#Felicity/Henry

[coyotescribbles]

Presented 100% without context:

"Look, there has to be a - a dolly or something that I can use to get you back upstairs and - and maybe… there's gotta be someone who can fix you-" "Why're you even worried? Just get outta here the boss gets mad enough to send his pet murder machine down here, cameras or no." "…So, what, you're just giving up?" "Why not? That's what you did." "I did not-!" "Oh, quit lying to yourself! Nobody agrees to come on this show unless they are quite literally at the end of their rope, and you aren't any different! You're just like every other contestant, you're running from something, and I'm not talking about Frankie. So just. Run."

[beverlycrushr]

NORTHANGER ABBEY (2007) dir. Jon Jones

[xan-the-emo-trans-man]

”you can’t prove they were gay!”

well you can’t prove they weren’t gay

[dearemma]

[jaeausten]

Forgive me, I have been very remiss in the proper attentions of a partner. What are they? Oh, I ask you how long you have been in Bath, have you been to the theatre and the concert, and so on.

[happygirl2oo2]

Always remember the three G's of the Montague siblings:

[background fanart credit to @brittlestarry, idea inspired by this]

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Northanger Abbey (2007, Jon Jones)

30/09/2024

[coyotedraws]

An actual visual ref for my Contestant OC, Felicity Faustus, aka "Lucky."

(If they never hear the word "lucky" again after this is all said and done, it'll be too soon.)

[constantly-chaotic-and-confused]

Ah yes the three scandalous afflictions: gay, woman and anxious.

[bluedalahorse]

Doubles Over Couples (an aspec Felice vignette)

I’ve always wanted to write a fic where Felice is somewhere on the asexual and aromantic spectra. As it happens, inspiration struck during the holidays, and I wrote up this short fic about Felice in her twenties. As for her co-star this time around, Hillerska’s favorite ginger-haired pal also plays an important role in the story.

A preview:

“Oh, you young people will get bored talking to us,” Felice’s mamma gushes. “We got you a separate table, so you can reminisce about your school days. Won’t that be fun?” Before Felice or Henry can meaningfully respond, their parents split off, remarking to one another about how it’s such a shame the school had to close down. The kids really took it hard, didn’t they? All those lost chances to make memories! Then their voices are swallowed by ambient laughter, the clatter of tableware, and intricate classical guitar melodies floating out of unseen speakers. Felice and Henry are both quiet as the server leads them off to a dark, cozy-for-other-people corner of the restaurant. Felice doesn’t dare look at Henry’s face at first, until they’re sitting across from one another and the server is lighting a candle between them. That’s when the two of them catch one another’s eyes, and it’s clear that they’re having the same horrified revelation.

And now the dedication and the connection to the YR Faves Fest 2024 hosted by @youngroyals-events…

I couldn’t write fics without fandom friends to give me courage and inspiration. When I think about writers whose work has been groundbreaking for ace representation in the Young Royals fandom, I cannot shout out @sflow-er and their ace!Henry nearly enough. It’s because of them that Henry plays a role in this fic, even though my Henry is not the same as their Henry. I am truly grateful to have found them as a friend, and their fanworks will always be some of my favorites.

Happy Christmas Eve to all who celebrate! And whether you do or don’t, I wish you rest, joy, and an absence of family drama.

[coyotescribbles]

"Well… well… well… if it isn't our… l-l-lucky contestant…"

Felicity slid to a halt at the sound of that voice, and - perhaps against their better judgment - backpedaled to look down the corridor they'd just rushed past.

They almost wished they hadn't.

"Don't t-t-take it personally," what was left of Henry Hotline rasped out, visibly shaking from the effort; "but you look like hell."

That seemed funny, coming from him - all that remained of his lower body was a mess of warped metal, tangled wires, and ruptured tubes that slowly leaked a viscous red-brown liquid. His faceplate had been shattered to splinters, his jaws wrenched out of place with loose wires dangling from the broken side, and one camera "eye" dangled from its socket, occasionally spitting tiny sparks, while the other's lens had shattered.

If the blackened burn marks all around it were anything to go by, he'd probably had his face jammed against a light socket or, worse, the broken end of an active fluorescent bulb.

And under the corridor's harsh greenish light, they could see how time had been taking its toll on him, in the sorry shape of his tattered velvet tailcoat, and the way the foam rubber covering his hands was blackened, cracked, and peeling away.

"You're one to talk," they replied dryly, approaching cautiously and on the alert for any unpleasant surprises; "one of us looks like we've gone through an industrial shredder, and it isn't me."

"T-t-touché." Something that sounded like it was supposed to be a wheezy laugh escaped him, and Felicity crouched down across from him, resting their elbows on their knees.

"I also know why I'm down here," they jerked a thumb in the direction they'd come from, indicating the security room with the creepy rabbit; "but I'm wondering… why are you down here? I'd've thought there would be, like… a repair room or something where you would end up after whatever happened in that hallway upstairs."

He laughed again, and this time there was an almost hysterical edge to it as he struggled to prop himself up on an elbow and motion towards the tiny room's back wall. "Wh-why don't you t-t-try reading the writing on th-the wall, sweetheart?" His voice sounded tinny and distorted now, as if moving had jarred something out of place.

They wondered if it hurt him.

The thought sent a twinge of - guilt? remorse? pity? - lancing through their chest, even as they looked up to read what was, indeed, written on the wall.

Let’s reflect.

How did you end up here?

Was it your fault?

How are you going to fix it?

Are you going to revisit Frankie’s Parkour Palace?

Frowning, they looked back at Henry, who had collapsed back into a heap and was looking down at the floor, giggling faintly to himself and shaking so violently that he was audibly rattling.

"I don't-" They shifted forward to rest their weight on one knee and reached out to take hold of his head.

He tensed and immediately lurched away from their touch, fixing them with the one eye that still seemed to somewhat work. "Don't. Do. That."

"Okay, okay! Sorry. Sorry." They held their hands up in surrender for a moment, then slowly lowered them to fold them over their knee. "Henry, what does that mean."

"It means," he sank back down, still giggling hysterically; "that I failed. I didn't keep you occupied long enough for Frankie to catch up to you, and now…"

"And now…?"

"And now, I g-ge-get to reflect on what a failure I am until the boss decides what to do with me."

Felicity's hackles stood on end as an almost electric sensation crept up their spine.

"They're p-pr-pr-probably going to just k-k-kill me, that's what they do to t-the ones that outlive their usefulness." There was a long pause, then; "…the - the only reason they haven't done you in is because you're boosting the ratings. But the first time you slip up…"

Henry's voice dissolved into static and hopeless laughter, and Felicity found themself shaking their head.

"No - no, that won't…" They stood up quickly, pacing and looking around for something, anything that could be used to help. "There's a freight elevator just down the hall, if I could just get you there…"

"They won't let that happen."

God, he sounded so tired, and why did Felicity even care?

"I have to at least try."

"Why? It's not going to - to accomplish anything."

"I - I don't know, okay! But there's got to be a dolly or something down here, right? I could get you upstairs, at least, and there's got to be - there's gotta be somebody here who can fix you-!"

"J-just get out of here, will you? The only thing p-pr-protecting you in the utilidors is the fact that there aren't any cameras, and the audience wants to see you get pulped. But they're gonna get impatient if you drag it out, and then the boss is gonna send his pet murder machine down here to get you, cameras or no, so you'd better start running while you still c-c-ca-can."

Felicity felt numb as they sank down into another crouch, rocking back on their heels and lacing and unlacing their fingers anxiously. "So, what, you're just giving up?"

"Why not? Isn't that what you did when you came here?"

"No! I'm here because I wanted a better life! That's the opposite of just giving up!"

"God, listen to you - would you quit lying to y-y-your-yourself?! Nobody agrees to come on this meat grinder unless they're at the end of their rope. Sometimes a literal rope. You think you're any different? You aren't." Henry pushed himself up on shaking arms and jutted his head out on that snake-like neck of his, getting as close to their face as he could. "You're just like every other contestant, you're running from something, and I'm not talking about Frankie. You're running because that's all you've got left. So just. Run. Already."

Felicity found themself with their back pressed to the clammy cinderblock wall, prepare to fire off another argument - only to be interrupted by the ringing of a phone.

It was almost deafening in the echoing confines of the utilidors.

Henry collapsed in on himself, shuddering, with a wrenching sound that could have almost been a sob.

The phone rang again.

Felicity wanted to yank the receiver until the cord snapped. To throw the offending noisemaker down the corridor. But before they could reach out, Henry had lifted one shaking hand to pick it up.

The explosion that followed a split second later left Felicity's ears ringing. Shrapnel - jagged little bits and pieces of what had once been his head - peppered their forearms, and they were covered in sprays of mechanical gore.

And, for a long moment, they could only stare down at Henry's lifeless body, their heartbeat pounding like thunder in their ears.

[oh-my-wolfstar]

So I just read a gentleman’s guide device and virtue by McKenzie, and it was amazing, hilarious and full of adventure, but throughout the whole thing I got a very Wolfstar vibe from the main couple. Like, a privileged boy from an abusive aristocratic family, who is impulsive, selfish, stubborn, arrogant, but lovable same. He has a strange relationship with a sibling and discovers that he is not his family . He is also desperately in love with his best friend he seems to keep mucking things up with. Said Best Friend is a boy who is physically different from everyone else also has a secret condition. He is faced with bias and comes from a less privileged standing and forces our main character to see the privileges he takes for granted. (we also also have a short main character in love with his taller best friend. )I don’t know, Did anyone else pick up on this? Am I crazy? (it is entirely possible that I read too much fanfiction)

[sillygoofyqueer]

I lurve a Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and nobody could ever ever make me feel otherwise. It's just so perfect and beautiful and IT'S SUCH A SLOWBURN. I like how Monty isn't framed as a good, perfect protagonist. He's a dick, especially at the start. He's a scoundrel who's oblivious to the world around him and yes, he focuses on his problems more than anyone else's - at the start. BUT. As the story goes on, Lee makes this sort of gorgeous, unforced character development where Monty sees his issues, and starts trying to fix it! And other people see this as well - mainly Felicity, who thought he would forever be a dick (Percy always saw the potential for Monty, even when no one else did). AND IT GETS BETTER, because at the end of the book, although there is a clear, significant change in Monty's character - he still retains that little bit of arrogance. AND you know what, good for him!! This man has been through so much shit and can still laugh and joke about these things. He still has these moments where he worries over himself over others. The only exception is Percy. The moment he finds out this thing about Percy, he does everything in his power to think of a way to stop it - even if he doesn't ask Percy himself what he wants, he is still trying so so hard to keep Percy by his side (in his own unique way). Monty is a brilliant protagonist, and I will scream that from the rooftops until the end of time.

[realredbanana]

For the secondary character ask game: 6, 7, 8, 16

Hi, thanks for the numbers <3 (why does that sound so awkward when I type it 😭)

6. Character(s) you have ace, aro, or queerplatonic headcanons for:

　So, this is like 90% projection, but I kinda see Sara as vaguely aro-spec? I think there’s something about the way she talks about crushes that just felt relatable to me so she just kinda ended up vaguely aro-spec in my head. Idk. (Plus her friends seeming baffled that she could possibly have lived 17-18yrs without experiencing a crush (pre-August) was so incredibly real).

　(Others that I don’t really have much to say about: ace!Henry (because I read @sflow-er’s Supplementary facets fic series and it just kinda stuck), and I kinda liked aroace!Felice from @zee-has-commitment-issues’s Reckless Abandon).

7. Character you didn’t initially like/love but have now warmed up to:

　Honestly, August. I found him vaguely interesting at the start, but he annoyed me so much that I just avoided thinking about him, which it turns out was mostly because I just didn’t know what I wanted to do with him. But, now I have an idea of where I could go post-canon (thanks to some of your posts and our conversations), I like him a lot more.

(Insert seemingly obligatory disclaimer within this fandom that, while I do like him, I don’t condone lots of his actions)

8. Pairing you didn’t initially like/love but have now warmed up to:

　I guess saraugust? There’s a few pairings that I’d previously never considered but now quite like, but I don’t think there’s any that I’ve actively disliked that I now like (in fact, there’s only, like, one (non-creepy) pairing that I’m opposed to).

　I think I like saraugust now more than I used to, in the sense that I now think it’d be interesting to see them potentially get back together years in the future (like you’ve mentioned at some point), but I’ve always found their interactions to be pretty interesting (and they both bring out a quite different side to each other).

16. A song that reminds you of a secondary character or pairing:

　Truly, this was a mistake to ask me because I, quite frankly, do not shut up about songs reminding me of characters, so to list a few:

1. Somewhere In Ann Arbor by Anson Seabra vaguely reminds me of post-canon crown prince August pre-growth and stuff.

2. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence + The Machine reminds me of Kristina and the royal family as a whole.

3. Machine Learning by Janani K. Jha indirectly kinda reminds me of Sara in the sense that it kinda reminds me of autistic masking.

(this is very much making me realise how many songs I associate with Simon tbh, because I have a “reminded me of a YR character” playlist, and it seems to be like 90% Simon 😭)

Questions

[mycinematicworld]

Northanger Abbey (2007)

[igrofox]

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