#only implied very briefly but i dont want to upset anyone

[ladynamida]

Devil May Cry: Vergil's Clothes

Warning: self-indulgent headcanons and rambling to follow. Tw for very brief mentions of violence against children (this is Vergil we're talking about here and I don't think he's had a good time).

I'm thinking again about how Vergil is wrapped in so many layers of clothes. Yes Vergil being so gussied up is an aesthetic treat but why is he like this?

On that day, the day of the fire, he was attacked, stabbed to within an inch of his life and turfed out of his home - and his family, or so he thought - wearing a shirt, shorts and boots. Suitable for a life on the run and on the streets it was not. It makes sense that once he was able he would dress in sturdier clothes for travelling, fighting demons and inclement weather alike.

We don't know the details of Vergil's later childhood years but I don't think the DMC universe is so different to ours that we should assume it is different than for real vulnerable street children. (Barring the eternal threat of demons hunting the blood of Sparda - but the parallels between them and real human traffickers and perpetrators of violence - physical, mental or sexual - against children are a whole other matter to consider.)

There was some information saying he was raised in isolation or in hell but I don't think that was confirmed as canon and still lacks any kind of detail. So how did young Vergil survive? Was he taken in? It strikes me that kind of situation may not have lasted long if he was hunted... Did he find sympathisers willing to support him?... Did he steal?... Did the mighty Son of Sparda have to beg for socks and bread? What a treasure trove of humiliating memories for such a proud and haughty man, pre-packaged and ready to be used against him by anyone wishing to cause him pain (looking at you Mundus). Somehow I doubt he immediately learned how to glamour-up a new outfit a la Trish's technique without guidance but it would have been helpful.

When we see Vergil in DMC3 he is dressed for the party: that beautiful, vivid blue battle coat with its gold lining and thorns/vine motif, the snakeskin trousers and belt combo, the boots and of course the infamous ascot scarf...

However he got them, to me it feels like a statement. "I'm not hiding any more." Chin jutted out, frown between brows, you can see me and I am untouchable. You have shown me no mercy, see how strong and unforgiving I am now. Who is that message for... the demonic legions hunting him or the scared little boy who had to grow up too quickly? Denial (like many behaviours) can be a useful emotional self-defence mechanism until it takes you too far down a dangerous path and reality catches up with you.

... and despite the overt flair and flamboyance if you look past the jewel colours he's pretty well wrapped - especially if you compare his outfit with Dante's. I know I know, in his defence Dante was rudely interrupted by Arkham's invitation and jumped right into action, but even so their clothes mimic their mannerisms. Vergil's? Stoic. Upright. Inviolable. Closed off. Separate. Alone. Lonely?

We know what "clothes" Vergil wears next. Armour: dark, constricting, binding, hopeless. Eventual escape - but not rescue.

So now imagine surviving the unsurvivable only to find yourself crumbling apart from the inside, knowing no matter how many cloaks or rags you wear you can't hide this time when the monster is inside your skin. A time to mourn then, the colours muted, darker, but an attempt to reclaim "oneself" - whatever that looks like after being torn apart. The thorns return and his own colour, but not the sparkling blues that almost glowed in the darkness of Temen Ni Gru. Perhaps a more grown up outfit for a man who didn't really live through all of the years he has been alive but survived them none-the-less. Scars, tattered coat-tails and all.

V. V, V, V... who didn't initially choose the outfit he wore but seemed to choose to keep wearing it despite spending a month surrounded by abandoned clothes stores or at least homes. Surely he could have pilfered some more sensible or logical devil hunting threads, unless he felt he didn't need to. Metaphorically cloaked by the support of his nightmares, maybe? (Or maybe he felt like your average run-of-the-mill demons wouldn't be as interested in getting their claws into him - and besides, what could they possibly do to him that hadn't been done before?) Dangerous bravado for someone so physically weak, a reminder of whom he came from.

Urizen, containing Vergil's lust for power and propped up by the skills he valued at the time of his Yamato-induced schism - power and strength, physical and demonic. In self preservation and to become stronger he armoured himself with the Qliphoth tendrils and used them to take the blood of human innocents. Take, take, take. Why shouldn't he take when so much has been taken from him? His outermost armour and shield, the faithful friend he carried and was protected by throughout those formative childhood years - Yamato. He eats the Fruit and sheds the armour - why would it be necessary now? Again, he feels untouchable, unbreakable, strong (using his own somewhat limited definition of the term). He loses of course because he is incomplete - V had strength too though it manifested in different ways. The strength to overcome, the strength to do whatever it takes to survive and the strength to ask for help (although perhaps that is debatable, since he acted at times as though he thought he was in control and manipulating those foolish enough to help him).

Even after reforming as Vergil and meeting Dante atop the Qliphoth nothing seems to have changed. Of course we know from Visions of V that a lot has changed. The way Vergil feels is laid bare for us to see and Vergil regains some parts of himself that he lost all of those years ago... not only that day but throughout the following years where his only option was to survive.

But no open-necked Henley, no forearms on show, still wrapped in those layers. Another armoured vest (sleeveless?) zipped and buttoned to within an inch of his life (and chin - those animations don't exactly make it look comfortable). The other devil hunters in the series seem much happier casually flashing their skin - midriff, cleavage, abs and ass cheeks aplenty - so what makes Vergil any different, other than his antagonist status? (Maybe I'm thinking too deeply and it's purely fan-service.)

So, still looking for protection, still hiding, still afraid of appearing (or being) anything other than untouchable? Still protecting his vulnerable core from anyone or anything that would harm him?

Recovery from trauma is an ongoing process, not something that can be "fixed" within the scope of a game, or a year, or a decade, nor can people be "fixed" to become the same person they once were. But people can grow and become something more and find life worth living again. So maybe one day we'll get to see all three descendants of Sparda with their coats on the ground and hearts on their sleeves, sparring for fun as a family.

Tldr: something something a self-defence mechanism against the entire world something

--------------

If you made it to the bottom of this self-indulgent ramble then kudos to you! So many thoughts, so difficult to articulate and so few words... and there are so many tangents I could go off on but I won't since we somehow made it to a conclusion. Sometimes you've just got to let it out 🎶

#devil may cry #devil may cry vergil #dmc vergil #tw child abuse #only implied very briefly but i dont want to upset anyone #vergil's clothes and some possible in-universe explanations for them #i think about this way too much actually #my writing #dmc headcanons

[la5t-res0rt]

Wanted to ask about beetlelyds, sorry, I thought it was technically cannon? Like in the old comics after the show ended she grew up and married him. Sorry I’m an old school fan and have no idea why this whole thing is such a big deal. Wasn’t the actor like 20 too? I’m sorry if I sound very dumb. I’m not used to this new tumblr.

youre fine you are one hundred percent allowed to especially when you do it civilly as you have done here

first of all the biggest issue faced in the whole what is and is not canon debate is the fact that there are three (four if you count the limited comics run) publicized iterations of my media

i will go over each very briefly just kidding this is going to a long answer so i will spare the dashboard with a readmore

there is the movie which im sure you dont need me to explain the plot since youre an old school fan but basically the climax is that yes beetlejuice does go for the marriage angle in exchange for stopping the exorcism of adam and barbara and his motive for this is so that he can cause as much chaos as he wants on the mortal coil but his plan is thwarted when barbara rides a sandworm into the house which promptly eats beetlejuice sending him to bureaucratic death limbo

the end of the movie features the deetz and the maitlands happily living together with lydia havign a new appreciation for her situation and beetlejuice gets his head made real small which is very funny haha 

so no in the movie they are not canon editors note the actress who played lydia winona ryder was a teenager while filming the movie she turned 17 the year it released 

the next is the cartoon which i will admit has the most grounds for being considered canon but in the end the show is about a middle schooler and her best friend who is a ghost which in itself is a pretty iffy gray area sort of thing but for a childrens cartoon to work a friendship is better than the obvious enemy status they held in the movie

anyway in the cartoon they are potrayed to be very close friends with lydia being the person beetlejuice cares about the most and honestly if you were to watch it with no prior knowledge of the media and if you ignored their massive and obvious age difference than yeah you probably would read it as a romantic relationship 

however lydia is a middle schooler and that is simply immoral

there have been writers for the cartoon who have been credited to say that a relationship is what they were trying to invoke but for obvious reasons they couldnt exactly move forward with that angle with them establishing that lydia is a child in middle school and a fully grown adult man dating a child who is in middle school is immoral and also illegal in the united states and in canada 

this isnt a good argument for whether or not something is canon and i will tell you why with one simple name and that is luke weber

if you dont know who luke weber is he was a storyboard artist on the cartoon steven universe he is known for making a lot of self ship artwork of him and the character pearl

he worked on the show isnt his material canon no of course it isnt it wasnt put in the actual publication and also if memory serves he was eventually asked to leave the project after he drew art of the shows creator giving him permission to date pearl and calling them her otp and a lot of fans hated this because the most generally accepted interpretation of pearls character is that she is sapphic so a lot of people took issue however that again is just a widely perceived headcanon it is never stated what her actual sexuality is no one in that show is because it isnt a show about that its about wait im getting off topic sorry

what im saying is what can truly be considered canon is what you see on the screen and with the cartoon they are definitely the most friendly with each other and that is why so many people in the beetlebabe shipping community take so much stock in the cartoon because it is the easiest to read the relationship between the mas romantic although that is not what the show actually provides in black and white terms

interpretation does not equal canon and in this case no matter what anyone says the fact remains that in the cartoon itself they are friends good friends yes but friends all the same

it is definitely not a show about a grown man grooming an adult and if it were you definitely shouldn’t be stanning it the extreme because grooming a minor is wrong and it is apparently a problem in the fandom

anyway if the cartoon and the movie are both products of their time and there was more leniency on content bear in mind this was the same era as notorious animation powerhouse and known predator john k who was a showrunner on ren and stimpy and he maintained a relationship with a teenager which was an open secret that nobody really took issue with because in that time being a woman in the animation industry was tricky business and your career could be ended easily if you rejected advances luckily time has moved forward and the animation industry although still full of problems of a similar nature at least people are getting called out and punished for it

you can look more into that yourself its really upsetting though

as for comics i havent been able to find good scans of them and im not willing to purchase them but in my search i never found anything about the two of them ever being married in the cartoon again because she is a child i did find a cover where he appears to be getting married and hes asking lydia to get him out of it but im not sure where the comic actually goes all i know is she is standing off to the side shrugging and looking like she doesnt really care

anyway that brings us to the musical which is set in the modern day 

in the original libretto lydia is described as thirteen but since they got an actress who was older in the updated librettos she is listed as 15 and the story is pretty similar to the movie the young girl befriends ghosts and they try to scare her family out etc etc

the major difference between the film and the musical are that lydia and beetlejuice are more like friends like in the cartoon 

she summons him to help scare after the maitlands attempt doesnt really work so he shows up and they have fun terrorizing people together however she drops him for the opportunity to perhaps get her mom back but when no one will help she goes back to beetlejuice who tricks her into almost exorcising barbara

she agrees to marry him in order to stop the exorcism and he only wants to get married so he can be alive again and cause problems on the mortal coil like in the movie in the musical he states several times its a green card thing whihc obviously doesnt make it okay but still

anyway lydia tricks him and runs off into the underworld before the wedding can happen blah blah blah she goes back blah blah and she agrees to go through with the wedding to save her friends and family with a plan to make him go away for good

theres a very tongue and cheek song called creepy old guy which points out how wrong the whole thing is but everyone is going along with it in a very comedic matter and it includes the line 

i cant believe some cultures think this kind of things alright

basically saying yeah this is very very wrong anyway they do get married and beeltjeuice is alive for like 6 seconds before lydia stabs him to death with bad art and he dies thus nullifying the marriage because death do you part etc

so in the musical no at the end of the show they are not canon because he is dead their marriage is nullified and they go their separate ways

anyway sorry about that i just need to make it very clear that these three properties are all very distinct from each other and basically all three are indeed canon since they are publicized material and arguing the validity of which one is pointless editors note all actresses who played with the exception of dana steingold were minors for the majority of their runs as lydia with sophia ann caruso the originator of the role turning 18 during the run and dana being in her late twenties presley ryan however was a minor the whole time and still is one

tldr no they aren’t canon but to the credit of some people in this fandom their interpretation isnt too far of a stretch thanks to the era and some of the writers wishing to imply a relationship between an adult and a child

i also need to address how this is all a big deal and i suggest you take a peak through my discourse tag and check out @leedia‘s blog to see some of the more harmful things done by beetlebabe shippers

the beetlejuice fandom is home to many minors after the musical came out since musical fandom is vast and the ages of its members varies and normalizing pedophilia is harmful to them not to mention the people who have been effected by sexual harassment at the hands of adults

both sides have victims of csa but one side continues to perpetuate the cycle by showing time and time again that this behavior is normal and easily romanticized in the name of coping and literally anyone who has ever been to a good and credible therapist could tell you that posting cp even if it is simulated cp isnt a really good way to cope and you can get mad at me for saying that its totally fine but and im going to remove my character veil here for just a second as a csa survivor myself i think its harmful to not only myself but many others ok the veil is back down

tldr again there is a lot of bullying and harassment going on with both sides having their own issues but there is one side whos issues run a bit deeper in my humble opinion 

thank you for your question it allowed me to talk a lot you are welcome to discuss further with me in dms if you wish i honestly recommend giving the musical a listen because it is very fun and despite what some people say its very clever and if you get a chance to see a boot of it its visually stunning

one last note that i couldnt really fit in here but a large portion of the beetlebabes shipping community ignore the musical because it openly condemns the idea of beeltejuice and lydia having a relationship and a lot of the antis take issue with much of the writing and characterizations of the cartoon just a note that i think is important since were talking about canon

#discourse #long ask #i am so tired #Anonymous

[lopeach]

Whats up i dont have time to write a whole fic but

Dani is Lizzie Bennet, Aubrey is Darcy. Stay with me: Indrid is Jane and Duck is Mr. Bingley. Jake as Charlotte

No Wickham or bom-boms because this is my au and i say so. All they sylphs are still sylphs, and Aubrey is still Magic As Hell but the only conflict here is gross miscommunication

Anyways: The town of Kelper, West Virginia is holding its anual Candlenights celebration. Everyone is dancing and the vibes are good.

Enter three newcomers. Duck Newton, Ned Chicane, and Aubrey Little. The dancing briefly comes to a stop, and whispers spread that Aubrey is from Out Of Town™, only here to visit a distant family friend, Duck. Aubrey says very little the entire night, and what she does say, is Bad. Dani and Jake talk about how uptight she appears, presume she must think she is better than them, and resolve to not like her. Aubrey dances with no one, and if you were paying attention, she also does not touch anyone.

Meanwhile, at the same party, Duck meets Indrid, a lodge resident and generally evasive person. During the night, Duck is captivated by his otherworldly beauty, grace, and just sorta odd mannerisms. Indrid is also taken with Duck’s kind and honest nature. They spend most of the night dancing together. Indrid will later be lightheartedly teased about this

Later, on a trip into Kepler proper, Indrid’s car breaks down, and he must walk to the nearest establishment, the residence of Duck and Aubrey. Upon arrival, he falls ill and must stay there overnight. Amnesty lodge receives a call about this, and Dani must make the treck there, as Indrid took the only car they had, and its now being repaired. Ned is not pleased to see her, but Aubrey nearly flies out of her seat to greet her, still somehow managing to say All The Wrong Things. Dani and Indrid talk about his treatment, if theyve been horrible to him and no, they have not.

While Indrid rests, Dani sits with Duck, Ned, and Aubrey. Aubrey is hand-writting a letter, and Dani remarks on how odd that is, in this day and age. They quip about it, while Ned questions Dani in an attempt to reveal things about her past, her current living situation. The like.

Back at Amnesty Lodge, the Sylvain Fam™ recieves an unexpected visitor.

Hollis, leader of the local Ruffian Gang, accidentally did a bad stunt and broke something on lodge property. They volunteer to get a group together and fix it if Mama dosent report it. Hollis meets Dani and super misinterprets a comment she makes about thier bike. After a super awkward conversation, Dani realizes whats happening and interupts them to shout “GIRLS” Next thing we know Hollis and Jake are doin Rad Stunts into the sunset together

The lodge decide its time to Get Silly and throw a Ball. Everyone is invitied, but you gotta come decked out, dressed to the nines, all that. Dani avoids Hollis the entire night and Aubrey asks her to dance. Surprised, she says yes. Jake shares with Dani that hes worried Indrid is being too reserved. Either Duck will discover the sylphs, or the relationship will end

During the dance, Aubrey says More of the Wrong Thing, and implys she thinks Danis family is a little too wild, a little too rambunchious, and maybe a little too different. Big Argument. Dani stops in the middle of the dance floor, Aubrey right there with here. Aubrey, getting increasingly flustered by Danis anger and the big crowd, just straight up says she thinks Dani is the prettiest woman shes ever seen and just wants whats best for her

Dani recieves and invitation to dinner with Jake, Hollis, and Hollis’s aunt, Victoria (is Hollis also magic? The world may never know). At dinner she discovers that Aubrey is there. She has a Very Large Rabbit with her. Ned, who is somehow also here? Spills the beans that Aubrey split up Duck and Indrid. She makes a dramatic exit, pursued by Aubrey. They catch up to each other in a small gazebo. They fight. Aubrey declares that she has a crush on Dani “against her better judgement” Dani gets real upset about that and does the “you are the last man in the world i could ever be prevailed upon to marry” rant. They -almost- kiss.

Now everything is fucked. Dani and Aubrey, for all intents and purposes, hate each other. Duck and Indrid are no longer on speaking terms. The next evening, Aubrey arrives at Dani’s door, silently gives her a hand-written letter, and then leaves. The letter details Aubreys personal history with magic, how shes talked to Mama and she thinks she might be part sylph. More research is needed. She says she intervened on Ducks behalf because she was scared Duck was not in a good emotional state to be thinking about a relationship, having just lost his own connection with magic.

Later, Dani decides a walk in the woods will help clear her head of all the drama. She finds herself walking to the gate, but finds Aubrey already there. Aubrey catches Dani spying and chases after her. When Dani hits a dead end, they are forced to have a conversation. Its awkward, stilted and Dani accepts her invitation to dinner, maybe a little too quickly.

At dinner, Dani receives word that Hollis has run away with no warning, leaving Jake alone and heartbroken. She leaves for Amnesty with Barclay and Mama.

Aubrey and Duck find them in the closest Big City, and persuade them to come back to Kepler. At the reunion, Hollis revealed they had left to buy an engagement ring, and had wanted it to be a surprise. Jake tells Dani Aubrey helped pick one out.

Shortly after Jake and Hollis get their shit back together, Duck and Aubrey show up at Amnesty. Duck asks to speak to Indrid alone. You know the rest.

That same evening, Victoria arrives and demands to speak to Dani. She says she requires knowledge that Dani and Aubrey will not enter a relationship together, as Aubrey has other, much more important things to focus on, such as her studies, which cannot allow time for romance. Dani says she can promise nothing, and insists that Victoria leave, for she has caused enough stress on her family as is.

Unable to sleep, Dani begins to walk through the woods, reaching the archway clearing. Aubrey does the same. Aubrey reveals that she believes her mother was a sylph, based on the necklace she gave her before she died and ya know. Fire magic. She says Victoria introduced her to someone who has begun training her to use her Real Boi Magic, and is generally just very protective and overbearing. She says that she is still in love with Dani, but if the feelings are still not returned, shell never see her again. As she is rambling, Dani takes her hands- stopping her mid-sentence.

“You feel like home”

#listen its two am amd ive had this idea for months #if anything doesnt make sense i dont care #all i want is the good wlw content okay? #danbrey #taz amnesty

[entamewitchlulu]

Star! Orchestrashipping? (Musical au if you dont mind bending the rules a bit but whatever is fine :D)

I added the musical theme to a randomly generated prompt so we could do both lol, hope this turns out okay ;w;  anyway i’m finally finishing these last two prompts in my inbox from forever ago sdkfj;a

91. Forbidden (+musical au)

Cw: some implied homophobic shitheads

Someone was playing the piano in the auditorium, and a moment later, Reiji heard the soft tones of a pair of voices twisting together.  He smiled slightly as he pushed open the doors, stepping into the dim, empty auditorium.

The voices echoed perfectly up to the ceiling and all the way to the back of the auditorium, even without microphones.  But he supposed he shouldn’t expect anything less from Maiami High’s top stars.

Yuzu stopped playing once she heard Reiji’s feet climbing up the stage, and Yuya trailed off with confusion before he saw Reiji.  A huge grin split his face, and Reiji smiled back.

“Hey, director!” Yuya said, waving with both hands even though Reiji had nearly reached them.  “I wasn’t expecting you so early.”

“Getting in some extra practice, I see?” Reiji said.

“You know it,” Yuzu said, spinning her legs over the side of the piano bench so that she was facing Reiji.  “So?  How did we sound?”

“As usual?  Excellent.  Although, Yuya, you need to stand up straighter when you sing.  Your posture is collapsing your voice.”

Yuya saluted, and Reiji rolled his eyes.  Yuzu’s smile slipped a little then, and her fingers gripped the edge of the piano bench.  Reiji knew what she was going to ask before she did, and his own smile sagged a bit at it.

“So…how did it go with your dad?” she said, picking at the piano bench’s plush.

Reiji cast his eyes down at the stage.  He could see Yuya immediately shift uneasily at the question.

“It’s of no consequence,” he said, fixing his glasses.  “It was very rude of him to decide that now was when he wanted to actually exercise his rights as a father.”

Yuya grimaced, and Yuzu winced.  Reiji hated seeing either of them look so distressed, and it made him tense with another burst of irritation towards his father.  He still remembered just how panicked Yuya had looked when Reiji’s father had burst into the auditorium in the middle of rehearsal, demanding Reiji drop everything to talk to him.  To try and diffuse the situation, Reiji had, but when Yuya and Yuzu had tried to follow after Reiji, clearly worried about what was going on, Reiji’s father had given Yuya in particular such a dark look that Yuya had stopped dead in his tracks.  Reiji did not want to remember the choice words that his father had decided to use for Yuya in front of the entire cast.

Yuya bit his lip, looking down.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.  “I’m sure if it was just you and Yuzu dating, he wouldn’t be upset.  I’m messing it all up.”

“Yuya, stop!” Yuzu said, leaping up and grabbing his hand.  Reiji immediately grabbed Yuya’s other hand, squeezing it tightly.

“My father’s unfortunate opinions will not change my decisions,” he said.  “No matter what he decides he wants to say or do about it.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt because of me, or us,” Yuya said.  “I mean…even at school people are saying that you only give us the leads because you’re dating us.  I don’t want to ruin your reputation.”

“Only stupid people say that,” Yuzu said, rolling her eyes.  “Everyone knows Reiji couldn’t be bribed with anything.  Not even this.”

She kissed Reiji on the cheek, and Reiji rolled his eyes. He tightened his grip on Yuya’s hand.

“It’s true that my father doesn’t want me to associate with either of you at this rate,” he said.  “But that doesn’t change my feelings.  I’m not going to let him ruin any of our lives.”

Yuya bit his lip, glancing from one to the other.  His hands tightened in both of theirs.

“Sorry,” he said.  “I’m just…anxious I guess.”

Yuzu responded by kissing him on the cheek, and though Reiji found it difficult to be physically affectionate, he thought Yuya needed it right now.  So he wrapped his arm around Yuya’s shoulders and gave him a small kiss on the side of the head as well.

“Come on, let’s sing something,” Yuzu said, pulling Yuya down on the bench, and then tugging at Reiji’s scarf until he sat down on Yuya’s other side, all three of them squished together.  “Let’s practice our first duet.  Reiji, you play the harmonies with me.”

“We’re going to elbow Yuya if we try to play with him in the middle,” Reiji said.

“Too bad!  Yuya’s getting squish time!”

Yuya actually let out a choked giggle, and Reiji smiled.  He tickled the keys briefly, and then Yuzu jumped into the opening melody, and he followed along with the harmony.  A few moments later, Yuya and Yuzu both broke into the entwined melodies of their piece for the musical.   Reiji let his fingers focus on the keys, and his mind on the song, as the rest of him floated gently away into peace.

Right here with them was where he wanted to be.  No matter what anyone else had to say about it.

#yuya sakaki #yuzu hiragi #reiji akaba #orchestrashipping #yugioh arc v #meme response #lulu answers #dark-angel-of-muses

[tiredloserr]

i know im not a vld account by any means but after watching this season and thinking it over i need to rant about two points that really broke my heart.

im so disappointed because literally all the show runners and most of the VAs hyped this season, and more specifically, shiro and adam's, relationship up so much. i was hoping and really expecting shiro and adam to get more interaction than just a fight where it's not even clear and implied at most that they were romantically involved (even though vld cast and crew EXPLICITLY CONFIRMED they were in a romantic relationship and were even engaged). besides that and shiro VERY briefly stopping at the memorial where adam had his picture up, there was nothing mentioned in the show about adam and shiro. even when it was very very explicitly stated that this was our lgbt+ representation and we'd "be happy". they literally killed half of our representation and have tortured the other half every single season of this show. it's so disheartening that young lgbt+ audiences basically see themselves in these characters who repeatedly get killed and harmed across all media all the time. it's despicable to promise good rep and use that as clout for the show only to completely NOT deliver. being on the lgbt spectrum may not be a reality for show runners, but it is for a large portion of the audience and to see that potentially strong and positive rep taken away so fast after being given it is horrible.

lance. i dont even know where to start truly. lance has been getting made fun of and has been the butt of so many jokes over this whole show, but this season really just drove the point home that the creators just do not seem to like/care about his character at all. he was called "stupid" and "dumb" repeatedly over the course of an episode just to get laughs. he even said he was stupid himself after trying to deny it. (and lance is not stupid) no one came to his aide or denied it and then to top it off, when all the other characters are complimenting each other, lance literally compliments keith,,, his "rival", only for keith to say he didn't want to be stuck with lance for eternity. him being treated like garbage continues through the whole season with multiple characters telling him to shut up. he never gets to release his frustrations. and the thing that truly just makes this even more heartbreaking is the fact that he is a moc and hinted at being on the lgbt spectrum (specifically, bi)and many people, especially young kids, have looked for representation with him only to be shown a character who gets all his efforts to be a good person thrown back in his face time and time again. needless to say, that's not a point you want to make to an impressionable audience.

before anyone says it, im aware that this is marketed as a children's show and i may not necessarily be the intended demographic. but im so upset about how this season went. it had so much potential. the reality is vld has queerbaited its fanbase many times and when they say they're going to deliver, they fall into the "bury your gays" trope. vld mistreats its characters of color consistently and uses them as jokes and punching bags. even after knowing how important representation is to its fanbase, it gives the bare minimum and expects praise for being so "forward thinking" and "inclusive". although this show is well done animation-wise, it's still seriously lacking in character development and plot. im just very dissapointed in this season.

#there's more i could go into about this season but i'm too emotionally drained #sorry about the negativity #just needed to say it #my post #long post #vld spoilers #vld season 7 #vlds7 #vld lance #vld shiro #vld adam #I hope you enjoy my essay on a show that's literally about robot lions in space bdjdnk

[aurimeanswind]

Your E3 Predictions!—Sunday Chats—6/3/18

I’m very excited about this week’s Sunday Chats because it’s all about E3 predictions! This time next week, we’ll BE INSIDE E3! I’ll have seen Microsoft/EA/and Bethesda’s pressers come the next Sunday Chats, and I’ll be writing about them, probably! I may or may not do a Sunday Chats, but we’ll see!

To catch folks up, this week has been a full-force build up to E3 for me. A new Episode of Get Acquainted posted, with my friend Brandon Gann, who is just an incredibly wonderful and amazing loquacious individual, and we spend two plus hours talking E3! We had a ton of predictions and great conversations around all of them! You should give it a listen!

http://irrationalpassions.com/brandon-gann-e3-predictions-get-acquainted/

On this week’s Irrational Passions Podcast we had my other good friend Logan Moore on to make some E3 BETS! Nabeshin was kind enough to put together 25 amazing bets for us and a ton of lightening round bets on top of that, and it was super fun. You can watch the video version of that WITH bonus content right now, and the fully edited version will post on Tuesday.

So it’s all about E3, but before we get to that, a little personal update.

Personal Update for June

So any one close to me will no that the last week of my life has been exceptionally difficult. Some folks close to me, both physically and emotionally have been making decisions that have been pretty toxic, I can’t lie. It’s led to a pretty unhealthy living situation that I’d rather not get into, and whether things blow over, get worse, I’m not sure. I obviously don’t want to spill any personal juice here, but anyone who has seen me out here tweeting like the dramatic boi I am on the inside about how I need some good vibes, that’s a general overview of the situation, if you were concerned.

I’m thankful for all my close friends out there texting me, checking on me, and making sure I am doing okay, even if I’m not. It is upsetting that this just so happens to coincide with the busiest time of the year in video games, so if this bleeds over into our content over on Irrational Passions I apologize. Sometimes its a bit unavoidable.

Anyway, I appreciate you all taking the time to interact and be a part of my silly Selfie Saturdays or Sunday Chats, it means the world. I’ve been working hard with the team @ Irrational Passions to make some really fun stuff, including a new show that acts as a spiritual successor to our roundtables from 2017 Game of the Year talks.

That’s all we need to dwell on in regards to the bummer business, let’s get to games!

What’s on Tap

Moonlighter

So I just started this tonight and I have to say: right away I just love it.

The idea is you live in a small town that neighbors these ancient ruins that lead to these very dangerous dungeons, and once upon a time travelers and adventurers used to come here to explore those dungeons, and merchants would sell supplies and goodies to gear them up for those journeys. Eventually it grew too dangerous, but you are someone who Moonlights as an adventurer and runs a shop on the front end.

You dive into these dungeons and get awesome treasure and loot and goodies to then sell in your shop to expand your shop, get better weapons and armor, and continue deeper into the dungeons. It’s an amazing idea, and it’s executed on so well.

The game sustains such a great and rewarding loop, and it’s also got tons of charm and amazingly well executed on pixel art.

On top of that the UI is also just very good? It’s super slick and smooth. 

I’m only a couple hours in but I just adore it. Mike Burgess, producer at IP, did a video review on it that I saw the first cut of today and it’s actually what sold me on it. See it soon!

Detroit Become Human

I’ve already said so much about this game I’m exhausted. I love this game.

It has so many issues and in spite of all that, I genuinely adored my time with Detroit.

Our roundtable discussion was about this very game, so look for it soon.

Dark Souls Remastered

This game is still so good. I think I may like it even more than Dark Souls 3, a game I picked up just very briefly a few weeks ago.

I’ve now got the power to fast travel and am just warping around and exploring again. I even dipped my toe into the DLC area which I have never seen before. 

It’s excellent, and seeing it run smooth has been super rewarding for me, a longtime fan of the title.

Your E3 Predictions

Let’s get to it! This week, something I haven’t done in a bit, I asked you for your boldest E3 predictions, and while some of you gave me a good joke, a lot of you came back at me with some great predictions!

Let’s get into it!

Remember to look for my tweet on Sunday afternoons/evenings with #SundayChats in it and respond to it with your reply to be a part of Sunday Chats!

Now listen, I know this was clearly written as a joke Sam, but I think that this announcement is coming, just not here. It’s a PSX announcement, if ANY, because that’s the only place it can be really gernally accepted as an “announcement”. It’d get a big riot of an applause.

I’d love this. I think they have such a “robust” (#branding) library of handheld games that it’d make too much sense to carry them over to their now partially handheld big console.

Will it happen? Well, I mean Nintendo has said no virtual console on Switch. But they’ve changed their mind, even if it has been rare, in the past before. While it could happen down the line, this up coming direct is about 2017, so I don’t think we’ll see it there.

Nah John.

You need to stop.

But... Well

I mean maybe?

MAYBE.

Maybe?

Finally. Some announcements we, as “hardcore gamers” care about.

Some cars

Fuckin.

On stage.

The cars have sex.

And birth a motorcycle.

I love this Peter. I mean, for some reason I guess folks think that Emma Stone will be the female actress pulled into Death Stranding, and I think there will likely be a big female reveal at some point, I don’t know why everyone thinks it’ll be Emma Stone? I bet there is a good reason out there, I just don’t know. I’m not complaining, Emma Stone is great.

I am definitely with you on the “deep dive”, though I don't think there will be a long explanation of things, just a nice gameplay demo. My theory I posited on Get Acquainted was like an 8 minute trailer that leads into about four minutes of gameplay at the end, but it’s just enough cinematic that we’re convinced there will be no gameplay, and then BOOM. There is.

I could see them saying 2019 at the end too, though I doubt they’ll hit it.

YOU DONT BRANDON GOODBYE.

Nah of course. 

We talked about this on our show, obvs, everyone please go listen to it, but NO FINAL FANTASY 7. IT WONT HAPPEN. Square Enix needs to figure that shit out, and so they’ll come back to it when it, and more importantly, THEY’RE ready to.

Here’s hoping for some dope Xbox Avatars.

I mean, it’s gotta be the time, right? I need to know what this Resident Evil 2 Remake looks like. I know the director was out there talking about it not terribly too long ago, and it just feels like ages since we heard about it. With Capcom announcing RE7 and then releasing it 6 months later, on top of Monster Hunter World’s recent success, they are on a great path! Time to continue it!

As for DMC 5 I mean everyone seems convinced it’s coming and I just don’t care.

I love the Rocksteady prediction, because they’ve been cooking that bad boy for a good long while. I hope it’s Superman because I have supreme faith they’ll knock it out of the park. Maybe even an origin story? I’d love to see Rocksteady do one of those.

And I do, also, believe that Shadows Die Twice is Tenchu.

Dishonored getting a reboot I just don’t see happening. I think it’s time Arkane moves onto some new IP. Something that is hopefully a bit more eye-catchy so they get get back into a popular circle, then maybe spend a few years making iterations of that. Maybe in a few years past that they can return to Dunwall and take another crack at Dishonored.

Doom 2 can be wherever the hell it wants and I am HERE for it. But judging by the sounds of things that may not be at this E3, and that’s okay. It makes me sad, but it’s okay.

Man. I fucking wish.

Them or Bioware. I’d love to have just an original story told at Hogwarts where you create your character and go through 7 years at the school and it’s great and it has dialogue wheels and it’s great. Feed me Bioware.

It’d never happen tho.

This would be very cool. I feel like this Star Fox Grand Prix rumor is too big to ignore, but it’s still a little far fetched. I wonder how they’d sell it, if it is real.

Honestly, not that far out there. Kingdom Hearts don’t give a fuck about Red Dead.

Here is my thing, I just don’t think an ARMs character will make it into the Smash roster because no one cares about ARMs and I don’t think they’d be crazy interesting. Who would it be? Twintelle? I mean she is super cool, but who knows!

THey’d make great assist trophies, and I know that’s a slight but I’m sorry.

PUT GENO IN.

Anyway, if they put Banjo and Kazooie in I’d literally start crying right then and there, and it may happen, who knows, but I would. I’d cry.

I think there could be a direct apology. It depends. I think within 15 minutes or so we will know if EA has changed their tone or not. Hell, within 2 minutes we’ll know. If they want to actually be well regarded, they need to start making big moves, and right now, they’re not. Period. Come out and own up to what you’ve done wrong, or GTFO. They need to make up ground on the PR front, even if they’re still making money hand over fist. 

I’m sorry times are tough Silver, but know that I’m sending good vibes your way!

I wonder if Microsoft would make such a bold move. Regardless, it’s a great bold prediction. I hope that they are gonna give it some more time, and let this generation cook a little more. I’m digging my Xbox One X, and them implying a replacement is coming next year or so would bum me out.

Finally. The battle Royale Battle Royale we’ve all been waiting for. 

And as the dust settles, there’s sha’boi Griffin. Standing on top. Winner of them all.

And let’s not front: I’d kill to listen to Donald Glover sing Parappa songs.

Thank you all so much for your predictions! I’ve had a ton out there all week, and the Get Acquainted Episode I think has them out there in the best way. Go check them out! Either way, I’m so excited for E3, not necessarily to see if my predictions came true, but just for the hype of it all and my inevitable editorial after its all said and done about my thoughts and feelings coming out of it.

So. Big Sunday Chats update. I may be making a BIG CHANGE to Sunday Chats in the coming weeks. There is some ironing out I need to figure out personally, but I just wanted to give you faithful readers a little heads up. This could be something that becomes a proper part of IrrationalPassions.com, and for that, I’m very excited. The biggest thing is it may mean I start soliciting questions on Saturday! Stay tuned for my twitter for that.

It wouldn’t be a big change for you all, so don’t stress about it too much, but I wanted to seed it out there.

I love you all and your support, especially in these dark dog days of summer I am in. Thank you for the perpetual good vibes. 

I hope you all are here for the E3 hype, but if not, that’s okay. Regardless, thank you for reading, and

keep it real.

(the Naruto kick not only continues, but never ends.)

#video games #E3 #E3 predictions #video gaming #gamign #video #games #gaming #predcitions #easy allies #bets #naruto #moonlighter

[tumblunni]

Rune Factory Headcanons: Dolce And Pico

I’m gonna start rambling ideas and stuff because I LOVE THIS GAME! They’ll probably all be super long posts but its slightly less long if I split them up by character, at least. So.. woooo, lets go!!

* I’ve only played through the female protagonist route so far so I dont know everything about Dolce yet, apologies if I get anything wrong. * Does anyone else find it odd that she’s the only one who doesn’t really have any monster traits, out of the guardians? I mean, her monster form was humanoid but it still was a monster. I would have assumed she’d at least keep the blue skintone or something. So my headcanon is that she does still have some monster powers like everyone else, even if her design doesnt show it as much. I think maybe it’d be cool if she was still kinda marionettelike? Like her skin is abnormally cold and she doesnt have a heartbeat. Maybe she keeps her fangs? Gets mad when people mistake her for a vampire! And I dunno, maybe she can still levitate a little. Her and Pico have even more in common now! * or I dunno, maybe she wasn’t an elf before she became a guardian, and her long ears are meant to be her monster trait? * A thought: since its said that Pico ‘scans’ outfits she sees and can wear them even though she’s a ghost, maybe her current outfit is her cosplaying Marionetta? or maybe when Dolce became Marionetta she became a monster form similar to Pico because they’re BFFs? * I know the game doesn’t really focus on it, but I think it must have been especially sad for Pico to remain awake for the entire time Dolce was sleeping as Marionetta, waiting to find an Earthmate who could free her friend. Pico’s such a goofball that she probably wouldnt admit it, but I feel like she’s so over-the-top with her love for Dolce nowadays because she missed her so much. And it could have been an interesting Town Event to deal with, actually! Like, Dolce noticing Pico is acting weird because from her perspective she was just asleep for a moment but for Pico its been so long that its like she cant even remember how she used to act around her best friend. Maybe having to rebuild their relationship a little before Pico starts being her goofy prankster self again, instead of just starting off that way? * Also I like to headcanon that Marionetta’s marionette strings (called Handetta in the monster book) are actually a separate creature. I like the idea I came up with of that being Pico using her ghost powers to try and restrain her monsterified friend, but being dragged around cos she’s not strong enough. * A possible other idea for ‘what if pico got a bigger role and her own series of Town Events’, maybe Pico feeling guilty that some part of her is secretly happy that Dolce is a monster too now, and they’ve been able to stay together for centuries longer than she expected. No matter how much tragedy happened, its still good that she hasnt had to watch her friend die yet, and that she gets to see dolce find a new family. But still someday she WILL die, and maybe Pico is now worried she might make the same mistakes Dolce did when Ventuswill was dying. I think thats the only reason Pico could have possibly had for not being angry at Dolce for running off and becoming a guardian without her, she knows she would have become a guardian to save Dolce if it was her in danger. Well, that and its hard to be angry when you’re seeing someone for the first time after hundreds of years! * Possibly there could have been an event of Pico getting jealous of you getting romantically involved with Dolce? I mean, i know the game likes to be a buttface and have everyone acting incredibly gay yet nobody is allowed to be canonically gay, but am I allowed to just headcanon that Pico is? Well, mostly cos her being all pervy jokes to Dolce would be creepy pseudo-incest if theyre supposed to be ��like sisters’. I totally headcanon that its a situation where like... childhood friend love, but unrequited. Alas Dolce doesnt feel the same way, and Pico respects that and tries to joke around to make things less awkward. So she’s totally a supportive shipper of you X Dolce after the lil jealousy plotline is resolved, she just wants Dolce to be happy. * This is why I really wish Pico was a marriage option!! Well, that and she’s a ‘really older than she looks’ character that doesnt actually ACT like a child. I always felt uncomfortable on amber and kiel’s romance routes cos they both look and act like theyre too young to date you. if the game had to have a weirdly youthful looking character of ambiguous age, it coulda at least been the funny ghost who acts like a pervy teen! Also i just feel bad that the player steals Dolce from her, even if she doesnt have a crush on Dolce its still stealing Dolce from her since Pico is haunting her and Dolce is the only person who can touch her. They’d be spending a lot less time together if you get married, Pico would have to be floating off in another room reading a book all the time while you’re on dates or doing the do. She doesnt even have the courtesy of being able to go particularly far away and find something else to distract her :P * Alternative solution that would have also been good: if you could have a romance bar for Pico and then be able to have a polyamorous marriage with both her and Dolce! * Alternative alternative solution: if you could choose to romance just Pico instead, and maybe she’s able to transfer over to haunting you instead once you fall in love, which also makes you able to kiss and stuff. ^_^ * Though it would probably be very sad for Dolce cos if she’s been living together with Pico since they were both children it would take a long time to get used to being alone. * Also! Some headcanons potentially for Pico’s aliveness and how they met and stuff! We only hear ingame that Pico was haunting the house Dolce’s family moved into, and they were together ‘since we were babies’. I dunno, I think I’m gonna try and pretend that’s a translation mistake because personally I’d feel it would be hard to imagine they WEREN’T raised as sisters if Pico was haunting the house since that early on. it would be rather more uncomfortable that Pico makes pervy jokes about dating someone who was literally raised as her sister. * Anyway, bunni’s undeveloped possible headcanon for alive-Pico! I was thinking possibly if she’s a ghost and she died at such a young age, she must have come back because she died super tragically, right?? Maybe her family was wiped out by the Sechs empire like Doug’s tribe was? Or maybe she somehow died in some way that gave her reason to hate Dolce’s family, which is why she started haunting their young daughter in particular. Like, her father’s dying breath was cursing this family’s unborn child, and his daughter’s ghost tried to follow that wish. So she started off pulling pranks on Dolce out of actual malice, but ended up becoming her closest childhood friend instead and growing to abandon that grudge. I’m thinking since Dolce (at least probably) is an elf and we cant see pico’s ears to tell what she was in life, maybe she was a human or a dwarf or some other race that had a conflict with elves at the time? or maybe just her family lived in the same town as dolce’s family and they were romeo and juliet style rival clans who would wish revenge upon each other’s descendants like that. Anyway I need to develop the idea but I like this as a fanfic plot, that maybe there’s some reason they werent friends at first and there’s a plotline of how Pico became so devoted to her that she’d wait centuries guarding Marionetta. (Seriously I am so emotional over that) * Also its never really expanded upon but its implied maybe Dolce became Pico’s haunting target because she had some latent spiritual power or something...? When they briefly describe how they were friends since Dolce was a kid, it says about how Dolce could see her and touch her even before anyone else could. Which is curious cos it implies some stuff about how the possession works! So Pico wasn’t always ‘attatched’ to Dolce like this? She wasn’t always able to be seen by other people? Maybe she started off ‘attatched’ to the mansion itself and like... ghosts work in a way that they have to possess a human because they have no power otherwise? Or maybe the only other way of gaining power is to go mad, and become one of the undead-category monsters that dont seem able to speak or take humanoid forms like pico. Its a bit confusing cos some of them are called ghosts and some are called spirits instead, and some are called both depending on which menu description you read... * I’m just very upset that they introduced ghosts as a race in the rune factory series and they never explained anything about them or gave the one ghost character a romance route :P Maybe thats why I’m weirdly more interested in Pico’s backstory than Dolce’s?

#bunni plays rf4 #underrated character seriously #poor awesome jack-o-lantern jester ghosty sidekick #with some of the best jokes in the game #aaa #i mean she even has a 3d model and you only get to see it in cutscenes!