chatonarya

[chatonarya]

As an aside from my thoughts on Courier's second oprec, I feel it best to address the significance of it in relation to Gnosis and Silverweiss in its own post, as this is somewhat of a separate topic.

The way Enciodes and Weiss reminisce about their childhood adventures and how Enciodes wanted a male companion of his own age struck me quite sharply--my first thought was simply, "What about Gnosis? Did Enciodes and Gnosis not have their own adventures as well, given the whole kidnapping incident detailed in Gnosis's oprec? Did Enciodes himself not state to Gnosis that Gnosis would be his first real friend, as 'Weiss's situation is a little special', per his own words?"

As I stated in my previous post, it's difficult to say whether the anecdote about the village took place before or after Gnosis's oprec and the kidnapping incident, but I suggest it was likely before, due to the fact that there is no mention of Gnosis, Enciodes wanting a male companion, and the way he says "Weiss's situation is a little special" to Gnosis; it's possible this happened before Enciodes and Gnosis began to receive their joint tutoring and thus met. In fact, I would go far as to postulate that Enciodes perhaps even targeted Gnosis to be his companion and his equal on account of deciding to no longer involve Weiss on such dangerous expeditions... because to Enciodes, Weiss is different.

Enciodes states that he "took [Weiss] under his wing" after Weiss's grandparents begged Olafur to take him in and Enciodes persuaded him, and also assigned Weiss his messenger tasks because, he admits, he "wanted to show [Weiss] off". This relationship is more like a traditional noble's patronage: Weiss comes from a poor peasant or commoner family, and Enciodes is the heir to the Silverash territory and effectively one of the three young ruling lords of Kjerag. This gesture of whimsical magnanimity is pretty classic trope, where a noble takes a shine to a commoner and adopts them into the family as a servant or one of their own. While I don't doubt Enciodes's kindness and liking of Weiss was genuine, there's still an inherent power imbalance to the relationship when the act of adopting Weiss itself is a flexing of Enciodes's aristocratic power and something which puts Weiss into his debt, on top of the fact that Enciodes saved his life when he was lost in the woods.

Enciodes also states that his family treated Weiss like a son, and he viewed Weiss as a brother; likely an impressionable younger brother who viewed him with a sort of blind hero worship, something which is implied to be carried on to Weiss's adult years up until this point, as Weiss's material emphasizes his fierce and undying loyalty of Enciodes.

But Gnosis is not those things. Gnosis is not Enciodes's brother, Gnosis does not view Enciodes with blind hero worship, and Gnosis is not one of common blood.

No, Gnosis is the opposite: Gnosis is apart from Enciodes's blood ties, which is notable because Enciodes has issues and problems with his familial ties; Gnosis is in fact quite disdainful of Enciodes not only at first but doesn't ever hesitate to criticize him; Gnosis has his own background, problematic blood ties, and noble or semi-noble heritage that means he does not require Enciodes's patronage or assistance in any way. Gnosis stands completely on his own in Kjerag, and Enciodes cannot do anything to hold any debt or obligation from Gnosis, he can only try to persuade Gnosis into becoming his friend through a mutual honest exchange of feelings and through Gnosis's own choice. Gnosis must choose to accept Enciodes, Enciodes's ideas, and Enciodes's dreams, which is a repeated theme throughout their relationship: the fact that they choose each other over and over again.

Enciodes and Gnosis choose each other at the end of the kidnapping venture:

They choose each other to be their partner, now just in the moment but in the future as well, choosing each other to build a future together with.

Gnosis chooses Enciodes and his dream of a better Kjerag rather than giving up and running away; Enciodes chooses Gnosis despite his difficult nature and background. Furthermore, Enciodes chooses Gnosis as his equal, as his partner for his dream. Gnosis is still Enciodes's first friend--the first friend of that type, standing on equal footing with him and sharing his dream in a way that nobody else does.

This element of choice is what is vital to their relationship, and in fact, I would argue, the most important element in the closest relationships Enciodes has: Gnosis and Degenbrecher, as I said in "The Faithful Gambler"; the way he gives them the freedom to choose to remain with him.

Enciodes does this with Weiss, as well: in Weiss's oprec, Enciodes is also giving him the freedom to make his own choice. Enciodes never assigned Matterhorn or Weiss specific duties within Karlan Trade because he "never thought of himself as their master" and "never thought about determining their fates for them". Though I wonder if, as Weiss says, he does not still feel some guilt for, as a precocious child, assigning Weiss messenger duties that Weiss did not particularly like at first and dragging him on unwilling adventures--was it in Enciodes's mind that perhaps it was not Weiss's choice? Or was it simply expected due to the debt and the power imbalance between them? Or did Weiss do it simply to please him, because he admired Enciodes and wished to serve him in some way? I don't believe Enciodes was intentionally cruel, but perhaps he did not fully grasp the consequences of his actions at the time on account of his age, and it's beautiful how it has become a fond memory between him and Weiss, and how now he goes out of his way to give Weiss that choice and the ability to determine his own future, perhaps as a form of apology or repentance.

And yet, despite all of this--despite the fact that Enciodes and Gnosis choose each other over and over throughout their lives, what stands out to me in the light of "Run Like The Wind" is how tightly and selfishly Enciodes tries to hold onto Gnosis and make him stay rather than letting him go to find his own path the way he does with Matterhorn and Weiss. Enciodes does not seek to tie neither Weiss nor Matterhorn to him, encouraging them to seek their fortunes in the world beyond the sphere of his influence and beyond the realm of Silverash--but he seeks to tie Gnosis to him.

Enciodes wants Gnosis's path to be with him. This is explicitly spelled out not only in Gnosis's oprec with their final exchange--

--but very clearly in BI. We can see it here:

Every time Enciodes and Gnosis have any kind of rift, disagreement, or even separation, Enciodes is the first to quickly remind Gnosis or emphasize of their bond, something he does over and over again. Even when he's supposed to be acting, he does it--not an act at all.

It is vitally important to Enciodes that Gnosis doesn't forget that they are friends and they share a dream--a dream which he specifically shared with Gnosis and Gnosis only.

This is a dream that consumes Enciodes's entire entity; it is his raison d'etre and his life's work, the thing he is willing to sacrifice almost everything for--except Gnosis, because Gnosis is the only one who shares it so intimately with him, and because Gnosis is explicitly part of Enciodes's motivation.

Enciodes also admits himself in his module story that he "selfishly" wants Gnosis to stay with him. Gnosis's life may be in danger if he remains in Kjerag, and Enciodes knows this—he knows his desire to have Gnosis be by his side is inherently selfish. But this is the one most selfish thing he does. By his module, we know Enciodes has made the decision to be a good leader over all else, always weighing others' potential and placing Kjerag as a whole above himself—with the exception of Gnosis.

Gnosis is the only person, nigh the only thing, Enciodes allows himself to be selfish about. Even when public opinion is against him, he keeps Gnosis by his side and gives him anything he wants, implied to even keep Gnosis living at the Silverash manor; even when it would serve his ends to have Gnosis be the scapegoat in their coup, Enciodes discards this plan, placing Gnosis above their goals; in dozens of small ways, Enciodes is himself with Gnosis rather than "Sir Silverash" or "the Master", doing what he wants.

Enciodes also brought Gnosis back to Kjerag not only once, but twice. Gnosis has a huge amount of potential outside of Kjerag with his academic brilliance, yet even knowing this for about as long as they've known each other, Enciodes still asks Gnosis to come help him. Even as Kjerag loathes Gnosis's very existence, Enciodes still asks Gnosis to come back and help him. Remember, Gnosis is the boy who was so desperate to escape Kjerag that he was willing to forge his father's signature on the permissary slip and cut ties with his family so he could leave. He's always wanted to leave. He has no such bonds of obligation and duty to Kjerag like Enciodes does. Yet Enciodes is the one who brings him back, who ties him down to earth, who keeps him from flying away. Enciodes is the one who gives Gnosis a reason to return--and that reason is that they have a dream and a future together.

The bond Enciodes shares with Gnosis is different from the one he has with everyone else. The promise that Enciodes makes to Gnosis is completely unique, not just in the way he promises Gnosis a homeland he won't feel like running away from, but in the fact that promise entails Enciodes by his side--and similarly, Gnosis is the only one who makes Enciodes the same promise in return.

As a Silverash, Enciodes views and positions himself and is effectively a benevolent lord: granting boons and favors selflessly, considering the bigger picture and the consequences of each action, being the steward of his land and people and the living embodiment of noblesse oblige. He is the person who makes promises to others, not the other way around; he is someone effectively defined by his authority, authority which is inseparable from him as a person, and which demands that he suppress his own desires, emotions, and personality. People do not make him promises--but Gnosis has, and promised him perhaps the greatest, one and only thing Enciodes could want.

And so Enciodes takes Gnosis's words to heart, and lets himself be selfish about Gnosis, because they are and ever will remain partners.

[chatonarya]

Health Concerns feat. Karlan Trio

Credit once again to my friend Aelen_altria for the dialogue!

(And yes, the first section is 100% canon from Courier's second oprec.)

[chatonarya]

On the heels of his first one, Courier's second oprec is another absolutely incredible addition to the Kjerag lore compendium. I would rank it as one of the top Kjerag oprecs, once again lending a great amount of characterization and development not only to Weiss but to Enciodes as well. Let's jump in!

The oprec, "Run Like The Wind," builds on the first one, "Shadow of Silverash," but goes in a completely different direction: not a flashback to ten years in the past, this is present day, and rather than exploring Weiss's role as Enciodes's most loyal lieutenant, it explores Weiss establishing his own independence and his own company, formally leaving Enciodes's service and employ.

Funny enough, I'd like to think this was actually foreshadowed in Harold's oprec, which takes place shortly after RS:

Indeed, Weiss is struggling with his own issues: what it will mean for him to leave Enciodes's side when he's been beside him and supported him for so many years--not merely in his business affairs, but in a personal sense, too, as this oprec also at last details more of their long-hinted-at bond.

I've said it before, but I truly appreciate how with each new piece of Kjerag lore, Enciodes's character gets further developed by his relationships to those around him, and his launch image is further shattered. Not only do we get to witness him panting and huffing at the tender age of 32 as a constant routine of paperwork has utterly ruined his stamina (and his dignity), but we also see multiple new facets of him expanded upon in this oprec alone!

For instance, despite the fact that Enciodes is struggling to climb a hill, he sticks through his decision to see with his own eyes "the importance of logistics," and doesn't complain, and plays along with Weiss's scheme, pretending not to be the important personage he is as he meets with Weiss's contacts; the way he listens so attentively to Weiss's feelings and thoughts about himself, his past, and his job and passion for logistics; to the way Enciodes so freely and honestly offers his own feelings and estimation of his own actions in the past; even the way he says he took after his mother Elizabeth (I presume not just her bravery, but also her Victorian background)—all of it fleshes him out beautifully. I absolutely adore how far Enciodes's character has come from his launch image, how completely and thoroughly it's been changed, nigh shattered. I went into this already in "The Faithful Gambler" so I won't repeat myself, but I love how we see not only that his stoic facade is being upheld less and less, but we see what's behind it, how behind his great and ruthless intellect is also a great heart that he continually stomps on to achieve his goals, and how he's kind of a dork and little bit pathetic in a charming way.

The bond between Enciodes and Weiss is also shown off beautifully. From the way Enciodes is quick to stop Weiss from shredding his proposal (and I love that it's Tenzin who saves the papers) and bids Weiss to show him whether he can actually pull his proposal off, to the way Weiss offers his hand when Enciodes is wheezing up the mountain (it's also quite adorable how freely and unabashedly Weiss ribs him and rubs it in, and how Enciodes doesn't really get offended by it; he can't even pretend he's not struggling), to the way Weiss wants Enciodes to feel for himself the importance of logistics (including lugging a heavy parcel all the way from Turicum), and to the way Weiss, despite being someone who, by Enciodes's words, "watches everything and keeps it to himself," so freely and earnestly shares his feelings about his own job as messenger and how it shaped his life.

We also see at last how Weiss became part of the Silverash family, and I really love how Enciodes admits his own childish and selfish motives of wanting to show Weiss off by assigning him tasks, and the way Weiss has no hard feelings about it whatsoever. They're truly more similar than first glance would indicate, as Degenbrecher observes in "Shadow of Silverash"; quite naturally, though, as they grew up together!

And of course, the heart of the story, the two of them reminiscing over their childhood escapade to the very village that they visit for the second time to convince the village headman to accept their proposal. It's more of Enciodes being the wild, trouble-making child that his father laments in Gnosis's oprec, yearning to see what the outside of Kjerag was like and sneaking onto a downhill transport cart and bringing a terrified Weiss with him. Enciodes, in typical Enciodes fashion, refused to listen and reasoned that they would get into trouble regardless, so they might as well go a little bit further. It's so very Enciodes, the recklessness, the curiosity, the gamble, all of it. I love this so much, it adds so much to both of them.

It's difficult to say whether this anecdote took place before or after Gnosis's oprec and the kidnapping incident, but I suggest it was likely before, due to the fact that there is no mention of Gnosis, Enciodes wanting a male companion, and the way he says "Weiss's situation is a little special" to Gnosis. In fact, I would go far as to postulate that Enciodes perhaps even targeted Gnosis to be his companion and his equal on account of deciding to no longer involve Weiss on such dangerous expeditions, but that is a subject for another post and mostly speculation on my part.

The clear way Enciodes encourages Weiss to make his own choice and his own decision rather than always putting Enciodes ahead of himself is so wonderful. I'd almost speculate this is a form of apology for dragging Weiss against his will and assigning him tasks as a child. It's a small detail, but I love too once again how Enciodes chooses his most loyal people--or his most loyal people happen to be--people who share his ideals. "We happen to be of similar minds."

I love the way they understand each other, how Weiss understands that Enciodes, in his roundabout way, is trying to tell him that no matter his decision, their emotional bonds remain.

I also really love their final exchange:

It's so lovely how Enciodes asks whether this new company will be Karlan Trade's ally or enemy, and how Weiss answers with something Enciodes taught him, an answer which no doubt makes Enciodes proud. I also appreciate how Weiss's new company may not be directly related to Karlan Trade, but the important thing is that it will be an ally of Kjerag. Because just because one leaves Kjerag doesn't mean one stops being of Kjerag or stops carrying Kjerag in their hearts.

This oprec is also notable for being chronologically the latest oprec, taking place after everything else, so I feel compelled to comment on the foreshadowing and implications therein. This very clearly takes place after RS, and I can't help but feel there might be a hint concealed in here somewhere for Kjerag 3. Perhaps this part, where Weiss mentions a nomadic city potentially taking shape along Kjerag's outskirts--

--or simply the new knowledge of this "Terra Nullius", or "no-man's-land" which surrounds Kjerag. It's interesting how Weiss points out that Karlan Trade developing this land is unacceptable, indicating that it would cause geopolitical and international tensions were they to step out from beyond Kjerag's official borders. We know from RS that Karlan Trade (and Enciodes by extension) is playing a very delicate balancing act by forging ties with Terra's superpowers to avoid being conquered by any of them and retain their independence, and I so appreciate the little details like this which demonstrate how tricky an endeavor it is. The nomadic city also perhaps is a nod to "Project One", AKA the battleship "Walnut" which is currently being concealed beneath Lake Silberneherze; it's possible that Enciodes and Gnosis may attempt to conceal this battleship by having it pose as a nomadic city, but I won't speculate too much as Gnosis's second module (titled "Project No.1 Model") will likely reveal more details about the ship.

In addition, not to repeat myself, but Weiss officially leaving Enciodes represents an interesting shake-up in the Kjerag cast. This was arguably foreshadowed in RS with the release of Degenbrecher, and how the way she replaced Weiss was emphasized not just in her file but in Weiss's first oprec. There's also a very clear marketing push with the recent content towards Karlan Trio—Enciodes, Gnosis, and Degenbrecher—moving away from the previous unit of Enciodes, Matterhorn, and Courier. In Matterhorn's oprec, which takes place shortly after BI, Enciodes dismisses him from his post to look after Ensia, but we see by RS and Ensia's second oprec that Matterhorn is not shadowing her but back in Kjerag. Perhaps he has made his choice to do the opposite of Weiss and remain by Enciodes's side, as his very nature is that of a caretaker. I'd be curious to know more about it; perhaps that will be expanded upon in the future. I don't have any complaints about this because I love the Karlan Trio dynamic and I hope HG keeps developing it.

Also, while there have been whisperings or desires on CN about SilverAsh Alter, this is not a theory I ascribe to for two reasons: one, narratively he does not need it, and two... well, look at him.

He can barely climb a hill without getting out of breath at this point, nor carry a heavy suitcase. Work has clearly gotten the best of the poor cat, and being trapped behind a desk most of the time has turned him from a closet nerd into a fully-fledged nerd. Tut-tut, Degenbrecher will need to whip him into shape if he wants to be able to merely traverse Kjerag, much less face active combat... This is clearly one of the "many things" he's been "neglecting" that he mentions in RS, as he was able to handle the Holy Hunt hike in BI but has clearly fallen out of shape three years later. (I also can't help but laugh at the idea that Enciodes might theoretically be in worse shape than Gnosis, who at least is stated to undertake expeditions for materials or resources personally but always appeared to be the weakest link physically of the trio.)

I'd much, much rather have Courier Alter, something I've always been in favor of since I started playing, and I believe there's much more potential there. Courier has always been hinted to have more to think than first impression, and I'm simply ecstatic to see him blossoming like this.

Truly, the Kjerag writing continues to be some of the best in the game.

[chatonarya]

I read your yaoi theory essay and I'm just slightly confused- not about the theory. It's the fact that you say Gnosis hates the doctor. I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've checked out the story. Could you maybe elaborate on that?

Oh, certainly!

If you look at Gnosis's voice lines when you set him as assistant, there's a very stark contrast between them and the way he speaks and behaves in BI and RS. He's extremely blunt and cold towards Doctor, even in his new year's and anniversary lines, offering up only the most perfunctory, basic, and crisp greetings before retreating back into the lab. He gives off the impression that he doesn't want to talk to Doctor for more than absolutely necessary. He offers no personal information, and replies very curtly and shortly to the presumed questions that Doctor asks him, such about Enciodes's sisters, etc. In Enciodes's second oprec, Enciodes also comments that Gnosis has already made a name for himself within Rhodes already thanks to not just his talent but also his personality.

He's a lot more chill and much less snippy with Enciodes and Degenbrecher, to the point where if you were to listen to only his lines, you'd have a completely different impression of him as a character vs the way he really is in the story--and this is something I've noticed before when I read other peoples' impressions of him. There's a persistent image of Gnosis that lingers around the fandom that is very surface-level, reading him as someone extremely fixated on research and nothing more (as much as his file emphasizes it), but this is inconsistent and incongruous with the rest of his lore and something I believe is the image he chooses to project to Rhodes Island, he's put on a very reserved facade, particularly compared to how he is in RS.

Secondly, I also say that Gnosis dislikes Doctor because, well, he kinda says so. He does not speak nicely of Doctor at all in BI.

In BI-8:

Gnosis: Enciodes, your arrogance is truly loathsome. To wax admiringly about the actions of your enemy at a time like this.

Then later:

Gnosis: ...Having second thoughts now, Enciodes? Enciodes: What do you mean? Gnosis: You ignored my advice and brought that Doctor to Kjerag. Enciodes: Do you think we lost? Gnosis: Does this not seem like a loss to you?

In BI-ST-4:

Gnosis (angry sprite): You just didn't expect that the person you were trying to win over the most would almost sabotage your plan. [...] Gnosis: Also, I'd like to meet this Doctor for myself. Enciodes: Oh, are you interested? Gnosis: As if. I simply want to see whether your Doctor, who has already left a mark on this land, will end up becoming our enemy.

In addition, there is this conversation between the trio in RS-8:

Gnosis: This terrible habit of yours of neglecting the bigger picture when you take action... Forget it, you and Enciodes are pretty much the same. I'm not asking either of you to change your ways. Gnosis: All I ask is that next time, please go to the trouble of restraining yourselves, just for a little bit. You'll save me from having to wrack my brain to find ways to clean up your messes. Degenbrecher: Duly noted, Gnosis. What do you think, Enciodes? Enciodes: I have not the strength to casually cut apart a giant statue tens of meters high. Degenbrecher: Indeed. Degenbrecher: You merely invited that Doctor over, who then proceeded to nearly ruin our plans is all. Enciodes: ......

Not only is Gnosis uninterested in forging a personal connection with Doctor the way Enciodes is keen to do (something which Gnosis tells Doctor point-blank), I believe part of Gnosis's frostiness stems from the fact that he is holding a grudge over Doctor's interference during Break The Ice. Gnosis was against inviting Doctor to Kjerag, and Doctor nearly made them lose everything they've been working towards during their most important scheme, of which Gnosis himself repeatedly says there is no do-over and which could easily cost Enciodes his life (both of them, likely). Gnosis is also very aggravated and frustrated trying to outmaneuver Doctor in BI, which he doesn't manage to do. That's reason alone for Gnosis to be very cold to Doctor, regardless of Doctor being Karlan Trade's ally. By the conversation in RS, we also see that neither Degenbrecher nor Gnosis have forgotten that Enciodes inviting Doctor almost messed up everything, and they're still giving him flack for it three years later, Degenbrecher more bluntly and Gnosis complaining about having to clean up Enciodes's messes.

So with all that, namely Gnosis unhappily having to deal with the monkey wrench that was Doctor during BI and then his frigid and borderline rude demeanor within Rhodes Island, I believe that he simply does not like Doctor very much.

[chatonarya]

One Of The Hypergryph Writers Is A Fujo: A Crack Theory

I can't believe I'm writing this, but here we go.

About a year ago, when the Break The Ice drama CD was first announced, it came to my attention via a certain joke that it was not the first time Midorikawa Hikaru and Konishi Katsuyuki (the Japanese VAs of Gnosis and Enciodes respectively) would be starring in a drama CD together--though this previous drama CD was a BL drama CD from 2005, based off of the R-18 manga of the same title, ...Virgin Love. I was highly amused and made an appropriate meme to commemorate this newfound knowledge, which you can see below.

Then through a few generous connections and kind souls, I managed to obtain a copy of this ancient disc, whereupon I gave it a listen for the sake of some cheap and cheesy entertainment.

I was surprised, however, to discover that not only are there multiple similarities between the Arknights and the disc's characters, plot, and setting, but they are... a little uncanny. This feeling only increased as I, out of some morbid curiosity, proceeded to track down and read the original manga (painful anatomy and all), and saw more startling similarities.

I realize this is an absolutely unhinged, unbridled tinfoil hat moment, but there are certain things which are so similar that they almost--almost--make me suspect someone at Hypergryph was somewhat or even vaguely familiar with this story, perhaps even on account of its voice drama (which was apparently popular enough to inspire the author to write two more volumes about the lead characters), and possibly even used it for inspiration for the plotline and relationship of the two characters who share these 90s yaoi mens' voices: Enciodes and Gnosis.

(Please take everything I am going to say with a grain of salt.)

The Setting

...Virgin Love takes place in the extended "Toudou universe" created by author Fujisaki Kou. It forms the setting for the "Beast" series which spans some 20 volumes and explores different interconnected characters within this same universe, most of which (to my understanding) have some sort of connection to the Toudou Group company, hence the nickname, and which tend to be set in the corporate world. For the purposes of this essay, we will be looking at three connected volumes: ...Virgin Love, ...Junai no Seinen, and Men's Love, which focus primarily on a single couple (the side couple, actually) with a supporting cast from the other books and universe. There are two more volumes which focus on this couple (namely, Erotic ni Kojiakete and Otoko no Mikkai wa Bed no Naka de), but being as they are only available in Japanese on Japanese sites, I have not been able to obtain or read them, so I will preface this by saying that I have read only the VL (...Virgin Love) trilogy and listened to the drama CD, so I have supplemented some of the gaps in my knowledge with our good ol' friend TV Tropes.

The Characters

The lead couple of the VL trilogy consists of Daigo Mikihisa (the seme, played by Konishi) and Kirishima Kaoru (the uke, played by Midorikawa). (Though both experienced VAs, this was their first time being paired together for a BL drama.) Let's look at them one at a time.

Daigo:

The "Young Lion" of Mercury, Daigo is the managing director of the Japanese branch of the Mercury company at the young age of 27. In contrast to the many mentally unbalanced residents of the Toudou'verse, Daigo stands out as being a fairly normal and down to earth despite his background. On the job, he is extremely cool, capable, and professional, while being very laidback and big-hearted while he's off, including switching his speech pattern, and keeps his professional and personal faces quite separate.

His position also means that he cannot afford to display any weakness on the job, being exacting and merciless, though this doesn't prevent him from cracking a few times due to how deeply and intensely he is smitten; he falls very quickly and very hard for Kaoru. He faces intense pressure from his father in the third volume regarding Mercury, with his father attempting to force him into an arranged marriage advantageous to the company and break up his relationship with Kaoru.

He also has rather wavy hair, like a certain snow leopard.

Kaoru:

Kaoru works as a mid-level manager for the Toudou Group as the assistant and second-in-command to the president's secretary, his cousin Saijou Chiharu, with whom he has a somewhat vitriolic relationship (he and Chiharu grudgingly help and sometimes hinder each other's relationships); in volume 3, while Chiharu is away or occupied, Kaoru effectively takes his place to hold down the fort. He often overworks his subordinates, but despite it, is respected and liked due to the fact that he produces results and assumes responsibility for his subordinates' mistakes. A workaholic whose hobbies consist of drinking, smoking, or casual sex, he meets Daigo at his usual bar and is impressed by Daigo's extremely straight-forward proposal and invites him to have a one-night stand.

His cold and disdainful demeanor and somewhat abrasive tsundere personality conceal a deep insecurity and lack of self-worth, as well as an inexperience with intimacy and fear of vulnerability. These issues stem from his childhood neglect: his mother was an abusive man-eater and unable to maintain a stable relationship for long, inevitably driving her partners away through jealousy and obsessiveness, which she always blamed on Kaoru's existence. This left him determined to never become like her, and also extremely fearful of commitment.

He also has dark hair worn messily in a style similar to a certain crane.

The Plot

The plot revolves around the two mens' developing relationship as they try to balance their work and private lives and grapple with Kaoru's psychological issues. Throughout the narrative, there are quite a few striking similarities to Break The Ice and the Kjerag plot events, as well as certain things which could easily be extrapolated as in-character for Enciodes or Gnosis. I shall recap, whilst doing my best to refrain from inserting headcanon or personal theory.

-- As mentioned above, Daigo and Kaoru meet at a bar, where Kaoru feels someone staring intently at his back. When Kaoru turns around and stares back, Daigo acknowledges his interest and propositions him for a night. Kaoru, pleased and intrigued by his boldness, accepts. -> Enciodes also approaches Gnosis very boldly when they sneak aboard the train as children, and it's through his boldness speaking of Kjerag's weakness and need for change that Gnosis is won over by him.

-- Kaoru has a penchant for bondage as it gives him control of the situation and ties Daigo up before having sex with him, and does so repeatedly; though Daigo later asks him if they can go without it, he accepts it being a condition of continuing the relationship and doesn't complain, especially as it becomes a fixture of their sex life later on. -> Enciodes is very unperturbed by being tied up as a child. You can extrapolate.

-- Daigo also accepts the initial bondage as a fair form of payback when Kaoru is annoyed about the whole thing being a set-up and a dare from Daigo's friends. -> Again, Enciodes simply comments that he "should get used to this" regarding being tied up, as it's a consequence of Kjerag's weakness.

-- Related, Kaoru, despite being the uke, is fairly assertive in bed and likes to be on top to remain in control. -> Gnosis has an aggressive streak (feel free to take this as you will, even if it verges on headcanon territory).

Kaoru initially refuses to continue maintaining a sexual relationship with Daigo despite their chemistry as he feels that Daigo is dangerously addictive and vows to never see him again, but this is thwarted when they meet again in the professional sphere as Mercury pursues an alliance with the Toudou Group and Kaoru is put in charge of the account. Following this, their relationship continues.

-- Kaoru comments how completely Daigo switches off when he's not at work, and Daigo replies that there's no need for him to maintain his "company face" in front of Kaoru, and that Kaoru is the same. -> Enciodes always speaks to Gnosis without any pretense or facade, and vice versa.

-- Kaoru is caught off-guard by Daigo saying that he wants him. -> Gnosis, in general, is surprised by Enciodes throughout his oprec, and his gestures of acceptance and liking.

-- Kaoru and Daigo have a year's difference in age. -> Enciodes and Gnosis also have nearly a year gap between them.

-- Chiharu comments that Kaoru typically won't have anything to do with other people beyond strictly necessary. -> Gnosis shuns contact with others as well.

-- Kaoru tells Daigo that he's not his subordinate when Daigo asks him if something happened at the office. Yep. -> Gnosis is very clear to Enciodes that he is not Enciodes's subordinate.

-- Daigo talks about how he clearly divides his professional and private faces, how there isn't really anyone to help him and his position as the director of Mercury means that he has to be decisive and firm, and is happy when Kaoru immediately understands that if Daigo is too soft, the company will collapse. -> Enciodes draws a clear distinction between his personae, and his position also requires him to be merciless, and Gnosis is one of the people who understands this best.

-- Chiharu warns Daigo that Kaoru is surrounded by a wall of pride in which he isolates himself, and for his own sake, it's better that he break up with Kaoru as soon as possible. Daigo states he has no intention of letting Kaoru go. -> It's implied that Enciodes was heavily discouraged from continuing his friendship with Gnosis, but Enciodes ignored this for years. Similarly, Gnosis is an emotionally isolated person, something which stems from his ostracization and childhood neglect.

-- Kaoru is frosty to Daigo's school friends at the bar. -> Gnosis has nothing but disdain for Doctor, ostensible friends that Doctor is with Enciodes.

-- Daigo's friends describe him as someone who is alone despite being surrounded by many people and who rarely talks about himself and tends to go his own way. -> Enciodes is of similar character.

-- Daigo is pleased when Kaoru expresses jealousy over him despite it entailing a slap in the face, as it means Kaoru feels something for him. -> Enciodes is generally unperturbed by Gnosis's radical streak even if ends in harm to himself or his assets, such as the train explosion in BI. He also quite cheerily and accurately realizes Gnosis came to rescue him after being kidnapped despite Gnosis denying it.

-- Kaoru is repulsed by the idea of being in love with someone else, and is fearful of his "ugly self" and "the blood of madness" which flows within him which he refuses to acknowledge. -> Gnosis's father is the stereotypical archetype of the "mad sage", and Gnosis, also, possesses that 'madness' in his radical streak. Similarly, much as Kaoru is terrified of inheriting his mother's possessiveness and obsession, Gnosis sees himself as "the son of a sinner," branded by his father's mistakes and actions.

-- Kaoru desperately and stubbornly refuses to become like his mother and cuts off personal contact with Daigo. -> The thought of having to become like his father makes Gnosis want to run away from Kjerag.

-- Daigo, panicked, confesses that he's in love with Kaoru and can't bear to let him go, a sentiment that leaves Kaoru stunned. -> Enciodes is the first to tell Gnosis that he's starting to like him, a feeling that Gnosis doesn't really reply to.

-- Kaoru, cracking under his own emotions and fears and losing control of himself, is temporarily suspended from heading the Mercury account as his mistakes pile up, by suggestion of Daigo but further escalated by Chiharu. -> Enciodes temporarily suspends Gnosis from Karlan Trade following the "unapproved" incident in the valley and Gnosis's outburst.

-- Chiharu explains that Kaoru is slipping up too much to remain in charge of the Mercury project to Daigo, and that someone who gives up after a single rejection cannot be Kaoru's partner because Kaoru cannot so easily come out of his shell, and Daigo will soon find a better person. Daigo rejects this notion, stating that he feels that Kaoru is the only person who can meet him on his level, which Chiharu describes as "someone who has been fighting alone all his life meeting his match." -> Enciodes and Gnosis view and treat each other as equals and are the ones best able to understand each other's mindset, particularly being co-founders of Karlan Trade.

-- Daigo says that to know Kaoru's true feelings, it's better to ask his body directly. -> Gnosis, too, is very tsundere and his actions speak louder than words about his feelings.

-- Kaoru believes that Daigo will abandon him due to his true self being hideous and "abominable" (in other words, wracked by emotion, jealousy, and possessiveness just like his mother in the way he hates), but Daigo tells him that moment is when he's most beautiful and that he is beautiful. -> Gnosis asks Enciodes at the climax of Break The Ice whether "[Enciodes] would like to finish [him,] the traitor, and make this farce real", underlining the fact that everything he has done has been without Enciodes's explicit approval, questioning whether Enciodes wants to continue the partnership with him; Enciodes simply smiles and confirms that in his mind, Gnosis is still dear to him and everything else doesn't matter.

-- Kaoru tells Daigo that because Daigo called him "beautiful" while he was hideously twisted with jealousy, he's decided he won't hide that side of him anymore, and Daigo is completely unperturbed by this. -> Enciodes has always been accepting of Gnosis's radical streak for as long as they've known each other, and continues to be despite Gnosis's own fears as expressed in his first module ("Vow").

In the second volume, ...Junai no Seinen ("The Young Person's Pure Love"), the couple go through a rocky patch as Kaoru's insecurities and inexperience with intimate relationships flair up.

-- Daigo complains to himself that Kaoru's ambiguous comments sting more than he lets on. -> Gnosis frequently makes ambiguous statements that can be taken quite sharply, such as his insistence that Enciodes let him play the scapegoat in BI, and his snide remarks when they meet up again in Victoria.

-- Kaoru's subordinates like him better now that he has softened up somewhat thanks to his relationship with Daigo. -> Gnosis is much less abrasive in The Rides to Lake Silberneherze, and his relationship with Enciodes is much more harmonious than in Break The Ice; he and his work are also much more respected than in BI.

-- Even so, Daigo's friends point out that Kaoru is a scary person. -> The Karlan Trade employees also fear Gnosis.

-- Kaoru and Daigo are described as strangers or business partners by day, lovers by night. -> Enciodes and Gnosis have much more intimate conversations off the clock than on.

-- Daigo seeks more intimacy from Kaoru than he's willing to give at the moment. -> Enciodes is the softer one emotionally of the two, and the one who emphasizes their emotional bond far more, such as when he reminds Gnosis that Gnosis is his dearest friend.

-- Kaoru takes responsibility for one of his subordinate's shortcomings at a conference, stating that he did not give the man clear enough instructions. -> This is a bit tenuous, but Gnosis being a workaholic, CTO and Director of Karlan Trade, who's stated to care about the ends and not the means, it's not difficult to imagine him holding himself responsible for a mistake in such a way.

-- Kaoru has always enjoyed solitude since he was a child, and in fact took it as a blessing when he didn't have to be around people. -> Gnosis generally doesn't care for other people or being around them, nor dealing with them emotionally.

-- Kaoru has no intention of apologizing for telling Daigo off for losing his temper at work, despite Kaoru knowing no other way of expressing his feelings. -> Gnosis tells Enciodes off frequently regarding decisions he disagrees with, and never apologizes.

-- When Chiharu tells Kaoru to cut Daigo some slack lest he disappear like the "lesser men" before, Kaoru retorts that if Daigo was a lesser man, he wouldn't want him anyway. -> Gnosis is clear in his first module that should Enciodes falter or abandon their mutual dream in any way, he will cut ties with him. Additionally, Gnosis is of an exacting nature, and Enciodes mentions in BI that one must be capable of exceeding Karlan Trade's expectations to work with them. Gnosis also has high standards for his partners.

-- Kaoru struggles with classifying Daigo as a lover or as a sex friend (i.e. fuckbuddy), as one is an intimate relationship and the other has no strings attached. -> Again in his module, Gnosis worries about whether or not his relationship with Enciodes will survive their personality changes. Gnosis never calls Enciodes his "friend" outside of his oprec as a child, the rest of the time they are simply "partners-in-crime."

The last three chapters entail Kaoru playing Daigo against his ex-sex friend Ian Evans purely to satisfy his own ego and and insecurity as Daigo's jealousy makes him feel happy and wanted. This backfires when Daigo has enough of being toyed with and leaves, and I must say that there are much fewer similarities here, but there are still a few notable things.

-- Kaoru reflects that ever since he was a young, he has always been unwanted. -> This is mostly personal theory, but it's easy to read Gnosis's parents, particularly his father, as neglectful when Mr. Edelweiss frequently forgets Gnosis exists.

-- Chiharu notes that Kaoru has never been in love before, and doesn't know how to strike a balance in their relationship. -> Gnosis has precious few interpersonal relationships outside of Enciodes, and treats most people in an abrasive manner, similarly to the way he is tsun to Enciodes. His file again emphasizes that although he understands others' emotions, he has no energy for them; it's not difficult to surmise that Gnosis, due to his ostracization as a child and difficult personality, doesn't really have experience in relationships.

-- Chiharu also observes that Daigo has finally found his match in Kaoru, and loves him so much that he's willing to forgive anything. -> Again, Enciodes and Gnosis are equals mentally and intellectually, and Enciodes forgives essentially everything Gnosis does, up to potentially forgiving Gnosis even for being involved in his parents' murder.

-- Chiharu also comments that Kaoru has spent his entire life living in a shell, and now that he's come out of it and experienced the warmth of being loved, he can no longer return to the way he was before. -> Gnosis is changed by Enciodes's friendship, and Enciodes reaching out to him as a child changes the course of his life completely.

-- Kaoru grimly commits to getting past his break-up with Daigo despite how miserable he is. -> Gnosis commits to the outcome of the gambit in BI heedless of the unhappy consequences to himself or Enciodes, as well as accepting the negative effects of the events which happen outside of his control, such as his position and exile from Kjerag.

-- When Kaoru has a breakdown during a company party, Daigo realizes that Kaoru would hate losing his composure in public and knocks him out and carries him out. -> While not a direct parallel, Gnosis is also carried out elsewhere during what Degenbrecher refers to as one of his most emotional moments.

-- Daigo reflects that he's run away from his true self, and this is the consequence of his actions. -> Enciodes never shies away from the consequences of his actions.

-- Daigo comments to an unconscious Kaoru, "You've lost weight." Yes, really. -> I don't need to explain this one, I hope, as everyone should remember the way Enciodes opened up the "farce" in BI with that exact line.

-- Kaoru awkwardly apologizes for his behavior, and Daigo immediately forgives him. -> Enciodes always forgives Gnosis for everything.

-- Kaoru admits that he's been harsh to Daigo who has always been sweet to him and lets him take control of their relationship. -> Enciodes is the leader of the Karlan Trio, but Enciodes makes no move to stop Gnosis when he decides to do something (such as his plot in BI).

-- Daigo says Kaoru is much sweeter to him now. -> As I said above, Gnosis is much nicer to Enciodes in RS after their disagreements in BI.

In the third volume, Mens' Love, the relationship continues to develop, facing new challenges in the form of Daigo's blood relations this time. There are less parallels here, but for the sake of completion, I will cover it nonetheless.

-- Daigo is placed under extreme stress running the Japanese branch of Mercury, piled with impossible projects from the HQ that he nonetheless continues to accept in order to prove himself as capable of his position, as he is an illegitimate son, working himself to the point of exhaustion despite internal speculation that he is being intentionally ostracized. -> Enciodes often works late and comments on being tired, insisting on handling everything himself, heedless of whatever speculation may follow.

-- Kaoru is also under heavy stress in Chiharu's absence, and the lovers have no time to meet outside of business. -> Enciodes mentions in RS that he's been "increasingly busy with many things", implied to be personal matters, which are causing rumors to spread as he does not show his face in public often. Both Enciodes and Gnosis place business ahead of their personal matters.

-- Continued from above, Kaoru takes time to offer Daigo emotional support after hearing about his troubles from president Toudou, meeting Daigo late at night and lending him a sympathetic ear and a lap to sleep on. -> Gnosis emotionally supports and reassures Enciodes in RS during one of his most stressful moments, and comments that normally he would arrange care for Enciodes's wounded hands.

-- Kaoru is still baffled why Daigo puts up with someone like him. -> Again, Gnosis is somewhat abrasive in personality and regards himself as an outsider, but Enciodes is unfazed by this. It's not difficult to picture Gnosis unable to understand being liked when very few people do.

-- Daigo and Kaoru both admit that it was only thanks to the moral and emotional support of the other that they were able to accomplish their tasks flawlessly. -> Though they don't admit it as explicitly, being partners(-in-crime) allows Enciodes and Gnosis to achieve what they cannot do alone. Again, Gnosis supports Enciodes emotionally in RS, and Enciodes also supports Gnosis off the clock, particularly when he is drunk.

Daigo's father calls him from America to inform him that he has set up an arranged marriage for Daigo, one that will form a political alliance with another company and make him officially part of the family. Daigo refuses to break things off with Kaoru, but is given pause when his father reminds him that him being part of the family is his beloved mother's dearest wish.

The parallel here is more meta than anything--I couldn't help but be reminded of those accursed and hateful bloodline memes, albeit inverted. And while we have no evidence to suggest Olafur would impress such a thing upon his children, it is true that political marriages amongst the nobility were common. While I personally do not believe the marriage of Olafur and Elizabeth was politically motivated nor arranged in any way, I do think it is the connection the Duke of Caster used to make inroads into Kjerag, and perhaps even Olafur himself valued this connection though he may have not expected the Victorians to be quite so cruel or crafty. But this is merely speculation on my part.

-- A stark contrast is drawn between Daigo's mother and Kaoru's mother: though both raised their sons alone, Daigo's mother sacrificed her health for him and he wishes to see to her happiness, while Kaoru's mother never did anything for him but curse his existence. -> While Enciodes himself is somewhat and ironically dismissive of his father as a child, Gnosis idolizes and admires Olafur greatly, while shunning his own father, and the contrast between the forward-thinking and exploratory Olafur and the reclusive and ever reiterating Mr. Edelweiss is clear in Gnosis's eyes. In addition, Courier’s second oprec highlights how Enciodes takes after his mother Elizabeth.

-- Daigo's father sends some of his people to meet Kaoru in Japan, and they present Kaoru with a blank check to break up with Daigo and threatens to expose his orientation and force him to lose his job. -> While we don't have explicit evidence of such specific methods, we do know that nobody was happy to see Gnosis in Enciodes's company when they returned from Victoria together. Given the "sugar daddy" rumors, some underhanded business, potentially even bribery, is within the realm of plausibility.

-- Though initially disturbed by the news of Daigo supposedly getting married, Kaoru spends the night thinking it through and concludes that Daigo must be trapped or manipulated in some form of guilt or obligation rather than remaining in America by choice. -> Enciodes and Gnosis are able to innately grasp the reasoning behind each other's actions without exchanging words regardless of what may appear to be happening on the surface.

-- As Daigo reluctantly lingers in New York and Kaoru finds himself at his wit's end, Kaoru takes matters into his own hands and clears his pending projects to fly to America to meet Daigo since Daigo will not come to him... -> Gnosis is also prone to taking matters into his own hands and making executive decisions when unhappy or displeased with a situation.

-- ...Though not without telling Daigo to go ahead and get married, much to Daigo's shock, as he had been keeping the whole affair secret so as not to worry Kaoru. -> Gnosis also catches Enciodes by surprise when he says Enciodes should let him be the one to bring down the other clans in BI, letting on that he already knows and suspects more than Enciodes does. Enciodes, too, did not mention the plan as he did not want Gnosis to execute it on account of the consequences to himself.

-- Daigo wants to know the real reason Kaoru is there, and Kaoru tells him that he's there to erase him and then himself. Although he says he would never allow it as he takes responsibility for handling the situation poorly, Daigo confesses that he's ecstatic by Kaoru's possessiveness. -> Not to repeat myself, but Enciodes has never been bothered by Gnosis's radical streak nor his oft-violent way of resolving matters.

-- Kaoru encourages Daigo to make his own decision and pursue what he wants even if he has to be selfish about it. -> Gnosis pushes Enciodes to make decisions he thinks are better, though they may not always be as perfect as Enciodes desires, and indeed, one of his chief criticisms of Enciodes is that he always believes he can achieve the "perfect outcome." Furthermore, Enciodes's behavior towards Gnosis is perhaps the most "selfish" he's ever been, as he nigh-demands that Gnosis will stay with him in Kjerag, and repeatedly emphasizes to Gnosis that "this undertaking is ours together," rather than letting Gnosis go to do his own thing.

The volume ends with Daigo refusing the marriage yet again and informing his father that he's returning to Japan, as well as the marriage being called off as the Toudou president is unhappy about Mercury threatening one of their employees and losing the Toudou Group's alliance outweighs the benefits of the marriage. I don't really have much to say about this except it's an interesting situation to picture the Silverashes in.

Now, while I confess perhaps more than a few of the parallels I've pointed out here have been a bit of a stretch and up to personal interpretation and headcanon, the way many of the character traits and several plot developments have matched up with Silverweiss and the way I personally read and interpret the characters of Enciodes and Gnosis them was a rather mysterious and peculiar experience.

In conclusion, perhaps rather than it being a remarkable and funny coincidence that there exists a BL drama CD starring both the voices of Enciodes and Gnosis, perhaps it is that Enciodes and Gnosis star together in a heavily subtextual story and in their own drama CD because of the yaoi...

[chatonarya]

Belatedly I realized I never posted the official U Takes Terra character designs which were shared on Twitter!

Although Gnosis lacks his red eyebrows in his character sheet, as well as his ear feathers, these error were corrected in the final version of the episode.

They're so cute... I love Degenbrecher's sigh, as if she's mentally preparing herself for the boys' latest shenanigans. Devious Kjera is also adorable!

[chatonarya]

A little tidbit I wanted to talk about from Stronghold Protocol. It's really nothing major, but naturally I had to take a peek at the Karlan-related items for any lore crumbs.

It's interesting how the permit says "The tenacity and will of the people of Kjerag is most evident in the members of Karlan Trade." Though this is truly a crumb, I can't help but wonder at its implications. Does it reflect the increasingly positive reputation of Karlan Trade within Kjerag? Is it acknowledgment that Karlan Trade truly only chooses the people who shares its values to fill its ranks, Kjerag's most determined and exceptional in order to elevate it? Is it acknowledgment by others? Is it acknowledgment that Karlan Trade represents Kjerag's best on the global stage? Is it referring to the co-founders Enciodes, Gnosis, and Degenbrecher, who themselves exemplify extraordinary tenacity and will, and who often represent Karlan Trade themselves? I can only wonder.

The Silverash figurine says comparatively little, but "A blade honed by ice and snow" quite naturally reminds me of Gnosis on account of the Edelweiss tradition of forging knives and the fact that he's the operator whose gameplay revolves the most around the Cold and Freeze mechanics.

But that aside, it's both an apt description and a fitting metaphor given the effects of the item. Kjerag itself can be easily compared to a blade--beginning as a lump of crude ore, now slowly being refined and honed not only by the ice and snow but through the efforts of Karlan Trade and its people, taking shape, indeed, as a beautiful knife.

[chatonarya]

Now, I may just be seeing things, but it seems to me like the symbol behind the Kjerag triple peaks could be similar to the curious crest that Gnosis has on his sleeve... the Edelweiss family symbol, perhaps?

(Aside from that, I could probably also write something deep about how Enciodes's buff is called "Corporate Management" and Gnosis's is "Wintertide," but I think there's not much to go into there beyond what is already known; namely, that Enciodes is the face of the company while Gnosis is the bad boss who keeps things running behind the scenes.)

[chatonarya]

For the Arknights 6th anniversary celebration, we received this incredibly blessed artwork of young Enciodes and Gnosis! It's so, so beautiful and I love it so much. The details and the atmosphere are so good, from the warmth of the fireplace to the Victorian tea set in the background, to the way the boys appear to be either learning to play chess or making their grand plans whilst playing chess, to even the fact that Gnosis appears to be playing more aggressively and the vaguely annoyed expression on his face. I couldn't have asked for a better piece of celebratory art!

[chatonarya]

Karlan Trade Bosses Tie The Knot. Disaster Ensues.

[chatonarya]

Hey! Hi! This is a way late message but I was the fantranslator for the keen edge silver blade manga! Just wanted to say it’s been a delight to watch you analyze my favorite trio with the words that I chose <3 it’s super exciting to see that everything it came through smoothly and that you picked up on my implications!! Godspeed fellow karlan enjoyer o7 you’re doing great work

Omg, hello!!! Thank you so much for your work, you're a lifesaver! I was absolutely ecstatic when the fan translation came out!

You must have seen me complaining about the poor word choices the official translation made in some parts of the manga, too, then. XD I think your translation captures the essence of what they were trying to convey better in some places! Even now after reading the official TL, your word choices sometimes pop up first in my mind. I'm so glad my appreciation has reached you as well!

Thank you so much for reading my analyses! <3 I'm always happy to meet another Karlan enjoyer! And I hope to continue providing more Karlan analysis. :)

[chatonarya]

Courier's oprec is another wonderful addition to the Kjerag lore compendium. (I will, hopefully at some time before the release of Kjerag 3, manage to write a post about Gnosis's oprec, aside from my "Crane of Ice and Fire" essay, and an essay further dissecting the travesty that is Silverash's second oprec.) I absolutely love it.

I'll preface by saying that I was looking forward to this oprec immensely. Weiss was my first Arknights favorite, and who drew me into the intrigue of the Kjerag characters in the first place, and for quite a while, I was disappointed with the fact that he was not given an oprec with the rest of the cast at the release of Break The Ice. So I was very excited at the announcement of his oprec, and eagerly waited six months for it to come to global, and I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint.

The characters are all amazing, from Weiss to Enciodes to Degenbrecher, and I love the focus being given to their relationship and dynamics. The oprec takes place shortly after Enciodes's return to Kjerag from Victoria, and deals with the impact Degenbrecher's arrival had not only on the locals, but on Weiss as she effectively took his job. This was already hinted at in Degenbrecher's operator file, so it's great to see it expanded on like this. There are so many moments I love!

The way Enciodes trusts Weiss to do as he wills regarding the avalanche--just as I said before, just as he always does, Enciodes always places his greatest trust on his people.

And I love this playful little exchange of theirs where Enciodes tells him there's no need to call him "sir" and Weiss chirps that it's an old habit. It's a moment that really establishes them as more than simply master and subordinate, which is something that I've noticed in BI, RS, and Gnosis's oprec, so this is something I really appreciate. Weiss has always been diffident towards Enciodes, always respectful to the utmost, and by his own profile, "his most faithful supporter," but I've always felt there is a distance between them. To see them share a moment of friendly intimacy like this adds so much to their relationship. It gives them a new depth, and makes it clearer that much of Weiss's extreme respect is done of his own volition and not because Enciodes demands it of him.

This moment is also adorable, showing how Enciodes has rubbed off on Weiss, which makes sense as they've known each other since childhood. In fact, Weiss's whole ploy to win over the doubtful Kjerag noble is very like Enciodes, and I love that a lot. Through their long acquaintance, Weiss has learned how Enciodes does things, and doesn't hesitate to emulate those methods. He flawlessly engineers a situation where he can demonstrate to the hesitant people not just the capabilities of the imported technology but of Degenbrecher, well aware that showing rather than making promises is the best way to do so.

It's also impressive once again to see the lengths that Enciodes has gone in his mission to modernize Kjerag, and just how much opposition he faced. Even Silverash allies doubted him upon his return, and believed he was wrong to bring Degenbrecher with him and thought he was playing favorites merely by bringing foreigners into Kjerag! It also demonstrates just how deep-seated Kjerag's hatred of foreigners was, and just how much that has changed by the time of RS. While we still see the ongoing clash between the more open-minded youngsters and the older folk in Kjera's oprec, by the time of Harold's module (which is some time after RS), the mingling of Kjerags and outsiders is much more accepted. It's fascinating to see that even Degenbrecher, who is deeply beloved by the Kjerag people, was not immediately accepted upon arrival but in fact needed to prove herself too.

And Degenbrecher, oh, Degenbrecher. How is she so wonderful? She is such a great character, so well-written. Even though she doesn't have many lines, the few that she does are good enough to capture the essence of her (and she's a laconic person anyway). She's long been one of my favorites, and I really love how she's always (spotty translation of some of her voice lines aside) portrayed with such subtlety. Though she speaks little, her simple nature and wry sense of humor always comes through.

I also appreciate these little nods to her module story about her first medal and her hobby of fighting avalanches.

There's also, sadly, a bit lost in translation with this scene:

In both CN and JP, Weiss switches from calling her Miss/Madam Degenbrecher to older/big sister Degenbrecher (Brecher-nee-san in JP, which is the same nickname Ensia uses for her, actually), something which unfortunately doesn't really work in English. It's a shame, because Weiss simply dropping the "madam" in English doesn't give as much of an impact. We also lose the parallel with how Weiss addresses Matterhorn as "aniki". But that aside, it's still very cute, and I love how friendly and playful it is and how Degenbrecher is smiling throughout and how it shows their bond deepening.

I love how Weiss points out that her aloofness isn't haughtiness or hostility, but simply her nature, and possibly even confusion. The sweet goat was probably taken aback by Kjerag at first, and maybe didn't really know what to make of it after Kazimierz and Victoria!

And the way Weiss defends her is so beautiful too. He saw through her detached exterior to her heart of pure gold, and wanted to make sure others knew the kind of person she really was beneath it. And to think Weiss played a role in making Kjerag accept her, not just for Enciodes, but for Kjerag and her!

Not to mention Weiss orchestrating the whole thing solely to get the stubborn Kjerag oldies to accept Degenbrecher and the fact that she's an asset to them. Again, not just because Weiss is thinking about what's best for Enciodes, but because he likes her too and recognizes that she's an ally, not an enemy. It's wonderful.

And I love how he says there are other ways he can serve Enciodes aside from being his bodyguard, so he doesn't feel like he was replaced. In my previous post speculating about this very oprec, I mused that Weiss was wary of Degenbrecher as she took his position per her profile, but I had not considered it from the angle of Enciodes and his actions; i.e. Was it callous of Enciodes to bring Degenbrecher to Kjerag and replace Weiss without his input?

Ah, only on the surface level. If we know Enciodes, after all the characterization he's been given, then the answer is quite obvious: he believed that Degenbrecher would eventually win over the Kjerag people, just as he believed that Kjerag would eventually win over her and eventually the whole world. As she did, and as Kjerag will.

As a minor detail, I appreciate the note of how it was Weiss, Matterhorn, Chester, and some of the older folks who held down the fort while Enciodes was away for seven years. There's also more mention of the Browntails and Paleroches taking Silverash land, and many Silverash supporters (vassals, perhaps) going over to their side. It fleshes out further the enormous disadvantage Enciodes was at when he returned, and why he'd lost his seat in the Council, and just how difficult his ascent to his present position was. The way almost everyone, including some of his own allies, was against him yet he still succeeded through determination and hard work is impressive.

In conclusion, this has to be one of my favorite of the Kjerag oprecs, as difficult as it is to choose a favorite among them. Like the other great Kjerag oprecs (Gnosis's and Kjera's spring to mind), this oprec wonderfully fleshes out not only its focus character, Weiss, but builds on the other characters and the country as well in small but significant ways, adding a fresh new layer to the Kjerag picture as a whole. Well done.

[chatonarya]

The Crane of Ice and Fire

About three years ago, I wrote an essay about why Gnosis is actually a tragic character. Now that Rides is behind us, and more importantly, Gnosis’s oprec, I feel it might be a good moment to present a second, more detailed essay about Gnosis and his character and why, indeed, he is very tragic—and also very beautiful.

Gnosis’s oprec is an impressive addition to the Kjerag storyline and lore, adding vital detail and background not only to Gnosis himself but to Enciodes and the country of Kjerag, establishing that the Victoria and Caster influence and connection to Kjerag already existed (likely via Enciodes’s mother Elizabeth) even before he was born and demonstrating clearly how pitiful and weak Kjerag appears in the eyes of outsiders and how easy they find it to tread upon Kjerag as they please. It also outlines the point of connection between Gnosis and Enciodes, and the inception of their bond and their grand dream to change Kjerag. 

But, most of all, naturally, it adds a new depth to Gnosis’s character, showing well why he is the way he is and throwing all of his actions thus far into a whole new light. Let’s begin.

What do we learn most about Gnosis from his oprec? His feelings about Kjerag and his driving motivation. I’ll address them one at a time.

Beginning with the former, we’re given an incredibly clear picture of an emotion I can only label as frustration. The oprec opens with Gnosis watching the fowlbeasts fly past the classroom, ignoring the lesson in the background in the favor of reflecting on the lives of the fowlbeasts: how they live and how they traverse half of Kjerag in a single day, how strong and sturdy and smart they are, and how there appears to be some kind of law governing them as they don’t ever appear to think about flying beyond the mountains. He already understands his lessons perfectly, finding the answers to their regular quiz “even easier than a fowlbeast finds looking for food,” and constantly aces his tests. The tutor who teaches him and Enciodes praises Gnosis’s smarts, calling him the brightest pupil he’s ever taught and telling Gnosis that “Kjerag is too small for [him]”, emphasizing how Kjerag’s primitive and simplistic ways hold him back as he points out that the signature of Gnosis’s father on the permission slip for the study abroad program is forged. The tutor thus lays his trap for the rest of the oprec: for Gnosis to unwittingly lead Enciodes into getting kidnapped in the framework of a twisted deal where Gnosis becomes the tutor’s accomplice in exchange for leaving Kjerag.

Gnosis is a smart kid; a shrewd kid, even. While we don’t have exact confirmation of the date this oprec took place, my guess would be Gnosis (and Enciodes) is about twelve years old, as we now know via Terra: A Journey that Elizabeth and Olafur died when Enciodes was fourteen. Young though he was at the time, he already understood the hidden truth in the tutor’s insidious words about Kjerag being “too small,” and already, for more than one reason, desired to leave and recognized what it was keeping him in Kjerag. He attempted to take matters into his own hands to fulfill his wishes, because other than the tutor and his trickery, nobody else understands Gnosis, or has attempted to help him with his goal of leaving, particularly as the heaviest shackles come from his own family.

Gnosis’s father is a classic archetype of the sage who has gone mad surrounded by his vast knowledge in isolation. Day in and day out, he loses himself in his archive, out of touch with reality and forgetting even his own child. While Gnosis doesn’t explicitly state that he resents his father for this, his father’s state is clear motivation for Gnosis to avoid going home if he can help it. He describes his father as “a drowning man, stretching out his hand to tell his son about all the mysteries hidden in the lake,” a poignant and striking line that conveys both a sense of revulsion and fear.

There is a disconnect between them, perhaps even a certain neglect as Mr. Edelweiss fails to recognize Gnosis’s needs and desires. It’s painfully clear now why the young Enciodes states in BI-6 that “nobody looked up to my father as much as you”: to Gnosis, Olafur Silverash represented not only a forward-thinking man who was making efforts to change Kjerag, but perhaps a more reasonable and rational parent figure who might actually lend an ear to what he had to say and how he felt. The study abroad program that Gnosis so wanted to participate in was also created and sponsored by Olafur, showing how Olafur, the first Kjerag to study outside of the country, recognized that Kjerag was severely lacking in those aspects. Because despite the fact that the Edelweisses and Silverashes have been close for generations and Mr. Edelweiss and Olafur were friends (Mrs. Edelweiss would tell her husband that Gnosis was studying with Olafur’s son every time he would call out for Gnosis to share his latest discovery, only for him to forget what he wanted to say), Mr. Edelweiss does not share Olafur’s opinions or outlook (and bear in mind that Olafur and Elizabeth were quite moderate in their reforms compared to their son Enciodes later on), and refuses to allow Gnosis to study abroad in Victoria as he so desperately desires, and refuses to allow him to leave Kjerag.

What Gnosis desires most as a child is freedom. The fowlbeasts he watches flying past the window and whose habits he is intimately familiar with are a metaphor for Gnosis himself, the opposite of his father drowning in the “sea of books”: he yearns to fly beyond Kjerag’s peaks and see the outside world. He finds Kjerag’s institutions “inefficient and backwards”; he “can’t help but feel the urge to run away” when he thinks about having to become a scholar like his father; he openly admits that he doesn’t like his life right now. He doesn’t know what he wants to do, he just wants to get out of Kjerag at almost any cost. In his desperation, he even forged his father’s signature on the authorization form, despite knowing its inherent risks, not just of getting caught but of potentially cutting all ties with his family once they discovered his rebellion, and it’s his desperation itself that allows him to be so easily manipulated by the tutor.

Gnosis was not a happy adolescent. Like a bird, he was stifled and trapped in the gilded cage of Kjerag: surrounded by the millenia-old peace, his life path already laid out before him, able to go wherever he pleased so long as within the confines of the peaks, yet unable to escape his prison and reach the sky beyond.

Despite this, however, Gnosis tells Enciodes that he does not dislike Kjerag. Although Kjerag and Kjerag’s ways cage him in, Gnosis doesn’t hate it. What Gnosis hates is the restrictive future looming before him and the prospect of losing himself within it. He dislikes how Kjerag is “inefficient and backwards,” how it’s what Enciodes calls “boring”, and most of all, what they both agree on: Kjerag’s weakness.

Kjerag is weak: not merely its institutions, but its economics, military, and geopolitical situation, something both Gnosis and Enciodes reflect on. “Maybe I should get used to this,” Enciodes comments after he’s been kidnapped, “this is the state of Kjerag right now. So weak that this may not be the last time something like this happens.” But he’s not happy about it: “I understand why Father says that Kjerag is weak and needs to learn to accept compromise. But I'm getting tired of seeing him bow his head to foreigners. It's like you said: boring. We need to be stronger, tougher, fiercer. Let the foreigners know that they can't walk over the people of Kjerag so easily.” And after he knocks out one of the kidnappers or potentially even kills him, Gnosis agrees: “They don’t see Kjerag as an equal partner. Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile.” The tutor even rubs it in at the end by asking them if they really think Victoria will allow them to develop: “Victoria takes pity on Kjerag at the moment, because you’re too weak. They will reap the fruit that belongs to them, when the time comes. You’re only ‘developing’ for their sake.” The problem is not Kjerag itself, but Kjerag’s ways.

It's so beautiful how even though rationally, Gnosis should hate Kjerag and everything it represents to him—all of its confinement and restriction—yet he doesn’t, because Kjerag is still his home. This is part of the reason Gnosis, desperate though he is to leave, refuses to go along with the kidnappers. He doesn’t want to become an accomplice to this crime and he doesn’t want to hurt Enciodes and Olafur and Kjerag by extension anymore than he already has. “[The fact that I’m unhappy here] doesn’t mean I want to leave with you,” he snaps back to the tutor, refusing to shrink despite the tutor insisting that his refusal to cooperate is “not smart” and he’s “lost [his] one shot at freedom” and he’ll “never know how big the world outside is”. Despite the opportunity dangling before him and despite the fact that perhaps only a day prior Gnosis made the decision to forge his father’s signature in hopes of escaping, Gnosis turns down this opportunity, instead choosing hope. “Perhaps he would still try to fly beyond the mountains, but not in this way”: not by betraying the first person who has ever reached out to him. He chooses to take the hope for a better future offered to him by Enciodes: “You want to leave Kjerag because it’s boring. But what if I told you that I can make Kjerag less boring?” As Enciodes doesn’t turn his back on Kjerag but instead imagines a better future for it, so too does he inspire Gnosis to do the same.

As I’ve said before, though not explicitly stated, Gnosis’s stubborn patriotism emerges when you look closer at his actions: the way he never, outside of his oprec, criticizes or speaks badly of Kjerag. He’s always thinking of Kjerag’s future and how it can be better. In Keen-Edge, Silver Blade, he even uses this to pick a staged fight with the planted guards outside of Viscount Walden’s ball, accusing them of giving him and Enciodes a hard time to get in solely because they’re Kjerag (and indeed, we also see the Victorians looking down on Kjerag there). All of his research is in service of working to build Kjerag up and make it stronger. And of course, this ties into his surname: Edelweiss. Edelweiss, the hardy flower of patriotism and rugged individualism and purity, the symbol of Switzerland, one of the nations Kjerag is based on. According to folk tradition, giving this flower to a loved one is a symbol of dedication, due to the fact that it only grows in remote mountain areas, making it difficult to pick. 

Yet despite the fact that Gnosis doesn’t hate Kjerag and dedicates himself to Kjerag, until RS, this isn’t a sentiment that goes both ways. Kjerag hates him, and has hated him for over fifteen years. Since the moment of the train accident that took the lives of Olafur and Elizabeth and the blame fell on the Edelweisses, conspiracy though it was and accident though it was ruled, Kjerag turned the full brunt of their loathing towards him, though his only “crime” was being their son.

Gnosis’s file details that nobody in Kjerag was happy to see him come back, and less happy that he was so closely associated with Enciodes, and only too glad to sling the blame for anything questionable his way. As I said in my previous essay, I don’t think it’s much of an exaggeration to extrapolate from the information at hand that most, if not all, of Kjerag treated Gnosis as if he were inherently evil in spite of his innocence. The Edelweisses, already clearly eccentric by nature at best, became something worse: traitors and murderers. 

Gnosis took this the hardest, not only on account of admiring Olafur deeply, but as shown in the oprec, on account of his father being a madman and with his own experience of being the unwitting participant of a crime. The same way he was manipulated into leading Enciodes into the kidnappers’ trap, he cannot know with complete certainty “if [he] was an accomplice somehow” or not. His father is inscrutable and incomprehensible, and more traditional than Olafur; who is Gnosis to say that Mr. Edelweiss and Olafur didn't have some sort of conflict and the mad Mr. Edelweiss didn't scheme, alone or with others, to be rid of him?

Of course, post-RS, we now have explicit confirmation from Arctosz's conversation with Rosalind that the Silverashes were targeted by other forces as well—not just Luca Browntail, as mentioned in BI-6, but likely members of the Vine-Bear Court, whose wrath Arctosz feared would turn towards Tatyana and Rosalind, further cementing the Edelweisses’ innocence.

But Gnosis—fourteen years old, full of his own conflict, doubt, fear, and unease, perhaps even the beginnings of mental illness—had no ways of knowing this at the time. Only Enciodes, familiar with the Kjerag politics and suspecting foul play from the other parties in Kjerag, believed in Gnosis’s innocence. Only Enciodes, the person who knew Gnosis best, remained unconvinced. Only Enciodes, Gnosis’s first and only friend, stood by his side. 

As I said before, this is the core of Gnosis’s tragedy. He is innocent, and always has been; he is a victim of the conspiracy just as much as Enciodes is, but due to his own position and circumstances, he could not see himself as such. Instead he internalized the blame around him, believing himself to be guilty, a belief which he continues to carry for a large part of his life in a tragic irony. He is innocent, but lacks the certainty and the concrete proof to believe anything other than himself being “the son of a sinner,” and embraces this assigned role to further his goals, while all along unaware that in truth he has committed no crime at all. He was pushed into the dark, and chose to walk that path under the belief that any other door was already and would forever be closed to him, but the forces which pushed him into that fate were false from the very beginning. 

But Kjerag does not forget. From his own file, “In an isolated environment like Kjerag, one tiny mistake can be engraved in the collective memory for generations.” It’s only thanks to Enciodes that Kjerag, despite everything that has happened, forgives him and gives him a second chance: Degenbrecher states in RS-2 “If Gnosis hadn't done all this, then Enciodes would've been in deep trouble after speaking up for him.”

Enciodes again comes to Gnosis’s rescue, as though mirroring the way Gnosis rescued Enciodes before. This line from RS is striking in its implications, not only on account of Gnosis’s efforts but on account of Enciodes going out of his way to clear Gnosis’s name. It’s important to Enciodes that Gnosis’s reputation is clean (and this is an off-handed line that I would adore to see explored in further detail) because otherwise Gnosis cannot live happily and peacefully in Kjerag. Gnosis being loathed and shunned is the exact opposite of what Enciodes wants, and this has always been part of his plan; he has always intended to sweep away the “sin” clinging to Gnosis. At the end of Break The Ice, Gnosis’s eventual return to Kjerag post-Snowcap Incident is alluded to, and this line shows that although Gnosis returned to the same infamy which greeted him the first time, this second time around, Enciodes is at last in the position of power to be able to quash the disgrace which has tailed Gnosis for nearly twenty years.

But although Enciodes has always planned for this, it does not diminish something deeper: the fact that Gnosis has, not only once but twice, chosen to return to a place that’s hated him, a place he tried to run away from—because of the promise he made to the one and only friend who reached out to him and stood by him. The promise to make Kjerag big enough for Enciodes, too. 

Think about it: Gnosis wanted so badly to escape Kjerag and go study in Victoria that he was willing to forge his father’s signature, and when the Edelweisses are forced to leave Kjerag, he’s at last had his wish granted, even if it’s by force. Why should he return to a place he finds boring and stifling and believes him to be the son of a murderer? Why should he come back to the place he’s always yearned to escape?

I quote the final section of his operator file: “To [Gnosis], the joint founding of Karlan Trade, and behind that, SilverAsh's concern for Kjerag's future, are the few fetters that exist for him. Aside from his work, that is the one and only thing he cares about. And just as he's willing to devote his heart and soul to his research, he'll actually do the same for Karlan Trade's affairs. Even though he'll never admit it, nor will anyone else ever understand.”

Because Enciodes promised him that he would make Kjerag big enough for him—make Kjerag a place he didn’t feel like running away from—and because he promised Enciodes in return that Kjerag would be big enough for him too; big enough for the both of them.

Enciodes: Let's make a promise, Gnosis. Gnosis: What? Enciodes: I'll make Kjerag big enough for you. Enciodes: And you'll stay. Gnosis: What kind of promise is that? Enciodes: No good? Gnosis: If we're going to do this, we'll make Kjerag big enough for the both of us.

It’s absolutely stunning. I said before that everything Gnosis has done is because of their mutual dream, but now, it isn’t just their dream, it’s their promise too. Gnosis doesn’t have merely an open-ended offer, but an obligation to Enciodes as well. They have an agreement to do this together, to do this for each other, so they can both live happily in Kjerag. And certainly, that is not something Gnosis would ever explain nor would anyone else understand.

But this is not to gloss over the magnitude of Gnosis’s decision. It would be so easy, so natural, even, for Gnosis to refuse Enciodes’s plea when he arrives in Victoria and says, “Come help me.” It would so easy for him to dismiss all of that as a childish fantasy, as something impossible, as something not worthwhile in the face of so much more potential, glory, and achievement he might have employing his skills elsewhere, as by all metrics, Gnosis is absolutely brilliant academically.

Yet all the while he was in Victoria, by his module, he continually kept thinking of Enciodes and whether he would really come, and if he did, whether they would be able to reconcile their differences. Those three years they were apart, Gnosis upheld his end of his promise to “study all the complicated stuff”, thinking about Enciodes and if they really were going to do this, to make this happen, if Enciodes would accept Gnosis’s radical streak and new methodology—and of course, just as Enciodes forgave Gnosis for his mistake in getting him kidnapped, just as he did before, Enciodes accepted him just as he was.

More than ever, Gnosis’s oprec lays out why Gnosis is so fiercely loyal to Enciodes, why he will never abandon Enciodes unless Enciodes abandons their dream first. More than ever, the motivation behind all of Gnosis’s actions is clear, as is the true meaning behind his enigmatic line from BI: “He promised me a future.”

Although in BI, Gnosis is quick to follow this line with details about sponsorship and creative freedom, the oprec lends it a new depth. The “promised future” isn’t merely a business deal: it’s something deeply, deeply personal. “I’ll make Kjerag big enough for you, and you’ll stay,” Enciodes says. Although Enciodes had already decided to build Kjerag up with or without Gnosis, this line states explicitly that part of Enciodes’s motivation behind everything is Gnosis. So much of what he does is because of this promise. It explains all, from their close relationship to Enciodes’s leniency regarding Gnosis’s actions and his endless gifts and boons to Gnosis; everything can be traced back to this one moment, where Enciodes promises that he will make Kjerag a true home for Gnosis.

I’ve postulated in previous essays based on the material at hand that Enciodes is the lynchpin of Gnosis’s life, that almost everything in Gnosis’s life revolves around Enciodes, but now, with his oprec, I think I can conclusively say that is no longer a hypothesis but actual textual fact. The medal for his oprec states “No one is born with an ambitious goal. Sometimes, it comes to be because of a promise, and a habit.” In other words, Gnosis didn’t even have a goal until he met Enciodes and they made their promise. He had ambition, but nowhere to direct it beyond his short-term desire to leave Kjerag, and he didn’t even know what he wanted to study. Enciodes gave him the starting point—which is also the name of his oprec.

Even Gnosis’s EP, “Heal the World,” hits different after the oprec. He begs to be saved; speaks of the pain within him; of standing on the edge and waiting for the end; of just a tear saving him from the darkness. It all takes on new connotations after knowing how close Gnosis was to falling into despair, how his struggle and his suffering began not after the accident whose blame he was implicated in, but even earlier than that. This “darkness” his EP speaks of has been present in his life for a long time, and the hope and love that he clings to in order to “heal the world” around him is clearer than ever as he “falls through dreams.”

Mentally, emotionally, and perhaps even physically (Gnosis mentions rocks being thrown at his window in BI; it isn’t difficult to imagine them being thrown at his person, too), battered, bruised, and suffering, Gnosis has silently endured the pain of neglect, of yearning, of repression, of being outcast, of being hated, of being badmouthed and cursed to his face, of being shunned and loathed for something he didn’t do—and pressed on, for the sake of their promise. Like the crane that is his animal spirit, like the grateful crane in the folk tale, he gave everything to Enciodes after Enciodes saved him from the “trap” that is Kjerag’s stifling environment and tradition in repayment; he plucked out his own feathers to bring wealth and success to Enciodes and Karlan Trade even to his own personal detriment during his gambit in BI. Gnosis, ever the radical, is only too happy to set himself ablaze to further their goals.

This lends an extra layer of tragedy to him, by the way: as he pushes Enciodes to allow him to bring down the other clans in the BI-6 flashback, Gnosis insists that Kjerag will never have a place for him anyway, despite Enciodes’s goal being to give him a place. He attempts to symbolically reject the future offered willingly to him as something pointless; he again tests Enciodes’s devotion in asking Enciodes if he would like to kill him; yet, symbolically “standing on the edge” as his EP sings, he is saved once again from the “twilight”, because of the “fate intwined between [them]” as Enciodes shakes his hand and pronounces him “dearest friend,” and later in RS, ensures that the slate is wiped clean for Gnosis and even later, truly gives him that future.

On the outside, Gnosis is a cold and emotionless scientist, but one only has to look just beneath the surface to see that he’s anything but. Gnosis burns with passion and emotion beneath his cloaking of ice: he’s full of pain and determination, brilliant ideas and dogged resolve, daring and fearless down to his core. At twelve years old, he made the decision to take responsibility and rescue Enciodes from the gang of kidnappers by his lonesome, armed with only a single Arts unit and his own wits and cunning, and his list of radical deeds has only grown since then. And interestingly, we see that Gnosis’s sub-color is red, a color associated with passion, fire, and all form of “hotter” emotions, despite his being what they call “an ice person,” and I can’t help but feel how fitting it is. Like the red streaks in his hair, only a few glimpses are visible at first glance, but a closer look reveals just how vivid and striking they are.

To conclude, I’d like to draw a contrast between the young childhood Gnosis and the present-day Gnosis in the most recent piece of lore pertaining to him that we know of: his ‘Forerunner’ skin and the tidbit about him in the “Public Hearing: Max D.C.”, both of which show Gnosis at the zenith of his life and the peak of his achievement: Speaker of Kjerag’s Parliament.

At his most emotional and most honest, Gnosis says, “I don’t like my life right now. I can't help but feel the urge to run away when I think about how I’m supposed to become a scholar like my father. I don’t know what kind of life I want.”

Twenty-odd years later, Gnosis says, “The world will be witness to Kjerag’s precipitous rise.”

Gnosis stood uncertain as a child: uncertain of himself, his future, his identity. Even his own desires and goals were opaque to him, lost beneath the weight of obligation and duty looming before him. The only thought in his heart was escape.

Gnosis as an adult stands in a position of power, presiding over Kjerag’s new modern parliament after the abolishment of the Tri-Clan Council. No longer restrained by Kjerag’s rules, now he plays a part in making them instead. Rather than the future being a dreaded prison, now he helps shape and form that future. Kjerag is not a cage for him any longer—Kjerag is his sky.

[chatonarya]

And with the When Elegies Are Ashes PV, we have the announcement of Gnosis's second module!!!

It's called "Project No. 1 Model", confirming my prior headcanon that Project 1 was Gnosis's brainchild!

I wonder if the icon means passive SP gen for Karlan faction... that would be great!

Excited!!!

[chatonarya]

HAROLD IS SELF-TAUGHT?!

Best grandpa says, "Forget university, the best school is practical experience."

[chatonarya]

New Kjerag merchandise has been released, featuring new art!

First things first: our second piece of official Gnosis art of him smiling! Truly blessed.

I have to say I love how Gnosis apparently decided to accessorize out the wazoo: tie clip, collar pins, scarf, cuff links, and watch(?) chain on his waistcoat. Bird moment. Even his waistcoat itself has a lovely feather pattern on the lapel and elaborate buttons, and his black and white shoes are a nice touch. Hard to see, but his belt is white too. And I love the red lining of his coat, just like his Speaker cloak! He knows how to dress!

Meanwhile, Enciodes: I'm naked without my bondage harness.

Degenbrecher's horn chain is such a great touch. I love seeing the AK characters adorning their animal body parts.

She looks great. Gold highlights suit her so well, as do boots, and her high-waisted pants(?) and corset-style belt work great. The fur collar of her jacket is also a nice parallel with Enciodes. The trio wearing silver, blue, and gold also gives them the feeling that they're a matching set. Triple date?

Enya's green ribbons give the vibe of being a gift from the Duke of Caster that she has to wear for political reasons. Ensia looks extremely cute in her mini sweater dress. I also can't help but laugh at Harold being included as an honorary Kjerag, though admittedly, this merchandise is being advertised as RS merch, hence the exclusion of Kjera etc., I would presume. I, too, enjoy counting Harold as an honorary Kjerag.

[chatonarya]

Another day in Kjerag.

(Another collab with my partner-in-crime Aelen!)