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electronicyarn · 3 years

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REALLY Not Live Blogging RWBY Vol. 8

Yes, I’ve FINALLY finished watching Volume 8. I’m only months late to the party. Well, for the sake of tradition here are my thoughts. The short version is thus. What an awful start. What a spectacular finish.

I’m not going to lie. For a while there I thought we might have another Volume 4 on our hands. Although I guess that’s not entirely fair. Volume 4’s big crime was being aggressively mediocre, something RWBY should never be. The first five episodes of Volume 8 were really bad. Not any-scene-with-Caroline-in-it-in-Volume-6 bad, but still pretty bad. The opening in particular I found to be forced and artificial. The disagreement between Ruby and Yang didn’t really come from anywhere, and half the team seemed to be divvied up based purely on the needs of the narrative rather than any proper character motivations.

Other highlights (lowlights?) include them twice using “falling from a great height” as a shorthand for danger (something that the principal cast proved they could handle early in Volume 1 with the landing strategies scene) and The Hound’s introduction where he kidnapped Oscar. I get what they were going for with The Hound’s big debut, but Team Yang really didn’t fight back. At all. They just kind of stood there with their mouths hanging open. It wasn’t a good way to credibly establish The Hound as a threat. For point of contrast, see The Neo vs. Yang fight way back in Volume 2. There was no doubt after that was over that Neo was a very real threat.

I also found everything surrounding the first Penny vs. Cinder fight (Neo vs. Maria, Emerald, etc.) to be distinctly underwhelming. It’s a problem that RWBY’s had for a while now. The less important fights in a volume are rather poorly thought out and animated. But maybe I shouldn’t complain. They do still do a great job on the primary battles. Maybe RWBY needs fewer fight scenes? Feels weird to even suggest that.

But now that I’ve ragged on Volume 8 for three paragraphs…. Wow, what a turnaround. Everything from about Episode 6 on was spectacular. Oscar and Ozpin’s relationship. Everything involving Hazel. The reveal that, yes Cinder had a horrible childhood, but she was always evil. Establishing a more personal connection between Salem and Yang, mirroring the one that Salem and Ruby already have. The destruction of Atlas. I could go on and on. And I will. But there are several things I want to talk about more specifically.

I guess first up is Nora and Ren. They’re now fully-fledged characters, having completed their slow transition from caricatures. I’ve got to be honest. I’m kind of neutral on Nora and Ren. I’m not really invested in their story, but it doesn’t annoy me either. I did however find it amusing that they simultaneously confirmed and shut down Ren/Nora being canon. Two characters in an official relationship? In our RWBY? No way! Leave it for the fanfic writers. But they did say I love you. That’s more than any other potential pairing’s gotten. (I think? I could be forgetting something.) So there’s that.

As an aside, I’m pleased that we got our requisite dose of Bumbleby subtext but also frustrated that they don’t have the stones to do more than that. I’m not surprised however. This is exactly what I predicted would happen.

Also as an aside, when Team RWBY was summoning Ambrosius, I literally said out loud something to the effect of, “Alright, Rooster Teeth. Let me see the sexy man counterpart to Jinn.” I was not disappointed. Good job, Rooster Teeth.

The next topic is Penny’s and Ironwood’s character arcs for this season. I loved both of these. Ironwood’s was one of pure tragedy. Plus it had the side effect of clearing out extraneous characters, something I always approve of as RWBY has precious little running time for what it’s trying to do. And Penny got to complete her more-literal-than-I-expected Pinocchio story. I have no doubt that some people were upset with her death, but while probably not strictly necessary, I think it was done well. It was the culmination of her self-actualization as a person. I’m not going to lie though. I thought the Winter Maiden power was going to go to Weiss (since Ruby had been conveniently dropped out of reality by that point). Way back in Volume 3 when we first learned about the Maidens my second thought was, “Four Maidens, four main characters. Hmm.” It’s pretty obvious now that’s not going to happen. Or if it does, it’ll be in the last volume.

(For the record, my first thought was, “Did you come up with the idea of the Maidens before or after you named one character ‘Summer’ and another one ‘Winter’.” And hey look. You saw what happened this volume.)

And that brings us to Neo. Neo-mother-effing-politan. Neo- “I’m going to steal from the literal devil because I know I’m going to get away with it” -politan. Yang may be my favorite character, but Neo is the best character. If she wasn’t before, this volume has sealed the deal. I loved everything about her this volume. From her meeting Salem and obviously thinking “Oh hell no.” to her skipping through a field of death showing Prometheus how stealing fire from the gods is supposed to be done. She is the most strongly characterized character in the whole show (barring possibly Torchwick himself) and she doesn’t even speak. Aaand now she’s left Remanent along with Team RWBY. I did predict back before Volume 4 started that Neo would ultimately end up teaming up with Ruby and company. It was really a just-for-fun prediction. Buuut….

Well I guess there’s nothing left to talk about except the ending. I do admit, I was a little panicked when Yang took the plunge. I don’t pay attention to any of the official social media or news surrounding RWBY. Stuff like that usually ruins a show for me. So I was worried that maybe Barbara had decided to leave the cast. But then Ruby and Blake fell off too, and I was like, “Ah. This is what we’re doing.”

But what’s going to happen to Team RWBY? I can tell you what I hope’s going to happen. I think it’s time for Team RWBY to get a power up. Maybe it’s time for some intense training in a world removed from Remanent à la the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Dragon Ball Z? My dream scenario is they spend a year or two or three doing something and then make it back to Remnant to find only a few days have passed. But we’ll see. All I know is I’m excited. In my opinion, the second half of Volume 8 was just the shot in the arm RWBY needed. I’m really looking forward to whatever comes next in a way that I haven’t in quite a while.

#RWBY #Live Blogging #Volume 8 #Spoilers

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tessatechaitea · 5 years

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The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1

I just want to see Constantine enter a Magic the Gathering tournament.

Bah! Always a debt do! PTUI!

Years of DC magic-users casting backwards spells and magicking up solutions to problems without a hint of "always a debt do" and then, suddenly, nobody can cast a fucking cantrip without paying out of pocket somehow. I get the "always a debt due" when you're dealing with demons or devils or some other kind of help from a summoned or black magic creature. But why the fuck must all magic cost something insane?! Just let Constantine do magic but occasionally he's got to deal with more powerful creatures or magicians who want something in return. Don't make him need to pay for every little thing he does. Something has eaten the sun so Constantine writes the word "Fuck" all over a decapitated pig's head. Can a head be described as decapitated? Isn't that the adjective for the body? Or does it only refer to both parts after separation? Anyway, you probably knew what I meant! I mean about the pig's head being separated from its body and not about how Constantine writing "Fuck" all over it will help return the sun.

Wouldn't be Hellblazer without the C-word. Although is it appropriate? I'm reading this prior to the watershed.

That's Chas's brief cameo in this new series. You might wonder how I know it's brief. Well, I read the next page where Chas dies distracting the evil monsters so that the super heroes can get the sun back. It's the quickest way for Simon to let the audience know that Constantine will do anything to save the world, even betray his friends. Plus he makes sure to say, "I've done worse for less," just to drive the point home. It's one of those revelations that would have greater impact over a long run of multiple different story arcs. But modern comic books don't understand that kind of accrued history anymore. Things have to happen quickly and in comic book shorthand, before the comic is cancelled. Plus, who wants to wait five years for sixty issues worth of history and characterization?! Spurrier knows Constantine has years of characterization and history already built up! Why not shove all of that into the first few pages of this new series and move on from there?! Constantine takes a bit of Chas's taxi cab shrapnel in the side and now he's probably dying. Sure, he could probably save himself by casting a spell that sends five babies to Hell. But first he has to find five babies! Instead, he just runs into young Tim Hunter from the past. John is all, "Oh, hey! Tim! Remember The Books of Magic? Remember Fairie? Remember how we all hated your stupid prat face? Anyway, this is your future and the bad guy ending the world is grown up you. Jerk." Tim Hunter is all, "That's me?! I wonder if I've been laid yet! Man, just think how much my older self's dick stinks!" Tim Hunter goes off to, I don't know, sue J.K. Rowling or something, leaving Constantine to die. But before Constantine dies, he's visited by old man Constantine. If things seem a bit crazy, it's because Constantine kept mentioning something about the world going mad or everything leading to madness or something that I didn't mention. But now I'm mentioning it so that all of this weirdness makes sense. Old Man Constantine wants John's soul in exchange for saving him. That's a pretty good deal, really! I'd totally go for it! Give up your soul to yourself way in the future? It's like putting it away for safe keeping! How the hell do you pass up that deal?!

That was my point! Take the deal, mate!

Constantine thinks Old Man Constantine is probably a Constantine from another universe and that there'll be some kind of catch. But he's dying and he doesn't have much time to decide so he takes the deal. That'll probably be important later! Old Man Constantine heals John, tells him to be the best John he can be, and then transports Constantine to some mental ward somewhere. Another universe without the sun being eaten? Maybe that was just the prologue to describe how Constantine leaped from the main DC Universe to the Black Label DC Universe. And now we can forget all of that Tim Hunter ending the world stuff that was so 1990s DC Vertigo weirdness. Now it's time for Constantine Unplugged! That just means he can say cunt again. Constantine manages to talk his way out of Ravenscar psychiatric hospital and discovers he's in modern London where Brexit is happening. Or not happening. Or not not happening? I guess we'll find out the next chapter of Brexit after the special elections. Go Labour!

Constantine having a bit of a philosophical thought about his own entanglement in a comic book ret-con.

I feel bad for comic book fans who need a moment like the panels above to justify comic book continuity. Who dreams of having some kind of solid, historical timeline without any errors throughout? Especially when your main characters never age. What the fuck do they want? Magic?! Anyway, I think Spurrier does the best he can here dealing with the audience he knows he need to fucking explain every little thing to. He's just putting it right out front: "Yeah, Constantine has a bunch of memories that don't mesh at all and he's now in 2019 and he's in his thirties or something and yes he was heavily involved in the 70s punk scene and maybe just get over it, okay? You're reading a funny book about magic. Grow the fuck up." Constantine finds Chas possessed by all the demons that meant to kill him years ago. He's dying of cancer from second-hand smoke and tells Constantine to fuck off and ruin somebody else's life. So John fucks off to go ruin somebody else's life. Or maybe to be a better version of himself. Or just to go drink himself into retirement. Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1 Final Thoughts: I guess this is the Hellblazer #1 prologue introducing the new series starting this week in Hellblazer #1. That's going to be really confusing for my image tags if I forget that I labeled these images "Hellblazer1.jpg" and such. If the scans in this review don't seem to make any sense, it's because you're reading this a few months on and I forgot about the image tags and reused the same tags for John Constantine, Hellblazer #1 coming out this Wednesday (but which I won't probably review for another week or two). Sorry!

#Hellblazer #John Constantine #DC Comics #DC

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muthary · 6 years

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Apprentice Questionnaire: Diorbhail

Find the original questionnaire here. Answers to 4, 25, 26, 27, and 28 are here and here. Under a cut because this is still pretty lengthy!

1. Where is their favorite place to hang out in Vesuvia? Why?

They enjoy anywhere they can take a long nap, or just sit and think. Mostly at home, in their room. They’ve fallen asleep in a forest or two, even. They just enjoy the quiet, and sounds they’re used to constitute as that. They also appreciate consistent vibes, since they’re sensitive to shifts in energy, so being in their room lets their aura bounce back at them. The forest has a similar effect.

2. How does your apprentice feel when they are called a witch? (Offended? Shrugs it off? Likes it?)

It’s what they refer to themself as. Culturally, the term magician or sorceress doesn’t feel right. So they aren’t particularly incensed when someone else refers to them as such, but when someone says it with the intent of it being an insult? Diorbhail isn’t exactly sure why, but they feel the need to bolt. They have a hard time feeling safe in that sort of situation. Looking at you, Valerius.

3. Do they have a familiar? Why did you choose that animal? How did they meet?

They do, but they were separated from him when the came to Vesuvia. That, and Diorbhail doesn’t consider him so much as a familiar as they do consider him just family. He’s a direwolf named Fenrir who Diorbhail found, along with rest of his orphaned siblings, when wandering the forest behind their childhood home. From then on out, Diorbhail tried their best to take care of them, and when they inevitably outgrew them, the wolves began taking care of them with Fenrir being their closest companion. Neither of them knew what a familiar was!

I chose a dire wolf (and a pack of them, at that), because Diorbhail’s design and abilities were somewhat based off of the Úlfhéðnar and Beserkers of old Norse tales. The wolves themselves are based off of (you got it) Fenrir, as well as Skoll, Hati, Geri, and Freki. There’s also a unique dynamic I thought would be nice for Diorbhail! Fenrir and his siblings represent the most wild parts about Diorbhail, the parts that have stuck around through all their life and make up a huge part of their personality.

5. What is their opinion of each of the courtiers?

Valerius

Surprisingly, they don’t hold Valerius with the most contempt they could. Granted, he’s a conniving bastard who drenched them in wine when he first met them after trying to continuously embarrass them in front of Nadia, but they don’t consider him a threat. They never did. They forgave him in the Hierophant’s realm because they figured, for all the show and condescension, he was probably just a fool in a man’s shoes. They wouldn’t play chess with him, though. They don’t have that much patience.

Vlastomil

Diorbhail can’t stand to be around him for too long. He reminds them of the worms he love to chitter on about, slimy and wriggly. They don’t have an in-depth opinion about him because they try not to get into situations where they have to be around him.

Valdemar

He makes them incredibly uncomfortable. Diorbhail has a special relationship with death in that they don’t fear it all too much (it’s pain that terrifies them), since their beliefs are very Norse in origin (Ragnarok and the Völuspá and all that). But Valdemar, and the way they treat death like a trivial joke, something for them to toy with, to bring pain to others with... they hate it. They make Diorbhail incredibly uneasy, if not entirely disgusted. They find Valdemar terribly disrespectful.

Vulgora

Obnoxious. Diorbhail doesn’t care for their bloodthirsty attitude that has no end. They roll their eyes every time Vulgora yells about fighting. Diorbhail is waiting for the day Vulgora attempts to turn their wrath on them; Diorbhail is getting more and more ready to put Vulgora in their place with each passing day.

Volta

Diorbhail enjoys Volta the most. She’s meek and adorable in a scuttling, sniveling, baby-ish sort of way. Diorbhail never thought Volta was up to no good, not like the other courtiers. They particularly enjoyed it when Volta lit up at the sight of those tiny sandwiches they brought her during the Masquerade, even if they did feel bad about why they brought those snacks in the first place. Diorbhail sympathizes a lot with Volta, and her constant, insatiable hunger brought on by her... condition. They know too well what starvation feels like, and what it can do to someone.

6. What did they do while at the clinic?

Diorbhail, for the most part, offered immediate comfort. They brewed tea, crushed aromatic herbs, and lit various resins to ease the pains and aches of the patients. They weren’t patient enough to sit and toil over possible cures, not like Julian. They wanted to learn, but the patients and their immediate needs always took precedence, especially the elderly and the young. Diorbhail often sat and listened to the old-timers, who they knew simply wanted an ear for the night, and the patient company. They’d tuck in the younglings and recite to them stories from their youth. Often, they’d end up falling asleep with the children leaning on them. And with Julian always tucked away into his office, it’s no wonder they got sick.

Once they regain their memories, they can’t say they regret what they did.

7. What are their tasks around the shop? What can they make?

They were the main clerk, since Asra would handle the readings and then... nap. The shop was owned by their aunt so it was known for Southern remedies and folk magic, and they were able to harmlessly do whatever wild magic they knew without lifting to many brows-- old magic is niche enough where no one would care to question it, just so long as it worked. Diorbhail did a lot of plant-based spells, charms, tinctures, tonics, potions, etc etc. Other than that sort of work, generally, they were in charge of regular cleaning (energy and plain dust), placing new charms and barriers, and rebalancing the building. Making dinner and tea also fell on them quite often too, but they didn’t mind.

8. Describe their daily routine (wake up, chores, tasks, visiting who, etc)

They sleep very soundly, but don’t go to bed on time, so their nights often extend into the early morning. They usually wake up around nine or ten, having bathed the night before with handmade soaps and oils. Their hair usually only gets styled every couple days since their braids and plaits are meant to hold up to a great amount of activity. Makeup is usually done through quick glamours that take no time at all to do. They wear a lot of layers, but getting dress doesn’t take as much time as hair does. Breakfast is usually a glass of water with lemon and an omelette with rosemary and basil. Sometimes they’ll splurge and eat some fruit!

They usually leave chores for the night, so they’ll head straight down to the front end of the shop and open up for the day. Lunch breaks mean restocking whatever’s out at the marketplace and stopping for some pumpkin bread. They don’t visit many people aside from the baker! They’ll head back to the shop after an hour, usually, and keep going until a little after sunset, at which point they’ll close, bathe, eat supper, and stay up reading/writing in their grimoire. They pray before they go to bed and set a saucer of cream and a slice of that day’s bread out on their windowsill before retiring.

9. What Major Arcana would they be closest to? Is their a Minor Arcana card that suits them more?

The Major Arcana they associate with the most is The Empress. She symbolizes an older entity, the mother of the earth, and brings the recycling of energy at her most tempestuous. Diorbhail has a lifelong association and dependence on nature at it’s most raw, and so they feel incredibly drawn to the Empress. As for the Minor Arcana, it would probably be the Seven of Cups.

10. Describe their magical abilities. What are they best at? Worst?

Diorbhail’s magic is terribly unrefined and often reigned in by sheer force of will and intense visualization, and a good metaphor for it is probably just successfully breaking in a stallion. Old magic is a lot of this, and is often because those who practice it are more in tune to natural energies that created magic in the first place. Diorbhail is most in tune with the earth in terms of elements, and they incorporate herbs, woods, flowers, stones, and bones into their magic. They happen to be adept at protective charms, divination, summoning, and offensive spells. They aren’t as good as transmutations or spells that require precise steps. They find it hard to focus on that sort of thing!

11. How do they get along with all the animals in the game? (Faust, Malak, Chandra, Pepi, Inanna, Camio, Melchior and Mercedes)

Faust

Excellently, of course! Diorbhail loves it when Faust decides to wrap around them and hitch a ride. Diorbhail is incredibly patient with her and Asra often finds Kai hunched over their work as Faust slithers all over them-- through their hair, under their draping clothes, and loosely about their neck. Diorbhail hardly doesn’t flinch when she decides to flop on top of their head after trying to reach a higher shelf or beam, or when Faust pokes their lips with her snout because she can’t hold steady as she tries to investigate the scent of lunch coming from their mouth. When the Devil took Faust, Diorbhail immediately dove for the deal after he promised to release Faust if they did-- they couldn’t stand to see her hurt, ever.

Malak

An odd relationship characterized by wordless interactions and an odd degree of trust that developed out of nowhere. Diorbhail naturally communicates well with certain types of animals well enough without having to work for it-- dogs and corvids, for example (a nod to Odin and his accompanying animals, Geri and Freki, and Hugin and Munin). They like to offer trinkets they find, or pieces of bread they have, to Malak. They spy the intelligence in his fathomless eyes, and the old soul in them is convinced that Malak could be a divine messenger. They’ll often spot him and beckon him over so that he may perch on their shoulder-- Malak’s weight comforts them, as well as the usefulness that comes with having his extra pair of eyes with them while they trek more dangerous parts of Vesuvia-- or anywhere, really.

Chandra

Diorbhail doesn’t have a particular opinion on Chandra. They know she exists, but they don’t... care too much. Honestly, Diorbhail thinks Chandra is pretty for an owl, but a little too... fancy, I suppose? Not like the owls they know, that's for sure.

Pepi

Well enough. Diorbhail is more of a dog person for obvious reasons, but they coo to Pepi to ask if they can pet her. They’re always a little downtrodden if they get ignored by the little cat. They do think she’s cute, though.

Camio

Camio is Diorbhail’s least favorite. He's nice to look at but annoying. They rarely curse at an animals, but they’ll make the exception for Camio. It doesn’t help that Camio is obviously just like a certain someone who also grates on Diorbhail’s nerves.

Melchior and Mercedes

After the first night when Diorbhail forced these two into turning tail and submitting with just their stare, they have a touch and go relationship with Mercedes and Melchior. They, too, remind Diorbhail of the odious Lucio, but not enough to make them wrinkle their nose when they come snuffling around. They’ll give those pups the pomegranates they desire though, and smiles when the hop around before tearing into the fruit.

12. Did they have a certain opinion about the palace and court before the events of the game? Did it change?

They were intimidated by the concept of visiting, but mostly they weren’t the most avid fan of the palace and court. They can’t stand those in higher classes who do nothing to help those whose heads they trample just by existing, and before knowing the situation with Nadia and her courtiers, they assumed Nadia and her court were no-good snobs who weren’t able to look much further than their own noses. That held true for some of the courtiers, but they were happy to learn that Nadia was much different from their preconceived notions on her.

13. How do they feel about traveling in the realms? (Nervous? Excited? Other?)

They’ve been traveling between the veil for a while. Their home country is also inhabited by otherworldly spirits and beings, the Aos Sí, and they've been in close contact with these beings ever since they could walk. They’re also spiritually sensitive and can see souls of the departed, whether on this side or the other of the hedge that separates the living from the dead, so, no, they don’t have many feelings regarding traveling realms. It’s just something they do sometimes, with Asra or not.

14. Where is their least favorite place in Vesuvia? Why?

The dungeons. The echoes of lives lost, not at to the plague, but to Valdemar’s careless hand, is suffocating and makes their lungs feel like they’re about to pop. Those energies make their entire body hurt and their head go fuzzy-- it’s the worst they felt since they died. They’ve barely managed to hold back tears down there. At least the Lazaret lacks a roof.

15. How did your apprentice feel about Asra leaving all the time? Taking care of them?

They aren’t happy when he leaves, but they don’t think that they’re too important that they should bring it up to them. They figure he probably has important things to do that aren’t any of their business. It doesn’t help how lonely they feel, though-- they are a pack animal at heart. But, at the same time, sometimes Asra can stifle them with how much he dotes. They try to steer him in the direction of a reasonable middle ground, and that usually means that they give him as much attention as their emotional capacity allows for that day.

16. Name one thing your apprentice wants to see happen, or say to someone.

They want to find to find a mutual belonging with Muriel. They resonate with him already-- he’s similar to how they once were when they were first revived. To how they were when they were younger. Sort of like how they are now. They feel drawn to him but with no way to properly express that to him, they just hope one day he’ll catch on.

17. What is the outcome you see happening for your apprentice and their significant other?

Visiting their home country. Meeting their foster family. Finally setting old demons straight after they regain all of their memory and then settling down in a quiet cottage, out of the city and back in the wilds that they love. Maybe one day with a little family of their own and a reputation as the people of the wood who will never turn out a weary traveler.

18. What would drive your apprentice so far as to strike a bargain?

Losing the few people that they’ve allowed close to them, those who they truly love platonically or otherwise. That would truly break Diorbhail and drive them to take any means necessary to right what they perceive as a wrong, or put them out of their own misery. Or, if they believe that it would prevent harm from coming to their loved ones altogether, then they’ll dive to sacrifice their own well-being.

19. At this point in the game, do they care more about recovering the rest of their memories or living as they are now?

They want to remember. There’s always a gnawing at the back of their head, and they know they can be better if they just remember. They’re sick of feeling helpless because they only have three years worth of memories, most of them being of Asra and the shop. It’s no way to live, for Diorbhail. They probably won’t think this way for very much longer, however.

20. Would they be up for another Masquerade despite all that has happened? New outfit theme?

So long as they don’t have to keep running between rooms, then yes. With a quiet corner, good food, and night sky full of lights, they’d be perfectly content. As for their outfit, they’d probably go in a costume tied to their ancestry, and to the general theme of a ram, the star they were born under and the face of one of their gods.

21. What is their first reaction seeing their LI cry?

Initially, they’d hesitate to get close. Their first thought is to think of what they would like their LI to do, if the situation was reversed, but that’ll get tossed quickly in favor of Diorbhail rushing over to hug their LI. They wipe their LI’s tears and whisper affirmations and comforting things. This always ends with Diorbhail acting as a big spoon and running their fingers through their LI’s hair, and eventually falling asleep there.

22. Are they scared of what they have learned? Of the powers they have developed?

Not at all. Maybe of what may happen if the wrong people learn about what they could do, but they’re never afraid of themself. For them, each new ability is one more means with which to protect their family and help those in need.

23. Do they like snow? Have they seen it before?

Given that their home country is very nearly always covered in snow, yes, they have seen it before, but no, they aren’t particularly fond of it. They associate it with terrible things from their childhood, and doesn’t make for a very hospitable environment once it falls thick enough.

24. A magic lamp is found in the shop, and a genie inside gives them three wishes. What are they?

Diorbhail would send that genie right back inside for later use. They have no clue what they’d wish for until they needed it. No wishes for wealth, love, or fame. They’d probably tote the lamp around until they found themself in a pickle and used the genie as a get-out-of-jail-free card. Like wishing the Devil would forget about merging the realms and take a nap.

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braincoins · 6 years

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Unnamed Urban Fantasy World-Building Bible

Okay, so at this point I’ve got most of the world built and relevant history gone through. As such, HERE COMES AN INFO DUMP. Some of this was in the previous post, but there honestly wasn’t a lot there. This should hopefully whet your appetite for what’s to come.

Keep in mind that this is sort of “first draft” world-building. Things may be tweaked, thrown out, or altered later. (Also, the Blades section under “Lost Swords” formatted all weird, but it’s still legible, so I don’t feel like fixing it)

------------------- Cast of Characters -------------------

Keith Ward – orphaned son of Steven and Carol Smith (nee Krolia Kogane). Grew up in an orphanage with no knowledge of his parents. Immediately after high school, enrolled with the CPD and entered police academy, where he met Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane. Graduated and is a full-time CPD officer; his partner on the force is Iverson. Is still very close with Shiro and looks up to him like a big brother. Human with unknown elf heritage.

Katherine “Pidge” Holt – daughter of Samuel and Colleen Holt (nee Gunderson), younger sister of Matthew. MIT freshman who finds out her father and brother have both gone missing: Sam from his job as a CISA compliance officer at Galaxy IT Services and Matt after having taken a leave of absence from his job as a Computer Forensics Examiner at the CPD to go try to hunt up Sam. They’ve been missing for six months, and Pidge drops out of college to come back home to find them. Human Normie.

Darius “Hunk” Garrett – child of Dwayne and Ellen Garrett (nee Jorden), younger brother of Jasmin, older brother of Aliyah. The Garretts are Masks. Hunk is an alchemist who has a mobile lab based in a food truck. He also serves food, as would be expected. He learned both alchemy and cooking from his father, and he’s very close to his family. He also studies physics (as he believes it helps with his alchemy (and it does)) and is a very handy mechanic, keeping his old food truck up and going when it probably should’ve given up whatever ghost it had years ago (he bought it from a junkyard and fixed it up himself). His older sister is a bank teller but had no interest in alchemy; his younger sister is learning alchemy but wants to be a veterinarian. Human Mask.

Lance McClain – child of Scott and Juanita McClain (nee Garcia). Middle child in a pack of 8 children; Juanita’s widowed mother also lives with them. His two oldest siblings have moved out and one has started his own family (the other’s in college). The McClains are Masks, and Lance grew up with Hunk, as they’re the same age. They’ve been best buddies since grade school. Lance is a musician, and a very talented one, and he’s learned many powerful spellsongs. Spellsinging is considered a form of alchemy, using soundwaves, vibrations, pitch, tone, and rhythm to affect one’s environment instead of the more usual chemical, medicinal, or culinary forms (that Hunk knows). Lance chafes at the Masks’ rules but obeys them. However, he’s started noticing that he’s spellsinging when he doesn’t intend to be. Human Mask.

Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane – child of Kenichi and Yumiko Shirogane (nee Shimizu), older brother of Ryou. Shiro always wanted to be a police officer, to protect and serve. He felt it as a calling. Out of high school, he went to community college to study criminal justice, then enrolled in CPD’s police academy, where he met Keith. He graduated top of his class and became a CPD police officer. His partner is Harris. While at the CPD, he met and befriended Matt Holt. He wonders about Matt’s sudden leave of absence, but assumes his buddy is dealing with family stuff (as he said before he left) and is busy. Human Normie.

Allura ve Alfor, Princess of Altea – daughter of King Alfor and Queen Aetheria of Altea. Allura was trained in diplomacy, leadership, magic, and combat by her parents and her father’s advisor, Coran. She doesn’t know alchemy, but she knows her father’s code that he wrote his notes in. She is an excellent shifter, able to alter her appearance at will, though it takes energy to keep any form that is different from her normal one (how much energy depends upon how different the form is). Fortunately, she has an incredible reservoir of magical energy along with her own life force. Forbidden from joining the battle against the Dark Lord & Lady, she survived and agreed to be sealed away rather than forego her vengeance entirely. She is focused on avenging the death of her father and her people. At the last second, her four pet mice jumped onto her and became frozen in the crystal as well. One of the last true elves alive.

Coran vu Hieron – Royal Advisor to King Alfor before his death. Coran was a loyal advisor and friend and would gladly have gone into battle with Alfor had he not been tasked with protecting Allura. To that end, he also agreed to be sealed away, to stay with and watch over the princess. What he lacks in magic and shifting abilities he makes up for in seemingly endless knowledge. After he acclimates to 2018, he takes the somewhat more human name of Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe (he may have gone a bit overboard). One of the last true elves alive.

Honerva ve Cree/Haggar – Royal Advisor to King Alfor before she succumbed to darkness. One of the best alchemists of her day, aside from the King himself (who was strong in magic as well as alchemy). While he focused on training the human alchemist Myrddin, she believed that alchemy might not be wholly good. Using the motto of “all light casts a shadow,” she began searching for that shadow, hoping to set boundaries on such power so that it would not be misused. Instead, she went too far over that boundary and wound up corrupted by the Dark Lord Zarkon of the Daibazaal realm. His true form cannot be comprehended by normal mortals, and so she summoned him to this world by letting him take the body of Alfor’s best friend: Aetheria.

Zarkon twisted Aetheria’s body to suit his own needs, making it more powerful and less recognizably humanoid. He took her blade and warped it as well, making it his own dark weapon. And he took Honerva as his bride and high priestess.

Honerva began experimenting on humans and elves, using her knowledge of alchemy and her access to the dark energies of the cosmos to see what could be done to make them more powerful and more useful to Zarkon. She also began summoning the minions of Zarkon to this realm in preparation to conquer it. Alfor and Myrddin went to confront and stop her, with the army of Altea behind them. The battle was fierce. Myrddin, Alfor, and his generals (Blaytz, Trigel, and Gyrgan) fought against Honerva and Zarkon directly. The generals fell one by one as Myrddin shifted from trying to kill their opponents to simply containing them. As Alfor was killed, Myrddin managed to seal Honerva and Zarkon into a magical vault in another realm.

In Myrddin’s records, Honerva is only ever referred to as Haggar or the Dark Lady, just as Zarkon is only ever the Dark Lord. He had known (and loved) Honerva (though she had never returned his affections) before she succumbed to darkness. He could not reconcile the woman he had known with the creature he had fought, and so he gave her a different name.

Haggar desires only to serve her Lord and husband and to increase his power as well as her own. True elf corrupted by ancient dark magic; essentially a Dark Elf.

------------------- People, Places & Things -------------------

Alchemy – the combination of science and magic pioneered by the elves. Alchemy in its strongest form could potentially manipulate reality itself (essentially by fudging the rules or finding loopholes), but most modern alchemy focuses on the interconnections between all living things and the world upon which we live. Alchemy is most commonly thought of as chemical in nature: brewing potions, making salves & ointments, etc. There are myriad medicinal applications. Alchemy can also be used in combat, for self-defense, and in any sort of creation/manipulation endeavor. Cooking, baking, painting, writing, singing, playing an instrument, even assembling a piece of furniture or an engine. A strong understanding of physics can help open up the possibilities of alchemy.

Altea – Kingdom of the elves, destroyed 1,445 years ago. Its last crowned monarch was King Alfor. All alchemy originated in Altea. The kingdom was destroyed in 573 CE by the forces of the Dark Lord Zarkon and his Dark Lady, Honerva/Haggar.

The Church – as in the organization of Christian faith, most especially the Catholic Church. While it is true that the Church saw magic as antithetical to the power of the One True God, it was the destruction of Altea that truly convinced the Church that magic led to darkness. They characterized Zarkon and his armies as the Devil and his demons, and those who continued to do magic or alchemy as being like Haggar. At best, an alchemist would unwittingly bring evil into the world; at worst, they were an active helper in the schemes of the Devil.

As monotheistic faiths - but most especially Christianity - grew, magic became vilified. Even suspected practitioners were exiled or killed. Most of the people who were hanged, burned at the stake, etc. for witchcraft were actually perfectly innocent, normal people. A few were Masks, either because of their use of alchemy or because they were taking the fall for true magical beings, as their oath requires. A vanishingly-rare amount were actual magical beings, and, of these, most were Shifters, not Witches.

Elves – What happens when True Fay interbreed with True Shifters. The elves helped the humans create alchemy, believing that science and magic could enhance each other and lead to a greater understanding of the cosmos. They also wanted to give magic-less humans a way to help themselves. Elves were long-lived, but not so much so as Fay; a typical Elf lifespan would be about five centuries. In 2018, the only Alteans/True Elves left alive are Princess Allura (Alfor’s daughter) and Royal Advisor Coran.

Fay – Sprites, pixies, gnomes, goblins, fair folk, wee folk, etc. The Fairies of legends and myths. Fay are typically mischievous and very scrupulous about their rules. They often delight in deceiving others with these rules, but clever people can find a loophole to turn the outcome to their advantage. Ever since the Rise of the Church, Fay have made themselves scarce in the world. Ironically, despite the Catholic stronghold in Ireland, the Fay are most easily found there, where the native people have seen no problem in worshipping the Christian God and still respecting the rules of the aes sídhe.

Technically the Fay live in their own realm, Faerie, separate from the human world (which makes it all the easier for them to hide away). This realm is not unlike Daibazaal from which Zarkon hails, in that it is a separate realm of reality with its own rules and natural laws. Faerie is a much nicer place than Daibazaal though. Fay are extremely long-lived, with normal lifespans in the millennias.

Galra – Technically the word “Galra” is Altean for “monster.” In 2018, it most commonly refers to the Galra Cult: the cultists who worship Haggar and Zarkon. They are the descendants of elves and humans who followed the Dark Lord and Lady before their defeat (but somehow survived the battle). Most cultists are human, but many have elf blood (even if extremely diluted) in their veins. They know only what’s written down, so they have no idea that Haggar has any name other than that; they are unaware that “Galra” is not really what they should be called (similar to how Neo-Nazis are unaware of the origins of “Nazi” as an insult). But they are fanatically devout. However, some people do leave the Galra; they’re typically hunted down and killed.

Krolia was a member of the cult before she left, changed her name to the more inconspicuous Carol, and married Keith’s father. She was pregnant when the Galra found her and she barely escaped with her life; her husband wasn’t so lucky. She stayed hidden and on the run; when she gave birth to Keith, she took him to a Safe Place zone and left, hoping to spare her son from the bloodthirsty cult. Eventually she found others who had left the Galra; they’ve taken her in. She’s tried to keep track of what happened to her son over the years but is still too afraid to contact him. Just in case.

The Journals – King Alfor had five journals of alchemy, all written in a personal code of Alfor’s own devising. The first is a simple notebook, recording the alchemical knowledge already extant in the world. Volumes 2-5 are Alfor’s, Myrddin’s, and Honerva’s notes and experiments with alchemy, along with anything they could find about what others had concocted. They came up with new ways of constructing experiments, discovered more truths about the world, and became powerful. They established new concoctions and rituals, new potions and spells. The fifth volume specifically details the rules of alchemy as they were known to the three of them and sets out a method for safely and effectively using alchemy to create “on the fly” as it were, rather than just memorizing tried-and-true methods. The Masks have volumes 1 and 3 of Alfor’s journals; the Galra Cult has volumes 2 and 4. Volume 5’s whereabouts are currently unknown to the world at large, and that is because it was hidden in a place that only Allura knows.

The Lost Swords – A legend told in Mask families about five swords hidden from the world by Merlin, who feared their awesome powers would be used for evil. The Lost Swords will only appear when humanity stands upon the brink of destruction.

In reality, these are the five enchanted blades Myrddin made from the swords of Aetheria (Blade of the Black Lion), Alfor (Blade of the Red Lion), Blaytz (Blade of the Blue Lion), Trigel (Blade of the Green Lion), and Gyrgan (Blade of the Yellow Lion).

Blade of the Black Lion – originally the sword of Queen Aetheria, corrupted by Zarkon’s dark energies. It was cleansed of its taint through the focused enchantments of the other Blades, thus it was technically the last “created.” It is the most powerful blade and carries a minor, basic sentience. It seems to… remember its past and struggle with it. Its wielder’s desires can easily tip the blade back into darkness. Myrddin tied it to the energies of the sky, of storms, and of the cosmos. It can call and channel lightning; temporarily blind people; lift its wielder into the air and enable them to fly short distances; push people back (or even knock them down) with powerful storm gusts; and allows its wielder to use magic. Like all the blades, it also protects its wielder from its own element. It also has the unique ability to temporarily “borrow” powers from the other blades, so long as that blade’s wielder focuses on doing so. (For example, for the Black Blade to borrow the Red Blade’s power, Red’s wielder must stand still and focus their will on channeling their power to Black. This often leaves them vulnerable.) When the Red Blade’s power is focused to the Black Blade, it can send short bursts of super-heated air towards the target. When the Green Blade’s power is focused to the Black Blade, the storm winds can narrow and snap like whips, able to draw blood from many rapid, powerful (but small) attacks. When the Blue Blade’s power is focused to the Black Blade, it creates torrential rain and full on thunderstorms in a localized area. When the Yellow Blade’s power is focused to the Black Blade, the blade becomes unbreakable and its wielder is granted an impenetrable shield wall (in front of the sword itself) When all other Blades’ powers are focused to the Black Blade, it elongates (though doesn’t become heavier), strengthens, sharpens, and burns with a magical flame. The Black Blade can cut through reality itself if its wielder wishes. Regardless of the Black Blade’s alignment, it will never, ever, ever harm Allura. Wielded by Shiro

Blade of the Red Lion – originally the sword of King Alfor, who sacrificed himself to buy Myrddin the time he needed to seal Haggar and Zarkon away. Tied to the energies of fire, of passion, of purity. It can call and channel flames and protect its wielder from the negative effects of heat and fire, including all forms of radiation. The blade is always burning hot to the touch to all except its wielder. Wielded by Keith

Blade of the Green Lion – originally the sword of General Trigel. Tied to the energies of growing life, of vitality, of logic. It can call and channel strong and/or thorny vines. The blade is envenomed with a virulent toxin that will lead to paralysis and, eventually, death; only its wielder is immune to it, as they are to all poisons. They cannot be harmed by any animal or plant found in this realm. Wielded by Pidge

Blade of the Blue Lion – originally the sword of General Blaytz. Tied to the energies of water, ice, and emotion. It can call and channel water and protect its wielder from severe cold, as well as allowing them to breathe underwater so long as the blade is drawn and in their hand. The blade is freezing cold to anyone save the wielder. Wielded by Lance

Blade of the Yellow Lion – originally the sword of General Gyrgan. Tied to the energies of the earth, of stone, of unity. It can call and channel rock and stone, very useful for forming walls and shields. It protects its wielder from suffocation or paralysis, though its blade will petrify anyone (other than its wielder) who touches it. Wielded by Hunk

Masks – humans who are aware of magical beings and actively help hide them from those who would destroy them. Technically, Masks are as non-magical as any other human, but they still have access to alchemy. They take their charge of not revealing the existence of magic to normies (other humans) very seriously. Masks were as likely – if not more so – to be killed in witch trials and purges than true magical beings were, though the vast number of those killed in these witch hunts were innocent normies. Masks take an oath to protect the magical elements of the world with their life, but such a sacrifice has not been needed in many centuries. Technically they have typical human lifespans, but alchemy is often as good as and sometimes better than medicine, so it’s not uncommon for Masks to outlive normal humans by a decade or so.

Myrddin – known to most of humanity as “Merlin,” he was the greatest human practitioner of alchemy ever seen. Alfor apprenticed him when Myrddin was still a boy, and the two became fast friends. Myrddin was also smitten with Honerva, but she never returned his affections, and he never spoke of them to her. Still, he counted her as a friend, and she was friendly with him in their interactions.

Together with Alfor and Honerva, Myrddin helped create the bulk of extant alchemy in the world today. He also chronicled his life and the fall of Altea. He went mad after sealing away the Vault, the Blades (Lost Swords), and Allura & Coran. He became known as Myrddin Wyllt (Myrddin the Wild), a madman – some said a prophet – who wandered the land until his death.

Normies – humans who are unaware of magical beings or the existence of magic or alchemy as anything other than historical beliefs of superstitious peasants or the elements of fiction. It is rare that a normie is made aware of the existence of magic, but it happens occasionally. Usually a normie is then tasked with protecting what they have found; if they do not agree to become a Mask, they are typically killed or branded as crazy.

Shifters – those capable of changing their shape. True Shifters can look like anyone and can even take animal forms (thus giving rise to legends such as kitsune and werewolves). They can stay in whatever form they want for as long as they want and still retain their identity and minds (though Shifter hybrids – Elves and Witches – usually don’t have this ability). Shifters do not have animal-like senses unless they are in animal form, and even then they have the same advantages and disadvantages as those animals would have. Of all the magical beings, the Shifters are the ones who most carefully hide their nature from the world, as many of the legends of their kind paint them to be ravening beasts. Given ideal conditions, Shifters can live well into the 300 range, but nowadays it tends to be closer to 210 – 220. (Fast food hasn’t helped.)

The Seals – Magical locked doorways created by Myrddin. The first was a complete accident: Myrddin was trying to find a way to contain Haggar and Zarkon’s power when he saw King Alfor run through by Zarkon’s sword. The shock and horror (plus his already pumping adrenaline) enabled him to create the Vault and lock them away in some other realm. He had no idea how he’d done it.

He used alchemy to enchant, create, and link the five Lion Blades/Lost Swords, and then sealed them away in the same realm (though keeping them inaccessible to the Vault). The seals on the Swords were tied to the seal on the Vault so that when Haggar and Zarkon were released back into the world, the Swords would be, too. However, having no idea how else to create the seals, he re-focused on the trauma of that moment when Alfor was cut down. He replayed the horrible creatures he’d seen, the true power of what lurked in the darkness of the Daibazaal realm, all the friends he had lost. Rather than letting himself heal from his mental and emotional wounds, he continued to gouge them open, one seal at a time (for each Blade).

He used this same technique to enclose Allura and Coran in life-sustaining crystals and then to lock them with the same seal. The crystals will return to the world when the Blades do, but they can only be truly unlocked when in the presence of any one of the Blades. Then both crystals will be unlocked. This was a complicated sealing, and it took the last of Myrddin’s sanity to complete.

Undead – These are creatures created by magic (usually Fay or Witches) rather than being inherently magical beings. Usually they’re what modern Western culture would call “zombies” (in the sense of being unintelligent rotting shamblers; they typically aren’t cannibalistic unless created to be so). Ghosts can occur if someone dies from a Witch’s hex or a Fay’s curse.

Vampires – NO.

The Vault – The prison Haggar and Zarkon were sealed into. That prison was then cast into an alternate dimension (neither Daibazaal nor Faerie). This was the first seal and it was not tied to the others (though the Lost Swords’ seals were tied to the Vault’s). The Galra Cult eventually found a way to dissolve the seal, breaking open the Vault and returning Haggar and Zarkon to the world, about a year before the start of the story.

Witches – True Witches started out as human/Shifter hybrids (just as Elves came from Fay/Shifter unions). They look human except for golden eyes (still human eyes, just golden in color). They have limited ability to shift, and most take utilitarian forms such as a bird of some sort for travel, a fox or wolf for hunting, and a mouse, rat, or snake for spying. Staying in that form for too long will threaten their identities as they become more and more animal-like. Most Witches focus their increased energy reserves (from the Shifter blood) on doing magic. Modern Witches often do alchemy as a useful supplement, but historically it was considered a dilution of magic and no proper Witch would be caught dead doing that sort of thing. Witch magic tends to be very nature-based, and though most try to put more good than bad out into the world, a Witch crossed can be a VERY dangerous thing. A True Witch dying before 100 is almost unheard of; some have made it to 200 but that’s pretty rare. 150’s about a good average.

#Voltron #urban fantasy AU #eventual Shallura #world-building #writing #long post is long #with my apologies to Tumblr mobile users #because the Tumblr app is craptacular

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recentanimenews · 6 years

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Devil May Cry 5 is Back with Amazing Smokin’ Sexy Style Gameplay!

This review might have taken quite a while to put together, but that’s because I’ve had such a hard time pulling myself away from Devil May Cry 5 to write this that I’m really spending the time writing this thinking about going back to it and working on my combos, working my rankings, wondering if I can actually beat the prologue boss… There’s so much about this game swirling in my head that I feel I could probably write this review in chunks for months and not say enough about it. While it may seem unorthodox, if you simply are on the fence and want to know if the game is worth your time, here’s my unequivocal answer: Yes, absolutely, go buy it right now or as soon as you can get your hot little hands on the game. With that said, if you’re still on the fence, or want to know why I’m so high on Devil May Cry 5, I’ll be happy to fill you in, so pull up a seat and get comfortable. Please note that this review does not contain spoilers, so there’s no need to worry about that!

When Devil May Cry 5 was first announced, I’ll be honest that I had some apprehension over it. It was so long ago that Devil May Cry 4 came out, and honestly let’s just not talk about DmC (A game that, I will say, had some good ideas about combat and nothing else), that I wondered if there was really anything good that could come of it. But Resident Evil 7's release in 2017 gave me pause. Capcom has done an amazing job revamping one of their other flagship series through the RE Engine, and Resident Evil 7 and the Resident Evil 2 remake were so fantastic that I started thinking about what could be possible (and, historically, these two series are indeed linked; Devil May Cry was what became of an early concept for Resident Evil 4). After playing through Resident Evil 2 recently (both for review and to get that delicious Platinum trophy), I started getting even more excited for Devil May Cry 5’s potential, and suffice to say I was not at all disappointed. Devil May Cry 5 feels like both a relaunch and a sequel, a remake of Devil May Cry 3 and 4 and yet also something entirely new. Whatever magic Capcom has concocted with the RE Engine games, I hope it continues!

The first thing that struck me as I played Devil May Cry 5 was the fact that I just wanted to keep playing. Getting an A (or, even worse, a B!) on a stage sent me into a frenzy to start it over again and get that S rank. I needed to get the best ranks possible, and there was no real reason to do so; I just wanted to keep playing the game and showing it that I was even better at it the second time around. Devil May Cry has always been about stylish combat and extreme combo chains, and Devil May Cry 5 keeps that in mind with all of the new tools at your disposal and crisp, slick combat controls. Even better, every character you play as is so unique that you’ll find yourself conflicted every time the game offers you the choice to select between Nero, V, and Dante, making the option to replay levels with different character choices even more enticing; after all, you really want to see how that boss stacks up against a totally different strategy, right? When the game isn’t putting you in combat arenas, you’re traveling through some frankly gorgeous levels solving puzzles and platforming to find the next secret mission, hidden blue or purple orb, or even just a cache of red orbs to help fund that next upgrade. Stages never feel drawn out, to the point that replaying the same one multiple times because you want a better score or simply just enjoy the level is easy to do, making this game an amazing time sink that you can easily get lost in.

The three heroes available to you are my favorite thing about this game, as the developers seem to have solved the multiple protagonist problem that tends to plague action games: how do you make multiple characters play different, but all be easy to use, learn, and master, while also keeping them equally interesting? I was at first totally expecting Dante to steal the show (and, really, he kind of does, but more on that in a bit), but I actually found myself playing one character, only to be itching to switch to another one and play them again. Nero is perhaps the most basic of the protagonists to play as, and the first one you’ll get to mix things up with. Nero’s kit involves his sword (which he can still rev like a motorcycle), guns, and the new mechanic, Devil Breakers. Nero’s original arm is missing, and beautiful, amazing, star of the show best character Nico (cough) has whipped up something for Nero to use: a selection of wild arms that allow him to grab enemies, slow time, pierce armor, or even ride around on it like a jet powered skateboard! Nero’s Devil Bringers add so much variety to his style of play that you can truly play Nero the way you like; if you want to focus on powerful blows and armor penetration, you can do it. If you want to use the Ragtime to slow down time around enemies for that perfect escape from a cluster of foes, or to help extend your combo, go for it!

My personal favorite is the Punch Line, which is the skateboard one; aside from using it to traverse levels, firing off the Punch Line sends it homing in on enemies to land a series of blows that can help take the heat off while you fight other enemies, or just boost your Style Meter during combos. No matter what, the Devil Breaker will become your new favorite toy in the game, grabbing enemies from almost any position and letting you lay the beatdown on them in style. It’s amazing to send enemies crashing to the ground with a combo ender, only to launch the Devil Breaker at them and snap them right back up into the air for you to do it all over again.

V, on the other hand, plays nothing like the other two characters, to the point that V may actually be the most interesting character in the game and the real breakout star. After all, Devil May Cry was always about getting yourself deep into the action and letting the combos fly, dodging at the last second for extra points and avoiding damage at all costs. V, however, doesn’t really do much on his own, forcing you to keep him away from enemies while his two demon familiars do all of the real work for you. V took some getting used to for me at first, but once the unique, distant style of play clicked, I found V to be one of my favorites in the game. Instead of having a melee and projectile weapon, V’s two familiars fill those roles, with one being assigned as your ‘ranged’ option and the other your ‘melee’ option, with a third one summonable through use of Devil Trigger to wreak havoc on the battlefield.

Having V walk around the battlefield nonchalantly reading poetry while using all 3 of his demons and then sauntering in to finish off the enemies was oddly some of the coolest moments in the entire game for me (and, oddly enough, I usually get Smoking Sexy Style ranks with V more often than anyone else). I was at first the most reluctant to play as V because of the fact that, as the new character, he didn’t have much of a series of mechanics to build off of like the other two did, but I was greatly surprised by how organic V felt, and how fun his style of play really is, not to speak about the fact that his characterization is probably one of the other highlights of the game, with his droll, super serious tone still meshing with Devil May Cry’s usual high-octane silliness.

Finally, both in the game and in this review, we arrive at Dante. Oh, Dante. I was actually totally surprised at how natural it felt to play as Dante after all this time! If you’ve played previous Devil May Cry games, especially 3 and 4, you’re likely going to feel like slipping into Dante is like putting on your favorite pair of jeans: comfortable, but still stylish. Dante is equipped with his four stances, Trickster, Gunslinger, Swordmaster, and Royal Guard, as well as a compliment of melee and ranged weapons (4 each by the end of the game). I almost worried that Dante would be the most boring to play as since he was the most similar to other incarnations, but then the game gave me a motorcycle that turns into 2 giant clubs and a cowboy hat that spends Red Orbs to make enemies drop more Red Orbs, and also makes them wear tiny little cowboy hats themselves.

And that doesn’t even begin to discuss how much fun the nunchuck/pole weapon is; honestly, Dante is probably the most fun character to play as in the entire game, because you’ll probably know exactly what to expect, while also being surprised as the new toys you’ll get to play with. I loved every second of the game I spent as Dante, and while I could probably say that for every character in the game, I really loved Dante, with all of the goofy, cheesy over the top action, one-liners, and other aspects of his character that I had just missed seeing for so long. It felt like an old friend suddenly showed back up and you picked up right where you two left off, even if you both look a bit more grey than you did before. Regardless of which character you play (and you will at some point play all of them anyway), each one controls great, and the game feels incredibly responsive to your inputs, making combat feel as slick as it needs to look on screen for Devil May Cry to really work at its best.

Slick might be the best way to describe the entire game; the graphics are amazing, characters look and sound great, and the music is that mix of cheesy metal and buttrock that you not only expect from Devil May Cry games, but demand; extending combos longer to hear more bars from Devil Trigger play is something I found myself doing every time, and I think you’ll likely feel the same way. The story is well presented as well, and longtime fans of Devil May Cry will enjoy the callbacks and connections to the previous games made throughout the story. If you’re new to the series, don’t worry; a small movie you can play upon launching the game briefly recaps all of the Devil May Cry games, as well as the anime, ensuring that you’re caught up for the main event of Devil May Cry 5. And then, of course, there’s Nico. Nico is the newest character in Devil May Cry 5 aside from V, and she is the inventor responsible for Nero’s new Devil Breakers (amongst other things). Nico’s connection to the rest of the cast is something best left unspoiled, but I will say a few more things about her: she’s absolutely the best new addition to the series, and possibly one of the reasons it succeeds as well as it does. Every time you get a chance to do mid-level upgrades, you summon Nico, who appears in increasingly over the top segments that left me howling after each one. Nico’s an absolute knockout addition to the series, and I hope that whatever comes next for Devil May Cry after 5 makes sure to include her in the game again. Where’s my Nico and her van DLC, Capcom?!

There are some other little additions that help round out Devil May Cry 5’s experience. You have some unlockable files and other goodies to view after completing missions and challenges, some of which add some additional lore to the background of the game. You’ve also got a unique take on Co-Op if you play the game online: in stages where multiple characters would be present, you may actually see a small indicator that says “Co-starring” and someone’s name, which means that you’re playing the stage at the same time as another person is as a different character, and you can get some little bonuses to your score if you get ranked ‘Stylish’ by your partner. It can be really fun if you happen to get a glimpse of what they’re doing, too; the first time I actually noticed it was a person and not a script, the feature kind of blew my mind!

After you beat the game, you’ll be treated to the usual styles of new experiences you might expect from Capcom games. Similar to Resident Evil, beating Devil May Cry 5 lets you gain access to some higher difficulty challenges, and like the previous games lets you keep your unlocks to make these challenges even more fun to experiment with. The devs have talked about the upcoming DLC seeing the return of the Crimson Palace challenge areas, meaning that as you work on perfecting your Devil May Cry skills in harder difficulties, you’ll probably be just in time to really push yourself to the limit with even more places to show off your stylish combat mastery! And, if the DLC schedule and support for Devil May Cry 5 is even half as good as Resident Evil 7 and the Resident Evil 2 remake, you can expect to see a lot of great additional content showing up for you to play around with.

As it is, if you get the premium upgrade (which is something I highly recommend), you’re in for some real treats, most especially being the music add ons and the live action cutscenes. Just, make sure you play the game through first before using the live action stuff! No matter what, if you love Devil May Cry or simply love stylish action combat games, you’ll find something to enjoy in Devil May Cry 5. So what are you waiting for? Go and get your hands on it, and if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some Dante Must Die levels to master...

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ RE Engine on full display with amazing graphics, frame rate, and fluid combat.

+ Combat is fun and amazing, giving you that mix of crazy and controlled that you want out of a Devil May Cry game.

+ Newcomers V and Nico are amazing additions, and every character you play as feels wholly unique and amazing to play with.

+ Lots to do in the game as you hunt down secret missions, upgrades, stage rankings, and more; game will have you coming back for more every time.

+/- You might want to invest in some ice packs for your wrist; this game is going to test your ability to use every button on a controller and keep that action going!

Have you gotten your copy of Devil May Cry 5? Let us know what you think of the game in the comments!

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Nicole is a features and a social video script writer for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

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