u/Quessy123

The boy who represents trauma, guilt, and isolation, and the frenetic, stressed Italian man.

He is Kado, the protagonist of the Filipino indie animated short *TIME FILES*.

Throughout the film, we see him grow from childhood to the time he leaves for college as a late teen or young adult.

He’s a character you easily empathize with and grow very fond of; honestly, I absolutely adore him—I’ve developed the same kind of affection for him that people feel for, say, Niko from *OneShot*.

I find him so adorable, sweet, and cute, even in his late-teen/young-adult version 😭 (and I say this as a guy myself).

Here is the link to the original short film:

https://youtu.be/OkliypZGUMY?si=o0xuT34DfG96fwvm

I’ve been thinking about creating a crossover fanfic similar to Indie Cross (but also drawing inspiration from other works—to give a few examples of what I want to be inspired by: the *Spider-Verse* movies, and those old Minecraft roleplay videos where characters traveled through portals to different dimensions), but instead of indie video games, it would focus on indie animation (series, movies, pilots, pitches, short films, music videos, etc.).

I could potentially do this as an animated series spanning a few episodes—though, of course, that would require sufficient experience in animation, digital illustration, action sequences and choreography, 3D modeling, and all that, but above all, writing.

However, I’d mostly likely create it as a webcomic (allowing me to expand the story without taking ages to finish it, include as many characters, settings, interactions, and epic, thrilling moments as I want, and simultaneously craft a solid story with character development where everyone matters equally).

Alternatively, I could make it primarily as a *Super Smash Bros.*-style video game (once I have enough experience in game development, naturally), featuring a story mode—with cutscenes presented as semi-animated comics complete with voice acting, music, and special effects—and various elements found in *Ultimate*, while incorporating my own unique touches to contrast with *Indie Cross* (which is a video game crossover presented as an animated series).

In addition to having OCs that serve as heroic counterparts to Charlotte and The Rouges—and which, instead of video game engines, represent cinematic genres (action, drama, comedy, and so on), and that they are allies instead of enemies

The problem I have with this is that I’m torn between two different directions. First, this fanfic serves as a critique of major corporations and how, for centuries, they’ve treated animation as an undervalued medium—rarely exploring its full potential. Instead, they’ve treated it as a mediocre genre for preschoolers, viewing children either as idiots or as mere merchandise-consuming machines.

Whenever more mature animated series appeared—featuring good lessons, humor, or short-form entertainment suitable for all audiences without talking down to kids—they were overshadowed by a flood of childish, preschool-oriented shows designed solely to sell toys or merch.

(Even great Cartoon Network series often couldn't reach their full potential due to the 10-minute episode limit—thanks to a certain mediocre DC show from 2013—which reinforced the idea that animation is exclusively for kids.) Meanwhile, live-action productions enjoyed all the privileges (for better or worse).

In the last decade especially, major companies have mistreated animation to the extreme—with cancellations, budget cuts, and layoffs; we all know the story.

Animated movies have become increasingly mediocre or generic, all under the excuse that they’re "just for kids." This meant children didn't get the quality they deserved, while teens and young adults had almost nothing to watch, leaving them stuck with live-action productions or anime. (I believe I’ve got all this right—feel free to correct me if I’m mistaken.)

But all that changed with the rise of indie animation, thanks to the success of series by Vivziepop (Hazbin Hotel—back when it was just a pilot—and Helluva Boss) and Glitch Productions (Murder Drones and, of course, TADC), indie animation emerged as a response to how major corporations have treated the medium (incidentally, the villains in that fanfic represent big-studio executives, while the leader and main antagonist embodies David Zaslav or the Oscars); it achieved unexpected success, and well, the rest is history.

So, here are the two possible directions: the first is that I want all the indie characters to be teleported to my own version of the DC Comics universe (where the Teen Titans—featuring a much larger roster than just the five we know—would take center stage alongside the indie characters).

The two groups would clash due to misunderstandings stirred up by villains, while the heroic OCs I created for the series team up with the indie characters in squads—or something similar—and establish a base of operations (I’d like to provide more context, but I’m a bit tired of explaining that part; sorry).

The reason it’s a DC Comics universe is that this specific version represents the infamous *Teen Titans Go!* (You know, the series that ruined Cartoon Network, took over the entire channel, teaches kids the worst lessons, and deprived the children who watched it on CN—myself included, to an extent—of the childhood they deserved; one of the shows that really pushed the idea that animation is a mediocre genre for preschoolers that treats kids like idiots or merchandise-consuming machines; the show that unfairly took center stage for Warner Bros.' 100th anniversary—I could go on and on).

And many might ask *why* I’m bringing this up; well, I do it because *TTG* is the perfect embodiment of what corporations are after—money (alongside *SpongeBob*, of course) and quantity over quality—and because it was a key factor in animation being unfairly viewed as a mediocre genre for children (if I recall correctly). Indie animation, on the other hand, is the exact opposite, making it a perfect contrast (in my opinion) for an "X franchise vs. Y franchise" style fanfic.

I’d love to explain more about the DC Comics aspect and all that, but I’m tired of writing that part, so let’s move on to the second direction.

The second concept is more similar to what’s shown in *Indie Cross*: indie characters arrive in different worlds (in this case, worlds from other indie animations, or even series from Cartoon Network, Disney, Netflix Animation, etc.), venturing to find their way home while facing villains and the like.

Meanwhile—again—each of my heroic OCs created for the series teams up with the indie characters in separate groups; they also have a base of operations or something similar (basically like Grillby's in the Indie Cross episode 2, with the difference being that it serves as a home or refuge for the OCs, where they recruit and ally with the indie characters they meet, and it lasts longer than just a single episode).

And I’d like to explain a lot more, but I’m tired of writing so much.

I’m making this post because I’d like to know what direction you recommend for the fanfic and what ideas you might have for it.

MORØ said that Project-T would have a tone similar to Attack on Titan or Arcane, if I'm not mistaken.

Yes, I know the game hasn't even been released yet (despite the demos and all the previews shown) and the chances of her appearing are practically nil, but I'm curious what would happen if she were included in the series

I feel their biggest obstacle would have been protecting the Sun at all costs—especially considering the environment was hostile, if I recall correctly—as well as protecting themselves from Frisk.

If Niko had been with Shovel Knight and Cuphead, I think Shovel would have wanted to protect them, seeing as they were a defenseless child, and Niko most likely would have tried to stop Shovel and Cuphead from fighting.

Or, if they had been with Madeline and Knight... well, Madeline and Badeline would have had two adorable creatures with them, and Niko likely would have tried to prevent the four of them (five, if we count Badeline) from coming into conflict at the start of Episode 2—regardless of whether they were on Shovel and Cup's side or Madeline and Knight's.

But what do you all think? What do you suppose might have happened if Niko had been in The Wasteland instead of the city?

I say this because, I feel that with voices, they would have been more expressive and charismatic, and possibly their role as the series' villains would be even more interesting than it already is—though that’s just my guess. What do you all think?

In all seriousness, it surprises me that when Shovel runs into Charlotte again in Episode 2, he never recognizes her as the one who attacked him twice in Episode 1, instead viewing her as just another run-of-the-mill Drone, despite the glaring differences. Link to the original video where I got the screenshot: https://youtu.be/vyEGu-aq2zQ?si=lpf2qZGBGLS1fthH (please support the video's creator; he deserve much more support).