Central Fiction Arcade Plot Discussion (spoilers)

[Fenris]

You know... I think that one of the biggest problems with Blazblue's plot, especially now, is that Mori has a problem with just letting characters go (i.e., die). As such, he interweaves weird, twisty-turny reasons for their being there into the plot, which mucks things up. Huge, unnecessary game/plot-changing elements are created out of nowhere--weird shit like "self-observation"--just because Mori wanted a reason for why characters like Terumi, Celica, Lambda are still playable. Naoto is another weird case where it would've been more simple to just have him be a character from the past--simple as that--, but Mori probably ran into some contradictions or plot holes during his hours of brainstorming, so he came up the current convoluted explanation for Naoto's inclusion instead. I'm really starting to feel as though most of the plot was written around the gameplay.

[Yoshirocks92]

13 minutes ago, Fenris said:

You know... I think that one of the biggest problems with Blazblue's plot, especially now, is that Mori has a problem with just letting characters go (i.e., die). As such, he interweaves weird, twisty-turny reasons for their being there into the plot, which mucks things up. Huge, unnecessary game/plot-changing elements are created out of nowhere--weird shit like "self-observation"--just because Mori wanted a reason for why characters like Terumi, Celica, Lambda are still playable. Naoto is another weird case where it would've been more simple to just have him be a character from the past--simple as that--, but Mori probably ran into some contradictions or plot holes during his hours of brainstorming, so he came up the current convoluted explanation for Naoto's inclusion instead. I'm really starting to feel as though most of the plot was written around the gameplay.

But I have to wonder why Noel is getting some surprise plot twists like I know Noel is the OFD and the Master Unit's Core but this is something too unreal and I'm wondering how the Console Version's Story Mode will put this all together but what I do hope is that Noel doesn't die during the story.

[Moy_X7]

" A night sky full of cries 
Hearts filled with lies 
The contract - is it worth the price? 

A soul pledged to the darkness 
Now I've lost it 
I know I can kill
The truth exists beyond the gates"

 

ABS's "HOWLING" confirmed for Act 3 opening theme :^)

Dumb shit aside, can someone explain to me just how exactly Mu managed to become her own entity? More like, how did Noel and Mu manage to "split" into 2 separate beings?

Oh and is Arakune speaking coherently now or is he still speaking blob?

One more, how exactly did Lambda manage to come back? I thought she was scrapped and used as one of Ragna's temporary arms?

 

 

 

 

[Volt]

5 minutes ago, Moy_X7 said:

" A night sky full of cries 
Hearts filled with lies 
The contract - is it worth the price? 

A soul pledged to the darkness 
Now I've lost it 
I know I can kill
The truth exists beyond the gates"

 

ABS's "HOWLING" confirmed for Act 3 opening theme :^)

Dumb shit aside, can someone explain to me just how exactly Mu managed to become her own entity? More like, how did Noel and Mu manage to "split" into 2 separate beings?

Oh and is Arakune speaking coherently now or is he still speaking blob?

One more, how exactly did Lambda manage to come back? I thought she was scrapped and used as one of Ragna's temporary arms?

 

 

 

 

Noel rejected Mu and since they were in the embryo, they split. We really don't know how.

Arakune is speaking half-blob since CP.

And Lambda... I dunno. Looks like she kinda willed herself back and got Observed by Noel. Something similar to Nu.

[NoelChan101]

I can't help but worry about Noel........

But Judgement Day stage with Amaterasu Unit with the Embryo makes me think Noel now is her OPFD body is in there and that screams a final fight with possibly Terumi. I get the feeling she will forcibly be returned in that body and see all of those cruel memories.

[Yoshirocks92]

2 minutes ago, NoelChan101 said:

I can't help but worry about Noel........

But Judgement Day stage with Amaterasu Unit with the Embryo makes me think Noel now is her OPFD body is in there and that screams a final fight with possibly Terumi. I get the feeling she will forcibly be returned in that body and see all of those cruel memories.

Well we have yet to see Noel's True Form as the OPFD and the Console Version should probably reveal it as it gets announced. 

[Moy_X7]

1 hour ago, Volt said:

And Lambda... I dunno. Looks like she kinda willed herself back and got Observed by Noel. Something similar to Nu.

Rofl, "I am become alive"

Fucking Mori always pulling all kinds of crazy shit to bring characters who need to stay down for good back. Fenris pretty much put my thoughts into words regarding this subject. 

[Volt]

1 minute ago, Moy_X7 said:

Rofl, "I am become alive"

Fucking Mori always pulling all kinds of crazy shit to bring characters who need to stay down for good back. Fenris pretty much put my thoughts into words regarding this subject. 

Well at least she wasn't Time Killed like Terumi.

[NoelChan101]

22 hours ago, MaximusMurkimus said:

 

What I'm confused about is that why Saya looks exactly like Noel if she was intended all along to be Izanami's vessel. Kazumaqa looked like Hazama/Terumi long before that was a thing, so wouldn't it just be easier to have her look like Izzy from the get-go?

.....unless that was never the case. Relius mentioned in her Act 3 that he only made modifications, which means that Saya could've been created for another purpose. Something related to the Master Unit, possibly? 

 

Maybe Saya was going to be a replacement for the Master Unit or maybe she is a Chrono Phantasma(Doubtfully) of OPFD Noel, or maybe a planned Vessel for it(Could explain her very high are magus aptitude). But I guess they needed a change of plans and used her for Izanami instead, but because of her high aptitude made it difficult for Izanami to dominate the body. So Relius "customized" her to fit better to be Izanami's vessel. Though Saya is possibly desperately trying to kick Izanami out, but all effort is in vain though it might be the fact that she mixed to much that helps a little to.

Maybe due to Izanami forcibly possessing Saya without a pact as Saya was against it and the fact that Terumi "broke" her mind allowed Izanami forcing herself in Saya's mind, due to Saya not being compliant to it in the first place.

Though I might be looking into this too much, I could be wrong.

[1337 H@x0r]

Capitalism beats logic at every turn, especially when the Japanese audience has a penchant for forgetting the plot when it comes to seeing their favourite characters.

Terumi and Lambda are just too popular to stay dead.

Talking now about Phenomenon Intervention, there seems to be a misconception regarding how it works and it can or cannot do.

Amaterasu is not Haruhi, she can't just create a new Universe with new laws to suit her whims.

What she can do is go back and forth through the time spectrum and change the outcomes of several actions to create a new timeline.

While she can change any outcome at any point in history since her creation, she cannot predict the outcomes that new timeline will produce because possibilities are excluded from the chain of time.

Every time Amaterasu changes an outcome she must wait and see if that outcome plays out the way she intended.

This is why she coudn't just save Mu-12 from the start or why it took Noel breaking the loop for Amaterasu to transform her into the eye, Amaterasu is an addict to RNG with every possibility she observes creating even more possibilities in an infinite continuum shift.

[Volt]

6 minutes ago, 1337 H@x0r said:

Capitalism beats logic at every turn, especially when the Japanese audience has a penchant for forgetting the plot when it comes to seeing their favourite characters.

Terumi and Lambda are just too popular to stay dead.

Talking now about Phenomenon Intervention, there seems to be a misconception regarding how it works and it can or cannot do.

Amaterasu is not Haruhi, she can't just create a new Universe with new laws to suit her whims.

What she can do is go back and forth through the time spectrum and change the outcomes of several actions to create a new timeline.

While she can change any outcome at any point in history since her creation, she cannot predict the outcomes that new timeline will produce because possibilities are excluded from the chain of time.

Every time Amaterasu changes an outcome she must wait and see if that outcome plays out the way she intended.

This is why she coudn't just save Mu-12 from the start or why it took Noel breaking the loop for Amaterasu to transform her into the eye, Amaterasu is an addict to RNG with every possibility she observes creating even more possibilities in an infinite continuum shift.

That actually confirms what I said. Due to the loopy nature of CT, Amaterasu knew the beginning of the loop and that everything somehow converged into Nu wrecking Ragna and falling into the cauldron.

If Amaterasu prevented Mu from dying and hijacked her, she had to wait a bunch of years to see if Noel could help breaking the loop. She did and awakened as Successor to the Azure.

What misconception are you talking about?

[Ogiga99]

34 minutes ago, Volt said:

That actually confirms what I said. Due to the loopy nature of CT, Amaterasu knew the beginning of the loop and that everything somehow converged into Nu wrecking Ragna and falling into the cauldron.

If Amaterasu prevented Mu from dying and hijacked her, she had to wait a bunch of years to see if Noel could help breaking the loop. She did and awakened as Successor to the Azure.

What misconception are you talking about?

Everything we've seen says that Amaterasu was pretty hands off in CT except for resetting the time loop (yes it was Amaterasu that performed the Intervention, Takamagahara is considered the cause as well because it made Take-Mikazuchi nuke Kagutsuchi which forced Amaterasu to reload her save). It's not as simple as her knowing to save Mu because there are way too many possibilities. For starters the events don't converge on Ragna and Nu falling into the Cauldron because that does not happen in every single timeline. In many character's stories and Arcade modes they reach Nu as opposed to Ragna and in one of his endings he flat out walks away. The only constant is Take-Mikazuchi destroying Kagutsuchi. It seems hard to believe that she would randomly pick Mu as if she could magically know that Noel would make the difference. Noel receiving the Eye of the Azure after saving Ragna makes it clear that Noel was chosen because of her actions in breaking the time loop, not the other way around with her being chosen to break the time loop. Either way Amaterasu couldn't have predicted the other person who broke the time loop, Rachel. Because Noel saved Ragna Rachel chose to step onto the stage and block Take-Mikazuchi's laser with Tsukuyomi. Even if Amaterasu tried to change every single possibility individually to create an outcome (which there is no proof of since it seems to run its own course) there is no possibility where Takamagahara decides not to use Take-Mikazuchi, making that essentially fact until something came along that changed the outcome of the event. Basically Noel's role in the breaking was essential but indirect. You're looking at this situation with the benefit of hindsight. Over the infinite possibilities of events 100 years in the making and at the very least 725 repetitions Amaterasu would have to be impossibly lucky to chose the action that leads to the end.

[MaximusMurkimus]

So if Noel is really Amaterasu's Nobody, who exactly is in the Master Unit right now, triggering Phenomena Interventions like it's going out of style?

Also, Izanami being able to trigger Phenomena Interventions should've been a early sign to her origins, just realized. Maybe she picked up the death god persona from her counterpart in a certain game?

[Zedar90]

8 hours ago, GunBlazer said:

@Zedar90 Anything on Rachel?

Rachel
3 Hakumen
6 Ragna
7 Noel
8 Terumi

Hakumen asks Rachel why is she blocking him, and Rachel says that she is stoppning him, since she won't allow him to kill Noel.
Hakumen says that he can't understand Rachel, since there is no reason to keep Noel alive.

After the battle, Hakumen says that Rachel is in a very bad shape, and asks her if she really wants to entrust everything to that girl.
Rachel says that it's only that it's absurd for outsiders to influence this world's fate.
And then asks Hakumen to give the others a little time.
Hakumen tells Rachel to do as she wishes, and Rachel thanks Hakumen.

Rachel says to Ragna that it seems like he has regained his memories, and complains that it took a while for him to do that.
Ragna says that Rachel is like she is usually, and Rachel then says she wants to confirm if Ragna have really remembered everything.
After the battle, Ragna stops Rachel from continuing to fight, saying that he doesn't know what she wants to do, but she shouldn't be pushing herself.
Rachel says that this is probably enough for her to see Ragna's power and will. She also tells Ragna not to get close to a guy called Kurogane Naoto.
Ragna has an idea of who Naoto is, and asks Rachel who that person really is.
Rachel gives out a sigh over that they have already met, and tells Ragna again not to get close to him.
Ragna tells Rachel to leave the rest to him, and for Rachel to go back to her castle.
Rachel asks Ragna if he is worried about her, and tells her to not lookdown on her since she is Rachel Alucard.

Rachel asks Noel if she have found what she “had lost”.
Noel asks Rachel why she know about that.
Rachel says the Noel have put a lock on her memories, that she can somewhat understand the reason why she cut off her.
That if Rachel's prediction is correct, that might have been the only way at that time.
Rachel says that the current Noel has power, and the strength to control it.
That it was no doubt that it was her will to accept “her” at that time. And tells Noel not to also forget that strength.
Noel says that that Rachel knows what she has lost, and Rachel says that she at least knows more then the current Noel.
Noel asks Rachel to tell her. Noel says that she must find it, that she doesn't really know what she has lost. That Noel have something she must do, and that she doesn't want to run away from that.
Rachel says that even tough the memories are in fragments, Noel's soul is growing. Rachel agrees to help Noel.
After the battle, Noel now knows about god slaying power that she had in the past.
Rachel says that having no power means that one can't change anything.
Noel says that she want to chose her road for proper with her own power.
Rachel tells Noel to think over it again. Why did she chose to “not being able to do anything”
And when she understands the meaning of that choice, let her in.

Rachel says to Terumi that she has been looking for him.
Terumi taunts Rachel and asks her if she has suicidal thoughts.
Terumi asks Rachel if she appears to be and S but is actually an M, and says that there is no way Rachel would win over him.
Rachel says that Terumi has a foul mouth as always, and that she will shut that mouth for eternity.
Terumi once again says that Rachel can't win over him, and asks her what is she after.
Rachel says she said it, to erase him for eternity.

After the battle, Terumi says that Rachel really came without a plan, and calls her stupid. And asks her if she really thought she would win.
And then asks her what is she really after.
Rachel says that now is really a important moment. And that she can't allow Terumi to interrupt that.
Terumi says he doesn't know for whose sake, but self sacrifice is really stupid thing.
And Terumi says that he will send that person to soon, so Rachel shouldn't be worried.
Jubei appears and stops Terumi, and Jubei tells Rachel that this is enough, that they are pulling back.
Jubei also says that Trinity is on the move. And that the will go and pick up “that”.

[oh no, he said]

1 hour ago, Zedar90 said:

And that the will go and pick up “that”.

Jubei appears firs the first time ever in BBCF and he fucking pulls this shit. I'm almost entirely certain Jubei purely exists as Mori's meta avatar trolling conduit.

[Yoshirocks92]

@Zedar90 Do you have anything on Hibiki's Act III Arcade and Mu-12's illustrations from Act III? 

[Zedar90]

19 minutes ago, Yoshirocks92 said:

@Zedar90 Do you have anything on Hibiki's Act III Arcade and Mu-12's illustrations from Act III? 

Sadly, I don't have any Illustration of Mu's act 3.

Hibiki
3 Tsubaki
6 Kokonoe
7 Noel
8 Hazama

Hibiki asks Tsubaki if she knows where Noel is, but Tsubaki doesn't answer.
Tsubaki tries to cover for Noel, but Hibiki says he can't trust Tsubaki since she is Noel's friend.
After the battle, Hibiki notices that Tsubaki doesn't know where Noel is so he leaves since he as no intention of having Tsubaki buying some time. As he leaves, Tsubaki asks if Kagura knows about this, and Hibiki says Tsubaki has nothing to do with this.

Kokonoe tries to stop Hibiki form searching for Noel. She says that even if he gets rid of Noel, his wish won't be granted since Noel is observing this world. And then asks if Hibiki understands what this means, and Hibiki answers that if the observer is lost the world will be erased.
And Kokonoe says that Hibiki can't kill Noel in the first place.
Hibiki says that then he will get the azure and become an observer himself, and Kokonoe starts to questions Hibiki's sanity.

Hibiki finds Noel and tries to get rid of her. However, he can't cut her, it only goes through her. Even though he understands this is what Kokonoe meant with him not being able to kill her, he decides to continue to cut her until she dies(if I can't kill her, I'll continue until she dies).

Hazama comes and starts to blame Hibiki for ignoring Kagura's will, and Hibki says it is all for Kagura sake. When Hazama says that Hibiki wants to kill Kagura, and Hibiki get's angry and thus fights Hazama.
After the fight, Hazama says that Hibiki is not someone that should work under someone, and he gives a hint to Hibiki that he can kill Noel with the Kushinada's Lynchpin.
And he says that if Hibiki can obtain the azure, he can grant his own desire, for example, murder Kagura.

[Yoshirocks92]

5 minutes ago, Zedar90 said:

Sadly, I don't have any Illustration of Mu's act 3.

Hibiki
3 Tsubaki
6 Kokonoe
7 Noel
8 Hazama

Hibiki asks Tsubaki if she knows where Noel is, but Tsubaki doesn't answer.
Tsubaki tries to cover for Noel, but Hibiki says he can't trust Tsubaki since she is Noel's friend.
After the battle, Hibiki notices that Tsubaki doesn't know where Noel is so he leaves since he as no intention of having Tsubaki buying some time. As he leaves, Tsubaki asks if Kagura knows about this, and Hibiki says Tsubaki has nothing to do with this.

Kokonoe tries to stop Hibiki form searching for Noel. She says that even if he gets rid of Noel, his wish won't be granted since Noel is observing this world. And then asks if Hibiki understands what this means, and Hibiki answers that if the observer is lost the world will be erased.
And Kokonoe says that Hibiki can't kill Noel in the first place.
Hibiki says that then he will get the azure and become an observer himself, and Kokonoe starts to questions Hibiki's sanity.

Hibiki finds Noel and tries to get rid of her. However, he can't cut her, it only goes through her. Even though he understands this is what Kokonoe meant with him not being able to kill her, he decides to continue to cut her until she dies(if I can't kill her, I'll continue until she dies).

Hazama comes and starts to blame Hibiki for ignoring Kagura's will, and Hibki says it is all for Kagura sake. When Hazama says that Hibiki wants to kill Kagura, and Hibiki get's angry and thus fights Hazama.
After the fight, Hazama says that Hibiki is not someone that should work under someone, and he gives a hint to Hibiki that he can kill Noel with the Kushinada's Lynchpin.
And he says that if Hibiki can obtain the azure, he can grant his own desire, for example, murder Kagura.

It's cool and jeez Hibiki's got some issues.

[MaximusMurkimus]

Even though he understands this is what Kokonoe meant with him not being able to kill her, he decides to continue to cut her until she dies(if I can't kill her, I'll continue until she dies).

jfc Hibki, this series has enough psychos as it is.

[Yoshirocks92]

14 minutes ago, MaximusMurkimus said:

Even though he understands this is what Kokonoe meant with him not being able to kill her, he decides to continue to cut her until she dies(if I can't kill her, I'll continue until she dies).

jfc Hibki, this series has enough psychos as it is.

I know right, we do not need a male version of Nu-13 in the series.

[Luminos564]

Somehow the image of Hibiki slashing and failing to cut a confused Noel makes me laugh like a loon. It's like something out of Monty Python except I doubt Noel would ever utter "'Tis only a flesh wound".

Rachel on the other hand, sounds much more "caring" this time around. Go figure. I'd have thought she'd snide at others until her dying breath. But sounds like her power-loss really did a number and she's much more kind to both Ragna and Noel.

[Volt]

7 hours ago, Zedar90 said:

And that the will go and pick up “that”.

"That" could be his brother's sword since it can cut Terumi, even though Musashi should too. Heck at this point it could be anything, what if it's just some platform shoes so he can be playable?

[MeteorD]

10 hours ago, Zedar90 said:

Terumi asks Rachel if she appears to be and S but is actually an M

Nice VA reference.

[TD]

4 hours ago, Volt said:

"That" could be his brother's sword since it can cut Terumi, even though Musashi should too. Heck at this point it could be anything, what if it's just some platform shoes so he can be playable?

I'm sure Rachel has a spare pair in her closet 

[Ogiga99]

12 hours ago, MaximusMurkimus said:

So if Noel is really Amaterasu's Nobody, who exactly is in the Master Unit right now, triggering Phenomena Interventions like it's going out of style?

The Master Unit is currently empty. There are no Phenomenon Interventions happening in Central Fiction, only the Absolute Entitled Noel vetoing the other Entitled desired worlds, which seems to be something different. The only thing the Master Unit itself has done is restore everyone's memories when it appears, which is a passive effect it could easily be doing automatically or is just a side effect of it's appearance.

11 hours ago, Luminos564 said:

Somehow the image of Hibiki slashing and failing to cut a confused Noel makes me laugh like a loon. It's like something out of Monty Python except I doubt Noel would ever utter "'Tis only a flesh wound".

Rachel on the other hand, sounds much more "caring" this time around. Go figure. I'd have thought she'd snide at others until her dying breath. But sounds like her power-loss really did a number and she's much more kind to both Ragna and Noel.

I can see that too lol. Although we have already gotten the line "it's only a flesh wound" in this series. Mei says it while fighting Freaks in XBlaze Lost: Memories.

Rachel has always been a tsundere of the highest caliber and a giant softy underneath. She's shown this side of her several times before now, such as her CT story ending where she gently holds Ragna's cheek and makes him promise to never give up (a.k.a. the really shippy one) as well as when she saved Ragna's life in the original timeline by sucking his blood (while blushing no less) despite how much she hates doing so. She also has always been gentle and respectful of Valkenhayn and Noel as of Chrono Phantasma (flat out referring to her as one of her "peers"). However, it's only now that it has come to the forefront, probably because she is choosing to take action and therefore is not trying to emotionally distance herself from everything and everyone. Complete tangent but am I the only one who finds it really adorable that Ragna is showing that he cares about Rachel by worrying about her condition and telling her to stop taking actions that are killing her? Looks like Rachel isn't the only one who has started to open up to others.

4 hours ago, Volt said:

"That" could be his brother's sword since it can cut Terumi, even though Musashi should too. Heck at this point it could be anything, what if it's just some platform shoes so he can be playable?

I still believe they could just put him in his armor from the Dark War and he'd be set.

 

On a different note, have we seen the image of Nine with all the Nox Nyctores from the trailer yet? If it's from her Arcade ending then it must be an image about a hypothetical situation or is meant to be about her creating the Nox as opposed to her having collected them all because that doesn't happen in the summary. Also does the conversation between Rachel and Izanami not happen in Act 3? They don't fight each other in either of their Arcades so was that dialogue just for the trailer or is it foreshadowing for the console version?