[OOC/AU] Critter-specific Roleplay

[skinstealer]

so some interest has been piqued (mainly by me (thresh) and pichi) for a critter-based RP with a sort of warrior cats feel, akin to what rin was originally going for with alias' intention for the "open species"...and pichi brought up the idea of making an AU timeline where critters are actually real, and exist in their own little world!

here's where we can discuss ideas for the roleplay, figure out a setting, etc. i'll probably add some discussion questions to this thread later, but it's almost 2 AM currently and i mostly just want to open up the floor to know what people want out of something like this, what would be cute/fun, what would allow for fun character dynamics and DRAMA etc

[skinstealer]

ok late night notes before i go to bed
-possible PMD-style "the creatures have their own little civilization" but more modern to match with the fact that some of these critters are based more on stuff like phones/etc?
-idk that was pretty much it, will add more if i think of any

[Pichi2214]

i dont have a whole lot to add except i am very excited about the possibilities for this and looking forward to rping my little guys

PMD esque little town sounds fun also! we could probably start by trying to figure out some main places that would be important to have and maybe figure out if anyone wants to rp a critter specifically for those or if we should have something like npcs that anyone can just rp when relevant

[knux400]

Oooh I'd love this! I've been wanting to get into critters for a bit but haven't had the time to learn petz, so this is perfect tbh

[skinstealer]

okay rin here and ready to Discuss

i suggest we start with a little city or town setting, nothing big- would a more populated or a smaller setting work best for starting out, do you think?

and similar to PMD, it could be fun to figure out Things That Critters Do to get some direction on how characters can be structured- like how PMD has explorers, rescue teams, shop owners, etc

[Pichi2214]

i already have Thoughts:tm: on shop owners so like, i would love to figure out something for that so i can put my little guys in a shop and do things

the question is what do critters Do, like do we go full pmd style and they go out exploring weird areas or is there some kinda other thing?

[skinstealer]

im mainly just using PMD as an example of "world where little animal guys are building houses and stuff" so maybe it would be best if we made a list or something of possibilities

also, i just want to say from the getgo that these things are capable of doing whatever the fuck even if they dont have distinct fingers because most of them have blob hands. they are cartoons and they can do whatever (unless you think itd be cool to do a specific disability narrative for your character etc)

[Pichi2214]

oh yea i assumed as much re hands

also a list of things would be good its just that i have No idea what they could do

[skinstealer]

well, let's break down from our inspirations and some basics to start

-explorers (what is there to explore? is the world dangerous?)
-doctors/healers (every setting could use these, but we need to figure out what critter anatomy even is)
-...what the fuck is critter government/leadership like
-shopowners
-artists
-teachers (do critters have children? do they just spawn in like TCPs? how the fuck does that work, im leaning towards the second option due to this originally being a TCP-made property)
-engineers/designers of products and tools and machinery etc
-scientists
-bakers/chefs

[Pichi2214]

oohhh right, i didnt think about professions that makes sense

since we're going for more modern warrior cats probably doesnt particularly apply re how critter society is structured??
though i do feel like its more like smaller groups/villages with like a leader or probably even varying levels of who controls what vs big overarching government, so i guess modernized warrior cats could still be an inspo in a way....

and considering both pmd and warrior cats are the big inspo here, exploring is definitely part of critter life to gather resources at the very least. we do need to determine the danger level of the world


also important question would be: is there magic? or like something similar

[skinstealer]

id say there's magic, probably in the vein of TCPs of it varying by critter species (even if these guys are "real" now in this AU, i still like the idea of them pulling inspiration from how alias would have wanted them to work/how they would work as something designed from a TCP lens, because it's fun and gives them a bit more unique spice)

it'd be fun to do some settlements with an anarchist-y lean in that case where stuff is more community driven vs having a government, so you have people who are specialized in some things but theyre not any more important than someone else doing a different task? i feel like a lot of morbitian TCP settlements are similar, so again, could work out that way

i would say a little danger is good, but maybe not As dangerous as say, toy worldbuild. not sure if we want monsters/enemies or not or if we'd rather go PMD-ish and have other critters be the main threats. monsters would also be more to design Which I Am Fine With but i would probably want the majority of those to be community funded etc because i have a lot to do and wattplants is also now a new design thing on my plate

[Pichi2214]

oh entirely fair re monster design
i feel like the world does need Some wildlife though ..actually what do critters eat? would they hunt like in or would they forage for like berries n stuff (maybe some settlements have figured/are trying to figure out farming?) i guess it probably depends on the critter species, if they eat all

also! if critters spawn randomly then exploring would also be to like go out and check the area if new people appeared to make sure they're safe so that would also be like.. a source of conflict/interest (and an easy way to introduce new characters)

[skinstealer]

yeah id be willing to do some basic wildlife stuff at least to start, maybe two prey animals and a monster/predator of some kind? i think making it kind of warriors-scale of like, critters being midtier in the food chain would be most interesting, even if we're grounding it more than say, toy worldbuild (no spoilers for what those things are up to though! just trust me)

farming would be good, gathering wild plants would also be good, i think we can have both. if it's more modern then there'd definitely be farms, though. hmm...maybe one prey animal for hunting, one livestock animal for farming, and one predator. i think that's a good range.

also agreed on the random spawning, let's do that then.

[Pichi2214]

also re wildlife creatures/livestock we Can just figure out some basic stuff about them, there doesnt need to be like full designs probably for like a while
for rp purposes it would probably be enough to say the prey animal is for example a small rodent like creature (doesnt have to be a mouse in this world, just first thing that came to mind) and define a little bit about their lifestyle

also people Could just go wild with monster design (as long as the threat level stays within the limits) whenever relevant to the rp, im sure people will think of fun stuff

[skinstealer]

ye im cool with fan designs and such for stuff like that, just gotta figure out limitations

let us say for Simplicity's Sake

hunting: some kind of simple rodent or something small in general (thinking about como's skritters...)
farming: something big and gentle like a cow
predator: something big and hunts in packs like a wolf

this feels kind of forest-y so we could probably start with a town by one- though i want to make a forest Weird if we do one, just to avoid bog standard situations

[Pichi2214]

yee that sounds about right for wildlife :o

also funky forest sounds good, if theres some kinda magic that would probably add to it
so the starting area would be a small town in a ~weird forest~?

also... do you think critters have money? considering theres a whole bunch of professions and we defined shopkeeper as a potential thing

[skinstealer]

hmmm...trading would be better than money, i think. no money but instead they trade goods/services or even just some degree of trust, like "i know you'll help me out if i help you out" in the case of people who don't have things at the ready or the capability to help with physical acts/etc. i feel like something a little more idealistic than our usual worldbuilding fare would be nice, at least for the starting town.

and yeah, ~weird forest~ it is. gotta think of In What Way, but it'd be cute and fun, i think.

[Pichi2214]

yeee thats fair!
probably a deal of like "as long as there's resources anyone can request them if they need them, but trading would be appreciated" for the starting town, basically as long as you're not an asshole you can use the services (and even then if its like, life important stuff im assuming people would still begrudingly help out) so people struggling with disability mental or physical, or people who just Lack things to trade at the given moment can still get stuff

[skinstealer]

yeah! and that could also cause interesting antagonists to pop up still in that im sure some people Would oppose that system...feel like someone in the system is already appealed to that, just from a fun "villain" standpoint

though also i think we want to do some kind of cartoony/more redeemable villain (or even a villain team...?) a la PMD stuff or like, team rocket or something

that's more just character rambling but i think that's fun too, this can just be an OOC thread for anything like that

[Pichi2214]

yee id love to hear more about your character ideas honestly! doesnt hurt to toss them in here and brainstorm (i mean i also kinda want to ramble about my character ideas So. i am encouraging this)

a cartoony villain team or something of the sort Would be fun also, i agree

[skinstealer]

on that note, i have whipped up a quick grandma generated character for myself...hazydaze is a fave of mine and i think this is a cute color palette for xem. not sure of personality yet, but xey're here and ready to party.


maybe this guy for the silly villain? sal is Vibing and i like the mix of "scary critter" and "absolutely clownshoes palette"

[Pichi2214]

GOSH i like that


this was the first one i recolored, was kinda thinking of them in the PMD-esque bank role, but without money im not sure what they'd do, ill figure something out though. likes to organize n hoard things


these two are just based on what kinda critters two of my ttrpg characters would have but shh no one can stop me
they'd probably be girlfriends and have like, a lil tavern or some other cozy space for people to meet and hang out in, probably less tavern esque and more just cozy safe space to chill in

[skinstealer]

oh i love the idea of a bigeye collector, that really works to me

tavern lesbiabs...very good

i think having a gathering place like that would be really solid and a good gathering place, especially before/after people go out and do things

[Pichi2214]

:D!! yee something about bigeye just has the Vibe

also yep!! i was thinkin some place to hang out in would probably be helpful


also not really a relevant question but i need to know: do tipsyturvy follow the courier rules and can shoop into their tiny shell despite not looking like they should be able fit in there? i Really want them to be able to cause thatd be neat

[skinstealer]

oh yeah tipsyturvy totally do, i think that'd be adorable

...also thresh is saying he wants one for this so i have to give him this. sandbar wants the sandcastle guy I Have Not Memorized My Own Critter Names

the idea of the beachy ones just coming to the forest settlement because they want the company of a bigger town would be cute, though sandbar says his guy has a sandbox in his house for a bed, which is very cute

...what would housing look like, actually? i'm thinking about original PMD houses being super fucking cute and themed rn

[Pichi2214]

yessssss both to houses and shell
want to make a tipsyturvy sona so the shell shwoop was critical knowledge




like this is kind of just what i was thinkin all this time

[skinstealer]

yeah exactly what im talking about, really shaped houses with cozy themed features and maybe a bit of fantastical whimsy to them

my hazydaze probably has like, a cloudlike house that's made of quilted plush or something like that...

[AceOfNothing]

Popping in but I really love the idea of this. I'll talk more later when I'm not out and about.

Excited to explore ideas a bit more soon. Right now I have the elephant, but I have a couple in the works.
I'd probably put the elephant in like... either a teapot house or a house shaped like a peanut. It's basic but fight me. Imagine it's like... the front room you enter is super clean, but you step into a second room and are bombarded with just... so much stuff. "I'm redecorating, can't decide what vibe I'm going with"
Really need to name them ah

[skinstealer]

i think that a swellophant (is that what i named them? literally cannot remember and too lazy to check) having a lot of clutter super fits their vibes, and for some reason im picturing like...a lot of knitting and doilies saved. is that too cliche for a teapot? maybe, but it could be cute????

my hazydaze is an explorer i think, both because it's kind of a departure from my usual artist protagonists and because xe would kind of be a "demonstration character" in some respects? i dont want to limit myself to Generic Adventurer but until we get going super hard on this i think i want my first character to be one that can drive adventures and get stuff going

[Pichi2214]

ooohh right i need to look at my pile again for adventurers.....
i kind of want to make a skateboard adventurer, it would be very silly but Also i feel like that kind of works for their vibes?? would also be good for carrying stuff back (im just assuming that even though they have wheels they can traverse most areas fine, similar logic to the blob hands)

[skinstealer]

just do a kickflip off of a log it's fine

[Pichi2214]

its fine! nothing could go wrong

[AceOfNothing]

See I was thinking that too? I think being a bit cliche is fine personally. I don't... think I have any characters that are like, super into knitting? So making my Swellophant a knitting critter would be fun.
I think they'd be like... occasionally goes exploring but is more likely to be someone you're looking for, or who gives you quests like "I really need spider silk for the project, but it has to be from this deadly forest during a rainy day"

*I have a good couple more coming so I figured giving a few an npc role is fine*

[Ignispark]

this looks! very cool. kinda tempted to think up a tinystep cartoon villain because i imagine like, a really silly getup and trying very hard to 'write its name into infamy' while doing, ...not much of any actual harm seems fun

[skinstealer]

oh yeah go nuts giving your characters whatever roles! these guys are easy to whip up, so making some NPCs/minor characters shouldn't be too much trouble at all.

[skinstealer]

this looks! very cool. kinda tempted to think up a tinystep cartoon villain because i imagine like, a really silly getup and trying very hard to 'write its name into infamy' while doing, ...not much of any actual harm seems fun

also we will definitely encourage more silly antagonists

[skinstealer]

sorry for TRIPLE POST but i think we should have friend-area like stuff based on the fact that we are all going apeshit for it in the discord. we need a (probably still grounded or on a cliff?) sky palace for hazydaze

[AceOfNothing]

Can I suggest like

"Friend area" Is supposed to be where the species comes from kinda? Like "You can find random Swellophant here and befriend them, or get tasks from them"

[skinstealer]

yeah that works! housing can be wherever but there's a native area for each little critter species

we will have to brainstorm......................

[Ignispark]

concept: friend areas as mysterious (friendship filled) magical subspaces or like, weird lil corners could be fun [potentially alongside finding random new friends there, because. its a magical friendship zone]

,,,potential for bridging points in space or other weirdness on occasion too

[Pichi2214]

hmm if we do have friend areas as "space where they come from" that Would take away from "critters spawn randomly so we gotta check routinely if someone appeared

[AceOfNothing]

Not necessarily if they're like... general areas. Like multiple pets can appear.

[AceOfNothing]

Linking this to help me find it faster https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/Thread-SHOWOFF-critter-corner

So ideas for possible areas anyone?
I am high key biased and think we need a beach area for like... purrsicle, and noodlefish, and wishtank... ye
Maybe an area that looks like a desk? Like a giant open notebook, and scissors, and pencils, for artsy critters and supplies (Think like Rongdrone and Inktrail)

[skinstealer]

beach area for sure, 100%
desk area would be really cute, we'd definitely need to make things magical in that case then

little magic pockets where multiple critters can appear...could also be that they show up rogue in the wild as well and those generally need more help adjusting because they're spawning into dangerous situations

[AceOfNothing]

Think it would be interesting if the characters that pop up in the wild are a bit harder to befriend. Like, they might agree to help you or go back to town with you, but they they need a bit more persuasion to be friendly.
Might take them a few days for them to have a full conversation with you, and they might be a bit easier to upset too.

[AceOfNothing]

Double post, other area ideas
Candy/Sweets themed (Think cupcake wrapper pet)
Spooky area (think ghost dog)
City or racing area (Skateboard)

[skinstealer]

hmmmm actually that gives me an idea

perhaps...if you introduce a critter popping up in the wild to befriend, it could sort of be like the gauntlet where people have the chance to ally with them and use them as their own character? itd be optional of course, you could still just introduce a character you want to play, but it could be a fun way to incorporate people getting new critters on our end..

[Pichi2214]

Oh yea, if people wanna do group exploring, or even just someone wants to DM a situation in which a new critter appears and then offer that one up for whoever wants it if they feel they've been successfully befriended would be fun

[AceOfNothing]

I love the idea of earning a friend honestly
Would exploration groups have like names? Would they be like actual teams, or do you all think it'd be more "whoever is here now and wants to join"

[Pichi2214]

im guessing it differs group to group/town to town
some places probably have like an explorer guild where people pair up however is convenient and some place maybe just has a few dedicated teams who work on their own and have team names n stuff