Charlie Brown, the cursed?

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Manofevil
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Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by Manofevil »

Having recently seen the Peanuts movie, it occurred to me today how Charlie Brown's adversity is so very much like a Ravenloft DarkLord's. Charlie Brown literally fails at everything he does no matter how many times he tries. That's 100% failure rate. No outliers. That would require an almost Ravenloft like curse to exist. There are a few rare exceptions but never in any of his regular endeavors like baseball and kite-flying. If we were to break this down, I think Lucy would obviously be his chief tormentor, joined with lesser tormentors like Violet, Frieda, and Patty. (distinct from Peppermint Patty for those who don't know) Peppermint Patty would also feed his torment by being the competitor he always wanted to be but can't. This feeds the chief theme of Charlie Brown's torment: emasculation. It should also be noted that Charlie Brown doesn't just usually fail, but fails spectacularly, if not catastrophically.

Snoopy, I think, would fit into the equation as a recipient for all of Charlie Brown's success. Snoopy usually succeeds and Charlie Brown usually fails. If this were to be found in RavenLoft, it might be implied that the mists are feeding Snoopy's efforts while thwarting Charlie Brown's. The fact that Snoopy is his dog further feeds the theme of emasculation. Some might say that Drakov is Ravenloft's Charlie Brown, but he doesn't fail at EVERYTHING he tries, just what means the most to him.

Charlie Brown's closest friend, Linus, clearly helps lessen the damage but being Lucy's little brother, it's clear why he would cling to something comforting like his blanket. (perhaps a magical talisman?)

I can't imagine what Charlie Brown, or a Ravenloft equivalent, could have down to earn such a curse but maybe somebody here might.
Do us a favor Luv, Stick yer 'ead in a bucket a kick it!

So, gentlemen, that's how it is. Until Grissome.... resurfaces, I'm the acting president, and I say starting with this... anniversary festival, we run this city into the ground! :D
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ewancummins
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by ewancummins »

The Great Pumpkin needs to be a Dread Possibility for this domain.

As for Karl von Braunstein, not sure.

Yes, that is a Castle Braunstein reference. Hats off to Major David Wesely.

A Napoleonic style for the domain might work well. It is Modern, but not industrialized. A little German-like principality with a town, an old castle of dubious military importance, foreign agents and homegrown revolutionaries making trouble.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by ewancummins »

Take all the Peanuts characters and recast them as the children of the town. Or disguise it all by making them adults?
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by thekristhomas »

ewancummins wrote:The Great Pumpkin needs to be a Dread Possibility for this domain.

As for Karl von Braunstein, not sure.

Yes, that is a Castle Braunstein reference. Hats off to Major David Wesely.

A Napoleonic style for the domain might work well. It is Modern, but not industrialized. A little German-like principality with a town, an old castle of dubious military importance, foreign agents and homegrown revolutionaries making trouble.
Damn someone beat me to a Great Pumpkin reference :D
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by The Lesser Evil »

Charlie Brown must've done something REALLY bad to deserve the torment he has going on for him. Hell, Lucy is devious enough to be a darklord on her own terms.
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by Manofevil »

It took me a minute to figure out the Karl von Braunstein thing. That a perfect Ravenloft equivalent name. Good one. Lucy would probably be Lucilla. Linus, Snoopy, Frieda, and Shroeder are probably fine as is. Sally would probably be Salia. Violet would probably be Violette and Patty, Patricia, while Peppermint Patty would probably be Patricia von Pfefferminz and Marcy, Marcia.

After TLE's comment, it occurred to me that perhaps Lucy would be the Darklord along the lines of Baroness Ilsabet of Kislova from the RL novel Baroness of Blood. Perhaps they all live in a very chauvinistic society where all a girl can grow up to be is a nurse, teacher, wife, and/or mother. Lucy sees herself as smarter and more capable than any of the boys around but nobody notices her successes the way they do the boys. She may have fixated on the boy next door and he became the focus of her ill feelings. Perhaps she's not even a Darklord, yet. Perhaps she just failed a few powers checks. Maybe one of the gifts the Mists have given her is an 'Iron Hand' which is why her fist is so feared around the neighborhood when she 'Slugs someone a good one'. shoot, there's all kinds of things we could do with this.
Do us a favor Luv, Stick yer 'ead in a bucket a kick it!

So, gentlemen, that's how it is. Until Grissome.... resurfaces, I'm the acting president, and I say starting with this... anniversary festival, we run this city into the ground! :D
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by ewancummins »

Good times, good times.

Bonus points if Snoopy is any of these :

A dread familiar type creature

Or a hairy kobold! Result of a failed powers check, or just a strange mutation. He has learned to imitate a dog to pass among humans and spy on them.

Obsessed with the Crimson Count, a heroic aristocrat of bygone days who flew into battle on a winged monster

Friends/ allies with some sort of bird. Maybe the hairy kobold has a familiar...
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by Manofevil »

Plus Snoopy really would have a bond of affection with Karl von Braunstein since the former's successes would be fed by the latter's failures. That would be the reason why Snoopy now walks on two legs instead of four and sleeps on top of his doghouse instead of inside it.

Also any visitors to the area would have to talk to the children since they're the only ones who can understand the adults. To any outsiders, the adults sound like 'Wah-wo-wah-wo-waaaah'.
Do us a favor Luv, Stick yer 'ead in a bucket a kick it!

So, gentlemen, that's how it is. Until Grissome.... resurfaces, I'm the acting president, and I say starting with this... anniversary festival, we run this city into the ground! :D
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by ewancummins »

Manofevil wrote:Plus Snoopy really would have a bond of affection with Karl von Braunstein since the former's successes would be fed by the latter's failures. That would be the reason why Snoopy now walks on two legs instead of four and sleeps on top of his doghouse instead of inside it.

Also any visitors to the area would have to talk to the children since they're the only ones who can understand the adults. To any outsiders, the adults sound like 'Wah-wo-wah-wo-waaaah'.
Yesssss!

I like it.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by thekristhomas »

Is a Beagle-were a thing?

Could Snoopy's kennel be an extra-dimensional space? like a kennel shaped bag of holding (might explain why he sleeps on it not in it) it always seems like there's more space/stuff in there than there should be.

Schroeder's Harpsichord of Dancing: this foul artefact casts a variant of Otto's Irresistible Dance which forces all but the player to dance with their heads in the air

One of the local children was cursed by a wandering vistani to always be caked in dirt, the other children now call him Pig-pen

A strange sentient tree lurks at the edge of the village, it has minor telekinetic powers which enable it to bring only very light objects (such as kites) into it's branches clutches, it hopes that this will act as a lure to the children for them to climb up it's trunk where they will be vulnerable to attack. Thus far none have taken the bait and it sustains itself on the trapped kites
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Re: Charlie Brown, the cursed?

Post by Manofevil »

thekristhomas wrote:Is a Beagle-were a thing?
Why not? James Firecat gave us the were-housecat.
thekristhomas wrote: Could Snoopy's kennel be an extra-dimensional space? like a kennel shaped bag of holding (might explain why he sleeps on it not in it) it always seems like there's more space/stuff in there than there should be.
Yeah. That would explain how it always gets rebuilt after the Foul Bobcat next door tears holes in it.
thekristhomas wrote: Schroeder's Harpsichord of Dancing: this foul artefact casts a variant of Otto's Irresistible Dance which forces all but the player to dance with their heads in the air
But he only brings it out at yuletide. Normally he practices on his house harpsichord while Lucila hangs off of it pestering him.
thekristhomas wrote: One of the local children was cursed by a wandering vistani to always be caked in dirt, the other children now call him Pig-pen
He also plays a fine bass fiddle
thekristhomas wrote: A strange sentient tree lurks at the edge of the village, it has minor telekinetic powers which enable it to bring only very light objects (such as kites) into it's branches clutches, it hopes that this will act as a lure to the children for them to climb up it's trunk where they will be vulnerable to attack. Thus far none have taken the bait and it sustains itself on the trapped kites
Much to Karl von Braunstein's grief. This minor treant will also eat other foreign objects as everyone learned when Lucila threw Schroeder's harpsichord into it and Snoopy had a near miss trying to rescue it.
Do us a favor Luv, Stick yer 'ead in a bucket a kick it!

So, gentlemen, that's how it is. Until Grissome.... resurfaces, I'm the acting president, and I say starting with this... anniversary festival, we run this city into the ground! :D
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