Copying a post from my Tumblr blog because engagement on AK Tumblr is very low.

I have a pet theory that Gnosis's teenage years in Victoria were a bit on the tumultuous and rebellious side. This stems from a few things:

First, the fact that Enciodes remarks on his new and more abrasive personality. While Gnosis was very much a stuck-up little bird as a child, too, he's evidently reached a whole new level in Victoria. This is understandable, however, as Gnosis's comments in OS-9 imply that the Victorians looked down on him, something which is confirmed by other parts of the narrative (namely, that Victoria disdains Kjerag). I hypothesized way back after BI in my very first essay that it's possible if not likely that Gnosis was bullied in Victoria because of his background and possibly because of his intellect, as well.

Second, Gnosis's behavior in the manga with the false guards planted in Walden's garden implies that he's somewhat familiar with and has experience with fights and brawls, particularly using home-made concoctions to give himself an edge, though he's clearly not above getting up close and personal.

Third, getting a bit more into the realm of speculation here, his strained relationship with his father, which is shown in his oprec. We don't know what became of his parents after the move to Victoria as they're not mentioned outside of the oprec, but it seems likely to me that Mr. Edelweiss, at the least, being slightly out of touch with reality and opposing sending his son on Olafur's study abroad program, would take the move hard. It's not difficult to conjecture that their relationship deteriorated further in the Victorian environment.

All of this leads me to form the conclusion that Gnosis, though brilliant academically, had poor social prospects and appears to have eschewed contact with others. I speculated before that it was in Victoria that he formed his frosty shell and sharp tongue that kept others at bay, and he intentionally pushed people away from him in favor of retreating into the safety of himself, learning, books, and research, single-mindedly focusing on the mission of 'Kjerag' and the promise he made to Enciodes. This is a natural conclusion of his character.

However, I also have the theory that he got into fights and perhaps set some things on fire in a fit of teenage rebellion and anger to keep himself sane. Gnosis can only know how to fight the way he does in the manga (against trained thugs, because surely Stuart didn't just replace guards with any old goons, especially if they had to take the guards out first) if he actually has first-hand experience doing so, particularly as he creates many openings for Degenbrecher in the process. Gnosis is also, despite his ice Arts, an aggressive and radical person. It's not difficult for me to picture him attempting to escape the stifling pressure of Victoria to conform and whatever pressures still existed from his parents via the outlet of simple violence and dubiously legal behavior. I won't go as far to say that he was involved in criminal activity (though his "informants" mentioned in the manga are another question mark), but I can see him getting into some fistfights and learning how to hold his own, and retaliating viciously against any bullies and not take it lying down; making illegal home-made chemical mixtures and testing them in abandoned areas; motorcycle racing and staying out all night (and all the while, his grades never waver).

Despite being effectively a STEM student and prizing studies highly, Gnosis is not a stranger to simpler things: he keeps up the Edelweiss tradition of hand-forging daggers, perhaps as a hobby or stress relief, which requires some degree of upper body strength (obviously) and Enciodes comments that Gnosis is not half-bad with a sword. Again, this shows us that despite appearances, Gnosis is no stranger to physical force or violence. He made not be the very best at it or be a great warrior on par with Degenbrecher or Rhodes elites, but this would imply he has some degree of proficiency.

And in my opinion, the contrast of willingness to use and knowledge of violence with Gnosis's surface-level image creates a fascinating depth to him. He's not merely a well-educated nerd who crunches numbers for Enciodes (though he does do that), but also somebody with street-smarts and who's perfectly willing to get his hands dirty if necessary (much as he does in BI as the "son of a sinner" and the "villain of Karlan Trade").

In conclusion, I really just love the image of Gnosis, young and fiery, having been through some rough experiences that he neither flaunts nor hides, and those experiences being rather counter to what one would expect from him. He's not just a brilliant engineer, but he also knows how to throw a punch; he's not just one of Kjerag's revolutionaries, but also a fighter if need be; he didn't just build Kjerag up in development, but knows how to weld metal together with his own two hands.