User:Ch4zm/July 2025/Animals Lore Jam
Lore Ideas
round 1
Hive Mind: Moore so than other Golly teams, the Balloon Animals operate as a single entity with a decentralized consciousness consisting of a single shared braincell. Rather than communicating with words, which would be an inefficient use of the braincell, they emit a constant low-level Buzz. The pitch and volume correspond to their focus, but also their agitation, and also their hunger levels, and they also use it to request the braincell. A low, steady hum might mean they are all idle, or they are full, or the braincell is fully occupied and the entire team is enraptured or distracted. A high-pitched, frantic buzz might mean the team is trying to execute a formation, or play a video game, or the braincell needs to be passed, or someone just wants a hot dog.
The Nest: With no individuals, there are no individual lockers. Instead, the SDBA clubhouse features "The Nest"—a massive, ever-growing pile of cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and discarded fidget spinners. After games, the entire collective merges into The Nest, a writhing, unified pile of limbs and cardboard. This is how they rest, regenerate, and reinforce their collective bond. (Meme: how to catch a San Diego Balloon Animal: fidget spinner, bubble wrap, under a cardboard box, with a string and a stick)
Edge Squeaks: The Balloon Animals stadium is specially designed to trigger sounds and effects on certain grid squares. For example, on the border of the grid, when cells are activated (alive), they will generate squeak sounds at random frequencies. The stadium will also designate certain squares to be "bubble" squares that pop like bubble wrap when the cells are activated. The Balloon Animals and their fans love these effects and it is a big part of what drives fans to games.
Internal Factions: The locker room was once torn apart by a deep philosophical divide. On one side were "The Spinners," who revered the smooth, endless rotation of the classic three-pronged fidget spinner. On the other were "The Clickers," who found solace in the tactile feedback of the multi-function fidget cube. The conflict nearly destroyed the team until the back office confiscated everything and replaced them all with squeaky toys. Tensions still linger. (Meme: are you a spinner or a clicker?)
Cone Go Brr: At some point in their team history, the San Diego Balloon Animals were on the team bus, driving in circles in the parking lot (as was their weekly tradition) when a traffic cone got caught under the wheels, dragged under the team bus, and made a satisfying brrrrrrrrrrrp sound. The team immediately began to cheer for the cone that "go brr", and after the drive they rescued the traffic cone and named it "Cone Go Brr"
The San Diego Balloon Animals: Much like a fidget spinner, the endless, circular, repetitive chant of "The San Diego Balloon Animals" is more than a cheer. It is a vital tool for helping players stay focused. When there are too many shiny objects, or The Buzz gets too loud, or the player who needs the braincell most is not getting it, fans (or sometimes players) will initiate The Chant. As the chant spreads, all of the players join in, and the monotonous repetition calms their minds and re-focuses the braincell on the task at hand.
The Las Vegas Incident in the Nighttime: The (Toroidal/Season 24 I think) season saw the Balloon Animals power their way through the first and second rounds of the postseason and reach the Toroidal Cup, where they were slated to face off with the 
Vegas Vampires
. When the Balloon Animals collective arrived in the overwhelming sensory experience of the Las Vegas strip, they were completely mesmerized by the lights and chorus of sounds from slot machines. The collective rapidly overwhelmed the casino floor of each casino they visited, and they worked their way down the Strip. As word of the Balloon Animals spread among Strip casinos, security devised a specific non-hostile protocol to gently herd the Balloon Animals away from the craps and roulette tables and back out onto the street.
Memes
Movie and TV Quote Division
Finding Nemo - The Seagulls
- Image: The seagulls staring intently.
- Text: Instead of "Mine? Mine? Mine?", it's "BALLOON? ANIMAL? BALLOON? ANIMAL? SAN DIEGO?"
Zoolander - "The files are in the computer?"
- Image: Two Balloon Animal players looking with utter confusion at a tablet displaying the team's playbook.
- Player 1: "The plays... they're in the squeaky light box?"
- Player 2: Nods slowly, mouth agape.
Kowalski, say something smart
- "The San Diego Balloon Animals"
TV Show: The Office (US) (2005-2013)
- Quote: Kevin Malone's "Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?"
- Balloon Animal Version:
- Image: A coach is at a whiteboard, covered in complex X's and O's, trying to explain a play. A player sits in front of him, looking utterly baffled.
- Player's Thought Bubble: "Why say lot word? Just say 'HIT MAN! SQUEAKY GO BYE-BYE!'"
Movie: The Dark Knight (2008)
- Quote: "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
- Balloon Animals: *pop bubble wrap for 14 hours*
- "Some teams just want to watch the world pop."
TV Show: Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
- Quote: Hodor's single-word vocabulary.
- Balloon Animal Version:
- Image: A transcript of a post-game interview.
- Reporter: "An amazing performance. What was the secret to shutting down their run game?"
- Player: "Balloon Animals."
- Reporter: "Right, but tactically, what adjustments did you make at halftime?"
- Player: "Balloon Animals."
- Reporter: "Is there anything else you can tell us?"
- Player: [Points at reporter's shiny microphone] "Balloon Animals?"
Classic Meme Format Division
The "Distracted Boyfriend" Meme
- BF: "The San Diego Balloon Animals"
- GF ignoring: "Winning the game"
- GF distraction: "a shiny hot dog wrapper"
Drake hotline:
- Drake looking displeased (Top Panel): "Following the game plan" or "Silent count"
- Drake looking pleased (Bottom Panel): "BANGING ON A LOCKER WITH A HELMET" with the caption "THE SAN DIEGO BALLOON ANIMALS"
Orange County Chopper meme:
- The San Diego Balloon Animals
- The San Diego Balloon Animals
- The San Diego Balloon Animals
- The San Diego Balloon Animals
- The San Diego Balloon Animals
