betony

First off, thank you so much for agreeing to write for one of these stories! Honestly, having any fic centering around them is a delight, so I'm sure I'll adore whatever you write. I hope my requests aren't too confusing, and that you find something you'd enjoy writing in them! I've tried to combine both things I find interesting about the canon, as well as prompt ideas in this letter, but if you already have an idea in mind, go for it!

Fandoms are alphabetized by name, and equally beloved.

DNW: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

Cupid and Psyche- Apuleius

Cupid, Psyche

I love this myth for being one of the rare happy endings in the Greco-Roman canon, but also for being the root of so many further fairy and folk tales. It is already shaping up, much to my delight, to hopefully be one of the more popular fandoms of this fest! I think there are plenty of ideas to work with there, but here are so other things that might be nifty:

The versions of this story, both pro- and fan- fic, that I've read include a vampire AU, an ancient Japan AU, and a Regency AU, among others--and I've loved them all. Pretty much any AU, therefore, whether it's another version of those above, or something new (Everyone in fandom! Hogwarts! Soulmates!) is something I will adore to bits. If possible, I would prefer not to receive a straightfoward modern AU (i.e., a coffeeshop or high school AU, without some other twist as noted above)--not because I dislike them by any means, but I've just read so many of them for this fandom recently that I'd love to see something different!
As I've said before, one of my favorite characteristics about Psyche is her grit. While many adaptations emphasize her love and devotion, understandably, I've always been fascinated by her sheer audacity in the tasks she completes: in my rough mythology timeline, Psyche is actually the first person to make it to the Underworld alive (and regardless of when you see her story taking place, she's certainly the first woman, and the only one to go in not armed with any divine blood whatsoever, given that even Odysseus is distinctly descended from Hermes.) A retelling that gives her more agency and personality would be fantastic.
Alternatively, Eros/Cupid often gets glossed over in retellings. What, exactly is he thinking? What leads him to fall in love with a mortal to the point of marrying her and defying his mother, as opposed to having the brief liaisons the other gods have? How long was Psyche meant to stay in the dark, literally and figuratively, and why? How is it that his anger cools at last, in time for him to save Psyche; or, many versions have Eros be the source of Psyche's supernatural help during her quests, and if so, why doesn't he help before then?
Finally, Psyche and Eros' future means that a crossover with other parts of Greek mythology would be very easy to bring about. I've been lucky to receive lovely crossovers with Andromeda and Ariadne, and something more along those lines would be great--or, with any other Greek myths you would like to include!

Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne | East of the Sun and West of the Moon
Jenta | Girl (Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne), Kvitbjørn | White Bear (Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne)

I recently read a retelling of this story, which set up the Girl's conflicting feelings for both the White Bear and the Prince she knows by night, and since then, I haven't been able to keep from wanting all the identity porn for this version. It is, after all, the one version of the base myth that allows for such conflict--Beauty, while she dreams of a prince in some versions, simply isn't around him for it to make much of an impression, and Psyche never knows anyone but her husband. Which, naturally, led to me wanting to know more about the Bear to start with. Some more ideas that might be helpful:

Love triangle for two? Identity porn?
As in the Cupid and Psyche prompts above, an AU of any sort would be great!
While it's clear that the Girl is clearly awesome enough for the Bear to love deeply, what are her feelings for her in return? Is she, as some versions go with, only setting out on her quest to make up for her betrayal? Or, if she does love him, how and why does he earn her affections, given how sensible she seems to be?

Kupti and Imani
Kupti, Imani, Subbhar Khan

This story, along with the next, was new to me and a delightful mashup of tropes I recognize, as well as some I hadn't seen before and loved. The beginning with the unreasonable father was familiar, as was the sister who I assumed would be malicious before she was unceremoniously killed off, but: Imani seems not much interested in her biological father, as any reasonable person wouldn't be given his behavior, and instead finds a new father in the fakir. Kupti has one action of malice in the entire story--and, given how textually lukewarm Imani seems about Subbhar Khan's presence, that might not even be unjustified--and makes it alive to the end. Imani, also, is a practical delight, who makes her fortune on her own terms. So:

Tell me more about Kupti! We don't hear much from her up until the poisoning--does she stay in touch with her sister? What are her motivations for poisoning Subbhar Khan, as opposed to say, trying to seduce him herself; is she actually acting out of misguided protectiveness? What are her feelings about her father's decision, and does she get a happy ending of her own?
Or convince me that Subbhar Khan and Imani could be happy together: we see her surprise and ambivalence when he first shows up, but afterwards she's concerned enough to seek him out herself. What happened in between to make her, presumably, fall in love with him? Or are her motives otherwise?
If neither of those strike your fancy, anything about Imani's financial skills and general calm competence would be grand!

The Cat Who Became A Queen
The King's Wives, The Prince, The Cat Who Became A Queen

This is another story that is new to me, and completely, adorably unexpected! To begin with, the audacity of the King's wives' plan to pass off a cat as a princess for years and years is remarkable, as is how absolutely nonchalant the Prince is about this. Honestly, this story leaves me with more questions than anything else, and I'd love to see what answers you might have:

What are the King's Wives relationships with each other and their cat daughter? The King, given his appalling obliviousness, is clearly not Husband or Father of the Year, but I'd love to see what the King's Wives' personalities might be, or what life in that community might have been!
Similarly, why is the Prince so okay with all of this? Kindness is one thing, but passing off a cat as your wife, presumably for the rest of your life is quite another. Is she a magic cat? (She doesn't appear to be able to speak, but can at least understand the Prince's mother, so....perhaps?) Does he have some other backup plan?
Or-- Can you add more to the deus ex machina at the end? Is the cat/queen that emerges truly transformed by the gods' kindness? If so, how is that transition from feline to woman? Is this actually a clever substitution on the Prince's part, and if so, why?

The Lute Player
The Queen, The King

I adore the practical queen of this story so much, but I've also wondered how and why the royal couple's relationship seems to be so fraught at the end. While they clearly love each other, the King seems unsure if he can trust her, and the Queen, for her part, choose for some reason not to confess her part in the rescue until she has to. This is one of the few fairy tales that opens with the main couple already married, and that opens so much questions about their backstory, including:

How did they meet, and does this play into why they're so uncertain around each other? Three years apart is a long time, granted, but perhaps they were in an arranged marriage (from enemy nations?) and had only just gotten around to developing nascent feelings for each other when the war came about.
Or, if you want, explain the Queen's backstory, and how she's so resilient and resourceful despite presumably being raised as a princess--or was she?
Where do they go from here? The Queen has clearly taken over the reins of the country, and the King has to come to grips with her competence. How long does that take, and how does their relationship change further?
Again, AUs are always welcome, but this story especially seems prime for a setting/time period AU of any sort, in any country. I'd love to see something that played with its themes against other cultures as well!

Again, thank you so much for writing for me, and I look forward to reading your wonderful fic, come reveals!