#plot bunnies

[lannamichaels]

Why is this so tempting.

Adopting a metafictional framing device whereby the narrative is periodically interrupted by found-document-style transcripts of interviews with selected major characters, in such a way that it takes you several chapters to realise I'm doing the literary fiction equivalent of a fanfic author talking to the characters in the chapter notes.

[starcurtain]

More Phaidei Fics I Want to Read (Part 3)

1. The Hades and Persephone AU but with a twist: Phainon is the lord of the afterlife (Aedes Elysiae is the literal Elysian Fields) but mostly by accident, because Cyrene just didn't want the job and up and went off adventuring(?) one day. Really, Phainon's not suited to ruling the Underworld at all; he's got a terribly soft heart, and half the time when people beg to be sent back to life, he can't find it in him to say no. But then there's Mydei, the guy who won't stop dying, despite the fact that the glaring "death day countdown clock" in his life's record keeps telling Phainon it's not yet Mydei's time. Mydei keeps insisting that death is where he should be, to reunite with his mother and friends, but as sweet as that is (and as much as Phainon would like to keep seeing him!), letting people out of the Underworld is one thing--but letting someone in early? Big no-no. Yet, no matter how many times Phainon sends him back to life, Mydei keeps finding new ways to die, and when one of the wandering souls from the River finally lets slip that eating the pomegranates of the Underworld can bind you to the afterlife forever... Well, Phainon's about to find out just how determined Mydei can be.

2. The mostly angst one: After Mydei leaves Okhema, Phainon does his best to keep his promise and take over Mydei's role looking out for the Kremnoan people. It's not easy, especially with Krateros lurking over his shoulder like the world's most unpleasable father-in-law guard dog--or with Okhema's prejudice. Was it really this bad all along? The more Phainon struggles to help the Kremnoans and to learn their ways, the more he realizes just how much Mydei was truly doing to protect his people all these years, sacrificing his time, his funds, and his own reputation to make sure all the others could get by. On every step of his journey with the Kremnoans, Phainon learns something new about the incredibly strong and giving person Mydei really was when the Chrysos Heirs weren't around to see it. Who could avoid falling even more love, with every kindness and grief revealed? They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but how can fondness endure when Phainon knows his heart won't ever come home? (Bonus points for Phainon even moving into Mydei's dwelling in the Kremnoan Enclave--for convenience, of course, and not because it makes it easier to dream that one day Mydei will walk back in the door. Right.)

3. The canon-divergent one: Everything else stays the same, but Mydei never left the Sea of Souls. Eurypon's plan to attack Okhema is thwarted by Aglaea and Tribbie alone, at great cost to civilian lives, and Phainon and Castorice arrive years later to a much subdued Holy City, barely able to ward their walls against Kremnos's repeated onslaughts. Willing to chase any rumor to find a tool that might help her defeat Eurypon and seize Nikador's coreflame, Aglaea sends Phainon on what seems like a wild goose chase: to track down the mysterious "King of the Sea" mentioned in hushed whispers among the merchant marine--and to determine if this mysterious being really is the long-lost prince of Castrum Kremnos. Finding this elusive "Sea King" is hard enough, but ascertaining his identity--in these conditions? Next to impossible. "Aglaea, he's growling at me. ...What do you mean 'That's better than what happened to the last person we sent'?!" (Otherwise known as: Phainon tames a wild Mydei with the power of love and this pomegranate juice he just found lol.)

4. A wholesome 5+1 fic where, shortly after meeting and befriending him, Phainon discovers that Mydei, despite being a crown prince, has led a very strict and harsh life and missed out on many experiences that are commonplace for "normal" young people in Amphoreus. He hasn't ever made a chimera meme or been to a theater production? Really? From racing dromases to trying on the newest Okheman fashions, Phainon becomes determined to help Mydei check off all his "firsts" and experience the joys that life in the Holy City has to offer. The +1 is something neither one of them has done: Going on what qualifies as an actual date date, of course. (But then... they were all dates, weren't they?)

5. The modern exchange student AU: To escape the pressures put on him by his miserable father, Mydei transfers to a college on the complete opposite side of the world. Unfortunately, in his haste to leave home, he might have neglected to take several important considerations into account, not the least of which is the massive language barrier. A fish out of water, with no idea how to fit in to his new school or even make himself understood, Mydei needs all the help he can get--and thankfully, Okhema's golden boy Phainon is happy to be of service. What starts as an odd friendship quickly turns into something more, but just when Mydei is thinking he's found where he wants to spend the rest of his life, his father catches wind of his new relationship and demands Mydei return home to Kremnos immediately. If they don't want to be parted for good, Phainon's got to find a way to keep Mydei with him--no matter what Eurypon, Eurypon's money, or Eurypon's army of bodyguards have to say about it.

6. The ghost AU: When Phainon posted on social media about his tragic "missed connection" with a man wearing... some kind of... revealing armor (a costume?) at the local library, he really didn't expect the first reply to be "Oh, you saw the ghost!" But further trips to the library prove that internet rumors can sometimes, beyond all belief, be true--the main branch library of New Okhema really is haunted, by the most beautiful and difficult man--uh... being?--that Phainon has ever met. "Mydei" doesn't remember his past or how he came to be stuck in the library, but he doesn't seem to be in any particular rush to move on. For Phainon, who's really been in need of a new friend lately, this works out great... Until it doesn't, until he falls in love with a person he can't touch and can't free, someone who was already gone long before Phainon ever lived. (The inevitable twist, of course, is that Mydei isn't actually a ghost but just trapped intangibly between timelines in Amphoreus's timey-wimey cycle-y weirdness. By finally finding and working through his lost memories, he discovers this secret--and, with Phainon's help, manages to literally break into the better timeline for good.)

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Fever Whump Details

Being just as — if not more — uncomfortable closing their eyes and resting as they are keeping them open; because every time they close their eyes, they get caught in a never-ending loop of thought that is just incomprehensible enough to manifest itself as a brightly-colored whirlwind behind their eyes that is more of a bad trip than a fever dream.

Being unable to breathe through their nose forces them to breathe through their mouth, which leads to their becoming severely dehydrated, which leads to feeling nauseous and like their heart is moving their entire body with every beat.

Not being able to talk, but having just enough energy to periodically swear under their breath and say “oh god”

Not being sure if they have a stiff neck from the fever itself, or from pretzeling themselves into uncomfortable positions because of the discomfort

Regretting their life decisions

Feeling like their eyes are getting cooked in their skull because they’re so hot

Knowing they need to spread out their limbs and cool off; but being unable to get their body to stop shoving their hands down their pants or into their armpits to seek warmth

Still being painfully thirsty no matter how much water they drink

Getting nauseous from drinking water

Chugging apple cider vinegar water to get rid of the flu and then having the most awful acid reflux an hour or two later

Having a scabbed over wound that didn’t faze them at all when they received it; but now that they’re sick, makes them gag to look at it

[sequinsandfins]

Oscar loves watching lawn mowing videos.

Carlos overhears him say he loves edging, and he can’t get the thought out of his mind until he has Oscar laid out beneath him and begging.

Oscar loves watching lawn mowing videos and he does like watching the edging… he just needed some plausible deniability in his attempt to push Carlos into making a move.

He finally confesses after six months together, crying into the bedsheets, desperate to come after Carlos has brought him to the edge four times in the last two hours.

Carlos kisses him softly, thanking him for the truth but doesn’t let him find release for another hour.

[ithiliensmenagerie]

If Arthur found and adopted Aithusa

It sounds a bit ooc, but I can't get the idea out of my head of Arthur finding a small Aithusa sonewhere, bonding with her - one dragon to another - and deciding to keep her. She might be magic, but she's also a dragon, and basically the symbol of his family and country, after all. And he desperately tries to keep her secret from Merlin, who is very suspicious what is going on now and who's trying to kill Arthur now...

[i-will-write]

I don't have the mental space or energy for writing, but the ideas are percolating and one day they will bubble over and spill out on the paper and then you'll all see!!

[art-deco-shrimp]

As long as I'm on a "Fixing things for Shen Jiu" kick...

AU where, for one reason or another, Airplane gets it into his head to go save Shen Jiu while Yue Qingyuan is locked in the Ling Xi caves.

Why does he do it? IDK. A couple of possibilities:

Not-yet-Peak-Lord Shang Qinghua accidentally bonds with YQY against his own better judgement and decides he's going to save SJ so YQY won't be unhappy, System be damned

SQH overhears YQY screaming about needing to save Xiao Jiu as he's being dragged to the Ling Xi caves and feels guilty enough to do something about it

All of the not-yet-Peak-Lords get together to bond and bemoan their workloads at some point, probably over pilfered booze, a tidbit about YQY's backstory comes out, SQH lets slip that he might know where SJ is and how to get him after YQY passes out from exhaustion or alcohol, the other not-yet-Peak-Lords bully him into take them with him to save SJ, since YQY is about to be sent to the caves for training

Shen Yuan somehow transmigrates into one of the unnamed soon-to-be-Peak-Lords, finds out that SQH is Airplane, and bullies Airplane into helping him save SJ on the basis that, if the scum villain doesn't have the chance to become such an asshole himself, he'll be less of an asshole to LBH

Some combination of the above???

I have no idea how or even if this would work out in the timeline, I was just amused by the mental image of SQH going, "Fuck fuck fuck fuck, now I have to go save SJ so YQY won't be sad/Cucumber doesn't murder me, god dammit," and then going into hyper competent spy-and-logistics-master mode about it to bring down the Qiu family/expose Qiu Jianluo/etc. When he/they finally break SJ out, he says that he heard about SJ from YQY, but YQY is currently locked up, so SQH (and company?) decided to go save SJ on his behalf, and/or that YQY asked (begged) them to save SJ for him if he couldn't get out on time. Or something. Just, the idea that YQY didn't forget him and did save him, albeit indirectly.

I just think he might actually be a fun addition to the Peak Lords if he were a normal asshole instead of a horribly abusive asshole.

[esperata]

* don't include plots noted down for later, just those which actively spawn new dialogue etc in your brain while you're not even paying attention

[virgil-anon]

there are two wolves inside me one is incessantly chasing plot bunnies no matter how much the other wolf is desperately trying to finish my wips nobody wins and im sobbing on the floor

[halsinsnaturepocket]

I just think Karlach deserves to be worshipped and ruthlessly fucked by Halsin.

If anyone can take his cock like a champ it's her. He wouldn't have to worry too much about being gentle because Karlach is much less likely to snap like a twig if he gets too rough (and she would probably love it)

Halsin would end up with more claw marks than she would by the end of the night.

Consider:

> karlach being told she's beautiful, halsin worshipping every ridge, mark, curve, and scar on ner body. He's delighted to see her flames turn blue

>karlach running her hands all over Halsin, finally she can TOUCH someone and there is SO MUCH of him to explore

>Karlach standing against a tree, her nails scratching and clawing at its bark while Halsin eats her out

>Karlach moaning loudly, not caring who hears. She's just SO into it all and her reactions drive Halsin *wild*

>Karlach on top of halsin, riding his cock, matching his energy and force

> halsin taking her from behind, his hands grasping at the ground beneath her to gain some traction as she bucks her hips into every one of this thrusts

> lots of biting and scratching

> halsin being strong enough to effortlessly pick her up and fuck her standing up

> so. Much. Aftercare. They are disgusting, sweaty, covered in dirt and grass and leaves and sweat and various fluids when they're done. Halsin actually spent and out of breath when they're through. Both of them have come multiple times.

>A very satisfying bath in a cool stream together afterwards.

I just think Halsin would be a perfect "lover to get lost in until sunrise" for her and she deserves it.

Just pure, rough, primal sex

[starcurtain]

hi, me again. so like. i have NO idea how to write omegaverse. like yeah, i definitely was the beta reader for a 165k word omegaverse fic in a fandom that shall not be named, but. i?? how does one even BEGIN

(sincerely, sweating nervously)

Cryinggggg--I wrote like a massive response to this and then my cat jumped on the keyboard and closed the tab. Sorry if this response is not as great as it could have been. RIP my 1500 words. 😭 But trying to rewrite the original response:

I wish I could tell you, but... This is probably a bad time to confess that every fic I've ever written barely rises above the level of gen fic... because I'm super ace. Like, I can think up romance plots, but can I actually write them? PROBABLY NOT. 😂

However, if this is about the omegaverse plot in the Phaidei fic posts, I can share some other thoughts I had about that prompt, and maybe some of this will help you?

I think my key idea for this fic was that it focuses most on Mydei's issues with his body, and how he struggles because the way he looks externally just does not match who he is internally. Like yes, he values the physical strength and dominating presence because they help him keep command of the Kremnoan army and garner his people's respect, but... the whole thing is based on a lie. He's not the overpowering alpha they think he is, and honestly, he doesn't even want to be. He can't abandon rulership and leave his people to fend for themselves, so he has to keep his true identity as an omega secret, but if he had a choice, he would never choose to be this "strange" half-and-half existence. Why can't he just have been born like everyone else? Hell, even though Kremnos treats their male omegas terribly, it still might have been better to have born actually looking like a delicate omega than to be just... stuck between the two.

The point of the fic, obviously, is Mydei coming to accept himself as he is and recognizing that he is worthy of love, even if he doesn't fit his own culture's definition of "acceptable." But the problem is that he's spent so long living the lie that he's internalized it: Mydei is convinced that no one will ever want someone as "incomplete" as him. He's never let himself even consider the dream of having a mate, because how could he ever find someone willing to both keep his secret and accept a mate who doesn't fit anyone's standard for "normal"?

Meanwhile, poor Phainon is down bad. He thinks Mydei is also an alpha like him, but even if alpha-alpha partnerships are frowned on in Okhema, he doesn't care in the slightest. He would want Mydei with any secondary gender, in any form. He just wants Mydei, no matter what. The only thing holding Phainon back is his own anxiety: Sure he doesn't care about being with another alpha, but would Mydei care? Would Mydei think he's strange and reject him outright? Would it make things terribly awkward between them and damage their mission with the Chrysos Heirs? Would Mydei refuse to even look at him if he knew Phainon's interests would persist no matter what their current society defines as right or wrong?

Mydei, on the other hand, is SUFFERING™. He's an unmated omega with a clingy, unclaimed alpha around him at all times, one who has no boundaries about personal space and scenting because he thinks Mydei is another alpha. It is driving Mydei insane. Mydei can barely spend time with Phainon in the weeks leading up to his heats because Phainon keeps bringing on the symptoms early. (Stupid Deliverer, this is all your fault...) It's the worst thing ever because that's him. That's the best damn alpha Mydei is ever going to meet, the only person he's ever encountered that he could actually imagine being mates with, and Mydei's body is just... useless. Unappealing to an actual alpha. Socially unacceptable. Mydei is in love and also miserable.

(Basically, the feelings are very mutual but social pressure is making them both hesitate and think there isn't any way they can be together. Phainon just doesn't know the truth or realize Mydei's feelings, but even if Mydei knows they'd technically match, Phainon is Okhema's golden boy "Deliverer." Choosing someone who looks like another alpha, and is even Kremnoan on top of that, would only ruin his reputation.)

Maybe if anyone in this universe was capable of communicating, they wouldn't have such a hard time. 😂

Some other smaller things I was thinking of too:

Mydei being super good with kids and imagining himself having his own, but thinking something like that is out of his reach. The angst is real.

Mydei also super soft on Tribbie. He knows they're not actual children, but tell that to his instincts, because the message is not getting through.

Phainon totally misunderstanding Mydei's flat-out refusal to be naked with him in the bath. Yikes, Mydei won't even bathe with another alpha? He definitely isn't interested in me. T_T

Castorice being able to somehow magically sense people's secondary genders (I don't know how, Thanatos bullshit go~!), so she actually knows Mydei is an omega but she has no idea what to do with that information because clearly he's keeping it a secret? She's trying so hard to be supportive and to give Phainon and Mydei the encouragement they need, but ugh, these boys are so stupid.

Aglaea is a girlbossing alpha in the background. She doesn't actually know Mydei isn't an alpha, but she's suspicious, because Phainon is always accidentally challenging her authority while Mydei, despite looking like the most powerful alpha in the room, is strangely content to let her lead.

Kremnoan female omegas are as tough or tougher than the alphas of other societies, so the "normal" relationship in Kremnos is an alpha of any gender with a female omega. On the other hand, male omegas from Kremnos are super rare and tend to look very delicate; because they're unsuited for war, they basically get no respect in Kremnoan society. If Mydei revealed that he was an omega, the Kremnoans would definitely strip him of his authority. He's worried that they'll make the wrong choices if he does that, so he has to keep his secret or risk harm to his people.

I think this would have to be a world where betas either don't exist or are so rare that they don't even figure into the equation, because if Mydei could just pass himself off as a beta, that would kind of defeat the plot. 😂

Phew, I think that kind of covers what I originally typed. T_T Obviously you wouldn't have to use any of this, but I hope maybe this might give you an idea or two to help start?

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Caretaker Details

Nodding off while keeping a bedside vigil and eventually passing out cold, slumped over with their head on the mattress

Scrubbing blood out from under their fingernails and washing their clothes with peroxide after stopping a big bleed

Achy hands from suturing

Caretaker’s fight or flight response and wild expression last a long time after they’ve saved Whumpee and now everyone’s worried about them. Caretaker is made to sit down, drink water, and take deep breaths until they’ve calmed down.

The internal battle of “Should I say this to them or will it make their condition worse?”

Instinctively shielding or lightly caressing the injured part of Whumpee’s body after Whumper hurt them. Yes this is about the end of All the Little Animals. Yes it’s another John Hurt movie. Go watch it. Right now. He breaks his ribs and punctures a lung. Yes I’m frothing at the mouth as I write this

Trying to look calm for Whumpee’s sake, despite being terrified

Intently studying Whumpee’s face when Whumpee is hiding their injury from Caretaker (and failing miserably).

Shaky hands trying to suture a wound

Or, conversely, unnaturally steady hands to juxtapose the chaos happening under them

Caretaker who has to hide that they took care of Whumpee and all the angst that comes with it

The pain of having to bite back tears when they know Whumpee is worse off than they assured them they were

Being unaware of everything going on around them while helping Whumpee

Blacking out and not remembering anything of the caretaking process at all after the fact

[sequinsandfins]

Little Maxiel plot bunny chirping in my ear at the moment… this ISN’T all I’ve written so far…

It had been a joke.

Daniel had been slightly tipsy, mourning the end of another failed relationship, when he’d turned to Max, who was swaying slightly, eyes glassy.

“Marry me.”

His words had been slurred, mashed together so it sounded more like ‘merrme’. Max had just stared blankly at him, so Daniel tried again. “I’m serious mate. If I’m forty and single, and you’re single. Let’s get married.”

Max laughed, the sound dancing pleasantly into Daniel’s ears and he replied. “Yes, of course Daniel.”

.

The next morning, Daniel only barely remembers the question. The memory causes a flush of embarrassment as he admits the truth of that old adage, drunk words are sober thoughts.

Max doesn’t bring it up again. Daniel doesn��t either. He tells himself he’s relieved he doesn’t have to revisit that particular moment of weakness. He tells himself he’s not disappointed.

[briliantlymad]

If obiwan time travelled he'd definitely save quigons life, make sure maul stays dead this time around and be like actually quiggy was right imma train anakin better this time around. Which essentially means he's a boy mom but worse.

He's going overboard with praise, he's arranging playdates with other kids from the creche and socialising his little eldritch entity. There's a lot of talk about "don't hide things from me anakin I'm here to help but also I don't think my heart could take it the second time around if you pulled away from me"

"Second time around?"

"Nevermind that"

When they get assigned to protect padmè again, obiwan is like a hawk. He's sticking around this time he's not about to leave these two alone. Which frankly backfires cus anidala are falling in love with each other anyway but also going crazy over obiwan since all three of them are spending so much time together.

AniDala giggling twirling their hair gossiping in that meadow scene only it's about how dashing obiwan was when he saved her planet or how obiwan is so good to anakin and how anakin purposefully loses some of their duels just so he can get obiwan holding him down and they're both losing their minds when obiwan thwarts another Assasination attempt.

Meanwhile obi is losing his marbles trying to sort out the clone army and jango and ensuring that geonosis doesn't happen this time around.

[generalluxun]

Some Post-Movie brainstorming for Baby and Romance Saja

I originally dumped this in a community, not realizing it would be be easy to reblog to my own blog to keep track of, so reposting it here!

Since I'm HCing they both survived the conflict and are stuck on the human ide of the Honmoon right now.

First I thought it would be good to encapsulate their inner-demon thought, the one that made them fall, like we see with Jinu/Bobby/Mira/Zoey.

For Romance: the first person he ever gave his heart to made him work for it. He spent himself poor, wrote amateurish poetry, pined all night just to receive a moment of their time, but when the money ran dry he found they had been seeing someone else the whole time and left him in the dust.

'You'll never find your way into someone's heart. Everyone lies. I can help you win any heart you want though...'

And from then on it was true. Romance could have the heart of any he desired, but one part of Gwi ma's words rang true. Everyone lied. He could strip away their defenses with sweet words but that just revealed them all the sooner. He had a horde of a thousand hearts, not one of which brought him joy.

For Baby: Son of a court advisor, he loved stories. He would badger his tutors for them. He would sneak off to listen to the beggars swapping tales in the streets. When he was old enough he began to weave his own tales for his own audiences, acting out the parts and voices. His family did not approve.

'Grow up! Your childish ways will get you nowhere in this world!'

It wasn't Gwi Ma's voice, it was his own father's, often accompanied with a caning. Yet, even when his father was away those words would ring in Baby's ears. Untill one day they were followed by a new set of words.

'We can show them who's the child."

For what are stories but gentle lies? Someone well versed with gentle lies can spin powerful cruel ones too. With the sweet face of a child he could beguile the weak and powerful alike. The first to fall was his own father but he didn't stop there...

So the setup for now:

These two are lost and a bit spooked. With the new Homoon in place they can't get back and their powers are significantly reduced.

Romance thinks they should go see Mira the hunters, something was up with Jinu right? They can help, maybe? In reality he's completely smitten(he never looked away from her once during the signing) In a dozen lifetimes he's never met someone so completely... Honest.

Baby's more cynical. He has them running a small potatoes gang to make ends meet, and is just trying to survive. Romance's simping is obviously a fools errand. Only children believe in things like that, and he's not a child.

Mira/Romance Zoey/Baby interactions are the name of the game, with the platonic to romantic sliders still in flux. Can Romance learn to believe people can be real? Can Baby learn to embrace the long faded colors that used to run free in his head?

Thank you for coming to my braindump.