Steve

I'm imagining the Cat appearing here and there and giving commentary on the player's choices. Kind of like a neutral version of Flowey? Making the Cat be the tutorial character would be fun as well. Having him be the one to do the obligatory "That, my dear Alice, is your SOUL. The culmination of your very being" seems the most fitting. Of course that means he'd have to appear much sooner in the narrative, but I'm not exactly against that. Alternatively, the Caterpillar could be the tutorial character, which would also be fun.

The more I think about it the more I think this would be better off as an Undertale clone than a Deltarune one, I just prefer the DR battle screen. I'd of course include the kill or spare feature. It'd be an incredibly interesting exercise in writing to explore how the story would change if certain characters were outright removed from it.

Queen of Hearts would be the normal final boss, but I'm torn on the No Mercy boss. One one had, having it be the Cat would be fun, but I'm not sure if that fits his style like with the idea of him as a party member. A wild card option could be the March Hare.

After the SOUL naming sequence concludes, a pair of eyes appears near ALICE atop a cupboard (or something). These eyes are followed by a smile, and then the full body of the CAT fades into view. Alice jumps at the sudden appearance of the feline.

PLAYER: "Where did you come from?" or "Aren't you here early?"

If "Where did you from?" is selected:

ALICE: "Ah! Where on Earth did you come from, kitty?"

CAT: "Somewhere."

If "Aren't you here early?" is selected:

CAT: "Aren't you assuming things? Perhaps now is the right time. If the rabbit is late, then why shouldn't the cat be early?"

PLAYER: "(This feels like a fair point.)"

ALICE: "Excuse me, um..."

The dialogue chain proceeds to here from either of the previous dialogues.

ALICE: "You can talk?"

CAT: "Apparently."

ALICE: "You're a talking cat?"

CAT: "That seems to be the case, yes. I'm glad your eyes and ears are working fine, my dear."

ALICE: "There's no need to be coarse. Meeting a talking cat isn't an everyday occurrence you know."

CAT: "Neither is falling from a great height only to land unscathed."

ALICE: "That is... true, sir. I suppose a talking cat is fairly mundane considering the circumstances."

CAT: "I would be inclined to agree, Alice."

ALICE: "...how do you know my name?"

CAT: "You are your friend, [PLAYER NAME], were having quite the loud discussion regarding which one of you was Alice. Since [PLAYER NAME] is [PLAYER NAME], that must make you Alice."

ALICE: "Ah, that makes sense. So where are we, Cat?"

CAT: "We're somewhere."

ALICE: "I understood that much, sir. Where is somewhere?"

CAT: "Right here."

ALICE: "Is right here called something, sir?"

CAT: "Not that I'm aware of."

ALICE: "Hm. Well, do you know the way to get home? Mother and Father will be terribly worried if I'm not home in time for supper."

CAT: "That depends on where this 'home' place is."

ALICE: "I remember falling for a long while, so I suppose home is above us?"

CAT: "Getting there is going to be a mite difficult, Alice. Can you flap your arms and fly into the sky?"

PLAYER: "(Flap your arms.)" or "(Do not flap.)"

If "(Flap your arms.)" is selected:

PLAYER: "(Alice flaps her arms up and down in an attempt to fly.)"

PLAYER: "(This does not work.)"

ALICE: "No, Mister Cat, I cannot fly."

If "(Do not flap.)" is selected:

ALICE: "I may be quite daft, Mister Cat, but I know a human can't fly."

The dialogue chain proceeds to here from either of the previous dialogues.

CAT: "What a pity. Well, if you cannot fly, then you'll have to take the lift."

ALICE: "Lift you say?"

CAT: "Yes, yes. There's a great lifting machine nestled in the castle of the Queendom of Hearts. Should be able to lift you up and out of here all the way back to this home place you're so eager to return to."

ALICE: "That sounds like exactly what I need! Thank you sir."

Alice curtsys to the Cat then walks toward the left edge of the screen on her own. The Cat remains still and smiling. Before Alice can reach the edge of the screen she walks backwards back to her position from before.

ALICE: "If it isn't too much trouble, Mister Cat, would you perhaps tell me which way leads to this castle?"

CAT: "The Queendom is to the East, Alice. Just keep walking East and you'll wind up there sooner or later."

ALICE: "And East is... which way?"

CAT: "Slacking off in your geography studies, my dear?"

ALICE: "I'll have you know I've recently hit my head quite hard, sir. I don't remember a good number of things, directions included."

CAT: "Fair enough, Alice. East would be to your right."

ALICE: "I see. Thank you very much for your help, sir."

CAT: "Before you leave, Alice, there is something else you may wish to know."

ALICE: "Oh?"

CAT: "I feel it would be best if you understood how things worked here. Do you or your friend know how BATTLEs work?"

ALICE: "I'm afraid I don't get into any battles at all, sir. I try to be a nice girl."

CAT: "Not battles, my dear, BATTLEs."

ALICE: "Oh..."

PLAYER: "Teach me please." or "I know all about battles." If "Teach me please." is selected:

CAT: "It would be my pleasure~"

A battle commences. [Vs. CAT]

As Alice is thrust into a battle screen she looks visible panicked. [Note: I had Catswing playing on a loop as I wrote this part so that may improve the experience of reading it.]

ALICE: "Oh my! What's going on?!"

CAT: "Calm yourself, my dear

ALICE: "I... Alright?"

The battle box appears with the SOUL in the center of it.

CAT: "Do you see that heart? That is your SOUL, the culmination of your very being."

ALICE: "What's it doing in there? Shouldn't it be in my body? I need that to pump my blood, Mister Cat."

CAT: "No, no, Alice. Worry not, your SOUL is merely a heart-shaped-object. Now, if your SOUL is hit by something you will lose some HP. If you run out of HP, you lose the battle."

ALICE: "Hit? Something's going to hit me?"

The Cat looks into the camera, his grin expanding.

CAT: "..."

The Cat's first attack commences.

If the player was not hit:

ALICE: "You're shooting at me?!"

CAT: "It's merely a demonstration, Alice. Better you learn all this here than face it later with someone not as kind as I."

ALICE: "I suppose there's wisdom in that, sir."

CAT: "I'm glad you see. Now then."

The cat tosses a piece of candy to Alice which enters her inventory.

ALICE: "Taffy?"

If the player was hit:

ALICE: "Ouch! That hurt!"

CAT: "I'm so very sorry, my dear."

The Cat tosses a piece of candy to Alice which refills her HP to full.

ALICE: "Mm, taffy! How did some candy make me feel better?"

The dialogue chain proceeds to here from either of the previous dialogues.

CAT: "If you are ever hurt during your adventure, you can restore your HP and heal with ITEMs."

ALICE: "Like medicine?"

CAT: "Just like medicine, Alice. Now, be weary. You can only use ITEMs when it's your turn. Since I just attacks, that means your turn is now."

ALICE: "Quite a lot of choices here..."

CAT: "Let's start with FIGHTing."

Alice: "But I don't like to fight, sir. As I've said, I try to be a nice girl."

CAT: "We all have to do things we'd rather not do from time to time, Alice. Humor me."

ALICE: "I suppose you're right, but you want me to hurt you?"

CAT: "I want you to FIGHT me, Alice. Don't you worry your little head, I'll be just fine."

ALICE: "If you say so, sir."

For this moment the player is only able to FIGHT as each other option is blocked. As the attack lands the Cat turns invisible only to return immediately after. [I considered having dialogue for each possible action that wasn't FIGHTing, but I decided to finish the dialogue before doing too many branches.]

CAT: "Quite the impressive attack, Alice. I almost felt that."

ALICE: "I'm no brute or soldier, but I try not to be helpless."

CAT: "Good. Many of the people here are quite mad, so FIGHTing may be necessary. If you reduce your opponent's HP low enough you will be able to SPARE them."

ALICE: "Is FIGHTing the only way to SPARE people, sir?"

CAT: "No, no, my dear. If you do not wish to FIGHT you will need to ACT. By ACTing you can show your opponents MERCY... even if they don't deserve it."

ALICE: "ACTing seems much more my speed."

CAT: "Once it's your turn again, try to ACT with me."

The Cat's second attack commences.

When Alice's turn starts the player is now meant to ACT as this is the only thing they’re allowed to do. The ACTs are “Check,” “Pspspsps,” and “Present Lap (TP 75%).”

If Check is selected:

PLAYER: "(The Cat - AT: ??? DF: ??? He doesn't seem all the way there.)"

If Pspspsps is selected:

ALICE: "Here, kitty kitty~"

The Cat comes to Alice's side so that she may scratch under his chin.

The battle continues regardless of which ACT is selected.

CAT: "Certain ACTs require TP, which you gain by Grazing.

ALICE: "Grazing? Like a cow?"

CAT: "No, no. You graze by having an attack only nearly miss your SOUL. In other words, you want to get as close as possible to an attack without getting hit."

ALICE: "Like in vingt-et-un?"

CAT: "What's a girl like you playing those sorts of games, Alice?"

PLAYER: "(Alice felt a warmth in her cheeks.)"

CAT: "If you want to think of it like that it is a similar concept. Try it now."

The Cat's third attack commences.

If the player didn't get any TP:

CAT: "Let's try that again, Alice."

The attack would repeat.

If the player got some TP:

CAT: "Excellent grazing. Now, try another ACT."

The “Present Lap” ACT is the only applicable one for this turn. Upon doing it, Alice sits down and the Cat lies down on her lap. The Cat returns to his side of the battle screen before speaking again.

CAT: "If you're struggling to gain TP, you can choose to DEFEND. This will give you some TP and reduce the amount of damage you take on the next attack. Try it now."

For this turn the player can only DEFEND as all other options are blocked.

The Cat's forth attack commences.

ALICE: "This all makes sense so far."

CAT: "Good. At a certain point you may encounter attacks which are either BLUE or ORANGE. If an attack is BLUE, then you will lose HP if it hits you while you are moving. ORANGE attacks are the opposite. If you are hit while standing still then you will lose HP.

ALICE: "So if an attack is WHITE then it will always hurt me. If an attack is BLUE then it will only hurt me if I'm moving. And if an attack is ORANGE then it will only hurt me if I'm NOT moving?

CAT: "You've got it, my dear. Now let's practice."

The Cat's fifth attack commences.

ALICE: "Are there any other colors I should be concerned about?"

CAT: "Two more which are both far less concerning. If an attack is GREEN then it will restore HP instead of lower it."

ALICE: "I'll want to be hit by GREEN attacks?"

CAT: "Yes, yes. GREEN attacks are as good for your health as green foods are. The last color you'll need to know is YELLOW. If your opponent's name turns YELLOW that means you can SPARE them. You can turn your opponent's name YELLOW by either getting their HP low or their MERCY high. Try SPAREing me to end the battle."

The battle concludes.

ALICE:" "That was quite a bit more excitement than I'm used to."

CAT: "You'll be well used to excitement before the day is done, Alice. You and [PLAYER NAME]."

ALICE: "You said earlier that the people in this place are mad; am I in danger?"

CAT: "It wouldn't do to tell you a comforting lie, dear girl, so I will say yes. Much danger? I'm not at liberty to say. More danger than you're used to? Most likely. Well, more danger than Alice is used to. As for [PLAYER NAME] this will be the appropriate amount of danger... Speaking of [PLAYER NAME], I have something very important to tell them, Alice."

ALICE: "Oh, let me give you two some privacy then."

PLAYER: "(Alice covers both of her ears with her hands.)"

CAT: "..."

PLAYER: "(Alice uncovers her ears.)"

ALICE: "You didn't say anything, sir."

CAT: "Your friend needs your ears open to hear me, my dear. Just hear my words without listening to them yourself."

ALICE: "Quite the curious request, but I'll try, sir."

PLAYER: "(Alice attempts to hear without listening.)"

CAT: “How the story goes depends on what you choose to have Alice do, so don’t be surprised if you find that her actions lead to things you weren’t expecting.”

ALICE: "Huh, that didn't sound like anything."

CAT: "Splendid, Alice. You're quite the polite and courteous girl."

ALICE: "I try to be nice, sir. Now, you said the castle is to the east, right?

CAT: “That’s correct, Alice. To the East. But one final thing before you go, and this is more for your friend again.”

ALICE: “Do I need to not listen again?”

CAT: “No, no. Should you ever need to SAVE, come seek me out. If you ever lose a battle or you just wish to leave and come back, I’ll bring you back to the last place you SAVEd.”

ALICE: “I’m not sure I understand what you mean, sir, but if [PLAYER NAME] does then I suppose I’ll just trust them.”

CAT: "Quite. Good luck, Alice. I look forward to seeing how this adventure turns out~"

The Cat disappears, leaving his smile behind. After a laugh the smile fades away with him.

ALICE: "What a curious creature. What do you think of him?"

PLAYER: "Seems trustworthy." or "Seems suspicious."

If "Seems trustworthy." is selected:

ALICE: “I agree. I’ve yet to meet a cat who isn’t kind… Well besides Dinah and only when I haven’t fed her.”

If “Seems suspicious” is selected:

ALICE: “I’m not sure if I agree, but you seem the wiser of the two of us. I’ll trust your judgement.”

[Back to the original dialogue choice from prior to the battle starting].

If "I know all about BATTLEs." is selected:

CAT: "Ah, an experienced SOUL, are you? Well, do you know about BLUE and ORANGE attacks?"

PLAYER: "What are those?" or "Blue stop signs, orange not stop signs."

If "What are those?" is selected

CAT: "It would be easier to show you."

A alternate tutorial battle only to explain colored attacks commence.

If "Blue stop signs, orange not stop signs." is selected:

CAT: "Oh? What a splendid thing to hear. You're to fair just fine here. You and Alice.

ALICE: "Should I have understood any of that?"

CAT: "No, no, my dear. Just let your friend handle all that."

ALICE: "Makes sense to me, thank you sir. Now, you said the castle is to the east, right?"

Another idea was this hypothetical game's version of the Forgotten Man: it's Winnie the Pooh.

* (Well, there is a bear here.)

Instead of an egg, he gives you an empty pot. One that is not too important but not too unimportant either. This pot would take an inventory slot and you'd need to carry it all the way to the end of the game. Somewhere in the Queen of Heart's castle you'd find a tree with a beehive which you could use the pot on. This would give you the honey pot. If you then go all the way back to where the bear behind the tree was, you can give him the pot. Shortly after you'd receive a gift: the "sticky red shirt." It'd have a similar effect to the stained apron in Undertale, except it would heal HP on every single turn instead.

If you did this side quest and you're on a pacifist run, you could go through Wonderland a final time before leaving. If you return to the tree you'd finally see the yellow bear in full, now seated in front of the tree.

* (Well, there is still a bear here.)

* (He seems to enjoy doing nothing.)

* [Alice] "You do a whole lot of nothing, sir."

* [Pooh] "Well, they say nothing is impossible."

* [Alice] "But you're doing nothing right now."

* [Pooh] "I know! Isn't that something."

* [Alice] "Oh, sir, you are just a silly old bear, aren't you?"

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Original Work Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Original Characters, Original Female Character(s), Original Human Character(s), Original Non-Human Character(s), Original Elf Character(s), Original Kobold Character(s) (Dungeons & Dragons) Additional Tags: Fantasy, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Kobolds (Dungeons & Dragons), Swords & Sorcery, Magic, Swords, Side Quests, Original Fiction, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Universe Series: Part 1 of Tales of Tythinia Summary:

I feel like she would be so bad at doing a ponytail and it will untangle every time and she would have a whole meltdown over it lmao

(I have no motivation to draw anything 🫶)

that game is hard carried by visuals. Art Deco fucks so severely.

Bioshock 2 is good because it is based on bioshock 1 and is made by much better led team. Which is why Ken Levine hates it.