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puddygeeks · 2 years

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Wᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ Dᴇᴀᴅ Oʀ Aʟɪᴠᴇ - Sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ Tʜɪɴɢs, Eᴅᴅɪᴇ Mᴜɴsᴏɴ/OC - Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Tʜʀᴇᴇ: Sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ Aᴅᴍɪʀᴇʀ

Masterlist

Episode: Pre season 4

Rating: Mature

Summary: Since she was five years old, Marcie Bell and Eddie Munson have been inseparable. There was never one without the other. That is, a near death experience with the Mind Flayer changed everything. Now, Marcie must navigate her newly realised feelings for Eddie, whilst facing down the Upside Down all over again. Whoever said love was easy?!

Fix it fic. There will be absolutely no Eddie Munson death here!

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC

Status: Ongoing

My writing is entirely fueled by coffee! If you enjoy my work, feel free to donate toward my caffeine dependency: will work for coffee

Warnings: 𝑀𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐷𝑟𝑢𝑔/𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑜ℎ𝑜𝑙 𝑢𝑠𝑒, 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑡/𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑛��𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡, ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡, 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛, 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑎, ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑎, 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑈𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝐷𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑦.

Taglist: @toobsessedsstuff

♫ ♠ ♫

Chapter Three

Despite finding that most of the week had flown by, Friday felt like the longest school day in existence. Life seemed determined to challenge Marcie today with her almost walking straight into Eddie every time that she left a class. By the third time that she had dived into the toilets to avoid him, she was tired of the cat and mouse game and found herself praying to simply make it to the end of the school day without incident.

Unfortunately for Marcie, she still had a free period in the afternoon and she knew for a fact that Eddie was all too aware of it. She had already considered going home early, dealing with any consequences of missing the final class of the day later. However, if she took this escape then she would have to catch the bus to work instead of getting a lift with Steve and Robin, and there was a solid chance that would make her late.

Pushing aside her desire to run away, she resolved to simply spend time in the library where she was pretty sure that Eddie would never think to look. In fact, she suspected that he didn’t even know where it was.

When the bell rang, she parted from Robin and marched at a high pace through the halls, determined to reach the library before anything could derail her. Yet, when she reached the final corridor to her destination, she found that the class filtering out into the hall was actually Eddie’s. She skidded to a halt barely a few steps away from him, frozen to the spot in dread as he immediately approached her, a wide smile filling his handsome features.

“There’s the girl I was looking for.” He cheered, oblivious to her internal screaming. “I know you’ve probably got plans for your afternoon, but could I borrow you for a little while? I won’t take up your whole free period, just literally like 5-10 minutes.”

Between the crowd of people who filtered around them to get to their next classes, there was no way for Marcie to make a quick escape. The longer that she held his gaze, the harder it became for her to refuse him. She fidgeted on the spot, gazing down at the floor as she struggled to think of a response.

“I’ve got to study.” She lied, fiddling with the sleeve of her jumper nervously. “If I don’t pass Mr Smith’s class, I’m not graduating.”

“I’ll make sure to have you back before his class starts and I’ll even help you study this weekend. I promise.” He suggested as the crowd bumped him closer to her.

“I’m busy this weekend.” She blurted before she could recover enough brain space to throw in some of her usual cutting humour. “Besides, how are you going to help me study? Isn’t this the third time you’ve taken this class?”

“Exactly! I’m an expert. I’ll come over whenever you’re not busy.” He answered, leaning down to meet her eyes and though she sighed in annoyance, she already knew that once Eddie set his mind onto something, there was no dissuading him. “Come on, Marce. I really need your help here.”

Marcie chewed on her bottom lip as her willpower began to wane. Regardless of her cold attitude with everyone else, she had always been unable to say no to Eddie. It was endlessly frustrating to watch herself crumble to his every whim, meeting every request with adoring smiles and allowing every bad behaviour to pass with little consequence.

In a bid to break this cycle, she reminded herself of how badly he had hurt her feelings only last weekend. She tried to focus on the dull ache that still continued in her chest, and when that failed she lectured herself on how disappointed Robin would be if she gave up already.

For a few moments, it seemed as if she could hold her ground as she pictured walking in on him kissing the party girl again, but then Eddie flashed her those big brown puppy eyes and as had been the case for years, there was nothing that she could do to resist him.

“Fine. 10 minutes, maximum. And you’d better have me back in time for class, Munson, or I swear-”

Eddie didn’t wait for whatever threat she was brewing, grabbing her by the wrist to lead her through the halls. Despite her best efforts to quash her feelings for him, she couldn’t deny that even this small gesture had her heart skipping beats again. She hated herself for it, but part of her longed to slip her hand into his, even just for a few moments.

It was only when they headed out to the parking lot and he let go of her to get out his van keys that she grew suspicious of his intentions.

“Eddie. Where are we going that you can have me back in ten minutes?” She quizzed, crossing her arms as she paused by the van, but he continued to beam at her as if he was the epitome of innocence.

“Not far.” He teased as he opened the passenger side door for her. “You know I don’t break my promises.”

With one final warning glare, she climbed into the seat and allowed him to whisk her away. True to his word, the journey was short. She was surprised when he pulled onto the drive of Gareth’s house, but he didn’t leave her any time to question him as he ran around to open her door and practically dragged her into the open garage.

Once they were inside, he stood in front of Gareth’s worn out drum kit and spread his arms in an excited gesture.

“Am I supposed to know what that means?” She asked, peering between him and the set with confusion.

“You seem like you’ve been stressed out lately. I know you never really had access to instruments growing up, but I know that for me, they really help.” He explained, whilst she continued to watch him in bewilderment. “I’ve seen you tapping along to music. You do it all the time. You’ve got a natural rhythm in you. I’ve just got this great feeling that you would be good at this.”

“I may not be musical, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how playing an instrument works.” She smirked. “You have to learn. And unless you’re about to give me a master class in the next…8 minutes or so, I need to get back.”

Marcie turned to leave, but had barely managed a few steps before he caught her up. He wrapped an arm around her back to turn her around and began leading her toward the stool behind the drum set.

“Just…humour me, okay. I really think this will help you.” He pleaded as he steered her into the seat.

The set was clearly well loved after many years of usage. Though she hung out with Gareth often, she didn’t really know him all that well, but whilst inspecting the wear on the top of each drum, it was obvious that he had dedicated a lot of time to this. She hadn’t really considered before how passionate each member of the band was, about both music and dnd, but now that she did, she found herself feeling a little jealous of them. She thought it must be nice to be so dedicated to something.

“I don’t know what you’re expecting from me here.” She commented, feeling suddenly self conscious as she fidgeted on the uncomfortable stool.

“Just try to give me a beat. Anything at all. It doesn’t even have to sound good.” Eddie offered as he ran over to hand her a pair of drumsticks.

Marcie closed her eyes and tried to distract herself from the fact that she could feel him staring at her. Part of her wanted to whack him with the sticks and leave, but she tried to be appreciative of the fact that he had gone out of her way to help her. She couldn’t exactly point out that he was wrong without explaining why she had been different, which there was no chance of happening.

After a few moments of consideration, she decided that the easiest solution was to just go with it. Scanning her brain for anything that she usually tapped when she was thinking, she settled on a song and held the sticks up nervously.

The sound that followed was messy and amatuer, but within a minute or so she managed to find the rhythm that Eddie had been so insistent she had. Sure, she was probably using the wrong drums, or not hitting them in quite the right spot, but with a little bit of effort, she was almost able to replicate the very simple beats to We Will Rock You.

After a few minutes, she found herself getting into it and her confidence grew. For the sake of making the most of the experience, she switched to a slightly faster rhythm from one of her favourite Corroded Coffin songs. Though it was again patchy, it was substantially better than she would have expected to be able to accomplish, and the look of satisfaction on Eddie’s face made it absolutely worthwhile.

Already growing tired as a result of her weak, inexperienced arms, she stopped and took a chance to catch her breath. It was only when she was able to tear her eyes away from the adoring expression that Eddie wore that she realised Matt, Jeff and Gareth had wandered into the room from the side door to investigate the noise. The latter of the group looked rather worse for wear, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, but Eddie still turned to them with abundant enthusiasm.

“Guys, did you hear that? I knew she could do it!” He yelled, pride swelling in his chest. “Band, meet Gareth’s stand in.”

“Wait, what?” Marcie blurted, turning back to Eddie who appeared only slightly sheepish.

“Gareth is sick and we have a really important gig next weekend.” He explained, a cheeky smile now filling his face. “Sure, you’ll need a bit of practice, and he may even pull through in time anyway, but I think you’ll more than do in a pinch! You’re a natural, you already know all of our songs and let’s face it, you add some much needed sex appeal to the group.”

The more that Eddie spoke, the more her expression fell. Although she had originally been touched that he would do something so thoughtful for her, she couldn’t honestly say that she was surprised to find out his true intentions. No matter how much she adored him, she had to admit that he had a real selfish streak at times.

Marcie rose from the seat, dumping the sticks on a shelving unit to the side and straightened out her clothes. It took all of her control to keep her temper in order, unwilling to add another outburst for Eddie to scramble to make up for, but she couldn’t help levelling him with a glare.

“Oh, great. You brought me to a sick person's house when I have to work this evening, and all of the weekend. And I thought you never took me anywhere nice.” She started, watching as the smile he wore weakened. “There’s one big problem with this plan, Eddie. I don’t want to play in your band! I don’t even have time to practise and thanks to you, I now have even less free time as you wasted my study hour. I mean, seriously. You didn’t even ask!”

Though Eddie seemed to realise now that this had been a terrible idea, Marcie didn’t have the time to wait for an explanation. She stomped past him onto the drive and could already hear him chasing after her.

“Wait, Marcie! I’m sorry.” He called as he jogged to reach her side. “You’re right. This was stupid. Let me drive you back to school.”

“Forget it. You were right, it’s not far. I’ll just walk.” She rambled, breaking away from him before she could say anything else that she might regret.

“I’ll call you later!”

“Don’t!”

♫ ♠ ♫

If things were tense between the pair before, it was nothing compared to now. Eddie’s efforts to win Marcie over only strengthened her resolve to stay away from him and she took every available shift at the record store. Now that her time with Robin was mostly at work where they couldn’t escape Steve’s eavesdropping, she was proud to say that a large majority of their conversations didn’t even revolve around Eddie anymore.

Although she was feeling good about this progression, she couldn’t deny a sense of nervousness that grew as Valentine’s day closed in. The halls were being taken over by variations of pink and red, students were already making romantic gestures and Marcie was considering whether she could convince her mom to let her take a sick day without having to explain the whole heartbreak situation.

After a long night of nightmares and very little sleep, she woke on the morning of the 14th with a heavy feeling of dread in her stomach. Thankfully her mother had chosen to work an early shift, allowing her to get ready for school in much appreciated silence until her lift arrived.

Seeming entirely too enthusiastic about the holiday, Steve had a romantic mix playing in the car. Whilst he focused on lecturing Robin about the endless possibilities that today could present to her, Marcie rubbed at her eyes and struggled to remain awake in the backseat. The whirlwind of emotions in her chest caused her to feel as if she were heading to her own funeral, rather than just another day in the hell of high school.

It was well known amongst her friends that this was her least favourite day of the year. Between the completely unnecessary PDA, the ridiculous concept of secret admirers that allowed social barriers to disintegrate and the constant pressure to find a date or be branded undesirable, she found the entire tradition anxiety provoking.

However, this year her brain was almost exclusively dominated by the fear that Eddie might have a Valentine. No matter how well she was doing, she knew that if he decided to seize the opportunity to make any kind of advances on another girl, it could shatter her.

Steve parked the car in actual space instead of just pulling up at the front of school as usual and the girls rolled their eyes as he climbed out with them, a new found spring in his step. By contrast, Marcie found that her legs were shaking as they began to wander towards the entrance only to find a large, celebratory banner above the doors. She noticed that Robin seemed to be trembling slightly too, making a mental note to question this once they were alone.

Despite the blatant disgust of his company, Steve seemed as if his already bright mood was actually being fed by the atmosphere and he accompanied them all the way to their lockers. By the time they arrived at them, at least two people were greeted with flowers, leaving another to hold up a prom-posal sign. Marcie groaned in disgust, Robin laughing at her side as she accessed her locker with a sour frown filling her face.

“I should’ve given myself food poisoning.” Marcie mumbled as she slammed her locker closed in response to a girl nearby squealing in delight over being gifted a box of heart shaped chocolates. “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

Though he was generally clueless to her predicament, Steve had at least picked up that she was going through some kind of heartbreak. He smiled sympathetically, moving to her side and bumping his shoulder into hers.

“Don’t be such a downer, Marcie.” He chimed. “It’s like I keep telling Robin, today is all about possibilities. You might even be someone’s Valentine!”

Marcie pushed him away with a chuckle, rolling her eyes at his ignorance. However, as he stumbled out of the way, she noticed a familiar set of eyes examining them from across the hall. Eddie appeared to have paused mid-motion at his locker, staring at Steve with the kind of hatred that she had never witnessed in him before.

As fascinating as this development was to Marcie, she had to force herself to turn away before she gave him an opening to talk to her, but she couldn’t deny the strange feeling that remained in her stomach.

“That’s exactly what we’re worried about, Steve.” Robin scolded, pulling her attention back to their conversation. “If we can both make it through today unscathed, we’ll be happy. Not all of us want to be a total Casanova like you.”

Steve remained for a few moments longer to point out that the girls’ attitude was likely the reason that they had never appreciated the holiday, before Robin grew impatient and sent him on his way. The entire time, Marcie was distracted by mentally repeating the mantra that it was just another day. She’d managed weeks without Eddie and there was no reason that today had to be any more difficult than any other.

“Hey, are you alright?” Marcie asked as she walked alongside Robin to their first period.

“Me? I’m fine. Just feeling a bit blegh today.” She answered dismissively, but her friend couldn’t help noticing that she was a little paler than usual. “Something about the crushing pressure of the day doesn’t really agree with me. Maybe I’m just sympathy suffering.” She teased as she bumped her arm into Marcie’s playfully.

The atmosphere in class that morning was electric. Everyone around her was on edge, counting down to the bell that would allow them to get back to making out in the halls, or leaving secret admirer cards. It was only her and Robin that seemed entirely uninterested, and she theorised that her friend would be more interested if she could be sure that Vickie would reciprocate her feelings.

By second period, she was beginning to regret turning up to school at all. In her anxiety over today, she had forgotten that this was one of the few subjects she shared with Eddie. On most days she had learned to simply ignore him, burying her head in books but from the moment that she entered the room, she knew that he didn’t intend to make today’s class easy for her.

It was unheard of for Eddie to be early to anything, especially school related. As if in anticipation of her finding someone to switch seats with again before he arrived, he was already waiting at his usual desk behind hers. Marcie hadn’t prepared herself for this possibility and as result, she found herself completely caught off guard by his fond smile.

Summoning all of her self control not to smile in return, she quickly settled into her seat, but no matter how much effort she made, she couldn’t concentrate. It felt as if Eddie’s gaze was practically burning into the back of her head.

The strain of trying to focus on the teacher rapidly burned through her already depleted energy levels. Mrs Webster's droning voice felt like a lullaby in the quiet classroom and she found her eyelids growing heavy. Her head bobbed a fed times, each met with a breathy chuckle from behind.

However, after battling the feeling for more than half of the class, she didn’t even realise that she had drifted off. Swirling thoughts organised into barely formed dreams, until the vivid, recurring image of Eddie being impaled by the mind flayer sent a wave of panic through her body. Marcie started so hard that a frightened gasp escaped her lips and her chair scraped on the floor loudly enough to disrupt the class.

In a moment that made her blood run cold, the students all turned to view her. Even the teacher stopped to throw her a confused expression. With her brain still sleeping, she simply stared back with wide eyes at the stern older woman and stuttered as words failed her, inwardly cringing from the laughter and whispers that had spread throughout the students.

“Sorry, Mrs Webster.” Eddie announced from behind. “Think I startled her. I didn’t mean to kick her chair that hard. My bad.”

“Try not to be a distraction, Mr Munson.”

Marcie waited a few moments for the class to return to normal, before sighing in relief. Though she knew that it was a risk, she couldn’t simply ignore Eddie after he had rescued her. Steeling herself for his charms, she finally peered over her shoulder at him and felt her heart immediately skip a beat at the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. She mouthed thank you and quickly turned back before she could be pulled in.

However, it wasn’t long before a note flew over her shoulder, landing on the pages of her open book. Willing herself to ignore it, she could only manage for a couple of minutes before she found herself unrolling the tightly folded shred of paper. She immediately recognised Eddie’s scruffy writing and couldn’t help smiling.

MISS YOU, SLEEPYHEAD.

When the bell rang she leapt up from her seat and hurried to the hall before he could attempt to speak to her. She knew that she was wavering, but until she could be sure that she could handle being his friend without breaking her own heart, she knew that keeping him at a distance was the best thing for them both, no matter how much he tried to win her over.

The moment that she saw Robin, she ran over to grab her by the arm and pulled her into the nearest girls bathroom. Checking that it was empty first, she turned to her puzzled friend with exasperation.

“I need to go home.” She spat, running her hands through her hair with stress. “I’m going to crack. I’m reaching my limit here, Robs.”

“Hey, it’s okay. No one said this was going to be easy, especially today.” She answered reassuringly, placing a hand on her friend's arm whilst she caught her breath. “What did he do this time?”

Marcie spent the next couple of minutes recounting the events of the class, whilst Robin listened with a growing frustration in her expression. Though she knew that her friend only wanted the best for her, she couldn’t help feeling as if she was disappointed each time that she gave in to her feelings and desperately wished that she could be stronger.

“I know how hard it is, Marce. It took me forever to get over Tammy. I’m here for you.” She breathed, allowing some of the anxiety to leave her chest. “Sadly, we both know you can’t afford to miss any more classes. You’re already halfway through the day. Let’s just grab our lunch and then we can take a walk and clear your head, okay?”

“You’re right. I'm just being dramatic.” Marcie sighed and gave her best friend a grateful smile.

They walked the halls in silence, Robin’s arm linked through hers as if she was lending her strength. She felt undoubtedly calmer thanks to her listening ear, but the chaos of the festivities around Marcie left her on edge. The feeling only worsened when they reached their lockers only to find a couple making out against them and Robin had to shove them aside to access the doors.

“Seriously. Get a room.” She spat as Marcie chuckled to herself and entered the combination to unlock hers.

The moment that the door swung open, her stomach lurched. Everything was almost exactly the same as she had left it, except for a single item that sat on the top. It was wrapped in brown paper which looked as if it had been used several times and the bow was so scruffed that she wouldn’t have been surprised if it was tied by a child.

The presentation led Marcie to already suspect who this would have come from. After all, there was only one person other than Robin who could have guessed her combination. She froze to the spot, staring at the offending item as if it was a bomb that might combust at the first movement.

“What’s wrong?” Robin enquired when she noticed her stunned expression.

Unable to form any words, Marcie simply pointed. Her friend finished taking a long drink of water, her hands trembling on the bottle and placed it back in her locker before she leaned around to look inside. As soon as she noticed the offending item, she immediately hissed under breath.

“If you want me to just trash it, I’m totally down.” Robin offered lightly, but Marcie shook her head.

With shaking hands, she lifted the parcel out to stare at it. She could feel Robin’s concern at her side, as she crept nearer to watch over her shoulder. For a few moments, she honestly considered handing it over until a time that she might be more equipped to handle what could be inside, but curiosity gnawed at her until she could stand it no longer.

“Come on, Pandora. Open it.” Robin urged, earning a playful smile.

As Marcie separated the paper, she heard a familiar sound that she couldn’t quite place from inside. Hidden in another layer of tissue paper was a brand new set of drum sticks. She lifted them carefully out, before being distracted by something on the end. On the handle of each stick was a single word engraved, that when read together said Hells Bells.

Marcie wasn’t sure whether to smile, or to be frustrated, when she noticed a note in the bottom of the packaging. She allowed Robin to take the sticks for inspection whilst she read the message.

SORRY FOR BEING AN ASS. FORGET THE GIG. FEEL FREE TO USE THESE ON GARETH’S SET WHENEVER YOU NEED A BREAK. EVERY GOOD DRUMMER NEEDS THEIR OWN STICKS. E

Hiding further down the hall, Eddie watched a smile spread across Marcie’s face with butterflies in his stomach. He had worked hard to source the perfect gift for her, obsessed over it even. It had been a calculated risk after messing up with the drum surprise, but he was relieved to find that it had worked out. After all, his idea of asking her to join his band so that she would be forced to spend time with him had seemed flawless at the time too.

He had to admit that he had missed seeing her happy. The distance between them pained him, but not as much as it did to see her looking consistently glum. It didn’t suit her, not after years of spending his days doing all he could to earn a smile. Now, he couldn’t even get her to speak to him. He had always feared that this day would come, when she would realise that she was better off without him, but now that it was here, he would do anything to turn back the clock.

Eddie was pulled from his thoughts when a jock carrying a huge bundle of flowers almost bumped into him, exposing his position. He shuffled further behind the locker for a few seconds, ensuring that Marcie didn’t spot him, but couldn’t resist peering out again when he heard the jock clear his throat to speak.

“Marcie Bell?”

When he realised that the flowers were being delivered to her, his mouth dropped open almost as wide as hers. She stared at the boy in disbelief, glancing at Robin for reassurance. It took all of his self restraint to not burst out and grab the guy, but he waited patiently to eavesdrop on what he had to say.

“Don’t thank me. I’m just the delivery boy. They’re from a secret admirer.”

Somehow, this revelation only aggravated Eddie further. Without knowing who was responsible for this, he couldn’t scare them away. His only lead was the person they had chosen as their delivery boy. Whoever this mystery sender was, they clearly didn’t consider the fact that sending a jock might put Marcie on edge. In his mind, this meant that they must have been in the same social circles, sending another rush of anger through him.

Eddie continued to watch the girls once the jock had departed, analysing every minute reaction that Marcie displayed. For the most part, she seemed uncomfortable. The attention of people in the hall was clearly overwhelming, as she turned to face the locker to speak to Robin.

Now that he was unable to hear their conversation, he could do little other than try to unpick the puzzle before him. He turned to follow the idiot who had given her the gift, hoping to find something useful. There was something familiar about him, but despite racking his brain he couldn’t be sure why. After all, most of the jocks blurred into one for him.

It was only after observing for a while that he realised the connection. This kid had been Steve Harrington’s biggest fan throughout his early high school years, practically behaving like his shadow. Steve seemed to hate it, but it wasn’t implausible for him to have utilised this resource to surprise Marcie. The very thought caused Eddie’s blood to boil, as he stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.

If there was one thing that he was certain about, it was that he had been upstaged by Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington, and that could not stand.

♫ ♠ ♫

Still feeling flustered by the entirely unexpected delivery of flowers, which were now hidden in her locker after the smell seemed to make Robin nauseas, Marcie wandered toward the canteen in a trance. She couldn’t imagine anyone who would want to do this for her, much less anyone who would have contacts in the basketball team.

Whilst she grabbed a hot lunch, Robin was uncharacteristically disinterested in eating anything. She was quiet whilst Marcie ate, staring off into the distance and she worried that the spirit of the day might be affecting her more than she was willing to admit. Once she was done, Robin suggested that they get some fresh air before class started, leaving her friend to analyse her in concern as she followed.

They were almost at the doors when Robin haltered, bumping against the lockers in a disoriented manner. Marcie reached out to support her, but when their gaze met she realised how pale her friend was and noticed that her eyes were panicked. Before she could ask anything, she burst away from her to run to the nearest toilet.

By the time Marcie had caught up, Robin had already locked herself in a cubicle and was vomiting loudly. She could see beneath the dividers that she was knelt before the toilet, as if she had collapsed on her way in. Allowing her some privacy, she locked the main door to the bathroom before taking off her hoodie and using it as a barrier between her and the floor to allow her to sit outside the cubicle.

“How you doing there, Robin?”

The only answer was more retching and Marcie cringed from outside. Though she could do nothing to help, she was content to simply sit there in case her friend needed anything. It was at least somewhere that Eddie couldn’t reach her, which gave her a sense of relief that she’d needed most of the day.

She couldn’t be sure how long she had waited before the toilet flushed and the door finally creaked open. Robin remained sitting on the floor beside the toilet, her head leaned lazily against the wall. Marcie dug through her bag to find a fresh bottle of water. She handed it to Robin and kneeled before her to hold a hand to her forehead.

“You’ve got a hell of a fever, Robs.” She breathed, noticing at this proximity that she had dark circles under her eyes. “You need to go home.”

“No.” Robin groaned. “You need me today. I can stay.”

“You’re no help to anyone like this.” She smiled, shaking her head at her determination.

Marcie didn’t need any further proof of how incredible Robin was as a best friend. She always knew that she could count on her, but that didn’t mean that she would allow her to suffer on her behalf. Used to helping Eddie and his friends to nurse hangovers, she ran a paper towel under the cold tap and used it to cool Robin’s face.

“Keep that on your forehead. I’ll be right back.” She breathed, but Robin grabbed at her with shaking hands.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to call Steve and ask him to take you home.” Marcie explained, ignoring the way that she delicately shook her head. “He’s got the day off. He won’t mind. Just sit tight.”

As expected, Steve was grouchy about being disturbed, and even less impressed at the prospect of risking getting sick on his self proclaimed most important day of the year, but he agreed to collect Robin. Marcie held her arm as she helped to walk her out to the car, noticing that she seemed to be growing delirious from the fever.

Steve opened the door and stepped back to allow her space to drop Robin inside. He remained a few steps away, his T-shirt hoisted over his nose and mouth as if it would protect him from her germs.

“Are you going to be okay, Marcie?” Robin drawled as she tried to battle her into the back seat. “I feel so bad leaving you. What if he tries something?”

“I’m a big girl, Robin. I can handle myself. I’m more worried about you.” She soothed, using her distraction to lower her to sitting. “There’s your water and a paper bag if you need it. Make sure you get some rest! I’ll call you later to check on you.”

After thanking Steve and watching them drive off, she returned to the toilets to wash her hands and generally freshen herself up. Despite reassuring Robin, she had to admit that she felt on edge without her. She knew that Eddie would be in her class this afternoon and there was still the mystery of the secret admirer to deal with.

Dealing with Robin had made her a few minutes late, but as she rushed to class she felt a knot forming in her stomach. Without her lab partner, she could be assigned to join any other group and she tried to think who she could choose to cause the least drama if she was given the option.

Stumbling through the door, she paused to address the teacher whilst everyone else turned to face her.

“Sorry I’m late, Mr Smith.” She panted. “Robin’s not going to make it. She’s gone home sick. I had to help her to the car.”

“That’s fine, Miss Bell. That does, however, leave you with a predicament.” Mr Smith remarked, glancing across the room whilst Marcie waited awkwardly to take a seat. “You can sit with Mr Munson. His partner seems to be absent today too.”

For a few seconds, Marcie felt as if her entire stomach had fallen out of her body. She thought she might be dreaming, that there was no way she could be this unlucky. There was a delay in her processing the information, until she turned to see Eddie smiling at her from across the room. She gulped in dread at even the thought of spending an hour at his side.

“Hurry up and take your seat, Miss Bell.”

People were beginning to whisper as she remained rooted to the spot and she had to force herself to walk toward the work bench. The drum sticks in her bag felt as if they were weighing her down, choking her with the knowledge that he had been thinking about her, even if only to get back into her good books. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him as she slid onto the stool, busying herself with digging the textbook out of her bag.

Fortunately, Eddie didn’t try to speak to her and she was able to focus on listening to the lesson. Or at least, that was her intention. No matter how hard she tried to listen to Mr Smith, she couldn’t help from being acutely aware of Eddie. She twitched at his every movement, her heartbeat lining up with the rhythm of his breathing. It felt as if something was crushing her chest and making it impossible for her to take anything but shallow, nervous breaths.

After a while, Mr Smith handed over to the students to complete their activities. With a microscope between them and several slides to examine, Marcie knew that ignoring Eddie was going to be impossible. Instead, she simply resolved to keep the conversation to a minimum.

Eddie busied himself with setting up the equipment and she was content to leave him to it. For as long as they had known each other, he’d always been more technically minded than her, whilst she was the more academic of the pair. However, where she would usually watch his movements to learn, today she found herself simply staring at his hands. In her effort to avoid looking at his face, she ended up practically hypnotised by them and almost slipping into a daydream about the way that it would feel to hold them.

“Alright. Think I’ve got it.” He announced, leaning forward to bury the microscope beneath his unruly locks. “Yep, that’s a close up on the alien life form.”

With a sly smile in her direction, he slid the piece of equipment closer so that she could take a look. Even then, she still had to shuffle into his space in order to reach it and she suspected that this was no accident. Peering down the scope, she found her heart hammering from their proximity, feeling her shoulder bump into his.

“Hate to break it to you, but I think that’s a flea.” She remarked, glancing up to catch a playful expression on his face.

“What? No way!” He gasped, before examining some of the dials on the side of the microscope. “Look again. I know an alien when I see one. You just need some imagination. Here.”

When she looked down the scope again, Eddie began toying with the lenses. She couldn’t help giggling at his antics and realised that she had missed his eccentric sense of humour. Whilst making adjustments, his hand brushed over hers and she shivered at the sensation of the cool rings he wore against her skin. Despite being unable to see him, she felt her cheeks immediately flush with heat.

She cleared her throat and shuffled back from him, returning her attention to the worksheets that the teacher had handed out. Eddie’s gaze practically burned into the side of her face as she noted their findings. It took every ounce of her self control to appear as if she didn’t notice it and she could tell that he was considering his next words carefully.

“I don’t know about you, but looking at bugs wasn’t exactly how I planned to spend today.” He commented as he arranged the next slide.

Marcie hummed, avoiding looking up from her paper. It frustrated her how difficult she found it to keep her guard up around Eddie, even when she was upset with him. Part of her still wanted to tell him to stay away from her, but the majority longed to slip back into their comfortable ways.

“Did you manage to find a drummer for your gig?” She asked, keen to change the topic from the holiday.

“Gareth pulled through, actually.” He breezed and she nodded. “It seems like it’s gonna be a good one. You’re gonna come, right?”

For a moment, she couldn’t think of anything to say. In trying to avoid discussing anything Valentine’s related, she has simply steered herself into another problem. Ever since they formed the band in middle school she had never missed a Corroded Coffin gig. Regardless of how upset she was with him, there was something dreadfully final about the idea of breaking this streak.

“I’m…not sure.” She admitted. “I think I might be working.”

Panic and hurt flashed across Eddie’s face before he was able to cover it. Marcie felt a pang of guilt in her chest when he turned back to the slides, making it obvious that he was attempting to hide his distress.

For the rest of the class, they worked together in almost silence, with Eddie only asking the occasional question and showing her forced smiles. Somehow, this was even worse than the tension of him playing around with her. It felt as if there was an invisible barrier between them, one that neither of them knew how to break down.

Moments before the bell was due to ring, Eddie cleared his throat and turned to view her, making his best effort to seem casual.

“Got any big plans tonight, or are you fully committed to this workaholic thing now?”

Marcie chewed on her lip, unsure if she could withstand his reaction to many more denials in one conversation. The finish line felt so close, but yet so far and she had to mentally picture the image of him smothering the girl at the party in order to stop herself crumbling into him.

“I was going to be hanging out with Robin, but I don’t much fancy spending the night holding her hair back.” She remarked, checking over her worksheet to ensure that she hadn’t missed anything.

Sensing an opportunity, Eddie hummed to himself and leaned on the bench. She could have sworn that he shuffled himself slightly closer, tilting his head at her in a movement that made her stomach fizzle.

“Is that so?” He crooned, striking her with the smile that always made her knees weak. “Well, you know, if you’re not busy I thought you might want to keep up our anti commercialism tradition. Wayne’s working so I’ve got the trailer to myself. We could get pizza and watch a scary movie, like every year. What do you say?”

Marcie’s heart almost broke in her chest. Part of her longed to accept, but another was horrified that he simply wanted to return to the status quo. For a fleeting moment, she had believed that he was about to ask her on a date, but his true intentions had brought her crashing down to Earth with a bump. She felt foolish for getting swept up enough in the atmosphere of the day to think that any holiday could change things between them.

Finally, the bell announced the end of class, but Eddie remained completely still as he scrutinised her reaction. As a result of a potent mixture of disappointment and anger from reliving the party in her mind, a new wave of strength washed over her and for the first time in their friendship, she allowed herself to be upset with him.

“You know, Eddie, just because Robin isn't available, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have options for Valentine’s Day. Has it ever occurred to you that there are people other than you that want to spend today with me?” She started, throwing her things into her bag to allow her a swift escape. “Maybe you should ask that girl from the party? You guys clearly had such a connection.”

Marcie didn’t wait for his reaction, throwing her bag over her shoulder and rushing from the class before she could be struck with any further guilt. Regardless, it was obvious that her words had struck him, because as she stalked into the hall, she caught one last look at him over her shoulder, still frozen in place.

♫ ♠ ♫

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profewriting · 10 months

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AmaOC (aka my jokage yumeship)

(art by Michi)

(first warning, I've already written half of the post and suddenly GOT DELETED, I'm fucking pissed off so this was written with half hearted, sorry)

Before talking about them, I wanna introduce my OC aka Miyō first. So, here she is.

(art by Cenayang_Surya)

(art by Nao)

(art by Michi)

Miyō (美葉) is an unlisted agent from D-Agency. She was recruited in secret and was trained by other agents to prevent information leakage (thus why she sees half of D-Agency's spies as mentors, though she'd still won't back off to making fun one of them or get annoyed whenever they're trying to mention/compare her with Miyoshi). She is Miyoshi's little sister, but there's no further info about Miyoshi and Miyō as siblings (you can interpret it yourself; whether they're related by blood, or half siblings, or even twins—both of them won't tell you the truth).

She has a deep hatred toward Miyoshi and her actions most likely were driven by her resentment. She's gentle with children and animals, but keep skeptical toward human. A jealous creature with envy as her seven deadly sins. I often portrayed her animal form as fox (which also lead to Japanese myth about fox spirit that often deceived people with their tricks and transformations—this also relate to her most skilled capability; acting). Her height is 160 cm with code name [Fang] and her (fake) birthday is June 22th. Her first love actually is Sakuma.

Now, let's dive into the yumeship 🐬🦊 aka AmaOC! :D

(art by Michi) (if you get confused with her bangs, this actually her first design before I finally put effort(?) and made her with different bangs)

(art by Michi)

Another reason why I often call them with AmaOC is to prevent people misunderstanding this with Amari x Miyoshi which often shortened with AmaMiyo (yes, that ship also exist). Thus why; AmaOC.

I also like to use 🐬🦊 (at least in Twitter) to portray them; since we know Amari has a very close connection with dolphins and Miyō's animal form is fox (like I've written at the beginning).

Anyway, this yumeship isn't very different or special. This ship actually came when I was zoning out and thinking, "hmm, I think Amari is the only agent that exist without me shipping him hardly with anyone"��then, boom. Here I am, eating my own words :)

Basically they're just like (cough) partner in crime couple, the power couple type. Amari has been mentoring her during training and probably just thinking her as a mere girl (who was lost in a bad place). Miyō didn't like him (yet) (haha) and thinking he's a jerk who keep changing romantic (or bed) partners as him canonically talking to Odagiri why he keep changing woman in preview for episode 12.

So, yeah, after that it's just another type of love-hate relationship before it finally came into romantic one (although Miyō actually/canonically (by me) was died after Pearl Harbour incident) (HAHA).

I think after that Miyō would see him as someone she can rely on (especially in her worst, or during her bitterness emo era), while Amari sees her as, well, cute (especially when crawling broken and bruised to the top), also as another spy from the same agency tho (so he actually kinda admitted her skills and capabilities).

So, yeah, finally it came to: dog person x cat person; smile all the time x grumpy all the time; calm energy x angry energy; "i don't need protection" gf x "trust me, she won't need them, YOU'RE the one who need them" bf; calm bf x angry gf; height different couple (15 cm height gap); age gap couple (Miyō most likely 23 y.o while Amari probably around 28 y.o, thus 5 years gap).

Miyō basically still gets jealous (and irritated) whenever she found out him sleeping around (whether it's for work or just another escapades), but she's just like, ("ok fine, I also sleep with another man when it involving work tho") and trying to brush that off (but still bitter and ALWAYS mention about it in front of him). So, jokes on her, she was, "eww, what a jerk" to "oh right, he's MY jerk, fuck it" (HAHA).

#my yumeships #my canon x oc ship #canon x oc #AmaOC #please forgive my poor english

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 1 year

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the episode of savanaclaw chapter 2 spoilers

Before anyone asks, the English scanlation is not yet out (please refer to turtlesoupscans in the coming weeks for that). The images in this post are pulled from the original Japanese release.

***MANGA SPOILERS AHEAD*** 🤡

OH MY GOD, WHY IS GRIM SO CUTE IN THIS CHAPTER 😭 First he got a new ribbon for the Sunset Savanna event, now he’s got a whole ass DETECTIVE outfit in the manga... AND HE MATCHES WITH YUUKA........ . .. . . ...... . . .. ... . .. . . .. . .

LOOK AT HIS LITTLE TOE BEANS... . . . ... . . .. . .... . . .. HE COULD BE A TUNA CAN PAW MODEL OR SOMETHING qebihrgqyofyadsfsabpAOBHFh

WE NEED THIS GRIM GROOVY IN THE GAME ASAP, WE NEED P.E. GRIM PLAYING MAGICAL SHIFT. MAKE IT HAPPEN, TWST DEVS 🤡 Crowley needs to stop looking so damn smug about keeping this golden Grim groovy out of my greedy clutches I WILL KNOCK DOWN HIS DOOR TO SEIZE THAT GROOVY YOU CANNOT CONTAIN ME

OH, AND DON]TR ASDBASDILVYASFIYADVIYADFLADF EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE PRETTY BOSYS ASHASNUDqbuIUPBIYQERY LOOK AT THIS SHIT, LOOK AT IT

IS. IS THE REANFABHRre A READSON?????? THAT yoU GOTTA????? ?SDPARKLAE WITH FLOWERS IN THE BAVKGROUND LIKE THAT??????????? WHY IS THE HUNTSAMSN WINKING?????? ?? ??????? HJOW IS THIS OKAY, HOW IS THIS ALLWOED ?????f?fs,lmnqijfnoiqsinoadvpoadv2I9GT7027BQEBFPBFPA?????

thEN WE GOT THIS BVITHC

whY’S HE. SMILING RLEIKE THAT AGIANST THAT OMINOUS BACKGROUND, WHY’S J WORC D Got ahIS HAND POSED LIKE THAT. IS HE A CAT IS HE RELATED TRO GRIM WHY’S HE SLY MAN’S LITERALLY ABOUT TO CHASE afYER THE GROUP OTL ASD JVVHLIYLDVNR8269G1R3F19BOFASADSHBHOaiutvdsubsahbbh

SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO MY DUDE FLOYD, HE KNOWS WHERE THE GOOD SHIT IS AT, HE YOINKED THE FLUFFY CAT UP STRAIGHT AWAY 👍ASHBDBIASHBILASBIDFIOYBEWQQIOQFNA Floyd goes from cute to scary in under 5 seconds flat 🥰

ADBHGYOAFAYVFSIBsfiobSBL THIS SOUNDS BAD BUT. I love the frightened expression on Grim here, I think it’s because the angle of the second panel emphasizes how round his face and snout are. It makes him ultra cute!!

Also! Not pictured here because this post was just for me to scream about cats and eels (not give away the entire chapter) but 😔 we also get to see the injuries people received as a result of Ruggie manipulating their bodies, and the manga makes it pretty clear these injuries are substantial. For example, Trey is in crutches following his incident...

There’s a big dramatic panel closing up on Trey after he has fallen to the floor, MAN LOOKS LIKE HE JUST KEELED OVER AND DIED.) I suspect we’ll probably see how bad Jamil’s injuries are when the Yuuka and co. approach him for questioning. Really amazing how much detail the manga is able to add to the story without the constraints of the visual novel medium!!

I guess what’s also notable is we get Jack exercising? Being all sweaty and doing pushups! I’m sure the Jack fans will eat that up! This chapter’s not a ton of Leona, it mostly focuses on the investigation so no, you won’t find me screeching about the Fake Cat this time.

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blorbosondeck · 3 years

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fic rec masterlist

canon divergent/finale fix its

Anamnesis

THIS! FIC! this fic lives in my head rent FREE it is so good and it makes so much sense in the narrative that the shitty finale concocted, as to why they wouldn't mention cas or anyone else and its just. so good and they write chuck in the most villainous way that i love!!!

"Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be. Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19."

Sunset Sound: Stairway to Heaven by @adhdeancas

GOD FUCKING CHRIST this is so good and sweet and im such a sucker for team ups and reunions!!! its 3:30 am rn and i just finished it and i love it SO much it made me laugh a lot and the last few chapters i had the stupidest grin just plastered to my face

The Closer the Star, the Greater the Parallax by @rocksalts

repressed bastard dean submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known and receives the rewards of being loved but only after some miscommunication i LOVE this i read it last night and it’s a fast favorite. my interests have overlapped and i am INTO it

“When Dean sits down to watch some bullcrap Discovery Channel episode with Cas, he doesn’t expect to actually learn anything. Except, with Cas explaining, he makes an effort to connect the dots.”

Don't We All Deserve To Be Happy?

VERY sweet and a VERY good pick me up. all around feel good fic!!!

"Post-canon fix-it, divergent from 15x19 where Jack stays and Dean doesn't die and Cas comes back and everyone is happy. Take a shot every time I'm salty about the finale."

Keep Your Love Alive

okay. okay okay okay this may be my favorite finale fix it just because of how well reasoned it is. like this feels what should have happened i love it SO much

"Dean gets to spend eternity sharing beers with Bobby on the Roadhouse porch and riding around in his Baby with Sam. He’s at peace… or he feels like he should be. But a few things nag at him: Where is Cas, and everybody else Dean had been hoping to see in Heaven? Why does he feel like he’s stuck in a loop, reliving the same memories over and over again? And who are the strangers wearing Sam’s and Bobby’s faces?"

The GoldenRod Revisions by @aethylas

this is one of the most well written things ive ever read. the script format DID make it feel more real and honestly? this is better writing than this show deserves. the finale that could have been ♥️

“A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.“

Ascend by @wanderingcas

THEE finale fix it fic!!! written by the AMAZINGLY skilled and talented @wanderingcas !!! it’s 50k of angst and hurt/comfort and pure bliss

“Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?”

Things Happen (They Do, And They Do, And They Do) by THEE @sobsicles

i KNOW everyone has already recommended this and likely you’ve all already read it. but it has to go here bc REPRESSIOOOOOOOOON i LOVE this so much it is one of the most perfect things i’ve read. are you bisexual? did you have a kind of weird relationship with your best friend and not realize that how you felt about them wasn’t necessarily how other people felt about them and you were maybe a little bit in love with them but were too repressed to realize it? you’ll feel seen. maybe a little too seen

Closer (isn't close enough)

are you a sweet and sappy yet horny bastard? do you like cas exploding light bulbs? you will like this.

“the one where they finally talk about what cas said before the empty took him”

You and Your Husband

it is exTRMELY sweet!!! repression dean strikes again <3

"Five times Dean corrects someone about his relationship with Cas, and one time he realizes he doesn't need to."

Tall Grass

miscommunication and a slowburn! despite being written in 2017 and finished in 2018, it feels like a fix it. ft. plant obsessed cas <3

Invictus

a LOVELY and short (relatively) finale fix it

“They saved the world. They're free. It's done.

Except it's not, and carrying on is the last thing any of them are thinking about.

They still have someone they need to save.”

Unchained Link

post finale- it’s a great case fic and i am compelled i want more!!!

"It's after the end of things. Life continues on while Dean is "livin it up" in heaven. But it's never that simple, is it? A freak occurrence sends Dean into another time stranded back on Earth. And he thought his hunting days were over. But, no worries. His knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. Hijinks, therefore, ensue."

fun and time unspecified

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Love Potion No. 5

very funny and sweet! miscommunication at its finest ♥️

"Cas gets drenched with a mystery potion from the ‘love spell’ shelf and... Dean has a sneaking suspicion, angel or no— the spell may have taken effect. And Cas might be in love with Sam."

The Way We Were

Y'all. It is so good its a great mix of funny and serious- extremely fun to see dean as like a base bisexual

"Dean and Castiel pose as a couple to gain access to a gated community known as 'The Glen', a pleasant if secretive location that the boys believe might be linked to several dead bodies showing up over the years bearing signs of ritualistic sacrifice. All seems well until Dean's memory is affected from an incident during a solo exploration, leaving Dean convinced that their cover story is true. Castiel is left trying to resolve their case without taking advantage of an increasingly enthusiastic Dean"

While You Were Sleeping

this is basically just the movie but replacing sandra bullock with cas. this is my comfort movie and imo, one of the most perfect rom coms. the fic isn’t finished but i still have the tab open on my phone and i will straight up go back and re read it when i need a pick me up.

aus/rewrites

The Harvelle Gospels: Offscript

i know everyone ever ( @jewishcharliebradbury ) has recommended this fic. and for good reason go fucking read it

“The Apocalypse is averted, the angels are in Heaven, and Jo is free from the threat of possession. Somehow it couldn't be farther from a happy ending.“

absolute riots

An Ineffably Profound Bond

i honestly would have put this in the finale fix it section! look. i know. i know you've been burned by crossover fics before. but this is Thee good omens/spn fic you want. its funny as hell and immensely satisfying. im weak for everyone working together tropes and that is this

"After Chuck sets 'The End' in motion, the remaining members of TFW make a miraculous escape. Not willing to waste any time, Castiel comes up with a plan to travel to one of the other worlds to try and get help from the angels there, but after a fight with Dean, it's the hunter who gets sent into an alternate universe,with seemingly no hope of return.

When a mysterious human with a heavenly weapon shows up in Aziraphale's shop, he and Crowley learn that their world is not the only one. Now it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to join forces with the human and help him save his world or simply find a way to send him home."

Somebody Up There Likes Me by @lafilleredige

cas is hit with a spell that turns his vessel into a woman, hijinks and sexuality crises ensue etc etc sam is a supportive and bitchy little brother and its all SO fucking funny and also. horny as hell i love it i love it i LOVE it

“’Dean doesn’t want to talk about your breasts, it’s making him uncomfortable because he hasn’t acknowledged the complex fluidity of human sexuality.’“

Stray Cat Strut

a long crack fic that IS one of the funniest things i’ve ever read and i can’t explain why. it’s so ooc but its so funny that i don’t care. if you need a laugh you gotta read this

"Sam and Cas are immediately in love with the adorable kitty they find outside the bunker door, and occupy their time planning how to convince Dean--who they believe is off sulking after a botched hunt--to let them keep their cat. Along the way, Dean learns to use a litter box and hears some confessions he maybe wasn’t supposed to hear, all while realizing just how much he loves Castiel.

Now all Dean has to do is convince Cas and Sam their new pet cat is actually him before they do something crazy--like neuter him!"

canon compliant or slight canon divergence

Give

by @doublestuffedimpala post season 7 episode 7, kind of ambiguous ending but truly a cas is happy to bleed for the winchesters fic

Punch Like Bones

short, post 5x04 homoerotic moment that i wish we’d gotten

#lmao please interact with this i spent so much time on it #i had to go onto desktop for this #ill keep adding on to it #my fic recs #fic rec #spn fic rec #deancas fic recs #charlie.txt

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episodes-without-incident · 3 months

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1/30/2024:

5 episodes since Drawfee last referenced Cats (2019)

3 episodes since Drawfee last referenced Everytime We Touch (2005)

#episode: Drawing What We Think These Weird Product Reviews are About #5 episodes without cats incident #3 episodes without cascada incident #drawfee

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feelingofcontent · 3 years

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DNP Rewatch: A Festive Day in the Life of Dan and Phil!

Date video was published: 12/20/2014 (X)

DNP Main Channel Rewatch: 254

The 2014 DITL video! The last one had been back in August 2013. This is my absolute favorite DITL and probably one of my top five DNP joint videos of all time. Get ready for me to have way too much to say about it.

0:00 - sleepy morning + quiff Phil! We’ll see a surprising amount of that in this video.

0:05 - “almost a week till Christmas,” so they must have filmed this just a few days before it was posted

0:25 - no waking up Dan in “his” bedroom like in the first two DITL. Hmmm...this scene doesn’t seem staged at all...especially since Phil’s laptop is already open on the arm of the sofa. Unless he just left it like that overnight.

0:37 - love that the other advent calendar on the mantle in the one they made. 😂 There are 18 of the doors opened on it, so they’re probably filming this on the the 18th or 19th of December.

0:47 - they both jump into doing the theme music as soon as Phil says “titan”

0:57 - that is pretty late for them to be putting up the decorations! Phil looks sad about it too.

1:01 - sad tinsel. I think Phil had the silver piece in the background in his last video. And the little WALLE in the background here, from all the way back in PINOF. 🥺

1:17 - this domestic insight, just 😭😭😭

1:26 - full circle back to the first DITL video. I wonder if they watched the previous DITLs before filming this one.

1:41 - so many mugs.

1:48 - Dan did not want that one because it was very hard to actually drink out of as he discovered in DITL London. I really bet they did watch the previous ones shortly before this...so many references back!

1:55 - awww, happy warm Phil

2:13 - such a dramatic sigh but he goes to get it anyway!

2:25 - well that is a terrifying way to burn a tealight...put it on a dish!

2:33 - I love that there is no explanation for this in the video. Phil is superstitious about new shoes on the table, which they had both tweeted about before.

2:40 - Dan fashion show and an encouraging Phil

2:47 - immediate smile when Dan notices Phil there

2:56 - why does Phil looks SO GOOD in this clip. also, as usual a weird/slightly horrifying poem from his brain.

3:02 - love that they both decided to wear holiday jumpers. They also wore these same ones for their December radio show. Also the Dan lean-in 🥺

3:12 - PJ tweeted about this DNP visit!

3:27 - this whole leaving scene is possibly the most domestic part of any video - the candle argument, the coat adjustment, the stop in the bathroom to check their hair, Phil checking to make sure Dan has keys, the spider checking and joking... I mean.

4:13 - more throwback conversation to DITL London

4:35 - so glad he chose not to lick his hand. Even more horrifying in 2021.

4:40 - Dan talked about this and falling up the escalator in What not to do on Public Transport

5:00 - “bit corporate isn’t it?” but caves immediately because Phil wants to.

5:10 - Love that Phil orders while Dan finds a table. Love that Phil makes Dan draw something happy not just a sad face. Love Dan’s huge smile after that.

5:33 - Dan really can’t say much he was reading his phone in the clip right before this!

5:58 - Dan’s talking about this weird incident that Phil posted a clip of on LessAmazingPhil

6:18 - they always go to at least one nerdy shop in the first DITLs!

6:36 - the things they choose to zoom in on in this shop...Dan with Spiderman’s crotch a few seconds before this and now Phil on the shirtless guy book cover. subtle, lol.

7:29 - I had actually heard of this board game prior to this video because Wil Wheaton did a TableTop episode. I remember being so surprised to see DNP wanting it!

7:39 - Phil and his weird people encounters. 😂 And Dan just mocking him for it.

7:59 - they did, in fact, go to see Matilda the next summer.

8:10 - oh my god this clock scene. Of course Phil wants to make a game of it. And then Dan with the seemingly slight fudging of what he was pointing at. And this look and then both of them giggling. 👀

8:32 - that start of Dan’s running! This is around the time or shortly after he had started to see a therapist (according to the timeline he gave in Daniel and Depression), so thinking he probably wanted to start for his mental health.

9:11 - Dan talks about the “guy wearing the white sheet in Manchester” in What not to do In Town. Their reminiscing faces are too much.

9:19 - Phil is so excited about this. He had tweeted a couple times in the past about Moomins (1, 2)

9:37 - the excitement about the treats and the festive drinks and decorations and Phil’s teasing 😭

10:04 - they film fairly often in the back of cars and I just feel like must be so awkward, but it doesn’t seem to bother them. And Phil’s hair is quiffed again!

10:28 - and the stairs song! Which they are too prepared for so it must be a regular thing they say/sing. This video has SO MANY moments that I love.

10:51 - Phil just sitting while Dan hauls the tree box out. Maybe Dan lost rock-paper-scissors.

10:59 - reminiscing about THE TREE now, which is the last time they decorated on camera

11:09 - why is this a common theme in DITLs!? lol. Love that they’ve lit the candle again after getting home.

11:22 - “stop doing that” as he can’t control his giggles. sure.

12:03 - okay, Phil had to go get the other decorations! The “Christmas faces” are slightly horrifying

12:22 - that is the most horrifying. also, Dan and Phil themed toys/decor even in the bathroom.

13:02 - Dan’s little messed up piece of hair in the back is so cute. Also love that they have the garlands up and everything at this point too.

13:19 - even more quiff-Phil!

13:31 - their fridge contents are not great

14:04 - unexpected filming but a huge grin anyway from Phil. Also, how do they make just answering the door so awkward, lol. Also: what is that picture in the background in the bathroom(?)

14:32 - they’re so excited about this set up and dinner plan

14:43 - and now glasses Phil! Also, arguing about wrapping neatness. I love it. Although when we see Phil’s wrapping in a minute, I think I might agree with Dan...

15:03 - PJ will end up with one of these face banks

15:10 - Phil came up with some decent gifts for Kath this time, although he didn’t think she had good ideas.

15:18 - I find it so cute that Dan wants to keep the cookbook

15:30 - Dan looks almost embarrassed to share this. He’s also got something “12 Days of Christmas” themed in that blue box on the chair. Although apparently a lot of his family just wanted money.

15:37 - I have no words for Dan filming this closeup and then them choosing to keep it in the video.

16:16 - Phil’s trying to be all serious with his wrapping tutorial and then the tape just immediately falls. 😂

16:40 - “it’s endearing” Dan does look pretty endeared, lol. Dan’s concerned because the face banks are actually gifts from both of them, at least according to PJ

17:04 - wow, Vine mention

17:25 - Dan’s just expecting Phil to come up with a great pun on the spot. Also, the lobster thing is an old reference.

17:39 - I think I mentioned this in the last DITL post, but I like that we do see even in a short video that they spend some time alone. That’s just so normal, especially for introverts even when you’re that comfortable with someone.

17:45 - Phil will keep reading that book over the holidays

17:48 - we did see the inside of the chest. So what is Dan implying here, lol.

17:52 - well then. Dan’s giggly face though.

18:08 - soft piano Dan 😭

18:25 - Ariana Grande had sent them both cat ears after they met her for the radio show

18:37 - a glimpse at the early gaming channel set-up.

18:46 - we don’t actually see that footage in the gaming video

18:51 - it must be pretty late at night by this point considering it was dark when they came home

19:15 - Phil’s first instinct is to throw it of course

19:18 - this face and the sweater paws. I can’t. 😭

19:25 - and of course a joint ending.

19:40 - Dan is so sleepy and happy seeming here

20:13 - awwww 🥺 The last video of 2014!

One difference from the first two DITL is they don’t even pretend that they’re going to see other friends/invite someone over. Just the two of them hanging out and they seem quite happy with that. This is probably the most “domestic” of the DITL videos. I love it so much.

Phil went to his parents’ on the 23rd to celebrate Christmas. He had Swedish food, was very excited as usual, got a stocking with a toothbrush and animal socks, and watched Guardians of the Galaxy. Dan went to his family’s on the evening of the 24th after a candle incident (lol, though I love that he was burning the candles even without Phil there. He started the tradition of yearly Christmas pictures of Colin. And also posted this.

On to the 2015 videos, and the start of the TABINOF/TATINOF era!

#dan and phil #dnp #dnpRewatch #amazingphil #daniel howell #phil lester #danisnotonfire #amazingphil videos #A Festive Day in the Life of Dan and Phil!#ditl

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dailysmilingnatsume · 3 years

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Happy 2 Year Anniversary to this blog!! Thank you so much to all 1300+ of you for following! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

For this year I thought it would be fun to do a Top Ten ranking of all the screenshots on this blog. There’s a lot of good Smiling Natsumes, but which ones are the best? Tell me what you think of my list... ohohoh....

10) ch79.1

Starting the list off strong with this beautiful manga cover. Always a fan of how ethereal manga Natsume looks (and the background’s green colour suits him so well!!)

9) s05e06

I tagged this with “potential meme format” on the original post and actually saw a few memes :’) They were epic thank u

8) There goes Nyanko-Sensei! ch11

“You’re so cute I could just eat you up!" (*/∇＼*)

7) s03e09

Natsume with all his friends!! They were really worried for him :’) Taki is so iconic (I wish I had my own Nyanko-Sensei to hug)

6) ch7

toddle toddle What’re you complaining about, cat?

5) s05e11

I really love the episodes where Natsume gets sick and Touko frets over him, they’re so cute ToT It’s just nice seeing my boy get cared for... look at how happy he is to drink the eggnog...

4) OVA 01

box boy :)

3) s04e06

Natsume and Tanuma’s relationship makes my heart go 💞💞 In this episode they were at a festival right?? and they were having so much fun until the Bottle incident happened ToT If they could go to another one without any interruptions that’d be Great. Also I’m a big fan of how the roasted corn looks (º ﹃ º )

2) s03e12

Ohhh my GOD this part. I remember the first time I watched it I had to pause to blink through my tears ╥﹏╥ It’s been years since I watched this episode in full but I still remember the satisfaction of finally seeing people who were willing to take Natsume in. The Fujiwaras don’t think of him as a burden, they love and care for him like their real son... *ugly crying* He looks so genuinely relieved and happy in this moment too (I wish he could be like that all the time) Anyway this series defined found family for me <3

1) s05e10

Ah yes, the sequel to the episode above... and where my favourite smiling Natsume comes from. It was quite hard to narrow it down to this one, but I think it’s a good choice!! He looks so precious here <333 Touko and Shigeru’s lives were really brightened up when they adopted Natsume. One of the first things he asked for was to keep Nyanko-Sensei, and when they let him, he smiles like this ;; It goes to show how accepting the Fujiwaras are of him. When you compare this moment to more present-day episodes, you can really see how much Natsume has settled in. He’s more comfortable confiding in his family and friends now. He’s still a bit tentative, but it’s a process! And this picture represents the start of that process to me :’)

Honourable Mentions:

ch9

Everything about this image is so funny . give me more toddle toddle!!

ch66.5

Natsume has gotten too used to saying these Deeply Troubling things with a big smile on his face 😭 Someone help him

s01e13

Yeah they look like a family <3 also I love the fox child they’re adorable...

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed my silly little list (*^▽^*) Hopefully the Top 3 reasons make sense lol Thank you all so much again for sticking around <33 Look forward to more pictures of smiling Takashi!

What will I do when I run out, you ask?... Don’t worry about it 👍

#natsume yuujinchou #natsume takashi #misc

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chalkrevelations · 3 years

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Word of Honor Ep 6, and let’s talk a little about what’s canon, and what’s not, and about the particular slip-slidiness of the line between them on this show.

But first, due diligence: If you are NEW or JUST VISITING, this is a re-watch, so you’re going to find SPOILERS not just for this ep, but for the entire show. Scroll away and come back later if you haven’t seen all 36.5 eps and want to watch unspoiled. Also, heads-up, this got super long, because I had to talk about that stuff up there and then still talk about the ep. Hashtag long post (remorseful).

So, “canon,” as applied to fannish source material (in Western fandom, at least) traditionally has been considered the official stuff – the episode, the book, the comic, the movie – based on the religious definition of “canon,” the collection of texts accepted as genuine and official within a religion. The word “fanon” – widely accepted fannish ideas – plays on this, as does the fandom concept of “word of God,” or things the Creators have said about the text but outside of it. Is it in the show as it aired or the book as it was printed? Canon. Is it not in the show as it aired or the book as it was printed? Not canon. (Apocrypha? Maybe. Anyway.) Generally, I think we’d say that things like material in the first draft of a script that doesn’t make it through revisions and onto the screen isn’t canon, even if you can get your hands on a copy of the first draft. The final product that airs is what’s canon. BUT this gets super slippery in something like WoH, in a way that’s exemplified in this episode. This ep is one of the places where people who can lip-read Chinese have spotted some significant dialogue changes between what the actors say on-screen and what lines have been dubbed in. (Everybody’s dubbed in cdramas, it’s just the thing that happens. You have your on-screen actors, and you have your voice actors. The ONLY person in The Untamed who did his own voice dubbing, for instance, was Ji Li, who played Nie Huaisang. All the other characters had voice actors dubbed in. In fact, the voice actor for Jiang Cheng in The Untamed is the voice actor for Wen Kexing in WoH.) One of the descriptions of WoH that I’ve heard is that this show was filmed as a bl and dubbed as a bromance. The thing is, nobody tried very hard to hide the shift. There are plenty of places that you can clearly see the actor’s mouths don’t match the dubbing, and they’re not artfully shot or edited to hide this. They’re fully on-screen, mouthing words that don’t match, right out in the open, almost like they want to you to pick up on it. Almost like it’s canon, because it’s right there on-screen, aired in the episode. In my first-watch reactions to Eps 36 and 37, I talked a lot about how the dubbing puts a layer of de-queered no-homo over what the on-screen actors are saying in these places, but if you can see what they’re actually saying and understand it, does that make it canon? What does it mean, both textually and meta-textually, if you can’t believe what you’re hearing – what you’re being told – because it contradicts what you’re seeing? How does that affect what we’re told about Our Protagonists and its “truth,” particularly in the final scenes? How much is the show deliberately working against censorship in this way? How much is it teaching us to look deeper than what we’re hearing on the surface?

Several people have talked about what’s actually being said by the on-screen actors in places where this happens, and I’m going to direct you to AvenueX on Youtube if you want a complete overview, because she’s reliable and has a good compilation that’s easy to find. She has a couple of videos called “Lip Reading for Sugar,” and the March 9, 2021, installment includes the Ep 6 incidences, the most significant of which are: At 3:05 in the ep, when WKX throws himself on Zhou Zishu’s back during the zombie Drug Men attack, calls him “mom,” asks ZZS to carry him, and tells “mom” that “your shoulder blades are the most beautiful.” Only no, Gong Jun didn’t say this, if you watch his mouth compared to the sound of the words. Instead of “niang” (mom), he says “Zhou Zishu.” Twice. “Zhou Zishu, carry me.” “Zhou Zishu, your shoulder blades are the most beautiful.” This is not only important because it emphasizes he’s gay for Zhou Zishu’s shoulder blades, but also because he’s fucking baked on Drunk Like A Dream incense when it happens, and later, ZZS will reveal that Drunk Like a Dream makes you see what you most desire, and he’ll confront WKX about how he “kept calling” someone’s name while he was under the influence of it. This makes no sense with the dubbing we get, because with “mom” dubbed over ZZS’s name here, WKX only calls Zhou Zishu’s real name once while he’s under the influence, at the end of ep 5. That is not kept calling. ANYWAY, once WKX clears his head and flies them away from the Drug Men, back to the a lakeside, there’s another disjunct at 5:05, when the dubbing has WKX tell ZZS not to play hero, that he doesn’t lose face if WKX helps him, and ZZS responds with something about your grandmother’s bear, which AvenueX tells me is a real Chinese idiom, although not for what. What Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan appear to actually have said, though, is that WKX tells ZZS that this was just like a hero saving a beauty, with the implication that ZZS is the beauty, the damsel in distress, and ZZS respons that no, it’s like the beauty saving the hero, without a lick of concern that he’s the beauty, the damsel, in this scenario, just that he did all the work killing Drug Men and now this asshole is going to act like he’s the one who did the saving. At 31:24, dubbing has WKX telling ZZS that he’ll give ZZS whatever he wants if ZZS can get him some of the Drunk Like a Dream, but AvenueX tells me that he actually offers his body in exchange, in a way that implies marriage. And at 32:22, when ZZS asks WKX what he saw under the influence of the Drunk Like a Dream, the dubbing gives us some random story about baby WKX throwing a rat on his mother’s bed, while Gong Jun’s mouth seems to be saying something something about being in the bridal chamber with his beloved … so circling back to our first instance at 3:05, WKX using Zhou ZIshu’s name is now super-interesting, eh?

Another slip-slidey point of canon here is that there are two versions of this episode. The original version didn’t have the rabbit-washing scene. That was an extra that was inserted later into a Special Version ep when Youku reached 2 million subscribers. But the Special Version is now available on Youku’s channel (it’s the one I watched for this re-watch), AND it’s the regular version that’s on Netflix. So at 25:28, we now get this adorable little scene where ZZS and WKX are cleaning two rabbits in the lake before cooking them, and WKX splashes ZZS who pretends to be irritated before splashing WKX back and running away up the riverbank, chased by WKX. It’s flirty and playful and ALSO a foreshadowing of the flashback we’re going to see in a later ep, when they play together for an afternoon as children. Wasn’t canon before. Now it is.

Anyway, even with the (bad) dubbing that we get, this is a fantastic WenZhou ep. We open with them still being menaced by the zombies Drug Men, with a lot of swordwork by ZZS before he starts flagging because of his Nails Issue, whereupon WKX instantly sobers up, goes Evil Ghost Valley Master on Imposter Hanged Ghost who’s controlling the Drug Men, kills him with his Fan of Death, then scoops up ZZS and flies him off to a lake, where he attempts to tenderly check ZZS’s pulse and take care of his wounds before ZZS slaps away his hand like an offended maiden. WKX has to give him the qi smackdown in order to hold him still to :coff: pull down his robes and suck out the poison from the Drug Men scratches on the back of his shoulder. :hands: I remember the first time around, watching this with my mouth hanging open, demanding to know the heterosexual explanation for this. (Also, if you’re rummaging on Youtube, the Five Straight Guys Watching Word of Honor for this ep is not to be missed. They’re a little questionable in their reaction to the poison sucking, but before that, they’re a bunch of squeamish babies over using the dagger to further slice open the wounds to get to the poison, and it’s HILARIOUS. They can’t even look at the screen once the dagger comes out, hiding behind their hands. I love them, more and more as the eps go on, but they are WEAK compared to even the newbiest hurt/comfort fangirl.) There’s some more back and forth between WKX and ZZS about revealing their true selves to each other, no you, no YOU. WKX makes it clear that he knows there’s something really wrong with ZZS, and then they fight, set to romantic music, and ZZS ends up falling in the lake. I do the victory arms ( \o/ ) to myself where I’m sitting on the couch and startle one of the cats, because FINALLY we’re going to get rid of that execrable fake facial hair. ZZS fucks with WKX by staying underwater long enough that WKX panics and also dives in, we get some really cheap and awful underwater effects, and ZZS reveals his face! They end up back on the edge of the lake, drying their perfectly dry outer robes, while they sit around the fire together in their perfectly dry inner robes, but I am not going to complain because y’all. I CANNOT with how smug and pleased ZZS is for just a moment about WKX mooning over how pretty he is. Then he remembers to be an ill-tempered gremlin and pokes at WKX with a flaming stick, but I had to rewind four times just to catch that little moment of satisfaction about being admired again – it’s subtle and gorgeous and Zhang Zhehan is going to kill me with his face one of these days. ZZS demands dinner on this date, and fake-coughs pitifully to get WKX to go hunt something down, while he stays and does his delightful little thinky face as he pokes at the Soul Winding Box they got from Imposter Hanged Ghost. Then we get a shot of WKX looking at ZZS before he heads off to catch some rabbits that confirms he now knows he’s really Zhou Zishu, rather than Zhou Xu.

So, we’ll get back to the Ghost and the Box in a minute, but I do want to mention that this whole ep is layered through with mini-references and thematic stuff. Imposter Hanged Ghost rings his little bell to control his Drug Men, and remember that, we’ll see that again. WKX asks if ZZS came from the Healer’s Valley when ZZS offers him an antidote to the Drug Man poison; we learn later that WKX, himself, is the one who came from the Healer’s Valley. When ZZS gets the Soul Winding Box open and finds a piece of the Glazed Armor inside (Danyang’s, taken off of Ao Laizi by Ghost Valley before he was hung at the gate of Sanbai Manor), he gives it to WKX, tells him to throw it away if he doesn’t want it. WKX says he couldn’t possibly, and that he’ll wear it because it’s his first gift from A-Xu. Compare this to the way Xie’er will wear Awful Yifu’s Glazed Armor around his neck. We also see some of the thematic and referential stuff come up in conversations that form a repeated pattern in this ep of ZZS stressing what a bad and dangerous person he is: He scoffs at the idea he’s from Healer’s Valley, and asks if he looks like someone who practices medicine; WKX responds that he looked like a professional killer (true) who was cruel in the abandoned temple (presumably while escaping Mirror Lake) and frightening to a kind-hearted man like WKX who can’t even kill a chicken (particularly amusing given the prep for New Year’s dinner in a later ep, when WKX is the only one who CAN). At the lakeside and again after ZZS hightails it away from Sanbai Manor when they spot Han Ying there (HAN YING, my beloved), WKX asks if ZZS is a fugitive, what he’s hiding from, and says that he’ll protect him – by reason, because would he kill anyone unreasonably (omg, where to even begin? How many guys have you choked out at this point)? When they’re arguing about ZZS revealing his “true” face, ZZS warns that most people who’ve seen his real appearance are dead (probably true). WKX says he’s not afraid of death (not his own, at least, we’ll see that the thing he’s afraid of is ZZS’s death). ZZS warns WKX that he’s not only sharp-tongued, he’s ruthless (true). He tells WKX that he’s murdered many people (true) and set them on fire (not unlikely, frankly) and committed many crimes (true, in a way, although they were state-sanctioned, making them legal, if morally reprehensible). This is the ZZS who put the Nails in himself, who talks to himself about what a truly awful shixiong he is, who tells Prince Jin that he’s only good as a weapon. I like how we see this at the same time that we’re starting to see the side of him that’ll preen when someone thinks he’s pretty - this is a process, and it’s subtle, not as high-drama as WKX’s, but it’s there, nonetheless.

We also formally meet Xie Wang in this ep, artfully posed and playing his pipa among the bodies – old and new – of Zhao Coffin Home. He and Changing Ghost have a bit of a slapfight over whose fault it is that Imposter Hanged Ghost, who was actually Long-Tongued Ghost, got killed and got his (Danyang’s) Glazed Armor took by WKX, when Changing Ghost stole it from Ao Laizi, put it in the Soul Winding Box and gave it to Long-Tongued Ghost specifically to deliver it to Xie Wang. Xie Wang is super cool through all of this, and I think we get a sense of how deadly he is by the way Changing Ghost backs down. So, here’s what’s falling together: Some iteration of Ghost Valley is working with Xie Wang and the Scorpion Sect, giving the Scorpions access to the Soul Winding Threads, which we saw used at the Mirror Lake massacre and in the woods outside of Sanbai Manor to kill Yu Tianjie in the last ep. Via Xie Wang, Ghost Vally has access to use of the Drug Men, which we’ve seen at the Zhao Coffin Home (so far), although we haven’t yet been told (I think) how Xie Wang got access to the potions to create Drug Men (we also know ZZS read about Drug Men in a book somewhere, and got enough info to engineer an antidote to them). Xie Wang and the Scorpions have access to Drunk Like a Dream incense, which had to come from Prince Jin’s court, having been engineered by ZZS based on a much stronger formulation. Han Ying, from Tian Chuang in Prince Jin’s court, has been seen at Sanbai Manor, Zhao Jing’s place.

Meanwhile Chengling is doing poorly, with no appetite and getting bellowed at some more by Shen Shen, who would be the worst if only I didn’t know everything I know, which makes me cringe when Zhao Jing refers to Chengling as “my son, now.” NO. RUN, Goldbean. For some more thematic and referential stuff in this ep, WKX calls Chengling a “lonely chick with no one to rely on” and tsks over the fact that he’s “surrounded by hounds smarter than foxes” now that he’s under the care of the Five Lakes Alliance. This is clearly to manipulate ZZS into thinking Chengling is better off with ZZS, but it also sounds like an awfully apt description of Zhen Yan in Ghost Valley. I’m just sayin’.

#zhou zishou #wen kexing #xie wang #zhang chengling #zhao jing #word of honor #word of honor episode reax

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kalinara · 3 years

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Dream Show 2.0

It’s time for the second annual “Dream Show Challenge”!

The rules are a little different this year: we were given someone else’s dreamshow cast from last year and asked to make a new show.

Since it’s very possible to end up with a cast list full of names we don’t recognize, we were allowed one trade.

This is my cast:

Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Tudyk, Mandip Gil, Lee Pace, Elliot Page, and Matt Berry.

Since at the time I started this, I had no idea who Matt Berry was, I decided to trade him out for a different white British comedian: Jack Whitehall.

So now I present to you:

The Gates of Kallipolis

Synopsis: When Lydia Nowlan receives an invitation from her estranged uncle, she has no idea what to expect. She had no idea that she had an uncle. And she certainly had no idea that he had invented a working time machine.

But Dr. Nowlan called her for a reason. Time is behaving strangely, and there are people scattered through time who need their help to get home.

Characters:

Lydia Nowlan - Jennifer Connelly (2021 CE): For as long as she remembers, Lydia Nowlan never had much in the way of a life. She worked, she slept, and she worked again She had no time for things like friends or family, even pets. But now her work is completed and she has no idea what to do next. Fortunately, a mysterious letter from a long lost uncle comes at just the right time.

Dr. Mark Nowlan - Jeff Goldblum (2021 CE): Lydia’s estranged uncle. An experienced time traveler with a temperament that makes Lydia look like a people person, Dr. Nowlan is in over his head. But fortunately, he’s not in this alone anymore.

Bibi Khunza - Mandip Gil (c. 1550 CE): Widow of a king, mother to another, Bibi Khunza knows how to fight and how to rule. But as to how this sixteenth century Indian warrior princess ended up at the center of a witchhunt in seventeenth century rural England is a really interesting question. Especially since she’s not the only one lost.

Augustus Cole - Elliot Page (1875 CE): The life of a chimney sweep in Victorian London is a hard one, but Augustus Cole knows exactly how to translate those skills to something a bit more lucrative: cat burglary. And never let it be said that the man will miss an opportunity: a futuristic sailing ship is the perfect place for a bit of breaking and entering. But what’s that about an iceberg?

Xavion Knox - Lee Pace (2320 CE): Grown in a lab, built for war, Xavion Knox has known very little except violence. He hasn’t cared much about anything since the death of his partner, but perhaps that will change now that the man’s stuck in the distant past, reliant on a couple of barely competent time travelers to get home. Wherever that is.

Zeta-5 - Jack Whitehall (2440 CE): An Alien. Zeta knows his science. He knows his technology. He knows the intellectual capability of humanity, and he damn well knows that time travel is impossible. But try telling that to Mark and Lydia Nowlan. (He has. Many times.)

Grok - Alan Tudyk (c. 190,000 BCE): The manservant of Dr. Nowlan, and human being who predates any recognizable culture or society. He may even predate the development of spoken language, or at least any language that the translator can recognize. Because of his communication difficulties, he has yet to provide Dr. Nowlan with sufficient information to get him home. He seems happy enough where he is, and well, good help is hard to find.

Important Concepts for the Show:

The Reese-Hartnell Effect: It is impossible for a living being to be in two places at once. Because of this, it is very important that a time traveler never “cross their time stream”, meaning they should never visit a time when they themselves are alive. If at any point, a time traveler ends up in the same time period as their past or future self, they will merge together.

In the best case scenario, the knowledge and memories of the future self will remain with the past self, allowing the time traveler to make any desired changes to his own future.

In the worst case scenario, the time traveler’s mind is completely obliterated.

The Ultimate Translator: Lydia Nowlan’s life work. The great translator is somehow able to take spoken language from any point in time and enable it to be understood by any time traveler in the vicinity. Because of his origins, Grok is unable to use the translator. Instead, he communicates through gestures, pictures, expressions, and occasional broken English.

Origin Time: In order to return a lost time traveler, the machine must be calibrated with the exact time and place that the traveler disappeared from, down to the nanosecond. Too soon, and the time traveler risks the Reese-Hartnell effect destroying their mind. Too late, and the resulting gap of “non-existence” could create catastrophic effects down the timestream.

The Time Machine: Dr. Nowlan’s invention. The Time Machine is not a ship, but rather a stationary set of silver gates that open into a pre-set location. The gates can be concealed but not closed while the machine is in use.

Episodes:

Episode 1 - Witchhunt (1645 CE)

Lydia Nowlan, linguist and engineer, has just finished her life’s work. She unwinds by answering an invitation from her estranged uncle. When she arrives, she finds a surprisingly high tech laboratory, a strange device and her uncle nowhere to be found. She is startled by the sudden appearance of Grok, her uncle’s assistant, and accidently activates the device, which turns out to be a time machine.

Lydia finds herself in medieval England, where her strange appearance and even stranger knowledge quickly makes her the target of a witchhunt. But she isn’t the only time traveler at risk. She meets fellow prisoner, Bibi Khunza, and the unlikely allies work together to escape. Lydia’s uncle, Dr. Nowlan, comes to find her, bringing with him a time-lost space marine and a lot of questions.

The foursome, assisted by Lydia’s invention, agree to work together and find out what’s causing all these time disturbances and try to find a way to return everyone home.

Episode 2 - the Titanic (1911 CE)

Lydia’s invention continues to facilitate communication between our heroes, with the exception of the caveman, Grok. They investigate another anomaly, this time aboard the HMS Titanic, where they meet the Victorian, Augustus Cole. Khunza encounters some racism, which does not end well for the racists, while Lydia repeatedly attempts to warn about impending doom, and learns the regrettable lesson that some things can’t be changed. She is introduced to the concept of the “Reese-Hartnell Effect” which prevents any time traveler from being able to make multiple attempts to influence the timestream.

As the now fivesome return back to Dr. Nowlan’s lab, they meet Zeta-5, an alien from the far future, who is very armed, and very insistent that he be returned home.

Episode 3 - Ancient Greece (399 BCE)

A comedy of errors involving Zeta-5’s weapon (actually a zoological inseminator) and the time machine sends most of the crew to ancient Greece. Dr. Nowlan has an interesting conversation with Socrates, while Xavion gets to punch Plato in the face. Khunza and Augustus find unlikely common ground as they solve a Philosophical Conspiracy.

Meanwhile, back home, Lydia, Zeta-5 and Grok have to find a way to repair the time machine and get the others back.

Episode 4 - Utopian Dreams (3505 CE)

The concept of utopia comes up again, when Dr. Nowlan takes the crew to the futuristic city of Kallipolis. The peaceful surroundings inspire introspection: Khunza revealing her desperation to reunite with her young child, while Augustus and Xavion admit that they don’t have much of a home to return to. Lydia has a cryptic encounter.

Nowlan’s plans to access the Kallipolitan Hall of Records is thwarted when a sudden insurrection scatters the crew to the four winds.

Episode 5 - Dystopian Nightmares (3505 CE)

Loyalist factions capture Lydia and Xavion. Augustus gets to plan the heist of any number of centuries to get them out, while Zeta-5 discovers his inner revolutionary.

Lydia’s interrogation has some particular after effects that lead to some shocking revelations: namely, both she and her “uncle” were members of the Kallipolitan Time Agency, but her mind had been destroyed by the Reese-Hartnell Effect. Dr. Nowlan had set everything up in an attempt to restore her to herself.

Episode 6 - Finale (???)

Dr. Nowlan has fled into the timestream having accomplished his goal but at the cost of his career and reputation, and possibly his life, should the Time Agents track him down. Lydia and the others race to find him first, engaging in a merry game of chase and sabotage against their rival pursuers.

Dr. Nowlan does ultimately surrender himself into Lydia’s custody, but reveals that his notes have been destroyed in the chaos, meaning that now he genuinely can’t return anyone home. Lydia must reconstruct his work, which she does, with some unexpected assistance: the caveman Grok. He had observed most of Dr. Nowlan’s work and actually comprehends a lot more than anyone realizes. The crew are finally sent home...for the most part.

Bibi Khunza returns to her kingdom and her son, and is able to resume her Regency without much incident.

Augustus Cole does not return home to Victorian England. Instead, seeking a new challenge, he appears in Khunza’s court and is welcomed as a new “foreign advisor.”

There was a “miscalculation” and Xavion Knox is not returned to his own time, but rather six months earlier, to the incident of his partner’s death. Due to the Reese-Hartnell Effect, Xavion has an opportunity to save the man that he loves and he doesn’t intend to waste it. And this time, he won’t be alone.

Zeta-5, citing his race’s long lifespan, decides to go to Xavion’s time instead of his own. He realizes that there is a very good chance that the Reese-Hartnell Effect will come into effect in about fifty years, but it might be interesting to live his life again from infancy onward.

Dr. Nowlan is serving out his sentence at the Kallipolitan Time Agency. He’s treated well and receives many visitors. He is, by all accounts, quite content.

Lydia Nowlan has received tacit approval to continue her linguistic studies across the timestream. She is accompanied in this effort by her new partner, Grok.

Bonus:

As this is a Rip Chat challenge, of course I have slipped Arthur Darvill in here somewhere. He has been cast as Dr. Pierce Draxton, head of the Kallipolitan Time Agency. Because the man’s played a rebel. Now I’d like to see him actually in charge.

#dream show #dream show challenge #rip chat challenge

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