Mary sighed as she looked at the letter before her. Evelyn Naiper had sent her another of their usual correspondence, detailing what he was doing over the dreary, wet, cold, miserable winter they were all suffering through. He'd done his best to make even the most mundane pastimes seem exciting but had admitted, in the end, that he had very little to say and that he'd sent the letter to her more out of a desire to talk with her than needing to convey some piece of information. He had begged her to write back, even if it was to talk on about helping a maid organize her gloves, and that he looked forward to hearing from her.
That had been nearly a week ago.
She stared at the empty wire bin that sat next to her writing desk. Though it was emptied daily Mary could see the ghosts of all the half finished letters and discarded notes that she'd tried and failed to write in response to Evelyn's letter. She idly wondered what it would have been like to let them all gather up, so that they spilt from the basket and fallen to the floor, covering her bare feet when she got up in the morning and obscuring everything on the ground till she could not take a dainty step without hearing the crinkle of paper under her soles. She'd even tried to write of such a scenario but soon discarded it as she had every other note.
It had been one of many attempts to try and find something to write. She'd tried to do as he asked, to make the mundane sound exciting, but found it was too silly and couldn't bear to even finish. Later on she'd tried to claim in jest that she had nothing to write that was real and instead would write of fake things, creating from whole cloth fantastic fantasies and intrigue. But Mary knew that she was no writer of fiction and found her attempts to be rather pathetic and torn them up in a huff. She'd tried to be playful but it came off as young, like the ramblings of a 10 year old, and then sought to be bland but honest and shuddered in disgust when it became clear to her she sounded like a spinster maid whom all her relations dreaded talking to.
The entire affair had Mary worried, though she did her best not to let her fears show to those around her. Each unfinished letter seemed a failure, a red mark upon her that could not be removed no matter what she tried. No matter what she did, what she tried, she could not bring from pen to paper the words that she knew had to be said but could not find the ability to write.
"Milady?" Anna asked, opening the door enough so she might be heard. "Are you ready for me to help you dress?"
Mary fought the urge to throw the pen at the wall and instead laid it down before turning to the housemaid, a bemused smile plastered on her features. "Yes, of course. I simply lost track of time. Please." Anna quickly hurried in and thus began to long process of removing one dress only to put on a different one. Not for the first time she heard echo about her Matthew's teasing words, of how being of the upper class was to put one in a cage of their own making and that despite what she thought she wasn't free. She banished the words, as she had enough on her mind without adding the madness that was Cousin Matthew to the mix.
"I heard that the Grey family will be dining with you tonight," Anna said as she finished stitching up Mary's corset before moving to retrieve her dress for the evening. "It's been a while since they were here last, hasn't it?"
"Just over 20 months," Mary said. "Not since Lady Merton caught ill."
"That was a heavy blow for them, I'm sure," Anna said.
"For Larry and Tim, yes," Mary said. "For Lord Merton less so. Theirs was a marriage of expectations. Both families knew that the two of them needed to marry and that was that. Lord Merton never truly loved her and Lady Merton felt the same."
"I can't imagine what that would be like," Anna said as she helped Mary slide into her evening dress before motioning for her to sit.
'I can,' Mary thought as she took her seat in front of the mirror, allowing Anna to begin working on her hair. 'That would have been my life had Patrick lived.' She mentally sighed. 'Of course, such a fate would be better than ending up a spinster forced to live off the kindness of rich relatives.' And yet even as she thought such things Mary flashed back to the cool stares and formal words of Lord and Lady Merton. While it certainly would have been better received to be married and have a proper family she wondered if even she, with her cold heart, could have survived such a marriage. One not even built out of friendship, let alone love, but rather duty and requirement. Mary had a feeling such an arrangement would have broken her. Worse, she feared it would have broken any children that might have come. She thought of all the families she'd seen come to Downton, where husband and wife treated each other with barely held contempt, and could not think of a single one where the children made from such a union could have been considered 'happy'.
"Do you know what made Lord Grantham extend the invitation?" Anna asked, cutting through Mary's ponderings.
She let out a huff. "Matthew, of course. If it isn't Papa trotting him out like a prized thoroughbred then it is our neighbors wishing to look upon the new oddity that has come to Downton. The Lawyer Heir... it sounds like a horrid romance story title, does it not?"
"Let's hope not, milady," Anna said with a smirk. "That would make you the female lead and I your plucky assistant."
Mary laughed at that. "Yes, I can see it now. I am secretly a detective like one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creations and you help me solve all manner of murders while we must avoid the looks and long suffering stares of Matthew Crawley as he pines for me."
Anna smiled as she considered the jest. "Though that would probably mean one of Lord Merton's sons were secretly longing for me."
"Perish the thought," Mary said in mock horror. "You can do so much better, Anna! I will not have my plucky assistant lowering herself." The two dissolved into chuckles as Anna began the final steps needed to get Mary fully ready for dinner. "Of course, if you wish to throw yourself at Larry Grey I'm sure Sybil would appreciate it."
"I've heard stories about him..."
"If they are anything good assume they are bad and if they are anything bad assume they are worse," Mary said. "Larry Grey has been pining for Sybil for years while my sister has done all she can to avoid him. Especially after he pulled one too many pranks when he was younger."
"That bad?" Anna asked.
"Worse," Mary stated before looking back in the mirror. While Anna had once more outdone herself when it came to styling her hair Mary found herself focusing more on her own tired eyes. They were the eyes of an older woman, one who had suffered too much grief and could now only look at those younger than herself and whisper 'Give it time... you'll learn.' For Mary she knew what the current source of that look was and she let out a weary breath before asking Anna, "Have you ever feared that you've become trapped?"
"I don't quite follow."
"It feels as if I have come to a point in my life where there are only two paths which I might take and both lead to misery and ruin. And because of how I came to this path I can't turn around and go back the way I came." Mary reached down and began to pick at the fuzz on the padded chair she was sitting on. "I know that I have done little to win over the men of the world. I believed early on that Patrick was mine and that Downton would come to me and thus saw no realize to show kindness to those that came seeking my hand. But now Patrick is gone and Mr.,. Crawley will inherit and I am left on my own, forced to fight for even a shred of happiness while knowing that it won't be enough."
"I don't know if it is as dire as all that," Anna said, trying to put on a good cheer.
"Isn't it? The only man who might be interested in me is Evelyn Napier and I am destroying my chances there by the hour."
"Is this about the letters?"
"It is all about the letters," Mary said with a huff. "I don't want a marriage like the Mertons if I can help it but I find suddenly that might be where I am headed. Mr. Napier sent me a lovely letter last week and I have yet to respond. Why? Because I have nothing to say! Every attempt to put words to parchment fail and I am left asking how a marriage could ever succeed if already I find myself bored of him when he hasn't even come to a formal dinner at the house!"
"Perhaps you just need some time," Anna suggested. "Send him a letter begging him to give you a bit more time to send a true letter back."
Mary waved that off. "I could never be so bold and even if I was it would do little good. I just don't know what to say to him... he asked for something interesting but my life is rather dull; or at least it is when compared to so many others."
'That's not true,' her traitorous thoughts sang. 'There is Matthew!' As Anna left to attend to Sybil and Edith Mary tried to keep the thoughts locked away but they tumbled out like buttons from an overturned sewing box. 'You've been spending a lot of time with him,' her thoughts said cheerily.
'Only so I know what he is planning for Downton,' she thought back to her turncoat thoughts.
'Is that why you find reasons to prolong your rides with him? Or why you now ask him to walk with you about the estate? 'Oh Cousin Matthew, it is such a lovely day, let us go check out the orchard!''
'I am purely passing the time. If he weren't here I'd do the same thing!'
'And would you also get into so riveting conversations about literature, politics, and history?'
"No I would..." Mary stopped, realizing she was talking to herself. Clenching her jaw, she stood up and strode towards the door, refusing to be reduced to a foolish fictional heroine in some overly wrought romantic drama of mistaken identities and love battling confusion and misconceptions. She was Lady Mary Crawley and she wouldn't be reduced to a dewy-eyed sop just because her handsome distant cousin had made her long for their talks and rides more than she'd longed for anything in her life.
'Handsome?' her wicked thoughts asked as Mary stormed out of the room.
~A~O~O~O~F~
"I simply don't see what the fuss is all about," Larry Grey said. The Crawleys (both 'The Family' and 'The New Arrivals' as some called them in the servants' quarters) and the Greys were all seated at the dinner table, dressed in their utter finest, dining on dishes that cost more than most people made in a day, and making their opinions known on a wide range of topics. "Bad enough that they allow middle class men to vote but women? Seems ludicrous. Perhaps if they let a woman's husband vote twice, once for himself and once for her, then I'd be for it but to ask for anything otherwise is just asking for trouble."
Thomas leaned down, allowing Lady Edith to serve herself, though he kept his attention on Lady Sybil. He'd seen looks that could kill and given a few out himself but never had he seen such barely restrained loathing before. The others at the table may have seen it, or may not have depending on how blind they were to the feelings of others (something he'd found many of the aristocracy failed to notice), but only Thomas truly took in the fires that were burning in Lord Grantham's daughter's eyes.
"So you believe that a husband and a wife always agree on everything?" she asked.
"Not always… but that is exactly the point. It is up to a husband to steer his wife away from her errors when it comes to such things. It is their role in marriage: a wife provides children and a husband guides them."
"So a wife is on the same standing as a toddler when it comes to her opinions?" Lady Sybil asked, so tense Thomas was sure she'd be able to snap her wine glass in two.
"You're twisting my words," Larry Grey said, flashing a smile he thought made him look charming but instead made him look like a condescending prick. "I am merely stating that politics are simply too big and too complex for a woman's mind to handle. They easily are led astray, just as these poor suffragists have been." He took a sip of wine, missing the looks Lady Grantham and the Dowager shared (the former clearly thinking 'Please help me salvage this' while the latter thought back 'this was your stupid idea, do it yourself'). He cleared his throat a bit before continuing. "The government is so concerned with letting them say their peace so not to offend them when what they should be doing is finding men, no matter how homely or ill bred, and getting them to take those daft women by the hands, pat them gently on the shoulder, and tell them that it is okay, they will help them. Marital beds would settle all of this."
"Well, that is certainly one idea," the Dowager said with a glower.
"Lord Grantham," Lord Merton said, trying to steer the conversation away from the poor topic. "What do you think of Lord Skelton's plans for rebuilding the local church-"
"So you believe that only rich men can have a say in how the world works?" Sybil asked, dragging the conversation right back to muddied waters.
"Do something," Thomas heard Lord Grantham whisper to Lady Mary.
"I'm open to suggestions."
"Of course," Larry said, taking another sip of wine. Thomas figured that Mr. Carson would need to fill it up again soon, the way the man kept guzzling it down. He looked a bit flush but kept talking anyway. "The world runs so much better when power is kept with only those that should have it. The moment we allowed middle class men the right things began to go downhill. The mere fact that we even have a 'middle class' shows how far we have fallen." Mrs. Crawley colored at that but her son grabbed her hand to stop her from speaking.
"Larry," his brother Tim Grey hissed.
"What next? The poor? The negros? The faggots?"
"Larry!" Lord Merton snapped as the women of the table gasped and Thomas fought dueling urges: one to beat Larry Grey with a serving tray and to roll his eyes at the women, acting as if they hadn't heard those words before. He knew it just as likely that, when they thought no one was around, they had thought said things… or even said them.
Thomas truly hated Larry Grey.
It would be a shock to many down stairs but Thomas didn't actually hate that many people. Disliked? Found them annoying? Wished to be rid of them? Oh yes, all of those. But to hate someone? There were very few people that caused that reaction in him; that would require him to care enough to put in the effort to hate them. More often Thomas found himself hating situations rather than people, his anger building at how unfair life could be to himself and others (but mostly himself, he could admit that; he was a selfish bastard and didn't deny he wasn't). That made it seem as if he hated the world and all those around him but he actually did care quite a bit about some people.
Of those he worked with there were only a few that he actually liked, he could admit that as well. Anna was one of them; even now that she was making tender eyes at Mr. Bates she was a good person that had never done him wrong and was unfailingly polite. If she had been willing to reveal Lady Mary's secrets then he'd have counted her as his closest friend. He respected her choice though and didn't hold it against her. He also didn't mind the other maid, Gwen, though he talked little with her, and the hall boys were a decent sort. Mrs. Hughes was a rough one and he'd caught plenty of scoldings from her but unlike O'Brien, who refused to let go of such words and felt them to be scars on her character Thomas saw Mrs. Hughes as a heavy-handed mother figure, one who was stern but fair. Oh, she made things difficult but that was part of the fun. Mrs. Patmore he neither disliked nor liked. She was just there, like a stove or a chair. Daisy on the other hand…
''Oh, I don't know what to do! I don't like this… and I don't like that! And I have no solution so I just whine!'' Thomas mentally rolled his eyes. 'I pity the bloke that ends up with that mess of a person.'
People thought he disliked William but that wasn't true; it was merely the normal hazing that happened with all new servants. How quick the likes of Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson were to forget what it had been like when he started and the older footmen would rag on him. Made worse was the fact that William seemed to get overly emotional purely for the attention, lapping it up like a sponge. The boy was an attention seeking sop, that was clear.
Of those downstairs only Mr. Bates could inspire what could be considered hatred, though Mr. Carson was close. Thomas' problem with the butler was simple and it was the same problem he had when he'd first heard about Mr. Crawley: someone trying to pretend they were better than they truly were. Whenever he heard the bloated blowhard puffing hard about shame and honor, his jowls shaking at how someone had done something so wrong, unbecoming of Downton, Thomas just wanted to shake the man until his stupid slicked back hair was frazzled and scream at him "You aren't a lord! You aren't! You're a puffed up ass trapped in a system that is little more than slavery with extra steps!"
Of course that was the great irony of service: no matter how bitter the servant they all seemed to believe that they were better than those people out in the world, even those with wealth and power to break the Crawleys.
'And then there is the family,' Thomas thought as Lady Grantham tried desperately to get everyone to focus on her as Larry Grey, who seemed to get drunker and bolder with every passing moment, fought to wrest back their attention. It would have been another shocker but he actually didn't mind most of the Crawleys. He didn't LIKE them… but didn't hate them either. Lord Grantham was a decent enough man, if a bit too blustering for his tastes (the Earl could get flustered far too easily for one who'd gone to war… Thomas liked to imagine him in the middle of a battle and panicking when he found a spot of dirt on his uniform. Then Mr. Bates would rush over to clean it and get shot in the head…), and while he did steal from him it was nothing personal and Thomas would never actively try and hurt the man. Lady Grantham seemed to try a touch too hard, in his opinion, but when you had Miss O'Brien sniffing around for any sign of weakness better to be too hard than too soft. The Dowager was a tough old bird but Thomas could at least respect that.
When it came to the Crawley girls…
'Lady Mary is a bitch,' Thomas thought, then stole a glance to see if Mr. Carson had passed over in shock from someone calling her, even in their own thoughts, that word. Honestly, even if she hadn't been a horrid little ice queen Thomas would have hated her purely for the fact that Mr. Carson worshiped the ground she walked on. 'I wonder if her ass is covered in lip prints from him puckering up so many times?' He mentally shook his head, even if as he stood ramrod still, like a statue, while Larry Grey continued to embarrass himself. 'At least she is better than Lady Edith. It seems as if she and Daisy were separated at birth.'
Of all the Crawley girls it was the one that was the focus of Larry's rapidly deteriorating charm ('and he had little to start with', in Thomas' opinion) that was his favorite. Yes, sometimes Lady Sybil's rebellions could be irksome (there times when he wanted to kiss the Dowager right on her wrinkled lips for scolding Lady Sybil into quieting down after a long rant) she was truly a kind young woman with a big heart and represented all that those of her standing should be. While Mr. Carson made Lady Mary to be a saint Lady Sybil could very well end up being a true angel on earth.
"Oh yes, how terrible of me!" Larry slurred, picking up his wine glass and nearly splashing Lady Edith with its contents. "I forgot that Sybs has suddenly gotten opinionated." He let out a boorish laugh even as everyone, especially his family, stared at him in horror.
Which is why, when he watched Larry Grey, the man that was a representation of everything the world hated and loathed about the aristocracy, continually bludgeon her with his words, it took all of Thomas' strength not to grab the man and toss him out.
"Might I make a suggestion? Shut up now before I render you unable to speak."
'Though I might not need to,' Thomas thought as Matthew Crawley stood up, eyes blazing and face twisted in rage.
"And might I make a sug-gestion of my own?" Larry Merton answered, rising on unsteady feet.
"Larry!" Lord Merton snarled. "Sit down now!"
But the young man didn't listen. "Know your place, you jumped up middle class piece of-"
Lord Grantham was on his feet in an instant, face turning red and then purple with rage. "How dare you! You come into my home and speak to my family, my heir, in that tone?"
Larry looked around, his brow furrowed in confusion, sweat dampening his face and brow. "Oh, come now… we all know… know… he's only hear because… Lady Grantham couldn't squirt out a male-"
And that was when he twisted and vomited on the floor.
"Heavens!" Lady Grantham cried out while Mr. Carson just stood there, shellshocked. William looked about, wondering what to do while Lady Mary and Lady Sybil stood and each took hold of Mr. Crawley's wrists, preventing him from taking a step forward. Lady Edith was stumbling away, Lord Merton catching her before she fell, while Lord Grantham's jaw just dropped as he tried to process what had happened. Timothy Grey was the only one to move to his brother's side, the older Grey boy gagging like a goat that had gotten hay stuck in its gullet. Thomas found it rather telling that Mrs. Crawley moved to Lord Merton's side rather than moving to assist; normally someone being ill would have seen her rush to show off her knowledge. Not with that bastard, though.
And the Dowager sat at the table, eyes wide before licking her lips. "Well… I suppose that has been the most pleasant thing to come out of his mouth all evening," she said as she pushed her plate away from her.
Timothy struggled to help his brother stand. "How much did you drink before we came here?" Thomas couldn't hear what Larry said but clearly it upset his brother. "Idiot," he hissed.
"Lord Grantham, I am… ashamed is not a strong enough word."
"It is not your fault, Lord Merton," Lord Grantham said and Thomas wondered if Lord Grantham was more upset over how Larry Grey had talked to Lady Sybil and Mr. Crawley and Lady Grantham… or the damage to the dining room floor.
"Yes, but that does not ease my conscious." He turned and the old man glared at his second born. "Get him to the car… now."
Mrs. Crawley might have been mad but she was still a nurse and spoke up. "If he is ill perhaps he should wait here. We could call Dr. Clarkson…"
'Telling you don't want to treat him yourself,' Thomas thought as Lord Merton said, "No… I will not inconvenience you a moment longer. He can stick his head out the window for all I care." He nodded to his younger son who began to help his groaning sweaty drunken brother to the door. Larry let out a gurgle and wretched again, everyone hissing and moaning in disgust as the contents of his stomach splashed onto the floor. Thomas hurried over and, making a snap decision, grabbing the ice bucket and thrust it into Timmothy Grey's hands. The man nodded in thanks before getting his older brother to hold it close to his face, the sounds of his gagging growing softer as he moved away.
Mr. Carson finally woke up and snapped for William to get the Grey family's car around before glaring at Thomas.
"What?" Thomas asked.
"The ice bucket?" Mr. Carson shot back.
"You'd rather him leave a trail all the way to the door?" To punctuate that point they all heard Timothy Grey curse.
Mr. Carson's jaw worked before his shoulders slumped. "An understandable point… and a smart move, I admit." Mustering his resolve he turned to Lord Grantham. "Sir, I will go get the maids and have them… clean up." Lord Grantham waved Mr. Carson away, leaving Thomas the sole member of the staff in the room.
"I am truly sorry," Lord Merton said. "I will understand-"
Before the man could finish or Lord Grantham could say a word Mr. Crawley spoke up. "Sir, I know we only just met but I want to say that in the few hours you've been here you have been a fine guest and someone I wish to talk with again. I know you're Lady Mary's godfather and I would hate for that relationship to sour because of words said by your son when he clearly wasn't himself." Matthew moved around the table, careful not to step in the puddle Larry Grey had left behind. He extended his hand. "Please… do not let what happened here prevent you from coming to Downton again."
Lord Merton was startled by Mr. Crawley's words but managed a smile. "I thank you, Mr. Crawley. And if Lord Grantham will have me again-"
"Of course," his Lordship said. "I hope that we can forgive and forget what just transpired."
"Forgive, of course," the Dowager said. "Forget? Never."
Lord Merton, Mr. Crawley, and Lord Grantham winced at that before the three made their way out of the room, the ladies taking the opposite door so not to risk getting their dresses in the puddle of sick. Lady Grantham paused, asking Thomas to please begin clearing the table as none of them would be in the mood for food for the rest of the night. Normally Thomas might have been annoyed at the thought of cleaning on his own but after what had just happened he thought it a light price for the gossip he'd be able to share downstairs.
As the ladies filed out Thomas paused as he picked up Larry Grey's drinking glass, looking inside of it. The drunken buffoon had emptied it to the drop but what most interested him was the dusty white powder in the bottom. Any other servant would have thought nothing of it but it made Thomas stop. He remembered when he'd served as the Duke of Crowborough's valet during the family's London visit, when his tryst with Phillip had begun. The Duke had liked to talk afterwards and had once shared, sensing that Thomas was one for mischief, a favored prank of his. He'd asked Thomas if he remembered how Lord Burringham had suddenly seemed quite intoxicated and been forced to leave the party early. He'd then gleefully revealed to Thomas a bottle of little red pills and explained that by dropping one in a person's wine it would give them the appearance of being drunk. He'd had a good laugh at it and told Thomas that it was a game several young and powerful members of the upper class played on those they wanted to take down a peg.
Thomas stared at Larry Grey's glass, eyes riveted on the traces of red powder, and reached down to touch it with his finger when he heard someone clear their throat. Looking up he was startled to see Lady Sybil standing there, staring at him intently.
"Thomas?" she asked. "Please make sure that glass gets down to the kitchen maids so they might wash it quite thoroughly." He stared at her and felt his mouth open in shock with the little minx actually WINKED at him before hurrying away.
It seemed the Angel of Downton had some devil horns.
Thomas found himself grinning, shaking his head, as William came back in.
"What is it?" William asked.
"Nothing," Thomas said, keeping hold of Larry Grey's glass, mentally swearing to not let it go till he plopped it in the water himself. To himself he muttered, bemused, "No one would believe me if I told them."
~MC~MC~MC~
Author's Notes: So today's Plot Bunnies are actually going to be two, one for Downton and one for a show I got into recently. Let's start with the Downton one and this time we are going to do a bunny for Edith.
On Edith's birthday (I would put it either right before Series 1 began or right during) Edith gets a package in the post from an American lawyer. Inside she finds a letter that Cora's father wrote before he died along with a package. He states that in the case of his death he asked that this package be delivered to Cora's middle child on her birthday. He states that he too was a middle child and understand how hard it can be and to help her achieve all she desires he is leaving her to tool that helped him become so rich and powerful. Edith opens the package and is confused to find a journal with the words 'Pause Menu' stamped on it. Befuddled, she opens the journal… and the world around her freezes. She herself can't walk or sit up but she can flip through pages in the journal and when she closes it the world continues on. Opening the journal again she finds that there are several tabs: Player Stats, Bios, Inventory, Map, and Quest.
If it hasn't become clear to you yet, the journal makes it that Edith's life is like a RPG (Think more Persona/High School Simulators than Skyrim or Fallout) and the journal is, of course, the pause menu.
The idea of the story would be that Edith would use the journal to begin altering her life at Downton: going on quests, leveling up, gaining allies, so on. I'll detail first the different tabs and how I would make them work if I were writing it:
Players Stats would give Edith a basic understanding of herself, her level, her health, so on. It would also use the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. perk tree that Fallout has. Each part of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. would have the basic attributes that she could put points in as well as perks that she could gain as she increased her attributes. All states would have a cap of 20, if I were writing it. They would be:
Strength- How strong Edith is, physically as well as mentally and spiritually. Yes, maxing out points in strength would make her England's strongest woman but it would also make it that she wouldn't be hurt by insults, failures, and setbacks. It also affects how much she can carry in her inventory. Edith would start off at only 2 points. Perks would include different fighting styles (such as knowing how to wield a sword, how to hunt) increase her riding skills, and control her emotions (such as the perk 'Never Let'em See You Cry' which would allow her to control when she shed tears so she could be a steady rock in times of strife). Strength would be a fun one to max out in the story as imagine her being able to wrestle down freaking out soldiers who stay at Downton or saving Matthew by lifting the car off him.
Perception- How much of the world Edith notices. This would be tied to her senses and maxing out points would give her superhuman sight, hearing, so on. Edith would start off at a Level 5 for this. Perks would include being able to recreate any recipe just by tasting the food, being able to tune out conversations in a room to focus on only two people, a form of Assassin's Creed's Eagle Vision to let her identify friend from foe, unlock the ability to see other people's stats, so on. Perception would really make parties interesting as she would be able to listen in on things, spot dangers, and of course identify who can help her and who will hurt the family.
Endurance- How healthy Edith is. Her stamina and her ability to fight diseases would be linked to this and Edith would be shocked to learn that she has a 15 in this, her highest stat (remember, she never got sick and of all the Crawley girls she never had a problem with pregnancy). Perks would include rapid healing, unlimited stamina, and even being able to breathe underwater. This would be a big one for when the Spanish flu ravaged Downton as she could easily assist without fear of getting sick.
Charisma- Affects how people see Edith. Allows her to charm people, to successfully lie to them, and convince them to help her. She would have a level 3 for this (and be annoyed that Mary's Charisma is a level 18… explaining how she can be such a bitch yet everyone loves her). Perks would focus on her ability to lie, to convince people to take commands… but it would also include perks like Intimidate, where she could threaten lower level people and Barter for her to get better prices. Charisma would be a must for Edith to survive society.
Intelligence- How smart Edith is. Both book smarts and 'street smarts' as it were. Edith would have a level 10 in this. Perks would include foreign language (perfect French, german, so on), photographic memory, so on. Maxing out would truly make her a woman beyond her time, able to invent things years before they existed.
Agility- How Edith moves. Another high one, at around 12, this is how well she can dance, run, so on. It might not seem important but Agility would tie into other perks (for example, a high agility and a high intelligence would open up Fast Travel for her to instantly warp to locations) as well as offer stuff like lock picking. Maxing would make her able to easily scale the face of Downton or dodge any attack.
Luck- How Lucky Edith is. A low one of only 1 point (and that is only because she is the Earl's daughter), it would affect random chance events and also help with other stats. Perks she could unlock would be Random Ally (when in trouble another person could randomly come to her rescue), XP Bonus (gain triple XP for performing tasks) so on.
The next tab would be Bio and allow her to see anyone she's met or heard about and read what she knows about them. It would offer a picture and some backstory but as she leveled up and got certain perks she'd be able to see their stats, their secrets, what her connections are to her, so on.
Inventory should be obvious: Edith would have a magical Inventory Box that she can dump stuff in and it remains in subspace if she needs it. Her strength would mean she couldn't carry much but she could increase it to the point that, at max strength, she could have a car stored. Inventory would also let her see what bonuses her clothing and jewelry give her.
Map would of course be the map and with perks she could track people, find quests, and unlock fast travel to even London (and no one would question her being able to fast travel). Hell, imagine her maxing out Endurance and during World War 1, while looking at the map, she'd get a quest notification that Matthew is in danger. She would then quick travel to the battlefront, save him (and no one would bat an eye) and then quick travel back! The writer could go INSANE with Edith becoming the ultimate god character.
Finally the Quests would be how Edith gains points for leveling. The quest would list the name of the quest, basic outline, and what her next move should be. At Downton there would be a TON of them and she would also be able to make almost everyone living there a Quest Giver.
A few final notes for whoever decides to take this: I would love it if, like Skyrim, Edith is eventually the most important person in Downton. Every group that exists? She is the leader of. The Hospital Board. The military defers to her when the hospital is at Downton. Robert makes her captain of the cricket team. Matthew declares her his adviser and she will help decide how he runs Downton, so on.
Also, as I mentioned in inventory, there would have to be items that offer bonuses. Dresses that increase her charm, a hat that increases her intelligence, so on.
Finally, Save Point. In her Player Stat there would be a Save Mark and she can keep up to 3 save points at any time and go back to them as needed. So you could write a chapter where, let's say, Pamuk is caught with Mary but he goes mad with rage and kills Carson. Edith instantly activates the save point and she is back to before the hunt, able to try again.
Now, the other plot bunny is for the show Lucifer, which I have recently gotten into and it is a case of, once again, me wanting to read something but no one writing anything like it.
When Lucifer Morningstar awoke one more he thought things were odd. He wasn't for sure exactly what was wrong… it felt like she shouldn't be lying in the bed he was in but that had always been his bed. And when his daughter Trixie came in to make sure he got up to make them breakfast for a moment he found it odd that she called him dad. As he made breakfast for the two of them he got a call from his ex-wife Maze… a body had been found and while he couldn't put his finger on it he felt it odd that Maze was at a crime scene even though she was a cop like him. Lucifer though shrugged it off and made it to the scene of the crime just in time to see a bunch of men and women flocking around someone.
And he'd roll his eyes as his partner, Chloe Decker, who still claimed she was the Queen of Hell and the Devil Herself, arrives and cheerfully said hello to him.
The idea behind this story is that Lucifer would wake up one morning and the world had been flipped. He is now the normal human detective who is expected to be bland and boring and by the numbers and Chloe is the vamping, vain, egotistical Lady of Hell who runs a nightclub. Maze is no longer a demon but a human cop and his ex-wife and Trixie is their daughter, with Lucifer getting custody after Maze ran into some issues after Palmetto. Dan is the demon that Chloe brought with her from hell and who advocates kill first, ask questions later. Lucifer's therapist is Amenadiel Kannan and Chloe's big sister Linda keeps mentioning that their Mother demands Chloe return to her job.
As the story would go on Lucifer would slowly realize that something is SERIOUSLY wrong and eventually regain his memories, realizing that something has altered the world. But the question would become… does he want it to change back? Regaining his memories would allow his powers to return and he'd see that things happened a bit… differently… in this reality. For example, Uriel is their forensic guy while Chloe's 'sister', Ella, is still alive, as Chloe figured out how to stop her without killing her. Lucifer's mother is alive and well and isn't nearly so controlling and while his father is dead he would see they never had a falling out. On the other hand Chloe's father, Penelope!Goddess' husband, is dead and not causing problems. And while Lucifer loves his Chloe, this new Chloe is… interesting. She is open and free and willing to have fun. And when Lucifer would get back his powers it would be very interesting to have two devils who have no impulse control dealing with each other.
If I were writing it I'd make the cause of it be one of the Endless, an original character named Disorder who basically would function like Q from Star Trek or Anarchy from Justice League: The Second Chance. Disorder would have existed before God and Goddess and is the most powerful of the Endless siblings, which is why he never comes for family reunions. Think Chaos from Aladdin… a reality warper who just wants to have fun. I had envisions an entire series of stories with him as the Big Bad, causing changes to Lucifer's life such as changing Lucifer into a woman and Chloe into a man to see if that changed their relationship or creating a reality where Lucifer never rebelled and he encounters Chloe as Samael the Lightbringer. But I have enough on my plate!
