literen | FANMIX * because your life is dark and it needs some light * Downton Abbey * the Crawley brothers (Reply)

Title: because your life is dark and it needs some light
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Subject: the Crawley brothers
Notes: Made for

waywardmixes's sixth challenge: genderbend. I thought it would be funny to do the Crawley sisters as boys, since in the show it's a very big thing that Mary can't inherit because she's a girl. A note on names: this mix began when I thought "what if Mary and Matthew changed places?" and therefore boy!Mary is named Matthew and girl!Matthew is named Mary. I apologize for any potential confusion. Please don't take the cover too seriously, I ran out of time and picked the first pretty British actors I found as face characters. Spoilers for the first two seasons.

THE SHOW

Downton Abbey is a British period drama about the lives of the people living on the eponymous estate. The Earl of Grantham has three daughters, but because of the entail the girls can't inherit the title or the family's fortune. The heir is their third cousin: Matthew Crawley, a solicitor from Manchester.

Mary, the eldest daughter, is beautiful but cold. Edith, the middle daughter, is often overlooked. Sybil, the youngest daughter, is rebellious and headstrong.

For this mix I have genderbent the Crawley sisters, Matthew, and also Matthew's mother for plot reasons.

THE MIX

The Earl of Grantham is widowed and has only one daughter: Mary. When his heir dies on the Titanic, he discovers that his next of kin is his cousin Robert Crawley, a solicitor. The Earl is worried that Robert won't be able to manage the duties of running the estate, so he invites him and his family to come and stay in the village of Downton. It turns out that Robert is very rich because he married an American heiress: the Crawleys run a large house in London and often traveled to Europe, making them appear very refined and wordly in contrast to the Earl and Lady Mary who never leave their village.

Matthew is worried that, as Robert's heir, they'll be expecting him to marry Lady Mary. Out of duty he makes a cursory attempt at wooing her, but he's relieved when she turns him down. He has a fling with the wife of a visiting Turkish diplomat, but when he tries to end things Mrs Pamuk threatens to tell her husband everything. Ashamed and ridden with guilt, Matthew carries on this liaison until Mrs Pamuk has to leave England in a hurry at the start of WWI. Matthew enlists and is sent to France, where he's wounded in action. It's Mary who nurses him back to health.

Ethan lives in the shadow of his brothers. He studied law like Matthew, wanting to help his father in the office, but nobody seems to ever rely on him. He tries to court Lady Mary, but she's oblivious to his advances. Then he tries to court his neighbour, Lady Antonia, but Matthew sabotages his attempts by telling Lady Antonia that Ethan was only toying with her. When both his brothers go off to war, he's the only one left at home, and there's always a lingering fear of being called a coward. However, with time, his father comes to appreciate Ethan's contributions within the law firm.

Simon went against his parents' wishes and decided to study medicine. He's political and has many friendships that his family doesn't approve of. He has socialist leanings. When the war starts he joins the medical corps; he could use his family's ties to remain safe in England, but he insists on doing his bit and he's sent to the French trenches. On his return home, he shocks his family even more by announcing that he's in love with their Irish maid and plans to marry her.

He's mistaken when he thinks Mary will marry him just because he's the heir. Buy The Stars (Marina & the Diamonds) You bought a star In the sky tonight You named it after me But I'm not yours to keep Because you'll never see That the stars are free	It was just lust, he didn't mean anything by it, but it's ruining his life. Your Biggest Mistake (Ellie Goulding) It's a shame you don't know what you're running from Would your bones have to break and your lights turn off Would it take the end of time to hear you heart's false start?	Matthew might have almost lost his legs, but he still has Mary. Here Is A Heart (Jenny Owen Youngs) No better way that I can see To spend all the time While you're asleep Than holding your hands Inside of mine
Even his parents sometimes forget to talk about him. By And By (Natalie Walker) Now I'm jaded sitting here On the edge of my chair All the while Life continued without me The world went by and by	He's the only one who never made friends, not even at school. Pull Me Through (Tyrone Wells) Breathe out I'm a captive to a blinding doubt I'm trying hard just to figure it out If you can hear me then I need you	Despite everything, Ethan never loses hope in a brighter future. This Will Be Our Year (Nerina Pallot) I can live with my old friend disappointment I can live with things not as they ought to be I can snatch a sorry crumb of comfort From the jaws of what might have been victory
He wants his life to have a purpose, he wants to make a difference. Don't Tell Me That It's Over (Amy MacDonald) And I wanna see what it’s all about And I wanna live, wanna give something back All the money in the world Would never slit all the wrongs to right All the fire in the world Would never set my heart alive	When he falls for a maid, he knows that it won't be easy, but he's a patient man. I Will Wait (Mumford & Sons) Now I'll be bold As well as strong And use my head alongside my heart So tame my flesh And fix my eyes A tethered mind freed from the lies	Simon's life is much different now, but he's with the woman he loves and he wouldn't change it for the world. Now Is The Start (A Fine Frenzy) New start in the end There is a New heart under there Beneath these New parts everywhere