Theory: Satanick is or has been influenced by Fumus, and the Satanick we know is not the real Satanick.
This blogpost will go down the list of things that I personally noticed that I believe point to Fumus being the main influencer for Satanickās behavior. None of this is confirmed or canon, this is just what I believe through the clues Iāve seen in Funamuseaās artwork,
1. Satanickās sudden design change
As most people know, Satanickās character ref looks vastly different than current Satanickās design.Ā
(Around 2014)
(Around 2016)
With such a drastic design change, youād expect Funamusea to update his ref at some point, but she never has. Sheās even updated Ivlisās ref, a character that didnāt have any drastic design changes, in the recent months. I think this is the most important clue pointing to the fact that Satanick wasnāt always like he is now- That the Satanick in the ref IS Satanick, but not the current one. Funamusea hasnāt changed his ref in four years despite his obvious design changes.
The Satanick we see in the ref drastically differs in personality as well. As we can see from the ref, and this picture:Ā
This Satanick seems to be much more calm and refined compared to our current Satanick. This Satanick seems focused, unmoving, and rational, having no smile or exaggerated expressions like he usually does. His eyes have no detailed pupils, much like Idate or Kiku, and are just pure black instead of the bright, vibrant purple weāre used to him having. He also seems to have theseĀ āshadow handsā that he has never demonstrated to be able to use except in this attire/form. With little to go on, it may also be possible that he has physical wings instead of cape wings like our current Satanick has. Take note that this drawing was also drawn after his character ref was drawn, meaning this was intended to be Satanickās final design. It is suspicious and strange that Funamusea would have such a drastic change in character design, especially when she hasnāt had these types of changes in any other important character (or any character for that matter). Something happened to Satanick to make him change so drastically, and I believe that Fumus was the main perpetrator.
2. Fumusās relationship with Satanick
Satanick and Fumus seem to have a mostly mysterious and covered up relationship. When asked about their relationship, Funamusea replied,Ā āHow to put it? Strictly speaking, their relationship is not really bad.ā, which doesnāt clear up much because of the vagueness behind it. But, Funamusea also described Fumus asĀ ānot attached to anything other than the things heās made and his little brother.ā, which means that Satanick IS one of the few things heāsĀ āattachedā to. Whether thisĀ āattachmentā she mentions is genuine caring and love or simply infatuation and interest is the big deal breaker question here. As weāve seen multiple times, Fumus is completely apathetic; he treats his angels like his own toys, finds torturing other people as a fun pastime, and overall only cares about himself and his own enjoyment, whether itās at the expense of other peopleās well being and mental health or not. Taking this into account, I think we can safely say that his attachment is purely just infatuation and general interest. Fumus being attached to Satanick is bad news for him, considering all of the horrible things heās done to his creations.Ā
Taking all of that into account, looking at the art Funamusea has done between Satanick and Fumus, of what little there is, gives us more points towards Fumus being an influence on Satanick.Ā
This picture is mostly pretty vague and doesnāt tell us much. I sadly donāt know what the Japanese in this picture says, as I couldāt find any translations, so if anyone does know Japanese or has found a translation, that would be very helpful. Satanick looks tired (maybe drained?) while Fumus is either consoling him or teasing him. Based on the look on his face, we can assume that itās teasing.
This one is the most important Fumus and Satanick encounter: Fumusās sudden appearance at the end of the Everlasting Love comic. In one of the most important comics about Satanickās true feelings for both himself and Ivlis, Fumus shows up in theĀ āBad Endā of the Distorted Love comic, laughing and assumingly berating Satanick for ending up murdering Ivlis. (translation courtesy of @piitchblackwiitch) This comic is what lead me to believe that Fumus was a heavy influencer on Satanick. A comic about Satanick breaking his normal erratic and uncomfortable demeanor realizing his true love for Ivlis just so happens to involve Fumus. A couple of questions arise with this; 1- Why was Fumus watching all of this play out? and 2- Was Satanick under Fumusā influence when he broke character?Ā To answer question one. we can go back to how Funamusea described Satanick and Fumusā relationship. Fumus isĀ āattachedā to Satanick. He sees Satanick the same way he sees Taffy or Chlomaki- Satanick is his toy. All Fumus sees Satanick as is another form of entertainment, whether that involves physical torture or mental scarring. He does not care about Satanick. Itās safe to assume that Fumus was watching the events of Distorted Love for entertainment, to watch Satanick struggle with his emotions and, in a bad universe, literally murder his loved one because of his mental instability.Ā This could answer question two. Since we know little about Fumus, this one is kind of jumping the shark, but it could very well be possible that Fumus has some sort of brainwashing or mental controlling powers that we donāt know of yet. itās completely plausible that Fumus was the one that initiated the mental break from Satanick. Iāll go more into the clues later, but I believe that if itās true that Fumus has mental breaking powers or brainwashing powers, that Satanick is not the Satanick we know now, and actually just Fumusā personal, mental toy that only acts this way for Fumusā entertainment. I know thatās jumping about five sharks at this point, but the evidence seems to point towards something like that. Itās also possible that he literally mentally broke Satanick, through abuse and torture like weāve seen him do to other characters countless of times.
I believe that this photo takes place after Distorted Love, which I find even more interesting; that Fumus appears at the end of both of the comics, whether itās the bad end or theĀ āgood endā. If it isnāt at the end of Distorted Love, it has to be a similar situation, considering the blood that speckles Satanick horns caused by the roses and flowers that bloom when he has a breakdown (possibly multiple breakdowns) and the blood drooling out of his mouth from vomiting blood as he does in the comic.Ā I again donāt know what the Japanese says, so I canāt assess that at the moment.
This, I think, is another important drawing. Satanick and Fumus are both smiling, with blood staining their clothes and grasping blood-covered chains. This may also be jumping the shark, but I feel like itās important to mention. Satanick seems like heās struggling. Heās crying, and the chain heās holding is limp and (arguably) more bloody, while Fumusā seems to be attached to something. It might also be that the chains are the same chain: Satanick, caught and struggling in a bloody chain while Fumus is the one behind it.Ā
This speaks for itself really. This is in one of the more recent Sunahuma updates. Fumus seems to be torturing or hurting Satanick, while Satanick is completely bloody and genuinely distressed, an emotion we donāt normally see from Satanick.Ā
3. The significance of colors
Specifically with the gods and devils, colors play a big role in representing the different gods, goddesses, and devils in her stories. Kcalb is black, Etihw is white, Siralos is orange, Ivlis is red, Liliya is blue, Rosalia is pink, Elux is yellow, Reficul is usually deep red, Justim is (assumingly) brown, and Vicers is (assumingly) green. But one thing that stand out between all of that, is that Fumus and Satanick are always represented by the same color: purple. Satanickās obvious striking, vibrant purple eyes have always been a notable feature of his character design, and thatās because he is the only one with that kind of painfully vibrant shade of color being a key part in his character design.Ā
Kcalbās obviously isnāt vibrant at all, itās just pure black, but the other Devils are never as vibrant and violent as Satanickās is.
Reficulās is obviously way deep red.
Rosaliya has two colors in her eyes, but neither of them are vibrant. Theyāre much more pastel.
Vicers is closer to Rosaliya.
And Ivlis comes very close to being completely vibrant, but
none of them are as completely vibrant and bright as Satanickās eyes. Even Satanickās character ref doesnāt depict him with such vibrant eyes. This is a key point to make, because as far as weāve seen in Funamuseaās work, vibrant means violence.Ā
Ivlisās hair turns a bright red/orange when heās enraged.
Siralosās eyes turn a bright red-orange when berating Ivlis.
Reficul, while her eyes still arenāt exactly vibrant, are shown to be more bright, especially with the deepening of the rest of her colors, when sheās about to punish Ivlis at the end of the game.
All of Satanickās subordinateās are shown with bright, vibrant red in the background, and we know that at least most of them are extremely violent in nature.
Even Kcalb gets burning red eyes when angry at Satanck.
When Fukami turns to the Red Sea in the Bad Ending, his eyes turn a vibrant red color.Ā
Sal himself has vibrant red eyes, and they are arguably the most notable characteristic about Salās character design, especially in the Wadanohara assault scene.Ā
And, the most compelling evidence I think I have for Satanick being influenced by Fumus somehow..
Fumusās eyes are the exact same vibrant purple shade as Satanickās eyes when he is torturing or hurting someone.That seems like almost definitive proof, considering most of the other evidence point to vibrant red being a violent color. Satanick and Fumus are the only characters who have the bright purple colors as synonymous with violence. No other character possesses these traits. Fumus and Satanick are connected in some way, whether it be mind possession or past trauma resulting in Fumusā abuse.
4. Decomposition of Distorted/Everlasting Love
There are a few points Iād like to point out regarding these comics that may also point to either complete brainwash or Satanickās mental state because of Fumus.
First, letās start with these first few panels. (All translations provided by @piitchblackwiitch). Satanick starts out by asking himself if heās starting to become dependent on Ivlis. He refers to himself asĀ āmagnificenceā andĀ āsuperiornessā throughout most of these panels, thinking that someone as high up as he is couldnāt possible love Ivlis, who he refers to asĀ āroachā and other nicknames throughout the comic.Ā One part of these panels does stick out to me.Ā āTo think that this pain, that I havenāt felt in so long, was caused by that roachā¦Ahaha..ā I do wonder what this āpainā is. Is it his love in general, or the feeling of unrequited love? Or is it something completely different? I donāt really have an answer, so Iāll let you be the judge.
Next, we see Satanick trying to confess his feelings to Ivlis, only to act out in rage when he doesnāt understand, This is the first weāve really seen Satanick feel uncomfortable or even angry. Even when Satanick is beating or assaulting Ivlis, it was never out of rage, and more just for his own entertainment. He seems to be genuinely nervous and angry here, which are emotions we donāt see from Satanick often, if at all. It also states thatĀ āIt rained for some time after thatā, and we do know that when Satanick is sad, he causes rain in the world, so we can assume Satanick was pretty bummed out about this encounter.
Next we see Satanick drinking with Yagi, seeming to rant about how he may have feelings for Ivlis. Satanick seems to genuinely want Ivlis to requite his love, as Yagi suggest brainwashing and drugging would work, and Satanick retaliates by telling him he wants Ivlisās heart. Yagi seems perplexed and confused as to why he would have feelings for Ivlis, thinking that he was crazy drunk and just spouting nonsense at this point. I would also like to point out that Satanick is always drawn completely blacked out as he contemplates his feelings for Ivlis. Itās probably not important, but I think itās interesting that Satanick is either completely stoic or hiding his emotions.
This next panel is very important to my theroy. Yagi talks to himself as heās still confused about Satanick having feelings for Ivlis, but he says this: āSeeing Mr. Devil in that sort of state isnāt a very pleasant feeling, at any rateā¦ But the last time that happened wasā¦ā He proceeds to cut himself off to talk to Sullivan, seeming to do this on purpose, as if whatever happened before was a bad memory. But whatās important is, this has happened before Ivlis was even part of the equation. This must be what Satanick was talking about beforehand, the pain he hadnāt felt in a while. What Iām going to believe, is that Satanick fell in love with someone (possibly Lil?), his feelings were unrequited, and he went into a depressive state. Fumus, seeing an opportunity with his now fragile and weak mind, decided to strike the iron while it was hot, making Satanick what he is today,
This is where Satanick realizes his true feelings for Ivlis. What Iād like to point out first here is that Satanickās blood is red at first, and then slowly fades into the shade of purple we see through the comic.Satanick sees the blood change, and addresses this change as hisĀ Ā ātrue feelingsā as he tries to deny whatās happening to him. What I personally see this as, is Fumusās corruption poisoning him: Fumusās influence is seeping its way all throughout his body, and Fumus thinks love and caring is stupid and useless. He sees these things as a waste of time, so to get rid of these feelings from Satanick, he forces him to attempt to get rid of the problem: Ivlis. In the bad end. Fumus succeeds in this, with Satanick murdering Ivlis and Fumus having his laugh about it. In the good end, Satanick successfully runs away from this encounter, and spends most of his time in bed sick, being taken care of by Envi.
This isnāt much of anything, but I do think it is interesting that he sprouts purple flowers. Purple roses, in Japanese culture, signify unrequited love. But, I also wonder why these flowers sprout in the first place? They seem to come out of nowhere, and sprout from his blood. This could be something like a Hanahaki disease, but the vines just look way too similar to Satanickās horns to be a coincidence. Another thing, when Satanick passes out, all he says isĀ āIt hurts.ā But he smiles when he says this, like heās happy that it hurts. Maybe heās happy that he can feel actual emotions again without Fumusās influence?
In Everlasting Love, the bad ending of the comic, we can see Satanick has gone completely berserk. He refuses to listen to Ivlis, and he keeps talking and talking as he tries to coerce Ivlis into opening the door. The most interesting thing I see about this panel is that Satanick keeps saying that nothing will happen. The end speech bubble is just a consent string ofĀ ānothing will happen.āTo me, it seems like heās not only trying to convince Ivlis that nothing will happen, but himself too. Being conflicted with his own feelings, he doesnāt want anything to happen. He doesnāt want to hurt Ivlis, why would he? After being confronted with feelings on love for him, he doesnāt want to hurt Ivlis anymore, but something (or someone) is compelling him to, whether he really wants to or not.
When Satanick finally catches Ivlis, he of course murders him in he bad end. Satanick seems to not understand that heās dead, as he continueās to talk to him like heās alive.
Back to Distorted Love, as Satanick stays in bed while Envi protects and cares for him, Satanick seems to resent Ivlis for making himĀ āworthlessā. As we can see, Fumusā influence still seems to bear down on him, which does make sense, considering by this point Satanick is still vomiting up blood.
Satanick attempts to force Ivlis into one of his games, but ends up breaking down. He seems to attempt to justify himself as he begs Ivlis to choose for himself instead of forcing him into a game, and breaks down crying when he sees the look in Ivlisās eyes. He seems to start to realize what heās doing and what he has been doing to Ivlis, despite what he believed was the right thing to do.
He seems to act out in anger again when Ivlis decides to stay quiet. In these sections, it doesnāt seem like Satanick can control his emotions anymore. He wants to accept the fact that heās in love with Ivlis and doesnāt want to hurt him, while also resenting Ivlis for even being around for him to fall in love with, wanting to get rid of him. He has extremely conflicting emotions and canāt seem to pick which one he wants to feel.
Satanick decides to accept his defeat, and tell ivlis his real feelings. Satanick walks away without another word, and Ivlis is justly confused (And maybe scared). Satanick successfully dodged his own defeat, by, instead of getting angry, accepting his feelings and trying to deal with them. This is what leads to the good end. Instead of getting angry and conflicting himself with his emotions, like Fumus wanted him to do, he decided to be the bigger person and admit to defeat, avoiding the murder ending we get in Everlasting love.
Thats all of the evidence so far. I will add more if it comes to it.Ā
