Introduction
"What A Beautiful..." is a Steampunk Series created by Hikaru Sakurai and developed by Liar-soft. The Series is set in an early 20th Century Steampunk Universe that is quite similar to ours but has many changes and consists of Lovecraftian elements. The following blog would provide an in-depth explanation of the timeline of events, the cosmology of the verse, and the different concepts present in the series from the Visual Novels, Light Novels, Websites, and Guidebooks.
Timeline
The chronology of the series starts with the first VN "Souten no Celenaria" which is set in 1902 and is currently in 1909 with "Ourai no Gahkthun". The chronological order of the series so far:
- Souten no Celenaria: ~What a Beautiful World~
- Sekien no Inganock: ~What Beautiful People~
- Shikkoku no Sharnoth: ~What a Beautiful Tomorrow~
- Hikari no Valusia: ~What Beautiful Hopes~
- Shiei no Sona Nyl: ~What Beautiful Memories~
- Ourai no Gahkthun: ~What Shining Braves~
- Ourai no Gahkthun: ~What a Shining Night~
- Kaijin no Karsheel: ~What a Beautiful Sanctuary~
- Shunkyoku no Tyrhhia: ~What a Beautiful Dawn~
Some information on the timeline as well as the story of the VNs from the guidebook (The events of Inganock Takes Place from 1903-1904 despite being listed 19XX in the guidebook which can be accredited to Grimm Grimm's Time Slowing effect on the City):
However, the actual timeline starts from 1822 AD when Randolph Carter goes on an expedition and comes in contact with the Land of Kadath from where Earth and Kadath develop a mutually beneficial relationship that not only rapidly develops the technological progress and societal conditions of both worlds but also brings bizarre paranormal events to them. A Timeline of events in the series till 1908 (Begininning of Gahkthun) from the guidebook:
Cosmology
The entire verse is a Multiverse so far that consists of different Universes and at one point, the verse had Infinitely growing/multiplying Infinite upon Infinite series of multilayered and stacked Universes (Some of which was absorbed/devoured by the Jet Black beyond space, time, and causality).
— Sharnoth Promo Story |
Moreover, there are mentions of New World in Ourai no Gahkthun from where the Thunderbird entity originated but no further info is given about it except for the fact that it exists outside of Reality where Nikola Tesla was able to come into contact with the Ancient Spirit Thunderbird.
Furthermore, in the "Engine Dictionary" book, there is also mention of a "World of Histories" from where The Moon King aka Thomas Alva Edison came from.
— Sharnoth Fandisk |
— Steampunk Engine Dictionary |
However, there are two main places in the series where all the events of the VNs and Novels take place. They are Earth and Kadath which are two planets. Earth is our regular world where Steam Engine has developed tremendously and has significantly changed the lives of the people. Kadath is a planet that's stated to be bigger than the Earth and where beings of different species as well as humanoids are found. Kadath was first discovered by Randolph Carter in 1822 and since then, both planets and their people have been able to develop a state of co-existence and mutually beneficial relationships with each other in terms of business, travels, import & export, and so on.
Some information on both Earth and Kadath from the guidebook as well as from the Visual Novels:
Concepts & Terminologies
The following section would give information on the various important concepts and terms found throughout the series to help the readers understand them properly as they are essential in the storyline of the entire series.
Engine
Engine is the term given to machines in the series, specifically and most Steam-Powered machines. They are used in the daily lives of the people for various purposes ranging from as simple as cooking to as complex as building and controlling giant mechas.
Crack Engines
Crack Engines are Engines or machines that are modified by the infusion of the Phenomenon Equation. They are mostly used as artificial limbs and replacement organs/body parts, however, they are also used to strengthen the mind as well as the body of the user and are capable of bending the Laws of Physics due to the presence of the equation in it.
Information Space
Information Space is a realm where information consisting of various events and things are connected. Information Space is technically not space and is more reminiscent of The Internet or Digital World where information is accumulated and stored from various engines. Individuals can easily copy the stored information from the Information Space into their brains just by looking at them even enabling them to memorize information worth thousands of pages long in mere seconds. The only way to access Information Space is to connect it with a connector machine and upon which not only the Subconsciousness of the individual would be sent to the Information Space, but they would also be recognized as High-Density Information Entity. Time is dilated in Information Space where one second in the realm is 1/10,000 second in Real Life.
Phenomenon Equation/Cracking
Phenomenon Equation aka Cracking or Cracking Effect or Astea Theory is a Formulae that has been developed by the Grand Priest Astea and was given to him initially by the Tick Tok Man aka Thomas Edison. Its an ability using which an individual would be able to produce phenomenon akin to Fairy Tale Magic that surpasses the Laws of Physics.
— Steampunk Engine Dictionary |
The use of the Equation can allow individuals to achieve various effects such as creating explosions and destructive force that exceeds firearms and explosive, destroying someone's nerves, restoring damaged body and cells, emitting lights, substituting matter, control flames, bending physics, stealing possibilities from people, creating Kikais and Critters, and so on.
However, not every Phenomenon Equation user is capable of performing all the desired effects and at most, they can perform two to three effects. Case in point is Dr. Gii (Protag of Sekien no Inganock) who can heal individuals as well as substitute matter and biological parts but is unable to perform any destructive type activity or even warp reality. Moreover, Phenomenon Equation is unable to change the nature of one's existence itself.
Cracking Field
Cracking Field is a dimension that exists within a rift in reality with the use of the Cracking Effect aka Phenomenon Equation and is capable of twisting the very fabric of the world. An integral aspect of Ourai no Gahkthun's story, the Cracking Field can be summoned from beyond reality by the members of the Governing Council of the Academia where they are to defeat their enemy within a specific time to get their wish granted.
Kikai
Kikai or Kikais are beings who are an extremely important part of Sekien no Inganock's story. They were created due to the Phenomenon Equation experiment (as shown above) 10 years ago and they are the possibilities of the 41 Unborn Children and as such, they never die, rot or decay as they have no material form and exist as possibilities. Kikais are the same as Critters/Creatures where both complement the other and as such, they can kill the latter.
Kikais are not a Life, but a possibility representing that, and as such, they have no life or death, and moreover, the concept of time does not exist for them.
Kikais are very similar to Stands from JJBA or Personas from Persona, however, some Kikai's are mass-produced using Amnerol called Zahhak and these are 33 in number but they are raw power with no individuality.
Critters/Creatures
Critters or Creatures are beings or entities who are also an extremely important part of Sekien no Inganock's story while making appearances in Ourai no Gahkthun and Shiei no Sona Nyl. They were also created due to the Phenomenon Equation experiment 10 years ago and started killing the people of Inganock. Formed from the 41 toys that were supposed to be given to the 41 Unborn Children, Critters/Creatures are powerful phenomena who are also the fearsome form of Death that can exist in Information Space.
Being a Phenomenon, Creatures are impervious to physical laws as well as being intangible existences and since they are the same as Kikais (as shown above), they also get the same physiology and basic abilities as the Kikais and vice-versa.
Critters/Creatures cannot be physically harmed, let alone defeated, except for their unique weaknesses. A trait of Critters/Creatures is that they imitate the forms of fairy tale beasts and have a spring-screw in their bodies that can be easily identified.
Critters/Creatures are capable of interacting with each other as well as with Kikais, Human Minds, and Souls.
Critters/Creatures also have the ability to release a sound that stiffens human minds by destroying their cranial nerves or collapsing their brains thereby inducing panic and insanity even if the humans' have their minds strengthened by Crack Engines. Moreover, critters can spread the Phenomenon of Death itself while they can also infect information and absorb them.
It is interesting to note that different Critters have different abilities and its difficult to survive their attacks because even if someone dodged their attacks, they would be affected by the passive abilities present in the nearby space or Area of Effect.
Metacritters/Metacreatures
Metacreatures or Metacritters are similar to Critters as they are Paranormal Phenomenon and Illusions existing in Reality. They are monsters born from Darkness and too warped to exist in the world and shouldn't exist outside of a fairy tale. They too are unaffected by human attacks such as guns, explosives, chemical reactions, etc much like Critters.
However, Metacreatures are not natural occurrences and are born from human hosts as these beings are forms of human passion and wish.
Metacreatures are capable of evolving and they can link their memories and mind with their hosts so that the hosts can see and feel their actions as well as pain. Moreover, when a Metacreature dies, the host not only loses their connection with Sharnoth forever as Metacreatures are born from Darkness, but they can also die as the minds are connected to the Metacreatures whereupon changes in mind can affect the matter/body as well.
Sharnoth
Sharnoth is a realm that is home to the fearsome being called the Black King, a entity not of this world controling the eternal chaotic world of Sharnoth and who himself is incarnate of an entire dark universe. The king rules the eternal world on his own and is completely alone.
Sharnoth itself is an eternal and infinite sized realm of complete blackness and nothingness where anyone (or even anything including sound itself) coming in contact completely ceases to exist and becomes nothingness and part of Sharnoth itself.
The colorless and soundless world of Sharnoth itself has no time and as such, time never passes in this realm, and neither its effect on human beings is present in it. Moreover, there are countless Sharnoths where one is for each human, and as many Sharnoth exists as there are humans.
However, the world of Sharnoth (or the countless Sharnoths) itself is an extension of the Black King and the black city of Sharnoth exists in the eyes of M, an avatar of the Black King. Sharnoth is the way it is (aka Nothingness) because of M/Black King who feels nothing.
However, at the end of the VN, when Mary made the Black King feel love and hope, Fissures of Light ran through the worlds of Sharnoth and the Jet Black Sharnoth completely disappeared while destroying Baron Münchhausen who was the dark aspect of the Black King.
Art
Art is a crucial part of Ourai no Gahkthun's plot. In simple terms, Art is a superpower or supernatural power bestowed upon to the students in the Academia, and those who wield or use Arts are called Art-Bearers. However, Arts are beyond the bounds of logic itself and this is due to the fact that Art is an expression of the Cracking Effect itself.