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Plot Bunny Threa(t/d) IV

Discussion in 'Fanfic Discussion' started by Dark Minion, Sep 1, 2013.

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  1. Andrela

    Andrela Plot Bunny DLP Supporter

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    Alright, so following my recent obsession, here is a Harry Potter / Skullgirls fusion plot bunny.


    There is no Statute of Secrecy, there never was. This is important to know, because it explains why the muggle society is so altered.

    Technological progress has been slowed down, mainly thanks to widespread usage of magic. Why invent a better ship if you can pay a wizard to Apparate you? To put it simply, today muggles have a mixture of 1880s and 1920s technology.

    Some nations we know from our reality are gone, instead replaced by different ones. The Canopy Kingdom is a major power in Europe, located where real-world Germany would be. It is one of the most powerful Magical Nations in the world.

    But why is Canopy so powerful when for example the United Kingdom has had Merlin, Hogwarts Founders, Dumbledore and the Dark Lady?

    The Skull Heart is the reason. With unknown origins, this ancient artifact looks like a black, demonic skull which burns with blue flames. Every seven years, it grants a single wish to a woman wielding it. Some wishes have included beauty, ability to turn stones into gold or even immortality. However, the wishes are granted for a terrible price: the one using the Skull Heart will become a Skullgirl, an insane, undead abomination with terrible, dark powers.

    For the last three hundred years, the Skull Heart has been located within the Canopy Kingdom. One can easily guess why they are the top players in the world.

    In 1976, a witch named Sarah Melinda Riddle, also known as the Dark Lady Vita has captured the Skull Heart and asked to be the most powerful witch in the world. Her wish was granted and she was immediately turned into the most horrifying Skullgirl in history. However, Vita was prepared for this scenario and created a Horcrux earlier. This allowed her to retain her mind and sanity after the transformation.

    A terrible war began, with Vita taking over the Canopy Kingdom and declaring war on the rest of Europe. She would have won if not for a prophecy told in the United Kingdom in 1980. Prophecy describing the birth of a chosen one who would defeat the Skull Lady.

    While the exact wording is not known, Vita somehow learned it through one of her spies. In 1981, she went personally to the family spoken of in the prophecy and attempted to kill Harry James Potter. Attempted, because it did not work. Somehow, all of Skullgirl's power was redirected back at her, reducing her body to a pile of ashes.

    That is, a pile of ashes and the Skull Heart.

    Albus Dumbledore was the first to arrive on the scene and hid the Heart from potential thieves, while Harry, already hailed as a savior, was sent to live with his muggle relatives.

    The United Kingdom entered into peace negotiations with the Canopy Kingdom and a treaty was signed: Britain would return the Skull Heart to its rightful nation and in return the war would stop and all conquered territories from it would be returned with reparations.

    Of course, nothing can be so easy. As soon as the Heart returned to its homeland in 1983, it was used by an heiress to the throne (the rightful one, not related to Lady Vita). She wished for Canopy Kingdom to be able to restore peace in Europe. While her wish was granted, she was obviously cursed to become the next Skullgirl. However, this time the process would be gradual (the more selfless the wish, the slower the transformation occurs). Thanks to this, preparations could be made, especially regarding the four year old Princess Parasoul, the next in line to claim the heart.

    Fast forward to 1990 when Parasoul's mother finally transformed fully into the Skullgirl (weaker than the Skull Lady, but still unpleasant) and started causing chaos and generally killing people. She was eventually taken down and plans were made to let Parasoul make her wish (which would, of course, be beneficial to the Kingdom). However, because the girl was only eleven years old and just starting her magical studies, it would be too cruel.

    Therefore, the Skull Heart was locked in a very-well hidden vault and it would wait until Parasoul became 18 years old.

    Meanwhile, Lady Vita was of course not dead at all and was slowly preparing her return. It would take a lot of time, so let's skip ahead again.

    1997, Harry Potter just finished his Hogwarts education. It was fairly normal, at least nobody tried to kill him, so that's an improvement over canon right there. As soon as he finishes school, Harry enters the Auror Academy, with a desire to become the best, so that if a Skullgirl invades Britain again, he'll be prepared.

    In the Canopy Kingdom, Princess Parasoul just turned 18 and was led to a high-security vault, deep beneath the surface. As she is about to touch the Skull Heart, there is an explosion which kills several of Parasoul's friends and family members, including her sister Umbrella. The cause is revealed soon enough, a traitor in the government has set off explosives to steal the Heart for herself.

    A fight over the Heart begins between Parasoul and the traitor, which Parasoul wins, but the Heart is damaged during the battle and will take the next seven years to regenerate. So it is locked once again and Parasoul returns to her training and her duty as the leader of Canopy Kingdom.

    In 2004, Harry Potter, one of the best Aurors Britain has to offer is given a top-priority mission: he is to lead a team into the Canopy Kingdom to find out why there has not been any Skullgirl activity in the last fourteen years. Harry agrees, finally able to confront the cursed artifact which killed his family.

    Unknown to Auror Potter, he is very closely followed by a very weakened shell of a woman.

    As the Aurors arrive in Parasoul's Castle, they are invited to a ceremony of Wishing, in which Princess Parasoul will finally be able to use the Skull Heart and become a Queen.

    Of course it all goes to hell once the half-living Lady Vita recaptures the Heart and returns to full power.

    All members of Harry's team are killed and much of Parasoul's guard is decimated. The two of them now must destroy the Skull Lady once and for all.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2014
  2. Odran

    Odran Fourth Champion

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    I honestly don't. I never even read it, to be quite frank, I might be just remembering what someone else said about it, which was good enough for me to steer clear away from it.

    This is just my brain's usual way of collecting near-useless information and storing it away.

    I think that's the first time I ever read that a Horcrux helped one with retaining their sanity. Points for novelty.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2014
  3. Daidalos

    Daidalos Fourth Year

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    Not so much a plot bunny as a world-building bunny. It's inspired partly by some old post of Taure's, where he wrote something about the various schools of magic around the world.

    The Library of Alexandria wasn't destroyed. It's an academy of magic situated in Egypt, and its Head Librarian is Herpo the Foul, who created the first Horcrux. Two thousand years ago, Herpo cast a powerful Fidelius Charm, concealing two secrets: the location of the library and the fact that Herpo is Head Librarian. (Herpo himself is the secret-keeper.) When students choose to attend the school, these secrets are revealed to them, which they in turn are prevented from divulging, owing to the nature of the Charm. Herpo's Horcrux is a huge tome, containing the names of each student who has ever attended the school, proudly displayed on a pedestal in the centre of the main library. While the Horcrux keeps Herpo from dying, his body still ages. Therefore, he's usually sequestered in the dungeons beneath the library, but he has devised means so that his aspect can manifest anywhere in the building. (Physically, Herpo would appear something like Xenon from Dragon Age 2.) For important school functions (such as "start of term feasts" or their equivalent), he insists that his physical body be present; custom also demands that graduating students kiss Herpo's hand.

    The magic of the Horcrux has twisted Herpo so that his psychology no longer is appreciably human. To all appearances, his only ambition is to fulfil his eternal function as Head Librarian of Alexandria, which means safeguarding and adding to the collective lore of the library. He doesn't take an active role in the administration of the school; he only intervenes if someone mistreats the scrolls/tomes/books kept at the library (think Godlike!Pince).

    Herpo's literally never-ending tenure has set its mark on the school: it's very conservative. Technically, the school doesn't discriminate based on blood, but in practice it might even be worse for some Muggle-borns than elsewhere. This is because all instruction is in Greek, but the school accepts students from not only Greece, but also Italy, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa. Of course, all Wizarding families in those areas make sure to raise their children to have Greek as at least a second language. While remedial courses in Greek are offered at the school, Muggle-borns not from Greece are at a distinct disadvantage.

    Finally, students who hope to graduate with the equivalent of NEWTs must contribute something to the knowledge hoard of the library. Often, graduates don't produce anything resembling stellar scholarship, but rather perfunctory commentary on some old text or other. Herpo has long since lost the ability to distinguish interesting scholarship from uninspired trifles, and students who pass Herpo's muster will at least earn a passing grade and a diploma in the relevant subject. Naturally, for higher grades, the other, non-horcruxed instructors must be suitably impressed.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2014
  4. Photon

    Photon Order Member

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    It is unlikely that this would really help, language today and one used thousands years ago tend to be quite different. And even assuming that language used by Herpo evolved - it is unlikely that it would change in the same way as one used by Muggles.

    BTW, in AR recently appeared a bit similar short story about Tom that ended in Ravenclav. (I still like it on reread so I posted it in Review Board - https://forums.darklordpotter.net/showthread.php?t=26247 )
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2014
  5. Daidalos

    Daidalos Fourth Year

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    I suppose you're right about that. Even worse for the Muggle-born, then.
     
  6. Andrela

    Andrela Plot Bunny DLP Supporter

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    Not exactly a Plot Bunny, but something that was bugging me for quite a while about the HP fandom.

    You have all no doubt noticed that from an in-universe perspective, Harry and his friends only won due to luck. But have you considered that a lot of things from the plot also happen due to not only chance, but the smallest of details?

    Obviously, this was all somewhat planned (or handwaved) by Rowling, but from an in-book reason, it all went beyond coincidence and straight to divine intervention.

    For example: Voldemort only returns in Goblet of Fire thanks to Barty Crouch Junior, who was seen by Bertha Jorkins, who in turn was captured by Pettigrew and forced to reveal her memories. However, Pettigrew wouldn't even meet Bertha if he didn't leave the Weasleys due to Sirius' escape from Azkaban. And as we all know, Sirius only escaped Azkaban because he saw a picture of Wormtail with the Weasleys in the Prophet, which was only there because Arthur won a lottery.

    So basically, by winning a lottery Arthur caused the Second Wizarding War to happen.

    It goes beyond that. Some things are even caused by earlier coincidences and author-interventions.

    For example, in Philosopher's Stone Harry and Hagrid arrive in Gringotts just in time to retrieve the Stone before Quirrell would steal it. If they arrived a day later, or if Quirrell decided to act a day earlier, Voldemort would have gotten the Stone before Harry would even step inside Hogwarts.

    The HP series is just so full of the smallest, seemingly unimportant events having extremely massive consequences.

    What if Krum got the Snitch earlier in the game and Bulgaria won? Well, nothing obvious except the Twins losing their money to Bagman, right? Actually, this might have consequences on its own. Here we have na event that immediately affects the Twins and Bagman from the start. Any events that happened in canon around them is going to be affected by this change. Bagman might pay off someone with his newly-acquired money (which, granted, isn't much, but it is a start) and the the Twins will not buy the things they have bought with their winnings in canon (I guess more people than Bagman lost in canon, here the Twins lost).

    That was just an example, but think of how even the smallest change can be disastrous.

    Then realize what terrible, unpredictable damage would be caused by bigger PODs. Fic writers often ignore this and proceed with their canon rehash, not wondering just how massively they can alter the entire Potterverse by just having a character do something differently.
     
  7. Rhaegar I

    Rhaegar I Death Eater

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    I absolutely agree with you on the smallest of differences can make huge changes. In one story I was working, I actually took the time to consider how a lot of the events of the First Book alone are incredibly fragile.

    A good example of this is the Troll encounter. What were the odds that Ron would make fun of Hermione and drive her to the Bathroom the day Quirrel unleashes the Troll, Harry and Ron figured out she was in danger but didn't tell an older person, the Troll walked into the exact Bathroom Hermione was crying in (as opposed to staying in the Dungeons), and all three children actually succeed in knocking it out (not to mention Ron getting the spell exactly right at that moment).

    A good writer could probably go a million different ways with that day: Ron not mocking Hermione that day, an older student or even a teacher shows up, the Troll actually staying in the Dungeons, or some actual injuries or even death occurs from fighting the Troll.
     
  8. Photon

    Photon Order Member

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    Sometimes months or years after divergence weather stays exactly the same as in canon. And weather is a classic example of chaotic system.
     
  9. Andrela

    Andrela Plot Bunny DLP Supporter

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    Metafictional Cube.


    A 13 year old boy named Alex is bullied at school and is unable to find friends. To cope with his bad situation, Alex turns to many works of fiction, such as cartoons, movies, books and video games. He explores many detailed, fictional worlds and in his dreams goes on adventures with his favorite heroes.

    After an especially bad day at school, Alex sees a meteorite fall down in a park near his home. He runs towards the crater and sees a bright, green cube. Curious, he touches the object, finding it very cold to the touch.

    Immediately as he does so, one of the walls of the cube goes dark. At the same moment, one of Alex's favorite heroes appears nearby: Harry Potter. Harry was taken from right after Dumbledore died in the books.

    Unfortunately, because in the books Harry is a Horcrux, he is inherently tied to the Dark Lord Voldemort, who has been therefore brought to the real world as well.

    Needless to say, Voldemort is not in the least amused by such an event. He attempts to murder Alex and Harry, but finds out that for some reason he is unable to intentionally attack Alex. Furious and confused, Voldemort Apparates away, not having enough information to act properly.

    Harry and Alex talk, Alex revealing that Harry is a character from a book and that he has been summoned accidentally.

    Quite naturally, Harry is freaked out by all this and at first refuses to believe it. Eventually though, he is forced to accept the reality (it takes some time, but it does happen). Harry reads the remaining books, learning of his would-be future. Meanwhile Alex discovers that not only the cube is for some reason following him around but has become invisible to everyone except him and Harry (and presumably Voldemort).

    Riddle figures out that there is no magic in this world and he eventually discovers the Potter books and movies. He also forms a theory as to why he is unable to attack Alex: it is because Alex has summoned him and summons generally obey their summoner. This is a worrying thought to Voldemort, so he decides to avoid the young boy.

    Alex's parents discover Harry's presence and while at first they do not believe that he is who he claims he is, his magic convinces them.

    And then the second wall of the cube goes dark and another character appears: Jedi Master Yoda. Unfortunately, the Force connects living beings across the universe and a most powerful Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious has been brought along for the ride.

    That's as far as I got with this Plot Bunny. You could literally have any fictional character you can think of appear in the real world. Villains, heroes, anyone. Pokemon, Naruto, Avengers, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ANYONE.

    The idea is that the only way for them to go home is to either destroy the cube or if Alex dies.

    The title refers to the fact that even though Alex sees his summons as fictional characters, he is still fictional to us.
     
  10. bakkasama

    bakkasama Seventh Year

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    Sounds like one I thought a while ago. On it there is a multiverse that connects all fictional universes but for a character to reach it they must have something that could count as dimensional/time travel in their universe. Since it connects all fictional universes, it also connects to fanfiction.

    So the story begins with Sirius reaching it after falling through the veil (or any other character by any other mean) and welcomed there by Emmet Brown or a Doctor and some character from a fanfic of that universe (while guarded by a squad of Arthurian knights in power armor) who explain the situation to him. The story would go about him living there and visiting other universes while trying to stop a league of evil formed by villains from various works who decided to try to conquer different universes since they failed on their own and since most of those living in the multiverse won't bother to stop them since there are enough universes for everyone.
     
  11. Skeletaure

    Skeletaure Magical Core Enthusiast ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    For a while now I've wanted to see a HP story that deals with Harry and co. fighting against a curse. Not a "point and shoot" curse but one of the more arcane, mystical types of curses, like the DADA curse, or the curses on some of the books in the restricted section.

    I see it as an in-canon mini-adventure that takes place within one of the books, between canon events. A long one shot or novella would work best. Like an episode of Buffy.

    Not sure what the curse would be though.
     
  12. T3t

    T3t Purple Beast of DLP ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    We might see something similar at some point in Forging the Sword. Here's hoping...
     
  13. redlibertyx

    redlibertyx Professor

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    I could see them trying to break the DADA curse, especially when they get a teacher they like, such as Lupin.
     
  14. Skeletaure

    Skeletaure Magical Core Enthusiast ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    The Room of Requirement was able to contain the Fiendfyre, but not stop it. For 19 years it has burned, the spell sustained by the nature of the room. For the Room of Requirement gives its occupant whatever it wants...

    Next gen fic with a new villain: a sentient magical entity made of fiendfyre, born in the Room of Requirement.
     
  15. Odran

    Odran Fourth Champion

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    Who only wants to see a snowflake from up close and not have it melt away.

    Whose dreams of building a snowman will forever remain just dreams.

    Who will never be able to hug the person it loves without killing them.

    A tragic romance story in the making, Taure, truly.
     
  16. Andrela

    Andrela Plot Bunny DLP Supporter

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    I came to this thread to read Plot Bunnies, not experience feels.
     
  17. WhereTheWindTakesMe

    WhereTheWindTakesMe Squib

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    Not so much a plot bunny as a different kind of Dark Harry. Part of my story that I haven't added yet, so:


    I often wonder what people would wish for, if they'd had the chance. What would their perfect world be? I've never been able to answer that question myself, and I end up in a cycle of false hopes and broken promises.

    Nevertheless, I'm sure that their desires are far from mine. I'm sure that their comforts wouldn't appeal to me, and that I things I value are not the things that the common man desires.

    I will, time and time again, think upon what has shaped me. I will think upon those things that turned an inquisitive child into a heartless monster. The land marks that I created within myself have the names of other people upon them, but they are ultimately my own devices.

    But would I change, had I the chance? Would I find what caused a six year old boy to run from the perfect family? Would I have rewritten, repainted myself in colours less harsh than the brush that defines me to this day? Would I saved my innocence? My kindness?

    And thinking upon all this, I think of the person I could have been.

    What would I be without all the things that define me? Without suffering. Without being soaked in pain and hate each night until it consumed me. Without neglect. Without the cold, savage streak which makes me laugh at the things that should leave me horror stricken, the things that make me inhuman.

    I wonder what my face would look like, devoid of the cold, emotionless mask that I wear. I wonder what my hands would be like without the having used them for the most terrible deeds a child could do. I wonder what I'd be like without the scars, both physical and psychological, that ultimately define me.

    And I think I'd hate them. This perfect me.

    I would feel nothing but derision. Icy, unconditional hate for the person who has everything.

    I have everything, I tell myself. I have money, magic and knowledge. Power.

    And yet, when I look past the falsehoods, the half-truths, the lies: I see that I have nothing. I have no love. No happiness. No family. I have a single friend, who drinks the blood of my species in order to sustain herself.

    This... other me would have money. They would have magic. They would have knowledge and power too. True, it wouldn't be on the same scale as I do today, but they'd also be loved. They would be happy. They would be surrounded by friends and family. They'd laugh at jokes, and smile at memories.

    And I hate them for it.

    I hate this fictional me. This happy, smiling child who would be loved and adored, who would have friends wherever they go. Because it's something I'll never have. I'll never be that happy, smiling child. I'll be the demon that people tell horror stories about. I'll be the broken wreck of a man who could have been happy.

    For, to quote Friedrich Nietzsche: 'He who fights monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster.' I suppose it's a little too late for that. I'm worse than any of the monsters in those stories I was told in my youth. Because at least they look like monsters. I'm worse than them all, and yet I look like an angel.

    It doesn't matter in the end. Harry Potter died nine years ago, on the 31st of July.

    I've been gazing into the abyss for years now.

    I'm just waiting to see who blinks first.
     
  18. Celestin

    Celestin Dimensional Trunk

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    Harry Potter/Sailer Moon.

    Voldemort is defeated in the final battle, but it's not over. The Dark Lord managed to split his soul in even more pieces and attached them to people living as far from his nemesis as possible.

    Ten years later Harry Potter finally discovers where that supposes to be and travels to the Land of the Rising Sun with a plan to ask for help the famous Sailor Soldiers. What he doesn't know is that the Dark Lord's most loyal servant, Bellatrix Lestrange, is already there and she managed to convince them that she's running away from the fearsome Master of Death.

    That's for the setup. Harry and the Sailors would fight at first until Usagi's healing powers would not work on him making them realize he's not a demon contrary to what Bellatrix said.

    Voldemort's pieces will work as the monster of the week with Sailor Moon curing people possessed by them.

    And there will be the usual Usagi/new-mysterious-guy (this time 100% more British) potential romance that would as always end with her staying faithful to Mamoru. Though other Sailors would probably try their luck too.
     
  19. Jibril

    Jibril Headmaster

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    Could be combined with this.
     
  20. ScottPress

    ScottPress The Horny Sovereign –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    :facepalm

    If it's not a plot bunny (and you're right about that, it isn't) why post it here? If you want opinions on this piece, you should post in WbA. This snipper certainly doesn't belong ITT.

    Edit: I see you're new to the forums - have you read the Stickies? Cause I have a feeling you didn't. Otherwise you wouldn't have posted that here.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2014
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