#LET THEM OUT OF THE BASEMENT CAPCOM

[shevi-creates]

onward to the future

a present for @mimzy630 from last year!

commissions are open! check my pinned post for more information! please don’t use, edit, or repost without permission; thanks!

[devonian-error]

I'm so angry about the Investigations series bc those games really gave us some of the best characters, all of whom had so many interesting directions the story could've taken their characters and then the series just never mentions any of them again

[vitospaghetta]

In honor of Green Day's new album coming out recently and today being Dookie's 30th anniversary, I figure this is as good a time as any to share with y'all my most self-indulgent Leon headcanon:

Leon likes/listens to Green Day.

And yes, it may be self-indulgent given the fact that GD was my all-time favorite band growing up, HOWEVER!! I have some solid logic backing this up.

Let me preface this by saying that I am, by no means, saying that Leon's a Green Day fan in any way that is more than strictly casual. Consider this a sub-headcanon, but Leon's a pretty casual guy. I don't think he's a diehard fan of anything. He's a gen-x'er, and he's a normal gen-x'er at that. He grew up during a time where if you liked anything a little bit too much (openly, anyway), you were considered a weirdo. I can take one look at his windbreaker + Definitely Not Adidas sneaker combo Capcom had him wearing at the start of RE2 Remake and tell you that this guy was a little trend-chaser. Probably wanted to be well-liked and to fit in. He was the kinda guy who dropkicked his childhood interests into the ocean the second his ass hit high school, lest he make himself even the slightest bit cringe. He's also just a very casual guy in general. Laid back. Not the type to obsess much over anything.

But his high school years are exactly why I have this headcanon. The entire foundation of it is that Leon was in high school when Dookie was released in 1994. I can say, with absolute confidence, that there is no way this man could have escaped the Green Day craze. I always say that Dookie is an amazing coming of age record, and its impact on America's youth at the time is a testament to that. Dookie brought punk rock to the mainstream in a way that was still new and exciting. It was relatable and really resonated with younger people, which made the band insanely popular. To put it into perspective, Green Day was playing gigs in basements, back yards, and small clubs prior to Dookie's release on February 1, 1994, and by December of the same year they were playing Madison Square Garden. The post-Dookie Green Day craze was real.

There's no way Leon didn't hear one of the album's singles on the radio, or at a friend's house, or in someone's car. He'd fall in love with Basket Case, buy the CD to hear the entire album, and the rest is history. A Green Day enjoyer is born.

It's also worth noting that I headcanon that Leon primarily listens to rock music -- always has -- but in-step with him being very casual about stuff, I think he's a very 'I vibe with anything that gets radio play' kinda guy. He liked songs that were popular. Ones that were brought to his attention. That's, in great part, how you discovered new music.

So, all that being said, the best way to summarize his relationship with Green Day and this whole headcanon is this:

Has he ever been a diehard fan who's seen them in concert, worn band tees, or even loves most of their discography? No.

But you know Nimrod absolutely existed in the glove compartment of his car leading up to Raccoon City just because it's the album that had "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" on it.

[kazryuuu]

FUCK I WISH SOJ WAS MORE POPULAR IM STRUGGLING TO FIND A NAHYUTA ICON CAPCOM LET THEM OUT OF UR BASEMENT GIVE ME ART . PLEASE.

[agonyaster]

You’re Just Before Your Time

Sebastian’s just trying to process this all in peace, but someone just has to come and meddle.

sebby beloved.. capcom let him out of your basement i beg

prefer ao3? read here! 

…

The sound of dripping water echoes off of the walls of the courthouse bathroom. It’s such a small thing, halfway across the room from him, but it rings loudly in Sebastian’s ears.

He doesn’t want to be here, but he doesn’t know where else to go; the prosecutor’s chamber is open to just about anyone who knows where it is. Everyone he doesn’t want to see knows where it is, so he cowers in the bathroom like a frightened child on the first day of school. He doubts it will stop Franziska or Kay once they realize he’s gone, but at least Justine has respect.

Thinking about her just makes his stomach roll, so Sebastian clamps his hands over his ears and tries to think of something— anything— to distract himself

It doesn’t work. All he can picture are her frightened eyes as she sits behind the judges bench, skin gaunt as her gaze flits between the door and Patricia; the guilty look on her face as she reaches out for him in the P.I.C. meeting room, her shaking voice growing fainter as he runs away.

He hopes she’s gone. He hopes she reunites with her son and thanks Edgeworth before going back home and leaving all this behind her. She’s probably relieved— now that Blaise is gone she’ll never have to deal with a Debeste again.

It’s just a testament to how stupid he is that he didn’t realize any of this earlier. His father, his grades, Justine. Why would a professional like her want to waste her time babysitting someone like him? She wouldn’t. God, he should’ve known.

It’s pathetic, really. Really, really pathetic.

His sobs reverberate off of the walls, the hand Sebastian’s clamped over his mouth not doing enough to muffle them. He tucks his knees into his chest, shoulders shuddering as he forces his breaths to slow.

The door creaks open and heavy footfalls announce the presence of someone new. Sebastian prays that they’ll leave him alone, to read the damn room and find somewhere else to do their business. But if he knows one thing, it’s that shitty days tend to get shittier. The stranger comes to a stop right in front of Sebastian, their scuffed shoes filling his vision.

“Please go away,” he pleads, “I want to be alone.”

“No you don’t, pal,” the stranger rumbles. Sebastian feels like he should recognize the voice. “You just don’t wanna be a bother.”

“Don’t tell me what I want.”

“Seems like people have been doing that all your life.”

“Wow, thanks.” Sebastian can feel himself tearing up again, but pulls his head up to glare at the stranger anyway. It’s then that he realizes how much worse this situation is than he thought, because the stranger isn’t a stranger at all— he’s that detective who works with Kay and Mr. Edgeworth.

Gumshoe scratches at the back of his neck, looking a little uncomfortable. “Listen pal, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Or as okay as you can be.”

“Well you checked in on me, can you leave now?”

“No can do, pal. There’s no way I’m leaving you alone.” Gumshoe sinks down onto the floor next to him and Sebastian can’t help but cringe away from him.

“Why do you even care? I’m nothing but a fuck up and I’m so stupid I didn’t even know it.”

“I’m not gonna say I know how hard it is to not be as good as you think you are, because I’ve never really been good at much. But I can’t imagine it’s easy, especially with all the other… stuff you’ve got going on.” He makes a vague hand gesture. “You’re allowed a good cry.”

“It’s pathetic.”

“Maybe, but you should be proud of yourself.”

Sebastian can’t help but laugh at that. “Why? My life is a lie, and nothing I’ve ever done was ever actually me.”

“That’s not true. You just won that trial back there, pal. Fair and square.”

“Everyone was helping me. It was one trial.” One damn trial, that von Karma actually did all the work in while he dug through garbage. “Why are you here, anyway? Don’t you hate me?”

“It was your dad’s trial, that couldn’t have been easy. And no, pal, I don’t hate you. You’re a kid who made some shitty decisions because you didn’t know any better.” Sebastian opens his mouth to protest, but the detective silences him with a sharp glare. “And before you say somethin’ stupid like ‘I should’ve known better!’ no, you really shouldn’t. The only person there to teach you that kind of stuff was a real dick.”

“But I’ve-”

“Done bad things? Sure. We all have. It happens, but at least you know now.” Gumshoe pauses, like he’s unsure he should say what he wants to. “I knew Edgeworth when he was your age, pal. He was already a lot more rotten than you ever were and he only got worse with time. He’s trying to make up for it, all those people he hurt in the past. Knowing him, he’ll still be trying when he’s on his deathbed.”

Sebastian stares down at the tile. The overhead lights reflect harshly in it. “At least he can prosecute properly.”

“Jesus christ- are you even listening to yourself? You’re seventeen!”

“And I should know what I’m doing.”

“No, you really shouldn’t! Not everyone can be a prodigy and no one really should!” Gumshoe grinds his teeth. “Everyone parades around Ms. von Karma for winning her first case at thirteen, but does no one realize how weird that is? She was a kid— still is! Why should she be deciding these people’s fates?”

“I don’t know.”

“Rhetorical question.” A crease appears between Sebastian’s brows as he tries to remember what that means. He knows it he does, it’s just there’s all this other stuff running around in his head and- “A question you’re not supposed to answer.”

“Oh.” Then, quieter. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, pal. Sorry about that, probably not somethin’ too important right now.”

“It’s okay. I get where you’re coming from.” After all, he’s the poor detective being forced to work with all these prosecutors. “I just… I should be better at this.”

“For crying out loud, you’re seventeen! You shouldn’t have all this stuff figured out— I’d be more concerned if you did!”

“But I-”

“No buts! My baby sister is nearly a decade older than you and she’s still got no idea what she wants to do with her life. She fell into teaching— she’s good at it, but she didn’t know what she was gonna do with her life fresh out of high school! She called me last week in the middle of an investigation because she wanted me to help her name her dinner like our pops always used to do.” He huffs out a sigh. “Is it wrong that she’s still figuring it out?”

“No.”

“Then why is it wrong that you still are?”

He hesitates before answering. Sebastian knows what he wants to say, but he needs a better answer than that. It isn’t a proper answer, not a good one. He says it anyway. “I dunno.”

“So there’s no reason for you to talk to yourself that way.”

The logic makes Sebastian’s skin crawl. It should make sense, it should, but-

“It’s just not fair to everyone else.” Gumshoe stares at him in confusion and Sebastian grips at his sleeve. “All the people who deserved the things I ‘did.’ T-this jacket was for the top student in the prosecutors course at Themis— I shouldn’t have even gotten in.”

Sebastian takes the red jacket off of his shoulders and stares at the prosecutor’s badge pinned to its lapel.

“There was a kid in my grade,” he starts, trying to remember the name. All he gets are hazy smudges of blonde hair and an accent he can’t quite place. Of course he couldn’t remember the name, probably didn’t even care enough to learn it. “He was good. He deserves this.”

“Maybe so, but there’s nothing you can do about that now.” Gumshoe fiddles with the pencil he had tucked behind his ear. “If you’re so worried about it, why don’t you work so you can face him again? Even if it’s just to apologize. Might be the closure you need.”

“You’re a lot smarter than I gave you credit for.”

“Thanks, pal.” He tucks the pencil back behind his ear. “And I know it's real easy to get caught up in the legal world, but you gotta remember there’s a world outside all this courtroom stuff. There’s other stuff that can fulfill you.”

Sebastian thinks of all the nights spent alone as a child, his father not coming home until the ungodly hours of the morning. “Shouldn’t my job be my priority?”

“When you’re doing it? ‘Course. But you wanna know what I call someone who works all the time?”

“Dedicated?”

“Sad. It’s great if you like your job, but when it's the only thing you got goin’ for yourself? Not so great.” Gumshoe looks up at the ceiling. “You don’t need to worry too much about that though, you’ve got your fancy stick.”

“What?”

“The thing you’re always waving around? And that you kept hittin’ yourself in the face with?”

“Oh. My baton.” Even now, it’s tucked up his sleeve. Sebastian can’t remember a time without it. “It’s for correcting- conducting, I mean. Music stuff.”

“So you like music?”

“Yeah. It always made sense to me.”

“Maybe it can help you make sense of prosecuting too- I dunno.” Gumshoe laughs heartily. “Not really my area of expertise, but if it makes you feel better it's enough, yeah?”

“I… Yeah.”

Silence falls over them, or as much silence as you can get in a place like this. Gumshoe’s laughter is still reverberating off of the walls, water still dripping into the sink. Beyond the door, the faint chatter of voices has died down.

It’s the detective who breaks the silence, clapping his hands together in some sort of call to action. “As nice as this place is, we should get going. Ms. Courtney’s worried herself sick over you.”

His words send anxiety clawing at Sebastian’s stomach. “Why?”

Gumshoe blinks in confusion. “She cares about you…?”

“Why?”

“I dunno. I don’t know her well enough to say anything, and even if I did I wouldn’t. That ain’t somethin’ for me to say for her. Besides, it’s hard to explain why you care about someone. You just do, yeah?”

“She should hate me.”

Gumshoe’s face is red again. “Well she doesn’t, and there’s not a whole lot you could do to change how she feels.” He huffs out a breath. “It stinks to get the rug pulled out from under you like that, and it’s gonna hurt for a while. I won’t lie to you and say it won’t. But it’s something you need. Everyone gets humbled one way or another.”

There’s a lot Sebastian wants to say to that, but he keeps his mouth shut. “You still didn’t tell me why you came to find me.”

“Because I’m not gonna sit here and watch you throw your life away because someone taught you that you don’t deserve love.”

Sebastian is quiet.

“I know it’s a lot more complicated than that but… that’s just the way I see it.” Gumshoe sighs. “If you really do wanna be left alone, I’ll find a way to get everyone out of the courthouse so you can get away.”

“Don’t do that. You’re right, I really should go talk to everyone.” He tugs at his gloves. “Justine, at the least.”

To say Gumshoe beams would be an understatement.

[4ragon]

klavier or blackquill (or both!) :]

Yeah I can do both!

Klavier first

Sexuality Headcanon: Klavier to me is Pansexual and very open about that fact. Gender Headcanon: This is another one that I don't really have a strong headcanon. I do really like NB Klavier a lot, or Klavier really only just starting to take time to explore his relationship with gender. But really, I'm fine with any headcanons. A ship I have with said character: *cough cough* klapollo *cough* A BROTP I have with said character: I want Klavier and Blackquill to be best friends, but the kind of best friends where Blackquill just refuses to acknowledge it. I also want Klavier and Trucy to bond over their love of performing. Please, Capcom, just let Klavier out of the basement. Let him make friends. A NOTP I have with said character: Same as Apollo, I'm not crazy about any ship that separates Klapollo. My brain just does not do multishipping well. A random headcanon: Klavier and Sebastian Debeste did NOT get along when they were in Themis together. Klavier was always coming in second place to Sebastian and he couldn't stand it. And when I finally write the "Klavier and Sebastian have to work together on a case and work out their differences" fic you'll all be sorry. General Opinion over said character: He's so fun, but he's so hard to write for. You have to strike this interesting balance between façade and honesty, and you also have to give him the right amount of edge? Which I feel like gets lost in translation a lot. He can be REALLY mean when he wants to.

And now Blackquill!

Sexuality Headcanon: I don't know why I'm struggling so hard to answer this one. Either gay or bi-but-leans-toward-men. I feel like he really didn't get a lot of time to explore his sexuality before prison. Gender Headcanon: Once again, no strong feelings on gender. Cis, trans, all of them are fun to explore. A ship I have with said character: It's not so much a ship, but I do find his relationship with Bobby and/or the Phantom to be really interesting, in a fucked up kind of way. Like, what was real, what was manipulation, how does Simon feel about everything in the aftermath. (Blackmadhi is also fun tho) A BROTP I have with said character: I already talked about him being friends with Klavier, but I also want him to have this weird "I hate you but we are still weirdly ride-or-die for each other" relationship with Apollo. I don't know why. I just think it'd be fun. A NOTP I have with said character: Him being shipped with Athena makes me uncomfortable. A random headcanon: Taka decided a long time ago that it was his job to make sure Simon is taking care of himself. This often means delivering "meals" to Simon. Somehow, this is one of the only things that makes Simon remember to eat meals half the time. General Opinion over said character: I'm so glad I turned my opinion around on Simon, he's so much fun.

[lionbearfox]

not sure exactly which dots i'm connecting but i'm definitely connecting them

[gavinnrss]

klav and fran :)

[chaotic-solutions]

i think the prodigy prosecutors with older brother related issues should talk

[cluescorner]

Miles: I can explain-

Simon and Sebastian: Capcom is giving you two character arcs and we’re only getting one?

Franziska and Nahyuta: One arc? We’re only getting 1/2 of an arc. 

Klavier: Wait, you guys are getting character development? 

[edgeworth-for-president]

Capcom let them be pals I beg

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

capcom has locked klavier gumshoe franziska and every beloved character from investigations in a basement and wont let them out thats why it falls on me to write the fruity dramatic angsty murder case involving all of them that they deserve. too bad its like almost at the end of that dual destinies/spirit of justice rewrite i wanted to do and since i have a horrible track record of writing multichapter shit and also my ideas to rewrite dual destinies/spirit of justice are Bad the case that’s been rotating in my head for two years now will likely never see the light of day

[hollysoda]

I’m on my hands and knees begging for Capcom to let Franziska out of their basement because her return could be so good!!!

She shows up to the WAA without warning. Apollo answers the door, expecting a client, but instead mother fucking Franziska von Karma, one of the most internationally famous prosecutors ever, is standing there, asking for Phoenix’s whereabouts.

Both Apollo and Athena are stunned because they both know what Franziska is like, and they think their boss is in a lot of trouble so they’re hesitant on letting her in but then Phoenix comes through like “oh Prosecutor von Karma what brings you here? :)”

And the two of them start talking like old friends. Franziska calls Phoenix a fool for losing badge but is ultimately glad to see him back in his suit, Miles kept her updated, and Phoenix is lightly teasing her, still very wary of the whip that she still keeps attached to her hip. Then Trucy comes through like “hi aunty Fran :D”, because we all know Franziska would be the cool lesbian wine aunt, which freaks Athena and Apollo out even more.

They eventually get filled in on stuff that went on between Phoenix and Franziska, as well as why she’s Trucy’s cool aunt. Franziska reveals that she came back to America for a pretty big case which Phoenix happens to be the defence for, and just wanted to make sure he was up to facing her again after so long. Of course he is, he wants to see how much she’s improved after all. Apollo says something like “you do realise how many whip marks you’ll have right?” and Phoenix replies with “don’t worry I’m practically immune to them now :’)”

Anyways they meet each other in the courtroom after too many years!! Franziska still uses her whip wayy too much and calls everyone a fool, but she has matured a lot, and no longer resents Phoenix for what he did to Miles. Their rivalry is more akin to what Phoenix and Miles’ was like in Turnabout Samurai, she’s harsh on Phoenix but willing to work with him to uncover the truth as she’s no longer as preoccupied with the winning streak her father prided himself with.

Until Franziska returns I’ll always be kinda pissed with the Capcom writers. She and Phoenix had some really nice development during their short time investigating together in Bridge to a Turnabout, and not having them interact in canon ever again would just be a waste. They had such a silly dynamic in that case </3

[selfdestructivecat]

Idk if you’ve gotten this already, but for the headcanon ask game!! Klavier, perhaps?

OH MY GOSH WE GOT AN ACE ATTORNEY CHARACTER!!! AND IT’S BEST BOI GUITAR MAN!

Also this will contain lots of Klapollo because I can’t help myself, so if that’s not your cup of tea that’s totally cool!

Realistic Headcanon: Actual German Klav! I love the idea of him spending his childhood in Germany and him still being so in love with the culture and landmarks and just everything that he still sprinkles in German phrases into his speech. And yes, he does speak German fluently in my headcanon.

Unrealistic (but hilarious) Headcanon: Despite his name, he has no idea how to play the piano. In fact, he doesn’t know how to play any other instrument except the guitar. However, while Klavier can’t play the piano, Apollo absolutely can, and he can play it well. Apollo is thrilled when he learns this, excited to shove it in Klavier’s glimmerous rockstar face.

Except that Klavier is even more ecstatic than Apollo, begging him for piano lessons in exchange for guitar lessons for Apollo. (And hey, maybe Klavier isn’t as excited about learning piano as being able to hang out with Apollo, but that’s his little secret.)

…And yeah I can’t make any ace attorney headcanon without including Klapollo lol

(More Headcanons Below!)

Heart-Crushing and Awful Headcanon: In almost all of his past relationships (and all of them after he became famous), he would shower his partner in gifts and affection but get little in return. It’s gotten so bad that at this point he doesn’t expect anything, instead hoping that, if he keeps giving, it’ll make up for what his partner isn’t.

When Apollo comes to his office around lunch, only a few days into their blossoming relationship, with a bag of food from one of Klavier’s favorite places and a cup of coffee, Klavier literally bursts into tears. It takes time for him to learn to accept these gestures gracefully, but Apollo is patient. And Klavier is worth it.

Unrealistic Headcanon that will probably never happen: KLAVIER GOES TO KHURA’IN!!! HE PROSECUTES AGAINST APOLLO!!! HE MEETS THE ROYAL FAMILY!!! PLEASE CAPCOM LET KLAVIER OUT OF THE BASEMENT I MISS HIM.

Thank you so much for the ask! I love my Sanders Sides children but I also adore Ace Attorney (which is still very much a hyperfixation lol) and don’t get as many opportunities to ramble about them ^.^

Send Me Character Asks, and I’ll Give You Some Headcanons!

[sailormaya]

hey remember when u reblogged that ask game and asked ppl not to send u anything? fuck you. tell me your ace attorney blorbos right now

oh hey andy. nice to see you in my ask box. you probably know all of this anyway but this is for you babyyyyyy

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): franziska. hands down. i don’t know if I can actually pick a *favorite* character, but man. not only is she pwetty but she just. she deserves more screen time. her character was criminally underdeveloped but I loved what I saw anyway. let her out of the basement capcom. i could talk about franziska all day.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): PEARL. PEARL PEARL PEARL PEARL PEARL PEARL. i love pearl so much. she is so baby. she’s been through so much and she deserves a hug and an ice cream cone.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): ron delite. i don’t think i need to say more but i will anyway. something about that man makes me want to hold his hand and run through a field of daisies. also he loves his wife. i love a man who loves his wife. (i also love his wife).

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): lotta! oh my god lotta hart makes me laugh SO hard. and she just keeps appearing in cases and keeps causing so much trouble. she deserves a medal if you ask me.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): would…would matt engarde fit this category. he’s pretty problematic if you ask me. but……………i like him. his character. it compels me. hiring a hitmam and then having the NERVE to betray them??? matt engarde has a lot of things and audacity is absolutely one of them.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Larry but in a funny way. like funny pain. like minor inconveniences. i think his angry sprite is funny.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): GANT. god he sucks and his electrified sprite is HORRIFYING. what he did to lana is unforgivable. to superhell with him!!!

[the-insomniac-emporium]

thoughts on Bela///Donna?

What a lovely can of worms you've placed in my inbox, dear nonnie. I cannot wait to open it and lose followers (regardless of what I actually say).

Since this is, uh, a subject of some debate among RE8 fans, I will be inputting my thoughts on the idea of the ship (and the possible controversy), as opposed to doing HCs or something for it (which I recognize might be what you were asking for, despite the excessive /s).

This is all based on my playthroughs of the game, as well as what I've managed to double check on the fandom/wiki for it. I know that a lot of people who read fanfic for the game haven't actually played it, likely having been lured in by Tall Vampire Milf, and so I hope that some people will be open to a reminder of, like, canon vs fanon? I've mentioned in a previous post that there's a lot of details for RE8 that are not made clear, and I feel the need to reiterate that in this post. Capcom left a lot of stuff up to people's imaginations, or kind of just hinted at in game or in concept art.

But more importantly, regardless of what game we're talking about, regardless of the conclusion I come to (and the one you come to) at the end of this post, I want to say that I absolutely understand the need/desire to have your own perspective/take on the characters from the game, as well as their dynamics. If a ship makes you uncomfortable because you see the characters as being family members, it's totally okay. Block the ship tag, or filter it out when you look through fandom stuff, don't follow people who post for it, etc, etc.

If you think of characters as being family-family (like, not just "we got married and are now a family" but, like, "we're siblings/parent and child") and still ship them? uh. sorry, bruv, maybe think of hitting that unfollow button. No, seriously, hit that unfollow button. This blog is anti-incest, thank you very much.

The last thing I'll say before putting it under a read-more (for both length and major RE8 spoilers) is that I recognize that I might have missed something, either in game or developers talking about things on social media, and so if you read through this and go "god, J, you're such a dumbass for forgetting *critical piece of media*" or even just "okay but have you seen *small but meaningful piece of media*?" please. Just. Please. Tell me. Link me to that shit. I WANT to know if I'm wrong. I've literally avoided talking about this for as long as I could in order to TRY and make sure I have all the context I need.

With that said, let's examine what context we are given for Alcina Dimitrescu, Bela Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, and their relations to each other. I will be leaving my personal thoughts on Bela///Donna at the very end of this, as somewhat of a conclusion, somewhat of just a "hey, this is what you technically asked me about".

Firstly, let me begin by explaining what I consider to be the 3 tiers of "canon"

In-Game/Direct: The highest, truest tier, the definitive canon. This is everything that takes place in game, excluding certain hallucination scenes (ex: Mia was not really in House Beneviento, but we can infer some things from what Donna made Ethan hallucinate about). Things either happen, or are directly stated by characters. There's some wiggle room for dialogue, as characters can lie, but overall we, as the audience, assume we are being told the truth. At the very least, games usually eventually make it clear when a character has been dishonest. Examples of Direct Canon include the following: Ethan is infected with the mold, Lady Dimitrescu drinks blood, Heisenberg wears sunglasses, Mother Miranda can shapeshift.

Concept Art/Developer's Notes/Indirect: Mid-tier and debatable, the "we think, but we're not sure" of canon. Resident Evil: Village contains lots of concept art that the players can browse through, all of which include notes from the developers about the game, characters, environments, and story. Sometimes the notes make something "direct", but oftentimes they do not specify whether the listed idea is still canon or if it was removed during development. This tier also includes information that is implied/can be inferred from tier 1 information, but is not directly stated. Examples of Indirect Canon include the following: Donna's mother died by suicide, Moreau was going to have his lover fused to his back, Duke was originally a fifth lord, Heisenberg was going to have a twin. As you can see, not all of the concept art ideas made it into the final version of the game, so it can be hard when some information seems like it might still be true (such as the matter of Donna's parents).

Fanon/"False": Sometimes collective ideas in a fandom become so widespread that people start interpreting them as actual canon. Sometimes it gets hard to remember what's just obscure lore and what's fanon. When we get a piece of fiction as overall vague as a lot of Resident Evil: Village is, there's bound to be some confusion over time. That's one of the main reasons I waited to talk about Bela////Donna until after I had recently replayed relevant sections of the game, as I wanted to remind myself of what we're actually told. Examples of False Canon are difficult to pinpoint, but might include things like: Hufflepuffs are good at finding things? The Avengers got along for awhile and all had their own rooms in the tower? There's a number scale for the danger level of ghosts in Danny Phantom?

For this post, I will be limiting the majority of my notes to the first two levels of canon, and will do my best to mark them as such. Now... let us... begin.

Alcina Dimitrescu:

Born no later than 1914, Alcina Dimitrescu was 44 years old when she was granted the Cadou by Mother Miranda. (1st Tier: Canon. Source: A note in the castle basement from a servant is dated 1958, and mentions both Alcina and her children. Secondly, Miranda's experiment notes state that Alcina was the 181st subject, and was given the Cadou at age 44. By doing math, we can then determine the earliest Alcina could have been born.)

Alcina refers to the other Lords as her family once without any disdain (when Ethan first arrives at the castle and is caught, Alcina says "you've escaped my little brother"). In a private journal (located near where she threw the infamous vanity) she insults the other Lords, and expresses anger that she is "treated like a sister to them". She argues with Heisenberg without any hesitation, and seems honest in her hatred of him (per Maggie Robertson's wunderbar performance). (1st Tier/2nd Tier: Canon with a sprinkle of interpretation for the last line)

Alcina openly refers to Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela as her daughters, and wrote in her experiment journal that she felt instantly connected to them (as mother and daughters). (1st Tier: Canon).

Bela Dimitrescu:

Likely born in the 1930's or 1940's, in order to be an adult by 1958 (the first dated appearance of the Dimitrescu daughters). (2nd Tier: Based on inference)

Dialogue shows that all three of the daughters do love their mother, and reinforces the bond Alcina's journal mentions. (1st Tier: Canon)

We are not given any information about how Bela feels about the other Lords, or even what she knows about them. Once can assume that she shares the ideas of her mother, either because Alcina tells her things directly, or because Bela (who is eager to please her mother) picks up on them over time. (2nd Tier: Based on inference)

Donna Beneviento:

No idea when she was born. If you've read one of my recent posts, then you know that it's almost entirely a matter of 2nd and 3rd tier canon.

Of the four lords, Donna seems to have the most story within the 2nd tier, and has very, very little in the 1st tier. Duke says she's somewhat isolated, and that her "playmates" never leave the house. Miranda's notes state that Donna is mentally ill, and the gardener's diary states/implies (bit of both) that Donna has severe social anxiety. (1st/2nd Tier: Mostly canon)

Supposedly, her parents committed suicide while she was still a child. This is indicated in concept art/the attached developer's notes. However, the only part that's also directly stated in game is that her parents (specifically her father) died while she was young. (1st/2nd Tier: Mostly canon)

While Donna only has one voice line in the game (and it's sad), Angie talks a fair bit. Angie seems to disapprove of the other Lords, or at the very least enjoys mocking them, as well as enjoys watching them fight with each other. As Angie is connected to Donna, and Donna has some level of control over her, one can assume that the two have similar (if not the same) opinions. (1st/2nd Tier: Mostly Canon)

Donna was adopted by Mother Miranda as an adult. It's unclear exactly how old Donna was, or what exactly Miranda did as her "mother", just that Donna was excited about it. (1st Tier: Canon)

Other Relevant Information:

Heisenberg refers to the other Lords as his siblings a minimum of 1 time. Similarly to Alcina, however, he openly insults them and seems to hate them. He just, you know, hates Mother Miranda the most. (1st Tier: Canon)

Mother Miranda does not actually give a shit about the four Lords, intended for them to die before the ceremony, and has been manipulating them for her own gain this entire time. Her notes and dialogue make it clear that she only cares about getting Eva back. Somehow mother of the year and worst mother ever. At the same time. (1st/2nd Tier: Mostly Canon)

It's unclear who treats Alcina "like a sister" to the other Lords. Were there cut lines of dialogue that cemented the idea of them being a "family"? Did Miranda call them a "family" as part of pretending she cared about them? I've done my best to dig around, but there's very little in game that treats them as a family of any sort.

As each Lord ruled their own section of the region, they don't have any mentions of interacting with each other outside of meetings with Mother Miranda. None of the notes for any Lord (and their relevant experiments) mention what the others are doing. In game, their environments are very separate, very well divided, though this is likely as much for gameplay as it is for story.

Conclusion:

I do not not believe there is enough in game evidence to suggest that Alcina and Donna consider themselves to be siblings. There's the possibility for a large age gap, Alcina was a fair bit older than Donna when she met Miranda, Donna is a social recluse whose closest bonds were with dead blood relatives and dolls, Alcina openly dislikes (if not hates) the other Lords, they seemingly lived very separate and distanced lives, and Mother Miranda does not enforce the idea of "family". Furthermore, the sheer contrast between how Alcina interacts with/speaks of the other Lords compared to how she interacts with/speaks of her daughters says a lot about her feelings. Even if Heisenberg takes the brunt of her anger, Alcina never once says anything remotely positive about anyone other than Miranda and her daughters.

As Alcina/Bela and Donna are not blood-relatives, the definition of what would count as "incest" does vary depending on who you ask. Personally, I do count non-blood relations as potentially incestuous. For example: Alcina "dating" one of her daughters would be incest, regardless of the fact that she's a mutated human and her daughters are weird swarms of flies.

Now, I do understand how popular the idea of the four Lords being a real, chaotic but still close family is. And as I mentioned above, it's totally valid to not like the Bela///Donna ship, whether it's because you think they're family or some other reason. I don't personally see them that way, even in my definitely-not-canon stories.

Do I personally ship Bela///Donna? Nope. Have I liked art for the ship? Admittedly yes, even if I thought some of it was, like, maiden x Bela because Donna didn't have her veil and I'm a DUMBASS who doesn't always remember to read tags. Would I ever write for it? Yeah, probably, assuming I didn't miss anything in game/that I don't eventually change my mind.