#baltes

[cariocake]

i rly like the funky ass vibes between usha and dave

"you're my rock usha"

i genuinely need more of them. she's worked there the longest and probably watched him grow up. he's usha's secret white son. i bet she brought him tupperwares of indian food when she knew theyd be working together so they could have lunch together. he signed her up for a class to learn how to use the new accounting system and she purposefully ignored it all in a stubborn old woman type of way. she's literally always pushing his buttons and he never threatens to fire her over it bc he's got a soft spot for her.

[th3b4dk1dzz]

The more time passes, the more I'm convinced Dave Balt is trapped in the body of Lucy Santangelo.

It was unclear what his whereabouts were when the PCs were sucked into the movie. Unless someone else picked up on that. He was probably in the same room. Lucy is one of the few characters we know about, but haven't heard speak yet.

Dave is clearly self-conscious about his ageing and is trying to cover his greying hair. Now imagine his reaction to having a young, beautiful body with big volumous hair.

Dave is trying to manage the sinking ship of his business with employees he has no control over. Lucy is based on Holly Gennero, who in the original Die Hard film was the direct line of communication between the terrorists and the other hostages. She was trying to manage, as best she could, her co-workers through an impossible situation. (Also checking the wiki I realised Lucy is the name of John and Holly's daughter. Nice reference)

Dave and Paula hate each other. Picture the two of them as Jack and Lucy, having to pretend to be a strained couple who had something once, but it's gone, to avoid suspicion. (While being played by Izzy and Brennan. It's a comedic gold mine is what I'm saying)

Unlike the PCs, Lucy/Holly isn't an action hero. She's a civilian. As discussed, she can navigate a dangerous situation using her wits and through talking. But she doesn't have any weapons training/combat experience. What this means is that Dave is going to have to rely on the people he believed to be incompetent to survive the environment. In a season of tropes, wouldn't it be fitting to have a shithead boss learn the error of his ways by having no choice but to trust his suped up employees and realise how good they are while constantly being rescued by them?

[gonsia]

A kitten caught a snake

[arotheosis]

It’s all Whirred Up (NSBU Swap AU concept)

Essentially I started thinking about what it might be like if the action heroes were the ones in the real world, and the video world characters were the action heroes. I tried my best to switch things up so it feels different enough, although I’m still a little unsure about some character roles.

Will I ever actually sit down and write this properly? Who knows

In an old strip mall in Lake Elsinore sits one of the last remaining video rental stores in the country: Slater’s Video Superstore.

With the rise of streaming and digital media, however, the store is on its last legs. Its last week in fact, and its employees prepare to close down and find a new road to take in life.

Steven “King” Skin is a Princeton student with a bright future in politics. He’s nearing the end of his gap year, and wondering whether he really wants to go back to school after all. He works on the finances of the video store.

As he almost mindlessly balances the the store’s financial spreadsheets, he watches on one of the video store screens: Liv Skyler, master thief. Her name is whispered amongst criminal circles like a legend, because she can steal without even leaving a single trace behind.

Victor Ethanol is a young man with a dream of pursuing Formula 1 racing, but working several odd jobs to provide for his family. He does occasional maintanance/ plumbing work for the businesses in the strip mall, including the video store, which he visits frequently.

Trying to get him to take a break from working so hard, his brother Shaun asks if he wants to watch a movie. The movie’s protagonist? One Wendell Morris, former biker gang member who has become an informant for several underground organizations. He’s the black sheep of the Morris family, and their falling out is shrouded in mystery.

G13 is a young hacker who got caught attempting to access classified files, and was sentenced to community service. He’s supposed to be cleaning trash around the strip mall, but he mostly stays inside the video store using the crusty old public computer they have, since he’s no longer allowed to use any at home.

While attempting to bypass the many blocks on that ancient desktop computer, he sees a trailer for an old movie. It depicts Usha Rao, more commonly known by both her allies and enemies as Grandmother. She’s the head of a widespread criminal organization, and despite her sweet seeming appearance is someone to be feared. She’s been alive longer than anyone knows, she’s seen everything and knows everything, so if you mess with her family you cannot escape her wrath.

Working over by the more adult section of the store, is Jack Manhattan. After suffering through a grueling divorce with his wife and losing custody of his two children, his life is essentially at a standstill. He is very vocal about how much he prefers not being tied down, and talks about having many partners, but it’s clear that in reality he is not dealing with the separation well and is very lonely.

Unable to even look at the more unsavory content in front of him without thinking about the love he lost, he switches the channel only to see a movie starring crime investigator Paula Donvalson. While many overlook her based on her wild and sporadic personality, the crazy deductions she makes are more often than not entirely on the money, and the FBI begrudgingly hires her for many of their cases.

Jennifer Drips is a woman who does not stay in one place for far too long. Drifting quickly from town to town, she never sets up roots, but leaves a trail of lovers behind her. She is currently staying in a crappy apartment near Lake Elsinore, and working at the video store for some extra cash before she moves on.

On a screen behind her as she’s packing up the store’s inventory, plays a movie led by Russel Feelds, a mechanic developing gadgets for every organization under the sun. A self described lone wolf, he has no loyalty to any side, as long as you can pay his prices.

Greg Stocks is a wealthy man who owns nearly every storefront in the strip mall, except for the video store. He heads in every day attempting to make an offer that Slater will accept, but even as the store is close to shutting down, the video store owner remains stubborn.

Walking by the front of the store he sees, on one of the display TVs, a film about a man known only as Dang. Dang is the world’s deadliest assassin, and his methods are all just as strange as the man himself. After every kill he leaves behind his calling card, the word “rashab”. No one has deciphered its meaning yet.

[thinkanamelater]

Primadonna girl, yeah All I ever wanted was the world

I was like "is anyone gonna babygirlyfy Dave" and did NOT wait for an answer

[belleandkurtbastian]

Of all the characters in NSBU to get bottom surgery, I wasn’t expecting Dave.

[noodlekru]

New Dimension 20 show beloved, some reason I had to draw these guys having a movie night in the middle of their shift. Can’t wait for the absolute chaos of this season.

[mostlybrunettes]

[godlytemperance]

i can't believe that my favorite NSBU nasty action moment came from the world's worst man that got isekaied into the president's body

[wizardmarriage]

🚦

[lacebows]

THE ART IS INSANE WTF WTF WTF

[at-the-thistlespring-tree]

Wait!!!

Is Dave in action land?? Cuz like, he should be, right???

[faeriebreadconfetti]

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙

@sparklecarehospital

[rainworld-rivulet]

ruffles (rivulet) vs great value wavy chips (shitty rivulet plushie)

[arotheosis]

I need someone to cosplay vampire/robot/ president of the United States, Dave Balt/Slater Hancock.

[thinkanamelater]

Nothing but respect for MY president