#c; sitcom shenanigans

[twinklesofhope]

"Uh... girls. I fell asleep and I somehow woke up in this weird fish thing. I found some fish person here. Can someone help me?" Yume. You were safe at home???

[twinklesofhope]

"I'm not a mouse. I'm a hedgehog."

"Besides, I don't even want kids!"

"Uhhh...Guys? Why's my dad suddenly a blue dude mouse with some really weird fashion choices."

[funhouse-mirror-barbie]

There’s just…there’s such cognitive dissonance in the Helluva Boss and Hazbin Fandoms when it comes to tone and portraying things like abuse vs. slapstick comedy.

Its really fascinating to me, because if you do point out that there is a double standard in the ways that violence and abuse is framed in certain plot points, you’re usually told that you’re “media illiterate” and that you “don’t understand” how slapstick works. (More below)

Which is wild because the issue is not with slapstick. It’s with the rapidly oscillating tone in the narrative. We’ll see Stella attempt to slap Stolas, and it’s treated as a serious abuse, but when Loona violently beats up Blitz during an argument they’re having, the audience is expected to see this as “slapstick”.

It’s like if Tom and Jerry had an episode with their usual shenanigans, and then suddenly in the middle of it Tom had a realistic panic attack and broke down over all the times he’s been hurt b/c of Jerry. And then in the next episode they just went back to the status quo.

We can find an actual example of this exact same tone issue though in the animated sitcom, Family Guy. Specifically, the episode "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q"

Family Guy is a show that’s had a long history of violence as a source of comedy—but in the above episode, they attempted (very poorly in my opinion) to tackle the subject of domestic abuse and violence, completely straight.

When this episode came out, it was widely panned and disliked by critics and audiences. Brenda’s initial appearance, while still dealing with domestic abuse, was played off mostly as a one time joke, and was a small bit part of the episode itself.

I think this was a really understandable reaction to the “The Story of Brenda Q” because it was such tonal whiplash from Family Guy’s usual storylines.

The Hellaverse, to me, has the exact same problem. The narrative occasionally treats the heavy topics being depicted as serious issues, but will then switch to making jokes about the exact same topics later.

We see this in Hazbin with the way sexual assault is treated—Angel Dust’s sexual assault is treated as a serious matter, but two episodes later, when Sir Pentious is sexually assaulted, it’s treated as a joke.

I’ve seen fans say that the Sir Pent joke “works” because he wasn’t “actually raped” and I just. I don’t know how to explain to others that sexual assault does not have to escalate to rape to still be sexual assault. Someone touching your body for their own sexual gratification, without your explicit consent, is sexual assault.

Sir Pentious being dragged into a designated “sex room” against his will, while he’s actively saying “no” and is clawing at the ground, is sexual assault. It just is.

And hey, if you WANT to frame that as a joke, you technically can. But doing so undeniably undercuts the anti—sexual violence and anti—sexual assault message that you claim is central to your show’s narrative.

Again, as always you can disagree, this is only my opinion. There’s definitely more examples of other shows (and of Family Guy again, with Meg Griffin) doing this tonal whiplash in their stories, but you have to really be delicate with threading that needle in order to make it work, something that the Hellaverse just doesn’t yet have the maturity to do.

[chiekorita]

✨ chiekorita's palletshipping recs ✨

my will always re-read list. not a comprehensive list so i will add on as i go thru the fics again.

ratings listed in front of title. (c) means completed.

the unfinished collection by misswonnykins (ratings varied w each chapter)

as title says, unfinished but they're all *chefs kiss*. fav is the first chapter. ash wooing gary unknowingly pls read

[t] a pokemon trainer's guide to romance using modern technology and terrible pick-up lines by bgtea (c)

ash and gary being menaces w each other thru terrible pick up lines even in diff regions. the puns are amazing ok and v funny and cute.

[t] after all these years by archwriter (c)

the story of how they break and keeps on breaking until they come back together. the emotional rollercoaster this got me thruuuu like destroy me. can be read platonic.

[g] tying loose ends by archwriter

sequel to after all these years. ash's role as the chosen one coming back one by one and his recovering relationship with gary on the side. the way everything in his life is written and having gary mixed in naturally like that. i still reread this since years ago.

[t] my brilliant friend by afoolserrand117

gary a professor and researcher being made to do a friendly battle w ash to raise funds for his research. more gary focused esp w his mewtwo related ptsd (which i don't see much explored so it was niceeee). we get to see a more confident ash as opposed to gary. pls this is so good and cute and fun.

[m] a call to arms by feranelia

pacrim!au. the pokemons are jaegers. ash and gary butting heads thru their first, second, third consequent meetings and ended up being drift compatible. prof oak best shipper btw. arts for this also chefs kiss

[t] and into love go streaming by laniekayaleese (c)

high school!au. more on the coming of age movie feeling. boys discovering feelings. this is very vibes.

[m] find it, fix it by tayeah (c)

gary in saida labs getting a visit from ash. gary running from his feelings only to run back into them basically? angstyyyy and delicious.

[t] romantic by misswonnykins (c)

ash trying to pull off the best proposal ever with the help of his friends. super cute and fluffy.

[t] this dear thing called heart by salvations (c)

music!au. shigeru joins a satoshi's band after prof ookido's death. angsty stuff. mostly friendship focused but a good dose of palletshipping thru out.

[g] the sweetest betrayal by essence_of_silence (c)

little moments of ash's two fav partners being bff with each other more than with him. super cute. very sitcom/romcom vibes. i come back to reread this a lot bc of pikachu picking his pipichu over his pikapi.

[g] honesty by silver_fish (c)

hanahaki!au. gary starts coughing up flowers. more often when he's around a certain trainer. everything i ever wanted in a palletshipping hanahakiiiii my fav tropeeee read this one too pls

[t] [series] operations 101 by estelle4ever

ash's friends trying to set him up gary and made up a whole operation. operationS. funny shenanigans of well meaning friends and just cute stuff. it's a series but the main part of them getting together is done ✅.

[m] intuition by evie warner

prof oak's past coming back for him and gary's the target. ash caught up in it too. going off from the glitch in the games w missingno. this one is abandoned but it's still So Good. got me reading thru this in one sitting.

[g] if i could become a comet by kameil (c)

post-canon. ash tracked gary down after they parted ways and never left. the palletship travelling together fic i needed. introspective style. wished it was longer but it's already a gem in my books.

[g] cat and mouse by strings_threads_and_ties (c)

life in the oak-ketchum household. soft stuff. talks about their life. this one is the second fic in the series of 'project mew' (a longer piece, just as good but more gary focused). soulmate au trope plays here. it can stand alone without knowing the first fic but i love soulmate aus and soft fics. def recced.

[justlarkin]

Ive been reading so many aus and now request that you contribute to my brain rot good sir

Hmm, the only AU situation I've put some thought into is that Sandayu sitcom dad shitpost.

Okay, so all five of them show up in Tokyo together with their usual case of amnesia and are like "dunno what tf is going on, but we all have the same stars on our hands, so let's stick together ig". None of them remember their names so MC2 takes it upon herself to give everyone nicknames to go by based on their features: Itsy Bitsy, Beauty (It's not narcissism if it's true!), Titan, Lanky, and [REDACTED] (Just call him R). Everything resumes the same with them going to Shinjuku, being taken into Mononobe's care, him disappearing, and Sandayu hoping in under Smoky God's employment. Problem is that they're like SUPER difficult to deal with after Mononobe left because they're hurt about being abandoned by their "dad", so he has to try really hard to worm his way in and earn their trust, resulting in shenanigans.

-Itsy outwardly seems cutesy and agreeable, but in reality is the Devil incarnate. They love attention and playing games, using their small, unassuming appearance to drag unfortunate bastards into playing with them until all their energy is drained out of them. Anyone who tries to leave them before they're okay with it, won't be shown any mercy. Absolute Hell will be unleashed upon them, which Sandayu finds out the hard way. The other four don't get sucked into their drama because they already know the trick to dealing with them. R is the most resistant to their games, but everyone knows he secretly has a soft spot for them, which is why they have matching nam- *bonked unconscious by stray sword flying through air* It's hard to tell how they feel about Mononobe because they flip between hatred and grief when he's mentioned.

-Beauty is sociable and wants to do fun teen things like hanging out with friends, sneaking out late, going on adventures, and cyberbullying minors. You can usually find her surrounded by people and being the center of attention. Also, she not-so-secretly likes seeing drama go down and will ignite it from a distance, but most people don't notice this trait and like her regardless. She ultimately ignores Sandayu's existence and attempts to engage with her, even if he's right in front of her, and insists that Mononobe will be back any day now.

-Titan is friendly, helpful, and the protective one of the group. Too helpful. He rarely shows up to class or does his work and his grades are tanking because he will drop everything and go assist someone as soon as they call for him. It's not an exaggeration. Once he recieved a call from Andvari during class, saying that he needs someone to cover a shift at his resort ASAP, and Titan immediately jumped out of the window and ran there because "Andvari needed him now and taking the stairs was a waste of time". He's actually kind and cordial with Sandayu, but he's like that with everyone. He won't show it, but he's exhausted and just wants a break. That won't happen though. Secretly, he feels responsible for Mononobe leaving since he thinks taking care of five kids on his own while working must've been too much for him and that if he proves that he can bare some of that load, Mononobe will return.

-Lanky is mopey, tired, and an airhead. He typically forgets to change into his school uniform, sleeps through class and practically everywhere else, and is always daydreaming when he's not. It's easy to drag them along on adventures and drama because he doesn't have a strong opinion on much. They have a "everyone is my pillow" mentality, which the other four don't seem to mind. Lanky is mostly indifferent towards Sandayu, but wishes he'd stop interrupting their naps. He usually doesn't talk about Mononobe, only contibuting a furrowed brow and frown, but on their off-days, he will cry over the slightest reminder of him.

-[REDACTED] doesn't like his nickname and finds it embarrassing, so he chose to shorten it to R. Nobody knows his real name besides the other four and Mononobe since every mention of it has been hidden and he will beat anyone who goes digging for it with the blunt end of his sword. Overall, he's the most normal and easiest to deal with of the group. He's mostly reserved and occasionally snarky, doesn't cause problems at school unless his "siblings" drag him into it, and he acts like any other teen. He has accepted that Mononobe is gone and doesn't cause Sandayu any grief over that specifically, but he doesn't trust him because he suspects that he has dishonest intentions in getting close to him and the others (he does). R won't show it often, but he cares deeply for the others and wants to protect them from getting burned by someone like Mononobe again.

They all love each other while Sandayu is going through it and getting his ass kicked.

[twinklesofhope]

"My existence here is only temporary, as a means of comedic effect, but yes. It is good to see another me.

" ...Oh, hey, SmartDoka! Good to see you. "

They really aren't listening, are they?

Mentioned: @twinklesofhope

[cdroloisms]

Since technically c!Dream isn't part of the c!awesamity hell house au relationship, do you think he'd start dating other people?

Because if he did i feel like that would open a whole can of worms but also add some laughs as c!sam is holding back on murdering him and c!quackity is just upset that c!dream is actually happy

LMAO .

tbf in the sitcom AU, he's probably kept on a short of a leash as the medium allows--which is a decent amount, considering he's the live in maid. he's also like, though technically not part of the married couple's "happy relationship" (LOL LMAO) definitely uhhh let's just say Involved with them both as carryover from pre-sitcom times. which means that technically there IS a "love triangle" angle that's involve in the sitcom itself (that usually manifests in shit like c!quackity walking in on c!awesamdream shenanigans, among other things.) all this to say that c!Sam doesn't want him messing around--what if he manipulates [random sitcom character here] through his wiles or smth :/

all that being said, the main thing is that when it comes to actual server characters, the only ones here are sam, quackity, and dream. the others are...more or less npcs for sitcom purposes, making them sliiiiightly less appealing as romantic prospects. they're not really individual characters as much as mouthpieces for whoever's "running" this world to make sure it remains on track. as someone to hook up with, they work well enough, especially bc cheating scandals get audience reactions (tm)! but when it comes to actually having a full on relationship...there's not that much there. so c!awesamdreamity are still stuck with each other

[oopsiedaisiesbaby]

ahahah i'll need to give the braincell back to you so you can write more fics though!

a sitcom with these lads would be hilarious and if i wasn't already planning a modern au series just as chaotic, i'd be tempted to try and write something for your c e hoe au to try and capture some of their insanity!

now think about intern john not-so-secretly being behind all the matchmaking and how it makes gale go twice as feral and lock them in his office all day with strict orders for brenny to take all their calls 😂

🌹

I can’t believe I missed this earlier 😭

I would definitely appreciate the brain cell to write from time to time 😂 I’m not fully out of burn out just yet but it seems like maybe my writers block is finally fading a little 🎉

They were made for sitcom shenanigans! And oh my stars, John thinking he’s the Emma Woodhouse or Cher Horowitz of the office brings me so much joy 🤩

[homestuck-fanauthor-coalition]

That's Time Travel, Baby

That's Time Travel, Baby (9205 words) by glubtier Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: Homestuck Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John Egbert/Dave Strider Characters: John Egbert, Dave Strider, Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: fan baby, Time Travel, Ectobiology (Homestuck), Ectobiology Baby - Freeform, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Happy Ending, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Sitcom Energy, Romantic Comedy, POV Second Person, POV Multiple, Earth C (Homestuck), Not Canon Compliant - The Homestuck Epilogues Summary: Dave finds out that, unbeknownst to him, John ectobiologized their baby, and goes back in time to try and stop it from happening. But it's never that easy, is it?

hey, guess what? another new member of the coalition, that's what! @glubtier brings us this time travel sitcom, and we love them for it. we encourage you guys to check it out!

[cyberdragoninfinity]

oh yea baby..... it's all coming together

making the kansas AU ignis all in their 30's. for my health

[twinklesofhope]

"What would you like to eat? Actually, don't answer I can read your mind!"

"You... want a pizza with pineapple on it?"

[wonderfulworldofdarklords]

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords: Marvel May! It's the inaugural episode of something we're hoping to make an annual tradition, but honestly, we kind of invented the whole thing just so we could talk about what might be the most obvious Ravenloft domain Disney has ever done. (If you wanted to describe Ravenloft domains to someone who wasn't familiar with the concept, you could do worse than "It's like WandaVision.") Topics discussed include:

The D&D equivalent of a warm, safe sitcom set in a slice of idyllic suburban Americana;

How to bring your PCs into a domain that the darklord wants to keep locked down at all times, and how to maintain the feel of WandaVision without stripping away their agency the moment they set foot in Westview;

The goofy D&D sitcom versions of multiple MCU characters, all of whom are screaming on the inside;

Whether or not it was, in fact, Agatha all along;

And more!

The full writeup for Westview is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/480287/Wandas-Vision-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770 Even if you normally just listen to the episode without reading the writeup, we highly recommend checking out the writeup after listening this time. We came up with the "sitcom shenanigans" table after recording and couldn't discuss it on mic, and we are SO proud of that thing.

All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through https://musopen.org:

Chopin Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No.1 (main theme), performed by Eduardo Vinuela

Chopin Etude Op. 25, No. 12 in C Minor: “Ocean” (darklord theme), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner

Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: @darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find @halite-jones or on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite

Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

[siderods]

OC Post 5 - Bonnie & Connie!

Okay so imagine an early 2010's disney XD slice of life sitcom but with trains and you’ll have roughly the same vibe that this universe is going for. This is a six-engine cast because oops I forgor about this when I made the last OC post :skull:

Bonnie - A 2-8-0 consolidation (and one of the two main characters), Bonnie has a close sibling bond with fellow 2-8-0 Connie. Bonnie is the more measured of the two, calmer, more quiet, and usually quite tired, but he’s still alright to be around.

Connie - A 2-8-0 consolidation (and the other of the two main characters), Connie has a close sibling bond with fellow 2-8-0 Bonnie. Connie is the bolder of the two, more outgoing, confident, and energetic. However, can she be a bit overbearing on occasion.

Patch - A 3-truck shay, Patch is a daredevil at heart. Unfortunately, he’s a geared locomotive, meaning that he can go no faster than ~23 miles per hour. He does good work, but he can sometimes be irresponsible just to get some adrenaline going.

Autumn - A 4-4-2 Atlantic, Autumn is a very chatty engine,. She’s responsible, if not a bit of a gossiper, along with the one to usually have a laugh at Patch's expense given she's the main passenger engine. Additionally, she’s usually the one to chase down the switchers when they misbehave.

Barrow - A C&O Docksider, Barrow is a ball of chaos. One of the two main switchers along with his partner in crime, Parker, you can often find this switcher scheming up some dastardly plans in the yard. Most notably, he has been banned from unloading coal cars into the hopper due to on multiple occasionds dropping his entire still-lit fire into the hopper and nearly burning down the whole building.

And Finally,

Parker - A Plymouth diesel switcher, Parker is a clever engine. One of the two main switchers along with his partner in crime, Barrow, you can often find Parker doing some mad science experiment using the spare bits and bobs he finds around the yard to assist in his and Barrow’s shenanigans.

(I wanted to name these two after Bonnie & Clyde but that wouldn't work since I already have a Bonnie so I used their last names) Have some screenshots of 'em, and as always, I hope you enjoy them.

[schrodingers-water-wet]

draft

"I have a massive favor to ask of you," Nightmare normally wouldn't be concerned when being asked for help. The look in Inks eyes made him feel dread. That hopeful look, with a hint of mischief. The knife in his hand didn't help but he clearly wasn't meant to acknowledge it yet.

"Will I want to help you?" Nightmare pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh definitely not, but please hear me out it's important to me!" Ink held the knife up, now it was alright for Nightmare to acknowledge it, "I want you to stab me,"

"No."

"You haven't even heard me out!" Ink put the knife down, having realized he came in too strong.

"I do not need to hear you out. I know your request will fall along the lines of testing some healing magic or some oddity you're curious about. I am not going to be compliant in your shenanigans,"

"You make it sound so bad. Now hear me out- I want you to try and kill me. I'm curious what would happen! The worst case I'll be reset and it's certainly not the first time that's happened. The Multiverse can't go on without me so I wanna test my limits,"

Nightmare had a lot of replies he wanted to make to that request. It was such a loaded thing right off the bat. Then Ink brought in his own resets, which may not have hurt him but certainly caused those who knew him before the last one a lot of strife.

"...Why ask me?"

"Who else would I ask? Dream? Blue? Error?"

"There are plenty of murderous people out there who would help you," Ink did have something resembling a point. Nightmare really was the best choice out of everyone the artist knew. It made him quince a little thinking about it.

"Well speaking of mildly murderous, I considered asking C. He'd be my first choice but-! He'd be too enthusiastic at the idea. You wouldn't be!"

"Uh huh. So you only come to visit when you want violence enacted in your name," Nightmare turns back to his book. Ink doesn't believe for a second he's actually reading it. He's like a sitcom dad pretending to read the paper to show his disappointment, "Go find someone else to kill yourself on."

"But they'll make it hurt. If this goes wrong I don't want it to hurt. I know you'll make it quick if things go sideways,"

"Ask Killer. He'd be a more willing participant,"

"Too enthusiastic again. He's been wanting to kill me since I cheated at monopoly." Ink always cheats at monopoly. Nightmare was fairly confident everyone he has ever played the game with has cheated at monopoly.

"I do not care what you do with yourself. Go bother somebody who does,"

"You're kinda proving my point about you being the best choice. Since you don't care and all," Ink pushed down Nightmares book. So they could look at one another.

"I don't care enough to incovience myself with you," Ink attempted to do puppy eyes, "being pathetic is antithetical to your cause. Vulnerability generally makes people want to protect the source, not kill it,"

"But you're a big scary guy who loves killing vulnerable people,"

"Perhaps I will take you up on that offer."

"Threatening to murder me is, 'antithetical to your cause,' of not killing me,*

"I will make it painful." Nightmare leaned forwards threateningly, lowering his voice to something terrifying. Ink stepped away, laughing awkwardly.

"Come on Night! Stop playing hard to get. It's not like this would be the first time you tried to kill me. This time I'll let you succeed, you just gotta not make it hurt."

"Find another cliff to throw yourself off of," Nightmare settled back down in his seat properly.

[thatndginger]

Hope Saturday's treating you well, K.

In the spirit of that post about characters locking their writer in the trunk rather than just being in the driver's seat...what would the story actually look like if that were true? What would each OC change if they held the storytelling power? Would it go as great as they think?

Oh, fuck Oh, no. I already have a hard enough time keeping the Shapeshifter crew in line, I don’t want to imagine what shenanigans they’d get up to if I weren’t around. I can tell you exactly what the story would look like for those idiots though. Partly because the first year-ish of Shapeshifter being an idea was just me following Kerr around and writing down whatever he happened to be doing at the time. 

Kerr’s version of the story would just be him flirting the pants off of one mob boss Adrien Montrose. No extra mystery or intrigue or violence. Just a whole lot of kissing. He’d get bored pretty quick - not of Adrien, but of having nothing to do. And then he’d probably get into trouble, and since he’d be dating a mob boss, it would be the kind of trouble he couldn’t talk his way out of.

Jay would also prefer a life of no mystery or violence, and would also get bored very quickly, but her version of the story would be: her running the Pack’s front business, but turning it into a semi-legit business so she can work on motorcycles all day long. Most likely, she’d get frustrated and end up searching out some kind of trouble anyway because she’s so bored.

Warrick is possibly the only one who is fine with there being mystery in his life, but he’d prefer the story focus on dumb, easy mysteries. Like, are there ghosts in that one ‘haunted’ hotel downtown? Or who stole his last cookie? He’d like the existence of a C-plot sitcom character, please. This might actually keep him content for a while, not gonna lie.

[tobiasdrake]

You now have me seriously questioning what DR2 would be like if the human Chiaki both a) existed and b) somehow lived, but c) the Remnants still became the Remnants all the same.

The simple answer would be that the AI would simply be someone else. Chisa, perhaps. Or a new fake persona with no real-world counterpart, like Chiaki was originally supposed to be.

Meanwhile, the wacky sitcom shenanigans route would be that AI Chiaki and human Chiaki are both present in the NWP at the same time, but AI Chiaki is working very hard to avoid ever being present in an area that human Chiaki is also present in. Just. Constantly dodging ever being seen around or by her.

Though how that would work with the Class Trials, I have no idea.

The real problem I'm facing with my fic in regards to all the things is Chiaki.

If she exists as a real human being who was part of Class 77-b, what does she do with Junko? If I'm not going the brainwashing route and she still dies, how does she die? If she doesn't die, then how did she alone out of all of Class 77-b not end up in Junko's thrall (Chisa not included)? And if she does end up in Junko's thrall, then how does that happen? And would she still die? (Likely, seeing as she is not with the Remnants at Jabberwock.)

Or do I go the (easy) route of just not having her exist at all?

What do I do with the problem of Chiaki?