#wanted a mix of the original and a castle theme

[chez-cinnamon]

Hello my name is Caine Nouvel and welcome to my MTV crib tour

[ar-cadez]

Count Duckula Fan Rewrite!!

Recently I’ve been working on a Count Duckula rewrite that aims to give it a slightly more serious tone and semi-serialized story like many modern cartoons! It took some time, but I made redesigns of the main cast. I had fun making this project and I REALLY hope you do too! Because I’m extremely nervous that the small fan base Count Duckula does have will hate this

I haven’t actually finished the show btw so if there’s an antagonist or smth that shows up later I should’ve redesigned.. lmk! I’m open to suggestions I really like this show..

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Basic Concept

Practically the same as the original show! There is a long line of reincarnations of a wicked vampire duck named Count Duckula, the most recent reincarnation went wrong and now the current Count is a vegetarian and much more interested in becoming famous than being evil.

Some major differences include the tone and story structure, being semi-serialized and having more serious arcs mixed in with the antics, along with a lot of changes in characterization. A big story change is also that Nanny was not hired until AFTER Duckula was reincarnated so Igor was the one who screwed up the ritual.

Tone wise I’d also like to slightly age up the target audience so it could get away with a bit more dark humour. My favourite part of the original show was moments that were just so morbid and completely brushed past. 13+ would be fine methinks.

Basic plot of the average episode would be about the count’s hyperfixation of the week and trying to get famous or profit from it. Not every episode would follow this structure though.

The grander themes of the series would be all about expectations from family and strangers and how those expectations can be completely false.

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Characters

^^ Final lineup! ^^

Sketches (less interesting poses but shows off some things better)

Count Duckula!

What I wanted to change

I feel like Duckula from the original spin-off was already a really strong character! There is a lot to him and really all I would want from a more emotional reboot is to dive into what’s already there. I did kinda project on him a bit in this rewrite though… gotta write what’cha know!

I also changed his design quite a bit. I never thought the suit fit his personality and I wanted to go with something a little more bright. If I go back again I might saturate his shirt a bit more. I also wanted all the residents of castle Duckula to have purple in their designs and for duckula and Towser to share similar colour’s inversed

Character Traits

Hatred of his legacy

Duckula is the first member of his lineage to not be an evil vampire and he hates that role that is expected of him. This is partially what drives him to be the nicest duck he can be, in hopes of shaking off his legacy. This also causes him to reject anything that's “spooky” or has to do with vampires. He physically can't eat meat or blood due to his botched resurrection, but even the sight of either distresses him.

Attention Drive

Due to his infamy, all Duckula wants is to be liked by the general public. Everyone in his town is automatically scared of him and he tries really hard to change their opinions on him whether that be through attempting to bea good samaritan or by performing in town. (Both tend to end poorly for him)

ADHD and Theatre Kid Behaviour

Duckula is constantly picking up and putting down new forms of art and performance. This can be anything from oil painting to American football. He does tend to get frustrated or distracted and abandon projects or crafts entirely. His favourite artform is acting and music so as you can imagine he's very into musicals. His musical talents are decent but his acting is awful. He’s also known to loud and overly excited over his interests

Ego and Cowardice

Being given a position of power the day you came into existence does have the tendency to make you… immature to say the least. When in danger, if he even realises there is any, Duckula’s first move is to use his title as leverage. If that doesn't work, his second is to beg, grovel, and lie his way out of the situation. That, or hide behind his much more intimidating companions.

Rich Kid Syndrome

Having the majority of people you know be your house staff really messes with your sense of responsibility. Duckula can hardly do many basic life skills on his own because of this. It's not like he is completely lazy but he does have executive dysfunction and has yet to realise that fact, causing him to procrastinate on many things and completely forget or just get someone else to do it.

Not Naturally kind

Being his father’s reincarnation, it only makes sense that Duckula would inherit many traits from his past lives. Many of the other Counts were ego-driven cowards with desires for fame. They just went about it differently. Duckula actively tries to be kind and polite but a lot of passive aggression and snark slips through the cracks of that veneer. He would never want to admit that he has ANYTHING in common with his ancestors and he hates that being nice doesn't just come naturally to him. Being an immortal, Duckula also has a skewed sense of mortality and often doesn't understand the severity of certain injuries and situations.

This Duckula has ADHD and Autism in this rewrite and he struggles most with executive dysfunction, restricted interests, memory issues, atypical empathy (not specifically low or high), sensory issues (mostly with eating and some sound), and social cues. He also stims.

Towser!

What I Wanted to Change

Towser isn’t even really a character in the original. Just a running gag without a face. I wanted to balance out the main cast by adding another female character since I have feelings on Nanny as a character and i didn’t know if i would even be able to salvage that.

I really like what I came up with! She’s fun to me and I’ll probably flesh her out more later.

Character Traits

Family drive

Towser has little interest in birds that aren't close to her and it usually takes awhile for her to get used to new people. However, she’ll protect those that she does care about with her life. She is the castle’s guard dog and will do whatever’s necessary to protect it. This often comes at the cost of her sleep, because she feels like she always needs to be awake to protect them.

Tag Along

Following Duckula around like a puppy is what Towser does best! She might not fully understand his enthusiasm on certain subjects, but she's always up to backing him up on his newest fame seeking endeavours (though she herself prefers physical activity over creative works). She never expects anything to come of it, but hey, at least it's something to do. She also likes to hear Duckula rant to her about his interests.

Big Sister

Towser is of a much more stable mental state than Duckula, and as his only friend around his age, he trusts her more to be someone to talk to about his identity issues and issues in general. The two are a lot warmer towards each other than they are anyone else, and can also get away with messing with the other a lot more.

Big ol Lap dog

When in werewolf form, Towser tends to forget her size and often crushes them with her size. This usually wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that she's always a lot more cuddly and energetic in wolf form than bird form. This is because, as a werewolf, she's only in wolf form at night and being a fully nocturnal bird that should only be awake at night, this messes with her sleep rhythm a lot.

Igor!

What I wanted to Change

Personality wise Igor is already really strong and I didn’t change much of that. You’ll probably notice from the sketches that Igor has a skeleton hand, that’s because I made him undead in this version just to give a reason to how he’s been able to live this long since the original doesn’t really have one (which is fine)

Character Traits

Devotion to the role

Igor has been the Count’s butler since the first incarnation. He was assigned to keep the Duckula legacy alive by reincarnating his master every time he meets his fate and helping him readjust every time. Helping each new reincarnation bring misery and fear to the town they reside by with a smile… Until the most recent incarnation of course. He’ll stick it out though, because he still has hope for him.

Taste for the macabre

Whether it be killing innocents behind the back of his new master, decorating the castle with cobwebs and bones, or using his undead nature to scare and torture those around him, Igor certainly has an interesting idea of fun. Igor gets a sick enjoyment out of causing others distress and despises all things kind and cute, something which definitely frustrates Duckula, who's desperately trying to fix his own image.

Bitter Traditionalist

Having lived through the centuries in castle Duckula, Igor has gained an appreciation for the history of the place and the vampire ducks that have resided there over the years. He’s rather invested in the lives of his previous masters and is extremely cross with the newest incarnation for not only not caring about that past, but also completely disowning it. Igor tries desperately to get Duckula to be a normal vampire, truly believing it could work with enough effort. Less he spend the next few centuries with a vegetarian for a master… Igor would not have a problem with Duckula pursuing fame if it weren't for the fact that he thinks it's distracting him from true vampirism.

Tired old man

Igor has lived for many centuries and he does not feel as if he should have to babysit for an immature man child like Duckula. He would rather ignore or snark the young count rather than actually talk to him. When the two argue its a constant back and forth of passive aggression and personal jobs that they almost always forget what they're actually arguing over. Duckula is physically and mentally very young (17-early 20s) compared to Igor’s other masters due to the botched revival and he doesn't know how to, or want to, deal with it.

Nanny!

What I Wanted to Change

I’m sorry to any hardcore Nanny fans out there but this is practically a whole new character. I find Nanny to be frustrating and annoying in the original and who I personally feel is a very sexist and mean spirited character. There’s absolutely nothing I would want to write with a character who’s just “big stupid fat woman inconveniences everyone around her” it’s just uncomfortable after a certain point.

My idea for a new take was just an extremely kind older woman who’s a little airheaded but is a lot smarter than people give her credit for. This sets her up as a foil to Igor. She’s also the only non-monster resident of the castle in this version which I personally think is really interesting.

Character Traits

Only good influence

While Igor actively sets out to make Duckula a bad person and Towser couldn't care less about how Duckula acts, Nanny is the only direct influence in Duckula’s life who pushes him to do better. Nanny believes Duckula is a good person at heart and pushes him to take more responsibility in his life. She wants him to learn a good work ethic and is fully supportive of him trying to better himself.

Good Christian Woman

Nanny is, in fact, a christian. She is fully aware of the demonic nature of her companions but believes that everyone can better themselves no matter their circumstances and attempts to better those around her. Igor hates her for it but she’s totally ignorant to that fact.

Assertive Mother Figure

Though Nanny is a very kind woman, she is also not a pushover. She will assert authority over Duckula and anyone else if necessary, and most are compliant once she puts her foot down, if they aren't, however, Nanny does pack a punch and won't hesitate to use her strength to protect her family.

Smarter than she seems

Nanny is an airheaded optimist with a big heart and those traits make her come off a lot more clueless than she actually is. She may seem like she has no idea what’s going on but she’s actually very observant and is fantastic at assessing a situation and finding the best course of action.

Dr. Von Goosewing

What I Wanted to Change

I really liked the idea of the antagonist to Duckula was in a liniage of vampire slayers and that their ancestors have been fighting for generations. It gave me the perfect set up for a ✨SHADOW ANTAGONIST✨ I wanted to make this rewrite have the two reflect each other a lot more. To do that I wanted Goosewing to still be a really cooky guy but I didn’t want the public to know that.

Also I have no idea why he’s dressed like Sherlock Holmes in the original if he’s a Van Helsing parody and also an inventor. You could’ve leaned into either of those ideas but for some reason he’s dressed like a detective? so I tried giving him a more fitting outfit but keeping his colours for recognisablity.

Character Traits

Playing Village hero

Goosewing is considered a big deal in town because of his family of vampire hunters. He’s prepared his whole life to kill Count Duckula the moment he comes back and to protect the common folk from the paranormal. Despite this, Goosewing isn't actually particularly skilled at his job and usually ends up failing his assassinations due to his own incompetence. He feels like he has to play the role as a hero to continue his family’s legacy despite not particularly enjoying it or being good at it.

Overestimating the enemy

With how cunning and malevolent the past Duckula incarnations were, Goosewing expects the same from this one. Goosewing believes that Duckula is a dangerous and clever foe completely focused on causing others pain. In reality, Duckula is the most incompetent bird in all of Transylvania, aside fromGoosewing himself, of course. Goosewing also comes to believe that Duckula is only acting nice to later betray the public, a belief he is not quiet about and that keeps the public from trusting Duckula.

Mad Scientist

Goosewing definitely falls into the eccentric scientist trope with his innovative but scatterbrained nature. He would much rather be working on an invention than actually doing his job. The public sees him as a hero but while hunting vampires or when hes alone he comes off as more of a mad scientist than the hero character he plays. His intentions are ultimately good but are completely based on the assumption that he’s the wholly good protector of the people and that Duckula is a cunning villain who's out to get him and everyone else.

Shadow

Goosewing and Duckula reflect each other in a lot of ways. They both have a legacy they are expected to uphold despite not wanting to or even being able to, they both care deeply about the public’s opinion on them while the public has an incredibly incorrect view of the both of them, and they both have creative interests outside of the roles expected of them that they'd rather be persuing. Duckula fully rejects anything to do with his ancestry, while Goosewing is actively trying to fulfil despite not enjoying it.

The Murder Brothers!

What I Wanted to Change

Haha I called them the murder brothers bc they’re crows and criminals Im actually so funny… anyway. I don’t know if I should’ve even done these guys but I really like them as antagonists so!!

I gave the younger two names and a personality. The wiki said they didn’t have names but if they do lmk and I’ll just fix that. Other than that I didn’t change much except try to give ‘em a bit more depth and changing their physical designs a ton for fun.

Character Traits

The Murder Brothers, as a whole, are a tight knit family of con men crows who pull any grift they can to get their hands on some cash. Though they may act like their only loyalty in life is to money, they do genuinely care about each other's well being

Ruffles

Ruffles is the short tempered and eldest leader of the group. He’s constantly frustrated with his brothers’ incompetence and isn't quiet about it. He believes that if it weren't for them he'd probably be a lot further in life by now (which isn't true) and he’ll say he doesn't care about them, but he actually does.

Burt

If he didn't insist on helping his brothers, Burt would be the most likely to be living an honest life. As the second oldest sibling, Burt holds a position as right hand man. He’s a naturally kind and enthusiastic bird who, while a bit dumb, does openly express his love for his brothers. He takes on a lot of the abuse from his older brother and is often used by the group to talk to others, because he's so naturally trustworthy.

Reggie

Reggie is the second youngest of the brothers and the most relaxed out of all of them. He has an impeccable sleight of hand and is the go to for lockpicking and such. He’s a decent smooth talker and is often the one to break up fights, though he's not above getting angry at the others himself.

Leroy

Leroy is the youngest of the brothers and by far the least skilled. His speech is incomprehensible from under his mask (although he can see through it for the most part) and he’s often left with the worst jobs during their cons because of that. He’s the most timid out of all of them but I’m sure if you took that mask off of him he’d be really talkative.

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Ending Words

Well that’s all I got! I spent way too long on this project that maybe two people will care about and one of them is me 💔 Anyway if I make anything else for this rewrite/au I’ll tag it with #wbcd . I wouldn’t count on it because I mighttt get burn out from this but im just so glad I finished it! I’ve thought about writing a pilot script just for fun but idk. I’d like to do more long format au stuff, I was going to make a YouTube video about this but I almost cried trying to record myself so I gave up 💔

[mblue-art]

i’m curious about your take on strawberry nightmare! to you, what’s he like? how does he act? what’s he all bout?

He is annoying (/aff hehe), and even more so to regular Nightmare. I tried to figure out (still am, I guess) how to put the flavor theming and '2P!' thing together, but here's what I have in my head for him ^^ (ramble warning!)

Finding out that the concept of '2P!' variants existed in UTMV too, made me happy! Usually 2P!s are inverted or flipped versions of the original character— think Fell'd or Swap'd versions in UTMV terms— so I thought:

Huh. If he's supposed to be a flipped version of Nightmare, would he have similarities with Swap!Dream? 🤔 But softer, nicer? 'cause he's also strawberry milk-themed! 🍓 flavors and aesthetics can be associated with soft, nice, sweet, cheery, and pretty...

(And sometimes, behind that pretty pink, lies red danger. While regular Nightmare clearly shows that he is a threat, S!NM hides it behind a layer of sweetness; (like a yandere— I explored yandere S!NM here), like a 'nice' character hiding their bad side—

But don't worry! Only those who are deserving of his wrath will face it. He's mean when he needs to. The simps are safe, as well as the people he cherishes! He can be a patient man. Just don't be on his bad side and you'll be a-ok! 👍(⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆

He's like... If regular NM decided to go uwu for the bit, but forever.........(/hj)

He is friendly, a flirt, flips between being all cutesy and rizzing up the simps,

nicely offers you (suspicious— he loves making people doubt LOL) pink sweets in exchange for company or simply as thanks for spending time with him

(A king can feel so lonely sometimes 😩😔 esp w/o his dear brother around... so maybe he has a massive pink house instead of a castle :] Oooh, imagine how pink and aesthetic the interior would be...),

likes messing with the original Nightmare (Ah!! NM hosting parties! Him getting invited! Yes, he'd def talk to the king of the castle but tries to be civil! This is a nice fancy party with lots of people around; he's not gonna ruin this for anyone 😤 he just wants to socialize!!)

(Yes he owns a few creative 🍓-themed suits, why wouldn't he lean towards his aesthetic 😤)

Like any Guardian of Feelings, he can manipulate/control emotions. He can pull out one's negative emotions to calm them down, and he can also make one feel nervous or any other mix of feelings in his presence, just like how his original counterpart does.

As for his role in the multiverse, I'd say he honestly just tries to have fun. Yk, jus a lil chaos. Teehee. No multiverse domination or anything, he just likes being a menace to people hehehe

An idea I thought of a few times is him hinting that he has visited Nightmare's castle (whether he actually talked to NM or not) by leaving strawberry milk (carton/bottle) in the fridge for the others to see and be confused by.

'hey guys where's my choccy milk? did any of you drink it?? it was my last box!' - 'why is there strawberry milk again... none of you drink this...' - 'who keeps getting this pink stuff'

NM eventually informs them about this visitor, and to be cautious, just... Don't drink whatever pink thing he leaves in the fridge.

I've never really thought of what S!NM's backstory would be, what him and his Dream's 'Dreamtale AU' would be, so right now, he's just... There one day (lol) with a brother that keeps? running away from him?? (His Dream is 🟦 instead of 🟨! (I saw an artist drew him as such) And while 🍓 is happy and excited, 🔵 is kinda gloomy... Interesting to see a happy Negativity Guardian and a grumpy Positivity Guardian...)

You can scroll through the #snm asks tag to read past (mostly simp) shenanigans with him, and you can also click these links for my other rambleposts about him ^^

[manic-maniac-man]

Undercoverism

SS10 Gap interview

Jun Takahashi / Designer

"Less but Better" was the theme for the first men's show by Undercover. The theme of the collection has been taken from a book written by Dieter Rams who was a long-time head designer at Braun. Takahashi felt that there was an affinity between his design direction and Ram's philosophy when he started working on the collection and began his creation while collecting products designed by Rams. By sheer accident, Takahashi had a chance to meet Rams in Japan. He showed his sketches to Rams and got approval of using the title of the book for his first men's show.

gap PRESS spoke to the designer about his first show and collection.

Q1. After your first men's show, did you find any difference in your approach for creating men's clothes and womens?

- There is a big difference in my approach to create men's line as the basic concept is to design things I want to wear.

Q2. Was there any point you paid an attention to while creating this collection?

-As this was my first men's runway show, I paid attention to the feeling and balance of the entire collec- tion. I tried the minimal styling and avoid entertaining aspects to make the overall image stoic and minimal.

Q3. What was the trigger for you to stage your first men's show? Please tell us the difference between this season and previous men's collections.

- I had an offer from Pitti Immagine Uomo over one year ago and they wanted me to do a men's show and that was the cue. Actually I've been designing men's clothes for 20 years and I used to use a lot of fabrics. But, this time I tried to use as little as possi- ble. I have really never had a theme for my men's collections, I just designed them. But this time it was theme-based and deliberately designed.

Q4. The inspiration for this collection was designs by product designer Dieter Rams. How did you express the simple and beautiful attributes his designs have in this collection?

-His products have a distinctive presence and functionality no matter how old or new they are. I tried to express the simplicity and clear statement running through his works, which eliminated unnecessary decorations. As a direct approach, the details of holes like an air duct, meters and leather handles were incorporated in designing. The main color gray-beige is a mix of the tone I sensed from Rams' products and the one I wanted to express in this collection.

Q5. Considering the theme "Undercover-istic curve ball of minimal", what is the definition of undercover style? What exactly did you want to express through the collection?

- A unique interpretation of minimalism. I wanted to capture an Undercover-esque original minimal look.

Q6. Please tell us about what brought you to have your first men's show at a traditional Florentine ren- aissance garden and how it made you feel? And was there any particular point in production of the show?

- I chose a place where I could reflect the inclination to juxtapose industrial design and nature by showing the ideas originated from industrial design in nature. I persisted in a non-choreographed rendition. The rea- son I chose Boboli Gardens was because the place had an image of an Italian castle and was perfect for having a show and a doll-making performance.

Q7. What inspires you most often?

- It depends on each season. Sometimes it is music or artists, nothing in particular.

"Less but Better, Reflecting Product Design in Clothing Minimal Expressed thorough Hybrid Approach"

[death-limes]

Say, which characters in HB and HH do you hate the most character wise and then design wise

OHHH MAN i could write an entire video essay about this topic lmao, let me try to be as brief as possible

~~~

Hazbin - Worst Character: This one's hard, there are a few characters who probably suck but I just don't know that much about them. But based on what I know now, honestly…? Charlie. Coinsidering that… I think Faustisse?… confirmed that she's over 200 years old, the sheer level of naivete on her part is just annoying and unbelievable. She's over twice as old as Alastor, she should not be swayed so easily by him. As far as I'm aware she's not in a Disney Princess situation where she was shut inside the castle walls her entire life (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong on that though) so there's no reason why she shouldn't be at least a little savvy to the ways of sinner demons. She should also have been able to see the VERY OBVIOUS SIGNS that Vaggie used to be an exorcist. Even Carmilla comments that it's super fuckin obvious; the Princess of Hell herself should be knowledgeable enough to pick up on hints that even the fandom picked up on when it was just the pilot. Overall, Charlie just comes across as kinda stupid imo. I don't find myself rooting for her at all.

Hazbin - Worst Design: Alastor. I know he may not necessarily look the worst, and I do in fact simp for him, but his design does absolutely NOTHING that a character design is supposed to do. Namely, it doesn't tell us anything about him & it doesn't help him stand out from the cast. Nothing about his design is uniquely 1930s (nobody wore their hair like that, pinstripe suits started in the 1800s and continue to be popular today, monocles were more of an 1800s thing and were considered old-fashioned by the 30s) or deer-esque (his ears really do not look like dear ears at all, and his "antlers" are just microscopic salad forks that don't even show up on his silhouette). The whole Voodoo thing, aside from being super disrespectful to a literal religion that is still actively practiced, is also so inconsequential to his character that it can be removed entirely and change NOTHING about him. Any of his traits that are in line with the Voodoo thing can still exist without it -- him being a trickster and a dealmaker, mostly. All the blacklight stuff doesn't match his aesthetic at all: in Princess and the Frog where everything was 1920s it gave a magic effect, but in Hazbin where all different time periods comingle it just gives a raver effect, which doesn't fit his anti-modern preferences at all. Also the living-shadow thing is yet another direct ripoff from Dr. Facilier (that might just be in the pilot though I'm not sure), I think the living microphone is a better route to take if you want him to have a spiritual companion type of thing; it's more relevant to his theming and more original. And of course none of this even touches on the "he's half-black" bullshit excuse that only came after V*v received backlash about the Voodoo thing. And it doesn't even solve the issue anyway. A mixed-race man from the 1930s would make for a very interesting character IF that unique experience/identity was actually integrated into his character in any noticeable way, but it's not. It was just slapped on at the last minute. Ugh. I could write an entire essay about Alastor alone tbh.

Helluva - Worst Character: Fizzarolli, but mostly when he was first introduced. Aesthetically he's the closest thing that I have to a "blorbo" in this show, but in the Ozzie's episode he just gave me the most rancid vibes ever. Definitely a "asexuality doesn't exist, you just haven't been with ME yet~" type of person. Admittedly that's more of a personal preference thing and less of a poor characterization; they're in the Lust ring, that type of attitude is kind of expected. What IS poor characterization, however, is his "development" later on when he and Ozzie basically get their own arc. His entire personality changes to be much softer and like…. idk, very obviously a trauma VICTIM and not so much of a potential trauma CAUSER? His character is not nearly as abrasive, but there's no corresponding event that would cause such a change. It just seems like now that he's supposed to be a sympathetic character, they changed his personality to be more appealing. He's not nearly as mean and rude as he used to be. Ozzie has a similar thing going on but it's not quiiiiite as severe, and he's saved from being the Worst by having a far more interesting and unique design. (If you had asked who I think has the BEST design in Helluva, I'd probably say Ozzie.)

Helluva - Worst Design: Beelzebub, no contest. A lot of people seemed to have a problem with her being bee-themed instead of fly-themed like the real Beelzebub in demonology, but that honestly doesn't bother me; I'm not expecting any Hellaverse stuff to be super accurate to The Real Lore so any tiny reference they can slip in (like with Ozzie's design) is just gravy. To me, bee and fly are close enough, I think it counts as a reference. Plus, the bee theme goes well with Gluttony ("nectar" is a common synonym for delicious food) and calling her Queen Bee is an easy way to make her name more appealing/sexy than, yknow. "Beelzebub." What DOES bother me is her canine aspect. Why is she a sparkledog? What is the logic behind that? Why isn't she huge-by-default like Ozzie and Mammon? (You'd think GLUTTONY of all sins would be a big character!) It really just feels like V*v wanted Ke$ha to have a cameo role as a major character and just arbitrarily picked one of the sins for her to be. So the character design has Ke$ha in mind faaaaar more than it has Beelzebub in mind. ***(Funny thing about Queen Bee: for a solid week after her episode came out, I was actually fooled by this page from an RP wiki: [https://hazbin-hotel-and-helluva-boss-rp.fandom.com/wiki/Beelzebub] The explanation that I'd gleaned for this version of her is that the picture shown is the REAL Beelzebub, and the one we see in the show is her daughter by the lord of Hellhounds, Cerberus, which explains her canine features. Queen Bee Jr. is the heiress to her mom's title in the same way Charlie is the heiress to Lucifer's title. The picture shown on that page is just SUCH a better design, and it looks like the show's style, and she seems to be a giant like Ozzie and Mammon…. can you blame me for being like "OH that makes sense!!" Cut to me a week later finding out this is just a fan RP wiki. Siiiigh.)

[gemini-queen42]

Batb: Other Than Human - Themes stuff (& why I Called It That)

That's right folks, the self-indulgent "throwing any concept I like at the wall and haphazardly mixing together what sticks" au rewrite Thing has Actual Themes! That kind of happened accidentally but they are so real for that so let's get into it.

The Main Narratives Themes Trio of the story now all also embody expanded themes about being an "Other", when being a person is not enough to be properly considered human- more specifically of a neurodivergent/queer girlhood type flavor.

Summary is that it's called "Other Than Human" because the prominent theming is about being considered something other than human due to not fitting the mold of the 'norm'.

[This is a long one so details & specific character stuff are under the cut<3]

Amalure has the greatest departure from her original counterparts thematic placing, so we'll start with her. Amalure retains Gaston's social standing, reputation, etc. But it's of course not quite the same- because she is a woman, and she is not revered for being the picture of ideal womanhood/femininity. Instead, she excels in masculinity, but remains firm that she is and always will be a woman. So, to justify the desire & awe people have for her, they dehumanize her: She doesn't need to follow the Rules because she is outside of them. Amalure is not a person: she is a symbol, a figure, an object. A legend, a folksong, a modern myth. Her skills are not skills they are blessings, inherent, a mundane magic or supernatural. Despite having grown up in Villeneuve for her entire life, she is considered exotic, and is practically, if not actually, fetishized. And through all of this, the status quo and social order gets to be retained without question, and she gets to exist as the exception that proves the rule, rather than the Undesirable that she'd be marked as otherwise.

Amalure is fine with this, because this dehumanization is her status quo: She doesn't really view herself as a person either, she is defined by her relationship to other people, by who she is to them. Amalure has never been a person to anybody: Growing up she was never just a girl, never just Amalure: She was a girl with a mans brain, an embodiment of her fathers greatest achievements, an embodiment of her mothers worst mistakes, she is her fathers daughter or her mothers daughter, but not her own. (and she never both, it is either or, mother or father, never both, never parents.)

Princess Eve/The Beast is the other end of this, of operating through her dehumanization. Upon being cursed, she adheres to what societies have oft wanted to happen to their Undesirables: Hide away and never be seen by the public again. It is entirely self-inflicted, as most of her suffering truly is. She operates not through others dehumanizing view of her, but her dehumanizing view of herself and its warping of how she believes others view her. Because, well, the servants still view her as a person. I mean, they're still human- under the new object forms. And the separation of humanity that is easy to slip into on matters of royalty is awfully minimal as well; they watched her grow up, and she grew up among them.

The girl's bratty, spoiled, temperamental, and is a ball of horrid consequences of the shallow views and ideals learned from surrounding nobility. But she's also the girl that fell asleep listening to Cogsworth explain the many technicalities to managing servants; because she was stubborn in asserting her authority as the mistress of the castle, and thus she Must have say over its goings ons. But the majordomo's voice can be awfully soothing when he's not high-strung on anxiety, and it's hard to pay attention when you don't understand what's being discussed, so its all going in one ear and out the other. And She's Lumiere's 'Evie', who was so amused when Lumiere would draw on a little mustache when dancing the male roles so the princess could learn some duo dances, or because she didn't look very "waiter-like" (because Eve wasn't entirely sure what a maître d' did, but it seemed to have something to do with waiters), and who got annoyed every time the dance teacher/maître d' would warn her not to hurt her body in her pursuits, because it seemed so silly, why would anyone do that? And she's the girl who dragged Mrs. Potts to have tea with her, because she made the best tea and as princess she would have only the best; and if you're going to have tea you may as well have a tea party, and you can't really have a party of one, but two isn't much of a party either so she's going to drag Babette away from her duties too, since the maid was so elegant and thus would be perfect.

Honestly, the girl probably would've turned out fine if she was raised by just the servants. But they weren't the only forces in her life: she's a princess, so she's got to host and interact with important people and learn how to Be noble which isn't something any of the servants can teach her. And it is under the pressures and eyes of nobility, is in mixing and learning their social rules, that learns the lessons that will lead to her curse: That to be considered human and treated as such, one must look human. And to be such as a woman meant to look beautiful, like the ideal. As a woman, to be worthy is to be beautiful and vice versa. And even if she does not, she must have some way to serve men. Otherwise, she is nothing. Eve met these requirements well, and where she did not yet her authority as princess covered. So when a beggar woman is at her doorstep, the princess turns her away: because she is old, ugly, so long past her 'prime'- there is no worth to her anymore. There is no point caring for her future.

Helene stands as both the middle ground and inverse to the other two. She is an Other by virtue of her mind, she is Objectifiable by virtue of her beauty. She sits on the precipice between Undesirable and Desired, seeming nearly apathetic to where she lands despite popular encouragement to embrace or smother aspects of herself. Helene is quite sure she's a person like anyone else, thank you, and is frankly frustrated and a bit weirded out that others seem to have a hard time getting the memo- she doesn't like or want to assume the worst, though, so maybe she just missed another confusing untold social rule or something. I mean, the local triplets really do seem to be advising in good faith- they really do think of her as one of them to an extent (for reasons Helene is yet to know); they just don't understand her.

When Amalure pursues her, there's an unspoken aspect to the deal of marriage she proposes: Helene will get a secured place on the in of the community, a secure standing the promises people no longer questioning or trying to encourage her to no longer be herself. But Helene just isn't interested in Amalure like that, and she also sees what the real trade-off of that security is; that uncomfortable dehumanization that is exactly what Helene doesn't want to deal with anymore. If Amalure is fine living with it than she is free to do as she pleases, but the huntress doesn't seem to understand what Helene could possibly have a problem with- and it's not like they can discuss it, because it's unspoken, and you're not supposed to speak the unspoken things, because they're unspoken for a reason- even if you don't know what that reason is. Helene knows that rule, at least.

When Helene meets the Beast, she regards her as she does any other. It's plain as day that the Beast has a humanity to her, whether she's really "human" or not- she thinks and she feels, and that's enough for Helene.

Because Helene grew up raised by a single dad who she got most of her brain workings from, and he is a man of compassion and science. Off he'd send his beloved daughter to go and question and figure out the world for herself, to experiment and learn and become whatever she desires. Off to bed he'd send her to tell her fairy tales and have their lessons of love and compassion and humanity understood as she drifted off to sleep. Helene was never Odd with her father, never Other, in fact they were so easily two of a kind. It was so jarring, hearing people imply Tyndare less than sane; his logic paths were so easy to follow- but apparently his voice gruffs enough that others have a hard time understanding what he's saying sometimes, so that's where things seem to get lost in translation she guesses. People became jarring in other ways as she grew up too, because suddenly there seemed to be lots of social things she was supposed to know or be but didn't and wasn't, and it became very apparent very quickly that she was an Other among her village.

Overall: Eve & Helene get to go through these themes through the main plot, and post curse-breaking is when Eve gets to properly deal with the internalized issues and whatnot. Like she's learned beauty doesn't matter when it comes to love, and shouldn't decide whether or not someone should be cared about, and Helene loves her despite her having been beastly and despite her being a failure of a woman- (because she no longer fits the feminine ideal after the curse is broken, and frankly she never will again.) But she's still a Failure Of A Woman and Helene deserves Better Than That! So there's still work to do.

Amalure remains static on this aspect of the narrative until after the battle at the castle, where she does survive! .. barely. and it's later, in an argument with her mother that same night, bleeding out on the kitchen floor, when she asserts that she's her daughter too, not just her fathers. she has always been her daughter, always will be, she is the daughter of both of them, because that's not something that just switches or turns on and off- and it's an entire rant that I will not recite here, but the important part is the assertion that she is, always has been, always will be, the daughter of both her parents at once- that's the first little step for her arc of recognizing her own individual personhood and whatnot.

[louiesselfshipramblings]

Secret Level mini-review!!! Because!!!

Not gonna go over EVERY episodes, just the ones I wanted to see.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle—This was a good start! It was short, maybe a lil TOO short, but it was a nice lil glimpse into the classic fantasy world with fun characters both in design and personality. Hope we see more of them somewhere! Weird a non-video game got in but eh I don't mind.

Unreal Tournament: Xan—This episode led me down a rabbit hole of finding out the Unreal Engine was based on an old game made by pre-Fortnite Epic Games, and it's apparently delisted everywhere? Sucks, but cool it got an episode! I love robot uprisings.

Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear—I know nothing about Warhammer except everything kinda sucks and the giant church mechs. This was a fun episode! There's a simple pleasure in watching a group of guys effortlessly tear through mooks. I suppose I'd get more if I specifically played the Space Marine games, but hey as is I liked it.

PAC-MAN: Circle—Dares to ask the question, what if "Pac" and "Man" were two separate guys? But for real though...I actually liked this one? It's horror, but not over the top, gorey but not for the sake of it. Does it use next to none of the Pac-Man iconography? Yeah. But it kinda works as its own, messed up sorta thing. I wonder if that Shadow Labyrinth game came first, or if the short did. Also, the robot is named Puck! Cause Pac-Man's original name in Japan was Puck-Man but in American they could scratch at the P and make it...ya know...Scott Pilgrim reference.

The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep—I kept forgetting The Outer Worlds had an episode here...or that the game existed at all. Which is a shame! Sure, I heard mixed things about it, but nice to see Obsidian still making original stuff! Plus that sequel, could be better! For this episode...it was fine. A solid example of tragedy. The ending puzzled me, but in a good way. Coulda felt more connected to the vibes of the game, but def has that humor style in place!

Mega Man: Start—It was alright. Rock and Dr. Light had good VAs. Bomb Man had a cool design. Nice lil easter eggs like the "Dr. W" emblem or the DLN serial numbers, and Rock defeating Bomb Man with an ice power was clever. But MAN...this coulda been so much better if it was longer! It's only like, five minutes! I suppose its good they gave each short a variable time so they had space to tell their story, but I would have loved to see more of this world! The other Robot Masters, Roll, WILY, for god's sake! But that MM2 Wily Castle theme for the credits...oh MAN that's good! Please, make another Mega Man short for season two! Or an animated series in THIS style! Mega Man needs more good animated adaptations after Fully Charged and Ruby-Spears.

Spelunky: Tally—Very cool to see an indie game here, and for one of the OGs! Even if this one takes after the sequel...but still! This one was fun, especially since it seemed to really embrace the idea of being a video game. I'm not super familiar on the Spelunky lore, but the interpretation of the randomly generated caves and the curse that revives them were neat tidbits, and the overall message was very nice! One of the shorter ones, around the same length of the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones, but it's to its benefit. Any longer and it woulda felt dragged out. Honestly, the best way to adapt a rougelike imo.

Concord: Tale of the Implacable—Okay, ya gotta understand I HAD to see this one after Sony's blunder! And, to be honest...this may be the best one between all I've seen??? Like, genuinely!! It's one of the longer ones at around fifteen minutes, and is paced pretty well. Idk if any of these characters show back up in the game, but they were all pretty good for the brief time I saw them? The framing of this being a retold story passed as legend, with an ambiguous fate for the crew was neat and I liked the ending??? I was joking about this episode being so good it might redeem the game, but...well I wouldn't go that far, but damn, this might be my favorite behind the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones??

Playtime: Fulfillment—The last episode, and the only one not based on a specific game, instead being based on PlayStation as a whole. This was a nice closer, tbh! The ending left me a touch confused on what exactly happened, but it was a fun ride, all things considered! Seeing the Helldivers run around and shout about democracy, one of the Colossi from Shadow of the Colossus, Kratos smashing down, and SACKBOY!! I honestly just wish there was more of it! (Or that God of War got its own dedicated episode but that's besides the point). Kinda hope they do this "company" based episode as a season closer for season two, maybe for SEGA or Capcom! That'd be fun!

Overall, a pretty good series! I'd say it's worth my while, plus most of the episodes are under twenty minutes if that, so you could binge it reasonably in a day. Looking forward to that second season. Some sequels would be cool (mainly for Mega Man), but if it has to be only new games...mmmm. God of War, for sure. Mass Effect. Destiny? Donkey Kong, but that's a pipe dream. Nintendo never does cool stuff like that.

[dreadfutures]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

Thanks, Brood!

I just want to say it's been really awesome to see everyone's self recs on my dash. <3 I feel like just a few years ago there was way more self-negging around all of us and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy when my friends and mutuals and acquaintances are proud of their hard work and creativity! I will be sure to spread that around in more inboxes too :)

My own five favorite fics that I've written are:

it ends, or it doesn't | A Felassan Fic written by youworeblue / @dreadfutures | illustrated by @adurna0-art Rating: T | Genre: Mystery | Length: 45k, complete

My favorite story I've written so far. Dragon Age with a Knives Out flavor. I can't give it a better pitch than @anneapocalypse did here, particularly: "Both a thrilling and tightly-paced murder mystery, and a moving and thoughtful piece about personal and cultural identity, confronting the past, and looking to the future." (Thanks, Anne 😭)

Chrysalid Rated: G | Cillian & Solas | Chapters: 9/9

An origin story for how Cillian, the DAI MP character who appears in like, maybe 2 war table missions, learned the path of the Arcane Warrior. A love letter to the monarch butterfly migration.

Death is an Open Door Rated: T | Male Mahariel & Nonbinary Mahariel | Length: 8k

Mahariel steps through an eluvian to begin the journey we hear about in passing during DAI. This was a gift for @ammoniteflesh about both of our Mahariels and how they are mirrors of each other.

the road seems too wild for mixing it with blues Rated: G | F!Lavellan x Solas | Length: 5k

Pure fluff, a happy ending for Lavellan and Solas in a world they're committed to improving together, on the ground, one interaction at a time. But in this fic? They just get to enjoy that world, together, without any pressures upon them.

And I debated whether to put Walkers of the Lonely Path or Comrades in Arms, Brothers in Broken Chains, or…my other favorites on this list... but DPDF is definitely in my top favorite fics I've written, so:

Dead Pasts and Dread Futures Rated: E | FLavellan x Solas, Gen | Length: 600k (incl. TBG: 900k, ongoing)

As the world ends, Ixchel is resurrected under mysterious circumstances and is sent back in time to the Conclave. Ixchel is furious, convinced of her own futility, and yet she cannot give up again. These are the stories of how she gets better.

more rambling about each of these...

it ends, or it doesn't | A Felassan Fic Stories about looking at the past (your own, in general, or in one's culture) and grappling with the good and the bad and trying to find the merit, strength, and identiy that resonates with you? They're my favorite to read, personally, and those themes find their way into most things I write. I feel like I really Did It in this one. And the inspiration for the story had me warm and fuzzy the whole way through: he environments had me looking at photos of the golden hills of my home as well as some of my favorite castles and temples across the world. I love writing a broken Felassan and his relationship to the ancient elves and to modern elves of all flavors. And the process of writing this in my own way and going back and forth with my artist partner for the fic was wonderful.

Chrysalid Cillian discovered the path of the Arcane Warrior by meditating in ruins; when the Breach appeared in the sky, he felt called to lend his skills to the fledgling Inquisition. That’s all we know of his path, as a background NPC in Dragon Age: Inquisition, who appears solely in a war table mission and in the Multiplayer addition. But how did he really get trained as an Arcane Warrior? Honestly. This was Divine Inspiration at its finest. It was summer; I was missing my college town, where monarch butterflies go as a colony on their migration, stopping there to rest. I kept seeing a few of them flying by my current location on their way south. And I had the whimsical thought: isn’t that magical? Then I thought: sure, magical butterflies would work for a story. But what do they lead to? I loved the experience of writing this, I love the idea I had, I love rereading it, and closing my eyes and thinking about the locations.

Death is an Open Door I was so excited to get matched with Faust for our fanfic server's annual OC Swap event, because any time I heard about Ghila Mahariel, I couldn't help but IMMEDIATELY think about how our Mahariels would interact together. Their relationships to Morrigan and Kieran; their different relationships to their Blighted blood and what the future holds for them; their different relationships to the Dalish religion; their different relationships to the possibility of a cure for the Blight. I really got a chance to dig into the dreamy, fairy tale quality that I love to write the most, AND both body and psychological horror which I also love. AND I got to write an actual Dalish fairy tale, basically, inside it all, which is some of my favorite stuff to write. And Faust liked it, and it always makes me feel so happy and warm and fuzzy to reread a fic where I know I managed to make someone (via their OC) feel seen/special in any way at all.

the road seems too wild for mixing it with blues PURE SELF INDULGENT FLUFF. I love building cities and cultures within them, and I was trying to capture a specific kind of summer getaway/stranger in a new place vibe that I love so much when I get to experience it myself. It transports me right to that: to the place I based Cumberland on, to the exact temperature of the nights, to the exact cafe that has that drink and those donuts. I smiled a lot while writing it and I smile a lot while rereading it. Appreciating each other, and every moment of living, and the world that they get to be in - that's what I want, in the end, for Ixchel and Solas.

Dead Pasts and Dread Futures People are probably really tired of hearing me talk about this one, and I feel the most self conscious about it, but. It really is one of my favorite things I've made. I genuinely love rereading it, I have loved writing it, I still love writing it. I think it comes across more shippy when it gets talked about but to me the core of it is Ixchel's relationship to hope, her own personhood, and to her friends (originally there were so many more & pairings before the tag limit was a thing, because man. They all have pretty big arcs with her) (like to the point where sometimes I feel bad for not being More Overwhelmingly Solavellan, as opposed to spending like 20 chapters at a time on Ixchel's relationship to a single other person, which it feels like I do a lot…). I started writing it as an outlet for feelings I couldn't contain or, what I thought at the time, survive. I was trying to tell myself a story that things could get better, at a time when I didn't really believe it myself. Hope is a choice. Belief is a state of being. - And I had the strength to find neither at the time. But since then I have managed to heal a lot through this fic, I have had lots of fun chasing down story beats that just interest me, incorporating teensy bits of lore and weaving them into the bigger tapestry of Thedas, and most of all, meeting so many people because of this fic. :)

[a-chaotically-small-lunta]

Okay I had a dream where it was like I was playing a video game and this game was crazy. So it was kinda like a mix of Stardew and Terraria but like 10x harder. You start out in a world that’s in the cave man era and you find two people wandering around who need help. You all decide to make a safe base for you all the stay in. This is where you learn that the game makes you have a small base where you have to have at least 2 people living in it or else the game will end. Anyway you make a small base and craft some stone tools when it introduces the enemy of your world: Zombies. Oh boy Caveman era with zombies, sounds fun. Anyway your goal is to find more survivors, resources, and protect your settlement, which btw your settlement can be attack while you are away so you have to set up defenses or find people who are willing to fight. Luckily the game is kind and won’t start actively attacking your base until you find 10 people. After running around a while I find some ruins, which I’m like wtf there shouldn’t be any building but okay, and it’s a castle. Inside the castle there is a dining hall where the tables have food lying on top of them, modern food. I’m talking cereal boxes dated 2027 and some dated 9704.

Exploring the room a bit more I discover a hole that looks like it opens on top of the underside of the cliff. I say fuck it and jump in knowing I’m probably not gonna survive the fall. However I do survive the fall and discover there is a whole other world underneath mine and this one is mostly flooded, and it’s fantasy. So it’s discovered that this game has layers of games on top of each other, each with their own weird theme. Supposedly there’s like 50 of these layers. Like there is a modern world somewhere below but watch out, there’s an infection making people into plants. There’s even a cyberpunk world and just straight up a hell type world! Each layer of the game has a theme and something wrong with it (Caveman - Zombie) but it’s also an expansive world where you can find people and ‘dungeons.’ These dungeons are all different based on the world you go in, like a modern world that’s overrun by a disease would have a mall, or the cyberpunk world is supposedly taken over by dinosaurs could have a section of a city be considered the dungeon. The themes were all mixed up and made almost no sense half the time. The dungeons held tools, crafting recipes, people, resources, and were filled with dangers. So your goal now is to expand your base, keep people safe, and get to the bottom layer. Supposedly the bottom layer is what caused each layer to become eventually abandoned or broken, and now it’s your job to find out why. However this is where the difficulty becomes fucked up. In each layer there is only a maximum of 5 holes and in some there is only one hole that can lead you to the next layer. (Luckily if you find the a very specific type of person you can move these holes into your base or just outside it for easy access) These layers are huge so finding one little hole is almost impossible, especially since spending too much time in the ‘wrong layer’ aka not g your layer, can lead to monsters attacking more frequently in said layer, cause you aren’t supposed to be there.

This game was crazy and the lore of the game is that the creator of the game didn’t know what kind of game to make and kept changing their mind from their original idea, leading to outlandish themes. However the creator didn’t want to destroy their creations so they simply buried it under the new one so it could live on. Only doing so cause these layers to go into chaos eventually and be overrun by whatever monster was set up there or whatever monster from the layer below would make its way up, cause it was possible to have a safe layer but only because the enemies moved to another layer. Honestly though when I woke up I actually wanted to play this game dispute the difficulty of it. Like yeah you start off with stone tools against fucking zombies, but later on you could get a sword that’s enchanted or even just a straight up gun. There were also more silly or fun weapons like the gun that was enchanted by a wizard to have a 20% chance of turning the one you shot into a frog. Like wtf that’s really funny to me. But anyway that game would be a huge file cause of how big each layer is. Like one layer could have 50 or more dungeons and they weren’t small. But you could expand your base, have a simple little life in it, farm foods from many places, and defend against the caveman zombies outside your door. Which as you explore each layer there’s a small chance that the enemy of that layer will move into your level. This can cause them to work with whatever is in your level now or take over whatever is in your layer now. I was so lucky to have fucking dragons and demonic robots take over my world…WTF man so rude. It was entirely random which layer would come next (the only exception is that your level and the bottom layer were always the same) no one knows what the bottom layer has, no one has beaten the game yet. No one even knows if there is an end to the game, cause who’s to say the creator won’t just add a new layer? That’s how my dream actually ended. With an ominous message of ‘you’re on top for now, but you might lose that if they get bored’ like oh no.

[snailstrailz]

So I've been working on an AU/story with Duchess Neapolitan/Amalphia where, after the events of the first WIR movie she makes a wish that Ralph never met Vanellope and Vanellope was treated better.

which results in Ralph leaving with the medal without meeting Vanellope, and King Candy posing as Vanellope's father, and an alternative timeline where Neapolitan is trying to both balance her relationship with KC and try to recreate the plot of the movie on her own.

I am probably going to draw stuff for this, but I wrote a script for the kart building scene in this version because I'm too tired to draw RN and I kinda wanna see if anyone would be interested. Script below cut!

uhh here's a Vanellope gif because it helps with engagement

VVV

(Duchess Neapolitan and Vanellope are outside the kart factory)

DN: ok, remember. Like we practiced.

V: be adorable! Got it! (Finger guns)

(DN sneaks off, while V skips up to the tollbooth, getting the guard's attention.)

V: hey, mister. I was wondering if I could have a tour? (Acting cute and innocent)

Guard: woah there, princess. You're not allowed in here, remember?

V: (she kicks the dirt) yeah, I was hoping I could have just a littleeee peek inside? Pretty please? With a cherry on top? (Does the sparkly eye thing)

(Meanwhile, DN sneaks behind the tollbooth while the guard is distracted)

Guard: sorry, your highness-

V: with extra sprinkles? And chocolate sauce??

Guard: what are you doing out here alone anyway? I better call kin-

(DN swipes a ring of keys from his belt and covertly walks back into sight.)

DN: (to V) there you are! (To guard) We were on a little walk, and what do you know, she wanders off! (Pinching Vanellope's cheek, teasingly) I just convinced your father to let us go without guards! You're making me look bad! (She smiles and gives a wink.) My apologies, I'll be getting her home.

(DN takes V’s hand and they walk off, to a locked side gate entrance. DN fiddles with the keys and gets them inside eventually.)

DN: alright, let's be quick so nobody realizes something's up

V: yeah, in and out! Solid snake, stealth mission! (she starts humming a theme and exaggeratingly sneaking around, the kart type menu pops up and she drops the act immediately.) oh, this one!

(V chooses the kart build and they continue to the mixing section. V is doing it wrong.)

DN: no, no- you're messing it up-

(she takes the controls and helps V with the ingredients. They then work together pushing the pump on the baking section. They go to the decorating section next.)

V: lots of sprinkles! Oh! oh! and edible glitter!

(DN is following along as she can, and eventually the kart is done. It comes out a lot cleaner than the one Ralph made with her in the original timeline. DN lingers, looking glum while V jumps around and gushes about the kart)

V: it's perfect, it's perfect, it's perfect! (She grabs DN’s hand.) You're the best. Mom. (Squealing) EVER!

DN: oh, Vanellope, please. I'm not your moth-

V: yet! You're not my mom yet! You are going marry Dad, right?

DN: (putting her hands on her hips) he didn't rope you into getting me to accept his proposal, did he?

V: I dunno, maybe? (She's distracted by a bag of icing on a table.) ohh, we should sign it!

DN: Vanellope, I don't think that's- (a bag of icing gets stuffed in her hands.)

V: oh come on! It was a team thing!

(DN looks down at the icing bag. She looks absolutely horrified with what she's doing, stealing what was supposed Ralph's moment, but she doesn't want to disappoint Vanellope. She signs the kart. DN looks pensive the entire time Vanellope figures out how to drive the kart.)

(Later, they hide the Kart in the volcano and go back to the castle, meeting King Candy there.)

DN: here's your little rascal. She didn't bite me this time! (She jokes.)

V: just because you got good at dodging! (She sticks out her tongue.)

KC: alright, alright, off to bed, you! (He shoos Vanellope away, leaving him alone with DN)

DN: so, I've been meaning to speak with you-

KC: really? Marshmallow fluff, let's go somewhere more comfortable. Come, come, to the lounge.

(After entering the lounge, KC is pouring some drinks.)

DN: festive, are we?

KC: of course! (Handing her a drink.) You were wanting to discuss your decision on my proposal, correct? (He pulls a ring box from his coat and sets it on a small table as he sits in a chair)

DN: (internally) he's never gonna let her race. I shouldn't bring it up. (Talking again) Oh, yes! Your proposal, of course… I was actually thinking…

(KC looks at her excitedly, reaching for the box)

DN: (hesitating) ...yes.

KC: (he leaps out of his chair and slides the ring on DN’s finger quickly.) yes, yes! Oh my sweet little sugar cookie, you're not going to regret this! You'll make a wonderful queen!

(DN looks at the ring. She's already regretting it.)

[gorgonarcher]

22nd Game - Fabula Ultima

Fabula Ultima is a recent game by NEED Games that is designed as a call back to JRPGs like Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, Octopath Traveler, Golden Sun, and other such things. The mechanics are built along the way battles work in those games and the character creation system not only assumes that you'll be multiclassing, it requires it. But we'll get into that.

There are two full expansions, referred to as "Atlases" for High Fantasy and Techno Fantasy as well as a few other free supplements here and there, such as the one with the Necromancer class.

I'm going to use at least some stuff from Techno Fantasy when making this character. I might use some bits from High Fantasy but I'm not certain yet. But for now, let's get into it.

Press Start

The game comes right out and says that while the process of creating a new world and character has the steps in a specific order in the book, because they need to be, but you can do them in whatever order you want. I'm going to mostly follow the steps in order just for the sake of hitting everything.

The first thing that you are supposed to do in a new game is create the world as a group together. I'm going to summarize that process and go straight to creating a character after that.

So, what we have is a world that mixes sci-fi, magic, and medieval fantasy. Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and the Phantasy Star series with its space-craft. Most specifically, we're going to have mecha and our gorgon archer is going to be a mecha pilot. I'm assuming there's small pockets of civilization and vast tracks of wilderness. There is a large empire that is pushing forward to conquer what it can. There's a handful of other major countries here there, but it's mostly a individual settlements around a single villager or castle. Or a medium to big city independent from other powers.

Beyond the empire, there is of course a major supernatural threat, either using the empire, or being summoned by the empire who hopes to make use of it in their bid for conquest. Perhaps there's a demon whose soul has been trapped in an ancient computer for ages and it's trying to use this chance to be reunited with its body.

We would normally move into talking about what sort of group our characters are, but I think I'll set that aside.

So, with the basics of the world decided, let's move on to the character herself.

Step 1 - Identity

This is a short sentence describing what your character is like. Some examples from the book include:

Royal Knight

Battle Priestess of the Old Faith

Elderly Amnesiac Sorcerer

Freedom-Fighting Brawler

Tormented Veteran

For this case, our identity is going to include the fact that she's a gorgon and a mecha pilot. I also want to put a bit of motivation into it. So I think I'll go with Mercenary Gorgon Pilot Seeking Purpose

Step 2 - Theme

There are several suggested themes as follows:

Ambition

Anger

Belonging

Doubt

Duty

Guilt

Hope

Justice

Mercy

Vengeance

The two that stick out to me are Belonging and Duty. Mostly because she feels a lack of the two and searching for that sort of feeling. I'm going to choose Belonging. She is searching for purpose and while she doesn't feel she belongs right now, she wants to find a place she does. She may not be precisely conscious or aware of this desire. Right now, I suspect that she's currently just in a rut of going through the motions of being a traveling mercenary.

Step 3 - Origin

I'm going to say that this character is a remnant of an order of warrior gorgons from a country that was shattered some years ago and now she, and perhaps a few others, are scattered around doing what they can to keep their mecha in operating condition. She was likely quite young when the country fell and even now is still relatively young (at least for a gorgon). Maybe the equivalent of early 30s or late 20s. She was likely a rookie in the final battles.

Let's go to Fantasy Name Generator and generate a random Greek town name and get: The Fallen Kingdom of Iasipolis (and I seriously doubt that's proper Greek).

Step 4 - Classes

So, this is an interesting design choice. In most games, a class is a full-on archetype encompassing a complete character concept. In Fabula Ultima, classes are more like skill-sets which you combine together to form what would be a class in other games. Each level in a Class lets you take 1 skill from that Class. At level 10, you are considered to have "Mastered" that class and can no longer level up in it.

To be clear, each class has more than 10 possible skills that can be selected. So, no to examples of a mastered class are going to be exactly the same. Though some of the more simple classes only have 12 or 13 possible skills and others might get into the range of 20 possible selections.

As another note, you can only ever have a maximum of three unmastered classes active at one time and the game maxes out at level 50 with the idea that you would gain a level every other session. This means a max level character will have between 5 and 7 classes. Either 5 Mastered classes or 3-4 Mastered classes and 2-3 non-mastered classes.

But for now, we'll start with the first five levels we get at character creation. We need to split these between either two or three classes and I'm choosing three. And arranging them as follows:

Pilot 2 - Personal Vehicle 2

Spiritist 1 - Spiritual Magic 1 (Torpor)

Sharpshooter 2 - Ranged Weapon Mastery 1, Barrage

Each of these classes also comes with a benefit the character gets the first time they take a level in it.

Spiritist grants the character a permanent increase of 5 Mind Points and the ability to do Rituals.

Sharpshooter grants the character a permanent increase of 5 Hit Points and the ability to equip martial ranged weapons and martial shields.

Pilot grants another permanent increase of 5 Hit Points and the ability to equip martial melee weapons and martial ranged weapons.

Now, breaking down the skills I chose. Spiritual Magic gives the character 1 spell for each level, and I chose Torpor which applies either the Weak or Slow status effects and is somewhat close to a gorgon paralysis. In this case, I'm assuming her magic is part of her nature as a gorgon.

Ranged Combat Mastery simply adds a bonus to accuracy based on the Skill Level. So RCM 1 equals a +1 bonus to ranged attack accuracy. Barrage allows you to spend Mind Points in order to attack multiple enemies in one action. Barrage doesn't have levels, it's a one-time purpose.

Personal Vehicle is a little more complex and requires us to design her vehicle. Level one has us choose a Frame and three modules. Each level after that adds two more modules.

There are three possible Frames:

Steed - small vehicles like motorcycles, fighter craft, or even magical mounts.

Exoskeleton - power suits for the most part

Mecha - pilotable robots

Modules can be weapon modules, armor modules, and support modules. The different frames can have one or two weapon modules active, one armor module, and any number of support modules. Not that you can have more than two weapon modules, but not all of them can be active.

I know I'm going to have Mecha as a frame and for my five modules I'm choosing the following:

Flexible Plating as an Armor Module

Bow Weapon Module

Shield Weapon Module - designed as a beefier left arm

Rapid Interface Support Module - letting her get in and out easily

Turbo Support Module - giving bonuses to speed and agility tests

Step 5 - Attributes

Now we are going to assign dice to the character's Attributes. There are three general arrangements of dice:

Jack of all Trades - d8, d8, d8, d8

Average - d10, d8, d8, d6

Specialized - d10, d10, d6, d6

I'm going with the Average arrangements, because there are three Attributes I want decent stats in.

Dexterity d10

Insight d8

Willpower d8

Might d6

Step 6 - Figured Characteristics

This is where we record the starting Hit Points and the like.

Hit Points is equal to your current level plus your Might die times 5.

Mind Points is equal to your current level plus your your Willpower die times 5.

Once you take into account the starting benefits from her classes, that comes to:

Hit Points = 30 (d6 Might x5) + 10 (Pilot and Sharpshooter) + 5 (Level) = Total 45

Mind Points = 40 (d8 Might x5) +5 (Spiritist) + 5 = 50

Crisis is half the maximum Hit Points, rounded down. Thus 22. This is a stat that determines when a lot of effects trigger.

Inventory Points are used to simulate reaching into your pack and producing potions, grenades, and the like. The base Maximum Inventory Points is 6 and we don't have any class benefits to increase that, so that's simple.

Then we have three more stats:

Defense is your current Dexterity die: 10

Magic Defense is your current Insight die: 8

Initiative modifier starts at 0 and we don't have any thing that modifies that yet.

Step 7 - Equipment

A character has a budget of 500 zenit (the currency of the game) to determine their starting gear. At this point, I have to point out the very neat equipment lists and their classic pixel-art style icons.

I'm going to start by giving her armor from the basic set, a Combat Tunic for 150 zenit. It's a pretty good way to represent a pilot suit. She can't equip martial armor and most of the other basic armor gives a negative initiative penalty so I'll stick with this and it gives her:

Combat Tunic - Dex die +1 (11), Ins die +1 (9), Initiative +0

That leaves 350 zenit. I'm going to give her a Runic Shield, described as a reinforced sleeve on her left arm, similar to her mecha's shield and some throwing daggers for when she's not in her mecha. Which results in the following.

Weapons have a list of two Attributes that are used when you attack with them. All tests are like this. Sometimes, you'll end up rolling the same attribute twice, but mostly you'll add two different attributes. They also have a damage rating equal to the High Roll of the two dice plus another number.

Runic Sleeve(Shield) - +2 Def, +2 Magic Defense

Throwing Daggers - Dex + Ins, HR+4

That leaves 50 zenit and then we roll 2d6 x10 to add to that for savings. I rolled a 10 so that is 100, for a total of 150 zenit to start with.

Going back to her Mecha, her armor and weapons provide the following:

Flexible Plating: Defense = Dex+2 (12), Magic Defense = Ins+1 (9)

Bow Weapon Module = Dex + Ins +1, HR+12

Shield = +2 Def, +2 Magic Defense

Step 8 - Name and Pronouns

For her name, I'm going to choose Xanthe and her pronouns will be She/Her.

The total package for this starting character, including the bonuses from her skills and such will be as follows:

Xanthe - Level 5

Identity - Wandering Gorgon Pilot Seeking Purpose

Theme - Belonging, seeking it

Origin - The Fallen Kingdom of Iasipolis

Attributes

Dexterity d10

Insight d8

Might d6

Willpower d8

Personal Stats

Hit Points: 45; Crisis: 22

Mind Points: 50

Inventory Points: 6

Defense 13 (Combat Tunic + Shield)

Magic Defense 11 (Combat Tunic + Shield)

Initiative Modifier: +0

Classes

Pilot 2 (Personal Vehicle 2)

Sharpshooter 2 (Ranged Weapon Mastery 1, Barrage)

Spiritist 1 (Spiritual Magic 1)

Spells

Spiritism Spells - Torpor

Gear

Combat Tunic (Dex+1, Ins+1, +0)

Throwing Daggers (Dex+Ins, Dam: HR+4)

Runic Sleeve (Shield) - Def +2, Magic Defense +2

Personal Vehicle - The Atalanta

Frame: Mecha

Flexible Plating

Bow Module - Dex+Ins+2, Dam: HR+12 (Ranged Weapon Mastery)

Shield Module

Turbo Module +2 to opposed checks involving speed and rapid maneuvers

Rapid Interface Module - When you enter this personal vehicle on your turn during a conflict, you may immediately perform an additional action.

Defense: 14 (Flexible Plating + Shield Module)

Magic Defense: 11 (Flexible Plating + Shield Module)

Initiative Modifier +0

Leveling Up

I referred to this above. So here we go, something I didn't mention above was that when you Master a class, not only do you get a 10th skill from that class, but you also get a Heroic Skill, some of which are associated with specific classes, and some of which are generally available.

In addition, along the line, you'll end up finding improved gear both for herself and her mecha. I'm going to theorize what the level 50 version of Xante (a name I swear I've used before).

Let's see, first of all, I think she will end up mastering 5 classes and that will include the 3 she started with. So let's start with each of those. I'll do the Heroic Skills once I've leveled up all of her classes. There are also some other benefits you get as you level, and I'll get to those as well once I got all the basic skills worked out. Of course, this isn't how it would work in a game, so this will be a bit off, but it's what we got.

We're going to go from the least complicated to the most complicated:

Sharpshooter 10

Ranged Weapon Mastery 4 (+4 accuracy with ranged attacks)

Barrage (add multiattack)

Crossfire (interrupt ranged attacks)

Warning Shot 3

Hawkeye 1

Warning Shot lets you inflict status effects or drain Mind Points instead of dealing damage with a shot. Hawkeye gives you a chance to set up a shot, but it seems less in character for her given she seems more along the lines of acrobatics and hit and run, so I only gave her one rank of it.

Spiritist 10

Spiritual Magic 6

Healing Power 2

Support Magic

Ritual Spiritism

Spells

Torpor

Barrier

Aura

Heal

Cleanse

Soul Weapon

Pilot 10

Personal Vehicle 5

Heart of the Engine 3

Compression Tech

Flexible Configuration 1

I'll design the rare modules she picked up later on when we do the gear that she'll pick up along the way as well.

Now, for the new classes she'd pick up. I'm going to lean into the agility and acrobatics by picking up Rogue and Entropist. I considered Orator, but decided to lean into the inspiring heroic speeches, but I instead decided to lean into the heroic speed-fighter. I also considered Fury for more damage, but decided to go with more magic.

Rogue 10

Dodge 3 - Bonus to Defense as long as she has no shield or martial armor. (so she's going to drop the shields now)

High Speed 3 - Bonus action at start of combat

Soul Steal 2 - recover Inventory Points from common enemies and special treasures from powerful ones

Cheap Shot 2 - take advantage of people with status effects

This also comes with a +2 Inventory Points

Entropist

Stolen Time 4

Ritual Entropism

Absorb MP 2

Entropic Magic 3

This also comes with a bonus +5 Mind Points and access to Rituals... but she already had that.

Spells

Stop

Acceleration

Anomaly

And now, the Heroic Skills, she mastered 5 Classes so she gets 5 Heroic Skills. I'm going for the following:

Steel Witch - benefits when casting spells in a vehicle

Bullet Time - gain benefits of both Dodge and Stolen Time at once

Perfect Aim - Choose two options from Warning Shot instead of one

Vanish - Disappear after an attack

Arcane Soldier - Attack and Cast spells

And at level 20 and 40, she can increase a stat. I'm going to increase her Dex to d12 (the maximum) and her Insight to d10. This focuses on her defense.

So... now, the difficult part, because this is very subjective. Creating rare equipment.

She's going to have 11 moduies for The Atalanta. And then she's going to have her own gear for outside the mecha which will include:

Armor

One or two weapons, probably a two-handed bow

One Accessory

So... that's... a lot. Let's start with the vehicle.

Euryale Bow - Bow Module, Dex+Ins+1, HR+12, Omni-Defense

Scaled Plating - Dex+2, Ins+1, Initiative +4

Snake Wand - Arcane Module, Dex+WLP+1, HR+8, Undead and Construct Hunter

Hermetic Turbo - +2 to opposed check with speed and rapid maneuvers, Immune to Slow

Magistatic module

Aerial Module

Advanced Targeting Module

Counterstrike

Anti-Element Earth

Sensor

Rapid Interface

And now, for her personal gear

Pilot's Crash Suit - as per Combat Tunic but also Immune to Slow and +4 Initiative

Yoichi (this is one of the example pieces of gear)

Hanya Mask (another example piece of gear)

Xanthe - Level 50

Identity - Wandering Gorgon Pilot Seeking Purpose

Theme - Belonging, seeking it

Origin - The Fallen Kingdom of Iasipolis

Attributes

Dexterity d12

Insight d10

Might d6

Willpower d8

Personal Stats

Hit Points: 90; Crisis: 45

Mind Points: 100

Inventory Points: 8

Defense 16 (Pilot's Crash Suit + Dodge)

Magic Defense 11 (Pilot's Crash Suit)

Initiative Modifier: +4 (Pilot's Crash Suit)

Immune to Slow

Classes

Pilot 10 (Personal Vehicle 5, Heart of the Engine 3, Flexible Configuration 1, Compression Tech)

Sharpshooter 10 (Ranged Weapon Mastery 4, Barrage, Warning Shot 3, Hawkeye 1, Crossfire)

Spiritist 10 (Spiritual Magic 6, Support Magic, Healing Power 2, Ritual Spiritualism)

Entropist 10 (Stolen Time 4, Absorb MP 2, Entropic Magic 3, Ritual Entropism)

Rogue 10 (Dodge 3, High Speed 3, Soul Steal 2, Cheap Shot 2)

Spells

Spiritism: Torpor, Heal, Barrier, Cleanse, Soul Weapon, Aura

Entropic: Acceleration, Stop, Anomaly

Heroic Skills

Steel Witch - benefits when casting spells in a vehicle

Bullet Time - gain benefits of both Dodge and Stolen Time at once

Perfect Aim - Choose two options from Warning Shot instead of one

Vanish - Disappear after an attack

Arcane Soldier - Get a free attack on a single target and then immediately cast a Spell on that target.

Gear

Pilot's Crash Suit (Dex+1, Ins+1, +4 Initiative, Immune to Slow)

Yoichi (Dex+Dex+5, Dam: HR+8 Air, Two-Handed, Immune to Shaken)

Hanya Mask (Damage she deals to shaken creatures ignores Resistances)

Personal Vehicle - The Atalanta

Frame: Mecha

Scaled Plating, Dex+2, Ins+1, Initiative +4

Euryale Bow Module - Dex+Dex+7, Dam: HR+12 (Ranged Weapon Mastery 4, Advanced Targeting Module)

Snake Wand Module - Dex+WLP+3, HR+8 Deal 5 Extra Damage to Undead and Constructs

Hermetic Turbo Module +2 to opposed checks involving speed and rapid maneuvers, Immune to Slow

Rapid Interface Module - When you enter this personal vehicle on your turn during a conflict, you may immediately perform an additional action.

Magistatic module - After you pay the MP cost of an Arcanum, spell, or verse, if you are driving this personal vehicle and have an arcane weapon equipped, you recover 5 Mind Points, or 10 Mind Points if the cost was equal to or higher than 30 MP

Aerial Module - You can fly, various rules associated.

Advanced Targeting Module - +2 Accuracy to attacks and Offensive magic checks

Counterstrike - Respond to taking a ranged target strike

Anti-Element Earth - Resistant to Earth damage

Sensor - +2 to Open checks to analyze creatures and areas

Mecha Stats

Defense: 16 (Scaled Plating + Dodge)

Magic Defense: 11 (Scaled Plating)

Initiative Modifier +4

[goron-king-darunia]

Annon-Guy: What do you think of the Sonic Adventure 2 Songs?

All of them are bops. Sonic's theme takes the original lyrics, bumps them up to fit a faster paced and more upbeat song. Improves upon the original in every way. The original from Sonic Adventure is already a 9 out of 10, but this pushes it up to a 10/10, and the opening whistle sound is iconic, honestly. Tails' theme is, musically, better than the original. The arrangement fits with Tails' character growth as he becomes more capable and confident, even though he botches the main mission at the end and almost gets Sonic killed because, well, he's an 8 year old kid. Or he used to be. Sega seems to be scrubbing up the lore and trying to make his age ambiguous now which I literally just found out about because I couldn't remember whether he was 6 or 8 or 10 and apparently he's been depicted as young as 4 and a half in some materials which is wild. Like, I love the child genius archetype in fiction but dear god 4 is definitely too young. If he wants to be meddling with machines that can crush his little bones in his own house I guess that's fine but running around and destroying Eggman with Sonic at age 4 is insane. Little buddy you should be sipping some juice and making sand castles. Sonic's already too young to be fighting villains like Eggman as a teen (though to be fair I aged wildly out of the target demographic so EVERYONE in that series except maybe Eggman and Shadow are too young to be doing what they're doing! XD) Tails fucking up a grown man at age 4 is just insane to think about. Like yes yes child genius but FFS, 4 is just a baby. And they did it again with Cream and Cheese later. I understand that in a lot of lore it's all the animals against Eggman because he's literally a terrorist and they have no choice but come on, when you can walk around station square and see grown adults who aren't doing jack shit to stop Eggman, it should not fall to fucking prepubescent kids to fight back. AUGH!) Rant aside, Tails' theme also increases the pep as Sonic's new arrangement does, but the flaw is that the lyrics don't flow as well. The chorus absolutely cranks it up to 20/10. That slow and yearning "I want to fly high" is absolutely killer. The first verse absolutely bops too. But when it gets to later verses, the lyrics fall apart and just don't fit the rhythm. Also, they lose out on the absolutely killer bit of "there's things that only I can do, No one's Alone!" from the first arrangement. Now it's just smushed together into some unrecognizeable word salad due to trying to fit the original lyrics in an arrangement where they don't vibe well. I think it would be possible to take the best parts of both arrangements and make a 12/10 song, but as it stands, they're both about equally good at 8/10.

Knuckles' theme improves. The softer voice for the rap fits much better with the lyrical vocals they ported over as a backdrop from the first arrangement, but the sound mixing is poor so that it's difficult to parse the lyrics if you don't already know them. But then again maybe that's just my auditory processing disorder. That said, I do think the contrast of the rougher rap and the softer vocals being kept separate in the original was thematically on-point. If they had kept the rap in the new arrangement distinct from the vocals they took from the original and kept it as a refrain between verses, it would be absolute fire. Still an improvement. The scratching lends a hip-hop quality to it that I definitely jive with. Absolute fire. Original was a decent 7/10, the new version manages an 8.5 out of 10. If the sound mixing was a little better and they kept the original vocals as a refrain, I think it could be a 9.5 out of 10. Shadow's theme is, sadly, the weakest to me. It absolutely fits his character, but the vocal performance is weak. Say what you will about the game "Shadow the Hedgehog" but that had absolutely baller themes for Shadow and the lyrics absolutely added to it. I understand that theoretically Shadow would have actually permanently died at the end of SA2, and they only brought him back because he was insanely popular. So setting him apart with the harsher techno-rock-metal soundtrack where the lyrics aren't the focus sets him up as an intimidating foil to Sonic's more cheerful and upbeat personality and the contrasting themes absolutely reflect that. But I feel like they could have done a little more to reflect Shadow's ultimate conflict of realizing that revenge doesn't change anything and that Maria wouldn't have wanted him to destroy the world for her. Honestly I feel the same about Richter's theme from DotNW but in a different direction. While Richter's theme does try to telegraph his more complicated feelings and motives by setting up that harsh, rhythmic bass line and bringing in the sweeter violin, it sounds too dissonant to me. I think they could have had more synergy. Shadow's theme is a bit of the opposite. I think there could have been more contrast. Honestly the lyrics come in so late and so low that I forget this song even has lyrics. 8/10. I prefer more of the themes from the Shadow the Hedgehog game.

Eggman's theme is absolute fire. No notes. Massive improvement from the first game. This song has everything. The mechanical noises reminding you of who he is, Ivo Robotnik, and how that ties into the grand scheme of things. The self-aggrandizing lyrics. The droning rhythmic synth track that just oozes "factory assembly line" energy. It sounds cool but intimidating, with just an edge of "how fucking goofy, who does this guy think he is?!" While I absolutely adore the toothless joke villain Eggman gets set up to be in a lot of the newer stuff, namely the Sonic Boom series and games, I love this intersection where Eggman has just enough over-the-top zazz to make you raise an eyebrow. It sits right on the precipice of "either this guy really knows what he's doing and is so confident about it, he doesn't care if he looks goofy doing it or he's an ABSOLUTE idiot who just happens to fail upward." And it's right in that sweet spot where he can be the butt of the joke while also being intimidating. Absolute peak of both camp villain and cartoonishly evil while having just enough power and wits to be a genuine threat. The main chorus literally begins with "I am the Eggman" which, in spite of all odds, makes the name that Sonic gave him as an insult out to be a genuinely threatening moniker. As if to proclaim, yes, go ahead, think of me as a joke. Underestimate me. It won't matter in the end. He is not just Eggman. He is THE Eggman. The one and only. And he's going to build his empire over the bulldozed remains of your city whether you put respect on that name or not. And his theme song encapsulates all that while being a genuine bop. 100/10. Genuinely one of the best themes ever written for the Sonic Franchise.

And that leaves us with Rouge. And for a new character BOY OH BOY, did they hit it OUT OF THE PARK with her theme. That soft jazz, the soft, sultry vocals that ramp up into confident high heady notes. Absolute banger. Tells us everything we need to know about Rouge as a character. A spy, a theif, a sneak, and a Woman with the uppercase W. She knows who she is, she knows what she wants, and she will use everything to get it. Overtly sexualized, but in a way I don't necessarily mind, even if it's right on the cusp of being inappropriate for a game meant to be played by kids. She was a lot of young mens' (and young womens') sexual awakening for a reason. While noting in the canon of the game shows her actively using her body in a sexual way to get what she wants, I don't think it's inaccurate to extrapolate from her theme and her way of speaking and walking that she absolutely would if this was a game for Adults. The parallels to Catwoman are not an accident. And her theme song does a masterful job of indicating all that without actually treading into inappropriate territory. Even Wild Canyon's theme explicitly references her as an object of desire and that Knuckles being that shy guy that doesn't know how to deal with pretty women is absolutely affected by her. I think part of the reason it's easy to forgive Rouge being sexualized is because she's an active, intelligent character who is at all times, using the people around her. She is not some sexy lamp that you can upskirt for sick thrills whom the narrative has to repeatedly assure us "don't worry, this isn't skeevy, she definitely likes it, we promise." This is a woman with steel-toed high heels that breaks into bank vaults and could kill the average man with a single kick. She's hot, she knows she's hot, and she uses that to her advantage to wriggle into positions of power and advantage. And she's fine with being that way. Her arc isn't about some condescending narrative about how she shouldn't have to behave that way. If anything her main arc is that she's absolutely stellar being exactly as she is and provides valuable skills to the team to help save the world. She's a stereotype, but not actually one that I mind. Because she's not just a sexy woman who loves money and jewels and has nothing else to her. I would classify her as a witch archetype despite not having supernatural powers other than sensing gems, which is a gimmick Knuckles also has and is never explained as anything other than a game mechanic. She has power and talent in her own right and while she is a direct foil to Knuckles and works alongside Eggman and Shadow, she isn't defined solely by how she relates to the men that surround her. She's an absolute beast and I love her. One of my favorite Sonic Characters of all time. Even with her damsel in distress moments, I never got the sense that she was incapable. Just overconfident. But not in a "LOL, how stupid of a woman to think she can tangle with the big boys." but "She is literally walking among titans, she's bound to trip up a little." The only time it felt forced was in her final confrontation with Knuckles where she falls off a beam. I understand the idea was probably "she's tired from fighting and can't right herself immediately, which is the reason she fell in the first place." so it's ambiguous whether she could have saved herself, despite having wings. But even if all the nitpickers are actually correct and she was never in danger, Knuckles reaching out to save her is more about the kind of person he is than the kind of person Rouge is. That said, yeah, her theme is a fucking banger. Second best track from the character themes, for real. 20/10 at least. No notes. Absolutely accomplishes the goal of distilling who Rouge is into a single song. Absolute queen.

[scooby-review]

Every Scooby Doo Where are You Episode Ranked

Perfect!; Great!; Good!; Okay!; Meh!; Bad! 

25. A Tiki Scare is no Fair

24. Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright

23. Decoy for a Dognapper

22. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

21. Mystery Mask Mix Up

20. Nowhere to Hyde

19. Mine Your Own Business

18. What a Night for a Knight

17. Bedlam in Big Top

16. What the Hex Going On?

15. Which Witch is Which?

14. Never Ape an Ape Man

13. Scooby Doo and a Mummy Too

12. Don't Fool with a Phantom

11. A Clue for Scooby Doo

10. A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts

9. Haunted House Hang Up

8. Spooky Space Kook

7. Jeepers it's the Creeper

6. A Night of Fright is no Delight

5. That's Snow Ghost

4. The Backstage Rage

3. Foul Play in Funland

2. Go Away Ghost Ship

1. Hassle in the Castle

Where are You will always be one of the most fondly thought of Scooby Series by proxy of coming first. With such a simple yet captivating storyline it's also no shock that this series spun into a 55 year long franchise (happy belated anniversary also!). Because despite all these factors working in the series' credit, it's also so popular because it's great!

I had a great time watching most of these episodes! I think so much of the series success came down to the inspirations it took from what came before it, most notably The Archies, the group of teenagers with an animal mascot was the biggest inspiration, and originally the gang were also going to be in a band. This cast is half of the drive of the show, and sure, Fred and Daphne wouldn't grow into less of cookie cutter characters for a little while, but I love them nevertheless! Meanwhile the other three characters are so distinctive already, they make their presence known, and honestly, this is one of my favourite renditions of Scooby as a character. He hasn't become too much of a mascot yet, his iconicity hasn't turned the character into an overzealous near parody of himself, that also is great sure, but here I especially loved how he was written.

Of course, the other half of the show's success comes down to the monsters. These creatures are what makes or breaks an episode, they are the objective, the wall, and the endless rotation of foils for the gang. As mentioned in my previous post, they're great, and they can often make or break an episode, with many of my least favourite episodes housing my least favourite villains.

Finally, I want to touch on the backgrounds, which ooze with gothic style, they are another factor in keeping the show so popular, in carrying the tone and themes of the show, pulling deep into the gothic origins of horror and tamer universal monster movies.

Both the episodes and series as a whole keeps to a nice length that never over stays its welcome. The series is a joy to watch, even with a slight dip in quality when we reach the second season. Where are You is great!

Reviews for every episode can be found on my blog! Thank you for reading :)

Onto The New Scooby Doo Movies next!

Previous: Ranking Every Where are You Villain

Next: The New Scooby Doo Movies Season 1 Episodes 1 - 4

[sparktober]

Sparktober Bingo 2023!

So excited to bring you this year’s collection of bingo prompts! As in previous years, we have collected a bunch of 2023 -tober prompt lists (found on this google sheet in the tober 2023 tab, with relevant links and hashtags. Check out the originals!). This year, we have also included generic tropes and additional rp/ask post prompts.

Add in a list of Atlantis episodes, crank up the soft-serve machine, and…

How to Play:

Choose all prompts or a mix of “flavors” from the prompt sets below the cut, then paste it into this fandom bingo card generator.

Adjust your browser size til it looks right and take a screenshot!

On mobile? Can’t generate your own? Generally sounds annoying? Check out this post for some pre-generated randomized bingo cards that you can take!

Sparktober Bingo Rules: (there are no rules)

Complete a row/column, corners, or a blackout of your card by November 1, or not! Update as you go. Spontaneously declare victory whenever you feel accomplished.

Tag #sparktober so people can see your bingo cards and creations!

All fan-works are encouraged: art, edits, fic, meta…

You are allowed to pull multiple cards until you get one that inspires you (hit “refresh” on the generated bingo card page).

You can also edit the prompt list as much as you want in advance to suit your likes and dislikes. Each “flavor” list is alphabetized.

There were tons of dialogue prompts this year in all categories, so those have been collected together in their own category.

Use the prompts liberally! “The Long Goodbye” could be an episode-related fic or a fic about saying goodbye or inspiration for a Raymond Chandler-esque Noir Detective AU. Go wild!

Flavor descriptions:

The prompt lists are below, in the following text blocks. Copy any or all of them into the bingo card generator!

VANILLA: Gen prompt lists from Fictober, Inktober, Flufftober, Trektober’s Gen and Trek lists, general tropes, and some prompts from various ask/rp prompt lists (additional lists and links are in the google doc).

CHOCOLATE: Smut themed prompt lists from Trektober NSFW and the #fawktober2023 kinktober list, and a few bonus tropes.

ROCKY ROAD: Whump prompts from the ever-fabulous whumptober! The multiple-choice-prompts-per-day have been broken into individual prompts.

COOKIE DOUGH: Dialogue prompts sourced from gen, whump, and rp prompt lists.

SEA SALT: Atlantis episode list (in order, in case you only want to copy certain seasons), along with Atlantis and SG-1 characters and some franchise-specific prompts.

THE WORKS: All of the above! For this flavor, copy and paste everything below the readmore. :)

Mod note: If you’re editing the list, make sure there’s a semi-colon (;) between your prompts. If you have semi-colons without prompts, you might end up with blank spaces. If you get a server error when using the bingo card generator, have some ice cream and try again!

Vanilla;

[…] At First Sight; A Very Long Hug; About-To-Die Confession; Academy; Accidental Kiss; Accidental Marriage; Adventure; Advertising; Age Difference; Amnesia; Angel; Angst With A Happy Ending; Animals / Pets; Anniversary; Another Character Ships It; Assassin; Assumed Unrequited Love; Back From the Dead; Bathhouse / Sauna; Beast; Bed Hair; Bed or Tent Sharing; Black Ops; Blind Date; Body Swap; Bounce; Candles / Lanterns / Fairy Lights; Canon Compliant; Canon Divergent; Castle; Celestial; Chains; Champagne; Character Survives; Chess; Childhood Sweethearts; Cinderella Moment; Coffee in Bed; Coffee Shop; College; Comfort / Care; Common Interests; Confession; Corn Maze; Counting Freckles; Court Martial; Coworkers to Friends to Lovers; Crew as Family; Crossover; Cuddling for Warmth; Cyberpunk; Dagger; Damsel in Distress; Dangerous; Decontamination; Demon; Dessert; Dinner Reservations; Diplomacy; Discovering One's Sexuality; Dodge; Domesticity; Dream; Dreams Do Come True; Dress Uniform; Drip; Drunken Confessions; Emergency; Encouragement; Enemies to Lovers; Evacuation; Everyone Knows But Them; Everyone Thinks We're Doing It; Eye Contact; Fairytale Retelling; Fake / Secret Identity; Fake Dating / Fake Marriage; Family; Fantasy; Fire; Fire & Ice; Fireplace; First Kiss; First Responder; Firsts; Fix-it; Fixing Each Other’s Clothes; Fluff; Forced Marriage; Forced Proximity; Forehead Kiss; Forehead Touch; Fortune; Found Family; Fraternization; Friends to Lovers; Friends With Benefits; Frost; Fuzzy Morning After; Genderswap; Giggling During Sex; Glossary; Golden; Hand Kiss; Hand-Holding; Handcuffed Together; Hiding Injuries; Historical; Hot Chocolate; Huddling for Warmth; Humming / Singing; Hurt / Comfort; Imprisoned Together; Injury Revealed; Insomnia; Ion Storm / Sci-Fi Weather; Island; Jealousy; Keeping Someone Safe; Kid Fic; Kidnapped / Rescued; Last Table at a Café; Late Nights; Linguistics; Lockdown; Long Shower; Lost Sense(s); Love Confession; Love of my Life; Loved Ones; Lovers to Friends; Lovesick; Mafia; Magic; Map; Marginalia; Markets; Massive; Matchmaker; Meet Cute; Meet Ugly; Melting; Mentor; Mirrorverse; Misunderstandings; Movie Night; Multifandom Crossover; Multiple Universes; Musical; Mutation; Mutual Pining; Neck Kiss; New Occupation; Nightmares; No Trespassing; Nobody Knows; Nook; Observation Deck; Obsession; Only One Bed; Original Character; Out of Uniform; Outdoor Event; Pajamas; Partners in Crime; Path; PhD; Phone Calls; Pining; Plump; Plural; Poisoned; Polyamory; Porch Swing; Post-Apocalyptic; Pregnancy; Present Day; Protection; Pumpkin; Rainy Day; Reading Each Other's Minds; Reassignment; Rec Room; Recovery; Recruitment; Red Alert; Regency; Remove; Rescue Mission; Retirement; Reunion Hug; Rise; Rivals to Lovers; Road Trip; Role Reversal; Roommates; Rush; Saddle; Scratchy; Secret Relationship; Self-Worth / Self-Love; Sex / Love Pollen; Shaken, Not Stirred; Shallow; Shared Dreams; Shared Injuries or Pain; Shore Leave; Sick Fic; Singing to Sleep; Sleeping in; Slow Burn; Slow Dancing; Snowed In; Soft Character Snaps; Soothing Touch; Soul Bond; Soulmates; Space Horror; Spacewalk; Sparkle; Spicy; Spiders; Spin the Bottle / Truth or Dare; Spooky; Spy; Superhero; Supernatural; Survival Training; Sweater Weather; Sweet Tooth; Sync; Take-Out; Taken Hostage; Target Practice; Tattoos; Telepathy; Tending to Injuries; Terminology; Things Have Changed; Time Loop; Time Travel; Toad; Trinket; Under a Spell; Undercover as Lovers / Married; Waking Up; Walking Home; Wander; Warning; Watching A Movie Together; Wearing Each Other’s Clothes; Wing Fic; Wrong […]; X + 1;

Chocolate;

69; A/B/O; About-To-Die Sex; Against a Wall; Alien Anatomy; Aliens Made Us Do It; Anal; Anonymous Sex; Aphrodisiacs; Bath / Shower; BDSM; Begging; Biting; Blowjobs; Body Worship; Bondage; Breath Play; Breeding; Caught Masturbating; Choking; Cock Rings; Cockwarming; Comfort Sex; Consensual Non-Consent; Corruption; Costumes; Cream Pie; Crying; Cunnilingus; Dacryphilia; Deep Throating; Degradation; Dirty Talk; Double Penetration; Edging; Exhibitionism; Face Sitting; Fingering; First Time; Fisting; Food Play; Forced Orgasm; Formal Wear; Frottage; Fuck or Die; Gagging; Glove Kink; Gun Play; Hand Job; Hate Sex; Heat / Rut; Hunter / Prey; Impact Play; In a Vehicle; Intercrural Sex; Knife Play; Lap Dance; Lazy Morning; Leather / Latex; Lingerie; Love Bites; Masturbation; Mirror Sex; Monster; Object Insertion; Oral; Orgasm Denial; Orgy / Group; Overstimulation; Partner Swap; Pegging; Period Sex; Pet Play; Piercings; Possessiveness; Praise Kink; Public; Rebound Sex; Rimming; Ritualistic; Role Play; Romantic Sex; Rough Sex; Seduction; Sensory Deprivation; Sex Toys; Sexting / Phone Sex; Shower Sex; Size Kink; Slow and Soft; Somnophilia; Spanking; Squirting; Stripping; Table Sex; Temperature Play; Tentacles; Thigh Riding; Threesome; Tit / Nipple Play; Undercover as a Sex Worker; Virginity; Voice Kink; Voyeurism; Wall Sex; Wax Play; We-Didn't-Die Sex; Whipping;

Rocky Road;

Aftermath of Failure; Alleyway; Animal Trap; Betrayal; Blanket; Blindfold; Bloody Knife; Body Modification; Borrowed Clothing; Brass Knuckles; Bridal Carry; Broken; Broken Phone / Radio; Buried Alive; Captivity; Cattle Prod; Cold Compress; Collar; Debris; Decoy; Delirium; Drugging; Emptiness; Examination; Flare; Flatline; Floral Bouquet; Glass Shard; Goodbye Note; Gurney; Hunting; Journal; Lab Rat; Made to Watch; Makeshift Bandages; Matches; Miscommunication; Mistaken Identity; Neglect; Outnumbered; Overcrowded ER; Panic; Pinned Down; Playing Cards; Polaroid; Psychological; Radio Silence; Recording; Red; Reluctant Whumper; Restraints; Sacrifice; Safety Net; Scars; Scented Candle; Seeing Double; Setbacks; Shadows; Shaking; Shock; Solitary Confinement; Stalking; Stranded; Suppressed Suffering; Swooning; Thermometer; Tortured for Information; Touch Aversion; Trapped Together; Troubled Past Resurfacing; Vehicular Accident; Vows; Water Inhalation; Working to Exhaustion;

Cookie Dough;

“Absolutely not.”; “Are you with me?”; “Be honest.”; “Be still.”; “Can I ask you something?”; “Can you hear me?”; “Come with me, hurry.”; “Did you miss me?”; “Did you plan for this to happen?”; “Do I look like I knew that?”; “Do you even know what this means?”; “Do you ever regret it?”; “Do you know a way out of here?”; “Do you know how long you were gone?”; “Do you know what you’re doing?”; “Do you recognize this?”; “Don’t do this again.”; “Don’t move.”; “Don’t shoot.”; “Don’t stop.”; “Don’t worry, I got you.”; “Everyone leaves.”; “Everything hurts.”; “Everything will be okay now.”; “Fine, explain it to me.”; “Fuck off.”; “Fuck you.”; “Go away.”; “Hey, wake up!”; “Hit them harder.”; “Honestly, why would I care?”; “How come?”; “How could you just show up after all this time?”; “How many fingers am I holding up?”; “I can’t wait for you.”; “I couldn’t tell you before.”; “I disagree.”; “I don’t feel so good.”; “I don’t know if they will accept this.”; “I don’t need anyone else but you.”; “I knew.”; “I know.”; “I love you.”; “I may not get another chance to say this.”; “I missed you.”; “I need you by my side.”; “I never said it would be easy.”; “I thought [X] was with you.”; “I thought we were past this.”; “I thought you were dead.”; “I told you I would come back.”; “I was worried.”; “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”; “I’ll never leave you again.”; “I’ll take care of it.”; “I’m done.”; “I’m fine.”; “I’m glad to have you through all of this.”; “I’m just getting comfortable.”; “I’m lost.”; “I’m not saying I didn’t like it.”; “I’m seeing this through to the end. With you.”; “I’m sick.”; “I’m sorry for leaving.”; “I’m sure.”; “I’m up, I’m up!”; “I’ve got you.”; “If you don’t stop now —”; “Is it really over?”; “Is that a challenge?”; “Is that you?”; “Is this okay?”; “It made me think of you.”; “It should have been me.”; “It stopped.”; “It wasn’t my choice.”; “It’s all for nothing.”; “It’s been a while.”; “It’s broken.”; “It’s good to see you.”; “It’s not too late, let’s go.”; “It’s not your fault.”; “It’s okay, I’m here now.”; “It’s raining.”; “It’s you.”; “Just hold on.”; “Just in case this doesn’t work.”; “Keep quiet.”; “Kiss me.”; “Leave me alone.”; “Let me see.”; “Let’s go.”; “Let’s talk.”; “Long time, no see.”; “Make it stop.”; “Maybe you should stay away from me.”; “My mother adores you.”; “Never mind.”; “Nice outfit.”; “No one knows us here.”; “No one will find you.”; “No way.”; “No, you won’t understand.”; “Not here.”; “Not much longer…”; “Now what?”; “Oh no, you’re a morning person!”; “Okay, show me.”; “Please listen.”; “Please stop.”; “Since when?”; “Slow down.”; “So… what’s new?”; “Stay here.”; “Stay low.”; “Stop distracting me.”; “Stop that.”; “Stop yelling!”; “Take it easy.”; “Take me with you next time.”; “That’s all? Easy.”; “That’s impossible.”; “They don’t care about you.”; “They’re not breathing!”; “Things were better before you left.”; “This better be good.”; “This sucks.”; “Try me.”; “Wait, you love me?” “I always have.”; “Watch out!”; “Watch yourself.”; “We agree?”; “We can’t do this on our own.”; “We can’t.”; “We only have each other.”; “We shouldn’t be doing this. Not here.”; “We’re fucked.”; “What happened to me?”; “What if we’re wrong?”; “What now?”; “Where have you been?”; “Where to?”; “Who takes care of you?”; “Who’s that?”; “Who’s there?”; “Why are you here?”; “Why did you come back?”; “Why did you leave?”; “You ass.”; “You coming?”; “You could have said goodbye.”; “You could say I’m fond of you.”; “You didn’t even try to look for me.”; “You don’t have to pretend.”; “You have me, always.”; “You in there?”; “You knew?”; “You left me to die.”; “You look awful.”; “You look like hell.”; “You need me.”; “You owe me an explanation.”; “You said you’d never leave.”; “You shouldn’t have left.”; “You told your family?”; “You will regret touching them.”; “You’ll have to go through me.”; “You’re a liar.”; “You’re here and that’s all that matters.”; “You’re joking.”; “You’re miserable.”; “You’re right.”; “You’re serious.”; “You’re the reason I came back.”; “You’re wrong.”; “You’ve changed.”;

Sea Salt;

Rising; Hide and Seek; Thirty-Eight Minutes; Suspicion; Childhood’s End; Poisoning the Well; Underground; Home; The Storm; The Eye; The Defiant One; Hot Zone; Sanctuary; Before I Sleep; The Brotherhood; Letters from Pegasus; The Gift; The Siege; The Intruder; Runner; Duet; Condemned; Trinity; Instinct; Conversion; Aurora; The Lost Boys; The Hive; Epiphany; Critical Mass; Grace Under Pressure; The Tower; The Long Goodbye; Coup d'Etat; Michael; Inferno; Allies; No Man’s Land; Misbegotten; Irresistible; Sateda; Progeny; The Real World; Common Ground; McKay and Mrs. Miller; Phantoms; The Return; Echoes; Irresponsible; Tao of Rodney; The Game; The Ark; Sunday; Submersion; Vengeance; First Strike; Adrift; Lifeline; Reunion; Doppelganger; Travelers; Tabula Rasa; Missing; The Seer; Miller’s Crossing; This Mortal Coil; Be All My Sins Remember’d; Spoils of War; Quarantine; Harmony; Outcast; Trio; Midway; The Kindred; The Last Man; Search and Rescue; The Seed; Broken Ties; The Daedalus Variations; Ghost in the Machine; The Shrine; Whispers; The Queen; Tracker; First Contact; The Lost Tribe; Outsiders; Inquisition; The Prodigal; Remnants; Brain Storm; Infection; Identity; Vegas; Enemy at the Gate; Ronon Dex; Teyla Emmagan; John Sheppard; Carson Beckett; Elizabeth Weir; Rodney McKay; Jennifer Keller; Aiden Ford; Radek Zelenka; Kate Heightmeyer; Evan Lorne; Laura Cadman; Kolya; Chuck; Peter Grodin; Steven Caldwell; Richard Woolsey; Samantha Carter; Jack O’Neill; Teal’c; Daniel Jackson; Janet Fraiser; George Hammond; Hank Landry; Carolyn Lam; Vala; Cameron Mitchell; Jonas Quinn; Alien Technology; Ancient Technology; Ancient(s); Antarctica; Ascension; Asgard; Asurans; ATA Gene; Athosians; Atlantis; Balcony; Control Chair; Control Room; Daedalus; DHD; Earth; Genii; Goa’uld; Infirmary; IOA; Lantea; Mainland; Mission Fic; Nanites; New Lantea; Ocean; Ori; Pegasus Galaxy; Puddle Jumper; Sentience; SGC; Stargate; Stasis Chamber; Storage Closet; Wraith

[alex-the-nonsensologist]

Disney Dreamland - Part 4: Fantasyland

(I had already posted about Mysteryland previously, which retroactively makes it Part 3. So we're moving on to the next part.)

Quite possibly the largest of the five lands, probably even beating out my mega-Adventureland. 

Small World Gardens

Located behind Small World, this sprawling area would transition into Storybook Town Square. Flower arrangements inspired by Keukenhof in the Netherlands. Similar to Paris’s Fantasyland, there would be a couple rivers running through the garden with lovely bridges to cross over them. 

Dumbo the Flying Elephant : The Masquerade Circus could be positioned near the Mysteryland/Fantasyland border so that the back of the tents could serve as a backdrop for the Dumbo ride, which would have its own little area in the gardens. I was at a loss on where else to place this ride, but I stubbornly wanted to include it as it is currently the only attraction to be found in all 6 existing castle parks and I didn't want to break that streak.

"Casey Jr. Circus Train": Doesn't have to specifically be Dumbo-themed, I just really want a cute novelty train to wind through the garden, with cute bridges to pass over the walkways and rivers.

“Swan Boats”: Paddle boats. I say “swan boats” but they don’t have to be just swans, but could also resemble other birds such as ducks, geese, and flamingos.

Symphony Gazebo: A gazebo in the garden for a live band to play classical music.

“Windmill snack stand”: I saw a picture of the Old Mill in Paris and thought it looked so charming. German pretzels. 

Storybook Town Square

The town follows in the footsteps of Ananheim’s 1983 overhaul with each building having its own unique look. Would feature a fluid mix of Bavarian and British architecture. The Bavarian half of the town on the west contains “Pinocchio Square” and the theater. The British half on the east contains Peter Pan, Little Nemo (even though Nemo is American), and Mr. Toad. A large fountain stands in the center. Cobblestones would pave the ground. I want this area to evoke the feeling of Paris’s Fantasyland as well as Efteling in the Netherlands . 

Pinocchio’s Daring Escape: Focuses more on escaping Pleasure Island. The only other thing I would change is have all the sets and animatronics appear to be carved out of wood, and have real clothes on the animatronics, for a more high-quality “hand made” look, the implication being the entire ride is a life-sized puppet show. The ride building along with the toy shop and restaurant form a smaller “Pinocchio Square”, which would include a smaller fountain with a statue of Pinocchio.

Geppetto’s Toy Shop: Would feature regular retail plush toys, as well as old fashioned toys like wooden marionettes and wind-ups, as well as cuckoo clocks. Christmas ornaments can also be purchased here.   

Pinocchio’s Pizza Place: Italian cuisine. Basically the Pinocchio Village Haus in Orlando, but with an alliterative name, and also some of the pizzas have toppings decorated to look like Pinocchio smiley faces. Quick service.  

Once Upon a Time Theatre: Hosts live indoor stage shows. While any show with Disney musical medleys is fine, I would much prefer original shows of rarely-featured stories, such as the other tales from the 1001 Arabian Nights, or a stage version of Disney's Return to Oz (which I personally love better as an Oz adaptation than MGM's movie; 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful was meh). Building design would be modeled after the new Fantasyland Forest Theatre in Tokyo.

“German restaurant”: Table service. 

Flight to Neverland: Would utilize the best aspects from each version of the ride. For example, I love that Shanghai’s queue is themed to a London park (Kensington Gardens?), and the chimneys in Paris’s loading dock blow smoke. The building facade would definitely have a functioning clock tower, in homage to Big Ben, but designed to fit with the small town aesthetic. The name change is simply because I feel like guests actually take on the role of the Darling children more than they do Peter.

Little Nemo in Slumberland: Little Nemo may not be a Disney IP, but it has such rich and vibrant imagery, I think it could work really well as a Disney ride. Not to mention it’s in the public domain, so there shouldn’t be any legal issues. In many ways it’s very similar to Peter Pan’s Flight, so maybe it could also help balance the wait times between the two rides. Guests take on the role of Nemo and ride flying beds (or at least, benches that look like beds, with a headboard and a footboard) that soar out the bedroom window. What follows are awe-inspiring, almost surreal, scenes of Slumberland. Things start to distort and become chaotic as the dream turns into a nightmare. Before anything too awful happens, guests “wake up” back in Nemo’s bedroom while the voice of Nemo’s mother scolds us for eating before bed. For visual reference, I recommend the Osamu Dezaki pilot film that was created during the movie’s development, though I obviously wouldn’t put the giant Sauron eye in the ride. 

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride: Orlando’s former double-track ride, but with Anaheim’s building exterior. I never got to experience this ride and I really want to.

Ever After Castle

Here it is, the traditional centerpiece of all Disney parks, now the centerpiece of Fantasyland instead. I personally think of most Disney castles as tall but not wide. This castle would be slightly different from the traditional Disney castle by taking up more ground space. I hate to sound blasphemous, but for this castle I’m thinking of something similar to Shrek’s Far Far Away Castle in Universal Singapore but with more detailed ornate decorations like Paris’ castle, and the outer walls slightly covered in ivy vines for a more inviting, homely look. It would also stand on top of an elevated foundation, surrounded by a moat. There would be a large courtyard in front of the main castle building, with the carousel placed in the center of it. The gift shop and the meet-and-greet are each placed on either the west or east side of the courtyard. The north of the courtyard would feature the restaurant on the ground floor, the entrance to the underground boat ride, and stairs to the second floor attraction. 

Cinderella’s Carriage Carrousel: Regarding the visual design, I want it to look like the pumpkin carriage turned into a carousel. The canopy could include fiber optic fairy dust that lights up at night.

Be Our Guest Restaurant: French cuisine. I really like Tokyo’s Beauty and the Beast ride and would love to import it, but I respect the OLC’s exclusivity rights too much. I wondered if I could make it a combination ride and restaurant where each table is a ride vehicle, but I worried that would cause motion sickness which is a big no-no for a restaurant. At the very least, for my version I would love to have animatronics perform “Be Our Guest” every 30 minutes or so. Also, perhaps every hour, Belle and Beast performers would come out onto the dance floor and invite guests to waltz with them. Hot Take: The Grey Stuff is very obviously a savory food as it is clearly presented on a tray of hors d'oeuvres in the movie. But since the version currently offered in the parks has been imprinted in fans’ minds I think it’s best to offer two versions: Savory (chicken liver pate) as an appetizer and Sweet (cookies and cream) as a dessert.

Royal Meet-and-Greet: I personally do not care much for meet and greets, but for the people that do, here you can meet the Princesses, some of the Princes, as well as non-Princesses such as Giselle, Esmeralda, and TinkerBell. 

Kingdom Treasures gift shop: Based on the Tokyo shop of the same name. 

Crystal Caverns Canal: Boat ride underneath the castle. My first idea for this ride was basically Voyage to the Crystal Grotto from Shanghai, if all the character statues were built out of crystals and mosaic tiles. Then I realized, there’s probably too much IP already in the land, so I think there could be an original story about the crystals being a source of magic for the kingdom, and have scenes of wizards and fairies harvesting the crystals and creating experiments with them. Sort of a “tour of the workshop” kind of ride. I’m thinking of something with the same vibes as Dreamflight in Efteling. 

Merlin’s Library / Yen Sid’s Library: Located on the second floor of the castle. Originally I wanted a ride in a similar vein to Symbolica in Efteling, but with a story like that of Mystic Manor in Hong Kong. Then I wondered if it would be feasible to have a ride in the second story, so I’m also okay with this being a walkthrough attraction.  I feel either wizard could work here. Merlin is the more well-known wizard, but Yen Sid is easier to create an original backstory for. The basic gist of the attraction is you wander around a library with little vignettes of magical items operating on their own; a quill pen writing  by itself, a large spell book turning its own pages, floating books sorting themselves on the shelves, etc. There could even be some interactive elements, such as paintings that change, or opening a book can project a scene “coming to life” and “escaping” the book.

Fairytale Gardens: Walkthrough garden. There would be lovely little vignettes scattered throughout, including Snow White’s wishing well, a giant beanstalk, and The Sword in the Stone placed in a little alcove in the castle’s outer wall. This would be outside the courtyard. Maybe off to the side, to the west, wrapping around the outer castle wall, next to Shadowland Forest.

Shadowland Forest

Inspired by the Black Forest of Germany, this area features spookier attractions. West of the castle, shares the border with Mysteryland and the Gravity Falls area. There would be plenty of fir, spruce, and pine trees to make it feel like an actual forest, maybe even hide some of the attractions from view. 

Snow White’s Scary Adventures : Building facade would include the Evil Queen peeking out her window. I would place the building nearest to Storybook Town Square, at the edge of the forest.

“Gingerbread Factory Tour” : Based on my twisted Hansel and Gretel dark ride idea. Guests are given a tour of gingerbread golems at work (something like Tim Burton’s version of Wonka’s factory if it were more surreal and set in 1800s Germany), then are chased through obstacles, such as lollipop blades swinging from the walls, and peppermint stick darts, by Hansel and Gretel themselves. They’ve been very distrustful of adults after their parents abandoned them in the woods, and after the witch held them captive. They deem the guests harmless, and let them go but warn them to never come back.

Candy Carnival shop: The ride would exit into a shop themed to a candy carnival safe haven that Hansel and Gretel built for children lost in the woods. Would feature gingerbread treats and a nice selection of old-fashioned candies and German sweets. Guests can also watch bakers and candymakers at work. (Despite the name, there are no actual rides here, just animatronic decorations.)

Dragon Mountain: I wanted a unique “Mountain” ride, much like how the Matterhorn and Everest are unique to their parks. And dragons are cool. Originally this was going to be based on Maleficent, but now I’m leaning more towards an original story. And to put a neat spin on things, instead of a fire-breathing dragon, it would be a wintery ice dragon! I would also love it if the dragon was not portrayed as a mindless, violent beast hoarding treasure, but a parent protecting their child from intruders.

I initially wanted a sub-land recreating Halloween Town (with a spooky "Scare-ousel") but I felt Fantasyland was already overrun with too many IPs (and seven carousels is enough for one park), so here an area is set aside for seasonal Nightmare Before Christmas or Villains themed events, leaving the Haunted Mansion free during the holidays. 

Disney Dreamland Railroad Fantasyland station: Styled after the ruins of a medieval castle. Located on the edge of the forest near Ever After Castle, next to the entrance to Winter Village.

Wonderland

East of the castle, on the border with Create-It-Land. While there would be plenty of natural green, there would also be an abundant mix of giant pink, purple, and turquoise “wildlife”, as seen in the initial scrapped concept art for Tokyo’s expansion. Giant mushrooms in place of benches,  trees decorated with misleading signs, lamp posts that look like giant flowers. March Hare would definitely be included as a walk-around character alongside Hatter and Alice. People often forget the tea party took place at the Hare’s and mistakenly believe Hatter to be the host, and I will not stand for this March Hare erasure.  I would also have plenty of card soldiers roaming around, “patrolling” the area.

Down the Rabbit-Hole: An upside-down funhouse with wonky mirrors, and trick doors galore! A hall of doors in the end would lead into the maze. I was thinking there could probably also be a madhouse ride portion where guests can experience the room actually turning upside down; inspired by Villa Volta in Efteling. 

Wonderland Maze: As much as I like the Alice in Wonderland ride in Anaheim, I personally feel that Wonderland is a world that is best experienced up close and at your own pace, which a maze perfectly embodies. While the maze would obviously be themed to classic animated Alice like the Paris version, it would have different environments, like Shanghai’s Tim Burton version. First half of the maze would be a forest-like environment with giant plants and singing flowers. Second half would have rose bushes, fancy iron fences, and carved stone walls and statues for the Queen of Heart’s castle area. There would be a handful of tiny doors scattered throughout that guests can crawl through as shortcuts. Among the character statues scattered around the maze, I really want to include the Mock-Turtle and Gryphon, based on their designs from the Jell-O commercial, perhaps on a sandy beach shore by a small fountain / pond.

House of Cards Banquet Hall: Inspired by the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall in Tokyo. Would follow the same eccentric and colorful design scheme, but I want it to look like a stone castle made out of cards. Definitely would have lovely stained glass windows. Desserts include Royal Heart Tarts. They could also come in souvenir cups and plates like the ones found in Tokyo.

Mad Tea Party: Would have a canopy roof to protect from the weather and direct sunlight, but I also wouldn’t mind a stained-glass version. Or even a canopy made of trees. Teacup designs would be a mix of various patterns from all versions (except Orlando’s, I do not care for the zigzag scribbles). Would also include the giant teapot with the Dormouse in the center. To help with queue waits, I’d even have two ride systems, much like how Orlando doubled their Dumbo ride. One could even be themed to the Hatter while the other to the March Hare.

March Hare’s tea shop: Would have the same building design as March Hare Refreshments in Paris. Would sell several varieties of tea, Unbirthday Cake, and macarons. Could also feature a long table with interactive tea things to play with, like Shanghai does at the end of its maze, and plenty of fancy chairs for photo-ops.

Mad Hatter’s hat shop: Hats, Mickey ears, and other headgear. To match the March Hare’s chimney ears, this building would resemble a large top hat. Would also feature hat racks for photo-ops, like Shanghai does at the end of its maze.

100 Acre Wood

East of Town Square, on the border with Create-It-Land. A tiny little area with tall trees providing shade, a lovely little Poohsticks Bridge over a small river, and a cozy corner for a meet-and-greet with Pooh and friends.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day: Basically the same as Pooh’s Hunny Hunt in Tokyo, which includes the giant book facade, and the same level of crafted detail and technical marvel throughout the ride, but with scenes added for the “rain, rain, rain”, and Pooh’s hero party as the ending. I would also use Anaheim’s zany color scheme for the Heffalumps and Woozles room with some added special effects for even more zaniness.  The ride’s name change is just to both set it apart from the other versions, and because I realized with the exception of Pooh stuck in the honey tree, all the iconic scenes in the ride come from Blustery Day.

Pooh Corner gift shop: Also utilizes the same English cottage look as Tokyo’s.

Hunny Smackerels snack stand: Hunny Pot cupcakes, honeycomb, honey ice cream, and a separate cart for honey popcorn in lovely Pooh-shaped popcorn buckets. It would be really cute if the stand is actually inside a giant tree trunk, with a dutch door counter window for guests to order from. 

The next three sub-lands would be behind Ever After Castle, outside the perimeter of the railroad tracks border. The entrance to Winter Village is between Shadowland Forest and the castle, while the entrance to Encanto Valley is between Wonderland and the castle. Mermaid Lagoon is directly behind the castle, between the other two sub-lands and only accessible through them. Small mountains would form berms for each sub-land. For reference, think of how Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, and Toy Story Land are arranged in Hong Kong.

Winter Village

Inspired by my Narnia theme park concept. This entire mini-land would be indoors, to have air-conditioning to sell the illusion of winter, and to preserve the artificial winter setup from the real-life elements outdoors. This mini-land would be round (roughly) so that the glass ceiling that lets in natural light can have a hexagonal snowflake design. At night time there’d be projections of Northern Lights. NOT Frozen themed. It’s a cute movie and all, but far overstayed its welcome before it was even released on DVD. Village would be a mix of Russian and Scandinavian architecture.  Can be used for a Santa Claus meet-and-greet during Christmas.

Enchanted Snow Palace: The planned but never built ride based on Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen. The concept art looks leagues better than the final product of Frozen Ever After.

“Winter Sleigh Ride”: Ride through winter scenery in sleighs pulled by reindeer. Technically a dark ride, since the entire subland is indoors, but feels like an outdoor ride.

"Snowball Arcade": I really wanted something to simulate snowball fights, but without the chaos and mess. Here, guests can throw snowballs at targets to win plush prizes.

"Russian cafe": Russian pastries and snacks

"Ice skating rink": Free if you bring your own skates.

Mermaid Lagoon

A scaled-down version of the land in Tokyo DisneySea, without the playground and kiddie rides. Like DisneySea, it would have a lovely seashell castle facade, with the attractions indoors. Unlike DisneySea, there would be a small lake in front with a ship restaurant docked on it.

“Under the Sea”: NOT a retelling of the movie, but instead an original story that would take place some time pre-movie. Follows Ariel on one of her outings as she explores the sea looking for new treasures to add to her collection. Final scene could be of Ariel in her grotto after completing her latest trip, but feeling unsatisfied as she wistfully looks at her collection, while instrumentals for “Part Of Your World” softly play in the background. 

King Triton’s Concert Hall: Just like the one in Tokyo DisneySea, this would be a 360 degree show with Ariel “swimming” in midair above the audience, a giant animatronic Triton, performer puppets of Flounder and Sebastian, and other mixed special effects. 

Undersea Carousel: Fish carousel. Underwater lighting effects and blows bubbles as it spins. 

Ariel’s Grotto gift shop

Ship restaurant: Mediterranean seafood. I mean, it’s on a human ship that’s not technically in Triton’s Kingdom, so I think this gets a pass for serving fish. It could even be themed to Chef Louis for a laugh. 

“Nighttime Water Show”: Just spitballing an idea, maybe the lagoon could also be used for a nighttime water show a la Fantasmic / World of Color. The viewing area could be across the lagoon from Triton’s castle; the lights of Triton’s castle would coordinate with the show.

Encanto Valley

A lovely recreation of the valley, with Casita and a little village area for shops and Colombian dining, and plenty of lush greenery. 

La Casa Madrigal: I really like @rrdcooc’s idea for Casita as a walkthrough attraction! It’s so cool! Especially the ideas for Pepa and Luisa's rooms. I wouldn’t change much, aside from adding a few extra touches, such as an interactive flower wall in Isabela’s room that mimics guests’ silhouettes (like Daniel Rozin's "Mechanical Mirrors"), and maybe a couple themed flat rides to add capacity, such as a flowery swing spinner ride in Isabela’s room, and a tiny jungle animal carousel in Antonio’s room. In Dolores's room, guests can see sound waves (like that Magic School Bus episode), and Camilo's room can contain "mirrors" with different character models that mimic guests' movements in real time (like VTuber avatars). Also includes a gift shop selling “homemade” fashions and plush toys by Mirabel.

“Magic Realism Art Exhibit”: While I think the final movie is perfect, I would have loved it if Casita more closely resembled its concept art, which leaned much more heavily into magic realism. This attraction would be a walkthrough art exhibit full of giant optical illusion paintings that guests can pose in for photo-ops. For reference, I’m recalling the Trick Eye Museum, a temporary art exhibit I went to years ago in Hong Kong.

Encanto Sing-Along: I’m not always a huge fan of the “book report” shows they do in the Parks, but in this case, most of Encanto’s songs are so specific to the story that removing them from the context of the movie wouldn't work (especially in the case of fan favorite “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”).  The stage can also be used for original Colombian performances, as well as from neighboring Latin American countries.

Julieta’s Arepas: Food cart. These arepas may not heal you, but they’re magically delicious! 

Arabian Oasis (scrapped)

Before Encanto was released and became one of my favorite recent movies, my initial idea was to put in an Aladdin-themed area. Not an exact recreation of Agrabah, more like a broad strokes version of Agrabah in the same manner as Arabian Coast in Tokyo DisneySea.

Magic Carpet Ride: A suspension ride in a similar manner as Peter Pan’s Flight, using the carpet vehicles. Fly through the Agrabah marketplace, over the desert, and above the clouds. Ride music features instrumentals from “A Whole New World”.

Scheherazade’s Tales From the 1001 Nights: Stage show.

Flavors of Agrabah: Arabian / Middle-Eastern cuisine 

Cave of Wonders gift shop: I think the theming is appropriate considering guests are exchanging money for goods and not stealing them (ideally).

Other parts:

World Galleria

Adventureland

Mysteryland

Create-It-Land

Discoveryland

[toxictac]

Well my hubris has let me to drawing 5 character in one paper with little preparation yet again

this time i wanted to draw an au of hololive myth i had made a while back, sortha like an eath2/opposite universe kinda deal

Change also some desings and lore stuff too, cause consintecy has never been my forte

So to start up, i tried to sortha maintain the theme of the myth character but just change stuff a bit, also the colors are suppose to be opposite in mesure to the original while still maintaining the same (aka if the main color is blue and the thirth color is red then i do the main color red and the thirth blue)... to some extent at least

So first calliope, in this version she is apolos deciple, but due to her raudy and compulsive nature, she cast off mount olimpous to "find a better work etique", in the proceses crashing the ceo of liveholo car into pieces. She mostly a himbo with a maternal side, that loves to party drink expesive wine and play music with harp from clasical to more pop or jazz, sometimes even mixing it up with poems

Next to her is ina, in this version an exorcist of a holy order who is in her processes of "accending", she was task to determine if the strange creatures at liveholo would be problematic for the church and if so eliminate them. She is quite social, tho tending to have a fake politeness in her words than could easily be expose falce if poking her short temper and fragile ego

Going next in line is kiara, in this au she is an old vampire that has lived in asolation most of her life, only festing on humans everytime they got near her castle untill she was contacted by liveholo and say their proposition intersting enough. She can be quite rude and antisocial but has a deep facination with human nature, bordering on sadism, to the point she abducts people she finds intersting to work as maids in her high class restaurants

Up next is gura, in this version gura was part of knights of a confederation of warlords in the arturian mythos, unfurtunaly she was poison in one of the battles putting her body on an "eternal sleep" until she was woke up on modern day, now with a case of captian america syndrom and a new shy voice in her head. Due to her life she tends to be quite abresive and rude, tending to trow tandrums very easily, despite this she is very book smart and loves playing chess, her other personaly is far more shy akin to something like launch from dragon ball

Finanly we have amelia, in this version a famous criminal with both the powers to stop time and teleport (both stolen from the godess of stillness), she was caught by liveholo and force to work with them. She is quite coniving and cold, yet loves to make sarcastic remarks to poke fun at people, she is also weirdly enough not really good at computers and eletronics most of the time using brute force to solve her problems

So thats the lore more or less