A/N: This is something that I'd thought I'd try. I wanted to do an Allison one-shot that focused on her character and the roles she plays throughout her life as a person, cuz ya know, she's an actress. The style is very different from what I normally do, but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Plus, I already do a lot of listing when I write, so this is just a change in aesthetic. Cuz why not. Also, they don't have a strike-through option which sucks, but just pretend the underlines are just that! Inspired by (is it even a question at this point) The Maine's Sad Songs. Lemme know what y'all think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Netflix's The Umbrella Academy or The Maine's Sad Songs. This is purely for fun and not for profit.
(Actors, on your marks.)
Allison Hargreaves did not have a father.
(Cue the lights.)
Scratch that. She technically (legally, she insisted) did have a father, just not one that acted like a father.
(Cameras, ready.)
She should know. She knew all about acting.
(Rolling.)
This is because she herself was an actress, and a damn good one at that, too.
(Action.)
A List Of Things That Did Not Happen Before Joining The Umbrella Academy:
1. She didn't audition. (She probably wouldn't have cared to.)
2. She didn't get a callback. (She probably wouldn't have returned.)
3. She didn't hope and wait for word on whether she had been chosen for the part. (She probably wouldn't have accepted.)
A List Of Things That Did Happen Before Joining The Umbrella Academy:
1. She was miraculously born. (Interestingly enough.)
2. She was unlovingly bought. (Horribly enough.)
3. She was dropped into a life of hardship and superhero work. (Dreadfully enough.)
Allison starred in several roles over her lifetime. She acted every day in the roles she had been forced to play since the day of her birth. She would also (unfortunately) continue to play these roles until the day of her death.
(A lifelong performance is what she was created for, and hell, she was going to do just that.)
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Superhero
2. Sister
3. Daughter
(Specifically in that order. Listed from most to least important to Allison.)
At age seven, three roles were not all that hard for Allison to handle, especially when her main focus was her job as a superhero, and being a daughter was the least of her worries. She found that acting was rather quite easy for her. There were just a few rules she had to follow and voila. Everybody believed her performance, day in and day out.
Allison Hargreaves' Rules For Acting:
1. Know your audience. (Fears and desires are handy.)
2. Listen and react. (Pay attention to the scene and anticipate the next step.)
3. Non-verbal communication is everything.(Expressions and gestures relate a thousand words.)
4. Do your homework. (Research sucks, but it's important for a reason.)
5. Be confident. (Damn straight.)
6. Lose yourself in your character. (Forget who you are and your audience will too.)
(Not specifically in that order. All were equally important to Allison.)
She prided herself in her acting skills based on these rules. She felt special having such talent, as if it was a second superpower.
Allison Hargreaves' Superb Superpowers (Acting-Wise):
1. She knew what made people tick. (She watched and read and listened and learned.)
2. She knew how to use such knowledge to her advantage. (She could get whatever she wanted by playing her cards right.)
3. She understood what actions and reactions would convince people she was who she made herself out to be. (She even convinced herself and that's saying something.)
By contrast, Sir Reginald, in her opinion, most definitely was a terrible actor. He couldn't act like a father for shit.
Sir Reginald Hargreaves' Sub-Par Acting Skills (Or Lack Thereof):
1. He didn't know his (adopted, she emphasized) children and treated them like crap. (He didn't know how to raise children at all.)
2. He never listened to what they had to say. (He thought he was always right, even if it was blaringly obvious he wasn't.)
3. He was confident (she gave him that) but he was an asshole through and through. (Nobody likes an asshole, especially not for a father.)
When she finally realized how horrible of a father he was, she made no effort to act like a daughter, or at least a good one.
(Only good fathers deserved good daughters. Sir Reginald was not a good father, not in the slightest.)
Over the years, Allison's list of roles expanded to encompass her evolving life.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Superhero
2. Girlfriend ?
3. Sister
4. Daughter
At age thirteen, a member of the audience she called family changed, which meant she found herself in a new role, albeit a questionable one.
Signs That Luther and Allison *Possibly* Had A Thing:
1. Glancing (Lots of it, too, especially when he thought she didn't see.)
2. Holding hands (In secret, of course.)
3. Smiling at each other (It just seemed different.)
4. Kissing (Only sometimes and behind closed doors.)
Okay. Maybe that last one would be a dead giveaway if they had ever put a label on whatever the hell it was they were doing. The body language was a tell-tale sign of dating, but the verbal clarification was severely lacking. Even though Rule #3 was vital to understanding a character, dialogue would be immensely helpful in a situation such as this.
(Say something, Luther, goddammit!)
Alas, there came a day where they no longer needed to worry about such complications. She just wasn't there to deal with them anymore.
A List Of Unfortunate Occurrences:
1. She left. (She ran to the open arms of Hollywood stardom.)
2. Their relationship was never defined. (A tragic fate they acknowledged from the beginning.)
3. They broke each other's hearts. (An unfavorable side effect of the previous point.)
Allison was gone, but woe followed her wherever she went.
(Emotions fucking sucked, but she could act her way through them. She always did.)
At age eighteen, her entire audience completely shifted as she abandoned one career for another.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Actress
2. Superhero
3. Girlfriend ?
4. Sister
5. Daughter
Allison may not have been a member of the Umbrella Academy anymore, and may not have figured out her relationship status with Luther, but she still considered herself occupying the roles of sister (which was fine) and daughter (which was not fine).
(No matter where she went, she was still tied to the Hargreaves name.)
A List Of Things That Were Not Okay:
1. This (Fucking this)
However, she was free to live her life now that she had escaped the seeming dungeon of the academy mansion. The world was her stage, and she was going to do whatever the fuck she wanted to do.
Allison Hargreaves' Hollywood To Do List:
1. Put her acting skills to good use. (There's no point in letting them collect dust.)
2. Be a professional actress. (It was what she was good at, so why not get money for it?)
3. Prove to Sir Reginald she was meant for more. (She wasn't a failure.)
4. Make a name for herself. (And hopefully renounce her family name in the process.)
(Not specifically in that order. Whatever came first was fine by her as long as everything eventually came to be.)
Rule #5 would be her guiding light in the unknown landscape of Hollywood fame and fortune. Confidence was key, after all. Allison was ready to take on the world.
(That's exactly what she did.)
At age twenty, she fell in love, adding a previous role back to her resumé.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Actress
2. Girlfriend
3. Superhero
4. Sister
5. Daughter
Luckily for Allison, this relationship was more certain than the last one. There was no wondering where she stood with Patrick. They were together, and that was that.
A List Of Things That Patrick And Allison Had In Common:
1. They were both actors. (They had met on the set of a movie they were filming.)
2. They both had bad experiences with exes. (The experiences weren't the same, but the shared sentiment was there.)
3. They both had shitty fathers. (Again, the shared sentiment is the important detail.)
(Rule #1 and Rule #4 went hand in hand. Get to know who you're fooling and your performance will be solid.)
Although she loved Patrick, her career as an actress still remained her number one priority. Allison was a distinguished movie starlet only two years after she had begun acting. It was a job she enjoyed very much. Life was good. Everything seemed so easy.
(Little did she know her future would get a whole lot harder.)
At age twenty-two, she rumored a man who had fallen out of love with her. They got married the spring of the following year.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Actress
2. Girlfriend Wife
3. Superhero
4. Sister
5. Daughter
Allison had abused her powers. It was no surprise to her, though. She had been rumoring people throughout the Hollywood industry for four years now to get the roles she desired.
(How else would she have risen to popularity so quickly?)
This situation was no different. Patrick was the casting director, and his wife was the role she longed for. It was the logical next step, provided by a twisted interpretation of Rule #2.
(Anticipate and react. No harm, no foul.)
Allison Hargreaves' Reasons For Rumoring Her Husband:
1. She didn't know. (She wanted to prove to Luther that she was over him.)
2. She wasn't certain. (She wanted to prove to Sir Reginald that she wasn't a failure.)
3. She couldn't say. (She wanted to prove to herself that she was worthy of love.)
(Specifically in that order. Listed from least to most important to Allison.)
She couldn't stand the thought of being denied love for a third time.
(Her heart had already been broken by a father and a lover. She couldn't handle any more pain.)
At age twenty-three, she had a daughter. She named her Claire.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Mother
2. Actress
3. Girlfriend Wife
4. Superhero
5. Sister
6. Daughter
Allison loved Claire with all her heart. She promised to be the best mother she could be. She didn't want her daughter to hate her parents just as she hated her own father. She didn't want Claire to end up like her.
(Oh, how promises and hearts alike were made to be broken.)
At age twenty-eight, she lost her family.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Mother (Non-custodial)
2. Actress
3. Girlfriend Wife Divorcee
4. Superhero
5. Sister
6. Daughter
Allison had been caught rumoring her own daughter. She had been doing it for years. When he found out, Patrick filed for divorce and sole custody. He won.
A List Of Allison Hargreaves' Regrets In Life:
1. Hurting her daughter. (She didn't mean it.)
2. Hurting Patrick. (She didn't mean it.)
3. Hurting her family. (She didn't mean it.)
4. Hurting Luther. (She didn't mean it.)
5. Hurting herself. (She didn't mean it.)
(Specifically in that order. Listed from most to least important to Allison.)
She had gotten lost in her character. She had forgotten who she was, and in turn, so did her audience.
(It was coming back to everyone now.)
A List Of Things That Allison Hargreaves Was:
1. The Rumor (A liar and a cheat.)
2. Number Three (A monster without a real name.)
3. Allison Hargreaves (A girl who had failed at fame and love and family not only once, but twice in a lifetime.)
(Rule #6 was a bitch. It always was.)
Allison regretted the things she had done over the years. It took the loss of the person she held closest to her heart to realize her wrongdoings. Now, she was paying the heavy price to atone for her sins.
(She had broken her own heart. She felt she deserved it.)
At age twenty-nine, she went home. Subsequently, all hell broke loose.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Mother (Non-custodial)
2. Sister
3. Superhero
4. Girlfriend ?
5. Actress
6. Girlfriend Wife Divorcee
7. Daughter
It should probably be noted that Sir Reginald's death had prompted Allison's return to the Umbrella Academy. Not that she was sad or anything like that. She just knew there were a few loose ends she needed to tie up.
(There just so happened to be several more loose ends than she intended to deal with.)
Allison Hargreaves' Umbrella Academy To Do List:
1. Call Claire as much as possible. (Even though she was thousands of miles away, she still needed to stay in touch with her daughter.)
2. Be a better sister. (She tried to reconnect with her estranged siblings after years of separation.)
3. Help stop the apocalypse. (She didn't really know how to respond to that when Five appeared, but hey, it's an opportunity for sibling bonding, right?)
4. Get closure with Luther. (This one wasn't turning out the way she wanted because she was still confused by him as ever.)
5. Bury her father. (Oh yeah, that's what they were there for.)
(Specifically in that order. Listed from most to least important to Allison.)
Things seemed to be going so well. Allison should've known by now that things didn't go so well for the Hargreaves for very long.
(They never did.)
At age twenty-nine, she went back in time. She was trapped in her thirteen-year-old body and whisked back to square one once again.
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Mother (Non-custodial)
2. Sister
3. Superhero
4. Girlfriend ?
5. Actress
6. Girlfriend Wife Divorcee
7. Daughter
Allison's previous life was no longer a reality. It was the past and the future at the same damn time and it made her head hurt to think about it too hard.
A List Of Things Allison Hargreaves Lost In The Time Jump:
1. Claire (Oh God no.)
2. Her acting career (Damn.)
3. Her status as a divorcee (She's okay with that.)
4. Her life (Freedom from the academy and her normal body were dearly missed.)
5. Time (So much fucking time.)
Allison didn't know what to do. None of them did. When she saw her father, though, alive and kicking (the old bastard), she realized a few things.
A List Of Allison Hargreaves' Epiphanies:
1. Sir Reginald was an asshole. (Well, no shit.)
2. He would never be anything but an asshole. (Okay, and?)
3. They were also assholes as kids. (Arguably as adults, too.)
4. They had a chance to fix their asshole mistakes. (Of course.)
It was simple, really. All she had to do was refer to her rules of acting.
(With a little TLC, they were perfect.)
How To Save The World, A Family, And Allison Hargreaves:
1. Know your audience. (Get to know the people close to you, and who knows, maybe you'll end up liking them.)
2. Listen and react. (Hear what people are saying and make a real connection with them.)
3. All communication is important. (Body language speaks volumes, but dialogue is critical in understanding a situation.)
4. Do your homework. (When you make mistakes, learn from them, with or without the help of a time-traveling sibling.)
5. Be confident. (Optimism is great, but cockiness is not.)
6. Be your honest self. (This seems counterintuitive for acting, but when the character is yourself, you can't be deceitful.)
(Not specifically in that order. All were equally important to Allison.)
She knew what she was doing.
She should know. She knew all about acting.
(Actors, on your marks.)
In the end, Allison Hargreaves still didn't have a father, or at least one that was good at acting like a father.
(That didn't matter, though.)
What did matter was that she wasn't going to be like him. The daughter was not going to follow in the footsteps of the father.
(Cue the lights.)
Instead, she was going to right her wrongs with this opportunity to live again. She had a daughter who's heart she was determined not to break this time around.
(Maybe she could heal her own broken heart in the process.)
A List Of Things That Were Okay:
1. This (Fucking this)
(Cameras, ready.)
Allison knew what she was doing. Although she was an actress, and a damn good one at that, she knew there was only one role she was born to play flawlessly and honestly. It was the end-all performance that would hopefully save the world, her family, and herself.
(Rolling.)
The Roles of Allison Hargreaves:
1. Allison Hargreaves
(Specifically in that order. Listed as the most important to Allison.)
Filming for her redemption arc started today, and she was ready.
(Action.)
Hope y'all enjoyed!
~SOS~