As a Player, you’ll be taking control of your very own Cartoon Character, a being that originates from the town of Pencilvania. But what does this entail, exactly? What does it mean to be a Cartoon? Here, you’ll find more general details on what playing a Character in That’s All Folks! implies, and what you should expect your Character to be engaging with throughout the time they have left on screen.
Firstly, we should properly articulate what your Character’s existence means to the game at large. Your Character is ultimately a construct, one that has been developed over painstaking hours of effort by the Writers, and given life by the Animators and Voice Actors. That said, they and their world are fully real to them! Perhaps it is true that their actions are predetermined by the Writers' scripts; but from their perspective, at least, they are fully in control of what they do. What would it matter even if their lives were written in scripts?
The Character's awareness of these larger forces at play, alongside the presence of the Audience who views them, is largely on the basis of whether the humour in a given situation could be enhanced based on an acknowledgement of their existence. In short: if stating their existence would be funny, it works!
For the most part, Characters will find their day-to-day lives jam-packed with drama. Why spend time contemplating your purpose in the face of larger cosmic devices when a crocodile has just sprung out of your sink? Oh, and the Loan Sharks might be soon to follow, given the fact that your repayment due date for your dynamite coupon has expired… Essentially, the life of any given Character is defined, first and foremost, by immediacy; the events that spring up within their environment might be zany and unpredictable (and they might not even be what your Character wants). Your Character will frequently be thrust into absurd circumstances, usually beyond their control… especially if their desires tend to conflict with those of other Characters.
Speaking of desires, no Character would be complete without them, whether it is to rule the pretzel or perhaps just the desire to be left alone (Trust me, you’re not the only one!). This is their final chance to achieve or indulge them. The way in which they approach these rapidly fleeting moments, however, should ultimately leave them feeling content and satisfied, regardless of the eventual outcome. Of course, satisfaction is entirely relative: a Character who seeks failure might feel content and satisfied with the catastrophic outcome of their final downfall. In this way, the role which a Character fulfills within Pencilvania (given the Writers’ intentions/your intentions as a Player) will inform their wants quite heavily.
The way in which your Character interacts with the world on a physical basis, as deemed by any Mechanics they might possess, will also inform the avenues through which they approach their desires. Indeed, the structure and physics of the world itself can differ radically depending on who's asking! A tunnel painted into the side of a wall might be capable of being physically traversed, or the natural processes of gravity might falter as a result of a Character’s fear or anxiety. Regardless, these surprising and delightful elements can be utilized to achieve quite startling results. The world is their canvas… possibly quite literally.
A Character’s innate condition within Pencilvania as an impermanent being shouldn’t be something to fret over; if anything, the dwindling time should give them all the more reason to lean into what they have left, to make the most of themselves while they can.
Perhaps they believe they can live on in the memories of The Audience, leave a legacy in the world that made them, and so must make this final season one they will never forget. Perhaps they believe that all that matters is to enjoy the moment, and find joy right up to their very last frame. Perhaps they believe that they'll live this all over again and again in the reruns, so better make it worth repeating. Perhaps they aren't yet ready to go, even though the end is coming, and so need to find a way to make peace with that fact and fast, whether that means catching the pigeon at long last or just coming to terms with the fact that the show is almost over.
Perhaps such existential considerations are beyond them: run fast, go meep — what else is needed to make life good?