#There are some more Faust illustrations in the GGX art book I should scan next after I finish my current stack

[solradguy]

EXACTLY!! And, ok, LAST ASK about Guilty Gear rep but I also just have to say, the representation for mentally ill people is just incredible.

I’m unsure if anyone in Guilty Gear has an explicitly mentioned illness, but at the very least there are a handful of explicitly traumatized individuals, and what surprised me the most while getting into GG was how each and every one of them are treated so humanely. I have had my experience with medias adding in characters who have/show symptoms of illnesses like BPD, OLD, DID, etc who are portrayed as monsters, or at least evil. So many medias have made a character with a Cluster B Personality Disorder and shown them as selfish or narcissistic or devoid of emotion. So many medias have made a character with a Cluster A Personality Disorder and shown them as insane or cynical or out-right mad. So many medias have made characters with things like Autism or ADHD and shown them as weird or naive or stupid, or any other stereotypical trait. Guilty Gear though, it doesn’t make these kinds of characters and through these labels on them. Yes, there are characters who are implied to have a Cluster B Personality Disorder, or a Cluster A Personality Disorder, or Autism or ADHD; yet none of them are shown these flat tropes. They each have their own story and personality like everyone else, they still have their own arcs and stories and are treated just as important as anyone else, and they still are all given the same respect from the creators, all while still being representation for the disorders they have. Like Faust, for example. He is very clearly someone who struggles with PTSD, and more than likely a plethora of illnesses branching off of that. Yet there is rhyme and reason to this, he still has a story and isn’t treated as this old weirdo who’s just there to be traumatized and for us to point and laugh. He’s treated as a real character, who’s gone through things and has some problems due to them. He’s no less than what he would be without his PTSD. Zappa as well, he obviously has some trauma, but he’s still shown to be just as human as the next person. Better yet, both characters mentioned also heal. Even if a media portrays an illness correctly, it’s rare to see a character actively have an arc where they address said illness and learn to heal from it and overcome the trauma that caused it. Though both Zappa and Faust are trying to heal from the damage that caused these disorders and become better people. Guilty Gear doesn’t have traumatized characters for gags or jokes, they have them to create character. Their situations may not be realistic, but the things that come from it are, and I love that.

I don't really know a whole lot about mental illnesses or disorders so I don't want to add much to this, but I'm happy that the representation of characters with mental illnesses/disorders in GG feels genuine and well written to you ^^

Guilty Gear really does have a little of something for everyone, huh? Even though I don't know much about the topic, I do also appreciate how Faust, on the outside, is occasionally depicted as a spooky creepy mad doctor-like stereotype but he's actually just a cool guy (with a lot of character depth!!) pretty much the entire cast is friends with. They're like "Yeah, Faust has some stuff going on but he's our bff and we love him anyway." And, like you said, if he's ever shown in a silly way it's because he's actually, physically, being silly and not because his mental illnesses are part of the joke or punchline.

#asks #I am actually going to talk to my doctor about me getting tested for ADHD tomorrow tho lmfao #Should've done that years ago.... Interested in seeing where it goes tbh #There are some more Faust illustrations in the GGX art book I should scan next after I finish my current stack