Greetings, everyone. This blog has been created specifically to discuss theories regarding the world pegl0 has created in his comic “Superfish,” and what we can extrapolate based on the information shared with us so far.
Having developed a keen interest in the same, I have reread the episodes available thus far a few times and compiled the information we have so far, and hence have some ideas on where I see things going.
I am new to this platform, so this may present a learning curve.
Are there any particular subjects you are the most curious about in Superfish? Feel free to send questions.
Find below a list of all my posts so far.
REFERENCE POSTS
Witches: Known Information
DISCUSSION POSTS
What makes Superfish a "defect" in witch society?
What's happening with the witch's core inside of DJ?
Investigating the Sources of Magic in Obscaria (and the Etymology of Superfish's Name)
INBOX RESPONSES
The Metaphysics of Enchanted Objects
How long has Superfish been in the human world?
Who is the more interesting character, DJ or Superfish?
While it is easy to surmise that he must have escaped Obscaria sometime after his graduation from a witch school at 16, we have no clear indication of when he may have escaped in the three-year span since.
I believe he most likely escaped either immediately or at most only a few months after his graduation from a witch school at 16.
Find more information enclosed below. I welcome all discussion and opinions, and you may send a message, an anonymous question, or comment upon the post itself.
We have seen the following,
He seems fairly situated in the human world, owning a mobile residence that he can access through a magical portal.
He has a fair amount of knowledge of human technology—owning a vespa, a record player, and even a telephone. He makes his own meals using fresh ingredients, takes lengthy showers, and overall is competent in various human customs. He has also gathered a sizeable collection of artifacts and items.
Toppleprey, the red-eyed witch, has been trying to kill him for a "while."
He was working as a junior officer at some point, with Toppleprey present as an authority figure in some capacity.
When discussing potion-making in the first few episodes of the comic, he mentioned that he hadn't made a potion in a "while."
In conclusion,
He most likely graduated witch school at 16, then joined the ranks of witches and served in their system for a few months.
However, he was found lacking in some way, and did not fulfill the terms that were bestowed upon him.
He escaped Obscaria sometime after. It was either always his plan to do so, or something he decided upon after the events that led to him becoming a target for Toppleprey.
He has been on the run since, and has spent enough time in the human world to know a significant amount about at least its physical reality.
He has, however, not spent enough time around humans to understand both the physical and emotional details of what makes them human—he "forgot" that humans were "delicate," lacks an understanding of what flies as "normal" behavior in human society, etc.
So far, we have seen two enchanted objects in Superfish,
Superfish's portal
Toppleprey's cane
Both show significant resemblance.
They appear to be luminous in some way, reflecting various wavelengths.
These colors are ever-changing; there is no static appearance to these objects.
However, both are anchored within frames. Superfish's portal is anchored within a traditional doorway, while Toppleprey's weapon is anchored in the form of a regular cane.
Both of these objects are capable of manipulating matter in some way. Superfish's portal leads into either a pocket of space or a faraway location, essentially functioning like a wormhole. Toppleprey's cane disintegrates matter into a formless multi-colored goo.
It can hence be surmised that both likely rely on the same mechanism to function.
We can see that Toppleprey's cane doesn't need to rely on his witch's core to function; he is able to make full use of it despite no longer having his core.
Hence, Superfish's portal likely functions independent of his own magical abilities as well.
This raises the question of what powers these objects. Were they even created by witches? Are they harnessing other sources of magic?
What do you think?
For my theories on various sources of magic in Obscaria (and the etymology of Superfish's name) please read the post linked here.
Investigating the Sources of Magic in Obscaria (and the Etymology of Superfish's Name)
Implied to be another dimension that is in some way linked to the human realm, Obscaria is confirmed to be home to at least the following species:
Witches,
Werewolves,
Vampires,
Demons,
Fairies,
Sirens,
And trolls.
I believe that there are various sources of magic in Obscaria, of which not all are understood by witches. And one elusive source of magic may be related to Superfish's existence in some way, perhaps even being the cause of his high magical potency.
Find more information enclosed below. I welcome all discussion and opinions, and you may send a message, an anonymous question, or comment upon the post itself.
We know the following so far,
All witches have cores that are located inside their bodies and are the sources of their magical energy and supernatural abilities.
Witches also make use of a variety of enchanted objects, of which we have seen the following two so far: Superfish's magical portal, and Toppleprey's cane.
Some things native to Obscaria tend to "leak into" the human world. E.g. thera-beetles.
Which raises the following questions,
If witches are only one of the many species of Obscaria that have supernatural abilities, there presumably are more forms of magic than just the version witches utilize. In which case, where do these forms of magic source magical energy from?
As witch cores have been likened to parasites in their behavior and pathology, were they ever independent forms of "life" that were later incorporated into witches?
Was Obscaria as a world seeded with something during its creation, which in turn is the true source of the magic that is woven through the biology of their natives?
pegl0 has specified that there are three reasons for why Superfish is "named" as such,
As a humorous nod to how formal and stiff names commonly sound in contemporary fantasy as a genre.
A direct result of how names in Obscarian languages do not translate well into human ones, especially given they function more as titles than names.
A secret third reason that will only be revealed later in the comic.
When it comes to Superfish's "name", we have the following information,
His name means "Superior One" in his native witch language.
His witch core is translating his name into English using approximations, suggesting that his true name may be an amalgam of "a word for powerful" and "the name of a species found in Obscaria that may be considered analogous to fish in the human world."
Toppleprey, the red-eyed witch hunting Superfish down, has given us some insight into Obscaria and witches,
Through Toppleprey's ability to transform into a rat, we were made aware that witches are capable of transforming into at least one animal form.
He is 800 years old, and was also present in Superfish's flashback during a nightmare, likely acting as an authority figure.
He has stressed upon the importance of the binding nature of magical contracts (shown in his rendezvous with the werewolf assassin).
Hence, we can speculate as follows,
Perhaps, Superfish's greater magical potency may also be a result of him having a secondary source of magical power. If there are divine beings in Obscaria that are so few in number they may as well be stuff of legend, it's possible he may have had an encounter with such a being as a child, and hence absorbed some of their power. Or been blessed by them.
He may also be capable of transforming into a "fish-like" Obscarian species, hence giving him his "name."
He may instead have pledged allegiance to an order of witches in Obscaria who have said "fish-like" species as a symbol, in which case his defection may have marked him for termination.
In his explanation of how witch cores translate languages, pegl0 has explained that many older witches have the ability to understand other Obscarian languages even independent of their witch cores. This is due to them "picking up" on these languages over time, likely due to prolonged contact. With the knowledge that potion-making is important enough an activity for witches given the literature available, this suggests that,
Obscaria has likely had a bustling trade since the beginning—magical ingredients at least were in plenty in the past. Given the nature of witches, many may have been used to extinction or otherwise destroyed.
Even the varying sources of magic currently present in Obscaria may be heavily controlled and monitored, with witches functioning as the regime that dictates their trade.
In which case, Superfish presents a threat to the status quo of Obscaria in more ways than one.
What's happening with the witch's core inside of DJ?
Reference Post on All Known Information About Witches
The events of the story began with DJ, a human, absorbing a witch's core—something that has never happened in the known history of that world.
While Superfish has outright denied the possibility of DJ being able to perform magic, we have seen that the core has been having at least some effect on DJ.
DJ has been having frequent fainting spells.
He can read languages he does not know, as is typical of how witch cores translate languages.
He has also had at least one hyper-realistic nightmare; it involved a gigantic predatory-looking Superfish squashing him to death.
I believe DJ will eventually be able to utilize the witch's core in either of the following ways:
As a way to defend himself from other magic users, with his magic potentially only activating when his life is threatened.
In conjunction with Superfish's own powers, perhaps functioning as a power source for Superfish to draw from.
Enhanced physical abilities such as strength and endurance that kick in once he takes the strength potion.
Find more information enclosed below. I welcome all discussion and opinions, and you may send a message, a question, or comment upon the post itself.
It seems highly unlikely that pegl0 will take the traditional route of having DJ develop the ability to use magic exactly the way an average witch does; he has specified multiple times that DJ cannot perform magic the way a witch can. While this could also be to throw the readers off momentarily, I believe he has different plans for DJ.
We know that,
DJ is set to become physically stronger over the course of the series, and will also become a better fighter with experience.
Witch cores are parasitic in nature, and each core is unique to each witch.
We can speculate on the following,
At the very least, the witch's core is going to be something that allows for DJ's increased physical abilities, especially since he is presumably going to be fighting other magical beings.
Does a witch's core being unique to each witch mean that another witch would not be able to use it to its full abilities? Or is that irrelevant?
Superfish is the strongest witch alive. Given that a witch's core is the source of all their abilities, his core likely exhibits an anomalous strength that could potentially have unintended consequences. Could DJ's nightmare have been the core's response to Superfish's proximity? With Superfish acting almost as a sink for magical energy to be siphoned off to.
Given the nature of the story, we can be almost certain of the following,
The witch's core will not be extracted from DJ's body anytime soon, if at all. If it is extracted from him, it will still leave him permanently changed in some way. It functions as his introduction to Obscaria, and narratively this introduction has changed his life in ways that can't be reversed. Hence, whatever happens to him in regard to the witch's core will reflect that.
Please read this reference post on all the information known about witches so far for further context.
Some have speculated that he may be a half-breed (with one human parent), but the creator has made it clear that that is impossible (as witches cannot procreate with humans).
Others are of the opinion that he may have a stronger moral conscience than the other witches do.
While I believe that is true to an extent, I do not think that is the cause of his anomalous nature. If anything, it is a consequence. Growing up, Superfish never assimilated into witch society the way he normally would have, and thus never internalized their opinions enough.
In my opinion, it is something about the nature of Superfish's high magical potency that makes him a "defect" in the eyes of witch society.
Find more information enclosed below. I welcome all discussion and opinions, and you may send a message, a question, or comment upon the post itself.
Taking the following facts into account,
Superfish has stated many times that he is the most powerful witch alive, a fact that the creator has confirmed as being accurate. It's not mere bragadocio.
He has also specified that a spell involving the removal of a witch's core has never been performed in history.
It was right he performed this spell that Toppleprey, the red-eyed witch, called him a "dirty defect."
Witch society is highly militaristic and hierarchical, likely also lacking any family units analogous to the ones humans have.
Even witch names function more as titles.
Superfish has no qualms wiping people's memories, enchanting them, killing them if they wish to hurt him, etc. However, he was visibly concerned for DJ's health since the beginning of the events of the series.
He routinely refers to witches as something separate from himself, describing their behaviors in third person.
We can draw the following conclusions,
If Superfish is the first person in known history to perform a spell that can extract a witch's core, his levels of magical power are unbelievably high.
Superfish, being all of 19 years of age and yet so powerful, is definitely something that would not fly in a strictly hierarchical witch society where age is a defining factor in how powerful you are.
Superfish is much less likely than other witches to see killing as the only option in every situation. He isn't as species-ist as they are, having never absorbed their doctrines due to the alienation he faced growing up.
Thus,
There is something about the nature of Superfish's unbelievably high magical power that makes him a "defect" in the eyes of witch society.
The alienation he experienced within it has caused him to see himself as something separate from them, since he never fully absorbed their modes of operation or way or life.
While the above means he sports a "more" apparently moral outlook toward other life than most witches do, it is NOT the reason for why he is considered a "defect."
Based on the above, there are some more points of note we can speculate on,
What could a society that seeks to maintain a very strict order hate more than someone who presents the greatest threat to it? Perhaps, Superfish's magic even allows him to render the magic of other witches dysfunctional in some way. We already have seen him replicate the same on a very broad level with his core-removal spell.
Perhaps, he has always been able to carry out minor versions of the same thing? Making witches incapable of using magic for some short duration. Or, he may instead sport a degree of invulnerability to magic cast upon him that witches do not normally have.
Toppleprey called him a "defect" right after he was rendered powerless against him, somewhat implying that something like this has happened before, even if to a much lesser degree. There is likely some precedent to Superfish being able to render magic used against him useless.
While this is to explored further in another post, it is possible that witches are incapable of reproducing the way humans normally do. If they instead need to be created in some way that relies on spells and potions, they may have eugenics programs. In which case, Superfish may be an anomaly because he was not designed to show such a high magical potency.
This is a reference post made using information available both in the non-paywall locked episodes of the comic and as shared by the creator on his Instagram account. It will be updated routinely as the comic progresses.
ORIGINS
Witches are NOT a divergent branch of human evolution and have existed independently since the beginning.
BIOLOGY
A. WITCH CORES
While the core can be transferred into inanimate objects, it always prefers a living host. Once it transfers into a living host, it attaches itself and doesn't simply move into another living host on its own. A witch cannot have more than one core, and if a witch already has a core and touches an inanimate object containing another witch's core, the existing core would block the new one. The core is practically like a parasite.
KNOWN ABILITIES
A. PHYSICAL
longevity [Toppleprey, the red-eyed witch hunting Superfish down, is 800 years old; they stop aging at 30],
speed,
enhanced reflexes and agility,
superior strength,
perfect immunity,
transformation [they don’t seem to be capable of switching between sexes, however],
levitation and flight.
B. COGNITIVE/SPELL-BASED
instantaneous language translation [They hear the original language as it is spoken to them, but the words are translated in their minds in real time. When they are speaking another language, their core is translating in real-time such that the spoken words come out in a language intelligible to the person they are speaking to. The process is adaptive; witch cores filter words into whatever language the other person is speaking at that moment, not whatever language they are the most fluent in. Older witches, however, usually have picked up on some languages enough to understand them independent of their core’s translation abilities.]
enchantment,
memory wiping.
potion-making.
CULTURE
A. NAMES
Witch names function more as titles, explaining why their names translate so oddly into non-Obscarian languages.
B. TEMPERAMENT
They generally despise all other species, but humans especially so. Witches graduate school at the age of 16, enjoy inflicting torture on others, and altogether belong to a very cutthroat and violent militaristic regime. They only ever wear formal clothing.
C. OTHER NOTES
There can never be such a thing as a half-witch half-human; in fact, a witch and a human procreating together is an impossibility. A spell that can extract a witch’s core has never been performed before.
This is a very broad question. To better answer it, I will reframe it as follows.
Who is the more interesting character, DJ or Superfish?
Before I elaborate, I will state my answer simply: they are both interesting to me in very different ways. Superfish is the one that is the most interesting to see, as his appearance coincides with us learning more of Obscaria and of the themes his existence in such a world embodies.
On the other hand, DJ is the one I find the most compelling as a character, because we get an in-depth look at his motivations and who he is.
DJ and Superfish both represent the following two different philosophies for character creation respectively.
1. Characters whose lived experiences are explicitly shown to the reader.
2. Characters that embody a specific concept.
Dhananjay "DJ" Arora, being the protagonist and primary narrator, is the character whose life we inhibit in the comic. In the very first arc of the comic (that revolves around introducing us to the characters and the world they live in), we quickly learn the following:
1. He feels very responsible and protective towards the people he cares for.
2. This can sometimes be to his own detriment, as he is very averse to being a burden or relying on anyone else. Not out of a need for perfect autonomy but from a desire to avoid selfishly causing others any inconvenience.
3. He is careful and quick on his feet; even when he is intimidated in dangerous situations, he doesn't freeze. He instead does what needs to he done.
4. He lives his life simply and practically—finishes chores, cooks for his brother and himself, studies as required, and spends time with his friends.
5. But, in all this, it is quickly revealed that he has been keeping himself at a distance from these very friends. His life is defined by structure, but it lacks a free spontaneity. He hasn't come out to his friends in fear of their reactions, and this has caused him to implicitly other himself in their presence.
Meanwhile, Superfish is a character that's meant to embody a concept—the picture of a powerful witch who grew up alienated in a strictly militaristic and hierarchical society. What does it mean to be raised in an environment such as this? What is it like to be a witch in this world in the first place?
1. He is our gateway to Obscaria—the guide to understanding a complex new world and its rules. In general, he represents the newness DJ needs in the narrow life he has crafted for himself.
2. Hints of his life's experiences lie in offhand comments, half-shown memories, and the background of his current life. Generally, he is the antithesis of a character like DJ. He thrives in luxury, possessing ornate furniture, expensive fragrances, fresh ingredients to cook himself decadent meals, etc.
3. Decadence is central to his character. He loves delicious food, drives a Vespa just for the aesthetic, has cultivated for himself a striking appearance, and he enjoys keeping someone like DJ on his toes.
Characters like Superfish do not simply exist as people. They exist to embody specific ideas and concepts for both the reader and the protagonist of the story themself. That's why he is a perfect contrast to DJ in nearly every way, and becomes personified through him. As the story progresses, they go through two opposing transitions:
1. DJ goes from being just a person to someone who himself can embody something greater—what does it mean to offer yourself up again and again in the face of the unknown because you know it is the right thing to do? Of all the possibilities, knowing Superfish is easily the one that will introduce the most complexity to his life, and not always in a good way. But, that's what he is to Superfish—a representation of all the ideals that are antithetical to what witches generally believe.
2. Superfish goes from simply embodying a concept to being a person. He is unused to compliments, yet evidently likes them. He can be sulky when simple things don't go his way. As we move through the story, we will learn more of these simple details that make a person, and thus Superfish will become more than just a vehicle for the unknown.
