Marlowe (
marlowe_tops) wrote in
bakerstreet2025-03-14 07:22 pm
Entry tags:
Gothic AU Meme

Gothic Romance Meme
Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…
The story goes like this: There is a house. It may be haunted. The house has a resident, or two, who has some secrets. They may be charming, or brooding, often both. Someone may have been murdered. A newcomer arrives, either as bride, governess, or journalist, and they begin to unravel all the secrets and lies lurking within the house
Locations may be in any country, in any era, but there must be a gloomy and opulent old mansion, and some sort of dark and terrible secret to be uncovered (or just ghosts. ghosts are always an option.)
The Newcomer
1. The new bride or groom. Your new spouse is charming and attractive, but do you really know all their secrets?
2. Tutor or governess to the estate children. They seem like such innocent children.
3. Companion—perhaps as a chaperone, perhaps merely as company, but you’ve been hired to come to some remote old house to keep an unknown stranger company. Probably just reading to them, or listening to them chatter on whenever travel is required.
4. Hired hand. You’ve been hired up from the local village—or perhaps the city—as a footman or a maid. Just an ordinary job. Nice house, though.
5. Distant relation. Thanks to your circumstances, you’re reduced to accepting hospitality from some remote relations of yours. They may never turn up to family gatherings, and you’ve never heard much about them, but they’re probably just reclusive.
6. Journalist. You’ve heard some interesting rumours about this old mansion in the middle of nowhere.
7. The neighbour. You know that things are not quite right in that old house on the hill. Perhaps you feel it’s your duty to interfere. Perhaps you’re just curious. Perhaps you are childhood friends with the house’s resident.
The Resident
1. Past transgressions. Perhaps a mad wife in the attic? Someone buried in the cellar?
2. The unquiet dead. Look, you just live here. You’re not responsible for the ghosts. Even if they do all seem to be related to you.
3. The monster. You are the thing in the house to be feared. Actual monsters or monster AUs totally an option here! Vampires, werewolves, beasts and horrors all possible. Perhaps put an ordinary face on when you receive your new guest.
4. Wildcard. Choose your own deep dark secret: maybe your character naturally comes with one.

Kugisaki Nobara | Jujutsu Kaisen
Asami Sato | Legend of Korra
✧ phanora kristoffel ✧ majo to yajuu ✧
Maomao - The Apothecary Diaries
Dr. Jonathan Crane [The Scarecrow] - DC Comics
Dio Brando | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Imogen "Ginny" Fleming | Winter Soldier: Cold Front
Zoey Westen | Original Character
Five Hargreeves | The Umbrella Academy
Charon | Hades
Dorian Storm | Critical Role | OTA
aster | nu: carnival | ota 18+
tadeshina | spring snow | ota
Delores (AU) | The Umbrella Academy
Giuseppe Geppetto | Lies of P | OTA
(I’m up for all these, with Geppetto being either the newcomer or the resident. Geppetto’s setting is ~1890s and vaguely European, which is probably what I’d default to unless you’d like to do something different.
Grabbing an idea in particular, with Geppetto as the resident: maybe the other character has come to the Geppetto Estate to marry him and/or take care of his son, perhaps while only having written letters to communicate so this is their first time meeting in person.
With Geppetto as the newcomer: maybe he shows up suddenly with his suitcase and claims to be a distant relation or got caught in a storm.
All of the prompts are really neat though so feel free to pick or randomize, and I can write a starter or you’re free to!)
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(Capitalize on his likeness to Carlo/P away!!! 😈 I am super down with that. And cross-medium is totally cool! Do any prompts speak to you?)
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Gojo Satoru | Jujutsu Kaisen
Claire Bennet ∞ Heroes ∞ OTA
lottie matthews | yellowjackets