaze. “We just have to clean it.” He paused, preparing his materials. “It’s going to burn a little, all right?”
Kell nodded. He watched closely as Julian poured something over the stitches. The room was filled with a sharp smell and a moment later It was cold and stung. He gritted his teeth until the burning sensation faded away. Julian had already clipped the stitches and was rubbing the salve on his skin with careful even movements.
The pain slowly subdued until his skin felt almost numb. Kell’s muscles slowly relaxed and a wave of exhaustion swept over him.
Julian’s voice floated over him but he didn’t understand the words. A hand on his shoulder steadied him and Julian began to bandage the wounds.
Kell was dizzy and exhausted when they were finally done.
A cup was placed in his hands.
He hadn’t realised how thirsty he was.
Yellow flowers on white porcelain. His hands were trembling but still he managed to drink without spilling.
Somehow, most of the pain had faded away and Kell wasn’t sure if it had been the medicine or the salve or the tea or the combination of it all. He finally started to feel warm again and slowly his tiredness grew.
“Are you finished?” Saron asked.
“Almost,” Julian said, the cup looked small in his hand. “You’ve healed astonishingly well.” His eyes were still resting on Kell. He knew it. He knew Kell had healing magic. Of course he did. He was a medic. He knew how long injuries took to heal. Kell had probably healed faster than any other patient he’d ever had.
“I just want to take a look at your hand. Then we’re done.”
Kell followed Julian’s gaze down to his left hand. It throbbed hotly under the bandage and Kell tried not to think about what was under it. Or what was not under it.
He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat.
Julian placed his cup back on the table and rubbed his hands in a pungent-smelling liquid before he turned back to Kell.
Kell swallowed again before he placed his wrist in Julian’s waiting hand.
Slowly Julian removed the bandage.
Before he peeled off the last layer he paused. His eyes met Kells. “You don’t have to look at it. Some injuries look worse when they get better. I often see that with amputations. Maybe you want to look somewhere else instead.”
Kell swallowed. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice almost too faint.
He’d been sure to know what to expect. After all, he’d seen it before. Still, he hadn’t expected it to look like this.
For a moment he was back in the theatre; heard Oryn’s voice. Then the knife and a moment later pain.
“Breathe,” a voice said over the rush of his own heartbeat.
He was shaking. He took a breath and it sounded like a sob.
“It’s okay,” Julian said. “You’re safe. Just take a deep breath …” His voice had a steady rhythm …
“It’s okay, Kell,” another voice chimed in. It was Saron. “Breathe.”
A hand touched his shoulder and Kell flinched away. He turned his head and pressed his face against the pillow. It took a long moment until he could breathe again.
A hand moved over his arm in a soothing way. “You’re okay,” Saron said.
But he wasn’t.
He felt like choking. Tears streamed down his face.
Saron rubbed his arm and made soothing noises but it took a while until he could talk again.
“Just get it over with. Please.” He was too exhausted to sit up again. “Please.”
Julian’s hands were careful and quick.
Finally, his hand was gently placed on the blanket.
Saron stroked his hair out of his face. “It’s all done.”
Kell didn’t react. His eyes were too heavy to open. He was hot and cold at the same time. Sweat lingering on his skin.
A cool hand rested on his cheek for a moment. A mixture of a sigh and a whimper escaped his throat but he was too tired to even feel embarrassed about it.
“It’s okay. You’re with us now. You’re safe.”
Kell didn’t even know what safe was supposed to feel like. Desperation clawed at his heart. “Then what is going to happen to me?” He hadn’t meant to speak out loud.
Fingers wrapped around his hand. “You’ll stay with us until you’re well again. Then we’ll figure this out together. Maybe there is family you want to go to or a friend. The important thing right now is that you’re safe.”
Family you want to go to … His mind suddenly itched with an important memory and Kell opened his eyes. “My sister …,” he said. “I- … I had a note with me when I …” Kell’s good hand moved in a useless attempt to search for it. “Where … Have you seen it?”
He hadn’t put it back into his pocket.
It had been right there on the floor when Robin …
It had to be here. It had to. He’d worked so hard to get it. It couldn’t be lost.
“It’s a small piece of paper … have you seen it?”
Julian shook his head. “No … I am sorry. We haven’t seen anything like that.”
It was like losing all his strength at once. He’d worked so hard to find Sabea and it had all been in vain. It had been his only chance to find her. It was like being pierced by a dagger all over again. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. But he didn’t even have enough strength for that.
Something bursted in his chest and it felt like falling apart.
“No,” he whispered. “Where’s my … I had other clothes when … it has to be there. I had it when … I know it has to … She’s my sister.”
He closed his eyes, hiding the tears pooling there and so he didn’t notice the glances Saron and Julian exchanged.
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Thank you for reading! @whumpzone @jo-doe-seeking-inspo @whump-cravings @tears-and-lilies @imagination1reality0 @suspicious-whumping-egg @i-can-even-burn-salad @siren-of-agony @villainsvictim @rainbowsandwhumperflies (please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!)
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Havent seen anybody talking about what a powerhouse March 14th-17th is. You start with Pi Day on the 14th, then Ides of March the next day, Stone Cold Steve Austin Day on 3/16, and ending with an actual holiday in St. Patricks Day. A 4 day marathon that has something for everyone. A true pillar of our society
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{ bullied @unsung-heroes to bring Zandri to a cool gpose house I looked up so I could borrow Zandri and Eris for some mini photo shoots }
Bunny Wabbet's ✨ Titania's Solitude ✨
Abandoned Garden of the Forlorn Fae King
Aether • Cactuar • Lavender Beds • W24 P11
as always, feel free to ask WCIF, I don't mind answering!
#out of cryptids#cryptidscreens#v; broken harmony#unsung heroes#filling in the cracks; zandri#we come together; lizzer ship#other half; eris
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A short History Lesson
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Highly recommended
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Unsung Heroes
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It takes a true dimwit to make an already terrible war into an unbearable hell on earth... But, that's what happens when you have a draft.
#a bongo book#unsung heroes#fake book cover#parody#Pvt Moonbeam VonSunshine#US Army#holistic hippie medic#first Presidential Medal of Participation#charles bongo garrett#bongo books#ESSENTIAL OILS RIDGE#war is hell#chamomile helps#sorta#written by Charles Bongo Garrett
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Izakaya Bottakuri (Ep 4)
Admin, the unsung heroes that ensure everything runs smoothly.
#izakaya bottakuri#takayama takehisa#takehisa takayama#murata hideaki#hideaki murata#japanese drama#j drama#jdrama#dorama#japan#asian drama#slice of life drama#work life#unsung heroes
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Juno
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CW: injured character, references to past trauma, briefly talking about drugging
Kell was sleeping. He knew he was. His bed was warm and soft and he didn’t want to wake up yet. A low voice rocked him back and forth like a ship on a gentle wave. It was a nice voice. Warm and melodic and it took a while until he understood the words.
It was a story. A children’s story. It sounded vaguely familiar. His father had told him the story back when he’d been young. But the voice didn’t belong to his father. The voice didn’t belong to anyone he knew.
He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids were heavy and it took him an eternity and too much strength to finally move them. The light burned and he blinked against the white streaks until he could see the wooden ceiling above him. Slowly he turned his head and winced at the pain in his muscles. Memories came rushing back to him but he shoved them away. He wasn’t ready to think about it yet.
A man was sitting in an armchair next to him, one hand loosely holding a book lying in his lap, the other moving over the pages like a child that has just learned to read.
He read slowly, taking small breaks in the middle of sentences. Sometimes even in the middle of words. But Kell was more interested in the words he read, the story about the girl who traveled three continents searching for her brother taken by a witch.
If he could only go back in time to that moment.
He remembered how upset Sabea had been when their father told them that story, how she had sworn she’d do the same if Ari or Kell were ever taken by a witch. Back then, Kell hadn’t really taken it that serious. He knew there were no witches.
He still remembered how they had all been cuddled together in their parents’ bed, Sabea's elbow pressed against his.
Suddenly, breathing was a challenge, and Kell fought against the tightness in his chest. He tried to stop thinking; tried to concentrate on the words again, when suddenly they stopped.
“You’re awake,” the man noted quietly.
Kell looked up and their eyes met. He had never seen him before and for a second he wondered why he was dreaming about a random Varsennan man but it made even less sense that he was speaking Tharlian. Sometimes dreams were just weird.
“What happens next?” Kell asked, his voice still so hoarse it was barely comprehensible.
The man followed his gaze to the book still in his lap. “In the story?”
Kell nodded.
Slowly the man started to read on.
Kell listened to him until his voice faded away. And he dreamed of voices and whispers and even though he couldn’t remember anything he felt safe.
***
But as soon as he woke up again, the pain was back. It burned through his chest and throbbed in his head and his body was too heavy. He groaned in pain and something cool pressed against his forehead. He winced and tried to open his eyes. Light shot like arrows through his head. A hand touched his shoulder. “It’s okay,” a female voice said quietly. “You’re alright.”
He remembered that voice. He blinked his eyes open and looked up into brown eyes.
“Saron,” he said and flinched at the sound of his own voice. It still sounded raw and not at all like him.
Her eyes met his. “Don’t talk if it hurts your voice,” she said.
So they needed him for his voice then. Of course they did.
A cup was pressed against his lips. “You’ll feel better soon.”
It was herbary and sweetened with honey. His mind rang in alarm as Kell took tiny sips. Something was wrong. It took him a while to remember how Oryn had sometimes used honey to cover the bitter taste of drugs. He paused and a bit of liquid spilled over his chin. When the cup reappeared he pressed his lips together and turned his face away.
The cup vanished and Kell heard a faint clinking sound as it was placed on the table. “You don’t want to drink?” Saron looked at Kell, but there was no anger in her eyes.
“It’s drugged,” Kell said. He knew he had no right to sound so accusing.
“It’s medicine,” Saron said softly. “To make you feel better.”
It didn’t sound like it was the full truth. And even if it was, it meant Kell had been right. They wanted him for his voice. She was probably employed by the General to heal him just enough for him to be of use again.
“I won’t sing for you,” Kell spat.
“Good for you. I’ve never been a fan of music anyway,” Saron said and lifted the teapot to fill a cup with tea. “Nobody here wants you to sing.”
Kell didn’t understand. He watched as Saron took a sip from her cup.
“What do you want from me then?” he asked.
Saron turned to look at him again. “We don’t want anything from you, Kell. We just want you to get better and …”
“Why?” Kell interrupted.
“I don’t know. Because I am a decent human and want to help others that are hurt? Because I hate the people who hurt you? Because I don’t like it when you’re blocking our living room and apparently you won’t leave until you can walk on your legs without falling like a shower of rain. Take your pick.”
It didn’t make any sense. He didn’t understand.
Saron took a deep breath. “Look. I know it must be really hard after everything that happened to you, but we don’t want to hurt you in any way. We just want to help you. Is your view of the world so narrow you can’t imagine any Varsennan to be kind?”
“You’re not Varsennan,” Kell said.
Saron looked stunned. “How do you know?”
Kell shrugged his shoulders and immediately regretted it as hot pain pierced through his body. It took a while until he was able to blink away the white veil pain had left behind.
“I know what it’s like,” Saron said with a new kind of seriousness. “To wake up somewhere you’ve never been before, surrounded by people who seem so unlikely to help. I don’t expect you to trust us, but so far, you can believe in one thing: We want you to heal. If we didn’t you wouldn’t be here. And it will take at least a few weeks for you to be well enough. So please, until then, calm down a little.”
She was probably right. It would take a while until Kell was well enough to walk and sing again. He wondered if she knew about his magic. Had they told her about it? It probably didn’t matter.
“Okay,” Kell said quietly. If she was trying so hard to gain his trust, maybe he should just give it to her or at least make her believe he trusted her.
He watched as Saron got up. “I’m going to get you something to eat, all right?”
Kell’s stomach felt like a hole. He wasn’t sure when he’d eaten last. He nodded.
She turned at the doorway and regarded him with a stern but not unfriendly look that reminded him of Ariadne. "Don't wander around again until I'm back," she said.
She left without waiting for an answer and Kell closed his eyes again. He listened to his too-fast heartbeat and tried to stay calm. He took a deep breath but even that was painful. He didn’t understand his magic yet but he hoped it would help him to heal fast enough for him to get away before they noticed. They wouldn’t get the General as long as he appeared to be unwell enough.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard the door again but when he opened his eyes there was no one there. A tapping sound came closer, and when he turned his head, he looked right into the yellow eyes of a white cat. Kell wondered when he’d last seen a cat. They stared at each other until the cat gave a drawn-out meow.
Kell hesitated for another long moment until he slowly lifted his hand. The cat seemed to expect it because as soon as he was close enough, she bumped her head into his hand, and Kell’s heart fluttered.
He didn’t have the strength to lift his hand a second time so he just watched her tapping through the room.
Finally she stopped, set her sight on the sofa and jumped. Kell tried to move his foot a little to give her space but she didn’t seem to mind and pressed herself against his leg. Slowly Kell stretched his hand towards her. His fingertips moved over her fur.
“She likes you.”
Kell flinched. Saron was standing in the open door, balancing a tray on her arms. He hadn’t heard her coming back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to startle you.” She put the tray on the table and kneeled next to him on the floor.
“This is Juno,” she said and ruffled the cat’s fur. The cat lifted her head and purred even louder.
“She’s very friendly.”
They both watched the cat kneading and purring so loudly it echoed in Kell’s ears.
“I brought you some soup.”
The smell had spread through the room. The bowl was made from thin porcelain. Little flowers were painted all over it.
There was bread too and Kell’s hands were shaking too hard to bother with the spoon right away so he started by dipping the bread into the warm soup. Tears welled in his eyes as he took his first bite.
Distantly he heard Saron talking to Juno in a low voice as she stroked the cat’s fur.
Slowly the icy knot in his stomach started to untangle and the bowl was empty far too soon.
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Thank you for reading! @whumpzone @jo-doe-seeking-inspo @whump-cravings @tears-and-lilies @imagination1reality0 @suspicious-whumping-egg @i-can-even-burn-salad @siren-of-agony @villainsvictim (please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!)
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Unsung Heroes: Ghostbusters II's Pastrami Sandwich Guy
As has been mentioned countless times on our 300+ episodes of the Interdimensional Crossrip podcast, when you watch a film that is so rich with detail enough, you notice something new almost every time. And so, after viewing five-million three hundred and one of Ghostbusters II, I’d like to present to you the unsung hero in the corner of the frame who now cracks me up every single time that I see him…
Ladies and gentlemen: Pastrami Sandwich Guy.
Pastrami Sandwich Guy commands about a minute worth of screen time. And he chews both his sandwich and the scenery through the entirety. From first frame of celluloid to last, it literally doesn’t matter to this man that the world is coming to a cataclysmic end and chaos reigns around him — he’s finishing his deli, dammit.
With what looks like a delicious pastrami on rye in hand, Pastrami Sandwich Guy epitomizes New York. He does such a great Marx Brothers-like job of listening and watching the action unfolding around him, but the entire time won’t put down his sandwich and certainly won’t cease his slow and methodic mastication. Ben Stein informs us there’s a shell around the museum they can’t dent (holding a photo of Libby’s pedestal)? Pastrami Sandwich Guy observes but continues eating. Hardemeyer is thrown out of the conference room? Pastrami Sandwich Guy tracks him out the door then returns back to lunch. It’s hilarious.
And the best part, as the entire office gathers at the window to watch the sky grown dark with an eclipse and a vortex seemingly swallow the sky whole, who is absent? You guessed it, Pastrami Sandwich Guy can’t be bothered.
Just a brilliant unsung performance by someone probably just making a scale day rate. So who was this mysterious sandwich loving man? I’ve begun my quest to find out.
Best I’ve been able to figure, Pastrami Sandwich Guy got his time under the lights on Thursday, April 27, 1989. The INT. CONFERENCE ROOM scenes were pick ups toward the very end of production on The Burbank Studios lot. For reference, principal photography of Ghostbusters II had wrapped on Wednesday, April 5th. But about a week of pick-ups occurred later in the month, mainly to finish out the final showdown with Vigo.
As we’ve learned over the years, a cameo featuring Eugene Levy as Louis’ cousin Sherman was cut from the film at zero hour, and with it a huge plot hole of Louis asking his cousin to release the Ghostbusters. Not only that, but Hardemeyer receiving his comeuppance by being sucked into the slime wall around the museum had also been cut. This brilliantly rescripted scene smooths out the absence of both plot points, putting the onus on Mayor Lenny to need the Ghostbusters released and also having Hardemeyer thrown out all in one swoop.
Traditionally, only those with speaking or featured roles in the film receive end credits, so it’s tough to figure out who played our sandwich-eating hero. I did some digging into the GBHQ production archives and also came up pretty empty.
While David Margulies (“Mayor of NY”) and Kurt Fuller (“Hardemeyer”) are typed onto the call sheet, several of the actors in the scene are written in as last-minute additions. Ben Stein is written on the call sheet as “Public Works Official” as is Erik Holland and Philip Baker Hall both as Fire and Police Commissioners. My only guess here is that, because these were pick-up days, the cast of players outside of Lenny and Hardemeyer were in constant flux. Most likely, Ivan Reitman had to call in a handful of favors to his friends to come play that Thursday.
Why do I think that’s the case? The first thing filmed that Thursday was a pick-up shot with a dock supervisor witnessing the arrival of the Titanic, played by long-time Ivan Reitman friend and would-be Stripes star Cheech Marin. Who is also written by hand onto the call sheet.
So the best I can figure is that Pastrami Sandwich Guy was a family friend of Ivan’s, background player from Central Casting, or was someone close to the production who stepped in to fill out the scene. Outside of someone out there identifying him, or getting my hands on a Day Out of Days or other production materials that may have shown who this wonderful man was on the day, it will remain a mystery. But whether we know his real name or not, the man is brilliant and deserves a curtain call.
Anyone out there know who he might be? In the meantime, check out the clip below to enjoy Pastrami Sandwich Guy - long may he enjoy lunch.
youtube
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UNSUNG HEROES
Thanks for the tag @bazzybelle
post your three most under-appreciated bookmarks! fics you love that may be flying under the radar!
1. Recapture The Magic by rainbowbaz
This is an older fic and I’m honestly surprised it doesn’t have more hits. I know some people have read it but it you haven’t check it out!! It’s one of my early favorites and one I come back to again and again.
Summary:
“If you don’t meet your spouse at Watford, Penny says, you could end up alone – or going on singles tours of Magickal Britain."
Ten years after Watford, Simon is lonely and magic-less, and ends up doing exactly what he vowed he would never do - going on a singles tour of Magickal Britain. The only problem is that out of all the mages in England, he's been matched with Baz Pitch, who seems just as moody, rude and annoyingly attractive as he used to be.
2. Wings by @aristocratic-otter
This is a post-Wayward Son fic that imagines the gang back at Watford after their return from America. It tenderly confronts the idea that Simon retains some residual magic, explores his Salisbury family connections, and gives such a lovely snapshot of this found family, and the depth of love between Simon and Baz. It’s a very healing fic. Canon divergent now that AWTWB is out but oh so worth the read. Just lovely.
Summary:
Simon may not have lost his magic after all.
3. Written in the Scars by half_a_numpty
Ok, full disclosure, I am so fond of reading domestic fluff and this totally hits the domestic fluff buttons, but it also is a very healing fic to read? It’s like an epilogue to AWTWB. It addresses some of their past Watford-era conflict and it features body worship and intimacy and just go read it! (Also, it’s this author’s first fic in the fandom and I’d like to see more from them.)
Summary:
A night at home a week after events of AWTWB. Simon and Baz in bed. An exploration of scars. Memories of their time at Watford. Confessions. Boys in love. Mostly fluff but a little hint of more. AWTWB spoilers.
I’m sure everyone’s been tagged but just in case I’m tagging @midnightbluskies @fight-surrender @penpanoply @meenawrites @makedonsgriva @angelsfalling16 @otherworldsivelivedin @amphipodgirl @ladymac111 and anyone else who would like to add their under-appreciated favorites
#unsung heroes#underappreciated#fic recs#simon snow#baz pitch#carry on#wayward son#snowbaz#any way the wind blows#simon snow series#tyrannus basilton grimm pitch#the Simon snow trilogy
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That life of smashing limits I led (ah)
I wanna sleep and dream it instead (ah)
We know that it hurts
But put in the work and the fantasy exits your head (woo)
Burning out, it's only that much harder (much harder)
But there's a reason we're known fire starters, babe
Three, two, one (go)
{ @unsung-heroes | Dove x Zandri | Dance Past Midnight }
#out of cryptids#cryptidscreens#{ music box }#unsung heroes#filling in the cracks; zandri#we come together; lizzer ship#v; broken harmony
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C.DONALD BATEMAN (1932-Died May 25th 2023,at 91).Canadian electrical engineer and the inventor of the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), a device that is responsible for a marked decline in controlled flight into terrain accidents, such as the Mount Erebus Disaster with Air New Zealand Flight 901.
"It's accepted within the industry that Don Bateman has probably saved more lives than any single person in the history of aviation." — Bill Vos of the Flight Safety Foundation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Donald_Bateman
#Don Bateman#C.Donald Bateman#Canadian Engineers#Canadian Aviation Pioneers#Aviation Pioneers#Engineers#Aviation Safety Pioneers#Ground Proximity Warning System#Notable Deaths in 2023#Notable Deaths in May 2023#Unsung Heroes#Inventors#Canadian Inventors
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