#O.P.U.S.

[gear-project]

How did the Conclave know of Dr Paradigm's name and vice versa?

The story itself doesn't give a full clear explanation.

Based on what we understand, however, the P.W.A.B. were researching Gears and they probably came across Gear data that was relevant to their needs when researching Gear Sentience.

Dr. Paradigm is one of the few Gears to "wake up" from the Catatonic state that most Gears fell under when Justice died (i.e. most normal Gears from the series Justice was created from ceased to function).

It could just be a fluke, or perhaps a surge in his evolutionary capacity, I'm sure not even Asuka R. Kreutz knows the full reason Paradigm gained a mind of his own.

But, similarly to Gears, Demihumans have also "awakened" from a non-sentient state to begin developing identities of their own... in other words the shift to sentience is similar in their case as it would be for Gears (though the conditions for triggering it probably aren't as clear).

It is probably because of Dr. Paradigm and Testament that the Conclave opted to create the O.P.U.S. though it was ultimately Ariels who finalized their development.

Unlike other Gears who "can" gain sentience, OPUS Gears have that potential taken out of them, and they can only obey any orders given to them absolutely.

Tragic, but that is how they were created, and thus their unfortunate fate.

High King Ky Kiske and U.S. President Vernon Groubitz are secretly trying to find a way to safely dispose of the OPUS, since they were distributed globally as a hidden "weapon" meant to obey Ariels' beck and call and dominate humanity (despite being branded early on as a Valentine deterrent).

As for Dr. Paradigm himself... I'm sure he has been keeping an eye on the Postwar Administration Bureau for a while, so it's only natural that he'd be observing the Conclave's movements up till now... though it was Ky's assistance that he was able to find sanctuary in Illyria.

Of course, it wasn't the P.W.A.B. who created Paradigm, though they were responsible for converting Testament (and other former humans) in to Gears, though the full history on that has yet to be revealed.

[looowkeeey]

[hell-comes-to-gotham]

Ava Orlova/Red Widow Reading List

Red Widow: First Strike (Marvel Tales: Black Widow or Mockingbird: S.H.I.E.L.D. 50th Anniversary #1)

Black Widow: Forever Red (novel)

Red Widow: The Last O.P.U.S. (Ms. Marvel Volume 6: Civil War II or Ms. Marvel Vol 4 #12)

Black Widow: Red Vengeance (novel)

[rvb-junior]

"Is he like a.... Son? What? God no, thats weird and frankly, I'm uncomftorable. He's my friend! The friend that texts you at bad times and leaches your Netflix account." -Simon Tatiana, leader of Team O.P.U.S

[gear-project]

So who is the new character in the story opening?

If I had a WORLD DOLLAR for every time someone asked me that!

Since this is the game's OPENING, it's not considered spoilers to discuss/speculate, so with that out of the way... let's take a dive on who this new guy is!

Right off the bat, he seems to have a Black Halo, which suggests he's either connected with the Valentines, with the Backyard, or with Anti-Matter Gears (possibly something to do with Heaven's Edge, even). Black Halos usually suggest a fallen Angel.

This guy was seen stroking Nagoriyuki's sword, which might be something he "gifted" Nagoriyuki (or he is perhaps working with him on a mission of some kind). He also has horns (which suggests a Demon or Youkai origin as well, Makai World?) He's got a gun, so it's pretty obvious he's a Mercenary of some kind and KNOWS how to fight. He's got a sense of style too, apparently.

The next two shots delve a bit in to his origins... all the scars on his body suggests he's been a guinea pig experiment for a while... former P.W.A.B. Experiment? Even the silhouettes are of Scientists who appear to have been working on him.

This, again, supports my hunch that he (and Nagoriyuki) have a past that is connected with either the P.W.A.B. or the Conclave in some capacity (like Bedman as well).

Next couple shots show him holding a vial of some sort, meaning he's got his hands on something malicious related to Gear technology! And he probably up to NO GOOD with it!

I daresay he might even be connected with Crow Kuruwaba at some point... but that's jumping the gun a bit.

Next we see a shot of these "Love You" fellas... they're probably former human experiments turned in to something like the O.P.U.S. Gears, including the Phalanx Nine supersoldiers.

I'm guessing the vial has something to do with these things, so most likely Mr. Black Halo might be controlling a private army of them from a distance, and he's probably "using" Nagoriyuki for his own nefarious plot.

Short of his "actual name", this is all the information I can give you guys thus far! Hope it helps!

For now, I'll just call him Mr. Black Halo, since we don't got anything else to go on, but I will add a fresh tag once we get more on this villain!

[gear-project]

Having that Testament was controlled by Justice and how it felt after recovering his original self. Do you think that Testament was a wasted potential for note being part of Xrd? Knowing that they didn't know that the Conclave helped with the tournament and Justice was about to be merged by Chronus and then Elphelt it would bringe more development for Testament. Plus, It would have been funny if Testament's reaction about Sol being Dizzy's father. More info about their relation with Ky and Sin.

I assume that's a typo and you were asking if it's a wasted potential of Testament "not being in Xrd"?

While it is VERY TRUE that the Conclave WERE the ones behind the Postwar Administration Bureau and they WERE the ones that turned Testament in to a Gear… there were quite a few other things going on at that time (cited in GG2 Overture) that impacted the situation.

The first aspect relates to Dizzy and Ky Kiske: Dizzy was forced to go in to hiding at that time BECAUSE the Conclave were active, which also meant that if Ky made any rash moves they could have used their connections to locate and harm Dizzy (or even use her as a hostage to control Ky).

That's also a key reason why Testament couldn't actively act against them, either… they had far too much authority and were also fully capable of manipulating Testament like they originally HAD in the original 2180 Tournament.

It wouldn't be too difficult to assume that Johnny had been keeping tabs on the Conclave's movements as well… and he related all he knew back to Testament as well.

And it was shown in Accent Core's events that Johnny and Ky were working together to bring DOWN the P.W.A.B. and capture Crow Kuruwaba, so it stands to reason that anything Johnny knew… Testament did too.

The second key reason is related to Justice: the Conclave had FULL CONTROL over the Cradle, and they even had the ability to control an army of O.P.U.S. Gears using Justice' power to Control Gears as a Command Type Gear.

Considering the fact Testament could barely resist Justice' influence the first time around, it's very hard to say for certain if the Conclave couldn't simply activate the Cradle and manipulate any and all Gears that tried to resist them on all fronts.

We know that Dizzy and Sol were able to resist the manipulation of the Justice Copy that Crow created, but even in the case of the First Valentine, not only was Sin manipulated, but nearly all of Izuna's Tribe and Dr. Paradigm's Tribe of Gears were completely controlled.

And that alone was from the powers of a Valentine. Imagine how powerful the genuine article (Justice) would be if her powers were fully unleashed on every Gear in the world?

Sol sensed the same type of Headache-inducing "noise" in Ramlethal, though we don't know if Ramlethal and Elphelt both had the same powers to control Gears as the original Valentine could. It's also very likely that Jack-O' had similar powers too.

Anyway, it was a combination of the Standoff situation between Ky and the Conclave and the threat potential of the Valentines is part of the main reasons Testament couldn't get very involved in the situation.

Testament likely didn't want to put Dizzy (or her son, Sin) at risk if it could be helped… and that was BEFORE Happy Chaos became a threat!

As for getting revenge on P.W.A.B… I'm sure Testament considered it, but with the Assassins involved it probably got a lot more complicated.

I can't say for sure what Testament will do from here on in, but it's probably with the family's interests in mind.

Side Note: Testament considers individuals like Eddie and Bedman (and his sister Delilah) to be fellow victims of the War, so it’s possible they might visit one another at some point.

[cherry-vennom]

C.  Cheatcode - Black Tiger Sex Machine

H.  HER - Phazz

E. Eden - Juelz

R.  Reaper - Monty & Visages Remix

R. Realm - Hucci

Y. you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish

V. Voice - Kai Wachi

E. ELECTRIC SHOCK - ALLEYCVT

N. NDA - Billie Eilish

N. Night Watch - Łaszewo

O. O.P.U.S - Subtronics

M. Medusa - GRiZ Remix

List songs that start with letters of your URL. Any mutuals that wanna do this!!! do this and tag me :) 

Via @cherryclit 💖

[gear-project]

Annon-Guy: Was there a reason Ky and Leo didn't want the Assassins Guild being merged with their forces (apart from their criminal record for obvious reasons)?

That reason would be the aforementioned Crow Kuruwaba and his P.W.A.B. Mad Science Laboratory.

Having to be in bed with Assassins was enough of a headache, but Gear experiments? Even something like the Cyprus Project was a little bit much in terms of overkill on ideas.

Add to this, and they are responsible for the O.P.U.S.... which are basically "lobotomized" Gears with no free will. As if Gears hadn't suffered enough during the Crusades.

[gear-project]

So does Ramlethal have the entire Phalanx Nine unit under her command and is it possible for them to gain sentience at all, assuming the Second Guard is an original character and a Gear? Also, their armor is wearable now?

First, you have to understand that the Phalanx Nine are based off of the original Pontifical Swiss Guard.

Originally, the Swiss Guard had to be Catholic, Single Males of Swiss Citizenship who completed Basic Training with the Swiss Armed Forces and obtained certificates of Good Conduct, along with a reasonable education.

Most who accepted to serve do so for a minimum of two years, and at maximum four years, most primarily as bodyguards of the Pope.

They were most commonly known to wield a halberd spear or partisan polearm, depending on their rank, though in modern times they use pepper spray, small pistols, rifles, and a submachine gun, if circumstances require.

This was all before the Catholic Church was disassembled due to the chaos that was the Dawn of Revival of 1999.

Compared to them, the Phalanx Nine are an even smaller squad of "Swiss" (implied) elite soldiers (though we do not know their total size, even if the name implies there are "nine" of them) that serve the Pope Maximus or whomever the Sanctus Populi assign them to for various tasks.

So far, we've only seen them wield what appears to be a magic sword, but given that Sin summoned his other weapon upon shedding the armor, they probably have other weapons as needed.

Based on implications, the Phalanx might also be GEARS, or at least derived from O.P.U.S. Gear technology, since they were easily manipulated by Former-Pope Ariels to fight against any and all her enemies (though it is possible that Happy Chaos had a hand in their manipulation, even as humans).

Of course, that was before Sol defeated Ariels, so since then, most likely Ky put together a completely new group of Phalanx, who are likely former members of the Illyrian Military, if not trusted men selected from Ky, Leo, or Daryl's men.

Since Sin was selected as a member, he probably had to earn his stripes a bit before being accepted. Ky probably assigned him the role so that he would obtain more worldly experience, not simply acting as a bounty hunter like he did with Sol.

It is also likely that the two Phalanx are meant to assist Ramlethal's Rapid Deployment Brigade in terms of rank and authority, so she doesn't always have to "pull rank" in emergencies. This is because the Sanctus Populi is an International Organization.

While Ramlethal has command of the two Phalanx, I don't think they are all Phalanx members, for varying reasons, nor do I think Ramlethal has as much authority over them (depending on how far away she travels from Illyria, depending on her missions).

In all probability Ramlethal still answers to the High King, First and Second Kings of Illyria, as well as the newly-established Conclave, and acts as their representative.

The public still classifies Ramlethal as a GEAR, even though she's closer to a Human (a Valentine)... at least that seems to be the case for the time being (though this was before Gears could obtain citizenship...).

This is all the limited info we have so far.

[gear-project]

I'm a little confused on something, didn't Ariels create weapons for the Valentines like Ramlethal's? She did create and design them for specific tasks and missions in dealing with Sol Badguy unless Ariels is hiding something about the creation of Valentines.

Ariels was responsible for a few things, like Elphelt's and Ramlethal's basic clothing or Valentine's physical appearance resembling Aria Hale, but the weapons themselves have a different story.

With Elphelt's Valis Cyprus Tech guns, that was all connected with the Cyprus Project, which apparently is something Ky Kiske knows about in relation to Illyrian technology developed by the former members of the Conclave. Pope Ariels might have funded it, but the actual details on what was made are still rather vague (though it's indicated that King Daryl is also aware of certain things being worked on… like the Airship Fleet he eventually commandeered).

Even if Ramlethal's weapons had some connection with the Cyprus Project as well… there's no evidence to indicate it right now.

Furthermore, the Cyprus Project itself was described as "weapons developed as Anti-Backyard technology", meaning the weapons themselves were meant to be an Anti-Valentine deterrent along with the O.P.U.S. Gears.

Though you could argue that Ariels was "telling a lie" when developing those weapons and Gears… the premise, and the people working on the project would probably not have been aware that they made a weapon FOR a Valentine in the first place.

It's just like the idea of a GEAR wielding an OutRage weapon… Gears are scary enough… OutRage are even scarier… but for one to wield the other is unheard of (unless of course it's Sol Badguy who built it in the first place).

Obviously, Ariels was very deeply involved with the creation of the Valentines, however she wasn't the only one who created Valentines, much less weapons connected with them.

Asuka created Jack-O'… and he created Justice along with the OutRage Armor that Justice used during the Crusades and after.

Since Valentines are very closely connected with Gears… it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the OutRage technology, or even Cyprus/Oratorio technology (or, if you want to completely blanket it, call it Illyrian Technology) were built based on the knowledge acquired to create Gears in the first place.

But, well, time marches on… it's obvious that Ramlethal's RATTLE Swords have been upgraded since Revelator's events, so either Ramlethal herself made the upgrade, or someone was helping her (possibly even Sol, who knows?)

There is a Gear by the name of Gunsmith Dog (no relation to the Junkyard Dog weapon) who runs a group called "Bullet Heaven" and is apparently responsible for Sol's weapon modifications to some extent.

Anyway, even if Ariels was involved with some things… we don't know the full details.

[gear-project]

What do you suppose is the status of Crow and Professor Paracelsus? It's unlikely that Crow will be able to pursue his objectives to create his own Justice without the backing of the P.W.A.B and the Conclave, and I doubt that he would willfully work with the new administration since it doesn't coincide with his goals. Meanwhile, Paracelsus was practically kidnapped by the government. Do you think he'll be released and return to Frasco?

Frasco (or Flask if you prefer) was Paracelsus' original Mansion to begin with... so he had already made a name for himself long before the Government took an interest in him.

According to Rev2 information, there was a SECOND Frasco Laboratory built to replace the original, though it seems as though this was built under the Conclave's supervision with regards to the Cyprus Project and O.P.U.S. Gears.

Leon Mining, Crow Kuruwaba, Paracelsus... and a man named Director Repro Crowley... these four were the ones responsible for the O.P.U.S. Gears, Cyprus Blacktech, and the Robo-Ky Series, not to mention past history with experimental Forbidden Magic linked with the Assassins Organization.

Even if the Illyrian Government absorbed most members of the former Assassins in to their numbers, it's not clear how they would treat the Scientists and Researchers who had conducted inhumane experiments over the years. Even Bedman was a partial result of their meddling so it seems.

While Crow did try to mass produce Justice, and even tried to recapture Dizzy to clone her, I doubt High King Ky would permit any further involvement with a man like Crow (even if, perhaps, Happy Chaos might've been involved). Leon Mining himself is also responsible for trying to clone Zato and Millia's powers as well, against their will.

There's also evidence that suggests Testament's origins lie with these researchers as well... though we don't know the full story on that quite yet.

I do not know if Paracelsus himself is entirely innocent of these affairs, but if he created A.B.A. and experimented on Flament Nagel, then he is capable of a whole lot more, even if he was taken by the Government against his will.

If there is anyone who can uncover the truth of their current situation... perhaps it is A.B.A. herself! Her creator was very important to her, long before she met Flament Nagel her current partner. I would think that finding his whereabouts would be very important to A.B.A!

[gear-project]

Yop

Almost at the end of Rev2, when Ky was about to die with Sol, Daryl said that mankind needed Ky since they need to regain their HOPE after Ariels almost crushed all hopes back then.

Now in the Another Story... the story starts speaking about the heroic acts of Ky and ends speaking about Ky too...

Thing is..

-How and when Baiken learned about Sin? Does she know who is Sin's mom?

-Ky abdicating the Irillya Throne as First King, what are the implications of that?

Baiken's had a connection with Dr. Faust, May, and also Ky himself in the past (GGXtra events).

Baiken also once fought Dizzy and broke her sword, much to her consternation! (GGXPlus events)

Once the incident in Miyabi died down, Answer, Kum Haehyun, and Faust probably explained everything about the Japanese and Gears to everyone involved, Baiken and May included.

Anji also keeps tabs on quite a few people when he was looking for "That Man" on Baiken's behalf.

Dr. Faust in particular was responsible for helping Dizzy brood her "egg" (which was Sin)… so it wouldn't be outside of the cards for them to have had any discussions on Sin's past.

Sin is also a member of Phalanx Nine now, so he probably met Baiken directly and exchanged pleasantries previously over these past 3 weeks.

As for Ky's Abdication: I do not know if the People of Illyria will accept it. Since Ky is very popular (and Dizzy's popularity as Ky's Wife is also gaining traction).

There's also Leo Whitefang's and King Daryl's positions to consider as well.

Since this leads to Gears gaining citizenship in Illyria, Sin is going to be very busy for starters... but also it means people get to decide who sits on the throne... and they very likely still want Ky to be there for them.

There are still nations out there that use Gears in inhumane capacity, like Australia... but things are moving forward, and people are more accepting of Gears (and Valentines, and O.P.U.S.).

It's all very convoluted, but hopefully we'll learn more of Illyria's History very soon!

[gear-project]

Who exactly would even go after Delilah for Baiken (and possibly Ramlethal) to protect her? Hardly anybody in Guilty Gear knew of Bedman's existence, so I don't know who would take interest in Delilah for malicious purposes, unless Crow is back or Happy Chaos.

Happy Chaos is definitely a big possibility, especially given how powerful he is.

But also anyone who was involved with the Conclave outside of Chronus, Axus, Libraria, and Bardius (including former P.W.A.B. members, like Crow, Leon Mining, etc).

As said before though, Delilah is a key witness to events related to former Pope Ariels and her actions within the Sanctus Populi organization.

Ariels created a massive buildup of military weapons that was recovered by King Daryl, but she was also responsible for creating the O.P.U.S. Gears (which the Phalanx Nine have a connection to).

There's probably other things, like the Cyprus Project, and the Frasco/Flask Second Laboratory as well.

Suffice to say that there are still some countries out there (such as Australia) that conduct illegal Gear Cell research to this very day... and they have yet to be sanctioned for their actions.

[gear-project]

In the story trailer we can also see a Phalax Unit with them. Was that touched upon in Xrd? Becuase I thougth they all shut down when the Juggallo Pope was defeated.

Pretty sure Ariels was never a member of the Insane Clown Posse, but... oh well.

The Phalanx Nine were under Ariels' control almost exclusively for a time, but since she was defeated, Ky and the remaining surviving members of the Sanctus Populi had to restructure authority and chain of command.

Most likely the Phalanx Nine were tasked with more specific guard operations (and because they might no longer be human, like the O.P.U.S. Gears...) they were probably assigned to assist Ramlethal with her role as leader of the Illyrian Special Brigade.

[gear-project]

Silly question but did any of the Opus survive? They kinda have a cool design and I'd like to see one of their numbers as a character. Maybe use it to expand on the Ganymede Archipelago and how the Gear Society formed by Paradigm functions since given their bodies and magic they certainly are a post-scarcity society?

Your first mistake was assuming that the O.P.U.S. were wiped out.

While Ky Kiske and Potemkin did say it might be in the world's best interest to remove the Opus Gears from the world as a threat... they haven't made any immediate decisions on that topic yet... which will probably be a big discussion at the next G4 International Summit.

The issue is that every nation in the world currently owns their own private Opus army... and what they do with that army of Gears flies in the face of past historical mistakes which were triggered back during the Crusades.

Basically it's like sitting on a pile of dynamite with a zippo lighter and a can of gasoline in your hands.

Even worse is the fact that only Illyria,  America, and Zepp know the truth of this issue, and it doesn't account for other Gears being illegally distributed/manufactured.

Still... unlike normal Gears, OPUS Gears were built with no capacity to disobey or evolve past the commands they are given, so in that sense they were less "human" than even normal Gears are capable of.

Even if said OPUS Gears are given a "place to function" in society... they will never be fully capable of acting outside their parameters.  Meaning they probably won't ever be given human rights or the ability to make choices.

Unless some means were possible to completely reconstruct them.

For now... it's a highly controversial international topic.