#project apple

[stellas-and-tonitruses]

Everything we know about Project Apple (and, by extension, Anya's past) thus far

thought i'd compile all of that now while endo's on break Just In Case the next chapter happens to start anya's backstory (i don't Think it will but endo likes surprising us LSDFKLFS)

important disclaimer that project apple and the organization in charge of anya's experiments have not been confirmed to be related! there's evidence that they have things in common, in particular employees, but that's our only real connection between the two thus far. still! worth looking into

more under the cut!

so, starting very strongly with the very first mention of anything related to the project: anya's introduction in chapter 1

despite her being a main character, we know very little about her past at the moment, and this little blurb at the beginning makes up a very big portion of what we know.

things to note here:

as an experiment, her name was "Test Subject 007". important to note that the notation differs between her and bond: she was Test Subject 007, bond was Subject 8, no zeroes in there;

she had been made thus by accident, the phrasing itself implying quite heavily that she was just a normal child before said accident (but this is the translation! i don't know japanese so i can't cross-reference with the raws to clarify if the phrasing changes anything, but the fanbook uses the word "gained" to describe her powers too);

because her mind-reading is an unintended consequence, that means the scientists were presumably not, at least initially, trying to achieve cognitive enhancements in humans, and were instead trying to achieve something else, whatever that might've been;

she escaped from the facility and then moved from institution to institution, looking for a family.

so, crucially, through this little introduction we learn that there is an organization, government-funded or otherwise, that is or was conducting human experiments for unknown purposes. we also learn that whatever family anya had prior to being involved in the experiments is more than likely unreachable, at least as far as she knows, and so she has settled for finding a new family to take care of her instead.

in terms of the facility itself, here we see they clearly drilled it into her that she can't ever reveal her secret (and the darn plush is there too -- in the anime it's even more emphasized, as you can see in the gif i made)

through her reminiscing though, we get our very first look at the scientists that were in charge of her! they're in the gif above but here they are in the manga too. it's so interesting that the anime actually shows their eyes behind the glasses though, fascinating choice.

the insistence on world peace is important, as it explains her own personal obsession with it and shows that it's not just because of twilight's own focus on preserving the peace. i also don't think twilight ever really talks about "world peace," only about "preserving the current peace between westalis and ostania" -- anya seems to be the only one talking about WORLD peace (even in the very first scene where either of them mention it in proximity to each other in ch 1, loid says "understanding the other party is the first step towards peace" and anya's interpretation is "understanding me makes world peace?") but take this with a grain of salt because i might be wrong! going through every single mention of peace in the story just to fact check this one little trivia fact is a bit much i think so i'm not doing it JSDFKLSD

but yes

remember mr hair strand and baldy, we'll see them again. not her though, ig she wasn't in charge of bond

now, fast-forwarding to chapter 19, we finally get a name and a premise for the experiments:

"but oana," you might say, "this is talking about animals only! how do we know it's the same project as anya's, which involved human experimentation?"

i don't think it is, is the thing! i think it's related to the experiments anya was a part of, which is evidenced by the same scientists being featured in project apple too, but there's more going on that we don't know about. there wouldn't be such adamancy on keeping the two separate in every official mention of them if they were just the same thing, imo!

back to the evidence, we learn that the project, conducted and funded by the previous ostanian regime (meaning donovan's related to it one way or another, since he was prime minister), was marked by franticness and desperation -- a prime place for accidents like anya's telepathy and bond's future vision.

we also learn that the project was sacked by the new administration and that the former test subjects ended up on the black market.

(this makes it very important, imo, to learn when anya escaped the facility vs. when the project was sacked. it's clearly no longer in function, but while we've heard nothing from them thus far, i'm willing to bet the shady dealings around the desmond group are NOT related to the war, as W.I.S.E. has been led to believe, but rather to reignite project apple. that is speculation however so i'm going to refrain from theorising much on why the desmond group is focused on acquiring pharmaceutical companies!!)

ok speculation tangent over, back on track

so, that's already a decent amount of info! but moving to chapter 22, when bond is finally home, and we finally see some familiar faces

behold! baldy and mr hair strand!

and 2 other guys we don't know but will see again in another bond flashback!

that's 2 out of the 3 scientists we've seen thus far from anya's own time as subject 007, confirming that there IS a connection between anya and bond's experiments, regardless of whatever the project anya was a part of might've been named.

this is also the chapter in which we learn that bond himself was subject 8 (or, if we take it from the fanbook, subject #8. still, diff notation from anya!)

in chapter 31, we learn an interesting tiny piece of trivia. we don't get any further info on it, but it IS mentioned as something that is known by W.I.S.E.:

ostania is rumoured to have done human experimentation! and W.I.S.E., and by extension loid, are aware of that.

do i know how them knowing may be important later? not really!

the next droplet of info we get is in chapter 40. we see that project apple had collaborators that are still functioning unhindered.

of course, born industries is only rumoured to have been involved with project apple, but regardless of whether or not they actually were, the rumour itself implies that the project likely pulled scientists from various other companies' R&D departments.

(this makes the desmond group's acquisition of glooman pharmaceuticals shadier, but anyway)

as a side note, twilight is emoting so much at just his wrong assumption that bond is seeking revenge against the scientists. imagine how he's going to react when he finds out about anya JKSDFKLFSD

and now aaaaall the way in chapter 58, we see the bald guy who anya also knows, the two scientists from bond's previous flashback, and one whole new guy!

and thus ends our current knowledge of it all!

the only other thing worth discussing is anya's knowledge of classical language

but plenty people have already discussed these scenes, especially recently, so here are some links: 1 | 2 | 3

the only thing i can add is that i'm fairly certain that classical language is a lot more likely to be latin than old english, because it's a very common language to learn in school (in europe at least, and ostania is based on east germany so it makes sense to me. i learned mandatory latin in school for a few good years too, even if i wasn't that good at it lol) and because one of the most common modern usages of latin are in medicine and science, it would make sense that she'd be better at it due to exposure.

a possibility is also that the scientists would think in latin to conceal their thoughts from her, and that's how she ended up learning so much. she's not fluent in latin, she's just well acquainted and that cicumstance would explain the how.

BUT THAT'S SPECULATIONNN

also i don't think "ANIA" is an acronym, nor do i think anya's been misspelling her own name out of lack of knowledge. "ania" is a polish diminutive of anna and an alternate transcription of Аня, so i think it's far more likely that anya isn't ostanian or westalian than it is that her name comes from an acronym.

now,

TL;DR!

what we know about project apple (and the "mysterious organization"):

project apple was funded and conducted by what appears to have been donovan's regime and, from what W.I.S.E. knows, aimed to create highly intelligent animals for military purposes;

W.I.S.E. is aware that ostania is at the very least rumoured to have dabbled in human experimentation;

the project is presumably no longer on-going, though it is likely there are efforts behind the scenes to revive it;

it is rumoured but not confirmed that project apple had collaborating companies that are still functioning perfectly fine;

the same scientists who were in charge of bond were also in charge of anya, signalling that there is a very significant connection between project apple and the "mysterious organization;"

based on what they were telling anya, they were/are very focused on "world peace";

their experimentation methods include but likely aren't limited to electrocution.

and what we (vaguely) know about anya that relates to this:

she is at the youngest, 4 years old, and at the oldest, 5 nearing 6. we don't know her real age, all we know is she definitely lied about being 6;

she is very fixated on specifically world peace while twilight is focused on peace between ostania and westalis. the scientists are the very first we see talking about this, so it's likely their fault;

she is unreasonably well acquainted with classical language;

she has escaped the facility at LEAST 1 year ago;

and, one tidbit from the fanbook (page 29): "Anya has been reading minds for as long as she can remember," implying that her memory of a life before the lab is muddy at best and absent at worst.

that's all we know that i know of!!

if you got this far, thank you for reading :D hope any of this was interesting or sparked any theories >:] have a good day!

[crabsaccharine]

Been seeing posts about the latest SxF chapter, about Anya's birth mother, about the relationship between Yor and Anya, about Yor's mental image of Anya's mother, and it got me thinking, what if Yor was the first person to discover Anya's powers? People usually focus on Twilight discovering her powers, because he would have the most feelings™ about it, but let's be honest, Twilight just isn't in the headspace to handle that information yet. But Yor, while she'd obviously be freaked out, her love of Anya comes before all else, so I think she'd be able to adapt to her new reality without it hurting her relationship with Anya.

Consider: Thorn Princess gets sent to kill some people who worked on project apple, and she knocks over some files and sees a picture of little baby Anya. And there's a file on Anya's mother too, but it's all so heavily redacted that she can't work out anything other than the fact that they were test subjects, and she can't ask the project apple guys cause she just killed them all. So now Yor, who has no intelligence gathering skills whatsoever, has to investigate this all on her own without tipping off Loid or Garden.

Maybe Yor's mind cooks up a story about Dr. Loid Forger, a scientist working on project apple, falling in love with a test subject and having a child with her, and that woman sacrificing herself so their daughter could have a normal, happy childhood. And this all just further lionizes Loid and Anya's mother in Yor's mind, making her feel more inadequate.

Maybe Yor learns everything, and ends up knowing more about Anya's mother than Loid or even Anya herself does. And Anya's powers become a special little secret shared between mother and daughter, the way Anya and Loid have shared the secret of Anya's adoption all this time. (I have this image of Yor purposefully thinking of silly things to amuse Anya, and Loid from the outside ruminating on how the two have grown so close that Yor can make Anya laugh with just a smile.)

It would also test Yor's relationship with Loid. So far, Yor has more or less trusted Loid completely, barring some concerns about her place in the family. She's never had any reason to suspect that Loid wasn't who he says he is, but no matter what, she's not going to find any link between Dr. Forger and project apple, because Dr. Forger didn't exist until recently. And whatever story Anya feeds her to fill in the gaps will have to be vague enough to avoid revealing anything about agent Twilight or the mission, make papa look as good as possible so mama doesn't want to kill him, and also make clear that Loid doesn't know about Anya's past or powers so that Yor doesn't end up revealing the truth to him accidentally. Yor would have to grapple with the fact that Loid has been lying to her from the start, and she doesn't know what his real motivations are, and she just has to trust him anyways, because Anya trusts him, and she'd know better than anyone who to trust, right?

[marionettedupaincheng]

I’d think it’d be so cool (and heartbreaking) to have young Anya, before she met Loid and Yor, be on a chair for one of the manga covers. Just like Endo did with young Loid

Anya’s backstory has always been the thing that intrigued me the most of Spy x Family. Loid and Yor’s past have been looked at, but we have yet to see Anya’s! We only get one flashback.

[project-a-p-p-l-e]

Crrtz....crk...RECORDING IN PROCESS.

“Can you get it open?”

“Monty, can I borrow your screwdriver?”

“Ugh, don't break it.”

Click...click CLACK CLACK SNAP....

“Well, are you just going to sit there, or are you going to open it?”

. . .

Creeeeeeek-

"Oh! Ain't that a pretty sight."

“Well? What's inside? Supplies?”

“A phone or ratio?”

“Food?”

“Billy?”

". . .Does Billy have brown hair?"

Step step step

"Bloody hell. Looks like one of those blasted scientists thought it was a brilliant idea to hide in here."

"Good riddance- wait, Kid what is that in their hand?"

"Huh, looks like a camera. Maybe we can-"

BATTERY LOW, Shutting down to preserve battery. Please connect camera to charger.

[fandomsandkittens]

I hope Twilight finds the people involved in Project Apple and slaughters every last one of them. They do not deserve mercy for harming all these poor dogs like this. I don’t even want to know what they did to Anya.

[gojifan97]

Well Project Apple's definitely coming back.

[lady-charinette]

Breached containment out of discord but-

I HAVE TO SCREAM ABOUT IT NOW: what if Eden isn't as innocent a school as it tries to present itself? What if, by becoming the top imperial scholars in Eden with the most stellas, instead of going to other schools and colleges and furthering their education, Eden Academy sends those students to a facility far removed from civilization.

It's a facility where Project Apple breaks in their new test subjects. It's for the older kids. For the imperial scholars who showed most promise and potential.

Other theory tied into this:

What if, since Donovan used to be an imperial scholar, he got involved with Project Apple at some point in his past? Hence the surgical scars around his head? What if they experimented on him more extensively due to his high achievements in Eden?

If Melinda was somehow connected to Project Apple, either her father being a benefactor or even a scientist, she could've met Donovan there. Or their marriage was not only a political marriage but one of convenience for Melinda: as a woman in that time period, she possessed immense diplomatic and political skills to impact Ostania and Westalis on a greater scale, but not the same opportunities as a man.

So they use Donovan, their number 1 test subject. They combine both of their abilities and in their marriage to control the political climate in the country.

What if the reason why we don't see Demetrius is because he's currently being experimented on by Project Apple after he became an imperial scholar? What if the reason why a couple stuck in a loveless marriage like Melinda and Donovan had two children to see if their talents would naturally merge in them, as a social experiment for Project Apple? To create a "Übermensch"?

Ostania and Westalis remind of communist Germany during the cold war era. The SS is obviously the Stasi, the Stasi and the Gestapo of Nazi Germany often used much of the same intimidation tactics as the other, who's to say they also didn't adopt the Nazi ideology of creating a "super human" aka "Übermensch"?

In Spy x Family, wouldn't a possible goal of Project Apple be creating super humans? Or at least humans with supernatural powers that could turn the tides of the war in either country's favor?

Am I tripping?

[jesterraconteuse]

I was hoping some of you had some fic recommendations? I'm currently fixated on stuff with Anya's past with being experimented coming back in some kinda way on and some Twiyor on the side. SFW and in-character pls.

[cantareincminor]

Day 29: How Many Chapters Are Left?

One way to guesstimate this is to list the possible arcs that Endo might explore, and assume each arc lasts around 8 chapters. This list is not in any particular order:

Donovan backstory -- maybe we'll get a look back at Donovan's childhood and how he rose to power, married Melinda, stuff he did as Prime Minister, what’s up with Demetrius’ mind, and of course the whole "does he have powers" question

Garden backstory -- what are Garden's origins, who do they work for, who is Shopkeeper, who are the other operatives? Will a new Garden assassin enter the scene kind of like when Nightfall made her debut on the WISE side?

Project Apple/Anya -- who are Anya's parents, how did she end up in a lab, how does she know classical language, what's the deal with the spelling of her name, how did she get her powers, how did she escape?

Yuri-centric/Briar siblings reveal -- could be a one-way reveal with Yor finding out about Yuri's job. Will Yuri try to quit the SSS after this? Or betray the SSS in some way? Endo has already planted some seeds to set up an eventual "crisis of conscience" for Yuri.

Authens backstory -- why did Endo introduce this "random" old couple, with the husband as a distinguished neurology researcher, as the Forgers' next door neighbors? Are they or their son involved in Project Apple?

Eden-centric -- random stuff happening at Eden, some more info about Arnold Crowley, Damian and Anya becoming closer friends, etc. (I clearly do not spend much time thinking about the Eden kids lol)

Twilight existential crisis arc -- Twilight's been on his game for the most part throughout the manga, he fumbled during the mole arc and has been berating himself for showing cracks of compromise. I wouldn't be surprised if he is brought to another, more devastating low point where he can't just gloss over it and pretend nothing's wrong. This might not be an independent arc, but could be blended into one of the other arcs, such as...

Twiyor conflict arc -- the much rumored "divorce arc" lol. They might not get divorced per se but if their secrets come to light, I do hope Endo gives both these characters sufficient screen time to cope with the betrayal and shock and feelings they've been in denial about, instead of just subsuming it beneath some overtly crazier plot event (like Anya's kidnapping).

Finale arc -- Anya will probably get kidnapped, stakes are high, the heroes reconcile and stage a rescue, they bring down the bad guys, etc.

So altogether that's about 72 chapters? As of today we are at Chapter 110, so my prediction is the manga will end around Chapter 180. Maybe 190, given Endo's tendency to toss in random one-off side quests.

[forgertv]

[queenofapeacefuldawn]

Project Apple Scientist: We created Subject 007 for world peace!

Yor, pulling out her stilettoes: You fucked up a perfectly good child, that's what you did! Look at her, she's got trauma!

[mikufanclub]

hello

[funyiipp]

Had a dream where Welcome Home wasn't a horror project, but a therapy clinic, and Wally was their (main) mascot. It was apparently so prevalent that this ominous ass poster was literally everywhere. At one point I went down an alley with both walls lined with nothing BUT this. It was terrifying.

[damianito]

Chuuya will not remember. Dazai will.

[project-a-p-p-l-e]

P E N N Y

Processing. . . . . . Code accepted, photo unlocked:

Enter another code?

[lavendergalactic]

☆ 　assorted shiny buttons !

self indulgent + requested, made them myself credit 4 putting on resource rentrys / blogs / etc f2u, feel free to resize / recolour!

"touhou fan" and the bad apple button for @llocket

"doll" & "darling" for @ethereabun

"kazubedo" for @toothfaeriie

"i <3 sandy" for @sanxelie

"chief" & "detective" for @lenqkeju

everything else is self indulgent