It's been a while since I did a lore deepdive, so I want to talk about something that recently caught my attention that I haven't seen brought up before:
StarrPark.Biz and WKBRL, or what they have become to be presented as: The Official Fansite of Starr Park and Acceptable Radio.
Let's talk about this.
So, just a bit of background info for those unaware, StarrPark.Biz and WKBRL were rather old lore drops. SP.Biz was a website that showcased many relics of old Starr Park from the 70s to the 90s before things all went to shit (though corruption and brainwashing was still happening).
Interestingly, while it is presented as a fansite, the owner of SP.biz, who calls themselves The Webmaster, may not actually be a "fan" of Starr Park, but rather someone working internally to expose Starr Corp. This is especially evident in some of their comments, especially regarding S.P.U.D.E. (tap to see full images)
In addition, see the automatically generated email below when you try to reach out to The Webmaster:
Your email has been received in the correct order but Some things have come tO light and communications now cannot be trusted and/or trusted.
Keep your bright Soul!
TheĀ http://starrpark.bizĀ webmaster
If you notice the suspiciously capitalised letters, you will find they spell out "SOS". This Webmaster may be trying to alert others that they are in danger, or to stop looking too deeply into Starr Corp. Very VERY fishy.
"Some things have come to light" could either be a subtle clue to Starr Corp's misdeeds or that the owner of this site was a legitimate fan who no longer feels trustworthy of Starr Park, but I am leaning towards the former. You cannot outright state you are trying to unravel a large corporation just like that; clues and hints need to be sprinkled around so as to not to trigger the people in power.
Now for WKBRL/ Acceptable Radio. Hoo boy, I haven't listened to these recordings in years, so sorry if my memory is a little fuzzy.
Sounds and Transcripts (v1-2) Older sounds Circus battle theme 1 Archived at: Starrchive Notes: Contains a reversed part. Sounds like a Batt
Linked above is the full transcript, with additional notes containing versions 1 and 2 of WKBRL, made by the godsend Starrchive.
Now, what is WKBRL? Why are there multiple versions?
Around 2021, Supercell broadcast a 24/7 looped livestream (with the occasional additional content) via an external YouTube link. The livestreams were conducted on and off of each other, totalling three versions: V1, V2 and V3.
Versions 1 and 2 were broadcast in lore by the actual Starr Park employees, the lowest of the bunch, who aren't in power like the higher-ups in Starr Corp. See the backdrop below, from which the recordings were sent from.
It looks very rustic and almost dirty; see how the device above is slanted. The wires are messy and all over the place. It doesn't have that polished look present in V3, which you will see later.
As for what V1 broadcast, it sounds as rustic as it looks, as in the sound quality was often distorted and of very low quality. I assume its purpose was to track the radio signals emitted around Starr Park and relay them back to this setup. Which meant that originally, only advertisements called around the park would be relayed, but eventually, the recordings began coming back a little odd, and it started archiving information not meant for public ears: "Patient No. 8," which states:
"Any provocation could have lethal results...Further tests are needed to explore the darkness inside of this machine."
Why would recordings like these be found around a theme park of all places?
And you know how I said Starr Corp tried to silence The Webmaster? Well, the WKBRL recordings picked up on Starr Corp actually trying to apply a cease and desist order on one of the BS theorist YouTubers of the time (Rey).
...has been problematic concerning...obtainment of information regarding the development of property construction and operation of joy-based businesses for the express purpose of jubilant children and well-fed adults for and by S.P. Corporation...Rey has unlawfully procured and shared information...Ā by sharing āPatient 8āsā personal information...Ā In regard to the above reference matters, āReyā is instructed to cease and desist all further inquiries...[and] is hereby informed that the information that he has shared is false.
Literally clear as day that Starr Corp is silencing people, and the last line especially: the "information he has shared is false". Not only is Starr Corp forcing those against them to be silent, but they are actively trying to paint said people as lunatics (see also the Mind Your Business recording in the doc above) or trying to rewrite and, for lack of a better word, gentrify the work of lower employees into something they would own and approve of. It is not enough to shut down opposition; their work needs to be twisted to fit their agenda. It is genuine 1984 shit, and I can't believe a children's game would randomly drop this and never explore it again lmao.
And you know how I said there were three versions of WKBRL? I only mentioned two. What about the third? Well, what has become of WKBRL V3 only solidifies my point of Starr Corp tampering with the communication methods of Starr Park employees and S.P.U.D.E. The last recording heard on V2 after long scenes of static was "This is normal" before it shut down for good. Or so it was thought.
WKBRL was back! Except now it looks like...THIS?!
And it's not only called WKBRL but also "Acceptable Radio" or, more formally, "The Voice That Hears You". It is clean in both design and sound quality. The recordings are clearly done in-house with professional equipment; no longer relayed radio signals like its predecessor. It is meant to be out-and-proud; a message to the world that says, "hear us all!" rather than the fringe radio that was meant to slowly leak information.
What was done to the original WKBRL is sad. It went from a way to expose Starr Corp to becoming an actual propaganda machine, taken from them and turned into an overtly optimistic radio station now owned by Starr Corp. Now, if S.P.U.D.E. were to mention their efforts as captured by WKBRL, most people would go: "The radio station that always forced me to smile? Is that what you're talking about?" and all their effort would be in vain.
They took their main way to broadcast the behind-the-scenes of Starr Park as NOT being a place of joy, only for the radio station that owns that name to keep spouting that yes, Starr Park IS a place of joy. Starr Corp could have made their own station, but that would not be enough; they had to stop S.P.U.D.E.'s efforts and make their choices work against them. It is a way of saying: you can speak, but our voices are louder and more reputable; it is better to just give up. What you make, we own. No one outside will believe you.
Okay, sorry if this all sounds incomprehensible. I swear this all sounded better in my head lolll. But also, if Drew is right and Taikia comes back for more projects to make that movie than I think a Starr Park movie centering about the employees trying to convice the world that this supposedly utopian theme park is actually a place of evil but they keep getting silenced and everyone thinks they are stupid because they are just lowly theme park workers would go SOOOO hard and a little better than generic "cute place bad" but oh well that movie is never gonna happen but a gal can dream i guess ahhaha
Billionaire maneater Piper š¤¤š¤¤ with disbosable boytoy number 78938756839 š¤¤š¤¤š¤¤ (you guys aren't on my level when it comes to evil women šÆšÆšÆ)
Reference + no-filter version below:
No-filter version does look a bit better, but I like playing with lighting so š¤·āāļø
Random Headcanons for my favourite three that no one asked for! š·šøš
Since SC is ignoring most of the betas, I'll just go ahead and give them personalities myself!
(this has been sitting in my drafts for ages gahhhh)
Let's start with Shelly!
I don't know how canon this is, but I'm going with her being Argentinian. As for ethnicity (which is more headcanon territory), I'm going with her being Afro-Latina from her mother's side (I hope I used that terminology correctly). So she had an African-Argentine mother and a European-Argentinian father.
Look, I know we all like angsty parents, but I will say her parents were actually good to her.
Grew up in more rural towns, learned how to use a gun from there, but mostly for hunting game.
She didn't like the smallness of country life, so she tried to find work in the nearby city. Unfortunately, she would be unsuccessful. She did, however, get offered the opportunity of a lifetime at an up-and-coming theme park, set on an island a bit east of Japan (I am dying with that headcanon, okay). Seemed too good to be true; no rent, full utilities and expenses paid, and doing something she knew she was good at: shooting. She took it without thinking.
Starr Park was founded in 1985, and she was also hired around this time, at 18 years of age. She will continue working there until my headcanon present, which is 1993 at 26 years old.
Now, we are in the present! Well, story-present lol.
She seems tough but is actually a softie at heart; people always misread her resting stern expression as seriousness, but she is actually sillier than she looks.
Practised her Japanese (which is something Colt didn't do lol) so she could communicate more with the guests, who are mainly of that descent.
She doesn't hate her job, per se, but she really wishes her efforts would be acknowledged more. She is meant to be the major mascot of the park, but sometimes, she feels more like a cleaner or minimum-wage cashier at a gift shop.
The bandages on her forearms are aesthetic-only, but the ones on her wrists are real (chaffing from lots of gun use).
Speaking of gun use, she does use a real gun; Starr Park trusts her enough.
Gets along with people rather well, but only as a surface-level connection. Due to her isolated upbringing, she struggles to connect with people in a more intimate/personal way.
Drunkard....*gets shot*
But seriously, she loves being at Barley's. Alcohol aside, that place is a vibe.
I don't know why, but I see her getting along with Pam very well. I will not elaborate.
I feel like I should have more but I don't :(
OKAYYYY!! Now for my all-time favourite guy!!! POCO!!
I feel I might get thrown rocks at for this headcanon, but...I don't think he is no sabo, and I don't think he is US-born (everyone boos at me, and I get tomatoes thrown at me). I'm a bit biased here; I am an immigrant who grew up in a non-English speaking country until my teens, and guess what? I can speak near-perfect English (though it did take me a while to adjust to the informal speak). The same can be said about a lot of my friends lol. Again, I'm just being a bit biased here lol.
I also HC he grew up as a single child, which slightly explains how he struggles to understand people a bit. The only person I can actually see having a big family in his trio is Primo, which explains why he feels the obligation to look over his younger co-workers. I'm sorry, but I cannot see Poco as coming from a large family. I think it was just him and his mother. But his mother was rather nice (Again, I am an adult, so I grew out of the angsty parents trope lol; I only use it rarely). She was musically-inclined herself and got him into the guitar.
However, he was never (and still isn't) good with it.
He isn't the most masculine guy (just look at how short and skinny he is lol), but that fact never really bothered him; I also HC he lovesssss flowers and grew a lot back home and after moving to Starr Park.
Didn't really grow up on a lot of money (like 99% of the original Starr Park employees), so just like Shelly, he had to take the job offered to him. He would also want to give that money back to his mother (he really loves and respects her; she is like a role model of kindness and compassion to him).
Speaking of his mother, that's where he got his "always help people no matter what" mentality, since he hates to see people down. She is the one who taught him to make sure others are not to suffer. While he can identify when people need help and can successfully make them feel better, he struggles to identify when that help needs to cease. So instead of being helpful, 90% of the time, he just comes off as annoying.
Ask for Starr Park HCs, I don't think there is a single person he doesn't get along with. He loves everyone, and everyone loves him
He started working at Starr Park much later than Shelly or Colt, who were from its conception. He started a bit young at 17, but is 21 in my current canon. So he is not undead YET (he will be in 2 years' time). The current timeline I'm working with is: Starr Corp is known to be corrupt and planning world domination, but has done nothing drastic to its visitors YET!! So it's before Acceptable Radio (WKBRL is running) and in the peak of SPUDE. But the gem's influence is still very minimal.
OKAY TANGENT OVER!!
He may look like a loverboy, but he sucks at flirting and is oblivious as hell. Loves the kind of woman that would just about kill him WHO SAID THAT
i feel like I should have more, but I suck at HCs for men. OKAY NEXT
My favourite white woman: PIPER!!!!
I am aware of her French surname, but my goodness, that has to be the most Southern US accent I've heard in my life! And I'm not even American lol. Her distant ancestors were French, but she is French in name only; that woman is a sweet-tea-drinking, gun-wielding, drawling Southerner through and through.
I cannot see her as being from the city. Country girl, and I mean PURE country girl. She grew up in a rather isolated Alabama town with a population of a large school bus. Everyone knew each other, which did backfire on her a little bit.
So, Piper having a secret, dark past is canon info, and the general consensus is that she used to be a hitman, either before or after Starr Park, but I want to give my own idea of her past. I believe she is responsible for...a murder!!
So, Piper was nearing her mid-20s and still wasn't married nor interested in any suitor (in 90s Deep South, that was bad-bad), and her father (just her and him, no mother nor siblings) wasn't very happy with that. He would force her to marry the mayor of her town, a newly divorced man who was her father's age. He was rich, and she was beautiful, with the added benefit of bringing money into her rather poor family. But she was having none of that; she is not property.
So, after the wedding night, she shot the mayor to teach him a lesson; do not mess with her; do not think she is some weak girl with no spine, but a woman who lives life to her liking and won't be pushed around by random men.
It was just a lesson; she didn't intend to kill him, but she did; the mayor lost too much blood and was dead by morning. She killed the most important man in her town. She could not stay here; she needed to escape.
"Conveniently", the next day, she saw businessmen offering placements at Starr Park, a theme park halfway across the world. She had to take it to leave this place before the townspeople found out. She was 25 back in 1991 when she was hired.
OKAY I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THAT BACKSTORY HOLYYY
She was actually originally hired to be an old-west style mascot, similar to Colt and Shelly, but became a more reserved baker when 1) Starr Corp noticed they could capitalise on her baking hobby. 2) She was scaring the guests a little as they complained that her eyes and laugh were a bit "sadistic" in nature.
A master baker, don't ask her to cook soup, though; she would burn the kitchen down.
Practised sniping since she could walk. Her father was a pure redneck with lots of guns, but would never allow his feminine, pure daughter to wield a gun, so she taught herself through observation
Maybe it's her voice, but she sounds like a smoker. Sorry lol. Drinks too. This woman had a tough upbringing; I think she needs it a little
Despite being popular with the guests, she still feels very lonely sometimes; a part of her feels like they only like the image of her (i.e., her looks). Just because she doesn't want to marry the first suitor who proposes to her (guest or not), doesn't mean she doesn't want a little love
A big fan of butterflies. They have been an interest of hers since she was a girl, as there were a lot of them on her farm. She cannot read well, but she has a butterfly book, and she practices reading with it.
Her trust issues are very bad. Doesn't believe people are being nice to her for the sake of being nice to her; they obviously want something from her in return! Give this woman some unconditional love STAT!
Despite Starr Park being a literal cage, she feels very iffy siding with S.P.U.D.E. because she would rather not return home, where she is wanted for murder. At least in Starr Park, she has freedom, even if it is all fake in the end.
sorry for spam liking a ton of stuff on your account but I went to download an art of yours and saw you were on Tumblr so now you have a new follower š
I recognise you from AO3. Hello!!
Also, thank you!! Never apologise for spam liking lol.
So, Sleeping on the Job hit a milestone last week, which is amazing, and I love u guys, but itās also very surreal. Becauseā¦ excuse me?
One hundred of you fuckers saw "Home Alone: A Brawl Stars Story" and thought, yeah, this is peak. Or maybe @illumanarti's fire fuckin cover art reeled you in (which is still so good, thatd prob be the thing to hook *me* if i was a random reader stumbling across sotj)
When I first started this as a baby writer, I was on a trip to the Philippines for a month, bored out of my damn mind having nothing to do but sit around and play brawl stars, grinding trophies with my cousins for like hours. That's when i randomly had the crack idea of writing a fic about Berry (fav brawler at the time, still my main) doing karaoke with Mandy and Chester.
And then I thought, "that was fun, let's do another," so I outlined another fic that, sadly, never made the light of day. It would've been about Emz and Poco going on a date, with a bunch of different brawlers having their own things going on, that eventually ends with the date (comedically) going to shit and the Swamp of Love burning down. Here's the notes app outline:
And here you can see the start of my addiction of writing Larry and Lawrie into everything!
(And that last sentiment was saved for SOTJ)
Maybe I'll pick it up again, but probably not. My characterization and style has changed a bit since then (and i hate how dirty I did Edgar in this initially lol)
Anyways, XoXo never happened, and I started being motivated to write this other random idea I had, about Sandy! I do have another notes app outline from way back then for it, but it's way longer and has spoilers for the whole plot so I won't post it. Just know it was there, and it was next.
Checking my notes app again, apparently I was initially considering the name "Snoozing for a Bruising" whichā¦ no. Why?
(Also, fun fact, interestingly Gene was supposed to stick around. He was always gonna fuck off eventually and not really do much working w/Sandy, but I don't think he was initially gonna leave in the fourth paragraph.)
Another fun fact I like sharing, SOTJ was initially gonna be a oneshot, like the berry fic. Yeah. It was gonna be a quick, funny story, where Sandy does stuff and fucks up, and at the end Tara walks into the bazaar like this:
But then, I had the urge to vent a little. Be a lil *angsty*, a lil *emo* if you will.
I wrote 5:24 A.M. ā Knock Yourself Out. I think if I hadn't, I wouldn't have kept writing. But I did, and figured at the time it was a little cringe and out of the blue, but in hindsight it might be the most important scene in the fic. Going from the wacky blabber-talk to the gut-punch of Sandy's mental state is the hook that sets the ficās funny-yet-bitter tone until the end. I think it's why you all kept reading, too. Because it wasnāt just Sandy's problems anymore.
>But he canāt help it. Heās tried medication, energy drinks, fuckingĀ hypnotismā but nothing works. Itās always back to his usual routine, sleeping longer than most people should. Byron said it might not even be a health condition, instead some sort of state of mind he can break out of by playing a few games of Brawlball with friends to get the blood pumping. But he knows that doesnāt work either.
>Itās almost certain to him that one day, heāll let everyone down so hard that they'll all ditch him at the grassfield.
[editor's note: oh my god. pasting this i just realized there's been a typo in this second section this whole time. I wrote "they won't just ditch him at the grassfield" instead of... what the fuck!!]
When I finished and posted the first chapters, I figured a safe goal would be like 20 kudos by the end. Because, really, who the fuck reads Brawl Stars fanfic. And if I hit that, 40 by the end would be nice. Hell, maybe even 80?
But I also had like a super, super stretch goal of 100 kudos. Like, if stars aligned I *could* hit it I guess. Also appearing on one of the first pages when you sorted by kudos, I figured that'd be cool. But that felt way too wishful.
And then I did it?
SOTJ hit 100, and appears on the fourth page for the entire BS fandom. For Sandy specifically, it's one of the first! Though I think for Sandy-centric, it's the top. Actually, I don't think I've even seen another sandy-centric gen fic (Where are they, cmonā¦)
Iām not sure it'll hit 200 tbh, or ever appear on that first kudos page, as a non-romance fic of a brawler thatās not super popular. I suppose I could reel more people in labelling it as Sandy/Leon, which wouldnāt be entirely wrong, but also just feels likeā¦ cheating? Because itās not really a Sandy/Leon story, I didnāt write it that way. Itās just a Sandy story that Leon is important in (with undertones that mayhaps some crushes could be involved).
But hey, if this post has proven anything it's that I'm nothing like Tara; I can't predict shit. I would love to be proven wrong again.
Are you going to post more fics with sholt content on ao3 soon? /not forcing I'm just curious
I also started writing lately there (don't look for my work cough) but I notice you haven't done anything recently
Oh yeah well I was a bit busy with work, uni and internship applications for the past weeks so drawing and writing has been a hassle.
Then I got both art and writers block :( Trust me, I tried writing and it wasnāt going well š
Thankfully, my workload is reduced and my drawing and writers block has cleared just yesterday.
I do have my Shelly and Sirius fic Iām working on. Chapter 2 is about halfway done so far. Itās not sholt (itās actually pretty anti-sholt because Shelly starts fostering a dislike for Colt). That should be done in about a week.
As for sholt, Iām going to be honest, Iām very bad with non-gen fics š . Bad, as in, I donāt know what to write. I feel like all my sholt fics have become the same, and Iām just not sure what to write for them anymore that isnāt Starr Park related.
Itās very much a combination of lack of time and lack of ideas.
Also I just havenāt been on ao3 much in general lately š
Well, why not? I donāt really have any reasons for shipping this other than these two are my favourite characters. They arenāt canon; they will never be, and thatās fine :p
Because I ship them for fun! Do you see how unserious the textposts I make of them are? This is a ship I ship purely for fun. This is a game with a puddle of lore; I really donāt think we need to justify our ships. We just need to have fun with them and do what we like :>
But if you want a serious answer: I think these two are very incompatible (and insane) that it just makes it fun to mush them together.
I always seem to get art block when I finally have free time :( So I made these. I <3 my sadistic OOC Piper
And of course, another ship chart for my weird ship I can't be bothered drawing for:
I feel like we, as a fandom, forget these two are actually insane (especially Piper, because her sadism is a recurring joke in ads). I guess it's the curse of having a cute design ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
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