#vito lca

[legofiction]

Did Vito exist for five minutes to anyone else?

[big-betty]

@frankie-the-bad-guy-lupelli @just-vito did one of you two steal Hacksaw’s hacksaws because if so give them back he’s crying

[gabby-tocamera]

That criminal is doing WHAT with Rosy

[francesca-russo]

Psst. Everybody look at my cousin Vito in his flower crown.

[tippydormanask4]

artist note: a suggestion video of a friend ( ´ ꒳ ` )

I know I'm the only person in the world who ship this but I'm fine with that! as a comic ship is fun! ( ‾́ ◡ ‾́ )

[actual-harl-fucking-hubbs]

who’s the most snake like person you know? name the snake after them

I don’t know a lot of people

[snowtst]

hi guys good morning just woke up what's happen- HOLY SHMOLY WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN THE RP BLOGDS

[invisible-b0nes]

Hey guys

[hacksaw-hank]

I’m going to make everyone cool new outfits

[inventinginventoroftruth]

Do u like other criminals? Snake, Daisy, Hacksaw, etc

I haven't worked with them personally, but they seem to be tolerable. Though I will say, Ms. Kaboom seems the best of them all, being both intelligent and capable of feeling sympathy towards others.

[shifty-buyourstuff]

you and Vito robbed me twice actually in the same day

you know after robbing him I’m surprised Shifty even lets you in the store

Uh? I don’t remember ever robbin’ Shifty. @shifty-buyourstuff is that a thing that happened? I don’t remember that.

[legofiction]

This was totally circling the crime squad’s (Vito, Hacksaw, Betty, Frankie, and Clara’s) group chat for years afterwards

[big-betty]

If it wasn’t Vito then who told Duke to stop hanging around Frankie?

[gabby-tocamera]

How are you feeling after killing a man

Concerningly fine

[hacksaw-hank]

Betty’s driving me

VITO I’M AT YOUR DOOR

-Hacksaw

Jeez Hank you just sent the ask that you were finished 3 minutes ago, how’d you move that quick?

[somuchforsnakes]

Of all the crooks in LEGO City Adventures' rogues gallery, Daisy Kaboom is an excellent case study in how LCA designs antagonists that reflect the show and toyline's irreverent spirit. Let's analyze it.

In LCA, each criminal uses an explosion of classic imagery to convey that they're definitely, most certainly troublemakers, and Daisy's no exception. Her short hair with highlights, studded choker, pair of studded belts, ripped jeans and boots give her an overwhelming punk aesthetic, like you could see this person doing garage band jam sessions or tagging a freight train car. She wears her prison uniform under her jacket like an undershirt, and given how its color matches the pants and accessories, it conveys a sense of pride in Daisy's role in society. (It's also practical, since she flies in and out of jail a lot.) The use of burgundy in her jacket is a recurring motif across the theme's antagonists, also conveying their passion for the part. If all that isn't enough to warn you that Daisy's bad influence, she wears a fanged cartoon bomb graphic on the back of her jacket and one of her minifig's faces uses a domino mask, as if that would conceal her identity:

All of this imagery is so bombastic and old-fashioned that instead of striking fear, Daisy evokes the brand of overt, gleeful villainy that heels use in pro wrestling or children act out when playing pretend. Thanks to the design's use of round shapes like the choker and bomb amidst all the edginess, it also conveys a sense of likeability and earnest dorkiness. This is exactly how Daisy is presented in the cartoon and supplementary material: a brazen crook with a comical fixation on all things explosive who also lives with her mother until the third season. In concept and design, she's right at home with the ice cream-themed burglars and juice-brandishing cowpoke.

If the dynamite packs and literal picture of a bomb didn't betray her choice of weapon, the rest of her design incorporates bomb imagery in some clever ways. Not only does her short hair resemble a cartoon cherry bomb, the dyed strands resemble a lit fuse. Her boots resemble combat boots, referencing both punk fashion and explosive weaponry in one strike.

Most notable is her use of color: Daisy's red, orange and yellow evoke fire while the black and gray bring ash and soot to mind, or alternatively, clouds of billowing smoke after a blast. While most of these colors are recurring motifs among the antagonists' designs, Daisy is one of few characters who takes advantage of it like this, elevating her above an already-quirky flock of jailbirds.

It's a pity that the cartoon design's flourishes didn't carry over to the minifig for practical reasons. Those boots and tears would cost some dough to print, sure, but they also use color to lead the viewer's eye from top to bottom. Similarly, the prison uniform's exposed sleeves draw attention across the arms and torso.

Nevertheless, Daisy's still a character with a lot of appeal thanks to her clear characterization, solid color scheme and keen balance of round shapes versus sharper edges. She comes across as a fun scoundrel, but never a dangerous one.

As much as Daisy and characters like Vito and Clara straddle this line, it's important that none of them cross it, otherwise the lighthearted fun of the theme could be torched; even Vito's crowbar, sunken eyes and mobster influences are balanced by his goofy prison-themed necktie. In Daisy's case, while she has the most destructive weapon of the bunch, her bright red dynamite sticks are confined to the realm of cartoon cliché instead of our world's deadly weapons. The character's silliness can help ease kids into playing villainous roles.

This isn't to say that children won't give Daisy a body count sometimes - it's natural for children to push boundaries and experiment with characters - but this probably wouldn't be the norm for her. Instead, her design guides the player into the goofy scenarios of LCA and gives them a solid idea of who she is without any need for character bios or even watching the show.

I could've made this analysis about any of LCA's outlaws, but I feel like Daisy summarizes everything I like about this lineup in one character: distinct personalities and gimmicks that are conveyed well, a brand of ineffectual villainy that suits the theme and scenarios, and even a nifty use of the toys' focus on building. Of course a villain in a LEGO property would blow up something you made, ideally as you make an explosion sound and toss the LEGO bricks into the air. That's the kind of goofy stuff that LCA was built for.

Author's note: Thanks for reading my newest analysis! Hopefully I did this character and LCA justice for the fans; I didn't know much about City or the cartoon before writing this, but I'm glad I checked it out. As always, feedback and even character suggestions are appreciated, although I won't cover another City character for the next three reviews or so. On the bright side, Friends will be open for another long review after #4, and you can ask me to review any character via a mini-analysis in my askbox.

While I'm not terribly proud of this photo (I lost my transparent rod to hold pieces with and my tripod isn't super good at staying in one place), it was a journey learning how to edit things into photos and how to use bit lights.