Man of the House themes, variations

[SEVERUSMAX]

I've been working on a story where a neighbor becomes family patriarch to a neighboring family, but there are so many variations on this idea, that the head of the family can have his or her pick of sexual partners who have reached their age of majority, and it is understood that this person sets whatever rules or standards they please, can break or bend them whenever he or she pleases, etc.

In my version, it always has to be outsiders, the last one was the wife of the previous father, the mother of most of them, because the whole family is sub, so needs that outsider to dominate them and guide their sex lives with whatever crazy rules they have in mind.

But there are so many possible twists.

Such as what if the eldest simply takes over and inherits even the mother/father, and no one bats an eye, because they are in charge.

Or the surviving spouse takes over and again, it's all cool, because it is simply a change of power and the gender is immaterial.

Or it's strictly patriarchal and the son takes over, or strictly matriarchal and the daughter does, giving him/her rights to have their way with the surviving parent, uncles, aunts, nieces, etc.

Or they have to compete to take over...or it's decided in the will and comes sometimes as a surprise.

 

[Hypoxia]

I've seen variants of this involving either cults, werewolf packs, or of course the Sawney Bean legend. I think some European royal and noble families operated that way too. Maybe some still do. Set the story in the royal palace in Ruritania and let'em swing.