Happy New Years

I want to believe Penelope was kidnapped and impersonated. She still designed the blimp. Her impostor (an evil robot) did everything else. Even her motive was fabricated.

Here's something that could happen in Sly 5.

When the boys (Sly, Bentley, and Murray) eventually find out and take her back, she's going to be a guilt-ridden mess hell-bent on destroying her impostor and her creator for breaking Bentley's heart and making everyone hate her, with several measures of self-loathing for nearly doing the same thing herself.

The reunion scene would need to happen early in the episode in which this story takes place, during the second mission, and no later. That way, the player can get used to her being fully playable for the first time ever before the boss fight.

All three boys, while elated to have Penelope back, will quickly notice that something is seriously wrong with her. They think her impostor did everything, including designing the blimp. When they ask her what's wrong, she refuses to elaborate.

Bentley is especially concerned, but incredibly proud of his reinstated girlfriend for her enduring loyalty.

Cue Penelope pulling her weight several times over during her return episode and defeating her impostor, only to be consumed by all the guilt and confess to none other than Bentley about her treachery by the end. The only thing she doesn't reveal is her motive, saying it doesn't matter because what she did was wrong.

And because I love a good, happy ending, she will be forgiven. She's already spent the entire episode proving herself in spades. As for Sly and Murray's reactions? I'll leave that for you to decide. Would Sly drive himself crazy over not knowing her motive? I think he might.

I realize she will need a very sympathetic motive for this idea to work.

yea

Thieves In Time Redux has a lot of firsts. For example, I've never seen other rewrites...

…have Penelope be responsible for the story happening while joining the boys for the adventure from the beginning.

...have Sly feel bad about not only faking amnesia, but ditching his friends on Kaine Island.

...have Murray only refer to Penelope as "Sis".

…have Penelope participate in Jail Break with Carmelita and Tennessee.

…have the boys be confined separately during Jail Break.

…have someone (Penelope) get sick during the story.

…have Penelope participate in The Grizz's boss fight.

…make one of the heroes (Penelope) deal with an evil impostor.

…have Sly give up on his future with Carmelita.

…have the boys discover Penelope's involvement in Le Paradox's scheme during Episode 5, later than in canon.

…have Penelope start (and end) the final boss fight with Le Paradox.

…have the entire gang fight Le Paradox together.

Some Tips for writing internal conflict

Wanting Two Things at Once Imagine your character really wants to chase after something big, like a dream school, a major opportunity, or maybe even moving to a new city. But at the same time, they’re terrified of leaving behind everything they’ve ever known. Or maybe they’re in a relationship that’s holding them back, but they can’t bring themselves to let go. Show them getting pulled in two directions, torn between their ambition and their fear of losing the people or places that ground them.

Right vs. Wrong Sometimes, your character will know deep down what the right choice is, but it’s the most difficult one to make. Like, maybe they see someone getting bullied and know they should stand up, but doing so could make them a target. Or maybe they have to decide between helping a friend and doing something that could ruin their own future. These moral dilemmas create intense internal conflict because it forces them to question who they are and what they stand for.

Doubting Themselves We all have moments where we wonder if we’re enough, smart enough, strong enough, brave enough. Let your character wrestle with that same doubt. Maybe they’re the kid who has always been told they’re special, but now they’re in a place where everyone is just as good, and they start to wonder if they even belong. Or maybe they’ve been through something tough, and they’re not sure if they can bounce back. These moments of insecurity make your character feel human, like they’re trying to figure it all out, just like everyone else.

Dreams vs. Fears Show your character dreaming big but getting frozen by their own fears. It’s like wanting to ask someone out but being terrified of rejection, or wanting to move away for college but being scared to leave home. Let them imagine all the things that could go wrong , that moment when fear makes them doubt if they should even try. But also show their desire burning just as strong, making it impossible to ignore. That’s the heart of internal conflict: they’re stuck between wanting something so bad and being afraid of what it’ll cost to go after it.

Beliefs Being Challenged As your character grows, the world will start challenging their beliefs. Maybe they grew up in a family that drilled certain values into them, and now they’re meeting people who see things differently. Or maybe they’re experiencing something new, and it’s changing their perspective. It’s like when you think you have everything figured out, and then life throws something at you that makes you go, "Wait, maybe I’ve been wrong this whole time." This kind of internal conflict is powerful because it forces the character to question who they’ve always been.

Keeping Secrets If your character is hiding something, like a mistake they made, feelings they’re afraid to admit, or a truth they don’t want to face, that secret becomes a huge part of their internal conflict. The fear of being found out or of dealing with the consequences can create a constant pressure in their mind. Maybe they’re scared they’ll lose their friends if the truth comes out, or maybe they’re dealing with guilt they can’t shake. The tension comes from their battle to keep it hidden while knowing they can’t keep it locked away forever.

Pressure from Everyone Your character might feel like they’re trapped between what they want for themselves and what everyone else wants from them. It could be pressure from parents, who have their whole future planned out, or pressure from friends to fit in or follow the crowd. Maybe your character wants to be true to themselves, but they’re scared of disappointing people or standing out too much. This kind of internal conflict is super relatable because, at some point, everyone feels like they’re stuck between living for themselves and living for others.

Fear of Failing Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t the external challenge but the internal fear of failure. Your character might have big dreams, but they’re paralyzed by the thought of messing up. Whether it’s competing in a sport, performing on stage, or just trying something new, the fear of not being good enough can be overwhelming. Maybe they’re afraid that if they fail, everyone will see them differently, or worse, that they’ll see themselves differently. The internal conflict comes from their desire to succeed battling against their crippling fear of failure.

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.

Writing, at its core, is about stepping into someone else’s shoes. It’s not just about creating characters who are like you, it’s about understanding characters who are nothing like you. Writing forces you to ask, “Why does this person act this way?” “What are they afraid of?” “What do they want?” You have to feel what your characters are feeling, even if you don’t agree with them. That’s how you create characters who are complex, layered, and real.

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*)

Penelope has cured my artblock ✨✨✨

let’s discuss the implications and the importance of Penelope’s introduction through the Black Baron and what it meant for her character development moving on, but without any formalities like post structure, intro, etc. because i have to read 6 Shakespeare plays by the beginning of term.

Flight of Fancy’s premise is that Bentley is looking for an RC specialist to help with the Cooper Vault heist and while searching for one, stumbles upon the supposed love of his life. the title itself literally embodies everything that happens in this episode: unrealistic ideas that couldn’t possibly work, but kudos for the great imagination !?!?? i mean if we strip the episode’s main points of any narration, it sounds like a fever dream. Muggshot returns and gets into an insult competition with Bentley, the big heist involves catapulting spinning windmills onto blimps, Sly survives too many aerial dogfights as an amateur. in the middle of all this, Bentley’s desire to get with Penelope, and Penelope thinking her Black Baron charade wouldn’t end are also two major unrealistic notions.

i’m seriously beating myself up trying to think if there’s an obscure element of homoeroticism at play here or if i’m being annoying (or both. i mean, probably). because absolutely no one suspected Penelope of being the Black Baron, which meant she played the part to a T, if it was even truly just a role (my opinion is that, as much as i hate TiT, Penelope most definitely has inner demons and villain potential, and the way all this is just swept under the rug at the end of the episode is so bizarre). so if Penelope’s masculinity - and masculinity is putting it lightly; sis really channeled her best Tom of Finland, butch queen, ultra-hetero taxidermy porn or some shit idk i don’t understand straighties - came out during the episode and Bentley was still persistent on wanting to bone after the big reveal, then ???? quite honestly, if this game came out today i’d just settle for gender is a social construct, but it didn’t so i’m genuinely curious as to finding out if Bentley is in touch with his femininity and if that was brought on by being a nerd and not an incel. we know SP wanted to make Murray bisexual originally, although we have to idea on what the taste level was gonna be on that (especially in 2002). i’m ending this point by saying that, when it comes to Bentley’s character development in regards to Penelope’s disguise, it defo lead to possibilities and ideas regarding his sexuality, his perception of gender and how in touch with his femininity he is. also, Penelope has a great British accent, we love to see it xx

i keep a cerebral log of my best moments from this hellsite, so let me quote myself: i think i put it best when i described Penelope as ‘a meek woman hiding behind a man’s disguise’ and what that meant. i always talk about how the sLy-VeRsE emulates life, from vices to corruption, from pollution to the treatment of feral animals. part of that includes gender politics and how women are mistreated. Carmelita, despite bringing in countless baddies (literally even a fucking evil mask), always gets shit from Barkley, for example. Penelope is no exception. for her to put her plans into motion she couldn’t do so as a woman, she had to dawn the disguise of the Black Baron. as a man, she is feared by everyone, even Dimitri, and has created an empire, living in a fucking castle lair. can we say girlboss ? i’d like to think that Sly beating her bossfight isn’t the only reason behind her dropping her guise. she is simply forced to overcome a horrible coping mechanism used to appease society. she got way too comfortable doing something which wasn’t right but it was ok. despite what i said about her having inner demons (who doesn’t?), she was never a villain. she was actually a victim of how the world works, so… yeah. that’s basically it.

although A Cold Alliance spotlighted Penelope’s chemistry with the rest of the gang in such a charming way, it wasn’t until Dead Men Tell No Tales that we really got to see her character post Black Baron. and i think for the most part, this was truly a mixed bag. we reach the climax of Penelope being pigeonholed into an unhealthy love triangle between Sly and Bentley (which i’m pretty sure Sly was 100% unaware about). as a baby playing this episode, girl i was living for the drama (Bentley shading Sly about ASCII *audible gasp, hand on chest*). in retrospect though, i couldn’t care less. i think Penelope wouldn’t care for either of them, whatever her sexual orientation is. however, i think it’s only natural she would pick Sly over Bentley. lil mama brawled with Sly on a fucking plane wing mid-flight. anyway, her being kidnapped by LeFwee didn’t quite make sense in my opinion. i mean, i’ve never been taken hostage on a desolate island inhabited by a clan of pirates and prehistoric lizards, but i’m pretty sure she could kick LeFwee’s sexist ass? let’s say the gang truly didn’t have a choice and this was worst case scenario, why did Penelope have to be the hostage again? wasn’t she just taken hostage by Tsao’s dragon? why couldn’t Bentley be kidnapped? LeFwee had beef with him over their competition of intellect, so why not take him instead? SP made progress with Penelope overcoming the Black Baron persona, why not switch the stereotypical gender roles here and have Penelope rescue Bentley, which would result in the same outcome of them getting together? i can’t be that mad at this because in the end she’s the one who fights LeFwee, bringing about the gender role swap i’ve just mentioned. and that’s fascinating. like, it makes sense for her to be able to handle a sword because she lived in a fucking castle for fuck’s sake. and the bossfight ends in one of the most brutal ways in the series, Penelope throwing LeFwee’s chauvinist ass to the sharks. i truly like this ending to the love triangle because it depicted a relationship based on a foundation of equality, equal forces. no one is being disrespected (by each other, not the SP writers unfortunately). and it’s interesting to consider that Penelope went from being a “villain” to accompanying Bentley in creating a new beginning for the Cooper legacy and lineage.

so yeah, to skip the formalities, Penelope is fucking awesome.

Let me spell out the first act of this episode. This would consist of the first two missions.

Our three heroes tail a certain "mouse" to a place called Conquest Island. They find out she's found a new boss: Sir Raleigh, who escaped from prison a while ago. The boys don't know what their plan is, but they're going to stop it.

It's Bentley who tails this "mouse" into Raleigh's fortress, only to make a shocking discovery. He's been following a robot this entire time!

Raleigh, thinking he's already won, brings out the real Penelope to gloat to her. Turns out she's been kidnapped and impersonated.

And that impostor? Turns out it was her our heroes fought back in Medieval England. It was her who broke up with Bentley. And her who built that blimp for Le Paradox. The real Penelope is innocent.

It also turns out Raleigh has an entire Robo-Cooper Gang at the ready, and he's hoping to have everyone eventually kidnapped and turned against each other.

The villainous frog basically goes "Your name's been thoroughly ruined! Those friends of yours hate you! Why not work for me?"

Only to be told to stuff it. The real Penelope says she only wants to work for one person; that being Sly Cooper. She also hasn't forgiven her impostor for breaking Bentley's heart. She says these things knowing full well she might never be allowed back in the Cooper Gang.

Bentley, who witnessed this entire scene, orders an immediate rescue mission. When the boys find her, Penelope is terrified (thinking they're here to kill her), but she does agree to go with them after a tearful reunion.

After having Penelope reinstated, our heroes swear revenge against Raleigh for what he did to her. Bentley also takes her back.

Penelope has her life back, but... something is seriously wrong with her. And she's not talking about it.

Second act coming soon.

I want to believe Penelope was kidnapped and impersonated. She still designed the blimp. Her impostor (an evil robot) did everything else. Even her motive was fabricated.

Here's something that could happen in Sly 5.

When the boys (Sly, Bentley, and Murray) eventually find out and take her back, she's going to be a guilt-ridden mess hell-bent on destroying her impostor and her creator for breaking Bentley's heart and making everyone hate her, with several measures of self-loathing for nearly doing the same thing herself.

The reunion scene would need to happen early in the episode in which this story takes place, during the second mission, and no later. That way, the player can get used to her being fully playable for the first time ever before the boss fight.

All three boys, while elated to have Penelope back, will quickly notice that something is seriously wrong with her. They think her impostor did everything, including designing the blimp. When they ask her what's wrong, she refuses to elaborate.

Bentley is especially concerned, but incredibly proud of his reinstated girlfriend for her enduring loyalty.

Cue Penelope pulling her weight several times over during her return episode and defeating her impostor, only to be consumed by all the guilt and confess to none other than Bentley about her treachery by the end. The only thing she doesn't reveal is her motive, saying it doesn't matter because what she did was wrong.

And because I love a good, happy ending, she will be forgiven. She's already spent the entire episode proving herself in spades. As for Sly and Murray's reactions? I'll leave that for you to decide. Would Sly drive himself crazy over not knowing her motive? I think he might.

I realize she will need a very sympathetic motive for this idea to work.