#tiodm sam

[molly-gru]

you look familiar.

[ga11eia]

GUYS!!! Hi I made another lore post about The Island of Doctor Maude AU today, but it got flagged as mature? So if you can’t see it, here’s everything I wrote but in screenshots! Credit again to @somedorkthatdraws and @ichhassemeineorgane for helping me brainstorm ideas and letting me incorporate the science sibs!!!

[molly-gru]

sharing a lil' drabble here based on this art:

Howard knows he's not welcome here, but he couldn't ignore a room that has the lab so near. This is where he'd found Philip his key; this is where an empty bed once sat, sheet- less and eerie.

The cops had come and gone; police tape covers every nook and cranny. Howard's cane taps against the carpeted floor, and brushing off concerned police - he needs no nanny.

The painted stork and bundle are still viable on the wall. From storage they found a broken mobile with little animals, and didn't that make his skin crawl? The one his mother had crafted for him, had been little planets made of painted tin.

He sits on the bed, now only metal and springs. The mattress is gone. So will the rest of these things. Dr Samantha Morose had been no saint. The laws of science, she too did taint. She saw the light only at the end, and it almost cost him the life of his friend.

Make humanity better, is that what she wanted? Was this the reason, the empty cradle so haunted?

Why does his own mother keep coming to mind? If Sam and Thomas had been gifted a child, would they have been more kind? Howard's eyes water, and he feels nothing but grief, a shared understanding, that under all the cruelty, sadness was beneath.

...

And months before, when Morose was watching the lad flee, from camera to camera, such a busy little bee. From a high angle, he couldn't see his face. Not until he confronted him in the library, and stopped in place.

The young man made the rage him in flair - those big dark eyes, that unruly hair. The world was truly unfair. Some common dullard's child got to live. Got something Sam was never able to give. It's a mockery of fate, sending him here - with those features and that look of determination clear.

At first he finds himself letting the young man slip away. As he closes back in, he keeps those feelings at bay. He'd thought for a moment: this boy is the same age, as our child would have been, if fate had turned a different page.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he hears him whisper on the feed, holding a telescope, and it almost makes his heart bleed.

But Dr Morose has no kindness to hand out. A different idea takes it's place, just about. He's so similar, so that makes him the perfect one, to sacrifice to the ancient gods - so in the end, he'll have won. He'll have Samantha back, and the ghost of what could have been, will be chased away; a long ago dream.

[molly-gru]

TIODM spoilers abound - there's often a trope with some villains where the loss of their loved one is what drove a person to madness and horror. But from the notes and journals, Samantha Morose was just as morally bankrupt as her husband. The two of them literally bought and entire island to escape the 'high-horse-having' scientific community, to keep their practises from prying eyes. She nonchalantly speaks of the horrors she'd done to her 'volunteers' and could only insists that she was bettering humanity.

It's also clear that Samantha suffered from a long-term illness, that hindered her and her husband's attempts to have biological children. Only in the end did she accept not just her own mortality, but humanity's fragility and the depth of the pain she'd committed, and tried to steer her husband away from it. Morose may have gone truly off the rails when she died, but these two? Already monsters.

Samantha is a fascinating character and I'm so glad we got to see glimpses of her thoughts. Rather than just her death being an inciting incident.

[somedorkthatdraws]

Fun Fact about Victor Morose

His birthday is December 20.

He got to share one last birthday with Samantha before she died.

[molly-gru]

(split this into it's own post)

Lately, an au of sorts has been brewing in my head. I did like playing with the narrative prompt that Howard resembles Samantha in some way, even if it's just the art style making it more likely that it's a coincidence. Howard's mother also resembles him greatly, if the apparition at the bottom of the staircase is correct - she also had black unruly hair.

Folks in the fandom mention a dev 'liking' a comment about the resemblance, but apart from that, we don't know what the connection may be if there is one.

But this little plot bunny goes like this: Howard's mother and Samantha were sisters. Howard's mother cut off contact with her sister, refusing any help financially, because she found out what she was doing. She never even told her about her son, and Samantha knows her sister passed away, but not why or how.

When Howard is rejected and blows up at Philip, instead of languishing, he finds himself taken under the wind by a grouchy old inventor that most of the scientific community ignore due to eerie rumors. While Morose is praised, and is actually a villain, this man is ostracised, when in fact he's more or less a harmless hermit. Howard goes to work for him, and all seems well.

Until Howard begins getting sick. In this timeline, Thomas discovers the cult etchings much sooner, and Samantha is still alive and tutoring Angelique at this time. Using some vague ritual, Morose is able to 'miraculously' cure Samantha, seemingly with little cost.

The staff on the island rejoice! All's right in the world, if you don't count the poor volunteers still being turned into beast-men. Philip notices Howard's letters growing sparse then stopping, believing at first (or telling himself) that his old pal is just being petulant still. But he has a terrible feeling in his gut.

A feeling that's confirmed when a strange blue cat confronts him one night in the staff rec room, all alone, to cryptically inform him that his childhood friend has suddenly been taken ill but an infliction not unlike dear Samantha's. It's up to Phil to figure out the mystery and save Howard, or risk losing another loved one to an early grave.

[ga11eia]

The island of Doctor Maude AU!! INFO PART TWO!!

Im feeling obligated to post about this au again (mostly because im seeing a lot of people with the same idea and YES, i am still alive, i should probably keep posting about this au to keep it relevant. I’d hate to become the lesser known version of an au when ive worked so hard on it.) HOWEVER, I encourage people to make as many aus as possible. So many ideas are shared in fandom spaces and everyone has so many spectacular ideas! Why not make as many aus as possible?

I guess for now, while I’m working on some more art for it, I can give you some background information on Phil and Howie, as well as Tom and Sam’s dynamic.

So, for those that have not seen this au

Sam swaps with Howard

Tom swaps with Phillip

Angelique Swaps with Knowhere

The Great older one swaps with Nessie

And so on and so forth, aka I gotta think of more. (I’ve thought of swapping the molten men and spiders)

Some background info on Sam and Tom:

- Sam and Tom in this universe are still childhood friends turned lovers as they got older (NOT CANON!!! JUST HC)

- they are early hippies (the hippie movement began in the late 60s, more to 67 but!! I get to be delusional!!! they’re non conformists, cut a lot of family ties and live together

- despite being insanely smart and college educated, they’re kinda broke (especially after cutting family ties, and making the choice to live together, UNMARRIED, EEEEK!!!!)

- they live in a Volkswagen type 2 (aka the classic hippie van) with “TSM motors” painted on the side, or at least they do until the latter half of their story.

- while Tom is on the Island, Sam impulsively adopts two children, a girl aged 3, a boy aged a few months (if I’m not mistaken) after the death of a close friend who happens to be their parent. Sam calls these children Sunbeam and Moonchild, much to Thomas’s surprise when she finds him later on the operating table. Their names are swiftly changed to Victor and Ruth after worrying about sending them to school.

- a lot of Samantha’s personal struggle regards her illness and her 1nfert1l1ty. Samantha cannot stand feeling weak or helpless, and initially, she hopes being sent to the island would help her change this completely, even cure her.

- Sam uses a cane as a mobility aid, and instead of having a fear of the dark, she needs to take time to rest. If she runs out of energy and strength, she will collapse, and its game over

- Thomas’s struggles regard Sam, since he wants to give her the perfect life. One where they can safely and successfully have children not at the cost of her health, and one where she can live healthily and without physical struggle

- they are engaged, not married, but are pretty joined at the hip, at least until the story begins. They do have jobs as a means of income

Overall, their story is not only dealing with forms of loss, but also realizing life isn’t picture perfect. They cannot physically have children, Sam is chronically ill and it is something she’ll have to learn to live with. They can’t just “fix” themselves, no matter what Doctor Maude promises on the island. And yet that is the beauty of life itself. (Especially if Victor and Ruth are involved, because love and care do not come from blood relations. It comes from you.) @somedorkthatdraws credit to her for letting me incorporate her goobers

In the best ending, the story ends with them working for Nolan Noetoll and moving into a very small but homey house on the edge of the city with their adopted children.

Some information about Howard and Phillip:

- for these two, it’s more of an unrequited love situation. Phillip and Howard have been childhood best friends for years, and are about 10-12 years older than their game counterparts

- Phillip was a military doctor, while Howard stayed behind with civilians to help, that and his illness holding him back. Before Phillip left, Katie Lou told him she’d be waiting for him. When he returned, she was gone.

- Howard and Phillip spent a lot of their lives working to become published scientists, but Howard only seemed to grow sicker and sicker, driving Phil to purchase the Island and create his own research base. Katie Lou’s passing and Howard’s inability to accept his state of health drove Phillip and him to lose a lot of their resolve, and do a lot of impulsive experiments and try risky treatments, aka vi1v1section

- At a time, Phillip was able to repair Howard’s illness, and he was able to improve for some time. However, Howard rapidly deteriorated, seemingly without any reason why. Phillip could only blame himself.

- Phil was always able to do terrible things, but he always had "restraining factors". Once it was Katie, now Howard. Losing them both - he will not pity anyone

- Howard and Phillip have always loved each other, though neither was willing to admit it, or at the very least, afraid to. There is a note Sam can find signed by Howard that Phillip never received, finally declaring his love.

- Phillip is deluding himself that once Howard is back, he will finally tell Howard everything and that they will start building the life they always wanted together. This will never come to fruition.

- Phillip believes in what he says himself (at least he tries to), Thomas was skeptical, since he's not an idiot. But, being brain-washed every single day and have almost no external sources of information (especially not being able to have any connection with Sam) has an effect. He's not sure what is what

- Phillip is using a lot of Thomas and Sam’s personal struggles against Tom, “you want a better life for you and Sam, don’t you? You want her to be healthy, to have a family? Right? Yeah, that’s what I wanted. We can both get what we want, Thomas. If you’d just listen to me. If you just do what I say” Thomas is caught between obviously wanting to help Sam, yes, but also what she wants, and that he can’t just magically fix her, no matter how much he wants to give her a perfect life

Anyway, I think that’s all I had for Now. In the meantime, while I work on some other content for the au, Here is a small initial sketch I made of Sam and Victor, as well as a beautiful drawing made by @ichhassemeineorgane, thank you so much for helping me work on the lore of this au, especially in the aspect of Howard and Phillip.

I hope you all enjoyed, more to come! 💜

Oh! And last thing, the island isn’t GreatMaw anymore. It’s Longbeak. A bit on the nose, I know.