Superfish Discussions

REFERENCE POSTS

Witches: Known Information

Werewolves: Known Information

Superfish: Speculated Timeline of Events

How Witch Cores Translate Languages

DISCUSSION POSTS

What makes Superfish a "defect" in witch society?

What's happening with the witch's core inside of DJ?

Investigating the Sources of Magic in Obscaria (and the Etymology of Superfish's Name)

The Metaphysics of Enchanted Objects

How long has Superfish been in the human world?

Why Superfish Stands Out in Romantic Media

The Significance of Holding Hands in Superfish (and Familial Relationships in Obscaria)

The Nature of Witches: Are they even "alive" in the conventional sense?

What do witches even do in Obscaria?

What species is this woman from Superfish’s memories?

INBOX RESPONSES

Who is the more interesting character, DJ or Superfish?

Additional Information Shared By Pegl0

ART

Aloo!

GENERAL ANALYSIS

How Will Superfish's Journey Conclude? A Brief Analysis of Howl's Moving Castle

The Shape of Loss and Grief in Superfish

Why S1 of Superfish Will End With Superfish Leaving The Main Story Temporarily

We know the following about how the Occult Club works so far,

It is headed by Eugene, who clearly is the member who has the most interest in the Occult.

Being its member involves undergoing an initiation ceremony where a creepy doll is used to potentially give you a minor scare?

It started initially as Eugene and his friends discussing "spooky stories," but slowly evolved into the more "interactive" experience of visiting abandoned/potentially haunted locations.

Daisuke is responsible for photographing each location.

At every such location, one person has to enter the building and grab an object for their "collection," which visibly includes the following so far: a book (?), a picture frame (?), a can, and an identifiable showpiece (?).

Even at first glance, it can quickly be surmised that the club, in its current form, works as an exploratory device based on nostalgia and a collective sense of belonging. Hence, Superfish joining the club did not feel like a breach so much as natural progression, because to Eugene he was now their friend for having protected them from Johnny and his gang.

Mandy's forceful approach, on the other hand, is at direct odds with Eugene's. She wants something organized and methodical, and is hence a perfect foil for Eugene. Where he works based more on sentimentality and feeling, she works more based on the facts and the information available to her.

Both approaches have their own merits, and are quite similar to the differences between DJ and Superfish in how they are navigating the situation with the core.

Superfish, like Eugene, lacks any grand plan but still wants to work entirely independently. Initially, he refuses to explain anything to DJ, including the fact that his life may be in danger. He believes himself to be capable of solving anything on his own, which he reiterates numerous times, despite the situation being unprecedented and thus entirely new to him.

DJ, like Mandy, forces organization and clarity in Superfish's plans. He repeatedly asks for information, is the one who gave Superfish the idea for the potion (even if accidentally), and refuses to let Superfish handle things on his own. He is enforcing the structure of shared responsibility between them.

Just as the club is a protected space for its members to be themselves at least around each other, given how they aren't well-liked by their other peers, the life Superfish and DJ are building together also lies outside the norm and is hidden away.

However, this "protection" via resisting the outside world is not sustainable. The world of the comic at large, and the limited and currently protected space of the Occult Club, can both be summarized by change forcing its way into the status quo, and thus invariably changing the people involved in ways they may not have otherwise.

In Superfish’s dream sequence, we only see her in one scene where,

She is dressed in a tattered dress, has dark hair, and dark eyes.

She is kneeling on the ground next to a wooden pole.

She is not visibly restrained, magically or otherwise.

She is crying and clearly upset.

While at first I had considered that she may be human, there are some things that point sharply toward that not being the case.

Pegl0 has made it clear time and again that humans are not allowed in Obscaria.

Witches especially dislike associating with humans. With how Toppleprey immediately killed a human for “being in his way” and wiped his hand after dealing with a werewolf, it is safe to say that if she were a human, she would have been killed near immediately.

We have seen the designs of three witches so far: Superfish, Toppleprey, and Scuttlebox (an alternate universe version of DJ that happens to be a witch). Using their designs, we can conclude that witches generally have,

brightly colored hair,

glowing eyes,

and their magic too has a specific color associated with it.

From all of the above, we can deduce that,

She does not present enough of a threat to be restrained using any means, magical or regular, compared to Superfish, who has likely been chained using Toppleprey’s magic. She likely does not have any magical powers.

The above is further bolstered by the fact that she does not look like any of the witches we have seen so far. Even witches who have lost their witch cores (and thus the ability to perform magic) still retain their witch-like appearance, as can be seen in Toppleprey’s case.

However, she also is likely not a human.

That only leaves two options: she is either a powerless witch or another Obscarian species altogether. Arguments can be made to support either option.

These are some of the reasons that favor her being a witch,

Pegl0 has stated that we won’t be encountering most of the other species present in Obscaria in this story.

Given that witches generally dislike everyone except themselves, it is more likely that whatever judicial practices they have in place to “deal” with other species would be separate from those that deal with witches.

If every witch is “crafted” with their own core, it is possible that cores do not always “take” to a witch, leaving some of them powerless and incapable. (See -> The Nature of Witches: Are they even “alive” in the conventional sense?)

There are also reasons that favor her being another Obscarian species,

Given what we know of witches (and how Superfish is a bit of an exception among them in terms of temperament), a witch crying like this seems unlikely.

It is possible Superfish was evaluated alongside the “lesser” species of Obscaria because he was considered a “defect” and had thus lost the right to personhood in witch society.

We know that,

The origin of witches is unknown, but pegl0 has stated that they have existed since “the beginning.”

Humans are simply not allowed to enter Obscaria. While witches despise humans, most other species are content to exist both in the human world and in Obscaria.

Things tend to “leak into” the human world from Obscaria sometimes, suggesting there is some tangible connection between the two dimensions.

Every witch has a core that is the source of their abilities; it is possible that this core is artificially created (See → The Nature of Witches: Are they even “alive” in the conventional sense?).

Witches use enchanted objects, though the source of these enchantments is unknown. Examples include Toppleprey’s cane and Superfish’s portal. (See → The Metaphysics of Enchanted Objects)

Numerous species are known to inhabit Obscaria: witches, werewolves, vampires, demons, fairies, sirens, and trolls.

Witches always wear formal clothing. Superfish’s nightmare showed him clearly occupying a soldier-like position in a militaristic group, with Toppleprey being an authority figure.

Pegl0 has clarified that there is a reason why Superfish extracted Toppleprey’s witch core and placed it in an inanimate object, despite knowing that touching it would be enough for Toppleprey to regain his core.

Witch cores function almost like parasites. While they can be stored in inanimate objects, they always prefer living “hosts.”

This raises the following questions, 

What does Obscaria have in the ways of an economy? It is likely that the rule disallowing humans from entering Obscaria is a witch creation, which implies that they are the prime dispensers of judicial and legislative authority, in which case what do they exert this authority for? What does their society profit off of, and run on?

How were the enchanted objects that we have seen so far created? Did they require the use of magical ingredients the same way potions do, or were they created by imbuing regular objects with the magic present in witch cores? All three show the same pattern of ever-swirling colorful blobs of light.

What happens to a witch’s core when they are killed? Does their core “die” with them? Or can it instead be stored in an inanimate object to be harnessed later? Is that why Superfish extracted Toppleprey’s core and placed it in the rubber duck? Or was that just a way to avoid needing to kill Toppleprey, as he does not wish to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary?

What positions do the other species of Obscaria occupy in the overall hierarchy of things? It is heavily implied that witches occupy the first position. What species follows next, and why? What are the sources of their magical abilities? (See → Investigating the Sources of Magic in Obscaria)

While no conclusions can be made with even a minimal amount of certainty, I propose the following possibilities, 

If witches occupy the highest strata of Obscarian society, magic must play the role of the central currency. Whatever witches do in a professional capacity must involve harnessing, controlling, and managing, the flow of this commodity.

If this professional pursuit requires them to communicate heavily with other species, it suggests that they may be dependent in some way on what they have to offer. Perhaps, the other species are employed in laborious tasks involving the cultivation of magical ingredients, or the construction of enchanted objects.

If witches have existed since the beginning, and clearly occupy a position of enforcing order, could they have been created solely to manage the magical affairs of Obscaria, and in turn how they affect the human world? Witches may be responsible for creating the boundaries within which all other species must exist, hence creating a society where everyone knows their place and no one falls out of line. Making Obscaria operate like a complex machine—that may be of prime importance. It could explain why they despise humans especially. If they are forced to work to protect the world of a people they see as being much inferior to themselves, they would naturally be resentful of their existence. 

At the centre of all these possibilities is one question: if they occupy the highest strata of Obscarian society, what do they gain out of it? 

A. The Origin of Superfish as a Comic

Superfish was conceived by pegl0 in 2018 in a dream, following which he immediately noted down the ideas he had to turn it into a complete story; you can find sketches of the characters from as early as 2019, I believe.

In its initial stages, the story was quite different from its current iteration—the characters were different in both appearance and personality, and it involved two different sub-plots taking place in two different time periods. On pegl0’s now defunct Patreon, you can find the following blurb on the premise of Superfish:

After the death of famous author Kim Dae-Jung, Soo-Yin discovers a secret manuscript of her grandfather’s untold life story about witches, hitmen and a rubber duck.

In its current iteration, pegl0 has described Superfish as being a supernatural fantasy work with action, romance, and horror themes. Hence, the comic will feature graphic injuries.

Pegl0 decided to create his previous comic before Superfish to hone his skills; he has stated that it is a very challenging comic to make, and his previous attempts failed as his art needed to evolve. 

Pegl0 has conceived Superfish as spanning at least three (and optimistically four) seasons, with likely around 50 episodes each.

B. The Pieces of Media that Superfish is Inspired By

Back to the Future

While this likely held more true when the story had two different sub-plots spanning two different time periods, it is still notable in that DJ’s personality was partly inspired by Marty McFly. 

Howl’s Moving Castle (both the film and the novel)

Superfish’s character is heavily based off of Howl, while DJ’s is somewhat based off of Sophie. Their dynamic as they navigate the story is particularly inspired by Sophie and Howl’s dynamic in the novel the Studio Ghibli film is based on. Superfish, unlike Howl’s Moving Castle, focuses a lot more on magic and witchcraft; he has drafted his own “version” of witches for this comic.

Your Name, and Suzume

His art style and storytelling are quite inspired by Studio Ghibli works in general. 

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Much of the inspiration behind the illustration for the action scenes is derived from here. 

The Great Pretender

The art style was partly inspired by this. 

C. General Information on the Characters

Being Australian himself, pegl0 imagines all his characters as having an Australian accent. 

DJ can speak Hindi and English; his father was North Indian while his mother was South Indian. He wants to pursue teaching as a career. 

If Superfish were a human, he would either be a renowned chef who owns his own restaurant or a famous actor/model. 

While the story’s protagonist is always going to be DJ, some parts of the story will be shown through Superfish’s perspective.

D. What Is Next For The Superfish Universe

Obscaria is confirmed to be home to at least the following species:

Witches,

Werewolves,

Vampires,

Demons,

Fairies,

Sirens,

And trolls.

Most likely, the "worse day" that DJ is referring to is the day his parents passed away, leaving behind a family of two that must now navigate this large world on its own. When it comes to grief such as this, there is only a before and an after. It becomes a defining point of your life, and I am certain the same is true for DJ.

As readers, we have only been shown the after of this tragedy, but the before lives in the quiet moments. What were their lives like? How did his parents meet each other, and come together to build a family? How much of the house's decor is the lingering effect of their own tastes? The dishes that DJ prepares, and the way he labels containers carefully for his brother with messages of goodwill—is that something they used to do for the two of them? Was the car that Arun drives theirs?

Sometimes, there is more meaning in the careful ways in which we look away from some things, than the ones we look directly in the eye. DJ's offhand comment that's never elaborated upon leaves his thoughts up to interpretation, highlighting how he himself prefers to leave them behind.

Still, all of this is ever present in DJ's tendency toward self-reliance and self-denial—making himself convenient so he can support the people he loves and cares for.

In the film, magic represents a longing for a simpler past in two different ways,

The pleasure of pre-industrialized times, as shown through Sophie's hat business, and the extensive focus on domesticity.

The longing to evade the natural forces of time—a desire for a perfect stagnation encapsulating power, beauty, fame, and fortune.

Domesticity is a recurring theme in Howl's Moving Castle, and through DJ, it is also an important theme in Superfish.

The reader gets their first in-depth look into who DJ is through him taking care of his friends, finishing up chores, and interacting with Aloo.

But, just as Sophie had inadvertently locked herself into a limiting life through responsibility, so has DJ. It is through meeting Howl, Calcifer, Markl, and the Witch of the Waste, that Sophie learns to live.

Who Sophie is doesn't change so much as her own confidence in herself and what she wants. The same will likely be true for DJ.

Meanwhile, Howl's life thus far at the beginning of the film has been defined by running away from himself.

When we see Howl absorb Calcifer, a fallen star, in a flashback from his childhood, I believe it was a metaphor for him developing a very fixed idea of what life should look like as a young child. He lost his child-like "heart" and couldn't see himself as worthy of love unless he embodied perfection, and in turn couldn't see anyone less than perfect as being worthy of care and attention. His treatment of the Witch of the Waste showcased this perfectly.

But, through the events of the film, he learns to find meaning beyond himself. When his heart is finally returned to him, and Calcifer is freed, the mosaic castle is gone. In its place are a group of people bound simply by choice and care for each other.

It is through Sophie that he learns all this. Similarly, through a life in the human world and his interactions with DJ and the rest of the Occult Club, Superfish is moving beyond the ideas inculcated into him by witch society.

At the beginning of Superfish, he is defined by being the "greatest witch that ever lived." Similarly, Howl is defined by being an unknowable and almost mythical presence that simply exudes power and wonder.

Through their acquaintance with DJ and Sophie respectively, they are personified to be more than simply their magical abilities. Howl is deeply ashamed of himself and his inability to be perfect, shown extensively through his attempt to curate everything about his appearance and life perfectly. Superfish, at the very least, has built a life revolving around being on the move. To him, being perpetually hunted down is perfectly normal. As is running away from his own nature and inclinations.

As Howl grows, he lets Calcifer go and loses the magic that kept the moving castle together in such a specific way. However, he gains a certain freedom to be human.

"Every witch is crafted with their own core."

In ancient alchemy and modern-day science-fiction, homunculi (generally) are miniature humanoid beings created through artificial means. The concept of the "artificial human" has been central in many works, and is often used to explore the themes surrounding identity, autonomy, and self hood.

While I do not have a reference to his exact words, when asked if Superfish could possibly be half-human and half-witch, pegl0 has repeatedly stated that there can never be such a thing as a half-witch. This can have numerous implications,

Perhaps, witchhood is not biologically transmissible. Instead, anyone who has a witch's core attached to them is effectively a witch. However, the physical strength and durability needed to harness the witch's core's magic is not something most species naturally have.

It may simply be a nod to witches despising other species to the point that they would never procreate with another species.

Or, it may be implying that witches themselves are infertile. If they cannot procreate naturally, that would explain a lot about them, including their hatred of humans, who look quite similar to them but are capable of naturally reproducing and increasing their ranks.

Superfish's own statement can be interpreted in multiple ways,

Perhaps, it was just phrased strangely and is simply explaining that every witch receives a core at birth that is crafted specifically for them. Hence, it's not the witch themself that's "crafted" but simply their core.

Or, witches are artificially created in some way to be able to harness the magical power of the witch's core.

Pegl0 has elaborated upon witch cores a few times,

Witch cores effectively function like parasites, preferring living hosts over inanimate ones.

They are the source of a witch's magical abilities, immortality, lack of physical aging, and near invulnerability.

Older witch cores are stronger.

He has also stated that "witches have existed since the beginning and are a completely different species" when asked about their origins, and whether they may have evolved from humans. He did not elaborate as the rest would constitute spoilers.

Taking all this into account, I propose one theory for how witches may have come to exist,

In ancient times, Obscaria somehow came to exist as an alternate dimension.

Humans may have found their way into this dimension at some point, and then encountered magic and witch cores.

They may have learnt to change and enhance their physical characteristics using potion magic, eventually differentiating themselves as a species and gaining the ability to effectively wield witch cores. They may have also learnt to create witch cores on their own, albeit ones which are not as strong as the naturally occurring ones.

However, it may have come at the cost of other biological functions.

Even in human biology, the processes governing reproduction and longevity are set in opposition. Based on research conducted on various proportions of carbohydrates and proteins in animal diets (Eat Like The Animals is an excellent book exploring the subject), we have learnt that the functions that favor greater reproductive fertility lead to a reduction in lifespan.

Hence, it is possible that,

By enhancing themselves this way, witches differentiated themselves as a species at the cost of the ability to reproduce.

Since then, they may have either taken to using human sacrifices to create more witches, or simply creating them from the scratch using various materials, which would explain how "every witch is crafted with their own core."

It would also explain why witches despise humans and anything connected to them. Wouldn't it be aggravating if a species you see as being "worthless, annoying, and weak" didn't have to work so extensively to increase their numbers, unlike you? Especially if your species has created a society where power and hierarchies are everything, and it functions as a totalitarian and authoritarian regime.

Since one of the definitions of what constitutes "life" is an ability to reproduce, witches too may be "undead" in some way. Not alive. Not dead either. Instead inhabiting a liminal space the way viruses do in biology.

Day 0 -> Tuesday, Full Moon: The Occult Club visits an abandoned house. DJ meets Superfish, absorbs the core, and collapses.

Day 1 -> Wednesday: DJ learns what has happened. Superfish joins his school. DJ and Superfish strike a deal to cooperate with each other until the situation is resolved. DJ goes home, finishes his chores, and has a nightmare.

Day 2 -> Thursday: DJ wakes up, goes to school, and ends up in a fight with some bullies. Superfish assists him and they both end up in detention, where Superfish comes up with an idea. DJ's bike is found broken, so Superfish drops him off.

Day 3 -> Friday: Superfish shows up early morning at DJ's house with a new potion idea. They go to school. Mandy shows up, wanting to run for captaincy of the Occult Club. Superdish and DJ get the first ingredient—a thera-beetle. DJ asks his brother if he has the weekend off, and if so maybe they could do stuff together tomorrow. DJ is attacked by a werewolf. Superfish saves him and stays over.

ORIGINS

Unknown

BIOLOGY

A. PURE-BLOOD WEREWOLVES

Born to two similarly pure-blooded werewolves.

B. HALF-BLOOD WEREWOLVES

Born to one werewolf parent and one parent of another species, or turned into a werewolf later in life.

KNOWN ABILITIES

A. GENERIC

Enhanced strength and musculature,

Long distance jumping,

Better agility and reflexes.

B. SUB-SPECIES SPECIFIC

I. HALF-BLOOD WEREWOLVES

Partial werewolf transformation (except on the full moon, when they may transform into their full werewolf forms but also cannot control themselves).

II. PURE-BLOOD WEREWOLVES

Full werewolf transformation (and the ability to exert greater control over themselves even during a full moon with training),

Turning other species into werewolves.

CULTURE

A. COMMUNITIES

Found in both Obscaria and the human world, werewolf communities are widespread and often large. They tend to get along with humans and many even have families with them.

B. STANDING IN OBSCARIA

Due to their association with humans, their entire species is seen as "polluted." Even pure-blood werewolves are discriminated against and occupy a lower strata in Obscarian society.