Tag: BlazBlue

Happy Bunny Day

Well, it’s Easter, and while I haven’t really done anything to celebrate the holiday since I was ten years old or so, and my job is closed on Sundays already, at least there’s good candy. Seriously, after Halloween, I think Easter has the best holiday candy. (Though, if they worked maple candies into Arbor Day celebrations, I might be tempted to change that ranking.) But the first thing that pops into most people’s minds when you say “Easter” isn’t candy, it’s probably the Easter Bunny. Which brings us to today’s word.

lapin, noun – a castrated male rabbit

Learned from: BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (Playstation 3, Arcade, XBox 360)

Developed by Arc System Works

Published by Aksys Games (2010)

If it sounds like the word of the day took a dark turn, imagine how I felt when I looked it up–especially since it’s a nickname for a female character in the game! Rachel Alucard is a gothic lolita vampire, of the “looks like she’s twelve, but is actually 200” variety. She has some history with another quasi-ageless character named Hakumen: a tall, imposing figure who may or may not be a living suit of armor. (BlazBlue’s weird.)

Anyway, Hakumen sees himself as being above most people, so he rarely refers to anyone by their actual name, assigning most folks a nickname instead (a la “Grimalkin,” which I believe I featured awhile back). He isn’t the only one who calls Rachel some sort of rabbit name, on account of the bow she wears in her hair that resembles bunny ears, but man is his choice the most scathing! I mean, Hakumen is kind of a jerk to everybody, but the more you think about his particular choice of nicknames for Rachel, the more insulting it seems: Castration tends to stunt a person’s growth (Rachel is quite short), prevent the development of sexual characteristics (Rachel is flat as a board), make the person more docile (Rachel speaks quite softly–though she’s entirely capable of dishing out violence), etc. and so on.

Bit of an extra lesson today. You’re welcome. 🙂

I was so focused on the hair bows, that I didn’t even mention her fat imp and living cat umbrella…did I mention BlazBlue was weird?

Writing buddy

As I type this, my cat is curled up on the back of the couch near my head, snoring.  This entry goes out to her.

grimalkin, noun –  A domestic cat–particularly, an old female cat.

Learned from:  BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Playstation 3, Arcade, XBox 360)

Developed by Arc System Works

Published by Aksys Games (2008)

For fighting games, the BlazBlue series has always had a rather fleshed out story mode.  Granted, after a couple entries, it stops making much sense, but it certainly is deep.  A lot of the characters have extensive backstories that color their interactions with one another.  Ragna and Jin are extreme examples of feuding siblings, Litchi and Arakune were lovers back when Arakune was still human (at least, in Litchi’s eyes), and the once-great hero, Hakumen (who’s now a living suit of armor), hates the mad scientist, Kokonoe.  Kokonoe also happens to be a catgirl (because, Japan), which has earned her the derisive nickname of “Grimalkin” from Hakumen.  He doesn’t seem to hate any of the other cat-people in the game though, so at least he’s not a racist.

kokonoe

I should point out that Kokonoe has a split tail, technically making her a nekomata: a Japanese mythological creature that’s essentially a house cat that’s lived for a very long time.  So, maybe she’s older than she looks.