#sol and ky get cool modes

[monsieurivoblan]

[ local colony escapee found squirming in the void after first time "dragon install", more at eleven ]

bonus:

[arashi-no-saxlphone]

Screaming along to Requiem this morning and it made me think of the "people like Sol but not I-No" thing again and I just wanna say I know there's issues with how GG handles their women sometimes but like... the GG women are REALLY fucking cool and good. I-No is one of the most incredible narrative foils in fiction to me to both Axl and Sol in different ways. You have Sol Badguy, doomed savior, and I-No, who though we weren't totally aware of it at the start of her character story, has also been put into the same role. The two are at odds because of the future I-No has been cursed to know about and burdened with the idea that she can change said future, and she and Axl are two sides of the same coin in that I-No is stuck in a cycle of chasing a future she cannot change while Axl is stuck in a cycle of chasing a past he cannot return to. And she plays those roles EXTREMELY well. She's written to be a tragic character, doomed by the narrative, because she only has half of what she needs to get what she wants. And she's a Magical Foci - not human - and yet there's deeply human qualities about her that she can't fully embrace because of what she is and the circumstance she's trapped in. I-No willing throws away what little of her humanity is left because she's lost and tired and the crushing weight of all of humanity's hopes being placed into her is so much to bear that she becomes numb - that is a completely understandable reaction that I think anyone can relate to: the exhaustion of existence becoming so great that you just want to give in. She is a foil to Sol, who despite the loss of his humanity refuses to let it go, and chases it to the end, and because of that he's able to save the world (again) at the end of strive. I-No's existence and role in the story is just the other side of Sol Badguy's- it's crazy to me to like one and not the other; their value and narrative weight is identical in my eyes.

Millia and Jack-O both have incredible things to say about the value of one's identity and sense of self. Baiken is a killer example of the gruff revenge-seeking broken person archetype (a role stereotypically fulfilled by male characters) finding acceptance and managing to heal. Bridget tells an exceptional coming-out story (one of the best arcade modes in the game imo the conversation she has with Ky at the end about his fear of going public about his family still gets me). Ramlethal and Elphelt's journey to independence and understanding themselves as more than weapons or puppets. These are characters with incredible narrative weight and substance. It's the essence of Guilty Gear to me.

I don't know, I just thought about this for too long cause of Requiem and thinking about I-No today so sorry for the incoherent dump here.

[gear-project]

Dual Rulers: Episode 6

Fates Clash once More Spoilers (Get used to it)

We’ve cut away from Last Episode’s scene of Fiery Violence, to a Non Sequitur Map of Ancient Japan (or at least, the Narrator Reminds us Japan got Destroyed at least).

(Sugita is in Cool Voice Mode, I guess?)

The age of the Warring States, the Sengoku Period… and a Fleeing-for-his-very-Life Axl Low.

(Fun Fact: Axl got sent to the Pre Cretaceous Period and Fought a Velociraptor at one point. He doesn’t seem to have his Chain-sickles this time around, however.)

They call his ability “Causal Anomaly”, but it’s just a fancier way to describe his Time Slipping/Time Tripping before he got a handle on his power after Xrd’s events. By the way, I-No’s power was called “Temporal Change” in the Drama CDs.

Anyway, Axl clumsily tries to get out of another pickle only to get chased again! (Please read the Axl+Low tag on my blog for more details on his powers!)

We cut back to the grisly scene from last Episode. Jack-O’ seems hurt, Baiken is cautious, Johnny is grounded, and a sea of flames surrounds a seething Sin Kiske.

The man formerly known as Nerville Hammer begins a diatribe on how foolish Humans and Gears have been.

Across a Frozen Future, he had returned to the Present Time to rule it.

Sin’s metallic roar vibrates the air drifting around the flames.

Erica reports her findings to President Groubitz… due to the Virus, Sin and other Gears around the world have gone berserk, with Sin at the very core of the cause.

The wavelength matches Dizzy’s as well. The virus has appeared to awaken Sin’s Command Type ability to control other Gears.

Unika apparently reported success in gaining control of the Magic Satellite Weapon (a small victory, however fleeting).

Erica reminds the President of the threat the Gears pose, he gives the order to activate the Satellite once more, but to NOT pull the trigger.

Erica confirms, but says they cannot wait forever.

Vernon places his bet on Sol Badguy one more time…

Screaming and Chaos is seen, as Dormant Gears begin to move.

Sin is resisting his power with all his strength, as Nerville continues to insult and berate Gears, saying they pretend to be human, but underneath are nothing but killing machines.

Fangs form in Sin’s mouth, his limbs and fingers undulate and twist, and he clenches his fists, still trying to grasp this incredible force within him.

Nerville dares Sin to destroy all those he loves, as Sin howls against the Virus.

A Gear’s massive limb reaches (seemingly) to crush an innocent family, but stops just moments before.

Sin’s body now something twisted and incomprehensible, as Dormant Gears the world over malfunction from the virus.

Sin’s body flips, contorts, and twitches.

Nerville taunts him again, saying it’s pointless, even if his willpower is impressive.

The virus appears to be eroding at Sin’s brain, and at most he’s only bought a few minutes’ time.

Sin only barely manages to speak, as if his voice was made of a strange metallic distortion.

He rattles out “Don’t… underestimate me…”

Sin’s body shudders and twists once more as he screams, as if the very shape he takes is his attempt at defiance.

“Even if it takes ten years… a hundred years… It all starts with ONE MINUTE at a time!”

Hammer calls him a fool, saying that he is a weapon made to kill (even if Sin was born naturally).

Sin’s bloodshot eye gazes at his memories… of the promise he made to the old man, and Sol’s promise to him.

We are taken back to a time when Sin was less than a year old, but still growing at an incredible rate.

Ky has just asked Sol to raise Sin in his place.

Ky, with an eyepatch of his own, asks Sol to teach Sin how to use his power.

Dizzy asks Sol to guide Sin as well, knowing they both have failed as parents. But it was unthinkable to raise Sin in the newly formed Kingdom of Illyria in 2183, largely populated by Humans… who would not accept a Gear Child like Sin in their world.

If the world knew the Royal Family of Illyria had a Gear for a son, peace would surely crumble.

Ky begs for just a little more time.

Sol, his usual past self, bluntly says Politics isn’t a child’s problem.

But Sol relents. He’ll do this for Sin’s sake, but in return…

Sol hands Ky a pair of small guns.

“If the worst happens… shoot me with that.”

At the time, Sol was a very Powerful Prototype Gear, stronger than most.

A Human to Gear conversion comes with incredible risks, much as it happened to Sol in the first place (being one of the rare cases to survive the process). Such power could crush people, if not kill them outright.

Sol’s power at that time far surpassed any nation’s military forces.

A safety switch, of sorts… was the purpose of the gun.

Dizzy chimes in, that she is just as potentially dangerous as a Command Type, and would need a bullet of her own as a “safety switch”. The purpose of the other gun.

A bullet to suppress Gear Cells completely.

Sol asks her if she’s sure she wants one, as it will work on Sin just as well as herself.

Dizzy says that Sol is the only one she trusts to pull the trigger.

Sol (Frederick Bulsara) of the Present Time, loads the gun, with a face of sadness and regret as he points the gun at his Grandson.

Nerville mocks Sol.

Sol hesitates again.

A brilliant solution to “save” the world, at the cost of family.

Sin rages once more against his powers.

Sol calls out to Sin, he turns, recognizing the old man.

Baiken yells to stop the tragedy.

Sol fires. To everyone’s surprise (and even dismay).

Sin falls…

Every Gear struggling with the Commands issued by Sin now returns Dormant.

The signal has ceased, but Vernon wonders if it’s over?

What happens to Sin now?

Nerville mocks Sol once more, as if to call him a Murderer of his own (even if it’s not the first time).

Nerville concludes that those with Power thrive on Conflict and oppress the Powerless. And so he seeks to consume everything, and blanket the world himself.

By using Axl Low. (!?)

Axl had met with Immortals and those with Long Lifetimes many times before, even made friends.

Eventually Axl gained control over his power, but…

Even he can’t see the Future.

In a closed Timeline unknown to us, Axl Low witnesses the clash of the millennium: A Mother and her Son.

Sin and Dizzy, battling for an unknown reason.

Both fire a Gamma Ray, and the energy meets in a massive blast.

Axl is barely conscious, hears a child call to her father.

Just as Nerville planned.

Axl wakes, desperately chugging his drink and eating food provided by Nerville Hammer and Unika, survivors of the 2nd Crusade.

It was Unika who found Axl, so it seems.

Nerville points out that Unika never knew her real parents, lost to the war.

Axl is shocked to hear this news.

It was apparently Dizzy’s Order as Command Type, that all Gears reawaken (though it is unclear the cause).

Axl watches the carnage stream with disbelief, but is moreover surprised to know that Nerville Hammer even knows who Axl is!

Nerville says he knows all about Axl’s power, a power that could erase this tragedy.

But Axl already knows the implications, it could destroy an entire Timeline.

Nerville argues, if nothing is done, all life on the planet will cease.

Axl asks the obvious question.

Nerville says Dizzy sought to erase all the Gears (possibly as a failsafe), and compelled Gears to follow in self termination.

Axl immediately states she’d never do that, and looks at Nerville suspiciously.

As if Axl’s whole argument was futile, Nerville Hammer reveals the virus he created and its purpose.

But just as Axl begins to react, it’s revealed the food and drink he was given were drugged. And Axl Low passes out.

Nerville Hammer continues his speech, claiming to have seized Fate itself.

That he would brag to grant true salvation to the world!?

Unika weakly calls out to her father (or what’s left of him).

But she is mercilessly kicked aside.

Nerville knew who Unika’s parents were the whole time… calling her potential “cursed”. Like a thief in the night, kidnapping a child to feed them poison and lies.

A “monster” that defies the “purity” of human blood.

(Thus we confirm the truth: Unika is Sin’s Sister, Dizzy and Ky’s Daughter.)

Nerville mockingly calls Unika’s refusal to die a “rejection to atone for the sin of existence”.

But just as Nerville seeks to land a mortal blow…

A certain FLAG is KEPT FLYING.

Black Lightning deflects Hammer’s attack.

By some miracle it’s Sin, though still burning through his Magic from the bullet Sol shot him with.

But the effect appears to also have fried the Virus in his system!

It’s gradual, but Sin slowly begins to return to his senses.

Nerville calls it a farce, but it bought everyone some time to recover.

Nerville begins to give another speech, but his body begins to glitch out, twist, and mutate.

A body, created to surpass Gears.

The strange mutation shreds itself out of Hammer’s body, a cartoonish parasite, far more disgusting and grotesque than any Gear ever seen.

Baiken rushes to meet it with her blade, but it catches her sword with ease.

Baiken is punched aside with brutality, as the multi eyed creature seeks to demonstrate what a perfect life form is.

It forms a drill with its appendage, and to the shock of everyone, begins to cut itself in two!

But this was, in fact, a ruse. Like an amoeba, this othertimely imp has now split in to two of itself! Their bodies having fully regenerated.

But the pair still continue to replicate, and eventually there are four of them.

Baiken, sensing they were immortal attacks using her Kabari Hookchain, but the creature twists around the chain and races to attack Jack-O’!

Jack-O’ evades the rush, sending out her Dopulos.

While one imp evaded her attack, the other she was aiming for was struck, assisting Baiken.

Even if Nerville is multiple beings, he seems bad at teamwork with himself. The creatures rebut that Gods are meant to be Alone.

They rush in to strike but it’s deflected by Tatami Gaeshi.

Jack-O’ deflects another with a super-human kick!

The two ladies strike together, sending the imps flying.

But this seems to have had no effect!

Sol begins to press his own attacks against his own version of Nerville, only for the creature to evade every swipe of his OutRage blade.

Nerville continues to mock Sol as he dodges, even knowing he was the Flame of Corruption!

Before he can utter another word, Sol grabs him by the face and slams him to the ground with a pinning Wild Throw.

But Sol’s “Terrible Toss” has just become a “Terrible Knock”!

“TYRANT… RAVE!”

He pulls the blade’s trigger to the twisted Nerville-Imp’s face, a point blank immolation and severance!

Sol is breathing hard in the dreadful blaze he just created.

But it seems being reduced to ash was not possible for the imp, having regenerated faster than the flames could consume.

Rather, the creature swallows the flames utterly in to itself, as if eating a meal!

Jack-O’s powerful kicks are met with clashes with her own nightmare, as she continues to fight!

To exceed the very limits of Heurhythmic Control, such is the madness Jack-O’ now faces.

The imp rebuts her theory by saying it’s easy with Infinite Time!

She continues to dodge the imp’s drill, only to be pincered by another drill… but before she is ground to bits, a loving Grandson comes to her rescue!

Sin deflects both drills, now angry and fully his former self!

Sin tries to press in his attacks, only to get mocked and held by his face.

Baiken calls out, Sin gets thrown, and Baiken just barely manages to break his fall.

Another drill is aimed at Sin’s face even before he can recover, but this time the attack is deflected by Sol!

Sol tells Sin and Baiken to step back!

Sol deflects the drill and tosses a pair of grenades, but the imp pierces through, unfazed by the blast.

Sol gets kicked away instead, as Nerville continues to mock him.

A Divine Blade… strikes at Nerville’s arm.

Johnny managed to cut him, but Nerville even seems to know Johnny’s Sword school and Master Hirofumi’s sword style.

Johnny utters the final technique.

The Divine Blade… cuts at Nerville’s inhuman heart.

That’s the Name… Johnny carries!

At least two of the imps are vivisected, and Johnny tells the others to aim for his heart.

Promptly, Jack-O’ punts a servant who begins a chain grab which results in a lethal kick to the creature’s core.

Baiken follows suit with her own Tate Shunmaku… a fatal heart strike “a curtain fall”.

Sol roasts the remaining imps.

But they still hear Nerville’s haunting laughter in the skies above…

A foul storm cloud of black tentacles overhead, massive tentacles, each with their own legions of black creatures easily-replicated.

A black infinite demon, aspiring to be a god.

Imps by the millions begin to rain down from the sky…

Unika looks up… wondering what has happened to what was once her “father”.

In the face of annihilation and skies of despair, what do the Beasts of War see?

. . .

A promise made between rivals, a self sacrificial family, and a lost daughter.

Suffering across generations.

A sword swung to protect.

A “family” born under the weight of an “arsenal”, as if it were a curse.

A future that might need to be sacrificed.

And a human who forgot he was human.

I don’t need to tell you how I feel about this series. It remains close to my heart as it ever has. I’m sure it’s the same for many of you.

Even if we only have a little time left before the anime ends, it’s only a soft reminder of how DEEP this series is, despite being a fighting game franchise.

And we have more to come before this month is over!

What else is there for me to say, as a fan since 1998?

Sin kept the Flag Flying, didn’t he!

And so will I!

[soul-sparx]

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R tierlist ranked by how each character treats A.B.A

Based on their win-quotes against A.B.A

Reasoning under the cut

Niceys :) <333333

Sol Badguy

"Well, at least you've got a strong head."

It isn't much, but remember that this is Sol we're talking about. He is blunt, brutally honest, and a bit mean in general. He does not give out compliments lightly. Even a slightly sarcastic one like this means A.B.A has impressed him, and he conveys that well.

Ky Kiske

"You should tend to your wounds properly. Especially if you're a woman."

The "especially if you're a woman" thing is a little weird, but reads more like misplaced chivalry than anything. The point here is that he is concerned about her wellbeing, hoping for her to take care of herself.

Faust

"Your prescription is…to learn about society. That is all."

He has examined her through battle, and his conclusion is that there isn't anything wrong with her. He wishes her well, and hopes for her to come out of her shell.

Axl Low

"What an original and sexy fashion sense! How exciting!"

Self-explanatory. He just thinks she's super hot.

Kliff Undersn

"Your injuries look grave. Are you all right? Hmm..That axe looks familiar... Have I seen it somewhere before?"

He's worried about her, and wants to make sure he didn't hurt her too hard. He's also interested in Paracelsus, likely remembering his days in the crusades as the Sanguine Gale. He's just being a nice old man :)

Johnny

"You should learn to communicate from my band of merry thieves. Come on…"

He offers her a position in the Jellyfish Pirates! He does this in the story mode as well! He barely knows her, but he wants to help her out the only way he knows how! What a kind dude!

Venom

"Guild members are required to learn a certain degree of interpersonal skills. Perhaps you could benefit from the same training?"

Much like how Johnny offers to let her join the Jellyfish Pirates, Venom offers to let her join the Assassin's Guild to help her out! He is nice :)

Dizzy

"I don't know how to say this…but we could be good friends! Don't you think?"

She wants to be friends!!!!! She's so sweet!!!!!!!!

Slayer

"Flament Nagel and an artificial life-form, hmmm? I find your story quite interesting!"

It's a bit nonpersonal, but he is interested in A.B.A and wants to learn more. I can only imagine them chatting over a couple glasses of blood :)

Bridget

"Nice! You'd definitely get a lot of money with that talking key!"

Her first thought is on money, but still. She thinks Paracelsus is cool, and is super supportive of the two of them!

Zappa

"Eek! A woman's on the floor covered in blood and bandages! I gotta find a doctor Faust…err, fast!"

He's a little scared of her, but he still wants to help! What a sweetie

I-No

"Wouldn't you prefer something warm-blooded instead of that cold metal rod you have there?" "That thing's your husband? It looks like a big toy for such a little woman. Can you handle all of it? Haha! You have great taste in men!"

Look, I dunno how else to say it. I-No is just super DTF.

Neutral

A.B.A

"There's another artificial life-form besides me!? There was no record of it…"

More surprised than anything, no positive or negative feelings shown beyond that.

Order-Sol

"A homunculus, huh? Now that's rare."

Deeply impersonal, barely even interested. She's barely a curiosity for him.

Robo-Ky

"WHAT A SHAME, WHAT A SHAME. YOU'RE NEITHER HUMAN NOR ROBOT. PICK A SIDE!"

Considering A.B.A's quote for winning against him, I feel like there's potential for a friendship, but Robo seems more confused by A.B.A's existence than anything. There is some annoyance, but that seems more directed at the not-knowing than at A.B.A herself.

May

"What a big weapon you got there…isn't it heavy?"

May seems more interested in Paracelsus than A.B.A. She's a nice girl in general, so I think they could develop a friendship eventually, but it's off to kind of a weird start.

Potemkin

"…I'm not like you! Don't look at me like that!"

This is a little mean, but given how he treats her in story mode, I feel like it's more confusion and annoyance at the situation than at A.B.A herself. He just doesn't want people to think he's an artificial being.

Chipp Zanuff

"You really think I'd lose to someone who's injured!? Who do you think I am!?"

This is just Chipp being cocky as always. It could've been anyone, if he wins against anyone, he's gonna lord over them for a bit. He holds nothing against A.B.A specifically.

Eddie

"I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT ARTIFICIAL ENERGY LASTS, SO I'LL LET YOU GO. FOR NOW."

This is probably about as nice as Eddie can be to anyone who isn't Zato, and it's still pretty limp. A.B.A is nothing but a potential body to him. He literally does not care one way or the other about her. There is no love, nor disdain.

Testament

"You also took the blood oath? Hmph, I guess not."

They're a little interested in her, perhaps thinking she's also a Gear. Once they realize she isn't, they lose interest. Perhaps modern Testament would be kinder to her, but as they were in ACPR, they just kind of don't care.

Jam Kuradoberi

"Your complexion is terrible! Blood transfusion pack? My food's much better for your health."

She starts with an insult, but then offers to help, so it's less neutrality and more a situation of both the good and the bad. I think Jam is just a weirdo.

Mean to her!!!!!!!

Millia Rage

"You should learn some manners before seeking knowledge. I suggest you go home."

The least mean mean thing someone says to her, it's still clear Millia has no patience for A.B.A. How rude.

Baiken

"You're such a pain. I hate people that just sneak around in the shadows."

MEAN TO HER!!!!!!!!

Justice

"Accursed homunculus! It's ridiculous that the gate will open with just that. I hope you wander in the darkness eternally."

This is so personal and rude, Justice fuckin' hates A.B.A and for no reason. Kill this woman NOW!!!!!!!!!

Anji Mito

"Stand straight and speak louder, will you? Just looking at you drives me nuts."

What did she ever do to you, huh? Kill this man NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eucalyptus-gl0bulus]

predictions for 2024:

someone's gonna piss on white house property but not in the toilet

joe biden and trump die of old age mere months before the election and both of the single party that americans have two of have to scramble for new candidates. the democrats will ignore bernie for a borderline republican who will change their allegiance the moment they get into office (assuming a democrat win)

Ronald Dion Desantis and Greg Abbott get the Shinzo Abe Experience (and the republican party starts caring about gun violence over this) (but only removing the guns from the hands of the minority groups that did the shootings)

Anthony Albanese will eat a food wildly incorrectly (such as a raw onion) and Baldi's Basics in Running a Political Party will do a silly dance in parliament because he is defending a corporation. the news companies will only cover one of these.

Captain Ancap will actually try selling Argentina's president seat to Elon Musk and there's a coin flip chance of him accepting it and somehow running it about the same

At least 2 African nations will legalize slavery

Joe Biden actually tries to raise the minimum wage as a last minute fuck you to his party. it hits 9 us dollars per hour. this is still not enough to pay rent in any city.

Nintendo announces a new switch, but there is a glaring issue with the name that makes it sound like an accessory for the original (like the WII U being mistaken for a gamepad add on for the wii)

Another Ubisoft sandbox that's as boring as the last. It magically makes it into the game awards

There is a new indie game that's cool until it hits the elsagate market and becomes skibidi dop dop dop yes yes skibidi dop dop nyeem nyeem levels of dogshit. the developers lean into it and change things already in the game to fit this, leaving the ideal way to play as a pirated copy of the first release version.

Mario Kart 9 is announced for the Switch 2. The retro courses have a lot of MKDS and MKWII's courses (nitro and retro) and yoshi circuit gets the shortcut back from double dash

Valve makes an agreement with Epic to let Fortnite on Steam. They also release a major TF2 update with new Valve-made content that isn't a scrapped map from 2010 that they reskinned. It's got Cactus Canyon on top of the new map, with an extra few cacti because it will have gone through more versions. Beta Maps get added to the Casual map queue under their own. Player Destruction gets added to the core casual queue and the invasion maps get put into the right categories. Medieval Mode gets new maps. VSH is put into a new "arcade" mode.

TF2 Casual's Core Modes and Alternative Modes are combined, but the ultrawacky modes are shoved into arcade. There's a case for valve items and war paints, and a case for community items, and a community war paint case. This results in a bug with Unusual skins with the seasonal hat effects and Unusual hats with the skin effects. Competitive resets every year now and gives a badge for your rank.

This update also includes a Fortnite-Themed set for scout/heavy that comes in genuine for linking a Fortnite account subscribed to the Crew service. The entire update is actually a promotion for Fortnite coming to steam and the TF2 collab.

Additional Fortnite collabs include Guilty Gear (Asphalt/Brisket/Sol/Ky) and Touhou. The Nintendo Collab has Link and Samus (with zero suit style) and this causes news headlines to come out because gregor samsus has the bulge (suddenly this is an issue because they need clicks)

The Zero Suit style and the Skyward Sword link styles are locked behind playing on a Switch/Switch 2, depending on when they come out and the switches dont actually render the bulge on samus (cringe)

An Australian Politician (Male) will have to stop campaigning against trans people for a second because one of the women he sucked off recorded it and posted it on tiktok. He will then switch entirely to an anti-CCP angle to try and blast tiktok and distract from the fact he did the homophobic politician thing

Sussan Ley will have her office sign griefed to say SUS. The nearby Cafe's incredibly blank wall that needs a mural finally gets one (it's amongus)

There will be 3 Homestuck books donated to my local library and I will not know any of the people who did it.

a trans man comes 1st in a major competition and this is going to be ignored just like every other time because it doesnt fit the media narrative of "trans women upend their entire lives to get an advantage in sports and trans men simply do not exist"

One of those robot police dogs shoots an on duty officer and becomes the first good police dog.

Kamala Harris' Registeel falls onto train tracks and damages a train in the process of being destroyed.

Weed is federally legalized in the USA, Australia and Scotland, which secedes from the UK to rejoin Europe. Wales and Northern Ireland also secede from england and the Irelands reunite.

England becomes increasingly bad for trans people but scotland, wales, and the newly reunified ireland start going hard on the trans support, opening a new informed consent clinic every month.

Western australia sees the kingdom ununiting and tries to secede from the rest of australia. It almost gets through before someone remembers it exists and stops it.

Dr Egghead from one piece tells Luffy that he has autism right at the end of the Egghead Island arc, to nobody's surprise. Nami officially comes out as lesbian and this almost kills Brook and Sanji (i love brook until he does the sexual harassment. sanji is irredeemable.)

A new anime with a severely autistic girl in the main character slot comes out and is an instant hit again.

Another one of my friend group comes out as trans (it's the former mcdonalds worker)

I get the job at the place half my graduating class got a job at

Panera releases the Lemonade That Kills People internationally with half the caffeine. or i can stock up on that stuff at my local american/international stores because that's 5 coffees worth of caffeine in one drink and that saves me drinking 5 whole coffees per day when working.

Shrek 5 gets a trailer and there's a reference to one of Dreamworks' bad movies (like boss baby) in it. Death makes a background appearance in a scene where Puss is near death.

Shinzo Abe's assassination continues to be the most effective strategy for making politicians do things in favour of the average person.

At least one US Supreme Court member's house is bombed, killing them.

Illumination makes more Onceler content because they think that'll make money

Every country in the UN except the 5 with veto power try to take away the veto power and replace it with the value of 10 votes each.

A 6 foot 5 girl comes out in fiction and everybody starts calling them mommy and wanting her to step on them, making every 6'5" girl uncomfortable. I request that everyone stay normal during this.

YOLO and Epic come back into common use. Epic is now an insult.

Pokemon releases a new pair of DLC for Scarlet and Violet. Between the two, people will be able to get every pokemon ever released again, meaning we finally have an answer to whether revival blessing can be used in revivecats. There is a way to reduce IVs. there is a secret superboss at the end of that second half of the second dlc pass that comes with the world champion 2023/24 team but it's level 100. It's Carmine this time and she's just been curious about what's been going on around the regions.

This pokemon DLC lets you change your furfrou's cut and it will persist until you change it again. you can deposit it into home, frustrating the people who wanted the pharaoh cut and put high value legendaries for it. Ledian gets an evolution with an absurd base stat total and the stats are actually distributed correctly. It gets a new 70 power priority Bug Punch and is surprisingly busted. More complaints about gen 9 uu looking like gen 9 ou come in.

Gina Rinehardt gets fucking killed by one of her workers who got tired of her shit

[maoistired]

2, 3, and 20 for both aigis and bridget? :]

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

For Bridget I like that despite being the best silly yoyo girl in the game she has some real moments of hesitation and discomfort. Strive of course digs deeper into that whole thing but I think that despite poor translation xx still does a good job too. Bridgets happy go lucky personality mixed in with her goal are clearly a distraction for her, seeing it as a the big fix all for her problems. Which is why I relate to her so much. There aren’t many real moments with her in xx but I absolutely love the official art of her that shows her resting in a train and looking up, its one of the few arts of her that show how alone she truly is. And even when the superstition is lifted in her town and she can return she chooses to continue being a bounty hunter and avoiding her family. I just really like the story of Bridgets denial of her gender identity to accepting it and fully coming out. Even better is her line with Sol in the match opening which implies she’s finally been visiting her family and town again after her talk with Ky.

For Aigis I really like the clear progression of her Character throughout the game, from being the strange humanoid robot made to destroy shadows, to a emotional character who feels guilt for her past actions and gains true emotion and purpose from the protagonists. Her arc in the answer is also just the best. Denying her humanity because the one that gave it to her is gone forever and the guilt and grief that surrounds her is to painful for her to continue being human. The ending of Fes always gets me emotional. Aigis being drawn as human in that scene shows just how much she has truly changed and grown to accept herself. Along with the answer ending letting her finally live a normal life with her friends in there remaining year of school without letting her guilt push them away further.

This has basically just been and over analysis of both their stories and journey to happiness. But i cant help it, it’s why they are my fav girls!! :3

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

Hmm for Bridget, some of the uncomfortable interactions she has. Like with I-no and Johnny in her story mode for xx, but thats their fault not hers. I dislike her story in plus r (although the missing brother thing has tons of potential that I love) but that’s technically not canon since Daisuke didn’t write it.

For Aigis, the bathhouse scene definitely. Reload also made her character really weird in my opinion, like the character development she has in Fes and portable had been watered down a lot in that game, so much so that they removed her human features for the ending… They changed a lot of her lines too and it feels like they just wanted her to be the haha funny not human character which I dislike. I have no idea what they do for her in the answer remake and I’d rather not find out.

All my opinion though, so it’s ok if you like Reload.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share dosent matter?

Non canon:

Bridget and Aigis!! They are besties in my heart!!! Bridget would be so amazed by Aigis’s power and interesting appearance and Aigis would enjoy Bridgets yoyo tricks! They are similar but also very different which makes for an interesting dynamic in my opinion, I should definitely write about them more to show my full vision!

Canon:

Bridget and Bedman (Romeo) interacting would be cool, they have something in common for caring about their siblings a lot, and denying parts of themselves. Delilah too of course! Bridget would be the cool cousin that visits and shows off her epic yoyo skills! Bridget with her possessed bear Roger and Delilah with her giant possessed robot bed.

Aigis and Mitsuru are interesting to me. They surprisingly don’t interact much despite Aigis being built by her family, which I always found to be a really underdeveloped thing that would have been cool to show more. They both lose the people they tried so desperately to protect in the end and they were both forced into this role of getting their personas and fighting during the dark hour. They feel like two people that wouldn’t say much to each other but just sitting quietly next to one another is enough to understand everything they need to know. Like a silent friendship/sibling relationship if you will.

Sorry for how long this is I got a bit carried away lol >_<

[vzm]

we got a bunch of new guilty gear concept arts, starting with xrd:

faust was supposed to be fucking gigantic. that's sol, our favorite 6'0+ gear being absolutely dwarfed by whatever faust did to himself. really cool

they had a hard time deciding what ramlethal was going to look like, you can see inspirations of valentine here (which carried over into her having lucifero,) and the later concepts, using a "snow woman" motif.

jack-o also had some pretty cool designs, i'll miss the hat greatly. its also interesting to not that she has the hair that would be given to her in strive from the beginning, so that's technically a reference to beta art now that she has it (albeit without the red suit, which looks really cool.)

slayer was originally going to get younger every time he command grabbed, but this got scrapped. you can also see some other quick sketches of slayer, jam, jack-o, elphelt, and ramlethal here too!

next, we have strive concept art

while al ot of these characters remained the same, axl got a jacket, chipp gave answers scarf back, faust has both his xrd (read: another story mode design) and his scrubs here, potemkin seemed to be getting some changes, i-no was... well, less dressed. giovanna had long hair, goldlewis looked like more of a gay biker, nago had a red helmet, and testament was... buff as hell

we also got some more ky's, i will admit i do miss the square silhouette he used to have. i think his strive design is a tad boring but its okay.

we also have a larger version of the testament seen above, and another older design. (sidenote, i love seeing daisuke draw with markers again. its very rare)

thats all we have so far unfortunately, i hope they release more of this because i love seeing concept art a lot.

[guiltygearofficial]

Guilty Gear Plot Summary: Guilty Gear 1: The Missing Link

Welcome dear Gearsters! I have been informed that many of you look forward to Guilty Gear Strive, but unfortunately haven’t played all the old games yet! This is something that is understandable, not everybody has time to play every game in a franchise before tackling the newest entry, so I shall summarize every game before Guilty Gear Strive so you can fully enjoy Guilty Gear Strive’s Story Mode once it releases!

-Daisuke Ishiwatari

In the year of 1999, an event occured that would one day (today) be known as The Dawn of Revival

During this event all electronics suddenly ceased to function. Bummed out by the fact that TV wasn’t a thing anymore and the internet died in its infancy, humanity turned to its favorite hobby, from before the invention of electricity: Christianity.

A bunch of wizards calling themselves the Apostle 13 and their Homeboy The Original informed humanity about the fact that magic is real and also pretty cool

In the following years humanity learned how to magic. This was similarly real and also pretty cool.

Then the Gears (currently not guilty of anything yet) were invented by a group of scientists in A Country (The usa) for A Purpose (War & Cash)

Within this Gear Project known as The Gear Project were three scientists that are actually plot relevant: Freddy Mercury, His Girlfriend and That Man [DO NOT PUBLISH THIS YET COME UP WITH A NAME FOR THE THIRD GUY LATER)

Due to Reasons (No Money), the programm was shut down in 2014, until it stopped being shut down in 2042(They Found More Money).

Freddy mercury also disappeared somewhere around this time for some reason

In 2073 That Man [AGAIN DO NOT PUBLISH YET] creates the Ultimate Gear: Justice who could command all other gears and end all wars forever.

Justice then proceeded to blow up in Japan and start a forever war.

Oops

FYI: The Gear is now Guilty (of blowing up japan)

Humanity then proceeded to refuse to change society and reflect upon themselves and instead, blamed the beasts (for a lot of murder and also global warming) in a 100 year long war that would eventually be called The Crusades

Near the end of this 100 year war, a mysterious bounty hunter named fredSol Badguy appeared, who helped The Holy Order (Christian LARPers that fought gears) seal away Justice into the No Escape Box

5 years later, in the year 2180, the Second Holy Order is held, to find somebody to fight Justice again because the No Escape Box is breaking

Whoever wins the tournament gets to make any wish they want so a lot of weirdos join

Among them are May The PIrate Baby, Dr.Baldhead The doctor with no hair nor license, Zato-One who kills people for a living, Millia Rage who doesn’t kill people for a living (anymore), Kliff Undersn who is old, Potemkin a slave for the nation of Zepp (Giant Mean Zeppelin Country), Axl Low who is just some guy, Chipp Zanuff who owns the only volume of naruto in existence, Ky Kiske the personification of white bread and christanity and lastly, Sol Badguy, who is definetly not Freddy Mercury

During this tournament the following things happen:

Mays dad breaks out of prison. He was in prison for disrespecting women. He is now forced to wear a “I’m sorry women” hat whenever he is in public

Dr.Baldhead realized that mass murder was bad and put a bag on his baldhead to hide that he’s bald

Potemkin managed to stop Zepp from being Evil with the help of Gabriel, his new dad

Chipp realized that he one day wanted to become the president of his own nation so he got on that

Axl got thrown through time because he’s a time traveller remember this it’ll be important in 5 games

Kliff fucking died

At the end of the tournament, Sol Badguy faces Testament, the secret organizer of the tournament. He informs Sol that actually this was all a plan to revive Justice.

Testament gets his ass beat and dies, but don’t worry, he got better.

After that, Justice returns.

Justice gets her ass beat and dies, but don’t worry, she didn’t get better

Sol Badguy and Justice talk to each other, revealing their secret former identities: Freddy Mercury and his Girlfriend Aria

Sol then reveals that he also became a gear at some point. Now that his girlfriend is dead, he is sad about that and has officially become the Guilty Gear 1: The Missing Link

After that Zato-One proceeds to die offscreen before the next game

I hope that this has answered all questions you may have about the original game dear Gearsters! Remember to always Gear on Gearsters and look forward to the summary of the next games!

[valentinecult]

What did you think of the I-No reveal trailer for GG Strive?

Terrifying XD

“Any of you think you can stop me?” 

That line right there sent chills down my back. I really like her new design, those sunglasses are pretty cool! One of the few things I like about I-No as a character is that she got some style and taste in some fashion. 

Her theme song sounded so freakin’ god-like! I really hope it has some vocals!

Now her Overdrive, I’m a little concerned in-lore about it. I remembered when using her powers, her speakers had some white angelic wings but these black wings she manifested looked....suspiciously similar to Elphelt’s ‘Darkside’ from SIGN.

Those two machine-like things behind her back also look similar to the Original Valentine’s airship mode--certain designs of it. 

My reaction to it was: “Oh my god, what the hell is that?”

And her beating up Sol and Ky in the trailer feels like strong foreshadowing if you ask me, like I feel as if she might be able to handle Sol, even in his Dragon Install form! I KNOW for certain I-No managed to gain access to the Backyard, I can feel it!

As a character, I-No has always been that person where whenever she appears on screen, especially in story mode, I get nervous because you don’t know what she is going to do next. 

[shenlongshao]

GG Strive Thoughts: Part 3

Welcome to the last part of my Guilty Gear Strive thoughts!^_^ I'll be focusing on the art-style and character designs, so there will be lots of pictures in this post. I hope you enjoy reading!

Art-Style & Graphics ---------------

Guilty Gear's visuals always had a detailed, Sci-Fi fantasy anime look with creativity of the 1990s and early 2000s. This mostly stayed the same until Xrd SIGN, which introduced 3D cel-shaded graphics in a new way. The art-style also changed a bit from previous games, although it has kept its creativity.

GG Xrd SIGN and the following games(Revelator and Revelator 2) look beautiful, but it took me a while to get used to the art-style because of those dreaded chins. The characters should've just used their chins to fight cause of how long and pointy they are; just go "SLLASSHHHH!" XD  Certain features of characters were exaggerated like Sol's shoulders being a bit too wide for his body or how Baiken's hair is thicker and spikier. Some people say it's "too anime", but that isn't the right word for it. I would say "whimsical" is main trait from the art-style, which is fitting for how funny the interactions are in-game and lighter tone in story.

Guilty Gear Strive keeps the cel-shaded 3D graphics, but manages to expand it further. Instead of its presentation akin to an anime TV series, it's now akin to a high-budget anime movie with detail given to both the characters and the environments. It's less whimsical this time, giving the impression the story will be darker in tone. I'm really happy the art-style was changed to being closer to the older GG games like X2; no more ice-cream cone chins!XD  The characters also got redesigned to match the essence of the new game. I'll be talking about eachone in order from least to most in terms of design changes. I'll also rate them in Guilty Gear style grade form. POTEMKIN ------------------- There seems to be mixed reactions when Potemkin got revealed for GG Strive. Some were happy he looked generally the same while others were a little disappointed and asked, "How come he didn't get a huge redesign like the other characters?!" The answer is he already did; this is how Potemkin originally looked like in the GG series.

This design relates to Potemkin's story in the beginning. The Zepp empire in the past was a very corrupted, technology advanced nation. It contained battle-slaves with strength enhancement steriods and bound them with a special limiter. Potemkin was one of these battle-slaves with his huge, red metal color being the limiter. If he ever took it off, it would explode. However, Zepp was changed when Gabriel became President and freed all the Zeppian slaves, including Potemkin. He now serves as Gabriel's bodyguard out of genuine loyalty, gratitude, and care for his mentor and the renewed Zepp.

Judging on his old design by itself, I think he looked average(based on what he's wearing). His features definitely fit the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" because Potemkin is actually a gentle giant who's very intelligent. But the way he looks(except when interacting with certain characters), it's like he wants to break someone's bones, lol.

In the concept artwork in Guilty Gear X Plus(Japanese exclusive game), it hinted of what Potemkin will eventually developed into look-wise and story-wise. Even the pose from this pic was used later in Xrd SIGN. I really wish the design of the boots was used instead those weird looking ones he's wearing now, XD.

Now to look at Potemkin's design in Xrd SIGN.

This is Potemkin's drastic redesign needed because of the changes in his life and his resolve being tested. I love this design so much because it accurately portrays Potemkin's personality. The first is his steel helmet with a spike at the top, accented with the Zepp symbol at the center of his forehead. His face is mostly shrouded in darkness except for the glowing lens. The yellow ponytail fur attached adds to the essence of a modern steel knight. Next is the black collar having spikes at the front; he also has on spiked shoulder plates to emphasis his strength. The power part is also in the round-shaped limiters attached to the upper parts of his uniform and glove compartment of his gauntlets. The design of his gauntlets is derived from the GGX Plus concept art, except the gloves completely cover his fingers and has a robotic aesthetic to it. I notice green is the most dominant color in Potemkin's design and there's a reason why besides it being Zepp's uniform.

Here is the Green Personality taken from Color Psychology (https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-green.html):

You are a practical, down-to-earth person with a love of nature. You are stable and well balanced or are striving for balance - in seeking this balance, you can at times become unsettled and anxious. Having a personality color green means you are kind, generous and compassionate - good to have around during a crisis as you remain calm and take control of the situation until it is resolved.

You are caring and nurturing to others - however you must be careful not to neglect your own needs while giving to others. You are intelligent and love to learn - you are quick to understand new concepts. You are a good citizen and like to be involved in community groups. You have high moral standards and doing the right thing is important to you.

There is more, but I only taken pieces that describe Potemkin's personality, showing why green is his main color. Now onto his look in GG Strive starting with his helmet.

On the forehead of the helmet, the Zepp symbol is no longer a design mark, but an carved symbol with the words "Armor-clad faith" underneath. Instead of just darkness on his face, it accentuates the robotic aesthetic with the gears and the lens having an orange tint. Next is a full body screenshot of Potemkin.

The spiked shoulder plates is less noticeable and his uniform is more formal. There's now a maroon-red collar with white trim and yellow buttons. The spikes on the black collar part of his outfit is gone, there's thick pockets on the lower part of his suit and has a brown belt instead of black. His boots is also brown instead of black and the plates around his feet is orange instead of red. There's additional limiters on his upper back that is revealed when doing certain attacks, showing his power has grown more. His muscle mass has also gotten super HUGE to the point I wouldn't be surprised if he reached Sentinel(X-Men) size, XD.

Design Rating: S++(Fantastic!) SOL BADGUY ------------ ---------- Sol Badguy is the main protagonist, so there was never a worry or surprise of his GG Strive design. There's also the fact his design isn't really new; it's heavily derived from the artwork of Guilty Gear 2:Overture. But first is looking at Sol's most iconic design from the GG series.

I'll always love this design because I think it's stylish, cool, and timeless. He's handsome in the traditional tough-guy way and perfectly fits the anti-hero type. His metal red headband acts as a limiter for his Gear powers and has the words "Rock You" in the center of his forehead. Besides it symbolizing his love for Queen's "Sheer Heart Attack" music album and controlling his Gear powers, it also symbolizes how he keeps his inner thoughts to himself and close-mindedness. He wears a black undershirt layered with a sleeveless, chest-length red jacket with a buckle strap. This style is very unconventional, which is exactly Sol is; he doesn't follow typical conventions. His red and black gloves conveys his toughness while his belt with the "FREE" tells of his philosophy. This also hints complexity to his nature since the belt is from when he was in the Holy Order, an aspect of his past. This shows he's inwardly caring and values the people in life along with his experiences. Lastly, is his white pants accented with buckles and red shoes.

The GG2:Overture Short Stories goes into some detail of the events before the game like how he was entrusted to raise Sin(Ky & Dizzy's son), etc. The major difference with Sol's design from the short stories is he's wearing a sensible red jacket similar to his old one, but its design still has traits of being its own style. His black undershirt is slightly different with a small V-shape cut-out in the middle, longer sleeves, and slightly loose around his stomach instead of fitted. His gloves has more of a biker vibe to them and no aspect of red nor buckles within them. He still wears red shoes on his feet, though tweaked in its looks. While this did hinted of Sol's character development, it wasn't a large factor because alot of the huge events at the time and before were placed on him rather than him confronting it by himself. It's why for Xrd SIGN, he primary reverted to his iconic look, though his GG2:Overture Short Stories look did get tweaked and used within the game's Story Mode. Now for his GG Strive look.

His GG Strive design blends both his GG2:Overture Short Stories look and aspects of his iconic design, which I really like. The red jacket with black trim conveys his free-spirited persona, yet also comfortable and relaxed. There's also a little bit more white seen on the cuffs of his jacket, meaning his heart is more open. This relates to his character development of finally confronting his past, his feelings, and his relationships. But he's still Sol Badguy and there's much for him to find out and explore, especially since red and black is still his main colors. There is deep meaning to this too.

Red Personality(https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-red.html):

You are action oriented and physically active - sex is a necessity to you - you have strong survival instincts. Lovers of red are the explorers and pioneers of the world, the entrepreneurs and builders who like to be first in discovering new physical realms. You are always in a hurry, wanting to do everything right now. Patience is not one of your strong points. Red people can be aggressive and easy to anger, often exhibiting a violent temper - this is negative passion and energy. You flare up instantaneously but calm down quite quickly once you get it out of your system and then forget it ever happened. You have a strong need for power and control which is connected to your basic survival instincts.

Black Personality(https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-black.html):

You are independent, strong-willed and determined and like to be in control of yourself and situations. You may appear intimidating to even your closest colleagues and friends, with an authoritarian, demanding and dictatorial attitude. You hold things inside and are not good at sharing yourself with others, possibly out of fear. You may be retreating behind black during a difficult time in your life such as a serious illness or a period of grief - black protects, allowing for a deep inner healing without interference from others. I'll add traits of the color White since there's a noticeable amount on Sol.(https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-white.html): Positive traits of White: Simplicity, self-efficient, growth/new beginnings, open, equality, rescuer, and sense of completion. These traits describe Sol. Overall, I like the design and feel it suits him well. Design Rating: S+++(Perfect!) MAY ----------- So far, May is the only female character revealed for the initial roster of GG Strive. There's mixed reactions with May's redesign for the new game. Some are happy she finally looks like she's in her early to mid teens(like 14 or 16) instead like a little girl. But others aren't happy with the changes to her outfit, saying it's bland. Let's look at May's iconic design. 

In my opinion, May is the coolest looking child character. Her open-sides style coat with side slits layered with a skin-tight bodysuit blends both cute and stylish. Adding to it is the tricon pirate hat, silver plating on her wrists and neckline, and orange short boots with black trim. Lastly, a black belt is around her waist while buckles accents her orange coat. This shows she's spunky, cheerful, and deceptively strong. In the story, her origins was unknown at the time, which perfectly fits due to there's black as part of color scheme(one of the meaning for black is mystery). Story-wise, May's development gradually grows from finding Johnny and later recruiting Dizzy as a member of the crew. Her curiosity of her heritage surfaces, causing some changes in her design.

In Xrd SIGN, Her skin-tight bodysuit is gone and replaced with just a black, fitted tank underneath her orange overalls. Her pants is loose-fitting along with having a big buckle around her waist and different boots still in orange with black trim. She doesn't have the silver plating collar, but other aspects of her iconic look like her pirate hat is kept. May finally finds out she's Japanese and dealing a mysterious condition that (currently) can't be cured. This is a huge story development for May that leads to be expanded further and another redesign. First is looking up the facial shot of May for Guilty Gear Strive.

May's facial features is the first noticeable difference. The art-style is a strong factor in this, but May looks physically older. She still has big, cute brown eyes, though not as large as in Xrd SIGN. This makes her face appear a little longer face to convey a hint of maturity. Yet, she still hasn't escaped being just cute in an innocent way. Another difference is her hair is slightly shorten to halfway to her back instead to her waist. It's also loose instead of a thick ponytail within her pirate hat, which I think it's a nice little change. Her hat is shaped more round instead of oversized tricon while still retaining the pirate skull at the front. The anchor design on the sides makes it both simple, yet stylish. Now to see the full body of May's new look!

.....Lol, May is wearing a dumb orange hoodie, XD. What's worse is the hoodie has no special designs pertaining to May's personality or style; it's overly casual. There's also no shape, making her look like a fat fish. The skin-tight black short-shorts doesn't help with how oversized the hoodie is, which if it weren't for certain angles, it gives the illusion she isn't wearing anything on her lower body. It looks like lounge wear meant to be worn around the house instead of clothing a person would wear going on an adventure. Speaking of adventure, she has a backpack.

The backpack itself is cute because it's Chimaki(mascot of GG) and do see the the letter J with a heart; meaning love for Johnny. But other than this, this backpack also doesn't really relate to May. Besides being the mascot for the series, Chimaki is specific to Sin because it's favorite toy. None of May's official art ever showed her having a Chimaki toy or accessory. The casual look gives me the impression she quit the Jellyfish Pirates, but her winning animation of her saying "Jellyfish victory!" and Leap(the elderly lady who cooks) being there disproves this theory. Besides the hat, the only things kept from her iconic look is her gloves and boots. There's a heart on one of her thighs; a fitting aspect for a pirate.

Now to look at the Orange personality since it's May's main color(https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-orange.html): 

With orange as your favorite color, you are warm, optimistic, extroverted and often flamboyant. You are friendly, good-natured and a generally agreeable person. You are assertive and determined rather than aggressive - having a personality color orange means you are more light-hearted and less intense than those who love red. You thrive on human social contact and social gatherings, bringing all types together.

You live your life based on your 'gut reactions'. You are an adventurer - you love the outdoor life, camping, climbing mountains and indulging in adventurous sports such as sky diving and hang gliding. You are the daredevil, always looking towards your next challenge, your next great adventure. 

This definitely fits May's nature. My impression of her simpler look probably hints of May is unsure of herself and trying to figure something out. Her expression in her new character portrait has this too; it's the first one of her not smiling. But I still think this new look for May is bad(except for the hat,  the boots, and the gloves). Her design should've been something like this picture link below.

https://imgur.com/Ue1XdhT The top would need to cover her stomach, but this design perfectly fits with May's nature and role as a Jellyfish Pirate. It also conveys she's adventurous and can easily implemented the backpack as part of the design. But it wasn't used... I'm nicknaming her May of the Jelly-Fat, lol. Worst design so far(and hopefully the only one). Design Rating:D(for Derailed) KY KISKE ----------------- Ky's radical redesign for GG Strive was such a huge shock to everyone. At first, people thought it was Sin(Ky's son) until examining him closely. It's funny how many people are saying "Ky's handsome now" and saying he has an athletic body when in reality, he always did, XD. It isn't the first time Ky got big changes to his look based on the events in his life, but I'm going to focus on Ky's iconic design.

Ky is the opposite of Sol; the traditional knight-in-shining-armor type hero. This is another design I'll call timeless and my personal favorite look for Ky. He's very handsome in a princely way, which is fitting since Ky is a French noble. He wears a white shoulder cape containing a high collar with blue trim. It's attached to the blue knight-tunic with black trim in the front, accented with a white, trench-coat like detail. There's twin belts attached to his blue and black gloves while one is on his matching boots. Layered underneath his uniform is his black and white, sleeveless turtle neck and fitted detached sleeves. The belt around his waist with "HOPE" conveys Ky's philosophy. This attire is the Holy Order uniform, which conveys how strongly Ky holds onto the teachings and experiences he had during those times. His story at the time was about fulfilling his duty and doing what he knows and believes is right. Blue and white has always been Ky's main colors, which tells alot about his personality.

Meaning of White Personality(https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-white.html): 

Having a personality color white means you are neat and immaculate in your appearance, in the presentation of your home and in your car, almost to the point of being fanatical. You are far-sighted, with a positive and optimistic nature. You are well-balanced, sensible, discreet and wise. You think carefully before acting - you are definitely not prone to impulsive behavior. You tend to have a great deal of self control. You may appear to be shy, but you do have strong beliefs about most things and love the opportunity to air those beliefs. The challenge for you is to be open-minded and flexible and to communicate your needs and desires. Meaning of Blue Personality(https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-blue.html):   You are conservative, reliable and trustworthy - you are quite trusting of others although you are very wary in the beginning until you are sure of the other person. At the same time, you also have a deep need to be trusted. You are not impulsive or spontaneous - you always think before you speak and act and do everything at your own pace in your own time. You take time to process and share your feelings. You are genuine and sincere, and you take your responsibilities seriously. Having a personality color blue means you have a deep need for peace and harmony in your everyday life - you don't like having your feathers ruffled. You would benefit from daily meditation and quiet time for reflection, introspection and self-discovery.

You appear to be confident and self-controlled, but may be hiding your vulnerable side. Being a personality color blue means you are generally fairly even-tempered, unless your emotions take over - then you can become either moody and over-emotional, or cool and indifferent. You are sensitive to the needs of others and caring with your close circle of friends. While you are friendly and sociable, you prefer the company of your own close group of friends.

You are a rescuer and love to be needed but one of your lessons is to learn to love yourself first - you live from your heart and are always busy putting the needs of others first. You can be rigid - you like to stick to what is familiar to you and it is hard to sway you from your path - you stubbornly do things your way even if there is a better way. You need to have direction & order in your living and work spaces - untidiness and unpredictability overwhelm you.

You are approachable and friendly, always making people feel welcome in your life. You have a thirst for knowledge in order to gain wisdom and appear knowledgeable in whatever area interests you. You are spiritual or religious with a high degree of devotion to family, God, or other causes that are important to you. If reacting negatively, you are prone to self-pity. These perfectly fit Ky's personality and has mostly stayed with him throughout his character development. Now to look at his GG Strive redesign beginning with the head.

One of the obvious difference is Ky's hair is short, reminiscent of his iconic look. But it raises the question of how since according to the story, it's stated his hair grows rapidly no matter how many times he tries to cut it(due to heavily implying he's part Gear). I'm guessing either Ky followed Sin's method of cutting his hair every 3 days or he found a special hair product to prevent rapid growth, XD. I notice the style of his hair is a bit different; the strands of his bangs is shorter and thicker. It creates a boyish look instead of a young man, which doesn't fit Ky. It doesn't seem noticeable during gameplay, but cutscene-like sequences it's the opposite. His hair should've been exactly like GGX2.

His facial structure and eyes in GG Strive is exactly like in GGX2 except for one part; his chin. While Ky's chin was never wide like most male characters, it usually isn't this narrow either. The narrower chin makes him look younger and with how the hair is styled, it gives the impression it's Ky from an earlier timeline. If his chin was similar to how it was in GG X2, it will improve his look alot and show he's mature and sophisticated. Next is examining the full body picture of his new look.

This is a huge departure in many ways. The only aspect inspired from his iconic design is the shoulder cape, but it lacks the blue trim around the helms and collar. Instead, there's black trim at the helms and hints of blue at the back with the words "Illyrium". His semi-fingerless gloves with fingernail plating is something he doesn't usually wear, but the back of his hands does have plating saying "Nothing can be done without hope". It shows he still generally has the same philosophy and key traits he's known for. The fact his "HOPE" belt is replaced with 2 standard belts(one black and the other brown) implies his mindset he carried from the Holy Order is gone and became open-minded. His open, V-neckline shirt with a single sleeve is inspired from this.

I do find it interesting how this reveals(pun intended) a different side of him, XD. It adds a sense of sensuality that leading men from romantic novels have and obviously it being sexy. Next is his fitted pants accented with blue crosses at the front then his boots with blue trim at the bottom. The most significant change is how Ky's dominant color is now black, which has important meaning to his character development.

Positive traits of Black: Include protection and comfort, strong, contained, formal, sophisticated, seductive, mysterious, endings & beginnings.

Negative traits of Black: Depressing and pessimistic, secretive and withholding, conservative and serious, power & control, sadness and negativity.

All of these fit Ky and since he's wearing alot of black instead of blue and white, this implies he has or going to have an internal struggle. I haved mixed feelings about his new design.

I love the concept of it and think it's nice to see Ky wear something different as his main attire. By itself the outfit is good and easy to adjust to, it's just not as unique as his original design. The design of blue crosses from his GG Accent Core Plus ending should've been implemented in the new design and add some gold trim to balance out all the black. I think his gloves should be changed to be more stylish along with the silver plating. If it had these tweaks, Ky's new design would be perfect.  

Design Rating: A(Great!) CHIPP ZANUFF ------------------------ The reveal of Chipp's redesign has mostly been positive, but all of us immediately said "He is so BUFF!" People say he looks handsome now and have joked he worked out at the same gym as Chris Redfield, XD. Let's look at Chipp's previous design!

Chipp's iconic look definitely displays the street-punk style and rowdy persona. This perfectly fits with his dark past of being a former biochemical drug dealer and addict. He has wild spiky hair, small red earrings, and a leather choker around his neck. The fishnet undershirt is both punk-style and those who practice ninjitsu wears. He has fingerless gloves with silver, square-shaped plating. This aspect is also on his belt and short-length boots. There's two leather buckles strapped around the right leg of his white pants and has on a loose-fitting ninja vest with silver buttons. This highlights his newly adopted values he got from his mentor and father-like figure Master Tsuyoshi. Chipp even has on black eyeliner around his eyes to emphasizes the punk look. Since he primarily wears black and white with hints of red, this tells about his personality. Black and white together obviously means viewing things in a straightforward way instead of complex like gray. Red conveys of his hot-headed masculinity, passion, and impatient nature. Combined with the other colors, it shows Chipp's other side of having pure intentions, even though it doesn't always come across right.

In Xrd SIGN, only minor tweaks were made such as adding a red sash attached to his belt, extra detail on his pants and boots, and slightly thicker eyeliner. Ever since becoming president of a (currently) unofficial nation dubbed "Eastern Chipp Kingdom", Chipp's personality seemed to have mellowed some, though still has his impulsive tendencies. Chipp has been through alot of character development since the beginning. Now for his redesign for GG Strive starting with his face.

One of the things I notice about Chipp's face is while it's still narrow, it's a little fuller and smoother with slightly higher cheek bones. His chin is also about an inch or 2 wider than how it was in the Xrd series. His eyes still has the same defined shape, but the eyeliner isn't as thick. These tweaks to his facial features makes him look handsome and approachable instead of angry and rough. But his fiesty side is still there because besides his eye shape, his upper teeth now has some small fangs. Now to see a full body picture...

Chipp's hair also got tweaked; tt's still spiky, but more stylish instead of wild. Instead of strands of hair rest on his forehead, he has noticeable asymmetrical bangs. Besides his red earrings, Chipp's 2 main colors(black and white) is kept along with a little more red from the strings attached to his ninja gauntlets and strapped sandals. He still has the red sash attached to his belt, though this time he has a thick, rope belt(I think it's called "Obi"). His white pants is very loose-fitting and no longer has twin buckle straps, but does have a little more detail with the side silver buttons. On his upper body, Chipp has on a leather vest with a form-fitting, sleeveless turtleneck. The height of the collar covers his mouth and contains buckle straps. This look is inspired from his design in "The Butterfly and Her Gale".

It has aspects of the high collar, gauntlets, and boots, even though the boots was tweaked to be sandals. This redesign shows Chipp fully embraces Japanese culture and the ways of ninjitsu. I think it may also hint of him being or becoming a master himself and training others, especially with how he's gotten so muscular. The way they mixed old and new with Chipp's redesign is amazing and love the tweaks to his face and hair. I do think his pants maybe a bit too wide along with the rope-belt, but other than that his look is perfect.

Design Rating: S++(Awesome!) AXL LOW ------------------- "Axl got PANTS!" is the main reaction people had when he got revealed and the majority agree it's a much needed upgrade. This is the 3rd time Axl has gotten major design changes since GG:The Missing Link. His look from GGX and onwards greatly emphasizes he's heavily inspired from real-life singer Axl Rose. For Axl, I'm going look at his redesign for Xrd SIGN.

In comparison to the others, Axl's design was never high-fantasy or elaborate, but it makes sense he's from the 20th century. His look in Xrd mixes aspects from the 1st GG and GGX, which conveys his easy-going nature and trying to adapt to the future he's in while maintaining his values of the past. He still has his signature UK cap, brown fingerless gloves, and matching shoes. His white shirt has a unique black zipper tie that adds a hint of contemporary along with his blue jacket. Attached to his black belt on the hips is cloths of the UK flag and has on blue shorts. Red and blue has mostly been his main colors(with some white) that tells of his peaceful, friendly, and passionate nature. In the story, Axl is finally confronted about why he time-skips and must make a hard decision that forever change his life. The choice he made leads him to major character development along with what role he will play in the story, so he needed another redesign to reflect this.

This design shows Axl has embraced the current timeline while maintaining his love for his country. His fingerless gloves is a lighter brown along with his ankle-length boots. He wears a red plaid jacket with white sleeves and black with orange trim at the helms. Underneath is his a sleeveless, form-fitting tank with 3 zippers at the front and a brown buckle at the mid-section. On his lower body is a belt with a UK buckle and fitted, detailed black pants with zippers on the side. This look is inspired by the concept art.

I notice his new design as a mixture of colors compared to before, though it seems black is the most dominant color. One of the meanings for black is power and control, which fits with how Axl now has control over his Time powers. He also has an aura of confidence compared to his uncertainty in the past games. This is the perfect design for Axl because he looks amazing and conveys his personality well.

Design Rating: S+++(Perfect!)

Thank you for reading this! I'll make a series of this as more characters of the game are revealed in the future!^_^

[broken-clover]

Dust Strikers Story Mode 2/4

Part two of the story mode transcripts for Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers.

Part 1, Part 2 (Potemkin, Chipp, Eddie, Baiken, Faust), Part 3, Part 4

Potemkin

Potemkin: You youngster there. I see you have some talent. How about testing some of that talent on my fists? Axl: Man, you've got a nice build. But what do you have to gain? Plus, are you sure you can handle me? Potemkin: I wouldn't underestimate me. My drive for freedom locked inside my heart is my greatest weapon. Axl: Cool. I love peace and freedom too. But you might get out of breath when you're so stiff all the time. Ky: So you're fighting in the name of peace and freedom. Perhaps I might come up with answers for myself too. Excuse me, I'd like in as well. Jam: Just drive won't take you anywhere. There's no victory for those who can't face reality. I'll prove it to you right now!

May: Wow! Look how big you are! Potemkin: And so are you. May: Hey! That's not very nice! Potemkin: No, I just thought you grew a little compared to the last time I saw you May: Well thanks for the compliment. Think I'm good enough for Johnny now? Eddie: Having a host in her growth spurt...might not be a bad idea. Johnny: Out of the way, May! Potemkin: Humph! May:...Thanks Johnny: Thanks. I owe you one. Eddie: How dare you... May: Now it's my turn! I'll prove it to you that a girl in love is unbeatable!

Testament:...Long time no see. Millia: That's a first. You coming up to me to say hi. Things have changed, haven't they? Testament: You're still caught up in the past and changing the thorny path. Millia:...it's none of your business. Move out of the way, will you? Testament: I don't have a problem, but... Millia:... Testament: You seem hesitant. With such mixed feelings, it may cost you your life. Millia:!!! I must have lost my edge, to be getting advice from you. Potemkin: What he's saying is on the money. Those with swaying motivation never fight to their full potential. Please excuse my eavesdropping. Anji: Just happened to pass by. Millia: Then I guess I'll have to eliminate all doubts before I get to him. I'll need your cooperation for that.

I-no: That's an exciting combination Potemkin: That red outfit and guitar...you must be... I-no: You remember me? That's nice to know. Potemkin: Someone like you go unchecked...lucky for you I'm a little busy now. You pull out and I'll let you go. Zappa: Grrr! I'm gonna curse you! Faust: Looks like this won't need treatment. If we take too much time, the patient is not going to make it. I-no: Look, the beasts are making noise. But I'm afraid I don't understand what they're saying. So loud and annoying. Potemkin: That should be enough! It's time for me to shut you up. Faust: Looks like it is your mind-set that needs treatment. Fine, I shall treat you, then. I-no: Trying to act tough, are we? You damned animals. I'll cut you up and feed the dogs!

Dizzy: Umm, thanks for saving me back there in the woods. Sol: Forget about it. Didn't really mean to save you. Just did it for the hell of it. Dizzy: I think I found my place too. Potemkin: Didn't go according to Zepp's plan but the president understands. I'm relieved to see you smile. Dizzy: It's all thanks to you guys Slayer: Sorry to interrupt. Look at you. Looks like you've managed to find your way through. Dizzy: Yes, I think I learned that courage will open the doors to success. Though I still prefer not to fight. Slayer: So what about you? Do you have a verdict yet? Sol: It's none of your business. Potemkin: And what kind of revelations have you had in combat? Perhaps such things are unnecessary for people like youself. Slayer: Indeed. To me, combat is combat. Nothing more. It may be a means for deciding who wins and loses, but in the end it is merely a method. Potemkin: Then allow me the opportunity to put this method of yours to the test. Slayer: Fine. Let us see what you're made of.

Potemkin: Very unfortunate. Gig: Grr... Potemkin: It looks like it's too late. Gig: Grrrgh! Potemkin: Sympathy is the least I can give you.

Gig: Grr...grr... Potemkin: This is the end. Gig: Ghhh.... Potemkin: Rest in peace! Gig: Grr.... Potemkin: Don't take it personally. It would've been best if you turned out like him.

Potemkin: I see you're doing well. Dizzy: Yes, we're all getting along well. Potemkin: To be honest, I was initially reluctant about giving you up to pirates. But I can say for certain that now out Head of State understands. Dizzy: Yes. Right now I'm...pretty happy and peaceful. Potemkin: I can see that in your calm smile. I wonder if my painting can keep up with such a beautiful smile.

Chipp

Chipp: Hey! Hold it right there! Testament: What is it, human? Chipp: You're a Gear, aren't you? Testament: What are you going to do about it if I was? You one of those foolish humans who start attacking as soon as they find out someone's a Gear? Chipp: Not me. I've learned from experience that just because someone's a Gear, it doesn't mean they're all evil. Testament: That's a surprise. Thought you'd be the type that would steam through, and only act on emotion. Chipp: Don't screw with me. I'm gonna become president and the strongest in the universe. Just wanna put my skills to the test. Testament: Very well, then. Show me your so-called human powers. Dizzy: In that case, I'd like to help out. Sol: Sure, why not... Chipp: HEY!! Wait a sec! I never said 3 on 1! Testament: What are you talking about? There's only going to be one winner. Chipp: Oh, I get it. Not like I was scared or anything. Let's do it!

Chipp: Please, I'm begging you! Baiken: Geez, what is your problem? Chipp: Make me Japanese! Even samurai give mercy, don't they? Baiken: No samurai here. Not a chance, buddy. Be a big boy and get over it, willya? Anji: Hey, what are you doing here? Chipp: You'll do! Please, tell me how to become Japanese! Anji: There's no way in hell, man. Be content being the 'president' Chipp: NO! I wanna become the president, become a Japanese, surpass master's ninjutsu abilities and take revenge! May: You guys arguing over something? Chipp: Damn...what are you doing here? Anji: Yup. A 'Japanese' May: Japa...what? Why're you crying sir? Something wrong? Did I do something wrong? Chipp: I will reach the top! You watch me, master! May: Wow, you scared me! You know I'm tough when I'm mad!

Chipp: Hey! I have a question. Axl: Hi there, you look very hot. I-no: You talking about me? Axl: Of course! Who else would it be? Great body, silky smooth hair, you're electrifying! I-no: You're very good with words. Let me ask you then. Who's hotter? That woman or me? Chipp: Hey, listen up! Millia:...don't bother me. Chipp: !...you used to be in the guild! Millia: Yes, but that was a long while ago. Now I'm in the same boat as you. Axl: Ah man, this is a tough one. They're both really hot. Chipp: I'm taking down the guild! You women stay out of it! Millia: That I cannot do. Just like you, I can't pull out. Axl: This is a tough decision... Millia: And...quit staring at me with that perverted look on your face! Axl: Oops, I think I got her mad at me.

Potemkin: I heard from the president. I've been looking forward to this day to finally exchange shots with you. Slayer: One of the disciples, I gather. You think you can take me? You should beat him before coming to me. You'll pay a high price for this! Chipp: HEY! Hold it right there! You're the dude who founded the guild, aren't you? Slayer: That was quite a long time ago...I no longer have any involvement...but it is true that I am the founder. Chipp: That simplifies matters. I'm gonna destroy you! Jam: Looks like I've gotten myself into a hostile environment. Better get outta here... Slayer: Hmm, looks like you're a ki wielder. I'm interested in your combat style. Would you mind showing me some of it? Jam: I'm no cheap street performer. If you give me some of that spice, I'll think about it. Slayer: I should be able to accommodate you. Jam: That's a promise! Chipp: Quit ignoring me, both of you! You're going down!

Johnny: Oh man, I wasted so much time...There you are! Eddie: I'm impressed. Didn't think you would detect me. Johnny: I have the power to see the truth. You can't fool me with magic tricks. Venom:...Found you! You beasts who degrade Master Zato. Finally you can rot in hell! Eddie: You humanoids are good with words. But that kind of talent is needed to be adequate for my body. Chipp: Freeze! Don't you move! You're all guild members, aren't you! I hold all of you responsible for killing my master! Venom: At a time like this? I'm not letting anyone lay a hand on Master Zato's body. Johnny: Well, I'm kinda... Chipp: Shut up! Guilds, pirates, no difference! Today you face death. Eddie: Ha! Foolish humans once again, being hostile against one's own kind. I shall erase you altogether!

Chipp: Damn! Gig: Grr... Chipp: What is it? You wanna dance? Then I'm taking no pity on you! Gig: Grrgh! Chipp: Holy Zen! Go to hell!

Gig: Grr...grr... Chipp: Ha! I guess it's my victory! Gig: Grr... Chipp:...what's this? I'm feeling sick to my stomach....damn it!

Chipp: (That monster smiled before it died. All I was doing was battling hard. Wasn't aware of things I can't see. Did I really get stronger? Guess I still got a long way to go!)

Eddie

Eddie: Haha. There they are. Human, candidates to become my host. Ky:...! There you are! Eddie: You've found me. But I'm even more excited about your combat abilities. Ky: You're...! Zato! Or have you already been taken over. Eddie: That's correct. Former leader of the Holy Knights and a Japanese woman. And you there, I sense a lot of potential. Axl: You talking about me? Baiken: This monster sure does talk a lot. Eddie: Haha! You should feel honored. I shall find out right now whether you are adequate to become my body! Baiken: Who do you think you are? Beat it!

Bridget: Whoah, everybody looks tough Chipp: Hey! what's a kid doing here? Eddie: A child. Attractive in terms of her youthfulness but too immature to become my host Bridget: You're not taking me seriously? Then let me show you my moves Sol:...back off. Don't be wasting my time Eddie: Interesting. I shall keep a record of the battle results for future reference Bridget: Don't be surprised! Here I come! Sol: What am I, a babysitter? I can't deal with this...

May: Wow! Look how big you are! Potemkin: And so are you. May: Hey! That's not very nice! Potemkin: No, I just thought you grew a little compared to the last time I saw you May: Well thanks for the compliment. Think I'm good enough for Johnny now? Eddie: Having a host in her growth spurt...might not be a bad idea. Johnny: Out of the way, May! Potemkin: Humph! May:...Thanks Johnny: Thanks. I owe you one. Eddie: How dare you... May: Now it's my turn! I'll prove it to you that a girl in love is unbeatable!

Eddie: You are the same as me. Zappa: Yes...I feel the animosity. Eddie: Looks like it's a mind parasite. No good as a host. Dizzy: Are you two...related? Or have you both been exploited badly by humans in the past? Eddie: That's correct. As a weapon. But things will be different from now on. Dizzy: Huh? Eddie: I shall find a more powerful host, and I shall be the one to dominate the human race! Faust: Can't let that pass. I apologize for the selfish acts of humans, but your body can't live without a host. This is where I can help you. Eddie: Silence! You lowly human! I am going to acquire Gear power and take revenge on humans! Dizzy: What? So you're planning to use my powers? Not all humans are bad, you know. If you sit down and talk to them. You can't take my happiness from me!

Millia: So...we meet again...Zato. Eddie: So you still haven't gotten over him? Millia: Shut up, you damn beast...I'm talking to him, not you! Eddie: What do you want to talk to ME about? Millia: I'm taking you down. I'm sick and tired of looking at your pathetic, bony remains. Venom: Not so fast...! Master Zato is regarded as the crown-jewel of the guild. You'll have to hand him over to me...! Slayer: I've told you the Guild is no more. No raison d'etre and no purpose. Continued existence will only bring further regret and despair. Venom: Oldtimes can keep their mouth shut. The guild no longer belongs to you. Millia: It has nothing to do with me anymore, I don't care what happens to it. I just want to take care of this guy with my very own hands. Eddie: Do you think it will be that easy? What do "I" think?"...Not so easy, "I" say. Venom: I sense you...Master Zato. I am going to free you, Master, from the evil spell of death! Eddie: Ha ha...this is great! Lowly humans who cannot accept death. That's the right evil spirit to have! Slayer: I'm the one who started all of this. I must atone for my past deeds. Fine, let us put an end to it all.

Eddie: You've been taken over by power. Gig: Grr... Eddie: What a pitiful sight... Gig: Grrgh! Eddie: Funny how I'm the one saying that.

Gig: Grr...grr.. Eddie: Even Gear with all of its power released is not so powerful. Gig: Ghhh... Eddie: Die. Gig: Grr...

Eddie: Can't seem to find any good bodies. Since nobody is as powerful as I am. That female's body had a chance. But again, my powers were too much and again it did not work out. Hahaha!

Baiken

Johnny: Bravo! Very impressive! Baiken: What do you want? Get outta here. Johnny: Nothing beats having a beer in the company of a beautiful woman. How about a drink? May: Johnny! Johnny:...Maybe we’ll have to call it off. Baiken: So the stud turns helpless in the presence of an innocent girl. See ya! Slayer: Hmm, a Japanese...is it a coincidence that both of you are rather...masculine? May:...huh? Johnny: Hey, better stop talking so much. Old people can take a hike.

Faust: Traveling lady with the scent of blood. Where are you headed? Baiken: Get lost, you lame doc. It's none of your business. I can kill whoever I want. Chipp: Woman enduring countless bloodshed. So you're that Japanese beauty? Ky: There's nothing but anger inside you. As a protector of public safety, I can't let such hateful words pass Baiken: Kid, if you don't wanna get hurt, you should just keep your mouth shut Ky: I have confidence in my sword. Not exactly my favorite option, but in this case I have no choice Faust: What you need is some time off in total peaceful serenity. As a physician, it is my obligation to make sure that you are cured.

Zappa: Um, excuse me, I was wondering... Baiken: Yeah what? Why are you so fidgety? Act like a man, will you? Zappa: Oh, I'm sorry. I'm looking for a person, Fa- Baiken: Fa...who? Zappa:...Fricken nasty! Baiken: What's going on here? I'm surrounded by freaks. Testament: How rude of you to say that. I've long given up my human name, but by no means am I a freak. Venom: This is a supernatural phenomenon. Quite interesting. I'd like to see more of your powers. Baiken: Man, this is a real drag. I'll blow you all away! Testament: Lowly humans shall die!

I-no: What do we have here, the desperate bachelorettes council? Baiken: What kind of greeting is that? That's not a very nice thing to say Jam: That's right! You're rude! And what about you? I-no: Oh dear, don't be so uptight. It's just a joke, honey. Or were you offended 'cause I was right on the mark? Millia: You're a joke. Why don't you get outta here. I-no: Oh no. I'm scared. I guess this is how women become as they get older. Baiken: You crazy! I'll cut you up into pieces! Jam: I'm not showing you any mercy either! Millia: If you're not gonna get outta here, we'll have to get rid of you. It's as simple as that. I-no: You're such sweethearts. Very well, I make you cry lots. We'll find out how loud you can cry.

Anji: Finally found you. Sol:...It's you again. Anji: Let me ask you straight out. Do you have any idea where 'he' is? Sol: So what if I know? Anji: Can you tell me where he is? Of course I'm willing to work for it. You and I have a bout, and if I win, you tell me. Sounds fair? Baiken: Wait! Let me in on the festivities Sol: Sorry, not interested. You guys enjoy each other's company Anji: Even Justice feared my powers...Still not interested? Sol:...! Baiken: Shut your trap! You're starting to get on my nerves. I'll kick all of your butts right now! Axl: Whoa!...Damn it...is this a bad time? Baiken: Eavesdropping, are we? I'm not impressed! Axl: I just wanted to ask chief something Sol: And even you. Why does everyone want to stick their noses in other people's business! Axl: No worries, chief! Just a quick bout, no hard feelings! Sol: I'm not responsible for what happens.

Baiken: There may be no point in asking you, but I'll ask anyway. Gig: Grr... Baiken: Some Gears out there aren't violent. Are you one of them? Gig: Grrgh! Baiken: Alright. I take that as a 'no'

Gig: Grr...Grr... Baiken: Okay...I guess that's it. Gig: Ghhh... Baiken: Let me take you to the land of the dead where you belong! Gig: Grr...

Baiken:...This guy's a pain in the neck. 'That Man' can't even take care of his problems himself, what a joke. Sit back and enjoy life while you can. I'm coming for you!

Faust

Faust: Traveling lady with the scent of blood. Where are you headed? Baiken: Get lost, you lame doc. It's none of your business. I can kill whoever I want. Chipp: Woman enduring countless bloodshed. So you're that Japanese beauty? Ky: There's nothing but anger inside you. As a protector of public safety, I can't let such hateful words pass Baiken: Kid, if you don't wanna get hurt, you should just keep your mouth shut Ky: I have confidence in my sword. Not exactly my favorite option, but in this case I have no choice Faust: What you need is some time off in total peaceful serenity. As a physician, it is my obligation to make sure that you are cured.

Sol:...Whew... Jam: How rude. What's your problem? Faust: Is there something wrong? Sol: A doctor and a chef? This is a big joke. Quit following me wherever I go. Go back to your real jobs, man! Faust: This is what it takes to master the tricks of the trade. It's necessary to learn to see things from the patient's perspective. Jame: The art of cooking is also a quest. You're not gonna find anything new just by sitting around. Venom: Then I should get to know a wider variety of opponents. Let's roll! Sol: Move it. Just go to bed!

Anji: You know Sol, don't you? I-no: You meet a woman for the first time and that's the first thing you ask me? I want to know more about you. Anji: My apologies. Last name is Mito, first name is Anji. I'm just a journeyman. I-no: thanks for the introduction. And what can I help you with? Anji: I've been wanting to meet 'That Man.' I-no: Really. You won't live long, dear. Eddie: That's not necessarily the case. As long as you become a part of my body! Ha! Anji: Two on one? This is a tough situation. Faust: Looks like you're having trouble. I can assist you to the best of my humble ability. I-no. Thanks for showing up to your own funeral, doc! Faust: No matter who, my mission is to save lives. Let us apply some drastic remedies, shall we?

May: Phew... Faust: That was a deep sigh. Did something happen? May:!...I have the chills again... Faust: Oh, excuse me. I'll back off. Looks like something's troubling you. Whatever I can do to help May: Thanks...um, I don't know what it is, but my heart feels tingly and I feel gross. Faust: That's not good. Let me take a look. Dizzy: May! We were looking all over for you! Johnny: Finally found you, girl. Where were you? Why'd you disappear all of a sudden? May: Johnny! And Dizzy's with him too... Faust: Hmm, I see, I see. I think I understand the situation. Times like these, you need a breather. Perhaps some exercise will help.

Bridget: Wow, what a massive frame you got. Potemkin: Well, I was born big. This fist I use for what I believe in and to engage in art, nothing else. Bridget: So you're an artist. Good for you. Maybe you can draw something for me? Faust: Should be safe if I've come this far. Bridget: Wow, landing using just an umbrella, that's amazing. You from the circus? Faust: No actually, believe it or not I'm a... Zappa: Dr. Faust! (sigh...sigh...) Faust: My goodness, he's caught up already. Bridget: This is remarkable! How do you bend your joints and run like that? You must be a yoga expert. Zappa: Quick, doctor, please do something! Look! I'm bent all over the place! Oh no!!! Faust: Looks like it's begun. I'll have to take drastic measures. Potemkin: Is it fate that I happen to be here? What the heck, I can help out. Bridget:...! What amazing tricks! Now it's my turn! Check this out!

Faust: This is quite a serious condition. Gig: Grr... Faust: That's right, don't be scared. I'm here to treat your condition. Gig: Grrgh! Faust: I think you'll need some anesthetics.

Gig: Grr...grr... Faust: Finall you've calmed down. Please stay still. I'll take a look. Gig: Ghh... Faust:...! You saying you want euthanasia?...Alright then. Regrettable, but this is the only way. Gig: Grr... Faust:...

Faust: Now, where should I go next? I shall continue practicing medicine as long as there are patients to treat. That is my mission in life!

[sempiternox]

TEW Characters Playing Fighting Games Headcanons

Sebastian:

has no idea what he’s doing but he always tries his best

picks characters that look cool to him

likes Bruce Lee clones

tends to spam special moves once he figures them out

doesn’t know how to block

never plays the tutorial. EVER.

uses the practise mode to figure out the controls, but most of the time it boils down to: “Okay, what does this button do? Ah, okay, that’s the punch button. This one? Kick button, alright... what happens when I press two buttons at the same time? Woah, he threw him! Sweet! Okay, on to the arcade mode!”

usually plays with a controller, but sometimes he tries to play with a stick because they look like those from the arcade games ^^

would most likely play: Guile, Fei Long (SF), Ragna (BB), Sol (GG), Miguel, Paul, Law (TK), Terry, Robert, Ralf (KoF)

Joseph:

always plays the tutorial and reads the manual first. If he has no idea how to play the game, he won’t play it.

usually picks shoto characters

rather defensive playstile, but when he learns his opponent’s behavior, he gets more aggressive

learns frame data, but only for his most played matchups

prefers to play with an arcade stick

practises simple, yet effective combos and some setups

will give others advice when they ask him how they can improve

would most likely play: Ryu (SF), Jin, Hibiki (BB), Ky (GG), Leo, Jin (TK), Hein, Andy, Tung (KoF)

Kidman:

is actually more into shooters, but figures out fighting games pretty quickly

doesn’t play the tutorial, but checks the movelist of her character in practise mode

likes quick and tomboyish characters

plays with a controller because she’s used to handhelds (loves to play Metroid: Prime Hunters in her free time xD)

doesn’t practise, but repeatedly kicks Sebastian’s butt with easy 3 hit-combos

would most likely play: Cammy, Makoto (SF), µ-12, Bullet, Jubei (BB), Millia (GG), Asuka (TK), Leona, Vanessa, Kyo (KoF)

Myra:

used to play Street Fighter at her local arcade

likes to figure the controls out by simply playing the game

checks her character’s movelist when she isn’t sure if she knows all special moves

picks characters that look friendly and/or strong to her

plays with an arcade stick, but has no problems switching to a controller

focuses on counters and whiff-punishes

would most likely play: Chun-Li (SF), Tsubaki (BB), Dizzy (GG), Kazuya, Kazumi (TK) King, Love Heart, Mian (KoF)

Leslie:

was scared of fighting games at first, but once he realized he can fight back, he started to love the genre

picks characters others would consider “weird” or “annoying”

doesn’t care if his character is technical or easy to get used to

more into zoning and footsies, but he can get pretty aggressive when he thinks he’s about to win

goes full Rushdown Mode when he plays against Ruvik

doesn’t care if he plays with an arcade stick or controller; both are fine to him

would most likely play: Blanka (SF), Bang, Carl (BB), Sin (GG), Bob (TK), Meitenkun, Sylvie, Chin (KoF)

Tatiana:

pretends she doesn’t know how to play fighting games, but kicks @$$ with her characters

sassy af, even during matches

trash talks when she plays against the antagonists, but it’s very subtle

can play with anything, be it an arcade stick, a normal controller or even a hitbox

picks characters that... um... does she even have criteria for her characters...?

would most likely play: Karin (SF), Amane (BB), Elphelt (GG), Kazumi (TK), King, Mature, Billy (KoF),

Ruvik:

most technical player of all TEW characters

learns frame data. ALL OF IT.

picks complex and edgy characters

analyzes his opponent’s playing style and adapts to it

spends hours in practise mode to learn optimized max damage-combos, confusing mixups, complex setups etc.

likes using trash talk to annoy his opponents, especially Sebastian

holds back when playing against Laura and sometimes lets her win

exclusively plays with an arcade stick

would most likely play: Gen, Urien (SF), Terumi, Susanoo (BB), Raven, Zato-1, Bedman (GG), Bryan (TK), Kukri, Iori, Yamazaki (KoF)

Laura:

has never played fighting games before, but is quite good at them

plays the tutorial, but learns most of the gameplay in arcade mode

loves watching her brother play and cheers for him

almost never uses specials, but somehow still manages to win

prefers controllers because she’s more comfortable with them

picks cute characters

would most likely play: Sakura, Ibuki (SF), Noel (BB), May, Jack-O (GG), Xiaoyu, Lucky Chloe (TK), Yuri, Kula, Alice (KoF)

Stefano:

tries to figure out everything on his own

goes for fancy, cool looking combos instead of practical ones

lets Obscura take photos during matches

trash talks at any given opportunity

swears in Italian when he gets comboed or is about to lose

plays with an arcade stick

plays cross handed because... ART!

picks characters that look similar to him or remind him of the models he used to work with

would most likely play: Vega (SF), Hazama (BB), Venom (GG), Claudio, Lee (TK), Mature, Vice, Luong (KoF)

Theodore:

can’t play fighting games at all and tries to compensate for it with excessive trash talk

lets his Harbringers burn the TV when he’s about to lose (=taking ragequitting to a whole new level)

doesn’t let others help him because he thinks he already knows how to play

plays with a hitbox because it makes him look more like a pro

picks intimidating characters

would most likely play: M. Bison (SF), Relius (BB), Leo (GG), Heihachi (TK), Xanadu, Chang, Geese (KoF)

Administrator:

sucks at fighting games, even more than Theodore

hands Ruvik or Kidman his controller when he loses several times in a row

brags about how cool he is when he happens to win (which never happens)

complains about cheating, spam, cheap tactics etc. all the time

plays with a controller

picks characters he would recruit for Mobius if they existed

would most likely play: Decapre, Sagat (SF), Izayoi (BB), Answer (GG), Lars (TK), Billy, Hein, Geese (KoF)

Acronym meanings: SF = Street Fighter, BB = Blazblue, GG = Guilty Gear, TK = Tekken, KoF = The King of Fighters

[gear-project]

When I-No started to show her true form or gained her other half, do you know why nearly everyone in the story mode that witnessed her power were crying?

Well, the scene "prior" to everyone crying was (I PREDICTED THIS) an End of Evangelion reference... lol Ishiwatari and his nods to Hideaki Anno~!

OKAY SPOILER DISCUSSION AHEAD:

Okay, to clarify WHAT was going on exactly... I-No gained the power of the "World's Creator" (Ariels predicted this would happen, and she also predicted it would cause a Paradox later on if left unchecked...).

By becoming the "creator" of the World, I-No became both the World itself and its creator.

Remember what Happy Chaos stated when he asked the question which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?

Well, according to HIM the "Omelet" came first... aka Primordial Soup. Humans and Animals came OUT of that soup via Evolutionary development.

When I-No became the World's Creator... this fundamentally caused her to be the MOTHER of the world... and it resonated with humanity... thoughts of family, thoughts of parents, thoughts of intimacy and motherly love... well, you get the idea.

Ironically, Ky Kiske was the only man on the planet who DID NOT CRY.

"HOPE" doesn't Cry... it LOOKS FORWARD.

This is why I-No was impressed with Ky's steadfast gaze after everything that happened.

(Consider too, that I-No "created" Ky's past... which makes this scene all the more fundamentally CRAZY...)

I-No wished to free everyone of everything that restricted them, but simultaneously equalizing everyone... to the point everyone would be identical.

She wished to see what mankind would do in such a 'boring' state...

Just as the game of PONG is the most balanced videogame you can conceptually play... everyone being absolutely equal in all things and absolutely BALANCED isn't necessary a GOOD thing.

Having Godlike powers, being Immortal, being able to DO ANYTHING, but at the same time, knowing that EVERYONE ELSE CAN DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN DO... it's a haunting thought, isn't it?

My first thought would be that "I'm not alone" and that "everyone else can do what I can, and if someone does something cool, I can do it too..."

But that's not all there is to it...

Not everything we can DO is necessarily a good thing... sometimes the things we do are HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE. Sometimes they contradict our very existence... and could even destroy all of humanity.

Even in a fighting game, if every character did the exact same things and were capable of anything and everything... is there any point to playing and winning? Is it even possible to win under those conditions, or even lose?

I-No's goal was to see how far mankind could GO with such a leveled playing field... even if she had to remake the human race over and over and OVER again in the process...

But she forgot something very important: humans don't just have a past that defines them, or a future to look forward to... they have a PRESENT.

A present time in which the actions they take are all the more important than anything else that happened in the past or COULD happen in the future.

And mankind chose to believe in that present... and fight.

I-No was so wrapped up in the pain of her past and making her own future that she forgot to stop and look at what was going on right in front of her in the PRESENT.

That's why Sol Badguy could defeat her, even if she thought it wasn't possible.

That's also why Axl Low could reach out and touch even her heart, despite everything. Which is why she gave him her "unfair world".

[doteaterlog]

As of Late

I’ve been finding it harder and harder to find motivation to write, but hey, I’m gonna start it up again with some “What games I’ve been playing lately”

Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2

Sol’s gonna win this trade, but dang it, it looks cool.  Not a surprise. It’s my go to fighting game right now because:

A. The PC scene is active

B. Ky Kiske is my favorite fighting game character to play. He’s both one of the fairest characters I’ve played (most of his attacks are telegraphed or straight-forward enough to play around) but when he gets a knockdown, he’s so dirty. He’s got all these tricky mixups that lead to another knockdown, leading to another mixup, which leads to a knockdown, which leads to another mixup which leads

Anyway!

Xrd is still great, retaining the balance Guilty Gear is known for, and some of the new characters are great additions like Answer, Ramlethal, and Bedman.

The problems pointed out by Mike Z in the first version are still here. (save for the UI/menu stuff and putting throw breaks back in, that got taken care of.)

Guild Wars 2

My character is a 4/4 angel with flying, vigilance, and a rock.

I decided to play Guild Wars not just because my friends were getting back into it, but because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone of “high skill competitive games only.”

I’m not the kind of player who likes open worlds or MMOs. But I think I found a way that made me like them a lot more, which was the act of having to look up stuff.

Any time I boot up this game, I make sure I open the offical wiki and a tab in google. It’s made things like leveling up my character’s progression, and finding secrets this kind of involved search.  

The game is so complex in scale and systems, so I have to make logic out of chaos. This is totally the appeal of competitive games as well. It isn’t “you can do anything” it’s “to do what you want, you have to figure out this.”

It’s been fun to dissect complexity. My friends and I usually share secrets with each other It’s a more involved part of the game, that I think “explaining” all this information would ruin. It reminds me of talking games on the playground.

I don’t think “playground rumors” of games went away, it just turned into an informational scavenger hunt instead. Puyo Puyo Tetris

I commissioned my friend SavvyDraws for this! It describes the mood of the game perfectly.

I bought a Switch! I thought I was done buying consoles because there aren’t a lot of new games I want to play anymore, (competitive games keep me busy) but after playing one with my brother I decided to pick it up

The Switch is what I what I want out of a game system, reminding me more of playing board games with my friends than a traditional game console. I love being able to bring it anywhere and break out Overcooked or King of Fighters ‘98. Passing out joycons is a neat ritual. Like dealing a hand of cards or giving everyone their starting pieces.

Puyo Puyo Tetris is the perfect game for it too, not just because Tetris or Puyo work great as “handheld” games, but because puzzle games are awesome to play with friends.

They’re not violent, they look easy to play at first glance, (clear lines, match four) and there’s a huge skill ceiling hiding behind the “simple” mechanics.

Tetris is the more powerful game vs Puyo Puyo (even with the Tetris nerfs, Tetris has tons of advantages.) but there’s a lot of cool formats that take advantage of the crossover concept.

Swap mode forces players to play both games, switching between the two, allowing players to manage attack and defense in a neat way.

Players made a doubles format where a team of a Puyo player and a Tetris player team up against another one. I’ve only played it once, and loved it.  

Even if those formats falter, there’s always Tetris vs Tetris (guideline) and Puyo Puyo vs Puyo Puyo. (Tsu)

I also want to give my praise to the artstyle. I think this game made me realize I like cutsy round monsters and happy colors. Puyo Puyo’s aesthetic is largely divorced from the modern anime look. The more of that I can get away from the happier I am.  

I think this is due to Puyo Puyo’s character design being rooted in late 80s early 90s manga style art.

On that note, I should also mention that I love what they did for the Tetris characters. I didn’t know I wanted Tetris characters, but I love them and want to see them again.

Instead of making them fit in with the fantasy setting of Puyo Puyo, they opted for a space theme, which is great because space and “building” is a huge part of Tetris’ aesthetic. Tetris is rooted in technology whereas Puyo Puyo is rooted in “magic.” The artists stayed stayed true to the resonant images of Tetris’ history.

So yeah, it’s great. Extra kudo bonus points goes to all the characters playing  the exact same, (in non-party modes) because that gets rid of my “I love how you look, but not how you play” crisis in fighting games I often have.

And that’s about it as of late. I’m gonna get working on a homebrew RPG for my friends catered around “I’m an adult who doesn’t have time to sit down for 8 hours a week to play a game.”

Take it easy.

Dot

[gear-project]

My response to the Closed Beta Survey:

People were asking me for more specifics on how I felt about the survey, so I guess I ought to outline in a larger broader sense what I think so far of Guilty Gear StrIVe.

Graphics: 

Outside of individual characters/animations, the stage graphics needed some better rendering for certain objects.  Things like grass and smaller objects looked “plastic” or “lego-like” in some areas, so that could be tweaked.

Lighting seemed okay, effects from various attacks also looked very good, and better than I was expecting at the time.  Clash/Offset graphics need improvement so that they appear more obvious to players (I still miss Danger Time however... that added an extra spice to the game that GG has missed since the original Instant Kill screen in the first game, perhaps it can be optional in certain modes?).

The beta was especially slow in terms of load times between matches though, and even the matching function for netplay was sluggish as well.

I would like to see actual dramatic clash intros instead of “talking head sequences” for rivalries in the future... the first trailer suggested that was possible, so I hope they can actually achieve this once more like Accent Core once had for Sol and Ky especially.

Animation-wise, nothing really outstanding to note other than the fact I still find Ky’s battle stance to be somewhat strange for him, given the screen-facing perspective... I just find it particularly odd to have his battle stance changed so much since the older games.  While Millia’s stance did change, it was more subtle, for example.

The Tension gauge didn’t seem to provide enough information to me, and was rather overly simplified, and I would like better notifications when my risc guard gauge is high.  Character select still looks dull, though I did like the post-match rating system.  I think players would benefit not just from ratings when they win, but tips and advice when they lose as well.

The lobby still needs a lot of work, but I did like the concept of only having access to certain “floors of the tower” depending on how strong you are as a player.  It makes things feel more like a dungeon exploration than just a netplay lobby.  Gatekeepers truly do exist... so such gameplay should reflect that.

I would like to see something closer to what Granblue Fantasy Versus has, times of day, weather, minigames to do while waiting between matches, or even just a place to mess around with stuff.

Sounds:

Everything sounded okay, albeit random.  Normally I have sound effects much louder than music, as certain sounds serve as important “tells” during a fight.  Voicework tends to come second to that, but I did note that in certain underground stage areas, character voices gained acoustics, which was an interesting change.

I also liked how the voices gained a dramatic echo like the Guilty Gear X era once had, particularly for Overdrive Attacks, which I hope they keep.

Controls:

I’m going to say this up front, but I never liked the concept of throw wiffs for Guilty Gear... while it might be more useful for games like BlazBlue, GG was more fast-paced, and generally geared more towards spacing and neutral attacks, giving throws an opportunity to neutralize an attack at close range.

This made throws safer, but also kept players in check who were always about close-range mixups.  Option selects were also important in older games too.

Add to this, and I dislike the idea of them being attached to the Dust button.  This makes it difficult to do things like run up and perform a Dust attack, or airdash in with a Dust without accidentally inputting a throw input.

Unless they came up with a way to better control throws as opposed to pressing Dust and a Direction (or give it a better input window), I’m not sure I like things how they are.

Another issue I have is the Roman Cancel Button... under most circumstances, the default Roman Cancel macro is P+K+S... this was always the default button in most games, but you couldn’t opt for other macros, like S+K+H, or P+K+H.  This is important for characters who negative edge inputs, like Johnny or Zato, as they might need a different macro input so they can better “hold certain buttons” without having to rely on the default Roman Cancel input.  This applies to other things like Slashback, Blitz, or Faultless Defense as well.  Limiting input macros just leads to more problems if you ask me.

Gatling Combo cancels seem “okay” for now... and I understand why they put limits on Punch and Kick buttons, simply because those kinds of moves have higher priority and are safer in most situations.  I think it makes sense to limit benefits when priority is on taking less risk in a fight.

In other words, using stronger attacks is more of a gamble, and therefore should get more natural benefits.  Bigger risk, better rewards.  This goes for guarding as well.  While blocking itself isn’t taking much risk (or rather, raising RISC), players who use technique like Instant Blocking or FD blocking should get benefits from using it.

I don’t know if Blitzshield will return, but I wouldn’t mind if it did, especially if it functioned the same as Slashbacks in older games, especially on block or wakeup.

Gameplay/Nuances:

Not enough special moves/tools for characters to my liking... though some felt overpowered.  Ky’s 6H acting like a Dust Launcher felt way too powerful for someone like him... though I can understand why such exists if it’s a slow attack.

Other characters felt “sluggish” at certain areas, like Chipp Zanuff and his combo routes (which would normally feel easy to chain together).  Even Alpha Blade felt a bit slow.

Airdash Speed/Height also felt slow and limited.  Also I don’t like the idea that forward Airdashes have the “Air Hike” glyph (DMC), but Air Backdashes do not as much.  If they’re going to have air dash “tells”, it should work for any form of airdash.  That’s especially needed for crossups and IAD situations.

Also it felt like Backdashes weren’t very safe, not to mention the damage output being too high.

I missed moves like Ky’s Grinders or Sol’s Riot Stamp... or even classic moves like Tyrant Rave Alpha, Sidewinder, or Crescent Slash.

Lots of characters felt lobotomized and overly simple to my liking, compared to their more developed older versions.  Even EX characters felt more developed in the older games.

I’m still not sure how I feel about Roman Cancels having a “hitbox” or “launch hit” when they go active, but I guess it takes getting used to.  It’s not a bad tool, but I’m not sure how effective such would be as a Dead Angle on defense.

I was also told that blocking reversal moves (DPs) in the air causes a large blowback... I find that interesting, but I don’t know if there’s pushback when blocking said moves on the ground.

It’s fine if you can FD moves to deal with reversals safely, but common blocking without Instant Blocks should at least have some knockback to put some value in reversal moves.

Other Stuff:

I liked the concept of getting to use normal attacks immediately after certain key special moves (like Sol’s Vortex), or the simplicity of the juggles.  Though I hope they improve things like Dust Air Combos... right now Dust only causes launch on counterhit, there are no more ground Dust combos like Xrd had.

It also felt like the window for an air combo was very small as you could only do 3 hits at most after a Dust Homing Jump.  I would like to see more uses of Jump Dust for characters, or even momentum-based combos.

Things like Impossible Dust (homing jump cancel) or even Jump Install would also be nice.

I would like to see more character-customization, like having different types of weapons/outfits, abilities, or stats, in an adventure-style game (like Granblue currently uses, but bigger in scale perhaps).

I would also like to see different modes of gameplay, like an Isuka Mode, or a 3-on-3 battle setup for team battles (not necessarily tag style, but KOF style teams as well).

I would also like to see GG Generations return... classic modes for every style of play:

GG1 Mode, GGX Mode, GGXXAC Mode, Xrd Mode, and maybe even a GG2 mode that makes special moves resource-heavy (like Granblue currently employs).  Having separate modes of play would satisfy everyone... EX fighting styles as well, to further expand character play.  Gold Bosses and Darkside enemies need to return as well.

I would also hope they explore the prospect of a GG animated film or movie, though that’s still wishful thinking.  Having English novels would also help move things along.

Roster-wise, I just want everyone to return at their best, along with really cool new faces.

Closing Notes:

Experiencing the beta first-hand, I can definitely say it has Guilty Gear aspects at its core, but I felt wanting more.  I know they can pull it off, and I gave them everything I could possibly want in the game.

There’s a possibility they might update the beta later on... so I hope I’ll get to participate in that as well.

[gear-project]

Hello, I'm a big fan of this site. Thanks for your hard work! I have two questions: 1. There's something that confuses me to this day about Sign/Revelator. Why is there such a big change in Elphelt's personality? I know it most likely has to do with her "mother" tinkering with her mind, but the thing about "wanting to marry any male character" in VS mode always sounded off to me. 2. I recently discovered the cool Korean OST for ACCENT CORE and I was wondering how did it came to be?

Answer #1: Elphelt was created in order to "mimic humans" and adopt an identity that put them under the false illusion that she was their ally: basically a spy.  But because Elphelt was created with Emotions and not made aware of her true purpose, she had no idea on a conscious level that she was created to behave like this.

Her primary directive was to "intermingle with humanity", but her secondary directive was that she was forbidden to "fall in love".  Her third directive was to "monitor Sol Badguy and prevent him from interfering with the revival of Justice".

But because she was deliberately created to get along with humans, she had no immediate knowledge that she was made for the purpose of betraying humans.

She wanted to love and care for humanity, but she was prevented from fully comprehending them or experiencing love.  The end result created a split in her personality which obsessed over love and relationships while the other half of her true self was buried in her subconscious only to awaken when certain conditions were met.

Marriage was an important symbol for her as part of her directives, but because she didn't understand love, she would almost always take her relationships by force without considering the other person's feelings.  

A true shotgun wedding as it were!

As she learned more about her powers, she discovered she was in fact a Valentine, and a threat to humans, which is why she turned to Ky Kiske for help.

Her intentions were to prevent her sister Ramlethal from doing anything bad, but subconsciously everything was going according to plan.  As Ariels WANTED Elphelt to be trusted and WANTED her to become an "ally of humans".

Anyway, on to Answer #2:

ARC System Works, and Sega (called Sammy at the time) wanted to make a splash in Korea by promoting Guilty Gear in that region.

They made a contractual agreement with the band "N.EX.T" (New EXperiment Team) who were well-known there as a popular metal-pop group.

"N.EX.T" (and Shin Hae Chul) agreed to add their own tracks to the Korean-dubbed version of Guilty Gear XX #Reload for the PlayStation 2 around 2003.

That was a long time ago, but since ARC System Works owns everything with the word "Guilty Gear" in it, they got access to the Korean tracks that N.EX.T did and decided to release them alongside the Nintendo Switch version of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R.

Unfortunately Shin Hae Chul is no longer with us to compose music for Accent Core, so I don't think we'll get songs for Order-Sol or A.B.A. as those characters came out AFTER 2003.  You'll just have to deal with the loss, but appreciate the music all the same.