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Two recent hour-long Skype sessions have revealed a veritable cornucopia of information regarding the expanded Skullgirls universe. Having made sizable donations to the Lab Zero Indie GoGo campaign in 2013, users St. Dorothy Kitty and Maji-Omni took the time to ask Alex Ahad some questions about the story behind the game. With additional help from TheMightyBox and Makross, the information was quickly transcribed from the calls, and then your very own Skullheart news team refined it into the clear and easy-to-read format that you see before you!
AMAZING!
[prebreak]Read on, brave fans, your minds are about to be blown.[/prebreak]
GENERAL
No Man's Land is a collection of smaller countries and territories that became ravaged by The Great War and then fell into anarchy as a result of hasty retreats by the warring nations. Bandits in the area were able to get their hands on abandoned war equipment, and the lack of government oversight soon led to a surge in illegal activity, including human trafficking. Peacock and Marie are from Rommelgrad, which is a town in that loose collective.
The climate of the Canopy Kingdom is based off of Northern California, but it’s mostly based off of whatever looks cool.
The boneyard stage (from early, pre-Mike Z builds of Skullgirls) is set in No Man's Land, so that gives an impression of what it looks like (bones everywhere, desolate, very, “Mad Max”-like)
Alex doesn’t remember how the regions in Skullgirls were named, but was initially discussed upon their seeing the map that appears in the lobby screen on the PC version. As of this time, the canon regions of the world are: The Canopy Kingdom, The Chess Kingdom, The Gigan Nation, and The Dragon Kingdom.
The Canopy Kingdom is the most ambitious in terms of war affairs, but the Chess Kingdom and Gigan Nation were expanding too. That escalating tensions drove King Renoir to invest on technology and magic to take on the enemies of the Canopy Kingdom. In the game itself, the various nations exist in peacetime.
Parasites can greatly vary in age. Some are ancient, while others are relatively new. New ones can be created, but the process is not known, be it reproduction or otherwise. They can stay alive forever as long as they have a host.
There are various side effects to synthetic parasites, but no universal ones.
The first successful synthetic parasite attachment was for a burn victim to replace her skin, but she now prefers to wear a mask.
Synthetic parasites are not sentient.
Hosting a parasite is seen as taboo, and the hosts are almost universally ostracized.
Parasites are individuals, and freely decide their host. They can change hosts for any number of reason: if the host dies, gets too old, or can’t physically support them anymore. The act of moving from one host to another is fatal for the host the parasite leaves.
Parasites are rare, and the current number of parasites in the SG universe is unknown.
Parasites and living weapons can have different effects on the people who use them. The Pazuzu Whip, for example, brings out a deeper, more repressed side of Ms. Victoria (in the form of D. Violet). The whip works a bit like the Incredible Hulk’s powers, but with horniness instead of anger.
Living weapons don’t age. Like normal weapons, they can be maintained and passed down through the generations.
Living weapons adjust to the size of the person wielding it.
Everyone can wield living weapons, not just females. Some people have more natural talent with them, though.
Leviathan and Samson are a little like Cyclops and Wolverine from the X-Men, the former being the more traditional good guy and the latter being more of the reckless bad boy. They’ve knew each other for a long time, and in the grand scheme of parasitic affairs, they’re technically on the same side… but they definitely don’t get along.
The races of Skullgirls consist of Humans, Elves, Ferals, Dagonians, and Gigans (large beings with horns). There might be more races not yet shown, though.
There is a lot of discrimination against minority groups like Ferals.
There are a variety of other religions in the Skullgirls universe, including many different denominations of the Trinity; practitioners are called Trinitists.
The gender roles and stereotypes are roughly the same as they are here, so sexism and the like still exist in the form we’d recognize. The entire situation with the Skullgirl could be equated to a witch hunt, this further reinforces existing sexism.
The Black Egrets are open to people from any and all walks of life.
There aren’t necessarily, ”demons,” in the lore of Skullgirls. In some ways, parasites fill that role, though Double could be considered something of demon by those she meets.
Nobody has ever been able to wish something on the Skullheart without becoming the Skullgirl, since wishes are inherently selfish.
King Renoir might be still around… or maybe not. It’s a mystery!
Musical instruments in general would be in the style of the real-world time period Skullgirls is based on (the 1940’s). Liberties can be taken, though, just as is the case with the state of technology in the Skullgirls universe.
There are no videogames in the world of Skullgirls. Aeon is outside that realm, and that’s why you see her playing videogames in Double’s ending.
Each of the labs has a "metric bunch" of scientists. There's no specified number.
The Great Mother is aware of Aeon and Venus's machinations. Venus is getting restless, and might try and pull something. What these plans might be, though, has not been revealed.
Aeon is a shut-in/recluse. Venus, on the other hand, is more outgoing.
Marie's last name is Korbel, and her birthday is April 3rd. She became the Skullgirl in late summer, and the game takes place couple of months after that, in autumn.
Males can't do much with the Skull Heart. They can look at it, punch it, yell at it, polish it, show it off as a trophy, etc (Alex’s tone on this suggest that it would literally have no effect at all, negative or otherwise. It would just sit there).
CHARACTERS
Samson has lots of contacts and, "friends," that he bugs to get him and Filia a place to sleep, so they've essentially been couch surfing since they bonded together. Samson knows Yu-Wan, and he is one of these, "friends."
FIlia's hairpin swords from her early concept artwork have not been forgotten. There may be an alternate or leveled-up version of Filia that could use them in the future.
The reason why we don't see the Medicis looking for Filia might come up in the canon story mode. People are looking for her, but there's only so much that can be shown in the character's own story mode.
What actually happened to, “Filia,” is yet to be fully worked out. She was significantly different in the past, but that will be revealed later on. Alex was particularly choosy with his word on this, but he has stated that he knows the general direction her story is going, but that it’s a secret for now. The same secrecy applies to Filia’s connection to Carol (Painwheel). How Samson got attached to Filia is vague, but it has to do with something in her past.
Filia used to be blonde. Samson now is her hair, and he’s made of many fibers with some sort of muscle underneath.
Filia is smart, but naïve due to her amnesia.
Samson is something that Filia can’t control, aside from being in sync with him increasing her overall power.
Filia likes medium-sized dogs.
Filia has dated guys in the past, before being bonded to Samson. Were Filia to have a boyfriend now, Samson would go out of his way to be a jerk to him.
Filia’s current overall personality is described as, “easy-going,” but before she lost her memory (as a Medici), she was a spoiled princess, just another snooty rich girl. People feared her just for being in a powerful family. Regarding her personality during this time, Alex says, "We’re all good or bad in different ways, yes, but I wouldn’t say she was evil.”
Filia doesn’t like alcohol, but Samson will drink anything in reach. Similarly to how Filia gains weight when Samson eats, his drinking would likely affect her as well.
Samson can feel pain from Filia’s injures.
Samson knows how to hide himself. Closing his eyes and pretending to be a headband works well. When Samson is hidden, most people would think that Filia had simply dyed her hair.
Valentine lost her eye in the incident that destroyed Lab 7. The cross in her remaining eye is the result of the drugs and experimentation used on her while at Lab 7. The scar on Valentine’s lips are from a different time, and not as a result of the attack on Lab 7 (when exactly, though, has not yet been determined). Valentine could have feasibly replaced her eye in any number of ways, but she was kept one-eyed as a design choice by Alex.
Valentine’s sense of humor is mean-spirited.
Valentine prefers acoustic instruments (she is not a fan of heavy metal).
Valentine had a rough childhood, and she began her training at the labs early on.
To some extent, Valentine has good intentions, but she hides behind a very cruel/cold demeanor. If she cares about Painwheel at all (or even feels regret), she’d never admit to it.
Valentine likes whiskey.
Valentine’s relationship with the members of The Last Hope was that of a team. She was closer to Hallow than anyone else, though she did maintain a rivalry with Christmas over aspects of group leadership. Valentine took the weapons from her fallen comrades for sentimental reasons.
The Last Hope utilized many different styles of fighting, all with a ninja-like feel (Alex specifically cites a similarity to Naruto). Their code names were created by Valentine.
Valentine is the Skullgirls universe equivalent of a weeaboo (Alex specifically compares her to Sodom from Street Fighter Alpha).
Valentine worked for an organization under the Renoir government, but Valentine and Parasoul don’t have a direct relationship. The two of them have opposing personalities, each woman considers herself to be superior to the other in all aspects (beauty included).
Valentine’s overt sexuality is used to distract her opponents (in classic kunoichi fashion), but she has zero interest in romance or dating.
Double can mimic anyone's voice, and is capable of talking normally to appear as, for example, a nun or a stranger at a party, in order to spread rumors about the Skull Heart.
Double is unable to comprehend human emotion.
Double was never a child. She seems to have been around for a while.
Double cannot travel through time, and is wholly under the power of the trinity. Her whole purpose is to manipulate people and situations so the Skull Heart can be passed to the right hands (e.g. giving it to someone desperate to wish on it, and thus become the Skullgirl).
Organized religion is something that Double uses to manipulate people.
The life gem does not prevent Fortune from feeling pain.
Ms. Fortune likes small dogs.
Fortune has always been a joker/comedian.
After losing the Fishbone Gang, Fortune made Yu-wan, Minette, and the rest of the residents of Little Insmouth her new family.
Even as a youth, Fortune had always been with the Fishbone Gang. She was an orphan, and learned the art of thievery from them. She was always causing trouble.
Every member of the Cirque De Cartes has their own reasons for joining; some of the more nefarious members like Taliesin, Beatrix, and Regina know they're working for the mafia, while people like Hubrecht don't.
Cerebella isn't, "literally pure," but is pure in the sense that's she's not entirely aware of how bad the mafia is.
Cerebella has had Vice Versa since birth. When she was dropped (abandoned?) at the circus, it was with her. It probably came from her mother.
Cerebella is working out some daddy issues.
Cerebella doesn’t really have a life (or friends) outside of the circus. She lives her life casually, and she often unconsciously avoids getting to know others.
Cerebella would deal with any normal romantic relationship in a carefree way (free spirit/easy-come, easy-go).
Black Dahlia's time in the labs drove her insane (though she was always, “rough around the edges”); she used to be a lot different (and had a different name) before becoming an assassin. She was severely injured at the labs, and Geiger put her together again. She left the labs afterwards, and Lorenzo seized upon her natural inclination towards fighting, hiring her. She’s about 50-60, and should be dead by now, but she’s still kicking due to her augmentations.
One of the reasons Lab 8 originally went rogue was to prove that they could help humanity in ways other than their weaponization programs.
The kids in the back of Lab 8 are orphans with various conditions that, without Lab 8's help, would have had issues leading a normal life. The kids are written off as test subjects in order to justify taking care of them. The same write0offs were done for people like Big Band and Peacock.
Big Band and others managed to escape Lab 8's assault in Peacock's story mode. "You'll see later."
When she was still Patricia, Peacock was a tomboy that enjoyed to watching lots of cartoons. This tom-boyishness led her to protect the much weaker Marie, and their friendship begun as such.
Peacock is 13 years old. Even in her current state, she can age, and her appearance will be adjusted for any showing she makes later in the timeline.
Peacock like Jack Daniels (known in-universe as, “Jack Donnies,” or maybe, “John Daniels”)
Leduc can walk normally despite having goofy feat. Having a Segway style dash might be possible.
Hive's Beezle Bomb is a mix of an implanted modifier and her suit, so she could take the suit off and be more or less normal, but still have access to her powers. The triangle on her head is a reference to dorsal ocelli.
Hive and Leduc are around 15, slightly younger than Filia.
Brain Drain is still a person, though his brain is all that is left of his body. He has psychic powers, has been with the labs for a long time, and is extremely intelligent.
Eliza's been operating under her current guise (bonded to Sekhmet) for about 20 years now.
Eliza is older than Annie.
Eliza likes beer (as the ancient Egyptians used to make beer).
Eliza is basically a vampire. She can keep living indefinitely if there’s blood.
Leviathan was present for the clash between Samson's old host, Delilah, and Eliza.
Carol was always a sweet girl, and kindhearted.
Painwheel developing Skullgirl powers from her blood might be implemented in a hypothetical EX version based on design and balancing. She probably won't go around throwing skulls, though.
Annie has encountered many Skullgirls, and fought a lot of them. She's seen the cycle multiple times, and seen how they become stronger each time. She is looking for the underlying source, now.
The Annie of the Stars Show is very similar to the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. There are live action segments, and cartoons, PSAs, and commercials in between.
Annie would have glitter and rainbows in her attacks, lots of sparks.
Sagan can talk… somehow.
There aren’t many details on Beowulf, yet, aside from his macho man attitude.
Beowulf and Annie might have met, and would likely have respect for one another, considering that they're both celebrities who have a lot of young fans.
Krieg has been with the Renoirs for generations. It was inherited by Parasoul.
Parasoul’s childhood centered around training, and she has been groomed since birth to become a warrior worthy of her father’s legacy. Umbrella was spoiled, by comparison, and came out much less serious.
Parasoul likes wine.
Parasoul chooses to be in charge of the Egrets. She prefers action, not paperwork, and she is a natural leader.
Parasoul is a serious person, but hasn’t necessarily ruled out the possibility of finding romance.
OTHER
(original source text, grammar/spelling/wording unchanged)
Color palette choices are based loosely around having base camp conversations about ideas or looking at fan ideas. A character's original colors are based on choosing one central color and not branching out too far from that with lots of different colors for fear of becoming too "Original character do not steal". They can be based on personality or what seems logical (BB's coat being beige), or looking at what colors are not currently present in the game.
If Skullgirls was not a fighting game, the second genre choice would be a tower defense dating sim with collectable hats beat em up or RPG type game. With hats.
Of the current cast, Alex's favorite character is Eliza. Of the potential third characters, he also like Ms. Victoria, D. Violet, or Black Dahlia. If he drew concept sketches, they're probably his favorites.
Alex wouldn't want to go back to change or redo old characters, but has alternate or future versions of current characters. A la Ryu/Evil Ryu, Batsu/Burning Batsu, Hayato/Black Hayato.
George (the dragon knight from the art book) is pretty much a design that didn't get used because they couldn't find a spot for him. If he does get put into the story in the future his name probably won't be George to avoid confusion with Peacock's bomb.
Alex thinks the Annie fan game is cool and looks forward to seeing what comes of it.
The River King will be making a splash.
The server for Alex's personal site is probably down and he should probably go transfer it to a different server. There are no plans though.
He also thinks the skulldudes are interesting, and it's interesting how people interpret the non-human characters.
The No Evil triplets is a character design that may be used in the future if a place can be found for them.
Gigans would cool as a boss battle. You could fight the gigan's face.
A book or comic book with the linear Story of Skullgirls would be like an ensemble, where you see the same events from the view of different characters switching the narrative every once in a while, with the general focus being on Filia and or Peacock since they’re mostly involved with either the over-arching story or, in Peacock’s case, with the current Skullgirls specifically.
Alex likes and it’s fine with people in the fandom, about fanart, fanfics, etc. It’s cool and flattering that people are interested enough in the world that would make them want to expand on it.
Fans doing might influence on things like story, or the ways that the characters splash out. Stanley was supossed to be caught on the attack of Lab8. Big Band instead, was always supposed to be a character.
Black Dahlia, D.Violet/Ms. Victoria, Venus and Eliza, were Alex’s favorites for the fanvote. He’s glad that Eliza made it in.
D.Violet’s plans for her style were based on innuendos, S&M and those kind of things, with some sort of Climax Mode. Long range moves ar grabs with her whip like the King of Fighter’s Whip.
Alex supervise everything in terms of the script and approve them. The process of choosing moves, abilities and what is needed for the tool set is a collaborative work. In the end, in terms of gameplay, Mike is in charge.
In Ms. Victoria details says that he leaves to look up for a missing student. That refers to Filia. Her story mode would be around that. Ms. Victoria retired from her days of Vigilante. Now that students that she know are getting involved, she’s back into it.
There are things on the canon story that need to be fixed, in a hopefully, complete storymode (if LabZero can get to it). One of those things is why Samson push Filia to seek the Skullheart.
There were 9 labs in which 7 was about drug-enhancing experiments. Last Hope (as in Valentine’s story mode) was just a part of a bigger group in that lab. An incident happened and the remaining people and artifacs were took by Lab 0.
They thought about giving Big Band a more robotic voice, but that would ruin the awesomeness of Rich Brown’s voice. They went for a more clean version.
Skullgirls book would be like Xenogear’s. All the story line written plus pictures in it.
Original Links:
http://majiomni.tumblr.com/post/74239180155/skullgirls-lore-stream-results
http://makr0ss.tumblr.com/post/76410819692/more-lore-for-you-skullgirls-fans-rainbow-kitty
http://skullgirls.com/forums/index....-info-thread-what-we-know.8/page-7#post-49789
