Notebook: Short Ideas
There may be potential story spoilers in this article!
This is essentially a public notebook. I would have liked to make my World Anvil notebook public, but I don't think you can, so we have this.
Mistaken Identity Plot Device
Someone who looks like Vexx has been tarnishing his name through his villainous actions. The real Vexx isn't actually a villain and is currently being held captive or something.
Had this idea at 1am after reading about some well known plot devices, but with a unique twist on them. One was about the Mistaken Identity plot device, but the character did it intentionally or whatever. An example was given from Wang Xingyue's The Double, wherein the protagonist takes on a dead friend’s identity in order to avenge her family.— 10/20/2024
City with narrow sidewalks
*Cities have large sidewalks to accommodate people walking with their dragons.
One city our characters visit doesn't, and their dragon gets upset they can't see the city and has to stay behind at the courtyard area or whatever. "I know you want to explore the city, but their sidewalks are too narrow for all of us."
*dragon pouts or something, then spreads its wings
"You really want to fly around those tall buildings? It's like the sea stacks back at home, and you know how well that went.."
*dragon whines or something
One city our characters visit doesn't, and their dragon gets upset they can't see the city and has to stay behind at the courtyard area or whatever. "I know you want to explore the city, but their sidewalks are too narrow for all of us."
*dragon pouts or something, then spreads its wings
"You really want to fly around those tall buildings? It's like the sea stacks back at home, and you know how well that went.."
*dragon whines or something
idk some random thing that came to be at 2am— 09/10/2024
Vexx's Backstory?
Vexx was actually the human villain during the Draconian War, but afterward, he went into hiding and changed his name. After 100 years, he's causing trouble again.
Someone makes a remark at some point on how hard it is to kill Vexx; he just won’t die no matter how many battles and fights he gets in. He makes a joke; “If you find away, tell me. I’ve been trying for a long time.” He's been trying to get the amberstone again, not for evil purposes or whatever like what everyone thinks, but he believes it's the key that will finally let him die and move on. He's either some kind of spirit thing (which ties into a summer camp wave 3 prompt), or is cursed or whatever idk.
This would work for several prompts: making Vexx an "evil spirit" or whatever, the Amberstone as a relic, possibly can create a myth/legend that people believe to be true, maybe some document that the Dragonbane Order holds dear but others question its origins.. I could get a few prompts out of this.
idk if I really want to go this route with stuff. It feels like its too "magic-y" or something, and I don't really want to go that route. More on Substack post— 07/14/2024
Crystal Tea
Water from the Glistening Meadows hot springs is used in making some kind of tea.
Have to let the tea steep for long enough to prevent the drink from crystallizing as you drink it. Or something idk. Allows safe consumption of the water at a drinkable temperature.
— 06/26/2024
Crystalline Dragonkin
Crystalline Dragonkin (Dragon? Drake? Wyvern?) eggs have crystals on it, not initially though (for obvious reasons). This dragonkin lays its eggs in the Glistening Meadows where the minerals in the air (or maybe in the hot spings? idk) deposits into the egg. Because of the warm environment, the egg does not necessarily need to be tended to, and the crystals on the egg shell protect the egg from predators.
Subsequently, the dragonkin will constantly dip whatever crystal part growing on them (nose / horns / head / tail) into hot springs or something to keep depositing minerals to repair the crystal.
— 06/26/2024
Sabretail has a sibling?
Sabretail has a brother / sibling? Maybe it's Vailstrym? I was thinking Vailstrym, Sabretail, and Airigold were all the same species.
Edit: Can't be Vailstrym because secret reasons...
— 05/30/2024
Hallard and Vexx
Hallard Null and Vexx are brothers maybe?
Idk, seems a bit of a cliche thing or sets stuff up for cliche stuff. Founder of the Dragonguard Alliance has a brother who's a villain or turned at some point or something? Eh idk, I kinda felt like Vexx doesn't have family members in such important positions. Despite all this, it does provide some story opportunities though.— 05/16/2024
Truth about Vexx?
Maybe Vexx is not really the "bad guy" per say, because he's being forced or threatened to do said things. Or maybe he's joined forces with a cult, but then realizes they're a bit too unhinged for him or whatever, but what choice does he have at that point? This is not revealed until much later in the story.
— 05/11/2024
Vexx escapes from Dragonguard prison
Vexx is eventually captured, even though he's labeled as "enemy of mankind". Hostis humani generis
Dragonguard captures him and he argues or something, leading one of them to say; "hey, we're doing you a favor here. You're an enemy of mankind, so anyone is allowed to just kill you. We're just capturing you, you still get to be alive."
He responds, "[so you're just abducting me now?] And live out my life rotting in a cell? I'd rather die."
One responds, "that can be arranged. We can let Rayhaven's Board of Directors publicly announce your capture and the council will probably sentence you to death anyway. Or we can persuade the Board to keep you in a cell instead."
Everyone else wanted him dead, but Rayhaven wont hand him over, saying he's in their possession, as it was Rayhaven's Dragonguard that captured him and brought him there, and/or that he was within their jurisdiction or whatever, so they have control over whether or not to hand him over.
Ultimately he's put in jail, and stays there for a long time, but eventually finds a way to escape. When he escapes, the public say that the Dragonguard should have just killed him at the time instead.
— 05/03/2024
Weird silky plant
Some plant that breaks easily or just secretes some weird liquid on it's stems that when agiated, or comes into contact with air or something, creates silk. People who walk through the forest with these will just be covered in silk afterwards.
Thought of this idea when I saw "Ancestor Silk" plant in ESO.
— 05/03/2024
Dragon scale shield
A shield that is one large dragon scale (possibly from an ancient?)
— 05/02/2024
Dragonguard fails to capture Vexx
Vexx is from Ardenfell by the way, so the dragonguard of Ardenfell / whatever country sets out to capture the villain. Kind of like how NATO is contracted by the UN to capture or kill some terrorist leader.
Vexx escapes the initial capturing attempt, and our protagonists come back to Rayhaven empty handed. Vexx is now a stateless person (Either he renounced it, or it was Denaturalization from the state) (Maybe he was stateless before this point, maybe not idk) (Maybe a nation or whoever declares him as "Hostis humani generis", enemy of mankind. Don't know if we still use this term today, it was used for pirates long ago)
The news of the failure reaches the public at some point or whatever. Some citizen makes a comment and Azier, or someone from the dragonguard goes off on them. Someone else, maybe a higher ranking person, steps in to calm Azier or whoever down, saying to not lash out like that because it damages the overall image of the dragonguard or something.
Was randomly thinking about this one night and relating it to how NATO works and what not, trying to think of some similar way the dragonguard would work. Then thought of the news press thing of telling the public about the failure and the citizen not really knowing how it went down or anything about the event, but still making a rude remark towards the dragonguard. Ungrateful bastard..— 04/16/2024
Epic Fight Scene
While some battle is happening (Maybe during the Battle of Rayhaven?), some epic scene plays out:
A Dragon Defender is flying towards enemy, they leap from theirs and onto the enemy's dragon, stabbing the guy when he lands. The enemy dragon sees this and immediately rolls / stalls so they start falling. However, the dragon was too late on this as the enemy already got stabbed. They are now in a free fall, and the defender deploys his wing suit or whatever and glides away, meeting up with his dragon. The enemy dragon notcied this, get annoyed and goes after the defender. Since the defender had to glide downwards after free falling to get back onto their dragon, they are lower than the enemy dragon, so the enemy divebombs them to try and knock them out of the sky or something. However, the enemy dragon is interruped as another Dragon Defender shoots at him from a distance.
then something else happens idk yet.
Randomly thought of this while waiting for a WorldAnvil livestream to start, and they had some epic music playing.— 04/05/2024
Sabretail's Claustrophobic? - A fun little random scene
Sabretail enters kitchen (like a line cook styled one), Zella is talking with someone, she then turns around to see Sabretail just sitting there sticking his tounge out a bit. She yells at him to get out and he starts to turn around in the tight space. Zella stops him and says "You are not turning around in here, just back up."
Sabretail doesn't really understand and still tries to trun around, but Zella stops him and tries to guide him out. He starts to back up while Zella is holding his head, as hes backing into things. "To the right, bend your tail- no the other way, my right, your left. Go that way" Zella says to Sabretail as he backs up into the wall, clearly uncomfortable and confused with this whole ordeal.
Sabretail gets his tail and back half through the doorway, but his wings get caught on the frame. Sabretail starts to get a little panicky as Zella tries to push his wings in more. She says to him, "Well if you're claustrophobic, then you shouldn't have come in here then!"
He finally pulls out through the narrow doorway, and Zella sternly tells him to say. He has a sad guilty type look, like when a dog knows its done something it shouldn't have. He lets out a little whine, circles around in a spot and lies down as Zella goes back inside to finish talking with whoever.
I don't know, I was taking a nap in the middle of the day one time and this randomly played out in my head. Thought it was funny.— 04/04/2024
Unlikely hero
Random citizen (a grocery stocker or something) saves a Defender or a dragon or something, and the person says they would make a good Defender. He isn't sure about that though. Person says anyone can be anything if you put your mind to it. Citizen joins and becomes the unsuspecting hero.
> Reference to Nulcheck being able to make this great worldbuilding thing, while currently being a stocker.
— 03/30/2024
Insurrection
Jan 6th Insurrection happens somewhere in this realm, maybe at Rayhaven?
— 03/30/2024
Sabretail's Fin Blades
Sabretail's fin blades are actually black - maybe a black steel was used, or it's Damascus steel or something? Thought the color scheme would look neat
— 03/30/2024
Dragon Nip
Dragon Nip or something like catnip for dragons. Dragon Defenders use some to train their dragons to be able to perform tasks while under the influence essentially, so that enemies can't use it against them. Kinda like the training to do with with K9 police dogs.
Edit:
Drake's Nectar
Scalegrass — 03/30/2024
Drake's Nectar
Scalegrass — 03/30/2024
Hunter observes dragonkin helping each other
Hunter can't figure out why they aren't trapping anything. Decides to hide near one to see what's going on.
Drake gets stuck in trap. Dragon comes along because it hears the commotion. They look at each other, then the dragon opens the trap and frees the drake. They do a little fist bump and move on.
Hunter just sits there stunned, not even mad, just impressed. And has no idea how to make a dragon proof trap.
Thought of this while hearing a raccoon getting trapped in my backyard, but also kinda sounded like a squirrel? idk. The little scenario that first played out in my head was the raccoon looks at the trapped squirrel, just kind of helpless, and whether or not the racoon even really comprehends what's going on, is where this whole scene started from.— 03/29/2024
Shorter Ideas
Just some very short ideas that don't have enough to be on the main page. More of just references I want to use and stuff.
Boeing whistleblower assassinations reference
Wake and Bake - THC iced coffee
Global Liberation Alliance - GLA from Command & Conquer
Drunk discount sale - Jones' big ass truck rental
Quotes
"You think your weapons hurt me? They just piss me off more"
- Ed while playing destiny 2 "Hunting dragons like they're some kind of sky-whale"
- Dirge from ESO "You haven't seen the last of me!"
"You're right, the last I'll see of you will be lowering your casket/body into the ground"
- Me thinking this while on the toilet one day
Quotes
"You think your weapons hurt me? They just piss me off more"
- Ed while playing destiny 2 "Hunting dragons like they're some kind of sky-whale"
- Dirge from ESO "You haven't seen the last of me!"
"You're right, the last I'll see of you will be lowering your casket/body into the ground"
- Me thinking this while on the toilet one day
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