☆ Round Two!

[jsmn_kink]

Welcome to the second round of the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Kink Meme at jsmn_kinkmeme!

Below are some basic guidelines, but please make sure you also check out our complete Rules & Guidelines.

Guidelines:
■ Anonymously comment with your request – a character/pairing/nthsome, and a kink or prompt.
■ Only one prompt per post.
■ Fillers please link your fills in the Fills Post!
■ Have fun! :)

Keep in mind:
■ Any kinks welcomed!
■ The fill/request does not need to be sexual or porny.
■ Multiple fills are allowed.
■ Fills can be any sort of creative work: fic, art, song, photomanip, etc.
■ Beware of spoilers! Prompters and requesters are encouraged to warn for spoilers, but this rule is not enforced.
■ Warning for non-con, dub-con, abuse, slurs/language, and other potentially disturbing subjects is encouraged but be aware we do not enforce this.
■ Would fillers please make sure when posting a fill in multiple parts that they thread their comments by replying to previous parts.

Links:
☆ Mod Post
☆ Fills Post
☆ Discussion Post
☆ Misfire deletion requests
☆ Previous Rounds: Round One

Comments

Childermass/Segundus, Accidental Slave Bond

[(Anonymous)]

Childermass has an unfortunate run-in with some fairies while in the vicinity of Starecross. Segundus, drawn by the sensation of magic, happens across them and realises that Childermass is in very deep trouble indeed, so he barges in and tries to stop it, laying claim to Childermass in the process in a blind panic. The fairies, in an act of 'kindness', decide to take this very literally and magically bind Childermass to Segundus, so that Segundus' 'servant' won't run off and cause trouble again. They then vanish, leaving the two men to deal with the fact that Segundus has basically managed to accidentally enslave Childermass while trying to rescue him.

Up to author!anon how well this goes, but I would deeply love some absolute horror on Segundus' part and some angst/anger/resignation on Childermass'. I would prefer if the bond was eventually broken again, with active effort on their part, but if there was quite a while first in which there was anger and guilt and enforced proximity and consent issues and feelings realised at the worst possible moments. I am a sucker for angst with a happy ending.

Re: Childermass/Segundus, Accidental Slave Bond

[(Anonymous)]

Perfect prompt is perfect. Seconded with glee

Childermass/Norrell ticklish

[(Anonymous)]

I headcanon Norrell as being ridiculously ticklish, so I want Childermass tickling him. It could be an innocent tickle in the library, a tickle to annoy him, one to cheer him up and make him giggle, or even one that is part of a post-coital embrace. I just want Norrell getting tickled and his mega-cute response to it.

I would be happy with a drabble for this seriously. Or a mini-fic. Or a paragraph. Anything.

Re: Childermass/Norrell ticklish

[(Anonymous)]

OKAY that's incredibly adorable.

.....I may do something. No promises so anyone else who has inspiration please go for it, but this is so cute and needs filled.

Childermass/Norrell PTSD

[(Anonymous)]

So in the series we see Childermass sleep off his gunshot wound and get straight back to work (and riding!) after a couple of days. This is all well and good if he's a strapping lad, but what of his emotional health? I want to know if there would be any fallout from such a traumatic experience for him. Would he bolt at loud noises? Would the sight of guns give him a panic attack? I'd love to read about that.

Bonus points for Norrell helping him calmly through an episode and understanding.

Re: Childermass/Norrell PTSD

[(Anonymous)]

YES?? PLEASE YES. I love this so much.

(so I headcanon Norrell as having anxiety, and maybe he has panic attacks himself sometimes and maybe that's why he's good at helping and is understanding when something kind of similar happens to Childermass? idk if that's your jam, OP, ignore me if not!)

Angry Arabella/Strange - Hot Mad Sex

[(Anonymous)]

I'm imagining this happening after the King's Roads argument, but it could work at other times as well. Arabella is really, REALLY angry with Jonathan and the way she expresses it is to absolutely dominate him: ripping his clothes off, pushing him down on the bed, showing him just who's boss in every possible way. Jonathan is left completely wrecked, exhausted, and very thoroughly chastised for his misbehavior.

Re: Angry Arabella/Strange - Hot Mad Sex

[(Anonymous)]

+1

could the hot mad sex include pegging? they knew about dildos back then just sayin'

*slinks back into the undergrowth*

Childermass/Vinculus, body worship

[(Anonymous)]

The reader marvels at his book.

FILL: Childermass/Vinculus, body worship

[(Anonymous)]

This is probably NOT what the OP wanted, but it just wrote itself! (I blame Vinculus)

*

Childermass has always been a practical person. A man of business, always doing what has to be done. So when he finds himself in the surprising situation of being Reader of a most unlikely Book, he is ready to do his part, in the only way he knows to. Straight-forward and focused. He is, after all, used to hard work. And things may have just turned out exactly the way they should. This is a feeling more than a fact, but he acknowledges it nevertheless.

As days pass and the letters grow dim and fade before his eyes, he suspects that the words are taking on new meanings. The ones he has already deciphered, thanks to hours of effort, seem to shape-shift and intertwine in new ways. And the ones that are still a mystery appear to mock him, as with a life of their own.

He reckons it is so: after all, the words seem to take on the mind of the Book they are printed upon. So they settle into a familiar routine, than more often than not, ends with Vinculus napping under a tree, or raising hell in any ale-house he can manage to get into.

Childermass would not openly admit it, but he is glad for those interruptions. Sometimes he becomes weary, and it gets the best of him. The light plays tricks on his eyes, until he sees the words melting and running away, the ink moving and getting into his own flesh instead, mocking him with strange, dark meanings that whisper of Faerie, and of things he has never allowed himself to think about. Sometimes he can feel the sky speaking to him again, and sometimes it feels gentler, as if the meaning was slowly yielding to him, allowing him to understand bits and pieces here and there, like a conversation overheard from behind a closed door. He feels the words as strongly as spirits, as real as the Northern landscape, and as passionate and intoxicating as magic. But he pushes these notions away, practical as ever. If one deals with Faeries, one ought to expect something to go awry. This is what he tells himself.

Until the meaning overturns his world. He is not prepared for what follows, for the rush of words, of meaning, of flesh. The words both mock and taunt him, whispering promises and threats. They feel bittersweet and almost painful beneath his fingers. Something that resembles magic fills his head, his lungs, and turns him into a small thing, like a feather caught in a hurricane. He is afraid, but he wants more, he has always wanted more of this deeper meaning, of this unspoken prayer, of this language of birds, of earth, of sky.

Everything shatters into the earth, into the here and now, and he knows that practical thinking will not help him now, not when he has to read words bigger than himself, bigger than the both of them and everything they have known before. These are words belonging to kings with foreign names, and yet, are they so different from the ones that spell out the yearning of ordinary men?

There are no answers, and before he knows it, Childermass feels something like a tide overtaking him. The sailor in him longs for a lifeline, an anchor of sorts. He cannot help himself from pressing his mouth to Vinculus' shoulder, desperate to decipher, to understand, to know. Vinculus freezes for a moment, almost as if to protest, but then the intensity of the bond overtakes him, too. He understands: he sees how they fit together and into the spell, how they play a part in the mysterious scheme of things, and how they are a piece of something bigger, something that they cannot fully grasp, and can only make half-sense of, like one would do with a dream.

And indeed, it seems to be through a dream-like haze that Childermass dives into all those words, as many as he can cup into his hands, his mouth, his heart. The lack of meaning becomes madness, and the madness somehow becomes the meaning. Perhaps that was the message all along.

After what feels like an eternity, he takes a deep breath, as if resurfacing from underwater, and his head clears somehow. All he can do then is stroke one single word over and over. One word that just might carry every meaning in the world, both written and unwritten, wrapped inside itself like a shell. One word that goes beyond language and understanding and the very limits of the sky.

"What does it mean?", Vinculus asks carefully. His voice is low and peculiar, as if he already knows the answer. As if he feels the words printed on his body might have changed their meaning again. Perhaps they have.

"I do not know", Childermass replies. But somehow, he feels this untold meaning is safe, hiding in his mouth.

Childermass returning to prostitution

[(Anonymous)]

I think that perhaps when Childermass was young and poor, he used to sell himself as well as working as a pickpocket. Not an unusual head canon in fandom really, but now I've started wondering what happens after the end of the book. He no longer has an employer. I'm not sure being a magician is particularly profitable at this point and I'm not sure how much practical magic he does for other people. It's implied he doesn't have a lot of money. So what if, to fund himself while he works at learning to read Vinculus, he returns the oldest profession?

What if someone he knows (maybe Segundus but I'm not set on it) finds out? Do they find him on his knees in an alley, or is there an awkward meeting between them both and one of his customers turns up? Or does Chilldermas attempt to seduce the man pointed out to him as a customer only to find its someone he knows?

How would the other person react? Will it all end happily? (By which I think I mean, please let it end happily but feel free to torture them both a bit on the way!)

Re: Childermass returning to prostitution

[(Anonymous)]

Ooooohh, fascinating. This has so much potential, it sets the gears in my mind to working...

Childermass/Lascelles/book!Drawlight - Belle de Jour parody, sort of

[(Anonymous)]

Drawlight occasionally whores himself out for extra money. Lascelles knows this and, because he's a bored kinky fuck, he wants to try whoring himself out for fun too and asks Drawlight to help disguise him and whatnot.

He agrees to it but he also wants a bit of revenge for how roughly Lascelles had treated him in the past. So... Drawlight invites Childermass (with whom he has a romance, of sorts, blooming on the side) to the same whorehouse and has him order some "time" with Lascelles (and with Drawlight himself simultaneously so he can be there to watch the humiliation unfold, of course).

Childermass, of course, recognizes Lascelles instantly, but acts like he doesn't so Lascelles continues to act in character.

Hilarity and/or depravity ensue.

Re: Childermass/Lascelles/book!Drawlight - Belle de Jour parody, sort of

[(Anonymous)]

Can't believe there's been no comments on this super prompt so far!

I've no knowledge of Belle de Jour, but this scenario sounds like it could be highly comical and fantastic! There's also the potential for so many emotions to be involved that could make it a very rich story.

Strange can't shut up during sex

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, I was browsing a recent prompt about Strange/Childermass and someone in the comments brought up the notion of Strange not being able to shut up during sex, which I immediately realized IS SOMETHING I NEED.

Ideal pairing is Strange/Grant, but Strange/Childermass would totally work for me, too. Even Strange/Arabella. Just make it CHATTY and as filthy as you see fit.

Re: Strange can't shut up during sex

[(Anonymous)]

POSTER WHO MADE THAT COMMENT SECONDS YOU

Childermass/Norrell - Pride and Prejudice

[(Anonymous)]

So the timeframe is already right, but different circumstances. (Lets just say men can get married okay? Okay.)
Norrell the stuck up, very rich, northern gentleman, and Childermass (like Lizzie) is from a (much!) poorer family.
And tell me you can't imagine the various proposal scenes with them.
"Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?"

Re: Childermass/Norrell - Pride and Prejudice

[(Anonymous)]

I'm screeching a little, what a good prompt. Seconding so hard.

Strange/Grant bathing

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not quite sure how they would get access to a bath amidst a war, perhaps they are on leave, perhaps one of them has the advantage of the use of a decent hotel room, but just give me these two bathing together. It doesn't even have to be smutty or turn into sex, I just want soft wet touches and soapy kisses and hair stroking and just a rare moment of peace in a nice tub.

Re: Strange/Grant bathing

[(Anonymous)]

OMG tub cuddling between these two would be incredible! Seconded!

Gentleman/book!Drawlight

[(Anonymous)]

They're both pretty. They're both bitches. You know it'd be hot.

Re: Gentleman/book!Drawlight

[(Anonymous)]

Indeed it would!

Grant/any, sexual experimentation

[(Anonymous)]

Despite his (literally and metaphorically) buttoned-up exterior, Grant is sexually adventurous and up for trying anything once.

+1 for an account of how he got to be that way, but a one-off scene demonstrating the fact would be great too.

[inspired by hearing Jamie Parker's rendition of I Never Do Anything Twice, which he introduces as "pretty definitely the dirtiest song I know"]

Re: Grant/any, sexual experimentation

[(Anonymous)]

Gosh this would great.

+1

Strange/Norrell - Erogenous Zones

[(Anonymous)]

As Strange and Norrell get used to living together in the Pillar of Darkness, each of them begins - from time to time - to brush up against the other's erogenous zones. The standard areas, but also other areas unique to each man: perhaps for Norrell it is a spot on the back of his neck where the tail of his wig usually lays, or the inside of his wrist or the small of his back. Maybe Strange responds to a touch on his knee or his stockinged calf or somewhere on his stomach where he was hurt on the Peninsula. I'd just like to read about them accidentally discovering these places - and then exploring them further and very purposefully.

Re: Strange/Norrell - Erogenous Zones

[(Anonymous)]

seconding!

Childermass reading novels

[(Anonymous)]

At the end of the TV series, Vinculus leans very close the Childermass when he says perhaps he is now a novel. It almost looks like he is mocking him particularly. So does that mean Childermass is a secret fan of novels? If so, how did Vinculus find out?

Is Childermass a secret admirer of the novels of Jane Austen? Did he ever meet her?

Does he like the gothic novels of the time? Did he ever sit pretending to do the accounts when he was actually re-reading the Mysteries of Udolpho?

Did he and Hannah ever sigh over Mr Darcy together? Does anyone else read them?

Re: Childermass reading novels

[(Anonymous)]

OMG OP I want to write this very badly. I have a lot on my plate right now but I will tentatively claim it. I encourage others to write it as well if they are interested.

Inception AU, dream magic for dream heist!

[(Anonymous)]

Childermass would of course make an excellent forger, Strange is the mad genius architect, so on and so forth. What are they stealing/planting? What roles do other characters have? Are they still in Regency England? I have no specific plot points, I just wanna see some dream heist action adventure. Go nuts, guys!

(Ships or no ships? I am partial to Childermass/Segundus in general, but that does not matter so much here. Follow your heart, potential a!a!)

Re: Inception AU, dream magic for dream heist!

[(Anonymous)]

As someone who absolutely loves Inception,I fully support this.

Any character with the prompt "Whatever you do, don't sneeze"

[(Anonymous)]

What it says on the tin. Could be a Spell Gone Wrong, some predicament of the sorts, just give me a fill based on this. Preferred Childermass, Segundus, or Vinculus shenanigans, but not required.

Re: Any character with the prompt "Whatever you do, don't sneeze"

[(Anonymous)]

Gosh this is so cute!

How easy this would be to fill too (what with all the talented authors in this fandom!) COME ON PEOPLE!!

any male character/book!drawlight: trans or intersex boy drawlight

[(Anonymous)]

I have seen several people mention both these headcanons for him and I would like to see a fanfic where someone eats him out. For the other character, my preferences are Childermass or Segundus, but I'm open to others. Just no misgendering or other abuse please. Thank you for reading my prompt.

Re: any male character/book!drawlight: trans or intersex boy drawlight

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds good.

I wonder how people of the period would have understood the concept? Did they have that weird idea transsexuality was the same thing as homosexuality (cf "mollyhouses" with men with female personae, late-C19th theory about sexual inversion, the way Radclyffe Hall and her viewpoint character identified as masculine in the early C20th--there just seems to have been a lot of the idea about before gender dysphoria got named as a thing)?

If Drawlight was what would now be considered as a trans boy--women "passing" as male has been a thing in all past centuries, but it would probably have been understood as an escape from the difficulties of the female role/attempt to gain male privileges. The only thing I can see against this is that it would have been a high-stakes game played to win--to keep passing--and playing up feminine aspects the way he does canonically would be the last thing he'd want to do. Even nowadays non-binary or mixed signifiers are probably the least common ways of being trans, i.e, most trans men probably want to be/be perceived as men, although this is probably somewhat down to the practicality that not-passing can actually be physically dangerous.

(Didn't mean to get too meta, it's just an interesting question!)

Childermass/Grant - ANYTHING

[(Anonymous)]

Yes I know they never interacted in the book series. But certainly their paths crossed after! Maybe an AU where Norrell and Childermass go to the peninsula instead of Strange? Norrell sends Childermass to watch over the books Strange borrowed? They team up to rescue Norrell and Strange from the Darkness? GIVE ME SOMETHING! ANYTHING!

Re: Childermass/Grant - ANYTHING

[(Anonymous)]

Oh my god YES PLEASE

Strange/Segundus, first time (for both?) +/- mirrors

[(Anonymous)]

Strange feels bad for being so abrupt to Segundus when they first meet (not to mention horrible about his cuffs), and decides to make amends (or something). Even though he has never been with another man before, he has read everything he can lay his hands on and is desperate to try it all out/a total praise-whore/insanely eager to please.

Segundus can be as inexperienced as takes your fancy. Bonus points if Strange insists on doing it in front of a mirror, because he is a) vain and b) doesn't want to miss anything. Double bonus if Segundus makes him work very hard indeed before he accepts his apology.

Re: Strange/Segundus, first time (for both?) +/- mirrors

[(Anonymous)]

Uhm...wow!?! Yes please! Seconding this like a shot!

Childermass and Sir Walter, serious conversation

[(Anonymous)]

Strictly Gen. I would like to see how shot!Childermass managed to convince Sir Walter that he harbours no ill feelings towards Lady Pole and that he actually has her best interest in mind. Bonus points for selling Mr Segundus as a reliable and respectable person and a kind and caring soul.

Fill - To Speak of Trouble 1/2

[(Anonymous)]

Walter was standing at his study window when the knock came, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes fixed blindly out into the early afternoon. His thoughts did not match the view. Where the sky outside was clear and bright, his mind was more clouded and overcast than he ever remembered previously. Even when Emma had been dying, his thoughts had not been so dark, although in truth he had barely known her then. There had been no question of fault, however. There had been no blame, no action to be taken. Now ... Now there was.

"... Your pardon, sir," Stephen said quietly, from the doorway behind him. "Mr Norrell's man is here to see you, about her ladyship? Mr Childermass, sir."

His familiar face was tired and gravely sympathetic, when Walter turned to face him. Of course, Stephen had taken her ladyship's situation as badly as anyone. There had always been a certain gentility in Stephen. It was a comfort, even if it was not always appropriate.

"... Childermass?" Walter managed eventually. The name startled him, for a variety of reasons, but one in particular. He had thought ... "Wasn't he the one who was ... That her ladyship ...?"

"Yes sir," Stephen said, almost gently. "I believe he was."

Walter blinked at him. "But," he said, a little foolishly. "But it was only a week ago. Is he ... That is to say, should he be ... Well. Should he be here, in his condition?" He was rather pleased to say that he had relatively little experience of people being ... being shot in his vicinity, but he thought it should take rather longer to recover from than a mere few days. Surely the man should still be abed?

Walter would certainly prefer that he were, he admitted to himself, and not entirely for altruistic reasons either. This conversation was going to be difficult enough without it being ... well. Without having to face the man himself. Childermass was a mildly daunting prospect at the best of times, which this most certainly was not. Unworthy a thought as it was, was it too much to ask to be spared him now?

Stephen only shook his head carefully, however. "I cannot say, sir," he said softly. "I can only tell you that he is here. Shall I show him up? To the drawing room, perhaps?"

Walter shook his head. He was ... he couldn't think. Not at all. But he had to.

"No," he said at last. "Or, that is. Not the drawing room, Stephen. Show him here, if you wouldn't mind. And ... I don't know. Tea? Something? What does one offer a man one's wife has shot?"

The question was slightly hysterical, perhaps. Walter struggled to master himself. He couldn't afford to be so scattered. Emma's fate rested in his hands right now, his and those of the man Stephen would shortly be showing into the room. The man she had shot, and who represented the man she had been trying to shoot. He had to have his wits about him. If he was to be any good to her at all, he must gather his wits and his nerves post haste.

Stephen helped. Even just looking at Stephen helped. If anyone could summon strength and calm in a crisis, it was and always had been Stephen. Even just his presence was enough to calm shot nerves.

"I will have tea sent up, sir," the man said, with calm reassurance. "Perhaps you might offer him a chair? It would be irregular, but Hanover Square is a long way to come with a wound. I think perhaps he might be grateful for the consideration."

Walter blinked. "Of course," he said distantly, before shaking himself a little bit. "Thank you, Stephen. I'll, ah. I shall be sure to do that. Please ... Please show him up, would you?"

Stephen bowed out, leaving Walter to return briefly to the window and try to gather himself somewhat more convincingly for the conversation ahead. He felt his hands knot somewhat helplessly into fists. Responsibility. It had always been something he felt very keenly. With a father and a grandfather like his, one could scarcely help it. That had never made it any easier, however. There were times and situations where responsibility was not at all enjoyable.

"My lord?" a voice that was not Stephen's asked softly from the doorway, a little rasped and ragged around the edges. Walter turned, and looked at the man his wife had injured. He felt his breath hitch a little at the sight of him. Childermass looked back at him calmly enough, with that slightly imbalanced mixture of deference and confidence that was familiar from time spent at Hanover Square. He looked almost exactly as he should, in fact, were it not for the pallor and the way he was trying to lean very surreptitiously on the doorknob. For all his attempts to look otherwise, here was very clearly a man who had been badly wounded.

"Oh god," Walter said, without entirely meaning to. He moved a step towards the man, raising a hand as if to do ... something, and Childermass blinked at him a little bit. "Are you ... Should you be about, man? Are you all right? Come sit down!"

Childermass blinked again, very slowly. "I'm fine, sir," he said, with what looked like mild bemusement. "I ... Thank you for your consideration, my lord. I am well enough. Though, if you'll forgive it of me, I would not say no to a chair." He grimaced faintly, as if he wished he did not have to admit this. "I would not normally impose, sir, it is only ..."

"Yes, of course," said Walter, as much to keep the man from saying it as anything else. He held out an arm, though Childermass ignored it, and gestured quickly to one of a set of armchairs. "Please, sit down. Stephen is sending up some tea. Are you really sure you should be up, Mr Childermass? I had not thought ... That is, you are not who I expected to see."

A rather impenetrable expression came across Childermass' face at that, one that Walter could not read at all. He shook his head as he sat down, and Walter could not help but notice faint lines of pain easing on his face as he did so. He moved somewhat awkwardly to his own chair, and let himself drop rather heavily into it. If Childermass begrudged him the lack of composure, he did not show it.

"My master thinks that this matter should be dealt with as quickly as possible," Childermass said at last, once he had recovered himself slightly. He looked across at Walter, his gaze open and frank, if a little cautious. "Not only for his own good, sir, but for that of everyone concerned. It is not a matter in which he has much experience, however. As his man of business, I had hoped that you might be willing to discuss the matter with me instead. I understand there are ... many arrangements to be made, for her ladyship's sake?"

Walter pressed his lips together. For her ladyship's sake. Arrangements. God. He did not voice the first few thoughts that came to mind, however. They were unworthy, and undeserved. The situation was patently no more of Childermass' making than his.

"Yes," he said at least, perhaps a little repressively. "My wife has ... I am aware of the great injury she has done Mr Norrell and yourself, sir. I am grateful that ... that Mr Norrell at least has not asked for more stringent measures to be taken. I know it would be within his rights."

He did not say 'and yours'. Such a right would be difficult for a man of Childermass' position to demand, though whether that should or should not be the case was a different question. Walter could not help but be aware, however, that should Childermass wish to demand it, to exact some more severe form of justice for his injury, Mr Norrell had put him in quite a good position to do so. By placing the matter in his servant's hands, Mr Norrell had given the man a very good opportunity to exact his vengeance, if he so wished.

Walter was not entirely sure what he would do, if that turned out to be the case. Fight it, his instinct said, yet seeing the man, the pain he was in, a part of him could not help but wonder if he would be wholly right to do so. It was ... God. It was impossible. The whole situation. Yet he could not allow her to be harmed. He simply could not.

Childermass did not give any immediate indication of a burning desire for vengeance, at least. He shrugged in the face of Walter's concern, a little uneasily, and offered a reasonable attempt at diplomacy instead.

"I'm sure Mr Norrell is conscious of her ladyship's ... fragile condition," the man said carefully. "I do not pretend to know all of the circumstances, sir, yet I understand that her ladyship has been ... troubled? For some time. I'm sure my master does not begrudge a more discreet handling of the situation, not when her ladyship was not in her right mind when she ... acted as she did."

It was a carefully qualified speech. Walter, with some experience of such things, could see how very careful the man was being to frame things correctly, to not cause offence. He wondered to what extent he might believe him. Somehow, he didn't think Mr Norrell overly cared about Emma's 'fragile condition'. That did not necessarily matter. Mr Norrell, at least, could usually be relied upon to choose the most discreet handling of anything. Childermass, on the other hand, was a much more uncertain prospect. Walter could not tell what he thought at all, save that there had been no overt scepticism towards his wife's madness, or the effect it may have had on her actions. Was that enough cause for hope that he might not bear her ill will? Walter could not be sure.

Stephen chose that moment to appear with a tea service, which granted him some small reprieve to think. It didn't quite grant Childermass the same, he saw, with what might have been amusement under better circumstances. The man accepted the cup Stephen offered him with an expression that was half affronted chagrin and half gratitude, taking it in his right hand to spare the wounded one tucked against his side, and Walter had a moment to consider that perhaps the man might be just as uneasy with the circumstances of their conversation as Walter himself. For different reasons, perhaps, but it might be that Walter was not the only one fumbling here. That was, at least, a somewhat heartening thought.

"Either way," he said quietly, once Stephen had swept calmly back out of the room once more, "I am grateful for Mr Norrell's forbearance. I understand that it may not be a sentiment you can share, Mr Childermass, and under the circumstances I cannot say I blame you, but I ... I cannot help but be concerned for my wife. I'm sorry for it, but I cannot."

Childermass set his cup back down. More to disguise the tremor in his hand than to make any sort of a point, Walter thought. His expression was not cold, when he looked up. It was carefully noncommittal, as befitted his purpose and his station, but there did not seem to be malice disguised beneath it. That might be only blind optimism on Walter's part, of course, but he did sense any ill intent beneath the man's facade.

"I do not think you can be blamed for that, sir," Childermass said softly, and Walter honestly could not sense a lie from it. He had some experience of liars. He was a politician, for god's sake! He did not sense any here. "Forgive me. I know this is a difficult position for any man to find himself in. I had hoped that we might come to arrangement which ... which satisfies everyone, my lord. I'm sure no one has any wish to see her ladyship harmed. Perhaps, between us, we might come to an agreement that is as much to her benefit as anyone's?"

Walter blinked. He looked away, pressing his lips tightly together. "I am no longer sure that is possible," he said after a moment, and did not think he had quite succeeded in disguising the grief of it. He had been so delighted when Norrell had saved Emma. So hopeful and so awed. And now ... now he wasn't sure there was any saving her. Death may have been waylaid, but madness had gleefully taken its place, and now she had all but killed someone in its throes. Walter didn't know any longer how much hope there might be for Emma. With the best will in the world, he wasn't sure that anyone could help her.

And that was, of course, when those in command of her fate had the best will. Which might no longer be the case.

He looked back at Childermass. The man's face was drawn, and very pale. He quite probably should not have left his bed yet. Under less fraught circumstances, Walter might have entertained uncharitable thoughts towards Norrell for making him. Certainly it was nothing he would ever have demanded of Stephen. Yet Childermass seemed unmoved. He was uneasy, yet Walter did not think he doubted his purpose in coming here, nor the necessity of it. Childermass had the look of a man determined to do his duty.

It only remained to be seen, then, what the man thought that duty entailed. Walter did not care to prevaricate any further. He rather thought the time for it had passed.

"... What do you think I should do, Mr Childermass?" he asked quietly, and not without some genuine appeal in it. Childermass often gave sound advice. When he had not been injured, when he did not have just cause for anger, Childermass could often be relied upon to be reasonable. "You are the one she has injured. What do you think should be done with my wife?"

Childermass blinked warily at him. He did not answer immediately, and when he did his tone was still cautious. "I understand," he said carefully, "that the option of placing her ladyship in a madhouse was raised? That was what my master informed me, at any rate. I believe that he and Mr Lascelles at least briefly discussed the matter with you?"

Walter closed his eyes. He bowed his head, a surge of emotion running through him, and Childermass had the courtesy to remain silent through it. Walter had not the presence of mind to be grateful. An asylum. It had made sense when Mr Lascelles had said it. It had seemed a mercy, when Emma might have killed someone in her madness. Walter had thought about it since then, however. He had given it a great deal of thought indeed, and he had found that ... that he did not like the thought at all.

He had heard rumours. There had been scandal growing around Bethlem for years, to the point that people in certain quarters were making motions in Parliament to have something done about it. Walter knew what happened to people in such places. It hadn't ... God forgive him, it hadn't meant all that much to him previously, but the thought of Emma in such a place, the thought of those things being done to her ...

He stood up. Childermass stiffened a little, watching him warily, but Walter could not muster the composure to speak to him just yet. He shook his head, a half gesture of apology, and turned to move back to the window. To stand there, his hands laced behind his back in an effort to quell the shaking of them. He needed a moment. He could not speak just yet.

And Childermass, to his credit, did not seem to begrudge him it.

Childermass + Any, Lord of Misrule (Role Reversal)

[(Anonymous)]

"In ancient Rome, from the 17th to the 23rd of December, a Lord of Misrule was appointed for the feast of Saturnalia, in the guise of the good god Saturn. During this time the ordinary rules of life were subverted as masters served their slaves, and the offices of state were held by slaves. The Lord of Misrule presided over all of this, and had the power to command anyone to do anything during the holiday period."
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Misrule )

Can I have something where, by some magical means, Childermass ends up as a Lord of Misrule for a time? Maybe Strange and Norrell cast a wonky spell that turns the household upside down, maybe the York Society does the same thing, maybe he ends up in a Faerie kingdom that works like this, however you want to manage it. Just something where Childermass is suddenly the master, the servants and people of lower class around him are suddenly lords, the gentry are suddenly servants, and there are reactions and fallout to this.

Your choice of supporting cast, although I think Strange and Norrell trying to be servant-like in particular would be hilarious and/or very, very painful. And Lascelles forced to be a servant would not end well. At all. Particularly once the spell/situation wore off again. Up to a!a, though, I don't mind where you set it.

Re: Childermass + Any, Lord of Misrule (Role Reversal)

[(Anonymous)]

This idea sounds awesome and potentially hilarious. Seconded!

Norrell/Childermass, Uninhibition Spell & Furious Childermass

[(Anonymous)]

Norrell, in an effort to have physical relations with his servant without having to go through that horrifically awkward business of actually talking about having physical relations with his servant, casts an anti-inhibition spell on Childermass. The hope is that the spell will reveal any latent attraction Childermass might have and spur him to act on it, without Norrell having to ask any awkward questions.

That is NOT what the spell results in. What the spell results in is a Childermass who has rapidly figured out what's happening, is absolutely furious about it, and currently has zero inhibitions to stop him letting fly with that fury. Cue Norrell getting physically manhandled and given the most blistering dressing down of his life by a magically-enhanced Childermass in a towering temper.

Unexpectedly, this is the single hottest thing that has ever happened to Norrell in his life, and on top of being shocked, terrified, and embarrassed, he is also more aroused than he had previously thought possible.

Up to anon how Childermass reacts to this and what happens after, I just want Norrell to have accidentally bumped into a massive kink of his in about the least safe way possible.

Re: Norrell/Childermass, Uninhibition Spell & Furious Childermass

[(Anonymous)]

WOOOWWWW!!!!!!! This is such an AMAZING idea!!!! Seconded so fast!!!

Norrell steals Childermass's gloves to masterbate with

[(Anonymous)]

Whether or not Childermass catches him is up to you.

Re: Norrell steals Childermass's gloves to masterbate with

[(Anonymous)]

This prompt wins. Seconded so hard. I will pay somebody to write this!

Norrell/anyone or gen - trans!Norrell

[(Anonymous)]

Basically, I want trans Norrell and some other characters being positive/accepting about it at some point. Some negativity/sadness/angst is definitely a-okay, but I'd like a relatively upbeat ending if you can manage! Any pairing or none is fine.

I would be very happy indeed for a five-times fic about coming out/people finding out featuring Childermass and Jonathan as two of the characters, but that is entirely optional.

(I may say that if you have other trans headcanons you wish to incorporate - I know I've seen prompts for a couple of other characters - please feel 100% free to do that.)

Sick/delirious Mr Norrell confessing he loves Childermass.

[(Anonymous)]

Series or pre series.
Mr Norrell is taken ill while Childermass is away on some kind of business (looking for book/Vinculus whatever works for A!A.)

Mr Norrell running a high fever talking incoherently about things (magic, history, types of food he doesn't like, how lonely he is or why he thinks billiards is ridiculous) up to A!A what you want to use, touching/sad/funny or a mixture. But he keeps asking for Childermass and is upset when he finds he's not there.

Childermass finally returns and stays at his bedside, while Mr Norrell talks including the admission of love. (Whether Childermass is surprised by this or had already suspected, OP doesn't mind.)

Would prefer it that once Mr Norrell is feeling better (I'm thinking still in weak and in bed, but clear headed) that Childermass tells him what he said and asks if that's how he really feels, as he feels the same.

Very optional extras (as I know it's a bit of a long prompt)
+ Childermass worried that Mr Norrell might die, as he's never seen him so ill.
+ Mr Norrell asking if he can kiss Childermass once they've talked.

Re: Sick/delirious Mr Norrell confessing he loves Childermass.

[(Anonymous)]

YESSS SECONDING SO HARD. So much potential for angst-and-fluff.