Yako

Just a lurker who finally got an account. Will sometimes post things like fanart/thoughts about various things/fandoms. I don't do commisions, however feel free to give suggestions!

[yakopi]

Overthinking Gachiakuta Part 5: Too Lily

(with a lil. stick figure of Gountess drawn in a corner)

This is a self contained theory that does not need the other parts, although I will allude to them sometimes so read them if you want :)

This one will have spoilers, although they are not central to the theory... much. Read at your own peril. As always, there is a TLDR at the end.

Okay, after finishing the latest chapter, something finally clicked in my brain. So while I do not think that we are done yet with these two, I do want to talk about what is already available.

Lilith and knowledge

Starting with the name.

Too Lily's name seems to be an allusion to Lilith, whose name means "bird" bird " and who, in certain religious sects, is considered to be Adam's first wife. Lilith lived in Eden, where eating the forbidden Fruit of Knowledge would exile you from a safe place where no bad things existed into a harsh world where you would die.

Ignorance would keep you save there, and ignorance kept Lily safe too.

Lunavis and Apollo

Lily's vital instrument... it is very interesting. First of all, despite the Wiki saying it is a Caduceus, the staff of Hermes, it is not that. It is a very common mistake; however, Hermes's staff has two snakes while the rod of Asclepius has a single snake. 

Asclepius, son of Apollo, who is ascribed resurrection (remember this). 

Apollo, who sent his white raven to protect his lover, just like white ravens were there to save Too Lily from No Man's Land. In the myth, the lover betrayed Apollo, and Apollo turned the raven black in anger. However, Too Lily was saved, so her ravens stayed white, showing that the ravens' job was done and Lily was always safe. 

Apollo, who is associated with music, prophecies and chariots. These things share many points with a certain information broker. This is making me think that perhaps 1) Kuro is associated with Too Lily’s ravens and 2) there was at least 1 time when his ravens did not save those for whom they were sent.

And then there is the curious name 'Lunavis'. Luna, meaning moon. Vis, meaning power. 

*Insert Sailor Moon reference here*

In previous posts, I have linked the moon to silver, the Watchmen series and the trifecta goddesses (Artemis, Selene, Hecate) that are also associated with gateways and magic.

Eyes, again

Lily's pupils are shaped like the lock in a door where a key fits in. Additionally, eyes recur in this manga many times as motifs (Watchmen series, Arkha's tattoo and his seeming blindness, art depicting eyes, eyes glowing when using Vital instruments).  I think eyes are important bc of a certain saying: 'eyes are the windows to the soul'. All these things combined, I think that Lily has something hidden, whether she knows it or not. The moon is associated with mystery, concealment, so for Something deep inside of her soul/anima to be hidden is not weird.

We know that Gods existed, and according to Mymo their power lingers as Anima and interacts with humans to form Vital instruments... and perhaps they linger a little harder and can come back in some ways. 

Perhaps Lily is a vessel for the divine power of someone that Kuro could not protect in the past, making everything about him black in mourning. However, just like Rudo, presumably another vessel for the power that the Watchmen Series hold is still discovering more about them, so will Too Lily.

Our gaunt stick figure

And then there is Gountess. Probably a reference to Gaunt... a word whose origin could be from 'gandr 'magic staff', or other Germanic words meaning stick/cane/something in that trend. And his last name being Knock... knocking on wood(en staff)?

Knocking on wood is based on the belief that spirits and GODS live in trees, so knocking on them would awaken them (for protection). And then looking at Gountess' eyes, which with its 6 spokes, could either be a cog to foreshadow his tinman future, or a SUN MOTIVE (different from the 8 and 9 spoke sun motives present associated with the watchmen series)....

Conclusion

SOOOO, I am not saying that Kuro, an allusion to a prophecy god, gave a Moon Power Stick to a family to protect, only for generations down the line for that cane to end up with a certain girl that awakened 'the power of the moon', transforming the stick into the form of a staff associated with resurrection... but I am also not saying that that did not happen.

As for why? The Sun and Moon are thematically complementary. Perhaps Kuro saw something in the future that needed the power of opposite yet complementary powers to be present.

TLDR; Too Lily has the power of a god reincarnated into her, due to the machinations of Kuro. Power that may be needed in the future. This could be a parallel how Rudo continues to find new powers he inherited that he will need in the future. Oh, and Gountess was also there.

This is also almost the same plot line of Sailor Moon. I see you, Kei Urana, and I respect the hustle

[yakopi]

Overthinking Gachiakuta Part 4: Riyo

Just like with Enjin, Riyo is missing a lot of background. That said, that does not stop me from speculating a little.

Unlike Enjin though, I have not found any big conspiracies here, so this section will be a bit shorter.

Again, TLDR at the end, potential spoilers are present.

Thoughts about Riyo: Death

Her connection to death is very clear. Her name is literally “Reaper,” like the Grim Reaper, and she used to be an assassin. That part is pretty straightforward.

Gachiakuta also shows a lot of Greek influence, so for her name to be essentially 'Rio' aka river, just like the many rivers flowing through the underworld, seems also on point.

However, the thing that really stands out to me is her use of scissors. Yes, she also uses a gun, which is fitting since it is one of the deadliest weapons. But her primary weapon being scissors instead of something like a scythe feels very deliberate. To me, that strongly suggests she is an allusion to Atropos—the Fate who determines the moment of death by cutting the thread of life with scissors.

Her fear of cockroaches also becomes interesting in that context. Cockroaches are famously hard to kill, fanon 'unkillable,' so it feels fitting that something like that would scare someone who is supposed to have control over death itself.

Riyo's family?

This does have some implications, though. If that connection is intentional, then Riyo might have some very concerning parents. In mythology, Atropos is the child of Nyx and Erebus—the personifications of Night and Darkness. That could also imply she has two sisters (the other Fates), or at least close counterparts that mirror them. That, in turn, could introduce another antagonistic group later on.

If this really hints at her past, then it also explains why she avoids being photographed. No photo means no trace, and no easy way to track her.

A curious case of threes.

Either way, it is interesting that Riyo seems to have some kind of association with the number three, being part of the three fates. But she is not the only one. Zanka has this as well (San = 3, and he has three siblings), and Rudo also fits into this pattern (Cerberus having three heads, the Watchmen series being associated with three (see my other theories), and even his gloves being called 3R). And on top of that, these three themselves form a trio within Team Akuta.

TLDR; Riyo seems to be heavily inspired by Atropos, the Fate who precides over death. This makes her family potentially very scary. Also, now there are three people in team Akuta with associations with the the number three.

Like I said, a shorter theory. I do have one more thing I want to overthink about Gachiakuta, but it's going to require me to wear the tinfoil hat for a bit longer.

Note: Okay, so I forgot to post this thing for so long that the new chapter just came out. So now I have one new theory about Enjin’s thematic role, and a second revisit and addition to his past/narrative role as explored in Part 2 after reading chapter 164. Both are barely coherent in my head, but they are there!

[yakopi]

Overthinking Gachiakuta Part 4: Zanka

This is pretty self contained story, you do not have to read the other parts to understand this.

As always: this could have spoilers, and there is a TLDR a the end.

Zanka's role

This might be nothing, but the more I look at the Nijiku family, the more it feels like there is a very intentional (Buddhist) theme going on. And I think this will give good insight into Zanka specifically.

So lets start with Zanka's family.

The Nijiku family

Without kanji, I can't be sure; however, Nijiku can be read as something like second (ni) lineage/axis (jiku). Which is already kind of interesting, because they are the current ruling guards. Does that imply there was a previous guard line before them?

I mostly take the manga as my base for theories, not the anime, but I did notice that the anime mentions during the Arkha-Kyouka discussion that the Nijiku family was the second generation guard, which… is a very specific thing to say when, as far as I know, that has not been mentioned in the manga at all.

The Oni masks behind Papa Nijiku

Another detail that keeps bothering me is the oni masks depicted behind Zanka's father in chapter 58. I’m not fully sure what they represent yet, as they could be a reference to the 4 friends of Macaca Icol, with the vaguely goat/monkey-shaped face behind it being Macaca Icol themselves (macaca meaning macaque in Portuguese). However, with Buddhism on my mind, and the masks being shown while Zanka's father is talking about “the way the Nijiku uphold their beliefs,” I thought about the Four Noble Truths:

There is suffering Suffering comes from attachment Attachment can be released And the way to release it is the Eightfold Path

I don’t know if that’s actually what it’s referencing, but it fits neatly with the themes around the Hell Guard and Zanka’s whole character and direction. More on that later.

Anyway, the thing that really caught my attention was the first names.

All of them end in -ka, which can mean things like fire/fruit, depending on the reading. That already feels very fitting for a family ruling the Hell Guard, but it also made me notice the symbol they use looks a lot like an orchid. Orchids are very exotic and expensive, especially considering that their fruit is the only source of vanilla, a resource over which wars have been fought.

Also, orchids/vanilla are not native to Japan, which is another point towards the “there was an original ruler who is now gone” vibe they have going on. It could also be a reference to the fact that Kamuatari district is very insular and unique on the Ground, as the only town that is entirely sealed off with vents, just like orchids are often put in very controlled situations to prevent them from dying.

And then there are the given names given in this family.

Kyoka

So this one is interesting because kyo can be linked to the kyo used in things like Tokyo, meaning something like ten billion/uncountable/a lot. Kyoka’s name also reminds me a lot of Kyoka Suigetsu, the Buddhist phrase meaning basically mirror flower, water moon — things you can see but can’t touch. Illusions, beauty, dreams, that kind of thing. There’s also kyokan jigoku, the screaming hell. So her name kind of sits in this space of illusion + hell imagery + huge scale, which feels very on brand, honestly.

Goka

This one feels the most obvious numerically, because go = five. But it also connects to a lot of Buddhist number symbolism, like:

Gokai (the five precepts),

goka-no-hosho (five proclamations of Buddha),

goka-no-gohyaku-sai (five periods of 500 years).

Zanka

And as one of the main characters, his name has, of course, meaning as well. Because san/zan could be read as a lower number (san = three), but the word zanka itself can mean something like the last flower remaining in bloom. This seems important, in a family whose symbol is a flower.

There’s also the possibility that zan could connect to Sangha (followers of the Buddha) or Buddhist “three” symbolism, like the three refuges or three wise Buddhas. Not saying that’s definitely the intended reading, but the pattern is suspicious enough that I can’t really ignore it.

So, a clear connection to numbers and Buddhism. While the number could indicate some kind of internal hierarchy, Buddhism seems to me to indicate some kind of overarching ideal that haunts the Nijiku's, especially Zanka, as the narratively most important one in this family.

And this is where the current stuff going on in the manga becomes really interesting to me.

Buddhism connection in the story

Because Mymo wants a peaceful world, but he’s trying to reach that by basically evolving into a god. Some Buddhists even tried to use the teachings to end up being reborn as a god. Heck, the name of the district the Hell Guard is located in, Kamuatari, could be translated as divinity/god's power (kamui) and “to hit a target” (atari), suggesting that the Hell Guard also wish to achieve something like godhood. This is only reinforced by their “golden throne,” which is strived after as an ultimate goal. In Buddhism, thrones are often depicted as being sat on by gods. Sakka's throne, often depicted as a golden throne, is a symbol of the king of the gods' authority. The Hell Guard seems to literally promise enlightenment for those whom it deems worthy.

And in Buddhism, achieving godhood is actually… not the goal.

Being a god is comfortable, pleasurable, powerful — but that’s exactly the problem. Gods are too comfortable. They get attached. They become spiritually lazy. They don’t reach nirvana just by being above everyone else. Only humans really have the right balance of suffering and awareness to actually break the cycle.

Zanka's character journey

Which brings me back to Zanka.

Zanka has one of the most “human struggles” in the series right now.

Rudo is fighting so called gods, Enjin seems to be connected to cults, Riyo's family is one big mysterious mess, and Zanka... needs to find himself.

He is extremely restrained, extremely rule-driven, always trying to act logically and properly, even when that goes directly against what he actually feels. He’s basically living according to structures that he believes he has to follow.

That’s why I don’t think his arc is going to end with him becoming stronger or taking the throne or anything like that. Even his Lovely Assistick kind of hints at that already — it’s not about killing or dominating, it’s literally a non-lethal subduing weapon (sasumata). Fighting ability isn’t the core of who he is.

I honestly think his endgame is going to be a kind of self-realization moment. Not power. Insight.

And this is also why I think Jabber Wocker was put opposite him specifically.

Zanka's foils

Because Jabber Wonger is obviously referencing Jabberwocky, which is basically a nonsense poem. Lewis Carroll even said that a lot of the words didn’t have fixed meaning when he wrote them. But people keep trying to assign meaning to it anyway to make it make sense.

That is literally what Zanka does with the world.

He wants everything to have a reason, a rule, a structure that explains it. But Jabber doesn’t work like that. Jabber is chaotic, hedonistic, and impulsive. Zanka tries to analyze him, but there isn’t really a logical framework there that satisfies him.

Sometimes things just… are.

No deeper order. No system. No moral logic that lines up neatly.

Then our second foil: Hyo, whose name has associations like ice/freeze, which I think is interesting because it’s basically the opposite vibe from the fiery Hell Guard/Zanka side of things. And considering all the Buddhist hell imagery floating around this series, the contrast could even echo hot vs cold Narakas. However, this does not have to be just a contrast.

Hot hell is meant for those whose sins were committed because of too much attachment/desire, and the cold hell for those who committed sins through their detachment. So perhaps the way to go is in the middle — a balance.

And I think Zanka is eventually going to have to confront that.

Not that nothing matters, but that the rules he built in his head about how the world and people should work are artificial. Letting those go, accepting himself as he actually is instead of the version molded by duty and expectation — that feels like the direction his character is heading.

Which loops back to the Buddhism angle again.

Conclusion

Zanka seems to be connected to Buddhism, which is about insight into yourself and the nature of reality.

Right now Zanka doesn’t really have that. He has discipline and repression and logic.

But I think he will get there eventually.

Mymo is trying to reach peace by becoming something beyond human.

The Hell Guard is interpreting their beliefs in the same wrong direction, just like some Buddhists do when trying to attain godhood.

But Zanka. Zanka has already stepped away from the false path. He has already left behind Kamuatari and the Hell Guard. Zanka is the last flower in bloom who holds on to the right beliefs, a true follower of Buddha's teachings. Zanka might reach nirvana by being entirely, completely himself. An ordinary human in story about gods and cults, yet not lesser through it. Being human is special enough.

TLDR: Zanka seems to be on the path to learn that he, as an ordinary human, is more than enough.

[yakopi]

Over thinking Gachiakuta Part 3: Enjin & Chthoni

Chthoni, Enjin and SCIENCE!

In this post I am going to discuss the very likely connection between Chthoni Andor, Enjin and Alice Stilza's anti-pollution science team.

Note: Reading my previous post (Overthinking Gachiakuta part 2.2 Enjin's past) can give more background and I would recommend it. Very short summary on that: 3 cover pages tell the story about a person whom I suspect to 1) is escaping human experimentation, and 2) is Enjin.

There could be spoilers in here. There is a TLDR at the end.

Chthoni's appearance

First, I wanted to examine Chthoni’s appearance and compare it to someone else. Specifically, a scientist from Alice Stilza’s anti-pollution research team (red outline).

Alice Stilza's anti-pollution science team

Chthoni, one of the few pictures that have her look forwards

There are some similarities like both being short kings, Chtoni having a similar hair cut only a little longer hair, and general face shape. However in a manga, even in one that seems to give everyone an unique appearance like in Gachiakuta, this is not conclusive.

What is more important is something I mentioned previously: tattoos are very rare in this manga. This is understandable, since maintaining tattoo consistency in manga and anime is difficult (which is probably why Chthoni’s tattoos were simplified in the anime). Because of this, the few characters who do have tattoos are likely meant to stand out. Both Chthoni and this scientist, who already resembles her visually, have tattoos.

Looking back at the manga panel of the science team, we can see that a text bubble obscures part of the image (blue box). The placement feels suspiciously convenient, as it looks like someone might be standing exactly in that spot. Interestingly, this obscuration does not appear in the anime version.

The indicated portion appears to show part of a hairstyle, which leads me to suspect that the hidden figure could be the same person seen in the cover pages discussed in my previous theory.

Cover art chapter 151: Inhuman

It seems that way the hair falls on the left side of the face is very similar to the man in the suit above and the one in the manga chapter.

If those cover pages indeed depict the story of Enjin escaping either a cult or a scientific experiment, then a connection to the only known scientific group on the Ground becomes very plausible.

Not convinced yet? Logical, as if this was it then I would also not believe it. There is more.

Chthoni’s name and Vital Instrument

Chthoni’s name likely references 'chthonic,' a term describing something relating to the underworld. This fits both the Raiders’ role and her Vital Instrument: a manhole cover, which literally connects the surface to what lies beneath.

However, her Vital Instrument has another unusual feature. Most Vital Instruments simply have the user’s first name written on them. Chthoni’s instrument, however, contains far more writing than any other example we have seen.

Chthoni's Vital Instrument Manhole

The visible sections appear to read:

CHTHONIAN (West) DOJJWORW (East)

While this resembles 'Chthoni Andor,' that is not exactly what is written. 'Chthonian' is clearly an adjective, and 'DOJJWORW' sounds more like “doorway” or “door-worm.” In other words, this text seems to describe the object itself, not the person.

This suggests that additional information, possibly a real name, may be written on the hidden portion of the manhole cover. The remaining visible fragments read something like:

V_ N? K (North) _ W? _ _ Z (South)

These characters do not appear to match the known Ground alphabet. While some letters could be stylistic variations, several symbols simply do not exist in the established writing system.

This raises the possibility that we are looking at a different or older version of the language, similar to the difference between Old and Modern English or between different Japanese scripts such as hiragana and katakana.

And interestingly, we may have already seen this writing system elsewhere.

The tattoo connection

In the cover pages I discussed previously, Enjin had a distinct tattoo on his forearm that he has covered in the current time. When I tried to translate it, I was unable to match the symbols to the known Ground alphabet.

The forearm tattoo

However, after rereading the manga, I noticed that several of the (unknown) characters in this tattoo closely resemble those seen on Chthoni’s Vital Instrument.

This creates another connection between Chthoni and Enjin: linked to a writing system that does not match the language of the Ground.

Speculation: the purpose of the experiments

If Chthoni, Enjin, this unknown writing system, and the anti-pollution science team are all connected, it may help explain the motivation behind the human experimentation hinted at in the cover pages.

Scientific research usually has a clear objective. In this case, the goal of Alice Stilza’s group was to study and combat pollution.

The presence of Alice, a doctor, suggests that the team studied the effects of pollution on the human body and possible treatments.

But what if the researchers eventually discovered that humans simply cannot survive the level of pollution present in the Ground?

If changing the environment is also deemed impossible, one possible solution left would be to change humans instead.

Perhaps this idea was never seriously considered by Alice herself, but it could easily have inspired another member of the research team to pursue a far darker path.

This could explain why the anti-pollution research project eventually ended, not because the research failed, but because some scientists resorted to unethical experimentation and were ultimately stopped.

If that is the case, it might also explain Enjin’s liking of Alice Stilza despite being an objectively difficult woman. Perhaps she was involved in shutting down these experiments, and in the process saved the only child left. Enjin himself.

(This could also explain Alice's hair loss and hard of hearing. It was stated that she lost her hair due to a failed experiment, but if she lost it while stopping human experimentation, then essentially she lost it during a '(morally) failed experiment'. No lie, just omission and misdirection to point us to a different assumption. It would be more logical then an failed experiment with pollution, WHICH IS LETHAL, only causing baldness and yelling.)

TLDR; Both Enjin and Chthoni appear to be connected to an unknown written language. Both may also be tied to Alice Stilza’s anti-pollution science team, suggesting that the mysterious (human) experiments hinted at in the cover pages could be connected to this group.

Extra thoughts about Chthoni only: I think that Andor could also be a rearranged form of Ladon, guard of the golden apples of Hera in the garden of Hesperides, the stage of one of Herakles' 12 labours. This brings alot of connections with it:

Fu (Orothrus) and Rudo (Cerberus) and Zodyl (Typhons), as Typhon and his children

Rudo and Amo, as Hesperides= morning star = Venus. And with an extra step Rudo, Amo, Chthoni and Tamsy all reference Bronze.

The Watchman, as I think this mystery man/creature has alot in common with Atlas, who holds the sky up in/near the Garden of Hesperides

Enjin, as I noted before that Enjin seems to have some symbolism of Hera and Herakles. Also, Chthoni's manhole and its 8 points on it vs Enjin's Umbreaker and its 8 spokes.

[yakopi]

Overthinking Gachiakuta part 2.2: Enjin's past

Disclaimer: this is a pretty long text, there is a TLDR at the end.

Beware, there could be spoilers.

Enjin's Story

Something that caught my attention was three different chapter covers that seemingly tell the story of a singular person, presumably someone important. They are drawn in first-person perspective with a clock always included in it, seemingly to indicate time passed. And I think this is Enjin's story.

So lets look at the covers, shall we?

Chapter 151, Inhuman. 10:15.

(Ignore the red dot, I'm too lazy to make a new screenshot)

There is a man front and centre, with seven children in white directly around him. They are in a clean hallway with stone flooring.

The man in the centre is kneeling, his arms around two boys

The two boys are holding packets, the dark-haired one the only one not to smile in this frame.

One girl holds a basket full of food bars wrapped in clear material (plastic?), smiling

Another girl is seemingly on her way to gift our POV character a few food bars, smiling

A third boy is standing, holding a singular food bar, smiling,

The remaining girls are smiling, only hanging all over the suit man.

There also seemingly are two older male children/adults in white in the background, although these are less clear, one holds a similar packet to the two boys. --> It does seem that all characters in white have their forearms bare to display the same tattoo they all have, including our POV character. They seem welcoming and seem to want to include them in their group while offering them food.

--> There are bars in front of the windows, and the many pipes and vents seem to indicate a closed internal circulatory system of water/air in this area. Are they there to keep something out… or something in?

--> There seems to be some unease in our POV character despite the warm welcome. They are holding their forarm which holds the tattoo. Just normal social, or perhaps they are not here entirely willingly?

--> The fact that the man is wearing a suit, something we have only seen Kuro wear, is a very big hint that the man is someone. The sheer distinction between him (kneeling, dark cloths, centered) and the people around him only reinforces this fact.

--> The fact that all children wear impersonal clothing is very weird in the world of Gachiakuta.

--> The display of a singular emotion on all but one face is a little unsettling. The fact that the boy who is not smiling instead looks… concerned? solidifies this feeling.

--> Food bars are very artificial. It screams control over nutrition

Theory: This gives culty or hospital vibes. Perhaps both?

Chapter 139, Mymo the Ruler. 18:05.

It seems the situation has deteriorated. No longer in a clean, marbled-floored hallway, the hallway is now wooden and broken. The windows are cleared of bars and are the only source of light. No adults are present, empty plastic? bottles and empty glasses are spread everywhere.

The kids are all listlessly sitting or standing around, except for two. Two boys are fighting over the same packet they were holding in the previous cover, while a second packet lies empty and crumpled on the ground next to the boys. All children's previous well fitting, clean clothes are now baggy and scuffed, and none are wearing shoes.

There also seems to an additional blonde/fair haired child, making the total 9 children.

Our POV character is just sitting and eating what seems to be the only bar of food, clothes just as baggy and dirty, and shoes just as gone, as the rest of the children.

--> The length of the hair being the same as at 151 indicates a very sudden lack of resources. The lack of older people would indicate that they are abandoned. Alternatively, if this is indeed a science project, then this could also be a 'survival of the fittest' kind of thing.

--> While you look at this literally, and think that they have changed locations, this could also be a representation of an 'illusion' being stripped. Not all that glitters is gold, and now you are looking at your fool's gold. What was once order and comfort is now disorder and discomfort.

--> Either literal or figurative, the children now have 'freedom'. They can leave. Yet they don't. Learned helplessness? Promised rewards? Better the devil you know (this hallway) than the devil you don't (the outside)?

Theory: The children are left to die, or for all but one to die.

Chapter 143, Danger. 20:30.

We are outside, seemingly in a Ground City. All houses are unremarkable, small boxes made out of concrete and/or wood, and seemingly are built against a slope. There is a singular, big pipe running through the city. Trash is everywhere. things are broken, and graffiti is sprayed. One in particular saying in Ground writing 'FJCK'.

It seems that something bad is going on, as it seems that two men are trying to end their lives by jumping off buildings, and another person on the ground, unmoving, seemingly already did the deed. Only one person is standing like a statue. No further signs of life are present.

Our POV character is seemingly running through the city in a hurry, although there is no clue as to where.

--> Several things indicate that this city had been built very fast:

There is scaffolding present to seemingly build more of the dome.

Cramped layout with small and uniform houses

Poor quality builds of the houses (concrete and wood)

--> The POV character does not seem to be much more emancipated, nor injured more than before. But they also do not look better. The outside does not provide any improvements onto thier conditions.

Theory: The conditions of the children and the city seem to be connected, although whether they are a result or a prelude to each other remains a mystery.

Putting everything together

Putting everything together, there was a either cult or a (scientific) organisation who build a city to support their mission. They wanted to create.. something through some inhuman methods applied to children. However, it did not work/the project was abandoned, and the children ended up dead, except one. The other city members were either cult members who gave up after the experiment was given up upon, or normal people who gave up for the same reason that the cult members went away.

The Enjin connection

Now, I have stated that this story is Enjin's story. However, I have not yet given you any reason to agree with me. So, here it is:

The clocks.

These clocks appear elsewhere in the manga. In Chapter 32 (see image below), during Amo's Watchman ability that forces everyone to remember loved ones, identical clocks appear.

The clocks move backwards (16:00 → 15:40 → 15:15 → 15:00), and the panels show Enjin also 'rewinding' in time. The last background panel even shows a stone room with large double doors and something chained behind them, a location that resembles the facility shown in Chapter 151.

This all suggests that these are Enjin's memories.

Note: Amo and Rudo are also winding back, however, considering that we know their backstories already, and we have seen their forearms, there is only one option left.

As noted in my previous post, Enjin has blackout tattoos that cover his entire arms, including his forearms. In fact, he is the only one who has tattoos covering his forearms. The place where some very distinct tattoos would be.

The umbrella having 8 spokes could be a reference to the other 8 children.

It explains why he does not want to be 'special', because being special brought him and his friends only pain.

It explains why he wants to bring people together, because it seems that the children group fell apart in 139.

There is then also some symbolism in Enjin chaining up Rudo in the first few chapters, as in the flashback in chapter 32 there is also something/someone chained up.

TLDR; the cover pages have already showing Enjin's past, one where he was either in a cult or a science experiment and escaped.

In the next post I am going to take this theory a step further and connect Enjin and a certain Raider.

[yakopi]

Overthinking Gachiakuta Part 2.1: Enjin

Not a lot of spoilers here I think, but read at your own discretion. There is a TLDR at the end.

In this post, I will be mainly talking about Enjin's character design and have some fun theorising. In part 2.2, I will be speculating about Enjin's past, in which I will be coming back on some points made in this part to support that theory.

Anyways, lets start.

There is not a lot to say about Enjin that is canon. We do not even have a last name for this man. What we do know is that “Enjin” is not his original name, but one that was given to him. The name means “a person who connects people.” That fits very well in his mentor role within Team Akuta.

Still, gaps in knowledge invite speculation and I have quite a few theories, especially about his tattoos. They are undeniably cool, but because they appear so carefully designed and deliberate, I cannot help wondering whether they carry deeper meaning.

This becomes even more curious when you consider that, despite the series’ street-punk aesthetic, we have not actually seen many characters with tattoos at all.

The Tattoo style

If you look at the style of the Heritage Mural in Canvas Town, it closely resembles how the previous spellcasters are depicted there. The use of primarily black, the use of negative space, the way the clouds are drown, the very few hard/straight lines, the way the fade is done on some parts of the tattoos. The main difference is the addition of red, which could be an allusion to Enjin's future connection to Rudo.

Of course, this similarity might be explained away as Gob having done Enjin’s tattoos. However, that raises another question: why would someone who specializes in graffiti choose to do tattoos?

Another important detail is that these tattoos are specifically described as blackout tattoos. Blackout tattoos are sometimes used to cover something up, like scars or other tattoos.

The Tattoo design

First off, the tattoo around Enjin’s belly button. Does it not resemble the inside of the Watchmen Series logo? As I mentioned in an earlier post, that symbol represents the alchemic symbol for silver. Additionally, according to an online translation, the tattoo above his heart (left breast) is meant to be a moon, and the moon is also connected to the Watchmen series.

(Ignore the red dot, I am too lazy to make a new screenshot)

And then, the feathers.

The parts of the tattoo on the right side of Enjin's chest and on his lower back are feathers. And the silver symbol is also made out of feathers.

Why feathers?

It could symbolise freedom. Freedom from a past that we do not know.

Maybe we could even say which type of feathers they are. Perhaps, peacock feathers? Those red dots in the bellybutton area do make it look like there are 3 eyes.

This would be significant because eyes appear to be important throughout the series: in Arkha's magic tattoo, eyes glowing when using an Vital instrument, and in the WATCHmen series, etc. Additionally, Cauda Pavonis is something I have already connected to both Rudo and the Watchmen series in earlier speculation.

Taking the connection further

This next bit could be a stretch, however that is what speculation is for. Because the peacock symbolism becomes even more interesting when viewed through Greek mythology. Namely, the peacock is famously associated with Hera.

There is a mythological hero strongly linked to Hera. A man who changed his name, who was known for his immense strength and being a role model to all other heroes, and who famously slew monsters from the underworld. A hero who died due to wearing a poisoned shirt, perhaps alluding to Enjin's tattoos.

That hero is Herakles (Hercules).

The Umbrella

Enjin’s umbrella is another detail that stands out to me. It somewhat resembles the second symbol shown next to the Watchmen series symbol, just with one rib less.

But perhaps the fact that it is exactly 8 ribs in his umbrella is important, as his neck tattoos also have 8 lines in a circle.

It could therefore also be a reference to the Eightfold Path in Buddhism, the eight principles that lead toward enlightenment, because that symbol always looked like either a ship steering wheel or the above view of an umbrella to me.

TLDR;

Enjin's tattoos have some connections to the spellcaster and the Watchmen series. It also seems that his design alludes to peacocks and perhaps even Herakles. His umbrella having 8 ribs also seems significant, perhaps alluding to the eightfold path of Buddha

[yakopi]

Overthinking Gachiakuta Part 1: Rudo

Now with the mangaka getting her well-deserved rest (Get well soon Kei Urana!), I have the time to write down some more of my thoughts and (crack) theories about Gachiakuta until now. Expect A LOT of speculation.

Spoiler wall for potential spoilers. TLDR at the end.

First Name

The name Rudo means “love”, just like Amo.

Fun fact: if you reverse Rudo, you get something close to odur/odour. Since scent is more closely associated with Amo, I found this interesting, even if it it was just a coincidence and not a narrative connection.

But the most striking discovery appears when looking at Rudo’s family tree.

If you’re familiar with the Philosopher’s Stone, you know it is created through four main alchemical stages:

Nigredo (blackening)

Albedo (whitening)

Citrinitas (yellowing)

Rubedo (reddening)

There are sometimes intermediate phases as well, such as Cauda Pavonis between Nigredo and Albedo.

Now look at the family names:

Canis and Ca-uda Pavon-is

Alto and Al-be-do

Rudo and Ru-be-do

Each name mirrors the first and last syllables of these alchemical stages — and they even appear in ascending order.

Is Rudo’s family (symbolically) 'evolving'?

The Rubedo stage is described as the moment when the alchemist integrates the results of earlier stages into a unified self before reentering the world. That sounds remarkably similar to what Rudo does with 3R: he creates a “Thought” and manifests it into a Vital instrument in the real world. It’s integration, transformation, and return.

That parallel feels deliberate.

Copper and other metals

In an earlier post, I noted that Rudo and Amo’s shared meaning of “love” connects them to Venus/Aphrodite, who is symbolically tied to copper. As noted before; Tamsy’s name may reference Tamra, an ancient type of copper. The Watchmen series symbol contains the alchemic symbol of silver, while two other symbols also contain alchemic symbols of gold and copper.

I would also not be halfway to a conspiracy theorist if I did not note that the philosopher's stone was meant to be used to transmute ordinary materials into metals like gold and silver. Also, that gold can very easily be attributed to Citrinitas, silver to Albedo/Nigredo(oxidation) and copper to Rubedo.

Last Name: Surebrec

Rudo’s last name, Surebrec, is Cerberus spelled backwards.

Cerberus is famously the three-headed guard dog of the underworld in Greek mythology. But there’s more beneath the surface.

Cerberus is one of the many offspring of Typhon, a monstrous titan made of multiple animal parts. This is especially interesting considering Zodyl Typhon’s ability to manifest different animal parts.

Other offspring of Typhon include:

Orthrus, a two-headed dog — possibly mirrored in Fu Orostor and his dual personality.

The Hydra, which in some versions also guarded an entrance to Hades in Lerna.

Dogs, guardianship, and the underworld form a consistent symbolic thread.

Additionally, as noted before, I connected the Watchmen series symbol — particularly its association with silver and the number three — to the triple goddess archetype (Hecate, Selene, Artemis). These goddesses are also linked to protection, thresholds, the underworld, and dogs.

Theory Time

Originally, I thought the symbols next to the Watchmen Series on the Heritage mural represented the different eras of humanity in Greek mythology.

However, since it was confirmed that the symbols instead represent the four friends, I’d like to adjust that theory:

Perhaps the symbols represent each friend’s vision for how the world should function.

Those visions clashed, and the resulting ideological split formed the factions we now see.

Possibly:

One friend led their people into the Sphere, representing something like a “Golden Age” — humans living in abundance and ignorance.

Another created the Hell Guard.

Another led the group that could be Zodyl’s ancestors.

Another became the origin of Rudo’s family.

And the fifth person Macaca Icol created Canvas Town.

And Rudo?

He is connected to almost all of them.

His family created the Watchmen Series, which enables travel to the Sphere.

He is a Cleaner, who are connected to Canvas and the Hellguard

He comes from the Sphere

You could argue that Zodyl has a connection

Yet he is an outsider to all these groups.

But that alienation may be his greatest strength.

Because he stands between all factions, he sees what others cannot. He could cross the divide between 5 ideologies. And perhaps that is exactly what his ancestor wanted his descendants to 'evolve' towards. And perhaps that is why he created the Watchmen Series, in which every item is meant to blur lines and better understand people/things. He is not just the protagonist; he is a catalyst for change.

Yet what kind of change that will be, we will have to see.

TLDR; Rudo's family is 'evolving', and it points that the end product aka Rudo is meant to unite the divides in the world.

[yakopi]

Tamsy Caines; thoughts and speculations

So, I want to talk about Tamsy Caines. This will contain spoilers for the anime as of the moment I’m writing this, so be warned.

Anyway, moving on—Tamsy. Our resident murderous, two-faced enigma who definitely knows more than our protagonists and isn’t afraid to manipulate whatever he can for his own ends, whatever those might actually be. Still, I think the narrative has already woven in a few clues about Tamsy through narrative parallels and more.

Narrative parallels; Greek mythology

First of all, Gachiakuta is already sprinkled with references to Greek mythology, so I don’t think it’s a stretch to apply more Greek legends to my analysis.

So let me tell you the story of a genius inventor, often associated with intelligence in Greek works… an insecure man whose own actions often led to worse outcomes. On the surface, maybe that doesn’t sound like Tamsy. Maybe he’s more of a social engineer than a literal one. But the important part isn’t the invention; it’s the story. Daedalus's story.

Daedalus was known as a genius. But one day, he tutored his nephew and realised the kid was even more talented than he was. So he killed him by throwing him off a cliff; just like Tamsy knows Rudo is special and caused Rudo to be thrown from the Sphere and now wants to destroy him.

Daedalus was charged with murder and fled to the land ruled by King Minos. There, he built the labyrinth for the Minotaur and helped Ariadne by giving her the idea of the thread—similar to Tamsy’s Vital instrument.

Eventually, Daedalus was imprisoned for treason and escaped with his son Icarus on wings made of wax. Icarus, famously, flew too close to the sun and fell to his death, leaving Daedalus alone. Likewise, Tamsy can create wings, and after a two-man flight close to the sun (Sphere), only one returned.

Afterwards, Daedalus fled to another country, where, upon being found, he killed his pursuer with water from pipes; just as Delmon uses water spouts from his Vital instrument to protect Tamsy.

So Tamsy narratively mirrors a known murderer who betrayed the people around him. And wouldn’t you know it—Tamsy is missing part of his pinky. Cutting the pinky is associated with yubitsume in Japan, where a betrayal or debt demands the removal of part of the finger.

The name ''Tamsy Caines''

Tamsy is possibly a reference to the Greek Tamsey, meaning immortal, and/or Tamra, an obscure mythological copper. Caines could reference Canis, probably referring to Canis Suberec, who is currently haunting the narrative with his Watchman series, and/or Cain, the first betrayer who thought he was above God.

Yeah... this name is probably fake.

Calling yourself something that implies immortality? Literally just naming yourself after someone who could harnessed the power of the gods 5 times over? Please reel it in, Chuuni.

Now, let's assume this man did not come across world-shaking knowledge and went 'Oh man, I read the bible and now know so much more than these plebeians. Let me point and laugh at those ants while I, Jesus-McGod, gloat in my superiority.'

Why would you change your name? You only hide your true name if it’s worth hiding. This leaves a few possibilities:

Tamsy is hiding from a group or person. Perhaps he was part of a bigger criminal organisation once caught by the Hellguard/shifty related Japanese themed group, had his pinky removed as a punishment for his crime, escaped with all the knowledge he gained there and is now playing puppet master.

Tamsy is working for that same group, and losing his pinky was his warning not to betray them (again?), making him a double agent whose old name people already knew

In possibilities, he carries a book that alters his perceived appearance, which means nobody knows (maybe even we, the readers) what he really looks like. And in all scenarios, one thing feels certain: Tamsy doesn’t know everything. He’s just a big fish in a small pond, sitting next to an ocean at low tide.

Tamsy is not the main character, no matter what he thinks in his arrogance.

And I think this arrogance will be his undoing. It is even in the name he chose: Cain thought that he could short change God and then kill his brother without consequence. Daedalus could never conceive that his inventions would ever be the problem, and dug himself deeper into a hole every time.

Both ended up as nomads, nowhere to call home, all because of their own actions...

Fun facts:

*Tamra can also be called “Arka,” like a certain Corvus Arkha.

*Just as interestingly, in my previous post I made about the possible history of the Gachiakuta series (https://www.tumblr.com/yakopi/801228503902289920/gachiakuta-lost-history-and-the-4-symbols?source=share) I noted that one of the 3 symbols next to the Watchmen series actually could be referencing copper, and that both Amos and Rudo due to their names meaning love are also associated with copper. This could points to me again that Tamsy created this name to indicate what he wanted to be (a true Watchmen holder like Rudo and Amo) despite not really fitting/knowing what it means to be a holder, and thus f-ing up the naming convention.

*Daedalus dies after being bitten by an ordinary snake while cast out, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tamsy also gets an underwhelming death—or one tied to our resident snake reference, Zyphon.

[yakopi]

Gachiakuta: Lost History and the 4 symbols.

So, I read chapter 156, a light bubble went off and I have A LOT of thoughts. Anime-only folks: this contains spoilers below (obviously).

TLDR at the end.

Our least-favourite media host just revealed that there were once “gods” whose power seeped into the Ground. That’s what enables all the Giver/Instruments shenanigans. It also explains why Rudo only awakened his powers after going down. However, one could keep them even after leaving (hence why the Angel/Tamsy could reach the Sphere).

And since Gachiakuta already drops a ton of Greek mythology references, it’s safe to assume these gods are inspired by Greek myth too. Whether they were actual gods or just humans so powerful they might as well be gods is unclear. But considering the “humans can’t become gods” line, and Greek myth’s running theme of “humans try to equal the gods and get wrecked for it, I’m leaning toward them being genuine gods rather than overpowered humans.

Anyways, it finally made a synapse in my brain go off and allow me to formulate my current theory about the four symbols that haunted me for almost 100 chapters.

The Four Symbols (Chapter 87, Canvas Town)

Lets look at them.

The Watchmen Symbol

To me, it contains two alchemical elements:

A large circle connecting three smaller circles → the symbol for silver

An upright triangle → symbol for water

The three circles could also hint at the Greek triple goddess (Hecate/Selene/Artemis), associated with crossroads and passages to the underworld.

Combine silver + water and you basically get “quicksilver,” another name for mercury—named after Hermes, the Roman counterpart of the border-crossing psychopomp god.

And wasn’t the original Watchmen user famous for traveling between the Sphere and the Ground?

(Side note: the Ground has a lot of Hades/underworld parallels, which is very interesting, but I digress)

The Second Symbol (pentagon with an eye)

A pentagon in alchemy is basically a transmutation symbol, and an eye represents enlightenment or discovering truth. I initially considered Egyptian symbolism—like the pyramidion (capstone) built on top of pyramids associated with the creation myth where a single stone/benben peaking out of the primordial sea was used by Atum to start creating everything. But then I remembered the Ptolemic dynasty, and while they didn’t build pyramids, they did build obelisks, which you can read as a kind of evolved capstone. So… why not both?

The Third Symbol (the sun)

This one is essentially a big sun with rays. The inner circle is the alchemical symbol for the Sun, so it fits nicely. Ironically, it looks a bit like an umbrella, and in Greece, umbrellas were used to protect from the sun. The Sun is also associated with gold.

The Fourth Symbol (cross + musical notes?)

The central symbol— a plus sign with circles at each end—is the symbol for copper. Around it are what seem to be four instances of the alchemical symbol for distillation.

(Fun fact! Copper is associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love... just like Rudo and Amo's names are references to love)

My thoughts:

I’ve thought a lot about these and assumed they represent four Vital Instrument series, and that they would correspond to different mythologies (Kuro being an Odin figure would be very fitting*), however analysing them further that never fitted.

Further thought creates a pattern that I could make sense of: 3 of the 4 symbols reference metals—gold, silver, and copper. And that makes me think of Hesiod's Ages of Men.

Quick recap of the Ages of Men:

Golden Age: During Cronus’s rule. Long lives, peaceful deaths, abundant food. Afterward, they become guardians.

Silver Age: Created by Zeus after overthrowing Cronus. Long childhoods, violent adulthood, impiety. Zeus kills them, and they become blessed underworld spirits.

Bronze Age (bronze is ~90% copper): Warlike people using bronze weapons. Wiped out by Zeus via flood after a king commits human sacrifice. Their spirits become ordinary underworld shades.

Heroic Age: Demigods! Heroes! Quests! Oh My! The only “better” age. Those who die may reach Elysium.

Iron Age: The present era. Miserable, full of strife, gods abandon humanity, and humans eventually destroy themselves.

Now apply that to Gachiakuta's potential history:

Gold Age (sun symbol): Titans exist, everything’s good… then it ends when a new regime (Gods/Spherites) takes over the old**. Old is switched in for the new.

Silver Age (Watchmen symbol): New society is made. Ends in heresy/disrespect; wiped out.

Bronze/Copper Age (copper + distillation symbol): A violent humanity, a major mistake, and a flood scenario wiping everything out again.

Heroic Age (pentagon eye): Humanity rebuilds, gains enlightenment, improves. Gods are still present. (The first family Hellguard is made***)

Iron Age (our current setting): Everything collapses again. Humans tear each other apart with the leftover power of the gods who left... or perhaps Spherites overthrew the gods and cast them down like trash (symbol pending)(Nijiku family makes another Hellguard***)

Greek mythology is built on successive eras, where one rebels against the bigger power and the winner casting off the undesirables. Uranus’s genitals thrown to earth. Cronus thrown into Tartarus. Zeus killing each era’s humans and sending them to the underworld.

Sound familiar?

Yeah. Feels very intentional, especially because history is so scarce. Why would it be scarce, if not because there were periods in the past where everything was wiped out?

*Funnily, according to my current theory that everything = Greek, Kuro would fit Apollo the most? More then human, a chariot, a lot of information, crows/ravens.

**Theory: Zodyl Typhon's name is a reference to the Titan Typhon. And who where defeated at the end of the Golden age? Titans. So Zodyl is a descendent of the Golden age humans who were cast down to the underworld/Ground. And the Watchman... Atlas?? And/or perhaps Enjin is also part of this, his association with gold, the umbrella, mysterious past...

***If I am already theorizing, Nijiku can means something like two (ni) and center/focal point (jiku), meaning something like that they are the second family to become the focal point of law on the Ground. This is reinforced by their symbol, an orchid, which not native to Japan. And remember this picture? Is that not an eye on the third oni? Are these oni references to the 4 symbols/eras?

TLDR; The four symbols found in Canvas town, of which the Watchmen Series is a part of, indicate 4 previous stages of history where humanity is constantly being killed and gods are (potentially) being killed.

[yakopi]

FR3-d1

So, with the Magnus Protocol being on hiatus, I can finally catch up. In the meanwhile, a theory I hope will not be disproven in the last episodes. Sorry if I ramble a little, there is a TLDR on the end.

I had a thought about FR-d1. The name sounds very much like the name of a computer program written in good ol' school leet speak. Considering the development of leet speak in the early 1980s and FR3-d1 was made in the late 1980s, it is very likely. (DPHW codes could also be leet speak, however, I do not see it)

But what if it isn’t an acronym at all? What if it ties instead into the series’ central themes of alchemy and chemistry?

At first, I wondered if FR3-d1 could be broken down into chemical elements: F–Re–Dy (fluorine, rhenium, dysprosium). There isn’t a natural or artificial compound containing all three of these elements, though it would technically be possible to create one. (Dysprosium fluoride and rhenium fluoride do exist, though they’re rarely used.)

Looking at the properties of each individual element though, I can see something interesting:

Fluorine is highly reactive and widely applied — for instance, in making electrical insulators and in binding to elements to lower their melting points.

Rhenium is a rare metal often used in high-performance alloys, especially in jet engines.

Dysprosium is another rare element, crucial in electric motors and nuclear control rods.

Put together, these suggest some kind of energy conversion.

Another thing about fluorine. If FR3-d1 really is an acronym drawn from chemistry, why is fluorine listed first? Usually, fluorine comes last. That led me to another possibility: refrigeration. Fluor is a very common element in refrigerants. And would you look at that? These coolants are classified by a R-number system. In this system, the “R” must be followed by at least two digits to specify a compound, so “R3” doesn’t name an exact molecule/coolant. But it could still point to the R3xx series of refrigerants, which includes fluorobutane-based refrigerants, with “d” indicating it as an isoform.

This all would make FR3-d1 literally something designed to convert and then preserve something...

And then there’s Colin. Why did FR3-d1 take him? Colin is the ICT guy, familiar with C languages, which presumably is needed to work with FR3-d1, considering it runs on Windows NT 4, which is built with those languages. A lot of C's, and C makes me think of the C element, carbon. Carbon can bond to all three elements individually and create stable, usable compounds. Or perhaps it’s simpler and more symbolic: all life on earth is carbon-based.

(And perhaps, when looking at the R3xx series and realizing that butane is a 4-chain carbon molecule and FR3-d1 possibly already had 3 life forms (Norris, August, Chester) in it, it just fits that a fourth life form had to be consumed, and with Colin it is finally complete.)

Interestingly, there is one other possible element that could, in theory, be used to make life: silicon. And what element is very much present in computers? Silicon.

Alchemy was thought to grant people eternal life. What if FR3-d1 is a magic-science algorithm that with these statements is learning to convert humans into a digital consciousness? Carbon to silicon... and perhaps silicon to carbon.

TLDR; FR3-d1's name could possibly hint towards it being some kind of conversion and storage system that is made to grant people digitized immortality through alchemy.

[yakopi]

Weekly drawing #21

I have been rewatching older anime and Dorohedoro's Noi and Shin made me think about the never-to-be shenanigans Ace and Yamato could have had.... Then I saw a drawing of the mangaka Q Hayashida and knew what I wanted to sketch this week.

Ref.:

[yakopi]

Weekly drawing #19

...forgot to upload my drawing last week, oops. On the other hand, I had a nice Mother's day, I hope that everyone also had a great day!

Anyways, have a Kujou Sara, may Hoyo show her again sometime soon.

[yakopi]

Weekly drawing #20

Currently rereading Panthera Noire from SorryJustAnotherPerson. It inspired me to create my own design for a Cat!Juleka.

This Juleka is a fan of JRPGs.

[yakopi]

Another MLB theory: The nature of magic and the peacock miraculous

I've been writing a few theories about Miraculous’s new secret society, which made me also retouch some other thoughts/assumptions I want to talk about in this post.

Firstly, magic in this universe. From what I have seen in the show, magic requires sacrifice. Specifically, the more you want the current world to deviate from how it ‘should’ be with your magic usage, the higher a price you should be willing to pay.

A life for a life: the Pharaoh’s resurrection scroll and Gabriel’s wish.

Using the miraculous for evil/selfish ways damaging you: Shadybug and Claw Noir.

You could make a point why Gabriel has felt little to no detriment of his miraculous usage, however:

Shadybug herself said that this damage is slow and Gabe was using the miraculous for barely a school year.

You could argue that the negative emotions that he targets would always caused damage, he only amplified the damage that was caused, meaning that this use is much less impactful to the ‘normal’ world then shooting a Cataclysm

Possible: We see that Akumatized victims after being returned to normal rarely being as emotional as they were before, despite that the Cure should return everything to how it was and the Akuma victim should still be emotional. Gabriel could (unconsciously) have used the emotions of his victims as a ‘sacrifice.’

And finally, we have seen the Peacock miraculous claim the life of Colt and Emilie to create Felix and Adrien. Slowly exchanging their life for that of the growing child. Seems to be in line.

Looking at Emilie, it seems that the way she died was a lot different from how Nathalie was dying. Slowly, gracefully, just a loss of energy that made her slowly fall into a final sleep. Nathalie was a lot quicker to decline, which can be explained by more usage of the Peacock. However, Nathalie’s disease seems a lot more… violent.

Perhaps Nathalie’s evil actions while using the damaged Peacock accelerated and worsened the symptoms. Especially because she used positive emotions that normally would not cause damage, thus going extra against 'the natural flow'.

Or

Perhaps because Emilie was not using a damaged Miraculous… Perhaps the miraculous was never broken.

I think that it is very possible Gabriel, Emilie and Tomoe thought that a miraculous should bring… well... miracles.

They wanted a miracle.

Adrien and Felix were created.

They got a miracle

However, Colt started to rapidly decline, for jealousy is not an emotion that would normally bring a new life into the world. And while love is the ultimate emotion to bring life into the world, Emilie would also start to worsen over the years.

They paid for their miracle.

And perhaps Emilie knew that, saw that the Peacock for what it did: the impossible made possible, for a price. A price that she was willing to give.

Yet Gabriel and Tomoe, in their hubris, only saw magic as a tool that did not do what they wanted it to do. So it had to be broken, something they had to fix.

So while Gabriel and Nathalie started to look at other magic, Tomoe started experimenting with her magitech. These experiments would result in Kagami being born with only Tomoe’s eyes as the price….

And so it started.

A fundamental law was broken. A debt has been created. Balance must be restored. And the Peacock will just have to take their dues from whoever is using it...

[yakopi]

Mini MLB post: ■■■■■ and the secret society

I have theorized in my previous posts that the secret organisation in Miraculous Ladybug almost certainly some Guardian magic. Magic like memory erasure, curtesy of Gabriel and Nathalie's temple desecration.

A staple of cartoon villainy; a PG13 way to dispose of incriminating memories and dangerous skills in threats to their group.

Threats like, perhaps, a previous leader (Andre Bourgouise) or a (former member/) historian who knew too much (Mr. Kubdel).

Perhaps a influential mother of a daughter. A mother that suddenly forgot she had a daughter. And this daughter in return discarded her previous name and takes on fake names until she can either bring back those memories or get revenge.

A daughter who seeks information in other victims, some being women who remind her of her mother and who can easily fit an absent daughter in all those gaps in their memories.

A daughter who left heart and home to follow the trail of wealthy influence to Paris. Who infiltrates a school that seems to attract rich kids who have rich parents. A daughter who lies to manipulate, to gain favours, to gain the right connections, and is envious of the loving relationships between, for example, Marinette and Sabine.

Who finally, FINALLY, had a solid lead in Hawkmoth. Who now knows that she can get a wish to return her mother to normal with just a single sacrifice…

Cerise just has to continue on. Lila was so close after all. What is one more sacrifice on top of everything ■■■■■ has given until now?

[yakopi]

MLB and the Secret Organisation part 4: Losing memories is losing yourself

Okay, in my previous posts/parts I talked about my observations and theories about how this secret organisation in Miraculous could work internally, how they are possibly inspired by the Greek gods and how we can use these two things to consider possible other members of this secret organisation, including people who are as of now considered dead in the MLB canon.

While reading all my previous posts about this would be best (although part 1 and 2 are a little ramble-y, sorry), however to understand this post you take these assumptions with you while reading it: the members of this organisation do not care about each other, they are all shitty parents, they are heavily influenced by Greek mythology and they have access to powerful magic.

For those who just want the cliff notes/a quick preview of this post:

TLDR: The organisation can erase memories; they do it to previous members to eliminate the potential threat they can without the attention the death/dissappearance of a powerfull person would bring. This causes these previous members to either loose competence and/or allow them to be better parents. Memory erasure could also be what Nathalie fears and why she is still following the organisation's orders.

The post will start after the link.

Part 3: Who is in the organisation. https://www.tumblr.com/yakopi/782660802367881216/mlb-secret-organisation-part-3-who-is-in-the?source=share

Part 2: Link between the secret organisation and the 12 Olympians.

https://www.tumblr.com/yakopi/782198946100576256/part-2-a-greek-mythology-reference-fits-better?source=share

Part 1: Musings about the secret organisation

https://www.tumblr.com/yakopi/782198191169880064/part-1-thoughts-about-the-mlb-secret-society?source=share

Lets start this with a short call back to post 3, where I explained that there is a logical conclusion to be made that Colt Fathom, father of Felix, who is presumed to be dead due to usage of the Peacock to make Felix, is alive at the hands of the secret organisation.

Taking this conclusion (and running with it), there an argument to be made that where there is smoke, there is fire.

The organisation has probably more magic.

Perhaps through access to ANOTHER Miraculous set, perhaps due to some magi-tech things (Gabriel and Tomoe had flawless working machinery without failures/prototypes suspiciously fast) or perhaps some books/scrolls liberated from wherever you can get some magical items.

Another call back to part 3 is that I identified 3/4 possible people (on top of Gabe, Tomoe, Mr. Sancoeur, and Audrey) that I saw being part of this secret organisation. These people were shitty parents and shitty people, could be associated with a Greek god and seemed competent enough to be part of a secret organisation.

Now, when looking at the shitty parents, I thought I would have more options for members of this organisations, because lets be real, there are a concerning amount of parents in this show seriously need to work on their problems. In addition, most of these people have a connection with each other as this show seems to have Marinette/Dupont attract famous people like flies.

Yet, I could not place them into the secret organisation because they were actively trying to change, or they were just too incompetent to be part of a secret organisation.

First focussing on the second point, incompetence. Perhaps it is a ruse of these people, a character flaw added by the writers as a joke, or perhaps it is a reference to IRL incompetence of people in power.

Or.... what if some parents were once members of the secret society... but they left, and their memories and skills were erased to prevent them from ever crossing the secret society again?

We know from Wu that selective memory erasure is possible; perhaps this Organisation also has its own magical means that do the same for unwanted members.

André Bourgeois: Once a powerful politician/mayor, maybe even Zeus/the leader. Probably introduced Audrey (Hera) to the secret organisation. Perhaps he was memory-wiped after Audrey became pregnant because he wanted to be a good father. Audrey left this wimpy man for another (secret organisation?) man.

Roger Raincomprix: Possibly Ares, originally added for his police skills. Perhaps lost his edge and spine after a wipe after he questioned the new Zeus after Andre left.

They’re now incompetent shadows of their former selves—humiliating versions designed to keep them from becoming a threat and easily manipulated for the organisation’s own gains.

Maybe André and Roger bonded over vague memories and they paired up their daughters (Chloé and Sabrina) subconsciously.

There is even a myth about the Lethe in Greek mythology, where the dead go to erase their memories before reincarnating/becoming new people.

This also introduces the possibility that the bad parenting aspect can also be less prominent, as after the mindwipe these people could be very different people.

Therefore I raise the following extra potential candidates for ex-secret organisation members:

Jagged Stone: Father to both Luka and Juleka. Seemed to know he had children, however never did anything for them until reconnecting aka shitty parent. A change of heart? Or a change or memory for a previous Apollo, allowing him to be a better parent after coming face to face with his children.

Alim Kubdel: Harsh to his older son, loving to his daughter. 'Normal' favouritism? Or he could’ve been mindwiped between their births? As a historian, it’s plausible that he discovered something about the miraculous that brought him to the attention of the Organisation. Perhaps he was tasked to keep miraculous things out of the museum and into the hands of the Organisation. (Considering that an amateur journalist like Alya could make miraculous connections and Alim did not seem very unlikely, unless tomfoolery is going on). This could also make what happened to Mrs. Kubdel more than a simple death...

These two could be possible sources of information about the organisation if Ladybug and Cat Noir can return their memories. Or they could be dangerous liabilities if their returned memories make them bad again.

This bring us to Nathalie's role in all of this.

In my previous post, I likened her to Artemis and said that her having a brother/twin as Apollo would make this connection even stronger.

Jagged could be her older brother, the Apollo to her Artemis. Both have blue eyes and dark hair that they dyed (This family loves their reds, blues and mixing it for purples hair dyes). He was the heir, she was the invisible one.

Perhaps there is a family tradition where there are always two siblings, with the oldest the heir, the second one the spare/shadow. Something that is repeated in some way in Luka and Juleka, however, both are break free from that tradition.

This is maybe why Jagged never had contact before. He wanted Anarka and her children to have no ties to this shadow organisation; it was better if he stayed away. But then he lost his memories, and suddenly he made contact, making for a very dangerous situation.

A situation that Nathalie could help with as she does know of the secret organisation… however does she know that she has a niece and nephew? That Jagged is her brother?

It is very possible that her memories have been erased once or twice. Perhaps to remove a traitorous brother from her mind and heart, perhaps to protect the secrets of every secret society member that she worked for before.

Nathalie’s true fear may not be death—but erasure. She knows she lost things before, remembers feeling empty at the very start, however you can’t miss what you don’t remember having. But now she has things to lose.

To lose her love for Adrien and her humanity that are build on her memories… it would be the ultimate punishment. Her last name, Sancoeur, might not describe her character—it could be a threat directed to Nathalie.

[yakopi]

MLB Secret organisation part 3: Who is in the Organisation

For the reason why I link the Secret Organisation with the 12 Olympians, look at my previous posts about this topic.

What you mainly need to know is that I connected 12 symbols to 12 Olympians, and that the 3 members that we know off even thematically fit the Olympian counterpart. Now we are going to look to possible other members.

There is a TLDR at the end.

For my previous posts:

Part 1: Musing about the structure of the Secret Organisation: https://www.tumblr.com/yakopi/782198191169880064/part-1-thoughts-about-the-mlb-secret-society?source=share

Part 2: Link between the Secret Organisation and the 12 Olympians:

Post by @yakopi

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 9 · Part 2: A Greek Mythology reference? Fits better then expected! · In my last post I rambling about the thinks we know and s

On to the post:

Initially, I considered how the show would handle a twelve-member (plus minions) evil organization, which can say much about who will be a bad guy.

After five seasons, we’ve only had two confirmed members (Gabriel and Nathalie), a third that’s almost certain (Tomoe), and introduced on the back of someone already established (Mr. Sancoeur). This means the show still needs to explicitly confirm Tomoe, flesh out Mr. Sancoeur as a standalone character, and then introduce at least eight more members, all of whom need development to feel impactful.

To do that properly, the show would either need to:

Stretch this arc over multiple seasons,

Connect new members to existing characters (as mr. Sancoeur was connected to Nathalie),

Or focus on just one or two while reducing the rest to shallow filler characters—making the twelve-member concept feel more like a shallow reference than a meaningful structure.

And that last one would be especially... disappointing.

Alternatively, maybe many of these characters have already been introduced, like Tomoe. Right under our noses this whole time.

One character that immediately comes to mind is Audrey Bourgeois. Personally, I wouldn’t be thrilled to see her on screen again, but she’s been given a disproportionate amount of screen time and narrative focus if her only role is to introduce Zoé or explore Chloé's character. This is because Zoé is now essentially a reoccuring background character and Chloé has seemingly been written out of the “main civilian antagonist” role. So just being their mom should not garner Audrey so much attention of the show.

And yet Audrey, compared to other parents of background characters, received more development than necessary just to be labeled a “bad person and worse mother.” The only with similar disproportional screentime for their perceived role was Tomoe, before it became clear she was in cahoots with Gabe/the Secret Society.

So for Audrey to also be part of the Secret Organisation would not be weird.

Her only significant connection outside her family is to Gabriel, and he was part of this organisation. She made him the fashionista he is today, quoting the show.

Could she already have been a part of this group and introduced Gabe? Perhaps that is how Gabe and Emilie met each other. Perhaps the symbol of the eye, associated with Hera, a goddess who wasn’t exactly known for her compassion towards children, is her designation.

That still leaves the question why Gabe AND Nathalie act so dismissive towards Audrey, someone presumably more senior and powerfull? Is it an act to avoid weird questions? Dit Gabe feel empowered due to his alliance with Tomoe? Did Audrey do something (see theories about this later)?

If Audrey is indeed the fourth member, a pattern begins to form: they're all wealthy, terrible parents who for one reason or another have (laid new) roots in Paris.

This aligns with my previous comparison of the secret society to the Olympians—gods from all corners of the world who congregated on Mount Olympus, or in this case… Paris.

So, who else could fit?

Potential Members of the Secret Organization

To investigate further, I looked at all parents in the show, and focused on those who are pretty bad (excluding known suspects: Gabriel, Tomoe, Audrey, and Mr. Sancoeur). Those in positions of power are suspicious, and any potential Olympian references would be serious contenders.

I made a few assumptions—most notably that Dupont is a school for the elite. Gabriel would certainly send Adrien to Paris's best school, which can afford a former Olympian as a coach and includes the children of top-tier bakers, a hotel chef, a museum director, and the mayor himself. Either these students have scholarships or very wealthy parents.

Possible Candidates:

Mrs. Kurtzberg: Neglectful and controlling of Nathaniel, an architect—clear reference to Athena. This also implies that Mr. Kurtzberg could be, as an artist, Apollo.

Bob Roth: Terrible father to XY. A skilled music thief aligns with Hermes, who famously stole Apollo’s lyre. Present at the Diamond ball

And finally:

Colt Fathom

You would pressume he would not be in contention, as he is a dead. True, he does not love his family, and is rich. But dead. Or is he… First of all, he is named, which is rare in a show where most parents are not named if not necessary. Only Emilie shared this level of narrative significance despite being pressumed dead… because she was not. This might mean Colt is alive—and that would be very interesting. Especially if he fills the role of Dionysus, a god associated with death and rebirth.

In Gabriel’s final letter to Adrien, he hints Nathalie may survive even though he won’t. He must believe a cure for the Peacock's side effects exists.

Why would he think that, unless he’d seen it happen? There are only three known cases of a Peacock cursing a wielder:

Emilie wasn’t cured.

Nathalie was dying.

(Technically a fourth someone had to be cursed to make Kagami, presumably Tomoe’s husband, however nothing is confirmed. However if you want to count it: Mr. Tsurugi is also dead.)

But Colt, Colt we have only heard from Felix that he is dead. However, for a secret organisation, faking death is not difficult. He could have been cured.

That would explain why the organisation trusted Gabriel: the organisation has the cure so Gabe didn’t need the wish to cure Emilie. He just needed to wish for the better world they al wanted and Emilie would be cured by the organisation. Win-Win for everyone.

However, if Gabe failed, he knew that Emilie would not be resurrected, so Adrien would have to take over. Why? Why would an organisation want a teenager take over instead of a grown woman? Perhaps they want to use Emilie again as blackmail for Adrien? Perhaps they do not trust Emilie? Perhaps Gabe knows that Colt is jealous of him and Emilie and would never allow Emilie to be resurrected out of spite.

Perhaps that is why Gabe and Nathalie hate Audrey. Despite all her power, she would not revive Emilie.

Either way, the Organisation probably knows something about magic and how to use it, and that is why Gabe was confident that Nathalie, a daughter of a member of this organisation, would be saved… even as just a tool.

Which brings us to an even darker theory in part 4: mind-wiping.

TLDR: Secret Organisation has two requirements; 1) rich/powerful and 2) shitty parents, mirroring their inspiration the Olympians. They even lift shitty parents out of the grave if shitty enough. The magic men probably can do more then necromancy as a party trick.