CRIMSON PEAK (2015)

A/N: Written for January Jumble Scribbles. Prompt: “But it feels real to me now, it felt real to me then.”

Word Count: 288

Warnings: Demons, Past abuse. Please let me know if I missed any!

Main Story

A voice calling your name snaps you out of your stupor. You haven't slept well in ages. Your nightmares about Andrew and August have only gotten worse since the latter provided you the marriage contract to look over. You know all the jokes about demons and lawyers but you're really starting to believe them. 

The same voice repeats your name and you look up to see a pair of stormy blue eyes looking at you, expectantly. 

"Oh, yes, that's me," you confirm. "You're...Conrad?"

"I am," the man confirms, his accent catching your attention. "And this," he gestures to the man at his side, "is my colleague, Dr. Alan McMichael."

"Alan is fine," the other man assures.

You gesture for the men to sit and they do so. 

"If you are able, please tell us your story," Alan encourages. 

"It all started with a Halloween party," you begin. The next half hour or so is spent with you going through everything you've been through since your first encounter with the supernatural. You have to take several pauses to keep from crying, especially when you realize this is the first time you've ever told anyone what happened to you. 

"And now I'm engaged to a demon," you finish. "I know it all sounds crazy, but it feels real to me now, it felt real to me then."

"Things can be both crazy and real," Conrad assures you. "Alan and I know this from experience."

"If you will allow us to help you, we can work together to find ways to get you free from this demon, if not all demons," Alan promises. 

Tears start pouring as you find yourself with allies and hope for the first time in years.

Charlie Hunnam as Dr. Alan McMichael in Crimson Peak (2015)

Uh no. That's nonsense.

Edith isn't in love with Allan. He probably is, but not her. Edit has a tragic gothic romance with Thomas Sharpe, whom she marries, he dies and so she ends up a widow with a wounded Allan who is taken out of the manor where the plot takes place. And we know that she will never end up with Allan, because the beginning of the film forshadows the end of the film where Edith talks about her favorite author who ended up a widow, because some bitches come and tell her that she will end up a spinster like the said author, except that Edith corrects them by saying that this woman actually ended up a widow. So she will get married but her husband will die and therefore she will end up a widow without ever remarrying. Exactly Edith's situation at the end of the film and logically she will be, like the author she loves, a widow until the end of her days. At no time is Edith's true love Allan.

The small amount of people who write for that movie only ever write for Thomas. I think Alan is underrated.

I haven't watched the movie, but I did my best to understand the characters and plot from clips and plot summaries.

spoilers for Crimson Peak, obsessive tendencies, manipulative behavior

Yandere Alan McMichael Headcanons

Alan seems a real sweetheart through and through

The kind of sweetheart to be by his dear childhood friend's side, even while she becomes the bride of someone else

I think an interesting scenario could be either where you take Edith's place as the victim of Sharpe siblings' schemes, or where you meet him in the aftermath

In the event where take Edith's place, his temperament will be far sweeter and more laidback

Its a crush he developed now that you two have blossomed into adults

In an ideal scenario, he would be by your side as your husband, and he will do his damn best to convince you of his vision as well

However, if you truly wish to marry this Thomas fellow over him, he is sound enough to respect your wishes

He will loyally and dutifully stay by your side as your best friend, content to watch you be happy

In this scenario, I surmise the plot would carry on much the same as in the original

Something about your husband and his sister disconcerts Alan, and when he learns of the truth, he makes haste to rescue you

I think, however, a scenario in which you nurture a relationship with him after the ordeal with the Sharpe family, is more interesting

His experience would harden him somewhat, making him more wary and cynical of the world and others

Your sweet and kind-hearted nature would appeal to him greatly, reminding him of something he lost in the traumatic evening he and Edith endured

McMichael knows the world to be full of people capable of vile things masked by kindly demeanors

Yet, you wear your innocence so openly that it simultaneously troubles and endears him

Someone could come along and hurt you, take advantage of your trusting nature, gain your love then leave you broken hearted

With the last possibility, his worry is tinged with jealousy

He can't let that happen to you

There's another aspect to his possessive nature as well

He's been the leftover, the cast-aside before when it came to his first love

It's a feeling he doesn't want to tolerate again

This time, he feels he can right the disappointments of the past, as well as protect you from ever having to endure the same heartbreak

His courtship is sweet, warm like sunshine, and oh-so protective

As a yandere, I don't see him doing anything particularly terrible, especially in comparison to the virility of some other yanderes

But he may or may not employ some underhanded tactics to ensure that other suitors are...unappealing to you

Or you may find that those too romantically intimate with you end up dropping their pursuit, deeming it not worth the strange and intimidating attention of the shadow by your side

I think, due to his protective sentiment towards you, he would be as close to you and occupy as much of a role in your life as you allow him to

And even when you do set boundaries with him, he may or may not be lurking just about the corner, present and aware of aspects of your life greater than what you share with him

He couldn't stand it if you needed his care or protection while he wasn't around

And should you need a guardian--someone to step in for you if you ever find yourself in a precarious situation--how fortunate then that he managed to be in just the right place at the right time

I think he is too well-intentioned to ever purposefully put you in dangerous situations to later rescue you

That doesn't mean, though, that he wouldn't ever abuse his power to...guide you in the right path (the one towards him)

Any mild symptoms of dis-ease: a headache, fatigue, or mild cold would have him fretting over you

You would think, with the way he treats you. that you were made of glass

Though his paranoia may be just be a symptom of that terrible happening at Allerdale Hall

He experienced his best friend being poisoned, and was unable to be there for her until it was almost too late

Alan will not make the same mistake again with you

If you do end up marrying him (due at least in part to his insistence) his protective and possessive nature would amplify to be even worse, since the two of you are no longer encumbered by the inhibitions of friendship or being acquaintances

It would never be his intention to cause you harm despite his questionable behavior, but it's as they say...

The road to hell is paved with good intentions