Once Upon a Fic Letter 2020
Feb. 12th, 2020 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flo_neljaDear Once_Upon_Fic Writer,
I'm glad we have fairy tales and myths in common! I'm sure you will write an awesome story! I signed as Nelja-in-English, Nelja is my usual pseud.
What I like: Worldbuilding, characters being clever and witty, foreshadowing, weird surrealist crack that makes sense, dreams or illusion themes, characters knowing and understanding each other well, unreliable narrators, ethical dilemmas, strong women, queer themes.
What I prefer not to read: AUs except for canon divergence, character bashing, cheating, humor based on misunderstandings or incompetence, post-canon/AU with a sad ending when the canon has a happy one (except specified otherwise), bashing of either science/rationality or magic/spirituality to make the other one look better.
Craobh-Òir agus Craobh-Airgid | Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree (Fairy Tale)
Link: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/jacobs/celtic/goldtree.html
Characters: The Prince's second Wife
The second wive gives me a detective feeling. I'd like to see her investigate and solve some mystery. It can be some backstory, even childhood. It can be post-canon, with the help of the Prince and Gold-Tree (I ship them very much as a triad, with Gold-Tree/second wives feelings as well as the two official marriages).
Supernatural mystery or political one or very down-to-earth one, anything is good for me! Crossovers with other Celtic fairy tales (by Jacobs or not) are very good too.
Dynd-Kongens Datter | The Marsh King's Daughter - Hans Christian Andersen
Link: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Hans_Andersen%27s_fairy_tales_(Robinson)/The_Marsh_King%27s_Daughter
Characters: Helga
I love very much Helga's weird condition at the beginning of the tale, and I would be really interested in a fic exploring this duality. Does she have two sets of memories, or does she remember at days what her nights are like, and vice versa? How does she feel about it? If she doesn't remember, what does day!Helga think when other people talk about their dreams or their nights, and what does night!Helga know about the world?
Pure introspection is good, daily life scenes with her parents or the storks are good too! Dark themes are okay, but no bashing, and please don't kill any animal in the fic, especially not baby storks.
Jorogumo (creature)
Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jor%C5%8Dgumo
I'd love to see more interiority of the jorogumos, any stories (or an original one, of course) from their PoV. A big part of their stories is about seducing male humans. Do they pretend to have feelings just for eating Do they actually fall in love but it's still in spider nature to eat their mates? Or only when they get bored? Did one person (man or woman) managed to not get eaten by the jorogumo they were courting once, and what made this story different?
Historical or modern are both good. Though I'd like to see at least some reference to the classic story, it doesn't have to be a rewriting, it can be just some jorogumos talking together, maybe taking care of their fire spiders.
Lokasenna (Poetic Edda)
Link: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe10.htm
Characters: Odin, Loki
I've always been intrigued by all the backstory between Loki and Odin alluded to in the text. There are a lot of details that could be expanded to give a full story.
"Remember, Othin, | in olden days
That we both our blood have mixed;
Then didst thou promise | no ale to pour,
Unless it were brought for us both."
or
Winters eight | wast thou under the earth,
Milking the cows as a maid,
(Ay, and babes didst thou bear;
Unmanly thy soul must seem.)"
or
"They say that with spells | in Samsey once
Like witches with charms didst thou work;
And in witch's guise | among men didst thou go;
Unmanly thy soul must seem."
I'd be up for an exploration of any of these stories! I like Odin and Loki as snarky friends, or as bitter ex-friends, and I like to read them as a ship too. I think humor suits their past well, even if it can of course be mixed with more serious themes. Of course you can write only about one of the characters, but it would be nice to have a hint about how the other knows the personal details.
Marionetspilleren | The Puppet-show Man - Hans Christian Andersen
Link: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/ThePuppetShowMan_e.html
Character: The Polytechnic Professor
Who is he? Is he really a human? To me, it seems liked he provoked the dream, or at least was aware or it. It he some kind of malicious but nice fairy? But he seemed to know things about science, and I must confess the idea I liked more is a fairy who actually went to human school.
It can be his point of view on the adventure, or it can be, if you follow his route, how he decided to go to human science school. Or what happens when he comes home after. I love Andersen tales that explore the mix between science and magic, like The Dryad or the Great Sea Serpent, crossovers are very good!
Sneedronningen | The Snow Queen - Hans Christian Andersen
Link: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheSnowQueen_e.html
Characters: The Robber Girl
I'd like some Robber Girl adventures!
It would be nice if she met some other characters, like the Old Woman who knew magic, or the Crows... Crossovers are good too! I love her natural cheerful violence, and how it's compensated by her rejecting her family and liking Gerda's way better.
I also like fics where she has a huge crush on Gerda. It can be conscious or not. It can be them going together in an adventure, post-canon, or in an AU where Gerda was caught by the Snow Queen and the Robber Girl comes to her rescue.
I'd love no bad ending, bittersweet endings are fine. I'm not here for breaking the Gerda/Kay or for cheating, but I'm open to polyamory (and Kay doesn't have to be in the fic in person either).
The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok
Link: http://sacred-texts.com/neu/lfb/li/lifb30.htm
Characters: The Groac'h
To me, it seems that Huarn forgot Bella quite quickly, and I like the idea that it's because she has supernatural seduction powers. I'd like to see a fic from Bella's point of view, when she feels the supernatural seduction start to act, and even if her love is true enough to make her overcome it, and she even becomes aware of what happens, she's all embarrassingly smitten.
Alternatively: I'd like some backstory for the Groac'h. How did she started to manifest magical powers, when she was still a toad (still it seems it's her true nature, I can't get rid of the image of a toad who wants to learn magic)? What's the deal with making her husband sit on eggs?
Смерть Кощея Бессмертного | The Death of Koschei the Deathless (Fairy Tale)
Link: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/babayaga/tales/koshcheideathless.html
Characters: Baba Yaga, Koschei
What I'd like to read for this tale is past interaction between Baba Yaga and Koschei. It can be the obvious, how he got his horse. But literally anything would delight me. They could be friends, mortal enemies, or anything in between, ex-lovers if you like the idea, trading magical recipes, whatever you want!
Il you offered only one of the characters, their separate backstories have wonderful possibilities too! How Koschei hid his heart. How Baba Yaga got her horses.
I'm glad we have fairy tales and myths in common! I'm sure you will write an awesome story! I signed as Nelja-in-English, Nelja is my usual pseud.
What I like: Worldbuilding, characters being clever and witty, foreshadowing, weird surrealist crack that makes sense, dreams or illusion themes, characters knowing and understanding each other well, unreliable narrators, ethical dilemmas, strong women, queer themes.
What I prefer not to read: AUs except for canon divergence, character bashing, cheating, humor based on misunderstandings or incompetence, post-canon/AU with a sad ending when the canon has a happy one (except specified otherwise), bashing of either science/rationality or magic/spirituality to make the other one look better.
Craobh-Òir agus Craobh-Airgid | Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree (Fairy Tale)
Link: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/jacobs/celtic/goldtree.html
Characters: The Prince's second Wife
The second wive gives me a detective feeling. I'd like to see her investigate and solve some mystery. It can be some backstory, even childhood. It can be post-canon, with the help of the Prince and Gold-Tree (I ship them very much as a triad, with Gold-Tree/second wives feelings as well as the two official marriages).
Supernatural mystery or political one or very down-to-earth one, anything is good for me! Crossovers with other Celtic fairy tales (by Jacobs or not) are very good too.
Dynd-Kongens Datter | The Marsh King's Daughter - Hans Christian Andersen
Link: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Hans_Andersen%27s_fairy_tales_(Robinson)/The_Marsh_King%27s_Daughter
Characters: Helga
I love very much Helga's weird condition at the beginning of the tale, and I would be really interested in a fic exploring this duality. Does she have two sets of memories, or does she remember at days what her nights are like, and vice versa? How does she feel about it? If she doesn't remember, what does day!Helga think when other people talk about their dreams or their nights, and what does night!Helga know about the world?
Pure introspection is good, daily life scenes with her parents or the storks are good too! Dark themes are okay, but no bashing, and please don't kill any animal in the fic, especially not baby storks.
Jorogumo (creature)
Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jor%C5%8Dgumo
I'd love to see more interiority of the jorogumos, any stories (or an original one, of course) from their PoV. A big part of their stories is about seducing male humans. Do they pretend to have feelings just for eating Do they actually fall in love but it's still in spider nature to eat their mates? Or only when they get bored? Did one person (man or woman) managed to not get eaten by the jorogumo they were courting once, and what made this story different?
Historical or modern are both good. Though I'd like to see at least some reference to the classic story, it doesn't have to be a rewriting, it can be just some jorogumos talking together, maybe taking care of their fire spiders.
Lokasenna (Poetic Edda)
Link: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe10.htm
Characters: Odin, Loki
I've always been intrigued by all the backstory between Loki and Odin alluded to in the text. There are a lot of details that could be expanded to give a full story.
"Remember, Othin, | in olden days
That we both our blood have mixed;
Then didst thou promise | no ale to pour,
Unless it were brought for us both."
or
Winters eight | wast thou under the earth,
Milking the cows as a maid,
(Ay, and babes didst thou bear;
Unmanly thy soul must seem.)"
or
"They say that with spells | in Samsey once
Like witches with charms didst thou work;
And in witch's guise | among men didst thou go;
Unmanly thy soul must seem."
I'd be up for an exploration of any of these stories! I like Odin and Loki as snarky friends, or as bitter ex-friends, and I like to read them as a ship too. I think humor suits their past well, even if it can of course be mixed with more serious themes. Of course you can write only about one of the characters, but it would be nice to have a hint about how the other knows the personal details.
Marionetspilleren | The Puppet-show Man - Hans Christian Andersen
Link: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/ThePuppetShowMan_e.html
Character: The Polytechnic Professor
Who is he? Is he really a human? To me, it seems liked he provoked the dream, or at least was aware or it. It he some kind of malicious but nice fairy? But he seemed to know things about science, and I must confess the idea I liked more is a fairy who actually went to human school.
It can be his point of view on the adventure, or it can be, if you follow his route, how he decided to go to human science school. Or what happens when he comes home after. I love Andersen tales that explore the mix between science and magic, like The Dryad or the Great Sea Serpent, crossovers are very good!
Sneedronningen | The Snow Queen - Hans Christian Andersen
Link: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheSnowQueen_e.html
Characters: The Robber Girl
I'd like some Robber Girl adventures!
It would be nice if she met some other characters, like the Old Woman who knew magic, or the Crows... Crossovers are good too! I love her natural cheerful violence, and how it's compensated by her rejecting her family and liking Gerda's way better.
I also like fics where she has a huge crush on Gerda. It can be conscious or not. It can be them going together in an adventure, post-canon, or in an AU where Gerda was caught by the Snow Queen and the Robber Girl comes to her rescue.
I'd love no bad ending, bittersweet endings are fine. I'm not here for breaking the Gerda/Kay or for cheating, but I'm open to polyamory (and Kay doesn't have to be in the fic in person either).
The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok
Link: http://sacred-texts.com/neu/lfb/li/lifb30.htm
Characters: The Groac'h
To me, it seems that Huarn forgot Bella quite quickly, and I like the idea that it's because she has supernatural seduction powers. I'd like to see a fic from Bella's point of view, when she feels the supernatural seduction start to act, and even if her love is true enough to make her overcome it, and she even becomes aware of what happens, she's all embarrassingly smitten.
Alternatively: I'd like some backstory for the Groac'h. How did she started to manifest magical powers, when she was still a toad (still it seems it's her true nature, I can't get rid of the image of a toad who wants to learn magic)? What's the deal with making her husband sit on eggs?
Смерть Кощея Бессмертного | The Death of Koschei the Deathless (Fairy Tale)
Link: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/babayaga/tales/koshcheideathless.html
Characters: Baba Yaga, Koschei
What I'd like to read for this tale is past interaction between Baba Yaga and Koschei. It can be the obvious, how he got his horse. But literally anything would delight me. They could be friends, mortal enemies, or anything in between, ex-lovers if you like the idea, trading magical recipes, whatever you want!
Il you offered only one of the characters, their separate backstories have wonderful possibilities too! How Koschei hid his heart. How Baba Yaga got her horses.
