I’m Sorry I Just I Can’t Deal With This Game. Penelope Was My Favorite. :| Spoilers, I Guess?

How does the gang (and Carmelita) play Among Us?

Sly as Crewmate: Possibly the worst Crewmate, as he gets distracted and, weirdly enough, doesn’t understand the maps. Will lie about his location or describe it badly on purpose just so he gets yeeted out the air vent and can fly around as a ghost the rest of the time. Only once Sly is a ghost will he ACTUALLY do his tasks with any seriousness.

Sly as Imposter: Knows every vent location on every map and the best way to get from place to place through the vent systems. Sabotages a lot and waits at electrical for people to come fix it, then vents out and waits for body report. The fact that he plays dumb on Crewmate usually gets him off the hook for Imposter. Unless someone is really suss on him, you want Sly as your fellow Imposter.

Bentley as Crewmate: Best Crewmate. Seriously. Has lightning fast reflexes for every task, and will actually take the time to teach you if you’re new. He is, however, extremely bossy during emergency meetings, and is immediately suss on everyone who isn’t new. If you don’t have a good alibi, you’re getting yeeted. He also usually calls Emergency Meetings with the button to tell everyone who the Imposters are. If he thinks he got one Imposter and the other is going to kill him, he tells everyone who he thinks is the most suss, and he’s usually right.

Bentley as Imposter: Has a different strategy for every map and knows how to hide bodies. He knows what to look out for and rarely vents. If his fellow Imposter is REALLY good, he’ll sit back and watch the fireworks. His favorite thing to do is not kill anyone and let people throw suspicions around. However, he’s not a good ally, and will IMMEDIATELY sacrifice fellow Imposters if others are suss on them.

Murray as Crewmate: Murray is a bit clumsy at the game in general, but he tries his best to complete tasks. He’ll often vote with the group and is usually sussed on because he’s usually staring at his map. Literally the worst at spotting bodies.

Murray as Imposter: His favorite thing to do is hide in vents and then pop out to kill someone before diving back into the vent. Doesn’t self-report because he knows it looks bad, since he never finds bodies. He excels at double kills with other Imposters because he’s good at reading the in-game “body language.”

Carmelita as Crewmate: Like the detective she is, she is always suss on everyone, and is a new player’s worst nightmare. She has the visual distance of Crewmates and Imposters memorized, and prefers to play with a faster discussion and voting time. She’s usually pretty good at figuring out the Imposters, and typically leads the vote.

Carmelita as Imposter: She knows the game well and uses this to her advantage. She knows how to fake tasks, and will usually follow her fellow Imposter around, either to make a double kill, or to wait until they kill, then report. She also usually self-reports, though if she plans to do this, she makes sure she has a half-decent alibi and is seen as “safe” by other players. However, she dislikes being the only Imposter, as this is when she makes the most mistakes.

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.

Sly Cooper characters as Hamilton lyrics

Sly: “When they died, they left no instructions; just a legacy to protect.”

Carmelita: “So this is what it feels like to match wits with someone at your level! What the hell is the catch?”

Bentley: “Let’s hatch a plot blacker than the kettle calling the pot!”

Murray: “Give me a position, show me where the ammunition is!”

Clockwerk: “Forever. And ever. And ever and ever and ever…”

Penelope: “I’m looking for a mind at work!”

Dimitri: “I came from afar just to say ‘Bonsoir’! Tell the king 'Casse toi’ - who is the best? C'est moi!”

Dr. M: “Your father’s a scoundrel, and so, it seems, are you.”

Tennessee Kid Cooper: “AndI'mnevergonnastopuntilImake'emdropandburn'emupandscattertheremains!”

Neyla: “Why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude may be your doom…”

General Tsao: “I’m a general! Whee!”

Here's what it should have looked like...

It's the prologue in a nutshell.

On top of this, her blueprints for said blimp also get stolen.

Just a meme I made for my Thieves In Time rewrite. It's on DeviantArt.

Sly 4 was a fever dream and didn’t happen.

Thieves In Time Redux: Rewriting Episode 3

Listen to Toad Town - Blue Streamer Removal while reading this.

When it comes to rewriting Thieves In Time, one episode I can't wait to get to is Clan Of The Cave Raccoon.

I get it. Clan Of The Cave Raccoon is nobody's favorite episode. But I believe I know how to fix it.

Many things will stay the same. Our heroes being stranded in prehistory, Carmelita storming off, Bob being the ancestor in need of saving, and The Grizz being our arc villain.

One thing that won't be the same (besides Penelope now being part of the adventure) is how Murray is treated.

I stated earlier that Murray won't be going through much of a character arc in this rewrite.

While that's still true, he will fall into a bit of a depression right after the events of Getting Stronger. Not because of Bob, but because of Penelope.

You see, she's going to be sent out to demonstrate all the things Bob has to do during Getting Stronger. There's just one tiny issue... She's feeling under the weather. Still, she pushes through long enough to get it all done. After the mission is cleared, though... she passes out. Turns out she's not just a little under the weather. She's very sick.

This places our heroine on bed rest for the next several missions as per a very worried Bentley's orders.

It's understandable, then, that Murray would feel partially responsible because Penelope (or Sis as he's been calling her) passed out on his watch.

On Penelope's end, being stuck on bed rest gives her the time she needs to really think about what she's done. I'll briefly go into what leads into her change of heart...

She's seen what her treachery has led to during her journey across time.

She's also seen what her dishonesty could lead to through Sly and Carmelita, especially if she still has the gall to defend herself if she gets found out.

And finally, the boys taking care of her while she's sick ends up being the final push she needs to see the error of her ways.

Oh, and she gets better in time for OP: Jurassic Thievery.

I already spoke about how Sly and Carmelita are doing in this post. They're... worse off than in canon.

Now for the main reason I'm looking forward to this episode... The boss fight.

I've already mentioned the premise in earlier posts: Murray and Penelope team up for a boss fight. Helps that the latter has just gone through her change of heart, and without anybody knowing.

I'm also using the opportunity to follow up on a few things that happened in Episode 2. One of those things is how Bentley has progressed in his character arc.

Last episode, we saw our favorite turtle promise to tone down his overprotectiveness towards Penelope after the events of Jail Break. Before this boss fight starts, we get to see him decide not to interfere. Although maybe letting her (and Murray) fight a giant-ass ice skating bear is a bit much...

Thankfully, his faith in her pays off. But let's go over his thought process throughout that entire scene...

"She can't do this!" "He's going to snap her in half!" "She's doomed!" "Why did I bring her along with us?!"

"No. She can do this." "This amazing woman broke me out of jail and fought off a career pirate!" "She'll be fine." "Why am I doubting her?"

"I promised her." "She deserves my respect." "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still worried, but… I need to let her soar." "Penelope, show that guy exactly why you're our secret weapon. Our Wild Card. And make me proud."

At around the same time, we have our Villain Of The Week, The Grizz, recognize Penelope. She's shaken, but is able to convince Murray not to believe the villain.

(Not looking forward to writing that scene, BTW. Mainly because of a certain bear's dialogue...)

Seeing Sly, Bentley, Carmelita, and Bob watching this, she convinces Murray to let her finish The Grizz off. He agrees. Now cue what may be one of the biggest missed opportunities in the franchise.

I have to say... This Murray/Penelope boss fight might just end up being my favorite of the lot. I've got a basic outline of how I want the fight scene to go, but actually finishing it might take a while... And yes, there will still be ice skating. From both heroes and our villain.

Anyway, the boss fight ends with Penelope finishing The Grizz off, with help from Murray.

Funny how right when Bentley is learning to let go, Penelope is learning to ask for help when she needs it.

The end of this episode has our heroine, after the van gets fixed, get her chance to return home to Paris. Out of a sense of guilt and responsibility, she refuses, wanting (and perhaps needing) to see this through to the very end.

Our five heroes then set off for their next destination, with Penelope now game for anything this wild adventure has to throw at her.

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.

The Matter of Penelope

Penelope: It's amazing that Sly always looks so calm and composed.

Penelope: I wonder how he does it!

Sly, internally: fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck f

Lost Sly 3 scene: Aftermath of the LeFwee battle

===

Here’s yet another “Behind the Scenes” comic.

Bentley and Penelope both come across as MAJORLY socially awkward dorks who don’t have much experience in the romance department. So I can imagine them going a wee bit overboard in the honeymoon phase just after they officially become an item (and annoying the hell out of their team mates in the process).

FUN FACT: My main reason for doing this comic was the desire to put Dimitri’s final line into a story (that part was the first thing I wrote; the rest of the comic was tailored around it). XD