I have seen too many high school/modern AUs where Anne, Mary, and Lucy are done dirty. (this post is probably pointless cuz the fandom is practically dead but-)
In canon, they are maids. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a maid! Lucy actually says at one point that serving the royal family and being a maid is an honour I mean they should still get paid more but they can’t because they’re Sixes, but that’s an entirely different issue altogether
Anyway! I’ve seen that in a lot of AUs, Anne, Mary, and Lucy are STILL maids. It may seem like there isn’t a problem with this, but sometimes there is. We all know that AU stands for Alternate Universe. This means that you can literally do anything you want with the characters. Anything. And I’ve seen that more often than not, these three wonderful ladies are still maids or helpers or just very, very, poor.
There’s nothing wrong with making them maids, but it seems to me that several people have forgotten who they really are. Anne is fierce and hard-working. Mary is funny and witty. Lucy is loyal and kind. They aren’t just maids. They are people. Just like America and Marlee and Maxon and everyone else. Why not be a little more creative?
Here’s what I mean (these are just ideas im not telling you what to do-): give them passions, or hobbies. Maybe one of them likes art or music or something? Give them their own stories. In a high school AU, give them their own lives. I’ve seen enough of “they’re maids,” or “they’re staffworkers,” why can’t they be students? Maybe they’re friends with America. Maybe she helps Lucy with homework. Maybe she goes shopping with Anne. Maybe she binges movies with Mary omg fic idea.
What I’m trying to say here is: before you are anything, you are human.
