Original 5K 2022

[desertvixen]

My general preferences are here.

My blanket DNW are nominated character death, cruelty to animal/children, extreme/graphic/sexual violence.

 

 

If you choose to go the smut route on any of the stories, nothing too out there.  Some light handcuffs/blindfolds/restraints are okay, but otherwise pretty standard stuff.

 

 

Original F/M Ships 

 

Desert Nomad/Oasis Spirit (M/F)

Female Librarian/Frequent patron (F/M)

Ghost Posing As Employee In Place They Haunt/ Shy Regular

Harvest Goddess/King/Queen (F/M/F)

Widow of Arranged Marriage/Long-lost Childhood Friend She Once Thought She'd Marry Instead (F/M)

Damsel Often in Distress/Her Regular Savior Who SHE Now Has to Save (F/M)

 

Librarian/Patron: Flirting through books.

Book recommendations. Leaving his number in the book he returns “late”and in-person because he does not want a fine. Wink wink nudge nudge. Meet cute with books.

 

Pretty much what it says. 

 

Harvest Goddess/King/Queen: Spirit made flesh

For the royalty and Harvest Goddess, I want all the lush details and wonder. I want something dealing with the whole ritual sex between king and queen as stand-in for harvest goddess to ensure a good harvest. It's supposed to be symbolic, but what if the harvest goddess did actually come down?

 

Whether or not anyone except the king and queen realizes that she is present is optional. I like the idea of the goddess actually coming down – perhaps she likes the look of the king or he reminds her of someone else?  I’d prefer she be attracted to the king – perhaps a reminder of her own consort.

 

Widow/Friend: I read Amanda Quick. I would really like this one to be in a a Regency/Victorian deal as I'm not a fan of present-day arranged marriages. Unless you want to make them royals... I really like the idea of the widow has survived the marriage made by her parents (probably for the $$$) and now she can marry the was-poor, now-rich childhood friend/sweetheart she should have eloped with.

 

So if you've ever read an Amanda Quick Regency or her Arcane Series Regencies... well, you know my jam. I’m a sucker for a little scandal, assignations, and marriages of convenience.  Dark brooding rakes who end up doing the right thing, bluestocking-ish ladies, old family secrets…. One of my favorite Quick heroines (and my first) is Emily from Scandal, and I’m partial to the Jones family Arcanes.  I would be down for a plot where he makes her family pay for marrying her off to the first husband.  I’d prefer that first marriage be neutral or unpleasant as opposed to outright dangerous/abusive.

 

Ghost posing as employee - Why are they at the place? Do the employees know about the ghost? Is she an urban legend?

 

This is a new one for me, so thanks to the nominator! Why are they haunting the place, did they use to work there?  Did it make them feel safe?  I’m down with the ghost being a murder victim, although the shy regular doesn’t need to try and solve it.  I like ghost stories/vanishing place stories where people have the experience and then “oh that diner burned down seven years ago last night…”. You know the drill.

 

Damsel: I definitely want the damsel to be plucky and smart and maybe stab a few people who don't think she is capable.

 

Also a new one for me.  I definitely want the damsel to be smart and capable and take advantage of people underestimating her abilities.  If you wanted to set this in a Regency/Victorian setting I am 100% here for that.

 

Original Solo and Gen Ships 

 

Actor at a Haunted Attraction & A Real Ghost that Died Nearby (Gen)

House's New Owner & Ghost of Previous Inhabitant Who Haunts It (Gen)

Kindly Ghost & Child Lost in the Woods (Gen)

Ancient Immortal Working As a History Teacher

Vanishing Hitchhiker & Their Grieving Parent

Vanishing Hitchhiker's Parent & Driver Who Picked Them Up

Vanishing Hitchhiker & Female Driver who Picks Her Up

Vanishing Hitchhiker

Young Runaway Heiress Hunted By Murderous Family & Girl Sleuth

Warrior Princess Killed in Battle who Becomes Her People's Guardian Angel

 

Warrior Princess: How does she manifest?

More interested in how she acts as guardian angel than how she became one. Do female warriors in particular pray to her? Does she assist a young girl fighting off an attacker? Does she ride a tiger or have a chariot pulled by cats (how I would prefer to travel)?

I like the guardian spirit idea, and that the person needing help must be found worthy of the spirit. If you go with the warrior princess, I would prefer to have her aiding women. And please associate her with cats, big or small.

 

I have a take on this one on my AO3 where she’s maybe-a-myth-maybe-not, so feel free to explore that idea as well.

 

Heiress & Girl Sleuth: Think Nancy Drew

Yes! Secret passages and hidden treasure and a plucky girl sleuth who helps the heiress defeat the murderous relatives!

 

Sort of channeling ND #3-#5 here (especially 3 with the heiress), but I would prefer that the heiress not be someone the sleuth knows, but someone she encounters (possibly on vacation or at a hotel) and decides to help.

 

Kindly Ghost & Child: Helpful ghosts are fun

For the kindly ghost, I'd prefer a female ghost helping a lost girl, but am okay with a lost boy too. I would prefer perhaps that they don't realize that the ghost is a ghost. If you want to go with a vanishing hitchhiker style ghost, I am here for that. For the lost child, why is the ghost there? I like a young ghost, maybe a lost hiker or even a Girl Scout, but I love that the person being helped doesn’t know they’re a ghost until someone pulls the “oh yeah, we’ve heard this story before” routine. I love vanishing hitchhikers.

 

I don’t really have anything to add. 

 

House's New Owner and Ghost

Help to find the missing treasure in the house/the incontrovertible proof of the ghost's murder?

 

So for several years in Once Upon a Fic, I have requested the Ocean Born Mary story.  That’s kind of the inspiration here (story as presented in CB Colby’s Strangely Enough, where people touring the house see Mary) but I love the idea of the ghost protecting a treasure/wanting someone to find the treasure/proof of a crime, and love the idea of the new owner making friends with the ghost, trying to follow the clues (and maybe doing some renovation the ghost likes).

 

I would prefer either a single woman houseowner or a married couple, but at least one woman.  I like the ghost to be female.

 

Vanishing Hitchhikers: The classic

I love vanishing hitchhikers and the people they interact with, so have at it. I love the Twilight Zone episode The Hitchhiker, I love Resurrection Mary, I love the Phantom Passenger that Needs a Ride Home. Go for it!

 

I’m also on board for reverse vanishing hitchhikers (the car/driver aren’t real) or the prophetic vanishing hitchhiker.  I love the interactions and the revealing of the mystery to the driver.

 

I prefer all hitchhikers to be female, but feel free to swap out genders for drivers/parents.

 

Ancient Immortal - Here for the entertainment and maybe a little too much history.

 

My daughter and I are serious history nerds, so I sympathize with the immortal.  Bonus points if you somehow work in Prussia (my daughter’s personal obsession).  Would also be here for a Trojan/Greek immortal (Cassandra might be interesting), bonus points if they get into arguments with the English teacher.

 

Actor and Ghost - I like when people don't realize straight off that it's a ghost. Bonus points if actor is playing the ghost.

 

Why is the ghost there?  Did they die in an accident?  Were they murdered?  Is the ghost one of those things no one talks about until someone else sees it?  Like I said, love if the actor is playing the person who became the ghost (or their lover/descendant).  Prefer to keep this one a little lighter.

 

 

Original Mixed Gen and Ship 

 

Pregnant Beekeeper/Controlling Husband & Her Bees

Woman Who Loves Growing Plants/Boyfriend Who Destroys Plants & Her Plants (OW-M)

 

Beekeeper/Husband and Bees: One of these three needs to go and it's not the bees.

 

Pregnant Beekeeper/Controlling Husband & Bees – This has been deleted from AITA but can be found on the AITA Twitter (https://twitter.com/AITA_reddit/status/1220800379614646273). He gives away her bees! Maybe the bees are magical. Maybe she is secretly a bee priestess. Maybe they all come back and “take care” of him… This can be fluffier (like the recent gift I got for it) or you can go darker. No harm to bees. Harm/off-screen death to the man is okay. Or if he runs in terror every time he sees a bee, that works as well.

 

I would prefer less graphic, more creepy if death of deserving characters is shown - but I am a-ok with it. But maybe being haunted/traumatized to the end of their days would be good as well (being stalked by angry bees?).

 

Woman/Boyfriend and Plants: See above.

 

I would prefer less graphic, more creepy if death of deserving characters is shown - but I am a-ok with the man dying – maybe he has a car accident in that brand new truck and the forest plants take care of him? But maybe being haunted/traumatized to the end of their days would be good as well (A fear of climbing plants?).

 

Link to plant: https://twitter.com/redditships/status/1267555908000845824 (thought it was AITA but no – BF wanted to fight and she didn’t play along, so he destroyed her custom plant room, including her great-grandmother’s ivy, and now he’s sad that his best friend is gone)

 

    So what I’d really like is for there to be consequences. Man found dead in pond where he drowned all the plants.

 

    I’d really like for the great-grandma’s ivy to just reappear to the girlfriend once she’s safe. I got an excellent story for this in OWO last year but more is good!

 

I don’t have anything to add.  Definitely no smut on this one please.