desertvixen | Once Upon A Fic 2024 Letter (Reply)

My general preferences are here.

So I really love this challenge. It gives me a chance to step outside the sort of thing I normally write, and it gives me the opportunity to get some nice ghost encounter stories and/or a mythology fix.

General: Try not to make everything too dark - some darkness in the progress of the story is fine, but don't end it that way. Bittersweet or slightly creepy "do I want to turn on the lights before I go up" is always good.

I also LOVE crossovers. If you want to smash a few of the prompts together, I would be A-OK with that. I'd also be cool with you dragging in characters from other fandoms (Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys investigate the Ocean-Born Mary house. Go for it.)

Treats: Yes, Please!

Ocean Born Mary (Ghost Story)

Ocean-Born Mary (Ocean-Born Mary (Ghost Story)), House's Current Owner (Ocean-Born Mary (Ghost Story)), Don Pedro (Ocean-Born Mary (Ghost Story))

All characters do not need to appear.

For this one I'm obviously okay with characters being dead and ghostified, but don't need to dwell on how they got that way. In one version of the story it talks about Don Pedro getting killed by cutlass – I’m okay with that/Mary finding him as he is dying, but not super graphic or Cyrano level death speeches.

I'd be interested in how Mary and Don Pedro meet up again, when he marries her. Normally I request the mother as well, but I've decided that I'm not that interested in a story focused on her.

But I'd also also be interested in a story where people move into Ocean-Born Mary's house and interact with the ghosts... especially if they do the research to find out about the story.

Or you know, a little of both...

I'd love to see Mary and Don Pedro interact. Perhaps there is a picture of the rare silk dress she is married in - or perhaps there is enough held back to marry Don Pedro in? Or perhaps a shawl or something similar that she;s kept with her over the years.

The version of the story told in C.B. Colby's Strangely Enough invokes the possibility that Ocean-Born Mary still haunts the place – I really like this. It was my first introduction to the story, and the one that stays with me. To me her ghost is more interesting. Does she help people find the treasure?

Or maybe a young couple decides to renovate or restore? Do they find the treasure? Does the ghost help? I especially like this idea if they are restoring. Maybe the ghost shows them where to look? Don Pedro as a ghost is good too.

Feel free to bring in Nancy Drew and/or Hardy Boys? (If Frank and Nancy are buying the house, I will love you forever.)

This is a numerous repeat, because I really love it and no one has written it.

The Snake Prince - Indian Fairytale

The Snake Prince's Wife (The Snake Prince), The Snake Prince (The Snake Prince), The Queen of Snakes (The Snake Prince), The Old Woman (The Snake Prince)

All characters do not need to appear.

I found this in the same book as Kupti and Imani, and I really enjoyed it.

The first night they are reunited - feel free to steam up a little.

The old woman tending their children.

Does the Queen of Snakes ever come back? Why?

So I do enjoy “you were told not to do the thing” but curiosity got the better of you and you did the thing. The Prince’s wife is brave enough to do what she must – perhaps she teaches their children this lesson?

Does the Queen of Snakes come to them for a favor?

I just found this one intriguing. Feel free to keep in the canon setting or move it around.

The Green Knight (Danish Fairytale)

The Green Knight (The Green Knight), The Princess (The Green Knight), The Stepmother (The Green Knight)

All characters do not need to appear. I would like the princess to appear.

I ran across this one and really liked it! I especially like when he recognizes the maid as his lover.

What happens next? Does the Stepmother get what's coming to her?

Or, what happened during one of those visits?

That about sums it up, I love how he sees her instantly, how he really knows her.

Was the stepmother always evil, or was it some sort of spell/negative influence from the previous queen since her husband disregarded her wishes? Do the princess and the Green Knight repay her behavior, or is living well the best revenge?

The Fall of Atlantis - Timaeus by Plato

Any Character

Tell me a myth of Atlantis and its royal house, in a story that might "inspire" Greek myth. Surely Atlantis had its own Cassandra, or Penelope, or Ariadne, or Demeter?

About what it says. I was looking for a fourth fandom and decided to give this one a try again. The female characters I have listed above are some of my favorites. I am also partial to Clytemnestra (I would have murdered him too), Arachne, and Athena. I enjoy clever female characters being clever.