I guess this thread could be considered a variation of the Plot Bunny Thread because I would love to read your ideas, but more importantly, I would like to hear your thoughts.

This is only my opinion, but I think it's shared by a few people.

The big popular franchises like Harry Potter and Naruto are incredibly stale because more often than not things have been done before.

The canon main character has been put through every possible scenario just to create a plot.

So why not use an OC or maybe even a very minor canon character to explore the world in a natural and believable way? Let the character deal with the consequences of the main character's actions or let him have his own unique adventures fitting his background and situation.

There are so many OC stories where the character almost immediately attaches himself to the canon cast and starts to fix canon problems.

Why are there not more OC stories with an honest effort to create a unique adventure?

Idea 1:

Idea 2:

The protagonist is the son of a talented up-and-coming Grindelwald supporter, his grandfather even was part of Grindelwald's inner circle.

The war is lost, Grindelwald defeated, and Grindelwald's many many victims are out for blood. They are unrelenting, supporters are hunted and killed, the international community turns a blind eye towards it.

The protagonist is hidden by his parents in a rural, almost medieval-looking village hidden deep in the alps. A village under fidelius-charm, where german pure-bloods and later Grindelwald's supporter banished their squibs to.

Unbeknownst to the protagonist, his parents get killed on the run and a friend of his father, who is also on the run, takes it upon himself to prepare and teach him for the future as much as he can.

Because...Durmstrang is safe...except for the other students.

The protagonist admires Grindelwald and his family for their skills, but he doesn't support their views given that he basically grew up surrounded by squibs, who are like family to him.

Santi created the perfect Durmstrang, which to this day is my head-canon.

The protagonist is the same age as Krum and truly enjoys magic, but like Harry in Santi's story he is forced to adapt and learn questionable things just to protect himself from other students.

Then comes the Tri-Wizard tournament and the chance to explore Great Britain. The greatest magical government and possibly the only safe place for him after school.


Idea 3: (Naruto)

A Suna-shinobi that ends up fighting in the 2nd War and has to face the likes of the White Fang, the Sannin, and Hanzo.

Idea 4: (MCU)

The apprentice of the librarian, that gets beheaded in Doctor Strange, gets relieved of his duty by Wong. Aimless except for a thirst for revenge regarding Kaecilius he somehow ends up as a vigilante.

Idea 5: (MCU)

One of the Extremis soldiers in Iron Man 3 survives the big final showdown and is on the run.


I have been trying to write stories, that are "off the beaten path" myself, but they are riddled with issues and I honestly just would love to see someone truly talented do something unique.

 

The Hobbit.

 

Should have seen that one coming.

 

A plot bunny that I plan to write sometime in the future, once my existing stories are a bit further along, would probably qualify here.

In Percy Jackson, there're mortals that can see through the Mist and interact with the supernatural world. There is nothing else special about them beyond their Clear Sight; they're just normal, average people that can see a little more of how their world really is. I want to write a story following an OC who is one of these.

It's not very fleshed out yet because I've not done a hard plot outline, but the basic premise is something like this:

The protagonist is an orphan living in an orphanage in his early/mid-teens. His only strong connection is with a fellow orphan, a girl that was dropped off there shortly after him and with whom he grew up. She turns out to be a demigod, a daughter of one of the least consequential Olympians (Hermes is the plan as his children are the most unassuming, though I haven't ruled out Appolo as a possibility). Basically, she's a powerful enough demigod to attract monsters and be in danger, but also not powerful enough to have any of the truly flashy abilities. She hits the age when monsters begin to sense her and is forced to leave the orphanage and go on the run. The MC, determined to keep her safe, comes too, saying he'll help however he can. The bulk of the story will be the adventures and trials the two are put through as they fight to stay alive however possible.

The MC has no godly parent. He has none of the ingrained battle reflexes of demigods, nor even their ability to read Ancient Greek. Hell, he can't even hold Celestial Bronze weapons, what are by far the easiest way to vaporize monsters, because the metal passes straight through mortals on impact. The only advantages he has are that monsters don't expect him to be a threat, and that they can't find him by his smell the way they can with demigods.

The plan is for this to be grittier and darker than canon. These aren't characters who can beat a god 1-on-1 a few weeks after discovering myths are real. They'll have to grind, scrape, and think their way out of situations to have a chance. Not to mention how much scarier the world becomes when even the weakest monsters become a serious threat. Forget Drakons when even a Dracanae has a better-than-50% chance of running you through.

 

I like this; it would have to have taken place a good bit before the canon; I understand that Percy making the Olympians promise to recognize their children had an actual effect. One of the things you could do with the girl is make her the child of a minor god like Hypno, because they were literally never recognized, and it would give us a chance to use unconventional abilities.

 

Making the girl a child of a minor god was actually something I'd thought about a lot, because just like you said it adds another layer with how minor gods are treated. The reason I was still planning on using an Olympian was mostly down to not being sure if a minor gods child would be enough to attract monsters. In The Lightning Thief Annabath says that "If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter you're probably not a real powerful force" and that that means "the monsters might ignore you." In context, she's saying they only need a few months at camp to be safe, but I kind of figured that if even the weaker children of Olympians may be ignored then very few monsters must go after the children of truly minor gods.

That said, I don't think anyone would really cry if I said "Fuck it, minor god kids attract monsters too" and wrote it that way. Plus, using a minor god actually gives me two interesting options. 1. I use a cool one without much attention in cannon, like Tyche goddess of luck or Eris goddess of Strife, and get to think of cool abilities to go with it. Or 2. I pull one of the utterly inconsequential gods, like Aristaeus, god of beekeepers, cheesemakers, and rural crafts, and give her basically no special abilities. The first option probably makes the most sense though, because with the second she and the MC will effectively occupy the same role. Both options, though, sound more interesting than just inserting yet another Hermes kid. Canon had enough of those.

 

If I had to pick I would go with a cool one that could be used in unique ways, while still not a powerhouse.

 

It's harder to get attached to pure OCs (as opposed to OCs named Harry Potter, which we are already attached to), that's why I guess they don't work so well as main characters. We just don't care what happens to them, whereas we are invested in the story of Harry Potter. I also disagree that everything that can be done with Harry's character was already done - at least, not well done.

That said, I'm definitely up to reading an original story in the HP universe.