Dialogue Prompts For Self-Doubt

Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time Redux

Here's a super abridged recap of my rewrite of Thieves In Time...

Prologue: Penelope is revealed to still be behind the events of the game. She nearly gets kidnapped, foolishly tells Bentley about it in a panic, then gets roped into joining Sly, Bentley, and Murray for the whole game. She enters the game keeping a dark secret of betrayal.

Paris Tutorial: Joins Bentley in the sewers. They get separated, she gets her own segment. She saves his skin as they reunite.

Turning Japanese: Does her tasks to avoid looking sus. Tries to go rogue during Altitude Sickness. Runs into Sly and El Jefe's duel, then decides to help Sly. Also gets scolded for running off. Her secret is safe.

Go West, Young Raccoon: Manages to save Bentley's skin twice; once during Cooper For Hire, and again during Jail Break. Also gets to see Carmelita tearing Sly a new one, making her see a dark future for her and Bentley. Secret is still safe.

Clan Of The Cave Raccoon: Gets very sick, sees the error of her ways. Sees Sly and Carmelita not getting along, doesn't want the same thing for her and Bentley. Resolves to become a team player. Secret is still safe.

Of Frogs And Mechs: Sir Raleigh is revealed to be behind Penelope's botched kidnapping. She also has a robotic impostor. His men kidnap her. She mostly frees herself, and she gets to fight her impostor and Raleigh. She also gets closer to Bentley. Secret is still safe.

40 Thieves: Spends the whole episode pulling her weight and then some. Le Paradox reveals her secret of betrayal during All Rolled Up just when she's starting to feel like a true member of the team again. She refuses to rejoin the skunk. Her secret is out.

Paris Epilogue: Leads the raid on Le Paradox's blimp, then starts the final boss fight. Nearly loses before the rest of the playable cast comes in to help. Gives a speech on what she learned about friendship and takes Le Paradox down.

Aftermath: Tries to leave the Cooper Gang out of guilt, only to be forgiven. The game ends with her still on their roster. She and Bentley are also engaged.

Let's all just pretend this is what actually happened instead of the hot mess that was vanilla Thieves In Time.

Feel free to make as much fanart for this project as you want. I'm no artist; just a writer with big ideas.

words to use instead of ________

"Mad"

aggravated, angry, annoyed, boiling, cross, enraged, exasperated, fuming, furious, heated, incensed, indignant, irate, irritable, livid, offended, outraged, riled, steamed, storming, upset

"Nice"

amiable, charming, cordial, courteous, delightful, favorable, friendly, genial, gentle, gracious, helpful, inviting, kind, lovely, obliging, peaceful, peachy, pleasant, polite, swell, sympathetic, tender, welcoming, well-mannered, winning

"Pretty"

alluring, appealing, attractive, beautiful, charming, cute, delightful, desirable, elegant, eye-catching, fair, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, intriguing, lovely, pleasing, striking, stunning, sweet

"Said"

alleged, argued, asked, asserted, babbled, bellowed, bragged, commented, complained, cried, declined, demanded, denied, encouraged, expressed, giggled, growled, inquired, moaned, nagged, rebuked, rebutted, replied, rejected, retorted, roared, scolded, shrieked, shrugged, stated, taunted, vowed, warned, whined, whispered, yelled

"Went"

avoid, bolt, bound, depart, exit, escape, flee, fly, hike, hop, jaunt, jolt, journey, leap, leave, lurch, march, mosey, move, pace, parade, pass, progress, retreat, saunter, scoot, skip, split, step, stride, stroll, tour, travel, vanish

more words to use instead other words to use instead another list of words to use instead

hiii heehee hoohoo

this little fountain area was my fav part of the venice level

please reblog if you leave a like!

The background colors were a pain in the ass but here is the mouse girl! I ironically have to yet draw any of the male characters in Sly Cooper but it's not my fault Penelope is so fun to draw.

Don’t touch da babies.

Hmm...You know what'd be interesting? For their to be some shared upgrade pools for the various members of the Gang, you know when it's more than just the main trio. Like if there's some overlap between the characters in terms of playstyle, they could be some sharing of moves. I got the idea from that picture you reblogged making me remember that Penelope IS a Champion Boxer, so now I'm imagining her sharing some of Murray's punch based moves.

Frankly, any acknowledgement of Penelope’s boxing prowess would probably be a good idea

Is she a frail nerd or isn’t she? They really flipflop on it

I have to wonder...

fuck it various sly character's handwriting / how they'd sign they're names. sly, bentley and murray's are based on their canon handwriting. i feel like penelope would have big round messy handwriting. carmelita has scrawly but pretty cursive but signs her name like a doctor. dimitri presented without comment (full view for better quality bc tumblr is terrible)

(my 12748 unfinished projects watching me do this: *shocked pikachu*)

until we get a sequel sly 4 isn’t canon

One of my favorite things about Sly Cooper is how much personality is in the environments! The level design is full of so much character and storytelling.

A Sucker Punch artist said in an interview that they almost always came up with the boss’s personality first. Then, they would design the level to reflect the  personality of the character who owned it.

“The bosses and all that stuff is usually done really early on, like before anyone even starts. … because that establishes how each level is going to feel from a directional standpoint.”

Check out this concept art for Sly 1 by Karin Madan, showing how the characters’ basic designs/personalities were basically nailed down by the time they began doing explorations of what their levels would look like.

And that shows in the final games!

It really shows that the characters were created first, and then the levels were designed afterwards, to reflect the characters’ unique personalities and backstories.

It shows in how… in how none of the levels feel generic. Every level feels extremely specific to the character who owns them. 

Like– there is no way you could create a level like Dmitiri’s level without Dmitiri. That level is his!  You can feel Dmitri’s personality in every part of the design, from the music to the tiny details on the signs.

 Dmitri is a nightclub owner, so the entire map revolves around his nightclub. He is dramatic and Extra™— so his nightclub is the BIGGEST and FLASHIEST building on the map. The blue and violet aesthetic reflects Dmitri’s own color scheme. The artsy, ritzy Paris setting reflects Dmitri’s past as an artist and nightclub owner. 

The giant peacock sign at the front of the nightclub- and the peacock imagery throughout the entire level, like in Dmitri’s lounges and on his boat– reflects how gaudy and vain Dmitri is. 

His flashlight guard is designed to look like a bouncer, Because Nightclub Owner.  The little guards are designed to look like a mime (because France) and and a French frog (also because France.)

Dmitri cares a LOT about the Aesthetic™ of things.Getting “that kinetic aesthetic” is EXTREMELY important to Dmitri. 

 So his level is full of heavily curated and landscaped scenery like gardens, statues, ponds, courtyards, and water fountains. Violet flowers are growing everywhere, and placed in flowerpots all around. 

 There are posters on all the walls advertising a big Show that’s going to happen at Dmtiri’s club.  The level is full of art and paintings (that we know from Dmitri’s intro are all counterfeit.) There are Sophisticated Golden Chandeliers, and stone statues, which help emphasize Dmitri’s Artsy™ and Aesthetic-Obsessed personality.  

 Signs on the buildings advertise tourist-y things like hotels and cafes, which helps convey the idea that we’re in a very wealthy and fun area of Paris.

Dmitri’s symbol, his tail in a spiral shape, shows up everywherE throughout his nightclub– the most obvious places being his coins and the center of the disco dance floor.

And the disco music reflects Dmitri’s wild, over the top personality.

Like???? There are wine bottles all around the level, because Paris, because artsy, and because Nightclub. But look closely at those wine bottles! Even the tiny details on the bottles are very specific to Dmitri and reflect his personality:

They’re bright comedy/tragedy masks with confetti on them, a smaller version of the posters you see around the level advertising the shows at Dmitri’s club. This isn’t just a wine bottle, it’s a DMITRI-BRAND WINE BOTTLE.

And we could go on and on and ON, and talk about every single teeny-tiny detail in the level, and how it’s related to Dmitri’s personality. Because Dmitri’s level iS his personality! Everything about his map is designed to reflect who he is as a character! You really can’t separate the level design from the character who inspired it.

A level as unique as Dmitri’s Paris can only happen when it’s being built with a specific character/story in mind. 

And that’s true for every level in the trilogy. Whenever you explore them, you can feel the personality of the character who owns them dripping from even the tiniest details. This makes each level feel special– not like a generic Video Game Level™, but like a specific place owned by a specific character with a specific personality. 

This gives the villains a sense of total Presence in the story even when they’re not actually onscreen for very long. And it makes you feel like you really are a thief, trespassing in a place that’s clearly owned by someone else.