plotbunnyarchive

[plotbunnyarchive]

List of various story ideas, mostly villainess stuff because that's a trope I like.. None of these titles are final.

-Ashes and Dust(The pipeline has gone silent, we've sent a group to find out why.) -Two-faced Wretch (Villainess gets half her face set on fire.) -The family adventuring party (Boy, Sister, and heroine are chosen to be heroes, Mom and Dad fill out the party for support. Quest to defeat Tuberculosis.) -The Princess's dark visions. (Princess prays in temple, sees her family's downfall in visions.) -The Princess of Death Row (Father, it's not good to defraud the word of god.) -Season of Sorrow (Isekai, Airline crash survivor/victim possess pilot villainess in dieselpunk vs. monsters setting) -The maimed Baroness (Survived torture for years, only to find out her fiancee never looked for her. Bastion of sheer willpower.) -The villainess's Mind-reading (Feelings of pain and euphoria, a talent for mind reading un-nurutred, a snap) -The Runaway Princess (To escape her evil mother, princess fakes her own death to become a witch in another country) -The Bride is a Ghost (Murdered by her brother when she tried to marry away from her awful family, carries on as scary powerful ghost) -The reincarnated heroine breaks the villainess(Villainess is prone to obsessive behaviour, the energy that was supposed to go to jealousy instead goes into self-doubt and self-destruction)

-Trench Saint -The villainess keeps dying! (Isekai'd villainess keeps trying to save the day, is incompetent. Non-isekai'd heroine keeps time-looping every time the villainess dies, has to save her.) -99 across 9 (Villainess dies over and over, eventually breaks, it's up to her past lives to save her.) -Ghost in the clocktower (Heroine befriends creepy lady living in the school clocktower, revealed to be prince's traumatized fiance.) -The Family Tomb (Prince's fiance becomes the sole survivor of her family, finds out he's after the treasures in her family's tomb. Her family's ghosts help her get revenge.) -Grudge Smoke (Human-caused wildfires start creating living avatars of nature's anger. Firefighters forced to adopt combat tactics to stop them from spreading the already aggressive wildfires.) -Never-Ever Land (BRING ME PETER PAN) -The Wolf of Brescia (A common soldier is knighted and brings his adopted daughter with him. She was raised by wolves.) -Gallow's Rock (Never once, in the last three years, have I held the delusion that he considers me his wife. At the very least, I am glad you live up to what he says about you.) -Candlekeeper (Tea lights make the tearless want to cry.) -Swordbreaker(A defensive style isn't practical in battle, only efficiency and dirty tactics will get you your revenge.) -Mercenary Mentality(Sure, you can work with me a whle to repay me. But mercenary work ain't what you think it is, miss.) -Gilded Cage (Isekai created through community polls, ended up wanting to continue it. IN PROGRESS)

[plotbunnyarchive]

Tombstones of Dragons. That's what we called them. In the buried mausoleum, beneath the great city. Each one labelled in their ancient forgotten language, names lost to time. The magic of these beasts is said to still linger here, it is what protects the city, what the high priests call upon to ravage our enemies.

Tombstones of Dragons. Their bones were encased in stones and steel, to protect them… or to protect us? They say the oldest, most powerful dragons are buried at the bottom, where their great hordes of treasure and stores of magic slumber with them. But no one has ever returned from the depths.

Tombstones of Dragons, the words that horrified our visitor. They say he too was an ancient, unearthed and revived through a lost arte. He could read the words on the stones, but he did not want to translate them for us. He said it would ruin us.

Tombstones of Dragons. We were all such fools. Clad in the strange heavy suits of the ancients, we stood among the sea of corpses. Here they had not decayed properly, and were ravaged beyond recognition. And then we heard our Visitor speak once more.

"Tombstones of Dragons? No… This Is Not A Place Of Honour."

[plotbunnyarchive]

New Hire

Part 2 here

The seventh child and third daughter, an existence with a rare lack of expectations. Loved by her siblings, she always wanted to help them with whatever she could to return that love. She'd help the brothers with the farm work, doing little things that are easily missed. She'd help her sisters with the housework and with the preparation for their marriages. She'd help her parents with the cooking and the shopping. She was happy, but she wondered if there was something greater she could do with her life.

Her happy life was made possible because of the soldiers. They patrolled the roads, they guarded the village, and though the townsfolk resented the taxes they took... ultimately they owed their survival to these men. And these men were paid for by the local noble, in their vast villa. If she were to help someone like a noble, maybe she could find a way to bring more prosperity to the territory, in the same way her efforts made the farm better? With that in mind, when word came that the villa was looking for a new maidservant to replace an older one, she volunteered. And though her family tried to dissuade her, they were at least happy she'd decided to do something on her own, and eventually gave their blessing.

...

The servants of a noble aren't at all how she'd imagined them. She'd expected them to be more dignified and diligent. These people are resentful and lazy, always looking to cut back their workload so they can laze about. She'd heard some maids badmouthing their mistress, and she swears she saw someone stealing from the household. This little world of their feels like it's on the verge of collapse, and that they're only looking out for themselves.

Even in the work they were hired to do, they only do the bare minimum to avoid punishment, and they regularly steal food from meals during preparation. She isn't going to call them out on it, because so many of them are doing this she's certain she'd be chased out. But with the amount of money they wasted, and the wages so many of them didn't deserve, couldn't the noble have spent that on the region?

The world of adults is scary, she hopes she doesn't end up like that.

...

She's learned more about this place. She serves a Marchioness, and this place is on the edge of the empire. In one direction, villages and farmland, eventually leading to large towns and cities. In the other direction, untamed wilderness.

She's learned more about the Marchioness. She's a wicked woman, who delights in punishing servants who fail in her presence. She taxes more than is needed to fill her coffers. And she built this place so far away from the capitol so she could act with impunity.

She's learned more about the working world of adults, and she isn't sure she likes it. But she always works as hard as she can, when given a task she always works until it is complete. The response to this is... mixed. Some praise her for her hard work, others look down on her for doing too much. Maybe it's her youth, but she doesn't understand.

...

She'd only left for a moment to bring more snacks to the garden party, but when she'd returned the Marchioness was on the ground, and everyone was just... staring. She can't really blame the guests, tending to the health of others isn't their task, but the servants seemed like they were waiting for something.

She can't really stand by any longer, she's going to help. Even if she becomes resented for helping such an awful woman, she's a servant with a job to do. She rushes in and tries to wake the noble, to no avail. Then she starts trying to pick her up. The woman is easily a head taller than her, and wearing a heavy dress. But the girl was a proud daughter of a hardworking farmer, she wasn't going to step aside because something was tough!

With the Marchioness' arm over her shoulder, and an arm around her waist, she heaves her up off the ground, and slowly begins the long march towards the master bedroom. No on is helping, they're just staring in disbelief at the spectacle before them.

This isn't easy, even just someone to lift the fabric of the dress off the ground would make things so much easier, she's barely in the door and her legs are aching. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, always shifting her shoulders to find a position just a little easier to carry. The tiles are different depending on what part of the villa she's in, so she just focuses on one pattern at a time, pushing herself towards the next one as if its the last one each time. Until, eventually, she's in front of those heavy doors.

She can't get them open... unless she puts the mistress down. But she fears that if she does, she won't be able to pick her back up. She can't use her hands, so she just nudges with her forehead at the brass handle, until she feels that click. Then she presses her cheek against it, and slowly begins to draw it out, little by little, until the door is just open enough to use the tip of her shoe to pull it open.

Once she's inside, she debates the chairs and the couch between her and the bed, but... she didn't come all this way, and go through all this pain, just to sloppily drop her in a chair to make things a little easier on herself. It's just a few extra steps...

A few more, and...

Done.

Oh, the satisfaction of a job well done.

And pain.

She practically staggers out of the room, weakly asking the first maid she comes across to check in on the Marchioness.

She's just going to go lay down for a while...

...

The first thing she notices is how dark it is... that's strange. It shouldn't be so dark, not even in the servant's quarters.

The second thing she notices is the incredible pain in her arms and legs. A familiar ache, on an unfamiliar scale.

Still, she knows a trick or two to ease that pain. A warm bath, a comfortable blanket... but first she should look into finding some light.

...

To say something is very wrong would be an understatement. Ransacked rooms, dark corridors, and an utter absence of other people. It's like... everyone left in a hurry, but there's no sign of what drove them away.

But there's something starting to fill that void.

She shields her candle, watching a deer walk past the corridor she's in, hoping to not spook it. She'd never seen animals on the grounds like this, there really must be no one else around if the animals are willing to come this close to the building...

Once she's sure the coast is clear, she scurries towards the next corner, hoping the next corner doesn't hide some kind of...

...monster?

Wait, isn't this--

[plotbunnyarchive]

Gilded Cage

Part 1 here

The sky had always been just a void. A vast darkness above the city's lights, occasionally with a star, or more likely satellite, shining down. Stars had always been something you see on TV...

...was there always so many stars?

She'd woken up on the front stairs of the villa she'd once ruled with an iron fist, and the first thing she saw was the sky. One part of her had a starless sky, the other only ever looked down upon the world. Such a sight... she could stare forever... if her stomach wasn't aching. Hunger.

Well, she's pretty much given up at this point, but if this was hunger then starving to death was starting to sound a bit unappealing. Reluctantly, she sits up, and looks around. The building's lights are all but out, having had no one to light them. At the gate, a pair of guards, seemingly unaware that she was awake. With a sigh, she pulls herself to her feet, staggering slightly after sleeping on such a hard surface.

Back to the kitchen again.

...

She's never seen the halls so dark. Someone, a servant probably, lights them when she isn't paying attention to the time. She wonders... if they took pride in that work? It doesn't matter now, they're gone now.

From the corridor facing the gardens, she can still see the sky. Its funny, in the other world they needed millions of lights to see the world, but here the moon and stars provided more than enough to see the world...

...and the wolves.

Oh.

A pack in the garden... she has no recollection of tame wolves being kept, which meant these must have come in when they felt the absence of people. Strange, she thought it would take much longer than a day for nature to move in, but perhaps they are not so thinly populated in this world. And... her isolating nature meant she kept others at bay, even taking up residence further from the major cities.

Funny, she isn't even scared. She sees the pack, and they see her. She'd probably have screamed, in either life, before this day. But at this point, she couldn't even care, she wasn't sure if they could even hurt her, seeing as a steel spear broke on contact. Maybe the wolves feel that too? They aren't preparing to attack her, but they also aren't on guard. Maybe... they can tell she's broken?

Yeah... she's broken. The old self was broken long ago, in a never-ending corporate cycle that she kept up out of sheer habit. And the new self, broken by the loss of all she'd built up. Her servants, influence, probably even lands beyond this place were now gone. Vultures would have snapped them up the moment she'd been locked away. Either way, she wasn't about to bother the wolves if they were content to leave her alone. She shakes her head, and resumes her pace towards the kitchens.

...

Well, of course. Rats. They're here and there, emboldened by the absence of the kitchen staff and whatever cats they'd kept. She didn't have the motivation to chase them out, so for now she'll try to ignore them, she'll have to get used to them anyway. Her old self could cook, barely, enough to survive if the convenience store was out of instant fare. This new self barely even knew this room, a room for servants. Now she's taking a look around, as she looks for something the rodents haven't touched yet. In the corner there's a fancy tea set, surrounded by a few dead rodents, that catches her eye. It was the same set from the day before, when she'd lost consciousness... Oh, that makes sense. Poison. So that's... at least part of the reason why they were so afraid to see her up and about, other than the door and the broken spear and the weird language...

She laughs out loud a little, scattering some rats with the sound. Some echo of her broken pride, hollowly bouncing off the walls. Now feeling a little lighter, she gets to work grabbing food, and starts walking.

...

It's not that she's lost, she just doesn't know where to go. She could just go back to her room, but the contrasting preference for bedding has presented her with something of a Goldilocks scenario, where her own bed was now too soft, but her old bed would have been too hard. Maybe she'll try a servant's bed, or one of her children's? She's seen more animals around, some rabbits, some night birds, even a deer. There must be a few significant gaps in the mansion's walls and fences for this many to get through. Maybe some back gates were left open in the evacuation, or perhaps maintenance was left undone...

She rounds a corner, and she sees something perfect. A Gazebo in the garden, full of fine upholstery and a table. She could grab a blanket or two from a nearby room, and she'd sleep in one of the chairs with the stars in full view.

Once she's settled, she eats her meal, and curls up. In her past she'd never had time to reflect, and her new self never bothered. Now, with all the time in the world, she'd do just that. Just lay back, and think about the past, and the present, what if there was even the possibility of a future...

...oh damn it.

And she's up, seeking the privy. She knew where the big fancy ones were, but those were far away and she needed to go sooner rather than later. A servants quarters were nearby, so there was probably one there. She'd only be away from her comfy spot for a few minutes...

...

With that distraction out of the way, a night full of introspection and stargazing awaits! Clinging the blanket to her shoulders, she rounds the corner to where the Gazebo is, and find herself face to face... with another person. A very scared and confused looking servant girl, holding a candle.

Now that she wasn't alone, the world suddenly felt very small.

[plotbunnyarchive]

We built an Isekai!

How did it end up like this?

Commute... work... commute... sleep... commute... work... commute... sleep...

She'd always looked up to working adults.

Commute... work... commute... sleep... commute... work... commute... sleep...

To be a part of the great system.

Commute... work... commute... sleep... commute... work... commute... sleep...

That allowed her to have a good childhood.

Commute... work... commute... sleep... commute... work... commute... sleep...

How did it-- *SLAM*

...

..

.

She's gasping for air, her head feels like it's on fire. She's so close to throwing up- she can't stand. She's in some kind of garden, palace...? Is this her home? All around her, faces she doesn't know... no, she's starting to know them, as memories of two lives collide. They're staring, but none move towards her.

That's right, she's... a monster. She's always been strong in her own right, and she used her power and position to get what she wanted. She never had to work hard, not how she was before, but how she is now...? This is so confusing, two sets of memories fighting for dominance.

She's tired, she's strong, she's lost, she's hated, she's giving up, she's always gotten her way. She's alone, she's married, she's loveless, she has two children, her coworkers ignored her, her children hate her, she's-- unconscious.

...

..

.

She awakens in her bed, no one else is there to tend to her. The room is foreign, yet familiar, fine fabrics of red and gold. She's exhausted, but she finds no difficulty standing up. She's starving, there's no food left for her, but she still makes it to the door. She twists the handle... it snaps off in her hand. She tries to knock on the door, trying to call for help. Her voice is cracked and strained, too quiet to be heard, but her presence is made known... as the door is flung open with enough force to break it off its hinges.

A maid in the hall screams, and a guard comes running. She reaches towards them, trying to ask for help, but her voice just isn't working... no, it's working fine, it's the wrong language! Just as she tries to use the correct one, the guard thrusts his spear into her chest... and the tip breaks off against her skin, leaving her unscathed. The two flee, leaving her alone...

...

She can't find anyone anymore. She's wandering marble-laden halls, checking room to room for any sign of her servants... they are disloyal, they won't remain. Maybe her family... that has probably gone to live with a relative. She enters the kitchens... finally, food and water. But there is no staff, and she's not sure that she could convince them to return now. Eventually, this will all run out or rot, and she doesn't know how to grow her own food. You don't usually learn that in her past life's world, and she certainly didn't learn it in this one.

Eventually, she wanders out the front door, where she can see soldiers standing outside the gate, their spears pointed inwards. Walls once meant to protect, intended now as her cage. She... she feels like she could break them. But... she won't. With a heavy sigh, she sits down on the stairs, watching the horizon. A world of endless possibilities, but... she's tired. Her previous life is over, and this one is spiralling towards its own end. Will she starve to death eventually? Can she? Will someone come and kill her, for being a monster? Or will they just hope she stays and becomes forgotten?

Her body feels strong, like she could fight a mountain and win, but her heart is heavy, and her mind aches. Why is she here? What is god's plan? Is this punishment? Purgatory? Hell?

She lays down on the cold stone steps, staring up at the sky. She can't even bring herself to cry.

Part 2 here