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adobe-outdesign · 20 days

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Kung Fu Panda 4 Rewrite Thing

Been chewing on this movie for a while now and wanted to take a shot at improving it. Some parts are a bit rough but I think this gets the general idea across.

As a rule, I'm trying to keep most of the characters and elements/plot beats in place rather than spinning things off in a completely unrelated direction. I also am aware of the restrictions placed on this movie, such as an unwillingness to rehire high-profile VAs and runtime limitations. This is just meant to be a "what if" kind of thing. That said:

We open with a stylized sequence of Po telling the story of his and the Five's latest battle. As it ends it's revealed he's at the grand opening of Mr. Ping's brand new bigger, better noodle shop location, talking to the customers.

As one of them asks where the Five are now, Po explains that they got summoned to their own individual missions, but they'll be back soon.

(Yes I am still having them be MIA, as Po needs to be alone with Zhen for part of the movie. However, they'll only gone for the first part of this rewrite and for a very specific plot-related reason.)

(The thing with Po needing to give up his title of Dragon Warrior makes no sense for multiple reasons, so let's just drop that plot point entirely. I get that it's meant to tie into the "change" moral, but I'd rather have Po imparting this lesson onto Zhen instead of learning it himself, as otherwise it undermines the character growth he had in 3.

Also, Po isn't carrying the staff around with him constantly in this rewrite, as it looks a bit silly and isn't plot relevant here.)

A messenger shows up to report that the Jade Palace is under attack. Po decides to rush over just in case Shifu needs backup... which he does, because he's being kidnapped in a small one of those magic-proofed cages from the actual film.

(Shifu being kidnapped was tossed around in the writing room originally and I want to keep it in this rewrite because it A) gives Shifu something to do, and B) I want to allow Zhen to openly be working with the Chameleon in order to help flesh out her character and avoid the lackluster plot twist, meaning she'll need new leverage against Po later on.)

The figure behind the kidnapping appears to be Master Elephant, which confuses Po as he's been missing for several months. Right as he's about to land a finishing blow, the figure shape shifts into Master Chicken, throwing Po's attack and resulting in him getting a bad head injury. He does his best to pursue the attackers, but can't keep up. Dismayed, he returns to the Jade Palace...

...And finds Zhen trying to steal something, using the commotion outside as a distraction. Po fights, but he's still badly injured and can't give it his all, resulting in Zhen being able to slip away with her prize—a dust bunny from under the furniture. Po is baffled.

(Side note: I would probably redesign Zhen so she actually looks like she matches the other characters' style, but I digress.)

Feeling dismayed, he returns to the noodle shop, where both his dads work on treating his wounds and comforting him. As Po explains what happened, Mr. Ping mentions that customers have been circulating rumors about a shapeshifting sorceress in Juniper City. Po decides that that's where he needs to go, promises his dads he'll be safe, and leaves.

(I'm cutting Mr. Ping and Li's subplot, because as much as I love them they don't really add much to the plot. It also feels like it goes against Mr. Ping's characterization in KFP 1 and 2 in particular.)

This is where we can have the scene of the Chameleon vs. the crime bosses. This can mostly stay the same except one of the bosses attempts to attack her when she shape shifts, causing her to retaliate with a magic-based attack. She also needs to straight-up kill the guy to establish her and her sorcery as a legit threat.

Po arrives at the Happy Bunny tavern to look for a ride to Juniper City. As he talks to Fish and Chip, he notices Zhen nearby doing some black market trading with Granny Boar to obtain a white feather. Po confronts her and she tries to run out with the feather, causing the boar family to pursue in a big fight scene.

Po and Zhen manage to escape, Zhen stashing the feather. Po threatens to have her sent to jail, but Zhen confirms she's working for the Chameleon and can lead Po to her so he can rescue Shifu. Po dislikes this situation, but has no choice but to agree.

(Unlike in the actual film, I would make it so her lair is hidden in some fashion; magic that keeps it camouflaged would be appropriate for a chameleon, or it could be underground or hidden behind something. Regardless, it should be impossible to locate without Zhen's assistance.)

On the boat ride over to Juniper city, Zhen says that she has to "obtain" one more item from the local history museum or she'll be in big trouble with the Chameleon. Po doesn't like this detour, but once again has no choice in the matter.

Po asks why Zhen would want to work for someone so obviously evil, and this is the point where Zhen admits she was adopted by the Chameleon and we get her backstory.

(I would establish that the Chameleon has an actual name, but only Zhen uses it. It shows that Zhen is closer to her than most, not quite seeing her as a mother but not fearing her enough to use her preferred title. Also, the Chameleon's the only KFP villain without a proper name and that bothers me.)

The backstory can be the same, but the part about her living on the streets and meeting the Chameleon for the first time should be merged into a single flashback.

Zhen says that Po couldn't understand, but Po reveals that he's also adopted, and that he probably would commit some noodle-related crime if his dad asked him to. Still, Zhen insists that people don't change, and that includes her.

They arrive at Juniper city (Po is impressed at its size but he very much is not acting like he's never seen a city before). Zhen covers up her muzzle and tucks her tail under her clothes so she won't be recognized.

Zhen is ready to break into the museum, but Po says that he's got this and goes up to the guards to tell them that he has some official Dragon Warrior business to take care of and will need to borrow some ancient artifacts.

Unlike in the actual film, everyone ready acknowledges him as the Dragon Warrior. The guards are more than happy to loan him whatever he needs... until Zhen's tail pops out and the guards recognize her, prompting them to attack.

During the scuffle, Zhen uses a chi blast to knock back one of the guards, but almost gets taken out by the other guard coming up behind her. Po defends her but gets mildly injured as a result.

After the fight, Po asks about the chi move and Zhen states that the Chameleon taught her the basics.

Zhen confirms that the Chameleon is a master of chi, and that the sorcery she uses is a specific type of chi manipulation.

(The reason I'm connecting chi to her powers is that it makes them feel a bit less out of left field, and helps 4 feel like a logical progression from 3.)

Zhen admits that she's not very good at using chi, but Po points out that it took him years to use chi in battle. He also compliments her on her kung fu, and she confirms she's self-taught.

(In this rewrite, Zhen is good at fighting but not quite at the level she is in the actual movie. This is to address the issue of who taught her if the Chameleon doesn't know kung fu.)

He takes a moment to give her a few pointers, which causes her to ask why he took that blow for her earlier, figuring there's a catch. Po just says it's the right thing to do, but Zhen is skeptical, figuring he only did it because he still needs her to lead him to Shifu.

The reminder of Shifu prompts Po to move on, and they grab the item Zhen was after, a 500 year old set of blades, then run for it.

Po and Zhen arrive at the Chameleon's lair, and Zhen shows Po how to get inside and tells him where Shifu is being held. She says that she'll take the items to the Chameleon, which will distract her while Po breaks him out. Po thanks her, and the two separate. Zhen warns him of booby traps on the way out.

There are indeed booby traps, such as those saw contraptions from the actual movie and a bunch of guards. It takes Po a few minutes, but he eventually gets through them.

Po finds Shifu being held in a dark room. Shifu is glad to see him, but warns him to be careful as the Chameleon's likely not far away. Po explains Zhen's distraction and moves to free him... only for a cage to fall down and trap him as well.

"Shifu" is then revealed to be the Chameleon in disguise, who slips through the bars via shape shifting into a mantis and thanks Zhen for her help. Zhen apologizes to Po, who's naturally upset ("I mean, I know you were evil, but I didn't think you were THAT evil").

Zhen hands over the three items she collected, and it's confirmed what they are: a dust bunny that contains a clump of Tai Lung's fur, a feather from Lord Shen, and a pair of blades once wielded by Kai.

Po mistakenly interprets this as the Chameleon being a collector of kung fu memorabilia and tries to chat about the Jade Palace's collection, much to her bafflement.

The Chameleon explains that a trace of a person's chi remains long after their death, and demonstrates by doing The Tongue Thing on Kai's blade, stripping its chi, and immediately taking his form.

(As you may have picked up on, this rewrite removes the spirit world elements entirely. While they are really interesting, I think cutting them is the best option because:

1. There is so much plot involved with bringing Po's old enemies back that you could make that an entire movie in and of itself. It's hard to do it justice when you're cramming it in around the edges of this movie.

2. It makes the Chameleon too similar to Kai in terms of abilities.

3. Having her rely on stealing other's kung fu makes her come across as weak despite being a powerful sorceress.)

Po asks her if her goal is to take over China, but she says no; she just wants to end the practice of kung fu for good, and prove that sorcery is the superior option. To prove it, she has Shifu brought in.

While having your chi stripped does not remove one's kung fu abilities in this rewrite, it is still removing part of one's life energy and thus weakening them severely for a period of time—ergo, Shifu is still unable to fight at his best. Still, he manages to hold his own.

Instead of using kung fu, the Chameleon relies on the brute animalistic strength and inherent abilities of the forms she takes, switching whenever she's loosing to keep her opponents on her toes and even transforming into Shifu himself for a period. She also uses a few chi-based attacks.

Just when it looks like Shifu is about to win the fight, she uses her tongue to strip the chi from the fur clump, taking the form of Tai Lung. Shifu is so shocked and distraught that he fails to attack, allowing the Chameleon to land a serious blow.

She returns to her original form and states that when the blood moon has risen, she will battle and take down every master in the middle of Juniper city, where everyone can learn just how useless kung fu and the people who teach it are. She leaves Po in his cage panicking over Shifu, who's unresponsive.

Zhen follows the Chameleon outside, where we get the "does the blood moon always rise so slowly" gag. Noticing that Zhen looks troubled, she asks what's wrong, and Zhen talks about how Po encouraged her to do the right thing. Even though she's been told that kung fu masters are elitist, selfish people, she couldn't see any of that in Po.

(Side note: I want to establish in this rewrite that while the Chameleon will claim up and down that Zhen is only a pawn for her to use, she does care about her to some extent, even though probably loathes the fact she does. For example, when talking to Zhen here, she might pick some rubble out of her fur or something to show there's a teeny tiny bit of actual affection hidden there.

The reason for this is that all other KFP villains have had an emotional anchor—Shifu for Tai Lung, Shen's parents for Shen, and Oogway for Kai. The Chameleon being abusive but having some real love for Zhen and Zhen struggling with her gaslighting adds a lot more depth to both of them.)

The Chameleon finally reveals her backstory, which should be told in a hyper-stylized way à la the flashbacks in KFP 2 and 3. Just like Zhen, she grew up on the streets as an orphan, broke and starving. She admired kung fu greatly and wanted to learn it, but everyone turned her away for having no money to pay for lessons.

One day, she found a shiny jade amulet on the streets that someone lost, finally giving her a much-needed break. She is able to use that money to enroll in classes.

The problem was that while the money changed her financial status, it didn't change the way people saw her. Her master still considered her a lowly gutter rat and treated her as such, verbally insulting her and beating her down during training sessions. It's very much like how Shifu treated Po in KFP 1, except worse, especially because the Chameleon is a small and fragile animal.

Finally, during one training session she became too injured to move. Her master told her to quit and started to walk away, only for her to grab his leg with her tongue to trip him up. However, at the peak of her self-loathing, she instead discovered her chi stealing abilities and transformed into him. It's not shown, but it is implied she killed him.

As the flashback ends, the Chameleon shifts into Zhen and tells her that no matter how much you change, you can't change the way other people see you. Siding with Po, she says, will only get her hurt. Zhen nods and unexpectedly hugs the Chameleon, telling her she knows, and runs off.

Cutting back to Po, we see him frantically trying to break the bars of his cage. Zhen comes forward and drops down on her hands and knees, apologizing for everything. Po says that she came back, and that's what matters.

She reveals that the "hug" was actually just a way for her to get the key off of the Chameleon, and she uses it to unlock Po's cage. Po runs over to Shifu and he and Zhen heal him with chi, and we get a callback to the "I'M NOT DYING YOU IDIOT" scene from KFP 1.

However, while Shifu's not dying, he is very badly injured and can barely walk on his own. Po asks how they can take on the Chameleon and her army with just three of them, but Zhen holds up the key and suggests they get an army of their own.

Running downstairs, Zhen reveals where the other masters are being held. To Po's shock, the Furious Five are among those captured. Tigress confirms that the summons they received were traps laid by the Chameleon, and she already has their forms.

Also down there are the other crime bosses, as it feels like they just disappear in the actual film after their scenes.

Zhen only manages to unlock the Five's cages before before the Chameleon snatches the key back with her tongue, revealing that she knew Zhen was lying to her. Behind her, her army assembles.

Tigress confirms that that the Five will take on the army, and Po faces off with the Chameleon one-on-one. She strips the feather and uses Shen's form to fly up and take the upper ground, trying to kick a cage onto him. Zhen helps deflect it, and the Chameleon tells her to stay out of the way. Po and her continue to battle.

Despite Po's best attempts at blocking it, she does finally stick him with her tongue. He grabs it and throws her a distance in her fragile base form, injuring her but still giving her some of his chi in the process.

The Chameleon takes on Po's form next, and we get a fight similar to the one in the movie, though once again with her using less kung fu and more magic and physical attacks.

She mentions how she was rejected and tries to tell him that he should be on her side, because a bit fat panda like him must have been treated just as badly as she was. Po denies this, but Shifu admits it's pretty accurate. Po says he's not helping.

Po admits that she has a point, except she forgot one thing, and we get a callback to the "I'm THE big fat panda" moment from KFP 1.

The two attack at the same time. As the dust clears, it's revealed that neither are doing great—Po has gotten a lot of little injuries and the chi stealing has weakened him. The Chameleon is struggling to shapeshift at all, with the attempt causing her pain, and instead settles for trying to blast him. Zhen steps in and manages to redirect the attack back at her.

The Chameleon takes the blow and ends up back on the floor as a parallel to her flashback. Zhen reaffirms that she disagrees with her worldview—people can change, and she's going to prove it. If the Chameleon wants get to Po, she'll need to get through her first.

The Chameleon kind of laughs this off at first before realizing she's dead serious. She states that Zhen isn't even good at fighting, but Po disagrees, giving Zhen a confidence boost. The Chameleon struggles to her feet as if readying an attack, everyone braces themselves... and she surrenders, too injured to fight and unable to bring herself to hurt Zhen.

(There are a few reasons why I think her surrendering makes for an interesting defeat here:

1. There's no spirit realm portal to yeet her into in this version;

2. There's only so many times Po's enemies can be yeeted directly into the spirit realm before it gets old;

3. It adds character depth, and;

4. It ties back nicely in to the theme of change and that it's never too late to do the right thing.)

Zhen helps the Chameleon up, Tigress does the same for Po, and Monkey does the same for Shifu. The five reveal that despite being exhausted, they still managed to wipe the floor with the Chameleon's army, which Zhen thinks is incredible. Po introduces Zhen to them formally, and Shifu asks if they can save the introductions for after they get medical treatment.

Later on, Po (carrying the staff Oogway gave him) approaches Zhen, who's sitting under the peach tree by the Jade Palace. He asks her if she's doing okay after everything that's happened. She says she's alright, but is pretty scared of what's going to happen next, given that the Chameleon's in jail and she has nowhere to go.

Po reveals that him and Shifu have been talking, and he plans to open a new school as part of the Jade Palace that will offer free kung fu lessons to anyone who's interested in learning. Zhen asks if there are any spots open, and we end similar to the actual movie, with her training alongside the five.

the credits still end with the Jack Black cover of Baby One More Time because it slaps

#kung fu panda #kfp #kung fu panda 4 #kfp 4 #po #shifu #zhen #the chameleon #outdesign posts things #outdesign attempts to write #been chewing on zhen and the chameleon's characters like a dog with a new toy #apparently tumblr removed the ability to add sub bullets so sorry if this is a wall of text. hopefully the images help a bit

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inkdemonapologist · 4 years

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What's going on with Wally Franks in your AU? I had trouble following the game, and the wiki seems to say that he quit the studio and retired without ever learning its darkest secrets, but I think you have him as one of the escapees (turned into a Boris?)

Okay I have a lot of rambling thoughts about the ending of the game if youre curious but I'll stick those at the end. As far as Escape AU goes:

Yes, Wally was a Boris clone! He did not fully get outta there; he's the murdered Boris at the very beginning of the game. Dying doesn't really seem to stick for ink creatures in the Studio, so he was able to come back -- but since he spent most of his time in the Studio [glados voice] really busy being dead, he doesn't have the years of trying to survive an inky hell that the others have; he just has that one really bad time where he was turned into a cartoon and murdered, and some weird and probably equally upsetting memories of briefly waking up from death. He never wandered the studio and was never sent to the puddles, so he has some real bad nightmares/insomnia now but is otherwise doing okay in his day-to-day life, and has no trouble speaking. He's probably able to hold down a job before too long!

Mostly Wally is there because I wanted Wally to be there, and I haven't fully sorted out the LORE for him in Escape AU (I don’t know if he never left or if he got lured back), but if you're interested in trying to sort out some of the canon associated:

So basically what I've gathered as someone who is obsessed with bendy and has watched all the cutscenes and all that but hasn't actually played the game and was real late to the fandom, TAKE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT:

- The game leaves things a bit ambiguous

- There were, in the original game, a lot of hints that the Boris you befriend in the Studio is Wally. (He’s sorta handy, kinda cowardly, likes food -- and we get an audiolog dedicated specifically to letting us know that Wally will straight up steal your cake off your desk; they’d be a good match!) There's several reasons it makes a kind of narrative sense and it was the prevailing theory before DCTL came out, but it was never confirmed one way or another.

- Two smaller things I’ve seen connecting Wally to Boris: the wrench you pull out of a Boris' chest, and the "Who's Laughing Now" written on the wall beside him being a really neat hint once you get to the audiolog where Wally complains that everyone is acting too serious for a cartoon studio and should crack a smile now and again. (this is most of why I went for the dead Boris as Wally)

- in Dreams Come To Life, Buddy is (spoilers) transformed into a Boris at the end, and it's commented on how perfect he is, implying he may be the "perfect Boris" you befriend in the game. The Boris in Boris and the Dark Survival is referred to outside the game as "Buddy Boris" and, since he has a safehouse, there's an implication that BatDS bridges the gap between DCTL and BatIM. The fact that Henry keeps affectionately referring to Boris as "buddy" becomes a fun retroactive “coincidence,” but also all the various implications that Wally sure would have made a good Boris now go nowhere. It ended up feeling like a retcon.

- in the end of the game you can see letters to Joey from Allison and Wally, implying they (and Tom) are alive and well and continued their lives after the Studio shut down, which is interesting since, uh, Allison and Tom are also now toons???

- there's a popular interpretation (called the Story Theory I think?) which I encountered in Adobe-Outdesign's analysis, that what this apparent contradiction means is that the "sketch dimension" (the cartoony world where most of the game takes place) is actually a story created by Joey using the Ink Machine, populated with alternate/fictional versions of the employees of the studio. So the Real Allison left, but in this story Joey’s writing, she didn’t. Henry-the-protagonist might not be the real Henry Stein; instead he's just one of Joey's characters, based on his IRL friend. Etcetera! So in real life, Wally retired, as his letter indicates. But those fictional versions are still real people, real consciouses, because the real ink machine that Joey really has hidden in his apartment is bringing Joey's story to life. I like the interpretation a lot as a take that fits the game well but also I have no idea where DCTL fits in this. IS DCTL PART OF JOEY'S STORY OR DID ALL OF THAT REALLY HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE??? IF THERE'S A LOOP IN DCTL (as slightly implied by Dot) ITS A STORY RIGHT??? WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS FRANCHISE

- the alternative interpretation to this is that somehow Allison and Tom (at least, if not others) got lured back to the Studio after she sent her letter -- after all, she's still keeping in touch. I tend to assume this is what’s going on in most fanfiction and AUs that have any possibility of escape, since you’d presumably want the employees to actually be themselves rather than Joey Drew's Weird Friendfiction brought to life. The impression I've gotten in this version is that sending them to the Bendy Dimension gives Joey control over the script there, so instead of creating people for his fictional retelling, he's forced his actual employees to play out this story, but I don't know that I've seen this fully spelled out

SO THATS, UH, SOME OF THE RELEVANT BACKGROUND INFO I THINK

Before running into the much more coherent Story Theory, my own attempts to make sense of the ending went in the exact opposite direction; that rather than Joey's apartment being a brief step out of the Story and into the Real World, that Joey's apartment is something of a dream, where Henry and Joey, of course, imagine the world that they know, even if they're not actually in it anymore.

I also REALLY liked the theories linking Joey to Bendy -- Bendy may have been created without a soul, but that doesn't mean one can't get, y'know, shoved in there... or that maybe a soul could be possibly stolen and absorbed by a creature who lacks one........ yknow..... it could happen. I like the idea that Ink Bendy's shifts in behaviour towards Henry reflect Joey's conflicted feelings towards his old friend (which is still there in the Story Theory version, it's just symbolic instead of literal).

So you defeat Beast Bendy and suddenly Joey is there, finally, in a place that looks like the real world but certainly doesn't feel real. The calendar in Joey's apartment cycles through the month of August but never moves past it, and I can't shake the idea that Joey could be just as trapped in the cycle as Henry, also never quite deviating from his own script, only briefly appearing in a memory of his own apartment when Henry releases his soul from the demon he created.

I don't know that this could ever shake out enough to be any sort of Actual Theory, but in my brain it's still kind of the background of Escape AU because it's a premise that makes it possible for the employees to actually be themselves. So, the cartoon studio is real, but the things that show up in Joey's apartment might be hit or miss as to whether they're a memory from Joey's real apartment, or if they're imagined wishful thinking on Joey's part.

#i know you have questions you always do #we all write on the walls #IM SORRY FOR SO MANY WORDS IM INCAPABLE OF BEING SUCCINCT #Escape AU #wally franks #i am not 100% sure i know what im talking about but that's okay

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youllallriseintheink · 4 years

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Succumbing to ink.

I thought I’d write out how Sammy and Grant’s ink infections went down. Content warning for self-harm, suicide, addiction (not to a real drug, I’m just being safe), and body horror. Yes, this is heavily inspired by Adobe Outdesign.

Early symptoms

The first signs of ink infection are fairly subtle- fatigue and increased need for sleep, brain fog, reduced appetite, sleep disruption, headaches, and a loss of interest in daily activities. Many who are infected struggle to have a life outside of work and other necessities, due to feeling sick and apathetic all the time. The two attributed this to general illness, took a few days off, and returned once they realized the symptoms weren’t going away. Grant attributed the symptoms to his depression getting worse. Sammy had no idea what was going on.

Ink addiction

Neither of the two of them succumbed immediately, but they definitely noticed the temptation. One of the reasons Sammy hates his pump switch is because one time, someone wandered into his office to use it and found him literally licking an ink-stained wall in a moment of weakness. He didn’t really and truly give in until the voices started, though. As for Grant, well, nibbling the tip of a pen when you’re anxious or thinking is normal, but doing so until your tongue is bleeding and your trash can contains over a dozen chewed-up pens is not, and neither is the complusion to do so whenever you have a headache or other symptoms. Being without ink for too long causes withdrawl symptoms.

Voices

-Sammy heard the voices reassuring him that everything was okay, that the ink had a plan for him and would help him ascend. Sammy interpreted this as a religious experience and began to freely drink ink, eventually becoming so addicted to it that he acted in very undignified ways to get it. The voices went along with his religious fervor, telling him to worship Bendy. This quickly spiralled into obsession. Sammy even attempted to convert Jack, and was increasingly sychophantic to Joey because he and Bendy were the same to him.

-The voices started out telling Grant the same things they told Sammy, but Grant just interpreted it as him going crazy. The voices went with it. They prevented him from going to a doctor about his physical symptoms by telling him that the doctors would be able to tell he was insane, and would do all the terrible things they did to mental patients back then. Grant started to isolate himself so that no one would think he was insane- something the voices encouraged.

Late-Stage Symptoms

-towards the end, Sammy and Grant both looked terrible. They’d both become unhealthily thin, their skin was turning grey, and they had thick, black veins. The insides of their mouths were also permenantly stained black. They also weren’t taking great physical care of themselves.

-They lost their sense of time. It wasn’t abnormal for either of them to look at a clock, wondering if it was time to go home yet, and realize that it was four in the morning. Neither of them were able to function at work. Grant would forget all his meetings if it weren’t for his secretary, and Sammy was, uncharacteristically, completely unaware of deadlines. They were both falling asleep at irregular times. In order to hide their symptoms, they spent increasing amounts of time locked in their office and sanctuary, respectively.

-the music room attempted to give Sammy an intervention at this point. Long story short, he just ended up yelling at everyone that they don’t understand and should leave him alone. He also attempted to preach about Bendy to them. It ended with him storming off into his sanctuary to drink ink, write music and pray.

-Grant has visitation rights to his two daughters. He ended up taking them out while significantly infected with ink, and he had a sense that that was the last time he’d ever see them. Afterwards he asked the voices if it might be worth it to see a doctor. They filled his head with images of lobotomy and electroshock therapy. He knew he either had to go through with that or he would keep getting worse and then die. He attempted suicide with sleeping pills, though the voices told him that they wouldn’t let him swallow them. That’s what happened- he just hacked them back up, and accepted that he’d have to take whatever the ink had in store for him.

Capture

-Sammy woke up in his sanctuary and realized it was locked. Joey found his irratic behaviour to be damaging to morale. The voices whispered to Sammy, “it is time to ascend.” Sammy spent the next several hours drinking as much ink as he could, straight from the pipe, and scratching his skin until it was full of holes and the ink from his veins was running into it. The music department was told that Sammy was fired, but they could hear him walking in his sanctuary, and his occaisional cries of pain and praise for Bendy. Once Sammy was transformed, he was extremely upset with his new form, but decided that if he continued to follow the voices and worship Bendy, he would achieve a new form. Overall, Sammy transformed far more quickly than Grant despite being younger and healthier, because he drank ink more frequently and was actively trying to encourage his transformation.

-Grant found himself similarly locked in his office. He screamed for help, but Joey had gotten the entire finance department to move somewhere else for a few days so that Grant could transform and no one would suspect anything. Grant attempted to break out by tossing furniture against the door, and eventually settled on breaking something else- the pipe. The ink. To sooth his panic and the physical pain of the transformation. He needed it. Joey and Sammy (fully transformed at this point) eventually had to break in and sacrifice him to prevent him from breaking anything else. The noise from the tape is either him realizing he’s about to die and attempting to break out, or him struggling as Joey and Sammy dragged him away.

#Bendy and the Ink Machine #sammy lawrence #grant cohen #my fanfiction #tw suicide

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queenofcats17 · 5 years

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Perfect (But Not In The Way She Wanted)

So, I just saw this post from @adobe-outdesign , and I wanted to write it.

I’m supposed to be cleaning out my drafts, but this just struck me. And I ended up going really heavy on the body horror. I’m not sure how that happened. It just did.

She stared at the heart in her hand, her own heart beginning to pound. This was it. She was going to become perfect. Finally. And then she’d finally take care of Henry. Oh, how wonderful it would be to see his face once he caught sight of her in all her glory. He would fall down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness. It would be glorious. She couldn’t help but giggle to herself.

“Dreams come true, Susie, dreams come true.” She hummed to herself as she held the heart in front of her face. Perhaps not all of Joey’s prattling about belief had been garbage. Closing her eyes, she pressed the heart against her chest. The heart slipped inside without much of a problem, just as the others before it had. She began to feel her ink shift and change. She was going to be perfect!

But...No. That didn’t feel right. It felt as though her face was stretching out. Her eyes popped open and she looked down at herself. She could see her face beginning to stretch out before her, forming into something resembling a muzzle. Turning her gaze down to her hands, she saw her dainty feminine hands puffing up, resembling cartoon gloves. This in itself might have excited her, given her on-model counterpart was supposed to have cartoon gloves, had it not been paired with her growing muzzle and the fact that her dress appeared to be turning into overalls.

“No.” She whispered before starting to scream. “NO NO NO NO NO!” It was becoming difficult to talk now as she stormed about her secret lab. Her footfalls grew heavier as her feet grew larger. Her halo vanished into her head along with her hair, her horns turning into slightly floppy ears. She ended up in a corner, hugging her knees and crying silently. She lacked even her feminine form now, everything she’d had, every connection to what she’d once been now erased. She was a Boris now. A stupid, mute Boris. What was she supposed to do now? How was she supposed to become perfect?

Suddenly, she heard a door open. Someone had found her lab. Normally, she might have tried to defend her sanctuary, but being killed honestly sounded pretty good at that moment. She could return to the ink, build herself back up again. She almost hoped it was the Ink Demon. Unfortunately, it was just Henry. Her shoulders slumped when she saw him. Wonderful. Given that she now looked like every other Boris, she had no doubt he would assume she was the Boris he’d lost, instead of the one on the table. Sure enough, as soon as the light hit her face, Henry ran over to scoop her up in a hug.

“There you are, Boris!” He said. “I was so worried about you!” She made no attempt to push him away, nodding glumly. She didn’t even have the ability to tell him no. Better to just play along. Maybe if she was lucky, she’d end up dying along the way.

“Where’s Alice?” Henry pulled back, looking around wildly. “Is she coming back?” She shook her head.

“Is she...dead?”

She made a ‘so-so’ gesture with her hand.

“Well, she’s probably gone for now.” Henry got up, shifting his ax to his less dominant hand so he could hold his other one out to her. She regarded it for a moment before finally taking it. She hoped he couldn’t see the defeat in her eyes.

“She must’ve done a number on you, huh, buddy?” Henry said as he pulled her up. She shrugged, looking listlessly around the room. She hoped no Butcher Gang members would take up residence there while she was gone. Or worse, Searchers or Lost Ones. They always seemed to get ink everywhere. She didn’t want to come back and see her precious lab defaced with their silly writing.

“We should get going.” Henry let go of her hand, gesturing to the door. She nodded sullenly, following him out. She had to admit, she was rather impressed he’d managed to restore power to the haunted house. She’d put a Projectionist in the train area, and Bertrum was a force to be reckoned with in his own right, although he was thankfully blind enough to mistake Henry for Joey.

They made their way deeper into the studio, making better progress now that they were on the same side. Alice was admittedly rather jumpy. She didn’t like things being out of her control. Controlling things was one of the few things that had given her peace in this hellhole. Despite herself, she kept grabbing onto Henry at the slightest sound. She wanted to immediately pull away, but she was still scared.

“It’s okay.” Henry patted her head. “I’m here.” Alice apparently didn’t look entirely convinced, as Henry’s shoulders slumped a bit.

“I know it’s probably hard to trust me after I let you get captured by Alice, but I promise I’m not going to let you get hurt again.” He said. “I always thought of you and Bendy like my children, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt either of you ever again.” He looked away, biting his lip. “I never should have left you in Joey’s control. I should have taken you with me.”

Alice hesitated before taking his hand in hers. Henry looked up, unshed tears glistening in his eyes. Alice shook her head, pulling him into a hug and patting his back. She wasn’t doing this because she wanted to comfort him, she told herself. She had to play her part as Boris. She didn’t care that Henry smiled when she hugged him, holding her close.

“Thank you, Boris,” Henry said when they separated. “I’m going to get us out of here. I promise.”

As they kept moving, Alice began to find herself conflicted. She hated Henry. He was a traitor. He’d abandoned them all to Joey’s mercy. And yet...He was so kind to her. She’d known he cared about Boris, but she’d never actually witnessed his love for the wolf. She imagined he was probably a very good father. All in all, it felt...nice to be treated with kindness again. It had been such a long time since anyone had treated her like a human being. Even if she was trapped in the body of a cartoon wolf, at least she could take comfort in the fact that someone cared about her, at least a little.

Then they ran into the other angel in the studio. Alice had been aware that her replacement had also been turned into a version of the character they’d both voiced, and to her frustration, Allison was an even more perfect version of Alice. This had been part of the reason she’d been so desperate to become perfect. She couldn’t let Allison beat her, not when Alice was the only thing she had left! Surprisingly, Alice’s burning hatred for the other voice actress seemed to have cooled a bit. Or maybe she was just too tired from turning into a Boris. At least they wouldn’t kill her now that she was a Boris.

“Who are you?” Allison took a step forward, brandishing her sword toward Henry. Alice stayed firmly behind Henry. She might not have been feeling any hatred for Allison at the moment, but she still recognized that the other angel was extremely dangerous. Allison and her Boris had been surviving in the depths of the studio for quite a while now. They were not to be trifled with.

“My name is Henry. Henry Stein.” Henry held his hand out. The Boris at Allison’s side growled at him.

“Tom!” Allison shot him a look. Alice frowned. Tom...There had been someone by that name who’d worked at the studio. Thomas Connor, if she remembered correctly. There was an audio log of his on her level. Now that she thought about it, Allison and Thomas had always been rather close.

“You need to come with us.” Allison turned back to them. “Both of you.”

“Alright.” Henry looked back at Alice, who proceeded to suction herself to his side. She didn’t quite trust these two. There was always the possibility they could discover her true identity and kill her. And she was actually starting to enjoy traveling with Henry.

“It’ll be okay.” Henry patted her head again. “They’re not going to hurt us.” Alice did her very best to give him a deadpan look. Everything in the studio was dangerous.

“Come on.” Allison gestured for them to follow her. Tom stayed behind her, giving them a look that made it very clear he didn’t trust them. Henry followed without another word, taking Alice with him. Alice sighed to herself. It looked like this was something she was going to have to go with. She just hoped Henry would be alright.

#bendy and the ink machine #fanfiction #susie campbell #malice angel #henry stein #boris the wolf #tw: body horror #tom boris #allison angel

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hoodieimp · 6 years

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Test Log 000-04-1

((This is a continuation (of sorts) of my pal @morgan--arts and I’s BatIM / SCP Foundation crossover that we came up with a while back. I’ve actually written my own mock SCP files for the characters, but I’m kinda on the fence about posting them since they’re already REALLY similar to what Morgan’s come up with and with the advent of Chapter 4 they’re already outdated...

I also took a lot of inspiration from @adobe-outdesign‘s BatIM headcanons while writing this, so credit to them ^^))

Date: ██ / ██ / ██

Subject: SCP-000-04 (”The Projectionist”)

Procedure: Testing was conducted in reinforced steel chamber in Site-██, outfitted with the following:

A padded chair fitted with neck, arm, waist, and leg restraints

A standard projector screen

SCP-000-04 was escorted into the testing chamber by a pair of D-class security personnel armed with stun batons, and restrained in the chair in front of the screen. A copy of the animated short “Hell Fire Fighter” (produced by █████████ Studios), in 16mm format, was procured and fitted into SCP-0000-04′s “head”, along with an empty “takeup reel” for the used film.

Results: Even before entering the chamber, SCP-000-04 showed signs of extreme agitation, requiring the efforts of both D-class personnel to restrain it. Upon registering both Researcher J████ and the chair, SCP-0000-04 redoubled its efforts to escape, injuring one D-class.

SCP-0000-04 remained conscious after the film was inserted, but became increasingly distressed and began repeatedly striking its “head” against the back of the chair in an attempt to dislodge the reels. This behavior persisted for approximately thirty seconds, until its struggles gradually diminished and ceased.

For the duration of the film, lasting approximately five minutes and thirty-three seconds, SCP-000-04 remained in what researchers described as a “catatonic state”. The film’s audio played through the speaker in its chest, with only a 0.001 second delay observed between audio and visuals, although researchers noted a slight “tinny” quality.

Following the conclusion of the film, once the left arm restraint was loosened, SCP-000-04 instantly regained consciousness and seized Researcher J████ by the neck, at the same time pulling itself free of the remaining restraints. SCP-000-04 proceeded to pummel Researcher J████ repeatedly against the nearest wall, while emitting a continuous, high-pitched keening noise from its speaker. SCP-000-04 persisted even after Researcher J████ lost consciousness, until security personnel intervened and administered multiple shocks to the chest and back.

Addendum: SCP-0000-04 was returned to containment without further incident. Upon recovering from incapacitation, SCP-000-04 was observed sitting in a fetal position in the far corner of the cell with its hands over its projector. It remained in this state for the next eight hours before resuming its normal behavior.

Researcher J████ sustained multiple injuries, including cervical fractures, severe head trauma resulting in brain hemorrhaging, and a collapsed trachea, and subsequently expired.

#bendy and the ink machine #the projectionist #scp foundation #delta writes #i tried to format this like an actual test log from the site #w the clinical tone and whatnot #not sure how well i replicated it but ehh #this has been sitting in my drafts for 5-fucking-ever #i'm still not happy w it but fuck it this is as polished as it's gonna get #edit: tagging this as #violence #injuries #just in case

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whomstdvewrotethis · 6 years

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Lonely Conversations

Sammy. Boi. We all talk to inanimate objects from time to time, but you’ve got some real issues there.

Sorta funny, sorta sad short fic inspired by this anonymous ask published by @adobe-outdesign about Sammy talking to the Bendy cutouts, though I kinda ended up taking it in a different direction.

I had a lot of fun writing this piece. Enjoy! :)

The sound of the piano keys was wrong, all wrong. No matter how many times Sammy rewrote that phrase, nothing sounded right. It was frustrating work, writing these cartoon songs. After who knows how many attempts to come up with something decent, he finally gave up and scribbled the last phrase he’d tried onto the music sheet.

“It’s terrible. I know it’s terrible. I don’t care anymore.”

Of course, there was no one around to hear him. No one except the wooden Bendy cutout in the corner of the room.

“What do you mean ‘who am I talking to’? Who do you think I’m talking to? There’s no one else here except you.”

The inanimate object did not respond, but that didn’t deter Sammy from continuing his conversation with it.

“Yes, I know you aren’t real, but who else am I supposed to talk to?”

Perhaps he was a little desperate for company, or at least someone to vent to. His job could get rather isolating when he was writing songs with all the overtime Joey forced him to work these days. Working with the musicians and voice actors during rehearsals and recordings was no better; working with them was more frustrating than rewarding. He rarely had the opportunity to spend actual quality time with anyone these days.

“Henry quit months ago. I’ve told you that before.”

Henry was the one real friend Sammy had had here at the studio. Since he’d quit, Sammy hardly saw him anymore, given how little free time he had outside of work. He really did miss him, even if they normally only saw each other during breaks. Now the closest friend he had at work was a wooden cartoon cutout. Somehow, it managed to be a better companion than most of his coworkers who remained.

“Susie? No, she wouldn’t care. She barely knows me.”

To tell the truth, Sammy quite liked Susie. He’d had a crush on her for quite some time. She seemed to like him too, or at least looked up to him, but their relationship was strictly professional. Neither knew very much about the other on a personal level.

“No, I’m not talking to her. That’s ridiculous.”

From Sammy’s perspective, he was only worth as much as the songs he wrote. If Susie got to know him as a person, she’d surely be disappointed. It was better that he kept himself closed off from her.

Sammy didn’t pay much notice to the sound of footsteps from the hall until he heard the passerby say something under his breath:

“I’ve really got to have a word with Mr. Drew about that man.”

He looked to the source of the voice. Great, Norman had caught him in the middle of another one of his “conversations”. He got up and closed the door, then sat back down on the piano bench and faced the cutout.

“Yeah, I know I should’ve closed the door. I get it.”

He didn’t normally leave the door wide open like that, but it had slipped his mind this time.

“I said I get it. I’m getting tired of that attitude of yours.”

Despite sounding annoyed, the cutout’s imagined remarks did actually help to alleviate the stress of work. He really was getting desperate, wasn’t he?

“Anyway, I need to get this song finished. Joey says it has to be done by tomorrow.”

Due tomorrow, and only twenty-four measures in. God, he hated Joey’s deadlines. He never gave him nearly enough time to work.

“No, I don’t care if it’s good. I just need to get it done.”

That wasn’t entirely true. He’d lost his creative spark long ago, but he was still a perfectionist. He could get his work done much more quickly if he just stopped caring entirely, but, instead, he still had a tendency to spend hours working on and re-writing small sections of the music, until the frustration and the lack of any good inspiration became enough for him to finally give up and write whatever he had - or until the deadline got close enough that he was forced to rush.

“Yes, I used to enjoy writing music. It was the only thing I ever truly enjoyed. Leave it to Joey to ruin everything.”

Perhaps he would’ve felt the same way eventually if he’d worked elsewhere, but he doubted that. Joey was a strict, demanding, and uncompromising boss. Surely working for anyone else would be better than working for him.

“Why do you have to ask so many questions?”

Sammy didn’t hear the door open behind him.

“Oh, sure. To ‘keep me company’. As if I need that.”

Except he did. He’d reached such a low point that he was relying on a fake argument with an inanimate object just to get him through the day.

“If you’re going to keep talking, why don’t you say something useful for once?”

“Are you seriously arguin’ with it this time? Sammy, you’re great! Just wait ‘til the others hear about this!”

Sammy stopped silent and turned around to see who had spoken. There was Wally, standing in the doorway, with that dumb grin on his face. How long had he been standing there?

“Fuck off, Wally. Say a word about this, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Wally walked off, laughing to himself over Sammy’s behavior as he walked away. Sammy got up and shut the door again, locking it this time.

He needed to get back to work. He sat back down at the piano and placed his hands on the keys, but he was interrupted by a voice which seemed to come from the cutout:

“I bet everyone’s gonna love it when they hear how crazy you’ve been acting again!”

That was it. That stupid cutout had gone too far.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Can’t you just shut up and be quiet?!”

For the next few minutes, the room was silent, save for the noise from that awful machine upstairs. Then, Sammy realized what had just happened.

“Did you just... speak?”

No response. He figured it must just be the stress of work and lack of sleep getting to him.

“I really need a day off...”

#bendy and the ink machine #sammy lawrence #norman polk #wally franks #pre-game

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inkiquitous · 7 years

Text

Hellva long Headcanon post

Inkiquitous mun here!

I like to preface this by mentioning that adobe-outdesign's theory of the Bendy that chases you in the game is Joey is the basis for this rp incarnation of Bendy, or "Bendy". Now, for the headcanons

Originally, Joey wanted to use Henry as the basis of "Bendy", however when Joey couldn't get in contact with Henry, and the discovery of that he had developed Post-Polio syndrome, Joey became desperate to live...

The ritual that Joey used to turn himself into Bendy was sabatoged. Exactly how or who did it is unknown at this moment.

The reason "Bendy" chases Henry, aside from some serious disproportionate rage directed at Henry, is the same reason why Joey wanted to use Henry in the first place for "Bendy". Joey becoming "Bendy" is surprisingly semi-stable. More stable then Alice but still has flaws. Namely? The bent and crooked legs, still being "off model" with five fingers, etc. Henry, being co-creator, would help "stabilize" Bendy enough to hypothetically make them truly become Bendy.

"Bendy" is blind due to Joey, in his late stage Post-Polio syndrome, going blind.

Pre-Polio Joey was a fantastic dancer. The lost of use of his legs might have been one of many factors into the descent into dark magic

Given in my headcanon, Henry was drafted, hence him leaving, Henry promised Joey to return to the studio when the war was over. He didn't, effectively starting the severing their friendship

Among "Bendy's" abilities are: Nigh invulnerability, teleportation in ink, shapeshifting (to a extent), super strength, can weild his ink to any use he desires, capable of forcing back other solid ink beings into "dark inky abyss".

While not exactly fast due to crooked legs, "Bendy" is surprisingly nimble and is capable of some far lunging.

Henry created the designs for the characters, but Joey had a knack for good characterization and writing.

When Joey attempted to turn himself into Bendy, the end result had....problems. namely, the mischievous trickster cartoon mind of Bendy ended up in the cutouts. The cutouts try to help Henry when they can but can't too much cause unfortunately they also act as "proxys" for "Bendy" to see through.

For the ink-toon-human thing to happened, the human self had to be killed. Boris' (plural) were stabbed in the heart, "Alice" (either Susie or Alison) had their throats slit. "Bendy" himself might have possibly deliberately drowned himself in ink....

#Animator's notes(headcanons)#Out of Camera

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adobe-outdesign · 2 years

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Ayo can we get some pokemon gothic

The bones of long gone Pokemon can be found at the beach. You don't try to disturb them. You never knew them to begin with.

There is a child hanging out by the old house that you're pretty sure is a ghost. They feel oddly familiar to you. How many times have you seen them? You can't remember.

The local Phantump call out to you from the woods at night, asking you to join them and revel in immortality. They are clearly saddened every time you refuse.

The sweet elderly lady next door that you've chatted with a few times has always said she wanted to come back as a Gengar. The Gengar you caught the other day seems to enjoy your presence a bit too much. You chalk it up to coincidence.

No psychic-types will set foot in your house. You suppose you can't blame them.

You have started leaving out treats for the Phantump. The plate they're on goes missing, then shows up on your table a week later with a slice of cake on it. The cake is the best you've ever had.

You go to the beach and offer your Pokeball, and suddenly, you realize you never needed to be scared to begin with.

#been a while since I wrote gothic hope this works #shoutout to anyone who gets the vague references #pokemon #gothic #phantump #outdesign attempts to write

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adobe-outdesign · 2 years

Note

I could be going out on a total limb here but did you write that really good "dear father" three part FNAF series a few years ago? Your name and headcannons are similar! If so GOD those are my favorite and I still reread them everynow and then. If not disregard this and I hope you have a nice day! :]

I did but this literally isn't a secret aklsdj. Glad you liked them!

#they're also posted on this blog somewhere or other #five nights at freddy's #outdesign attempts to write

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adobe-outdesign · 4 years

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Showdown Bandit but it’s my series now

I’m still kind of annoyed that SB had such a great premise only to be rushed and then cancelled, so this is kind of my take on the story and my interpretation of things. Keep in mind that I’m approaching this from a “someone handed me this game and now I have to reboot it” standpoint, so while I’m trying to stick to the original plot as much as possible I am changing things where I see fit.

Also, I’m just focusing on things from a story perspective. Gameplay is another thing entirely.

Backstory

Buddy Bublik was from Czechoslovakia and had a passion for puppetry. He met Carl, who was more of a businessman. He came up with the idea of capitalizing on cowboys, which were popular at the time.

The show originally premiered as “Showdown Bandit and the Dusty Hills Band”, with the band playing in each episode to draw in more people. After they “disappeared”, the title just became “The Showdown Bandit Show”.

I would loosely tie things in with BATIM by implying that the two figured out how to bring their characters to life by studying Joey’s memoirs and notes or perhaps having been friends with him (as this game takes place in the 50-60s, after DJS closed).

Recognizing that Joey’s method had some... issues, they made a few changes. Namely, they didn’t sacrifice people in order to bring the puppets to life, instead using blood pacts (smearing blood on the unfinished puppets) from willing people to make their puppets more lifelike without actually giving them souls.

Buddy made a pact with Bandit first as a test run of sorts. It went smoothly for about a year, with Bandit being more lifelike in movement and personality but not sentient.

However, after about a year Bandit started acting a bit too lifelike in a way that concerned them (as they didn’t want to forcibly control sentient puppets, nor did they want the puppets to be fully independent of them). Buddy ended up locking Bandit away out of fear for his life, instead using a different Bandit puppet as a replacement.

Initially they did a few pacts with other crew members, such as the Dusty Hills Band, in exchange for pay raises and other benefits.

However, freak accidents started cropping up and people who had made pacts started dying, at which point the puppet they were bonded to would be possessed (but unaware of what had happened). Buddy and Carl were absolutely horrified at this, both due to the people dying and the fact that they were controlling what used to be other human beings.

As the year went on, other people outside of the show had started to get word and Showdown Bandit was getting a literal “cult” following from people who were interested in immortality, despite the two’s attempts to put a stop to the pact (the idyllic world of Showdown Valley was an appealing afterlife option for many, especially fans of the show). They attempt to cancel the show, with the intent to shut down the studio and burn the puppets.

The cult didn’t respond well to this, wanting to keep their pacts and their immortality. They ended up breaking into the studio one night and killing both of them. Buddy ended up possessing Bandit, but because he was in storage he remained “asleep” for years. Carl possessed the Sheriff, but like all puppets he didn’t retain his memories.

Ironically, the death of the two sealed the cancellation of the show (it was declining anyway as space stuff was now getting popular), but the cult continued the show behind the scenes for years afterward.

Puppets & Possession

Each time a character “dies”, their soul moves on to possess another puppet of that character. If there isn’t another copy of that character, or the other copy is already possessed, they become a stringless (IE unfinished) puppet. A dead stringless usually stays immobilized, but they can be fixed by Carver (much to Miss Undertaker’s chargin).

The puppets become more and more lifelike over time, especially after being possessed. It gets the point where they have to fake eating in order to stay alive, even though they can’t eat and don’t need food.

The puppets can move on their own. The strings serve as a way to control them, usually without them being consciously aware of it.

Because the puppets have no memories, they have no idea that they’re possessed or that they’re being controlled, which is how the puppeteer wants it. They understand that they’re puppets and that they put on performances, but that’s about all they understand. This is why the rules are in place.

Play your part - a puppet not playing their part is indicative that they’re starting to get their memories back, which is a no-no.

Guard your strings - the strings allow the puppets to be controlled, so it’s important that they stay attached.

Don’t look up - the puppets don’t know they’re being controlled. Looking up not only breaks this illusion, but tends to cause them to go insane.

The sheriff helps not only protect the citizens from rogue threats, but helps to enforce the rules before they get broken.

Puppets who break the rules are taken and mutilated as an example to others. Their hostile behavior is really just them trying to cut other character’s strings and free them.

Characters

Bandit: As mentioned above, he’s possessed by Buddy, though he doesn’t remember anything. After being woken up after a few years, he’s trying to help out the others while figuring out what’s truly going on (while not knowing he’s being manipulated himself). Because Bandit is, by definition, an outlaw, he’s not likely to actually follow the rules set in place. As the game progresses, he realizes he’s being manipulated by the Puppeteer and cuts his own strings, allowing him to act independently and help free the others from being controlled.

Miss Undertaker: Miss Undertaker, as her name suggests, takes care of Showdown Valley’s dead - unbeknownst to everyone else, that includes the entire town. In addition to maintaining the graveyards and trying to make sure the dead stay dead, she’s the one who finds newly possessed puppets and introduces them to the town. Later on in the plot, it’s revealed that she’s not possessed like the others, but rather a literal puppet controlled by the Puppeteer, hence why she knows about her when all the others don’t.

The Sheriff: Possessed by Carl, the sheriff enforces the rules, though he doesn’t know about the puppeteer. He particularly has it out for Bandit due to his outlaw nature, ironically pitting Carl and Buddy unwittingly against each other. Eventually, Bandit is able to convince him that the rules are in place to control them, and he ends up helping him take down the Puppeteer.

Penny Hemsworth: Possessed by one of the former stagehands who helped with props, Penny’s general store literally has anything the puppets need in stock (and if it doesn’t, the Puppeteer will fix that shortly). This includes mundane things like food and less mundane things like The Sparkblaster(TM). Penny herself has been afraid of accidentally breaking the rules and generally gets more and more insane throughout the game before eventually removing her eyes (which happens near the end of the game here rather than the beginning).

Doc Carver: Possessed by a former stagehand who helped repair broken puppets, Carver’s purpose is to fix the puppets (without requiring human intervention, which once again, is a no-no). Despite the fact that he’s just supposed to help with damage, he’s become curious about how they’re all alive and has begun experimenting with reviving the dead and creating new creatures (the Araknits were his fault, albeit accidentally), which puts him in thin water with the Puppeteer.

The Banker: Unlike the other puppets, the Banker (possessed by one of the band members) got possessed before his puppet was actually finished. Buddy and Carl couldn’t finish the puppet without breaking the rules and his sanity, so they just scrapped their original design and presented him as-is. Because he’s unfinished, his memory wasn’t as thoroughly wiped as the others, resulting in him being terrified of accidentally breaking character. He eventually does, and is “fixed” by the end.

Faceless Bandit: The Bandit made after Buddy’s Bandit, who was used after the original puppet was damaged. Possessed by another one of the band members. Being a bandit, he eventually went rogue and cut his own strings, successfully escaping the Puppeteer; however, his face was clawed off shortly thereafter by Frenzy. Attempts have been made to capture him again, but it’s hard due to the massive scythe he’s carrying.

Frenzy: One of the “rule-breaking” puppets. Used to be a rival to Bandit who claimed to be an even better draw than him. He, ironically, accidentally let his strings get cut during a showdown and had his torso removed as punishment. While he’s technically only supposed to pursue rule-breakers, as his name implies he’s gone a bit mad and will basically attack anything that moves.

Grieves: Another “rule-breaking” puppet. Bubu the Clown was one of the first characters on the show, and was a regular live-action human. When the puppets started being possessed, Bubu had to go due to breaking immersion, and Grieves was created as his puppet replacement. Bubu eventually committed suicide in the studio, resulting in him accidentally possessing Grives. Because Grieves didn’t remember anything, he eventually became depressed and broke character - because he was mourning Bubu. They recognize Bandit as a rule-breaker and will attack him as such.

Lookout: Lookout was created as a way to monitor the puppets without gathering suspicion. Given that their entire job was to look at things, it was almost inevitable that they eventually looked up, which drove them into madness before they disappeared a few days later. They’re also stringless, allowing them to warn Bandit of danger. They used to be close friends with Miss Undertaker, who’s trying to find them and put strings on them.

The Puppeteer/Lorelei: The leader of the cult, the Puppeteer is the main one handling the show and directing the others. She personally controls Miss Undertaker (Lorelei is her first name), and occasionally controls Bandit as well. She and the rest of the cult attempt to forcibly control Showdown Valley, keeping the puppets in ignorant bliss. Like the other cult members, she wears a mask and a cloak at all times.

Basic Plot

Because the plot would be semi-dictated by the gameplay, these are just some rough outlines and ideas of how the plot and characters would play out.

Starts out more or less the same as the canon plot, with Bandit waking up and Miss Undertaker sending him on his first quest.

The first part of the game is mostly following instructions from Miss Undertaker and going on quests that seem like they’re meant to help improve the town and keep people safe (things like clearing out the Araknits, killing the Faceless Bandit, getting Miss Undertaker’s key back, etc).

As Bandit does more and more tasks, he starts to realize that these tasks might be doing more harm than good (the Araknits were Carver’s attempt at figuring out the possession and destroying them prevents him from doing so; the Faceless Bandit was attempting to free the others by cutting their strings, etc).

The Sheriff is dispatched to deal with Bandit before he breaks any rules, leaving Bandit trying to escape from him for a chapter.

Carver, already suspicious of what’s going on, is the first to believe Bandit. Banker refuses to help but admits to remembering some things, leading the two to explore the stage and end up finding several bodies from the cast (that hand that drops down is Bubu’s).

The sheriff finds the two and the bodies, and is convinced to help Bandit out on his quest.

They return to the set and Bandit overhears Penny talking to Miss Undertaker about her insecurities regarding breaking the rules, with Miss Undertaker being the one who pushes her towards the eye-gouging.

The Puppeteer attempts to separate the three, resulting in Bandit cutting his own strings in order to escape.

Most of the final chapter is him trying to avoid both the Puppeteer and the other enemy puppets, who have become considerably more aggressive.

Penny takes out her eyes. The Sheriff ties her to a post to keep her from hurting herself anymore (he did the same thing with Lookout when he lost his mind), and stays behind to make sure she isn’t taken.

The Banker finally remembers everything and goes through a bit of a mental breakdown wherein he almost blows up the set with dynamite. The Puppeteer intervenes and he’s picked up and removed from the set. He shows back up later on, now a finished puppet with no memory of what just transpired.

Bandit learns who he’s made from by finding some old journal entries. He tries to tell the Sheriff, but both he and Penny are gone. He then goes to confront Miss Undertaker, who’s revealed to be a lifeless puppet in the most literal sense. The Puppeteer attempts to grab him while he’s distracted.

Lookout warns Bandit with their bell, then points out some weak spots in the studio’s wiring. Targeting these spots cause wires to fall down around the Puppeteer, slowing her down and getting her tangled. Hitting the controls for the stage rotation pulls on the wires, snapping her neck and killing her.

Because she had a blood pact with Miss Undertaker she wakes up, now fully possessed and not remembering anything about the Puppeteer or her previous actions.

The epilogue/end credits reveal that with the Puppeteer gone, most of the cult disbanded (though presumably they’re still out there somewhere). Everyone’s strings are cut, the broken puppets are repaired as best as possible, and Showdown Valley ends up the peaceful afterlife it was always meant to be, with Bandit and Sheriff heading the town.

#showdown bandit #bandit #miss undertaker #banker #penny hemsworth #doc carver #long post #tw: suicide #outdesign posts things #outdesign attempts to write #hopefully this is coherent enough #it's very hard to pick up the tattered scraps of the beginning of a story and try to flesh it out without changing too much

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