Honk Honk

Introduction:

Diamond, Spade, and Club- the Traveling Triad as they choose to sometimes go by as they ply their trade or "The Clowns" as they are derogatorily referred to by the protagonist- are a trio of OCs for the hypothetical game Trouble Witch 2 (Working Title). After far too long since throwing together another OC for the original game on a whim, and that made up cast already being fairly stuffed, I've decided that this bunch would fit best as the recurring mini boss group for a sequel (and another crack at the playstyle idea I had for my Three Stooges set some time ago).

The three are a found family of orphans left in the bloody aftermath of the Mad Wizard's defeat and the removal of his assorted noble backers, having been shipped off to a remote nation for their own safety only to never hear from their families again. Plying their trade as traveling performers and thieves, a short chase sequence involving the bumbling trio serves as the tutorial segment of the game for a fresh-off-the-boat protagonist ("Bubble Witch" Marin), and the three serve as recurring boss fights and minor antagonists across the game before taking on a more friendly role in her quest to track down incidents resembling the life energy incident that was at the center of the first game's plot (six in-universe months prior).

Initially earning the protagonist Marin's ire as she realizes they've stolen some of her money and belongings, she quickly navigates the obstacles they dropped in her path and retrieves her goods, though they manage a hasty retreat and find themselves repeatedly confronted by the still-irritated Marin who- through a combination of bad luck and occasionally intentional tracking on Marin's part- constantly found herself crossing paths with them.

Their opportunistic leanings also led to them sometimes allying with other antagonists in her way on her quest, though their own (admittedly loose) moral codes meant sometimes choosing to assist Marin as their benefactors' darker dealings came to light, albeit often again the Bubble Witch's wishes and reluctant acceptance. Their fights grew increasingly complex as Marin would find herself confronted by two and eventually all three members simultaneously as the game progressed.

Learning of Marin's identity- and by extension her mother, who was pivotal in the Mad Wizard's fall and the ousting of his secret backers- further soured what little rapport they had formed across their meetings, though Marin quickly and angrily shutting them down when her mother's indirect role in their situation is brought up without belittling their struggles earns her their genuine respect and support.

They serve as allies through the back half of the game, providing her direction and information through their years of experience traveling and their experience with the criminal side of the wider nation. Harder optional fights framed as them and Marin training each other as equals still letting them serve as 'recurring' bosses, accessible at any time.

Like some other games under the wider 'Trouble Witch' umbrella, the three have an additional character ending they share by completing side quests relating to them and choosing them to assist with a final segment of the game. As part of their attempts to encourage Marin to come out of her shell and increasingly harebrained ideas for her to make a name for herself, they manage to convince her to join their show under the stage name 'Hearts', and are as amazed as she is by the level of confidence she displays- even as she breaks down in utter embarrassment and panic afterwards behind the curtain, the final scene being a group hug with a flushing- but clearly happy- Marin as they welcome her to the family.


Background:

All three are disenfranchised former noble children orphaned by the turmoil following the Mad Wizard and his followers' defeat and execution or banishment.

Diamond took the other two under her wing and used some of her talents taught by her late parents and learned by mischief on the streets after dark to make a rough but consistent living. As the oldest of the three, she assumed a sort of 'big sister' leadership role where she did her best to show the other two the ropes, in absence of any figure to properly care for them- the contact meant to retrieve them having never shown.

She worked herself to the bone doing jobs she had spent her short life being told were beneath her for likely far less than what the work was worth, but managed to carry her then-toddler charges long enough that they could find ways to contribute themselves. Her parents had left her with emergency resources to survive on in case things didn't work out, meant for one child on a temporary basis and quickly expended with the other two she'd found herself with. However, they had also left her with a contract with a renown storage business- one that serves as the series' handwave for how much stuff characters could carry and store- which aided her time and again by letting her stash away ill gotten gains where those unfamiliar wouldn't be able to access it.

Spade and Club meanwhile don't remember much of their lives before being whisked away to another continent and forced to scrounge. Club discovered an affinity for animals early in life; her seeming ability to command or at least direct and understand animals helped carry the trio through tough times, finding hidden cubbyholes for shelter and learning a few odd job skills based on descriptions of what other people were doing. The youngest of the three despite her size

Spade's earliest memory involved fireworks or something similar, which Marin speculated- but had enough tact to keep to herself- may have been a misinterpretation of events involving her being carried to safety from her parents' estate, going by the few details Spade can recall. Spade took the longest of the three to 'come into her own', lacking the subtlety her siblings had that was needed for pickpocketing, the patience for simpler jobs, and the focus for more complicated work- though when she did discover her love of fireworks and explosions, she came to be the one to suggest their current set up of a flashy show that attracted easy marks to filch from.

With the lingering ill ease hanging over the heads of the wider nation, entertainment was deeply appreciated, and the increasingly impressive tricks had garnered them some coin- to say nothing of their less legal methods and the occasional get rich quick scheme of Diamond's that actually managed a partial success (though the several that didn't between each never allowed them to accumulate too much wealth). As they continued on toward adulthood, they cemented their stage personas (having shed a few due to lack of public response, or some important lessons like 'don't rob every patron of every coin if you want plausible deniability and/or repeat customers'), and found their respective callings.

Diamond showcased impressive management skills, a keen eye for valuables or suckers to part them from, and strong memory. Spade had a powerful stage presence and encyclopedic knowledge of all things explosive (including many things not meant to be). Club's animal rearing and handling had improved to the point that she could attract and calm whole crowds of diverse critters on a whim, and proved a lightning quick yet highly skilled craftswoman who could make the most of the junk they'd salvaged. With their respective talents, the trio could set up performances and pack away the stage and props in a blink, Spade commanding attention with her finishing displays while Diamond spotted viable targets for Club's animal friends to rob a few coins from (and dangerous looking folks to avoid). Marin was less than enthused to discover that Diamond had filed her in the 'clueless rube' category on sight.


Personalities:

Diamond is the self-appointed leader of the three; projecting confidence at odds with her actual level of competence, she is nevertheless the 'brains' of the group. She pushes ahead through any adversity and is fast to come up with solutions to any problem, and prides herself on being reliable. Perceived slights against her family earn her ire, and she proves to be something of a bleeding heart when it comes to those few who can claim to be less fortunate than her. She hates feeling indebted to someone, and while she will gratefully accept charity, she will immediately endeavor to repay the favor so she can balance the scales.

That said, she clearly struggles under the weight of her responsibilities and her concern for her surrogate family- often worrying she won't be able to do enough for them or that she had denied them a happier, stable living by drawing them into her schemes. She is also brash, quick to pass blame (and brush off the perceived failure in the same breath), and can be impatient with others. Her lack of decorum is ironic when considering she is the only one old enough to recall her lessons in etiquette, though she is a highly skilled suck-up and flatterer who can fast-talk her way out of a faux pas made by herself or her minion- in a few cases managing to misdirect an angry Marin with verbal judo, at first to escape and later because she finds her reaction 'adorable'.

Spade

Club


Appearances:

Diamond

Spade

Club


Gimmick:

Each Clown is her own fighter with her own stats and inputs! ...Just not good ones. Despite their asperations and sometimes grand schemes, the Clowns deserve about as much respect as they get from Marin: very little. Each member of the trio barely constitutes a tutorial boss, and in Smash terms is functionally a joke character.

Diamond is a zoner whose tools are either limited in coverage or require set up, the latter (in the form of items she produces) having the drawback of being just as good when used against her as by her. Building an arsenal up can let her bully foes around, but opponents will always be able to match her with those tools.

Spade is a rushdown fighter who struggles to get in, and struggles moreso to keep foes there with attacks that have just a little too much (or too weird) knockback. She has surprisingly powerful combo 'finishers' in the form of timed explosives, but landing them when she has to chase foes down after setting them up in advance makes them nearly a pipe dream to use successfully.

Club is a grappler and the 'muscle' of the group, which means she does middling damage and ranks somewhere in the middle of the weight chart, but her frame data and mobility all are more reminiscent of super heavyweights. To compensate for her limited mobility, she can bring her carpentry skills to the game, producing both platforms to reach new heights and ways to extend the reach of her attacks- provided the opponent choses to hang back and leave her to her own devices.

Their Specials are as grand and impressive as they are impractical in neutral. Their Smashes are actually decent or even strong in terms of power or spacial control, but slow or otherwise vulnerable. Their Throws are passable, but locked behind poor Grabs. That leaves their Standards and Aerials, but each has their flaws. Individually, they're barely a cut above the likes of SOlomar and Melee Bowser. But their greatest asset is as always each other, and together, they can achieve anything that falls within a bare minimum level of competence!


Mechanic: Three Ring Circus

This isn't your usual character swap set; unlike the Pokemon Trainer's roster, the trio all take the stage at once. Sort of. By default, the player controls Diamond as the "Lead" Clown, while Spade and Club remain in the background as decoration to provide emotional "Support", "Follow"ing her every move closely. If she jumps, they jump. If she runs, they run. They cower when she flinches, desperately try to pry her loose when she's grabbed or pitfalled, and futilely grab at her as she gets knocked back- going along for the ride in the process. At least they're showing some team spirit as they lollygag around. While chasing their leader, their mobility is made to match hers, overriding their normal stats.

When the Lead Clown uses a Standard (jab, tilt, or dash attack) or Aerial attack, the Support Clowns finally hop in to pull their own weight, utilizing their own corresponding input at the same time. The damage, knockback, shield damage, hitstun, and all other numerical consequences typical of getting hit by an attack are all reduced to 0.7x for the Support Clowns' attacks, serving more as sour spots that provide added coverage or some extra damage than anything that would steal the spotlight from the Lead Clown.

Their hurtboxes are active in this state, though they won't intercept any projectiles, nor will they take damage or knockback. Any hit that would cause at least flinching makes them reel back into the background and disables their hitboxes, and flinching or knockback dealt to the leader causes them to stumble and abort their attack or get knocked back as well, respectively.


But that's just the default arrangement. There wouldn't be much point in having all three present at once if you couldn't make use of them all. The player can Switch which Clown they're controlling directly, and Toggle whether either or both of the two playing Support are "Follow"-ing that Lead Clown around or involving themselves more "Independent"-ly.

Each Clown is associated with one of the Taunt buttons; Diamond with the Side Taunt buttons (getting two because she's the leader, clearly), Spade the Up Taunt button, and Club with Down Taunt. Tap the Lead Clown's button to use their Taunt, or a Support Clown's button to Switch to controlling that Clown. Simple! If you want, you can Switch on the respawn platform, or during the countdown at the start of the match, allowing you to start each stock with a different Lead Clown.

You can even Switch while in the air, when charging a Smash, or when using a Special! If you Switch during a Smash, the former Lead Clown will hold her ground until a foe blunders into range of her Smash or she can't hold the charge anymore, then unleash it. Switch during a Special, and the former Lead Clown perform input-specific behavior relating to that Special. Once done, or if she would take hitlag or knockback in this state, she'll return to Following the new Lead Clown- teleporting to her side by pulling a starry black cloak from her sleeve and wrapping it around herself, appearing from a similar cloak that briefly slips free of the Lead Clown's pocket. This inventive use of their shared pocket storage is a little escape artist trick they'd practiced to perfection for times when the audience (read: angry suckers) are too demanding about an encore (read: realize they've been robbed).

Above the trio's stocks are their playing card symbols; the current Lead Clown's is front and center, even being slightly bigger for emphasis, with the Support Clowns' to either side. While a Support Clown is Following, their symbol is close. While a Support Clown is Independent, it moves further to the side. If a Support Clown is absent, it's simply gone. The full player tag is above the Lead Clown, while a simple colored arrow is over the head of the Support Clown, for additional clarity.


The "Independent" state is the Clowns' big trick. While tapping the Taunt button will Switch between Clowns, Holding and Releasing the button will Toggle their state between Follow and Independent. Upon holding a Taunt button, the Lead Clown cups her right hand over mouth- and if it's a Support Clown's button, she'll cup her right hand to her ear, the storage access portals up their sleeves letting them communicate from across the distance until the button is released. It's a short animation to telegraph that something is happening, the brief minimum duration and lack of hitbox nevertheless meaning it's still a little risky to do in neutral.

While holding the taunt button, you can input up to three of any non-Grab moves, further moves overriding the oldest. Dash Attack can be input by double-tapping the analogue stick to the side, Smashes by holding A, and Aerials can be input with the Jump button in place of the A button. Upon release, the Support Clown enters the Independent state, ready to perform the inputs given in order. Specials and Smashes work mostly the same way as above (Specials having some unique behaviors outlined within), while Standards and Aerials sees her pursue the nearest foe using her own movement stats to get in position to use the input.

She will not pursue foes off-stage, and prioritizes recovering if she winds up there (telegraphed by some frantic anime-ish sweatdrops as she hurries back to stage; even using her Up Special to do so if needed, independent of any orders given). If no enemy is within 10 Units of her, she'll return to and wait by the Lead Clown's side. Hold and release the Taunt button without performing any inputs to recall her, and again to deploy her with the remaining commands. Hold and release the Taunt button with new inputs to override the remaining old ones. If deployed without any inputs, she'll act as if ordered to use the Jab input (which will always result in attempting the full jab combo). If there are no inputs in her order 'queue' left, she'll return to the Lead Clown's side as if recalled (using the aforementioned pocket trick).


Aside from having to juggle the trio's antics and their subpar individual sets, the chief drawback of sending your Support Clowns on a mission by switching them to Independent is that they lose all those convenient immunities; they take damage, knockback, and hitlag as a normal character, said damage being added to the trio's shared percentage. This means your Support Clowns can be hassled to rack up your damage, especially if two or even all three Clowns can be struck by the same attack. They will attempt to DI free of combos and even shield or dodge if getting hassled badly enough, but are reliant on orders to attack, and will take some lumps in the process.

This also means they can be KOed. The trio don't lose a stock until all three of them are gone, but they won't respawn until then either- if you leave your friend to the wolves, don't expect them to come back to help. If your Lead Clown is KOed while a Support Clown is still hanging around, control shifts to the next one in the priority list as follows: Diamond -> Spade -> Club. This is another reason to engage with their potential for widespread chaos- the opponent having to catch and KO you multiple times at the end of the stock is a heck of an Ace to keep up your sleeve, even if they're not the best at solo acts.


As a final note: each Clown can hold an item of her own. She'll use battering, shooting, and throwing items when ordered ala a standard or aerial input, and the grab button can be used to order her to throw it (the sole time you can enter the grab input as a command when Toggling a Support Clown; it's skipped if they lose the item before then). Food items heal their shared health pool, while other consumables only affect the Clown who takes it. Dragoon Parts, Smash Balls, etc are immediately given to, held by, and used by the Lead Clown. All Clowns are treated as the 'owner' of an effect of an item used by one of them, or similar such effects.


Stats:

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Specials:

Neutral Special:

Arguably the most important input of the trio's sets, Neutral Special is shared by all three of the Traveling Triad (which again is the Clowns' 'official' group name, no matter how much more fitting the Clowns title is). A tap of the button sees the Clown dramatically thrust her hand out, a shadowy distortion flickering just in front of and below her palm- almost as if coming out of her sleeve. Items and projectiles will vanish into the abyss, leading the Clown to roll her sleeve up, as if to display there's nothing there.

At first glance, this seems to be a worse version of the Villager and Isabelle's Pockets. A little slower to come out, extra ending lag if nothing is grabbed as the Clown performs a frustrated (Diamond snapping her fingers, Spade stamping her foot) or dismayed (Club slumping and biting her finger) animation, and a much smaller 1.2x damage multiplier for whatever is thrown back out (compared to the whopping 1.9x multiplier the Animal Crossing representatives have). The one major upgrade is that the multiplier is not reduced for allied projectiles, allowing the Clowns to snowball one of their projectiles into a deadly weapon if allowed to pass it back and forth (capping at 2.2x for a huge buff).

Fortunately, the Clowns have two more uses for their version of the Pocket. This Pocket is shared among the three of them; if one grabs an item or projectile, the next Clown to use Neutral Special will use it. This serves as a way to quickly pass along helpful items between the three as they're separated, and having a projectile that missed the foe caught by an ally allows a fast second use as the foe recovers.

If there's nothing to grab or Pocketed already at the moment, a Support Clown ordered to use Neutral Special will wait in place until a projectile or item comes along to snag it, so you don't have to worry about tight execution windows. If both Support Clowns have it queued up, one will grab the item/projectile and the other will immediately use it. If both find themselves staring down a projectile at the same time, they'll effectively cheat the normal 1 Pocketed item limit to swap them; grabbing their respective projectiles and immediately flinging the other back out. They'll catch yours just as readily as the opponents', though, so don't expect them to serve as something to camp behind.

More uniquely, the Clowns can also Pocket their unique Constructs. Each Clown has some destructible object or objects they can produce to aid herself and her teammates in their fight, but all of them involve a lot of time to make, and most are completely stationary or otherwise hard to move around after the fact- with a fight shifting back and forth across a stage, this can lead to her efforts being entirely invalidated by happenstance long before her work is done.

Use Neutral Special on a construct and the Clown will Pocket it, no matter how implausibly big the thing they're stashing up their sleeve is. Retrieving a Pocketed Construct by repeating the input has the Clown retrieve a small, glittering token, which acts as a throwing item that cannot be interacted with once in flight. Upon hitting the ground, it will abruptly expand upward into the Construct in question from the spot it landed.

If multiple things that can be Pocketed are in reach, the priority is as follows: enemy projectiles, allied projectiles, items, constructs. If two Clowns would Pocket something at the same time but be prevented from doing their switcharoo, only one will Pocket her projectile/item/construct, and the other's will reappear in front of her and resume its normal behavior. If two Clowns are ordered to use Neutral Special at once with something already Pocketed, only one will. The priority for which Clown acts successfully is Diamond > Spade > Club, the same priority order for picking the next Lead Clown when the current one is KOed; you can assume it's applied as a rule of thumb in any further situations or odd corner cases such as these.

Make no mistake, this is still a straight downgrade in usability in a direct fight- rough timing, less reward, more punishable on whiff, and while it has an actual use in fights with foes that lack projectiles, it takes set-up time to get it or (in casual matches) relies on rng for the right items to drop. This is better thought of as a tool to better support the trio's shenanigans and more easily transfer your hard won set up around as the fight moves about the stage, or in some cases as a means to move it if you misplaced something and need to precisely relocate it at the cost of some vulnerability. The ability to snap up an opponent's ill-timed attack and hurl it back is more of a happy accident, and the option to build up the trio's own attacks a reward for good multitasking that gives you an Ace in the Hole.


As a final trick, holding B while holding an item will Pocket it, doing it in the same action as tossing out or equipping whatever's already Pocketed if they already have something. Command your Support to do this by holding B and they'll either stash the item they're holding or do it to the nearest valid item/Construct. This is especially useful in the context of the next input.


Side Special:




Unordered notes, incomplete (some are on phone) and partially out of date:

Trio of clowns, Witchverse OCs and totally not me wanting an excuse to take another crack as the Stooges' concept again.

One Smash should have long range but narrow coverage, with heavy start lag and short end lag. Can essentially be used to cordon off a portion of the stage, with a platform (such as one they could make) serving as a means to make this an aerial threat. Knife throw hitbox? Could be mirrored by the other two- a large bouncing ball projectile whose arcing bounces can be affected by absence or presence of platforms, for example.


Rehash of Curly's pipes special, minus the waterworks. Makes a small platform supported by a pole, and from there will extend outwards to make additional wooden platform left, right, up, or down (moving in a direction already occupied by platform, natural or otherwise, will just have them move that way). The platforms can be fallen through. Max 6 Platforms at a time. Only interactable, solid part of this construct is the starting pillar, which can be destroyed. If destroyed (by damage, moving solid terrain pushing into it, or a fighter being flung into it via knockback) or this Special is used again while not on the growing jungle gym, (summoning the pillar to the character's new position), the rest comes crashing down as individual, quick-falling hitboxes that deal weak spiking hits and decent damage- one per segment. Stuff like good sharking moves and a heavily nerfed villager bowling ball should exist in this set to compliment this. Used as a recovery, the platforms hover in the air for a brief moment after use of the move ends, before tumbling down (allowing one last jump or a fast attack that will be cancelled shortly into end lag). Landing on a platform that's 'stable' (has a pillar sticking up from the ground where it was used) will refresh second jump and recovery, but one existing entirely in mid-air won't.


Cart can be summoned that can be stood on, and if struck will roll across the ground with speed and hitbox determined by the knockback of the attack that hit it. Will continue rolling until it hits a foe or falls, breaking on contact with foe/ground respectively. Nasty if dropped on an opponent's head. Very slow to bring out, naturally. Repeat from afar to summon it to you, or if near it to send it rolling with a harsh standing kick.
-Set a sister on the cart and send it rolling forward to turn a held input into a mobile threat.
-Use it as a vantage point for your ranged options.
-Can turn a powerful KO hit into a ranged option by means of hitting the cart with it.
-Dropping it via the platforms can be a nasty surprise.
-Hitting foe into its side will push the cart and bounce them off like it was a wall. Doing it again breaks the cart instead of interrupting their knockback- you get one combo extension per cart.
-One cart at a time. Repeat input essentially summons the cart to the player's position- though notably it takes anything set atop it with it.
-NOT solid ground for the purpose of platform Up Special, the clown responsible for that does a little hop up and makes an airborne, unsupported platform instead.


Fireworks for delayed hitboxes and AoEs.


Falling cage grab hitbox. Drags foes down as it falls. Loses HP over time, much more quickly in the air to limit gimps with the attack. Released foes (if in the air) are popped upwards to further prevent cheese KOs. Hitting a foe in the cage breaks it. This is essentially your set up for KO moves. Can be set on a platform to drop automatically if a foe runs beneath it, allowing for the trio's rare kill confirms- provided they can set it up. Will gain its hitbox if it drops from a platform ceasing to exist or an effect pushing it off. Will expand in size if it catches an opponent bigger than itself.


1. Diamond: Leader, knife-thrower (among other things) and ringmaster. Can produce throwing items for herself and her comrades, weak combo character who suffers from her combos falling off at mid-percents, reliant on items which take time to produce. Can use the other two's set-up as significantly improved combo ending options and even kill confirms. Pocket-like special that can let her store multiple of her own projectiles and props provided by the other two, essentially able to move your set-up, save it for later, or more directly weaponize it. Air magic? Could have a special that forms a twister to shoot things upwards or pull things down.

(Former noble whose family was ruined in the fallout following the Mad Wizard's fall. Family formerly had connections to another family managing a pocket space storage business (which serves to hold items for player characters across the wider series). While not nearly proficient enough to do much else with it, she has managed to replicate a small pocket for herself and her associates off of her parents' notes. A touch spineless when faced with pushback from anyone who isn't her partners, and something of a bully when in control, but dearly cares for those she sees as 'subordinates'. The eldest of the three, she took the other two under her wing when she found them similarly without family or support.)

2. Spade: Pyrotechnics and acrobatics. A mediocre zoner whose tools are either too slow or too precise in their spacing to be great at what they do, but can set up mean delayed hitboxes and is fairly good at punishing foes when they're in the right spot. In particular is good at sharking, and is the only one of the three with business being in the air in neutral. Fire element?

(An outspoken firecracker, whose response to the world at large trying to turn its back on her was to bite it on the ass. Bombastic, playful, and overconfident to a fault, Spade's life is a very long string of 'find out's punctuating her wild card antics. At the same time, when it comes to people she cares about, her behavior seems to reverse itself- on the surface being as boisterous and bullheaded as normal, but her ability to plan things out and act patient greatly increases.)

3. Club: Prop maker, slapstick target, and animal tamer (animals currently not included). The 'muscle' of the group who can secure KOs the easiest of the three in situations where set-up is absent or misplaced, yes that is a low bar. A middleweight with passable KO percents and most of the stereotypical heavyweight weaknesses. However, she has some of the most valuable set-up for controlling the stage (in particular turning Spade into a threat) and can turn Diamond's combos into legitimate threats. Wood element? Animals are likely small, adorable creatures rather than fearsome beasts.

(The member of the troupe who does most actual clown-related bits, aside from being the builder of props and tamer of the not-so-ferocious animals that seem magnetically drawn to her. A genius at her craft, Club is unfortunately often undermined by the need to rush her production and her own natural clumsiness, and finds herself scolded by her (equal parts worried and annoyed) partners in crime for her well-intentioned but careless behavior. She geniunely loves them, however, and positively basks in praise or applause she is given- to the point it's a little concerning. With a very isolated childhood, she seems desperate for approval and driven to impress. Has sad clown-esque iconography, looking most like a traditional western clown in her outfit, and tends to get teary-eyed when happy or overwhelmed.)

All three are accomplished jugglers (story-wise; they could be actually decent at that mechanically to work with the platforms Club will be making).

(Thinking that all three will be fairly skilled with Wind magic; notably not the medium for any of the three, but it was the magic they've known for the longest and thus what they're most skilled with in spite of that.)


Whichever two clowns aren't under your direct control, if following in the background, will use balloons to hover about on/off stage.

One throw is 'shared' between the group, passing the foe to the next in line if they're within x distance or following you. The opponent remains in the grab state and takes damage from this effect, with the grab duration not refreshing. The opponent can be hit out of the toss by existing elements (such as traps set by the trio).

Could share the pocket special, with the three sharing an inventory? Tap to pocket, Hold to retrieve from a menu, slower than Villager's to make up for the added functionality.


Taunt buttons correlate to the individual members- side buttons for Diamond, up for Spade, down for Clubs. Tap a different Clown's to switch to them with a short animation, hold to separate/reunite them with the others (holding the button of the currently controlled Clown swaps both of the others), and tap the Clown's you control for an actual Taunt.

Manually desynched Clowns will take up position relative to the currently controlled Clown; Diamond follows directly behind, using her initial dash to zip to the controlled Clown's opposite side when they turn. Spade keeps her distance and tries to keep the player-controlled Clown between herself and the nearest opponent. Club will keep a set distance from the opponent nearest the player controlled Clown to protect them. They can be attacked and take damage from attacks, adding to the shared total, as well as knockback, potentially leading to them being KOed independent of the player-controlled Clown. They will perform their own non-Special inputs corresponding to the player's if there is an enemy within 2 Units of themselves (grounded/aerial inputs interchangeable depending on their current position). They will automatically prioritize recovery if off-stage.


NSpec shared pocket, starts a little worse in frame data than the Villager's (with a noticeably tighter window for snagging enemy projectiles but wider window for catching the Clowns'). Has the ability to store the constructs the Clowns produce mid-fight and re-place them in the appropriate areas, AND can have multiple items/projectiles/constructs stored, but the frame data gets significantly worse with each stored item. Hold to place/release an object (calling up a menu with the stashed objects, with objects that can't be placed in the current location being grayed out).

SSpec multi-option item (all are items that can be picked up and thrown; Diamond's are most useful AS throwing items, while Spade's are fireworks of different flavors, and Club's are small animal buddies that serve as low-threat passive patrolling mooks (with very telegraphed wind-up to their attack when they choose to strike that is more to force a response than actually to hit in the first place).)

--Spade's Fireworks items produce an explosion a short distance away flying in that direction before exploding; this movement is forced on anyone holding them when the timer runs out (cancelling anything the character is already doing); hand it to your teammates for a scary delayed hitbox that cancels them out of dangerous situations. Hitting a character carrying a firework causes them to drop it automatically, but the fuse will still be burning down. (Note: these are explosive items, friendly fire is a thing, though you can let go with the usual buttons and the AI is smart enough to do so). IDEA: you can cancel the Clowns' Side Special projectiles into each other within the same 'stack' of items (they function as individual uses of one shooting item mechanically with each use of SSpec after the first while holding the item putting the chosen projectile into the queue). Fireworks have a bit of unfortunate end lag that tends to leave the user neutral at best and unsafe on shield, but cancelling into one of the other Clowns' projectile options can make it safe and even transition nicely into a combo.

DSpec primary construct.

USpec Recovery/Secondary Construct.


Forward Smash: Actually kinda powerful projectile that controls a good deal of space but is highly impractical in terms of frame data for its results.


Spade DAir is a fast falling drop kick that sees her bounce off of whatever she hits? Could hijack Louise's Side Special for Spade, but downplayed naturally.

Thinking that Diamond could be the mediocre zoner and Spade a mediocre combo character (whose forced movement on certain moves can make her more impressive on approach but undermines her combos by positioning her oddly compared to the foe)? Diamond's ability to produce throwing items makes her more zoner-ish, while Spade's explosives are exceptionally good combo enders if not for her difficulty in properly corralling foes into a specific spot and not so much as zoning tools due to the delay.


Spade's Up Special is a balloon-supported platform she can stand on as it rises. Any items at her feet or on a platform that it rises through is scooped up in the process, and if used while standing on a Down Special construct, it'll lift said construct into the air. She can use grounded inputs from this platform, and can abandon it by jumping or falling through it, but can only drift slowly forward or back rather than her normal speed, can only use it once per air trip, is slowly floating upward at a set speed, and the platform (or just the balloons if used on a DSpec construct) despawns if the balloons are damaged OR she leaves it. Allows for some dumb juggles and grounded combos that would normally be hampered by knockback angle or movement (since the slowed platform speed overrides the movement attached to her attacks), but is in turn worsened by the constant upward movement and vulnerable balloons? Hilariously easy to gimp as a recovery, her strong grounded jump and the long duration at least giving her distance for recovery but not much else.


Down Special construct ideas:

-Diamond: "Trick Target", what looks like a self-inflating dummy uses its imbued wind magic for more than just easy set-up! Acts as a reflector for the Clowns' projectiles, and their projectiles only- redirecting them toward the nearest opponent in the process and adding a small damage multiplier to boot! Jump on top and get launched upward!

-Club: Cart, acts as a projectile when in motion above a certain speed, localized on whatever side is facing the direction it's moving in. Damage and knockback increase with speed. Takes damage on collision with a foe proportionate to the damage it deals, or when friend/foe are hit into its sides (which act as obstructions that can be rolled past, moving in front of the cart is fine and you can move past the edges to get away from it without being blocked), to prevent infinites. Clowns can hit it with their attacks so the knockback transfers motion to it. Can serve as a (moving) platform, which is a quality shared by all three constructs.

-Spade: Fireworks set, timed explosive with variable fuse and firepower (more boom, longer fuse; charge determines the power and delay?). Can be stood on, but does not obstruct movement past it. Fireworks shoot upward and will combo into the explosions. 'Fuse' is stamina, and reducing it to 0 with an attack causes it to simply explode. Idea: Spade can store the charge on her (normally pretty mediocre) Smashes, with charging being lost on repeat input or starting another Smash input. Creating a Fireworks set requires/uses the stored charge to determine its hitbox, and the more charge, the greater the delay, but the bigger the payoff (which scales on top of the Smash charge, taking a mediocre Smash and making it deadly).

--Spade USmash is a series of fireworks that shoot upward into simple, colorful bursts overhead- the first aimed up and behind, the next slightly further forward from the last, and so on, until five have fired and covered a swathe centered 2.5 Units above Spade. Wide coverage but long duration and lag, and blatant blindspot on the ground/delay before the frontal coverage comes into play. Motion can make for wider or more focused coverage to help deal with air dodges (such as using it from an Up Special platform or in motion from atop a Cart).


(Spade Down Special charge involves her just stuffing more and more fistfuls of tiny fireworks into her fireworks set.)