jenna12381
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Latest Posts by jenna12381
So do you have any name ideas for Penelope and Carmelita's parents?
Carmelita? No.
I do have a name for Penelope’s father, but I’m not ready to reveal it yet.
Me: Writing up Episode 0 is too hard!
Also me: I think I'll try to work on Episode 6 tonight...
That Penelope/Le Paradox boss fight is just too tempting not to start up...
I say that, and yet the only thing I've got is... "She made the first move."
The hardest part of that scene isn't how the fight plays out, but rather the dialogue between our heroine and villain.
Are Penelope's parents still alive and if so, do they approve of Bentley?
Her parents have not met him yet.
I've found quite a few Thieves In Time rewrites over the years. I can't help but imagine how some of them would play out if my premise (Penelope joining the adventure against her will) were introduced...
This is on top of all the other "What if?" scenarios I came up with on my own...
I thought I'd skip ahead and work on Episode 2 for a bit (specifically Jail Break), but I've got a question for you, readers.
Is there an official name for the prison at Cotton Mouth Bluff? The one where Tennessee (and later, the boys) gets locked up in? If not, I'd love to hear name suggestions.
If you must know, the mission Jail Break contains a bit of a deviation from canon (aside from Penelope now being on the rescue team). The boys are being held in jail separately. Our three heroes (Penelope, Tennessee, and Carmelita) are going to split up to save them. Penelope's going to free Bentley, Carmelita's going after Sly, and Tennessee's stuck with Murray.
I'm thinking about how they're all going to pull this off, starting with Penelope freeing Bentley. The only catch with Penelope's part is I don't want her just using RC vehicles. She's going to actually fight guards. She'll start by picking a guard's pocket to get the key to Bentley's cell, then... she'll clean house.
Why is she doing it this way? She's trying to show Bentley she's not a helpless damsel. Spoiler alert: It works.
So, since Murray calls Penelope "Sis", Does that technically make her and Jing sisters?
I'm not planning on shipping Murray and Jing.
It's not off the table... I just haven't planned anything for them yet.
so seeing how Sly doesn't get stuck in Egypt, how does it end?
Well, of course our four heroes end up staying together. Beyond that, I'm not sure where to take them.
Sly and Carmelita? Sly has given up on a future with her. Does Carmelita want to make up with him? Maybe.
Bentley and Penelope? They're engaged. A very well deserved reward after she took down Le Paradox and led everyone to victory on his blimp. She's been forgiven, though she is having trouble with forgiving herself.
Do you have any Ideas for Murray's character development?
As I already said in multiple posts, Murray won’t have much of an arc to go through. He’s more focused on being a good older brother towards Penelope, or “Sis” as he always calls her.
Hey there. Just found your TiT rewrite. Love what I’ve seen. One question tho. Everyone has like idle animations in The safehouse in all the games but what would Penelopes be? And would they change possibly depending on how far in the she gets
I can see her reacting with surprise when the player selects her. But right before OP: Jurassic Thievery (Episode 3) and onwards, she'll be ready for action.
Perhaps she'll become more alert and comfortable as the game progresses, though I'm not sure exactly how to word out everything she does.
I think I'll also have Bentley react with panic if the player selects her when she doesn't have a mission assigned during Episodes 1 and 2. He stops doing that after the events of Episode 2's Jail Break.
As for her field animations... I'll think of something eventually. Yes, I do have a weapon setup ready for her.
Thieves In Time Redux: Rewriting the tutorial
You guys likely already know how Thieves In Time Redux begins. Penelope gets dragged into the events of the game against her will. Let's go over how she does during the story's opening...
We open near the museum, same as in canon. The only difference? There's four figures instead of three. The opening exchange now includes Penelope.
I'll just go ahead and show you the entire thing...
"Okay, you three remember the plan, right?"
"Of course! My mind is like a steel cap!"
"Uh, that's 'trap', Big Guy. And everybody relax! We've been over it a million times. What could possibly go wrong?''
"Famous last words! Look, we're only going to get one shot at this, so we can't mess up!"
"Alright, no messing up allowed. Now stop worrying! This is gonna be a piece of cake!"
"Question. Is it too late for me to back out?"
"I'm afraid so. You're coming with me, remember?"
"...Fine."
"We won't be out here forever, Sis! All we gotta do is take that dagger, do our thing, and clobber some fools into next week!"
"...Right. I'll keep that in mind."
"And with that, I'll see you all inside. Now let's get going!"
Penelope will be joining Bentley in the sewers. Before the opening, she had been targeted by kidnappers. She told Bentley about them in a panic, and... that's why she's here. She doesn't get enough time to vanish without a trace. Oh, and her blueprints for Le Paradox's blimp went missing.
Spoiler alert: They were stolen.
Sly's section is identical to canon, save for a few new lines. Same deal for Murray.
Bentley's section is changed up to accommodate Penelope. She'll only be following him for now... at least until her segment begins.
Just like in canon, Bentley falls deeper in the sewers... and gets separated from Penelope.
"How's that security system coming, Bentley?"
" Uh... Great! Perfect! I'll be done in a jiffy! *moves forward, only to realize he didn't land where he was supposed to* H--how did I...?"
"I thought you said 'no messing up allowed', old friend."
"I'm... taking the scenic route tonight!"
"Uh-huh... *short pause* You haven't forgotten Penelope, have you? Aren't you supposed to be watching her?"
This leads to a tutorial section for our favorite mouse girl. Her objective is finding Bentley. She's also given a title: The Wild Card.
"Sorry, I'm a little nervous. Nearly losing you to kidnappers does that."
"'A little', you say? You've been a nervous wreck ever since we left HQ."
Since this happens to be Penelope's very first solo outing, poor Bentley is freaking out. Penelope, meanwhile, isn't nearly as uneasy. She's just annoyed that she's been dragged into this adventure against her will. Not that she can tell Bentley why...
She instead tries to reassure him that yes, she can take care of herself... only to immediately follow that up by trying to run off. Bentley, of course, thinks she got lost and turns her around. She plays along and evades suspicion.
Since running off is no longer an option, Penelope goes off to find Bentley... When she does, he's in the process of almost getting jumped by a guard. She responds by knocking said guard out... because nobody touches that turtle except her.
Now reunited, they move onward to the same control room from canon.
Everything after that is nearly identical to vanilla. Yes, even Murray's segment. And yes, even Carmelita catching Sly in the act of thieving around.
The only difference is Penelope now being in the van with the boys as they all drive into a time portal.
Not a bad intro, huh? I've already talked about everyone's character arcs in previous posts, so here's a quick recap...
Sly learns that maybe ditching his friends on Kaine Island wasn't the best idea.
Bentley learns that he needs to not be overprotective of Penelope, but rather supportive.
Murray... doesn't go through much of a arc. He's focused on being a good older brother towards Penelope.
And Penelope? She's got a lot to learn about friendship. I bet you can't wait to see how she goes from distant and not wanting to be here to willing to take responsibility for what she's done. Because yes, she is still responsible for the Le Paradox incident in this rewrite.
I won't be writing Penelope as a sociopath, but rather as someone disconnected from her friends and what she actually needs.
I kind of neglected to mention that since Penelope is still behind the events of this game, she's going to be a bit confused about how Le Paradox's evil plan has gone ahead without her.
Lastly, I want to address how long it's been since the end of Sly 3. It's been roughly 19 months since Sly started faking amnesia.
At the beginning of this rewrite, Sly and Bentley are 22, Murray is 23, Penelope is 21, and Carmelita is 25. No clue about Dimitri or the villains.
I can't provide many estimates on how much of Episode 0 (Chapters 1-6) I've got left to finish. I do, however, have most of the dialogue written. Though most of it comes straight from the vanilla game.
Most of the new dialogue, of course, has to do with Penelope now joining the boys for the adventure. And most of that dialogue comes from Chapters 3 (Bentley's segment) and 4 (Penelope's segment).
The main challenge, as you might guess, lies in writing up Chapter 4. Should be fun.
do you have any tips for writing in-character fanfiction?
Writing Notes: In-Character Fanfiction
Fan Fiction - a type of writing that responds to something else like a book, a TV show or a film.
People write fan fiction typically because they are big fans of their chosen story, and want to create more of it.
They might imagine what happened before or after the story's main events or imagine other scenes in the lives of their favourite characters.
Fan fiction is a great way to get started with writing, because a lot of the work has been done for you. Characters, settings and plots are already there to be customised, changed and adapted. The possibilities are endless.
Fan fiction usually falls into 2 big categories: in-universe and alternate universe (AU).
In-universe fan fiction takes place in the same general setting and plot line as the original story. It could be, for example, a prequel or a story that follows characters that aren’t focused on as much in the main plot.
Alternate universe fan fiction explores different settings or plot lines for characters within a fandom. This can be anything from a fanfic where a character who dies in the original story lives or an alternate setting where all of the characters work at a coffee shop. AU fanfics are great for if you want more control over your storyline or want to explore an entirely different setting with characters you already love.
Writing Tips for In-Character Fanfiction
Know the Canon. In fan fiction, the original story, characters and world you are responding to is called the canon.
Know the story you're responding to.
Read it a few times and make sure you have the detail straight.
Make your story make sense for the existing story world.
If the protagonist can't swim in the original story, don't start yours with them doing the front crawl across the British Channel unless you can explain when and where they learnt the skill (and how it's relevant).
If characters act out-of-character, or the world has changed in your version, make sure there's a good reason for it.
Consider the Past. You aren’t inventing new characters, and you can’t change the lives they’ve already lived unless you’re writing a prequel. So, you must be familiar with the lives your characters have already led and can work their lived experiences into your story. It can be helpful to ask someone who is also a fan of the series you’re pulling characters from to read your work before you publish, as they’ll be able to let you know whether you’re on the right track when it comes to sticking to the story’s canon.
Consider a New Approach. While it can be fun to dig into the lives of everyone’s favorite characters, fanfiction can take an exciting turn when the writer provides context for the behaviors of a not-so-beloved character. For example, describing a character’s difficult home life can help readers understand why they act in an undesired way in the original story. This doesn’t just help readers engage with the material you create – it can also help them to see their favorite stories and characters in a new way.
Ask "what if"? Fanfiction is, by its very nature, speculative, which means that every piece of fanfiction starts with this very simple question: What if?
What if this happened?
What if this didn’t happen?
What if this character and this character got together?
What if everything changed?
What if we knew what happened next?
Ask yourself “what if” questions about your chosen media, and follow the most interesting answer.
Once you’ve picked your favorite simple version of the question, start asking questions again.
Think about how the answer to that “what if” affects the rest of the story - do the characters change? Their relationships? The setting?
This will help you build out your plot more effectively.
Identify the Gap. Many fanfiction writers choose to focus on aspects of the story that were left unexplored in the original work. Look for gaps in the plot or characters of the story that you can use as a jumping-off point for your own story. Typically the concept for a fanfiction will be some gap you see in the source material’s story—or just something you’d have rather happened.
Revise, Revise, Revise. When you write an excellent fanfiction story, it can be tempting to publish it immediately, especially if you have an eager audience to read your work. However, taking the time to revise is critical. After you finish your work, take a day away, and then come back and reread it. Don’t just keep an eye out for spelling and grammar mistakes. You’ll also want to ensure that you don’t have plot holes, facts that go against canon, or characters acting in a way that won’t make sense to your readers.
Get a Beta Reader. Fan fiction writers often work with other fans called beta readers, who read their work before they post it online and edit it or suggest changes or improvements.
Reading your own work aloud to yourself or others is a good idea; alternatively, ask a friend to read it through for inconsistencies or points that need clarification.
Doing either (or both!) of these will help make your writing the best it can be before you post it on a fan site.
Out of Character: Make sure you keep true to the personalities of the cast. Even if something about the starring character is being changed, it should be changed accordingly. Also, even if the canon characters never do anything to contradict their personalities, if they never do anything distinctive to their personalities, that's generally a bad sign since it makes them seem too generic.
Interact with Your Readers. You’re going to get plenty of comments when you publish a fanfiction story that becomes popular. Interacting with your readers is key to keeping them coming back for more. Engage in conversation, ask them questions about what they’d like to see next, and remember – your readers are there because they love the characters just as much as you do.
"Original Flavour" - a Fanfic that attempts to emulate the tone, atmosphere and style of its inspiration as closely as possible.
The goal of the Original Flavour fic is to seem as though the original production team could have thought it up.
Even if it heads off into previously unknown and unexplored territory for that property, the story will emphasize the use of existing gimmicks and devices rather than introducing totally foreign ones.
If you are writing an Original Flavour fic, you (usually) don't introduce or kill core characters, revise continuity, or do anything that is non-canon beyond the events of your story.
To an extent, it is possible to pull these off and still maintain this trope, but only if it's in a way that the canon itself could have evolved (as opposed to anything drastic). Original Flavor is exactly like writing a spec script you could submit to the showrunner, but not necessarily in script form.
Examples for inspiration:
Alice Through the Needle's Eye is a Fan Sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that perfectly mimics Carroll's style.
Peter Pan and the Only Children is a Fan Sequel to J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, that perfectly mimics Barrie's style.
Zootopia: A Tail of Two has been regarded as having the definite feel of the original Zootopia movie.
Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs
Hope this helps with your writing! Do go through the sources for more information and examples I wasn't able to include here.
sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four
I went ahead and made a tier list. This one's sorted by how much I can't wait to write each character's lines in my rewrite of Thieves In Time.
I'm especially dreading The Grizz, though I can't wait to write up his boss fight.
Heck, I could say the same thing about all five bosses. Still don't know what to do with Miss Decibel...
Sir Raleigh (the new Black Knight), Robo-Penelope, and Le Paradox? They're going to be the most fun...
I haven't pinned down Le Paradox's exact wording yet, but he's going to have quite the conversation with a certain mouse during his boss fight...
As for the ancestors... Not looking forward to Rioichi, Bob, or Salim. Tennessee and Sir Galleth? Slightly more so.
No, I am not writing any lines for Dimitri.
Lastly, there's our main protagonists: Sly, Bentley, Murray, Carmelita... and our lead, Penelope.
Of course, I'm easily going to have the most fun with Penelope... for fairly obvious reasons.
Honestly speaking, rewriting a story as janked up as Thieves In Time is anything but easy.
For those of you who have liked my little behind the scenes blog, thank you. I really hope I can do these characters justice, because Sanzaru sure didn't.
2024 saw me bring these four together for the events of Thieves In Time...
I'd actually been working on it for 10+ years, but 2024 was when I finally decided to turn that story into a full length fanfiction.
Thieves In Time Redux: Full Story Preview
I thought I'd repost one of my full story previews from DeviantArt. A few months back, I posted this there. It's set during Episode 0, during Sly's portion of the tutorial in Chapter 2. We open just after Sly's little accident crossing over to the museum building...
It wasn't too long before Sly happened upon a small rat guard with a gas mask. Somehow he looked familiar upon a close inspection… Sly brushed it off and picked his pocket before taking him out. "Nah… It couldn't be." Just a coincidence, right? He didn't dare tell Bentley. What would he think?
Almost immediately afterwards, Sly started hearing voices coming from inside the museum. He could hardly make out what they were saying, but he did see shadows in the window. Among the figures he spotted was a strangely familiar… skunk? He didn't bother staying long enough to hear what they were talking about. There was a job that still needed completing.
Sly almost swore he could have heard a squeak coming from Bentley's end of the line, followed by a splash. "Something happen in there, you two?"
This time, it was Penelope, the mouse, talking. "No need to worry about us, Sly. We're fine! Just a literal rat!"
A smile escaped from Sly, followed by a small chuckle… "First-timers are the best, aren't they?" He pressed onward, happy to have someone other than just Bentley and Murray on the main roster for a change. He fondly remembered Bentley and Murray's first time way back in Cairo… Those two had come so far since those humble beginnings…
But whenever he recalled that memory, he couldn't help but remember Neyla, the traitorous Interpol officer/Klaww Gang member… Things were different now. She was purged from this world. Surely he'd never meet anyone like her again, right?
As it happened, Penelope had never been on a full scale adventure like this before. Not from the very beginning, at least. Her experience level easily dwarfed everyone else's. Not that it was her fault. Sly had the gall to retire before she could gain any real experience as a full time member.
He started to regret that decision as he kept going… How could he do that to someone he recently hired? Still, Sly looked forward to seeing what Penelope could do beyond what she had initially been hired for. Better later than never, he thought.
There was no reason to make Penelope a villain in Thieves in Time. While she was never one of my TOP favorite characters in the series, I liked her addition in Sly 3 and what her skillset could offer to the gang. Plus, it was sick how she took on LeFwee and smacked him around.
Surely there was a better way to bring Penelope back. I don't know what that way is, exactly, but I believe there had to be one.
Thieves In Time Redux: Why Toad Town?
Check this post out for context.
You may be wondering why there's so much music from Paper Mario: The Origami King associated with this project. This was actually a decision I made quite recently.
For now, I'm only talking about Origami King's Toad Town.
I started work on Thieves In Time Redux long before Origami King ever existed. It was just a massive stroke of luck to see OK's Toad Town of all pieces work so well together with the progression of my little story. Or more specifically, a certain mouse girl's evolution into the true hero I know she can become.
Take Toad Town Ghost Town, for instance. It's assigned to Episode 1, the beginning of our heroes' time traveling adventure. Not only is it perfect for Feudal Japan, it's also perfect for the beginning of Penelope's character arc.
Might as well talk about each step in the music's progression. Toad Town - Red Streamer Removal is assigned to Episode 2. Perfect for a wild west town, is it not? Here, Penelope is beginning to understand the consequences of her actions, mainly through what happened to Sly and Carmelita.
My favorite, though, is Toad Town - Blue Streamer Removal. Assigned to Episode 3, that's when Penelope undergoes her change of heart. It happens after she gets placed on bed rest and needs the boys to take care of her.
Then there's the more heroic shift in tone that comes with Toad Town - Yellow Streamer Removal. In which our heroine successfully strikes down her own creations without being discovered as their creator.
Episode 5 gives us Toad Town - Purple Streamer Removal. Penelope's nearing the end of her character arc, and the boys are proud of her. Too bad Le Paradox outs her as his mole at the end of the episode.
Toad Town - Green Streamer Removal gives us the end of her character arc with Episode 6. After her journey across time, Penelope has changed for the better, she's been found out, and she's willing to take responsibility for what she's done.
How in the heck did freaking Toad Town manage to retell my entire fanfic so perfectly? Even I have no clue... But I'm so glad it turned out that way.
Long story short, I love how the music progresses to its final form.
Thievius Raccoonus Rebound - A Sly Cooper fan-zine.
YES, it's finally here! I could rattle about it's development but I did most of that in the foreword. Though I forgot to mention two details. - We included 'Original Ancestors. Don't worry there's only two of them and are an excellent and creative supplement to the Cooper bloodline in my honest opinion. They're written and illustrated in the style this zine was inspired by (the ancestral book) and we hope you enjoy them. - We also included 'Honourable Mentions' after Conner's page. I could've made a whole page just, announcing them but couldn't think of much to fill it in with SO, honourable mentions are canon characters who, in some way, shape or form assisted the Cooper family in the past. - These pages have transcripts! They're in the image description. That's all! We hope you enjoy and sharing would be appreciated! Thank you!
Written Credits: @stephguzdoodles Twitter: https://x.com/StephGuzDoodles BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/StephGuzDoodles.bsky.social @luckyraccoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lluckylabrador/profilecard/?igsh=OTJ1bjF4bG9qZThj @inkingkitsune BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/inkingkitsune.bsky.social @sadiemacoy Ko-fi: SadieMacoy // https://ko-fi.com/sadiemacoy69360 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sadiemacoy.bsky.social
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Shining Friendship
“The peacemaker among monsters.”
me as a writer
"I still don't understand Sanzaru's decision in making Penelope a villain. It's was such a bad move. One of, if not THE worst part of Sly 4."
Confessed by: Anonymous
Here's an incomplete list of tropes attributed to Penelope in Thieves In Time Redux...
Adaptational Heroism
Affectionate Nickname
Becoming The Mask
Contrasting Sequel Main Character
Dual Wielding/Morph Weapon
Gadgeteer Genius
Good All Along
Jack Of All Stats, Master Of None
Promoted To Fully Playable
Regretful Traitor
The Atoner
The Drag-Along
Took A Level In Badass
Violently Protective Girlfriend
bring back tumblr ask culture let me. bother you with questions and statements