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"The stars... They grow dim... Visions of a future beset with chaos... A great swell of dark and light which swallows all..."
—Desna, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2
Desna "The Starstruck Beauty" is a member of Eden's "The Seven" possessing the rank Rook, and one of the antagonists of Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, appearing as the boss of the mission Raveled (Babel) in Copen's story route, and Eden (The Garden 1) in Gunvolt's story route. She is also one of the protagonists of the drama CD Eden's Party.
She is an astrologist who joined Eden under the pretense of being an oracle of the stars and has become highly revered for her accurate fortune telling. She is an Adept with the Septima Splitting Ends, which allows her to control an endless supply of phantasmagorical hair.
Website Description
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English site
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Japanese site
She's an adept who possesses the "Splitting Ends" Septima which allows her to control the seemingly limitless supply of phantasmagorical hair.
A rather enigmatic girl, she loves astrology and joined up with Eden under the pretense of being an oracle of the stars. She has incredibly high level accuracy with her fortune telling, so much so that many members of Eden revere her like an idol, oftentimes going so far so to refer to her as a goddess.
She does not look at herself in this manner at times, though.[3]
変幻自在の髪を操る“タングルヘア”の能力者。
占星術を趣味としており、
本人曰く「星のお告げ」を受けて
エデンに加わったという不思議な少女。
その言葉もどこか捉えどころがない。
占いの的中率は極めて高く、
彼女の託宣を心の拠り所とする
エデン構成員も多いようで、
一部の者からはアイドルのように
崇められているのだが、
彼女自身にその自覚はない。[4]
Appearance
Desna is a young woman with long brown hair and green eyes. She wears an orange sweater dress made of wool, with a black and white short sleeved jacket on top. She also wears multiple purple wrist bands, two on each wrist, and a black belt with a silver buckle in an lemniscate shape.
In her Grimoired form, Desna gains black eyes with bright yellow irises, with thin, matching hair. She wears slender black and gray armor, with yellow areas on her cleavage, neck, and feet. She also gains a large hoop attached to the back of her head, which sprouts four long, ribbon-like pieces of hair.
Gallery
Main article: Desna "The Starstruck Beauty"/Gallery
Personality
Desna is one of the more mysterious members of The Seven. She always has an unnervingly calm air about her, and speaks in a soft, knowing voice which rarely shows any emotion. As one of Eden's elite, Desna is unflinching in her loyalty to Zonda, and takes her role as her protector very seriously.
Desna also has a great love for fortunes and astrology, being quite skilled in both subjects and having an incredibly high accuracy rate, enough for the members of Eden to regard her as a Goddess, something she doesn't see herself as or is even aware of.
History
Background
Desna once belonged to a wealthy Russian family, where she was adored for her beauty and precise astrological predictions. However, a riot broke out in her home town lead by an Adept, resulting in discrimination against those with Septima. Fearing for her safety, Desna's family confined her to her house.
However, she interpreted a message from the stars telling her to travel the world and act as a guide to oppressed Adepts. Taking the message to heart, she used her Septima to flee from her window, and from that point onwards roamed the land, guiding the lost and oppressed, amassing quite the following, whom came to see her as a Goddess.
Once, whilst sleeping in a stable, Desna saw a message in her dreams, telling her to join the adept union Eden and save Adepts. Desna and her followers then joined the group after that, with Desna herself joining The Seven, Eden's elite, and became known as one of Eden's "Rooks".[2]
During her time in Eden, a rumor began to spread among her fanatical followers that those who do an outstanding job will be rewarded with a year's supply of her hair. Desna is not aware of this.[5]
Eden's Party
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2
Copen route
Raveled (Babel)
Some time after Eden managed to obtain the power of the Muse, Desna led a band of Eden soldiers to Babel, Sumeragi's Orbital Elevator, to obtain more data on the Muse, using her hair as makeshift electrical cords to power some of the machinery (and to act as ramps to allow her men to climb up as well).
This draws the attention of Copen, who goes to the tower to stop her and obtain her mirror shard. During their fight, Desna attempts to warn Copen that his quest for vengeance will lead only to abject misery and that he will take with him all that he holds dear, but Copen will hear none of her fortunes and defeats her, claiming her mirror shard.
Savior (The Garden 3)
As Copen fights his way to the heart of the garden to rescue his sister Mytyl, Zonda summons mirror copies of The Seven to hinder his progress, one of them being Desna. During their fight, Desna expresses worry about the future, foreseeing "a great swell of light and dark that swallows all". Copen ignores her prophecies and defeats her once again before moving on.
Later, during Zonda's fight with Copen, she uses her Eden's Presence Special Skill to summon illusions of The Seven to aid her, Desna being among them.
Gunvolt route
Eden (The Garden 1)
As Gunvolt fights his way to the heart of the Garden to reclaim the rest of the mirror shards, Tenjian sends Desna to stop him.
Desna taunts Gunvolt, calling him a devil whose very existence brings pain to the world with no regard for order. Gunvolt merely retorts that even if he is a devil, it in no way justifies Eden's actions and engages the Starstruck Beauty in battle, defeating her and claiming her mirror shard.
Other Appearances
Mighty Gunvolt Burst
Desna makes a cameo as collectible pixel sticker #45 in Mighty Gunvolt Burst. Some of Seismic's attacks resemble ones used by Desna, and the Mine stage has collapsing platforms, somewhat similar to in Babel. Coinciding with this, Desna's pixel sticker is a stage completion reward.
Powers and Abilities
As a human attuned to the Septimal stage of the Lifewave and a member of The Seven, Desna is one of the strongest Adepts in Eden who wields the Splitting Ends Septima, which allows her to manipulate her seemingly endless supply of hair.
She can extend the length of her hair to seemingly no end and can mold it into a variety of shapes such as hands to grab enemies, a tornado to suck enemies close to her, and more commonly, drills. Her hair can also harden to the point where it surpasses diamond in strength. Desna is also very agile, using her hair as springs to extend the height and length of her jumps. She can also use her hair for more mundane purposes such as creating makeshift electrical cords.
Her hair is a valued commodity among Eden, often serving as a reward for loyal soldiers.
Apart from her Septima, Desna is a skilled fortune teller whose prophecies are highly accurate, earning her a reputation among Eden as a goddess. For instance, she was able to predict that Copen's vendetta against Adepts would lead only to misery for him, a prophecy that would come to fruition at the end of his story.
Boss Battle Skills
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
ネオウルフ[6] |
Desna jumps out at you, striking once or twice with her hair extended. |
シースルーバング[6] |
A long-ranged attack in which she turns some split-off hairs into drills and shoots them towards the player. The hairballs and the drills they form can block tags/bullets. She can transition into this attack from Neo Wolf. |
ツイスト[6] |
She gathers bloated hair around her, makes it spin, and then turns it into a gigantic tornado which pulls you toward it. She’s invincible during this attack (cancels tags and block shots), so focus on dodging it by dashing away.
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グランジウェーブ[6] |
An attack in which she makes two jumps, one on your position, and one to either end of the arena. On the second jump, her hair thrusts upwards from the floor in a wave of drills. The drills grow higher as they go further from Desna, so staying close to her is recommended to dodge this attack.
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エンタングルブロンド Entangle Blond |
Desna's Special Skill. It's a large-scale attack in which she stretches hair everywhere and tries to capture the player. She also makes hair drills line the ceiling for those who try to wait it out in the air. If you get caught by the hair, you will be subject to a hair whip tornado that takes up about 4/6ths of the screen. She'll create a tornado anyway even if you don't get caught, it'll just be around your general area. Survivable as long as you don't stand in place and LET the hair whips strike you.
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Boss Battle Voices
| Event | Translated | Romaji | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transform | Stars... | Hoshi yo… | 星よ... |
| Neo Wolf | Hmpf! Hah! There! | Fuu! Ei! Seyaa! | ふっ！ えい！せやっ！ |
| See-Through Bang | Kyah! Pierce through him! | Kyaa! Tsuranuite! | きゃっ！ 貫いて！ |
| Twist | Hah! | Haa! | はあっ！ |
| Grunge Wave | Hah! Hiyah! Hah! I'll tie you down...! | Haa! Seii! Haa! Karame torimasu! | はっ！ せいっ！はっ！ 絡めとります…！ |
| Entangled Strands | The end is upon us. Entangled Strands! Hah! The stars whisper to me... (Caught) Caught you. Now, I'll have you learn of the stars' lament! |
Shuuen no jikan! Entanguru Burondo! Haa! Hoshi ga tsugemasu… (Caught) Tsukamae mashita… Hoshi no nageki wo, shirinasai! |
終焉の時間… エンタングルブロンド！ はっ！ 星が告げます… (Caught) 捕えました… 星の嘆きを、知りなさい！ |
| 1st Phase Down | Oh stars... lead my way... | Hoshi yo... Watashi wo michibiite... | 星よ… 私を導いて… |
| 2nd Phase Down | The stars... they're twinkling... | Hoshi ga… Matataite iru… | 星が…瞬いている… |
| Defeated | Ah! The starlight... is fading...! | Aaa! Hoshi no hikari ga… kieru… | あぁっ！ 星の光が… 消える……！ |
Special Skill Chants
Entangled Strands:
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English
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Japanese
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English fan translation
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Korean (with Eng tl)
Golden locks of hair
Heed the maiden's wish and build
A spire to Heaven
ENTANGLED STRANDS
果てなく伸びる金色の髪
艶やかなる乙女の命
天をも貫く塔となれ
Golden hair which endlessly grows
The maiden’s life becomes beautiful
Become a tower that pierces the heavens
ENTANGLE BLONDE
끝없이 뻗은 금빛 머리카락,
반짝이는 소녀의 생명,
하늘마저 뚫는 탑이 되어라.
Endlessly branching golden locks,
with the girl’s life shining bright,
shall become a tower to pierce the heavens!
ENTANGLE BLONDE
Quotes
"I was expecting you. The stars foretold your arrival."
—Desna, greeting Copen
"I will do what is required to keep Zonda safe. My name is Desna... And you will perish by my sacred hand."
—Desna, about to fight Copen
"That is not what I meant. Your life will be forfeit unless you turn back. Your path will lead you to abject misery. And you will take with you all you hold dear."
—Desna, warning Copen of his fate
"Praise be the Oracle Zonda! I have returned! The stars guide me anew, and now show me your true destiny!"
—Desna's copy, greeting Copen
"The stars whispered to me of your arrival, Adept. The stars see the shadow you cast on Zonda's pure future. Your very existence brings the world to the void's brink. You're a devil bringing pain with no regard for order. You know this to be true."
—Desna, berating Gunvolt
"Winsome nymphs like your Muse have misled others for ages. For the stars sake, I must consign you both to oblivion!"
—Desna, fighting Gunvolt
Designer Comments
Source: Armed Blue: Gunvolt Official Complete Works
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English fan translation
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Japanese
I remember discussing with Araki-san whether her post-transformation form’s panties section should be a thong or not (laughs).
--Yoshitaka Hatakeyama
We thought that, obviously enough, Rapunzel would attack with her hair so we designed (Desna) to have a big back of the head and a lot of hair. The whipping corset-shaped neck armor was put as an idea to explain how the neck supports the weight of the head and as a trait of each boss. Also, that section asides, I also wanted to have a gap, the body below the neck was normal female lines. The draft that Hatakeyama-san gave me back had the back of the head become ring-shaped and it still kept the (character) traits. It was cool and splendid, nothing to complain about. It was a very good lesson.
--Munehiro Araki
変身後の姿で、パンツの部分をTバックにするか否かで荒木さんと揉めた覚えがあります（笑）
--畠山義崇
ラプンツェルは当然髪の毛で攻撃させようと考えたので、大きい後頭部に髪の毛がたくさんあるデザインにしました。
むち打ちコルセット状の首アーマーは、頭の重さを支えてる首の説得力と各ボスのの特徴の１つになればと思い着けたのと、逆にそこ以外の首から下は女性的なラインというギャップもちょいと狙ってます。
畠山さんから戻ってきた案は後頭部がリング状になっていて、特徴も出て文句なしにカッコよく素晴らしかったですね。めちゃめちゃ勉強になりました。
--荒木宗弘
Musical Themes
| Title | Context | Composer | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Entangled Star-roads 縺れ合う星路 |
Raveled (Babel) stage theme | Ryo Kawakami |
The theme's melody is intended to express Desna's "mysterious and no idea how to make sense of her" traits.[7]
Trivia
- As part of the Eden top members being based on classical fairy tales, Desna's motif is Rapunzel.
- As a callback to earlier story drafts, The Seven are all named after missiles.[8] Desna is named after the R-9 Desna.
- Her Japanese name, "Nike", is derived from Project Nike, a planned US missile program. It is also the same as the Ancient Greek Goddess of victory Nike and reduction of the Russian name Veronike.
- Standing at 185cm (6'0"), Desna is the tallest female character in the series, tied with Fake Zonda.
- Desna's voice actress, Jenya, is also Russian. When it was suggested that Desna be from Russia based on her design's looks, the sound director commented "Russian? I know a good VA.", and so it was decided that would indeed be Desna's homeland.[8]
- In addition, she's the only character whose Japanese voice actress reprised her role in the English dub of Azure Striker Gunvolt 3.
- In early design concepts, Desna was going to be Southeast Asian instead, but this was decided against.[8]
- In early trailers for Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Desna's Special Skill splash screen used the name "Beat Up Entremets", which is the Japanese name for Asroc's Special Skill, instead of "Entangled Blonde". However, the incantation was the same as in the final version.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 3DS Striker Pack limited edition height chart
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dengeki Nintendo magazine and Armed Blue: Gunvolt Official Complete Works, Desna's profile
- ↑ English site profile
- ↑ Japanese site profile
- ↑ Dengeki Nintendo magazine and Armed Blue: Gunvolt Official Complete Works, Year's Worth of Hair section
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 4gamer.net article about Tenjian, Desna, and Milas
- ↑ Gunvolt 2 OST, sound designer Ryo Kawakami's comment
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Gunvolt Official Complete Works staff interview
