Brainstorming, Plot Ideas, and Story Help
Quote from The Gestalt Prince on December 17, 2023, 1:51 pmHe might just be a Sherlock Holmes type, who solves whatever type of crime as long as it's a challenge
Sorry I never responded to this!
Yes. Can you tell I was on an Arthur Conan Doyle binge when I posted that idea, LOL? I've since finished a biography of the man which was EXCELLENT (minus some small editing mistakes, LOL).
The problem is, will the villain always be Voldemort, LOL?
Hi there everyone.
So I've been brainstorming this plotbunny for awhile, but have now just gotten the inspiration to start working on it. I'm still working out the logistics of it, but it's a Snily AU of "The Phantom of the Opera." It would be following the 2004 Andrew Lloyd Webber movie and it's somewhat sequel "Love Never Dies."
So far I've thought up Severus as the Phantom and Lily as Christine of course. I also have McGonagall as Madam Giry and James as Raoul (but no way would I be making him childhood friends with Lily as Christine and Raoul are supposed to be in the movie. That role still belongs to Sev.) I still need to figure out the other characters, or if I'll be adding any HP elements into it, and some other logistics.
I'd appreciate any help or suggestions with it. It's my first time writing an AU like this (taking characters from one world and putting them into the role of characters from another world,) but I blame Phantom of the Opera for continuing to give me Snily vibes.) Thanks!
Quote from TimeLadyJamie on January 19, 2024, 3:02 amHi there everyone.
So I've been brainstorming this plotbunny for awhile, but have now just gotten the inspiration to start working on it. I'm still working out the logistics of it, but it's a Snily AU of "The Phantom of the Opera." It would be following the 2004 Andrew Lloyd Webber movie and it's somewhat sequel "Love Never Dies."
So far I've thought up Severus as the Phantom and Lily as Christine of course. I also have McGonagall as Madam Giry and James as Raoul (but no way would I be making him childhood friends with Lily as Christine and Raoul are supposed to be in the movie. That role still belongs to Sev.) I still need to figure out the other characters, or if I'll be adding any HP elements into it, and some other logistics.
I'd appreciate any help or suggestions with it. It's my first time writing an AU like this (taking characters from one world and putting them into the role of characters from another world,) but I blame Phantom of the Opera for continuing to give me Snily vibes.) Thanks!
What's the overall idea you have for Severus's and Lily's first meeting and upbringing? In Phantom, iirc, it's mainly to do with the Phantom singing to Christine from a distance. Does something similar happen?
Quote from The Gestalt Prince on January 19, 2024, 3:14 amQuote from TimeLadyJamie on January 19, 2024, 3:02 amHi there everyone.
So I've been brainstorming this plotbunny for awhile, but have now just gotten the inspiration to start working on it. I'm still working out the logistics of it, but it's a Snily AU of "The Phantom of the Opera." It would be following the 2004 Andrew Lloyd Webber movie and it's somewhat sequel "Love Never Dies."
So far I've thought up Severus as the Phantom and Lily as Christine of course. I also have McGonagall as Madam Giry and James as Raoul (but no way would I be making him childhood friends with Lily as Christine and Raoul are supposed to be in the movie. That role still belongs to Sev.) I still need to figure out the other characters, or if I'll be adding any HP elements into it, and some other logistics.
I'd appreciate any help or suggestions with it. It's my first time writing an AU like this (taking characters from one world and putting them into the role of characters from another world,) but I blame Phantom of the Opera for continuing to give me Snily vibes.) Thanks!
What's the overall idea you have for Severus's and Lily's first meeting and upbringing? In Phantom, iirc, it's mainly to do with the Phantom singing to Christine from a distance. Does something similar happen?
I'd say that yes, something similar happens, just to stick with the theme of it. And since it would be following into "Love Never Dies" after, the Phantom wouldn't die at the end. He continues to live on too.
However, I am wondering if I should add some slight HP elements into it too like having it revealed to be that Severus/Phantom is revealed to be her childhood friend instead of James/Raoul because their meeting happened so long ago when they were children. She met two different boys that day, but only one made a special impact on her. She only meets up with James/Raoul later in adulthood, but accidentally mistakes him for that boy because their parents Lily and James in an arranged marriage. She would later find out through her lessons and interacts with Severus/Phantom at the end that he is that boy, not James/Raoul.
And to follow with the 2004/Love Never Dies takes, Severus/Phantom's deformity wouldn't be so gruesome and probably on only one side of his face.
Quote from TimeLadyJamie on January 19, 2024, 1:41 pmQuote from The Gestalt Prince on January 19, 2024, 3:14 amQuote from TimeLadyJamie on January 19, 2024, 3:02 amHi there everyone.
So I've been brainstorming this plotbunny for awhile, but have now just gotten the inspiration to start working on it. I'm still working out the logistics of it, but it's a Snily AU of "The Phantom of the Opera." It would be following the 2004 Andrew Lloyd Webber movie and it's somewhat sequel "Love Never Dies."
So far I've thought up Severus as the Phantom and Lily as Christine of course. I also have McGonagall as Madam Giry and James as Raoul (but no way would I be making him childhood friends with Lily as Christine and Raoul are supposed to be in the movie. That role still belongs to Sev.) I still need to figure out the other characters, or if I'll be adding any HP elements into it, and some other logistics.
I'd appreciate any help or suggestions with it. It's my first time writing an AU like this (taking characters from one world and putting them into the role of characters from another world,) but I blame Phantom of the Opera for continuing to give me Snily vibes.) Thanks!
What's the overall idea you have for Severus's and Lily's first meeting and upbringing? In Phantom, iirc, it's mainly to do with the Phantom singing to Christine from a distance. Does something similar happen?
I'd say that yes, something similar happens, just to stick with the theme of it. And since it would be following into "Love Never Dies" after, the Phantom wouldn't die at the end. He continues to live on too.
However, I am wondering if I should add some slight HP elements into it too like having it revealed to be that Severus/Phantom is revealed to be her childhood friend instead of James/Raoul because their meeting happened so long ago when they were children. She met two different boys that day, but only one made a special impact on her. She only meets up with James/Raoul later in adulthood, but accidentally mistakes him for that boy because their parents Lily and James in an arranged marriage. She would later find out through her lessons and interacts with Severus/Phantom at the end that he is that boy, not James/Raoul.
And to follow with the 2004/Love Never Dies takes, Severus/Phantom's deformity wouldn't be so gruesome and probably on only one side of his face.
And since I have completely forgotten the plot of The Phantom of the Opera despite seeing the animated version years ago, what will happen when she finds Severus?
I've personally always loved the idea of Snape having a little friend to confide in. Someone who he doesn't show extensive details with other than having "late nights" or "bad thoughts".
Typically I run these scenarios through my head a few times over or get help from AI to flesh out ideas.
One that I absolutely loved was the main character (would probably be an OC) is actually the heir of Slytherin, not Voldemort. The relation would be that OC would be Salazar Slytherin's grandchild as true immortality was only known and given to those who proved themselves to wield it, so either mom or dad would be centuries old. They would be born tied to a prophecy that was hidden in the deepest parts of the archives that ONLY Unspeakables are aware of and most are unaware of it anyway. The prophecy would go something like...
"In the shadows of the false heir, the true heir will ring true when the bell tolls, pulled by the hand of the one who died for love."
OC would come into Hogwarts as a first year, but at an advanced age (between 17 and 25 years old). They would be very academically advanced due to learning under their parents.
Snape would take great interest in this person and they would slowly pick their way through his icy, overly defined walls until the dam finally breaks.
Other One-Shots could be;
- Voldemort subjects Snape to twisted forms of sexual abuse and whoever finds him ends up helping him recover through the trauma.
- Post-War, Snape survives the ordeal in the Shrieking Shack/Boat House and moves on to create a new life, separated from the wizarding world, but then another world ending threat forces him out of hiding.
I dunno, I have a LOT of ideas, but I don't wanna make a wall post T.T
... So, I've talked at length about the association I have between Severus Snape's story and the song from Steven Universe called "It's Over Isn't It", and now I want to do something with that... I initially thought of maybe a simple songfic, but now I'm thinking of maybe a whole series based around Steven Universe, but shaped to fit lore... or maybe a GemAU...? Not entirely sure... I might do all of them to be honest... though with the Gem AU, I don't want to really make James alive in the story, nor do I want to change the personalities... Oh! I just thought of something! So, in the Steven Universe story, the Gems try desperately to stay out of the humans' lives, for reasons that make sense in the universe... I could see maybe... hm... I don't know someone suggests that Harry go live with relatives... hm... I guess that'd make Lily the 'Greg' in the relationship, and James the Gem... maybe in this version, rather than gems being all female presenting, they could be male presenting? Though killing gems is a very difficulty thing... you'd have to shatter their gem... hm... in Steven Universe, there are these gems called the Diamonds, who are basically the ultimate gems and are the ones to create other gems... It's possible... I mean it's later revealed that Rose Quartz, Steven's mother, is actually Pink Diamond... it's possible... I mean, I don't think that Dumbledore would be a good fit as a Diamond with what I have in store, so maybe Voldemort is the only Diamond, and shortly after Harry is born, Voldemort somehow finds James and shatters him... Voldemort also seems like a good fit for White Diamond, though more ruthless... this... this might work... though... I don't know how to keep the other gems I have in mind alive... maybe they are hidden and James said he's the only one to survive the blast... keeping hidden both the other gems and the corrupted gems... leading to James being the only one to be shattered.
So I guess in this AU, Snape would be Pearl... hm... maybe Dumbledore could actually be Garnet?... Sirius could be... maybe Amethyst... hm... but wait... that leaves out Remus... maybe Sirius and Remus are Garnet?... but then who would be Amethyst... Maybe Peter Pettigrew? Though that might be a bit hard... not to mention Peter doesn't really fit Amethyst, Sirius fits Amethyst... and Dumbledore fits Garnet to some extent... and I really don't think I'd want Remus to be a fusion with Dumbledore... Oh! But Peter Pettigrew is a good stand in for Peridot... maybe Remus is Lapis? ... that might work... but... then who would be Jasper? I don't know that there's really a bad-- OH! FENRIR GREYBACK! Okay... that works... though... I wonder what the Dumbledore fusion would be... I mean the obvious answer might be Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald... but that doesn't fit too well considering how terrible Grindelwald is... though... actually, that might still work... I mean Gridelwald could be Ruby, and Dumbledore could be Sapphire... I mean, while Grindelwald is truly a horrible person, the idea of him maybe mellowing out through Dumbledore...
Wait... who would be Hagrid...? Maybe Snape will take the place of the one to find and bring back Harry... Or the Dumbledore fusion...
Now then... I'm curious who would be Connie... in the Steven Universe... well... universe, Connie, while seeming to be crushing on Steven, and Steven returning those feelings, they never actually end up together. So I'm a bit confused on if I should put Ginny as Connie, or Hermione as Connie. There's also the option of putting Ron as Lars and Hermione as Sadie... I mean, while Lars and Sadie are shipped by Steven, they don't end up together, not really fitting as a couple. The only time they try to get together is when they believe they're stranded on an island with possibly no way back to the mainland. They do share feelings for each other, but they ultimately don't end up together...
Oh! Steven and Connie are actually hinted at being together at the end of Steven Universe Future! Which solidifies Ginny as Connie.
... hm... Harry and Ginny have children... I wonder how that'd work with Harry being a Human Gem hybrid... the show never goes into it, neither do the creators... though they've said that Rose Quartz absolutely could've had a completely normal human child, however she wanted the child to be half gem. I don't know exactly how a human child would've worked... some say it would've been a clone of Greg, but I don't know. There's also the fact that Steven's powers include healing powers through spit and tears, and even bring the dead back to life with it. Some have speculated that that could mean that if Steven were to try to reproduce, there's a possibility that his healing powers would fill in the blanks of DNA since his DNA is a bit weird... some have even said that because of this, his child would essentially be genetically his father's child as well... not many people are sure how his healing powers would affect the child. There's also the fact that Steven's mother had to give up her gem in order for Steven to be born. Some aren't sure how that'd work out with Steven being the father. I might just come up with my own fanon that says that they're like Lars, who died and was brought back t0 life by Steven's tears, but 100% human beyond that, using a sort of pseudo DNA based on Steven rather than using purely his human DNA which came from Steven's father.
Now there's also the fact that Steven and Connie fuse... and their name is Stevonnie... I mean I could just use the ship name "Hinny," though the name is a bit awkward. Not to mention it seems a bit... feminine, and in the show Stevonnie is considered non-binary or gender neutral, going with the pronouns They/Them. So maybe I'll go with "Garry"... oof that seems like a lame name, though it fits better, since, despite the fusion between Steven and Connie being gender neutral, their name is feminine. Which would mean that it'd make sense that, with gems presenting as male, a more masculine name might be used for a Gem-Human hybrid and human fusion...
Oh... I just realized that, based on the description of how Rose created Steven, it's very possible that procreation between a female human and a male gem, in a universe where gems are male presenting, that Harry would be completely human... hm... I mean I could make it to where James somehow transfers his gem to Harry at the point of conception leading to James ceasing to exist, which would negate the need for Voldemort to shatter James... there are other theories that it's possible for a baby between a human and a human gem hybrid would generate their own gem... which might lead to Harry having his own gem rather than his father passing one on...
If I were to go with that, I could make Dumbledore a Diamond rather than a gem fusion. Which would then leave out Garnet though... Oh, maybe Hagrid? Hm... no that doesn't really work with how Garnet is... Oh! McGonagall!
Okay, so-- oh, but McGonagall is female presenting isn't she? I mean, I could make her male presenting. Or I could go with Arthur Weasley... basically I want a gem based on a character that is a sort of parental figure to Harry, though Snape is not entirely a parental figure... I guess Snape does still protect Harry, and though it seems he doesn't really love Harry, at least in the books, it seems he does care for Harry in the movies at the very least...
I think I'll go with a male presenting McGonagall, maybe an effeminate male in the way Jasper is very masculine in Steven Universe, but still very much a female presenting Gem.
I think I'll also have Dumbledore as Yellow Diamond. While he's not as... rough in the way he acts, and while he could probably be Blue Diamond, or even a fusion between them, I think Yellow Diamond is the closest as he's not as devastated about the death of James as Blue is about Pink's death. I mean, I could make him a fusion, but there's not really a precedent for a Diamond-Diamond fusion. There's Diamond-Gem fusion, but all the Diamonds never fuse, or rather none of the Diamonds ever fuse with another Diamond. Though there's the possibility of a Green Diamond, they are formed with a radioactive material is found around a Diamond. I don't know how I feel about that. Maybe I'll just... Hm... maybe Voldemort is White and Dumbledore is a new character all together, in this case, Green Diamond. And while he's not a fusion of Yellow and Blue, his personality is one that might resemble a fusion between the two. It'd also kind of make sense that White Diamond and Green Diamond are the only Diamonds, as, while Dumbledore is not one to really one to find people lower than him, he does have a sort of leadership and people have said he looks at people like pawns... which I guess is a bit like looking down on them... Anyway, I could totally see White Diamond deeming Green Diamond the only other Diamond needed, as a Diamond formed with radiation would be quite powerful and close enough to perfection, due to that power, to keep around. As for why James, a Pink Diamond, was formed, it's very much likely that Green Diamond/Dumbledore, begged White Diamond/Voldemort, to make another diamond, which lead to the creation of James/Pink Diamond. Maybe Green Diamond/Dumbledore knows James/Pink Diamond is alive, but doesn't tell White Diamond/Voldemort about it, feeling pink Diamond was stifled under White Diamond/Voldemort, and wanting James/Pink Diamond to live a better life... or maybe lets James/Pink Diamond live among the humans as a sort of lesson...
Sorry if this is long and isn't really asking for help... it just kind of helps to type it out as if I'm talking to someone... though I guess I'm not really talking to someone so much as talking at them.
Also, sorry for basically bringing up "It's Over Isn't It" in, I think every one of my posts on here. It's something that I really fixate on when talking about Snape, the way the song fits him so well... anyway, sorry for bringing it up so often.
Edit: Oh shoot, I left out who would make up the McGonagall fusion... if anyone has any ideas, let me know. I know it might be hard if no one is familiar with the Steven Universe show, but maybe, if you look up Garnet and Ruby and Sapphire you can come up with something. You could also maybe make Ruby and Sapphire new characters all together... I mean there's the possibility of Sapphire being Trelawney, given her seer status, but who knows.
HELLO!
I hope everyone is enjoying the last legs of August. If not, well, I hope September brings better tidings to you! I'm currently in the progress of trying to characterize Voldemort, prior to his resurrection and during Severus' school years/young adulthood. In short, I just want to make sure it makes sense chronologically and canonically. It'll be the usual, a young dejected Severus with terrible self-reflection skills gets seduced by the promises of the Dark Lord and and his death eaters.
I imagine this incarnation of Voldemort to be a handsome, older gentleman (he should be around 40 years old or so I think in the 1970s), with dark brown hair and some streaks of gray. Chronologically, in regards to the official lore, would he be marred by experiments/effects of extended us of the dark arts? Since pure-blood society is depicted as conceited and overly opulent, I would think appearance would be important to them all. For someone campaigning essentially, Voldemort would be aware of that; to gain some level of influence on them all. Perhaps, already marred by the effects of his pursuit of power and knowledge, he would have tried to correct (in some aspects over correct, like bad plastic surgery) his features. What does everyone think?
As for his personality, I imagine him to be very agreeable and witty. A master of deception and persuasion. While I'm sure he used brute force to display his prowess, I find it hard to believe he garnered a large following through that. The madness and megalomania he seems to have, once he's back from the dead, might be an effect of horcruxes. To fully convince Severus, and other young followers, I could see him practically grooming them with praise, sympathy, acknowledgement, and promises. Essentially, he's modelling them and training them personally (if they're talented enough) into a tool/weapon.
Does that seem reasonable for the political landscape of magical Great Britain during the 1970s?
Voldemort's agreeableness appears to match his description particularly during the Sixth book, where he had garnered a large number of admirers. I think it would work better for characterisation too, showing how he slowly deluded his followers into committing obscene crimes using magic. Good luck with writing!
HELLO!
Dear friends, fiends, fae, franks, and freds!
I hope everyone is having a fine September! As we're entering the spookiest of months, I've hit quit an inspirational home run for my little project. Once more, I have come here with my proverbial tail between my legs about characterizing people in the Harry Potter fandom. This is not usually a huge player so to speak in most fanfictions regarding Severus; it's Bellatrix Lestrange.
Now regarding her, we've only seen her post crazy prison torture time so she's...utterly batty. That being said, I've always imagined her to be a bit of a wild child in her younger years anyway. Not, I'm-going-to-marry-a-muggle-and-abandon-the-traditionalist-mindset-I-was-raised-with like her sister but, she is one of the few women who became an active death eater. I think what would best fit her as a young woman is, mischievous, like she will mess with you for fun. She thrives off the attention and the reaction of others, somewhat like a narcissist, but she runs on her own agenda when she can or deems it fitting for herself. To summarize, she's like a particularly naughty cat. She'll hunt and play with her prey, not because she's hungry but because she finds it fun. Bellatrix will keep you alive as long as she can while making your life the worst she can, because it's fun. She won't listen most of the time and she'll do things on her own time, unless it's that one person, in this case it's Voldemort.
How this pertains in my story is, well, I'm trying to depict Severus the Younger as someone who follows others because they gave him some attention and recognized his talents/his individuality. To him, they gave him what the boy (well, teenager really) thought he deserved and craved most in his short life. Voldemort will groom him but, not like a predator (that kind of predator). Severus will become a weapon, an asset he can depend on in terms of capability and loyalty. Bellatrix will be his primary antagonizer while he's under the death eater banner, she'll be that kind of predator. She will mock him, tease him, inconvenience him because he's of lower status and he's the new guy. He'll also become Voldemort's mentee in some aspects, which automatically put him on most people's shit list. Bellatrix will eventually give him small bits of attention here and there, challenging him to impress her. At first, Severus just wants to prove her wrong but he'll get tangled up in her web. She'll end up using him, abusing him, and for a lack of a better term, fuck him up. Severus' first "relationship", if you can call it that, will be an abusive one...unfortunately like his mother before him.
It won't be all doom and gloom though! He'll have a healing arc in his adult years (we are in the "The Boy" arc right now). In the "The Man" he'll have many health relationships, and MANY honest conversations.
Anyway, does that sound reasonable? I know there's some creative leeway but is this not too far a of a stretch for Bellatrix?
