#c. elizabeth bennet + fitzwilliam darcy

[hxlcycnx]

closed starter || elizabeth bennet and fitzwilliam darcy

she had been looking everywhere for him. she refused to believe that she found happiness only for them both to lose it again. they had been through too much, too many things have stood in the path of them being together, she would not accept it this time. she tried putting herself in her husband’s shoes. so when she saw him walking around the town, she nearly cried.

“fitzwilliam darcy.” she scolded, hitting him the chest lightly with her book. “you can’t just marry me, then disappear like that.” she was teasing, but sometimes it was fun to pick on him. it was their love language after all. her smile betrayed her and she took her husband’s hand in her own. “are you alright? really, i was worried.”

@tragcdyfallen

[anghraine]

Speaking of the social context of P&P and Austen in general, and also just literature of that era, I'm always interested in how things like precisely formulated hierarchies of precedence and tables of ranked social classes interact with the more complex and nuanced details of class-based status and consequence on a pragmatic day-to-day level. I remembered reading a social historian discussing the pragmatics of class wrt eighteenth-century English life many years ago and finally tracked down the source:

"In spite of the number of people who got their living from manufacture or trade, fundamentally it was a society in which the ownership of land alone conveyed social prestige and full political rights. ... The apex of this society was the nobility. In the eyes of the Law only members of the House of Lords, the peerage in the strictest use of the word, were a class apart, enjoying special privileges and composing one of the estates of the realm. Their families were commoners: even the eldest sons of peers could sit in the House of Commons. It was therefore in the social rather than in the legal sense of the word that English society was a class society. Before the law all English people except the peers were in theory equal. Legal concept and social practice were, however, very different. When men spoke of the nobility, they meant the sons and daughters, the brothers and sisters, the uncles and aunts and cousins of the peers. They were an extremely influential and wealthy group.

"The peers and their near relations almost monopolized high political office. From these great families came the wealthiest Church dignitaries, the higher ranks in the army and navy. Many of them found a career in law; some even did not disdain the money to be made in trade. What gave this class its particular importance in the political life of the day was the way in which it was organized on a basis of family and connection ... in eighteenth-century politics men rarely acted as isolated individuals. A man came into Parliament supported by his friends and relations who expected, in return for this support, that he would further their interests to the extent of his parliamentary influence.

"Next in both political and social importance came the gentry. Again it is not easy to define exactly who were covered by this term. The Law knew nothing of gentle birth but Society recognized it. Like the nobility this group too was as a class closely connected with land. Indeed, the border line between the two classes is at times almost impossible to define ... Often these men are described as the squirearchy, this term being used to cover the major landowning families in every county who were not connected by birth with the aristocracy. Between them and the local nobility there was often considerable jealousy. The country gentleman considered himself well qualified to manage the affairs of his county without aristocratic interference.

"...The next great layer in society is perhaps best described the contemporary term 'the Middling Sort'. As with all eighteenth-century groups it is difficult to draw a clear line of demarcation between them and their social superiors and inferiors. No economic line is possible, for a man with no pretensions to gentility might well be more prosperous than many a small squire. There was even on the fringe between the two classes some overlapping of activities ... The ambitious upstart who bought an estate and spent his income as a gentleman, might be either cold-shouldered by his better-born neighbours or treated by them with a certain contemptuous politeness. If however his daughters were presentable and well dowered, and if his sons received the education considered suitable for gentlemen, the next generation would see the obliteration of whatever distinction still remained. The solid mass of the middling sort had however no such aspirations, or considered them beyond their reach.

"...This term [the poor] was widely used to designate the great mass of the manual workers. Within their ranks differences of income and of outlook were as varied as those that characterized the middle class. Once again the line of demarcation is hard to draw..."

—Dorothy Marshall, Eighteenth Century England (29-34)

(There's plenty more interesting information in the full chapter, especially regarding "the poor," and the chapter itself is contracted from a lengthier version published earlier.)

[nomisong]

saw characters react to you asking for their pronouns:

adam stanheight:

"he/him. or you know what, just use any of them. i know you want to. i don't care. are you gonna buy the adderall or not"

lawrence gordon:

"What does that mean? Oh, like what pronouns you should... refer to me in? Well, he and him I guess. And his, can't forget the possessive. That's weird, I've never been asked that before. I haven't seen my wife naked in 8 months."

amanda young:

"[stabs you] she [stabs you again] her [stabs you again] hers"

john kramer:

"You Know, kids these days Love asking people's proper Pronouns. It's like they don't even know how bad it feels to have to give people the wrong pronouns because they're closeted, Or To have their Gender identity questioned in Front Of an Audience. This Is Why some people, Much to the surprise of many, Prefer to have their pronouns assumed. However, it is very Difficult To know where to draw the line. Should you ask for pronouns or Assume? Many don't take the time To Assess. They Have their Insensitive pronouns circles and put people Through Hell. There is no nuance. Today, I want You to make a nuanced choice. In front of you Is A Copy Of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. I need you to write an Essay analyzing the character of Fitzwilliam Darcy with a Focus on the role of Social Transgression in the events of the story surrounding his Relationship with Elizabeth Bennet. Strapped to the chair next to you Is an English 101 professor. He will grade your Paper. If you get a C or Under on this paper, you Will Both Die. Good luck."

mark hoffman:

"Normal pronouns. There's only one gender."

[cocoscurios]

The Hour, the Spot, the Look, the Words Chapter Commentary

Chapter Eight: Their Family Party at Pemberley Buckle up, guys, it's a sickly sweet one!

Elizabeth had been mildly surprised by how good with children Fitzwilliam was - all of the little Gardiners adored him, and he was more lighthearted and playful with them than she had seen him with any other creature - though this, perhaps, had been another failure of discernment on her part.

"I was twelve when Georgiana was born," he had reminded her gently, Elizabeth’s young cousin Edward clinging to his legs. "I am quite used to this age." I refuse to entertain the possibility that Darcy isn't great with children or isn't an indulgent father. We see how he spoils his little sister. He's only going to be worse with his babies. 

It was only natural, then, when the little Darcys came along, to see that fatherhood suited Fitzwilliam very well. He was a loving and attentive father to their Anna, though Lady Catherine, who had been recently reconciled with her nephew, thought such a level of dedication from a father to a daughter unseemly. She basically says as much in canon. Lady C is the worst. 

Elizabeth, however, had been delighted to see it, and they had each been eager for their family to grow.

And grow it did. In due time, Anna was followed by three siblings, the youngest of whom, Christiana, was now only eight months old. This piece was originally written for me to get a basic grasp on 'my' Darcy children. For years, I only imagined four little Darcys, and then at some point decided I wanted five, so that's why Clara isn't here. 

The day was fine and the family was spending it out of doors, enjoying the sunshine and the pleasant breeze. Fitzwilliam played with the older children on the lawn while Elizabeth watched them smilingly from her bench in the shade, content to observe for now but eager for the day when she and Christiana could play too.

Anna was the very picture of her father, already a little beauty with her glossy brown curls, startlingly blue Darcy eyes, and full, downturned mouth that looked solemn and thoughtful in repose. She was all giggles now, though, as she danced an impromptu, unaccompanied reel with her father, and they stopped only when she was too out of breath to continue. Anna has always been a miniature version of her father in my mind. The other children have shifted around a bit for me, personality-wise, but never Anna.  

Their next child, Jane, had inherited Elizabeth’s darker, wilder curls, but otherwise looked more like her aunt Georgiana than either of her own parents, with the same light grey eyes, snub nose, and heart-shaped face. Jane preferred hoop-trundling with her father, who was especially good at the game (a fact that never ceased to amuse Elizabeth). Jane is fanciful and dramatic-- like Catherine Morland mixed with Kitty Bennet and with a dash of Lady Catherine. Also, I picture Darcy being great at games in general, when he's comfortable enough with his company to play them. Super competitive, though. 

It was rather too early to say with any certainty who young Fitzwilliam most resembled; Elizabeth thought he favored his namesake, though he had her dark eyes, but in certain lights and at certain angles, and particularly when he was feeling naughtier than usual, he looked so like Elizabeth that she had to laugh. The boy had toddled after his older sisters, waiting for his turn to play, and was rewarded by being tossed into the air by his father, his shrieks of glee waking his baby sister. Young Fitzwilliam (I do allow him to go by William when he's older, but only reluctantly) is the most like Elizabeth. He's going to be a handful. 

Despite this abrupt end to her nap, Christiana, who had the calmest disposition of all of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam’s children, did not cry. After a little startled jerk, her face cleared and she smiled up at her mother, looking for all the world as if she were happy to be awake and to join in the day’s activities. Christiana is the quiet, shy, sweet one. All of the angelic goodness of Jane Bennet and Georgiana that skipped right over Elizabeth and Darcy. ;)

Elizabeth had grown restless at her perch, feeling too far away from the rest of the family, and she and Christiana joined the others at the banks of the stream, where Fitzwilliam somewhat fruitlessly tried to teach them all to skip stones. Anna, of course, was determined to learn, and her look of concentration was a perfect mirror of her father's as he guided her hand, but Jane had only given it a few tries before wandering around to pick flowers. Young Fitzwilliam merely dropped his stones into the water.

Their father, who could play tirelessly, would have been happy to stay out all day, but the children eventually grew drowsy, young Fitzwilliam so exhausted that he looked quite ready to fall asleep where he stood. Despite their protestations, the children were ordered inside, Anna steadying her brother as he stumbled into her.

Fitzwilliam dropped a kiss to the top of his wife's head and they smiled at each other, sharing a brief private moment as the children chattered sleepily. He took the baby from her in one arm and scooped up their son in the other. Elizabeth held each of the older girls' hands, and they all made their way back to the house. I love happy, domestic Darcys so much that it gets a bit syrupy. FIGHT ME. 

[the-amazing-boop]

A conversation between Ms. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, c. 1813.

i'm madly in love with you

Get real

[romancegifs]

ELIZABETH BENNET & FITZWILLIAM DARCY

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

[spacesunflcwer]

ok but elizabeth bennet and fitzwilliam darcy are literally the perfect ship. jane austen really went and gave us everything we could have asked for. slowburn? check. enemies to friends to lovers? check. awkward moments? check. angst? CHECK. pining? CHECK. enormous amounts of chemistry?? c h e c k. happy ending? check :) and both of them are separately very interesting characters with GREAT character developments that leads to the eventual development of their relationship. they are perfect. in this essay i will

[lannisterdaddyissues]

Oh my god. Forgive me for adding on, but I just couldn’t resist:

Elizabeth not even noticing because of her own parents is hysterical and so in-character. The Darcys would be completely different from the Bennets because they’re rich, well-educated (well, Mr. Bennet is well-educated but he’s got no money and no fucks to give), and possess good judgment and sense (obviously, since they’d take one look at Elizabeth and decide That’s Her, She’s The One). But on the other hand, they’re rich and have reputation, so they wouldn’t even have to conceal their matchmaking schemes at all because they’ve got nothing to lose. In fact, they’d probably be as obvious as possible since it’s even better that Elizabeth is actively avoiding interaction with Darcy—she’s completely immune to their money, which is just what Darcy needs. Purposely embarrassing themselves to create the perfect set-up. I love it.

Darcy, on the other hand, would be 🤏 this close to disinheriting himself. Bonus if Bingley is completely aware of the scheme and always offering his own unwanted encouragement to Darcy about courting Elizabeth. Darcy will have none of it because he doesn’t need a scheming matchmaker of a brother-in-law on top of his two embarrassing parents.

The real question though is would the Darcys and Bennets get along? Or even go so far as to work together? The idea of the mothers banding together while the fathers indulge them is tempting, but there’s also the treat of snobbery running in the family and the Darcys being total hypocrites who get offended by the Bennets’ mercenary intentions, while the Bennets are just as intolerant of the Darcys’ superiority complexes. Like a Romeo & Juliet situation where the families still hate each other but they both want grandchildren and are setting up their prime offspring so both sides reap the benefits of the best outcome.

How about a P&P fanfiction where instead of Darcy’s parents being dead or disapproving they came with the party to Netherfield and try so hard to set Elizabeth and Darcy up and they embarrass him to death with their own antics. Elizabeth doesn’t even notice because she’s just grown so used to her own odd parents that she’s either oblivious or blind to it (and way too busy trying to meddle with Jane and Bingley)

[oh-great-authoress]

Tag Game!!!!!

Thank you, @the-coruscanti-blogger, for tagging me!

Okay, here we go!!

Name: Nadia of oh-great-authoress!

Gender: Female.

Star Sign: Like @the-coruscanti-blogger said, this is technically against my religion, but I do know that I am a Virgo.

Height: Over 5 feet, I can’t remember the exact number.

Sexuality: Straight.

Favorite Book: Uhh, difficult question. How about top three?

“The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien (In my opinion it counts as one book. Yes, I know I’m technically cheating.)

“Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring” by Alexander Rose (They even made a tv series based on the events in this book called Turn: Washington’s Spies!) [Yes, I am a history nerd. :)]

“Niamh and the Hermit” by Emily C. A. Snyder (This book is a hidden treasure. It’s an adventure/epic quest/love story that is just… *chef’s kiss* perfection. It’s along the lines of LotR, so if you like that, you’ll probably love this.)

Current Time: Uhh, unholily late, or unholily early, depending on your outlook.

Average Amount of Sleep: Outside of quarantine, it varies from 8+ to 0, depending on the day.

Dogs or Cats: Both. Both is good.

# of Blankets You Sleep With: One thick one in colder weather, and two thin ones in warmer weather. I know it’s weird I use more when it’s warm, but it works for me.

Dream Job: World Domination. Hahaha, I’m joking. Or am I?…

Favorite Animal: Foxes. Look at the YouTube channel SaveAFox. You’ll thank me later. Go.

Blog Established: January of 2020!

# of Followers: As of when I post this, 31!

Reason for URL: I hang around music nerds, and I am a bit… okay, I’m a music nerd. It’s a sort of oblique reference to a Gilbert and Sullivan song called “Minerva! Oh, Hear Me!” It’s a warping of one of the lyrics, which says, “Oh, goddess wise” I couldn’t remember the actual lyric, (I forgot google existed) and in my memory, I changed it to “Oh, great goddess”, which sounded right. Again, I forgot google existed. And I have a dramatic streak a mile wide. (Or a couple of miles wide, depends on who you ask) In addition, I like to write, a lot, (I also hate it a lot sometimes) so that turned into @oh-great-authoress!

Something I’m Grateful For: My faith, my amazing and wonderful parents, my grandparents, my and my family’s health and life, my friends irl and on tumblr, sunrises, music, my interests and fandoms, tumblr, and all the amazing people I’ve met here.

Followers I’m Tagging: @megsann13, @batmantaking-hobbits2gallifrey, @ruinofsilver, @fromsolowithlove, @rainmakesyouwhole, @demichrising, @cptdorkery, @lynntheninja, @loveandmusic67, @magic-and-the-macabre, and @lenacs!

Questions I’m Adding (Feel free to ignore my added questions)

Favorite Pairings

Favorite Season

Favorite Color(s)

Favorite Actresses and Actors

My Answers to My Own Questions

Question 1.

Favorite Pairings

Reylo — Ben Solo/Rey — Star Wars (I don’t need to say any more about this.)

Gingerflower — Armitage Hux/Rose Tico — Star Wars (Okay, guys, guys, guys, hear me out, okay? Please don’t come @ me. I got sucked into this via Reylo Modern AU fanfics, and I went down a rabbit hole. From there, I read some canon-divergent fic, and it got me thinking. I mean TRoS didn’t even obliquely mention Finn/Rose, so, I thought, why the kriff not. Why shouldn’t Rose “Save What We Love” Tico get a romance/definitively happy ending via fanfic. We already had one Enemies-to Lovers pairing in the Sequel Trilogy, what’s one more? And when you add in Hux’s “I’m the Spy!”? This kinda writes itself. Resistance Spy-Master Rose Tico? Why not. Plus, that deleted scene from TLJ did kind of open this whole thing up.)

Farawyn — Faramir/Eowyn — LotR (If you haven’t read the books or watched the Extended Editions of the films, Faramir and Eowyn end up together, which is why they’re standing next to each other in the Theatrical Edition of RotK, at the end. In the books, they have practically an entire chapter dedicated to them and their romance. And boy, does Faramir have game.)

Fitzwilliam Darcy/Elizabeth Bennet — Pride & Prejudice (I also don’t need to say any more about this.)

Col. Brandon/Marianne Dashwood — Sense & Sensibility (Watch the 1995 adaptation and tell me this is not pairing gold.)

Mary/Matthew — Downton Abbey (Yes, the Season 3 finale broke my heart, thank you.)

Dramione — Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger — Harry Potter (Again, please don’t come @ me, this pairing is basically Reylo in a Harry Potter AU.)

Bathena — Bobby Nash/Athena Grant — 911 (Yes, I do watch this. I actually didn’t see this coming. My Mom saw it coming before I did. But once it happened, I was like, oh yeah, this is my jam.)

Ventrobi — Obi-Wan Kenobi/Asajj Ventress — Star Wars (Okay, yes, I am a sucker for Enemies-to Lovers, okay? And this is Enemies-to-Lovers gold, alright?

Christopher Pike/Number One (Una) — Star Trek (Got into this ship via fanfic, but Discovery/Short Treks well and truly cemented this for me.)

Question 2.

Favorite Season

Fall. Without question. The weather becomes temperate, and in early fall you still get the pretty flowers of summer, but with cooler weather, and in full-out-fall, you get to wear pretty sweaters and boots and scarves, and you get the trees changing color.

Question 3.

Favorite Color(s)

Pink

Teal

Green

Blue

Purple

Question 4.

Favorite Actresses and Actors

Adam Driver (Guys. Come on.)

Daisy Ridley (Guys. Come on.)

Domnhall Gleeson (I liked him even before he was General Hux, guys, he was great in a movie called “About Time” and “Goodbye Christopher Robin”.)

Kelly Marie Tran (She was amazing as Rose, I still feel bad she didn’t get more screen time, especially after what happened to her after TLJ.)

Ewan McGregor (Um, he’s Obi-Flipping-Wan Kenobi.)

Letitia Wright (She was great as Shuri in “Black Panther”.)

Danai Gurira (She was Awesome as General Okoye in “Black Panther. Note the capital A.)

Colin Firth (P&P ‘95 and The King’s Speech. That’s all I have to say.)

Alan Rickman (S&S ‘95 + Harry Potter + Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Amazing performances. I mean, truly amazing. Nuanced, and just plain hilarious in the case of Robin Hood. His performance as Col. Brandon just pulls at the heartstrings with every single expression in his eyes, and no matter how you feel about Severus Snape, you cannot deny that Alan, God rest his soul, played him brilliantly.)

Hayden Christensen (He was The Chosen One.)

Bruce Greenwood (His portrayal of Captain Pike in Star Trek: 2009 was the reason I wrote and actually finished a fic.)

Anson Mount (His portrayal of Captain Pike in Star Trek: Discovery was the reason I wrote and actually finished more fic.)

And that’s it! I hope I have not ticked off anyone. If I have, I apologize for the ticking off, but not my opinions. I hope you can respect them, or at least ignore them.

Stay Well, People!

[anghraine]

During the Derbyshire scenes in P&P, we get a bit of the Gardiners’ perspective, and it’s really intriguing to see these glimpses of what’s going on outside of Elizabeth’s and sometimes Darcy’s POVs. When Darcy brings Georgiana to meet Elizabeth at Lambton, the Gardiners realize something is up and subtly examine both Elizabeth and Darcy to determine what their feelings are. They conclude that Darcy is in love while they’re unsure of Elizabeth, which is about what you’d expect at this point in time, but the exact phrasing is worth looking at:

“Of the lady’s [Elizabeth’s] sensations they remained a little in doubt; but that the gentleman was overflowing with admiration was evident enough.”

In context, the quote is part of an attempt to judge whether one or both is in love (specifically) and not just whether their feelings are generally positive/negative. The Gardiners are “a little” in doubt of whether she’s in love with Darcy and not if she thinks he’s an okay person. And that’s kind of incredible at this point, really?

I hadn’t thought much about the qualification that they’re only slightly uncertain about Elizabeth, but (aside from Darcy’s feelings) I think it’s really interesting. Elizabeth has probably spent under two hours in Darcy’s vicinity since reading the letter. In the moment, she’s anxious about her reception and in general turmoil and will later toss and turn as she tries to figure out what her feelings are (something that ultimately takes weeks + a family catastrophe for her to determine). And yet, the people who know her best, who are well-aware of her previous loathing of Darcy, are only slightly unsure if she loves him.

[kyloren]

👑 through a glass, darkly 🌙 OTPs + random AUs ♡ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE         Kylo Ren as Fitzwilliam Darcy & Rey as Elizabeth Bennet

You must know, surely you must know, it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I’d scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I would have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love… I love… I love you. And I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

♡ @reylosnetwork’s Reylo Secret Santa gift for @reylos ♡

[reconditarmonia]

Dear Rule 63 Author

(It’s finally happening! Thank you so much for signing up!)

I’m reconditarmonia here and on AO3 (and have been since LJ days, but my LJ is locked down and I only have a DW to see locked things). I have anon messaging off, but, er, I can answer any questions you might have about my requests in my mod capacity if you contact the exchange email ;)

Fullmetal Alchemist | History Boys | Pride and Prejudice | Robin Hood | Spinning Silver

General likes:

– Relationships that aren’t built on romance or attraction. They can be romantic or sexual as well, but my favorite ships are all ones where it would still be interesting or compelling if the romantic component never materialized.

– Loyalty kink! Trust, affectionate or loving use of titles, gestures of loyalty, replacing one's situational or ethical judgment with someone else's, risking oneself (physically or otherwise) for someone else, not doing so on their orders. Can be commander-subordinate or comrades-in-arms.

– Heists, or other stories where there’s a lot of planning and then we see how the plan goes.

– Femslash, complicated or intense relationships between women, and female-centric gen. Women doing “male” stuff (possibly while crossdressing).

– Stories whose emotional climax or resolution isn’t the sex scene, if there is one.

– Uniforms/costumes/clothing.

– Stories, history, and performance. What gets told and how, what doesn’t get told or written down, behavior in a society where everyone’s consuming media and aware of its tropes, how people create their personas and script their own lines.

General DNW: rape/dubcon, torture, other creative gore; unrequested AUs, including “same setting, different rules” AUs such as soulmates/soulbonds; PWP; food sex; embarrassment; focus on pregnancy; Christmas/Christian themes; focus on unrequested canon or non-canon ships.

A note: I'm generally fine with "/" ships where the fic doesn't contain a kiss, overt declaration of love, etc. I'll trust that you wrote it with shippy intent and don't expect you to force in something that wouldn't fit the story.

About Rule 63 Exchange specifically: I have no strong preference for character names, with a slight preference for sticking with their canon names; it's up to you whether you want to justify any resulting names that would be unusual for women or just gloss over it. As far as characters' personalities and gender expression are concerned, you can tell from my requests that part of what interests me in most of the characters I requested is the question of what they and/or their relationships would be like in a world where they grew up as women, but I tend to want to see them as similar to their canon selves, just female. I'm probably fine with unrequested characters also being swapped to female, but feel free to check if you're not sure; please don't swap any female characters to male.

For this exchange, I've requested only fanfiction and only Always a 63, and with the exception of FMA, have requested non-smut (for FMA both smut and non-smut are good).

—

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Ship(s): F!Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye, F!Roy Mustang/F!Maes Hughes, F!Roy Mustang & Riza Hawkeye & F!Maes Hughes, F!Roy Mustang & F!Maes Hughes

I only recently started watching FMA:Brotherhood and I love it a lot. My fannish interests run towards military contexts, loyalty kink, idealistic/noble characters, and ambitious/pragmatic characters, so I'd love to read more about any of these combinations of people trusting one another to be the best person to do the job, or to know what to do, and risking a lot on that - whether that's on campaign in the war, when trying to get Roy up the chain of command, during the conflict with the homunculi... (I'm not yet up to the bit where Roy tells Riza he trusts her to shoot him in the back if he steps off the path, but it's been mentioned to me and it is my JAM.)

(My requests are fairly unspecific because as I write this I'm only about a quarter of the way through the anime. DO NOT worry about avoiding spoilers in the fic; I'm getting through the canon and can't wait to read whatever you want to write. Although I should specifically say, feel free to either have Hughes continue to be alive or stick to canon in this regard.)

Smut Likes: clothing, sexual tension, breasts, oral sex, grinding, informal d/s elements, intensity

Fandom-Specific DNW: please avoid canon-typical loss of body parts. If writing Roy/Maes in a period when Maes would canonically be married to Gracia, please don’t kill her off or get into either infidelity angst or poly negotiation; an AU where they never married or the assumption of an open relationship are both fine.

—

Fandom: History Boys

Ship(s): F!Stuart Dakin/F!Tom Irwin, F!Entire Class & F!Tom Irwin, F!Entire Class & F!Douglas Hector

I'm dying to know what the cultural touchstones would be if this plot were about lesbians instead of gay men. Auden, for instance, keeps coming up in the play - Hector loves him, Dakin and the other students bring him up to feel out Irwin - Housman, Bette Davis in Now Voyager...so what's acceptable and/or eccentric Culture for lesbians to cling to, or to signal (or flirt, or come-on) with? Who are the writers and the icons? During canon(/pre-, if applicable with Hector) or post-canon Oxbridge-slash-TV-historian life, it's all great. I, like most of the fandom, do like the idea that Dakin and Irwin do make it work at some point, post-canon.

Although I acknowledge that female versions of these characters feeling shut out of the historical and literary Canon is a valid place to go with the concept (I mean, that's Mrs. Lintott's speech), I'm more interested in following through on the way that the canon (little-c) characters relate historical or literary figures and events to their own lives - whether that's using more female figures, or finding things to seize on and relate to in the male figures of the Canon (in a fuck-you women-are-like-this-too way or a gay way rather than a Great-Men-are-universally-relatable way, I suppose).

—

Fandom: Pride and Prejudice

Ship(s): Elizabeth Bennet/F!Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jane Bennet/F!Charles Bingley

I would love to see how the basic narrative of P&P, or scenes from it, could play out, with period setting and some level of period attitudes, if either (or both) of the two main men are women looking for a "companion" or being pursued as a "companion," rather than as a husband. (Yes, I've been watching Gentleman Jack, but I've wanted this sort of thing for longer than that.)

To be clear, period attitudes can be "meh" rather than wall-to-wall homophobia; I'd just prefer to explore the implications of this change rather than supposing that same-sex marriage is accepted and everything about the plot is the same. If Jane, the eldest daughter to marry off, isn't interested in a heterosexual marriage? If Elizabeth turns down Collins without any expectation that a more suitable man could exist? (Having characters be bi rather than lesbian works too, I'm just throwing out some examples.) The significance of dancing, when in a formal dance context you'd encounter another woman in the dance but wouldn't be able to have her as a partner? Jane and Bingley being adorable, or Elizabeth and Darcy coming to revise their initial ill opinions of each other in this new context? Are the men a hot ticket for the women of Hertfordshire in the same way if they're women instead?

—

Fandom: Robin Hood (Traditional)

Ship(s): F!Robin Hood/F!Little John, F!Robin Hood & F!Merry Men, F!Robin Hood & Merry Men, F!Robin Hood & F!Little John, F!Robin Hood & Little John

Tell me about these people! A female outlaw commanding the loyalty of a mixed or male group -- or an all-female group of outlaws, how they live, what might have led them to choose that life. I'm also here for Robin Hood's relationship with her right-hand man/woman specifically, because I love loyalty kink -- people willing to go into danger for one another, the leader knowing how best to use her right hand's skills and strengths, what elements of formality might appear in, well, a very ad-hoc group. (And f!Little John would probably be hot.) If you're writing the Little John pairings, feel free to make the Merry Men either their canon versions or female versions.

I'd totally be into any of the f!characters crossdressing as men vis-à-vis the world at large, although if you go this route I'd rather have them not be in disguise to each other/to their own allies (so no Merry Men thinking they're being led by another man when it's crossdressing Robin, for instance - preferring masculine clothing/appearance even among friends is fine, though).

—

Fandom: Spinning Silver

Ship(s): F!Staryk Lord/Miryem Mandelstam

I love Miryem, and I'm so interested in the ways that making the Staryk Lord a woman would change Miryem's entry into the Staryk world and the romance that eventually develops between them. Maybe same-sex marriage is common among the Staryk, and that's one of the customs that are new and unfamiliar to Miryem in this new world. Would this be a Miryem who had never imagined being attracted to a woman before but comes to fall for the Staryk Lady, or one who simply couldn't have imagined being able to marry one and have that be a normal life? (For values of "normal" that include ice lands and gold magic!) How does the fact of the marriage being same-sex affect Miryem's initial understanding of it as a business arrangement, or for that matter, affect her understanding of the offer of queenship as a marriage at all? What makes them fall for each other?

Canon Miryem wonders what her role as queen is, thinking that she'd know about managing a household and having children and sewing if she were married to a human lord - is it the same if she has a fairy wife instead of a fairy husband, more so because there's not even the hope of a gendered complementarian aspect to fall back on, less so because the Staryk Lady is there as an example of what a female monarch in the Staryk lands does? Does Miryem try to be more like her, or to find her own accounting-powers-and-personal-bonds niche?

It's so important to canon Miryem to have a Jewish wedding with the Staryk Lord - what would that look like here? What happens when she comes back to the human world not only the queen of a magic country, but married to a woman (and in love with her, depending on when you set it)?

[amarguerite]

Not to put pressure on you, since I know you said your time is limited, but what WOULD you write in a Colonel Fitzwilliam inherits a fortune AU?

Uhhhh ok. Hm. Again, with the caveat that my time is limited and I may not write it….

I think the likeliest source of unexpected fortune that would also keep Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth together in Kent for an extended period of time, would be Lady Catherine dying unexpectedly, and somehow taking Mr. Collins with her. I think possibly part of Rosings catches on fire and Lady C is trapped there, Mr. Collins tries bravely to rush into the fire only to perish himself. Or perhaps there is a carriage accident that takes out them both. Or perhaps a highwayman tries to rob Lady Catherine, she lectures him instead, and gets shot for her pains. Mr. Collins attempts to attack the highwayman and avenge Lady Catherine’s untimely demise and meets the same gristly end.

Anne inherits Rosings and Colonel Fitzwilliam inherits a small fortune from Lady C. There’s a meta post about the entail on Longbourn floating around that suggested that the estate could go to the first son born to any of the Bennet daughters— which would make Lizzy an eligible, if chancy match. Alternatively Mr. Bennet and his lawyers could work it out so that any man who married one of his daughters, but was willing to take on the Bennet name, a la Jane Austen’s brother, Edward Austen who took on the surname Knight, or a la the plot of Fanny Burney’s “Cecilia,” would be able to legally possess Longbourn.

Lizzy of course stays longer in Kent, to console Charlotte (who is not that heartbroken; Anne de Bourgh probably gives her a small fortune or a legacy of some kind in honor of Mr. Collins’s Noble Sacrifice) and also because Mr. Bennet has to come to Kent for the funeral. She and the colonel probably keep meeting on long walks and the like, and after news of the resolution of the entail, they start making tentative overtures to each other, ones quite unnoticed by Darcy, or possibly viewed very suspiciously by Darcy. Maybe I’ll rejigger his siblings so that the colonel is one of many sons, so he’s very willing to risk the conditions of the entail (obviously he’ll have a son, as his parents had six of them; or he’s fine changing his name, it’s not like there’s a dearth of Fitzwilliams in this generation). I think it wouldn’t be considered a bad match by the Earl and Countess, who, if they had that many sons, were probably be at the end of their wits trying to find ways to provide for them all— hey , the colonel is marrying into an estate! That’s much better than they had hoped! He doesn’t have to BUY an estate like a parvenu and they don’t have to keep supporting him on his insufficient army pay. Maybe the entail thing would be Too Much for Darcy and he’d feel a bit weird about it for awhile and then be cool with Lizzy marrying his cousin. (I don’t think Darcy thought seriously of Lizzy until the very end of his Kent visit, and as soon as he realized he did have serious feelings just went and gave one of literature’s worst proposals. If Lady C dies early on in his visit to Rosings the feelings train may get derailed.)

I think Lizzy would still be interested in following the drum. Charlotte can go with her as her companion, and they can have a nice house in Lisbon together, as this version of Colonel Fitzwilliam can be appointed one of Wellington’s aides.

[ao3feed-janeausten]

Vindicating a Man of Consequence: Gaining her Heart

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3575bHa

by LainaLee

Darcy has autism and doubts his own self worth. For many years he let others control his life. However, after meeting Elizabeth he longs for something more and finally has the impetus to be his own man. Aided by Bingley and Georgiana, he must overcome the opposition of Edwin (the Colonel) and Lady C., and his own fear to gain his HEA. Fully revised; part I of III. Cross posted on fanfiction.net

Words: 7865, Chapters: 6/43, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Vindicating a Man of Consequence

Fandoms: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Colonel Fitzwilliam (Pride and Prejudice), Jane Bennet, Charles Bingley, Catherine de Bourgh, Catherine Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Mary Bennet, Caroline Bingley, Louisa Hurst, Georgiana Darcy, Original Characters, Anne de Bourgh, Anne Darcy, George Wickham, Mr. Darcy Sr. (Pride and Prejudice)

Relationships: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr. Bennet/Mrs. Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), William Collins/Charlotte Lucas

Additional Tags: Autism Spectrum

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3575bHa

[bipanichotch]

quick overview of the theoretical pride & prejudice au

- hotch is mr darcy, prentiss is elizabeth. the vibes simply match - jj is jane and will is mr bingley. this implies that hotch and will are Old Friends which is??? objectively hilarious - gideon is mr. bennet. i have not decided on mrs. bennet b/c rossi would be Hilarious but also he’s mr. gardiner so - strauss is lady catherine de bourgh. sorry strauss ik u get better in later seasons but Someone’s Gotta Do It - garcia as georgiana darcy. absolutely adorable. similarly, morgan as colonel fitzwilliam, The Only Man - ian doyle is mr. wickham because Obviously - originally we said viper (of s4 ep9 fame) was mr. collins but now i’m thinking about george foyet mr collins which is SO funny - i think haley is caroline bingley :( this is mean to haley which i don’t like but idk where else haley would fit