Gothic AU Meme

[marlowe_tops]

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 of Usher.

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.

Comments

Kugisaki Nobara | Jujutsu Kaisen

[nailheart]

((Probably a young governess here to teach or a journalist here to investigate.))

Asami Sato | Legend of Korra

[satomoped]

((She's probably either the resident or the resident's daughter.))

✧ phanora kristoffel ✧ majo to yajuu ✧

[wastedtears]

[OTA, F/M leaning for any romance. Likely a resident.]

Maomao - The Apothecary Diaries

[oxalic]

[Either a hired hand in the form of a lady's maid or nurse, or a distant relation being sent to the country.]

Dr. Jonathan Crane [The Scarecrow] - DC Comics

[hosannas_of_anguish]

Dio Brando | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

[masterofzawarudo]

[The Monster.]

Imogen "Ginny" Fleming | Winter Soldier: Cold Front

[fiercelight]

[Cold Front is Marvel rather than MCU, but I'm going to AU her into the MCU anyway. Let her live and survive and get to explore. To get her to the modern MCU era it's probably a case of ending up in cryo or something? Or just handwavy nonsense. Here for shenanigans. Voicetesting.]

Zoey Westen | Original Character

[pythianwoman]

[Bare bones about her: sarcastic seer with a knack for finding trouble, or having trouble find her. More in-depth information about her is here. Can easily AU her into just about anywhere.]

Five Hargreeves | The Umbrella Academy

[oldmanfive]

[ ooc; as a canon time traveler, he would definitely fit the newcomer role. I'm open to just AUing him into the setting or using his time traveling ability to end up there. OTA for platonic interactions, but m/f for anything shippy. ]

Charon | Hades

[bloodorobols]

[Imagine with me... Haunted mansion rumors, creepy owner seldom glimpsed that always seems to be away... Lives right on a river with an equally creepy reputation...]

Dorian Storm | Critical Role | OTA

[makingmyway]

(( A newcomer, maybe a through distant relation or companion ))

aster | nu: carnival | ota 18+

[shittylittle]

[the resident, and the monster to be feared. However, the staff all seem rather cheerful and well-cared for, they just get.......pallid once a week, and the manor is full of portraits of almost identical men with varying hair colours and styles.]

tadeshina | spring snow | ota

[attendances]

( governess or companion. f/f for romance. )

Delores (AU) | The Umbrella Academy

[paljettane]

[When the world was re-written in season 3, did Delores get herself a human life? Is she just human somehow, in that handwavey TUA fuckery way? Or is this an alternate timeline where she was always human? They’re all possibilities and I’m here for mucking around with all of them as I figure her out and explore things. (I think the suddenly a real girl option/variations thereof is my favourite, though.) Voicetesting.]

Giuseppe Geppetto | Lies of P | OTA

[giuseppe]

(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!)

[warridden]

( Is it awful that I want to capitalize on his likeness to Carlo/P for this? If you don't mind something cross-medium, of course! )

[giuseppe]

(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?)

[warridden]

( We love some fucked up familiarity in this house. 😈 My initial thoughts lean towards Hal as the resident after recently inheriting his father's estate [except in classic Gothic romanticism, surprise the old man isn't actually dead but locked away in the attic pls ignore the muffled wailing] with Geppetto claiming some kind of distant relation that compels Hal to let him stay or Hal as the newcomer after a year [or years] of letters with Geppetto, the latest of which recently secured a successful business partnership or marriage proposal that puts him on Geppetto's doorstep to seal the deal. If neither of those appeal, I'm happy to brainstorm some alternatives! )

Gojo Satoru | Jujutsu Kaisen

[mrblueeyes]

[ either the resident with dark secrets in the basement or the wealthy neighbor who has moved into a much fancier new house down the road and is here to make friends and be obnoxiously neighborly ]

Claire Bennet ∞ Heroes ∞ OTA

[infinite1ups]

( she's most likely the newcomer. could be any of the options. )

lottie matthews | yellowjackets

[ramure]