#changelings
I was going to make this about Love and Music AU but realized it applies to canon too, so:
Barbara knows that Walter is wealthy, but doesn’t truly understand it until one morning she offhandedly mentions her finances, like a student loan or mortgage payment coming up, and he’s like “oh, I can pay that.”
At first she thinks he means that payment. But, no: he means all of it. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt gone, poof!,before she finishes her coffee. And when she protests, saying that’s too much money, he just smiles and assures her there’s plenty more where that came from.
Finances are boring and unsexy, but I think the gap between their income levels could still open up the door to some interesting, and potentially contentious, conversation between them. Mainly because Walter wantsto spend his money on her–she’s struggled for so long, she deserves to never have to worry about something so mundane ever again–and for whatever reason, Barbara can’t quite stomach that idea.
#I think about this a lot too#also#Barbara would question WHERE exactly all that money came from#in canon a lot of it proooobably came from questionable sources yes?#so yeah Barbara might not be willing to accept it at all#Love and Music AU Strickler hopefully doesn’t have that problem though haha
Yeaaaaaah I’m gonna bet that while some is legit–like his teaching salary–a lotof that wealth is drenched in blood. As an example, I remember during the “Walter is not a good person” conversation thread someone brought up the very good point that Walter would have been alive during the era of a certain profitable trade industry. Given the Janus Order’s role in world events it would not be the least bit surprising if he too was involved in said trade to some extent–coughEastIndiaCompanycough–and benefitted accordingly.
That being said: One couldmake the argument that after all this time his liquid assets have been laundered so much that even the best forensic accountant would grudgingly declare that his money is squeaky clean. And it may be that he has enough “legit” money from reputable jobs in his accounts that he could assure Barbara that he will never spend a penny of his “dirty” money for her benefit.
Which…she might be okay with? That seems dicey. It really depends on if she stops to think about where his money came from or if she’s just like “it makes sense someone alive for centuries would have the wealth of centuries too” and doesn’t question it.
#despite his clean money he’s probably got some non-liquid assets of questionable origin lying around #(Artwork/artifacts/properties/etc) #that are stark evidence of his ne'er-do-well days#if she learns about those #and suggests he get rid of them#I could see that leading to a bigger argument #because those things have always been his safety net #Ex: he sold a few items to fund the months he spent after he fled Arcadia #and he’s not ready to burn that net #because even now there’s a part of him that’s waiting for the other shoe to drop #for happily ever after to dissolve like the dream it’s always been for his kind #also on a more practical note her lifespan is a blip compared to his and my dude is gonna need money to survive the next few thousand years
#AAAAAAAAAAH THIS IS ALL SO GOOD#YES Strickler having to think about his life long term whether he wants to or not#definitely think Barbara would dig VERY deep when it comes to Strickler’s past#he’s kept SO much from her and the ONLY way this relationship is gonna work is if he keeps no more secrets from her#him burning part of his safety net might even be the show of trust that Barbara needs?#like#if he uses his illicit money/assets not on her but to take care of the familiars for example (a good cause in her eyes)
YES. Given that he enjoys teaching, I could see him establishing a bunch of scholarship funds for the familiars. And then he thinks about all the things he’s observed over his years of teaching: inefficiencies, systemic inadequacies, and all the ways kids can fall through the cracks.
So he starts investigating how he can improve those things, too. And from there it spirals: he realizes that with centuriesof experience there are a host of problems he’s uniquely positioned to solve– or at least, to empower other people to solve. And that he finds greater purpose in supporting people and uplifting them than he ever did in manipulating and destroying them.
And that’s how Strickler over time, and of his own free will, shifts gears to become a philanthropist.
#‘strickler is not a good person but he can get better’ #Barbara pushes him to start the journey #and it’s rocky at first #there are stumbles and backslides along the way #but when he finds his feet #he RUNS #and he doesn’t look back #I’m having feelings about stricklake emotional baggage and healing again help
Please click and zoom in for details :3
Mother of wishes.
Origin of fae.
Rumors exist, whispered over teacups, hushed in tavern shadows, rumors about a great beast deep in the woods.
A beast with the face of a mother. A beast with no face at all.
Taker of children and bearer of changelings.
Whenever I think about fae I think about changelings and I wanted to incorporate that into my fantasy world:
So the mother of wishes was born!
She is an ancient being, holding the universe inside her belly.
Centuries past, she found a crying child, abandoned in the woods and asked: “What is it that you wish for, little one?”
When the child answered, “For the world to make sense. For sounds not to hurt and for starlight to keep tasting like honey. For the freedom to move my body in ways that make sense.”, she smiled and swallowed the child whole.
That night she laid an egg, hatching the very first fae, and in doing so granting the child’s wish. Its new body now matched the magic its old one had held.
The child’s parents, who had sent it into the woods to perish, nearly died of fear when they saw its face high up in the trees. Back in the village they told their tale with bulging eyes. Hands shaking as they declared their babe had been stolen and replaced with a monster. It hadn’t ever been their fault they’d raised such a strange child.
Thus the myth of changelings came to be.
The ancient one kept finding children in the woods. All of them, crying. All of them, she granted their wish.
