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Exchange letter: Austen Exchange 2024
Aug. 2nd, 2024 10:22 pmDear creator,
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter! I hope that you find it helpful. I've listed some of my general likes and a few more specific prompts below, as well as a few things I'd prefer you not to include in my gift. (However, I’d like to emphasize that the prompts are just for inspiration – please don’t feel constrained by them.) I'm fine with any rating, and while I love romance-focused stories, I also very much enjoy genfic.
I appreciate your gift and am excited to see what you create!
General likes:
Do not wants:
Prompts:
Emma
Miss Bates
I’d love to see any of the canon events from Miss Bates’s point of view. It seems like she notices more than people would think, but she’s also hopelessly scatterbrained. What would she make of all the relationship intrigue around her amidst all her very mundane little concerns?
Augusta Elton/Philip Elton
I’d love a meet-cute or courtship story about these two – how did they discover that they’d like to be smug and unpleasant together for the rest of their lives? Alternatively, I’d also be delighted by a story that’s just the Eltons being snarky about their neighbours in private.
Augusta Elton & Mrs Suckling
We never meet Selina in canon, though we hear a lot about her. Do she and Augusta get along as well as Augusta would like people to think? Are they best friends or bitter rivals? Is Selina as insufferable as her sister, or do they have completely different personalities?
George Knightley/Emma Woodhouse
For these two, I love canon divergence stories and outsider POV explorations. In what alternate ways might Emma and Mr Knightley have ended up together? How did their friends and neighbours react to their engagement and marriage? Bonus points for salacious village gossip!
Henry Woodhouse/Mrs Woodhouse
Based on the few clues provided by canon, Emma seems to take after her mother in intelligence and temperament. How did a clever woman with a strong personality end up marrying Mr Woodhouse, and was she happy in her marriage? What was Mr Woodhouse like as a younger man? Share your theories!
Mansfield Park
Maria Bertram
What was going through her mind when she ran off with Henry? How did her life turn out post-canon? Did she learn anything from her experiences? Did she manage to turn her life around to any degree, or did she get stuck in miserable isolation?
Northanger Abbey
Catherine Morland/Henry Tilney
One of Austen’s cutest couples! I would enjoy seeing some fluffy banter between these two either during canon or afterwards.
James Morland/Frederick Tilney
Enemies to lovers! How would they get together and how would they overcome the past? I’d be particularly interested in seeing this ship explored in a Regency setting.
James Morland/John Thorpe
These two are thick as thieves – could there be more than just friendship going on? I envision these two as having a “bros with benefits” type relationship, but feel free to explore other possibilities too!
John Thorpe
I’d enjoy seeing Thorpe’s perspective of any canon event of your choice, or alternatively a glimpse of his future post-canon.
Eleanor Tilney/Unnamed Viscount
This love story is just tantalisingly in the background of Northanger Abbey, and we barely find out anything in canon. So how did they meet? Did they keep in touch while they had to be apart? What was their reunion like? Did the Viscount’s servant keep leaving washing-bills around after their marriage? Inquiring minds want to know!
Persuasion
Anne Elliot & Mary Musgrove
I’d like to see what their post-canon relationship looks like. Is Mary happy to brag of her sister’s marriage, or is she envious of Anne’s new wealth and status? Does Anne manage to set firmer boundaries with Mary?
Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth
Canon divergence and outsider point of view are my jam! How might Anne and Frederick have ended up together sooner, later or just differently than in canon? Alternatively, how was their romance perceived by other characters?
Elizabeth Elliot, Mary Musgrove, Walter Elliot
The Elliots (except for Anne) are such hilariously horrible, self-centred people! I’d love to see any of them reacting to Anne’s engagement, their point of view of any canon event, or a glimpse into their future post-canon.
Charles Musgrove/Mary Musgrove
How did they end up getting together after Anne refused Charles? Alternatively, how does their future look like post-canon? Do they remain tolerably happy, or do they bring out the worst in each other?
Pride and Prejudice
Elizabeth Bennet & Charlotte Lucas
I would enjoy a peek at their friendship post-canon. Do they keep in touch actively or do they gradually drift apart due to distance and different social spheres? What do they think of each other’s life choices?
Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
I really enjoy canon divergence stories about this ship, particularly the butterfly effect type - one little detail is changed and the entire course of events is altered as a result. I also love stories that take a look at their relationship from an outsider's point of view. For example, what was Mary's or Kitty's perception of their sister's and Mr Darcy's convoluted courtship?
Caroline Bingley & Elizabeth Bennet
I'd love to read a fic where Elizabeth and Caroline find some sort of common ground after the events of Pride and Prejudice - not necessarily as best friends, but perhaps as two people trying to get along for the sake of family. Perhaps they form an alliance against a common adversary?
Caroline Bingley/Colonel Fitzwilliam
Any exploration of how these two might end up together post canon would be fun!
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
I’d love to see Lady Catherine’s point of view of any of the events of Pride and Prejudice or some missing scenes that she’s involved in.
William Collins/Charlotte Lucas
How does their marriage turn out as the years go by? Does Charlotte have any regrets? What about Mr Collins?
Sense and Sensibility
Colonel Brandon/Marianne Dashwood
How did Marianne come to accept Colonel Brandon’s proposal? How much did the influence of her family and friends sway her? Was she in love when she married him, or did love come later?
Crossovers
Tom Bertram/Elizabeth Elliot
I’d be interested in a post-canon story about these two. He’s a future baronet with a scandalous family and possibly some lingering health issues. A respectable marriage might help restore the family reputation. She’s the daughter of a baronet whose marriage prospects are dwindling with age, but she doesn’t want to settle for a man of lower rank. Could they be the solution to each other’s problems? And how would they get along if they made a match of it?
Caroline Bingley & Augusta Elton
I headcanon these two as frenemies and rivals and would love to see them trying to one-up each other in Bath or London society.
Catherine de Bourgh & Catherine Morland
I just want to know what these two Catherines would make of each other – either before Catherine Morland’s fateful trip to Bath or after her marriage to Henry!
Catherine de Bourgh & Lady Russell, Catherine de Bourgh/Lady Russell
I feel like these two ladies would be a good match either as friends or as lovers – Lady Russell is sufficiently attentive to rank to get along great with Lady Catherine. Perhaps a meet-cute in Bath or some correspondence between old friends?
Mary Crawford/Frederick Tilney
What would post-Mansfield Mary make of Frederick Tilney? On paper, he’s just the kind of guy she’s been looking for, but have her standards changed? And what about Frederick – is he secretly looking for love under all that rakishness? Would a flirtation between them turn into a serious courtship, or would they both disdain each other?
Admiral Croft & Admiral Crawford
Two admirals with very different approaches to marriage! What would they think of each other if they had to socialize?
Henry Tilney & Edmund Bertram, Henry Tilney & William Collins
What would Henry think of either of his two clergyman colleagues? He might have met Edmund Bertram or Mr Collins during his studies, or perhaps they might run into each other later for professional reasons?
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter! I hope that you find it helpful. I've listed some of my general likes and a few more specific prompts below, as well as a few things I'd prefer you not to include in my gift. (However, I’d like to emphasize that the prompts are just for inspiration – please don’t feel constrained by them.) I'm fine with any rating, and while I love romance-focused stories, I also very much enjoy genfic.
I appreciate your gift and am excited to see what you create!
General likes:
- canon divergence AUs
- post-canon stories
- missing scenes
- character studies
- outsider point of view
- unreliable narrators
- humour
- romance
- friendship
- trope subversions and inversions
- stories based on the books, not on the adaptations
- stories set in the Regency era
- crossovers between Jane Austen's works
- third-person narration
Do not wants:
- BDSM or fetish-related content (e.g. bondage, spanking, watersports)
- rape or non-con
- incest (however, as a Regency-related clarification: relationships between cousins are fine)
- graphic descriptions of violence
- major character death
- holiday-themed stories (mentions of holidays like Christmas or Easter are fine, as long as holiday celebrations are not a central theme of the fic)
- character bashing
- original characters as major characters (minor or background original characters are fine)
- self-inserts or reader inserts
Prompts:
Emma
Miss Bates
I’d love to see any of the canon events from Miss Bates’s point of view. It seems like she notices more than people would think, but she’s also hopelessly scatterbrained. What would she make of all the relationship intrigue around her amidst all her very mundane little concerns?
Augusta Elton/Philip Elton
I’d love a meet-cute or courtship story about these two – how did they discover that they’d like to be smug and unpleasant together for the rest of their lives? Alternatively, I’d also be delighted by a story that’s just the Eltons being snarky about their neighbours in private.
Augusta Elton & Mrs Suckling
We never meet Selina in canon, though we hear a lot about her. Do she and Augusta get along as well as Augusta would like people to think? Are they best friends or bitter rivals? Is Selina as insufferable as her sister, or do they have completely different personalities?
George Knightley/Emma Woodhouse
For these two, I love canon divergence stories and outsider POV explorations. In what alternate ways might Emma and Mr Knightley have ended up together? How did their friends and neighbours react to their engagement and marriage? Bonus points for salacious village gossip!
Henry Woodhouse/Mrs Woodhouse
Based on the few clues provided by canon, Emma seems to take after her mother in intelligence and temperament. How did a clever woman with a strong personality end up marrying Mr Woodhouse, and was she happy in her marriage? What was Mr Woodhouse like as a younger man? Share your theories!
Mansfield Park
Maria Bertram
What was going through her mind when she ran off with Henry? How did her life turn out post-canon? Did she learn anything from her experiences? Did she manage to turn her life around to any degree, or did she get stuck in miserable isolation?
Northanger Abbey
Catherine Morland/Henry Tilney
One of Austen’s cutest couples! I would enjoy seeing some fluffy banter between these two either during canon or afterwards.
James Morland/Frederick Tilney
Enemies to lovers! How would they get together and how would they overcome the past? I’d be particularly interested in seeing this ship explored in a Regency setting.
James Morland/John Thorpe
These two are thick as thieves – could there be more than just friendship going on? I envision these two as having a “bros with benefits” type relationship, but feel free to explore other possibilities too!
John Thorpe
I’d enjoy seeing Thorpe’s perspective of any canon event of your choice, or alternatively a glimpse of his future post-canon.
Eleanor Tilney/Unnamed Viscount
This love story is just tantalisingly in the background of Northanger Abbey, and we barely find out anything in canon. So how did they meet? Did they keep in touch while they had to be apart? What was their reunion like? Did the Viscount’s servant keep leaving washing-bills around after their marriage? Inquiring minds want to know!
Persuasion
Anne Elliot & Mary Musgrove
I’d like to see what their post-canon relationship looks like. Is Mary happy to brag of her sister’s marriage, or is she envious of Anne’s new wealth and status? Does Anne manage to set firmer boundaries with Mary?
Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth
Canon divergence and outsider point of view are my jam! How might Anne and Frederick have ended up together sooner, later or just differently than in canon? Alternatively, how was their romance perceived by other characters?
Elizabeth Elliot, Mary Musgrove, Walter Elliot
The Elliots (except for Anne) are such hilariously horrible, self-centred people! I’d love to see any of them reacting to Anne’s engagement, their point of view of any canon event, or a glimpse into their future post-canon.
Charles Musgrove/Mary Musgrove
How did they end up getting together after Anne refused Charles? Alternatively, how does their future look like post-canon? Do they remain tolerably happy, or do they bring out the worst in each other?
Pride and Prejudice
Elizabeth Bennet & Charlotte Lucas
I would enjoy a peek at their friendship post-canon. Do they keep in touch actively or do they gradually drift apart due to distance and different social spheres? What do they think of each other’s life choices?
Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
I really enjoy canon divergence stories about this ship, particularly the butterfly effect type - one little detail is changed and the entire course of events is altered as a result. I also love stories that take a look at their relationship from an outsider's point of view. For example, what was Mary's or Kitty's perception of their sister's and Mr Darcy's convoluted courtship?
Caroline Bingley & Elizabeth Bennet
I'd love to read a fic where Elizabeth and Caroline find some sort of common ground after the events of Pride and Prejudice - not necessarily as best friends, but perhaps as two people trying to get along for the sake of family. Perhaps they form an alliance against a common adversary?
Caroline Bingley/Colonel Fitzwilliam
Any exploration of how these two might end up together post canon would be fun!
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
I’d love to see Lady Catherine’s point of view of any of the events of Pride and Prejudice or some missing scenes that she’s involved in.
William Collins/Charlotte Lucas
How does their marriage turn out as the years go by? Does Charlotte have any regrets? What about Mr Collins?
Sense and Sensibility
Colonel Brandon/Marianne Dashwood
How did Marianne come to accept Colonel Brandon’s proposal? How much did the influence of her family and friends sway her? Was she in love when she married him, or did love come later?
Crossovers
Tom Bertram/Elizabeth Elliot
I’d be interested in a post-canon story about these two. He’s a future baronet with a scandalous family and possibly some lingering health issues. A respectable marriage might help restore the family reputation. She’s the daughter of a baronet whose marriage prospects are dwindling with age, but she doesn’t want to settle for a man of lower rank. Could they be the solution to each other’s problems? And how would they get along if they made a match of it?
Caroline Bingley & Augusta Elton
I headcanon these two as frenemies and rivals and would love to see them trying to one-up each other in Bath or London society.
Catherine de Bourgh & Catherine Morland
I just want to know what these two Catherines would make of each other – either before Catherine Morland’s fateful trip to Bath or after her marriage to Henry!
Catherine de Bourgh & Lady Russell, Catherine de Bourgh/Lady Russell
I feel like these two ladies would be a good match either as friends or as lovers – Lady Russell is sufficiently attentive to rank to get along great with Lady Catherine. Perhaps a meet-cute in Bath or some correspondence between old friends?
Mary Crawford/Frederick Tilney
What would post-Mansfield Mary make of Frederick Tilney? On paper, he’s just the kind of guy she’s been looking for, but have her standards changed? And what about Frederick – is he secretly looking for love under all that rakishness? Would a flirtation between them turn into a serious courtship, or would they both disdain each other?
Admiral Croft & Admiral Crawford
Two admirals with very different approaches to marriage! What would they think of each other if they had to socialize?
Henry Tilney & Edmund Bertram, Henry Tilney & William Collins
What would Henry think of either of his two clergyman colleagues? He might have met Edmund Bertram or Mr Collins during his studies, or perhaps they might run into each other later for professional reasons?
