#frasco

There's a door with very noticeable scratches.

I'm theorizing two things: either they were made by some of the encased creatures that tried to escape (they have locks in their "flasks", at that. Maybe the creator is really into keys and locks, though), OR, more probable to me.

That this could perfectly be Frasco's door to the outside, thus... The scratches were made by A.B.A. We know she scratches opponents in her attacks, after all...

Budots Media working on rescuing brand of the Philippines, Department of Tourism's slogan 'Love Philippines' introduced this year in July by the secretary Miss Garcia-Frasco. Logo has been met with warm welcom, unline cooresponding video by DDB agency, that charged DOT (Department of Tourism) 50 million PHP for development of identity and ads.

The animated vector logo for the "Love Philippines" 2023 campaign is a vibrant representation of the country's identity and attractions. It features the four-letter word "LOVE" in bold, with each letter incorporating three main colors: green, red, and blue. These colors likely symbolize the Philippine flag and its rich cultural and natural heritage.

Embedded within the logo are square icons that depict the most popular sights and activities in the Philippines. These icons include fish and corals, representing the country's abundant marine life; mangoes, highlighting one of the nation's favorite fruits; lush greens, indicating the Philippines' verdant landscapes; wind turbines, showcasing the country's efforts towards sustainable energy; budol fights, a nod to local traditions and festivities; sinulog masks, symbolizing the famous Sinulog Festival; and old churches, reflecting the country's historical and religious heritage.

This logo design encapsulates the diversity and vibrancy of the Philippines, appealing to a wide range of tourists by showcasing the country's natural beauty, cultural richness, and historical significance. The inclusion of iconic symbols in the logo helps convey a message of love and appreciation for the many facets that make the Philippines a unique and attractive destination.

Both the Gear Project and Homunculus Project were about creating a new form of artificial life,

Both Asuka and Paracelsus were involved in some way with the military, and

In Asuka’s story mode he makes very Homunculus-esque clones of himself and mentions A.B.A. by name

lead me to believe that Paracelsus could’ve been a pseudonym taken by Asuka, and that he created A.B.A. as a sort of proto-prototype to the Gears without anyone else’s knowledge. Do you have any thoughts and/or know any bits of lore I might’ve missed that could help prove/disprove my theory?

Since you brought up the topic, I'll list a couple differences between Asuka and Paracelsus that aren't immediately apparent but it's what the story has revealed so far:

Paracelsus was taken from Frasco to work for the "Government" (non-specific) but is later revealed (by Xrd Library info) to be the Postwar Administration Bureau / The Conclave as part of the Frasco II Laboratory facility.

When A.B.A. speaks with Crow Kuruwaba (who works with them) while she never actually asks Crow about her creator's whereabouts specifically, Crow states he does know a thing or two about alchemy for creating a new body for Flament Nagel, which is why he has her try to capture Dizzy in her side story in exchange for the help (though this never actually pans out). These events take place after the events of Guilty Gear X, so 2181 or so… this was some time after Flament Nagel and A.B.A. fought with Slayer and lost (Night of Knives side story).

Paracelsus recovered Flament Nagel's Axe-body remains AFTER Slayer defeated him during the course of the Crusades, so sometime before Justice was defeated in 2175… in other words, Paracelsus was still conducting research of his own on Flament Nagel at this time in his OWN lab… the reason this is important is because at this time DURING the Crusades, Asuka was actually imprisoned by GEARS in a Gear Plant until I-No rescued him (this happened in an alternate timeline… after this Asuka left the physical world and began researching the Backyard and created the Cube prior to GG2 Overture's events). Flament Nagel never mentions Paracelsus specifically, only that he was locked up in an Armory for a number of years (and he doesn't ever mention Asuka either…), though it is known that Slayer has spoken with Asuka in later GGXX events post-2180, he never mentions encountering Paracelsus during that time.

Historical Note: Frasco is a reference to the "Homunculus in the Flask" story/theory developed by the historical Paracelsus Alchemist (the real person in OUR history)… and according to some stories, he was born in Switzerland but did most of his research in Germany and France, though much of his research spread to Italy during the Rennaisance. Some fictional stories suggested he accessed a "Forbidden Gate of Knowledge" during his lifetime and disappeared as well.

(For reference, most of Asuka's Gear Project took place in America, so it is unlikely that Asuka was involved in any European Research facilities that we're aware of until he was captured and imprisoned by the Gears sometime around 2182 in the other timeline. That's not to say he never WENT to Europe, we just don't have confirmation of him doing so until after Justice was killed in 2180 by Sol Badguy during the Second Sacred Order Tournament.)

4. Given what we know of the Conclave's and the P.W.A.B.'s extensive research, they did learn quite a bit about the Backyard from interacting with Ramlethal and Elphelt Valentine, Faust's Resurrection Spell, and turning the body vessel of Justice in to the Cradle which allowed them to transport themselves INSIDE the Backyard. The Conclave were also responsible for creating the O.P.U.S. Gears commissioned by Ariels, which are an advanced form of Gear that does NOT disobey orders… the Opus Gears are also likely based on Paracelsus' work as well as research on the Valentines… (likely this also impacted the Phalanx Nine Guard soldiers that Ariels tampered with as well).

5. The Conclave themselves run the organization known as the Sanctus Populi and oppose Asuka R. Kreutz in terms of ideology and it was this ideology that prevented the distribution of advanced Magic knowledge to the rest of the world. Given that Asuka was fighting the Conclave, it is unlikely that he encountered Paracelsus at this time or during the events of Revelator (although he did encounter Chronus some time later after being freed from Bedman's Prison). On the subject of their opposing ideologies, it was never Asuka's intent to hide the knowledge of Magic from the rest of the world… in fact his Radio Show intends to share nothing but facts as part of his Accumulation of Good Will. By contrast, most of the research Paracelsus did is a heavily kept secret and unknown to most of the rest of the world.

Xrd's Library also makes a point to make a distinction between Magic Arts and Alchemy… indicating that the latter is lesser known than the former.

6. Hate to correct you but Asuka does NOT refer to A.B.A. by name… only as "that Homunculus Frasco project" when speaking of the Valentines… it's a HINT to A.B.A. but it's not direct, though we do know Asuka was responsible for Jack-O'Valentine's creation and was still working on I-No's Valentine… we can't really say how much progress he actually made on finishing the real Happy Chaos Valentine.

By comparison, Jack-O' is technically a "superior model" to A.B.A. because of her Valentine status as a "replica of Justice", though the method Asuka used to make Jack-O' is different from the methods that Ariels used to make Ramlethal, Valentine, and Elphelt.

In other words, A.B.A. was created using a completely different method… Alchemy compared to using the Magic of the Backyard to manifest a body. Also, it's made clear in A.B.A.'s bio that her blood is reactive liquid Mercury (Quicksilver as it is also known)… so it isn't anything like the Gear Cell based Magic Conduit system that GEARs use to sync up with the Backyard's Magic Energy.

Asuka also states that his Asuka R# Copies are disposable, so they aren't anything like either A.B.A. or the Valentines in construct, even if they're technically inspired by them... meaning they aren't Gears or Homunculi by themselves... meaning the method he used to make them isn't Alchemy either.