bibi

If you don't like what I have got to say, then just block me. Also, I love getting asks, so ask away, I guess!

[bibibbon]

Due to the various scam posts and asks, there are about donations for various reasons. I will not be posting any ask that asks for a donation simply because I don't want to cause any misinformation and wouldn't like people's money going towards a scam.

If anyone does want to donate, please do your own research and donate to a trusted charity or organisation that you know is 100% certified.

[wwowizard]

they’re so cute. if qifrey ever finds out tartah’s distrust in him is one of the main reasons he ended up with the brimmed caps he’d never recover i think

[bibibbon]

Just thinking about how Tartah wanted a mentor who would help Coustas and how Qifrey appears on the same page. I am thinking about how Qifrey played a role in Tartah's mistrust of adults but how he desperately wanted to help and act as a comforting and trusting figure. If Tartah reached out, would he and Coco get the same information? Don't you think its ironic that Tartah wanted a master who would help Coustas and how it was Qifrey's knowledge, which he gave Coco that was used to aid Coustas?

[bringina]

manga spoilers ahead!

the fun thing about these early chapter adaptations is that you're keenly reminded shirahama has been holding you hostage with checkhov's gun this entire time

"there goes the baby boy tartah, gonna fetch healing herbs for coco, whAT DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT HIS CAP BEHIND FOR THE SAKE OF WANTING TO HELP SOMEONE OH NOOOOOOOOOOO-"

not to even mention that everyone and their mom has been on the "tartah is gonna become medibrimhat" train, and you're just. casually reminded that a magic stationer storage and hospital storage are just. the same.

i love being hit in my face with a foreshadowing stick

[bibibbon]

I am quite intrigued by the sheer quantity of trapped imagery that is associated with Coco as a character.

She is quite literally a girl who has randomly been dumped into witch society and has to come to terms with the customs they follow and those who challenge those rules. The Alice in Wonderland comparison is really appropriate for her.

In a world where magic can theoretically achieve what a person desires, its society that limits its usage through imposing laws and advocating for the right way to do things. Coco is simply stuck in the midst of all the rules, tangled up in the dangers and the beauty that magic is. Its also interesting how Coco still utilises what many would call 'basic magic' but what really gets her through the story is how she chooses to utilise it by actively using her imagination and innovation to complete the task.

[maribii]

the pointed caps and the brimhats are both subjectively good and bad. what needs to happen is secret third option where magic is an option for anyone who wants to learn, medicine should be available for a witch to learn (what is this? do you not want them to find a spell that cures cancer??), the knights of moralis need to be dismantled (there are better ways to regulate laws and give punishment to those who deserve it rather than erasing somebody's memories just because they found out your little secret.) honestly the whole witch government needs to be dismantled, the librarians should Not have that much power over what the public sees and gets to know. history of the world and history of the witches needs to be accessible to all.

i dont think we should be experimenting on kids but i also dont think that magic should only be allowed to be learned by people high up on earth status, example, being born a witch. rather than not being born a witch, which should not hinder your education of all the things you could learn and better, all the things you could do.

now on my last note, i do agree that we should not just be freely giving the act of magic out. not in the way that people can't know of it, or join an atelier, but they need to learn how to use it correctly and respectfully in a way that will not harm somebody. don't be like iguin, who gave coco a book full of spells that she could do whatever with, and looked what happened with that. it's like medicine, you dont prescribe a medication before knowing what it does. you dont diagnose your patient before knowing their symptoms.

[bibibbon]

EXACTLY THISSS!!!

The concealment of magic has done more harm than many realise. Had one been educated on magic, then Coco's mother wouldn't have turned into stone and other tragedies that stemmed from ignorance or a lack of knowledge could have easily been avoided.

For all that it is, magic is just like nature. It isn't inherently evil, and it isn't inherently good either, but it depends on how people utilise it. Fire can keep one warm and nourish life, but it can also take life and destory it. The same can be said for magic. The same can also be said for medicine. Medicine can help people if used correctly, but it can also harm others.

The regulation of magic itself is absolutely flawed. Would it not save more lives had people known about simple medicine? Would it not be great had people been able to find cures for ailments? In addition, even the magical motor aids are inaccessible to those who truly need them and don't even cater to their full needs. Magic needs to be accessible to those who need it, but society has chosen to limit its accessibility.

[wwowizard]

girl whatever

bonus:

[claspofcovenant]

People on twitter have been talking about a Tetia-Jujy-Eoleo trio and it made me think of these

[bibibbon]

I do think Tartah and Custas's story is that of children being denied further education due to ableism and classism and therefore they'll rise against it, I really need people to lock in & see these two outside of their relation to Coco. Not that Coco isn't an important presence to Custas & Tartah, but moreso lots of fans only boil the boys down to Tartah having/had a one-sided crush for Coco and Custas is that one boy she took pity on & wanted to help (some even blame Custas of being 'ungreatful' to Coco smh). I like TarCo in the sense that it's the heteronormative route they were 'supposed' to take but ultimately didn't, imo it's a normal experience of being a bi/pan kid exploring themselves. On reread, I noticed a lot of queer subtexts from Tartah and Custas. It might just be bc Custas spent more time w Tartah than w Coco, but I like to read him being more hung up on Tartah as him maybe already having a crush on Tartah back then haha. Like, the panel where Custas on the sealchair ran to headbutt Tartah bc he thought Tartah stopped visitting him was so cute & Tartah's always so gentle w Custas too gosh I just know the CusTah stock will skyrocket in future arcs

It's not an issue of people viewing Tartah and Coustas's characters through the lens of their relationship with Coco, but it's that they expect those two to be undoubtedly loyal to Coco.

Coco plays a significant role in both coustas and Tartah's character. She is our introduction to coustas and Tartah. It's reasonable that a lot of the fan perception of those two comes from Coco's own experiences with Coustas and Tartah because our first impressions of them come from Coco herself. The friendship that Coco develops with Tartah and Coustas further allows us to see those two through her perspective. It allows us to see how Coco relates to these two, how similar or different their experiences are, and the role society plays in the positions they are all in. These 3 are all outsiders in one way shape or form, and while that leads to them bonding, their reactions to the discrimination they face and how they grapple with societal oppression create fractures in their relationship.

Coco, Tartah, and Coustas have all been failed by witch society and suffered from the witches code. However, their suffering is not the same, and the manga makes sure to highlight this clearly through the tense interactions that this trio has. Being an 'outsider' (coco) , having an invisible disability (Tartah), and being both an 'outsider' and having a visible disability (Coustas) are all very different experiences.

There are layers to the systematic injustices that these characters face. As a result, they all bear widely different reactions that lead them to the places they are. All the characters share a theme of being prohibited from education, and this leads to tragedy. Magic isn't a hard tool to master if the resources are available: ink, knowledge of spells, and paper. Anyone can do magic, but the societal frameworks limit this to only a certain kind of people. This limitation results in tragedy for Coco, who loses her mother because she was unaware of the dangers of the spell she cast. While Tartah was born into witch society, he was still unable to learn magic because of how unaccomadating witch society is. In this case, abelism directly forbid Tartah from progressing as a witch even though he had the talent and desire to be one. On the other hand, Coustas's is limited from accessing both magic and rudimentary education due to classism. It's a cruel fate that coustas is aware of and expresses his anger towards in his conversation with Tartah and Coco. Without access to education, all of these characters are significantly hindered. If Coco had access to magical education, then her mother would still be here. She would be able to help her mother even more at their shop. If Tartah had access to magical education, then he could further aid Nolnoa. He could master his craft and learn so much more like the sourcing of ink and the silvertree present at the starry sword. If coustas had access to an education, then he and Dagda wouldn't be so dependent on being minstrels. If coustas had an education, then he would be able to take on less risky jobs. It's classism, which resulted in Dagda's severe injury and later on death.

Coustas's rage and anger against society and inequalities present is refreshing to see. The fact that the author doesn't dismiss his rage or try to demonise it is again very refreshing for me because I have gotten used to narratives that do. I love the consideration taken when it comes to the depictions of Coustas's perspective. While he and Coco share very obvious parallels, it's ironically what they have in life that separates them. Picking up the pen for Coustas came from a place of necessity, a desire to rid himself and Dagda of their horrible fates granted to them by an unjust system.

Coustas, Tartah, and Coco are all friends who found the joy and wonders of magic through one another, with Coco being the one to present said joys to Coustas and Tartah. It's important to note that Coustas and Tartah play active roles in Coco's journey as a witch: Tartah gives Coco her own customised pen and Coustas's branch is used by Coco to complete her spell in chapter 87. Coustas and Tartah become active ideological contrasts to Coco. Coco's trauma from being a victim to forbidden magic, as well as watching others she knows fall victim to it makes her more willing to adapt witch society's customs. Her not telling Coustas about magic or the small child about magic or her calling Tartah out for the study of medicine and magic as well as ruling out any forbidden spell as something to never be done is evidence of that. However, both Tartah and coustas bring up valid points. Magic is simply a tool to be used by the people. It isn't inherently evil, and what spell is performed can both harm or aid people. Coustas's talk with Coco highlights this quite well. Personally, I believe that Coustas and Tartah have valid points, and I am interested to see how Coco's beliefs are challenged later on.

On a different note, I love how you can see how all these three characters challenge and alter eachothers world views, specifically Coustas and Tartah. Coustas's worldview is changed by Tartah, who helped teach him letters and medicine. Tartah's worldview is altered by Coustas, who helped him see and understand just how inaccessible society is for those in need of motor aids. The knowledge about the silvertree changes how Tartah viewed the silvertree at the starry sword, and it altered Coustas's life as he became a vessel of it.

There is a lot of queer subtext between Tartah and Coustas. From the parallels, they have to other coded relationships orufrey and Arcko to the uncanny similarities between Coustas and Coco and what it means for Tartah to choose to leave everything behind and join Coustas. There's also a lot to be unpacked with Coustas's anger being directed towards Tartah, how betrayed he felt by him, how some of his anger mellowed out after learning that Tartah's study of medicine was a violation of the witches code and for Coustas's sake. I hope we get to see more of them soon!!! And I know the fandom will thrive when we get their interactions animated! Those two have so much angst potential, I fear. Tartah can't lie to Coustas and if Coustas ever gets too relaxed with Tartah then he just turns into a tree.

[nananananasposts]

Tartah is a funny character to me because he is disabled and has a lot of questions about witch society, he doesn't agree with the rules and wishes to mix magic and medicine because this could help people. That moment doesn't come from nowhere, since the start Tartah is already showing signs of his internal frustration with the witch society and how strict everything is, he is a good person, he wants to help people, but he is not a good witch and then when the big revel happens, Tartah don't see how he could go back a normal life, he choose Coustas over everything else because he can't accept a normal life anymore, Tartah knows the moralis would whipe his memories and force him to be comfortable with the society and he doesn't want it, he refuses be part of so terrible society, he prefer live the true (even if a terrible and sad one), this is why he choose Coustas. And the funniest part is, Tartah who starts as a side character went full antihero trope with Coustas, I am really happy with his character growth and I hope this helps us explore more about forbidden magic and magic x medicine discourse

[pivotttt]

The Forbidden Fruit in Witch Hat Atelier

The biblical imagery in Witch Hat Atelier is quite the rabbit hole. References are everywhere, but the allegory is very loose because of the work's complex relationship with knowledge. I specifically wanted to call attention to this page in ch 41 that caught my eye.

The bottom left panel contains the croix pommée, or cross pommel, which is used very early in the manga as the icon for buildings of medicine. Notably, it always appears without the circle to differentiate itself from the healingcraft witches. The circle represents the magic that was removed from the world of medicine.

Symbolically, the knobs of the croix pommée are literally fruits, and the cross acts as the branches that lead to them. These branches are the different paths that humanity can take. In Genesis, Eve makes the choice of taking the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, leading to the shame of humanity.

Going back to the page, Tartah is looking at two fruits, weighing them in his hands: knowledge of medicine and knowledge of magic.

In the following page, the panels focuses on the fruit and then his eyes. His monologue shows that unlike Eve, he is aware of the fate that awaits him if he chases this "branch". The tarnished fruit represents the knowledge lost because of the Pact. The panel with his eyes and him saying "I'm sick of the way things are" recall the fact that his silverwash limits the way he sees the world, and society fails to accommodate. Because of this, he highly values knowledge hates to see it wasted, like ripe fruit thrown on the floor.

There's much more to explore here with the Ezrest family, the silverwood seed as a "forbidden fruit", and more, but I'm going to leave it at here for now.

[bibibbon]

omg yes a lot of readers gloss over the fact that Tartah is such a smart cookie and only view him as an extension of Coco's character development thus demand him to remain loyal to her (either as a friend or a crush), what a shame. He was also able to perfect Coco's seal just from hearing her idea and how she wanted the signs to work, despite not even knowing which sign does what before Coco telling him (i guess Nolnoa only has access to learning materials regarding his specialty). He has a good memory, learns & applies knowledge fast, detail-oriented and steady hands (being a woodworker). I hope he'll be the equivalent of a surgeon for a healing witch. imo Tetia's path is more of a nurse while Tartah's more like a doctor. This maybe cooking too far but out of the 3 silverwood-witch/star duo (orufrey, arkco, custah), Olly's the sun, Coco's the star of hope, i think Tartah's gonna be a damn comet (called 'broom star' in a lot of languages), bringing upheaval to all sides which is quite fitting considering him & Custas are their own faction as of now. Sorry if I glazed Tartah too much haha

It's fine! I don't mind the Tartah glaze. It's quite nice seeing people get really excited about their favourite characters!

I haven't spent a lot of the time in the witch hat atelier fandom, specifically with the manga readers, so I don't know what the general fandom consensus is surrounding a lot of characters. With that being said, I can say that I think theres a lot of things that the fandom doesn't talk about, which I wish to explore in length.

I can see where the sentiment of Tartah being expected to be loyal to Coco comes from, especially with how he was introduced as one of her first friends alongside the girls in the atelier. On top of that, the manga went ahead with having Tartah develop a one-sided crush on Coco so the sentiment that he would be loyal to her was further solidified by that as many probably expected Tartah to adopt the classic love interest role in the narrative.

However, there's a lot more to be said about the events that transpired a few chapters ago and the queercoding/implications behind coustas x Tartah and Agott x Coco. There's plenty to discuss about what it means for Tartah to willingly join coustas, how that changes his relationship with Coco: transforming it from a one sided crush to more of a friendship as they both drift apart to find their own truths in the messy conflicts of witch society. I feel like many might not be able to come to terms with that just because of how many scenes these two have had, but I wasn't all that surprised when Tartah ended up joining the brimhats. It made sense that his arc would head in such a direction, especially since he was incredibly critical of the witches code. A conflict between him and Coco was brewing ever since chapter 42 when it came to their actions and discussions surrounding Coustas.

I do want to say that what Tartah did to Coco shouldn't be taken lightly or dismissed. That was a violation of her autonomy and agency. The manga will likely explore how this incident fractured both of their relationship as it seems that in the later chapters, Coco avoids addressing what happened with Tartah, and he is presumed missing. I am definitely excited to see their next interaction and how it will unfold after all of this.

Chapters 87 definitely played as a big turning point in their relationship. Before all of this, Tartah viewed Coco as a confidant; he viewed her as someone whom he could trust in expressing his criticisms towards witch society and the witches code. A lot of their relationship consisted of Tartah being more open with Coco telling her about his disability and his thoughts. Coco is a lot more closed off to Tartah, which creates an obvious imbalance that slowly triggers the events of chapter 87 (it's in no way her fault since her previous experiences instilled secrecy within her). I believe that Tartah might feel some jealousy towards Coco after learning that she is an outsider who still became a witches apprentice and got to learn magic. To Tartah, such a thing is unfair. It's unfair that she got to become a witch while no one took him in because of his disability. It's unfair that she got to learn magic while Coustas, who is an outsider like her didn't. Jealousy that stems from injustice of witch society seems very fitting for the development of Coco and Tartah's relationship.

On the flip side, Coco's view of Tartah vastly changes. Coco is a victim of forbidden magic. She has seen many close friends become victims of forbidden magic, so her hatred and wariness of it are understandable. So far, she has been able to overcome challenges and hurdles through innovative thinking that doesn't require her to use forbidden magic, but can that continue? While Tartah and her were united by their love for magic, a desire to help people, and a desire to change the world, they have slowly grown apart as they become increasingly aware about the fractures and corruption of witch society. What once brought them together was naivety and optimism, and what separates them is a need for insight and enlightenment. Tartah now acts as a direct ideological contrast to Coco. As Coco progresses as a character, she becomes increasingly more secretive, indirectly upholding the pointed caps beliefs. On the other hand, Tartah tries to reveal witch society's secrets and gain the truth. There's a lot to be said with how these characters have both left a long-lasting impression on the other. Coco's innovative thinking allowed for Tartah to become a witch through the understanding of herbs, helping him overcome his hurdle. Tartah teaches Coco about magical herbs and items in the beginning, as well as gifting her own customised pen suited for her use, enabling her to excel at drawing sigils. They have both played a key role in shaping the other to become the witches they are, and their ideological conflict will be intriguing to explore, especially when you add Coustas to the equation.

I love the idea that Tartah is a lot like a comet!! Also, your insight about Teita being a nurse and Tartah a possible surgeon is actually really interesting.

The Coco, olruggio, and Tartah parallels are so underrated in this fandom. I have seen a fair share of people point out the parallels between olruggio and Coco, but I have yet to see people discuss the parallels between olruggio and Tartah.

The two craftsmen who spend a lot of their time making and working with tools. They seem emotionally reserved on the outside compared to their counterparts, but it's revealed that they end up taking larger risks. They both question the witches code and are met with surprise or criticism in olruggio case. Both of them aim to help the common people and understand just how handy magic is in doing so with olruggio making items that benefit the lives of others while Tartah wants to teach Coustas magic. Both of them aim to help Qifrey and Coustas, joining the two where they go. Both of them are observant and intelligent to discover things they aren't supposed to. They also have similar reactions to Coustas and Qifreys silverwood parasite. Olruggio heads to the tower of tombs to gain the truth while Tartah fully brands himself with the truth spell, gaining the truth from Coco. Both Olruggio and Tartah's first interactions with Qifrey and Coustas are them saving them.

[gh0st-offline]

I actually ADORE the relationship between Qifrey and Tartah because Qifrey always looks like he's barely holding back the urge to sweep Tartah up like he does with the girls and poor Tartah looks like he'd legitimately rather be ANYWHERE else.

Spoilers for manga panels below 👇

Qifrey canonically seeing his younger self in tartah too.

He doesn't even know he's the catalyst to Tartah's loss of trust in the adults around him and the pointed hat system. Does he even know Tartah's with the brimmed hats now? Does he know how badly he wrecked this poor kids life by memory wiping his grandpa that one time?

Qifrey very clearly has no ill will towards Tartah, it makes me wonder what would become of their relationship if Tartah never asked about that light...

[bibibbon]

Something something Qifrey manages to help Richeh regain her trust in adults but is the catalyst to Tartah losing his trust in adults and witch society.

Something something Qifrey sees himself in Tartah and Tartah only joined the brimhats for Coustas sake and to gain more information. Something something Qifrey and Tartah have really similar goals: they both want the truth. Something something Qifrey and Tartah's desires and thoughts really push them forward as characters. Something something, Qifrey and Tartah, both hurt Coco in the midst of it all. Something something Tartah and Qifrey both have damage to their eyes. Something something Qifrey upholds a friends lie while Tartah upholds the truth.

I do wonder what Tartah will discover when he is with the Brimhats. I believe that the narrative will further intertwine Qifrey and Tartah by having Tartah potentially uncover truths about Qifrey's missing eye and more about the silverwood tree. I wonder if Tartah will become a healingcraft witch and discover a way to aid those like Qifrey and Coustas

Cue this parallel!

[bibibbon]

The manga heavily focuses on children's autonomy, rights, and the mistreatment they experience in witch society. Richeh and Euini's arcs are my favourite in exploring this.

Richeh and Euini were both under toxic and abusive masters yet had very different responses to their experiences. While magic is an ability that anyone can harness, witch society's rigid rules and beliefs manage to limit its usage and usefulness. The masters encourage a rigid, inflexible way of thinking and action, which limits both of their apprentices' abilities as they are led to believe that there is one right way to do something and one right answer. Even though magic requires an imaginative and innovative spirit to achieve its desired effects, the two are taught textbook methods of how to complete a task or how to complete a test in Euini's case. The apprentices are treated as blank slates that need to learn everything in a textbook to become what society deems as competent witches, and Euini is heavily affected by this logic.

Euini is a character who is introduced to us as 'incompetent' by his master. He has failed the 2nd test multiple times, never managing to overcome the challenge. This, alongside his masters abusive and degrading behaviour, diminishes Euini's confidence as well as his self-esteem. The repeated abuse leaves Euini also developing a rigid thought process surrounding the test, making him afraid of deviating from the 'correct' path. As a result, Euini struggles significantly once he reaches a part of the test that he isn't fully aware of and deems himself unable to continue. Prior to the test, Euini recognises his own weaknesses and chooses to prepare for them by writing sigils in his book. While these sigils become significantly useful in helping save Agott and Richeh, that really wasn't their intended purpose. Euini isn't able to show his skills and abilities until he overcomes the rigid thought process instilled in him by witch society. There's a tragic irony in Beldaruit encouraging witches to think outside of the box and implement their magic in unique and innovative ways, yet that's not what a lot of these masters preach.

Euini is treated as a blank slate by his master. He is a blank slate who is supposed to be taught the right way of doing things. Any deviation from the traditional way is instantly deemed as wrong. Even when Euini recognises his weaknesses, his master doesn't offer a way to adapt to them but berates him for the existence of those imperfections. However, even in such conditions, Euini adapts. He adds more keystones. He shows us that he is able to think innnovatvely, and that allows him to help save Agott from the Brimcaps. Even when abused and mistreated to a point where Euini doesn't want to be himself but the 'ideal witch,' he still manages to overcome his own weaknesses in his own unique ways with the help of Agott and Richeh. It's these interactions that teach Euini that being himself isn't wrong. There isn't anything wrong with him, and he is worthy of being a witch. He isn't just a blank slate but a child who will make mistakes, fail, and learn: something which witch society frowns upon. He is a child and a witch with feelings, not a creature but someone with the right to explore his abilities and exert autonomy rather than being governed by what's expected of him.

Richeh also experienced abuse under her former master who prohibited her from drawing things that weren't within the textbook or forcing her to learn magic and perform magic she had no interest in. Similar to Euini, she also adapted. She drew tiny sigils all over her pages, making sure that her magic was always present and that it was always there. However, the abuse she experienced also left a deep mental scar, which she couldn't fully overcome until her interactions with Euini (the same also stands for Euini). Richeh is also able to identify her weaknesses like Euini, which ends up being her lack of expertise and knowledge about other spells. I enjoy seeing her overcome her weakness by learning that textbook magic isn't going to rob her of her individuality but that she can still express herself using basic structures of magic. It seems like Richeh and Euini have the opposite issues in how they understand and handle magic, which is something that stems from their own experiences and responses. Richeh strives to be herself and stick to who she is no matter the cost. She is deeply afraid that learning textbook spells would rob her of what makes her and that she will turn into another 'ideal witch'. Although her voice has been suppressed by her former master, she still expresses herself no matter the consequences of her speciality, even centring around the idea.

There's a lot to be said about how Richeh and Euini's storylines and character manage to mirror other characters. Richeh's mistrust of adults and her desperate attempts to cling on to her own individuality no matter the cost reminds me a lot of Tartah. On the other hand, Euini's desire to prove himself and fit into the standards of an ideal witch reminds me a lot of Agott.

There's a distinct parallel between Agott and Euini that is under discussed in the fandom. Both Euini and Agott are depicted as disgraced characters who have failed to meet the standards of what an apprentice witch should be. They both believe in a certain 'right' way of doing things. This way of thinking is dismantled by Coco and Richeh, who show their creative ways to overcoming problems. While Coco isn't directly present during the 2nd test with Agott, she is still constantly brought up by the narrative with Agott trying to help her as she understands that Coco is in danger. On the other hand, Euini also tries to help Richeh by giving her his notebook of spells. Both Euini and Agott come into contact with forbidden magic during the test. Agott and Euini become heavily inspired by Coco and Richeh, something that heavily impacts them as characters.

[crazywitch123]

Okay, so here some unimportant things I noticed while rewatching E-soul's pv again, probably everyone knows about them, I'll just share this anyway + some theories I thought about.

The thing that X may be Zero or at least that X has a part of Zero's power..

Here, Zero changed the position of his attack [my english is bad so idk how do u guys call this movement], and it happened a few times in this video.

He did it in a blink of an eye.

X did smth similar a few times with snapping his finger and even without it.

This is going to be long, sorry..

Another thing.

I think Zero derives/gains his powers from the solar eclipse, or at least, this phenomenon is related to his abilities or to "awakening" them.

Here 👇👇

And, there IS a cult that worshiped Zero

• Solar eclipse, again

• He's in the "dark mode", using his powers

WHAT IF this is how he became villain..? I mean, right at THIS moment.

The cult completed the final rituals to awaken Zero's full powers, and the solar eclipse was the timing at which the ritual had to take place.

Like, they built a hero using the wrong methods, idk.. kinda reminds me of a contract with a demon thing.

There are numbers at this "stone", from what I can see in this pic, there's 22, the number E-soul is touching, 51 repeating almost everywhere around the number 22, if u look closely.

In the first pic, the place looks like those old versions of Chinese building's with sliding doors, and there's red rain outside, probably someone's blood..

First I thought he may killed someone inside, but there's no blood on the doors from the inside.

Zero either killed someone out there, OR he saw someone being killed in front on him.

But I tend to think that Zero killed someone [maybe not only one person], bc there's blood on his arms/hands.

Probably that was his first kill, and that's how it all started.

It may be like, he killed someone for the first time, then he came back "home" looking like this or smth, or maybe he visited E-soul, maybe that is E-soul's house.

And the second pic

We have a teddy bear, birthday gift, a microphone (Lucky Cyan has one btw, not sure if this is important), and two items that I don't know. One on the left right under the bear looks more like a paper airplane, but I don't have any idea of what the last item can be.

And yeah, I mentioned this earlier in another post, but I'll say it again. It looks like Zero ate someone here. U can see the blood on his mouth, dripping on his chest, and there's blood on his arms as well. (At least on his right arm bc I can't see it on his left arm).

There are three holes behind him that appear to represent corners of an "invisible" triangle, and one of them is empty.

I wouldn't say it's empty, bc they look a bit like these.. 👇

The upper one (above Zero's head) is either a full sun, or the eclipse.

And about these four heroes..

Starting from the left, the first one has a symbol/mark looking like the letter X on their cape.

Poor is that last one..

It's probably Zero who did this, since the way the bodies of these four look, and Zero uses explosions.

Let's not forget about the stages of solar eclipse that appear behind their heads.

But it looks more like the moon is "moving away", if we assume that moon starts covering the sun from the right, then it slowly moves away to the left, uncovering the sun.

Like here 👇

[Btw, there's smth like another sun on the bottom right of the first pic, or maybe I'm just seeing things..]

But. What if the cult was the one who killed them, or if they made/forced Zero kill them to complete the rituals?

Because I think Zero needs blood, or human souls to gain his power, not only the solar eclipse

[These are only theories, don't forget]

Or maybe these bodies represent people's trust, or fear.

Everything was good at first, then they started needing more blood and deaths, and this is how they awakened the devil..?

Maybe they [the cult] were already killing some people when he was still a "hero".

Rock's father was the one who "made" Zero. This doesn't have to sound like some experiments, what if Rock's father was the head of the cult?

But I have another idea, what if Zero was a mix of experiments and rituals..?

In this picture, not every black creature there looks like a human, some of them have more than two arms, or maybe that wasn't intentional.

I can see flowers in circle, the bigger one, but I can't tell what are the yellow things in the smaller circle..

Also, the red guy under the sun eclipse doesn't look like a guy.. I mean, I can't see head or any limbs.

There are two eyes on the back.

There are these eight things appearing behind Zero, instead of his cape.

Crosses?

Looks like Nice..

Solar eclipse, again

And, the tiny light lines, appearing from the sun, and "connecting" a few buildings and some rocks

And, about that he probably needs blood for his abilities

These eyes can move I think

This one too

Sure he uses fear

These "blasting balls" look like fear mentioned in the show.

This is all for now.

[bibibbon]

To add on, solar eclipse in ancient China represented a celestial dragon or a heavenly dog devouring the sun. Ironically, this adds a lot to your theory that Zero possibly ate someone because you know who in the show is referred to as a Dragon? ZERO and Dragon Boy (who is supposed to be Zero's successor.

Ancient China also viewed solar eclipses as a bad omen one that hinted at the emperors failings. Again, this can be directly linked to Zero and how the Dawnfall incident began after he killed a person and became 'corrupt'. Solar eclipses are also viewed as an omen that disrupt the natural order of society, just like how Zero disrupted natural societal order by killing a person and exploiting fear. Even the emergence of Zero as a hero and the top hero at that disrupted societal order.

On another note, this image has always been interesting to me because it shows the 4 main stages of a solar eclipse. The 4 stages are the partial eclipse when the leading edge of the moon first touches the suns edge; the total eclipse, the totality maximum, and the 4th contact. As the solar eclipse progresses, the more mangled the corpses become. This shows Zero's downfall and how the situation has easily lost control. These heroes presumably fought Zero and failed prior to E-soul fighting him, which is why we don't really see the orb fully reach the 4th contact stage of the solar eclipse.

The items surrounding Zero seem to be linked to some of the top 10 heroes. I can only make out the microphone, teddy bear, and gift while the other two items are a bit confusing to me. One of them somewhat looks like a letter, I suppose, or is it a tablet? Anyways, moving on, the microphone is heavily linked to Lucky Cyan , as you mentioned. The teddy bear is linked to Ghostblade, and the gift seems to be linked to Ahu. From what I remember, either through their pvs or arcs, the items appear one way or another.

However, this might he looking into things a little too deeply, and the items may simply represent the innoncence and naivety Zero once had that was stolen from him and that he stole from others through murder.

Solar eclipse imagery or other similar imagery is also found in other pvs and the new opening. The lady 0 seems to take a similar position as zero in the new opening, suggesting that she will be the next antagonist or that she will experience something that Zero went through. This can back up your whole cult theory well!

[bibibbon]

I just read your bio which says you love getting asks, so I'm sending one from one Yang Cheng lover to another.

I've already yapped a lot in my own posts/asks about this but I want to hear what others have to say about it too. What are your thoughts on Shang Chao and Xia Qing both as individuals and regarding their relationships to/dynamics between the two of them and Yang Cheng?

Apologies if this is something you've spoken about before on your blog, I have an awful memory (but I've been religiously following the tbhx tag since spring last year so I almost definitely would have seen it at some point if you did lol).

Hi @duckirubb3r 👋

I have loosely talked about how I view Yang cheng, shang chao, and Xia Qing as a trio when the E-soul arc was initially airing! However, your ask has made me realise that I haven't directly talked about them at length afterwards, so thank you for giving me the opportunity to expand on my thoughts.

It's important to note that Xia Qing and Shang Chao act as direct contrasts to one another and, as a result, have very different impacts on Yang cheng as a character.

Shang chao is ambitious, too ambitious, might I say. He is the accelerator. He creates the plans and drives them forward almost instantly. In his own haze and desire for success, it seems like he forgets to run things over with yang cheng and Xia Qing. He assumes that Yang Cheng will be fine with trying to reach the commission leaderboards. He assumes that Yang cheng will be okay with him becoming his manager and partner. He assumes a lot of things and doesn't actually go to confirm them, but he chooses to move forward when he doesn't see an obstacle in sight. It's that kind of behaviour that made many view him in an unfavourable light in episode 5 (its not the full story as to why but a key contributing factor that I feel some may overlook when acknowledging that Yang cheng's unreliable narration also played a part). Shang chao is the epitome of the perfect male citizen. It's why Yang cheng envies him because Shang Chao represents the things he doesn't have, the things that society robbed from him. Shang chao has connections, he has the funds, he has the ideas, he has the courage, he has the spirit, and he has everything all the good cards handed to him by fate. However, that's only Yang cheng's biased view of Shang chao, and while shang chao does present himself in that manner, his interactions hint to more than what meets the surface. Even though shang chao is comfortable, he still wants more. He wants to differentiate himself. He wants to earn something that is his and that he can rightfully claim. When Xia Qing compliemented him and his experience, he chooses to dismiss that and highlight that this was only possible due to his father's connections. While Shang chao's ambition can make him nearsighted and oblivious, he isn't as ignorant as we first assume him to be. He seems aware to an extent about his own privilege and wants to change that but ironically his changes to make a name for himself still come from his father's connection and privilege as shown by his knowledge, him renting the warehouse, his technology and his own legal support. It's a shame we don't get to learn more about Shang chao. Does he fully know about his father? Is there a deeper reason as to why he wants a name for himself? He doesn't bring about his father's name directly, so is that a hint to a strained relationship? Does shang chao want to be a different CEO than his father? Is that the reason why he sought Yang cheng and made an effort to include Yang cheng and Xia Qing as friends by getting them tickets to Lucky Cyan's concert?

I actually think that Shang chao's thought process surrounding his father and his nepotism also manifest in his advice towards Yang cheng. He actively states that he doesn't believe that Yang cheng is doing anything wrong by taking the E-soul identity and that he should use it as a 'leg up', an advantage to help him differentiate himself and become his own E-soul aka his own hero. That line of thought seems so similar to how he approaches his own outlook with his father and desires to expand his project.

(More elaboration on shang chao vs Xia Qing's thought process surrounding E-soul and yang cheng here!)

The more that's revealed about Shang De, the more I come to realise how much of a mystery shang Chao's character really is.

On another note, I don't really see Shang chao asking Xia Qing out. I know that it's been stated that it happened in Canon, but ironically, we only get 2 scenes where Xia qing and Shang chao are interacting, and one of them has Little polemo included. However, I personally believe that Shang chao was poly and pansexual, so 🤷‍♀️

Moving on to Xia Qing! In a world where everyone seeks the thrill of being a hero and wants to be at the top, she is an outlier. Xia Qing is rational. She is observant, but most importantly, she is someone who sticks to her core no matter the circumstances. She is unlike any other in this series to me. She is the only one who we are shown with a sibling (I find it ironic how we have had multiple representations of a variety of relationships, but siblings aren't one of them) and I find her relationship with little polemo quite underrated. The show implies that she is the primary caretaker for little polemo since their parents travel a lot for work. This huge responsibility clearly shapes who she is as a character. Her ability to stay calm and rational in extreme situations further contributes to her actions, showing just how responsible she is. If shang chao is an optimist, Xia Qing is a realist. She is the most down to earth character who is able to maintain sanity when the world is against her. She is logical in telling yang cheng to back down from his fight. She is logical in her rebuttal against E-soul's management team. She is logical in pointing out flaws or concerns in shang chao's plans. Her realistic attitudes protect her in the series. She chooses not to engage in danger. She has a form of self-preservation that's admirable in a reckless and fast driven society. While many are changed and altered by external circumstances, which end up breaking or making them as people, Xia Qing remains exactly who she is at her core and sticks to the plans and ideas she has. She tells Yang cheng that she won't stay if he doesn't have the courage to be himself, and she follows on with that promise even if it breaks her.

Xia Qing is also an observer. She observes the situation prior to acting, and it's a key defining character with her relationship with Yang cheng (shang chao is the opposite). Xia Qing waits for yang cheng to make a decision. She waits for him to act and only nudges him if she deems it necessary. Although she slowly recognises that the man behind the mask is yang cheng, she doesn't point it out directly, unlike Shang chao. Her method of acting is interesting to me, allowing events to play out naturally instead of taking a controlling reign on them. Even though the world around her changes, Xia Qing remains a constant in her own life. Similar to shang chao, Xia Qing's thought process manifests in her own beliefs surrounding the E-soul controversy, and I do hope to see her play an active role in season 2. I wouldn't be surprised that through her observations and high emotional intelligence, if Xia Qing realised or later on came to the realisation about who Rock was and Yang cheng's manipulation. I wouldn't be surprised if she took on a more active role in season 2 functioning under the radar, but being an important presence nonetheless. She is a victim to Rock, and I do hope that she also gains her own justice considering all that she has gone through.

Another important thing to me about Xia Qing is her reaction to the E-soul fight. It's highly likely that the last time she saw or spoke to Yang cheng was during their argument at the beach. I doubt that she would have talked to yang cheng before his fight. Throughout the fights progression, we never see Yang cheng watching the fight. She fully goes to the lucky cyan concert and chooses to mourn both yang cheng and shang chao. I enjoyed both yang cheng and Xia Qing's expressions of grief and how the show intentionally mirrors these two. After yang cheng's final punch, we never see his face again, and after Xia Qing's heartwrenching sobs, we also never see her again. There's an empty presence that the audience has to focus on, and it's how these two characters have drifted apart abandoning what they once were (in yang cheng case) or their environment (Xia Qing). While many look at the climax of episode 7 as a Yang Cheng transformation scene, I also believe that it's a Xia Qing transformation scene as these two leave their shared pasts behind, both greving the loss of shang chao in their unique ways. While both might try and avoid the past or hide it, I doubt that they will ger far as season 2 brings them to positions where they wouldn't want to be in. I never interpreted Xia Qing leaving the concert as her being content, but as she acknowledged that she has to move on. She is practical, and she will continue to live and carry on the story no matter what.

Anyways, I love 3-soul!! They deserved so much better 😔

(Sorry for taking so long to respond to this! Exams are killing me, and it sucks that school chose to give me a 1 week break before resuming exams again)

[bibibbon]

I am not fully caught up on the witch hat atelier manga, but I do want to comment on one thing.

Tartah has always been a non-conforming character, someone radicalised by his own mistreatment and experiences in witch society. He is a character who was ostracised and blends in the background but an unarguable presence when in action. He is observant to a fault with nothing really passing him. He is instantly suspicious of Qifrey. He catches on about how Coco isn't like the other witches (later on figuring out that she is an outsider and has more secrets than he thought). There are so many times where his astute observations are highlighted in the likely his ability to customise Coco's pen by noticing how she grips the tool or his ability to pinpoint which vial is which without knowing their colour or how he heard about Ezrets island king being a skilled physician and recommended him to help save Dagda. It is those keen observations that define Tartah and play a role in influencing him to join the brimcaps to gain more knowledge. This is why I believe that Tartah not fully sticking to one side (the brimcaps or the pointed caps) is such a vital aspect of his character. He trusts neither side. He is critical of the witches code. His friend was turned to a tree by the brimcaps, trusting either side won't allow Tartah to reach his goal as both sides lie. Neither side follows Tartah's beliefs, and I would love to see how the brimcaps treat Tartah. I doubt he will be able to slide under the radar like he used to, so I wonder how he will deal with trying to gather information without lying to brimcaps.

On another note, it's so important to me how the manga slowly builds up and implies the idea of Tartah becoming a Healingcraft witch (or that's what I hope his character is building up to). Not only has Tartah been introduced as an observant character, but he is also a character who's adamant to help those in need however he can. For all that, the narrative points out that Tartah has broken the witches code by learning medicine for Coustas, I think it's important to note that he has broken the witches code long before that. The author notes that the only reason Coco knows basic first aid and how to treat wounds is because she wasn't born a witch. From this, we can infer that any form of first aid or medical knowledge is forbidden and strictly against the witches code. As a result, the fact that Tartah simply knows and helps Coco apply healing herbs and bandages her injury in the earlier chapter is a forbidden act on its own. This links with his other trait that I mentioned: astute observations, which shows that he has picked up some medical knowledge here and there. It's these two characteristics that lead him to his journey of fully abandoning the witches code and joining coustas. It's also this journey that makes me believe that Tartah will pick up even more knowledge about healing magic and possibly discover lost healing magic in the future.

[bibibbon]

It's very important to me that Yang Cheng as a character has a narratively cyclical arc, and it does make me wonder what that possibly means for him in season 2.

Yang cheng's parents get killed by a gun -> his friend later on is killed by a gun -> he becomes a killer shooting Moon down

It's interesting how this is echoed through his hero ranking as well going from 9th to 3rd and then 9th again

Or how yang cheng is initially humanised by E-soul in episode 5 to him being dehumanised as E-soul

Even his parallels with Rock come full circle in a neat cyclical nature where him and Rock switch positions or his parallels with Lin Ling except that's just an inverted cycle.

Also, Yang cheng is described as a rising shock to his first tournament like X and Lin Ling and it now shocks the audience and the citizens that he has been kicked out of the top 10.

Yang cheng, being powerless as a child to stop his parents' death -> him being fast enough to save little polemo -> him being powerless to save shang chao

Yang cheng has his parents -> he is alone after his parents' death -> he then gains some friends -> he is then alone after losing said friends