Apr 1
If this gets a single like I'll write a full fic between these two. I'm bored and need motivation.
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If this gets a single like I'll write a full fic between these two. I'm bored and need motivation.
The creation authority
Mother Universe, King Lunar, and Nowhere Man.
LUCY IN THE METAVERSE!
Lucy on Lucille / Lucille on Lucy
Lucille Ball created the Lucy character to live in a real world; a world also populated by movies stars, one of whom was film and radio performer Lucille Ball! On rare occassion, the Lucy character dared to acknowledge the existence of her famous portrayer giving viewers a rare visit to the metaverse. Lucille believed that comedy was better if it stayed close to the truth. Her sitcoms are full of references to her own life and the lives of those around her - but that’s not enough to be Meta! Here are some moments that transcend mere references and become self-referential!
In 1946, Lucille Ball (the actress) met Lucille Ball (the filly), courtesy of jockey Johnny Longden. This meeting no doubt influenced Longden’s playing himself in “Lucy and The Loving Cup” (1957).
~ META MAGAZINES ~
Lucille Ball was on the cover of a local edition of TV Guide (January 25, 1952), which was casually left on the coffee table during “Breaking the Lease” (1952).
In “Ricky’s Life Story” (1953), the photo of Lucy ("That's a fine picture of my left arm!") holding Little Ricky, may actually be of Lucille Ball because the monogram on the blouse are the initials 'LB' - although it could be 'LR' as the lower part of the 'B' is blocked by the baby!. It could also be another person wearing Lucy’s blouse. Very meta!
When Look turned up in “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” (1952), the June 3, 1952, issue actually had Lucille Ball on the cover!
Look was part of a 1952 flashback intro during Lucy’s pregnancy. Vivian Vance has her hand over Ball’s photo. Inside is an article by Desi Arnaz about his wife.
Another ‘meta’ magazine appearance was in “Ricky Has Labor Pains” (1953) where a pregnant Lucy is reading the January 1953 McCall's (January 1953), which clearly has a cover that say “Why I Love Lucy” by Desi Arnaz!
~ META COSTUMES ~
Desi Arnaz was such a golf nut that he built a second home on the 17th fairway of the Thunderbird Golf Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Ricky Ricardo (an East Coast golfer) wore the Thunderbird insignia on his cap in “The Golf Game” (1954). Desi ad-libs a verbal mention of the club at the start of “The Charm School” (S3;E15) earlier in 1954.
RICKY: “You know, the whole membership of the Thunderbird Club was around the 18th hole. All I had to do was make this measly two-foot putt to win, and I missed it!”
In “Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (1971), Lucy Ricardo’s trademark blue polka dot dress turns up at Lucy Carter’s garage sale! The dress is a visual Easter Egg but is never talked about.
~ META MUSIC ~
For “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (1953), Ricky’s birthday present to Lucy is a song called “I Love Lucy.” In reality, viewers had been listening to the Eliot Daniel theme song for nearly two years, but the previously unheard lyrics by Harold Adamson were new.
In “Job Switching” (1952), nine weeks before it was announced that Lucy Ricardo would have a baby, Ricky is heard idly whistling “There’s A Brand New Baby in Our House,” a song that Desi Arnaz wrote several years earlier for the birth of his daughter. When Ethel asks Ricky if he wrote the song, he replies that he wrote it for Lucy. But since Lucie and Lucy are pronounced the same, Desi may be talking about his daughter!
A few weeks later, in “Sales Resistance” (1953), Ricky sings the song in full, recording it on a reel to reel tape recorder in his living room. Coincidentally, the song was released on the B side of the “I Love Lucy” theme song.
~ META CASTING ~
In “Don Juan is Shelved” (1955) Lucy thinks real-life Hollywood producer Dore Schary is an out-of-work actor so she hires him to pretend to be... Dore Schary! Schary was supposed to play himself in the episode, but backed out at the last minute and the role was recast with Phil Ober, marring the mega meta nature of the episode. An added layer of meta was added by casting Ober, who was married to Vivian Vance and was - at times - an “out-of-work actor.”
Frank Nelson memorably played the exasperated train conductor dealing with Lucy Ricardo in “The Great Train Robbery” (1955), then reprised the role to deal with Lucy Carmichael when “Lucy Visits the White House” (1963). Since the conductor was never given a character name - it is possible he exists in both metaverses!
William Frawley made his last scripted television appearance in “Lucy and the Countess Have a Horse Guest” (1965) as a horse trainer. When he is out of earshot, Lucy Carmichael turns the Countess (Ann Sothern) and says:
LUCY: “You know, he reminds me of someone I used to know.”
Frawley spent nine years playing Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy.”
“Lucy The Gun Moll” (1966) is essentially a parody of Desilu’s crime drama “The Untouchables.” The meta madness is that the original actors (Robert Stack, Bruce Gordon, Steve London, and Walter Winchell) were cast, but the character names were changed to protect the innocent! Lucy, as chanteuse Rusty Martin, even mentions the series title to pound the satire home.
At the end of “Lucy Visits Jack Benny” (1974), the world’s most famous bus driver Ralph Kramden makes a wordless appearance. Jackie Gleason played the character on his variety show and the sitcom “The Honeymooners”, airing simultaneously with “I Love Lucy.” Ball and Gleason collaborated on several specials. The meta world that contains Lucy Carter, Ralph also exists!
~ META REAL ESTATE ~
In “The Tour” (1956), the Beverly Hills home of Richard Widmark actually is the home of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. A second unit film crew was sent to Roxbury Drive residence to film establishing shots of Lucy and Ethel walking up to the home. The actors, however, are not Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance, but identically dressed doubles!
When “Lucy Sues Mooney” (1967) with the help of her wily lawyer Wally Wiley (Jack Carter), she gives her address as 780 Gower Street. This was the address of the Desilu Studios Production Offices. An extra layer of meta is added because Carter was best man at Ball’s wedding to Gary Morton. Lucy Carmichael also gives this as her address in “Lucy The Babysitter” (1967).
~ META MENTIONS ~
In “Baby Pictures” (1953) Charlie Appleby tries to impress the Ricardos about his TV station’s catalog of films:
CHARLIE: “We’ve got the newest moving pictures in town. I bought a block of films yesterday, and I want to tell you that they’re going to make television stars out of some of the actors. Now, just remember their names: Conway Tearle and Mabel Normand.”
Conway Tearle’s career bounced between Broadway and Hollywood. One of his last starring roles was in Hey Diddle Diddle, a play that premiered in 1937 featuring a 26 year-old Lucille Ball. The play was scheduled to open on Broadway, but closed after one week in Washington DC due to Tearle’s declining health. Had it succeeded, Ball’s career trajectory might have been very different!
In 1967, TV producer and director Sheldon Leonard (who actually worked at Desilu), arranged to film a bank robbery at Mr. Mooney’s bank - but keeps it a secret from Lucy, naturally. The end of the episode turns very meta when Leonard says:
“I suddenly got this idea for a new television series. It would be about this kooky red headed girl. She works in a bank and she gets into all sorts of impossible situations and… ...forget it. Nobody would ever believe it!”
A guest appearance by Van Johnson in “Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968) is used as an opportunity to promote their recently released film Yours Mine and Ours, where Lucy plays the wife of Henry Fonda and Johnson their best friend.
VAN JOHNSON: “I loved working with that kooky redhead.” LUCY CARTER: “Personally, I thought she was much too young for Henry Fonda.”
During Lucille Ball’s third appearance on “The Carol Burnett Show” (1969) two flight attendants Finster (Carol) and Agnes (Lucille Ball) compete for a best employee award. They encounter a suspicious passenger (Harvey Korman) with a Fidel Castro-like beard, cigars tucked in his breast pocket, and a Spanish accent.
HOOPER (Lucy):“Where are you from, sir? Havana?” PASSENGER (Korman): (alarmed) “Havana? What makes you think I’m from Havana?” HOOPER (Lucy):“Well, if it’s one thing I know, it’s a Cuban accent.”
This meta moment relies on the audience knowing that Lucille Ball had been married to Desi Arnaz, a Cuban immigrant, as was his sitcom spouse, Ricky Ricardo. In the late 1960′s hijacking planes to Cuba was headline news ripe for satire.
When “Lucy Competes With Carol Burnett” (1970), she dresses like a charwoman identical to the one created by Burnett for “The Carol Burnett Show.” When Carol Krausmeyer (disguised as a hippie reporter) asks how Lucy Carter thought up such a crazy outfit.
LUCY: “From some goofy dame on TV.” CAROL: “Well, she must be some kind of nut!”
~ THE DESILU METAVERSE ~
Lucy Ricardo met Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) on a cross-over episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”;
Danny Williams drives through Mayberry and meets Sheriff Andy Taylor, which spawns “The Andy Griffith Show”;
“The Andy Griffith Show” is where the Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) character began before getting his own show. “Gomer Pyle USMC”;
Gomer Pyle turns up on “The Lucy Show,” although here she is Lucy Carmichael, not Lucy Ricardo (even though both women share the maiden name McGillacuddy).
The outcome is that Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carmichael exist in the same (TV) Metaverse!
~ METAGRAPHS ~
In “Lucy The Gun Moll” (1966) Rusty Martin’s (aka Lucy) dressing room is decorated with black and white photographs of Lucille Ball performing. Behind Robert Stack is a photo of Ball singing “Jitterbug Bite” in the 1940 film Dance, Girl, Dance. She met Desi Arnaz while making this movie. It was filmed at RKO, the studio that became Desilu.
When Kim decorates her room with posters of classic film stars in “Lucy and the Andrews Sisters” (1969), Lucy Carter finds a poster of Lucille Ball! She looks at it thoughtfully, is about to put it on the wall, and then says “Meh” and puts it down.
When “Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (1974), the walls of Ball’s dressing room are covered with photos from the star’s real life, including one of her mother Dede.
The black and white photo next to the door is from “The Lucy Show” episode “Lucy and Chris’s New Year’s Eve Party” (1962) where Lucy Carmichael did a silent movie sketch as Charlie Chaplin. So Lucille Ball is playing Lucy Carmichael who is playing Charlie Chaplin!
In 1975′s Lucille Ball special with Dean Martin, “Lucy Gets Lucky”, Lucy Collins admires a photo of Lucille Ball while walking through the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel’s Hollywood Hall of Fame.
~ META MASTERPIECE ~
The ultimate visit to the Metaverse is the “Here’s Lucy” episode “Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (1974), in which Lucy, Kim, and Cynthia (Carole Cook) enter a Lucille Ball look-alike contest.
With the assistance of split screens and doubles (the best technology available at the time, Ball played both roles - and was even billed accordingly!
Lucy, Cynthia, and Kim both don caftans and dark wigs to emulate Ball’s look in her upcoming film Mame, although the film is never directly mentioned. Kim says that a lot of her friends think she looks like Lucille Ball.
LUCY: “That's ridiculous. She's old enough to be your mother!”
And the winner is...
...Lucy, naturally!
Payton (they/them) - head barista / trainee store supervisor.
It was bugging me that I had never actually visualised what the other staff members of S.A. look like, so. This happened.
This is my favourite Picrew maker, and the picture of Payton is from ages ago.
Rachel (she/her) - trainee barista.
Dani (she/they) - barista.
Annie (she/her) - store manager.
Paul (he/him) - barista.
Jake (he/him) - assistant manager.
Jane and Cayla
Decided to keep going with The Image Creator and do some ocs (or out of character oc-ified characters xD)
Have Vicky/Victoria and her girlfriend Cleo!
Talking Out Loud 🕷️❤️🔥
[Peter Parker x OC]
Synopsis: Peter Parker is talking to himself on a rooftop at midnight. A stranger with red hair and a cigarette decides that's her problem now.
WC: ~1,800
Category: Hurt/Comfort, Post-Spider-Man (2002), Raimiverse, OC insert, Angst with a hopeful ending
Now also on AO3 here!
Ok, so one day I saw that punk rock girl from the 2002 film in my feed, and this happened. She has a name now, and she will not leave me alone. This is my first fic ever, so I'm getting the hang of this.
This is a standalone one-shot meant to take place after Spider-Man (2002) but before Spider-Man (2004).
Hope you guys enjoy! 🕷️
Tired. If Peter could describe his life for the past month, it would be tiring. He wasn't hurt; he had felt what a beating felt like when he had fought the Goblin over a month ago. His body bruised, his abdomen bleeding, his face a black eye that he swore would never heal right. Yet somehow, if by fate or maybe a cruel trick, his spider powers had let them all go away, just in time to attend Norman Osborn's funeral. Of course, the madman had almost killed him that night in the broken-down church, a second later, and the glider would have struck him in the back. And yet, for some reason even he couldn't understand, he listened to Norman's dying plea and didn't tell Harry the truth. He stood there watching Harry promise to kill Spider-Man while clinging to him for comfort.
So now here he was, in his Spider-Man costume under the night sky, doing his usual rounds of the city. Acting as if nothing had happened. The police were aware that he wasn't much of a threat now, especially with the city having seen him protect MJ on the bridge. Still, crime never sleeps, yet tonight it somehow did. He gritted his teeth underneath his skintight mask as he threw himself off a building. He felt the wind rush past his face as he stuck out his hand, and a strand of webbing stuck to a building block away. He grunted as his body swung in an arc through the air. Months ago, he would have yelled at the top of his lungs in amazement. Now, he simply did it; any fun he once had left his mind. It was routine, nothing more.
He landed on the side of a building as he stood up. Taking a deep breath, he kept his feet flat as he walked down the building, his powers keeping him attached. MJ. God, all he wanted was MJ. He wanted to go on dates with her, to show her his picture books, to have her finally see herself the way he did. And a small part of him had gotten what he wanted that day in the cemetery, where she finally said the words he wanted to hear. But he couldn't, not after the Goblin. It was too raw, too early. Too much all at once. So he left her, alone and crying, as he walked away, making a silent promise to himself.
"MJ. God, I wish I could just tell you," he spoke aloud as if she could hear him. "Please, just. Just try to understand. I don't want to do this. But—"
"Hey, man. You're talking out loud."
Peter whipped his head to the side to find a young woman watching him, red hair, dark makeup, a nose ring, and a look that screamed punk. "Seriously, man, you gotta know what you're saying out loud. People might think you're crazy." She took a drag of a cigarette as she scooted over from the railing she was leaning against. "Come on in. I already know who you are."
Peter stared at the woman before slowly making his way over to her apartment. Normally, whenever someone saw him like this, they either had a look of admiration or were trying to shoot him in the face.
"So the eight arm thing really isn't true, huh? Dammit. I owe her 10 bucks."
Peter walked in behind the woman as he entered the room. It was small, a lot smaller than the room he and Harry shared. The living area was covered in fashion magazines, a massive jukebox, and CDs pushed into a corner as if they needed more space, a couch that screamed: "thrifted."
"You drink?" Peter shook his head no. "Smoke?" Again, he shook his head no. "Jesus, how do you have fun?"
Peter looked at her as he responded truthfully. "I take pictures of myself and sell them to old people."
The woman stared at him before chuckling. "Yeah, ok. Sure you do." She leaned back into the couch as she patted the spot next to her. "Come on, sit down. It's not every day I get a superhero in my room."
Peter moved next to her but maintained some distance. His uncle had taught him as a kid that no matter what they looked like, a lady was a lady. Be kind. Be nice. And never lie to a woman. He had done his best to follow two of those rules.
"So, tell me then, Mr. Spider-Man."
"Spidey. People I like call me Spidey."
She looked at him with a cocked eyebrow before she went to light up another cigarette. "Ok, then, Spidey. Who's MJ? That's like a code word for you hero types or?"
Peter stared at her before answering. This was a girl he had just met; there was no reason to be so open. But she had welcomed him into her place and was willing to actually talk to him.
"Do you remember the Goblin attack a month ago?"
The woman nodded as she scratched her head. "Yeah, they shut down the whole city for a bit. Shame too, I wanted to go out that night."
Peter nodded. "Well, to get to me, the Goblin had kidnapped a redhead."
The woman snapped her fingers as she looked at him, smiling. "OH! That girl who was on the news for like a week straight. That's MJ?!"
Peter sighed. "Yeah. That's MJ."
The woman sat back as she took a long drag of her cigarette before blowing the smoke into the air. Peter could swear his spider sense went off faintly, but he ignored it for now. He had taken a pumpkin bomb point-blank; secondhand smoke wasn't going to kill him.
"Jesus, that makes sense now. So she must have been like your wife or something? Or a lover? Or was she his lover, and you two played together without him?"
Peter looked at her behind the mask, annoyed. "WHAT?! No! We weren't together. I mean, we kissed once, but not like that."
The woman smiled. "Ah, a hit and quit type deal, huh?"
Peter put his face in his hands. "No, that's not it either. He knew who I was. Under this. And to get to me, he took her, and if I hadn't stopped him, she'd be dead."
The woman leaned forward as she nodded. "Ok? So, why with the whole sad puppy monologue outside my window? You saved the girl, right? She told you to stay away from her?"
Peter shook his head no. "The opposite. She told me she loved me. You know." He jabbed a finger at his chest. "ME. Like, the dude under this costume."
The woman widened her eyes. "It's a costume?"
Peter glared at her before she chuckled. "I'm fucking with you. But yeah, go on."
He sighed as he began to lean back, the couch creaking under his weight. "I want to tell her how I feel. And, everything I have felt about her. But I can't. Her being close to me was why she was taken."
The woman stared at him blankly as he looked at her. "Ok. And? What? That's it? You're just scared to ask her because she might be in danger? Dude, she was already in danger. She might be in danger again."
Peter leaned forward, a bit regretful that he had even taken up her offer. "You don't get it. If she knew I was Spider-Man. If she knew the truth, she'd be in trouble."
The woman opened her mouth, then closed it. She took a long drag of her cigarette, thinking. "Ok, but… as compared to now, where everyone knows she cares about you? I mean, people are stupid, Spidey. That connection is basic. You can't believe that no one who hates you is gonna not go after her again."
Peter stood up as he began to walk to her window. "This was a mistake." He went to crouch on the railing, about to leap off, before she ran after him, grabbing his arm.
"HEY! HEY! Come on, man! Fucking, let me finish!"
Peter stopped but didn't turn around. A moment of silence passed before he slowly looked back at her.
"I was about to say. Why do you care? You only live once, right? So go for it, she already said yes. And you seem to care about her."
"You could tell all of that by conversation."
The woman nodded. "Uh, yeah. The only reason you haven't made a move on me is that you like her, right?" Peter stared at her before she laughed. "Dude, you are too fun to play with. But seriously, Spidey. Just go for it!”
Peter stared at the woman before looking down. "If anything happened to her. I… I couldn't. Not again."
The red-haired woman looked at him before smiling softly. "Listen, just please."
She paused, as if figuring out how to say it. "No matter what you do, some people will hate you. And they'll find some excuse to justify it. You look different, sound different, act different. Even if you aren't hurting anyone." Peter kept looking down as she came closer to him. "You said she likes you, right? And you like her? That's enough. I promise that's enough. You can't keep pushing it all away just because you think it'll protect her. For all you know, she might hurt herself trying to get over you."
Peter looked up at the woman as she cupped his mask. "Go talk to her. Not today or tomorrow, but someday. Talk to her, please. And, tell her the truth. That you love her. And no matter what, you always will."
Peter nodded as he took a deep breath. "You're right. I have been putting this off for too long. I kept saying it's for me, but I need to see her." He turned to her, smiling under the mask. "Thank you… uh. I never did get your name."
The red-haired woman simply leaned forward as she kissed his cheek. "Lucy. My name's Lucy. And hey, if it doesn't work out between you two. My door is ALWAYS open."
Peter chuckled as he shot out another web strand. A soft gasp left Lucy's lips. "You shoot webs out of you."
Peter blushed under the mask. "Sorry, must be kinda gross."
Lucy brought her thumb up to her lip, biting it down. "No, just… don't worry about it."
Peter chuckled before throwing himself off the railing, letting himself swing through the air once more. There was a difference now. This time, he let himself yell. This time, he was smiling.
Behind him, Lucy watched as the red and blue hero swung away into the rising sun. "Makes his own webs, huh? Sounds hot. ❤️🔥"
a/n: Ok, I did it. I actually posted it. If you read this far, thank you. Genuinely, you did not have to do that. If you have thoughts, my inbox is open, and I will be normal about it (I will not be normal about it). Also, I have an idea for a sequel in mind that takes place during Spider-Man 2, so if you are interested in seeing that, please tell me. Ok, bye!
A-Z Character List
This is mostly for my own reference, but maybe somebody out there will also be interested?