#victor's otherland

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer OT3 Week, Day Three: Childhood Friends

Day Three of @ot3-week's OT3 Week, and we're up to a cute prompt -- "Childhood friends!" So naturally I couldn't resist writing the trio hanging out together as kids. :) This is supposed to be a Victorian!AU, though I suspect it might feel a little bit more modern than that...the important thing is, there's a grand old party happening in the halls of Christchurch at Oxford, and Smiler and Alice have already found each other and decided to sequester themselves away from all these boring adults in their own private table fort. But tummies have started growling, and so Smiler is venturing out to get snacks...

--

“I’m gonna get more snacks!”

“All right – make sure to grab some of Mama’s Welsh rarebit!” Alice said, arranging the cards into neat piles. “Then when you come back we can start building our castle.”

“Definitely,” Smiler said, shooting her a grin. They grabbed the edge of the tablecloth and lifted it – then, seeing no adults had eyes on them, scrambled out from under the banquet table that they and Alice had claimed as their personal hidey-hole. And I thought this party was going to be boring, they thought, scurrying toward the table where the Welsh rarebit sat, along with a few other cheese-based dishes the various attendees were nibbling on. Adults never want to have any fun when they get together – it’s just talk talk talk about boring stuff. Especially Father, going on about “social compliance” and all that...it’s a good thing that Alice is here! I can’t wait to hear another story about Wonderland – it sounds amazing! And I bet that, without the adults interrupting us, we can build a castle using all of the –

“Now, I don’t want you embarrassing me at this party, Victor, do you understand?”

Smiler stopped, turning toward the entrance. Standing there, having their coats taken by the coat-taking-man, was a hunched-over skinny man with a large mustache, leaning on a cane; a very plump woman in the fanciest dress Smiler had ever seen, fanning herself like it was the middle of summer; and a little boy, about Smiler’s age, wearing a suit with shorts and staring at his feet while the woman – presumably his mother – went on and on about how the Liddells were Very Important People and how they had to make a Good First Impression and how Victor was to Stay Quiet and Look Respectable, like the boys in magazines. The boy – Victor – was nodding along to his mother’s litany, trying to stand up straight and do as asked, but the look on his face...

“Now, Marmaduke, I understand that you’re a little – confused, at this age. But the simple fact of the matter is that you can’t just decide that you’re not a boy. It’s simply not done. Where would society be if people just started declaring themselves not one thing or the other? You have to learn how to be socially compliant. True happiness comes from obeying your elders – and you want to be happy, don’t you?”

Smiler frowned as the woman turned away from Victor, leaving him to tug at his tie as she swanned off to chat about boring things with the other adults. It seemed like, with a mother like that, Victor was about to have about as bad a time at this party as they’d feared they would have. And that was a really bad time indeed.

Well, good thing I’m here, then, Smiler thought to themselves, then marched up to Victor, putting on their best smile and sticking out their hand. “Hullo! I’m Smiler!”

Victor nearly started right out of his skin – maybe they should have been a little bit quieter. He stared at them a moment, glancing from their face to their hand and back, then hesitantly took it. “Uh – I’m – I’m – V-Victor,” he stammered, clearly out of his depth. Maybe people didn’t talk to him much? That would be sad if so. “Your name is – Smiler?”

“Well, it’s what I call myself,” Smiler told him, pumping his arm. “My real name’s awful. But Victor’s a nice name! Do you want to play with us?”

“Us?” Victor repeated, blinking.

“Me and Alice!” Smiler pointed at their table, where Alice was peeping out, clearly wondering why snacks were taking so long. They waved to her and pointed to Victor – she glanced over, then nodded and waved back. “She’s really nice, and she tells great stories,” Smiler informed Victor, grinning. “And she’s got cards – we’re gonna try and build a castle! Do you like castles?”

“Uh – yes?” Victor said, as if he wasn’t sure of his own opinions. “I’ve n-never made a card one b-before, though.” He dropped his gaze, playing with his tie again. “I’m k-kind of clumsy.”

“That’s all right – we can show you how to do it!” Smiler promised, taking his hand so he didn’t accidentally strangle himself. “Come on – we’ll get snacks, then we can go and play!”

“I – um...” Victor’s gaze went to his mother, chatting with some other adult Smiler didn’t know and didn’t care about. “I dunno...”

“Aw, come on,” Smiler wheedled, tugging his arm. “It’ll be fun! Don’t you wanna have fun? Be happy? Like, real happy, not grown-up happy?”

“Happy...” Victor looked at his mother a moment more, then over at Alice, patiently waiting for them to decide what they were doing. Then his mouth formed a determined line, and he nodded at Smiler. “Yes. Let’s go make castles.”

Smiler beamed. One happiness problem – solved! Take that, Father. “Great! But, first, we gotta get some of that rarebit – and I think there’s some cake too...”

[wearethekat]

Anticipated New Releases of 2024

**As anticipated by Me. Mostly SFF. Links are to goodreads because that's what I use, sorry. Anything marked "new to me" I haven't read anything by that author before and therefore can't vouch for the quality. I just think the premise is neat.**

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Heather Fawcett (16 January)

Sequel to the charming novel about the fairy anthropologist.

Exordia, Seth Dickinson (23 January)

Well, it isn't a new Baru Cormorant, but this modern SF about first contact may be the next best thing.

City of Stardust, Georgia Summers (30 January)

New to me. A young woman descends into the underworld in order to break her family's fatal curse.

The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (6 February)

New to me. A sherlock holmes flavored duo solves the mystery of the murder of an imperial official in a labyrinthine fantasy realm.

What Feasts at Night, T Kingfisher (13 February)

The sequel to the mushroom horror book What Moves the Dead.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden (13 February)

A ghost story set in WW1 about a woman searching for her missing brother.

The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo (13 February)

New to me. A detective in 1908 Manchuria investigates a young woman's death in an area full of mythical foxes.

Redsight, Meredith Mooring (27 February)

New to me. Unpowered priestess and Imperial pawn is set on a collision path with a pirate with a grudge for the Imperium (Gay romance).

Sunbringer, Hannah Kaner (12 March)

Sequel about the professional godkiller Kissen.

Jumpnauts, Hao Jingfang (12 March)

New to me. A SF novel in translation from Chinese, with three scientists joining forces to deal peacefully with a first contact situation.

The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (19 March)

I liked Mandelo's debut novel very much so I'm excited to read this queer horror novella set in 1920s Appalachia.

Floating Hotel, Grace Curtis (19 March)

New to me. A series of cozy character vignettes on a space cruise ship after a murder has occurred. One of the four (!) space hotel murder crimes books coming out this year.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace, Justinian Huang (26 March)

New to me. Reincarnation gay romance set in 4 BCE China, the 1740s, and modern-day LA.

Alien Clay, Adrian Tchaikovsky (28 March)

Far future space xenoarchaeology by a man trapped on a prison planet.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (2 April)

New to me. Bizarre lesbian cannibalism monster romance from the point of view of the monster.

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo (9 April)

Glad to see Bardugo writing more adult fantasy, and this one is especially exciting because it's a fantasy set in early modern Spain with a Jewish main character. Fun to see a more original historical period.

A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose Sutherland (9 April)

New to me. Lesbian selkie romance.

Death in the Spires, KJ Charles (11 April)

Charles branching out from romance into historical Oxford murder mystery about a group of friends with dark secrets.

Audrey Lane Stirs The Pot, Alexis Hall (22 April)

The new Hall thinly veiled british baking show romcom. Libby says it's releasing in April but I've heard nothing from the author so I think it may be Alecto'd (shifted to next year)

Necrobane, Daniel M Ford (23 April)

Sequel to the dungeons and dragons-esque low fantasy lesbian necromancy book.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep, Sylvie Cathrall (25 April)

New to me. Sweet underwater epistolary academic romance.

How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Django Wexler (21 May)

New to me. A young hero caught in a fantasy time loop gives up and tries being the villain in an attempt to escape.

Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel (21 May)

Another woman-centered retelling of Hindu mythology, this time based on the river goddess Ganga.

Escape Velocity, Victor Manibo (21 May)

New to me. Evil and toxic private school alumni jockey for position in a space hotel event in an attempt to escape a dying Earth.

The Fireborne Blade, Charlotte Bond (28 May)

New to me. Gay dragon slaying knight novella.

Evocation, ST Gibson (28 May)

New to me but looks very cool. Attorney and medium David attempts to escape his deal with the devil with the help of his ex boyfriend and his ex boyfriend's wife (Poly romance).

Service Model, Adrian Tchaikovsky (4 June)

In an SF future, a robot kills its human owners and ventures out into a world where human supremacy is beginning to crumble.

Lady Eve's Last Con, Rebecca Fraimow (4 June)

New to me. A con artist seeks revenge on the man who hurt her sister, who's coincidentally also on a space cruise ship (Sapphic romance subplot).

Triple Sec, TJ Alexander (4 June)

An actual mainstream published poly romance (!!) by trans author Alexander.

Running Close to the Wind, Alexandra Rowland (11 June)

Gay! Pirates! Scheming! Alt fantasy world! Monks! I liked Taste of Gold and Iron a lot and I'm very excited for this one.

The Knife and the Serpent, Tim Pratt (11 June)

New to me. Space opera about an interdimensional organization. Also, there's a sentient starship.

The Witchstone, Henry Neff (18 June)

A childhood favorite of mine's adult debut, featuring a demon who suddenly has to shape up at his curse keeper job after eight hundred years of slacking.

Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (18 June)

VERY excited to read more weird queer sff from this author after a fantastic debut. Looks weird. I'm in.

Foul Days, Genoveva Dimova (25 June)

New to me. A witch in a Slavic fantasy inspired world flees her evil ex, the Tsar of Monsters. There's also a plague and a detective.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow, Gabriella Buba (25 June)

New to me. Filipino inspired anticolonialist fantasy novel about a nun who is secretly practicing the religion of her goddess.

The Duke at Hazard, KJ Charles (18 July)

A queer regency with an incognito duke by one of my particular favorite romance authors.

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan (30 July)

!!! Very excited to see a new adult fantasy by Brennan. A reader is dragged into a fictional world and finds herself the villain.

A Sorceress Comes to Call, T Kingfisher (20 August)

A retelling of The Goose Girl from reliably good fairy tale stalwart Kingfisher.

Buried Deep and Other Stories, Naomi Novik (17 September)

Collection of Novik's short stories.

Swordcrossed, Freya Marske (8 October)

VERY excited to see a new book by talented writer Marske. A man falls in love with the duelist hired for his arranged wedding. MEANWHILE. details of the fantasy world wool industry.

Feast While You Can, Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta (29 October)

New to me. Small town queer cave horror.

The Last Hour Between Worlds, Melissa Caruso (19 November)

Multiple reality murder mystery spy vs spy type antics, with lesbians.

[somewherein---between]

Cool Music Recommendations

In case anyone wants to listen to some new music I think is awesome.

- Dethklok: Andromeda / Awaken / Skyhunter / Pickles’ Rehab / Murmaider

- Lord of the Lost: Black Halo / Ruins / Morgana / Haythor / Loreley / Voodoo Doll / Raining Stars / For They Know Not What They Do / Afterlife / Naxxar

- Powerwolf: Amen & Attack / Venom of Venus / Demon’s are a Girl’s Best Friend / Killers with the Cross / Fire & Forgive / Incense & Iron / Army of the Night / We Drink Your Blood / Sacrament of Sin

- Sabaton: Bismarck / Great War / Inmate 4859 / Coat of Arms / Panzerkampf / Price of a Mile / To Hell and Back / Sparta / Cliffs of Gallipoli 

- Magistarium: Another World

- Xandria: Euphoria / Forevermore / Call of the Wind / Soulcrusher / The Lost Elysion / Nomad’s Crown / Blood on My Hands / A Prophecy of Worlds to Fall / Valentine / Cursed / Voyage of the Fallen / Nightfall / Stardust

Blind Guardian: Otherland / Wheel of Time / Curse My Name / Sacred Worlds / Nightfall / Mirror Mirror / Valhalla 

Sonata Arctica: FullMoon / Picturing the Past / Kingdom for a Heart / Blank File / Destruction Preventer / Victoria’s Secret 

Helloween: Final Fortune / I Want Out / March of Time

The guy below (Dan Vasc) does a really good cover for March of Time

Kroh: Red Masterpiece / Hush / Boo / Typical Me / ERROR143 / Mr. Bones

Angra: Carry On / The Temple of Hate 

Dan Vasc also does a really nice cover of Carry On. For this band, however, Andre Matos died of a heart attack some years ago which really sucks considering how talented of a voice he was and how charismatic he was on stage (opinion based solely off of the recorded concert for Carry On).

Orden Ogan: Things We Believe In / Gunman / F.E.V.E.R.

The Enigma TNG: Monsters from Space / Death Dealer

Stratovarius: Black Diamond

Voltaire: When You’re Evil / The Headless Waltz / Almost Human / Death Death / The Dirtiest Song That Ain’t 

Rammstein: Deutschland (TW: Hanging, Holocaust, etc.) / Du reichst so gut / Sonne / Mein Herz Brennt / Rosenrot

Special Mentions:

- Bury the Light BY Casey Edwards & Victor Borba (Devil May Cry 5 - Vergil’s Battle Theme)

- Let it Burn BY Red 

- Fiddler on The Green (2019 Remaster) BY Demons & Wizards

[thevalicemultiverse]

I say it's good for you to find that special someone. And that someone can be many things. A friend, a confidant, a deadly ninja, a forbidden mermaid, a were-duck, a clone of yourself, a Viking shield-maiden, a talking cloud of energy that one time...

Emily: I wanna be the mermaid!

Richard: Dibs on the talking cloud of energy!

Alice: I admit to feeling a bit of kinship with Valkyries, so I guess that makes me the Viking shield-maiden.

Victoria: [looking up at Victor] I guess I could be the clone of you -- we have similar personalities, and there is the name to consider.

Christopher: So that leaves the deadly ninja and the were-duck.

Victor: I’m willing to face the fact that there is no way I’d ever be a ninja. Quack quack.

[whatevercomestomymind]

Asks: 3, 8 *books*, 9, 16, 28, 55, 60, 62, 72, 77, 82, 84, and 89. Have fun 😊

Ask Game answers:

3. How many tattoos i have and what they are: I dont have a single tattoo. Mostly because as an artist, I can't bring myself to get cheap ones.

8. Top 5 (books): in no particular ranking

The Otherland Series by Tad William's (fucking AMAZING sci-fi with non-white MCs)

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy by Tad Williams (Piers Anthony called it the War and Peace of fantasy and he's not wrong. So tragically beautiful.)

The Count of Monte Cristo by Victor Hugo (SERIOUSLY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN)

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (this book makes me so emotional I can only bring myself to read it once a decade)

Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind (I have yet to see another fantasy novel examine and portray the misery and nobility of humanity anywhere near as well as this. I could talk for hours about it)

9. Tattoos i want: a full back and arm sleeves, done by a traditional japanese tattoo master. No machines, just ink, needles and hammers.

16. Favorite movie: too many! Favorite comedy has to be "Be Cool" though.

28. Favorite ice cream? Already answered.

55. Have you ever laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by?

Used to do this all the time. Still do occasionally. The best is when you're on a hill with nothing in your peripheral vision, and you can concentrate so much that you begin to feel the movement of the earth.

60. Have you ever fallen asleep at work/school? Yup. Especially when I've worked 60-80 hour weeks. I've even fallen asleep while talking to someone on the phone at work.

62. Have you ever felt an earthquake? Nope.

72. Have you ever been to the opposite side of the country? Several times. Bounced from east to west coast like 5x so far.

77. Have you ever laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Not since I was a kid.

82. Have you ever dream that you married someone? Nope.

89. Have you ever been too scared to watch scary movies alone? Nope. I dont like horror/scary movies because I recognize the psychological manipulation of the fight or flight response that triggers adrenal dump followed by dopamine and serotonin, specifically designed and timed to put you into a cycle that makes you want more. I don't like being deliberately manipulated at a physiological level.

84. Have you ever got your tongue stuck to a flag pole? Never even tried it- I was a science nerd so I resisted the dates in grade school with explanations of thermodynamics. 

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Smiler's Otherland -- Not-Incorrect Quotes Collection!

Because you know me and these by now XD

--

Alice: [taking Victor and Smiler on a tour of the Vale of Tears] All right, next we're heading to the Duchess's house -- not particularly because I want you two to meet her, but because the path provides some perfect opportunities for you to practice your jumping and --

Insidious Ruin: [bubbles up out of the ground in front of them, squealing and screeching]

Alice: Oh damn it. [pulls her Vorpal Blade, motioning for Victor and Smiler to hang back] You two get behind me, I'll --

Smiler: Hang on, let me try mine! [pulls out the Inoculator and hits the Ruin with a stream of bright yellow liquid]

Ruin: [stops in its tracks, blinking and dripping yellow] ...

Ruin: [lurches forward again and, with a happy noise, grabs Alice around the legs in a hug]

Alice: [jerking backward] What the --

Smiler: [grinning] Aww, it loves you!

Alice: [desperately stabbing it in the head] I DON'T WANT IT TO LOVE ME

--

Alice: [looking around Smile Street and seeing a familiar swirly-eyed grin everywhere -- painted on houses, trimmed into bushes, on people's clothing] ...

Alice: [looks up and spots the same smile on the freaking sun itself]

Alice: [taps Smiler on the shoulder and jerks her head toward it] Really?

Smiler: [gives her a look] You're giving me that when you have all those statues of yourself scattered around the Vale of Tears?

Victor: [raising a hand] If we're having a narcissism contest, my Otherland is almost entirely populated by copies of myself.

Alice: [pause] ...that is pretty bad.

Smiler: Yeah, I think you have to win that contest.

Victor: Hey!

--

Alice: [climbing aboard the SS Gryphon] Mock Turtle? Are you here?

Mock: [popping out of the captain's cabin with a giant grin] Hi Alice! Great to see you! Isn't it such a spectacular day?

Alice:

Alice: [peering around them suspiciously] Smiler? Did you use the Inoculator on Mock?!

Smiler: [calling from the cabin] He asked me to!

--

Victor: [standing with Smiler and Alice in front of Mr. Explorer's treehouse in the Butterfly Jungle] And this is Smiler! Which you might already know, but we wanted to introduce you properly.

Smiler: [beaming] Great to meet you!

Mr. Explorer: [looks Smiler up and down, focusing on the yellow-and-black-spiral-pattern waistcoat under their jacket] Oooooh! You're the reason for them!

Smiler: ?

Alice: Beg pardon?

Mr. Explorer: Just a moment! [hurries away into the undergrowth, and returns with a butterfly -- sporting yellow-and-black spiral-patterned wings] They showed up a little while ago! They're really sweet, and all the other butterflies really seem to like watching them flap around.

Alice: [lightly nudging Victor] Gee, I wonder why.

Victor: [nudging her back, whispering while slightly pink] Let's not corrupt my inner child.

--

Alice: [standing beside one of the swirly portals from the first game, now set into a rock in the new and improved Vale of Tears] And so these allow me to travel between various locations nearly instantaneously, instead of having to rely on the rail line.

Smiler: [grinning at the portal] Oh, that is neat! And they look so cool too -- don't you think so, Victor?

Victor: [staring at the portal, doesn't reply]

Smiler: ...Victor?

Alice: Victor! [snaps her fingers in front of his nose]

Victor: [starts, blinks rapidly, blushes despite himself] Oh, uh, ah, t-they're -- they're very -- n-nice.

Smiler: [slowly growing predatory smile] Oh, are they now...

Alice: [also grinning] Perhaps we could use one to find a slightly more private spot for you to stare?

Victor: [going even deeper pink] Shut up.

--

[the trio are watching two Inoculated Menacing Ruin throw fireballs at a very confused Colossal Ruin in the Dollhouse]

Alice: [to Smiler, as the Colossal Ruin tries to run away, only for one of the Menacing Ruins to slam into its side] I've changed my mind, your weapons are great.

--

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Smiler's Otherland -- Outfits!

Time to cover what Smiler's wearing during all these adventures in Alice's Wonderland, Victor's Otherland, and their own Otherland! My attitude toward their various outfits can be summed up thusly --

AAAAAAAAH WHY DID I GIVE EVERYBODY SO MANY DOMAINS WHY DID I DO VICTOR VERSIONS OF ALICE'S DLC STUFF NOW I FEEL OBLIGED TO DO THEM FOR SMILER TOO SO MANY FUCKING OUTFITS AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

*coughs* Uh, yes -- got rather a lot to get through here! ^^; And I fully admit that I am struggling to come up with an outfit for every domain and situation -- as indicated above, it's a lot of fucking outfits! Especially when you remember that I also have to do outfits for Alice and Victor for Smiler's domains... *facepalm* Anyway, here's what I have settled on for the time being:

Smiler's Outfits:

Smiler's Own Otherland --

Smile Always: The equivalent of Alice's "Classic" blue dress, this is what Smiler wears in their own Smile Street domain, as well as any domain in Alice's Wonderland or Victor's Otherland that doesn't prompt a unique outfit (such as the Vale of Tears or the Living Dead Forest). It's a yellow-and-black-striped suit (think the variant Beetlejuice suit (courtesy of @the-crypt-o-club) my Smiler Van Liddelton Sim sometimes wears in their vampiric dark form -- actually, don't think that, let me just show you:

Cripes, remember when Smiler used to live in Britechester? This is a blast from the past...)

Anyway, yes -- yellow-and-black-striped suit jacket and pants like the above; black waistcoat with decorative yellow stitching; a yellow-black-and-white spiral tie (picture one of the eyes of The Smiler logo overlaid on a tie); white shirt; and black shoes with yellow laces. They are basically the exit tunnel from The Smiler coaster in human form. :p Oh, yeah, and if their eyes don't naturally glow bright yellow, they do now! Which holds true for all of their Wonderland outfits.

Neurological Reprogram: The outfit for their X-Sector domain, based off of Dr. Gladwell's outfit from the Smiler Takeover "Fear Test!" Gladwell's outfit, for reference, is a white labcoat that buttons up in the front (in a kind of wrap-around style, though it doesn't go very far around), a white shirt, a black-and-white-striped tie, black pants, black shoes, and yellow glasses. Smiler's outfit is very similar in make, but is a little more colorful, as is their wont -- a yellow wrap-around labcoat; a white shirt; a yellow-and-black-striped tie; black-and-white-striped pants; black shoes; and yellow spiral goggles. Gotta lean into that yellow!

Let Me Entertain You: The outfit for their Musical Mayhem domain, based off Felix E. Lated's outfit from the Celebration Stage! Felix's outfit, for reference, is a glittery yellow jacket, a yellow shirt, a black-and-white-striped bow tie, black pants, and white shoes. Once again, Smiler's outfit is similar in make, but has a bit more color and a few more patterns -- a slightly longer glittery yellow coat (going down to about the top of Smiler's thighs) covered in sequined black and white spirals; a yellow shirt; a rainbow-striped bow tie; black pants with white stripes; and white shoes with yellow laces. Because they gotta stand out on that stage. :p

Ministry: The outfit for their Sanctuary domain, which in this case doesn't have a specific inspiration (though it is supposed to have Kelman vibes, at least) -- a pale gray suit jacket and pants; a white shirt; a slightly darker gray waistcoat; a white tie with the Sanctuary Logo stitched on it in black; and black shoes. Basically, this outfit is meant to be completely clinical and colorless, which Smiler absolutely hates. But well, this is the suit that goes with the domain where all their fears and anxieties live, so why should it be something Smiler LIKES?

Alice's Wonderland --

Splashdown: Smiler's Deluded Depths outfit! This is an old-timey bathing costume like the one Victor wears, only Smiler's top is more like a tank top, and their shorts are shorter, as they're more comfortable showing more skin. The suit has alternating black, white, and yellow stripes, with the yellow stripes glowing. And instead of Victor's seaweed tie and waistcoat, they have a straw boater hat dyed black with a yellow hatband, attached to them with a black chin strap -- so it can be worn on their head or left to float slightly behind their neck. Nice and summery for the waters of Wonderland!

Fifty-Two Pickup: Smiler's Queensland outfit -- and for those of you who remember the first "Sharp-Dressed Victor" post and are like "wait, isn't that the name of Victor's Queensland outfit?" -- well, Smiler's stealing the name because I feel it suits them better. XD (I'm trying to come up with a new name for Victor's outfit -- "Aces Wild" sounds good...) Anyway, it's a dark purple suit jacket and pants; a white shirt; a dark yellow waistcoat with decorative purple stitching; a white tie with the card suits embroidered on it in red and black stitching; and black shoes with purple laces. Figured this one would be a good one to lean into the purple with, given that "royal purple" is a thing.

Advocate: Smiler's Dollhouse outfit! The inspiration behind this one are the various costumes the actual ride employees wear, because I figured it wouldn't be hard to put a more "kiddie" spin on those. As such, the outfit consists of yellow overalls over a black-and-white-striped shirt; black-and-white-striped high socks; and purple shoes just for fun. Very bright, and something I could see a young Smiler wearing under the right circumstances.

Hysterical: Smiler's "Hysteria Mode" outfit! Yes, they get access to Hysteria Mode, though in their case they're not so much bloody as they are glitchy -- the inspiration for this suit is the static and glitches that show up in the various Marmaliser videos and the Smiler Shop TV. We have a white suit speckled all over with lots of little multicolored squares (black, gray, yellow, red, green, and blue) that are meant to look like pixel-y static, with larger concentrations on the left shoulder and right leg; a matching white waistcoat with more squares sprinkled across it; a white shirt; and black shoes. Their eyes also become full black-white-yellow spirals, like in The Smiler logo, with yellow "blood" leaking down their cheeks, and their grin stretches PAINFULLLY wide across their face. Their weapons all end up splattered with yellow and purple "blood" as well -- and as indicated in the Weapons post, this is the only time any of them do direct damage, instead of just stunning enemies or turning them over to Smiler's side. Basically, Smiler is Laughing Mad when they're in this state -- best to give them their space!

Victor's Otherland --

Paintbrush Person -- Smiler's Sketchbook World outfit! Which, as you might imagine, is inspired by a paintbrush. XD Look, Victor's suit for this world is inspired by his sketchbook, while Alice's dress is inspired by the pencil she favors for sketching -- I had to keep to the theme! (And yes, after realizing I called Victor's suit "Paperman," I decided Alice's dress had to be "Pencil Girl," and thus...) Though I partly chose a paintbrush because it was an easy way to get some yellow tones into the outfit -- gotta keep on theme there too. Anyway, this is a suit with a golden jacket and waistcoat (to represent the metal "ferrule" that holds the bristles); a black shirt with a pinstripe pattern (for the bristles themselves); a tie that's all multicolored splotches like paint splatter; black pants patterned with grey swirls to suggest wood grain (for the actual handle); and black shoes.

Still In Progress --

Hatter's Domain: This is one of the outfits I've been struggling with, since -- well, as seen above, Smiler already has a "tech domain" outfit for their own Otherland, and I wanted to make this one distinct. The best option I've come up with so far is to base it off of the magician from Meet The Ministry, since that's guy's black outfit with the long black coat actually matches Alice's Steamdress and Victor's Steamsuit aesthetically the most. (Though I imagine Smiler's will have yellow worked into it -- maybe a yellow shirt or waistcoat?). I also don't know what I'm going to call it -- feels like it should be Steam-something, but... *shrug*

The Mysterious East: I have no idea what I'm going to do with this one -- I guess by necessity it would have to look like Victor's jacket and pants, and I could probably do purple silk with yellow, black, and white patterns, but I don't know what those patterns would be and how to make their version more unique. Hmmm...

The Butterfly Jungle: I almost know what I want to do with this one -- I want it to be based off Sir Algernon (or possibly Sir Algenon, I've seen both spellings), the explorer character who's become a kind of mascot for Alton Towers, and call the outfit "Sir Algie." I'm just having a little trouble pulling it all together -- especially since there's two distinct looks to work with. The Sir A animatronic on the airship in the Alton Towers hotel sports a classic flight cap with a propeller on it and a pilot's brown jacket with a fuzzy collar; while the Sir A performer is a much more classic steampunky gentleman, with a long brown coat, a waistcoat, and a fancy top hat (along with long flowing curly locks). I really like the propeller flight cap for Smiler, and the waistcoat -- I KIND OF want the jacket as well, but I worry that it'll be too hot for the Jungle. Just something I need to think about more.

The Magic Tower: I really don't know what this one will look like yet, I just know that purple and yellow swirls are a MUST. Though, thinking about it, I always have them as having a love for chemistry, so maybe something that makes people think "alchemist?" Hmmmm...

Orchestralia: Another outfit where the problem is "they have their own musical domain and thus their own musical domain outfit, so how do I make this one distinct from that?" Looking at Victor and Alice's stuff, I went with "stripes and musical notes" as a key theme for both -- maybe Smiler has something similar, only their stripes and notes are at an angle or otherwise a bit wonky? And their version would definitely have to be more colorful... Pondering continues!

Victor And Alice's Outfits:

Updates To Previous Outfits --

Beloved(s): Okay, so -- you know how I've been calling Victor's blue suit that matches Alice's dress "Classic" or "Alice Classic?" Well, I had a brainwave a little while ago, and decided that it should instead be "Beloved" to reflect the fact that he's dressing like his beloved. :) And thus, when he's in a situation where he's with Alice AND Smiler, the suit changes to "Beloveds," and gains elements to reflect both of them! Basically what I was thinking is that the suit jacket and pants stay Alice blue, and the shirt white, but Victor now has a yellow waistcoat, yellow socks, and a tie that has a smoky yellow-and-purple swirl pattern on it. And their tie clip is now a silver A and a golden S joined together. All of it reflecting just how much he loves both of them. <3

Smiler's Otherland --

Joytide: Alice's X-Sector dress, based on the outfit the Agent Joytide actors wore in the Fear Test! Because if Smiler's got the Gladwell look going on... It's sort of like the Dollhouse dress when it comes to the basic fit, but the top is black leather with big yellow buttons, while the skirt is yellow and black plaid patches that don't really line up with each other. Her boots also get yellow laces, and her eye shadow turns yellow, natch.

Agent: Victor's X-Sector suit, based on the outfits of the wandering Ministry agents during the Takeover! It's a nice simple black suit with a bright yellow shirt; a black-and-white-striped tie; a spiral-patterned yellow and black waistcoat; yellow socks; and black shoes. Oh, and sunglasses if appropriate. :p I thought the look suited him well.

Get Corrected: Alice's Sanctuary dress, based off -- well. Based off the straitjacket "dress" she gets in the Rutledge section of Alice: Madness Returns, because Sanctuary is a horrible asylum along those same lines! Though, at least in THIS dress, Alice has her arms free if she needs to fight... The outfit itself is a drab, off-white, sleeveless gown with a limp skirt hanging down just below her knees, and a bunch of black leather belts around the bodice, secured in the back, with the Sanctuary logo stitched above her right breast in black. Her signature omega is tied around her neck with a fraying string. Oh, and no boots -- much like in the Rutledge hallucination, she has to go barefoot. I'm sure she's thrilled. :p

Cedars: Victor's Sanctuary suit, based off the outfits of the male patients in Alice's Rutledge hallucination! And also the kind of stuff Miles Cedars was wearing during his time as Kelman's patient in the Smile Always series, hence the name. It's a dull gray t-shirt top with the Sanctuary logo stitched over the right side of his chest, and matching dull gray drawstring pants that don't QUITE reach his ankles. And yes, again, no shoes for the "patient." Someone get these people some socks at least, I'm sure those floors are cold.

Still In Progress --

Musical Mayhem: The only thing I know right now about Victor and Alice's outfits for this domain is that they'll have to be glittery to match Smiler's. I suspect Alice will be in something blue and white, but I'm not sure exactly what the dress will look like yet...and Victor's suit is a complete mystery. I'll come up with something, I'm sure, but I need to think about it some more.

Whew -- yeah, it is a lot, isn't it? And I haven't even finished all the domains yet...or done Smiler versions of the A:MR DLC dresses. *thunks head against desk* Basically, expect an update to this post at some point in the future, once I've puzzled a few more things out.

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Smiler's Otherland -- Weapons!

We've done the domains -- time to cover Smiler's marmalising arsenal! Well, if you can call it that, given these weapons are all nonlethal unless Smiler's in their version of Hysteria Mode... These admittedly got covered pretty well in the original post, but I wanted to expand a little bit upon what each one does (both in normal and Hysteria modes) and what their upgrade paths might look like --

Vorpal Spoon: As previously indicated, this came about because I needed an equivalent to Alice's famous Vorpal Blade, and since Victor got the Vorpal Fork thanks to his big fight scene in Corpse Bride involving him using a barbecue fork...well, I guess Smiler wanted to complete the cutlery set. XD

Look -- An oversized silver spoon with a black handle grip (with little yellow spirals painted on it, natch) and a twisted slatted "neck" (the part that actually connects the handle and the bowl) -- it's supposed to look like a heartline roll, which is the first inversion on the Smiler coaster. The bowl itself is a bit oversized, and would probably be engraved either with spirals, or the full-on swirly-eyed Smiler logo.

Effect -- Not having any sharp bits like the Blade or Fork, the Spoon is instead a stunning weapon -- Smiler bops enemies on the head with it, and they freeze for a few seconds, unable to move, while swirls go around their heads. Perfect for giving Victor or Alice the chance to get in close with a more lethal weapon! The Hysteria Mode version would still stun the enemy, but also cause damage as Smiler hits harder.

Upgrade Path -- Like the Vorpal Blade and the Vorpal Fork, the look of this weapon doesn't change as you upgrade it -- instead, the trail it leaves as Smiler swings it and the spirals that appear around bopped enemies changes. I'm thinking we start with simple black spirals, then move to purple, yellow, and finally a whole rainbow of spirals.

The Inoculator: One of the elements of the Marmaliser, and probably one of the most famous, since -- well. Big needle full of mind-control juice! That grabs people's interest! This is the equivalent of Alice's Pepper Grinder or Victor's Wedding Wine, functioning much like the latter.

Look -- A big old syringe (about the size of the Pepper Grinder) with a copper needle and plunger and a glass barrel full of yellow liquid (Joy Serum). The serum drains as Smiler presses the plunger, and will need a few seconds to refill -- longer if Smiler empties it completely.

Effect -- Smiler can depress the plunger to squirt out the serum onto enemies -- any enemy hit by the stuff ends up covered in dripping yellow liquid for a short time, and during that time, is friendly to Smiler (and Victor and Alice, if they are present). The enemy will also attack other enemies if they are present. The Hysteria Mode version is a full on "needle jab" attack, where Smiler gets in close and actually injects an enemy with Joy Serum -- this causes the enemy to take some damage from getting stuck, but also turns them completely yellow and makes them fight at Smiler's side for longer.

Upgrade Path -- The needle and plunger go from copper, to silver, to gold, to black; the barrel gradually gains some minor decoration in the form of swirly engravings, and the Joy Serum inside gets more and more excited, going from just plain liquid, to bubbling a bit, to actively fizzing, to occasionally having the Smiler logo fade in and out of it.

The Tickler: Another Marmaliser element, big fuzzy rollers designed to tickle people -- though I wouldn't be surprised if most people looked at them and thought "car wash." :p This is the equivalent of Alice's Hobby Horse or Victor's Grim Scythe.

Look -- The ride Tickler is made up of big car wash brushes; mine is a paint roller. XD Specifically, it's a long black pole with a large fuzzy yellow roller mounted on the end. Just -- picture a paint roller, yeah.

Effect -- This is another weapon designed to stun -- Smiler hits enemies with it and rolls the roller over them, and they get incapacitated for a short time with laughter, as shown by little yellow "ha ha ha"s coming out of their bodies. It's got better reach and stuns for longer than the Vorpal Spoon, but Smiler can't swing it as fast, or move as fast while they're using it. Like the Vorpal Spoon, the Hysteria Mode version of the attack has Smiler hit harder and more aggressively, actually causing damage while also stunning the enemy for a bit longer.

Upgrade Path -- The pole goes from plain black, to black-and-white-striped, to black-and-yellow-striped, to black-white-and-yellow-striped. The roller, meanwhile, goes from plain yellow, to yellow-and-black-striped (like it's presented in The Smiler Game), to black-white-and-yellow-striped, to black-white-yellow-and-purple-striped.

The Flasher: Another Marmaliser element, and the one that most people I think would be fine skipping, as it does involve being flashed with bright light. This is what makes The Smiler fandom not great for anyone who doesn't like or can't view flashing images! This functions much like Alice's Clockwork Bomb or Victor's Altar Candle.

Look -- A medium-sized yellow box covered on all four sides and the top with light bulbs -- a set of six to a side. The bulbs blink on and off occasionally.

Effect -- Smiler puts this down on the ground, holding a small black switch in their hand as they then move about freely. The Flasher will remain where it is placed, with bulbs blinking on and off randomly to attract enemies. After thirty seconds, or when Smiler presses the switch, the box will let off a brilliant flash using all its bulbs at once, then explode, stunning all nearby enemies briefly. It can also be used to hold down switches temporarily. In Hysteria Mode, the explosion is accompanied by flying glass from the bulbs and thus actually causes damage. (I know the Clockbomb Bomb doesn't really have a "Hysteria Mode" equivalent like the main weapons, but I still like this idea.)

Upgrade Path -- N/A -- as the Clockwork Bomb has no upgrades, neither does this. (Given it can literally blind enemies from the start, does it really need them?)

The Giggler: Another Marmaliser element, this one being tanks full of laughing gas sprayed at riders as they pass. This one doesn't get a lot of love -- I think most people are more into the Inoculator's Joy Serum -- but I like it as it's fun and, from what I can see, the gas itself is the ride's explicit purple element. :) It's the equivalent of Alice's Teapot Cannon or Victor's Quill Bow.

Look -- A small tank about the size of the Teapot Cannon, with a black top and bottom over a clear glass middle, showing the purple Giggler gas. A black handle with a trigger is attached to one side, and a black nozzle on a short flexible black hose is attached to the other. Smiler holds it by gripping the handle in one hand and holding the nozzle with the other.

Effect -- Smiler can depress the trigger in the handle to release clouds of gas from the nozzle, which then drift toward nearby enemies -- the longer they hold the trigger, the bigger the resultant cloud, and the faster it moves. Any enemies hit by the cloud end up tinted purple with a purple "ha ha ha" over their heads, and, like with the Inoculator, end up friendly to Smiler and will attack other enemies for them. The clouds have better reach than the Inoculator and can go through barriers, but the tank empties faster than the syringe and takes longer to refill -- it's best used with large groups of enemies, as the clouds can affect multiple enemies at once. The Hysteria Mode version would have Smiler getting up closer to give enemies a bigger dose of gas straight in the kisser, causing damage from lack of oxygen but also making the enemies brighter purple and keeping them loyal for longer.

Upgrade Path -- The top, bottom, and handle of the tank go from black, to white, to yellow, to yellow-and-black-striped; the actual tank gets engraved swirly decorations, then an engraved Smiler Logo with a hazardous X on the bottom, like can be seen in the front in this Tower Times picture; and the nozzle and hose go from plain black, to black-and-white-striped, to black-and-yellow-striped, to black-white-and-yellow-striped.

The Hypnotiser: The final element on the Marmaliser, and probably the other most famous/liked one of the lot, basically just a lot of spinning spirals and other patterns designed to, well, hypnotize. This would be the equivalent of Alice's Umbrella or Victor's Sketchbook.

Look -- A large disc on a black pole, printed with concentric white, yellow, and black spirals (much like the eyes in the logo), which spins at a steady rate.

Effect -- Smiler can pull this out and use the disc to reflect back projectiles or as a defensive shield. It also has a chance of distracting enemies so they don't attack, leaving them open to another weapon. The Hysteria Mode attack would be -- hmmm. Maybe if Smiler pulls it out, it can frenzy enemies into attacking whoever or whatever is closest? (Again, I know the Umbrella doesn't have an Hysteria Mode attack, but come on, it's fun.)

Upgrade Path -- N/A again, as the Umbrella never gets upgraded. (Though if it did have one, I'd imagine the spirals would get more complex -- maybe it would start with just black and white spirals and gradually add the yellow?)

Whew -- I think that covers all their current weapons pretty thoroughly! Once again I count myself lucky that the ride's various "Marmaliser" elements could be so easily converted to weapons. :p Next time in Smiler Otherland news, we'll talk outfits! At least, those outfits I've managed to figure out...

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Smiler’s Otherland -- Domains!

Hi everyone, I’m back on my Smiler’s Otherland bullshit! :D After making my initial “here’s my first ideas on the concept” post back in May 2023, I’ve been trying to get my thoughts organized regarding what Smiler’s Otherland should look like, more details about their weapons, how many outfits they need, etc. And now I’m going to share some of those thoughts with all of you! Because it’s my tumblr and you’re my captive audience. :p

So -- let’s start with the domains! Because you can’t have an Otherland without actual, you know, lands in it. So far, I’ve come up with four domains for Smiler:

Smile Street: The “hub” domain, or at least the domain any visitors would be likely to land in first, much like Alice’s Vale of Tears or Victor’s Living Dead Forest. This domain is arguably the "coziest," and allows Smiler to put their best smiling face forward. :D

-->As indicated by the name, it’s a long winding street lined with brightly-painted houses in all colors of the rainbow -- in fact, here, the shot of Towers Street from this The Smiler ad gives you a good idea of what I’m picturing:

Only, instead of just those spiraling yellow clouds in the sky, there's also a big yellow sun featuring a Smiler-logo face on it, as per this screenshot from this video on The Smiler mobile game: (WARNING -- the linked video does have flashing lights/strobe-like images starting about midway through!)

...maybe a little less overtly creepy, as this is supposed to be the friendliest domain, but you get what I mean.

-->And who lives in those cheery little houses? Why, the Advocates, of course! Who are based on these guys from The Smiler mobile game (screenshot from the same video linked above):

You know, just a little higher resolution. XD They're naturally very friendly, greeting visitors enthusiastically, and spend most of their time wandering around, trimming trees and hedges into spirals, having little get-togethers in each other's yards where they tell jokes and laugh a lot, playing various games with each other, painting big grinning faces on portable easels -- that sort of thing.

-->At the end of the street is -- well, the town SPIRAL rather than square, as the road just spirals in on itself until it stops at a big fountain full of glowy yellow liquid at the center. Around the outer curve of the spiral is a little cafe (which serves a variety of drinks and treats, though many of the drinks glow at least slightly, and the treats tend to have spiral decorations), a playground (with all the equipment painted with yellow and black stripes with occasional touches of purple and white), a general shop selling a variety of goods (which, yes, would basically be the shop from the Smiler Shop TV video, manned by Matt and Carol -- Smiler can put their parents into their Otherland, as a treat), and a train station consisting of a bright yellow covered platform with spiraling columns holding the roof up, a Smiler coaster car (like that seen above) for the "train," and tracks that start out flat but quickly spiral off into wild loops and twists (because, of course, the coaster itself has to serve as transport to the other two "nice" domains). Just a nice place to hang out, chat, and watch the spiral clouds swirl overhead. XD

X-Sector: Named after the section of Alton Towers that The Smiler coaster is actually in, this is the domain dedicated to Smiler’s interest in technology and chemistry (with the actual look of the tech ranging from more steampunky to more cyberpunky depending on the time period of the AU it features in).

-->The domain consists mostly of a big old lab, surrounded by a yard featuring grass made out of green wire, flowers made out of twisty bits of metal with stained glass leaves and petals, and simple conical trees (like the kind you might see in an old Playstation or XBox game before graphics really started taking off -- that Smiler Game screenshot above is roughly the right aesthetic). The sky here would be filled with swirling, spiraling yellow and black clouds, lit with the occasional flash of lightning. It's all very dramatic.

-->The lab itself is divided into two wings, separated by a main hall with lots of optical illusions a la the actual The Smiler station (with various changing patterns on the walls -- be warned, that linked video has a fair amount of flashing lights in it!). The left wing would be devoted to engineering and be filled with things like whirring little hypno-wheel gadgets, boxes with flashing lights, various skittering tiny robots, and other things of that nature. The right wing would be devoted to chemistry and have various workstations covered with bubbling flasks of liquid and hissing tanks filled with volatile gases -- though I'm really tempted to throw in a little bit of Willy Wonka flavor and have a big old waterfall of Joy Serum somewhere in here too. XD I mean, it feels like something Smiler would have -- maybe it flows into a giant pipe to provide the liquid for the fountain in Smile Street? Or perhaps it just serves as the "drinking water" for everyone there...

-->As for residents -- well, I suppose in addition to Advocates in lab coats tending all the various experiments, it would make sense to have Dr. Gladwell from the Smiler Takeover "Fear Test" show at the very least. After all, he is the Ministry's Chief Neurological Cortex Reprogrammer! :p The only thing complicating that is that I wanted to name Smiler's outfit for this area after him...but I suppose I could name it after his role in the Ministry instead... Anyway, the most notable resident here would naturally be the Marmaliser itself -- a big robot wandering around on its five limbs, looking for unhappy people to make happy and coming by the lab to have its Inoculator syringes and Giggler gas tanks refilled and its Tickler brushes, Flasher bulbs, and Hypnotiser wheels looked at and realigned as necessary.

Musical Mayhem: Hey, Victor wasn’t using the name :p This domain is all about Smiler's love of music and festivals and things of that nature, and -- as you might expect -- is strongly based around that whole The Smiler Takeover that Alton Towers did for the ride's 10th anniversary.

-->The domain itself is a giant fairground set in a field of glittery green grass under more of those yellow spiraling clouds, with a couple of black-and-white-cobbled looping paths winding through it. There are various carnival games scattered about (like the "Beat the Buzzer" game where you have to get a wire loop around a metal simplified Smiler logo without touching it, otherwise it'll buzz and you'll have to start again; hook-a-smiling-duck; bag tosses with grinning Smiler-logoed bags; one of those water gun games where you shoot Joy Serum at a target to make something rise up; etc), along with food stalls, comfy sitting areas, and carts where people can get balloons and little sparklers and trumpets to blow. As you might imagine, it's chaotic, but in a good way!

-->The dominant feature of the fairground, though, is a huge stage at the far end -- a bigger version of the Takeover's Celebration Stage, with all the smiley-face decorations but yellow curtains instead of red. There's a few rows of seats in front of the stage for people who want to sit down and watch, and designated "dancing spots" for those who want to dance and sing along. The dancing spots are generally more populated than the seats, as you might expect. XD

-->Again, the domain is mostly populated by Advocates from Smile Street, just enjoying the carnival -- but you can't have a Celebration Stage without Felix E. Lated as the star performer! :D (Again, Smiler can have their uncle in their Otherland, as a treat.) When he's not up on stage singing, he's wandering the fairground, encouraging everyone to let loose and have fun. Possibly Grin-Grin the clown (from the above-linked "Fear Test") also makes an appearance from time to time, creating balloon animals and telling ridiculous stories -- oh, and we probably should also have the contortionist and the magician from the "Meet The Ministry" stage show up too! All the performers for the Advocates to enjoy!

Sanctuary: Unfortunately for Smiler, as stated in the original post, we can’t neglect the spookier, scarier parts of the coaster’s theming -- and that means having a domain where everything is creepy and horrible, to represent their fears about going too far and actually harming people. And thus we have Sanctuary, inspired by all the Kelman-related materials, such as the Smile Always series and the Sanctuary scare mazes (a few clips of which can be seen in this informative video -- again, watch out for some flashing lights)! Hooray! :D

-->The area is a large, underground asylum, accessed by a pair of rusty metal swinging doors spray-painted with "THE TRUTH" in bright yellow (taken from one of the AR spots you could access with The Smiler Mobile Game back in the day -- there's a set hidden away in each of the other three domains) -- once inside, you're confronted with an absolute maze of concrete corridors, all painted a faded white. The place is not in good repair, with plenty of patches of exposed rebar and wiring on the walls and cracks in both the ceiling and the floor. The whole place is poorly lit, with buzzing yellow lights dangling from the ceiling and occasionally sparking or going out entirely. The only concession to color is in the various posters that have been hung up -- images of spirals with DO NOT RESIST written under them, photos of decaying animal corpses captioned with LIFE IS BAD, and various images of people with their mouths distorted into extremely creepy smiles. It's just a very unpleasant place to be!

-->There are two groups of people that live in this horrible location -- the first being the Corrected. These are the asylum's patients, dressed in tattered and dirty white t-shirts, pants, and dresses, who roam the halls and live in the various cells dotting the hallways. Most of them either have Glasgow smiles or various bits of machinery forcing their mouths into grins, and many also have at least a partially-shaved head and nasty scars on their scalps indicating brain surgery. However, the Corrected are all completely non-violent, either just wandering around doing their thing (vaguely giggling to themselves, drawing on the walls with whatever they can find, standing in small groups and laughing together) or hiding away from anyone they think is a threat.

-->No, the actual enemies of this area are the Staff -- the nurses and orderlies who run the place. The nurses are dressed in stained white uniform dresses, sporting dark circles around their eyes, vicious grins accented by dark lipstick, and long claw-like nails ready to take a swipe out of misbehaving patients; and the orderlies are dressed in similarly-stained yellowed scrubs, with the same dark circles around their eyes and vicious grins. The nurses carry syringes to stab unsuspecting victims, subjecting them to a variety of bizarre hallucinations; the orderlies carry shock batons guaranteed to bring patients to their knees. Their favorite activities are to stalk unwitting Corrected, then take them down while laughing hysterically. Not nice people at all!

-->And the person in charge of the whole shebang? Why, that would be Dr. Minister, a Kelman-like old man with a neat white suit sporting the Sanctuary logo, glinting glasses, and a smile that -- well, it's obvious the man's HEARD of smiling, but you're not sure he's ever seen it in action. He's insistent that everything he does for the Corrected is for their own good, and his ultimate goal is to turn Smiler into his apprentice/successor -- and Victor and Alice into Corrected. Smiler, as you might imagine, loathes this guy, and is absolutely terrified of ending up like him. :(

And that's everything I've got for now! It does make me slightly annoyed that I only have four domains for Smiler when Victor has five and Alice -- well, as per A:MR, the minimum is eight (presuming you don't count the Vale of Doom as separate from the Vale of Tears). But I do think that these four cover pretty much everything important when it comes to the coaster, it's themes, and all the events and attractions related to it. Next up, we have the weapons -- which, believe me, was a much easier post to make...

[victorluvsalice]

Holy Shit, It’s ACTUALLY Incorrect Valicer Quotes

Because @offwithhxrhead introduced me to this Incorrect Quote Generator, and I promptly began playing around with it a LOT:

Victor: What are you writing? Alice: The Queen of Hearts wants to know what kind of weapons we have in the house. I'm letting her know it's private information. Smiler, looking over Alice's shoulder: This just says 'fuck around and find out' in calligraphy.

--

Alice: How did you even get in here? Smiler: Victor's window! Or, as I like to call it, "Smiler's door"! Victor: I’m closing the window.

--

Victor: Can we talk about that mass email you sent? Smiler: Why? It was important. Victor: All it says is, "I'm back on my shit". Alice, shrugging: The people need to know.

--

Victor: So, Smiler is no longer allowed to take the trash out at night. Alice: Why? Victor: Because I've caught them trying to train raccoons to fight five times in a row. Smiler, arms crossed and pouting: You'll be thanking me when the third raccoon battalion saves your ass.

--

Alice: I’m this close to falling in love with Victor. Smiler: Your fingertips are touching. Alice: Exactly.

--

Victor, about Smiler: I could fix them, but honestly whatever the hell is wrong with them is way funnier. Alice: That's what any god probably thinks about me.

--

Smiler: [texting Victor] We’re playing Scrabble. It’s a nightmare. Victor: [texting] Scrabble? Scrabble’s great. Smiler: [texting] Not when you’re playing with Alice, it’s not. They put words like “ephemeral” and I put “dog.”

--

Smiler: What’s it like being tall? Smiler: Is it nice? Smiler: Can you reach comfortably for the cupboards? Victor: We live in constant fear of the short ones who, in my experience, will climb 4 chairs, 2 boxes, a small coffee table and 6 oddly placed stools to get what they want. Alice: It was one time!

--

Alice: Smiler, what do you have? Smiler: A KNIFE! Alice: Okay, have fu- Victor: NO!

--

Alice: I woke up and chose VIOLENCE. I WILL COMMIT ARSON AND BURN EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND!!! I AM ANGRY- Smiler: Awwww, you’re so adorable! Give me a hug~ Alice: Wh-What? nO, yOURE SUPPOSED TO BE SCARED OF ME! TREMBLE BEFORE MY WRATH- Victor, recording: This is so cute.

[victorluvsalice]

Skrillex - Bangarang (Ft. Sirah) [Official Audio] by Skrillex

You guys don't know how long I've been sitting on this one. XD I've had this in mind for a Song Saturday for a few months now, but I didn't want to post it until I started posting the Smiler's Otherland stuff I've been working on -- specifically, the post regarding their weapons from earlier this week. Reason being, I now associate this song with the trio battling Ruins in Wonderland! Specifically, the scene runs like so:

-->The trio are up against Bumby/The Dollmaker, who is spawning Ruins to go after them; Alice starts off alone at first, slicing, dicing, smashing, and otherwise wrecking them with her weapons (both AMA and A:MR ones)

-->Eventually, though, she starts to get overwhelmed despite her best efforts (around the time of the second set of "shout to all my boss boys") -- cue Victor running in with HIS weapons in time for the second "BANGARANG," and the two fighting together to destroy yet more Ruins as Bumby starts sending out the big guns. They do really well for a while --

-->And then a bunch of Drifting Ruins get off some lucky hits (around the spot where it gets a bit quieter and calmer), and the pair find themselves pinned by a bunch of Ruin glop. Bumby sends in a Menacing Ruin to finish them off -- but before it can actually do anything, it's suddenly hit by a stream of glowing yellow liquid. Pan over to Smiler holding the Inoculator and grinning. Bumby derisively points out the liquid doesn't seem to have done anything, and Smiler explains that their weapons are actually based around converting enemies to their cause.

-->And then as the bass picks up again, the Menacing Ruin turns toward Bumby with a snarl, and Smiler goes, "Or, to put it more simply -- that's my friend now."

-->Cue Bumby having to dodge his own creation's fiery Ruin balls in the last part of the song as Smiler frees Victor and Alice, and the trio working in concert to finish off the last of the Ruins -- Smiler softening them up or turning them to their side while Victor and Alice take them out.

Yeah, perhaps a little weird, but I think it's a lot of fun. :) I like imagining the trio working together in Wonderland to take out a threat -- and I really like Bumby having to run for it while being chased by his own monsters. XD Good stuff. And the song is great on its own if you like the scratchy bass-drop style! Go ahead and give it a listen if you like.

[victorluvsalice]

So. You know all those various ask games where you can ask someone to explain a current WIP, or write three sentences on a fic they're working on and then share them, or similar? Well, we're doing something like that over here, only I am vastly expanding what is on offer. Because while I generally only ever have two WIPs, I have a whole fucking LOT of ideas. So! Here is my mostly-Valicer-AUs-themed ask game for you all:

Send 💬/[conversation bubble] for me to ramble on about any of the below AUs for a bit

Send 🌈/[rainbow] for me to write three+ sentences of either a real or hypothetical fic for the AU

Your choices:

Actual WIPs

-->Londerland Bloodlines (currently working on "Downtown Queensland," but I'm willing to discuss other installments)

-->Valicer In The Dark (currently working on "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of," though I'm extremely willing to get into the VITD universe as a whole)

Things I Have Previously Discussed On Here

-->Modern AU Valicer (aka the source of most of those Not-Incorrect Quote things I did for a while)

-->Valicer Soulmates AU

-->Ever Ever After (that Four Victorians Riding A Roller Coaster fairytales AU -- yes, I came up with a title for the damn thing)

-->The Hypothetical Valicer Forgotten Vows AU

-->The Three-Player Childhood Friends Valicer In AMA AU (or, frankly, anything related to Smiler's Otherland stuff)

-->Fallout of Darkness (yes, this is actually still around! I am still playing Fallout 4 and making notes on it! I'm up to the point in the main questline where Victor has to hunt down a Courser, which he is doing as he completes the Mechanist questline)

-->This Hypnokinky Fantasy-Medieval Valicer One-Shot From OT3 Week (heed the hypnokinky there! It's not EXPLICIT explicit but it's fairly open about what's about to happen to Victor at the end)

Deranged AUs That Only Lived In My Brain -- UNTIL NOW

-->Dinner For Three, a Valicer AU based on the horror comedy film The Menu (I actually just came up with that title, despite how obvious it is)

-->Infinite Loops-Style Valicer AU (inspired by me finding the TV Tropes page for that series and going "wow, Corpse Bride would have a really short loop if it followed the time period that we saw in the movie...")

-->Valicer Changeling: The Lost AU (I've discussed Valice versions of this waaaay in the past, but this is a new Valicer variant that would be set in the modern day)

-->Some Thoughts On A BITD Smiler In Beneath A Broken Sky (not a full AU since the fic that it's based off of isn't complete yet -- this is just me with some ideas I came up with where a Smiler from a BITD-based world without a local Victor and Alice gets yeeted into the BABS setting -- oh, and the fic itself isn't visible unless you're logged into AO3, just fair warning)

-->The New Severance (Apple TV) AU That Is Strangling My Brain (this is ALL @penny-anna's fault, go read Welcome To The Panopticon, it is FASCINATING and gives me Valicer AU ideas for a show I've never even WATCHED)

There. Choice. Enjoy.

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Smiler's Otherland -- Not-Incorrect Quotes Collection Part II!

Because you can never have just one "not-incorrect quote" collection with me --

--

Victor: [wandering into the big conservatory in the middle of Orchestralia] Conductor? I was wondering if you --

Victor: [pauses as he hears what sounds like a party coming from behind one of the theater doors] ?

Victor: [opens the door and finds a room full of Advocates, all dancing and listening to one Felix E. Lated, who is strutting his stuff across the stage] What -- Felix??

Felix: [waving with a big grin] Hi Victor! Here to see if you can get the stick-in-the-mud to join the festivities?

Victor: The -- what? W-Where's The Conductor?

The Conductor: [sticking his head out from behind the curtain at the side of the stage, looking deeply frazzled] Get. That. Lunatic. Off. My. Stage.

Felix: [striding over and trying to drag him on] What do you have against fun?

Victor: [facepalming] Oh dear, just a moment... SMILER! CAN YOU COME COLLECT YOUR -- WHATEVER HE IS?

--

Mr. Explorer: [wandering around the improved Dollhouse, sees Fort Resistance] Oh! That looks interesting... [cups his hands around his mouth] Hullo? Anyone in there?

Leader: [from behind the door, with the other Insane Children giggling behind her] One, and two, and three, and more! Who are you?

Mr. Explorer: I'm Mr. Explorer! I like your house -- do you want to play?

Leader: It depends on the game! Some are better than others.

Mr. Explorer: Oh, I don't mind which game! I like all sorts of stuff! And I could introduce you to my butterflies too, if you want!

Thinker: Butterflies? Like Alice's?

Mr. Explorer: Yeah, only lots more kinds! C'mon out!

Leader: Okay! [opens the door and wanders out, revealing the Insane Children in all their glory]

Mr. Explorer:

Alice: [a bit later, trying to comfort Mr. Explorer] I assure you that they're all right.

Mr. Explorer: [crying in her arms] One of them has his brain sticking out!

Drillhead: [clearly confused as to why Mr. Explorer is upset] You wanna play with the drill?

Mr. Explorer: [cries harder]

Alice: [wincing] This is going to take some explaining...

--

Hatter: [gesturing with his hands] Now this -- this is quality construction!

March: [running his hands up a leg] Aye! Look at how smoothly this joint bends! This creature can scamper and no mistake!

Dormouse: [circling another leg] I like all these lights! They go blink, blink, blink -- and then flash! Lovely for keeping one awake!

Hatter: Yes, but have you seen the syringes here? Such a fine point on them! And the liquid inside bubbles so beautifully!

Marmaliser: [lets out a little "fweee" noise that somehow manages to sound quite pleased and maybe a touch embarrassed]

Hatter: Oh, you deserve all the praise! You're marvelous mechanical mayhem at it's finest!

Alice: [observing this] I really don't know how I feel about you three getting all gooey over the brainwashing machine...

--

Dr. Minister: [rallying his Staff in the crumbling corridors of the Sanctuary] I'm telling you, if we left now in force, we would have no problem at all taking over those other ridiculous domains and making them socially compliant! They wouldn't stand a chance against our tried and true methods! Don't you want to bring everyone into harmony with our will? Don't you want to make sure everyone is corrected?

Staff: [glancing at each other nervously, fiddling with syringes and batons]

Dr. Minister: [slightly frustrated] We are the best of the best! Leaders in social compliance therapy! It is our duty to bring this mind to heel! [marches to the door and throws it open] What could possibly stand against --

Fury: [standing just outside the door, sharpening his Hysterical version of the Grim Scythe, not looking at Dr. Minister at all]

Queen of Hearts: [standing next to Fury, tentacles curling around her, looking straight at Dr. Minister with a big, fang-filled smile]

Dr. Minister:

Dr. Minister: [very slowly closes the door]

Queen of Hearts: [pouts] Damn it.

Fury: [pats her tentacle] Maybe next time.

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Smiler’s Otherland!

This feels like an appropriate post to make today, given it is both Alice’s birthday and the tail end of the Smiler Takeover at Alton Towers. And frankly, it’s one that I probably should have done long before, given how enthusiastically I designed an Otherland for Victor back when I was deep in the Forgotten Vows Verse! I blame Wonderland-related thoughts for Smiler being in short supply on my main AUs with them being the type that don’t lend themselves well to Alice magically getting in their head for Wonderland-style shenanigans -- basically, it just hasn’t really come up before now! And I still haven’t gotten too deep into the subject -- certainly not as deep as I did with Victor. But here are my current thoughts, for your entertainment:

Domains --

-->Obviously, the main portion of Smiler’s Otherland would have to be a theme park of some kind. XD Though, of course, how elaborate that theme park is would depend on the AU -- a Smiler in the modern day would of course have modern roller coasters and such, while a Victorian Smiler might have something more akin to Alice’s mine cart ride and little parks with stages and suchlike. The basic vibe I’m going for with this area is a combination of Smiler Takeover X-Sector in Alton Towers and that amusement park area from Nier: Automata (hey, if I can borrow the forest stuff for Victor’s Living Dead Forest. . .).

-->However, we can’t neglect the creepy part of the coaster’s lore and theme, and thus I have one other domain in mind for Smiler, accessed via some sort of basement entrance or portal from the main park. . .a horrible, underground medical facility with crumbling walls, big white cells, nurses and doctors with bloodstained uniforms, and patients with smiles carved right into their faces. Basically if you know anything about the old Sanctuary scaremaze from 2012 and 2013, think that -- if not, just go with A:MR’s Rutledge section combined with a little Silent Hill 2 action and you should get the right vibe. This is, of course, where Smiler’s deepest, darkest fears reside -- particularly hurting the ones they love and, where applicable, of ending up like Kelman. My Smiler is NOT interested in becoming anything like THAT asshole! They try to bury it down, hence why it’s in the basement (well, that and the old Smiler AR game suggested that’s where the Ministry was hiding), but -- yeah. If you want a fight, this is where you’re most likely to get one.

Weapons --

-->Smiler’s Wonderland weapons proved to be very easy once I started thinking about what they would need in a “standard A:MR” set -- specifically, they’re all the different elements of the roller coaster’s Marmaliser! Here’s what I’ve come up with:

The Inoculator: The equivalent of Alice’s Pepper Grinder or Victor’s Wedding Wine, this is a giant syringe full of glowing yellow serum that can be squirted at enemies. Like Victor’s Wine, it has limited capacity, and once it’s empty, it needs a moment to refill. Good range, though!

The Tickler: The equivalent of Alice’s Hobby Horse or Victor’s Grim Scythe, this is -- essentially a large fuzzy paint roller on an extra-long stick. It’s a bit unwieldy to swing, but has great reach!

The Flasher: The equivalent of Alice’s Clockwork Bomb or Victor’s Altar Candle, this is a little mechanical box covered in light bulbs that, when prepped and set down, goes off with a massive FLASH of bright white light after a few seconds. VERY good for stunning enemies!

The Giggler: The equivalent of Alice’s Teapot Cannon or Victor’s Quill Bow, this is a large canister of purple gas with a nozzle that Smiler can use to kind of spray/blast out clouds of the stuff. The longer they “charge” a shot by squeezing the nozzle, the bigger the resultant Giggler cloud!

The Hypnotizer: The equivalent of Alice’s Umbrella or Victor’s Sketchbook, this is a large disc with a black-white-and-yellow spiral on it, like the logo, which can be used to both deflect incoming projectiles or distract enemies. Think a bit like the disc the old Sims 2 psychiatrist guy used to fly in when Sims had a total aspiration failure!

Now, you may notice a lack of Vorpal Blade/Vorpal Fork equivalent up there -- this is because while trying to figure that out, I thought the words “Vorpal Spoon” to complete the cutlery set and couldn’t let it go. XD Smlier seemed to like the silliness factor too! But I have found a way to tie that to the coaster as well -- specifically, by giving the spoon a twisted corkscrew handle that looks at least something like The Smiler’s actual track! And maybe the logo can be engraved on the bowl. XD

-->You may ALSO notice that none of these weapons actually seem particularly dangerous. Well -- you’re right. Smiler’s weapon set is in fact pretty much entirely non-lethal. The effects of their weapons are either to stun -- 

Or to turn the creature they’re fighting FRIENDLY, at least for a short time. Because the coaster’s theme isn’t violence, it’s conversion. By using their weapons on their enemies, they make those enemies their friends, or at least not a threat anymore for a time. I thought this was a nice change from Victor and Alice’s more violent stuff!

-->That being said, I also imagine Smiler having a “Hysteria Mode” equivalent, using the version of hysteria that we’re most familiar with these days -- that is, being overcome with laughter. Smiler’s would have them literally laughing their way through a rampage, and it would be the only time that their weapons are actually capable of harm. I don’t know if they’d have a bloodstained look like Victor and Alice or something a little different. . .ooh, maybe the same sort of “bloodstained” vibe, only the “blood” is bright yellow and/or purple. . .

Creatures --

-->Haven’t thought too much about this, but beyond the Sanctuary/Ministry of Joy staff, I know there should also be some sort of creature based on the Marmaliser itself. Just trying to decide if it should be friendly or hostile. . .or maybe there’s two different variants depending on where you are in the Otherland? Hmmm. . . Also believe there should be lots of robotic or techy stuff, just because that’s kind of The Smiler’s whole deal.

Clothing --

-->Again, one I haven’t considered much yet, but Smiler’s outfits across the various Wonderland/Otherland domains would definitely have a strong yellow-black theme, with white and purple highlights and occasional other colors or rainbow patterns where appropriate. Honestly, that yellow-and-black Beetlejuice suit I have for their vampiric “dark form” in Sims 4 might be a good starting place. XD Alice and Victor would also go yellow-and-black to match their domains -- in fact, thinking about it, the outfits of the wandering Advocates from The Smiler Takeover might work for Victor: black suit, yellow shirt, black-and-white-striped tie. . .it’s a start, at any rate!

-->Oh, and just for fun, I’ve decided that, in a Valicer situation, Victor’s own Otherland outfits -- like his Classic Blue Alice-style suit -- update to have a black-white-and-yellow spiral-patterned tie. :) I’d kind of like to maybe add a similar touch to Alice’s outfits -- maybe a black-and-yellow-checked border on her aprons? More thought is required.

[victorluvsalice]

Forgotten Vows Friday: Victor Otherland Plot Outline Get!

Yup, with my brilliant idea of using a Storyboard Victor as The Artist for the Sketchbook World domain, and deciding I want to use Fury (formerly named Anger -- yeah, decided “Fury” was the best potential name) in the story, I have a basic plot for each of the chapters of the planned "Victor and Alice visiting Victor's Otherland" story! They are as follows:

The Living Dead Forest: Victor and Alice go floating down into the ravine in the forest, where they end up fighting a few monsters; the battle brings out Fury, and he and Victor have a chat about his previous tendency to repress his anger (Fury appreciates getting more of a leash these days)

The Butterfly Jungle: Victor and Alice go exploring the jungle and identifying insects when they come across Mr. Explorer and his treehouse; cue Alice squeeing over how adorable he is, to Victor's embarrassment -- and then Mr. Explorer introducing them to the giant butterflies of the jungle and how to ride them, to Victor's delight

The Magic Tower: Victor and Alice visit the tower itself and encounter the Grand High Wizard in the library; they help him fight off some troublesome Booksnaps before meeting the Wizard's pet dragon, Ben (after Blue Ben)

Orchestralia: Victor and Alice go for a wander around the landscape and come across the Conductor's concert hall; they listen in on his latest piece and startle him by applauding afterward -- Victor this time sees the humor in the situation and gently teases his musical side

Sketchbook World: Victor and Alice take a boat ride on the watercolor lake, meeting the Artist on the shore; they all take cover from a rainbow rainstorm and chat a bit about their shared love of various art styles (Alice notes with interest that the Artist seems to be drawn in pencils despite Victor favoring ink for his sketches -- and then remembers HER preferred drawing instrument and gets all blushy)

That'll do for a rough draft, won't it? Now I just have to find some time to write the darn thing. . .and come up with a title. . . “In A World Of His Own,” perhaps?

[victorluvsalice]

Forgotten Vows Friday: Victors Aplenty In Otherland

Continuing last week's theme, let's talk about some of the characters I have pinned down for Victor's Otherland! Specifically -- what is mostly a bunch of other Victors, each representing a portion of his personality, who usually hang around the matching domain. In-universe, Alice theorizes this bevy of Victor clones is because of a difference in their handling their lack of playmates growing up -- she imagined herself as all sorts of different people, while Victor turned to his own mirror reflection and came up with all sorts of different solo adventures. Out of universe, I blame the fact that I came up with a lot of these initial ideas back when I was way into the webcomic "Narbonic," which on occasion featured characters talking to "personality sprites" -- various bits of their personality that manifested as miniaturized, winged versions of themselves (such as the classic devil and angel, social life (with butterfly wings), “part that never left high school,” etc). The Victors in his Otherland are regular size, and don't have wings (though I don't think any of them would mind), but they do at least dress accordingly:

-->The Artist: A Victor in a painter’s smock and traditional artist’s beret, stained with oil paints and ink. His fingers are also badly ink-stained, and he never goes anywhere without paper and a quill (tucked behind his ear when he’s not using it). As you might imagine, he hangs out primarily in Sketchbook World.

-->The Conductor: A Victor in a tailed blue tuxedo, very formal-looking, and with a conductor’s baton. As you might guess, he’s extremely musical -- but, due to Victor not liking just anyone hearing him play, also very shy. His domain is  Orchestralia, where he keeps the various instruments in rhythm.

-->Inner Child: A Victor about the age of the one we see in the opening picture of him and Scraps, wearing an explorer’s costume -- tan shorts and a tan shirt with lots of pockets, and a pith helmet. He loves exploring, particularly the Butterfly Jungle.

-->The Wizard: The only one that DOESN’T look like a Victor, this guy resembles a living version of Elder Gutknecht more, with a dash of Dr. Fixxler’s style -- deep purple robes with lots of stars, and the traditional pointy hat and long beard. Expectedly, he occupies the top level of The Magic Tower.

-->Desire: A Victor who tends to hang out in a dressing gown, this is the only one we actually see on-screen in “Fixing You.” He shows up after the climax as Victor’s. . .well, the fact that he tends to hang out in just a dressing gown should be a clue, right? He ends up in the Living Dead Forest by virtue of it springing up around him.

-->Anger: This Victor was originally going to have a part to play in “Fixing You,” but as the plot transitioned away from Victor worrying so much about his anger issues (though that still shows up in minor form), his role was cut. I still like his design though -- a Victor in a combined Hysteria Mode/Ragebox form (the white Hysteria suit and super-pale skin, Ragebox devil horns, tail, and claws, and red-on-red eyes). He doesn’t really have any one domain where he hangs out, though he does tend to wander into the Butterfly Jungle to keep an eye on the Inner Child. He’s kind of protective of kids.