#good easy boss with a silly conceit

[fithragaer]

Kos or some say kosm

[ravel-puzzlewell]

For the pairing meme, Corvo/Jessamine with 48 and 75 (I picked the numbers from a random generator and....we’ll see how that goes)

How I would write the fic for:  Corvo/Jessamine 48 Fake Dating and 75 Bed Sharing  

It’s pretty easy, we can do Fugue Feast fic, pretty much bc fake dating only works for these two if Jess is also incognito.

So, when Jess was a teen she had a horrible crush on romanticized version of Corvo, which was mortifyingly embarrassing for him, on top of having to be a glorified babysitter for a spoiled rich girl. I do believe Delilah about Jess being basically Draco Malfoy when she was a kid, because that’s how we see, like, every single noble in Dishonored, and it’s just unrealistic that Jess was born pure and wise and was never influenced by her status and society. But unlike Malfoy, at some point she stopped harassing her crush and started educating herself, with Corvo helping her to go to the city in disguise to see how the things really are.

So now Jess is in her early twenties, she stopped being an asshole, outgrew her crush, had several affairs with other people and became actual best friends with Corvo (this ship is friends to lovers incarnate, he calls her “my closest friend and confidant,” I will fight you) And so now Jess wants to see Fugue Feast from “normal people” POV and she was badgering Corvo for months, bc he’s pretty much “NO WAY” about this idea. She gets him to agree in the end, but he’s horribly unhappy about it.

I always understood the Fugue Feast as “if the most repressed Catholics were given a day of free Dionysian revelries,” so Fake Dating part when they go incognito into the city on the Fugue Feast is less about doing cutesy couple things and more about “Haha no, I don’t want to take part in your orgy, and no, this is my girlfriend, she doesn’t want that either, yeah, we’re weird like that, also, I have a sword, so thanks bye.”

I would make a central conceit of that fic them changing their old perceptions of each other and meeting on the equal ground as adults. At this point they are very used to their old images of each other - Jess sees Corvo as indestructible stoic superman who also knows kung fu, and Corvo sees Jess as a well-meaning, but clueless teen, for whom he’s responsible, including also teaching her some common sense. So during the Fugue Feast they are forced into situations that challenge their perceptions of each other. Like, Jess sees Corvo as a failable human being, who is vulnerable and has weakness. Corvo sees Jess as a grown adult woman with coherent ideology, good judgement and ability to be a leader. For example, we’ll have a culminating scene where there’s a conflict with a crowd and Corvo is ready to resort to violence, when Jess steps up and solves the situation peacefully, without people even realizing who she really is.

Bed Sharing comes into play bc they can’t get back to the palace in time and have to spend the night in the city. Whether sex happens or not depends on the flow up to this moment, but probably not. They probably just get drunk and talk honestly, like, he tells her about his past, the childhood in dust district and the military, which he couldn’t talk before, because she was his boss, toddler and a literal sheltered princess. She talks about her ideals, how she really wants to make lives of her people better, which she didn’t tell him before bc she expected him to find it silly.

[trolleytrackstravelers]

                                        - | Sacrificial Lamb | -

                                      A Toontown Rewritten Fanfic

                                Chapter One: The Devil and the Lamb

 When a hole to Toon Hell pops open in Toontown, the Devil himself answers it’s appearance by coming up topside. However, he never anticipated running into a                                         little lamb right off the bat!

A laugh, a honeyed and conceited one, rang out through the roasting hot caverns. "Jackie-boy! Tell me the good word, would'jya?"

It came from none other than Toontown's very own Beelzebub, Old Scratch and, in less formal terms, Satan and the Devil. Lucifer- Beg pardon, Lucy Loo, was reclining back at his well-kept desk, his feet propped on the polished surface. In the fires of Toon Hell that burned behind him, his red-and-yellow vest's vibrant colors fit the land just fine. There was a wicked grin on his chubby face, and as one hand drummed it's fingers against the desktop, the other was gesturing for the other demon to come in with a wry, beckoning finger. Even his tail, slender and sharply tipped, was wagging in a playful manner.

"I really needa pick up the slack, ya know?" Lucy continued, looking off to the side. "Needa kick my butt in'ta gear. Show me what'cha got."

"Mm-hmm~ You got it, boss," replied the other demon. Jack Cheatsley, formerly a cheating, sleazy Toon, had climbed his way up the ladder of the underworld with force and fame. Having landed a job as the Devil's right hand, Jack worked with pride, and a swelled sense of self worth, and it even showed in his grin and stride. The tall man approached the desk, then set a stack of papers he'd been carrying so carefully. With a wink to his name, Lucy took the papers to read over, beginning to frown. "Rumors've been spreading lately, boss. Something about them goin' after a "Slappy Quackintosh" in the Coglands. The Resistance, y'know? All those folks."

After milling over the details that Jack had described, the look on the little devil's face wasn't convinced. "Slappy? Whossat?"

"Oh, I never voted for the joker," Jack hummed, indifferent. "I was always more of a Flippy fella. See, those Toons held an election to figure out who'd take over their little town-"

The throne scooted loudly when Lucy leaned forward, putting a finger to Jack's pursed lips. "Ugh, politics? In THAT sunny-funny trainwreck of a town? Spare me the details, Jack.."

Shades of muddy red painted the ex-Toon's face, and the right-hand demon had to turn his gaze away to avoid showing off his encroaching blush. "Y- You got it, boss.. There's also rumor of some poor little deer taking a slip 'n fall, and now there's a fishing pool that turned all kindsa Gray. Somewhere smack in the center of Toontown."

Now THAT certainly caught Lucy's interest, his eyes brightening and a grin beginning to creep back up his snowy features. "... Is that right?"

"Sure is, boss." Clearing his throat, the slender demon shuffled through the papers for the stockier one, pointing out a picture of a fishing hole somewhere in Toontown Central. The water was Grayed out, and there were a few Toons standing around it, some with curious faces, and others with more worried expressions. "Poor little lady had a ‘nice fall,’ 'n her blood made the water go all Gray. A hole popped open somewhere near your building, too; Reckon it'd be an easy in and out, if you'd wanna go see it yourself."

"Easy in and out?" Lucy mirrored, his goofy glee unable to outweigh the danger in his smile. A brief tilt back in his throne, and he leapt over his desk- To the surprise of Jack, who had to back up in surprise -to begin walking to the gilded double doors of the office. His spectator shoes clicked along the stone and gnarled marble, a traceable sound amid the ceaseless crackle of flame and brimstone. "Sounds good 'ta ME! Those poor schmucks don't know the first THING about closin' up a portal 'ta Hell! Be back in five, Jackie-boy!"

"If you're not?" asked his right-hand man. Jack walked around behind the desk to push in the throne, neaten the stack of papers, and soon after, lean on the back of the cushioned chair. "Same as usual?"

The little devil nodded, halting at the doors to address Jack further. "Same as usual. Just keep the imps outta my office this time, huh? I'm sick 'a comin' back 'ta the place lookin' like a pigsty!"

"You got it, boss," Jack purred back. The doors were shut as the Devil himself left out.

It was time to pay Toontown a visit.

The issue with portals to Toon Hell cropping up was that, true to the demons' discussion, no one really knew how to close them. It was a matter of pulling people aside and looking for those who dabbled in magic, mainly the few wizards and magicians who roamed Toontown. Seldom could anyone find a pious enough Toon so devoted to the Creator, he or she could close up a portal almost permanently, if not for a very, very long time.

Where she sat kneeling, a teal lamb with frivolously curled wool was gazing into the Grayed out fishing hole of Silly Street. Lots of things tended to happen on this street, and it had caught the attention of kindly Poppy Squigglesmile! Lambs weren't too common in Toontown, but Poppy made due, and made her earnings as a resident of Toontown by gardening, with tips from a far-out filly by the name of Sunshine. Poppy's Platoonias could make even the saddest Toons smile again, for how much love and devotion she poured into her plants. A sweet young lady who favored the colors pink and cream, she only had two close friends to her name, that suited her just fine.

But, today, her normal cheerful disposition had been replaced with one of concern. She'd heard the rumors of all things Gray, and many Toons were convinced that the Cogs were trying to do something to their water supply, thanks to the most fretful of Toons trying to come up with an explanation of any kind. Poppy's brow pinched, and her hands stayed planted on the ledge of the fishing pool as she gazed down. What could be down there, now? Perhaps Cog garbage? Loose oil? Or something else? "I know you're hiding something, mister fishing pool," the lamb whispered suspiciously, beginning to lower her face down toward the water. "So don't hide anything from me!"

To her surprise and fright, a Toony-looking hand emerged from the Grayed out waters, in order to lay a finger against her rounded little nose.

"Don't hide nothin', huh?" Lucy began, propping his arms on the edge of the fishing pool with a pompous grin on his face. Poppy leapt back with a bleat, as though she'd just seen a ghost. "Well, here I am!"

"Ah! Y- You are?" she gasped back, her tone quavering back and forth with nerve. She couldn't move, stiff legged and wide-eyed. "How long were you down there, mister?"

"Name's Lucy Loo, lambface! I figure I was down there long enough, if you wanna really get into detail, heh." Turning his eyes away from Poppy, the grin on his face only widened. "Then again, I could show ya any time I wanted, really--!"

The Devil himself squeaked, squeaked LOUDLY, when the lamb fished him out of the water like a dropped doll.

"Well, mister Lucy, the Gray water is dangerous, you know! I tell you what, I'm going to dry you off, and then we can talk!" Poppy smiled, her bubbly self stepping away from the fishing pool and beginning to head down Silly Street. Her hooves clicked and clomped along the sidewalk like a horse's canter. "I'll be quick, I promise!"

"H- HEY! What's the big idea, lady?!" A bright red blush overtook the little devil's face, and he thrashed in the lamb's grip, voice cracking and squeaking. "P- Put me DOWN!!"

"I'll be quick!" she repeated, sliding around a corner on her hooves and charging off for a home that sat on the corner. Lucy's tail flailed behind them like a loose ribbon, and it made it rather hard to whip it about, or even whip her with it.

A dangerous hiss left the pint-size Satan, and he twisted to her arm, close to biting down on her peach fuzz with wickedly serrated teeth. One hard, strong crunch, and he'd be outta here. "Quick my foot! PUT ME-"

"We're here!~ I'll get you a towel!" Poppy loudly announced, opening the door with her foot and walking in. She dropped Lucy on a wide blue couch, and he stared in astonishment, mouth half-open, pointy teeth exposed. The demon quickly shut his trap, and when he frowned, his chompers were normal. The lamb scrambled across a messy floor, and she begun to dig in a closet, tail flicking excitedly. For a moment, Lucy watched her rustle through clothes and junk before looking off to his left.

A moment was taken to look over the disheveled room. She lived here, clearly, for her picture was framed up on the wall, next to a pudgy silver and pink retriever Toon, and a tall and cocksure looking rooster Toon. The room was an amalgam of aesthetics, if not a total mess, from comforting, to glitzy, to.. just there. There was soft music crackling on a radio, and the air reeked of cinnamon. But a question surfaced, when his gaze turned to the body on the wall; Who in the world owned a Cog suit, just to put it on the wall? It didn't even resemble a Cog suit, looking more like the rooster's talons had slashed up the body of a Cog, for the sake of the hunt--

A fluffy white towel was plopped on his head.

".. Gee, thanks," Lucy grumbled, lifting the towel to wipe off his soaked face. "So what's the deal, dame? What's with the snatch 'n go?"

"Oh!" The lamb turned around, and she smiled warmly, the opposite of his scowl. "Well, Gray is dangerous! My name's Poppy Squigglesmile! I live here with my buddies Domino Presto, and Gulliver Featherpow! We all pay rent, make food together, and-"

Poppy bleated softly when Lucy whipped his tail to cover her mouth. The rest of it's length looped around her wrists, and yanked her closer. The lamb nearly toppled. "Nah nah nah, that's not what I asked, missy Popsie. Why'd ya GRAB ME and RUN OFF?"

".. I was worried.. " Poppy admitted sheepishly. She rubbed her wrists together, trying to loosen the grip of the wire-thin tail that was digging into them.  "I've never seen a Toon like you before, and I was very worried something happened to you! I'm very sorry, mister Lucy, but it's not in my nature to leave behind someone in need!"

"Listen. You're a sweet girl, I kinda get that from all the lovey-dovey sweetsy stuff, but I'm not 'someone in need,' got it?" The devil air quoted in a sarcastic manner, crossing his legs and reclining back on the couch. When Poppy was released, she gently touched at her wrists, then crossed the room to head for the kitchen. "D'ya have any idea who I am?"

"A new friend, I would hope! I really hope!" she called back warmly. After a moment's rustling about in the little kitchen, she turned the corner, holding a tray of fresh, hot snickerdoodles with mango colored oven mitts. "My friends will be home soon, and I know Domino loves company! I baked, too! Would you care for some--"

Lucy's eyes practically sparkled, and with avaricious hands did he grab hold of three of her cookies, unfeeling of the heat and blissfully unaware of her look of shock. "Snickerdoodles?! Y'know- Maybe I had ya all wrong, Popsie!"

"Oh!! That's good, I think!" The lamb only giggled, as her new guest promptly crammed all three of the cookies he'd grabbed in his grinning mouth. To see someone like her work, baking or otherwise, made her day! "They're hot, be very careful!"

".. Sheesh, ya really don't know who I am.." Lucy sighed through his mouthful.

[topcbdresearch]

Wattam Review – A Charming Little Storybook

Publisher: Annapurna Interactive

Developer: Funomena

Release:December 17, 2019

Rating: Rating Pending

Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

Also on:PC

Designer Keita Takahashi exploded our consciousness in the PlayStation 2 era with the release of Katamari Damacy. He may not be the most prolific creator out there, but his creations are memorable for both their simple aesthetics and strange, almost alien gameplay conceits. Is rolling a giant, sticky ball around enjoyable? Sure! And even if I didn’t ultimately understand the point of Katamary Damacy’s follow up, Noby Noby Boy, stretching my character around its colorful world was fun for a while. Wattam offers more structure than some of his more out-there experiments while still encouraging players to explore and poke around to see what they can discover.

We start off by meeting the Mayor, a green cube with a mustache and bowler hat. He’s alone in the world following a cataclysmic event, but he soon discovers that all is not lost. By walking around a floating platform and interacting with objects, he makes friends with anthropomorphized creations like rocks, flowers, and toilets. You can swap between any of these new friends at will, though aside from the kick you might get from being able to explore as a golden turd, mouth, acorn, or myriad other characters, there are few reasons to do so.

Click here to watch embedded media

Mayor has a neat trick at his disposal: By holding down a button, he lifts his hat, exposing an explosive present beneath. Other characters really, really enjoy being blown into the air, and nobody gets hurt from these detonations. Wattam feels like you’re engaging with an interactive storybook, and explosions are a frequent event in the early moments. Those give way to moments that fully dive into the game’s more surreal impulses.

The simple interactions that trigger these crazy sequences may not be particularly engaging – most of them kick off by asking a newly introduced character “What’s wrong?” – but moments like enlisting a balloon to help retrieve a phone’s handset from the sun kept me smiling through much of the game. Funomena takes what is already a pretty memorable setup and adds even more silly layers, such as the fact that the balloon is afraid of heights, and that his eventual journey upward is accompanied by an uncharacteristically energetic rock soundtrack. There are loads of moments throughout Wattam’s brief duration that pile on similarly strange elements, and most of them are delightful.

Click image thumbnails to view larger version

    Wattam is at its best when it embraces its toy-like qualities. There are times where it appears to be trying to be more of a traditional game, which is where it falters. Even though your actions are generally limited to clasping hands with your friends, climbing objects (including your friends), and swapping control between multiple characters, there’s a lack of precision that accompanies it all. It’s easy to overlook it when you’re simply exploring the world and experimenting within its toybox, but a regrettable boss encounter highlights that Wattam’s controls aren’t up to more demanding tasks. You can’t die or fail, but it’s tedious and out of place. That fight and an overlong item-fetching sequence near the end are lows in what’s otherwise a simple and joyous time.

The charming visuals and messages of compassion and cooperation make Wattam a great game to play with younger members of the family, either in co-op or pass-the-controller sessions. Even if it doesn’t inspire any meaningful conversations about the importance of friendship – which it absolutely could – there’s a good chance that you’ll find plenty of silly fun together.

Score: 7.25

Summary: Its charming visuals and messages of compassion and cooperation make Wattam a great game to play with younger members of the family.

Concept: Restore the world from the edge of oblivion through the power of friendship, compassion, and poop

Graphics: Visuals are crisp and bright, with an almost storybook-like quality. Their simplicity makes the odd performance stutters a little baffling

Sound: Jazzy orchestral music shifts and transforms as you swap between characters and move between areas. It’s a treat for your ears

Playability: It’s easy to accidentally swap between characters, and selecting specific ones can be tricky. A poorly implemented boss encounter highlights the overall lack of precision

Entertainment: Keita Takahashi delivers another singular title that’s as much an interactive art piece as it is a game

Replay:

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