#misumi mutsushika

[arisugawa-rio]

Personal collections about this kind of hair style

△sorry for tag them all△orz

[langiri]

Interlude went like this

[ariapmdeol]

interlude rkgks

[noomzu]

I can feel my silly levels rising

[rea-aury]

I did not,,, mean to make Dita look like he's seen The Horrors™ and Izu depressed lmao-

[mindrole]

i was thinking about fragment fashion sense and this gag popped out

[ariapmdeol]

rkgks

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misumi

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rkgks

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assorted doodles!

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fragment doodles!

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interlude rkgks

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06 - Understanding.

[ariapmdeol]

Fragments, Factors, and Hermit's Room

NOW THAT I AM CAUGHT UP, I need to update my theories! These were discussed and pieced together w/ saintshrine and worldexecutor! I am compiling them for my own reference.

This will contain spoilers for the remainder of the DLC, Hermit's Room, Interlude, and the Interlude and Cell of Mirage reports! AKA, everything that's been released so far.

You can find my other COE theories/analyses here!

THE FRAGMENTS Interlude confirms there are 7 fragments, each with a number in their last name. I believe that each fragment is linked to one of the 'Seven Gifts of God', as described in a book in the Minoru DLC. Paraphrased and in order, they are:

Fear of the Lord, Piety, Fortitude, Knowledge, Counsel, Understanding, and Wisdom.

Thus, we have Hajime Hatsutori (1), Ryu Nijou (2), Teita Miwa/Dita Iliner (3), Wadachi Azuma (4), Daigo Igarashi (5), Misumi Mutsushika (6), and Izu Nanami (7).

The first three are fairly straightforward, especially with the additional descriptions in the DLC's book, but the one that interests me is Izu. In Interlude, it's mentioned that he has CLAIRVOYANCE. A Higher knowledge, and the youngest of the Fragments...

Izu also might be using the body of the original Reiji Isoi. Mutsushika says in the Utsugi DLC that he needs a child (about 10), because he has a younger brother who can't come out into the open. Thus, he needs a vessel. He says later that the kid that Utsugi prepared is too young (four or five), but goes with it anyway.

he's talking about the little Reiji here, who's now a vessel for the 7th fragment/Izu. (credit to worldexecutor for telling me about this theory!). Is little Reiji still in there? I sure hope so, it'd be angsty ^_^

THE SEPHIRA if you remember this cipher from Reiji DLC:

Knowing now that Seodore has the Gabriel Factor, I am operating on the assumption that this refers to Factors like his and Mutei's (Harada factor).

On the sefirot wiki page, it says this:

"The sefirot are described as channels of divine creative life force or consciousness through which the unknowable divine essence is revealed to mankind." "Will and knowledge are corresponding somewhat dependent opposites."

I said before that I think Seodore is 'will', and Mutei is 'knowledge'. This is still true, but I think it means more than that.

I think Mutei's factor allows him to read the source code of the world. He can Know, but he can't affect or manipulate it in any way, which is in part why he's stuck in the Hermit's room. He can Know but he can't DO anything with it directly.

Seodore, on the other hand, doesn't care about understanding it. His factor can manipulate the code, but he can't read it. He just wants to find a world that isn't bound by Arrival Points, that isn't bound by the 'end of the game.' Which draws into focus: We the player are an acknowledged entity. A being that they cannot perceive, yet guides them all the same.

We have a factor of our own as well, that we receive at the end of the DLC:

The factor "Dawn" has been loaded. Please wait for the announcement from Online Station.

This grants us access to the Hermit's Room/chapter select screen, which is interesting and something I need to think more about! HOWEVER. I want to talk about THE LANTERN.

THE LANTERN

At the end of Hermit's Room, we have this:

"The Record Da'at_01 has been saved. Subsequent playback is by the system."

as well as 'Do not trust Mutei Harada."

I looked up Da'at, and found this on the wikipedia page:

In Daʻat, all sefirot exist in their perfected state of infinite sharing. The three sefirot of the left column that would receive and conceal the Divine light, instead share and reveal it. Since all sefirot radiate infinitely self-giving Divine Light, it is no longer possible to distinguish one sefira from another; thus they are one. Properly, the Divine Light is always shining, but not all humans can see it.

I think THIS is what the lantern on the table is. The lantern is the condensed form of every factor at once, which is why it is able to give Mutei a presence in this room. I believe this is ALSO the light seen at the end of the S route, the three rings. By coming to this room, we have Arrived at a place beyond the typical bounds of the game. I think it's the Primum Mobile, the Ninth Heaven of the Divine Comedy. We the player are generally acting from the 10th, in Empyrean Heaven (beyond the bounds of the game), while Hermits Room/the Domain that lets Atou and Seodore tweak the definitions of the world is the Primum Mobile.

Similarly, this is what gives us the chapter select screen as well. Time works differently for us vs the characters.

One Final Cipher: At the end of the DLC, we are presented with these:

e7a59e is the Hexadecimal code for 神, aka GOD. I'm not entirely sure what the characters in front of it say (my google translate says 'draft' for the first, and 're-edited' for the second). If anyone has a more accurate translation, please let me know!

Assuming that the MTL is correct, then the 'draft' of the world is by God, and the 're-written' version is by CODE:DANTE.

CODE:DANTE seems to be at odds with Mutei. I'm operating on the assumption that they're a part of Seodore's group? Kanou is a part of this group too...

MUTEI (bastard) There is one bit in particular I want to bring up in the Interlude Reports. Specifically, CodeData 05-2. He comments (paraphrasing) that if he were God, he'd want to collect all the different outcomes and endings of his world, and that he'd want the protagonist to oppose him and make a possibility he could never have imagined.

....Seodore's already had his turn guiding/influencing a protagonist. I suspect that in Cell of Mirage, it will be Mutei trying to pull the strings. Or rather, I think he's hoping to pull OUR (the player) strings in the hope that we can influence the world (and rui lmao) for him. He does bring up in Hermit's room that he'd like us to apologize to seodore for him, if we can gain access to the world he thought was gone.... Either he's being honest about that apology OR he's doing it as a test to see if we can change the world for him.

Is it possible for a character to resist the player? Can the characters within a story break free of the definitions that Bind them? What is fiction, what is reality, and how does the world within these frames challenge that? I believe that this will be central to Cell of Mirage and it's themes.

also, side tangent, but I think it's fascinating how much Mutei parallels us as the player. I need to think more on this but I absolutely think something is there. Mans wants to play god and I think he doesn't care about the consequences. I need to think about him and seo and rangiri more...

once again, this image is relevant. Mutei Harada is a LITTLE SHIT.

Cell of Mirage and Interlude I will be referencing this translation by fleecedragon! please read through it! I think that Miwa and Eigha are aware of what's to come/their true natures, and Dita and Takagi don't. In interlude, Eigha says several things that seem to imply that he is aware that he is a fictional character, playing a role that he cannot escape.

I THINK HE KNOWS. HE KNOWS THAT HE IS FICTIONAL, and the world will end when the game does. There is nothing beyond the 'Arrival point', so the only way to preserve this world is to never finish the game.

Dita isn't aware of Miwa/Miwa's memories, so I think he's gonna have a GREAT time after he learns that he's fictional ^_^ I want to see Dita have a mental breakdown ^_^

Also I'm pretty sure the fourth wall just doesn't exist for Gajura, as he talks directly to us in his character profile.

[mindrole]

the sage association is seriously blowing up because misumi could not keep his mouth shut... because he had to sass ryuu...

in a way its a sort of comeuppance. he really is the only person left alive that knew what happened in empyrean when it blew up the first time, he got away with having his little moment of calling hatsutori out... who knows what other close shaves hes had

it might have been inevitable... playing it real hard and fast for someone who turned out to be the glue holding them together (or rather its more like he definitely had something over everyone.. probably sheer amount of resources, assets and power that come from being a mutsushika)

[mindrole]

these are such fun posts to read! do you know where he's mentioned? i've seen "azuma publishing" mentioned but no mentions of azuma specifically, is he talked about in the base game or somewhere in the dlc, or the artbook? i've watched the yt videos and read the dlc translation document but you said he's somewhat obscure, so is there somewhere else?

i have a genuinely bad memory so this is kind of the blind leading the blind moment, but if its for certain, he is absolutely mentioned by name in the interlude when owl is listing off the fragments known to the sage association (everyone except ryuu, who was previously completely absent from of their radar completely for reasons unknown)

there is a possible mention of azuma in langiri's letter in the hermits room, but given it is derived from a redacted/censored part (__ma) i will cautiously say it is speculation even if it fits... but langiri himself is married to a woman from the azuma family (presumeably azuma's.......sister?? the relation is not stated but azuma being his brother in law would be so good)

if this is strange it's because of the whole "two azumas" thing. there is azuma shirou and azuma wadachi. it really is strange, but i do believe they are the same person, fragments thinly concealing their identities behind minor name and status changes is nothing new (though aside from misumi this too is speculation)

i think it is only for certain for misumi, who in the base game is referred to as the grandson of mutsushika katsumi, but in the dlc when talking to hatsutori, he refers to katsumi as his father:

by the way, i always wondered why they're sitting back to back like that. isn't it really fucking lame...?? misumi absolutely thought he looked like a badass squatted like that. there's something wrong with him definitely, aside from all the other things that are wrong with him

it's quite lazy, isn't it!! but you know, when you have that kind of political power, i guess you can hide anything!!! i'm not sure what the etiquette on info from the databook is, but it's probably fine to say the databook affirms that he just began to call himself the grandson one day, just to be sure that it isn't someone else. it is absolutely bald ass misumi who later inexplicably seemingly got tired of shaving his head and opted for a hoodie and eyepatch instead. lazy!!!!!! i think he's very lazy!!!!!!!!

things get a bit muddy with igarashi and azuma. especially given they're the ones we HAVEN'T seen. igarashi is mentioned several times throughout the series by virtue of his big zaibatsu, but when mentioned by name, it seems like.... there's at least three different writings of his name. that all read the same. this is probably as ridiculous as it gets... compared to misumi's "sweep it under the rug" approach and the simple mystery of there being two azumas, what?!! is he so attached to the name daigo...??? at some point if he keeps going i think he will have to resort to kirakira names once he runs out of proper ways to write it. this is just my own strange sense of humor though.

anyway, they are all quite old, probably (i want to say definitely, but aside from maybe igarashi whose business is mentioned by minoru existing since he was young meaning he's almost absolutely older than hatsutori, its all circumstancial still even then). azuma in particular, if shirou=wadachi, then that would make him a contemporary of theodore! over 120 years old!! actual fossil. i think it's a little cute......

shirou himself is an actual contemporary of theodore, being mutei's editor and publisher...

oh yeah, azuma is also mentioned in the first report on com's website, when miwa is listing off the people who know about his impending retirement.

again in the interlude, on the same vein, there is an encrypted email from.... someone, to miwa on miwa's computer, but the sender is not stated. but considering the list of people who can talk to miwa so frankly and know about the mirage incident is quite few and far in between imo, i think there is a good chance it is azuma. (the sender speaks so cutely and sweetly.....its definitely azuma!!!!<-crazy person)

i think its funny there are remnants of misumi and igarashi everywhere in empyrean, but azuma somehow either was careful not to leave any trace of himself or it was all made to disappear (though nothing seems to be visibly redacted). the three of them were involved in the funding of empyrean, mostly the mutsushikas and igarashi, but still, why?! they're all public figures, but of the three, compared to the president of a zaibatsu and a scion of an ex-prime minister, doesn't the president of a publishing turned entertainment company carry the least stakes...?! nonnie, isn't there a sort of darkness looming over him?! you're starting to see it, right?! i think there is a lot of appeal!!!

also, they're all public figures, but they do a very dogshit job of hiding their nature of not aging... that is, if igarashi x3 and azuma x2 are the same people respectively, but i have no reason to think otherwise...

but yes, aside from his association (obsession?) with the haradas and his work with hexa+penta, as the president of a/zuma pub, he's also miwa's boss in a sense!!! ...in a sense? no, probably straight up, right?

my friend at @/prelogism has summaries written up with azuma's existence in mind, it is probably a good idea to check those out as there's a clear thoroughline there. i just wrote stuff as it popped up in my mind so i definitely missed stuff.