Mars Writes | An Assumptive Anthology

Hello! This is Mars, not Chrys. I’m now over a week late on the story I intended to post next. I have all of the stories written and the art completed for the next one I need to post, but life has gotten quite busy. 

I hope to post A Daunting Schism within the next few days, but it will likely be over a month before the following story comes out. I have a lot of things piling up right now and something had to give. Unfortunately, it is the release schedule for these stories. 

While I’d love to keep releasing or even increase releasing through pride month, it’s not likely. I’m getting married in June and my spare time is going toward that right now. 

There are some really exciting things happening in the final few stories of this collection, and I cannot wait to share them! But I want to be able to give them the time and attention they deserve before and during their releases

Until then I’m going to start regularly re-blogging my other stories on my main blog @mars-writes-1999 . As always the stories that exist are on assumptive-anthology.com as well. 

I’ll update here when I plan on starting to post again

Story 12: A Family History

A reader sent in a set of newspaper snippets which tell a queer story about her ancestors.

Rating: T

Chapter Word Count: 2200

having wicks symbolise jesus, comparing himself to jesus in that big speech, implying that his father was god and that he was preparing to fall and rise again, having him be the one that was leading the flock, etc, and then actually have him 'rise' from the dead on the third day and 'die' again after having been betrayed by someone close to him - already fantastic, i was totally on board

In Knives Out, a compassionate, ethical young woman treats everyone around her with generosity, and the people around her repeatedly try to take advantage of her kindness to force her into losing the fortune that was gifted to her by a dear friend. There, justice means that she keeps the fortune and decides that actually, she doesn't have to be kind and giving to people who've proven themselves assholes.

In Glass Onion, a woman loses her sister to a gang of wealthy, successful people who've sacrificed their principles for the sake of ambition and ego. There, justice means that everyone involved will be made notorious: whatever their other accomplishments, they will forever be known for being complicit in the burning of the most famous painting in history.

In Wake Up Dead Man, the church takes advantage of a young girl's loyalty and faith to place her under a lifelong burden and fill her with guilt, shame, and hatred. Justice means helping her understand what was done to her and the women around her, and giving her compassion so she can find peace.

This is cool because it means the movies contradict each other! The compassionate justice of Wake Up Dead Man would be totally misplaced in Knives Out, and so would the toppling-monuments justice of Glass Onion. And because each movie has something different to say, they all stand on their own and feel fresh.

And all this to say, I’m truly OBSESSED with the little bits of information we DO get about Benoit as a person. He’s into fashion, he’s in a relationship with a man named Phillip, he’s terrible at mystery games, he isn’t religious (and we can safely assume that stems from childhood trauma around being a queer, southern man in the church…), and he likes musicals.

Like what a fun little collection of facts to know about him. He was listening to Cats in the car with Jud. He knows how to play Phantom of the Opera on the organ. He has seasonal wardrobes. He’s terrible at mystery themed games (i.e., Clue, Among Us).

"The hearts of men are easily corrupted." Wake Up Dead Man (2025) & Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Bonus for @mykingdomforasong:

i think it was a good character piece of a trans guy who is literally trying to do american dream so hard he's a cop with a pregnant blonde toad cult wife.

i saw some people saying that alex being trans isn't his whole plot and yeah maybe but it is his whole motivation.

he wants to be a good man and a good father and be better than his father but he's insecure about his masculinity (the stubble, the running, the way he dressed) and gets startled when clocked even though it's a child doing the clocking. he wants to pass as an all american man so bad but that shit is toxic and his own cowardice and fear stops him from doing what's right because if he stays he can be a good man and a good husband and with the support and resources of the cult community he can transition medical in safety and he can marry laura and just be a man and so he stays even though this is the worst possible option.

so i think if this story was about a cishet guy the whole horror and tragedy of the show wouldn't work so well.

It's a shoe about psychological, emotional, and spiritual abuse. The whiplash is what the characters are going through, being kept emotionally unstable and uncertain so that they can become pliable and accept the abuse when it is doled out. If it's only horror all of the time then you never have a chance to breathe and fully understand why someone would willingly stay because abusers are not harmful 100% of the time. Its part of the cycle

The juxtaposition of the idyllic small-town life, the light hearted birthday and the moment of humanity also highlights how abuse is often carried about by those that we do not suspect. That the nice lady who leaves eggs on your porch is capable of doing these nice things, she can give treats and baked goods while also turning around and tormenting teenagers. That the idyllic town is complicit by allowing it to happen and turning the other cheek when things occasionally "go wrong"