#but imagine Abigail as their daughter instead!

[lily-alphonse]

for the rare pairs, did you ever get one with marlon and rasmodius? i haven’t been able to stop thinking about them together 👀

Old man yaoi is such a crowd favorite fr lmao

Ok you guys aren't ready for where I'm going to take this (except Human) because I had an idea for vampire!Abigail that involves Marlon and Rasmodius getting together. Cuz you know, like, 2 dads or whatever. (Technically 3 but Pierre? Ugh. He’s wimpy comic relief in this only)

For the purposes of this fic, Abigail is the wizard's daughter and only him and Caroline know.

Anyways I'm trying to do A LOT with this one so maybe I just do bullet points this time to give you the idea

There's no farmer, instead Marlon takes Abbie under his wing as a young adventurer

Rasmodius (because he watches everyone, like a creep) sees this and is like UGH not that THAT GUY, because Marlon is essentially his annoying coworker. Marlon tries to be buddy buddy with him and Ras is not about it. Like bro do your job protecting the valley and shut up pls.

Abbie stumbles on something she shouldn't in the mines, accidentally unleashing an ancient evil vampire and getting bit. It's very important to me that she turns into a bat. It happens automatically when the sun touches her skin, as a defense mechanism. She can survive in the sun as a bat.

So shit hits the fan obviously. Caroline goes to the wizard's tower screaming and freaking out because her daughter is missing and she is certain he has something to do with it (she hadn't known about Marlon) and Rasmodius pieces together it probably has something to do with the ANCIENT EVIL now on the loose. He assures her he is going to take care of it and has no choice but to team up with (ugh) Marlon.

Marlon doesn't know about Abbie. Ras is keeping all his secrets close and being careful about which info he gives to who. They go on an adventure of bonding. Important features of which are homoerotic wound dressing, and Marlon getting serious with Ras about his past and stuff. So he sees another side to him and starts to gain respect for the man.

A lot happens next that I don't have worked out yet sue me its just a concept rn. I have a few different ideas for how Abbie's side of things can go. She could potentially get out of the mines and turn into a bat which leads to her flying to the tower bc who else would believe her? Or she could be trapped in the mines with the original vampire and be like his spawn under his control or something.

Either way, we end up at a moment of truth where Marlon realizes Abbie has turned and feels like they need to kill her or otherwise trap her for eternity or something. And Ras is like tf no Im not condemning my daughter to that and Abbie and Marlon both are just [shocked pikachu face]

BATTLE OF THE DADS. DAD DUEL. FATHER FIGHT where they are physically fighting but also arguing about who knows best for her since the wizard has literally never spoken to her in her life but is also the one trying to save her, while Marlon actually did become a strong father figure for her but wants to kill her (only to end her suffering ofc)

Imagine they are fighting and Abbie just calls over them like "Not really suffering a whole lot, to be honest!" because this is a dark comedy as well as a romance.

Ras wounds Marlon badly enough (owie, it hurt his heart to do though, what is this, FEELINGS?) that he is subdued. Abbie and Ras take on the ancient vampire and nearly DIE but Marlon comes back and saves the DAAAY

He has the opportunity to also kill Abbie and doesn't, he's come around to compromise his morals for the sake of the ones he loves

Potentially even more homoerotic wound dressing and then they KISS with their old scruffy man beards and Abbie pretends to vom

The End

If you want this one to exist be sure to reblog and vote for it in the poll! This would be a hell of a fun one

Send me any Stardew Valley rarepair and I will tell you how I would make them work! (Even non-marriage npcs) If youre lucky you may get a mini fic out of it. Check the list below to see if Ive already answered yours

Rarepair Masterlist

@totallyhumanexe @chikoxiko come get ur old men

[royally-spooned]

I wish there were more consequences to divorce instead of just paying a lump sum and getting locked out of hearts. There ought to be deeper, more resounding changes that impact your divorcees and Pelican Town from your actions. Imagine:

Divorcing Emily could cause her to decide she’s had enough of Pelican Town. She quits her job at the bar and moves to the desert with Sandy, just to get away from it all and seek comfort from a friend. Her faith suffers a crisis as she genuinely believed you two were destined together, and given your affinity for the Juminos, wonders if they played unfairly against her. Haley would spout lines about missing Emily and how alone she feels, wishing her weird sister was home again.

Abigail would get more serious about training with the sword, seeing her friends less and less and spending more time at the Adventurer’s Guild, even adopting their member’s gruff standoffish demeanor. Occasionally she could be seen in the mines taking her frustrations out on the monsters within, yet it never quite fills the hole in her heart you ripped open. Pierre and Caroline would both be worried sick about her, not to mention the rift between parents and daughter regarding this dangerous life. Given Gil and Marlon probably suffered heartbreak in their lives as well, they don't take as well to the player anymore and help circle wagons around Abigail should you approach her.

Shane gets worse. The drinking gets heavier again, and Marnie has to take care of his chickens when he goes on the bender from time to time. She clearly is trying to be amicable with you, but its clear in her tone she’s getting worn down from his sudden relapse and blames you to a certain extent. Not to mention Jasmine being one point shy from connecting all the dots, how would she react when she finally figures out you’re the reason he’s miserable?

Penny loses hope, and her shining soul gets eroded as she slowly begins picking up her mother’s habits. Her drinking, her misery, her lashing out. She gives up reading for her personal enjoyment, and the only thing keeping her from slipping entirely is her tutoring of the kids, and Vincent and Jas have taken notice of what you’ve done. They wish the old Penny was back, the one who still believed.

These are the kind of changes you can’t just fix… unless you strike a devil’s bargain at the Witch’s Hut to revert things back to the way they were. Would you divorce so easily knowing that breaking people’s hearts would have their own consequences?

Even worse, imagine just how irrepairably different the entire town would be if you married and divorced everyone, forever traumatizing its population and uprooting their lives?

[tangerinesgirl]

Black Heaven

Chapter 1

Adam 'Frank' Barrett x FemAFAB!Reader

Rating: 18+, dubious content, NSFW

Word count: 700, bite size chapter as a lil tease

Summary: Set in an AU after the events of Abigail, but Frank survives. He starts making his way up the ladder and wants to start a war between him and an existing crime boss, so he kidnaps his daughter; the reader.

Warnings: rape/non con (for now! maybe reader gets more into it later, who knows), mobster elements, smut, exhibitionism, sadism, masochism, sunlight kink, spit kink/spit as lube, lewd acts in a church/religion kink (more on this later)

Notes: This is pure filth I'm sorry (plot what plot). And I have a lot more in mind, so buckle in. I'm still using the name Frank instead of Adam as I'm kinda imagining him keeping the name.

Edit: This fic has now been discontinued, thanks everyone for your continued support.

🦇

You start to regain consciousness as your feet drag painfully across the stone floor. Two men dragging you by your arms. You squint, realising you're in a church, being roughly escorted down the aisle of pews. You yelp in pain as the men slam you down onto your knees as you reach the altar.

Your hair falls over your eyes, as you flick your head back to move it out of the way, you see Frank. He's sat on the steps. Well, sat is putting it politely. His legs are wide open, the deep red robe he is wearing barely covering his modesty. His bare feet separated by three different steps, one pointing to the ground and the other one parallel to his arm, resting on his knee. His other hand caressing his chest underneath his robe. He praises the men for their work as they walk away, laying low in the shadows against the church walls, in case of trouble.

The light streams in from the stained glass window above the altar, lighting you angelically. Frank takes a moment, drinking you in, thinking. You decide to break the silence, "Where am I?".

"Do you like it? I thought it was pretty ironic". Frank gets up with a groan, his feet pattering on the stone steps, walking towards you. He lifts a finger towards the light from the window. It starts to steam up instantly as Frank pulls it away quickly. He swears under his breath, but not in a painful way. "Do you know why you're here?", he asks.

You roll your eyes, "Money". This isn't your first abduction being born into a crime family, it's always about the ransom money, it never ends well. Frank laughs, he opens his arms and spins around looking at his place, "What makes you think I need the money?"

Sunset starts creeping in, the light from the window starts to sink, the same time your heart does. You're confused what you've ever done to Frank, "then what?".

Frank bends down to whisper in your ear, "I just want to have some fun with you, send you back to your daddy, maybe in a box, if you decide to behave or not".

You turn your head to face his, "You really don't want to do that. You'll start a war".

Frank tilts his head, "Maybe that's what I want sweetheart. Besides, I haven't broken the place in yet". The last of the sunlight skims across your body as Frank drags his hand across your chest, exposing your breast. His hand smokes a little at first, but completely stops as the sun sets. He rolls your nipple between his fingers as you look up at him, defiantly. He smiles, he can't wait to play with his new toy, break it, and hopefully fix it. Moulding you into something else, something useful, infiltrating and feeding information back to him. You could rule over the empire together, and maybe give you a little upgrade.

Frank snaps out of his thoughts when you suddenly grab his arm and twist it backwards. The two men draw their guns, but Frank holds up his hand for them to stop. He releases his arm from your grip and squats down in front of you. He takes a moment, observing you.

You decide to break the silence, "Are you going to say some cliché shit about joining you?"

Frank shakes his head, "I wasn't planning on asking".

An anger brews deep inside you, drowning out the pit of fear in your stomach. Before you can even think about what you're doing, you spit in Frank's face.

You can hear the two men release the safety locks on their guns, holding steady.

Frank wipes the saliva from his face and starts palming his cock with the same hand. He never breaks his gaze from you while doing this. You try to remain somewhat calm watching his little show, not giving him any satisfaction. You plaster a scowl on your face as he uses your spit as lube.

Suddenly, Frank stops to grab your hair, bending your neck backwards. He invades your space, you can feel his cock through his robes brushing against your exposed breast. "I ought to teach you a lesson for that". He forces your mouth open and spits into it in retaliation. You writhe under him as he forces your mouth close, whispering for you to swallow. You have to eventually. When you do, he pats your cheek with a little "good girl".

[yandere-fics]

fake marriage?

my time has come...

Let's start with Abigail because I simply love her too much, I have this image that the reader is the youngest daughter of a minor noble house... the reader's parents had made a deal with House Parley a long time ago to be able to marry Abigail to the older brother of the reader but the reader offers her own hand in marriage to the Parleys in exchange for taking her as far away from her power-hungry family as possible.

For Elisha I have a slightly cruel character... in fact the reader for this specific headcanon is a little more cunning and manipulative, I imagine the reader as a recognized assassin in the underground, the best at her job, one day a nobleman arrives to ask for Elisha's head for a fairly considerable amount of money, so the reader accepts without hesitation... this is where the cruel part begins... the reader for a long, long, long time pretends to be the faithful travel companion of Elisha and her lover when at some point the reader asks for Elisha's hand in marriage with the idea of stabbing her in the back on the day of the honeymoon.

I have a bit of conflict with Theanna because part of me imagines the reader as a servant too busy with her own affairs to even think too much about that pretty ring that her princess gave her and another part of me simply wants to see the reader as a young queen who rose to power very much against her true wishes and who now needs to marry the princess of the neighboring kingdom to establish political alliances.

Veronia confuses me a little because due to her nature she simply looks at the reader and says "she is my wife"... but I can also see that the reader was offered to Veronia very against her will since the locals of the town where she was offered her as a sacrifice so that the evil dragon would not unleash her wrath against them.

Ainsley is an enigma but I also have a somewhat crazy headcanon for her and the reader... the reader is simply a potential magical resource never seen before... her blood has magical properties both unknown and powerful no one knows how the reader's blood will act, one day a drop of blood can make the earth fertile and the next day the mere smell of her blood can kill anyone who dares to be close, Ainsley upon hearing this fascinating anomaly decides to go find the reader to study it further in depth... the problem is that the reader's parents refuse to hand over their little daughter just like that... of course unless there is a marriage deal involved to help them get out of the situation in which they find themselves.

(Sorry this took a bit. I had so many ideas about this. Also I recognize the idea behind Ainsley's but I can't remember from where.)

♡ How They React To Being In A Fake Marriage With Their Darling ♡

♡ You were the illegitimate child of a duke whose heirs all dropped dead. A servant your entire life, you had no idea that one day your father would come to you begging you to let him legitimize you so you could marry the future king instead of his children who died one day. ♡

♡ Theanna needed a treaty with one of the dukes and you were his only remaining child, however you really had no desire to be queen. The crown princess could go marry anyone else for all you cared, you'd never interacted with her much but well, her reputation was abysmal. ♡

♡ That was when your father threw himself at her mercy, telling her the treaty could still go on even with his dead children, telling her about his secret child within the palace. Really all she needed was to marry someone in his family to guarantee they'd be allies in the future. So she decided she would go see the secret child for herself, just to see if she was up to standard. ♡

♡ She liked you enough for you to be her queen, if you accepted and so she left the ring in your room and offered you time to 'consider her proposal'. She expected that you would be in her chambers, agreeing to be queen within a month after you finished any business you had leftover, but you, much to her dismay, ignored the ring. ♡

♡ You barely had any time at all to consider the proposal, I mean you were always working so how could you even begin to consider marriage, especially such an important marriage, one that offered no divorce. Too bad for you that Theanna is in a rush, she needed that treaty and so she starts to use her influence to push you into the marriage. ♡

♡ Your wedding was quick and simple. You assumed it was perhaps because she didn't care but really it was the opposite darling, sure she was in a rush to bind your father to her side, but she also didn't want to allow you time to decide this marriage wasn't for you. The first weeks of marriage are completely unremarkable, she didn't visit your chambers once with her influx of paperwork. ♡

♡ Not that you tried very hard either, you said your pleasantries and while you consummated the marriage on the first night, you never came to visit her, nor did you offer her any affection when you two were required to spend a night together once a week.(Not that it was lacking, she more than made up for your lack of affection on those long nights.) ♡

♡ Things did improve after half a year, you two attended events together and occasionally she would invite you to the library with her under the guise of getting her new queen familiar with the royal archives. Occasionally you would spend the day with her in her office and meetings, giving your opinion on the topics you managed to understand. She didn't even force you to get a royal tutor which is something the king's spouse would normally need.(Mostly because that would steal your time from her) ♡

♡ Still this wouldn't do, truth be told waking up with someone next to her, a wife, on that first morning had simply felt right to her, a feeling she wasn't going to let go of. You were her queen were you not? Well then act like it. It may sound like she's being rude but she didn't mean it in a bitchy way. It's just, she understands you had a rushed marriage but haven't you had enough time to adapt to her? She's been more patient than she really ought to be. It's time for things to change. ♡

♡ The Adventurer was bound to have enemies, plenty of people who would want her head, and who were you to turn down easy money? You'd be rich if you even took on five of these contracts to remove her from the picture. Blood cults, nefarious nobles, even mercenaries who thought she was taking all their work. It was all yours for the taking. ♡

♡ You weren't particularly sure what her type was, but it couldn't be that hard to seduce and disarm a lonely traveller, you'd done it plenty of times before without even having to do anything with those people, so she couldn't be much harder. Well that's what you expected but she was surprisingly guarded. ♡

♡ You could tell she liked you but it wasn't easy to get her to be affectionate with you at first. She was constantly flirting with you but never allowed herself to show any real sincerity, until you realized you had to be bold and make the first move. After that, she folded quickly. It only took a few well placed "Babyyyy"'s for her to be at your mercy. ♡

♡ After that it was child's play to get the information that you wanted out of her. It wasn't exactly what you needed, for her to drop her weapons entirely, but it was a step in the right direction and after you killed her then you could always sell this knowledge to the highest bidder. ♡

♡ It wasn't easy to get into a situation where she didn't have her weapons on her though, she was always carrying them when she was traveling, which she was always doing. Even on your first drunk night in the tavern together, her knives were within reach. ♡

♡ You were sure she didn't fully trust you, when in reality she just wanted to always be prepared to protect you. It wasn't you that she didn't trust, it was this world but nevertheless this made your job much harder. You realized you would have to push harder if you wanted to catch her in a position to kill her. And so marriage was the only answer. ♡

♡ You had planned to kill her on your wedding night except she literally stayed awake with you the entire night and you honestly felt really guilty about blindsiding her like that so you gave it a couple of days before you put your plans into motion. It did not go the way you expected. ♡

♡ Elisha found out about the contracts a few months into you dating and instead of being heartbroken, she was outraged that someone must've been manipulating you! This wouldn't stand, they were holding the promise of money over you. You definitely loved you, you must've, you were just too vulnerable. She'd get rid of them for you. ♡

♡ So that night when you straddled her sleeping form and prepared to drive your knife into her heart, she swaddled you tightly in your bedding and locked you away in your bedroom. It was for your best, just for a little while, until she could get rid of the issues plaguing her wife and repairing the relationship. It would only be a matter of time before you realized you could let your guards down and love her fully. ♡

♡ Your parents were determined to arrange a marriage between your brother and Abigail, lost in the delusion that once they wed, he would get to be the Duke of Parley since Abigail had no real interest in the title herself but they still needed someone to manage the house of Parley. He'd offer to be a helpful husband and take care of the title for her while she focused on her knighthood. ♡

♡ Your parents and brother were horribly cruel and while you wanted to propose the idea of you going instead, your parents gave every single opportunity to your brother and so they'd never go for it. So you only had one option, approach her in the tavern before she made it to your estate and offer yourself to her in exchange for freedom from your family. ♡

♡ Abigail was going to decline your parents offer, sure it had been decided since they were young but she was not willing to ever marry a man, still desiring a beautiful lady to dedicate her sword to, and she knew very well that your parents had allowed the promise of the marriage to go to their heads and as in-laws they would compromise the reputation of house Parley. ♡

♡ Yet in you stumbled, having never been allowed to leave your family's estate it was quite a walk, and she was intrigued. She knew very well who you were, you'd had to see each other at balls since you were very young and as far as she was aware, you never left home. According to your parents, you were an introvert, which meant if you'd come in person, whatever you had to say was incredibly important. ♡

♡ You didn't even ask her to go to a private room to discuss it, not risking her not wanting to fully hear you out. You simply tossed yourself at her feet, knowing you would never escape your family if you didn't seal the deal tonight. You were honestly a blubbery mess and it was a miracle she understood what you said. ♡

♡ Your deal seemed decent to her, she still got the connection to your family but she didn't have to deal with the horrible husband and she was sure you weren't likely to allow your parents leeway to ruin the Parley name. Truly she should have thought about it before, why did she never even consider the beautiful sister of her fiance instead. ♡

♡ She was quick to ferry you away from your family, not giving them a chance to berate you for stealing the riches that came with being a Parley away from your brother. Your wedding was a simplistic military wedding and your honeymoon was spent in her private knights quarters. It was a fake marriage thus Theanna didn't grant Abigail's request for time off but it was fine with both of you. ♡

♡ To be frank, you two were very awkward with each other at first since neither of you had planned to get married, it was just a spur of the moment proposal to get you out of your parents estate. It wasn't until you decided to attempt to embroider a handkerchief for you, seeing it as your duty being married to a knight, that she began to fall in love with you. ♡

♡ She had always dreamed of being gifted something like that from her lady, it didn't matter if the stitches were a bit messy or if you were doing it out of obligation, it changed the way she saw you completely and she will start to get very angry if you remind her that it was only an arranged marriage. ♡

♡ You lived in a village near Veronia's territory, one that regularly made offerings to appease the dragon living a few miles away. It was your first year attending the offering and one of the dragon's servants, you assumed, appeared to collect the offerings. ♡

♡ She was extremely friendly, not someone you would expect to be working for a dragon but then again you could never really tell with people, even the most sane might be bond to servitude by a dragon that was literally known as 'The Evil Dragon'. Still you felt drawn to her. ♡

♡ Veronia always presented herself as a servant when she went to collect offerings, she didn't want people to be aware that the dragon had a human form, and she wanted to be able to find her mate without scaring them away by automatically making it known that she is the dragon. ♡

♡ She had wanted to make a move right then but didn't want to blow her cover so she decided to wait until the next day and rush back into town, rushing to you and explaining that the dragon had demanded a bride. She knew you'd likely offer yourself rather than allow anyone else from the village to be subjected to the dragon, and if need be she could always claim there was something wrong with any other bride they chose. ♡

♡ She had spent a little time conquering a castle nearby just so she would have somewhere nice to house her bride, but she still wanted to guarantee no one would know your location so in her servant form she told the villagers that they could escort you to the middle of the woods but then you'd have to travel the rest of the way with her. ♡

♡ To be honest she wasn't even entirely sure what her plan here was, hopefully seduce you by pretending to be a servant and then reveal that she was actually the dragon once you loved her? She didn't know but she couldn't risk rushing it when you felt so comfortable talking to her at the moment. ♡

♡ You honestly were so glad not to see the dragon that you didn't even question the dragon not appearing once. You feared if you asked where your supposed wife was, you would instantly have to come face to snout with them and be eaten alive. You feared becoming dragon chow too much to say anything. ♡

♡ The dragon left gifts by your side as you slept, ones you were too scared to reject and in the day you spent it happily chatting with the servant, Veronia, who you found made good company. It wasn't a bad life in the castle, though you wished you could return to the village and marry Veronia instead. ♡

♡ At least until one night you had peeked your eyes opened and discovered Veronia was the one leaving the gifts and you pieced it together really quickly that Veronia was the dragon and she's manipulated you unto this marriage. Now you were trapped in the woods, and all because you'd gotten too friendly with the servant of an evil dragon. ♡

♡ You were born with an overwhelming amount of magic in your blood but without the power to use any of that magic. A wellspring that you couldn't touch, a valuable asset to anyone who was studying magic, which wasn't many in the kingdom, but enough for your parents to be wary if anyone approached their daughter. ♡

♡ Ainsley knew very well about the magic that flowed through your blood, bountiful for increasing her research, not that she needed anything additional, but it was too tempting not to attempt to get at it. She wasn't extremely cruel, she wouldn't experiment needlessly. She was a murderer but you hadn't done anything like the nobles of the court that she preyed on had. ♡

♡ She'd sent servants out to try to approach your parents in the past just so she could perfect her approach before she truly made her move. She wanted to see which things might scare your parents away from a deal and which approaches made them seem more amicable. ♡

♡ It was through that, that she learned marriage seemed the only viable option to obtain you. Her approach was to offer you her protection as the court wizard. She told them that she was only going to examine your blood to make sure the excess mana wasn't a threat to yourself and if it was then she would figure out ways to gently lower the mana in one's body. ♡

♡ She spent the evening slowly wooing your parents before she broached the idea of marriage, telling them that it would guarantee your protection while she figured out if your blood and the blood of others like you, posed a threat to yourself. They didn't need to know that she would take additional blood samples to continue her work with immortality. ♡

♡ Or at least she was until you peeked through the doorway and she fell in love at first sight. Her heart soared when your eyes locked and you smiled at her, already aware the court wizard had a fantastic reputation and she was there to help you. She took that as a sign of love and was prepared to pay an overwhelmingly high dowry. ♡

♡ The wedding was grand since she knew there was no rush, the deal was done and you two were in love at first sight, right? Well she's quite disappointed when you don't immediately jump into wedding preparations with her. I mean it's a symbol of your undying love so why aren't you giddy? ♡

♡ Ah, she gets it, you want something quick don't you? Well as much as she finds that charming, this is a once in a lifetime deal, you must take it seriously. In actuality you still think it's just a contract marriage though so you don't think the wedding needs to be a spectacle. ♡

♡ Once you're actually married, you realize that you've just agreed to marry a crazy murderer who thinks you peeking through the doorway was a destined meeting. Turns out she was not there to save you from your blood condition, she was just another vulture, only one that wasn't planning on bleeding you dry, rather one that wanted to make sure not a single drop of your blood would ever spill. ♡

[verdemoun]

Shitpost inspired. Can you imagine the emotions tho? Fuck the wheel, just. In general. Arthur sees his dead son. John sees his family. Hosea sees Bessie.

There's joy, there's tears, there's everything. But after that first moment, it doesn't stop, just shows itself in different ways. Everything that screams "don't leave me again", even though it wasn't anyone's choice.

Arthur sometimes checking on Isaac out of nowhere. He needs to know his son is still there. John, whatever everyone sees him as, is still a loving father and husband. He does the same. He needs to know they're there, safe, alive.

Bessie and Hosea is a story I don't think I need to tell, we all understand. But still.

Just. Small ways the trauma shows itself. The way they all say what they can't speak out loud.

This is why we can't have nice things

happy one week anniversary of the wheel woot woot also i can't believe i give you all a nice wholesome modern au with a twist and you're all sitting there like starving victorian children crying papa where is the angst

Sean is not allowed to say the words 'quick job' because Rhodes was meant to be a quick job and Lenny just sits by the door slowly spiraling into full blown hyperventilation thinking about the completely ordinary day when Sean's corpse came back to camp draped over Brown Jack.

Arthur and Isaac. Not only is Arthur very serious about never putting Isaac down or out of his sight again but actually seeing his dad again brings up so much anxiety for Isaac. He doesn't want him to go away again either.

Arthur might sit for hours watching Isaac sleep when Isaac starts staying nights with him but also Isaac waking up in the middle of the night panicked. He might be 9 years old but very desperately needing his dad and to know where he is constantly.

Checking in on Isaac and vice versa is the main reason Arthur learned the importance of cell phones and keeping them charged because he will get a random phone call in the middle of the day when Isaac just wanted to hear his voice and have the assurance he hadn't vanished again. Calling each other at least three times a day at all hours.

John did not sleep for days after he first timewarped because he could not handle his daughter being out of sight. Closes his eyes for a second on the couch in sheer exhaustion only to jump up and frantically look around for her. Uncle actually serving a purpose he won't even drink when John asks him to watch Addie: he needs to know someone is watching his precious daughter so he can relax enough to sleep.

Abigail thinks she is fine and life is perfect now that she has her family back all together again, but sometimes John comes back from the store or helping Charles with a job to her just silently sobbing on the couch because she was so convinced something happened to him.

Hosea and Bessie. Unless Hosea has something/someone else to worry about he needs to be with Bessie because he will obsessively think he's going to lose her again without constant distraction. Bring your husband to work day everyday because she also just missed him so much it's not the palpable anxiety but just grief.

Jack is the biggest co-sleeper. He is used to sharing his space. They thought it would be so exciting modern era he finally has his own room and instead it's just - he cannot sleep without knowing someone is there. The only times he had a room to himself was a) Beecher's Hope before Addie was born (he shared a room with the baby and was the most doting big brother) b) Beecher's Hope after Addie died (uncomfortably quiet) and c) Beecher's Hope after Abigail died. After John's death he was so worried about his mother he accidentally fell back into the habit of sleeping in bed with her because they were both all the other had and then he lost her.

Abigail admittedly went straight back to sleeping in Jack's room for a few weeks after he timewarped because she was just so sad to have her son back so soon, so young. And he needed it. Takes a white noise machine or music for him to sleep if there's no one there because sleeping alone has always meant displacement or mourning.

Isaac doesn't have a guest room so every time he crashes there it's a routine of pillow walls 'stay on your side of the bed, morgan' 'it's my bed, marston' only to be starfish sprawled arm around each other in their sleep. Very much one of the unacknowledged reasons he spends so much time at Isaac's.

Not only Kieran needing routine but everyone needing to know Kieran's routine because they feel a compulsion to check on him every once in a while just in case because of the guilt of not doing enough the first time he went missing when it SHOULD have been a massive red flag in 1899.

[arbitrarygreay]

Fanfic Alder is a curious creature. Authors are so hung up on the immortality and hierarchy of it all, so somehow fanon Alder is cold and stiff and humorless, doesn't apologize, is awkward around people, etc. She warmly blesses the fosterlings in episode 2 of the show, and the very first thing she does when meeting with the Hague is crack a joke while saying sorry for being late. And nothing to mention of which she demonstrates the full blast of her Lyne Renee charisma several times, to strangers and acquaintances alike. If anything, her problem is that she slips into passionate speeches too much, when not knowing what to say might have been better (e.g. after General Clary lost her daughter to the Spree in episode 2). Petra is the only one who implies to her that she had stopped being human, but she's an extremely unreliable narrator with an agenda. Alder being heavyhanded with her authority (being corrupted by power) is arguably the most human instinct. In a lot of respects, Alder's sin was that she wasn't inhuman enough (which was rectified by becoming an agent of mushroom the next season lawl). Even as a mushroom, she's at ease in her "skin", from shrugging off Elayne's song to her comfortable meeting with the Marshal. (I am pretty sure that the nachos were more about trolling than just personal enjoyment.) One moment that might support the "awkward Alder" interpretation is when she was surprised by the intensity of the NOD protest at the opening of the testing centers. But even then, she immediately recovers to deliver her expert political schmoozing to the cameras over their yells. Another case seems to be that Alder does valorize glory (or she tries to impart a culture of valorizing glory to the conscripts), and we do see an example of a character who drinks that Kool-aid being awkward frequently: Abigail! But the difference is, Abigail was awkward because she didn't yet have experience to back up the rhetoric when someone like Adil punctured it. Alder doesn't have that problem, such as when confronted with Khalida. Khalida has to just railroad her instead of actually addressing her points (and we see that Khalida and Adil will ultimately concede those points with their actions when the rubber meets the road). Which gets me deep into the "defending Alder" weeds, because I noticed that people (in the show) rarely ever challenged Alder with, um, facts and logic? Which is to say, Alder's authority in the present time is backed up with All Of The Experience. When people argue with her, they should have real empirical evidence to contradict that, but they almost never do. So it's like, no wonder Alder gets so annoyed with her antagonists, when they're all such shit debaters? (With the two noticeable exceptions being Anacostia and Tally in S2, the former when Alder is clearly jerking her around between ops to affirm her loyalty, and the latter when she talks back to Alder to bring her unit on the Nicte mission. Both of them argue their cases with principles, not just a vague "your attitude annoys me" sneer. That's why their eventual disobedience rings true, instead of being power plays. They were pursuing truth, not position.) I think what rubs me wrong about fanon Alder is that the configuration of when any potential awkward happens is backwards. The fanfic always imagines that Alder doesn't know how not to be the General, that she would be at her most uncomfortable during peacetime. But in canon, the opposite is true. Alder only goes off the rails when threatened by loss (loss of her family, her soldiers, her power which she has mentally linked with her ability to protect). Not only does she have a large comfort zone attending social events, in episode 4 she emphasizes how the holidays are NOT meant to be a military tactic, but sacred. She doesn't make her mistakes absent intense conflict (unless you count her designating Bellweather unit as war meat in revenge against Petra and Wade's power play, but such pettiness still falls under being more human than less).

[tragedyinblue]

4. Named

CW: "it" in reference to a person, institutionalized slavery, dehumanization, fetal position, uncomfortable confinement, reference to past abuse, scars

“Now you listen to me!” Abigail yelled into the receiver. She rarely raised her voice nowadays, but was glad at least that her old vocal cords could handle the strain. “I don’t want one of your little Pets in my house snooping around and messing with my things!”

Lyle sighed, likely pinching his nose. “First of all, I didn’t send you one of my Pets. We ordered this directly from WRU. Secondly, it’s not there to snoop, it’s there to help you. If you don’t want it in your house then keep it in the shed in the back. No one’s used it in years.”

Sarah’s voice cut in before Abigail could give Lyle the tongue-lashing he deserved. “Look, Mom, can you just give it a chance? It’s trained to take care of you.”

“That skinny thing doesn’t look like he could even take care of himself. Why should I believe he can take care of me?” she snapped. “And I don’t need help!”

“Please just try it out for two weeks,” Sarah said tiredly. “That’s all I’m asking.” 

Abigail’s expression softened. The phone went quiet for long enough that Abigail felt a twinge of guilt through her rage. Sarah was only trying to help. She knew that. It still didn’t make her feel like swallowing this lemon.

Then Lyle, the boor, leaned in. “If you don’t like having it around after that, then just call and have them pick it up.”

The thought of those delivery men tramping through her home again brought the rage right back. “Absolutely not! Come here and take him away from me right now!”

Her earpiece crackled at the sound of the receiver hitting its cradle on the other end of the line. Abigail responded in kind, petulantly annoyed that Grisham wouldn’t hear it, too. She wanted to throttle that man with her wrinkled hands. Instead she took a few long, calming breaths before heading back into the parlor and carefully lifting the lid completely off. 

The young man inside—a Pet—was curled into a fetal position, a moving blanket his only padding. Having witnessed how roughly the delivery men handled the box, Abigail could only imagine how many bruises hid beneath the black shirt and drawstring pants he wore. Slowly he shifted into a kneeling position with his head bowed, blue eyes looking up at her through dark brown hair. 

“Hello. Are you this Pet’s new Mistress?”

Abigail blanched, letting out a startled laugh. “I certainly hope not!” 

The Pet cocked his head and blinked, confusion furrowing his brows.

‘Right,’ she thought. ‘He wouldn’t understand that as a joke.’

She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes, I suppose I am for now. My name is Abigail Cooper, but if you must call me anything then Miss Abigail or Miss Abbie is fine.”

“Of course, Miss Abbie,” he said, nodding. The slight dip of his chin drew her gaze to the thick band of scar tissue, roped and puckered like a burn, that circled his neck. Even so, he smiled sweetly and her heart bled at the sight. Damn it. They’d given her two weeks to decide whether or not to keep him; apparently two minutes was enough.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“It is known as Combination Domestic/Caregiver Model 049113-C47,” he recited without the slightest hesitation. “Any further names are a privilege granted by the master or mistress claiming ownership of the Pet in question.”

The clinical phrasing sent a chill through her bones. She’d seen other Pets and Pet owners, of course, aside from Lyle. Did they feel as unnerved as she did, or were they simply numb to the horror? 

‘Focus,’ she thought, catching the Pet’s gaze once more. ‘A name. This young man needs a name.’

Abigail had only two children, both daughters, so boy names had never been a concern. At one time, though, she’d had a list just in case. Groping through her memories was like wandering through dense fog at times, but blessedly her mind tripped on one. It might have been her favorite. 

“In that case, I’ll call you Chase. Is that alright?” 

The Pet brightened immediately, looking strangely like a puppy; if he’d possessed a tail it would’ve thumped against the box. “Yes, thank you, Miss Abbie!” 

“You’re welcome, Chase. Now let’s get you out of there.”

------------------------------- I binge-wrote this and the previous section in one sitting. No promises that I'll go this fast. Things are rosy with Miss Abby for now, but they won't be forever.

Previous Next

Taglist: @maracujatangerine

[aphrodites-law]

for flame ❛ you’re beautiful, you know that? ❜

or for soldier ❛ will i see you again? ❜ or ❛ are you here to kill me? ❜

"Are you here to kill me?" Clarke asks.

Her apartment is smaller than Lexa expected. It’s a nice, secure building in the nicest area of the city. There’s a concierge. She imagined something like her penthouse. Marble, high quality wood and expensive art on the walls. Open spaces and big windows. Instead it looks like any other place. Cramped with well-used furniture. Tired plants here and there. Family pictures on the walls. 

And her.

Pictures of her. 

“Depends,” she answers. 

She knows everything there is to know about Clarke Griffin by now. Daughter of Jake Griffin, their fucking mayor, and Abigail Griffin, a surgeon who seems to spend more time on TV sets than in surgery. Clarke herself is a painter, of course, because who else but a rich daddy’s girl to succeed as an artist? 

"I know what you did,” Clarke says, voice shaking and eyes wet. “But it’s not you, Lex.”

“If you knew me at all you’d know I hate nicknames.” 

She sees the pain flash on Clarke’s face and it unsettles her. It should feel good to have that power. 

“You need to stop sniffing around,” she tells her coldly. “You have no fucking clue what you’re digging into.”

Clarke doesn’t move from behind the kitchen table, as if it can protect her. But Lexa isn’t actually here to kill. She shouldn’t even be here at all. 

“What did they do to you?” Clarke asks. 

“Gave me a life.”

Clarke shakes her head and moves away from the table, inching toward her. “You had a life. You worked harder than anyone I know—”

“And you liked having a charity project, didn’t you? Making me feel like I owed you?”

“No, you didn’t take a dime from me. You were proud and I loved—love that about you, even if yes, sometimes I wished you’d let me.”

“Nobody looked for me,” Lexa spits out. “Least of all you.”

“That’s not true!” Clarke exclaims. “I looked for months. I never stopped, Lexa. I looked even when the cops told me it was a closed case. I don’t know what those sick, twisted people filled your head with, but none of it is true. We were together. We loved each other.”

At that, Lexa feels anger flare inside her. “I’d never love you,” she spits out. 

“Lexa-”

“I’d fuck rich,” she tells her with a dark smile, “but I’d never love it.” 

Clarke feels her heart shatter and her pleas die in her throat. It’s like hearing a stranger. A hateful, cruel stranger. Yet it’s the woman she loves. Beneath it all, it has to be. 

“Whatever I did, I did it to survive,” Lexa continues. “I can imagine it. Easy rich girl, comfortable bed, stocked fridge…” 

“Stop,” Clarke whispers, “It wasn’t like that.” 

“Is that what this is about?” Lexa asks, cornering her against the counter. “You’re upset your little toy left before you could ditch it?” 

Clarke shakes her head, holding her gaze. They’re so close she can see her eyes clearer now, but the green and grey shades have turned darker, almost unrecognisable. They’ve done something to her. To her mind and her body. Clarke wants to weep, but she knows it’ll make Lexa glad. 

“I’m sorry you could even believe that,” she says. “But I’m not giving up on you. You’ll have to kill me.” 

They are so close she can feel the heat of Lexa’s body. It’s not natural—something else they changed about her. Clarke hates them for it, even if they don’t have a face yet. 

“It would be easy,” Lexa murmurs, eyes glancing at her lips. “Probably my easiest yet.”

“Good,” Clarke snaps, “Then do it. Get it over with.” 

Lexa reaches for her hip, her fingers pressing into her skin. Clarke holds her breath, heart pounding. 

“I wonder what I thought, when I held you like this before,” Lexa muses aloud. 

Clarke clings to hope she can connect to a part of her. That she can reach her somehow. How can you erase a person’s entire existence? Their feelings? “I want you to listen to something. Something that’s kept me going for months. Then you can tell me if I’m stupid for still believing in us."

She reaches for her phone on the counter, aware that Lexa follows her every move like a hawk. She knows she wouldn’t stand a chance if she tried to run, not that she would try. Her body feels exhausted. 

With a shaky hand, she finds her messages and presses play on the only one she’s ever kept: 

“It’s me,” Lexa says softly. “Sorry if it’s loud, I’m on the train. You’re probably in the shower or something. I wish I’d stayed longer.” There’s a rattling sound and then Lexa seems to find a quieter spot. “I’m sorry I left in a rush. I got spooked. And I know it’s a thing you’re supposed to do in person but… I—I love you, too. You just took me by surprise. I thought you were fucking with me, honestly. That’s how fucked the whole thing is—Fuck, sorry, I said I’d stop swearing so much.” Lexa huffs like she's exasperated with herself. “I should’ve stayed. I love you. I don’t need a list, do I? Well, your tits are at the top.” There’s a pause and a sigh. “That’s not romantic. You know what I mean. I’m shit at this. Your smile is at the top. Your voice. The way you... When you look at me. Yeah. I think that’s the best feeling in the world—being seen by you. Waking up next to you. I’m sorry I couldn't say it to your face. But I will. I just needed... Needed to get it out like this first. Alright, that’s it. You’ll say I’m rambling again because I’m nervous. You’re probably right. I love you, Clarke. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

When the message ends, Lexa glances back at her, her eyes impassive. She retracts her hand and steps away, but Clarke can’t read her at all. She’d been so sure it would jolt something in Lexa. At least a memory. A feeling. But her face shows nothing. Somehow, it’s worse than anger. 

“One day,” Lexa starts, her voice flat but not cruel this time, “you’ll chase your ghost too far and it’ll get you killed.” 

Clarke feels her hope crumble then, but still she pushes through the pain. “I guess we’ll have to find out.”

Lexa nods, then walks away. “Guess so.”

[thebugcollector024]

In season 2 episode 4, Takiawase, Will says “Your father taught you how to hunt. I’m going to teach you how to fish.” To which Abigail responds “One you stalk and the other you lure?” In this imagined memory, we can see Will reckoning with his dreamworld fantasy of a father-daughter relationship with Abigail. Will can’t teach her how to fish because she already knows. She has lived her life as a lure. She is far from his ideal of a pure and innocent daughter. Instead, Abigail’s complicity lends her not to bond with Will but with Hannibal. If you compare his styles of killing in the first season to the third, you can see how their relationship has inverted. Abigail has taught Hannibal how to fish.

Abigail is known for luring her victims and gutting them. In various flashbacks throughout the show, we see her father using her as bait for their victims and then teaching her how to gut them. This special treatment of the bodies, the meat, is what elevates the act from murder to “hunting” in Garret Jacob Hobbs’s mind. But Abigail is not the hunter. She is the bait, therefore the fisherman. Even when she guts Nicholas Boyle alive and without her fathers help, it happens in her own home. He followed her. All her victims follow her back to her home eventually. She lures them there.

Hannibal, on the other hand, is a hunter. He’s represented by the stag, and animal that chases its victim and gores it. He picks someone out of his Rolodex, follows them, and puts them down. Hannibal’s method of killing isn’t what elevates it from common murder. It’s the artistry of it. The tableaus and their symbolism, their references to other artists, their poetry. In season one, Hannibal is not seen killing anyone in his home. When he does so in season two, it is only when his hand is forced. He didn’t invite Beverly into his home, she just entered. He is not a fisherman like Will (in a literal sense) or Abigail (in a symbolic one.)

This changes in season three. Abigail is dead. Hannibal is mourning her. He is in Florence and he is spiraling and his normal methods of making art are not enough for him anymore. He lures Anthony into his home with the promise of dinner, like Abigail luring girls who look like her with the promise of friendship. Anthony doesn’t look like Hannibal, (we all know who he looks like) but he has a similar outward charm. A similar mischief about him. This is their common ground. Hannibal uses himself like bait and lures Anthony into his home, kills him in his foyer, turns him into art. The second Florence murder lacks the same intimacy, but again, he lures a man into his home with promises of dinner and conversation, kills him where he eats, despite the incredible risk it brings. It’s messy and dangerous and he is never quite satisfied with it. This is Hannibal experimenting with his medium. He is trying something new and not quite hitting the same effortless artful mark that he used to.

By now, Hannibal’s more modern pieces are lacking the art-world references they used to have. His tableaus are surely symbolic, but he has no Botticelli to inspire him. All he has right now is his recklessness and his penchant for luring, so when Pazzi shows up of his own accord, Hannibal needs some extra spice to elevate this third Florence murder. His choice of gutting and hanging Pazzi is clearly inspired by the man’s predecessor. Though I think it’s important to note that Hannibal makes more pomp and circumstance of gutting the man than hanging him. “Bowels in, or bowels out?” He asks. And I like to think he chooses “out” in reference to Abigail. I like to think he sees her as another artist. Someone to reference, someone to learn from.

[cherrithechu]

What is one of your favorite characters you’ve made?

Hooooooo boy. I'm just gonna run down the list

Leo - S tier. The very first proper character of mine. He used to be a simple self insert, but I eventually gave him his own character and aspirations and whatnot. Honestly, I can't imagine him not being a part of me at this point lmao

Theodore Williams - A tier . The other half of the whole self insert thing. I made him originally just as the more "happy" parts of me, but I then made him as a goofier character to bounce off of Leo

Abigail - A tier. The simple fact that I thought of an "Artificial Human" as Leo's daughter makes me so happy. And she's just really fun to write sometimes!

Cherri - S+ tier. I cannot tell you the insurmountable glee I had when I created her, alongside realizing I accidentally made my Pokésona in the process. She is such a goofball and so adorable, I'd love to actually be her one day, if that makes any semblance of sense.

Aster - B tier. Lost his spark after I introduced him, but he's a good ol' chaos boi, so I can't really hate him. I just wish I could make unique sprites for him instead of just editing Leo's

Helenes - C tier. Barley did shit with her character. I had so much planned, but I just lost the motivation... But I'm also hoping something will come to me soon because I want to expand the Lore of Leo's universe.

[justsomeguycore]

also had a mind blowing epiphany about the necromancer-cavalier gender binary. i’d been looking at it in terms of there being a sexism/classism intersection in their society’s sort of oppression hierarchy but i’d forgotten the crucial aspect of their society was that it was started from scratch. i’d been thinking about it like they were a very progressive society as compared to my society both presently and historically, but when you think about it, their society likely never actually had overt sex based oppression. obviously there’s residual misogyny happening in these books, but i’ve gone so long reading absolutely everything with a feminist lens that i didn’t even realize i was applying it where it’s not quite applicable.

like take sex/gender/sexuality based oppression completely out of the equation. imagine that they live in a society where there are genuinely no roles based on sex and never were. it’s a foreign concept i know but imagine. having a daughter, having a son, it actually legitimately doesn’t matter. what they want is a necromancer. necromancers are the metaphorical sons of this society. take everything you know about patriarchy and apply it to necromantic aptitude. that’s this society.

like in our society, a cishet man and woman of the same socioeconomic class and race etc still have the intersection of sex based oppression. a woman succeeding against a man of her same stature is still an achievement. but imagine that in their society womanhood is nothing. it has effectively no meaning, like how you see squirrels in the park and have no idea if they’re male or female or if it matters.

again i don’t think this is always the best way to interpret this world but i do think it helps you see the scale of the systemic oppression of cavaliers by necromancers. necromancers can be of any sex or gender or race or sexual orientation, so from our flawed perspective their society seems progressive in those areas. yeah necros have all the power but at least the power is distributed amongst those classifications that are so significant in our society. but in their society it doesn’t matter. if you look at their society like they never had those forms of oppression, it’s not a win at all.

take off all the lenses you’ve ever learned to apply to literary analysis. pretend that they live in a society where race and class and gender legitimately have no impact on a person’s life. so many things start to fall into place.

reframe the tridentarii’s relationship so that instead of seeing two sisters, one necromantic and one not, in a futuristic society, you see them like a brother and sister who were pretending to both be brothers in an antiquated society.

reframe abigail and magnus’s relationship so that instead of seeing a girlboss and her golden retriever husband, you see a nobleman who’s effectively married the chambermaid, a CEO who’s gone and married his secretary. that’s what harrow’s seeing when she looks at them, why she’s so scandalized by necro-cav marriage and relationships. that’s the level of improper it is.

and why palamedes comes across as such a male feminist type guy. his and camilla’s necro-cav relationships is congruent with their man-woman relationship, so it’s easy to see the outlines of it when you take the idea of sexism away. he’s not just a male feminist, he’s a cav rights ally. the way he sees camilla as a whole person whose intelligence and opinions he values is different from all the other relationships we see. people keep trying to tell camilla that their relationship is unequal and that she’s being taken advantage of, but she stands her ground and ultimately palamedes does prove himself to believe in her personhood as equal to his own.

even the way judith saw marta and just had to have her, went to her father to arrange their partnership, has echoes of a fairytale prince seeing a woman dancing at a ball and being like i must have her dance for me alone! and then trying to come onto her later and her having to be like. i’m just here to dance for you, this can’t go any further than that, it’s not proper.

idk it just kind of slots a lot of things about cavalier oppression into place when you not only ADD it to your understanding of other intersections of oppression, but actively REPLACE your ideas about other forms of oppression with ONLY the necro-cav oppression.

[thewhitefluffyhat]

State of the Blog 01.01.23

Taking a quick break from queues for an announcement: Happy New Year, all!

For this state of the blog update, I’ve decided to show my hand a bit and list every one of the many projects I’ve been kicking around. Think of this as a kind of New Year’s Resolution, perhaps? I certainly won’t get to all of these, but I’m making it my goal in the coming year to at least finish a few!

(And yes, if one of these piques your interest, feel free to reply/message/reblog/etc. No guarantees, but it would certainly move it up in priority!)

Multichapter Fanfics

-If the Fifth Found Out: AU in which the Reverend Parents invite a Fifth adept over to exorcize Wake’s revenant. Abigail and Magnus then proceed to discover a war crime, report a war crime, and adopt a war crime in the aftermath. (Or they try to, anyway. It’s complicated, they only manage to get Gideon at first.)

-The Mysterious Curse of Castle Drearburh: Rumor has it that any suitor who seeks the Reverend Daughter’s hand in marriage is cursed to die soon after. Cam and Pal therefore put on their detective hats to investigate… by using negotiations for Camilla’s marriage to Harrowhark as cover! A Canon Divergence/Fake Arranged Marriage/Mystery AU, where determining the divergence event is part of the mystery. Also featuring: my aroace Cam headcanons, and eventual Griddlehark.

-Butterfly Daze: Seemingly typical Griddlehark Modern/College AU with a supernatural twist. But is Kiriona’s new roommate a vampire? A cryptid? A ghost? Or just a normal, if traumatized kid? Turns out the answer is none of the above… and John, the loving father who has always been part of Kiriona’s life, may know more than he’s letting on.

-Puella Magi Nonagesimus 💀 Magica: Crossover with the setting of magical girl series Madoka Magica, and a continuation of this snippet. TL;DR: magical girls as an excuse for a Time Travel AU. The story is split  between the present day survivors in the wreckage of Canaan House, where Harrow and Gideon learn the ins and outs of being a magical girl while bodysharing, and Harrow’s wish-induced dreams of the past, where she and Gideon try to forge a better timeline.

Fanfic Oneshots, in order of more silly to more serious

-harrowhark nonagesimus does not like pizza: God orders pizza for the Lyctors on the Mithraeum. (Somehow.) This goes over exactly as well as you’d expect.

-Effervescent: In which Abigail is very confused as 200 dead Ninth children (led by a handful of shitty teens among them) attempt to crash Harrow’s River Bubble AU party.

-Growing Pains: Character study of ~13 year old Harrow, in which Gideon gets her first period and assumes (quite logically) that it must be another of Harrow’s attempts to kill her.

-All That Glitters: Harryanthe Arranged Marriage AU, where Harrow is running the riskiest puppet show of her life on the Third, Ianthe is initially pissed her dad is marrying her off to some weak-willed nun, and Yakety Sax is probably playing in the background as clueless narrator Coronabeth keeps dragging both of them off to various social events.

-Reverend Daughter for a Day: Back in their bodies and on the Ninth for [insert vague handwavy reasons], Harrow proposes that she and Gideon switch places. For one day, Harrow will be the servant and obey any orders Gideon gives her. No refusals, no limits. Naturally, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.

Misc Projects

-Keep a Consistently Active Tumblr: For whatever reason, actually posting things as opposed to lurking is a major struggle for me, but let’s see how long I can keep this up! I’ve still got a few more analysis rambles on the backburner, and plenty of material for themed queues… the trick will be crossing that last step and actually putting them up.

-Gideon: The Last Bonebender: You know those “if TLT was written by a straight, cis dude, what would be changed?” satire posts? Imagine if instead, Gideon the Ninth was adapted for Hollywood by a straight, cis director. Just how bad could it be? Note: this is the closest project to being finished, but needs reworking to be less cynical and depressing. Oops...

-Gideon the Ninth for D&D 5e: A homebrew module that uses GtN as a jumping off point for a spooky dungeon and murder mystery adventure. Try your hand at the other Lyctor puzzles! Play out a full cavalier tournament between all the Houses! Attempt and probably fail to save Jeannemary and Isaac from their fate!  …And yes, someone’s going to have to become a Lyctor at the end. Not happening while the owners of D&D are being jerks, that’s for sure.

-TLT Fanfic Rec Lists:  At the moment, I’m up to August 2022 in my chronological journey through the AO3 TLT tag. And once I’ve caught up, I’ll have recs to share! Not sure if it would be better to do longer / broader topic lists, or lots of weird and hyper-specific themes like “Gideon Joins the Cohort AUs” or “Life on the Sixth” or “In Which Ianthe Is There.” Maybe a mix of both?

[aytelowfobiya]

Pt. 1: Guess who's back!... Back again~

Gosh. Where do I begin. I mean... Carol Baldwin. What a character.

[Huge Spoilers Ahead + Tangent]

Imagine you're in your thirties and you find out you're a child of your father's affair.

You'd have an outburst right? Your head would start spinning, and you'd start spitting straight venom...

But would you be as mature and composed as Carol? Because goodness knows she was furious. She had to be in court the next day, with multiple meetings to attend, but she didn't take it out on her mothers at all!

When Thomas arrives in her moment of solitude, that's the last straw. She can't suppress the pain any longer. With Thomas' help, she realises that she's not even upset with either of her mothers... But her father.

As a daddy's girl, you look at your father as the one man who can do no wrong, the one man who'll always be there - the only man you can truly trust and rely on... But along the way you find out that he's flawed, he's human. And it's so hard to accept because you grew up with that pretty picture.

Instead of dissociating, bullying and holding grudges against her biological mother; she actually iniates a plan to get more acquainted. Many will think that's the right thing to do but it's also a difficult thing to do. By suggesting this, Carol was basically forgiving her father and 'the other woman', which is so strong of her.

Bonus Rant:*

Biological mother, Brenda Babcock, took a cheque from Carol's father and gave her away, and only came to see her after thirty years. Now to many, this would seem like the selfish, uncaring, cowardly and 'not fit to be a mother' thing to do, but she returned. Brenda must have felt a constant shame and regret looming over her head everyday for giving up her child, but she finally broke away from it and not because she wanted more money or was motivated by a malignant illness but because she finally had the courage to seek out her daughter.

Towards the end, she's offered money again, to leave Carol, this time from Abigail (non-biological mother), but she rips it up. You can even see her sad but proud smile as she does. Despite the episode ending with Carol making up with Abigail, it was bittersweet imo because Brenda had a chance to start over with her daughter, yet she gave it up. It left me wondering if Brenda thought she would always be competing with Abigail down the line, or if Carol would leave her like her father did... Nonetheless, I would have loved to see Carol, Abigail and Brenda make it work.

[violentdelightstheseviolentends]

woah! was that DAVID NOLAN walking down main street? i heard they’re not actually from ivy cove but come from ONCE UPON A TIME. they’re 36 and live in RADIAN HILLS but watch out because they can be STUBBORN + SELFISH but are actually EMPATHTIC + BRAVE. despite them HAVING memories, you’ll always think of BELIEVING IN HOPE, RISKING EVERYTHING FOR TRUE LOVE, FIGHTING FOR EVERYONE when imagining them.

Once upon a time

in a land far far away, David and James were born. Their parents were ordinary farmers. With money tight, they were offered a deal, and James was whisked away to become a prince, the apparent son of King George. David grew up with no memory of his brother until James died. At which point, the King came for David, knowing they were identical and David took his brother’s place. He was engaged to Abigail, but met and fell in love with Snow White, then a bandit. Abigail was understanding, in truth she’d been in love with someone else and they helped each other. Eventually they were able to bring down King George and the Evil Queen. But she promised a curse. The only solution was to get their child to safety. Emma was born as the curse started to take hold, and David rushed to get her through the portal, taking on injuries and collapsing as the curse finally took hold. But Emma had got away.

David Nolan was in a coma. A James Doe. Though eventually woken up and given memories of being married to Kathryn. Eventually Emma is able to break the curse, and he has to come to terms with what he did as David Nolan. As time went on Storybroke was attacked my multiple threats, and everytime he was trying to keep hope and find a way for good to win. Snow eventually fell pregnant again, giving birth to their son Neal, and reunited with their daughter they lived happily ever after…

Ivy Cove

After an accidental pregnancy, David ended up marrying young. They both realised pretty quickly they weren't really in love, but stayed married for the kids sake, and instead found a strong friendship. Eventually they did decide to divorce, but before the chance came, there was an accident leaving David in a coma. Years passed, and he woke up after memories returned, fully remembering his previous life. He's trying to do right by his fake life family as those memories feel real, but he also wants to find his wife and children.

[oddygaul]

Little Miss Sunshine

What a pleasant, wholesome experience. This was a household standard when I was growing up, but I hadn’t seen it in ages - was glad to come back to it and still enjoy it with fresh eyes.

I really love the bespoke score composed for the film. I think typically, there’s something about road trip movies that inspires an even more heavy-handed use of licensed music than usual. Even for a more dramatic movie like this, which doesn’t shy away from heavier topics and treats its characters with a lot more nuance than the usual pastiche, I could easily see another timeline where this is filled with your highway classics, or classic country / Americana vibes, to guarantee certain emotional beats land as intended with as little risk as possible. Instead, the score adds a very unique and consistent character to the proceedings. It goes between a few genres, but I’d almost call it… a sort of acoustic folk post-rock? There’s lots of accordion interludes and spaghetti western motifs, but at the core of all the tracks are these layered, building, interlocking melodies that call post-rock to mind. It’s great, anyway.

Olive and her grandpa completely steal the show, obviously. The film absolutely hinges on the character of Olive, and Abigail Breslin’s work in the role is one of those performances that’s so perfect and unlikely that it feels like they placed a bet on her and won. The character of the grandfather, likewise, is compelling and filled with heart. Every time you think he’s just falling into the irascible, out of touch old man who doesn’t care about anyone around him trope, he’ll show such gentle, sincere empathy in a situation that you can almost imagine the character’s whole life leading up to the movie.

Man the dad fucking sucks though. That’s kind of the point, I know, but I feel like the movie really tries to set him up for this third act redemption arc, and I absolutely do not fucking buy it. Look, he spends the whole movie fat shaming his seven year old daughter and giving her complexes she’s gonna spend decades unraveling - am I really supposed to think he’s turned over a new leaf just because he’s suddenly willing to commit crimes for her at the end? Like, shit, dawg, when you get pulled over and arrested for smashing through the fourth pay gate in a row it’s not gonna be so cute anymore. Puttin’ the whole family in danger to try and show character growth and shit..

Who’s the loser, now, Richard??

[verdemoun]

fuck just had a thought can you imagine the emotional devastation of finding a tiny little obituary for a beloved and cherished abigail marston, going to the location ready to greet the fiery powerhouse that is abigail roberts but instead finding john marston's 3-4 year old daughter. her not knowing who any of them are because john refused to talk about them.

modern au but the gang waking up in modern day in the order they died with memories of their lives as outlaws:

bessie motherfucking matthews being the one that rounds them up. she's a professor at a university teaching women's history and owns a little cottage on the outskirts of town, and uses newspaper articles to try and plot out who/where someone will 'wake up'

sean was the first VDL she successfully found. davey and mac somehow found each other and got themselves incarcerated for armed robbery before she got them.

sean adapts almost instantly and loves the chaos of modern day cities: car horns, fluorescent lights, night clubs, television (fuck you lenny reading is for nerds!!). he steals a bike he calls ennis II and gets a job delivering pizzas

she finds hosea and lenny next. it's a very emotional reunion. she starts calling lenny her son. hosea spends at least a week refusing to let his wife out of his sight because he has to be dreaming, kisses and adores her at every opportunity. their dates are her teaching him to drive a car

lenny takes less than a day to figure out computers and takes over the locate the VDLs project. he has what is effectively a murder wall of colored yarn and push pins trying to figure out when and where the next person will appear. manages to cyber-stalk down jenny, who being as breathtakingly clever as she is figured out the present all by herself and works in a diner. she comes over for dinner twice a week

retracing the gang's steps they find kieran, who is doing fabulously not well. he's been homeless for a month, got hit by a car and is very, very distraught by not only the memories of his torture after being taken by o'driscolls but the fact he betrayed the gang by talking. bessie matthews, mother to all, introduces him to noise cancelling headphones, gardening, and horse girl movies.

lenny: hey i've been doing some research and i think most of us have this thing called ptsd????

when hosea and bessie want to have a nice, quiet romantic dinner by themselves they put sensory videos on the tv and all the boys just sit there silently