Brekker? I Hardly Know ‘er

I'll be only what you've known of me 'til now

going a little feral over the way that the "secret messages" between kaz and inej in the letters kind of parallel lines from the duology.

With "I"ll return to Ketterdam and to you," Inej is telling Kaz directly that she is coming home to HIM, just like how in ch. 44 of crooked kingdom, she tells him that she's not done with Ketterdam and that it's worth saving, more subtly implying things under the surface about him that we only read in her narration.

"Wait for you by the window always," as this promise that he will always be there waiting for her, paralleling his promise to always come for her.

"Trust me to protect you," as a much improved vow to protect her, rather than calling her an investment.

Northanger Abbey: Wylan

In which a deeply sheltered, naive heroine believes in and romanticises the stories she’s grown up hearing about the world, until suddenly she is in it. Making everything scary and monumental in her mind until she discovers, repeatedly, that it isn’t. Until she learns, the hard way, who to trust. Gets charmed off her feet by a fast talking, charismatic, do-gooder, who, frankly, is not not bisexually-coded. But I digress.

Sense and Sensibility: Nina

In which our heroines are vehicles for exploring what can befall us when we overly romanticize the world, flirt, wear our hearts on our sleeves, dramatise, etc and when we bottle up our real feelings, have to stay the strong and measured one all the time, etc. Finding a better balance—a healthier sense of self—through the consequences of one’s actions.

Pride and Prejudice: Inej

In which a girl uses her stubbornness, laughter, and hope to make it through the fact that she’s been set up to be poor and/or miserable. Refuses to give the man she’s falling in love with her heart, even though he could financially save her, until he apologises for being an emotionally unavailable dick with his actions.

Mansfield Park: Matthias

The religious Cinderella story with vaguely abolitionist commentary in which our heroine is supposed to be grateful for being picked to live with rich relatives living off of slave trade money, but is abused more than she ever even comprehends. She’s navigating where the morals instilled in her, the morals she believes in, fail to match up with what people are actually asking her to do. And she chooses to be moral over appeasing those with power over her at the end of the day.

Emma: Jesper

In which our deeply adhd-coded heroine learns the limits of her ego and decision making abilities. Learns how to open up to herself now honestly. And how to treat people as actual friends, with humility, vulnerability, etc. When not to make a joke of something.

Persuasion: Kaz

In which Austen writes the most poetically and the most scathing caricatures of all kinds of annoying people. In which our heroine forever harbours feelings for and regrets not marrying the partner that had to leave them to go out to sea. Sailing for years on end. Until they are united again and mutually yearn in silence for like two hundred pages until they get it together.