Revisiting an old fanfic concept (Dark Kingdom vs. Death Busters)

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Nov 9, 2016
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#1
After all these years I'm still trying to get this idea off the ground, but I think I've got a decent plot down now. On top of always wanting to have the Dark Kingdom face off against the Death Buster, this particular plot, more I think about it, has a major crime/mob drama vibe to it, which I think would be really fun.


- Backstory -

By the time the Dark Kingdom first awakened on Earth, the Death Busters had already spent years underground, slowly amassing resources and conducting research. When Queen Beryl and her vassals first enacted their plans to siphon human energy, they needed a way to do so relatively discretely.

To this end, Professor Tomoe (i.e. Germatoid) approached Beryl with a business proposal. Using his vast conventional wealth, he would acquire real estate properties and "rent" them to Beryl's subordinates for them to enact their cover operations with minimal exposure. In exchange, his organization would receive regular payments in the form of a rare resource found only in the Dark Kingdom's alternate dimension, which would act as a vital catalyst and precursor for his biological experiments. The ultimate goal was to mitigate any interference with each other's own ambitions and avoid unnecessary strife between the two groups. A trade agreement was reached, and a deal was struck, for a time at least.


- Main Plot -

After the defeat of Beryl and her most elite vassals, what remained of the court began to splinter into several rogue factions, each vying to fill the massive power vacuum left in Beryl's wake. This, of course, meant many of them going against their arrangements with the Death Busters, assuming outright control over the disputed territories and assets.

Having lost his primary supply of precursor, on top of countless assets and territories from the constant raids, Professor Tomoe commissions the Witches 5 to develop a special task force to deal with their new rivals, reclaim their territories, and secure new operations. For the time being, the Dark Kingdom's factions are divided and weak, but as the civil war winds up and strong leaders emerge to shift the balance, they will begin to vassalize, reunite, and consolidate into ever greater threats. The Witches 5 and their task force must act fast yet cautiously in order to establish their dominance while deflecting the attention of worldwide authorities, as well as a certain band of sailor-suited heroines that are making themselves known once again...
 
Nov 9, 2016
74
103
165
#3
So, I could maybe use some guidance on something specific. I was trying to give a name to this "rare resource" that the Death Busters would be fighting over. I was thinking along the lines of a simple crystalline-type element, maybe even have it related to the Malefic Black Crystal.

In my efforts to flesh it out though, I first started researching how elements are named (primarily the suffixes -nium, -lium, etc.). For now, I'll stick with the name "Neganium," as a subtle nod to the Negaverse.

But then, further down the rabbit hole I go, I started researching the way crystals are actually formed, and whether its scientifically possible for certain things to occur as crystal (i.e. things such as, I dunno... Uranium). I'm starting to wonder if I'm way overthinking things here. Also, maybe someone here has some ideas they could share?
 

Nadia

Aurorae Lunares
Jun 30, 2010
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1,665
www.smcx.me
#4
So, I could maybe use some guidance on something specific. I was trying to give a name to this "rare resource" that the Death Busters would be fighting over. I was thinking along the lines of a simple crystalline-type element, maybe even have it related to the Malefic Black Crystal.

In my efforts to flesh it out though, I first started researching how elements are named (primarily the suffixes -nium, -lium, etc.). For now, I'll stick with the name "Neganium," as a subtle nod to the Negaverse.

But then, further down the rabbit hole I go, I started researching the way crystals are actually formed, and whether its scientifically possible for certain things to occur as crystal (i.e. things such as, I dunno... Uranium). I'm starting to wonder if I'm way overthinking things here. Also, maybe someone here has some ideas they could share?
The only thing I can think of is "Obsidian Ore" but that might be too generic and Google tells me World of Warcraft uses the term.
 
Nov 9, 2016
74
103
165
#5
Do you mean Obsidium Ore? Because yeah that's from WoW. And obsidian is, well... just cooled lava. Nothing really special about it.

Anyway, I think I've settled on Neganium for the name, for the time being at least. However, I also thought of the name Malevene, which sounds nice and strong, though the -vene suffix appears to be most commonly reserved for liquid or gaseous compounds.
 

Nadia

Aurorae Lunares
Jun 30, 2010
1,831
1,331
1,665
www.smcx.me
#6
Do you mean Obsidium Ore? Because yeah that's from WoW. And obsidian is, well... just cooled lava. Nothing really special about it.

Anyway, I think I've settled on Neganium for the name, for the time being at least. However, I also thought of the name Malevene, which sounds nice and strong, though the -vene suffix appears to be most commonly reserved for liquid or gaseous compounds.
I'm glad you settled on a name. I just wanted to clarify.

I did mean "Obsidian Ore." It's actually used in Fortnite. I misread the Google results.

"Obsidian" by dictionary definition refers to a form of volcanic glass, but as a word, it's often used as a purple prose stand-in for "black." Even though Obsidian is technically not a crystal, it can be seen as a valuable rock.

Of course, I can be biased when it comes that sort of thing.
 
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Nov 9, 2016
74
103
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#7
Well, in any case, been busy brainstorming things I thought would be interesting. Although, I might be running into the age-old issue of overthinking things that don't really matter much at the moment.

First dilemma is onboarding the audience with the villain protagonists. It's done before with characters like Tony Soprano, Walter White, and even the Joker, though none of them have had goals that involved planetary destruction. My idea is maybe focusing on Eudial and her endeavors and plights, while elements of the Dark Kingdom are gearing up for a whole new plot for world domination, on a scale that who pose a significant inconvenience for Professor Tomoe's plans. With this being the case, Tomoe threatens to defund and/or terminate Eudial's projects entirely (and by extension, affect all those who are invested in the projects). Basically, I'm trying to raise the overall stakes in a way that (while not necessarily that big a deal for Eudial or any of the Death Busters) are of significant concern as a general whole (i.e. to the readers), basically nudging the audience to side with the lesser of two evils.

As for the Dark Kingdom, I've been really toying with the idea of bringing Danburite from C:SV into the fray, as well as Jadeite returning from the eternal sleep, to each lead the two major rival factions. However, I'm wondering how much of Danburite's original manga backstory to retain, as my story takes place in the 90's anime, where all of the Shitennou were, as far as anyone can tell, always evil to begin with, as opposed to being corrupted/brainwashed soldiers under Endymion. I could simply keep him alive in this anime universe (i.e. never died in C:SV), but I had an interesting idea where he's "mysteriously" back from the dead, presenting a sort of mystery element, the answers to which reveal major repercussions later on (i.e. plot twist).

Going this route, there's the question of motivations. Jadeite's would be easy enough: he'd be seeking revenge against the Sailors. Danburite's conflicting motivation could probably revolve around an obsession with Sailor V/Venus, and wanting to have her for himself, which would put him at odds with Jadeite, who just wants them ALL wiped out. To this end (keeping with the high stakes I talked about earlier), Danburite seeks a power that would allow him to merge the Dark Kingdom realm with the human realm, ultimately leading to mass human annihilation, and coercing Venus to take his side as rulers of a now singular unified global society. A little cliche, yeah. However, this whole idea ends up being a cause for concern for the Death Busters, who will soon need humanity around for farming of the pure heart crystals they'll need for their own plans, and so set out to shut down the Dark Kingdom altogether.
 

Nadia

Aurorae Lunares
Jun 30, 2010
1,831
1,331
1,665
www.smcx.me
#8
Well, in any case, been busy brainstorming things I thought would be interesting. Although, I might be running into the age-old issue of overthinking things that don't really matter much at the moment.
As someone with this habit, I agree with you. I have whole Sailor Moon fanfic universes I had to give up on largely because I would never have time to write them all. You're long past the point where you need to start writing.

First dilemma is onboarding the audience with the villain protagonists. It's done before with characters like Tony Soprano, Walter White, and even the Joker, though none of them have had goals that involved planetary destruction. My idea is maybe focusing on Eudial and her endeavors and plights, while elements of the Dark Kingdom are gearing up for a whole new plot for world domination, on a scale that who pose a significant inconvenience for Professor Tomoe's plans. With this being the case, Tomoe threatens to defund and/or terminate Eudial's projects entirely (and by extension, affect all those who are invested in the projects). Basically, I'm trying to raise the overall stakes in a way that (while not necessarily that big a deal for Eudial or any of the Death Busters) are of significant concern as a general whole (i.e. to the readers), basically nudging the audience to side with the lesser of two evils.
Don't underestimate your audience. Fanfic assumes the audience is familiar with the canon material, and most of the readers are going to be savvy enough to see what you're trying to do. You sound as though you have a firm direction and setup, Just write.

As for the Dark Kingdom, I've been really toying with the idea of bringing Danburite from C:SV into the fray, as well as Jadeite returning from the eternal sleep, to each lead the two major rival factions. However, I'm wondering how much of Danburite's original manga backstory to retain, as my story takes place in the 90's anime, where all of the Shitennou were, as far as anyone can tell, always evil to begin with, as opposed to being corrupted/brainwashed soldiers under Endymion. I could simply keep him alive in this anime universe (i.e. never died in C:SV), but I had an interesting idea where he's "mysteriously" back from the dead, presenting a sort of mystery element, the answers to which reveal major repercussions later on (i.e. plot twist).
Well, it seems like you have an idea. In my ideas for retrofitting Danburite into the old anime and reconciling the "corruption" aspect with the idea of inherently evil Shitennou, I had Adonis simply sealed away in the Dark Kingdom. Just like there were fallen soldiers from the Dark Kingdom who ended up reborn as human, there logically would be people who were still alive when Queen Serenity sent the souls to Earth. But that's just my take, which may be incompatible with the story you are building. There's also nothing preventing the Shittenou themselves from brainwashing or corrupting his reincarnation, especially when the Dark Kingdom did start transforming civilians towards the end of its run, and PGSM Kunzite was able to kidnap and brainwash a Sailor Soldier (as well as outright tried to turn another into a Youma...PGSM Kunzite actually had a brain). Either way, you don't have to to much to justify him being there.

Going this route, there's the question of motivations. Jadeite's would be easy enough: he'd be seeking revenge against the Sailors. Danburite's conflicting motivation could probably revolve around an obsession with Sailor V/Venus, and wanting to have her for himself, which would put him at odds with Jadeite, who just wants them ALL wiped out. To this end (keeping with the high stakes I talked about earlier), Danburite seeks a power that would allow him to merge the Dark Kingdom realm with the human realm, ultimately leading to mass human annihilation, and coercing Venus to take his side as rulers of a now singular unified global society. A little cliche, yeah. However, this whole idea ends up being a cause for concern for the Death Busters, who will soon need humanity around for farming of the pure heart crystals they'll need for their own plans, and so set out to shut down the Dark Kingdom altogether.
You've done enough planning. Just. Write. It.