#feldspar the thief reference

[sansbydaily]

Day 211

The Stick of Truth ( South Park )

[sparklespectres]

I feel like I remember Chris Sonnenburg justifying the lack of moms in the show to him being a man/dad and understanding that better, but that’s not a good enough justification for me (I’m pretty sure he said that but it was a while ago so feel free to correct me if he didn’t). The fact that Arianna was the only living/decent mother that any of the main characters had (that I can remember) and that she was in the background most of the show without any development is just unfortunate.

And now that I think about most of the female characters in the show other than Rapunzel (and Arianna, but, like I said, she barely did anything in any episode she was in. Also the queen and princesses from Ingvarr. But they were trying to take Cass away from Corona, which, from Rapunzel’s POV, was a problem so...) are at least somewhat viewed/portrayed negatively/as villains at some point in their time on the show, if not for their whole appearance. Like I just looked at a list of all of the characters on the show and:

Adira was viewed as cryptically annoying and untrustworthy

Calliope was labeled annoying and pretentious

Cassandra had all of the stuff with the moonstone, and before that Eugene always commented on how she was “cold-hearted”

Captain Creighton pretty much just wanted to kill the wolf for her whole episode

Kiera and Catalina were thieves and Catalina ended up being a werewolf

Clementine was a separatist (the negative attitude towards the saporians, who, if I remember correctly, were led by a woman, is a whole other issue)

Fernanda Pizazzo was competition for Varian and portrayed as caring more about making something look fancy than having it have any purpose

Friedborg is viewed as creepy and was given an unnecessarily odd set of facial features that didn’t have any relevance to the show; I guess they just did that because they could?

Lady Caine was portrayed as vengeful because of Fredric’s corrupt, unnecessary arrest of her father, and then was sent to jail for that logical desire for revenge

Madame Canardist was shown to be greedy and dishonest (not to mention the stereotypes contributing to that)

Mother (from freebird) manipulated Raps and Cass into turning into birds so she could keep them for her collection

Mrs. Crowley almost always seemed angry or annoyed

Mrs. Sugarby was a disciple of Zhan Tiri

Petunia was a thief who pretended to be Kiera’s mother so she wouldn’t blow her cover

Ruthless Ruth was rumored to be a violent, mean thug

Seraphina was running from the ocean police (that’s definitely not what they were called but it sums it up pretty well)

Stalyan was Eugene’s ex who put him and Rapunzel (and others) into bad situations in an attempt to get him back

At first, Vex was okay with helping the Baron and endangering others for a bribe

Willow was portrayed as immature

The other ladies in waiting/Handmaidens were gossips or just didn’t have any role. Faith was portrayed as incompetent by Crowley and by Raps bc of her unrealistic expectations based on Cass.

And those are all of the notable female characters that make an appearance at any point in the show. The only ones I didn’t mention were Gothel and Zhan Tiri (who was in Demanitus’s, a man’s, way) , who, guess what, were villains.

Some of these portrayals did change with time, but the fact that almost EVERY female character was portrayed negatively at some point is kind of problematic?

And sure, you could say around the same amount of male characters also had negative portrayals but with the Pub Thugs, Eugene, and Lance, the only references to their past crimes and stuff are for jokes, which is not the case for the women of the show. They make sure to make it so that the bad things they have done seem like they happened decades ago, unless the character is one that it just a flat antagonist with no redemption. Even with Varian, in between Rapunzel’s Return and Be Very Afraid, he’s just chilling and everyone acts as if he’s done nothing wrong (for the most part). They only bring up his unhappiness with his crimes when it’s convenient for the plot. Otherwise he’s just the “perfect sweet baby” that the fans want him to be.

Then there’s all of the guards (like Stan and Pete and the Captain, although the captain is much more vilified than the other two), and the Corona citizens (like Feldspar and Xavier. Also Monty who is a jerk to Rapunzel but mostly gets ignored by season three and he just helps fight against Cass/ZT). They, along with characters like Quaid and Nigel and other characters like them, really don’t do much wrong, and if they do, the criticism is much less emphasized than with female characters.

Frederic never really has to deal with the repercussions of his actions. He just kind of lets Rapunzel follow the rocks and has the memory wipe as a get out of jail free card. Edmund is also just accepted by Eugene and everyone else almost immediately, and the backstory they give him makes him a character that people don’t want to dislike bc of sympathy.

But here’s the funny thing: even if the same amount of male characters were portrayed negatively/criticized, there are more male characters in general than female characters, so the proportion is less. There are around 30-40 notable female characters in the show, while there are 50-60 men. This theme continues with the animal companions, where the only girl is Fidella, who is also the least fleshed out of all of them.

Regardless of what’s going on with the male characters, if a show is about a princess and her desire to be independent, and the show is able to make an attempt to portray her as a strong, generally unproblematic woman (although a lot of us know that she does have flaws, they are brushed away very easily bc they don’t want her to be in the wrong) it should not be that difficult to make other female characters that share those traits and aren’t royalty/related to her.

Anyways this is just a personal observation and you can disagree with whatever you’d like. This is how I feel and I am not trying to persuade anyone to feel the same way if they do not want to; I am simply calling something out that I just noticed while thinking about it.

[squidprinceofwinterfell]

Stick of Truth Commentary

Intro

Intro cut scene is a nice touch! The animation is nice, and it adds story and stakes to the game the boys are playing. Reminds me of “Lord of the Rings.”

I like how the boys see the stick as a golden staff, but it’s literally just…a stick.

Create your character

Fighter, Mage, Thief, Jew – which is the best and why?

Intro to New Kid and family

Dialogue between parents creates an ominous backstory. Who is looking for New Kid and why?

New Kid is a mute weirdo and I love it.

The first quest (making friends) reminds me of “The Sandlot.”

The shitting feature is awesome.

New Kid meets Butters and is brought to KKK

What exactly is the power of diabetes?

Chekov’s Clyde!

It’s cute how cool everyone is with Princess Kenny.

I like that every player is called Douchebag, but I wish every player didn’t have to play as a boy.

Elves attack

Funny how Cartman’s alarm is just Butters yelling “Alarm!”

Cartman has pretty good commentary when New Kid is fighting. I actually miss that later on.

How did the elves snag the stick? Either Clyde is a bad watchdog or Kyle is super strategic. I choose both.

New Kid must find Token, Tweek, and Craig

Token

I never knew Token was so rich that he had security! It’s probably to keep Cartman out.

I love that Token’s property is calling Dark Meadows.

Token: “The elves took the stick again?” Haha!

Tweek

Tweek is the only employee at Tweek Bros.? That’s called child labor!

I love that Mrs. McCormick thinks the meth heads in her garage are just nice renters. Is she being paid in meth?

Why would a 10-year-old boy be an undercover cop? Only in South Park.

Tweek was totally named after the word “tweeker.”

Craig

Craig is in detention for (of course) flipping off the principal. Is Principal Victoria still principal at this point?

Craig’s alias is Feldspar the Thief? I refuse to believe this isn’t a reference to Malcolm in the Middle.

On the “thief” option at the beginning, Cartman says he’s never seen a white thief before, yet Craig is a thief. Hmm…

“Heeeere they come…I’ll be outta here in ten minutes.” Smug, snarky Craig is the best Craig.

I like that Mackey seems to know he’s in a video game (by referencing the boss fight). It’s very Deadpool.

The Bard

The Inn of the Giggling Donkey is just Jimmy’s house. His living room is convincing as a bar/lounge/hangout.

Twitter = carrier raven

“There once was a maiden from Stonebury Hollow / She didn’t talk much, but boy did she swallow / I had a nice lance that she sat upon / The maiden from Stonebury who was also your mom.” I love Jimmy’s songs!

Butters: “No hurry, Douchebag. The princess is just being raped.” OMG

An elf was jumping on the bed to simulate raping Princess Kenny? The boys are really committed to this game.

Cartman: “Good job, Princess Gone Wild. Double D buddy powers.” Kenny flashing his man boobs is the best distraction tactic.

The Brown Note is Jimmy’s best attack.

“Welcome to the KKK!”

Alien abduction

Cartman’s fart lessons finally come in handy! New Kid’s ass is too strong to be probed.

I love that alien abduction is viewed as just another annoying part of living in South Park.

The guy from the recordings is the hobo hidden onboard, right?

The Nazi zombie hobo is the game’s first instance of the Nazi zombie plot. It tells us that the aliens are responsible for this when the ship crash lands to Earth and green goo gets in the sewer.

New Kid crashed an entire spaceship. He’s kind of a badass. And he gets to keep the alien probe!

The big bad government is involved now to deal with “another UFO crash.” How often does this happen??

Only South Park would try to pass off a UFO as construction of a Taco Bell. And only South Park citizens would believe it.

Recruitment (pt. 1)

All New Kid has to do to get the goth kids to join is put on black clothes. I’m glad to see they still have low standards.

New Kid finally meets Stan and Kyle! I’ve been waiting for this.

According to Kyle, Cartman lied about the stick being stolen and is hiding it. According to Cartman, Kyle is lying because New Kid can’t retrieve the stick if Kyle claims he doesn’t have it. It’s a game of “he said, she said” but I’m inclined to believe Kyle. This is Cartman we’re talking about…

PTA meeting

I’m disappointed no one yelled “Rabble, rabble!” at the PTA meeting.

Is no one else alarmed that Randy lured a young boy into the bathroom alone?

“That’s all you’ve got is a sign? At least crap on a desk or something!” Mr. Garrison is speaking highly of Cartman, I see.

She-Ogre

“Give me back my iPhone, DEMON!” This is an accurate depiction of a brother-sister relationship.

It’s adorable that Stan uses Sparky in battle.

Taco Bell

I love that the big bad government agents are such bad liars that they killed a guy asking about encharidos.

“Goddamn it! I’m so tired of Nazi zombies. It’s so…overused!” Haha!

I’m surprised the adults actually took the bombing threat seriously and weren’t bummed about no Taco Bell.

Recruitment (pt. 2)

The final goth test is DDR?? That’s so conformist.

Once you win the goth kids over, you can recruit them to either Cartman’s side or Kyle’s. I always pick Kyle’s side when I play this. I’ve been itching to betray Cartman since this game started!

South Park Elementary

The huge battle scene takes place at the school because it’s where Cartman supposedly hid the stick. South Park Elementary is busted and makes a great setting for a battle scene. More “Lord of the Rings” vibes!

New Kid’s farts help Kyle’s side get the upper hand. Take that, Cartman!

Another reason choosing Kyle’s side is better: New Kid’s battle against Butters is more impactful because he was New Kid’s first friend. If it was a face off against Stan, it wouldn’t be as emotional.

The final battle gives New Kid one last chance to pick a side. Like Stan says, “I can’t believe this is even a choice.” Kyle vs Cartman is like Chanel vs Walmart.

Yet another reason choosing Kyle’s side is better: Cartman’s farting fire at the end of this fight is one of the best scenes of the whole game.

Clyde

I love the twist where neither Kyle nor Cartman was lying. Clyde really punked the fuck out of everyone.

Kyle is the only one to acknowledge he’s aware of the green goo and how dangerous it is.

Stan: “Clyde, but why?” Cartman: “I banished him to be lost in space and time and now he’s all pissed off.” Haha!

Clyde’s fortress is so badass. I can see the appeal of the dark side.

How the hell does Clyde have control over the Nazi zombies??

I love that Clyde’s power move is keeping his friends out past their bedtimes. The stakes are higher now, but this reminds us this is still a kid’s game…or it started as one.

Underpants gnomes

Gnomes: “The kid is awake! What do we do?” “Oh, fuck, I guess we gotta kill him!” Me problem solving.

Since when do underpants gnomes have warlocks?? I thought they were all failed businessmen.

For some reason, high pitched gnome voices yelling “Oh, fuck!” is really funny to me.

New Kid fighting underneath his giant parents mid-coitus is another iconic fight scene. How many times must New Kid dodge his dad’s ballsack?? The kid is hardcore.

The girls

Kyle convinces everyone to team up against Clyde. I’m continually impressed by Kyle because of his leadership, intellect (he spent all night researching), and open mind (he doesn’t balk at teaming up with the humans or inviting girls to play). I’m totally Team Kyle, if you haven’t noticed.

I love that the girls blindfold New Kid when they bring him to their lair. That’s some Mafia shit.

Annie: “He…doesn’t really talk.” Bebe: “That’s hot!” ME

Sunshine, sparkle, glitter…I wanna talk like this all the time.

Heidi Turner was the two-faced bitch! That’s very Mrs. Cartman of her.

Abortion clinic

New Kid’s abortion doctor is named Dr. Poonlover because of course he is

The big bad government is doing Plan B at the abortion clinic. Clever joke!

Where did Randy get that blonde wig from?? The men in South Park cross-dress so much.

Khloe Kardashian’s aborted fetus as a Nazi zombie is also a legendary fight.

Canada

New Kid didn’t get that his photographer was a pedophile even when he was almost butt naked?? Also, who was that guy who jumps out from behind the boxes?

The layout of Canada is clearly a parody of Pokemon games, right? Either way, I love it. The shitty jpeg videogame look is very Canada.

“They’re like wolves, but they’re dire.”

Getting trained by Terrance and Phillip makes all this back and forth bullshit worth it.

Clyde’s fortress

Of course Cartman butts in when Kyle’s trying to give an inspirational speech. What an attention hog!

It’s funny to me how easily Craig switched to Clyde’s side. Loyalty much??

“I really found myself relating to Clyde’s views about darkness and enslaving the world.” Jesus, Craig!

Cartman’s negative reaction to electricity is a callback to the chip put in his head in Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

“It’s my favorite kid!” WOW, RANDY

“Who could it be?” I love how long New Kid lets them all wonder before he steps up.

Stan: “Dude, that’s not Taco Bell sauce.” Clyde: “Then why’d I find it at the Taco Bell?” A+ logic

How dare you, Clyde! Let Chef rest in peace!

Government interruption

“Whenever aliens are spotted, vampires run amok…” Vampires exist in this universe??

I love that the boys don’t care about the big bad government’s scheme.

So New Kid’s special power is making friends on social media! I should’ve known.

Princess Kenny’s betrayal

Princess Kenny planned to steal the stick all along! This game is full of betrayals.

Kenny makes a pretty cute anime princess. Nazi zombie? Not so much.

Princess Kenny is a badass final boss. And I never saw it coming!

I’m glad the “never fart on someone’s balls” joke meant something in the end. I can see why it was banned – it’s super deadly!

End

The boys unite to save friendship and love…by chucking a stick into a lake.

New Kid stole Cartman’s catchphrase!

Why did Al Gore appear so ominously at the end?? What are you gonna do to the kids, Al Gore??

[astrcblu]

Fantasy Verses

"Craig” Is a name that hasn’t been used in reference to him for years. Should anybody ask him, his name is Feldspar. Nothing more, nothing less. And as far as they know, it’s always been such. 

Feldspar is manipulative, a man of deceptive tendencies, theft, only existing for his own gain. It’s hard to get on his genuine good side, and even harder to earn his trust. 

Years of training have lead Feldspar to being an incredible thief, able to blend in with the shadows and play any role he wants to. He does not brag, and tries his best to never be a suspect, as having his face get out would be devastating. But rumours do circle of a rogue so incredible that one shouldn’t even trust a stranger. Especially not one with a concerning amount of charm. (Good thing it never seems like Charm coming from him.)

Stick of Truth Verse - Feldspar plays a role for the royal human family, often sent out to obtain information or items the Wizard King or Princess may desire. He isn’t fully truthful with them, and runs the risk of being a double agent. But for now, he is.. relatively loyal.

Stick of Truth (Evil) Verse - Feldspar has revolted against both the Elven and Human Kingdoms. Sick of being a pawn, he’s risen to be the right-hand to none other than the Lord of Darkness, who also happened to be his best and most trusted friend back in the Human Kingdom. He lives now by the laws of chaos and evil, doing whatever he desires, defending his Lord, and honestly just giving a biiiig middle finger to the other Kingdoms. Being Evil is fun.

DnD Verse - Feldspar is one of his many identities. Craig is a Changeling, who runs multiple lives throughout area. Feldspar is his favourite- the one with which he can raise hell and really play up his manipulation. Nobody knows his true identity, but hey, perhaps you know one of his faux identities. 

Generic Fantasy Verse - Feldspar sure is a funky thief, out there, living his best life. Really just See Above.

[blaze-art]

Stick of Truth Fan Allies: Lapis Remorso (Dorian)

@wayward-dreaming

Role (Warning: Spoilers) 

She was recruited into Kyle’s army,as she can be seen when New Kid is taken to the Elf Kingdom. During “Attack the School” if you side with Cartman,she’s fought as a boss. If you side with Kyle,she assists you in the attack as a ally. During Kyle’s presentation,she announces that she’ll get the army of Bellator (her home) to help storm Clyde’s fortress. She and the army assist in the storming of the fortress. 

During the battle with Princess Kenny,she is a buddy who assists new kid in the fight,Princess Kenny tries to kill her by kissing her,but in a button mashing event,Lapis stabs Princess Kenny in her right eye,decreasing Kenny’s attack by a low-moderate margin. Lapis then goes off into the sidelines,due to needing to recover from that experience,not believing she did that.

Lapis is best for taking down hordes of enemies quickly and taking down enemy shields quickly,however her defense is pretty low,making her susceptible to being defeated by high damaging abilities (only as an ally,and it’s not a one-hit-kill thing) 

Ally Abilities (Combat)  

Pickpocket 

Description: Lapis steals an item from the enemies inventory,lowering their defense and attack in the process 

Effect: Lapis will sneak up on the enemy and quickly snatch something from them,then dash away back. Good if your New Kid isn’t a thief,and lowers enemy defense and attack

Type: Buddy Ability 

Cavalry Calls 

Description: Lapis calls upon her fellow soldiers on horseback to trample enemies

Effect: Lapis will blow the ‘Cavalry Caller” (a whistle) and point at the enemies,there a couple of soldiers riding on horseback will trample enemies,causing moderate amounts of damage 

Type: Ability 

Blade Bullet Hell

Description: Lapis rains hell and wears down enemy shields with this barrage of throwing blades,daggers,and knives.

Effect: Lapis throws a heavy amount of daggers,throwing knives,and knifes at all enemies in a,taking down enemy shields and inflicting the bleeding status on all enemies (Like Kyle’s rain of arrows,but less frustrating,and a little less powerful than Kyle’s) 

Type: Ability 

Slice and Dice

Description: Lapis summons all the adrenaline and fire in her soul to deliver a shit ton of slices that would make a hibachi chef jealous. 

Effect: Lapis charges at the enemies,then executes a series of slashes with her two blades that do moderately high damage,inflicts the bleeding status effect. 

Type: Ability  

Trivia

Bellator is latin for “warrior”,though it’s said as bella-tor and not it’s actual way of saying,bel-lah-tor.

All soldiers (rouges,Calvary,fighters,etc) are given names to be referred to in a military setting (EX: Lapis Remorso),they still keep their personal ones but are addressed by their military name during battle,plans,meetings. Symbolising the seperation of one’s personal life and one’s military life. So Dorian is still Dorian,she’s just not referred as this in battle.

Lapis’s ability to steal items carried on into Fractured but Whole with Casino and Knave having a similar ability 

Lapis’s last name is from the character “Remorso” from “The Tale of Desperaux” 

Same with Nephrite (Renee),her Fantasy alias name Lapis is derived from a gemstone,just like how Feldspar (Craig) is named after the mineral

Lapis’s “Slice and Dice” ability was based on one of Ryuko’s ultimate moves from Kill la Kill The Game IF: 

Her move “Cavalry Calls” was also carried onto Phone Destroyer as her warcry ability as “Joan of Arc Dorian” 

Bellator’s history,culture,and use of Latin are carried from ancient Rome,so basically Bellator was a more medieval version of ancient Rome

Bellator has different kinds of soldiers,mainly rouges (like Lapis) and fighters (ones who fight with regular swords). Bellator,unlike Kupa Keep and Larnion do not use magic,hence why there are no mages,wizards,priests (there are medics though),etc.

[ryukogo]

Is the Rose on Ruby's cloak a rwby reference at all?

you found me out

her brother’s name in-game is Feldspar the Thief

her character’s name in-game is Rose Hood the Wild One, a rogue/shapeshifter