Here, I’m throwing out some (okay, a lot of) ideas for adoptions. Most I have no interest in writing but there are a few I plan to use at some point. Which is which? I’m not telling.
Some of these are mere notions that I thought up while others I detailed more thoroughly in my mind. Buckle in folks, here the ideas are in no particular order.
- The gang somehow fall into an Alternate Universe where among Mama Longneck’s eggs, Littlefoot’s egg didn’t survive and a sister’s egg did and hatches. Some people live (like Mama Longneck), some die (like Cera), and this AU gang’s adventures either had a different outcome or never happened at all (Like the yellow bellies were never escorted to Berry Valley – though I do have the amusing mental image of the gang finding out they got there just fine anyway). The gang has to struggle with questions of fate and the fact some of their counterparts might have different paths – like Spike and Chomper, who might have different names and never become members of the gang. The gang comes to accept the experiences and lives in this AU are just as valid and in a reversal of these usual stories, no one in the AU dies during the gang’s visit.
I can see keeping track of the original gang and the AU gang might be a name nightmare (with the exception of Littlefoot-replacement, Spike, and Chomper), so that’ll be an issue if you try to take on the idea.
- Bron finds another love…and it’s a guy. Stunned, Littlefoot and the others struggle to accept this.
Bisexual/pansexual Bron, y/y? The sexuality element is added because queer representation and adding it to the stepparent plotline makes sure it isn’t a “Tria Redux.”
- The gang encounters some dinosaurs who ignored/harassed/attempted to kill them on their journey to the valley. I’ve seen this plotline in one fanfic before but I thought it would be interesting if the offending party isn’t completely bad. Reconciliation between them and the gang might be possible. The gang might also struggle with whether to tell the rest of the valley about what they did or let bygones be bygones.
- The story of how the gang killed the first sharptooth get more explicitly broadcast to the wider valley, which leads to awkward, very much unwanted attention. Many are creeped out that children plotted to kill someone, even if it was in self-defense. Others are fascinated in a snuff film-like way and so harass the gang for more details or want them to do it again.
- Kind of related to the above, Littlefoot accidentally severely injures or kills someone in self-defense. The fact he first suggested and plotted killing the first sharptooth means people become afraid of him instead of Chomper.
- Good news: Chomper meets some people who won’t hurt or kill him on sight because he’s a sharptooth. Bad news: Because he’s a sharptooth, said people want to kidnap and train him to be a pet that can be shown off or a weapon to be used in inter- or intragroup conflicts. #BeingChomperIsSuffering
- The gang and several other named youths get kidnapped to either be child soldiers or slave workers. They manage to escape and/or tear down the whole operation.
- Maybe related to above, but the gang go missing and their parents are sick with worry. When they get back to the valley a month or so later, they have no memories of who their parents are. The gang bond with their parents, try to solve the mystery of what happened, and might or mightn’t get their memories back.
- Someone attempts to injure or kill the gang – and that ticks everyone off. The offender keeps bumping into people the gang know. As soon as the offender lets slip his attempted crime, he or she get treated coolly, shunned, or even get driven out of a herd or location. It becomes so ridiculous that he or she sardonically asks a bunch of rodents if they know the gang - and they do because Tickles is among their number and the offender has to keep silent in fear of getting murdered by enraged rats. The offender might or mightn’t have to crawl back to the gang and the valley for an apology, who might or mightn’t forgive him.
This is to humorously show that though the gang might exasperate many, their help has been valued and treasured.
- The gang somehow foresee the extinction event meteor centuries/millennia/millions of years from now and they must struggle with the concept of mortality and what to do about their descendants. They come to accept this by seeing intra-species youths of future eras also being adventurers, offering hope that life goes on.
- Might be connected to above, but a crossover with Doctor Who where the Doctor and his companions accidentally wind up in their universe. In their world, the Land Before Time exists as a movie and TV series, so there might be some joking groaning of landing in the sequel universe which bemuses the gang. I imagine Eleven in this role, since he does have that dynamic with kids. I can picture him and his companions attempting to try spontaneously singing like many people do in that universe, with the inevitable comic results.
I also have the amusing scene of the Doctor forbidding the gang from coming with him on an adventure, walking out, and walking back having changed his mind. He’s seen enough of the movies to know the gang’s going to follow him anyway, so they might as well have an adventure while under his adult(?) supervision.
- On the way to visiting Chomper’s parents, the gang get attacked by a few fast biters and their leaf eater ally. The fast biters and leaf eaters are sort of foils to the gang. The fast biters became friends with the leaf eater while young. The fast biters kept defending their leaf eater friend from being eaten, which led to them being kicked out of their community. Though personable and a bit goofy if they consider you a friend, they are a bit troubled by that experience. The leaf eater helps the fast biters hunt and doesn’t consider other leaf eaters his or her friend. The fast biters and leaf eater’s friendship is genuine. There won’t be any last minute betrayals and they’ll remain loyal to each other.
Only a third party threat causes the fast biters and the leaf eater to team up with the gang. The gang help fight that threat off, which causes the fast biters and the leaf eater to spare them and allow them to go, though warning if they come around again, they’ll be enemies. That experience shows what might happen if the gang’s friendship with Chomper and Ruby continues but there might also be some hope they can forge a different path.
- Not very substantive, but the family of one member of the gang decide they might go on a trip outside the valley because of a vision, ritual or whatever – and remembering how Cera and the others wandered off after Littlefoot during the 10th movie, they have the foresight to invite the whole gang along. Road trip shenanigans that might or mightn’t be dramatic ensue.
- The gang get tangled up in the Rainbow Face pair’s spaceship. Space travel might ensue.
- AU where the gang and other characters are gods who try to smooth over conflicts in the mortal and/or godly realm (Chomper would be the nicest death god ever and Spike would make a nice deity for plants).
