(AKA the “i think aubrey has definitely thought about emilia THAT way at 3am” document)

1 - WHAT THIS IS (besides me being autistic):

NOT me saying Emilia and Miss Aubrey are a canon sapphic couple, married, or secretly dating. (ALTHOUGH I WISH THEY WERE)

This is me documenting repeated, canon, emotionally specific behaviors and narrative choices that go WAY beyond a normal rivalry and line up extremely well with romantic jealousy tropes, especially when viewed through a queer lens. This is also me needing to get all my thoughts about these two in one place before my brain explodes because oh my god these two are a MESS of miscommunication and maybe-unacknowledged feelings.

I am trying to be fair to canon, including things I personally dislike (looking at you, Angel) while also not pretending the emotional math suddenly stops working just because the game randomly involves him in lol

ALSO I MUST ADMIT I don’t 100% claim accuracy regarding EVERYTHING when it comes to Dance Central VR because it is the one game I have not and cannot play at the moment (that matters to this anyway. Squints at Spotlight) but I've tried my best to keep it as close to canon as possible even if my information IS technically second-hand (thank you Laura223 for the lore video with it my lifesaver)

2 - BASELINE CHARACTERIZATION

Dance Central 1 matters most to this because:

• No protagonist
• First impressions of both
• Rivalry is raw and unfiltered
• Characters speak for themselves
• No crews or overarching plot (we get the start and ending cutscenes, but that’s it)

We can start with official character bios.

Name: Aubrey Hobbies: Horseback riding, fencing, all forms of dance (classically trained, unlike some people who shall not be named). Interests: Anything intellectually stimulating, private parties aboard the yacht. Favorite Movie: There’s never sufficient time for such base amusements… but A Single Gal in Perugia is a guilty pleasure. Best Dance Move: Are you new here? All of them. Blood Type: AB+ (the most exclusive of all blood types and hence the best).

Name: Emilia Hobbies: Boxing, volleyball, competitive dance Interests: Going to parties, playing pranks (especially on stuck-up redheaded know-it-alls), bonfires on the beach… just having fun and living life to the fullest! Favorite Movie: Psycho Mutant Cheerleader Rampage XVII Misdemeanor Arrests: Two. So what? Blood Type: A+, obviously! Always gotta be on top!

Right out the gate, their bios already make it obvious - these two have history. Even without the bios however, they make it sure to bring up the prank aspect between them on one of Aubrey’s DC1 character selection voicemails: