#playable lucifer cope

[rimeiii]

Using WHB as an excuse to talk about gaming (pt. 2)

With the character voicelines being revealed in WHB and Xeno Cocytus Crucible FA gaming/Arknights x MonHun event grinding in the background (I stopped at 2 FLB copies by the time Xeno Crucible ended), it's about time I talk about one of my favorite things when it comes to talking about games, that being character development through voicelines! Because these voicelines come a long way to actually describe how a character actually is, and it's often these little details that can make or break a game for me.

What do I mean with these tiny voicelines? It's those little cut-ins, those quotes characters throw out in battle. For me, a good quote is one that displays aspects of their personality without making it seem like those aspects are the sole part of their personality.

(More under the cut, along with a spoiler warning for the What Makes the Sky Blue trilogy from Granblue Fantasy, as well as both Integrated Strategies 2 and Guide Ahead from Arknights!)

WHB's in-battle quotes seem to really hammer in the fact that they're in a war and are out for the angels' blood. Which is completely fair - this is the main premise of the game, after all. But there are several standout lines for me personally, especially in the context of their brief character introductions.

First of all, Naberius. Cool, calm, and collected - demons aren't exactly keen on pissing him off because he can shapeshift into a cerberus in his rage. He himself isn't fond of getting angry and going on a rampage, which I feel is exemplified in his quote.

To me, this is an indication of the ability to keep his emotions on check, so that he won't rampage on the battlefield. It's a warning of sorts, a "You won't like me when I'm angry", spoken with an air of confidence and mastery of his own abilities. Not quite unhinged, he still has his wits on his head - that is, until you push him enough for him to fly into a rage.

Now, you want to know who's unhinged period? Dantalian.

I compared Dantalian to Executioner Specialists because that's really how I envision his fighting style - specifically Kirin R Yato's second skill. Get up close and personal, beat up a prime target while drawing attention to yourself, retreat and go into hiding while finding another opening. Dantalian offering his enemies to write on his skin actually plays well into his character design, with the writings on his skin, as well as him fighting up close and personal just to feel fear!

Also, important to note that it would seem like he's taunting the angels. Given what we know about him, I think it's more than likely he's pissing the angels off by implying that this is definitely his victory, not the angels'.

And on the other side of the coin, we have a relatively sane individual whose only priority is to defeat the angels - Leviathan!

My baby boy, despite his jealousy and agoraphobia, is still able and willing to fight for the sake of his people on the battlefield. Very task-focused, he also shows signs of protectiveness towards his fellow demons on the battlefield - perhaps, it shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the fact that he is a beloved king.

In fact, it would seem his mindset in battle is 'battle first, emotions later' - his battle quote comes off as very...detached, for lack of better words. No threats, no taunts, simply a promise to eliminate all hostiles.

For a less detached yet equally serious person, we turn to Marbas.

He is sharp and succinct in his delivery of treatment progress. Efficient as well, because you're in the battlefield, and injured people will keep on rolling in until the fighting is over.

Another way I like to see skill proc voicelines getting utilized is characterizations that may not necessarily reflect only their fighting styles. Some voiceline cases in Arknights may be similar to WHB, like Lumen - but the delivery by all of his voice actors makes it clear that our therapist fish man Jordi Fontanarossa simply isn't someone used to combat. He is, by his own admission, just an ordinary person - prone to anxiety, focused on his job as a healer. He brings a briefcase into the battlefield in his chibi sprite for crying out loud.

While Lumen's voiceline essentially has the same 'function' and setting as Marbas's voiceline, in the sense that they are stating the progress of their healing, Lumen's delivery is noticeably more frantic compared to Marbas's calmer delivery. Well...he is one of the few people who asks for some time to breathe upon being asked to lead a squad (placed on slot 1 in the squad formation screen).

Contrast this with the more battle-hardened but equally dedicated Executor, real name Federico Giallo, an executor from Laterano's Notarial Hall and literal angel with a shotgun. He is extremely dedicated to his job, and his reference to 'breaking the taboo' is one directed towards one of the Sankta's laws.

See, the angels of Arknights, the Sanktas, live under a set of rules universally known as the Law. One of these rules is the fact that they cannot aim their guns at fellow Sanktas, lest they become a Fallen. However, there are known exceptions, such as the climax of Guide Ahead with both Pope Yvangelista and Andoain shooting at each other, as well as executors like Executor/Federico being allowed to shoot and kill fellow Sankta if they are proven to be a danger. Hence, his mention of breaking the taboo.

As for fellow, non-Sankta Laterano citizens...we turn to Fiammetta, a Liberi and Mostima's keeper.

Fiammetta is often seen as a dry and serious woman who's tired of the shit her coworkers put her through (finballs spiked with peppers, the many codenames her superiors gave to her, wing stickers on her back, and more). She is driven by anger towards Andoain, not being able to forgive him for an incident in the past - the exact same incident that turned Mostima into a Fallen. She really only flies off the handle when facing him, all but telling him that even if the entirety of Laterano would forgive him, she would never do so. "I will sodomize and face-fuck you", anyone?

Yet she keeps her prickly attitude outside of facing Andoain, and it shows - the delivery of this line in particularly sells it. It's dry, matter-of-fact, and borderline sarcastic - she's not actually sorry for forgetting to hold the shot back. Her hot-headedness and emotionality really does show here, in spite of her relative calmer image. And honestly, I'd argue this is how she really is - I often get the impression that she really does care and worry about the Doctor, even though she insists that the things she does are due to contractual obligations. She just doesn't get easily flustered.

And what about someone who's at least a little bit unhinged yet attempts to keep themself sane? Then we turn our attention to Shalem.

Shalem is a man who defected and ran away from a mysterious theater troupe known as the Crimson Troupe - who are actually assassins in disguise. The things he experienced in the past, including the Crimson Troupe, was enough to break him, and his emotional stability at this current point in the timeline is...let's just say less than ideal. And what better way to reflect that in his absolutely unhinged laughter in one of his battle voicelines?

The Crimson Troupe is the main antagonist of the second instalment of Integrated Strategies, Phantom and the Crimson Solitaire. Here, he is the Operator you get by playing the game mode, and he is the one who decided to save Phantom - otherwise known as Lucian, the man who massacred several of the troupe members and is being brainwashed by the troupe in the events of the game mode. So, Shalem ends up taking on the mission to save Phantom from the troupe.

Shalem apparently also has the same VA as Leviathan, btw.

ANYWAYS! One last thing I really like to see in terns of voiceline usage is making them reflect character development! It's present in the unlockable voicelines as you promote and increase an Operator's Trust in Arknights, but I do feel it's done really well in Granblue Fantasy. As an example: meet Sandalphon.

Sandalphon started out as an antagonist in the first What Makes the Sky Blue. Blinded by hatred and anger towards Lucifer, he vowed to destroy everything the Supreme Primarch held dear to his heart - which just so happens to be the Skydoms. He even goes so far as to drop the player character down to the endless skies near the end of the event! His Grand version (the Earth version) is him at his peak, after absorbing the four tetra-element Primarch's wings to use as his own.

He is rendered in an 'imprisoned' state until the time the second What Makes the Sky Blue event rolls around, and the Paradise Lost sub title is fitting. Because by this point, Lucifer is killed by Beelzebub by decapitation and his body taken by Belial to revive Lucilius, leaving behind Lucifer's head for Sandalphon to find upon leaving the angelic cradle he was imprisoned in. Lucifer bequeaths his Supreme Primarch powers and role to Sandalphon, fulfilling his original duty - to serve as Lucifer's replacement should he one day fail to perform his duties. But there is no fanfare to this event, and Sandalphon is left with many regrets and unspoken apologies towards Lucifer, his first friend and companion in their mutual loneliness - with Sandalphon always remaining behind while Lucifer often left to tend to his Supreme Primarch duties. This is the Sandalphon that is the base of his event version (Light element).

A large chunk of his character development is resolved on the final instalment of the trilogy, 000. Here, Sandalphon vows to see through Lucifer's wish for a blue and peaceful sky, and he fights off Lucilius and Belial just to do so (Beelzebub was first weakened by Lucilius and then sealed away by Cagliostro, so err...better luck next time, Bubs). A lot of parallels happen to tie off loose ends - Sandalphon uses the wings of the tetra-element Primarchs to fight toe-to-toe with Lucilius on Michael's insistence, Sandalphon is now the one to say "ittekimasu (I'm going now)" instead of Lucifer who now says "itterashai (I'll be waiting)", and the player character is the one who grabs on to Sandalphon's hand to save him from a deadly fall to the bottom of the skies. This is the version being showcased in the above vid, as a skin for his Earth version - the version itself being a 5* uncap for the event version from Paradise Lost (the uncap material is the event reward).

All of his voicelines reflect his promise to Lucifer now! In order (as translated in the GBF Wiki):

This is the power of an angel/Primarch. Use it well.

I won't let you destroy our wish!

I will annihilate you...

I will put an end to all calamity...Ain Soph Aur!

Which is insane because the other previous versions of Sandalphon, not counting his Valentine's and summer alts? They're a touch too emotional, a touch too angry, and a touch too hateful (Earth). The summer alt also reflects some character development from The Maydays event, and hnghhh Primarchs are good give playable Gabriel and my second Michael weap (or should I say Fire PnS-) please I am a suffering Water and Fire main

Anyways yeah! Voicelines gud. Tiny character snippets gud. Me likey.