#ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Two versions. Original post by eveydeevey.

#noel vermillion #blazblue #blazblue continuum shift #blazblue central fiction #nox nyctores #bb memes #prime field device #boundary interface prime field device #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Like a lot of longtime characters, Kazuma was first made playable as a 3⭐ in BBDW- though rumors and datamines suggest there were plans for him to appear in Chronophantasma at some point, as Terumi has an unused line addressing him in that game.

See also;

[Gameplay]

From the start, Kazuma was a very interesting character to me. At the start, I assumed the Kazuma in BBDW had never made contact with Terumi- and as the story went on, dropping hints of a Terumi-possessed Trinity, I started to think BBDW Kazuma would never become a host.

But the mechanics of the game would suggest otherwise. At the start of BBDW's run, there was this really interesting mechanic where character's special attacks, such as their Astral Heats, were locked a sort of leveling system. (I thought this was a fun touch, though they removed it later into the game's lifespan.) This meant that you wouldn't be able to see a character's Astral until you'd raised them for a while.

Well, unless you watched their character trailers, which always showcased the Astral Heat at the end!

With the sole exception of Kazuma's. We never got to see Kazuma's Astral in promotional materials, while other starting characters like Trinity and Ciel had theirs shown off during early streams.

Which was incredibly suspicious.

Once you did finally unlock Kazuma's Astral Heat ingame, you'd find it very similar to Hazama's traditional Astrals- he's possessed by Terumi, and begins using his powers. Outside of that Astral, Kazuma was never shown using Ouroboros or any of Terumi's snakey magic.

We also see that familiar green haze in Kazuma's third card art- I wonder if that was also a hint. Speaking of Kazuma's character art!

Kazuma is shown in Ishana- in his final art he's in the library he loved so much. I'm not sure what the building in his initial art is. Could it be the cathedral? A normal school building? The library again? Maybe I need to read Phase Shift again and refresh my memory.

His first outfit is the same outfit he debuted in in Phase Shift 1. It's also the same outfit Rei, the player character, wears- minus the tie, which is different between the two. This may suggest the two are in different grades, but I can theorize about that another time.

Kazuma is famous for another outfit- the hooded version worn by him and Terumi during the Dark War, which you can see Terumi wearing in the background of this image. However, Kazuma never had this costume in BBDW. I wonder if it would have appeared as one of Terumi's three outfits when his Chronophantasma version was added to the game.

Kazuma's later two outfits are very similar to his Ishanan school uniform, though they become more elaborate and fancy. The outfits are completely original to BBDW. They could be reflective of Kazuma's personal taste- he's only familiar with the uniform, it's the only clothing he's ever had, and he's a pretty complacent guy, so he'd likely be drawn to clothing he's already familiar with if he had to shop.

Or, could these outfits be reflective of more Ishanan formal wear? Could they also have a role in Mage Guild culture?

I guess we'll never know!

#kazuma kval #blazblue #blazblue alternative dark war #blazblue phase shift #phase shift #bbdw #by rokushirokoushi #ao no imakagami #yuuki terumi #takehaya susanoo #bb meta

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Trinity I drew from memory the other day~

#blazblue #trinity glassfille #bb fanart #my art #the day I drew it I really hated it but now like a week or two later I feel insane #homie this is hella good we are getting PRESENTABLE what were YOU ON #six heroes #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Makoto was present from the launch of BBDW as a 3⭐ character. While Noel and Tsubaki each received three different playable units in the game, Makoto's curse from the C-Series remained. By the time the game shut down, she still hadn't received any alts, or even her own 5⭐ Grimoire. Though, to be fair, the game didn't even last a full year. I wonder if she would have finally gotten her chance to shine if it had continued...

On the other hand, Makoto was one of the lucky characters who had all of her costumes made playable before the shut down! We'll be taking a look at them now. If you're interested, you can also see them in action through the links below.

[Costume I Gameplay] | [Costume II Gameplay] | [Costume III Gameplay]

When Makoto was released with the launch of the game, the only costume available was the orange battle outfit we see her wear in C-Series; it was her base outfit, despite being listed in the files as her third art/costume.

This seems to be Makoto's standard combat outfit. In her introductory animations for the C-Series, we see her change into this outfit from her NOL uniform and from her own matching overcoat. I was surprised and a little upset we never got a playable costume for the coat itself, though ultimately I do really like the outfits we got.

Her first two costumes were later released during the pre-shut down commemorative celebrations. This art depicts her in her NOL Intelligence Department Uniform, first without the overcoat, then with it on.

The costume with the coat, found in the files under 0016001, has been seen several times before. Above you can see it in her intro animation, but we also see it in some of her story introductions, such as her appearances in Alter Memory, her meeting with Noel in the Continuum Shift light novel, and the scene were she meets up with Tager in the museum in Continuum Shift.

Speaking of the museum as a locale, it also features as the background for her card art here! Her final ascension art instead seems to depict her Astral Heat.

Her 0016000 costume, the NOL Intelligence uniform without the coat, is one we've rarely seen that I was very excited to have playable! Honestly, it was probably my favorite costume in BBDW.

It was introduced to us all the way back in 2015, in a piece Mori drew for Comiket. The outfit would later be featured in BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend, which is where most people, including myself, saw it first. To my knowledge, it hasn't made another canon appearance since then, until Dark War!

#makoto nanaya #blazblue #blazblue alternative dark war #blazblue continuum shift #bbdw #ao no imakagami #novus orbis librarium #by mino taro #by 箕星太朗 #nol intelligence

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Silver Swarovski rings from the BlazBlue 10th Anniversary Celebration

Sold for ¥13,000 or roughly $90 (USD)

Released in 2019. As of now, the rings are no longer being manufactured and are presumably unavailable anywhere online.

Swarovski crystals are made of a material known as lead glass, largely made of quartz sand. From what I can tell, all of the gems featured in these rings are made of the same primary material, colored differently. I'll be analyzing the colors of the gems below.

Disclaimer; I am NOT at ALL studied in gems or jewelry, so this is yet another lesson I'm learning because of BlazBlue. As a beginner relying on an online-search crash-course, I may mess up the information I'm trying to share. If anyone here knows more about gems and can offer their thoughts, I would love to hear them!

Ragna = Light Siam

Light Siam is often ascribed to particular rubies or garnets, describing their vibrant reds. The color is associated with passion, energy, and strength- some of Ragna's prominent character traits! They're also said to suggest a fiery personality, again fitting for our dear Bloodedge.

Some of the gemstone guides I read while researching this claimed that an integral note of the Siam color is the blue undertone of the gem. As one blog described, without the that blue, "they just aren't Siam the way Siam should be!" I don't think I'm well trained enough to see the difference, but I thought this was a really cool connection to Ragna's relationship with the Azure.

Hazama = Fern Green

The Fern Green we see in Hazama's crystal is also sometimes used to describe certain variant of Quartz. The color is considered quite classy, and is often paired in a piece with Light Siam gems. It's considered a nice transitional color between the Peridot we see assigned to Noel, and the Emerald assigned to Terumi.

Professionals also ascribe themes of renewal, calmness, and prosperity to the color. At first glance this seems a little too peaceful for who Hazama is under the surface, but I think it captures where he differs from Terumi well.

Hibiki = Purple Velvet

Unlike the previous two colors that are associated with particular gemstones, I can't find any instance of Purple Velvet being used to describe a well known gem. Instead, it's framed in opposition to the well known Amethyst, described as being notably darker, with a more blue undertone than the red you see in Amethyst.

The color is set to give a sense of elegance, sophistication, and poise to the pieces it features in. As with any purple shade, it's highly suggestive of nobility.

Some websites suggest pairing it specifically with Fern Green, an interesting note as we see Hibiki and Hazama framed against one another in Central Fiction.

Terumi = Emerald

Emerald is one of the four precious stones. Made of the mineral Beryl, the gem itself is considerably fragile and prone to breaking. Glass canon, anyone?

Though Terumi's gem here isn't a real emerald, but more crystal, like the others. Still, I find it interesting that out of all ten characters, only he and Nu make it into that exclusive precious gem category. It's also quite fitting that Terumi's gem is a fake passing itself off as something else, isn't it?

Like the gem that is its namesake, the color Emerald symbolizes power, intensity, and confidence.

Jin = Majestic Blue

Majestic Blue is a color sometimes likened to deep seas or raging rivers, but most often, it's described as capturing the night sky. The color chosen for our Duodecim heir is a popular choice for more formal or even luxury items. It's said to represent themes of strength, nobility, and dignity. Some reviewers suggest pairing it with Emerald.

As strange as it sounds to someone outside the jewelry community (me) this color, Majestic Blue, was actually a new invention by Swarovski in 2019, the year these anniversary rings were produced! It's the youngest color in the set! At the time of release, it was the most visually striking blue in Swarovski's entire lineup.

Mai = Fuchsia

Swarovski's Fuschia is a pink with blue undertones, echoing Mai's genderqueer identity- she now stands proudly as a woman, but her identity as a man is still a cherished part of her at the root of who she is today.

These gems are popular in the the fashion industry, particularly for women. The hue is considered energetic and exciting, described as bright, bold, and striking. Though Mai still has her moments of doubt, I feel these words describe her true self well. For me, they really bring her playstyle to mind too.

The color is named after the Fuschia plant and its flowers- the names seen in Mai's moveset also carry a floral theme. Suggested pairs include the Light Sapphire we'll later see in Nu's gem and the Majestic Blue featured in Jin's.

Celica = Tangerine

Tangerine was probably the most difficult color for me to research. I looked through several articles, and most people had nothing to say about the color itself. The only thing people talked about was that it was being discontinued by Swarovski. I... guess that's fitting for Ms. Chrono Phantasma?

After a lot of looking, I was finally able to find some reviewers discussing the color itself. Tangerine is a color that brings warmth to the pieces it features in, and is suggested to be paired with Jin's Majestic Blue, among other colors. It was considered a gorgeous and bright color that some reviewers said had an understated depth that paired wonderfully with other stones. It was a strong pick for spring designs.

Noel = Peridot

Peridot is another example of a crystal color named after a specific gemstone. True Peridot is made of the mineral Olivine, and is distinct as one of the few gemstones that can only be found in a single color. It is sometimes mistakenly identified as the same gemstone as Emerald, though the two are entirely distinct.

The Peridot color is widely popular in design work, featured in a number of different scenes, from the typical fashion scene to being surprisingly and distinctly popular in dance costume designs.

The color is considered strongly unique. It's said to carry themes of tranquility and balance, as well as connotations of renewal and growth.

Nu-13 = Light Sapphire

Light Sapphire takes its name from the precious gem Sapphire, made of the mineral Corundum. Though most famously blue, it naturally occurs in a variety of colors, including the yellow we may associate with Lambda and the purple we may associate with Gamma. While often used in fashion and jewelry, they also feature in a lot of electronic goods, such as infrared optical components, electronic wafers, and certain integrated circuits. They have a lot of practical uses!

Of course, Nu's gem is no sapphire- it only takes inspiration from the color. It doesn't even match the gem's natural shades. As a color, Light Sapphire is considered soft and delicate, reminiscent of Nu's true state under all the violent mania that both Noel and Ragna call attention to at various points in the series. This is an interesting contrast to its namesake gem, as Sapphire is considerably hard and durable.

The light color is suggestive of clear, breezy days and sunny skies. It is often featured in jewelry alongside Aquamarine, Es's color.

Es = Aquamarine

Like Terumi's Emerald, true Aquamarine is made up of the mineral Beryl. Interestingly, it is unique in the distinction of not only being its own gem, but also being used as a descriptor for the colors of other gems; Aquamarine Emerald, Aquamarine Sapphire, and Aquamarine Chrysolite (Peridot) are all common terms to used by gemologists to reference specific variants of their distinctive gems.

As a color, Aquamarine is suggestive of deep oceans, not unlike the Boundary. It's said to be soft and delicate, like Es's appearance, but charming with a brisk sense of clarity. Some say it has a soothing effect, calming one's mind and their emotions.

#blazblue #blazblue central fiction #bbcf #celica a mercury #hibiki kohaku #nu 13 #hazama #ragna the bloodedge #yuuki terumi #jin kisaragi #mai natsume #noel vermillion #es #bb meta #bb merch #ao no imakagami #bb official #oh this will only take a few minutes I thought #I'll just list the gems and a few of their associations #surely it'll be easy stuff like “garnet associated with health and happiness” or some bullshit #NOPE #GEMOLOGY IS A WHOLE FIELD WITH COMPLICATED TERMINOLOGY AND NOTHING IS SIMPLE #I'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR FIVE HOURS #I DON'T KNOW WHAT I THOUGHT GEMSTONES WERE BUT I SURE DIDN'T THINK CRYSTAL WAS GLASS #BUT SURPRISE EVERYTHING I KNEW WAS A LIE #I FEEL LIKE AN ANT BECOMING AWARE OF THE TRUE COMPLEXITY AND PURPOSE OF A CIRCUIT BOARD I HAD BEEN CARELESSLY WALKING UPON #now that I'm finishing the project at 4 in the morning I have to say #it was actually a really fun character exploration once I figured out how to navigate gemologist speak

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

is that gift giving or quality time?

#blazblue #blazblue calamity trigger #nu 13 #ragna the bloodedge #bb edits #prime field device #ao no imakagami #boundary interface prime field device embryo storage #a softer possibility #murakumo unit #nox nyctores

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Meifang was among the many BlazBlue spinoff characters to make their first (and, as of yet, only) playable appearance in BBDW! Meifang was a 5⭐ character added to the game during the same event that gave us Another Dark Mai- which pleased my Theory Brain greatly, as I'd been wondering if there could be any connection between the two. Others have already noted their similar aesthetics and silhouettes!

But, that's a story for another post. Let's talk about Meifang! She was among the lucky units that got to have more than one of her costumes made playable; we got her main uniform look and, later, her maxed artwork/third costume.

If you're interested in seeing the gameplay, you can find some here!

[Original Costume Gameplay] | [Final Costume Gameplay]

Her first costume is her custom version of the Wings of Justice uniform that I discussed while translating her model sheet. For the most part, this is the same design we see her with in both of her spinoff appearances...

...although some minor details have been tweaked. For example, he red part in the front of her dress has gold decal near where the belts connect (hip area) in her original design that's missing in her BBDW art.

The second change is more noticeable in her next costume. This costume is the same as her original, look minus the jacket, which we see in that model sheet I mentioned earlier.

Though in BBDW, her gloves are longer than they used to be, now reaching over her elbows. Their design has been changed just a little more, too, now ending with these reddish cross shapes on her upper arm. The original gloves, shown above, are just white and gold.

As far as I can tell, these are the only changes to her design though now I'm paranoid I could be missing some.

Her final costume is entirely BBDW original. I am a little surprised that they went with a new costume instead of giving us something based on how she looked after she had started Smelting herself at the climax of Variable Heart.

Lastly, lets discuss the background art of her card! From what I can tell, it doesn't match any locations we've seen in the BlazBlue world- it's likely just for aesthetic.

The flowers here seem to be spider lilies. In Japanese art, the red spider lily is representative of death, perhaps because its appearance is evocative of a splash of blood, or because of its poisonous nature. Today we often see this in anime to suggest someone's imminent death.

I've also seen it used to represent (or highlight the themes of) war zones and battlefields- a seemingly endless field of red spider lilies referencing the seemingly endless casualties and bloodshed. For that reason, I find it a very fitting background for Meifang's card; a perfect representation of the war that broke her, the land she herself called 'hell.'

#meifang lapis lazuli #blazblue alternative dark war #blazblue spiral shift #blazblue variable heart #blazblue #bbdw #ao no imakagami #novus orbis librarium #bb trivia #bb official #bb meta #nol squadron 0 #by sumeragi

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

According to the notes on Elise's character design sheet, the emblem on her garters is meant to be a Hydrangea! Though these flowers are often seen clustered together in a way not depicted in her accessory, you can clearly make out the four-petaled shape of the individual flowers!

These flowers are associated with Japan's rainy season in June. In the Japanese flower language, Hanakotoba, the hydrangea is associated with concepts like "strong love," "family," "sincerity," and "apologies."

Blue Hydrangeas specifically can be associated with concepts like "indifferent and cold," "ruthlessness," and "patient, loyal affection."

White Hydrangeas can be associated with "open-mindedness."

Kawarazaki Shodo (1889-1973)

Since Elise is a character created in Japan, these concepts were likely considered while choosing which flower to put on her garter!

But Ishana, where she lives, is more rooted in European culture, so let's take a look at Victorian flower language as well!

In this variant of floral symbolism, hydrangeas are instead associated with "pridefulness," "boastfulness," and "cold heartedness!" There were even some legends in the 1800s suggesting that women who grew hydrangeas in their yards would be unlucky in love- cursed to never marry, and die alone.

Wilfred Gabriel de Glehn (1870-1951)

As an added note; Kuon wears a similar garter with an emblem that looks like a lily!

#elise von klagen #xblaze #xblaze code embryo #kuon glamred stroheim #bb trivia #bb meta #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Edited some Lobby Sprites!

I figure uniforms (like these, the NOL uniforms, and the Kaka Clan hoodies) are good practice for art/editing techniques, since they're standardized. I don't have to think too hard- once I know how to make the outfit once, I can focus on learning how to recreate it and make small adjustments, instead of having to immediately rush to learning a more complex costume. Does that make sense???

Comparison with the original sprites from CF below.

Noel (also used her Lobby Sprite B that depicts her as in CT)

Mai

Tsubaki (also used her Izayoi sprite, I liked the colors more)

Makoto

Kajun

#blazblue #blazblue central fiction #blazblue remix heart #mai natsume #kajun faycott #noel vermillion #makoto nanaya #tsubaki yayoi #my edits #bb edits #torifune military academy #in hindsight I might want to edit some of the hair shines/lighting #but these are good for now #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Excerpt from THE BLUE, CT Materials Collection

"Noel Vermillion. That became her new name.

A young girl, a war orphan adopted by Edgar Vermillion and his wife Claire. That name was given to her when they welcomed her into their family.

The Vermillion family were respected nobility who, for many generations, had produced distinguished knights for the Librarium. The current head of the family Edgar, however, was born with a weak constitution, making him unable to join the military. Further, he had never had any children who could continue the family legacy. Alongside all of this, the Vermillions weren't afraid to openly criticize or even protest against the actions of the Librarium, despite being nobility themselves. Because of all of these things, the Librarium and the rest of the nobility disapproved of the Vermillion family. Over the years, their privileges as nobility had steadily diminished, and the Vermillions become outcasts.

The disgraced family carried on with their lives regardless, surviving off of the ever-dwindling family fortune their ancestors had amassed. And now they adopted Noel. In a modest cottage in a backwater area with shallow seithr levels, Noel grew up showered with love from her adoptive parents. Together, they were happy."

---

Written by Takeshi Yamanaka

Illustrated by Yuuki Kato

Original translation from Baka-Tsuki

Re-translation and localization efforts by me, as practice.

#blazblue #blazblue calamity trigger #noel vermillion #bb canon #ao no imakagami #edgar vermillion #claire vermillion

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Original post by aforlorngazeintoyesterday

#blazblue #blazblue calamity trigger #rachel alucard #bbct #vampire #bb edits #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Entropy Effect & Studio Update

As I discussed in a previous post, the studio behind the BlazBlue spinoff Entropy Effect (91Act) ran into unexpected financial problems and had to lay off the vast majority of their staff at the start of February. At the time, the company's intention was to continue providing support for Entropy Effect and to keep the company limping along until they could get their financial issues sorted. Once they were in the green again, they would rehire their workers and provide some degree of backpay.

We now have good news! 91Act was able to begin the rehiring process on February 26th. While not directly confirmed, it is likely that this became possible thanks to;

Entropy Effect's overwhelming success (selling over 350,000 copies and maintaining a 90% positive review rate on Steam)

91Act receiving permission to begin selling the game in China.

When the game passed 300,000 sales, CEO Jiang Lei made this celebratory post for the team. At the time they had laid off all artists on the staff, so the image is only writing. It seems he made it himself.

As reported by Game World Observer, "He couldn’t explain the sudden spike in interest, saying that the game itself was good enough and perhaps the whole situation resonated with the players, so they expressed their support in their own way. Some users noted that they were very touched by Lei’s live broadcasts."

The studio is likely not out of the woods yet, and they still haven't been able to rehire everyone, but things are starting to look up for the company and the game. Even during the skeleton crew period between 2/5 and 2/26, 91Act was able to publish two updates for the game. A reasonable amount over a single month period.

Though they have yet to add any more characters to the roster, they have teased that a new one is on the way. At this time, we do not know who the character will be.

#blazblue #blazblue entropy effect #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

91Act (Entropy Effect studio) Update

An updated statement made by a moderator in the official BlazBlue Entropy Effect discord has shared the following facts;

The studio is currently in the process of sorting out debts owed with the company DeNA, who failed to follow through on a payment agreement with 91Act (DeNA and this payment/the project it was for are unrelated to Entropy Effect, but this missing money has impacted the entire studio)

Entropy Effect itself had lower sales on release than anticipated, and is unable to cover for this missing money.

91Act is currently in a difficult position where they just don't have the money to keep work going and pay their employees.

For the meantime, they plan to lay off a large amount of their employees while they work on juggling the negotiations with DeNA and trying to catch up with the paychecks they owe their teams. The team members that were laid off were given a severance payment- at least some amount of this money came from "a bank loan secured by [the discord mod's] real estate."

During this time of extreme downsizing, an unknown amount of workers seem to be electing to stay behind and keep working. They plan to keep developing patches for Entropy Effect and release a mobile version of the game.

Once things have improved (whether via a breakthrough in the negotiations with DeNA or commercial success with their current games and Entropy Effect's mobile version) they plan to start rehiring the laid off workers. The goal is to have things settled by some time in spring.

They're also still aiming to make a console version of Entropy Effect, although 91Act themselves have no say on whether or not this is completed. They need the greenlight from Arc System Works, who would foot the bill for the development of the console release.

At the end of the statement, the writer expresses hope that the company will make it through this rough patch, and deep gratitude for the fans who have supported Entropy Effect. They also share their love for the BlazBlue series and how much they have enjoyed being able to work on this spinoff title.

#blazblue #blazblue entropy effect #I can't say I understand any of the nuance of the statement #the writer is ESL and I myself know precious little about this side of business #but it seems like they're in a bad situation but have a very strong #and impressively passionate #plan to come back from this AND try to keep it from impacting their playerbase #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

everything wilts

#blazblue #blazblue central fiction #nine the phantom #jubei #bbcf #a softer sea #bb edits #a softer possibility #konoe a mercury #ao no imakagami #six heroes #I'm surprised how few pictures of nine and jubei there are #like official artwork-wise #I mean I know we only really got her in the last game but IDK I guess I would've expected more extra art of the pair #also this must look absolutely insane to non bb fans

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Trinity's BBDW expressions! Here I have all of her expressions in her base state, and below you'll find them on her two costumes. For a little bit more about those costumes and her character art, you can check out my post here.

In order, the expressions are labeled "01normal, 02joy, 03mad, 04sad, 05happy, 06amaze, 07seriousA, 08seriousB" in the files.

Interestingly, her base card art in the game used her Happy sprite rather than her Normal sprite! She also has more expressions than her fellow Phase Shift case members. The average number of expressions for a character seems to be five.

See also;

[Card Art] | [Gameplay]

004200_trinity

004202_trinity

The hardest to stitch was definitely the Six Heroes Trinity. For the other two I had a particular line of pixels to line up as a guidepost (part of her hair by her hand) but it wasn't there for the last one... I had to use the lines of her hood. I hope I did a good job!

#trinity glassfille #blazblue phase shift #blazblue alternative dark war #bbdw #blazblue #bb official #bb trivia #six heroes #by wakana mitsuru #ao no imakagami

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Chibis off the cover of Remix Heart, Volume 1

For, like, icons, or puttin’ ‘em on your blog, or stuff.

I hadn’t noticed the trio were a different size than Emma’s until I started messing around with this...

#blazblue #taro sasagae #akane teruhiko #estella mckenzie #blazblue remix heart #jin kisaragi #torifune military academy #ao no imakagami #bb edits