#AU - The Frankenstein Chronicles

[borom1r]

WAILING @theshakespearetrash sent me 2 ask memes for Boromir asks (who is very much Not my OC skfhshfjjs but I will Always do character analysis I love character analysis so much. rotating him so fast in my brain. microwaving him on high)

+ not to be a kinnie on main (voice of a man who is always a kinnie on main) but I will be answering these all w/ a sort of Boromir-lives scenario in mind -w-

anyways ask meme 1 + ask meme 2

1. What memory would your OC rather just forget?

ok I feel like it’s the cop-out answer to say “his fall to the ring” but I feel like Boromir is the sort of person to.. not like stew on things but very much takes the stance of “good or bad, all my choices got me to the current moment and made me who I am.” + I feel like there’s so much tangled up in his fall completely beyond his control where that’s the only memory that he’d like. actively want to erase from his mind

2. What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them?

HM. good with kids. I think unless you’d seen him with Faramir/his cousins when they were younger you wouldn’t guess (he’s a soldier and a very plain man when he’s not putting on a show for his father), but he’s just genuinely great with kids

3. What is your OC's fatal flaw? Are they aware of this flaw?

loves too much + quick to lose hope. painfully aware of this

4. When scared, does your OC fight, flee, freeze or fawn?

fight response. 100% the kind of man who gets kicked out of a haunted house for punching a scareactor even though he knew a scare was coming. Faramir and Aragorn have both almost gotten throttled bc they unintentionally snuck up on him

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

OOO. When He Is Of Sound Mind, not actually very far. he was raised with the knowledge he would be giving his life to Gondor, whether he died in battle or sat on the throne as steward. add to that the act he puts on for Denethor, everything he does to protect Faramir— he’s a man born to serve. his own wants come last

6. How easily could your OC be convinced to do something that goes against their moral compass?

it would take. a DESPERATELY long time and an almost complete degradation of his mental state. Boromir arrives in Rivendell in October 3018, and the very next day is the Council, at which point he sees the ring and is IMMEDIATELY influenced by it. yet he doesn’t fully fall to it until the end of February 3019. he’d been fighting its pull for almost four whole months by the time he does anything malicious. resisting the One Ring for FOUR MONTHS. <- reasons why if I see someone call Boromir weak for falling to it I will see red.

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

teehee obviously again Boromir is not my OC so I will take this as an excuse to Be A Kinnie + say, I do remember Boromir being returned to us sometime after my coronation. so that’s one way my memories differ from canon, which is sort of an answer to this prompt snfjsjfj

8. Would your OC ostensibly be able to get away with murder?

OH YEAH. I mean yeah if we’re talking like actual criminal murder and not just Slaying People On A Battlefield like. yeah 100% he would IF he was within Minas Tirith. you know Denethor would do everything in his power to cover that up lmfao

9. Do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your OC?

YEAH YAYYYY I GET TO MAKE MORE PPL LISTEN TO CROM AND BARONESS!!!!

anyways “have you ever seen a man so strong have you ever seen a man so great when he fights time stands still and everything seems so unreal but deep inside of him this man is torn” what if I bit things about this song

+ also listening to Magnolia and Shock Me by Baroness with Aragorn/Boromir in mind makes me ill. im Unwell.

10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

HMMMMM The Frankenstein Chronicles gave me brain worms so I might write a Frankenstein-inspired thing at some point. sth sth consequences of divine resurrection

11. What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?

RAAAAGH. AUTISM TIMEEEEE.

Boromir uses a hand-and-a-half arming sword (meaning it’s balanced for single or double-handed use, with a crossguard). it’s a really elegant sword, very simple and utilitarian. speaks to an adaptable combat style as well. but, interestingly? Boromir carries a Rohirric shield, and if you notice Rohirric swords don’t actually HAVE crossguards the way Gondorian blades do. this tracks, and was common with Roman and early Germanic swords— BECAUSE these cultures were Also relying on shields for blocking.

and an additional note, Faramir’s sword is single-handed. so we’ve got a ranger who prefers the use of a bow and hasn’t experimented much with his sword combat, and his brother who prefers a sword and carries a very versatile blade with 1) a Rohirric shield and 2) a ranger’s vambraces designed to protect his arms from a (nonexistent) bowstring. I just find Boromir’s mix of protective gear so interesting, esp if you consider he and Théodred as at LEAST friends. like Boromir carries so much of the people he cares for with him into strange lands even when he (arguably) has little need for such gear

12. Is your OC self-destructive? In what ways?

yes and no. I think, not consciously? but he absolutely values himself lower than the people he cares for. he goes to Rivendell to keep Faramir out of danger, he takes multiple arrows to the chest and keeps fighting to defend Merry and Pippin. I think if there’s a risk of someone he loves getting hurt, all self-preservation goes out the window

13. If you met your OC, would the two of you get along?

oh I would be staring at him like a predatory animal and trying to psychically convince him to lay on me in full armor

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

HGH. ok I don’t think he necessarily. does?? and this is generally a Silly Little Headcanon bc of a comment a Most Beloved Friend made abt how everyone gets their autism from their dad (real+true) + now in my head “haha Faramir got his autism from Boromir instead” BUT. like genuinely I don’t think Boromir has an actual image of himself in his head or like processes that ppl perceive him, necessarily. and particularly when his father is holding him up as this aspirational figurehead for Gondor, like… I think he’s just himself, in his head. idk how to describe it well for the neurotypical ppl in the room snfskfjs sorry. like I don’t process myself as having Traits so ppl tell me they think I’m cool or funny or they enjoy being around me and it’s always like “!!! oh!” + I think Boromir is the same way. I think Faramir could describe Boromir to him + Boromir would just be like. “huh.”

15. Does your OC have a faceclaim? If so, who?

it’s Sean Bean + it will always be Sean Bean. sorry other Boromirs you simply pale in comparison

16. What is your OC's pain tolerance like?

VERY high by necessity. he’s a soldier he’s absolutely patched up his own injuries before, at least to hold over until he could see an actual healer

17. What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

ahh. I wrote a very personal fic exploring self harm urges w/ Boromir, so I suppose that

18. Is your OC more cold and detached or up close and personal?

very personable, when he’s of sound mind sndnsj

19. How does your OC behave when enraged?

oh he’s a silent anger type for sure. just seethes quietly. hello, consequences of spending time in an environment where you have no actual outlet for your anger + must simply sit there and Stew.

20. Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest?

again, When He’s Of Sound Mind, no. the man’s got a big heart and life’s too short to be petty

21. Does your OC have any illnesses or disorders? How do they handle it?

hitting him with the autism beam bc I can. I do also think he’s lost at least partial use of his arm in a Boromir Lives scenario, considering where the first arrow struck him

22. What character alignment would you consider your OC to be?

HMMM neutral good. he’s not chaotic enough to be.. chaotic (lol), and I think he’s too willing to go against Gondorian Popular Opinion to be lawful.

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

HMMMMM pain, actually. or “weakness.” I think if he can quantify it in his head as “showing weakness” then it’s getting stuffed in a mental box and Not Addressed

24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

ok well. None. I think with his circumstances he had zero choice in his path. HOWEVER. I am deeply DEEPLY fond of Boromir learning how to play an instrument after the war ends. I STILL struggle to blow my wassail horn that shit takes SKILL that I do not currently have and Boromir was the BEST at blowing his horn?????? I think he deserves to learn how to play an instrument, esp bc Aragorn, Merry and Pippin would ALL be delighted to have Boromir play while they sing. Boromir learning hobbit folk songs????? Rohirric songs, to honor Théodred?? yeagh.

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

HES SO. FUNDAMENTALLY LOVING. love is such a core aspect of his character he is so wholly loving that the ring has NO CHOICE but to try to twist that love. bc it’s all Boromir has. love. im going to throw up abt him.

AAAAAAAAAND:

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

has he ever BEEN completely alone? mm, no. has he ever felt that isolated? I think absolutely, by the time the fellowship leaves Caras Galadhon. obviously he doesn’t deal with it well el oh el.

as for how he acts when no one’s around to see him… I don’t think much changes, tbh. he’s not the kind of man to Perform for anyone except his father, and then with the express purpose of placating the man and keeping his ire towards Faramir to a minimum

betrayal: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

been betrayed? hm. truthfully, no, though I’m certain he felt betrayed by Aragorn’s reluctance to be anything resembling a king.

has He betrayed someone? Technically Yes, though again, if we apply the qualifier of “When He’s Of Sound Mind” the answer is no. his betrayal comes under the influence of a Malicious Magical Artifact Which Has Been Fucking With His Mind For Months, so.

bound: Has your OC ever been imprisoned or captured? What happened? How did they get out? Did the experience leave any scars?

ooo, hm. I think not, actually, though it is a fun little idea for angst

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

gestures wildly at canon. I mean that’s his lowest. we’ve all seen it.

desire: What's one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?

again, canon— to see his people safe. he’s very open with that desire, lol

failure: What's your OC's greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

AH. canon again. though what he does to move past it… mm. quite a lot of atonement, I think. perhaps of the self-destructive, working-himself-too-hard variety. I do think speaking with Faramir about *his* experience with the ring would help, because Boromir is the first to hold Faramir up as this sort of paragon of Goodness. so I think to know *Faramir* was tempted would help him better ground his experiences as, like…. Not A Deep Moral Failure Exclusive To Himself

fear: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

ehehe. this is one thing I’ve touched on in a Faramir-centric fic, but the idea that the ring showed Boromir visions of Faramir dying at Denethor’s hand should he fail to return with the ring.

had Boromir lived to discover Denethor had nearly burned Faramir alive…… Mmmm. mmmmmmmm.

future: What's the worst possible future for your OC? Are they taking steps to avoid that outcome? Are they even aware it's a possibility?

worst possible? if he’d actually managed to claim the ring. I shan’t elaborate -_-

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

MM. his own actions. dead friends, dead loved ones. though if you mean literally, haunts him, I do like to think that Théodred’s Oðr pays Boromir a visit every now and again

guilt: What is your OC guilty about? How do they handle their guilt? Do they try to avoid guilt, or do they accept it?

see above. handles it?? mm. atonement, again. direct action. he accepts it and does what he can to make it right

hate: What does your OC hate? Why? How do they act towards the object of their hatred?

HATE? Orcs, probably. Sauron. that tentacle motherfucker outside Moria. he’s not a hateful man, so. shrugs.

heartbreak: Have they ever had a relationship that ended badly? Experienced some other kind of heartbreak? What happened?

that ended badly in the interpersonal sense? mm, unlikely. more ended badly in the “somebody fucking died” sense.

I do think he had One (1) fledgling romance in Dol Amroth that ended with the other squire dying and that was sort of the catalyst for “ah. If I love people they’ll Probably Die, so maybe I won’t do that” baggage that he didn’t really unpack until, I think, Théodred. add the additional layers of Denethor Being Denethor and Boromir having such great standards to live up to…. with all the love in my heart, that relationship only happened bc Théodred saw Boromir, went “I need to fuck that Gondorian so bad it makes me look stupid” and proceeded to work his way through 1700 layers of gondorian mental bullshit just so he could suck some dick (me too bestie)

hide: What does your OC hide? Why do they hide it?

hm. my first instinct is to say “not much” but ultimately I think he’d hide anything he can quantify as “weakness.” his own distress, any physical pain if he needs to be up and moving, etc. he’s only able to share that earnest moment with Aragorn in Caras Galadhon bc of Galadriel’s influence. he’s not used to being seen. so, if there is sth that would hold him back from fulfilling his duty as a soldier it is absolutely getting hidden/ignored.

hunt: Who or what is your OC hunted by? A person, a feeling, a past mistake? Is your OC able to let their guard down, or are they constantly alert?

hm. not necessarily Hunted, but I do think he is followed by Denethor’s expectations. it’s sth I’ve talked abt in another ask + that I go into in the costuming doc but such a key element of Denethor’s design is his son’s motifs but Richer, Grander. so… I do think Boromir is constantly alert of, like, how his father will perceive him, bc there is this very insidious sort of competition, this need for Denethor to show his sons up (whether a conscious need or not). and I do think that would weigh on Boromir quite heavily

mask: Does your OC wear a mask, literally or figuratively? What goes on beneath it? Is there anyone in their life who gets to see who they are under the mask?

mm again I think he only really wears a mask/performs for Denethor. anyone else would be too much effort for too little reward. at least if he plays Golden Son for his father, it keeps Faramir from being harassed as much

however, as for who gets to see him when he’s.. not just unmasked but actually RELAXED… Faramir, his uncle and cousins, Théodred, Aragorn, the others in the fellowship but particularly Merry and Pippin

midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

does he have nightmares? oh definitely. what he does in the small hours of the night? depends. if he’s on campaign/traveling/otherwise away from Minas Tirith he will either lay there in his bedroll and Think (bad) or get up and write letters. depends entirely on where he’s stationed/who he’s with. if he Is at home in Minas Tirith, I expect he just goes for a walk + looks at the sky

mistake: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

I think I’ve pretty much answered all of this above, so skfjsjdh

monster: Is your OC monstrous in any way? Is there something that makes them monstrous? Are they aware of their own monstrosity? Do they accept it or reject it?

nah, he’s not ❤️‍🩹

nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?

answered w midnight for the most part— I’ll just add that no, he wouldn’t really talk about his nightmares. that requires showing vulnerability lol. I think Théodred and Aragorn are the only two who could coax him into speaking about his nightmares/fears (he wouldn’t want to burden Faramir with such nonsense)

pain: What's the worst pain your OC has ever felt? Do they have a high pain tolerance?

answered sorta (yes he has a high pain tolerance) but worst pain? gonna go with three orc arrows to the chest

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

HMMMM again I don’t think there are many secrets. I do think if Denethor found out he liked men it would be disastrous

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

hm. I think he’s generally at ease with himself, or at least content with Not Thinking About These Things. I think, had he directly survived the arrows, he would have to grapple with like. the idea that he did prove Aragorn’s fears about men correct (whether Aragorn would agree with him or not)

torture: Has your OC ever been tortured? Would your OC ever torture someone else?

Four Months Of Slow Mental Degradation Due To An Accursed Magical Artifact!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

(no he wouldn’t torture anyone else)

wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?

hm. He would say mostly physical wounds. I’d argue a mix of both. he’ll accept as much care as he needs to stay on his feet and fighting. worst wound is definitely still arrows lol

[heycerulean]

May I ask what "to:a" stands for?

to:a stands for Transmission Origin: Arke, which is a shared Wolf 359 AU between me and @st-peculiar .

It chronicles the lives of the people aboard the U.S.S. Arke (otherwise known as ARKE: INTL, or ARKE: INTERNATIONAL), a mission fathered by Goddard but with ties to several other global companies. It was launched after the failure of the Hephaestus mission, as a sort of spiritual successor; a giant, better-equipped ship, to finally figure out what the fuck was going on with the stars.

Also, everyone's speaking several languages, the crew's a wreck, the aliens are mean and there's like 7 editions of Pryce and Carter in different translations sitting on the table. And gravity!

Right now, we've got 7-8ish characters, but the full Arke staff is around 27-28 (this part is still a HEAVY wip).

Some examples of our people so far: - Ithax, the ship's AI unit, who is NOT doing well with the engineering of the ship and in some kind of fucked up partnership with his company-provided engineer, Marijn Lamarr. They're fun together. - More on Marijn Lamarr; he's everyone's (not-)favorite technician who WILL yell at you if things go wrong and is constantly in some kind of turmoil. They're a sweetheart to Ithax at least <3 - Dr. Basil "Baz" Dow Thorne, resident astrophysicist with a cool database of stars (S.E.A.S.) that he is WAY too into. He's canonically good at pictionary and irrationally terrified of waterslides. What's not to love? - Chief Ossian J. Hellström. He misses his husband and he will never admit that. Resident grump. (honestly, he's allowed to be grumpy, the entire station is a Frankenstein in so many ways and it's his job to keep it running) - Officer Beauden Locke, That One Guy Who Got His Memory Wiped And Got Angry About It (justifiably). Resident skeptic and beloved comms officer. - That one dude in medical with the herbal science degree nobody trusts to do medicine (plant monster pt. 2) - KC Ruona, the alchemist who. Really hasn't done much, and everyone kind of tries to stay away from her, but is also actually chill. 'We Love KC Ruona' we all say in unison. - The Chief of Arms that everyone's fucking terrified of (we should really make them a name) - The Unnamed Captain Who Also Canonically Doesn't Have A Name And Is Just Referred To As "Captain" (hope to god you never piss them off. hope. to. god.)

[ritens]

Hey, quick question:

How did you manage to create an intricate original fantasy world? I find myself struggling to come up with, well, practically any proper original worldbuilding and I am in awe (and even a bit envious) of your prowess from what I know of your original world. So, how did you manage, how did you get the spark that became that world?

Oh, not sure where to begin. It's kind of a sensitive thing. I can't give any good advice bc building things in my mind is how I cope with the world.

The world (or rather an imaginary island that exists somewhere on our planet, I don’t actually like creating large scale whole worlds because I’m detail driven and I’d go insane mapping the streets of an entire globe) was made as a place for existing OC stories to take place. I had designed folks for various game settings and eventually in 2013 I got this thought that maybe I should try to connect the legs of these character AUs to the body of the spider, the one main world - Sydrathna.

The island itself was frankensteined together on the basis of "oh I want this oc to do this in a place like this" and just piled it up until something bigger formed. I get a random thought and go - yeah I’ll add that to the lore. And have been doing this for over ten years now. It doesn’t have to make sense at first. Get an idea and start knitting around it (aka connecting one OC's story to anothers to form a timeline) and it will eventually blend in. Its extra fun stuff when two OCs come from very different backgrounds and have to connect.

Biggest inspirations for my personal setting are classic fairy tales and media that has the vibes. Latvian folk stories, Irish folk stories, H.C. Andersen's fairy tales. Chronicles of Narnia for the portal connecting the surface and "underwater" sections of the island.

Tldr: I don't know what I'm doing but it's fun so I'm doing it.

[mrhyde-mrseek]

Welcome!

Please, take a seat. Would you like anything? A cup of tea, perhaps? Coffee? Hot chocolate?

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

General "about" stuff

🤎COMMISSIONS🤎

First of all, hi! You can call me Nikki, Nik, Mr. Hyde, Hyde 'n' Seek, anything really, I'm not picky. My pronouns are they/them. I’m 18+, so if that makes you uncomfortable that’s 100% okay and you don’t have to follow, but I try to keep my posts PG-13 at most.

Please keep in mind general DNI stuff (homophobia, transphobia, racism, etc.)

This blog is pretty much a smorgasbord of hyperfixations, but the main things you'll see here are:

Gothic/classic lit

Journey to the West

Paganism

Hyacinth: A Greek Tragedy

Various writing projects

Drawings

Mythology

Other interests that I occasionally post about include:

Good Omens (I don’t support Neil Gaiman!!!)

Scooby-Doo

Random queer shit

Gravity Falls

Cryptidcore/spooky stuff

Moomin

The Glass Scientists

Doctor Who

Science Most Sinister

I’ve got an ongoing gothic lit au that I’m writing here called Science Most Sinister, or SMS for short. It’s split into three volumes, with Volume I being completed, Volume II being a WIP, and Volume III not yet up. I don’t have a schedule, so updates kind of come whenever I have time to write them.

The books I Frankensteined together to create it are:

Sherlock Holmes

The Time Machine

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Invisible Man

Frankenstein

Dracula

🤎Masterpost🤎

Other WIPs I talk about:

The Case Files of Clara Holmes - a gothic lit trilogy I plan on actually publishing one day. It follows Clara, the cousin of the famous assumed-to-be-dead Sherlock Holmes, and her adventures with a society of misfits.

Red Sun - a JTTW story set in the 21st century about an immortal peach theft and the oblivious reincarnation of Red Boy.

The Afterlife Chronicles - my oldest trilogy that I’m still working out the plot and lore of. For now, think of it as a cross between Good Omens (except not written by a r*pist), dark fantasy, and the aesthetic of Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power album. I also plan to publish this someday.

The Haunted and the Hollow - my oldest standalone that has gone through many, MANY revisions. It revolves around a summer camp for teenage and preteen witches and the mystery surrounding it. I also plan to publish this eventually. If you like Gravity Falls, gay people, cryptids, or Welcome to Night Vale, you’d probably like this.

Hyacinth: A Greek Tragedy

This is one of my pride and joys! It’s a musical I’m working on! Hyacinth: A Greek Tragedy, or simply Hyacinth, is a retelling of the myth of Apollo and Hyacinthus. I’ve been posting song lyrics as I write them.

🪻Info post🪻

Paganism

I have been a practicing pagan for about half a year currently. It’s not the main focus of this blog, but I post about it fairly often. I’m also working on my tarot skills!

Deities I currently work with:

Apollo ☀️

Dionysus 🍇

Aphrodite 🐚

Ares and Mars 🗡️

Athena 🦉

Lilith 🕷️

Deities I currently worship:

Hades 🪦

Persephone 🥀

Hermes 🪽

Artemis 🌙

Misc. interests

Other things I haven’t posted about yet (and if I have, I don’t remember) but may in the future include:

Various horror podcasts (TMA, Welcome to Night Vale, Malevolent)

The Owl House

Percy Jackson

Night at the Museum

The Amazing Digital Circus

Over the Garden Wall

I will always put content warnings at the beginning of a post if it contains something that may be triggering or upsetting!!!

[masquerade-of-time]

Doing a silly little Heroes of Light au characters allusion like. Chart? Sheet? Whatever. It's Just for people that dont know team M/HUZE, SPTR, and Malleus and Solane's allusions and a good place for people to find them.

Team M/HUZE

-Maron Russet - Dr Jekyll (Jekyll and Hyde) & The Soldier With Green Whiskers (Wizard of Oz)

-Harlequin(Maron's Semblance) - Mr. Hyde (Jekyll and Hyde)

-Udell Sacramento - Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein)

-Zane Goldwin - Frankenstein's Monster (Frankenstein)

-Ebony Spring - Elizabeth Frankenstein (Frankenstein)

Team SPTR

-Sangria Russet - Bloody Mary (Folklore)

-Peach Midori - Hanako-San (Urban Legend)

-Taupe Mesha - The Goatman (Folklore)

-Reggie Gray - The Chupacabra (Folklore)

The Old People™

-Malleus - King Evardo (Wizard of Oz)& The Servant of Evil/Alexiel Lucifen d'Autriche (Evillious Chronicles)& The Headless Horseman

-Solane - Princess Langwidere (Wizard of Oz)& The Daughter of Evil/Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche (Evillious Chronicles)

[wufflesvetinari]

just for the hell of it here is a new year’s day list of my favorite books i read this year. i didn’t read nearly as much as i wanted to but i DID read a good proportion of hard or classic SFF, which has to count for something. variety, maybe.

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, James Tiptree, Jr. - this is a scifi short story collection that repeatedly punched me in the gut and continues to haunt me with weird nihilistic alien sex concepts as metaphor for the human condition. Tiptree was a female science fiction writer active in the 60s-80s, writing under a male penname. themes included gender, apocalypse through human error, biological-drives-as-cosmic-horror, and Weird Alien Sex Stuff. all of this is wrapped up in gorgeous prose and a sense that she knew something about the future you really didn’t want her to be right about. (also the stuff she pulled in terms of writing craft is just unhinged, really admire it)

Blindsight, Peter Watts - okay this...admittedly is another extremely bleak book about biological-drives-as-cosmic-horror and apocalypse through human error. but i promise it’s different. it’s like Weird Human Neuroscience + Unknowable Aliens and also there are vampires for some reason, but they are SCIENCE vampires who have a glitch in their brain when they see right angles (crucifixes). look i...can’t describe blindsight. read it and get depressed with me.

Uprooted, Naomi Novik - ok, for something completely different, this has such a classic “fantasy book i loved in middle school” vibe but it’s good. there’s a young woman in a small village who gets dragged into magic beyond her understanding but SURPRISE! turns out she is also magic and you can’t stop her from doing whatever the fuck she wants. consists of Prissy Love Interest constantly saying “no, what you are proposing is physically impossible” and her just doing it and him becoming increasingly distressed because that’s not how any of this should work, jesus. just a very cozy power fantasy with some fun magic system stuff imo

A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny. i bounced hard off his chronicles of amber when i was younger but this book is...how do i describe this book. this book is cozy and creepy halloween fun. in the background, various stock characters (frankenstein, dracula, a witch, the wolfman, etc) are playing a polite but intricate game of shifting alliances and power that will allow them to either shepherd lovecraftian gods into this world or keep them out. BUT the book is told entirely from the POV of their animal familiars, who are doing their own wheeling and dealing with each other. it’s a quick read and a surprisingly nice one, with characters acknowledging that they might end up killing each other but it’s nothing personal and everyone admires each other lol. 

...oh fuck that’s right i read The Dispossessed this year. um...ok. this was a REALLY good book but it’s ursula le guin so that is obvious and i should’ve read it way sooner. it blows most other things out of the water. read the dispossessed for a really thoughtful exploration of society-wide implementation of principled anarchy and how that might work and/or not work. there’s this really bittersweet proposition that the unifying human experience is pain, but in a way that is more comforting than nihilistic. 

Misc:

for short fiction, i LOVED this baroque-styled cosmic fantasy (“The Twenty-Second Lover of House Rousseau”) about a courtesan-bot gaining self-awareness and taking cathartic revenge. what sets this one apart is the voice imo

for fanfic, i liked “Macushla” by Hinn_Raven, an AU where Stephanie Brown gets picked up by the League of Assassins at a young age and is assigned as Damian’s bodyguard

for tv, i found The Peripheral extremely fun character-wise and stylish to look upon, a sort of post-William Gibson William Gibson

ah shit, i think Our Flag Means Death came out in 2022 as well. wow!!

[dinfern0]

halloween au! when u can’t find a perfect bf and you end up making one (and he hates you)

[marigoldvance]

AUpocalypse Week One: Drama or Thriller

The Frankenstein Chronicles, DarkHawk, T

[drabble under cut]

Once, Ross had yearned for death. Soon after he’d forsaken Demelza and their innocent Julia, Ross had reached his arms to Heaven and had begged God to forgive him, to welcome Ross into His kingdom where Ross could reunite with his family.

Instead, God had given him dreams. Vivid images that had confused reality upon waking; images of Demelza, her clever eyes and shy smile, hushing Ross over her shoulder as he’d approached her. She’d stood over Julia, tucked into her bassinette at the base of a large oak, its leaves ruffled by a breeze. Julia had cooed, plucked the air with her teeny, fat fingers and had given Ross a gummy smile so pure it had moved Ross to tears.

And then the waters had risen, and their images had faded, abandoned Ross to the tug and pull of the undertow. Weighted down by his guilt and anger, Ross hadn’t had the strength to break the surface, only his fingertips grazing the air he’d so desperately needed as he’d splashed and sank for eternity.

Perhaps, if he hadn’t turned his back on God, he would’ve been allowed to die.

“He lives,” Ross heard, the voice tinny and faraway. Then, “Oh,” it breathed in the same pleasure and relief as a new parent, “He lives.”

Ross recognized the voice as belonging to Lord James Hawkins, or “Jim, please, I’d like to think of us as friends.”

Sweet, conniving Jim, who had torn apart and put together the pieces of seven children. Whose beautiful, dimpled smile had seduced Ross into his bed – into his body, for fuck’s sake – and had charmed Ross’ inquiries up other, less rational avenues.

Jim, who had wasted his stepfather’s fortune in a pursuit to defy God Himself.

“Look,” Jim said, voice lilting. Ross felt Jim take his hand in both of his and lift it. “See? You’re cured.”

Finally, Ross peeled his eyes open, the command travelling at a slow pace from his brain to his lids. His vision was blurred, watery, but he could identify the shape of Jim’s short, delicate fingers curled around his. Jim turned Ross’ hand, pressed Ross’ palm to his scruffy cheek and sighed as if the world suddenly made sense.

Ross’ eyes narrowed on the stripe of flesh visible beneath Jim’s embrace, not quite comprehending that it was bare of infection though accepting the impression of the complex thought. Shifting his gaze to Jim’s face, he noted Jim’s expression to be one of complete and utter wonderment. Ross had never been looked at like that before.

Jim released his hand. Ross brought it closer to his face to inspect, mind sloughing through the process of interpreting what he saw. The syphilis, at last it supplied, it’s vanished. In a belated effort, Ross took stock of himself. His body felt distant, foreign, like a new suit that needed altering. With trembling fingers, Ross touched where the only pain he detected pulsed mutely, the pads grazing over ridges that weren’t there before the—

Gallows.

Ross choked, slapped his other hand to his chest and dragged it up toward his neck, blunt nails scratching at the newly threaded stitching they found.

“Hush, darling,” Jim soothed, took Ross’ hands in a firm grip, “You’re entirely yourself, I promise.” He tilted his head, blond curls catching the gauzy light and illuminating them like a halo, “Come now, and let me show you how perfect you are.”

Gently, Jim supported Ross through the motions of sitting and then standing, guided him into stiff, wobbly steps with an arm around Ross’ back and the hand of the other clutching Ross’ wrist.

“You are the next step,” Jim praised, his body so, so warm against Ross’ side, “An existence where the is no suffering.”

Ross tried to clear his mind as it trundled ahead, unable to concentrate on more than putting one foot in front of the other. Jim’s words were clear as bell, but their meaning slid off Ross’ brain like water off a duck’s back. When next he managed to pick his gaze up from his toes, Jim had him stationed in front of a long, rectangular mirror. Ross was nude and grey, skin the color of ash, and there was a terrifying Y shaped scar that ripped his front into sections from each shoulder down to his navel.

That was his punishment for getting Caroline killed, for refusing to listen to Enys. For ignoring his instinct because he was greedy for Jim’s supple form bending and arching beneath Ross’ caress. God’s final verdict.

Jim observed him with all the love of a new mother. He continued his speech, eyes reverent, voice barely above a whisper, “Because there is no death.”

Ross was frightened, confused, yet, seeing Jim’s face, his naked devotion, Ross couldn’t find it within himself to suffer. That man, that brilliant, doting, blasphemous man, had made Ross anew, brought him back from the abyss and returned to him his life. All at once, Jim became Ross’ father, his lover, his teacher.

“You remarkable thing,” Jim said, turning Ross’ face away from their reflection. Jim brushed his lips across Ross’ parted mouth, hovered in Ross’ space while Ross panted harshly, awareness catching up to the turmoil of being resurrected.

When Ross’ breath evened into steady inhales, Jim cradled his jaw and leaned in, kissed Ross with more heat, more purpose. Ross began to respond in increments, shifting clumsily to join himself against Jim’s front, fingers twitching, hands finding purchase on Jim’s narrow hips. With strength he hadn’t possessed before, Ross slid his palms over the swell of Jim’s arse, under Jim’s thighs and lifted Jim into into his arms. He staggered sideways, spun and slammed Jim’s back into the wall beside the mirror, kept Jim there as he tried to find his voice. He had so many questions.

It took several beats, swallowing and grunting in frustrated bursts when the words refused to form on his tongue. He could picture them, could feel the memory of them on his lips, yet couldn’t push them out. Jim held and encouraged him, swept his thumbs over the peaks of Ross’ cheeks and nudged the tips of their noses together.

Ross’ first word as an unholy monster was, “Jim.” falling between them like some burped, bulbous thing. Jim nevertheless responded with delight, his laughter ringing like church bells.

“You will learn quickly, my love, I know it.” Jim promised, tapping Ross between the eyes as affection bloomed across his features.

And so it was that Ross Poldark betrayed God and cheated death, merrily damned to walk the earth again in the company of his creator.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON AO3 ⛓️💔

[ask-gothc-lit-aus]

When you randomly come up with something

My brain at 3:00 AM: No sleep We are going to write a fiction In which Victor and Adam look Identical And Adam is not 8' tall With yellow eyes, And victor Has gone to prison before So for some reason he still has Prison clothing And Adam gets framed For A crime that he did not commit And Adam Switches places with victor Victor get executed Instead of him And Adam emotionally breaks down and we're going to make the reader cry

Me: Please I just want to sleep But I will write that down

[pointlessadventures]

The Modern Frankenstein

“Which would you rather be? Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?” Her eyebrow and her lips quirked similarly as she leant forward. Edmund leant back in his chair.

“Jekyll hardly had to chose. Why should I?”

Edmund Pevensie hardly knew what he was in for when he began studying law at the prestigious Redwood University, but a series of events leads him to believe that the university has more secrets than it lets on and he is capable of more than he ever thought he was able.

An Edmund Pevensie/Orginal female character, dark academia au, coming soon.

[elizadoolittlethings]

Directing Frankenstein

has anyone seen this? LIVE?

knew there was something in it when i started a fic [x] 

now i need to complete it!

[owlsparagus]

Victorian AU with Royal doctor Law and street fighter Luffy  

One where Law is Doffy´s personal doctor (against his will basically) and Luffy a street thug/brawler/man for odd jobs and they meet when Law is called in for an autopsy or something to help the local detectives and Luffy basically hauls over the bodies and does his own investigation. Law refuses the help but when the killer starts targetting him Luffy saves him and then they work together to solve the murder mystery or something I dunno 

I love murder mysteries make it a Frankenstein Chronicles AU or something I´m weak for it.    

[reine-du-sourire]

The Only Acceptable Canon is Pachelbel.

Welcome to this conglomeration of my thoughts, ideas, whims, and jokes that I find hilarious and that others will just shake their heads in sheer exasperation at. 

I run @thegothiclitcoffeeshop, Chauncey’s. It's exactly what you might think. Stop by for a drink and a laugh.

In the works: The Oak Pancake Café.

Also: Pride Rock Incorporated, my Lion King AU where everyone is human and works in an office and wears suits and everything.

Original posts: ainsi parle la reine (thus speaks the queen)

Here are some things that I like. This may be a good indication as to what I'll be posting (re: rambling, infodumping, fangirling) about.

Anime and manga ~ kuroshitsuji, bnha, danganronpa, genshin impact, vnc

Shakespeare, opera, gothic lit, and other classics ~ shakespeare, opera, the most dangerous game, the picture of dorian gray, frankenstein, dracula, the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde, p. g. wodehouse (jeeves and wooster), phantom of the opera, sherlock holmes, aj raffles, the most dangerous game, and my favorite book of all, twenty thousand leagues under the sea

Playing my violin, and music ~ violin, music, opera

Etymology, puns, and wordplay ~ puns

Plus ~ redwall, descendants, pirates of the caribbean, brotherband chronicles, ranger’s apprentice, thea stilton, disney, imagine your otp, ninjago, picrew, tintin, ao3, fantastic beasts, batman, marvel, cross stitch, alignment charts

...these tags aren't perfect, so please search my blog for the above if the tags don't work. Trying putting a hashtag first. The content is there- you just might have to look for it!

Feel free to message me! Requests are always open and I get bored.

~

Consider yourself warned. Enjoy my little kingdom.

[gatheringfiki]

AUpocalypse - Summary

Thank you so much for all your responses - we hope you've enjoyed the first edition of this new event and we'll get to run many more in the future!

As per the usual, you can find the summary of all responses below:

Week 1: Drama or Thriller

Leverage AU by @king-on-carven-throne

The Man From Earth AU by @patchworkideas

Moulin Rogue AU by @i-am-still-bb

The Frankenstein Chronicles AU by @marigoldvance

Week 2: Action or Adventure

Tangled AU by @king-on-carven-throne

The Walking Dead AU by @damnitfili

Transformers AU by @patchworkideas

Dante's Peak AU by @i-am-still-bb

Curfew AU by @marigoldvance

Week 3: Sci-Fi or Historical

Equilibrium AU by @marigoldvance

Hamilton AU by @king-on-carven-throne

Roman (?) AU by @i-am-still-bb

Week 4: Romance or Comedy

Call Me By Your Name AU by @i-am-still-bb

Dracula AU by @sugarsu

Scooby-Doo AU and The 10th Kingdom AUs by @king-on-carven-throne

Please let us know ASAP if we've missed anything!

Coming up next: Drabble Challenge 7! Stay tuned ~

~gatheringfiki

[the-gay-prometheus]

Frankenstein AU Segment - “Willful Disobedience”

Clervalstein yearning goes brrrrrrr

Anyways- uh... so as I said at the beginning of pride month, my goal for June is to write at least one directly Clervalstein related AU segment each week because gay. 

This time around, I was inspired to write about the events that led to how Henry would eventually find Victor and the Creature on the mountain, so in terms of timeline, this takes place before all segments I’ve written except for “Home Again” and “Same Scars, Same Stitches.”

A couple of fun little tidbits about the making of this segment (feel free to skip over them and get right to the segment below the cut, this is just me rambling about some inspiration):

1. The whole bit with Victor drawing and the Creature mimicking him by drawing as well was somewhat inspired by the “Forbidden Friendship” scene from How to Train Your Dragon. I listened to that specific track from the movie score a few times while I was in the process of thinking about this idea!

2. Another bit of musical inspiration actually came from the Chronicles of Narnia, specifically the track “Evacuating London” from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. If you time it just right and you’re somebody who can actively read and listen to music at the same time, it should somewhat line up with the last few paragraphs (excluding Henry’s bit at the end) - starting at where Victor says “I’d give anything-”, then with the little piano part being timed with the paragraph that starts with “It was intricately detailed-”, then the major swell in that half of the song should line up with the paragraph where the Creature begins feeling the need to disobey Victor’s most important rules; then comes the part that begins with a bit of bells and eventually vocalization, and that entire half of the track should align with the Creature carrying out his plan at least most of the way. Of course - all of this depends on your reading speed, but I would definitely recommend listening to the song after reading at least and imagining those parts of the segment along with it if you’re interested in a little peek into my crazy writing process! 😅

Anyways- this is another wholesome segment, so no warnings needed to my knowledge!

As always, all likes, reblogs, and comments of any kind are welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated!

~~~

Sunlight warmed the cold stone of the mountain ridge upon which Victor sat. His sleeves were rolled up on his arms, as the heat from the summer sun was felt much more intensely up on the mountain top despite the cool alpine breeze. Heavy clouds capped the peaks beyond though the sky was primarily a clear blue, and mist drifted through the valleys below. Though the view was magnificent, the sketchbook that sat on Victor’s knee contained no trace of the mountains. His eyes darted from the open page to the horizon, but it wasn’t the horizon he was searching for. As he stared over the peaks beyond, it wasn’t the view itself he focussed on, and instead an image that was clear in his mind. With a slight smile at the thought, he turned his gaze back down to the page and continued his sketching. It wasn’t long before the smile faded as the sound of quiet, careful footfalls upon the stone broke the calm silence, and he became aware of a presence directly beside him. He instinctively scooted himself about a half inch away as the other figure slowly sat at his side, his brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate harder on his sketching. “What are you doing?” came the inquisitive voice of his creation, and he felt the looming figure lean over in an attempt to view what he was drawing. With a further frown, Victor covered over his sketch with his other hand and turned away.

“Last I checked, that was none of your business,” he grumbled in reply. The creature tried to get a better look, but Victor’s hand covered over too much of it for him to be able to see. He sat there for a moment longer, his mind wandering and his gaze flitting about from view to view as he tried to decide what it was he should do. Now that the cabin was finally completed, he found himself with a lack of activities to keep him busy, and though his creator was certainly better company now than he had been when he first arrived to the mountain, he still wasn’t much of a conversationalist and was often preoccupied with his own thoughts or projects. Out of ideas, he hummed something softly to himself, some tune he had once heard Victor singing one day many weeks ago. Victor lifted his eyes at the sound and glanced over at him, but the moment the creature returned his gaze, he rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning back to his sketching. Quieting himself at his creator’s reaction, the creature sighed and stood, walking back toward the cabin. Victor almost felt bad - almost - but he kept drawing, now absentmindedly humming the same tune. After a few minutes, he became distracted by the sound of footsteps once again, but this time the creature sat a ways away from him. He went quiet, trying to ignore his creation and keep his focus, but he heard the scratching of another pen on paper, then a pause, then more scratching, and he felt himself being watched. With an exasperated sigh, Victor dropped his pen beside him and looked over to the creature. “What on earth are you doing?” The creature looked up at him, his expression blank.

“Last I checked, that was none of your business,” he answered matter-of-factly. Victor stared at him a moment, then frowned.

“Back talking me? That’s new.” The creature blinked, but didn’t answer, instead turning back down to the piece of paper that lay on his knee and continuing to draw something on it. Now thoroughly curious, Victor stood, walking over to him and standing behind him to look over his shoulder. The creature made no efforts to hide his drawing, and Victor could clearly see the rough beginnings of a person sitting in the exact same pose he had been sitting in. “Are you… drawing me drawing Henry?”

“Ah, so you were drawing someone named Henry.” Victor blushed furiously.

“Oh you sly bastard,” he muttered. The creature glanced up at him. “How clever of you, to get an answer out of me like that.”

“That was not my intention, but I cannot say I am disappointed by the result,” the creature responded simply. Victor sighed, sitting down beside him before flopping dramatically onto his back. Now trying to think based on memory, the creature gazed off into the distance before looking down at his paper and continuing to draw. “May I ask who this Henry person is?” he asked as he drew. “I hear you speak the name often. He must be of great importance to you.” Victor wanted to be angry. He wanted to tell his creation to mind his own business and stop prying into his personal life, and yet… he couldn’t be angry - not while Henry was the topic of the conversation, anyway.

“Henry is… was my…” He paused, carefully thinking about how to choose his words, “closest friend.” There was a length of silence as he felt an ache in his chest from the thought of Henry, and the creature took a moment away from his drawing before returning to it.

“Tell me about him,” he suggested as he sketched. Victor sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, holding his sketch of Henry over his heart as he stared into the sky.

“Where to even begin with him,” Victor uttered quietly.

“Describe him to me.” Victor lifted his sketch up and stared at it, before holding it out to the creature. The creature glanced up, and looked at it with a curious expression. Victor gave him a curt nod, signaling that he was welcome to inspect it closer, so he gently took it from Victor’s hand and inspected it closely.

“He’s tall, but not too tall - just tall enough that I have to look up in order to look into his eyes. And he’s always well dressed - I don’t think there’s ever been a day when he wasn’t looking his best, though I suppose I might be a bit biased on that.” For a moment he wondered just how much further he should go with his description. How could he describe someone like Henry without giving his true feelings away? He hesitated, then sighed with a smile. His creation already knew one of his secrets, and, after all, it wasn’t like he was going anywhere or seeing anyone else, so what harm was there in completely venting his thoughts? “He has the most thoughtful hazel eyes, toffee brown around the edges and streaked with emerald green that deepens toward the pupils, the kind of eyes you could get lost in if you stared for too long.” The creature’s pen went still and he looked up toward the horizon, trying to imagine what Victor was describing. “And his hair is long - not quite so long as yours, but ends just past his shoulders - and lays in tangled waves always kept tied back, though a few strands never fail to set themselves free. When the sun hits it just right, I could swear it was made of fire,” Victor breathed as he pictured it in his mind. “It’s the kind of brilliant auburn that takes your breath away, that seems to gleam with its own radiant light. Sometimes I swear he’s more angel than man, and perhaps if angels do exist, he may well be one of them.” The creature smiled, but the smile soon faded as his mind drifted to Paradise Lost and further to his past. He blinked the thought away, then turned his eyes back down to his art, setting Victor’s drawing of Henry down at his side. “He’s covered with what must be thousands of freckles, mostly concentrated on his cheeks but they expand over his face and at the very least his arms, chest, and back. I would liken them to… dark stars against a bright sky,” Victor explained. He raised an arm up and began tracing lines in the air as he continued. “I used to try to find constellations among them, and sometimes I thought I nearly could. Orion, Andromeda, Lepus, Lynx, Pegasus, Phoenix, Vulpecula,” he muttered each constellation as he imagined himself tracing the lines between freckles on Henry’s skin, his chocolate brown eyes seeming to light up with wonder as he grew to be lost in his own imagination.

“He barely sounds real,” the creature interjected nonchalantly, hardly looking up from his drawing as he began to focus closer on it. Victor grinned and chuckled softly.

“I tell myself that every day,” he murmured with a hint of sarcasm. “Surely no man could ever be so perfect, and yet there he is-” He paused, reaching higher toward the sky and extending his fingers to feel the breeze between them, “as real as you and I.” His hand dropped back down to his chest as he heaved a sigh. “There’s no man on earth as generous or as compassionate as my-” He stopped himself, blushing hard as he realized what it was he was about to say. “As Henry, I mean. Just… just Henry.” The scratching of the creature’s pen stopped again, and Victor glanced over at him to see him staring ahead in clear contemplation of the implications of his words before returning to his art. “You know,” Victor began, returning his eyes to the sky. “I can just about guarantee that if it were Henry who made you instead of me, you would have turned out ok.” The weight of his words hadn’t set in before he said them, but now that they were out, they sat heavy on his chest like lead. It took him a moment, but he sucked in a ragged breath and exhaled unsteadily. “If it were him instead of me, William would still be alive.” At those words, the creature froze, as rather than a weight to him they felt like a dagger slowly piercing between his ribs and etching each letter directly onto his beating heart. “And to think… Even if it wasn’t him who made you, if it were him who found you here, perhaps your night terrors would have all but ceased by now. And maybe, by his grace, you would be at peace.” They sat in contemplative silence, both somehow altogether calmed and unnerved in each other's presence. “I’d give just about anything for him to be here,” Victor mentioned, breaking the silence and lifting himself up onto his hands. “And I know all it would take is one letter. He’d drop everything to come here. But that’s… that’s just it. That’s the problem.” He sighed, fully sitting upright. The creature glanced over at him. “I can’t let him just… ruin the rest of his life for me. I don’t know how I could live with myself knowing that I held him back because of my own mistakes.” His eyes dropped to his other side. “And yet… I barely know how I can live with myself without him here.” It was at that moment that he felt something being laid gently on his lap, and when he looked down, he saw the drawing the creature had been working on.

It was intricately detailed, each line placed carefully onto the page with such precision. Though it was only simple line art, Victor could clearly see the image of himself sketching from earlier on the page, but standing in front of him was another figure - Henry. He was exactly as Victor described him, tall and well dressed, with long hair tied back and a few strands that drifted over his face. Though there was no color, his eyes seemed just as gentle and full of wonder as Victor remembered them to be as he stared off to some distant land. His face was covered in tiny dots, freckles, each so meticulously pricked on that Victor could clearly trace some of the constellations he described between them. Tears welled in his eyes as he placed his fingers gently on the drawn image, running them gently down the drawing’s cheek, wishing instead of cool paper that it was the soft, warm touch of Henry’s face. “Did I do him justice?” the creature inquired quietly, trying to read his teary expression. Victor sniffled and smiled.

“You… you’re quite the artist,” he managed to answer. Gingerly, he folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket, slowly rising to his feet. “I’ll… I’ll be back later. I need to take a walk and… clear my head,” Victor mentioned, wiping the tears away from his eyes. “Will you be ok on your own?” The creature didn’t answer for a moment, his yellow eyes staring into the distance as he thought deeply, but soon he snapped his attention back to the present.

“Yes, of course. Take your time, Victor.” Victor sighed and nodded.

“I’ll try not to be too late to return.” His creation watched as he wandered off and eventually disappeared into the trees, before returning to his thoughts. It was strange - in all the months that he had been there, the creature had never once considered disobeying Victor, especially out of the fear that he might abandon him again. Suddenly, however, he felt the strong need to disobey each and every one of Victor’s most important rules. He hated to see his creator so struck with longing, but even more so, he considered the positive ramifications of what his carefully formulated plan might bring. Sure, Victor might be initially upset, but with how much he desperately wanted this Henry person to be there with him, surely it would be well worth it in the end.

The first part of his plan was simple. He would need to break Victor’s trust, and search through his personal belongings. He made his way back to the cabin and slipped into Victor’s room to find a mess of folded papers lying on the bed stand - each paper being a letter he had received from a Henry Clerval. Though all he was searching for was an address, the creature couldn’t help himself and decided to read through some of the letters. As he did, he became even more certain about his decision. Not only was this man exactly as Victor had described, but the connection between them was clearly something so strong that it should have been unbreakable. To his luck as well, the creature managed to find amongst the scattered papers a letter Victor had intended to send as a reply to Henry but never had the chance to send, dated from a time before his creation.

The second part of his plan would be the most time consuming, but also the most critical, and this unsent letter would prove to be the perfect resource. Retrieving his pen and a small stack of paper Victor had stashed away, he began crafting a letter of his own. With as much precision as he could muster, he forged Victor’s handwriting and did his best to copy his style and choice of language. A few hours were spent on this, most of that time spent on crafting one single sentence until he was sure it was perfect before finally continuing on with the rest of the letter. After he completed it, he spent a few more minutes checking it once, then once more to ensure it was in fact as accurate as he could make it, before then spending a little more time practicing forging Victor’s signature and finally signing the note in his creator’s name.

Finally came the most dangerous part. With only his own memory of his travels from Ingolstadt to guide him, he would need to find and deliver the letter to someone who would be able to ensure that it reached Henry safely. Of all Victor’s rules, perhaps his greatest was that the creature was to never descend the mountain, and above all, was never to enter civilization or interact with any other human beings. Each of these would need to be broken in order for his plan to succeed. For a moment, he hesitated. Would Victor become so cross with him over this that he would abandon him once again? Where would he go if he did? What would he do? Who could he turn to? Still, it cut him sharp to think that he might be squandering this small chance to bring his creator some joy after all his sorrow if he were to abandon his plan now. His mind was made - no matter what the outcome would be, he was going to ensure this letter was delivered, and hope that Henry would arrive some day soon just as Victor said he would.

He would need to be swift in order to ensure that Victor would never know he had even left, so he quickly yet cautiously put each letter back in its rightful scattered place as though they had never been touched, and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. With a deep, shaky breath, he could feel a new sensation pulsing through him - a rush of adrenaline that raised his heart rate and widened his yellow eyes. Letter clutched tightly in hand, exited the cabin and broke into a sprint. Down the mountain he ran with superhuman speed, leaping over logs and boulders as though they were mere hurdles. Though he should have balked at sheer cliff faces, instead he lept from them and skid down their sides, ignoring the sharp pain of the rock scraping at the soles of his feet and the palm of his empty hand. Letting his intuition guide him, he continued his swift journey to Geneva. Though the place held painful, dreadful memories for him, the surge of adrenaline that coursed through him overrode the thoughts, and he raced toward the location of the address. Slowing to a walk, his chest heaved and ached from exertion, but he slowed his breathing as he came upon a fence that outlined one of many pastures that outskirted a large house on a hill beyond. In one pasture, he could just barely see a figure on horseback, cantering through a field with his wavy, tied hair flickering ember orange in the sunlight behind him. 

“Can I help you, sir?” came a sudden voice from beside him. He jumped at the sound, instinctively hiding his face in the hood of his cloak.

“I- ...yes. Yes, I believe you can,” he stammered in reply. The stranger, a servant from the Clerval household, gave him a curious look as he held out the letter. “This is a letter for a man named Henry Clerval. I am of the impression that this is his residence?” The servant smiled as he took the letter.

“Ordinarily I would have sent you in the direction of Ingolstadt in Germany, but as luck would have it, master Henry returned home just yesterday.” He inspected the folded letter curiously. “May I ask your name?” The creature froze, gripping his cloak tighter around himself.

“I am but a simple deliverer of this message, kind sir. My name need not be of any concern. As for the letter, I am under the impression that he will understand who it is from once he has received it.” The servant nodded.

“I understand. Thank you - I will see that it’s delivered to him promptly.” With that, the man turned and started off toward where the man on horseback was riding, glancing back at the creature in confusion for a moment before continuing with a brisk pace to the one he would be delivering the letter to. The creature waited a moment longer to watch for the rider’s reaction, smiled, knowing he had made the right decision, and began his sprint back toward home.

“Master Henry? Sir?” the servant called in the pasture, letter held carefully in his hand. Henry’s hazel eyes lifted as he turned his head and gently pulled back on the reins of his mount. The mare he rode slowed to a trot, then to a walk as Henry carefully turned her in the direction of the servant.

“Yes, Marc? What is it? Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing wrong, sir,” Marc replied. As Henry slowed his steed to a stop at his side, he looked down curiously at the other man, who held the letter out to him. “This arrived for you just now from an unknown deliverer. He said you would know who it was from when you read it.” Now thoroughly intrigued, Henry took the letter and opened it. His eyes widened as he beheld the handwriting, and slowly his other hand lifted to his mouth as his jaw dropped while he read. “Is there something wrong, sir?” Tears welled in Henry’s eyes, dripping down onto his freckled cheeks as he looked up from the letter, his expression of shock turning to a tearfully happy smile.

“No, Marc, everything is much better than I had anticipated.” Marc gave him a confused glance. “Will you help me ready a supply pack and ride with me? I will need to be leaving at once.”

“Of course, sir,” Marc replied with a curt nod. “May I ask where it is we are headed?”

“The base of Mount Montanvert.” Henry turned his mount, his eyes resting on the distant mountains. “Be prepared to bring the horses back here for me once we arrive there. I might not be returning for quite some time.”

[dangerousconnoisseurdonut]

Gotham Monster!Verse AU’s?

Alright, but now, you all know that I am obsessed with Gotham AU’s but what I haven’t talked about is my LOVE of the Classic Universal Monsters, and I want to get your opinions on some of these crazy ideas of mine!

Dracula/Vampires: I already have two AU’s lined up with vampires, my Underworld AU/re-write and my Master Vampire Jervis idea so, let’s just move on.

Frankenstein: Victor (do I really have to specify at this point? You all know which one I’m obsessed with) and Bridgit are Strange’s modern day Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein creations and he wants them to mate, but the two can’t seem to stand each other so he hopes co-habitation will force them to get along. One day, however, Bruce comes to get answers about his parents death (or he’s an investigative journalist that gets caught, whichever sounds better) and, instead of outright killing him, they throw him to ‘The Ice Freak and Fire Bride’. Everyone expects to see Bruce get ripped to shreds, frozen and smashed, or just burnt to a crisp, but instead, the pair are most curious about him and attack any who try to take him away from them.

The Mummy: This is one I’m not sure on, just because we’ve had numerous interpretations of the Mummy story (yes, the one with Tom Cruise was trash, but the story idea was still unique). So, let’s try this route; villain of your choice (I’m leaning towards Jerome, Jeremiah, or Jonathan myself) is an ancient Egyptian Prince/Princess who tries to invoke Kek, the Egyptian God of Darkness and Chaos, but is caught before the ritual can be completed and mummified alive. Transport to modern day and the Wayne’s are funding an excavation for the fabled Prince/Princess who Courted Chaos. When they find the tomb, Bruce accidentally gets blood on the sarcophagus and awakens the sleeping prince/princess who is very grateful and wants to make Bruce their consort to rule over the chaos Kek will bring when they successfully bring him about this time.

The Invisible Man: Jonathan (or Jerome just because I can see the crazy little shit enjoying this) invents a concoction that turns him invisible for a few hours which he uses to scare the daylights out of people. Then, one night, Bruce comes upon the scene where a young couple are being mugged and saves them, unaware of his invisible audience. Jonathan tails him to try and understand why he wasn’t afraid of getting hurt and why he would put himself in danger for strangers and tries to psyche him out, but Bruce is quick to realize he’s got an unwanted guest. He fights Jonathan, almost getting the upper hand but he forgot about Jonathan’s chemicals and is sadly knocked out. When he comes too, he is strapped to a bed and Jonathan wants to see just how brave Bruce can be in the face of the unknown.

The Wolfman: Poor, weak, little Jonathan is constantly picked on in high school, and often finds himself being protected from the bullies by his crush, Bruce Wayne. Sick of always needing to be rescued, he wants Bruce to see him as someone strong enough to stand beside him, not behind him. While asking his dad for advice, Gerald has to leave suddenly and leaves an untested serum out where it shouldn’t be. It’s meant to make people better by giving them certain attributes of wolves; their speed, strength, sense of smell and hearing, lightness of feet, everything Jonathan needs for Bruce to really see him. After he takes the serum, people are shocked by how different Jonathan becomes, including less fearful and more aggressive. Soon, however, there are news reports of the bullies of the school being attacked by some rabid dogs, alive but almost torn to pieces. Not to mention Jonathan has started asking Bruce on dates and can be a little... aggressive when kissing. After all, all wolves need a mate.

The Phantom of the Opera: Jervis is the Phantom who loves a stagehand, Jonathan Crane, who loves Theodora Galavan's (Galavan as a woman, *shudders*; I think I just gave myself a case of the heebie jeebies) understudy, Bryce Wayne, a beautiful singer and dancer who sadly has not had the chance to shine yet. Jervis strikes a deal with Jonathan; if he helps Bryce become the star, Jonathan will allow Jervis to have sex with him. Jonathan is so in love with Bryce, and more than a little intrigued by what the Phantom has in store to make Theodora (who’s a real bitch to everyone) leave, that he agrees. As Bryce rises, and Jonathan actually does start to fall in love with Jervis, Jervis himself falls for Bryce's charm and beauty too and decides, why not have his cake and eat it too? Jervis proposes the idea to Jonathan who loves it as he too would get the best of both worlds and wouldn’t have to worry about Bryce being chewed up and spat out by a fickle audience. Jonathan gives her a sleeping draft and they manage to transfer her to 'Underland' where Jervis and Jonathan set about convincing the young Opera Star she'll only get hurt up there, so why not stay with them? 

Creature from the Black Lagoon: My personal favourite of the Classic Monsters, so who better than my favourite Rogue for this one? Bryce is part of an expedition to find remains of a fossil that could prove some sort of link between marine life and land life in the arctic region. While there, she is spotted by a creature that is half man/half octopus (our own Mr. Freeze), who decides she would make a very pretty mate and kidnaps her, taking her to his underground spot that has a dry spot where she can rest. Unable to hold her breath long enough to escape on her own, and knowing the search parties probably think she drowned, Bryce is very limited in options, particularly when Victor offers her a potion that will let her breathe under water where she won’t feel the cold as strongly. Bryce agrees to take it, hoping to get back to her party, but Victor was ready for any kind of tricks and manages to freeze her arms and legs, where he then proceeds to show her how... talented, his tentacles are.

I also have one or two for nature spirit Ivy and one featuring a plot similar to a movie from the early 2000s called Mermaid Chronicles: She Creature, but this is long enough.