Here is where I will post the stories that pop into my head and demand to be written. Probably none of these will make it very far. Please plagiarize and steal all you want, I don't care what you do with these. They're up for grabs. But link me to the story if you decide to write it, because I want to see where people take my ideas.
The Crow- A Harry Potter, Beka Cooper series (by Tamora Pierce) crossover. Need not have read Terrier or Bloodhound, though it helps.
A little boy, just five years old, lay in the frees-cut grass of a back yard. The house, looking exactly the same as all the others on the street, was dark. The doors were, locked, and he kept out. He hadn't finished cutting the grass and raking the grass clippings from the yard in time to get in before his relatives closed up. He suspected they'd gone to bed early just so that he would have to spend the night outside.
But he didn't mind really. The night was comfortably warm, the lush grass soft, and the sky was so clear he could see every single star. This was even better than sleeping in his cupboard. He squinted, tilted his head. No, those five stars still didn't look like anything. Whichever astronomer had come up with these constellations had obviously been flying high as a kite, he decided.
As he watched, all five of those stars he was thinking of flickered. That might not be anything unusual, except that they all did it at once, vanishing just long enough for him to perceive it, before reappearing. Strange.
The sound of grass being crushed under something's weight made him look to his left. A small cat, entirely black save for it's glowing purple eyes, approached at a leisurely pace. It stepped nimbly up to sit comfortably on his chest, tail wrapping around to cover it's neatly place front paws. It made such a prim figure that he knew this was no ordinary cat.
"Hello," He said.
Hello, child. It said. He heard a meow, but it was quickly translated into speech in his head. Somehow, he was not surprised to find that this cat talked. I am here to take you away, should you want it.
He considered it. "Where would we go?"
To a place very, very far away. And then, when you're ready, to a place that is between here and there.
"Will I be happier there?"
That depends on you, child. The cat said, wisely. I think you will be very sad at times, and life will be hard and you will wish I had never come to you. But there may also be times when you are far happier, far more fulfilled, than you could ever be here.
"Will it be hard?"
Always. And always, it will be worth it.
"Then I'll go with you, Mr Cat." He said.
The cat nodded, and then lowered its head until its amethyst purple eyes took up the boy's entire vision. He felt like he was falling into them, spiraling down and down and down....
He woke to find in blank, black space. He felt like maybe this was what it was like to be blind, except that he had no other senses, either. He panicked, depraved of everything that connected him to something else. The instinctual fear of being absolutely, undeniably and completely alone overwhelmed and consumed his mind. Terror raced and built up inside of him, nearly frowning out the voice that called in his mind.
Human child! Enough! It commanded him. You are not alone! We are here, if you would seek us out.
He managed to calm down enough to reach towards the voice, the only other thing besides himself in this vast nothing. He latched onto something that was warm and kind and wise
I am sorry, child. I had forgotten that the star's domain is not meant for humans.
Take me back! He says. I want to go back! Life was never so terrifying with his relatives. He could stand to live with them, if only to never feel so alone again.
There is no turning back now, child. You may only go forward.
I'm scared. He whispers.
You are human. But you don't have to be.
What?
I realize now that humans cannot survive here. Your kind are social creatures, unable to function efficiently in solitude. But you cannot leave here; you are not yet ready.
So?
Patience, child! Time means nothing here. I was getting to my point. So, we can make you...different. Like us, but not. And we would return you to normal when you left.
Who is 'we'?
Myself, and the other constellations.
And I... would become like you?
Yes. The Crow constellation has chosen to move on, to die, and nothing has filled it's place. The God it used to serve, Kyprioth, is the Trickster God and even gods become lonely.
I would be the new Crow? He sounded pleased with the idea.
You would, until I think you are ready to join the Mortal Realm.
Is that where we just were?
No. Your home is called the Human Realm. The Mortal Realm is between the God's Realm, which is where all gods and Immortals reside, and the Human Realm. It protects them from each other. And right now we are in the Star Realm, where the constellations live and watch over all three realms. We help to keep order by advising the creatures of each. And there is the Peaceful Realm, where Everyone and everything goes when it moves on. What is there and what is beyond is a mystery whose answer is known only by the Death God.
I never knew things were so complicated. He said, in awe. And I would get to be like you.
Yes. I will teach you our ways, if you choose to become one of us.
I will. I want to be like you, Mr Cat.
He got the impression the cat was smiling. In the Mortal Realm, I am currently known as Pounce. It offered.
Do you know my name, Pounce? The boy asked hopefully.
No, and I cannot give you one. Names that are Star-given or God-given have far too much power over the ones they are given to. You shall have to wait until you go to the Mortal Realm, where you may be given a Human-name.
Okay. He sounded saddened. Can I be a constellation now?
It may hurt. Ponce warned, before the little boy felt like he was on fire, and once again he fell into the void.
The next time the boy awoke, it was to the same dark nothingness. Except that now it didn't feel so empty; he could feel others, almost like seeing them, because he knew they were there, but only one sense told him so. One felt like Pounce, but that was the only familiar one.
Welcome back, child. Pounce said.
Pounce? Did it work? the boy asked, unsure. He didn't feel much different.
Yes. You are the Crow constellation now. These are the others. Pounce told him. They want to meet a son of the Banished Gods. And one that I have taken in.
What?
Long ago, there were eighteen gods who chose to break our every rule and interfere with the other realms directly. The remaining gods gathered all of their power and were able to banish them to the Human Realm, stripped of their powers. No one could have guessed that they would be so human as to love mortals, and have children with them. Their children retained many of the god's powers, and over time their number has grown great. In the Human Realm, there is an entire society held secret from non-magic people. You are part of this society of 'wizards' and 'witches', and you are powerful by their standards. Their magic has evolved over time into something completely different from that of the original gods.
So, the weird things that happen sometimes are my fault?
Somewhat. Those powers are beyond your control and will be for years yet, so right now your magic is tied into your subconscious, where it will come should you ever need it. Becoming a constellation has changed your magic, perhaps permanently.
And they want to meet me, because of my great-great-great-great-great-great--
Yes. Pounce cut him off.
Are they nice? The boy asked in a small voice.
Some can be very childish, some very cunning. And some are kind and good. We are as varied as humans, child, and you would do well not to form prejudices.
What kind of constellation are you, Pounce? He asked.
Pounce thought it was good that the boy was coming out of his shell enough to question things that should be questioned. I am one of the oldest, one of the wisest. I am respected by most, and keep order among us. I also like to think I am fair and just in the way I deal with things.
The boy smiled, though he had no body with which to do it. I think you're nice, Pounce. I want to meet the others, too.
Pounce smiled sadly at the child. He would learn, in time, that no constellation was nice.
One of the other beings stepped up and introduced itself as the Dog, currently known in the Mortal Realm as Fang and in service to Mithros. His parting comment worried the boy: I hope to see what it was that made the Cat choose you, child.
Did these beings expect things from him? What would happen if he couldn't do what they wanted? Would they send him back? Already, he felt more at home here than he ever had at his relatives'. He dreaded the time when he would fail them, because he knew that day would come. He wasn't good enough for any of this, he didn't deserve any of this. He would disappoint Pounce and be sent back to his relatives and how could he have ever thought he could have something this good--
Child! Pounce shouted. Calm yourself! We would not expect you to do anything you are not able to, and if there is something you cannot do then we will teach you how. We are not cruel, and we will not cause you harm.
The child nodded, quiet.
There are others who wish to meet the new Crow.
He turned his attention to the next constellation to approach. There were many others, and introductions would take a long time.
You have now met our kindred, child. What do you think of them? Pounce asked.
They all seem okay. I like the Rat, he seems funny. And the Hyena was very... interesting.
Pounce gave a small laugh. Yes, she is usually described that way. She is in the Crone's service, who doesn't get along very well with Kyprioth, the Trickster God and the one you serve. They are always arguing over domain.
What do you mean by service, Pounce? The boy asked. He thought of the services he had done for his relatives, cleaning and cooking and tending.
Nothing that you are thinking of, child. It means that you watch over that god, to make sure they do not step outside their bounds. You also help the god to accomplish things in the Mortal Realm, to watch over the god's Touched humans and help them complete their tasks. You are the god's companion and confidant.
That sounds... okay, I guess. The boy said, unsure.
I will teach you to do these things, and to use Star-magic, before you are brought to meet Kyprioth. I warn you, you must be willing to put up with his ways. He is sometimes childish, and he favors the Raka of the Copper Isles in the Mortal Realm. He enjoys thieving from the other gods and may even depend on you to cover his tracks. Usually, we constellations do not discuss our god's doings with each other, but if you ever need help, you are welcome to come to me. The work will be hard, but I promise you it will be worth it.
Alright, Pounce. Can we start now? The child said, excited. Hard work was something he knew, something he could do. He wasn't afraid anymore.
Yes, child. Let us begin.
The Crow learned quickly, though it was difficult to judge time in a Realm where it had no hold. He learned fast enough that the Cat was pleased with his progress, which was very fast indeed. Pounce was a demanding teacher. The boy enjoyed every moment of it.
The Cat showed him how to travel between Realms, by focusing his mind. And once there, how to form himself a body. He chose a cat's form, at first, because Pounce was right there for him to reference. The constellations had no way to use their power in their own realm, which was an endless void, and so had to go to one of the other realms in order to practice. The Crow found that he was just as immortal as any other constellation, and was able to shape shift, possess humans and creatures, and even influence minds. All were useful skills for a Trickster God's companion.
Once the Crow got a handle on his abilities, Pounce taught him the laws that the gods abide by. The boy learned them inside out and upside down, and all of the little loopholes his god was likely to exploit. His duty was to help Kyprioth as much as possible, and keep him in line. That meant being the deciding force on what was going too far, like locking away Mithros' companion constellation for a while (which Kyprioth had done. It was the final straw that led to the previous Crow deciding to move on to the Peaceful Realm). So the Crow had to know when to stop his god, and what was accepted as wiggle room where the law came into play.
Finally, it was time for him to meet the Trickster God.
From here I'll show the meeting with Kyprioth, who will say that he knew of the Crow's father's work in the Human Realm and that he thought it was good. I'll skip around their time together a little, about ten years, though Crow won't have aged physically when he returns to mortal form. While he is with Kyprioth he will help pull off several pranks on the other gods and develop a mischievous streak. He will also meet the Crone, think she's bat-shit crazy, and get along with her just fine. I envision his humanity bringing changes to the way constellations view the realms (as something to be interfered with only occasionally, and never to get attached to). And after all of this he leaves his position as the Crow, and is introduced to Beka by Pounce, who claims that Crow is his adopted son and that Beka will take care of him, because after all, Crow is still physically a five-year-old boy.
His magic changes depending on whether he's in the Mortal Realm, where it is like Wild Magic in the Immortals Quartet (he can shape shift, speak to animals, possess them, and long-term exposure to his magic makes them self-aware and sentient) and in the Human Realm it is a normal wizard's.
I'll have him grow up with Beka, trying to decide between being a Dog (guardsman, like Beka) or a Rat (criminal). He gets along fine with Rosto, King of the Rogue, who is like his favorite uncle or second father-figure. Beka is like his mother. He'll eventually choose, at the age of ten, to not become either; he will instead join the menagerie of animals that follow Beka around the city on her Dog duties. His most common form is a crow, though he also enjoys the intimidation effect of a gigantic wolf stalking alongside three Dogs, ready to take down anybody stupid enough to run.
Then Pounce comes on the day of his eleventh birthday, and tells him that it is time he returns to the Human Realm, to learn of their world and their ways and their magic, and at the end of six years spent partially in both he will choose which one he wants to stay in permanently, with no more switching between the two allowed.
So, if anyone wants to adopt this and change it up as much as they want, fine with me.