Yuletide Letter 2017
Oct. 7th, 2017 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amazing_e_koDear Writer
I am extremely excited this year, and I hope you are too. It’s most important to me that you have fun this year, so put that before everything else, and ignore anything that you’re struggling with.
I have some general DNWs and likes, and then a section for each fandom. I do love all my fandoms equally, so don’t worry about that.
Likes:
I like all kinds of stories - comedies, tragedies, plot heavy stories, character moments. All stories big and small are welcome. I am also open to any kind of experimentation. If you want to write poem fic, or IF, or a meta-story, or anything else outside the box, I welcome it. If you prefer to write more traditional stories, that’s fine too. I like gen and shipfic. I love my ships, but I also love all of these characters on their own, and I love the worlds they live in. I firmly believe that your fic should be the length you need it to be, whether that's 1000 words or 100,000. I will read and comment no matter what (and my Christmas is likely to be very chill this year, so I'll definitely have time for long comments, though maybe not until the evening).
Sex is great, but I’m not really a fan of PWP. Sex as part of a story is cool. If you do write sex scenes, I’d prefer that the characters be 17 or older.
DNW:
Mundane AUs
PWP
For sex scenes: watersports, scat, rimming, torture and mutilation as sexual acts, non-con or dub-con.
Mutilation of eyes or limbs.
Extreme descriptions of gore or violence.
Stories that are only ‘x character overcomes prejudice’. Mentions of prejudice and bigotry are fine though, as long as they’re character-plausible and period/universe appropriate.
Fandoms
(Pyre is by far the longest request, but I promise I don’t love it more than the others. It just has a way bigger cast!)
Little Witch Academia - Diana Cavendish, Atsuko ‘Akko’ Kagari
It actually took me a while to sit down and watch this anime, but I loved it to pieces when I did. It’s so creative and fun and exciting, and the characters are just so likeable.
Akko is great. One thing I really like about her is that although she can be kind of lazy and flaky and impatient, we actually see her putting in the work. She really fights for her skills, and I love every moment when her earnestness and hard-work and determination shine through. She’s so sincere and sweet. I’d love a story about her learning magic, and improving. The magic in the series is so fun and creative, and I really like the world, so just Akko studying could make for a brilliant fic.
Diana is interesting - I like her in the series a lot more than in the original OVA. I love her kindness, and her determination to do the right thing, and the walls she puts up to hide her generosity and compassion. She’s genuinely a really good person, underneath the arrogance and standoffishness. I’d be particularly interested in stories about her relationship to her family, and how she feels about her heritage. Or stories about her in the ‘normal’ world, where she can’t use her magic and has to rely on her other skills.
And of course, I adore Diana/Akko as a ship. Getting together fic would be great, or fic about them working out exactly what it is they feel for each other. The series has a lot of tropey fun with things like the love bee, and I would love a fic where maybe some magical mishaps forces them to confront feelings they might not otherwise acknowledge. I think Akko and Diana are two people who are really good for each other, and they push and challenge each other in ways that make them both better people - which I guess is the ideal.
Pyre - The Reader, The Moon-Touched Girl, Jodariel, Pamitha
I actually can’t believe how much I love Pyre. Each Supergiant game just feels better than the last, to me, but this one in particular is packed with so many loveable characters, who have such great interactions, that it totally overwhelms me. And the art and music are so incredibly beautiful, and give such a staggering sense of place. I’d love a story that takes these characters and explores the world through them - especially the Rites. How does it feel to be in a Rite? What relationship do they have to the Reader? Or you could write about the revolution, and the Commonwealth, and how these people change the world <3 Feel free to pick any mix of liberated people - whatever suits the story. I don’t have one particular solid headcanon for this game; part of what I like about it is that it feels like there are good things and bad things for any given ending for any given character.
Now for some character specific prompts. In no particular order:
Jodariel is the best, and I ship her like crazy with everyone. Her design is super appealing to me for one thing, with her buff arms and her horns and the way she moves in the Rites, both hulking and graceful. I love her mixture of kindness and reserve and frosty defensiveness - you can see how her history has shaped her, made her afraid and defensive, but also how incredibly kind she is. I’m up for any kind of story about her life in the Downside, but especially stories that focus on her place in the Nightwings, and how she feels about the other characters (I started to write out notes about individual relationships, realised how long it would be, and gave up. But I love all of them). Or how her life changes if she’s Liberated.
Pamitha is incredible. She’s beautiful, she’s snarky, she can fly. What’s not to love??? I really love her story with her sister, and how she begs you to lose the liberation rite against the Essence. A story about her and Tabitha would be incredible - whether they’re both liberated, only one of them is, or they both stay Downside.
The Moon-Touched Girl is great. I really like the way in which she’s odd - her perspective on reality might not be the same as other people, but it has its own internal logic. And she can be very sharp and intuitive. Her backstory hints at sadness, but it’s not the point of her character - her story is as much about her present and future as the experiences that led her to the Nightwings. I love her interactions with basically everyone - a fic about how she sees the other characters would be fantastic. Or a story about her experiences after the end of the game, especially if she is chosen in the Liberation Rite. (I called her Mae, as a nod to Night in the Woods, but give her whatever name you like for her.)
Given how much choice you have about the Reader, there’s a lot of different options. The only thing that I ask is that you make the Reader female - since I prefer my reader ships f/f. Otherwise, you can use whatever backstory you prefer. I chose the crippled scholar, and I do like the implications of the Reader being physically disadvantaged - the way that plays into their role in the Rites. But use whatever suits your feelings and story. As for story prompts: honestly, I think I’m mostly interested in fic about the Reader’s in story feelings. How do they feel about the role they were thrust into? How do they make their decisions about who to choose for Liberation? Or post-game fic about the consequences of their choices would also be fascinating.
Ship-wise, I adore Jodariel/Pamitha, as a fabulous enemies-to-lovers ship (and this is one that I would be totally up for porn with - between Jodariel’s horns and Pamitha’s wings there is some really good potential, plus I could see them having a lot of fun with bondage - though who’s tying up who is a serious question). I’d love stories that tackle how they might get together, whether it’s slow burn, or a physical relationship that awkwardly dredges up feelings. (If you’re writing slow burn, don’t feel obliged to include the whole relationship. A short fic that was entirely stumbling blushes and awkward touches and the promise of something more down the line would be incredible.)
I also really like Jodariel/Moon-Touched Girl. It’s protrayed more as a familial relationship in canon, but I could easily see it becoming romantic. Though I imagine the Moon-Touched Girl would have to initiate things (and in fic with age differences, I do usually prefer the younger person to take the lead).
Jodariel/Reader is also great - partly because I am weak and Jodariel is hot, and partially because I think she’s the one of the companions who takes the most work. Getting her to open up and trust you is tricky, and I always like a puzzle that’s hard to solve. I particularly enjoy this ship as one where Jodariel is much taller and stronger than the Reader, because I am shallow.
Since I’m requesting the Reader, I’ll mention that I also really like Reader/Sandra. Obviously, Sandra wasn’t nominated, so this is very, very optional, but I did find their relationship fascinating. The tensions that exist in a situation where the Reader has all the power, Sandra’s loneliness and sarcasm and longing for companionship, the complications of not being able to touch - it is all such good stuff.
Sound! Euphonium - Kousaka Reina, Kumiko
I got an absolutely wonderful gift for this fandom two years ago, but that was before season two came out, and I am weak and I want more. As much as I loved season two’s focus on family and sisterly relationships, I was a bit gutted that we didn’t get more of Reina and Kumiko. (That said, I really liked that Taki-sensei firmly rejected Reina. It was one of his best moments as a teacher, and I was so happy to see that subplot over and done with.)
I love both Reina and Kumiko separately, for different reasons. I love Reina for her overwhelming drive to succeed, and her passion, and how proud she is of her own talent. And I love Kumiko for her bluntness, and nosiness, and how she pays attention to people. And I love that she loves music, even though it takes her a bit longer to realise it. Fics that are about music - about how either or both of them relate to music, and about how it shapes and guides them through their lives would be amazing. I like to think that music is important to them for the rest of their lives.
If you’re writing shippy fic (and I ship the heck out of these two), I’d love a fic about them in college, or even later in their life. I like to imagine them both as professional musicians, eventually, and it would be really interesting to read a fic about how that plays into a romantic relationship between them. Something about them figuring out their feelings would be great - especially if there’s mutual pining. Or something about them in an established relationship, and how they juggle work and time commitments and all those other things. Reina is a genius, and while Kumiko has talent, she’s not quite at the same level, so that seems like something they might have to work around.
Mansfield Park - Fanny Price, Mary Crawford
(My prompts for this one are a lift from last year! Everything I said there stands true, and since it wasn’t one of my (many, beautiful) gifts, I thought I’d cast it out again, and see if anyone wants to bite.)
I don’t know that I could ever pick a favourite Jane Austen, but Mansfield Park is definitely at times my favourite. Though it’s a very complicated (dare I joke: problematic :p ) fave. I do actually really like Fanny and Edmund’s relationship, but I also often read it thinking of all the other possible directions the story could have gone. I like the intimacy of Mansfield Park - it’s one of the smallest casts, I think, of Austen’s novels, and there’s an almost claustrophobic element to it at points.
I’m happy with both the Fanny/Edmund and Fanny/Henry, and if you want to include either in your story, I’ll enjoy them, but I have to confess that I would kill for a Fanny/Mary story that does what so many Fanny/Henry stories do, and breaks away from canon to write a different ending. I’m always a sucker for femslash, and the dynamic between Fanny and Mary is one that fascinates me. It has a lot of the same appeal as Fanny/Henry - that in falling for one of the Crawfords, Fanny truly changes her perspective on someone, and it pushes her away from the traditional Bertrams towards a more modern group of people. I also think it creates interesting tensions in Mary and Henry's relationship, and Fanny and Edmund's. On top of that, I actually really enjoy stories that are about starting relationships against the pressures of society and working out a way to be happy while dealing with repression. As long as they have happy endings. And I would ask, if you write this, that you give them a happy ending. I don't need them to be universally accepted by everyone around them, out and proud, but I would like them to be happy with each other.
* One thing that would be very interesting is to see Mary and Fanny in a completely different setting: perhaps in Mary’s London circle. I don’t think Fanny would be at all comfortable, that’s what would be so interesting.
Fanny is a great character. She’s extremely insecure, but in an incredibly relatable way, and despite her insecurity she has a will of absolute iron. She’s got a lot of insight into people, but she can also be very blind, especially as it concerns herself. And all of this is bound up in her morality. Fanny is an extremely ethical person, though her standards of ethics and morality don’t totally align with a modern perspective. I think her consistent desire to do what is right, rather than what is easy, is part of what makes her such a great character, but she doesn’t always consider other people’s perspectives, and it would be cool to see a fic that challenge some of her presumptions of the world.
* I’d love a fic where Fanny is, for whatever reason, trapped in a room making conversation with someone she would normally never talk to. Again, that idea of pushing at her boundaries a little, and exploring what her limits are, but also maybe giving her a chance to reconsider an assumption, really appeals to me. The person she’s talking to could be someone like the Admiral, Mary and Henry’s uncle, or one of Mary’s friends, or even one of the Admiral’s mistresses.
Fanny’s refusal of Mr. Crawford is one of my favourite parts of the book, even though I like fic where they do get married. That enduring and tenacious refusal is such a powerful plot point. I’d love to see fic about other times in her life when she had to draw on that stubbornness. (If you wanted to make this a ‘five times’ fic you totally could - I’m always a fan of those, but just one time would be equally interesting.)
Mary fascinates me because of the many ways in which she serves as a foil to Fanny. They’re great mirror images of each other. She’s superficially much more decisive and strong-willed than Fanny, but underneath she’s actually much more reliant on what other people think of her. In an odd way, she’s also very insecure. She really needs to be liked by other people, I think, really wants the approval of those around her. Whereas Fanny, though she feels that she doesn’t really deserve love and affection, is very good at relying on her own inner resources.
* A fic about Mary’s past, and her childhood, would be delightful. It’s only touched on very briefly in the story, but she must have had an extremely challenging childhood, between the deaths of her parents and being raised in a house with an aunt she loved and an uncle she hated. There’s a line in the book where Fanny says that Mary shouldn’t speak ill of her uncle, even though he’s not a good person, and while it’s completely true by the mores of Jane Austen’s time, I kind of love Mary for refusing to bow to those standards and pretend that her uncle is a good person when he pretty clearly isn’t.
* There’s a comparison that’s often made between Austen and Mary Crawford - that although Mary is the antagonist, she’s a lot more similar to Austen than Fanny is. I don’t entirely know how fair that is, but it did give me the idea of Mary becoming a writer like her creator, and I think that could make for a great fic. Maybe, years later, she writes about a fictionalised version of the events of Mansfield Park? It would be really interesting to see how she might revisit that story in later years, and what, if anything, she would change.
I am extremely excited this year, and I hope you are too. It’s most important to me that you have fun this year, so put that before everything else, and ignore anything that you’re struggling with.
I have some general DNWs and likes, and then a section for each fandom. I do love all my fandoms equally, so don’t worry about that.
Likes:
I like all kinds of stories - comedies, tragedies, plot heavy stories, character moments. All stories big and small are welcome. I am also open to any kind of experimentation. If you want to write poem fic, or IF, or a meta-story, or anything else outside the box, I welcome it. If you prefer to write more traditional stories, that’s fine too. I like gen and shipfic. I love my ships, but I also love all of these characters on their own, and I love the worlds they live in. I firmly believe that your fic should be the length you need it to be, whether that's 1000 words or 100,000. I will read and comment no matter what (and my Christmas is likely to be very chill this year, so I'll definitely have time for long comments, though maybe not until the evening).
Sex is great, but I’m not really a fan of PWP. Sex as part of a story is cool. If you do write sex scenes, I’d prefer that the characters be 17 or older.
DNW:
Mundane AUs
PWP
For sex scenes: watersports, scat, rimming, torture and mutilation as sexual acts, non-con or dub-con.
Mutilation of eyes or limbs.
Extreme descriptions of gore or violence.
Stories that are only ‘x character overcomes prejudice’. Mentions of prejudice and bigotry are fine though, as long as they’re character-plausible and period/universe appropriate.
Fandoms
(Pyre is by far the longest request, but I promise I don’t love it more than the others. It just has a way bigger cast!)
Little Witch Academia - Diana Cavendish, Atsuko ‘Akko’ Kagari
It actually took me a while to sit down and watch this anime, but I loved it to pieces when I did. It’s so creative and fun and exciting, and the characters are just so likeable.
Akko is great. One thing I really like about her is that although she can be kind of lazy and flaky and impatient, we actually see her putting in the work. She really fights for her skills, and I love every moment when her earnestness and hard-work and determination shine through. She’s so sincere and sweet. I’d love a story about her learning magic, and improving. The magic in the series is so fun and creative, and I really like the world, so just Akko studying could make for a brilliant fic.
Diana is interesting - I like her in the series a lot more than in the original OVA. I love her kindness, and her determination to do the right thing, and the walls she puts up to hide her generosity and compassion. She’s genuinely a really good person, underneath the arrogance and standoffishness. I’d be particularly interested in stories about her relationship to her family, and how she feels about her heritage. Or stories about her in the ‘normal’ world, where she can’t use her magic and has to rely on her other skills.
And of course, I adore Diana/Akko as a ship. Getting together fic would be great, or fic about them working out exactly what it is they feel for each other. The series has a lot of tropey fun with things like the love bee, and I would love a fic where maybe some magical mishaps forces them to confront feelings they might not otherwise acknowledge. I think Akko and Diana are two people who are really good for each other, and they push and challenge each other in ways that make them both better people - which I guess is the ideal.
Pyre - The Reader, The Moon-Touched Girl, Jodariel, Pamitha
I actually can’t believe how much I love Pyre. Each Supergiant game just feels better than the last, to me, but this one in particular is packed with so many loveable characters, who have such great interactions, that it totally overwhelms me. And the art and music are so incredibly beautiful, and give such a staggering sense of place. I’d love a story that takes these characters and explores the world through them - especially the Rites. How does it feel to be in a Rite? What relationship do they have to the Reader? Or you could write about the revolution, and the Commonwealth, and how these people change the world <3 Feel free to pick any mix of liberated people - whatever suits the story. I don’t have one particular solid headcanon for this game; part of what I like about it is that it feels like there are good things and bad things for any given ending for any given character.
Now for some character specific prompts. In no particular order:
Jodariel is the best, and I ship her like crazy with everyone. Her design is super appealing to me for one thing, with her buff arms and her horns and the way she moves in the Rites, both hulking and graceful. I love her mixture of kindness and reserve and frosty defensiveness - you can see how her history has shaped her, made her afraid and defensive, but also how incredibly kind she is. I’m up for any kind of story about her life in the Downside, but especially stories that focus on her place in the Nightwings, and how she feels about the other characters (I started to write out notes about individual relationships, realised how long it would be, and gave up. But I love all of them). Or how her life changes if she’s Liberated.
Pamitha is incredible. She’s beautiful, she’s snarky, she can fly. What’s not to love??? I really love her story with her sister, and how she begs you to lose the liberation rite against the Essence. A story about her and Tabitha would be incredible - whether they’re both liberated, only one of them is, or they both stay Downside.
The Moon-Touched Girl is great. I really like the way in which she’s odd - her perspective on reality might not be the same as other people, but it has its own internal logic. And she can be very sharp and intuitive. Her backstory hints at sadness, but it’s not the point of her character - her story is as much about her present and future as the experiences that led her to the Nightwings. I love her interactions with basically everyone - a fic about how she sees the other characters would be fantastic. Or a story about her experiences after the end of the game, especially if she is chosen in the Liberation Rite. (I called her Mae, as a nod to Night in the Woods, but give her whatever name you like for her.)
Given how much choice you have about the Reader, there’s a lot of different options. The only thing that I ask is that you make the Reader female - since I prefer my reader ships f/f. Otherwise, you can use whatever backstory you prefer. I chose the crippled scholar, and I do like the implications of the Reader being physically disadvantaged - the way that plays into their role in the Rites. But use whatever suits your feelings and story. As for story prompts: honestly, I think I’m mostly interested in fic about the Reader’s in story feelings. How do they feel about the role they were thrust into? How do they make their decisions about who to choose for Liberation? Or post-game fic about the consequences of their choices would also be fascinating.
Ship-wise, I adore Jodariel/Pamitha, as a fabulous enemies-to-lovers ship (and this is one that I would be totally up for porn with - between Jodariel’s horns and Pamitha’s wings there is some really good potential, plus I could see them having a lot of fun with bondage - though who’s tying up who is a serious question). I’d love stories that tackle how they might get together, whether it’s slow burn, or a physical relationship that awkwardly dredges up feelings. (If you’re writing slow burn, don’t feel obliged to include the whole relationship. A short fic that was entirely stumbling blushes and awkward touches and the promise of something more down the line would be incredible.)
I also really like Jodariel/Moon-Touched Girl. It’s protrayed more as a familial relationship in canon, but I could easily see it becoming romantic. Though I imagine the Moon-Touched Girl would have to initiate things (and in fic with age differences, I do usually prefer the younger person to take the lead).
Jodariel/Reader is also great - partly because I am weak and Jodariel is hot, and partially because I think she’s the one of the companions who takes the most work. Getting her to open up and trust you is tricky, and I always like a puzzle that’s hard to solve. I particularly enjoy this ship as one where Jodariel is much taller and stronger than the Reader, because I am shallow.
Since I’m requesting the Reader, I’ll mention that I also really like Reader/Sandra. Obviously, Sandra wasn’t nominated, so this is very, very optional, but I did find their relationship fascinating. The tensions that exist in a situation where the Reader has all the power, Sandra’s loneliness and sarcasm and longing for companionship, the complications of not being able to touch - it is all such good stuff.
Sound! Euphonium - Kousaka Reina, Kumiko
I got an absolutely wonderful gift for this fandom two years ago, but that was before season two came out, and I am weak and I want more. As much as I loved season two’s focus on family and sisterly relationships, I was a bit gutted that we didn’t get more of Reina and Kumiko. (That said, I really liked that Taki-sensei firmly rejected Reina. It was one of his best moments as a teacher, and I was so happy to see that subplot over and done with.)
I love both Reina and Kumiko separately, for different reasons. I love Reina for her overwhelming drive to succeed, and her passion, and how proud she is of her own talent. And I love Kumiko for her bluntness, and nosiness, and how she pays attention to people. And I love that she loves music, even though it takes her a bit longer to realise it. Fics that are about music - about how either or both of them relate to music, and about how it shapes and guides them through their lives would be amazing. I like to think that music is important to them for the rest of their lives.
If you’re writing shippy fic (and I ship the heck out of these two), I’d love a fic about them in college, or even later in their life. I like to imagine them both as professional musicians, eventually, and it would be really interesting to read a fic about how that plays into a romantic relationship between them. Something about them figuring out their feelings would be great - especially if there’s mutual pining. Or something about them in an established relationship, and how they juggle work and time commitments and all those other things. Reina is a genius, and while Kumiko has talent, she’s not quite at the same level, so that seems like something they might have to work around.
Mansfield Park - Fanny Price, Mary Crawford
(My prompts for this one are a lift from last year! Everything I said there stands true, and since it wasn’t one of my (many, beautiful) gifts, I thought I’d cast it out again, and see if anyone wants to bite.)
I don’t know that I could ever pick a favourite Jane Austen, but Mansfield Park is definitely at times my favourite. Though it’s a very complicated (dare I joke: problematic :p ) fave. I do actually really like Fanny and Edmund’s relationship, but I also often read it thinking of all the other possible directions the story could have gone. I like the intimacy of Mansfield Park - it’s one of the smallest casts, I think, of Austen’s novels, and there’s an almost claustrophobic element to it at points.
I’m happy with both the Fanny/Edmund and Fanny/Henry, and if you want to include either in your story, I’ll enjoy them, but I have to confess that I would kill for a Fanny/Mary story that does what so many Fanny/Henry stories do, and breaks away from canon to write a different ending. I’m always a sucker for femslash, and the dynamic between Fanny and Mary is one that fascinates me. It has a lot of the same appeal as Fanny/Henry - that in falling for one of the Crawfords, Fanny truly changes her perspective on someone, and it pushes her away from the traditional Bertrams towards a more modern group of people. I also think it creates interesting tensions in Mary and Henry's relationship, and Fanny and Edmund's. On top of that, I actually really enjoy stories that are about starting relationships against the pressures of society and working out a way to be happy while dealing with repression. As long as they have happy endings. And I would ask, if you write this, that you give them a happy ending. I don't need them to be universally accepted by everyone around them, out and proud, but I would like them to be happy with each other.
* One thing that would be very interesting is to see Mary and Fanny in a completely different setting: perhaps in Mary’s London circle. I don’t think Fanny would be at all comfortable, that’s what would be so interesting.
Fanny is a great character. She’s extremely insecure, but in an incredibly relatable way, and despite her insecurity she has a will of absolute iron. She’s got a lot of insight into people, but she can also be very blind, especially as it concerns herself. And all of this is bound up in her morality. Fanny is an extremely ethical person, though her standards of ethics and morality don’t totally align with a modern perspective. I think her consistent desire to do what is right, rather than what is easy, is part of what makes her such a great character, but she doesn’t always consider other people’s perspectives, and it would be cool to see a fic that challenge some of her presumptions of the world.
* I’d love a fic where Fanny is, for whatever reason, trapped in a room making conversation with someone she would normally never talk to. Again, that idea of pushing at her boundaries a little, and exploring what her limits are, but also maybe giving her a chance to reconsider an assumption, really appeals to me. The person she’s talking to could be someone like the Admiral, Mary and Henry’s uncle, or one of Mary’s friends, or even one of the Admiral’s mistresses.
Fanny’s refusal of Mr. Crawford is one of my favourite parts of the book, even though I like fic where they do get married. That enduring and tenacious refusal is such a powerful plot point. I’d love to see fic about other times in her life when she had to draw on that stubbornness. (If you wanted to make this a ‘five times’ fic you totally could - I’m always a fan of those, but just one time would be equally interesting.)
Mary fascinates me because of the many ways in which she serves as a foil to Fanny. They’re great mirror images of each other. She’s superficially much more decisive and strong-willed than Fanny, but underneath she’s actually much more reliant on what other people think of her. In an odd way, she’s also very insecure. She really needs to be liked by other people, I think, really wants the approval of those around her. Whereas Fanny, though she feels that she doesn’t really deserve love and affection, is very good at relying on her own inner resources.
* A fic about Mary’s past, and her childhood, would be delightful. It’s only touched on very briefly in the story, but she must have had an extremely challenging childhood, between the deaths of her parents and being raised in a house with an aunt she loved and an uncle she hated. There’s a line in the book where Fanny says that Mary shouldn’t speak ill of her uncle, even though he’s not a good person, and while it’s completely true by the mores of Jane Austen’s time, I kind of love Mary for refusing to bow to those standards and pretend that her uncle is a good person when he pretty clearly isn’t.
* There’s a comparison that’s often made between Austen and Mary Crawford - that although Mary is the antagonist, she’s a lot more similar to Austen than Fanny is. I don’t entirely know how fair that is, but it did give me the idea of Mary becoming a writer like her creator, and I think that could make for a great fic. Maybe, years later, she writes about a fictionalised version of the events of Mansfield Park? It would be really interesting to see how she might revisit that story in later years, and what, if anything, she would change.
