#i need to draw alma she is so darling she is so dear

[thelaughingmerman]

Alma, Henrik's wife, sewed the mermen their little wedding jackets. So lovingly did she sew them. And Franklin, bless him, is so uncomfortable having his arms covered and the jacket feels too restrictive even though it's the perfect size. And he wants to tell someone so bad just how upsetting the bowtie feels this is not his scarf. But he loves Alma so much and does not want to hurt her feelings so he bites his tongue. If literally anyone else in the world had made the coats, if they were store bought, whatever, he would have given the list A to Z of all the things just so upsetting about the coat. But since it's Alma he loves it and is grateful. Even if he wish she hadn't gone to the trouble.

[iwouldliketoeatrandy]

Cant believe people saw this and didn't find anything in it. Letterboxd reviewers i shant trust you again lmao

Anyway this shit was great. So many themes I enjoyed in this and fun theories I got out of what was left unsaid.

Let's start with dad. How many times has dad been to this little mountain resort? Whose to say. When dad meets our cuckoo specialist, dad has this strange expression on his face, almost like a struggle between a grimace and a smile before finally making a friendly remark.

When Gretchen first arrives in town, the woman comes to visit. Alma, the sister and as we later find out, one of the cuckoos, is with her surrogate mother (Beth) and dad so mommy dearest can't come to visit. Instead of watching from afar her darling daughter, she goes into the bathroom and tries to get in Gretchen's stall. Oh? Why is that?

Fast forward to the night Gretchen is biking home. Mommy dearest reaches out a hand to Gretchen while chasing her, easily could be to attack her. Could be.

Mom follows her to the hospital yet does not attack, only drawing nearer. She doesn't try to break the glass with super human strength. She just draws close to her.

Momma dear goes to Ed's car and flings Ed away. Obviously, she has the strength to flip the car if she wanted with Gretchen inside. But she doesn't seem to be hunting otherwise she would have tried to attack Ed instead of moving Ed out of the way. Mom reaches out to Gretchen with her horrible scream—or calling? Before getting shot at and runs away.

Gretchen is now in the lover's nest. And when momma dearest is caught by Gretchen, she does not attack. She also doesn't make her call. She doesn't need to as Gretchen isn't moving away from her anymore, isn't running away. Again, mother is shot off the scene.

In the hospital as Gretchen tries to escape with Alma, mother tries to follow the girls. When the shelves fall, mother escapes and searches desperatly for Gretchen, using her horrific scream. But she does not harm Gretchen. Nor attack her.

After Gretchen stabs mother and flees, she stops to watch as mother follows, reaching out, unable to make her horrific call anymore. Gretchen returns to the freshly made corpse and stares at features on mother's face that resemble her own.

As Alma is taken by Gretchen to freedom, she says with conviction that her sister will be okay.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Let's back pedal to Alma. The doctor notes that the little girl has a striking resemblance to her surrogate mother, implying this normally isn't the case.

We also know there is some variation between the cuckoos and what they present like, and that the doctors have been working on making them stronger. In addition we know that their characteristics rapidly increase when touched by the mother.

Here's my theory. Long ago, dad met Gretchen's mother. They fall in love and move to America with baby Gretchen... a cuckoo who never ends up developing her cuckoo abilities like a recessive trait. Unknown backstory I wish to know.

Years later Dad meets Beth and goes to the mountains on their honeymoon and have Alma. Except Beth is of course the surrogate. Alma is a much stronger crop of cuckoo. Her vocal chords are cuckoo expressive even before meeting her mother, which causes her muteness. Again, they mention that cuckoos have basically been breeded for certain traits to strengthen them. It makes sense if Alma is more cuckoo expressive than... Gretchen.

Now my only question is, did Gretchen's surrogate mother actually die or was she abducted and brought back to the facility to repopulate her species? This could also explain why dad might come back to continue this project begrudgingly despite having initially run away to America. Is it possible Gretchen's birth mother was a cuckoo whose genetic makeup more resembled humans than the cuckoos and her own cuckoo development was long delayed without contact with her own cuckoo mother (cuz she moved to America)? And thus when she had Gretchen as a human would, Gretchen also did not develop cuckoo tendencies as she was conceived the human way? Idk. I just like the idea that Gretchen's birth mom wasn't dead the whole time and that cuckoo phenotypes could be recessive or even repressed until they get older. If this is true, I think the reason why the German guy doesnt care about Gretchen's life is because he thinks she is too human because she was conceived like a human. He doesn't realize mother still cares for her daughter even after she transforms into her cuckoo form. It also adds extra tragedy to Gretchen's kill of the cuckoo mother, the one daughter she had out of love.

That debate with the ex cop and Gretchen about Alma just feels more powerful if it comes from Gretchen knowing that Alma doesn't have to be like her cuckoo mom instead of just believing it strongly.

Which brings us to one of the most important elements of this story. The sister-sister bond. Alma and Gretchen come to rely on each other as sisters. Even when Alma is technically a monster, Gretchen still protects and cares about her sister. Is that alone not moving? We see Gretchen's empathy in an earlier scene too with the ex cop. As he sits across from her having recently killed someone, his head is down on the table. Gretchen reaches towards him for a long bit of silence and we're unsure what she's reaching for. Her hand goes over the knife and we think maybe she's going for it to protect herself. But then it goes past. Is she reaching for the gun? But no... she's reaching for his hand... to comfort him. I think this theme of empathy and caring is an important detail that frames how we should interpret the overall story, and force us to question the cuckoo's role in the narrative.

Really want to read the script just for a description of the body language. When mother cuckoo reaches her hand out, its not like an agressive grasp, but a pleading hand.

Lastly: I think Gretchen's relationship with her mother is very telling. She isnt over her death and speaks to her over the phone as if her mother were still alive, like shes clinging to her mother as she once knew her. The cuckoos form especially when the wig was taken off made me wonder if this is meant to be a metaphor for the monster that is terminal illness. The way terminal illnesses can transform the body of its victims into something unrecognizable and the fear that invokes in the people who love them. I think this too was a metaphor for grief. When Gretchen kills the cuckoo mother, I think metaphorically, she's letting go of her mother.

Idk I had a lot of fun watching the movie clearly. I found the idea of the monster seeking out love for her child instead of violence really compelling. And the affection between the sisters was also very sweet. Even when I know you're a monster, I still care about you. Just very precious. Definitly worth a rewatch just so I can feed my theory demons some extra food haha

[damagnificentcookie]

Forever Mine

Dark!Alma Peregrine X Reader

Summary: Y/n is a librarian that is stuck inside the loop. One day Alma went to the library to borrow a book when suddenly y/n caught her eye. Since then Alma would secretly follow her and perch outside her windows after she reset. She noticed that y/n never loses her memory of the day and constantly changes her schedule even subconsciously. Y/n needs her, she must protect her,...for the safety of her wards of course.

Tag List: @elza02 @mandy-asimp @sunshinecallie @whatsupwithjinx @notmanagingmymischief

Warning: Slight swearing, kidnapping, drugging, killing, basically most things that happen in the movie RUN

A/n: I should be updating my other miss peregrine book on wattpad but I reaaaallyy wanted to try and write this, hopefully, yall will like it :D (Also I'm going to do a mix of the book and movie here)

Pt 2

"Fiona, can you watch over the loop till I come back? I'll be back before supper!" Fiona eagerly agreed before hugging Alma tightly goodbye and running off.

Alma watched as Fiona disappeared around a corner and waited a while longer before she carefully opened the door and left.

The library was always pretty busy in the loop, but then again everything repeats so Alma knew when was the perfect time to go without it being too busy. She pushed open the door as a bell rang alerting the librarian of someone's presence.

"Miss Peregrine! How great to see you today, again." You welcomed warmly.

"What do you mean by again, darling, I have only just entered." Alma watched as your eyes widened and tried to quickly find an excuse to cover your mix-up.

Laughing it off, Alma placed the books she has borrowed on the table and waited for you to take them.

"Would that be all Miss Peregrine?" You smiled nervously as you put the books she has returned in a bin.

"That would be all, dear. But may I ask when you are free? I would like to introduce my children to you so whenever they come to town they know a familiar face."

You were put back a little not expecting this from a regular. It got you thinking, that every day has been repeating for the last month, you could always just say tomorrow and pretend you didn't remember this encounter when the day miraculously resets.

"Oh, that would be quite lovely! I'm free tomorrow at noon." You replied hoping she didn't notice how long it took for you to respond.

"Well it's settled, I'll come back tomorrow. See you later, dear. Oh, and please call me Alma." She winked at you before leaving.

You watched her from the window wondering how odd this encounter was. She would always come to the library and return a book at exactly half past twelve but never tried to make a conversation with you. You would always catch her staring when you turned to put her books in the return basket. How odd.

˚˚˚

Waving goodbye to your coworker, you headed out the door and made the long trek home. Oddly enough, you always felt that you were being watched but whenever you check your surroundings, no one is nearby. Shrugging it off as paranoia you seemed to forget about the bother.

Upon reaching home, you hung your coat before going into the kitchen to make some tea when the raven-haired regular invaded your head. Happy that she has talked to you today although it was odd, admittingly she is quite strange.

Shaking off the thought you took the kettle off of the stove and prepared the tea. You thought for a while, perhaps you should go with her to meet her children.

Putting the tea and some biscuits on a tray, you walked to your dining room and set the tray down. You then walked towards your drawer and brought out a pen and some paper.

If you were going to possibly come with her, why not prepare some gifts?

You started to draw a few items like teddy bears, a football, a pair of skates, and some other items. You have heard that she has about twelve kids, amazing that she can take care of that many without losing her marbles. You most definitely could not, the solitude of your home and life is more than satisfying enough.

You placed your finished drawings to the side before finishing your tea and moving it away. You decided to draw a sapphire necklace for Alma.

...Alma...what a pretty name.

You froze before shaking any thoughts out of your head and continuing the necklace.

You finished it just in time for the bombs to fly overhead. Covering your ears, you closed your eyes and started to count to ten. Soon you can hear that the bombs have left and soon it became quiet.

Opening your eyes, you took your drawings and set them down in a row. You placed your hand over the teddy bear and gently lifted it out of the paper. You repeated the process before now having live items instead of drawings. You threw away the leftover paper and started to wrap the items and placed it into your work bag.

Deciding this was enough for today, you retired to your bedroom failing to notice a falcon perched on your windowsill, watching you.

˚˚˚

"A beautiful Daisy Bell~" Softly singing to yourself as you placed the returned books back onto their designated shelves. Not hearing the bell from the door ring you continued to sing and sort the books until you hear the familiar click of a certain someone's heels.

"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do~" You turned around quickly to see Alma looming over you pretending to look through the books on the shelves as she continued your singing.

"I'm half crazy all for the love of you" A shiver ran down your spine as her eye's met yours. You backed up and accidentally bumped into the shelf behind you.

You were in awe...she has such a beautiful voice, not that you haven't heard her speak before. Dear god, what is this woman doing to you.

"Miss Peregrine! How great to see you today." You smiled at her as you prayed that your face wasn't beet red. Alma tsked as she turned around and walked away, promptly having you let out a sigh of relief.

"Didn't I say you can call me Alma? You don't have to keep up the act, dear, I know you are pretty special." You stood there in quite a shock, frozen in place.

How could she have known? Were you not careful enough at hiding? You never drew outside of your home once. Tons of questions flood through your mind demanding answers. Finally snapping out of your trance, you walked to your desk and opened the little side door so you could go behind it.

Awkwardly you cough while asking her what you can do for her today. Handing you a book that she has borrowed just two days ago you quickly took it out of her hand and placed it into the return bin before asking her if there is anything else.

"Forgot your promise already? I don't like liars nor deal-breakers you know? You should be punished, dear." She looked into your eyes to search for what you may be thinking, trying but failing to suppress her growing smile.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Mis- Alma?" You say while trying to look anywhere but at her.

Alma raised an eyebrow and hummed. She thought for a while before smirking.

"Well if you truly don't remember then may I ask what's in your bag? It looks heavy, you don't have anything planned for tonight?" Her smirk widened when she saw a flash of fear in your eyes. Oh what an adorable little thing, you need her. You are as clueless as a little bird who flew right into a window.

The more this conversation continues the more unsettled you start to get. Your brain is screaming at you to tell her to leave but your heart was in control today and you stood your ground. Sighing in defeat, you walked back out of your desk and grabbed your bag. Your shift ends in 3 minutes, no point in hiding anymore. Alma smiled and walked towards you satisfied.

"I see you remembered, now don't you try to lie again, alright? Follow me, dearest." You were deeply unsettled but excited from today's encounter, but guessing it is too late you followed her home not realizing this will be the last time you will ever see the library or outside again.

˚˚˚

"Would you like some tea?" Alma asked as she lead you into her house, you were in awe at how gorgeous everything looked. The garden was nicely kept with kids running around and playing, and the inside was nice and comfortable with tons of decorations that complemented the walls.

"That would be nice and by golly Alma, your house is gorgeous! Did you decorate it yourself?" You complimented as you walked along the halls, gently moving your hand across the displays. It felt as if you were in a museum.

Getting caught in your mind, you failed to notice Alma's face grow red as she prepared your tea and secretly added an unknown substance.

You turned around and found that Alma was seated on a sofa looking at you with an unreadable expression. Smiling at her, she looked into your eyes and smiled back. You walked over and sat across from her taking the tea and thanking her.

Stirring it around you realized the tea smelt...odd? Shrugging it off as being nervous you took a sip as Alma watched you intensely. You felt a bit awkward and scared by her odd behavior, but that just prompted you to finish the whole drink in a matter of seconds.

Oh dear, that was a terrible idea. You felt like puking, it was getting terribly hard to breathe and you can't tell if its the heat or the weird aftertaste the tea had. You fell to the floor coughing violently as Alma rushed over to you and started to pat your back. Slowly, you tried to look at Alma but you just started to cough more until you felt lightheaded.

You felt yourself being lifted up and carried away. Resisting the urge to close your eyes, you looked at Alma and saw that she was looking back at you with a smile on her face.

You wanted to scream, to yell for help, anything, but you slowly succumbed to the pain and closed your eyes.

"Don't worry, my love. I will take great care of you, don't worry anymore. You are forever mine.

A/n: Honestly I felt like this may have been kind of disappointing for the wait but I really did not want to make you guys wait any longer. Thank you all for the support and I hope you will enjoy it! I might write a part two tbh...