#fanny robin lives!

[natequarter]

one of my favourite minor details in bbc ghosts is that there are both portraits and photos of fanny

[daytonasand]

been doing pretty much nothing but make community lots in the sims all of yesterday and today and i’m SO SICK OF IT i’m gonna make a parking lot

[w0rrcestershire-sauce]

had a dream about an episode where robin was confirmed canon trans got mad when i woke up

[little-cereal-draws]

If Ghosts had a more mature rating and was able to do more creepy ghost powers/death side effects:

Pat, Humphrey, and Thomas are eternally bleeding. Their clothes are wet, their hand gets wet from touching it, they'll leave trails of blood down the hall, etc. The blood on their hand or the floor disappears pretty quickly as their ghost powers make them reset but their clothes are always soaked

Thomas's whole stomach and the top of his pants are bloodstained. Pat's is all located on his shoulders/necktie and has the most obvious stains due to the color difference of his clothes. There are a few drops here and there down his sleeves and chest. It's pretty heavy because of the major arteries the neck that would've been punctured. Humphrey's is by fair the heaviest and is all over the front of his torso. Like the whole thing. When he died he fell face down into the growing puddle of blood that would've been pooling from his stump

Fanny can turn her head frighteningly far. There's a sick crunching sound that happens when she does this and it always sends shivers down Alison's spine even after years of hearing it. The other ghosts have joked and compared Fanny to an owl because of this and she chews them out every time

Pat coughs a lot because he's got blood stuck in his throat. He'll randomly have a huge coughing fit, cough a bunch of blood into his hand and then go "Oh no. Anyways..." He also has trouble breathing and has to take breaks to sit down during physical activities like dancing or running. It annoying but not too much of a hindrance to his daily life; it's like having asthma or allergies. The blood can make his voice sound a little weird sometimes too, like he's gurgling smth while he talks. He just clears his throat and keeps going

The plague ghosts vomit up bile every once in a while. It's black, steaming, and putrid but disappears almost instantly

Kitty also throws up when she's excited... which is a lot. She also gets chills, lightheadedness, fevers, and uncontrollable shaking. There's not much the other ghosts or Alison can do to help her besides sitting with her/trying to distract her. She'll lay down and try to breathe through it while Alison reads her a story or the Captain infodumps abt smth or Robin holds her hand. Sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes she doesn't. She's always better after a few hours tho

Fanny gets really bad migraines. Alison's theory is that they're caused by her broken vertebra. Fanny doesn't particularly care why they happen. When they happen, she's in an even worse mood than usual so it's best to steer clear of her. She doesn't have the energy to yell at ppl but will remember the slightest fault and wait until she's better to go on a lecture. Again, there's not much Alison or the other ghosts can do to help besides let her lay down and try to be quiet

Mary and Robin's skin peels off. It's white and flaky and leaves raw red spots underneath. The dead skin disappears once it leaves them but the skin underneath is never healthy and flakes off too

Both Robin and Mary smell like burning flesh but only Mary is detectable by living people. Robin only smells when he uses his powers. It really puts a lot of the ghosts off, especially newer ones

Robin's body also gets affected by his powers in other ways. If it's something small like flickering a light, his hair will stand on end. Something bigger like turning a light on/off or flickering a more powerful light will cause him to spasm. It's usually just his arms and wears off after a minute. Smth really big like redirecting that lightning bolt for Mike will be the equivalent of him actually getting hit w the lightning. His body seizes up, falls over unresponsive and twitching for several minutes, but he's always ok in the end. Alison and the other ghosts get very worried but he walks it off

Julian and the Captain both feel remnants of their heart attacks. Shortness of breath, tingling/numbness in the arms, dizziness, heart palpitations, etc. They both choose to keep it a secret from the others and cover it up but if they're particularly stressed abt smth, they'll start getting chest pains which is harder to cover up. The Captain has excused himself from many social situations to go sit on the floor and try to breathe through the pain and calm his heart. Robin's the only one who knows about Julian's because it happened once while they were hanging out. Logically, they both know they can't die again but it's still scary

Mary likes to sit in the lake because even tho she can't feel it like she would if she was alive, the cold water is soothing on her burns

All the ghosts have days where they just lay abt bc the pain is too much to move. From who does it the most to who does it the least it goes Mary, Humphrey, Pat, Fanny, Thomas, Kitty, Robin, the Captain, Julian

[disillusioneddanny]

Every Third Saturday (Tim/Danny)

Tim grinned wide as he finished fastening his fanny pack over his shoulder and slung it across his chest as he waited patiently for his fiance to finish getting his boots on. Ever since Danny had started his final year of college at Gotham University, the couple didn’t get the chance to go on dates nearly as often. Not when Danny was in school and working two part-time jobs and Tim was CEO and working nights as Red Robin. 

So the two had agreed that every third Saturday was for them. No homework, no work, no vigilante shit, just the two of them spending the entire day together and enjoying their company. It was the best way for the couple to catch up with one another and just be together. 

“Ready?” He asked once Danny sat upright and stretched his arms. 

Danny smiled and stood from his seat before he came over and wrapped Tim in his arms and gave him a deep kiss. “Yes, I’m ready,” he said, his lips still ghosted along Tim’s. The vigilante nearly swooned as Danny looked him over with a lust filled eye and laced their fingers together. 

“So, what did you plan for us today?” Tim asked as the two started walking out to the garage and towards Tim’s car. 

“I was thinking of an aquarium date,” Danny told him with a wry smile, his thumb rubbed along the back of Tim’s hand. He smiled to himself and pulled out his keys with his free hand. 

He and Danny had been dating for roughly three years now and every day Tim found himself loving the man more and more. He had met Danny at a coffee shop that the man was working at part time during college. Danny was the only barista who would indulge Tim in his expresso heart attack coffee each time he came by and soon Tim found himself going less for the coffee and more for the pretty barista who would flirt with him each time he came in. 

“That sounds like fun,” Tim said, glancing over at Danny who had slipped on his sunglasses before the two climbed into the car. 

Danny had eventually given Tim his number on a receipt after weeks of flirting with one another and after hours of goading and convincing from Bernard and Steph, Tim finally reached out to Danny and set up a date. 

Three years later and now he and the halfa were living together in Tim’s home in the Monarch Theater and were engaged. Tim had to be honest, he had never been so happy in his life. 

Not only had he found someone who he loved beyond measure, but someone who despite being mostly retired from the gig, knew what the life of a vigilante was like and accepted that part of Tim and loved that part of Tim. It was more than he could ever ask for from a partner and Tim was grateful every single day that he had gotten so lucky. 

“Yeah, I was thinking a lazy day with just us hanging out and looking at cool fish would be fun,” Danny said. The two buckled in and Tim started the drive to the Gotham Aquarium. 

“I’ve never been to an aquarium,” Tim mused. 

“Neither have I,” Danny admitted, taking Tim’s hand in his once more. 

That was another thing that Tim found that he adored about Danny. The halfa just understood Tim in a lot of ways a lot people didn’t. Sure, Danny’s parents had been a different flavor of neglectful than Tim’s had been but he understood what it was like to have a lackluster childhood because of his parents being more interested in their jobs than their children. Tim knew what that was like deeply and he found comfort in knowing that Danny was so interested in experiencing things he had missed in his childhood. 

A majority of their dates were things that a majority of people would consider childish. Dates to the zoo, rollerskating, going to the park, arcade dates, they were the things that Tim held near and dear to his heart, things that he looked forward to more than any fancy dinner or gala that they would go to together. 

“But I’ve always wanted to go to an aquarium and see some sharks,” Danny told him with a toothy grin. 

“Of course you would want to go see the sharks,” Tim said with a snort. Danny just smiled and made a whining noise as a coffee shop came into view. He looked over at his fiance who was now staring out the window longingly and let out a huff of a laugh before he pulled into the drivethru. 

…

“He looks like Bruce,” Danny said, his nose pressed against the glass as he watched a fangtooth fish swim by sluggishly. 

Tim snorted and elbowed his fiance in the ribs. “Don’t be mean,” he said and Danny snickered, shaking his head as he did before he allowed Tim to tug him away from the exhibit and towards the next one showing a large tank full of angel fish. 

“Those are pretty,” Tim said and Danny flashed him a grin that already had Tim groaning in defeat as the man stepped closer to him. 

“You’re prettier,” Danny crooned, taking Tim’s hand in his and tugging him close. 

“I hate you, I’m taking back the ring and I’m canceling the wedding,” he said with a groan as Danny gave him a pouty look, his bottom lip pushed out dramatically. 

“You love me, Timothy, don’t deny your affections for me,” he said, hooking his fingers in Tim’s belt loops and pulled him close. Tim just smiled and gave him a quick peck. 

“Quit flirting with me, you promised me sharks and I saw that they let you pet them,” Tim told him, their lips just centimeters from one another. Danny grinned and gave him one more kiss before he let go of Tim’s belt loops and twined their fingers together and dragged him down the hall of the aquarium, taking in the colorful and unique fish as they did. 

“They’re so neat,” Danny breathed, craning his head back to look at the sharks that swam from overhead. The aquarium had a long tunnel where the sharks would swim around them, overhead, underneath and on both sides of the long tube. 

“You know, I think Aquaman owes me a favor,” Tim murmured, soaking in the feeling of Danny’s hand wound in his as he looked at a large tiger shark stare at him and Danny. “Maybe we could go down to Atlantis some time?” 

Danny grinned. “How would you survive? I don’t particularly remember breathing under water as a specific talent of yours, Pavo,” he teased and Tim scowled and pinched the man in the side lightly. 

“Oh and it’s one of yours?” He asked and Danny chuckled. 

“I’m dead, Timmy Two Shoes. I don’t need to breathe,” he said and as if to prove a point Tim watched as his fiance’s chest stopped moving as he stopped breathing altogether and just walked on. 

Tim just scowled and let out a quiet harumph noise. “I would just have my amazing and talented fiance figure something out for me,” he said and tilted his head. “Or maybe Kaldur could help me out with it? I bet he would have some ideas,” he reasoned and Danny just stuck his tongue out at him. 

“Danny you can start breathing again, I get it,” Tim said with a huff as they continued walking through the tunnel, their hands swung between them.

Danny’s chest started to move once again as they came to the end of the tunnel. 

“What do you wanna see next?” Danny asked, looking around. “There’s the fish petting zoo where we can pet a sting ray and some other weird fish or we can go look at freshwater fish,” Danny asked and Tim simply smiled and bumped shoulders with the halfa. 

“I’m happy with whatever, I’m having a lot of fun with you,” he said honestly. “I didn’t think I’d enjoy an aquarium so much.”

“It’s because of me, I’m a blast, most fun person to ever spend time with,” Danny said and Tim just let out a soft laugh and leaned into his fiance. 

“It is,” He admitted. “You are.”

Danny simply wrapped his arm around Tim’s shoulders and continued through the aquarium, giving input here and there as they walked and Tim just soaked it all in, his heart incredibly full as they just enjoyed their comfortable time together. He would never get over just how lucky he was to have his fiance, to have every third Saturday with just the two of them.

[starry-bi-sky]

Part eight of Clone Danny au

"Who is this person?" Red Robin asks, and Danny huffs irritably. Gotham's cool air was seeping slowly into his clothes -- he never had a problem with it in Amity, he was always moving too much to get cold.

"Does it matter?" he signs sharply, his patience suddenly growing thin with his increasing paranoia. His mouth twisted into a scowl under his mask. "I have someone who can come pick me up, they're clearly not dangerous if they're friends with me."

Red Robin held his hands up in surrender, sighing in a way that made Danny's tired, scared brain almost see red. He whirled on Batman, "Do you have a payphone anywhere? A few cents so that I can call Spirit? Please?"

Silently, Batman reached for his utility belt, popped open one of the compartments, and pulled out a few quarters. Danny made a mental note to make himself some kind of utility belt -- a fanny pack maybe? -- he needed to be more prepared for the unexpected. Like Batman was.

He pressed the tip of his fingers to his chin and gestured outward, "Thank you." he says, and takes the quarters, clutching them tightly.

"Hn." Batman grunts, a flicks the compartment closed with a silent click. "There's a payphone nearby for you to use. I will show you it."

"Thank you," Danny signs again, slumping in relief. "I'm sorry again for being here. I didn't mean to. It's my first time fighting this guy."

Batman grunts again and steps to the side, unhooking his grappling hook from his belt. "Do you not have a mentor to show you these things?" He doesn't turn away while he asks, which is nice. The living have a habit of turning away from him while they're talking (during the rare moments he sticks around long enough to chat), forgetting that Danny speaks with his hands.

He shakes his head, reaching for his own, homemade grappling hook. There was nothing like swinging through Amity's skyscrapers after a ghost, he felt like he was flying. He had to make it himself after his first dozen run-ins with ghosts where running on foot couldn't cut it. "Mentors are a privilege, you know. I'm doing this all on my own, or did the homemade costume not give it away?"

Red Robin passes around Danny with his own grappling hook, and he heard a barely-there snort of laughter from the man. Batman 'hrms' in a vaguely disapproving note, and readies his hook. "The payphone is that way, Phantom. Are you ready?"

Under his mask, Danny grins widely. Finally, something good. Perhaps flying will alleviate some of his anxiety. He holds up his hook, and nods sharply, walking over to the edge of the roof.

He watches Batman wait a moment, aim, and then off they go.

Flying through Gotham City felt much like flying through Amity Park, with its towering skyscrapers and close-built buildings. Danny bit back the holler of joy building in his throat as the wind rushed past him, blowing back the hood of his jacket and rustling through his hair.

God, he loved flying.

He watched Batman and Red Robin as well, entranced with the fluttering of their capes as they soared. It was inspiring how the two of them cut such striking silhouettes. It was memorable -- and, hey, where was Robin?

Danny wanted to ask, but with the roaring wind and the lack of freedom in his hands, he had no way of doing so. And he wasn't quite sure if it was any of his business... Regardless of how Batman and Red Robin dug into his own.

At some point they reached a stretch of air where the gap between buildings was bigger than before, and through his adrenaline-induced joy, Danny suddenly swung himself forward with more force than before.

He swung up, up, up into the air... and released himself, launching himself high high into the air. he looked down, seeing Batman and Red Robin further away and latching onto the next building.

Danny whooped loudly, confident in the wind to catch his yell before it caught the ears of the vigilantes accompanying him. His momentum began to slow, and for the length of a heartbeat he was stranded in the air, skies above and ground below. He breathed in, and like a bubble popping he began to fall again.

It took only a singular twist of his body for him to right himself and chase after Batman and Red Robin, who had turned their heads to look for him. He grinned apologetically once he caught up to them, although they couldn't see it.

It took only a few regretful minutes later to reach the payphone that Batman was referring to, and Danny mourned the loss of the sky to himself as his feet touched the ground alongside the two gothamites. "Thank you for the escort, gentlemen." He signs once he's hooked his grappling hook back onto himself and fished out the quarters. "If you could be so kind as to stand out of hearing range, that would be most appreciated."

Batman merely grunts and Red Robin nods, neither move when Danny half jogs over to the payphone. Pulling up his mask just enough to reveal his mouth, Danny inserts the coins and jabs in Ellie's number.

He waits, breath held as the dialtone rings. Once, twice, before finally there's a click and a groggy, familiar voice: "Hr'o?"

Danny can't stop the grin of relief that stretches over his face. "Spirit." He whispers, and glances back to Batman and Red Robin. His fingers tap against the phone nervously. "I need your help."

"Dan- Phantom?" Ellie says, sounding much more awake as rustling follows in the background. "What happened? Are you hurt?" There was a protective tinge layering Ellie's voice that Danny was all too familiar with.

"No, no, I'm fine." He says, trying to sound reassuring while retaining his hush voice. "I have a new rogue; a teleport ghost. he took me to Gotham and I need you to come get me."

"To Gotham?" Ellie hisses in disbelief, "Fuck, Phantom, that's miles away from here. Yeah, I'll come get you. Don't go anywhere."

Danny huffs sardonically, fingers twirling around the phone wire nervously. "Not like there's anywhere for me to go. I'll be waiting on one of the rooftops, Spirit. I'll see you then."

"See you then, be safe."

And then the phone clicks, the line going dead. Danny sighs, heavy and tired, and it turns into a jaw-cracking yawn. He hangs the phone back up, and pulls the mask down.

A silent figure approaches from the corner of his eye; Batman. Red Robin, at some point of the conversation, had left. "Is your person coming?"

Danny pulls his hood up. "Yes. They should be here... soon. Hopefully," he signs, "Thank you for your help, Batman."

------ Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 4.5 (Dani interlude) Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 7.5 (Dan Interlude) Part 8

Taglist: @the-navistar-carol @thought-u-said-dragon-queen @gin2212 @youracearocroatneighbour @luckybyrdrobyn @deeplyconfusedbear @epilepticnerd @beautifulmomenttodrawblank @sara0055 @blusunkhild @letmesayfuxk (?) @latheevening226 @tkiesai @rosedasy @meira-3919 @igotafewbadideas @princessbelix @cyber-geist

[buriedsecrets]

Does anyone else think that, Pat notwithstanding, the ghosts lives are better now they're dead? Cap and Thomas found people who didn't judge or care about their lack of talent in their chosen fields. Kitty found a family that loved her unconditionally. Fanny and Mary found a family that let them, in their own time, be liberated. Julian was taught that human beings and human connection to them would bring deeper happiness than money or sex and Robin, with his brilliant mind, got to see the world evolve and meet the people within it.

[natjennie]

just. the way that ghosts so thoroughly shows that people have always been people. they've always been a little bit messy and a little bit silly and they get mad and they laugh and they learn and they grow and they have forever and will continue to forever. and then when you consider the queer aspect of like. gay people have always been here. robin slept with anyone he wanted to and they raised children as a community. fanny's husband was gay in the 1800s. the captain was gay in 1945. sam and clare had their wedding at button house in the 2020s. people have always been here and sometimes they're gay and sometimes they fight and sometimes they grieve and sometimes they love and sometimes they're mean and sometimes they're kind and they apologize and they play games and they organize clubs and they play pretend and they cry and they live. they're dead but they live. they live.

[nortism]

What the Ghosts have been watching on TV

Everyone

Channel 4 Home renovation shows: They're free with ads and there's an infinite amount of them so Alison puts them on for the whole gang when she and Mike have work to do in same way people put on YouTube videos for their dogs. This has backfired slightly as all the ghosts now have very strong and conflicting opinions on how Button House should be renovated.

The Great British Bake-off: A whole family event, they all get very invested. Kitty thinks Alison Hammond is the funniest person in the world. The Captain feels normal about Noel Fielding. As well as a watching it live, I'm sure they've also watched the whole back catalogue together.

Mama Mia: This where the Captain learnt his ABBA songs from. Pat and Julian enjoy the nostalgic music and I think the others are just bewitched by the story and music

Robin

Anything David Attenborough: For obvious reasons. I think he'd get a kick out of trying to do his voice. The others sometimes join in.

Cunk on Earth/ Britain: I think they've got a similar attitude towards history and I think he'd find serious historians trying to answer silly questions incredibly funny

Horrible Histories: He watches this with Kitty, they both find poop jokes funny.

Humphrey

Antiques Roadshow: I'm not sure why. I honestly think he's just glad to watch anything.

Mary

Gardener's World: I think she misses being able to look after plants and I think she'd be endlessly fascinated by how hosepipes work.

Mio Mao: She loves them fucking plasticine cats. She will not stop singing the theme song

Honestly think she'll watch anything with anyone and would get invested, she seems like the ideal person to watch telly with.

Kitty

Ru Paul's Drag Race: I think they all watch this every so often but Kitty is invested. There's bright colours, fun outfits and drama, it's definitely Alison's go to when she needs Kitty distracted.

90s and 2000s romcoms: I believe that every couple of weeks Alison and Kitty have a "girl's night" where they watch all the romcoms that Alison used to watch with her mum, mostly because I love watching romcoms with my mum and Kitty deserves that. Kitty is particularly fond of Twilight.

Thomas:

Any Jane Austen adaptations: He watches them with Fanny as they were both big fans when they were alive (its the only thing they agree on). Kitty also joins sometimes. His favourite is the 1995 Pride and Prejudice tv show.

Fanny:

Grey's Anatomy: I haven't seen it but my mum's a big fan and there's millions of seasons, I think she'd pretend she's not that into it but she definitely is.

Call the Midwife: Same as above.

The Captain:

M*A*S*H: I've seen about half an episode of this but it seems to be about fit young men in a war so it sounds like his thing. Probably Pat's recommendation.

Our Flag Means Death: I think Alison has been trying to sneakily show Cap gay media under the pretence of saying "it's just a fun show about pirates". I think the whole gang watched it together. The Captain definitely didn't cry at the end of season 1 why would think that?

Pat

Taskmaster: I think this is one they all watch together but it's definitely one of Pat's favourites. He probably attempted to set up his own version of the show with the ghost which ended horribly.

Doctor Who: I think he watched the original run when he was alive and was absolutely ecstatic to find out they made more. Julian makes fun of him for it.

Julian

Have I Got News For You: Has been airing since 1990 so he definitely watched it while he was alive. I think he likes to keep up with current politics but not in a very serious way so this is his middle ground.

Succession: I haven't seen this show but it seems to be about horrible men in suits being horrible to each other which seems right up his alley.

The Thick of It: Speaking of horrible men in suits being horrible. I think he watches this with Robin who has absolutely no idea what's going on but just laughs when Julian does and they have the best time. Julian is constantly pausing to add his own anecdotes

What We Do In The Shadows: Alison put this on as a 'let's show the Captain it's ok to be gay' show and the Captain was immediately horrified so Julian adopted it. He identifies with Lazlo.

[shebeafancyflapjack]

The ideal Ghosts Ending Montage.

If all the ghosts get sucked off in the final episode, I want a super sweet glimpse of how they're all getting on in the after-afterlife, cut between images of Alison and Mike raising their family.

- We see Julian at a party seemingly back to his old ways, drinking and living it up, but then his daughter appears and he leaves it to be with her (time is irrelevant here so this happens after Rachel has died years later). Yes, he now has trousers.

- We see Thomas reading his poetry to a crowd of adoring fans who are hanging off his every word. He catches the eye of one particular person; Isabel Higham.

- We see Pat catching up with his son and going on a family camping trip. He has an unlimited supply of tea and biscuits.

- We see Kitty reunited with Eleanor who tearfully begs for her forgiveness but Kitty is just thrilled to play with her again.

- We see Fanny doing a true Lady Godiva, riding her horse Montague across a field, naked, hair unbound hair flowing behind her as Dante and her other pets follow.

- Robin is reunited with his tribe, his sister, his thirty children all hanging off him. He spots two figures waving at him and we see Annie and Mary together, hand in hand.

- Humphrey is just...whole again. He's just running around being a happy little guy whose head is no longer falling off. Maybe Sophie is watching and laughing with him.

- The most emotional shot; Captain being reunited with Havers, true Titanic-ending style, kissing him as their old troop breaks into applause.

- We go back to Button House in time to see Alison on her death bed, an old grandmother, surrounded by family and friends with Mike holding her hand. She slips away, camera zooms in on her face as she's bathed in heavenly light, transporting her. She opens her eyes and grins; "Hi guys...Thanks for waiting."

Bonus

After-credits scene shows the Plague Ghosts still in the basement. But they're fine, as usual.

[book--brackets]

Green Rider by Kristen Britain (1998-present)

On her long journey home from school after a fight which will surely lead to her expulsion, Karigan G'ladheon ponders her future as she trudges through the immense forest called Green Cloak. But her thoughts are interrupted by the clattering of hooves as a galloping horse bursts from the woods, the rider slumped over his mount's neck, impaled by two black-shafted arrows. As the young man lies dying on the road, he tells Karigan that he is a Green Rider, one of the legendary messengers of the king, and that he bears a "life and death" message for King Zachary. He begs Karigan to carry his message, warning her not to read it, and when she reluctantly agrees, he makes her swear on his sword to complete his mission "for love of country." As he bestows upon her the golden winged-horse brooch which is the symbol of his office, he whispers on his dying breath, "Beware the shadow man..."

Karigan's promise changes her life forever. Pursued by unknown assassins, following a path only her horse seems to know, and accompanied by the silent specter of the original messenger, she herself becomes a legendary Green Rider. Caught up in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand, Karigan is hounded by dark beings bent on seeing that the message, and its reluctant carrier, never reach their destination.

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (1872)

Princess Irene lives in a castle in a wild and lonely mountainous region. One day she discovers a steep and winding stairway leading to a bewildering labyrinth of unused passages with closed doors - and a further stairway. What lies at the top? Can the ring the princess is given protect her against the lurking menace of the goblins from under the mountain?

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton (1936-1985)

Jo, Bessie and Fanny move to the country and find an Enchanted Wood right on their doorstep. In the magic Faraway Tree live the magical characters that soon become their new friends – Moon-Face, Silky the fairy, and Saucepan Man. Together they visit the strange lands (the Roundabout Land, the Land of Ice and Snow, Toyland and the Land of Take What You Want) atop the tree and have the most exciting adventures – and narrow escapes.

The Last Binding by Freya Marske (2021-2023)

Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He’s struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents’ excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known.

Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it—not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else.

Robin’s predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they’ve been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles—and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep.

Ash by Malinda Lo (2009-2011)

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher (2020)

Kara finds the words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more one fears them, the stronger they become.

Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark (2020)

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die. 

Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up. 

Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones (1977-2006)

Cat doesn't mind living in the shadow of his sister, Gwendolen, the most promising young witch ever seen on Coven Street. But trouble starts brewing the moment the two orphans are summoned to live in Chrestomanci Castle. Frustrated that the witches of the castle refuse to acknowledge her talents, Gwendolen conjures up a scheme that could throw whole worlds out of whack.

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker (1992)

Mr. Hood’s Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied. There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood’s wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences. 

The Deep by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes (2019)

Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

[sparemintss]

FUCK U MODERN AU’S UR GHOSTS.

The Captain and the Lieutenant met in the army. They retired from there and live together in a small town.

The Captain works in a small war museum alongside Humphrey who is also the local historian

James is a girl dad to Kitty

Thomas is obviously a writer who ends up trying to place his books into the shelves of the local bookshop

Humphrey is also the owner of said bookshop and keeps telling him to stop doing that.

Michael and Alison rented out a property in the small town from Fanny and turned it into an Air BnB

Mary and Annie run a bakery/cafe

Pat obviously runs the Boy Scouts and if it isn’t the summer, he works at the community centre organizing events for the town.

Robin is a park ranger with a love for the stars :’)

Kitty is an aspiring actress and runs a theatre group. She often goes away from the town for work but always comes back from shows during the weekend or if there is time off

Julian was born in the small town and if he isn’t off being morally bankrupt, he often visits the small town and stays with Robin

EDIT I NEEDED TO ADD MORE THINGS I REMEMBERED.

The Captain almost always watched Kitty preform during her opening days on the theatre. If not opening days, then premiere of a movie, if not a movie then the final day of a production she is in as a surprise :’)

[mistyjessart]

BBC Ghosts Bird AU

@m1nts and I cooked so have a bird AU

In this AU Alison is an ornithologist who moves with Mike into Button House and notices a really strange combination of birds that live by the lake so she decides to study them

Mike is your average person who just knows that birds are birds and that's about it and Alison has to constantly stop him from feeding them bread

The Captain is a pigeon (because messenger pigeons were used in the war), but since pigeons don't live that long he's a trained race pigeon that got left behind when the old owner moved (because this is his home dammit)

Also they look like they have mustaches

Havers is a Great Reed Warbler that migrates to Africa every winter

Pigeon Cap gets visibly depressed when his warbler bf is gone

Kitty is a Skylark who kinda just started following Cap around one day and does little head bops at the other birds to get them to dance with her

Robin is a tawny owl because moon and hunting, it's also very silly to see a big owl interact with all the little birds, especially Kitty

Mary and Annie are northern cardinal gfs (yes because the feathers look like fire)

Fanny is a duck and she has an absolute blast swimming around the pond and aggressively quacking at all the other birds for funsies

Pat's a dunnock cuz they're garden birds common to Yorkshire

Julian is a European Shag because YES that IS a real bird

Thomas is a nightingale whose mate got stolen by his cousin

After Allison and Mike move in, he warms up to her and sits on her shoulder singing all day, which confuses them both, especially when the tiny little nightingale tries to attack Mike, but hey, she's the bird whisperer now I guess

Humphrey is a chicken because they can survive with their head chopped off

The plague ghosts are a murder of crows that come by to visit (and steal the bird seed Allison puts out) every now and then

bird photos for reference under the cut:

[silvermarmoset]

once again thinking of the quiet grace of ghosts allowing a bunch of lonely souls who were never treated right to keep on trying, to get a second chance at being treated with kindness and respect, of patching together the holes in their lives and finding the tender recognition they never got while alive. none of the ghosts were ever cool in their lives: robin gets ignored by his caveman buddies, thomas is taken advantage of, pat gets cheated on, mary gets burned, fanny has a loveless existence and kitty is tricked by the people she trusted. humphrey tries his best to reach out and remains as lonely as ever, julian revels in cutting off everyone he loves and never gets to fix it, the captain shuts his soul down to keep doing his duty. there are people in their lives who love them but we get the sense the ghosts still aren't ever truly seen while they're alive. so to get a second chance at loving, to be a lonely person and allowed to have another go at being held—what grace. what infinite grace to live on like that, even if it's a half-life, because it's a life they were denied when living properly.

[2many-fandomz]

Perhaps the reason the ghosts are ghosts is not because they haven't come to terms with something that happened in their life but to fulfil their overall life, they need7 to gain something in the ghosts life they were missing from their past life.

The common factor between all the ghosts past lives is that they were lonely people.

Robin never talks about his past life very fondly nor the people in it.

Julian was a dick politican that distanced himself from his family.

Kitty grew up in an abusive family household.

The Captain is a repressed gay man in the 1940s

Thomas was a romantic loser

Humphery lived a loveless life

Pat's wife was cheating on him with his best friend

Fanny was pushed into marriage with a man that would never love her.

Mary was an outcast in her community

Perhaps they move on when they finally feel accepted and loved by the people around them.

[natequarter]

some random (mostly modern) headcanons about the ghosts:

julian is mildly allergic to dogs

robin is an astrophysicist with a background interesting in linguistics. due to adhd he tends to start learning languages on a whim. his current project is icelandic

julian and margot divorced because they both discovered the other person cheating on them at the same time

much like julian, thomas cannot be in the same room as a dog for long. it's not allergies, though, dogs just hate him. or they love biting off his nose. it's not clear

humphrey's father died in a car crash when he was a teenager, leading him to inherit a lot of wealth at a young age. whenever anyone tries to offer their condolences, he casually tells them that he hated his father (the feeling was mutual)

thomas is a lit student doing his degree on nineteenth century romantics. nobody knows why he has beef with a poet who's been dead for more than two hundred years, and at this point they're too afraid to ask

fanny is outraged when she discovers her husband has been evading taxes behind her back because she knows she could've managed the numbers better (and he didn't think to tell her!)

she's also very good with photoshop. julian is terrified that a) someday she'll use photoshop against him or b) she'll use her connections to get in him in trouble. or c) she'll yell at him, which is even worse

kitty really likes fizzy sweets

and pink dresses

and gore

she wants to become a surgeon one day

the captain's wardrobe is just the same turtlenecks in a few different colours (read: grey, green, and black)

nobody actually knows shit about the captain or robin's pasts, they both just sort of turned up one day

humphrey once lived in france and spain for a few years. he picked up spanish, but not french, because he can learn any language just fine... except french, for some reason

alison keeps on trying to drag her mates into her insane schemes to win the war against her neighbour

They Do Not Work

everyone is slightly terrified of her. except julian, who's decided to mentor her

yikes