Indeed, it has been three years since I first designed the character Rose Flower--better known as 'Dark Rose.'



For those who are not aware, Rose has been voted the fan favorite character of F-Zero: Seppuku on three separate occasions (she technically tied Chiya in the latest--but two Rose fans do not belong to Deviantart, otherwise it would've been a third victory.) Her character has often in the past been credited for being easy to relate to--more or less from those with somewhat dark backgrounds, such as abuse. Others have pledged support to her character due to the less 'Barbie Girl' style that her blood sister Chiya follows.

Some didn't much care for Rose.

Irregardless, it would seem that everybody liked Rose in Part 3/3 and the Seppuku Tales' Part 4/3 era. Where as Rose once glamoured over the idea of one day becoming a licensed F-Zero racer like Chiya, she instead ended up taking on the intelligent role of a philosophical writer. Readers--myself included--have come to be fond of her reprise with the writing and such; for this reason, it's a bit unfortunate that Rose hadn't as much opportunity to shine in Part 3/3--but as one might imagine, I could only incorporate her into Part 3/3 so much without it being a burden to those wanting to stay on track with the main plot.

I've already spoken in the past two anniversary deviations of the juiciest information about Rose; so if you haven't read them already, check out these:
-unless you haven't read F-Zero: Seppuku yet, in which case, you best not read any of these deviations due to spoilers.

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Mature Content

Of course, I do have bits to speak about. But first, I can at last reveal a major Rose artifact--if not the biggest.



"What the heck is that?" you may be asking. Believe it or not, that is what inspired the idea for Rose Flower.

Back in the summer of 2013--F-Zero: Seppuku had been revived and Part 1/3 had been completed. With the onset of Part 2/3, there was a lot of hype going around my group of friends; but it's also worth mentioning that we were still teenagers at the time, and as such, our immaturity tanks were still leaking. Along with a series of F-Zero: Seppuku memes--many often jokingly labeling Chiya as a Nazi--came this crude drawing of Chiya if she were emo. The drawing featured Chiya with black hair and an obviously not so happy demeanor. it was just a joke a friend had made, but coming out of the joke was something much bigger.

The end result was a concept drawing (see above) of Dark Rose--F-Zero: Seppuku's newest baddie. While Rose canonically did not cut herself or anything like that, the idea of Chiya being depressed--the exact opposite of who she is--was passed down to Rose in Part 2/3. And of course, given her position in Dark Million, I had to give her a more fitting attire than what was pictured in the joke drawing.

So, that's what birthed Rose, believe it or not. And just to reinstate: We were still teens at the time. I was 17, and my friend 16. We've long moved past such immaturity. Still, I guess in a strange way, if you like Rose, you do have to be thankful that the drawing was made. Were it not for that drawing, I'd have likely just skipped out on Rose's character entirely.


Alright, now for the annual set of questions, and I think I'll kick it off with the most obvious one:

1. Why have I started to call her 'Rose Flower' rather than 'Dark Rose'?

Nobody has actually brought this up with me, but I'm sure just about everyone has picked up on this. Indeed, as of this year, (literally 2016,) I completely stopped calling Rose 'Dark Rose.' Even in F-Zero: Seppuku she's most often called 'Dark Rose' only by her fellow Dark Million member/emperor; and that's just what it is--a Dark Million title. While the unedited laps of F-Zero: Seppuku beg to differ, you'll find that one of the changes I've been making is that only Dark Million addresses the character by the name Dark Rose; everybody else--including the narration--simply calls her 'Rose.' Some--or many--may disagree with this change, as it radically changes her character.

The fact of the matter is that the name Dark Rose could only work for Part 2/3, and even then does she honestly like being called Dark? She's already explained numerous times in Part 2/3 that, if she were to kill Chiya, she'd want to claim ownership of the name 'Chiya Flower.' That alone already establishes that Rose has no appreciation for her given name 'Dark Rose' or even 'Rose Flower.' With that being said, there's no way that in Part 3/3 or Part 4/3 she'd want to continue being called Dark Rose.

My reason for now calling her 'Rose Flower' is simply to appreciate her character in the entire F-Zero: Seppuku saga. By calling her 'Dark Rose,' one might be reminded of the malicious behavior she displayed in Part 2/3. By calling her 'Rose Flower,' one may include her book reading character into the mix--not at all malicious. It's kind of like Darth Vader in that way. Nobody calls Anakin 'Darth Vader' throughout the prequels--only when he's in the black armor and cape. A similar case could be made for Rose, but backwards. it'd be appropriate to call her 'Dark Rose' when referencing Part 2/3, as that is who she was--a servant of Black Shadow. But it just seems a little out of place to continue calling her Dark Rose anywhere else. As silly as it may be, I have chosen to call her 'Rose Flower' as a sign of respect, despite being a fictional character. Rose is not an evil character in Part 3/3, some may even argue that she isn't in Part 2/3. Henceforth, I'm going to treat her like any other character--with a name, not a title.

But don't take offense from this; I see no reason to stop calling her 'Dark Rose' if that is what you're used to. Being that I am a father of sorts to the character, I feel a special bond with my characters that nobody else could possibly have.

2. Is Selina Osiris the spiritual successor to Rose Flower?

Selina Osiris is a Frankish (Old French) Godcraft warrior in my latest work, Shrouded Piety. Her role in the story is to serve the ruler of France, and by extension, France itself; then in the modern era, undergoes a personal mission to stop Suri Yaktosh (the protagonist) from spreading zealotic chaos worldwide. Rose is an underling of Black Shadow and serves the Empire of Dark Million. Both characters are similar, yet different in many ways. Interestingly enough, fans of Rose have flocked to Selina Osiris for reasons I've not yet been able to answer. The correlation seems to be without mistake that some share similar feelings for Selina, as they did with Rose.

Is there logic behind this?

Yes, though not intentionally. My desire was not to create a successor to Rose when designing Selina Osiris, pieces simply fell into place where needed. Like Rose, Selina (at least in the Flashback Lore chapters) is bound to France like a slave; much like Rose is to Dark Million as a slave. Both are darker characters than that of their blonde rivals (Suri and Chiya are both blonde, if you haven't noticed.) And both are forbidden from loving due to specific reasons (Selina's reasons perhaps being more serious though.) So, I admit that Selina is the most likely spiritual successor to Rose for more reasons than I've actually listed here. At this point in time, I see no reason to change this.

3. Does Rose have a different appearance from Chiya?

Yes--and yes, I am speaking about Rose historically as well. Obviously, her character has undergone major appearance changes in the recent year, but even before that, back in 2013, there's always existed differences between Chiya and Rose facially. One could easily identify this with a little comparison between pictures.

Take this very drawing, for example. Just put it up against the classic 4th gen. drawing of Chiya I have up on my profile, and your eyes should pick out differences between the two other than their hair. This has always been intentional, for Rose is and always has been a genetic clone of Chiya; not an exact replica. By this, I mean, Rose is quite literally just the sister Chiya never had. If one were to put Abigail and Chiya side by side, you'd see differences between those two--because they are only genetically similar--siblings. The same case is with Rose. Rose is not an exact replica of Chiya, she is like an artificial sister. Her chin is longer and sharper, her body has always been thinner, she's actually shorter than Chiya as seen in certain chapter illustrations + Revival Day drawings, her breasts are a bit larger, her nose is a little more French--per se (I guess apply that to #2 if you want,) and her brows are a little thicker.

I mean, there is a reason Rose was/is sexually attracted to Chiya--because Chiya has a different appearance. Otherwise, it'd be like Rose wanting to do stuff to herself--and that's just odd.

4. Was Rose a Christian?

No. It can be suggested that, like Seppuku, Rose was turned into an atheist after ditching the Dark Million cult beliefs. This is especially evident by the fact that Rose attacked guards of the Papacy in Part 2/3 in order to reach Chiya and Earl. It probably goes without saying that no loyal Christian would attack guards of the Pope.

But at the same time, given the Red Dove and Inner Realm bits of the Seppuku Universe, it could also be possible that--like me--Rose went with:  philosophy + tolerance = agnostic. She'd certainly have nothing to gain from beating Chiya and Earl over their Catholic faith, and given the fact that Rose has witnessed the awakening of the Red Dove + lives in the Inner Realm, she could have possibly turned to the idea that there could be a greater power.

But that's deviating. The simple answer to the question is: No.

5. Did Earl and Rose fall in love past Part 3/3?

Yes--but to a lesser extent than with Chiya. As one would imagine, Chiya is the golden trophy that Earl holds onto throughout his life. That being said, given that Earl and Rose are together in the Inner Realm on a day to day basis, it was only inevitable that some post-Excalibur interaction would come between the two. But not in a way that has Earl cheating, per se. Any feelings of affection for Rose would have been peer-reviewed by Chiya first, and Chiya's ruling on the matter was that a love triangle can exist in the Inner Realm--but all interactions have to include her.

Thus, behind the scenes bed actions occur between Earl and Rose--but only with the insertion of Chiya. I would have to deny any claims that Earl and Rose do anything like kissing while out and about, as this is a form of passion that only Chiya and Earl could enjoy. So, the flattest way of putting it is that Earl and Rose have a lustful relationship with each other from time to time when with Chiya; outside of Chiya's attention, Earl and Rose would just sort of be best friends who occasionally becomes a little more when with their favorite blonde Mysterian.

But to reemphasize: Rose is no match when put against Chiya in terms of affection.


Anyways, Happy Birthday to Rose Flower!