Sketch Dump: Ellie & Merry
Added 2024-12-22 06:58:14 +0000 UTC1.) in which young Eleanor Noir lays out her life plans. She’s not throwing away her goals for the first bumblefuck to make goo-goo eyes at her! >:(
2.) in which Eleanor throws away her goals for the first bumblefuck to make goo-goo eyes at her
3.) good luck with that merry. Eleanor got her tubes tied right after their second child
4.) Eleanor and Merry at the height of their shared success. Merry has a pretty nice set of pipes, but Eleanor has a voice like pure heaven. Together they formed a gospel duo that caused Merry’s humble local church to explode into a megachurch, attended by hundreds, while Merry and Eleanor’s gospel shows often drew thousands. Eleanor was of course the true star, and while she humbly declined offers to tour or sign a record label, she very much adored the attention and power afforded to her as the church’s sensational songbird First Lady. Merry, feeling outshone, would slowly grow to resent his wife…
They’re singing “Born Blessed” by Jimmy Hicks & The Voices of Integrity, a gospel duet I still really like :3
5.) As he ages, Merry feels an ever-expanding emptiness inside himself that no amount of money or adulation or prayer seems able to fill. He begins to make a series of somewhat awkward (somewhat desperate) bids for attention from his former family. He tells himself he’s simply trying to save their immortal souls, or flaunt his continued success in their faces, but…..well. What are you doing there, Merry…?
Comments
Late response is late. Eleanor grew up poor. Not dirt-poor living-in-a-trailer poor like Merry, but she's no stranger to hand-me-downs and visits to the local food bank. She's always been indignant that that was her lot in life, and determined to claw her way into the luxurious life she feels has been a long time coming. She wants nice clothes and a fancy car and to feel like a big shot for once, not a skinny broke girl in an outfit cobbled together from the thrift store. And she wants her future children to be better off than she was. So when Merry promises her the world on a silver platter, she dives into life with him headfirst.
Lopoddity
2025-01-13 19:19:32 +0000 UTCEleanor DID see the situation for what it was...at first. But when Maple reaches out to Eleanor in a clumsy bid at friendship, Eleanor loses her shit. Make no mistake, Ellie is angry and disgusted at Merry, but she's also at least a tiny bit resentful of Maple, who she views as a stupid little girl that aided in the destruction of her marriage. She is HIGHLY offended at Maple approaching her as though the two of them are equals. And from there, it's easy for her to misdirect a good deal of her anger at Maple, who makes for an easy target. It's ultimately easier for Eleanor to blame Maple than it is to emphasize with her, Ellie WANTS to be angry, she WANTS to hate Maple and lump her in with Merry. Eleanor may be a sweet old lady in present day FB, but in the past, following Merry's affair, she became a monster for a while. Angry and bitter, cruel to Maple, dismissive and intolerant even toward her own children. She'll eventually come back to a mental place where she can recognize that Maple is a victim, but for a long time this is too painful to even contemplate. Compassion is hard, cruelty is easy.
Lopoddity
2025-01-13 04:36:28 +0000 UTC(Responding to Lop) Wait now I’m confused. In the first part it reads like Ellie sees the situation for what it is and has some genuine empathy for Maple. But in the second part it just reads like she unabashedly hates her and wants her to suffer. Which…I can understand, but at the same time it’s pretty obvious that Merry groomed Maple. Even if she was 20 and legally an adult, that’s still only about a year away from being a teenager. Maple may be a consenting, legal adult…but Merry is still nearly thrice her age. What he did was incredibly predatory and disturbing. I’m not taking the blame away from Maple here btw.
Shea P.
2025-01-13 04:17:17 +0000 UTCturns around in my office chair... i have noticed a lot that Ellie has wanted power and fame and all this stuff, but where did she get this hunger from? does it have to do with her upbringing? have you told us anything about Ellie's paents yet or am i just blanking out about them lol?
gamigami
2025-01-04 01:13:22 +0000 UTCSkye! Kill him! Rip him in half!
Lammergayier
2024-12-25 00:06:10 +0000 UTCMerry, adjusting his tie: So glad you reached out to me, Ms. Shepherd. Wonderful to meet young folk that care about spreadin' the gospel! Now uh, how soon d'you think this interview'll air on Faux News...? Skye: Oh soon, reverend, very soon! :) Now be sure to speak clearly into the microphone...*aims shotgun barrel at Merry*
Lopoddity
2024-12-24 23:02:46 +0000 UTCI have a MIGHTY NEED for Merry to get his Xerox of a Xerox moment I need Skye to Biscuits this shit
vulgarcute
2024-12-24 21:36:04 +0000 UTCOn my hands and knees BEGGING for justice for Maple oml 😭
Lammergayier
2024-12-24 18:04:59 +0000 UTCYes. I was wary about how much I implied because patreon is very strict about sexual consent, but I'm glad you picked up on the power imbalance. Maple consented, sure. She was lonely and Merry was someone offering comfort, someone she trusted. But also, he was the one who made the first move, and Maple was startled by it. And although she did decide to reciprocate, is it at all possible that she felt she had to? Is it possible that at the back of her mind, she worried what might happen if she refused her worship leader? That she perhaps knew, on some level, that if she were to refuse and tell people that Merry had made a pass at her, she might not be believed- or worse, be blamed? I didn't really say it out loud, but in that one Maple and Toffee sketch comic, the reason Maple is so dismissive of Toffee's anger at her sleeping with Merry is because 1.) it wasn't something she wanted all that much, sort of like a bland snack you have when you're sad and there's nothing else in the fridge, and 2.) It wasn't even an experience she particularly enjoyed, Merry was largely focused on himself. So Maple feels it's quite unfair that she made a mistake in a moment of weakness and everyone gets SO mad at her for it.
Lopoddity
2024-12-24 15:47:33 +0000 UTCI like that Maple has grown from her initial concept of "wanting to pry Merry away from his wife" and into her own person that was taken advantage of by someone in power. I presume she consented but that doesn't change the fact that Merry is the pastor of the church. The power-imbalance is very real.
Amanda Stidham
2024-12-24 15:26:24 +0000 UTCI honestly hope Maple gets the strength to leave Merry at some point and is able to heal from everything.
Paladin
2024-12-24 05:13:26 +0000 UTCha, i wrote an unfinished drabble where don accidentally let slip what happened with toffee and merry blows up like THAT'S MY SON, DONAVAN, and don is confused like uhhh wasn't maple somebody's daughter??
Lopoddity
2024-12-24 05:10:05 +0000 UTCMerry: How could you do that to my son??? You knew him as a child!!! How could you do that to somebody you once knew as a child? No I will not self reflect at all!
vulgarcute
2024-12-24 03:17:43 +0000 UTCThats the only time Ellie and Merry work together
CardstockBroth
2024-12-23 19:45:01 +0000 UTCOh dear... You mentioned once that Ellie eventually finds out and breaks a chair over Don's head right? It'd sure be a SHAME if word of that incident were to spread to Merry somehow.... SUCH a SHAME (in the voice of a guy who is a Certified Don Hater)
Lammergayier
2024-12-23 19:37:00 +0000 UTCMerry looks so happy during hus wedding. What was he like during wedding 2.0?
CardstockBroth
2024-12-23 19:16:07 +0000 UTCYou can assume Merry doesn't know because present day Don is still alive. :) Merry would KILL him if he knew what his so-called best friend had gotten up to with his son all those years ago. Merry wouldn't care that Toffee was an adult, he wouldn't care that Toffee consented, he wouldn't care that he's guilty of the exact same offense with Maple. He wouldn't care that he and Toffee have never been on good terms. He would care that Toffee was once a tiny, chubby little infant- his baby boy- and that Don has known him since then, once gave Toffee rides on his shoulders. Merry trusted him. Merry pawned Toffee off on to Don because he thought he could be trusted. To learn the truth would be devastating to Merry in a way he could only express as murderous rage.
Lopoddity
2024-12-23 18:20:08 +0000 UTCKind off-topic but I'm wondering now if Merry ever finds out what happened between Don and Toffee. I can't imagine he'd have reacted well
Lammergayier
2024-12-23 16:29:11 +0000 UTCYup. Eleanor's inner circle leaves the church out of loyalty, and another number of members don't care about the divorce but are miffed the pretty lady that throws the big holiday parties and gives grief counseling and organizes free daycare and sings gospel in a sparkly dress is gone. They ain't stickin around for Merry's singing, they leave the church and happily go off to buy Eleanor's CDs. Yet another group leave because even though Merry insists he was blindsided by Eleanor suddenly running off with the kids and only turned to Maple for comfort, it's not hard to figure out he cheated and drove off their first lady. Merry sees his church membership numbers declining and all the old church biddies tsk-tsking at him on the way out and he desperately shifts gears to preaching prosperity gospel. Loud, phony, televangelist-style prosperity gospel, the kind where if you donate as much as you can to the church, god will undoubtedly reward you back sevenfold. And it works really, reeeally well. He gains a significant boom in new members, and the ones that stuck around post-affair are of course Merry's most loyal, or most ignorant/apathetic. Merry now has an extremely loyal congregation willing to believe anything he says and hand him money by the fistful, so he no longer has any reason to grow or change as a person. It doesn't make him happy, but it does make him validated, and it's around this time that he does stuff like push Toffee onto Don, because he feels dealing with his wimp of a son is now beneath him.
Lopoddity
2024-12-23 16:00:04 +0000 UTCDoes the church experience a drop in attendance since Ellie is no longer involved? I doubt Maple can sing as well as her.
CardstockBroth
2024-12-23 15:32:31 +0000 UTCEleanor, upon learning of the affair: It's DISGUSTING, is what it is!! For god's sake, Maple is a child- I don't care if she's twenty! She grew up with OUR children, she babysat our daughter for years! How many times did I drive her and Toffee to the movies, or give her a ride after volleyball practice? Didn't we all bake holiday cookies together that one year? For Merry to have ensnared that poor girl up in his pathetic weakness of the flesh, it's-it's unforgivable! That's not the man I married, that's a vile, slimy, conniving predator! >:( Eleanor, upon being nervously/cheerily asked by Maple how she's "holding up" after the divorce: Ohhh you stupid little girl. You wicked little homewrecking hussy. How dare you speak to me as though we're equals? Did Merry put you up to this? Felt like rubbing his pretty new toy in my face? Or did you finally spawn half a braincell and decide on your own you had a right to speak to me? Little fool. You and Merriweather can BOTH rot in hell. >:(
Lopoddity
2024-12-23 02:00:39 +0000 UTCAlso hehe the kids got the “teen girl writing in her diary kicking her feet in the air” gene from their daddy
owlcoholik
2024-12-22 22:11:52 +0000 UTCMan this brings me back to being a little kid growing up in Georgia and being a little jealous of the Baptist Christian kids…I grew up going to catholic mass and they always seemed to be having way more fun over there. I think if a gorgeous lady like Eleanor had been at my church I might still be going. But yeah I’m still kinda fascinated by most branches of American Protestantism, especially whatever kind is involved with making those giant Christmas pageant masses where they do like flips in the air and pyrotechnics. Did Eleanor ever get to do the full mega church number, because I kinda feel like she’d both eat it up and EAT in a sparkly dress 50 feet in the air
owlcoholik
2024-12-22 22:10:38 +0000 UTCNone of my characters are reliable narrators, Eleanor is bullshitting in the first drawing. What she wants in life is fame and power. To be adored and respected. She's laid out a detailed plan for her life, but she wasn't especially attached to it, she is willing to take ANY available road to success. When Merry shared his big beautiful dream to her and promised to get her everything she ever wanted, she took him up on it. She wouldn't have trusted just ANY schmuck, but she was drawn in by Merry's raw ambition, and it didn't hurt that he worshipped the ground she walked on. Merry appealed to Eleanor's ego, which is why she chose him. Also, she's not nearly as immune to fit prettyboys in tight pants as she'd like to believe.
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 21:23:02 +0000 UTCWhat did make Eleanor give up her goals and settle with Merry? She didn't fall for his easy charms so quickly in another picture, and they seem to be quite different in personality (although that's maybe more when they're older?)
Murkydepths
2024-12-22 19:28:30 +0000 UTCVery curious abt how Ellie felt and feels abt Maple. IIRC Shes about toff's age and they probably watched her grow up in the church only for merry to turn around and sleep w her. Im sure Ellie was pissed bc she cheated with her husband but i wonder if there was any small part of Ellie that was terrified by what her husband was capable of and/ or felt scared for Maple. Follow up, does Honey ever meet Ellie? thered be a lot of complicated feelings brewing there for sure but Ellie has the potential to be such a force for good in Honey's life if Ellie could stomach it ALSO OLD LADY ELLIE I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUU i love her short gma hair shes so so so cute
Fae
2024-12-22 19:16:22 +0000 UTCI swear I love these two so much more the more you develop them (even if I want toss Mr. Merry into the trash for he did to his family and his viewes, I still find him fascinating as a character who reminds me of so many in my family. An odd sort of comfort I suppose you could say but he feels so realistic to those religious folks I grew up around. His hypocritical takes over what he preaches and dose especially) That all being said, given how much see about Ellie's life before the church became a big part of it. Dose she ever feel a disconnect between the teachings she follows and who she is a person. We've seen her attend a rock concert and even kiss a very pretty rockstar lady. Or is religion something that's always played a role in her life to some extent with her getting deeper into it after Merry began preaching. (sorry if these have been answered before)
Fukōsagi
2024-12-22 18:15:33 +0000 UTCBefore the affair, there were so many moments where their marriage began to crumble. When the church became too much for them to manage and kept them apart, when Eleanor became the more popular of the two of them, when Toffee's sensitivity and need for guidance began to irritate Merry, when Topher became a surly teen instead of daddy's little girl. Eleanor was aware she and her husband were growing distant, that her children looked unhappier by the day, but she was certain that once life calmed down and she got a spare moment, she could fix it all with a little faith and elbow grease. But in reality Merry (and even their children) were starting to feel like so much....work. Eventually Eleanor indulges herself by signing on with a small record label to produce gospel albums, something she thinks Merry will be thrilled about (it's basically free advertising for their church), but he's not. Eleanor is working more, away from home more and more, leaving HIM to care for their ridiculously difficult children AND manage the church, for him to do ALL the work while she flits around sipping champagne and playing songbird...yep, it's around this point that the growing seed of resentment in Merry explodes into something that can no longer be contained...He both misses and resents her to his core, and rather than acknowledge his (shameful, pathetic) feelings of loneliness and jealousy, he redirects them into a desire to hurt and control others. When opportunity presents itself with Maple, he does not pass it up.
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 17:56:17 +0000 UTCOn that note, did Merry and/or Maple ever want to have more kids?
ummhallelujah
2024-12-22 17:52:41 +0000 UTCSo mean. Mean to my boy. :( Merry's not serious about having 10 kids, he's just really smitten with Ellie and really excited to meet baby Toffee. Merry grew up with only his (abusive, alcoholic) father, he feels he never got to experience having a real family, so he wants at least a couple kids. Soiled diapers and many, many sleepness nights sobered him up real quick. Merry may preach that children are a blessing and that contraceptives are unnecessary because god will of course provide, but behind closed doors he was quietly supportive of Eleanor getting sterilized. That said, Merry loved being a dad to small children and views Toffee and Topher's childhoods as the best years of his life. One of the reasons he's so adamant about keeping Honey on a short leash is to keep her dependent on him, innocent, permanently child-like.
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 17:18:43 +0000 UTCIn american courts, mothers usually get custody because they are the only party to request it. Such was the case with Eleanor. Had Topher been younger and easier to manage, Merry might’ve demanded shared custody largely just to maintain some degree of control over Eleanor. But Topher was a teenager going through an insufferably moody phase, and worst yet, Topher was smart enough to understand what Merry had done and call out his actions. So Merry didn't bother requesting custody, though he definitely enjoyed telling members of his inner circle that Eleanor ran off and took the kids with her. Merry did not pay alimony, only child support until Topher turned 18. Eleanor hired the world's greatest divorce lawyer (who also happened to be her best friend), Eva, who ripped their assets neatly in half. As Eleanor had put in twenty-five years worth of labor building up their lavish life, she was legally entitled to a massive share of their wealth. The only thing Eleanor didn't touch was the house, which she no longer wanted to live in, and the church, which she no longer wanted to be a part of. The empty house was part of the reason Merry was so quick to marry Maple and move her and their soon-to-be baby in, he couldn't bear the silence.
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 16:38:39 +0000 UTCMerry you fucked up and you are getting what you deserved. u-u Ngl if my partner told me plans like Eleanors I'd throw my full support behind them like yes queen you go do that and I will support you
forthehonor-ofgayskull
2024-12-22 15:58:11 +0000 UTCEllie honey, you had such big dreams aaghhh she shouldn’t have thrown it all away! Also, eww.. not him asking for ten kids (to mold into his image). He can’t even take care of two lol
PrincessMuffinArt
2024-12-22 15:45:50 +0000 UTCNeith: *jaguar eyes light up in the hallway*. Merry: *fucking dies*
Corinne Stephenson
2024-12-22 15:20:25 +0000 UTCWhen/how exactly did things fall apart between Merry and Ellie?
Azure
2024-12-22 14:37:46 +0000 UTCI have a few questions about Ellie and Merry's divorce. If you can't answer them don't worry about it. I presume Topher was in his teens when the divorce happened. Since mothers usually get custody (unless they prove unfit), did Ellie get primary custody or was it a shared custody between her and Merry? Did Ellie accept alimony/spousal support from Merry? (For those who don't know, alimony/spousal support is basically an allowance that allows the ex-partner to keep living the same life style as they had been when they were married to the wealthy partner)
Amanda Stidham
2024-12-22 14:33:33 +0000 UTCToday I learned that I can't go back mid-comment to gaze at the original post on the Patreon app. Welp. 1. Ellie's dumb lil rose ears are delightful and while I know you've said all the Meadowsweet/Noir fam have dumb little ears hidden under their hair, Merry and kids seem to have big droopy spaniel ears so seeing her ears free of her hair just tickles me to death. 2. Well, Merry, what *are* you doing there? I'm curious what his excuse (either to himself or to Ellie) would be... 3. I saw in an earlier comment that Maple feels very little about this...I'm wondering if it's simply that she's burnt out from the farce or if maybe something else is going on? I'm surprised she isn't at least concerned that Merry might jump ship and leave her with nothing to show for 20ish years of marriage...
Scyllarus
2024-12-22 13:39:15 +0000 UTCThanks! Tbh, while Eleanor definitely liked Merry a lot, she wouldn't have tossed her plans aside if he was just some regular schmuck. Nope, Merry was a guy with a dream. He already had a leadership position at the local church, and he promised Ellie that she could sing there. He made so many promises to her, painted a picture in her mind where they were both musicians and respected community leaders, people who would work hard to make the world a better place. He promised her a big house with plenty of room for their future children, kids that they would raise right, with love and music and faith, never belittling or hurting them they way they themselves had been hurt. He promised that she'd never have to work some soul-sucking job, and instead be free to pursue whatever passions tickled her fancy. He promised her jewelry, lavish dinner dates, vacations, the chance to rub elbows with the elite....and Eleanor felt deep in her spirit that Merry was just the sort of man to deliver on his promises. So she married him, and they built their big beautiful dream together, and lived happily ever after. And nothing bad ever happened to ruin it. <3
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 09:50:22 +0000 UTCThanks! Merry knows Maple would have a week-long crybaby fit if she were to find out about his perfectly innocent trip to Eleanor's house (what, he's not allowed to say hello to the mother of his children?? He was simply in the neighborhood, that's all!!), which is why he doesn't plan on telling her. Maple has always been far too reactive, too emotional, too quick to let a little bit of bad news send her spiraling. The funny thing is, though, when Maple DOES find out (not just about Merry's visit, but also the pretty obvious fact he's still in love with his first wife), she doesn't spiral, she doesn't bawl, she doesn't start chewing up her "calm down" pills like candy. She doesn't feel much of anything at all, really...
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 09:31:04 +0000 UTCon a lighter note, holy shit strawberry. ma'am. how are you ok. five babies jfc. all my organs hurt just contemplating that.
Dean
2024-12-22 09:23:14 +0000 UTCLitters can still happen, they're just rare. Fuzzfolk are bipeds with narrow pelvises and big-headed offspring, just like humans, so evolution favored single pregnancies over significantly more taxing/dangerous litters. In modern society, litters are much more costly (economically but also physically) than a single child, so a significant number of parents undergo multifetal reduction- a procedure that, as the name implies, reduces the number of fetuses. Egg-laying creatures are also known to cull unwanted eggs to prevent too many offspring being born. Strawberry could have reduced her litter, but chose not to, instead popping out all 5 of her wet squeaky nugget pubbies in a barn with no medical assistance like an insane person. Biscuit always hoped for a litter, but was only ever able to conceive Sunny. Canines, felines, rabbits, pigs, and rodents are among the sort of animals most likely to have litters, though again, it's pretty rare in modern society. At the risk of getting unpleasant, with litters it's not uncommon for one or more of the fetuses to die in utero and/or be reabsorbed by one of the other fetuses. Parents expecting multiples are generally advised to wait before telling family how many children they're expecting, because what they thought would be 5 babies might turn out to be 3, or possibly even just one.
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 09:04:56 +0000 UTCNeith: is this guy bothering you queen
Lopoddity
2024-12-22 08:38:07 +0000 UTCGood pictures, I always love your art! In regard to that last picture: I have to wonder, how does Maple feel about her husband reaching out to his ex-wife and estranged children? I feel like that may just reawaken some old insecurities in Maple about thinking/worrying that she isn’t as good as Ellie.
Millions of Bees
2024-12-22 08:24:05 +0000 UTCI hate asking only semi-related questions adjbhfjhfk but ! have things changed worldbuilding wise when it comes to reproduction? if i remember correctly skye comes from a litter of five right? but all the other dogs in the cast have had singular offspring per pregnancy. I understand like, story-crafting wise this is to prevent character number explosion lol but what's up in-universe? do people have litters still or have you decided to go the more human route?
Dean
2024-12-22 07:48:27 +0000 UTCYour character writing and portrayal of character dynamics has improved so much. I have been following you since early Pandora verse days and I swear it's always a treat to see your new work. Your fuzzbuts stuff is honestly so good and real that I get so exited to see a patron notification. That aside, merry and Eleanor sadly remind of so many folks I know in real life. The dynamic of a girl giving up so much to be with a guy like merry gosh. Idk the line of merry wanting ten kids just made me think back to a freind I have who gave up everything to be the housewife to this guy and said guy literally hit her with the "let's have as many kids as possible." It happens far to often, at least in the small town I live in. Idk I'm tired and rambling but glad my girl got those tubes tied though. What a queen
Fukōsagi
2024-12-22 07:44:08 +0000 UTCAnd then Neath pops out in Eleanor’s bathrobe like ‘oh hey I remember this guy’
Morghann Patterson
2024-12-22 07:31:01 +0000 UTCThis explains so many things and also those clothes? Gorgeous~ But I can help to feel a little sad not sad in the way of "poor old little sad dog Merry😢" more in the sense of "oh you old stubborn fool, look what you did, look what you loose, and still you can't even talk or admit you own fault in all this 😔" and that Ellie actually is better without him. Cuz how tragic is that he's still a flustered mess in presence of his ex-wife and witnessing what he loose, let me explain, usually people think that "changing an older spouse for a new younger one is a win" cuz youth = beauty. When actually isn't true, some couples with age difference are happy not because physical stuff is because they love each other and are compatible, heck some people find love again in their own age range, but in these case it was because pettiness and "saving face". Some may be confuse that if Merry has a "young pretty wife" and new kid he should be happy, but he isn't, because he never stopped loving Ellie, for him she's the more beautiful thing in the world and her beauty only increase with time, like wine, and he misses his kids, their kids, their family. I know that Maple isn't perfect and both choose these path to dig deeper in their misery and yet I wonder if Merry even just once look at her the way he looked at Ellie? Did he even find her I don't know attractive? Or I don't know like her? Cuz for what I read he feel a lot of resentment and think her personality is... annoying.
MiyaTheGoldenFlower
2024-12-22 07:20:09 +0000 UTCI'm crying at the first two written lines. Oh, Ellie... You tried. Also her lil old lady design in the last image, my HEART. It's so funny to see Merry try to... What? Cling to the past? Attempt to rekindle that spark that swept himself and Ellie up into such a blaze in the first place? It's just so funny to see him make himself vulnerable like this, humbling himself out of desperation. It's /delicious/.
mirarevias
2024-12-22 07:04:02 +0000 UTC#1 Ellie fan we stan a bad bitch
Jaszczur
2024-12-22 07:02:10 +0000 UTC
