OWO 2022

[desertvixen]

My general preferences are here.

My blanket DNW: nominated character death, cruelty/death to animals/children (esp cats), extreme graphic/sexual violence.  In prompts with ghosts, I don’t need to dwell on their deaths (past something like “Oh she died seven years ago tonight” kind of stuff, or “She was believed to be lost in the woods and never found.”)

 

 

 

Gen (Single Characters or Groups Without Ships) 

Actress at a Haunted Attraction & A Real Ghost that Died Nearby (F & Any), Blackmailer Host & Guests They Are Blackmailing, House's New Owner & Ghost of Previous Inhabitant Who Haunts It, Kindly Ghost & Child Lost in the Woods, Female Post-Apocalyptic Food Truck Owner and Hungry But Kind Girl Gang,  Real Hitchhiker & Phantom Driver who Picks them Up, Solo: Ancient Immortal Working As a History Teacher,  Immortal & Historian,  Used Car Salesman & Phantom Hitchhiker, Young Runaway Heiress Hunted By Murderous Family & Girl Sleuth

 

Actress at a Haunted Attraction & A Real Ghost that Died Nearby (F & Any): I'd really love if the actress is portraying the person who became the ghost.  Not much to add here, that’s the basic vibe.  Bonus points for them being mistaken for each other in period dress.

 

Blackmailer Host & Guests They Are Blackmailing: Yes, I love Clue, and getting the tables turned.  Maybe they have already joined forces?

 

House’s New Owner & Ghost of Previous Inhabitant Who Haunts It: I envision this as the ghost trying to help their descendant solve a mystery.  Or if not related, that the ghost wants the new owner to find the treasure.  Feel free to riff off Ocean-Born Mary here.

 

Kindly Ghost & Child Lost in the Woods: 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.

 

Female Post-Apocalyptic Food Truck Owner and Hungry But Kind Girl Gang: I like to think she acts like an honorable auntie, and they help her out.  Maybe they bring her supplies and information, and she does the cooking?  Maybe they bring her someone who needs help – or help her find someone she’s looking for.

 

Real Hitchhiker & Phantom Driver who Picks them Up: Do you know the song The Ride? Doesn't need to be a musician but I love the idea that the car is the phantom.  Telly Savalas claimed to have had one of these encounters.  Details vary, but here is one of the accounts and it’s the vibe I’m looking for:

It was late when he began his drive home from a friends house at Long Island to his own home in New York. He was also out of gas, but the lights from an all night cafe lit up the darkness. He managed to pull in, and having a coffee, asked the way to the nearest garage. He was told to take a path through the wood at the back of the cafe until he reached the freeway. Just about to set off on the daunting walk, a voice called out, asking if he wanted a lift. It was gratefully received and Telly got into the Cadilac of this good Samaritan.

 

It wasn't until he got to the gas station that he realised his wallet was missing and the man kindly gave him some money with Telly insisting on having his name and phone number. Harry Agannis wrote his name on a scrap of paper and Telly thanked him for all he had done.

 

When it came to contacting the man he spoke to his wife who told him the sad news that he had died. Telling her what had happened and how her husband had helped him, she said that was impossible as his death was not recent. He had been dead three years. The star was shocked, and then intrigued. He described the car which she agreed was the same as her husband's. The clothes, which she said he was buried in. Then there was the voice which was unusually high pitched. That could have accounted for the fact that Harry Agannis had taken his own life, shooting himself in the throat. Telly eventually met the widow and showed her the piece of paper on which the man had written. She was more than sure that it was her husband's handwriting. It was certainly an experience that Telly Savalas never forgot, and earned him a new friend in Mrs Agannis.

 

Solo: Ancient Immortal Working As a History Teacher: Making history come alive. I think this one just sounds fun.  Bonus if a wide-eyed kid is all “It’s like you were THERE.”

 

Immortal & Historian: I love the historian being like YES, I will learn all the things and then the imortal is petty AF. So I love the idea that the historian is about to do serious history time, and all the immortal wants to do is complain about various historical figures.  A twist you could add is if the immortal can clear up a historical mystery, like what happened to the Ninth Legion (and its eagle).  Or the Princes in the Tower, or Roanoke Island, or one of the major Bermuda Triangle disappearances.  Or just dish the dirt? 

 

Used Car Salesman & Phantom Hitchhiker: Maybe he finds a different hitchhiker every time?  So kind of envisioning this guy as a magnet for phantoms.

 

Young Runaway Heiress Hunted By Murderous Family & Girl Sleuth: Picturing a Nancy Drew-esque character and setting but a little more at stake.: Yes!  Secret passages and hidden treasure and a plucky girl sleuth who helps the heiress defeat the murderous relatives!  I’m a big fan of ND #3.  Possibly with a little help from her lawyer parent OR a tall dark and handsome male sleuth?

 

 

 

 

Mixed Gender Ships 

Honor Student/Overdramatic Ideas Person/Person Who Makes Plans Work (F/M/M), Female Librarian/Frequent patron (F/M), Desert Nomad/Oasis Spirit (M/F), Ghost Posing As Employee In Place They Haunt/ Shy Regular (F/M), House's New Owner/Ghost of Her Ancestor (F/M), Restaurant Owner/Food Critic (M/F), Woman from Dysfunctional Family/Brother of her Best Friend with Good Family (F/M), Wedding Planner/Rough Around the Edges Friend of her Brother (F/M), Still-Grieving Widow Pragmatically Remarrying/Still-Grieving Widower Pragmatically Remarrying (F/M), Recently Divorced Mom/Widowed Father of one of her Daughter's Friends (F/M)

 

Honor Student/Overdramatic Ideas Person/Person Who Makes Plans Work (F/M/M): Yes I love Ouran High School Host Club. I love the three of them struggling for balance.  The honor student is just trying to study, and overdramatic ideas person keeps dragging her away, person who makes plans work sighs and comes along to ride herd.

 

Female Librarian/Frequent patron (F/M): Flirting with 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.  Librarian taking her hair down and him wearing glasses gets bonus points.

 

Desert Nomad/Oasis Spirit (M/F): I like the idea that the nomad must be worthy of finding the oasis. Maybe only worthy travelers can find the oasis? Maybe there is a price... Prefer nomad be male, oasis spirit female, and am not opposed to gen if you want them both female.

 

Not much to add, but I’m definitely interested in the aspect where the oasis spirit controls who finds it.  Can only someone who is worthy find it?  Does it provide a refuge?

 

I’m a desert person, so I appreciate descriptions and bringing out the beauty – maybe the oasis has a superbloom going on? 

 

Ghost Posing As Employee In Place They Haunt/ Shy Regular (F/M): I like the not-realizing-the-ghost-is-a-ghost deal.  Bonus points if Shy Regular sees the ghost before he knows she’s dead.  Maybe he had a crush on her.

 

House’s New Owner/Ghost of Her Ancestor (F/M): Maybe he’s helping her solve a mystery, and I like the idea that she’s got a bit of crush on the historical person.  Feel free to invoke uncanny resemblances in your descendants here.  Thinking of the line in the Unknown Ajax “You favour the first Ralph, and so did Oliver, a little; but Uncle Granville, and Papa, and Aunt Caroline, and Grandpapa himself are clearly descended from Ralph II, while as for Vincent –’ ‘– you have only to place a powdered wig on his head and no one would know them apart,’ supplied Vincent.”  Definitely work a portrait in.

 

Recently Divorced Mom/Widowed Father of one of her Daughter's Friends (F/M): Two people reluctant to get back out there (possible result of Setting Our Parents Up hijinks?). So this is sort of Babysitter’s Club inspired but I like the two different kinds of lonely.  And while I don’t want focus on the daughters, feel free to have them engineering the setup – or having the parents’ friends engineering it.

 

Restaurant Owner/Food Critic (M/F): I like to think these two used to have a thing, and now they're competitive petty with benefits.  They probably broke up over food and writing, but maybe it’s not totally over?  Also deliberately making dishes he knows will intrigue her is good.

 

Woman from Dysfunctional Family/Brother of her Best Friend with Good Family (F/M): On this one, I love the realization factor

Wedding Planner/Rough Around the Edges Friend of her Brother (F/M): How does he fit in her world?  So on both of these, if you read Nora Roberts’ Bride Quartet, then you know my jam. For the first one, I like the idea that she’s had a thing for him, but feels outclassed because his family is perfect and hers is…decidedly not.  For the second, I like seeing how they fit around the difference and balance each other out.

 

Still-Grieving Widow Pragmatically Remarrying/Still-Grieving Widower Pragmatically Remarrying (F/M): I picture Victorian or Regency for this one, but I like that friendship might grown into more.  Why do they feel they have to get married?  If you read Amanda Quick, you know my jam.

 

 

 

 

Steamy Mixed Gender Ships 

Harvest Goddess/King/Queen (F/M/F), Obsessed late teens girl/Thirtysomething family friend (F/M), Head librarian/shy female student (M/F), Emperor/Empress/Their Courtier They Are Trying to Seduce (M/F/M)Fiction

 

So these prompts are the ones I'd like to have a little more steam on.  I generally don't ask for explicit stuff, but I'm trying to get a little out of my comfort zone.  Check out general preferences for more.

 

Harvest Goddess/King/Queen (F/M/F): The ritual gets a little more real than they planned for...The goddess likes the looks of the king?: 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.

 

Obsessed late teens girl/Thirtysomething family friend (F/M): On this one, I want her pursuing him a little, and maybe "trapping" him.  I definitely want her to get him, but on this one I love the “oh but this is wrong”. Bonus points if there’s a danger of getting caught.  I’m also here for a little bit of angsting on his part about how he shouldn’t keep doing this, but not actually stopping.  Maybe she makes the first move in a way he can’t ignore, trapping him physically (or Oh No, I know it’s wrong that she’s touching me like that but it’s so good…)

 

Head librarian/shy female student (M/F): Feel free to slide a little towards the dub-con, what are you up to naughty girl aim here.  Maybe getting caught somewhere (or with something they shouldn’t have) they shouldn’t be, and she’ll do anything to stay out of trouble.

 

Emperor/Empress/Their Courtier They Are Trying to Seduce (M/F/M): Like the triad here, and a little bit of him not believing it's really happening... On this one, I like that they’re both trying to seduce him, and he’s a little confused.  Maybe he’s more attracted to/has history with one, but definitely here for happy surprise that they both want him.  Or again, maybe physically trapping him.