User blog:Servant of Evillious/Seven Deadly Sinners: Banica Conchita of Gluttony

Introduction
This will be the first in a series of analyses on the characters in Evillious that commit one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In essence, this is a glorified personality section that is mired in speculation to understand the psychology behind some of these characters as well as their connections to the overall story. Mothy's universe is fascinating because of how he evokes the classic feel of fairytales, tragedies, and macabres that continue to excite the imagination with images and feelings of terror and/or sorrow.

Now there is a reason I am starting with Banica Conchita. For one, it was a decision between her or Venomania on who to dissect first and, with the Venomania novel already out, I decided it would be better to postpone Venomania's analysis until all the information is translated. Banica Conchita has a lot of information already released via the events listed on her Revised PV. With the gluttony novel advertised for this year, we can consider this a good way to get hyped for that light novel's release.

The purpose of this analysis is to look into Conchita's life and truly understand her reasons and why she does some of the things she does. Of course, this analysis is not here to justify her inhumane actions and this is no way a method of rationalizing something that is utterly unthinkable to the average human being. However, Mothy's characters, even the most vial and abhorrent, are deep and there is a human-like progression in their ultimate downfalls.

As a result, let's pour into the life of Banica Conchita, the Repulsive Food Eater herself...



Banica Conchita
Well, what is it that we know about Banica Conchita? Surprisingly, a lot. She has popped up in one form or another rather often in Story of Evil and is one of the few characters in the series to have several rereleases of her song, one actually being a full remake of the original song without the lyrics.

So what makes Mothy seem to have such a fascination with this character? Well for one, she is among the most vilifying of the sinners, both remorseless and almost psychopathic in her obsessions. She is also probably among the most memorable for her just desserts (pun intended) at the end of her song. With the Conchita novel releasing this year, the big question is probably how she manages to defy physics and not only completely devour herself but leave no evidence of doing so. 

Another bit of trivia that is worth noting is her lineage. She is related to Duke ****s-alot himself: Venomania. For <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">one, this puts Germaine in Venomania's bloodline through Conchita (both these facts are revealed via the <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Venomania novel), which adds a bit of humor as well as intrigue to all these characters and what this will mean for future installments by Mothy. Do these facts hold any signifigance? Why add them? Was it just to explain the fact that MEIKO was reused for so many characters? There is a lot to speculate about from whimsical to in-depth.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">So this character has a lot to her on just the surface that helps her stand out among other MEIKO incarnations both within and without Evillious. The question is, why does it matter? Well, with a growing importance to the story and hidden ambitions lurking within the plot (more on that below), anything and everything is important to know about this character. So let us start where it all begins:

The Origin
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Note: All translations referenced and interpreted originate from <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:blue">here <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Well somewhere after Duke Lance-alot found his holy grail, the family tree adopted the name "Conchita" and had a little baby Banica with a weight of 3 kg. For the average baby weight today, it is about the average although mostly babies are born close to the 2.5 kg or 3.5 kg than in the middle, so you could say she was on the heavier side for a newborn, especially since the more "mideval" setting implies the idea that Conchita should have been a smaller, thinner baby girl.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">With this, you could make the connect that Conchita was born predestined to like food and like it she did. However, when she was ten years old, her mother died. There are two reactions she could have about this. Either she was grieved by the loss of her mother or she was apathetic toward it. I personally would like to believe it caused her great sadness simply because of her reaction to her father's death years later (more on that below).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Now when she is 15, Conchita is engaged to a prince of Marlon. A year later, the engagement is cancelled and nobody seems to be telling what happened. Only thing that is noted is that this is around the time Banica picked up her opsomania, becoming obsessed with foods. This event is probably among the first defining moments of her life for several reasons:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">
 * 1) <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:     "Times New Roman"">It puts her on bad terms with the Marlons and perhaps hints at a resentment of the Marlon Royal Family.
 * 2) <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:     "Times New Roman"">This is a possible place that Conchita picked up her glass that became a vessel of sin.
 * 3) <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:     "Times New Roman"">It is likely another event that hurts Conchita deeply.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">There is a lot more to that, however. For one, 1 and 3 seem to be connected and give off a characteristic about Conchita that is rather striking: she has trouble with relationships. Her mother dies when she is 10 and five years later, her engagement to a prince ends in failure. The underlying impression is that whatever happened, whether related to her gluttonous appetite or not, she was ostracized and left resentful. The reason I speculate this theme of struggling with others and isolating herself is because it will pop up again as we move along.

Where did it start?
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The next big point is the glass of Conchita. Conchita is among the few that we don't know how it ended up coming into her possession. Unlike say, Gallerian or Margarita who are implied to have either been given it or discovered it on their own, Conchita's glass is a general mystery. There are multiple places it could have appeared along with a certain someone who shall not be named.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Probably the most important thing to note is that this is, whether affected by a sin vessel or not, the first time Conchita begins showing her love for food. By EC 315, she was the talk of Beelzenia for all the different kinds of food she ate. A year later, when she is about 20, she travels outside Beelzenia and brings back recipes for many new cuisines. There isn’t much context for why she decides to do this and it is difficult to speculate a viable reason why besides the fact she is truly interested in the tastes of food.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">But that i <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">s not what is important. What follows three years later is. She arrives without an invitation to a harvest festival and participates in a tomato eating contest that she then wins, which eludes to either her growing appetite, her determination to win games, or both. The next month, she weighed 70 kg and three years later, she weighed over 100 kg.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">It is pretty clear by this that Conchita is losing control over her desire for foods, and she is not stopping. Some would call this an addiction, which it is, but I think there is more to it. In August of EC 321, her father dies of a heart attack. Assuming this was a natural occurrence and not caused by Conchita, it is hinted this is a tragic period in her life. While the translation isn’t completely clear, my interpretation of it is that her father’s death drove Banica into depression.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Suffering the loss of her only parent left, she indulges herself in her dining hall more and more. This is where I feel confident in saying that Conchita is bad at expressing herself and managing her relationships. Instead, she escapes to the nearest indulgence that can satisfy her, her love for foods, and drowns herself in it instead of dealing with her problems. This also helps explain how she eventually does commit the Epitome of Gluttony and go to cannibalism (More on that below).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Also, notice how nothing about the Marlons or her family is mentioned. When the gluttony novel releases, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some conflicts occurring behind the scenes that we don’t know about that are also causing eat... well, anything for comfort food.

Epitome of Gluttony
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Seven months later, she collapses and wanders between life and death for three days… Why? There is a reasonable possibility that this is Irina Clockworker’s big debut and that the Glass of Conchita pops up and the following events support this. This could also be related to her eating habits as I am sure not all the foods she eats are healthy. I am linking this to a power of the glass though because after she recovers, she returns to the public with an unnaturally thin figure and the glass had already caused deadly plagues like the Gula Disease.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The big question now is if there is a reason her figure downsized so quickly. She may be concerned with her appearance or perhaps it was simply a side effect of whatever afflicted her. However, this question is not only asked by us but by everyone who sees her as well. By November of EC 324, Lord Banica can’t take the questions anymore and locks herself in her castle, deferring the daily business of governing her territory to her Wicked Maid and Stupid Butler.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">So the theme of escape reaches a new level with her openly rejecting all meetings with anyone. She even gives up <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">her duty to govern her own land! Now I don’t know about you but the last people I would give the job of ruling my territory would be a pair of kids. It is pretty clear she has stopped caring about anyone and just wants to eat new and tasty foods that no one has ever had before.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Now, because of the song PV for Repulsive Food Eater Conchita, we know that Banica essentially goes rogue from the Beelzenian Empire and decides to just eat to her heart’s content endlessly. Rumors circulate around the Empire that Conchita has taken up cannibalism, especially after Joseph Crim goes missing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Speaking of which, let us talk about Crim. Legend says that he was a distant relative of the Marlon Royal Family. Well, that is interesting. The Marlons that rejected a marriage proposal between Banica and one of their sons is now eaten by the woman for wanting a vacation. I am certain the novel will elaborate on this supposed relationship but I believe Conchita knew he was a Marlon, or at least suspected that he was. This makes me believe that Conchita’s subconscious motivation for devouring the man was because he represented one of the more sad parts of her life and she wants to simply get rid of it. It could also be a twisted revenge in her mind for the possible humiliation the Marlons may have caused her, explaining the cruel punishment she gladly inflicted to him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">After that, Conchita has become completely lost in her desire for the most vial and disgusting food. Besides the fact her appetite continues to be degraded until she resorts to simply eating everyone in her castle, she ends up all alone. So the woman who possibly tried “eating” away at all her problems is now alone with nothing left to eat.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Either out of obsession to find the ultimate of “baddest” foods, the desire to escape from her criminal circumstances, or some insane desire to simply taste herself, Conchita commits suicide by committing the Sin of breaking the laws of physics! Besides being extremely disturbing, this is the final act of “escape” that prevails in Conchita’s life. By the time Beelzenia and Elluka get there, everyone is gone.

The Irina Connection
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Now, unlike in Lunacy of Duke Venomania, we don’t even get the slightest hint as to how Irina was involved here. Because of her direct involvement in both the Story of Evil and the Venomania Event, I have doubts she just sat in the background and watched for this one. I have a feeling she was directly involved at some point and later escaped and left. It is possible too, since she could has possessed a body Conchita devoured and left while possessing her stuffed cat to escape.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">It also makes sense that she did so, since Elluka doesn’t collect the glass after arriving to Conchita’s castle and it is in Ney’s possession through Abyss I.R. in Story of Evil.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal">

The Ney Connection
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Now we know that Ney uses Conchita’s glass because one of Gretel’s reincarnations (the Wicked Maid) served <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Conchita. Since I don’t have the book translated. How and why this gives her capabilities of wielding the glass that others cannot have is unknown to me so I will just assume the Maid’s undying loyalty gives her an intimate <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">connection to Conchita.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">For that same reason, I am not sure what Hansel and Gretel’s connection to Conchita is besides that she shares the appearance of Meta Salmhofer, their real mother. Considering Meta has no other known children, it is unlikely she is related to Conchita, although this may be a result of reincarnation. I personally would like to say it is a coincidence since Conchita being Meta’s reincarnation definitely creates a disconnect between these two characters.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal">

The Demon of Gluttony Connection
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">This is probably the one everyone cares about because of how it ties directly into the Master of the Graveyard. The novels have shown us that the vessels of sins get their powers from a demon that inhabits these objects. The demon is capable of possessing people as well and it seems they are not bound to the objects they inhabit   as the Demon of Gluttony travels through the Four Mirrors of Lucifenia, the Demon of Vanity’s vessel.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Why is this important to Conchita? Well, the Demon of Gluttony adopts her appearance and definitely hints at being the driving force behind her gluttonous behavior. Similarly, the Demon seems to have its own agenda, as it openly announces that it desires Hansel and Gretel to merge with the Glass for the future awakening of the Master of the Graveyard.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">It is also unclear how close the connection between the Sinner and the Sin are. Is the Demon adopting Conchita’s appearance only because she caused the Epitome or is her soul and merged with the glass as well? The answers to these questions also tell us a lot about the Master of the Graveyard, who has many characteristics and traits both the Demon and Conchita embody. It is possible that the Master is the Demon of Gluttony in human form which has some dark implications.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The Demon of Gluttony has its own agenda and the Master of the Graveyard is part of this agenda. If she truly is the Demon in Conchita’s form awakened from the glass, than her secret plans for the day of Utopia may have been part of the Demon’s schemes from the very beginning. It will be interesting to see how this vessel of sin compares to the likes of MA, Master of the Court, Gammon Octo, Waiter, and Irregular who also seem to harbor their own plans.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">More on Master of the Graveyard discussed here

Closing Statements
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Conchita definitely plays a large role throughout the timeline in one form or another and definitely has qualities that make her both more and less human in different aspects. On the one hand, she may just be a pitiable girl who wanted a way out from her sadness. On the other hand, these same reasons turned her into a cruel, hedonistic woman who gladly ate and ate at everything and everyone without a care.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I am interested in hearing other interpretations of this character. Is she someone to be pitied? Is she a monster to be vilified? Was she doomed by Irina to commit her sin? Was everything caused by her own gluttonous will? Discuss!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal">If you are intersted in seeing more discussions on the sinners, please help me decide which sinners below I should do next:

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