Magical Angel Nicky Little!

Pepper Ann's best friend embarks on an existential and odd magical adventure as she is tasked with protecting her own reality as a winged shapeshifter! (Home to Beneath the Airwaves AU by @azurefaire)

[magicalangelnicky]

About:

"Nicky Little: Beneath the Airwaves"

Genres: fantasy, drama, adventure, magical girl, coming of age

Nicky Little: Beneath the Airwaves is a magical girl surreal crossover story about a mysterious shapeshifting awakening within the Creative Dimension, the in-between world of creativity and the real world. Faced with her new reality of spirits and a giant threat that almost feels impossible to handle, Nicky must balance living two lives of living in the simulation of Hazelnut (as influenced by the Dreamfinders) and making sure the TV show goes right, at the expense of herself. Nicky must venture between multiple realities to ensure the safety of her community. Meanwhile, there is a parallel Nicky who helps provide for the show during her dreams, who has no idea that the other Nicky actually exists. Creativity is the space between realities, ideas exist there before they are formed- and where they exist simultaneously to humans. They are powered by the forces of energy and electricity which creates their sentience, and creates magic. In One Saturday Morning, everyone brings their shows to life in little memory simulation orbs along with live performances... Beneath the Airwaves is a darker, hidden story that takes place within the story Pepper Ann and continues after the finale episode. The anomaly outside of Hazelnut and a rogues gallery of mysterious spirits that exist within the cartoon reel must be stopped, to ensure happiness and to make sure that the characters in the Creative Dimension don't learn they have other lives and in this one- they exist to create inspiration and hope, playing lives that already exist- the worlds they inhibit being copies of ones they had been in before. However, the story isn't supposed to be strictly dark and scary, and is meant to have hopeful and- even corny undertones but sort of twisting the idea of a cartoonishly evil force. This "Beneath the Airwaves" idea is a unique way to explore stories beyond their canon. The main story takes real jokes and little tidbits from the show of Pepper Ann and expanding them into lore, then later exploring the other worlds within the TV and the realm of creativity. In the later chapters of the series, characters with a "slight melancholy" to them are befriended by Nicky as she moves through the world as an inconsistent magical being who knows of this mysterious blight.

Also known as "Hyperreality AU" informally and formerly "Evolution AU"

Work in Progress Lore Document

Art, Music & Caffeine☕

Inspired by a lot of such *chalk pastel tattoos on paper* images from Pinterest. I have always wanted to create something similar and use it

Banner Credit: @uzmacchiato

[azurefaire]

AK and Nicky's relationship (Beneath the Airwaves)

as my story unfolds, I keep thinking of AK and Nicky as a pairing, more specifically- after The Finale, they only retain memories of what happened, and they have sort of codependent QPR, they realize their past upbringing does not define them. a lot of the relationship being genuine but also defined by trauma (of the monsters attacking hazelnut, finding out they are cartoons) and them wanting to find out what happened to them. nicky has a lot of relationship trauma from being with stuart, especially as it pertains to recovering memories of what happened when she grew up. AK quickly becoming overprotective of Nicky, yet really wanting to be nurturing. I also really liked the idea of his day job/persona being a magician (the idea was given to me by i-stand-unshaken), being so obsessed with science, and then later with the power of hyperreality taking an interest in magic. nicky having a type of eccentricity/flashiness, a character he only uses with his magician persona. he would be healthy with her some ways and some other ways. another thing is that "kevin" from the finale wouldn't actually exist as a canon mutual romantic relationship, and that nicky wasn't really in the finale- but it was a double of her. another thing, is AK being genuinely very therapeutic to Nicky, something she needs considering the state of therapy in her own universe (like straight up not having good therapy in Hazelnut or anywhere). she becomes very defensive as a character flaw

[azurefaire]

AK idea dump here:

(using they to refer to past/future simultaneously)

I do have the idea outline for his character and wanting to make him the deuteragonist of the story, however- he is the character I am most hesitant to write for as I do not want to fall into stereotypes- or at least using overdone tropes in an easy way, however the more I imagine and daydream for my story- AK is certainly obsessed with Nicky and her ability to change, but they start being influenced by magic spirits (who influence/enhance the magic of the feelings around them) In his story, just like the others who can only observe Nicky becoming powerful and all knowing- barely able to get a crumb of info between "resets", Nicky can only guess what AK is up to on their adventures in Hyperreality, it just drives her nuts that AK is also aware too that everyone is in a show. Unlike Nicky, AK wants to repair the world but also allow hyperreality to merge with the reality so anyone could be whoever they wanted. Nicky doesn't want that to happen, believing if the show doesn't continue, even if the situation becomes serious, everyone will die. AK believes the preservation of the show taking priority will put everyone in danger, if it ends, they aren't going to pull the plug if they truly respect the "sentience" of the dream world.

AK has a bit of a predicament in the main half of the story, they suddenly get sucked into a hyperreal vortex after trying to stop Nicky from abusing the powers of the hyperreality. Suddenly, this ends up trapping them in a world where they cannot physically interact with the rest of the world, but can interact with the hyperreality spirits. AK's family unfortunately, are always on "business trips" to the HR, neglecting AK. Unfortunately, despite the hyperreal spirits friendliness- the powers they materialize in AK make them extremely observant yet extremely aloof, as well as unnecessarily perceptive of peoples feelings (seeing emotions like an X ray sort of thing from time to time, in very wacky ways). Taking on more of a "spirit accent" in voice (this is something I am not sure if I fully want to add to canon since it is strange) and slowly becoming more of a mad magician than a mad scientist, AK really admires Nicky, but hoping to make amends with Nicky before she knew the truth so they keep pestering and annoying her (only Nicky can see them), Nicky blocks out AK's presence and shuts them out, not wanting to speak with them. AK is both rageful and empathetic at this part of the story. AK tries different experiments to make Nicky see, changing the world is good- "after all, if everyone knows, they'd still love you- you're a legend" sort of thing. But every time AK feels like he has to prove this point, he makes a mistake that almost endangers everyone in Hazelnut, Nicky's recklessness somehow ends up working out each time- leading him back to his self imposed exile to a secret world of hyperreality.

The number one thing AK hates the most? Not being able to be who they want. AK actually doesn't like being P-Ann's #1 enemy, that was all an act, theatrics (this is all based on Alice Kane went to Calcutta). Acting is fun but realizing the thing you apparently loved doing wasn't genuine is not fun acting. But unlike Nicky, the embodiment of change - who believes it can only happen for short times before it is reverted- he's like, "why should we put up with this?" so he steals Nicky's interdimensional gear to find ways of breaking the world in a way that won't force everyone to relive their traumas when the anomaly comes back into Hazelnut.

But when it comes to the hyperreality, are you more magic or human? The main difference between AK and Nicky? AK likes to have fun, Nicky's so hard on herself that she denies herself fun, but it's also because the type of fun was meant to be intellectual fun, meant to instill an intellectual appetite, but eventually she was doing it just to please people without knowing it, to not explore and learn for learning's sake- which later became coping, comfort. They become a "couple" post The Finale (with later terms, some sort of undefinable attraction) and in AK, even if he seems sort of detached and so does Nicky, in a way they need to be together to explore who they are during the timeskip with the residual magic, their memories unchanged. The more dark things happened in the story, the more the hyperreal spirits intent on correcting the damages, sent the world into a surreal dreamscape.

How I intend to continue the story, it's gotten very weird, but I'm playing around with harpy/bird people in my current storyline- who are benelovent yet flawed, aspects of the dreamlike world. Their storyline created by the hyperreality, isn't resolved, so it travels to the smaller timeskip world- orbiting the glass simulation world on a thread.

[magicalangelnicky]

Making a few memes of this relationship/partnership without context was certainly a choice

[magicalangelnicky]

I was looking at my old Lore Doc and it was nearly incomprehensible. It also had so many little grammatical errors and such... I wrote a whole dialogue for Nicky and Stuart that was so bad to me at first but in some ways it looked to be the thing that makes the most sense, while also being sort of unrealistic dialogue. Like, I said Nicky was a combination of two other unrelated characters, trying my best to make it make sense.

I feel like making a new planning document for drabbles and planning the series out (maybe semi private as this is a series that is so "semi niche") because a lot has changed in the drafts in a short time

and to get a little looser with this as it's in it's early stages and have fun!

[magicalangelnicky]

another idea I have for BTA is that those dang kids from Quiz Bowl become fully fleshed out characters: the Grimmit Quad (pretty sure their name is "Grimmit", I haven't fully remembered the episode.)

If I incorporate them into the story, I'd probably have them be based off of the Delightful Children from KND, but with a "less antagonistic" vibe to them, overall being well off on the outside and not seeing most of their lives/being shrouded in mystery but still something feeling wrong and off about them.

and for them to be one of the most mysterious parts of the show/series

A lot of Pepper Ann intellectual characters feel very proto delightful children, mostly Effie, so I wonder if there was any inspiration there from Warburton making KND.

BTA/Magical Angel Nicky Little I hope you can actually be made in some form i swear to fuzzy

[magicalangelnicky]

Thinking on it again, I do have Effie Shrugg literally in a brainwashed cult (that doesn't really believe they are), so perhaps she has more in common with the delightful children in the story than I hoped. The reverse with the Grimmit Quad possibly being the same thing in a different way.

It's hard to say, but with the way that the story I had planned out, I do not really have a plan yet for them, only that they could possibly find Nicky and get to know her, for her to take the some of Nicky's magical thread and put it under a scanner to test how much power she has.

[magicalangelnicky]

Hyperreality Concept Art- Tessa, Vanessa, and Cissy

[azurefaire]

Some "hyperreality form" notes:

-The form the Hyperreality characters take is based on the subconscious and reflects how the characters perceive themselves

-The hyperreal dimension travel is not the same as being able to manipulate the hyperreality, people visit the dimension via lucid dreams and can influence the hyperreality in others subtly if they are able to use it

-The adults in this universe grew up in the hyperreality & can use it to influence others, however- it is basically in universe and overall treated like persuasion rather than control. The negative aspects of hyperreality overall aren't a metaphor for greed or literal control (more of the personal need to dominate/manipulate/guide others rather than a systemic faliure) but it is about how certain people are able to influence others by their actions, and like everything there can be a degree of "corruption" in the hyperreality as there is in real life- so exposing it is considered more dangerous, as anyone using the hyperreality can be affected by people who haven't visited and seen it before (and thus approach it less holistically, as it is magic- even if it is something that happens naturally- like, anyone can lucid dream and discover it, more likely in childhood when they are creative people)

-When people have kids who know about the hyperreality, they are able to find them if they ever develop the trait to make sure the hyperreality develops "properly" and they can learn their manifestation in a "socially acceptable manner"

-If someone develops hyperreal traits during their childhood, loses connection around the middle portion (7-9 years) yet when they become an older kid or preteen redevelops their connection to hyperreality, it can become unstable. Additionally, the hyperreality can manifest in really odd ways

-More "dangerous" than "deadly"

[magicalangelnicky]

I did have new ideas for Cissy and Tessa and Vanessa:

Cissy- I did want to play with her character and beauty norms, and that her family had an oddness about them. Either raised (as in brought up in childhood) by the spirits of hyperreality or surrounded by them. I have this visual in my mind of shorts for many characters, not just Nicky, of their upbringing/day to day. Cissy's family having their face obscured/hidden to show Cissy's alienation from them. Not sure what to think about the design I picked for her here, if anything, I want her to keep the same voice but loose the valley accent because Cissy admitted she purposefully dumbs herself down to find herself

Tessa and Vanessa- I want to play with some sort of subtitle telepathy talk, I think I remember hearing about it with the movie Sinners? But basically some sort of subtitle communication- I also want to incorporate this sort of subtitle talk in the series, especially with the idea that you can't talk about the hyperreality. But you can sort of mouth it out

[magicalangelnicky]

playing with ideas for beneath the airwaves and I realize how many times Nicky was the cause of the conflict, or directly contributed to the plot of the episode. and i was thinking how it was kind of creepy how she is introduced in some episodes, mostly in Telltale Fuzzy

as soon as Fuzzy appears and starts talking (on the phone)- Nicky randomly shows up goes are youuu okay, we were gonna hang out? to Pepper Ann

another moment is Bye Bye Trinket, she sets the plot in motion in that episode and Pepper Ann says to Nicky- that she put the idea in her head...

[magicalangelnicky]

So I created an entire character based on Black Velvet Fuzzy Painting and it got like a dozen of attacks on Artfight. Will be posting soon...

[zombies-sold-cheap]

edit I made for the real ones

[azurefaire]

AK and Nicky's relationship (Beneath the Airwaves)

as my story unfolds, I keep thinking of AK and Nicky as a pairing, more specifically- after The Finale, they only retain memories of what happened, and they have sort of codependent QPR, they realize their past upbringing does not define them. a lot of the relationship being genuine but also defined by trauma (of the monsters attacking hazelnut, finding out they are cartoons) and them wanting to find out what happened to them. nicky has a lot of relationship trauma from being with stuart, especially as it pertains to recovering memories of what happened when she grew up. AK quickly becoming overprotective of Nicky, yet really wanting to be nurturing. I also really liked the idea of his day job/persona being a magician (the idea was given to me by i-stand-unshaken), being so obsessed with science, and then later with the power of hyperreality taking an interest in magic. nicky having a type of eccentricity/flashiness, a character he only uses with his magician persona. he would be healthy with her some ways and some other ways. another thing is that "kevin" from the finale wouldn't actually exist as a canon mutual romantic relationship, and that nicky wasn't really in the finale- but it was a double of her. another thing, is AK being genuinely very therapeutic to Nicky, something she needs considering the state of therapy in her own universe (like straight up not having good therapy in Hazelnut or anywhere). she becomes very defensive as a character flaw

[azurefaire]

day and night

[magicalangelnicky]

Where the wizards meet at night...

[magicalangelnicky]

meme from drafts

[magicalangelnicky]

The Cartoon Window

[azurefaire]

Nicky expressions and styles for Beneath the Airwaves :)

[magicalangelnicky]

Hyperreality Concept Art- Tessa, Vanessa, and Cissy

[azurefaire]

Some "hyperreality form" notes:

-The form the Hyperreality characters take is based on the subconscious and reflects how the characters perceive themselves

-The hyperreal dimension travel is not the same as being able to manipulate the hyperreality, people visit the dimension via lucid dreams and can influence the hyperreality in others subtly if they are able to use it

-The adults in this universe grew up in the hyperreality & can use it to influence others, however- it is basically in universe and overall treated like persuasion rather than control. The negative aspects of hyperreality overall aren't a metaphor for greed or literal control (more of the personal need to dominate/manipulate/guide others rather than a systemic faliure) but it is about how certain people are able to influence others by their actions, and like everything there can be a degree of "corruption" in the hyperreality as there is in real life- so exposing it is considered more dangerous, as anyone using the hyperreality can be affected by people who haven't visited and seen it before (and thus approach it less holistically, as it is magic- even if it is something that happens naturally- like, anyone can lucid dream and discover it, more likely in childhood when they are creative people)

-When people have kids who know about the hyperreality, they are able to find them if they ever develop the trait to make sure the hyperreality develops "properly" and they can learn their manifestation in a "socially acceptable manner"

-If someone develops hyperreal traits during their childhood, loses connection around the middle portion (7-9 years) yet when they become an older kid or preteen redevelops their connection to hyperreality, it can become unstable. Additionally, the hyperreality can manifest in really odd ways

-More "dangerous" than "deadly"

[magicalangelnicky]

playing with ideas for beneath the airwaves and I realize how many times Nicky was the cause of the conflict, or directly contributed to the plot of the episode. and i was thinking how it was kind of creepy how she is introduced in some episodes, mostly in Telltale Fuzzy

as soon as Fuzzy appears and starts talking (on the phone)- Nicky randomly shows up goes are youuu okay, we were gonna hang out? to Pepper Ann

another moment is Bye Bye Trinket, she sets the plot in motion in that episode and Pepper Ann says to Nicky- that she put the idea in her head...

[magicalangelnicky]

there's sense this ominious sense to me, genuinely, the more the show continues

especially with a 4th wall joke here and there, about how everything moves- for The Plot- but also Pepper Ann being a more realistic depiction of childhood compared to other shows at the time. it really feels like the fever dream of tweenhood with characters like Pepper Ann or Nicky (in this series idea at least) feeling caught in the middle of it

a show with no continuous time that adds in in a little 4th wall recognition, yet also being a coming of age, leads to this ominous and spooky feeling

[magicalangelnicky]

another idea I have for BTA is that those dang kids from Quiz Bowl become fully fleshed out characters: the Grimmit Quad (pretty sure their name is "Grimmit", I haven't fully remembered the episode.)

If I incorporate them into the story, I'd probably have them be based off of the Delightful Children from KND, but with a "less antagonistic" vibe to them, overall being well off on the outside and not seeing most of their lives/being shrouded in mystery but still something feeling wrong and off about them.

and for them to be one of the most mysterious parts of the show/series

A lot of Pepper Ann intellectual characters feel very proto delightful children, mostly Effie, so I wonder if there was any inspiration there from Warburton making KND.

BTA/Magical Angel Nicky Little I hope you can actually be made in some form i swear to fuzzy

[magicalangelnicky]

playing with ideas for beneath the airwaves and I realize how many times Nicky was the cause of the conflict, or directly contributed to the plot of the episode. and i was thinking how it was kind of creepy how she is introduced in some episodes, mostly in Telltale Fuzzy

as soon as Fuzzy appears and starts talking (on the phone)- Nicky randomly shows up goes are youuu okay, we were gonna hang out? to Pepper Ann

another moment is Bye Bye Trinket, she sets the plot in motion in that episode and Pepper Ann says to Nicky- that she put the idea in her head...

[azurefaire]

We're Supposed To.

You've Changed.