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Do you think Cinnabar could have stopped/convinced Phos from going to the moon in chapter 52? For example instead of Cinnabar changing her dialogue to 'Be careful' and says 'Don't go!' like they did. How will that effect the story? Or if Phos still went would Cinnabar's actions changes Phos's actions.

you know that thing Phos does where they routinely come to cinnabar and spill their guts about their next genius plan and then disappear and leave cinnabar alone again?

cause it’s exactly what happens in ch 52 and it’s what causes the rift between phos and shinsha. 

so lets spill some tea on how shinsha was going to follow phos to the moon and on how phos sank our ship

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a long ass meta about Euclase

this could very well backfire since we’re getting a new chap soon but yeah. ive been thinking about euc a lot lately so i hope to make them justice anyway?  please feel free to add to this or call me out if i missed something.

this post contains:

thoughts on Euc’s journey from shadow leader to Sensei 2.0

an analysis of Euc’s character & personality

Euc’s goal and why they’re protecting Adamant

predictions on what Euc will do when they learn that Adamant is basically a magnet for lunarians

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[kineticpoppy]

on ch 82 and what the hell is the deal with phos

super long wall of words ahead, you’ve been warned. also, im not qualified to discuss the emotional effects of trauma, so please correct me where im wrong and don’t hesitate to add on this post

contains an analysis of phos’ character arc, explanation on why and how they snapped and what might happen to our child next:

1. genki phos 2. post winter phos 3. laphos 4. on trauma 5. on snapping 6. speculations about the future

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Do you have any HCs about the ice floes? I'm re watching the anime and it got me thinking about them; Kongo-sensei calls them "sinful ones", does that mean they're human remains? Are they unformed gems with a collective hive mind when frozen?

@red-dia is the queen of ice floes headcanons (this post right here is awesome).

I agree that the ice floes must contain inclusions because they are sentient in a way and they take the form of Lunarian vessels. If you assume that inclusions are more or less the same thing as human particles, then it makes sense that Sensei won’t pray for them.

Both the ice floes and the Lunarians are “dregs of ancient species,” they retain a certain degree of humanity, qualities that Sensei either despises or was taught to despise because he will not pray for the moon people. Just like he will keep calling ice floes “the sinful ones.” 

As @berebitsuki pointed out some time ago, we know that the lustrous originate from the ocean, from the sedimentation of organic organisms that turned into inclusions and then formed some kind of symbiosis with a gemstone. It makes a lot of sense that Red Diamond was the first Lustrous to be born. Diamonds are made of carbon, just like most of the human body. But if Lunarians, Ice Floes and Lustrous all contain the same brand of inclusions/human particles, then why does Sensei love the Lustrous?

One reason could be that the Lustrous are just too different from humans. This could depend on the quantity or quality of the inclusions present in their bodies. Inclusions coming from ‘bad/idle’ humans might not have found their way to being reborn sentient in the reincarnation process: some of them just became ice floes. 

Being born a Lustrous is incredibly rare and difficult, it might be that Sensei admires the gems for the mere fact that they were born. It must have taken their inclusions thousands of years of perseverance and willpower to come to this world as a gem. 

The gems are very similar to children in the way they act. It might even be that the inclusions that formed them actually come from human children. I do not recollect seeing children among the moon people, the Lunarians are all adults. 

Now I don’t know if this applies to Buddhism as well, because children would still be the reincarnation of adults, but it could be that the gems were given a second chance at nirvana while the sinful adults were just trapped inside the ice floes or among the moon people.  

[kineticpoppy]

slugs? leaks? murder? poor phos, but really whats happening? can't they dip them to unshell them, why was phos thinking of the Admirabilis? can't they recover the other lustrous without sacrificing the snails? ÷c they were thinking of them bc they die... oh (*ﾟﾛﾟ)

(also answering to all the other nonnies and users who asked about this like @ryusei-fox: @da-eto-dlya-vas  andfour-eyed-floozy)

Problem: the Admirabilis ate more or less half of the gem dust and incorporated it in their shells. Many Admirabilis can no longer live without their shells, how do you retrieve the gem dust without causing a genocide?

Simple solution: let’s just drop all the Admirabilis in the ocean so they take on their humanoid form and drop their shells.

Problem 2: as per Variegatus’ words, at least 5 generations have passed since Ventricosus’ reign and, according to Barbata, Admirabilis evolve and mutate at an alarming pace. Many Admirabilis might not have a humanoid form anymore.

Natural selection tends to favor the most efficient and resilient mutations. The Admirabilis that are currently on the moon have most likely never seen Earth or the ocean: they do not need a humanoid form so they might have lost the ability to acquire one.

A partial solution to the gem dust problem would still be to harvest all the available shells. Then one could prevent the current Admirabilis from eating more gem dust and wait until the Admirabilis who ate it and cannot be separated from their shell die. Their average life span (~25 years) is quite short when compared to that of lunarians and gems.

Can Admirabilis survive without eating gem dust, though? What is the use that lunarians make of Admirabilis? Will they allow them to be breed like that just for the gems’ sake? Is this ethical? Will the other gems have the patience/ agree with this plan/ advocate for a genocide instead? And, ultimately, is all this trouble worth it?

Just like the other lustrous, Phos just assumed that, whatever happened to the gems on the moon, they were still alive, because gems cannot die. Death is such a weird concept for them that you can’t really blame Phos and the others for never thinking that it could happen to someone of their kind. And yet it did.

Even if, with immense effort, some gems can be brought back, they will not be the gems they were before. They will have no memories, maybe no personality or a completely different personality. The gems they once were are gone forever. And let’s not even mention gems below the hardness of 4. Those are straight up gone for good.

So, really, what’s the point of bringing the gems back when it basically means creating new gems from scratch. No one will be reunited with their long lost partner, because change is HnK’s core motif and that means that you cannot undo your actions. There is no way back, you can only move forward. Your actions have consequences and you must accept it.

As much as I’m digging the ethical implications of breeding out or manipulating the Admirabilis, I think that it would be even more interesting to see where Phos will go from here. What will happen if they give up on the project of restoring the gems? How will the other gems respond to that? What will Phos’ next goal be?

[kineticpoppy]

tell us of her other works, ¿what are your thoughts on them? ¿should we give it a read?, or ¿do we wait and recover from ch.73 a bit more? at least the TALL MEGA BARA au give me some closure

gosh there’s just so much to unpack and i’d like to read them again before i attempt any analysis of her works. But YES do give them a chance if you like Ichikawa’s style. Just be prepared for very ‘dense’ stories: Ichikawa’s storytelling tends to be quite layered and tackle quite a variety of topics.

I’ve only read the Mushi to Uta collection so far and I’m a big fan of the delicate way she can narrate things. There is so, so much to unpack in each page, nothing is left to chance, but the general mood is always soft, extremely delicate. You are bound to miss details of what’s going on below the surface and that is why Ichikawa can narrate very heavy topics and unsettling things in a respectful and careful way. 

I think this shows in HnK as well. For example, you can argue that Phos has ptsd and that Yellow is depressed, but there are still a lot of humorous moments. It is never ‘flat’ or oversimplistic, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Ichikawa always tries to mundane things up, if that makes sense. And it works really well, not to mention it makes everything more humane.

One thing I’m particularly interested in is what Ichikawa deems an appropriate conclusion for a story. It’s the reason I started reading her works, cause I’m still hoping to break the HnK code (which i’m not very confident about, but one can dream). Her finales, in particular, tend to be open. 

The stories are usually presented as circular narratives and the characters have to face the same issues/choices/challenges again over a set period of time. And they can either learn from this and make better choices, start anew, or be stuck in this never-ending cycle of repetitions. 

It’s very evident in Star Child and Mushi to Uta as well as in the way Ichikawa tackles the concept of rebirth. Phos is another great example: they just keep being reborn, over and over again.

I believe Ichikawa herself is interested in the concept of change, especially when applied to relationships: can they change? become better? worse? can we, as people, actually change and break free of what is making us unhappy/ achieve our goals? 

She seems to lean toward a somewhat positive stance, but I think she is still debating over this and HnK is a perfect example. Phos is moving in circles, facing new challenges and being confronted with the same problems. How will it end? Will they be free from samsara/sufferance? Will they find a use? A job for Cinnabar? Will they reach the truth? Is truth even attainable? 

One reason HnK is so interesting to read is that Ichikawa is able to communicate her passion and insecurities about these issues. She doesn’t know the answers and that’s okay because we, as readers and as humans, don’t know them either. Change, the meaning of life, relationships etc. are something each one of us has inquired about at some point, they are all powerful topics.

Another reason you should give her other stories a read is just to see Ichikawa grow as an artist. It’s so cool to see how she keeps incorporating the same ideas into newer stories: the archetype of the eternal child, the constant presence of orphans, creators, lonely/alone characters, artificial life, supernatural elements, allegories. 

Things like the concept of starting anew, losing (literal) parts of yourself, biotech, parent-child and sibling-sibling relationships are so important in HnK and they have been present in all her works. For example, it’s just pretty interesting how Mushi to Uta is about short lifespans while HnK’s characters are immortal and face the opposite problem.

There’s just so much to say about Ichikawa’s stories, and I didn’t even mention the visuals. They are meant to be read again and again. So if you are enjoying HnK I highly recommend you give her earlier works a chance too, if just to see Ichikawa mature as an author.

[kineticpoppy]

a comprehensive list of 7th treasure candidates

as suggested by nonnies, tumblr folks and yours truly since 2018:

cinnabar

padparadscha

red lexi

red diamond

red beryl

an admirabilis/ a shell / the snail that Cinnabar told Dia about

human blood

oxygen

cinnabar’s heart/ cinnaphos/ cinnabar’s hand in marriage/ a fulfilling marriage with cinnabar / a flower crown of red flowers so they can get married

phos voring cinnabar

the slim jims we made along the way

padpa’s counsel

the ruby antarc and phos found in ch 18

a piece of cinnabar stolen during the carnage

a piece of red diamond sensei has allegedly been holding onto

ptsd

the trauma we made along the way

a clone of phos

a gift/what phos truly wants: recognition and to disappear

a gem piece sensei and euc have collected on the shore

the blood from phos’ enemies

the red parts of watermelon tourmaline

another synthetic lunarian gem

therapy

all of our tears

salt / ketchup /tapatio

yeet

Phos grows an angel core and starts 5th impact

red diamond, but dispensing hard candies

no treasure at all

shinsha but like, metaphorically

amalgam phos

Helidor’s red ribbon

a more stable mind

the gay(™)

the friends we made along the way

shinsha’s emo side

shinsha’s mercury

no 7th treasure, antarc comes back and slaps phos’ bs back into place

[kineticpoppy]

A few thoughts on chap.68

(spoilers below, duh)

ok, more like ‘a ton of thoughts’ because this chapter… this chapter breaks me in so many ways and its mood is borderline sickening. Also there are so many parallelisms in this chapter!

Phos is spiraling faster and faster into madness. If you think that gems live for thousands of years and that Phos was unconscious for 102 years, in their mind it’s like Antarc disappeared just a couple of days ago: it must be excruciating, and you can see their sorrow in everything they do. There’s just PAIN written all over that face and it breaks me.

This parallelism breaks me exactly because of this: Phos is saying Antarc’s words, they are still stuck in that day, on the shore, with gold shutting their mouth and metal tears spilling out of their eyes for the first time. They never recovered.

But I’m really glad we got some more Padparadsha moments. I love how they are always this cool, laid-back voice of reason: they are everyone’s senior (except for Yellow) and they are going to take care of everyone, starting with this young, lost child. I love how they get Phos’ train of thoughts right away and how they just understand their pain, but can still make Phos reason. So here’s another parallelism (this time from chapter 29):

What was truly sickening about this chapter though was Aechmea. How he influenced Cairngorm, how he acted as their knight in shining armor first, and loving father second, being the first and only one to recognize their individuality, complimenting them, dressing them up (as he did with Phos, trying to integrate them into his society, his point of view). 

He separated Cairngorm from the rest of the gems, taking them under his ‘protection’ but most of all his influence. He needs an ally and he doesn’t trust Phos: he saw the way Phos broke down when he told them he couldn’t restore every gem from dust. Phos hates him, he can’t work with them and so, being the schemer he is, he’s setting up all the backup plans he can. I would bet that, once he has no use for Cairn, he will just throw him away. 

I don’t mean to say that Cairngorm got brainwashed or forced into doing things they didn’t want to do, but Aechmea is definitely acting in a way that will influence them to take a certain trail of action. Aechmea is contradicting himself: acting a lot like sensei, but lacking Adamant’s sincerity and selflessness.

Cairngorm was the one to warn Phos about not trusting Aechmea, and now they dote on him (yes, another parallelism is coming, from chap. 63):

BUT there are also a few light-hearted things that really helped ease the overall mood of the chapter and were too adorable to leave out:

these two adorable rocks, who lived hundred of years in what is basically a pre-industrial society and have no idea of how an elevator (or technology in general) works

there’s mention of Cinnabar, which is always a good thing!! please give my emo baby more space next time Ichikawa-sensei 

how Yellow changes their mind right-away just because Padpa asked them nicely finally some good Padpa-Yellow interaction

Cairngorm more than questionable fashion choices because, c’mon, we can’t leave them out now, can we?

And that’s all for now, sorry for the rant

[kineticpoppy]

Ok boys, this is an ambitious post about Ghost and Cairngorm

 It took me quite a long time to prepare since i have yet to get fully used to tumblr’s layout, so please bear with me until the end and if you find this interesting, reblog.

Let’s get into it.

I decided to go back to the beginning, to find out wether what we see in chapter 67 and further is really Cairngorm or not.

I’m gonna jump straight to the point, and then explain thanks to the panels I put above:

THAT IS NOT CAIRNGORM’S TRUE NATURE.

In panel n.2, we can see how much Ghost and Cairngorm admired and trusted Lapis, ending the sequence at the end of panel n.3, in which Ghost says something really powerful: “WE BOTH LIVED BY LAPIS’ INSTRUCTIONS”.

Now, we can see how Cairngorm, over the time, repeatedly took control over Ghost, just as they do in panel n.1, almost getting kidnapped just for the sake of trying to save Lapis, as Ghost explains in panel n.3

Then, in panel n.4, Ghost and Phos pair up, but let’s not forget about a crucial point, Ghost is really shy and their personality is weak, submissive, in a way that they need both Sensei’s and Cairngorm’s approval before asking Phos to team up. Moreover, this serves as a proof that Cairngorm actually liked Phos, even if just a bit.

Off to the most important part of this whole post, the scene in which Ghost gets chipped off her own body and is brought to the moon (panel n.5-6-7)

Nobody has ever had the chance to have an heads up with Ghost’s inner layer, as it had never been, obviously, exposed so much and for so long. The only ones to know Cairngorm’s truest nature were Ghost (obv) and Lapis, being their partner and their idol.

And it’s in fact Ghost who gives us the truest description about Cairn, in panel n.5, right before dying: “you’re rude, violent and selfish, and it goes without saying that you’re annoying, and that Lapis doesn’t come back, and causing trouble for everyone, I’ve been thinking that all of that is your fault.”

Obviously this isn’t meant to be thought of as hatred, instead it is actually really tender and almost sweet, since then the dialogue changes and it becomes plain and simple Ghost’s last words and wish.

Cairngorm is devastated by Ghost’s departure, and that just broke my heart for a long time, especially thinking about the fact that Cairngorm didn’t lost a friend or partner: they lost a part of themself.

In fact, they went from kinda liking Phos, to outright being annoyed by them, to the point of smashing their face out of pure rage.

Then, there has been that period of time, going from Ghost’s kidnapping to the dialogue with Aechmea, in which we saw the Cairngorm we all love and cherish.

Many of Cairn’s actions towards Phos may be, yes, justified only by the presence of Ghost in their eyes, but don’t let yourself be fooled, for Ichikawa is not a normal narrator, and we know how important details are.

In fact, after the opertation to remove Ghost’s inclusions from their eyes, Cairngorm changes incoherently, so they’re either:

Acting, using as excuse the fact that what the other gems and the Lunarians see is their true nature (but we know for sure that it is not, by looking closely to the fact that Cairngorm themself used to manipulate Ghost from the inside, making them rude and all of that, so it doesn’t make sense for them to be any different from what they used to be while manipulating Ghost) and thus being free to do whatever they want and gather whatever kind of information without looking suspicious.

Being strongly manipulated by Aechmea, just like many are thinking of Padparadscha as well.

This is definitely my call on what’s happening to Cairngorm, using as proof what I said just above about their relationship with Ghost, and the fact that they do not care anymore for Lapis, which also seems incoherent since their love for Lapis was not influenced by Ghost’s inclusions, as Ghost says that their love for Lapis was one of the few thing they both agreed on.

Whew, and I guess that’s all. 

I’m deeply sorry if it was too chaotic or if it was unclear, feel free to add stuff to prove or disprove what I’ve said, afterall the reason I did this is to give you guys a conversation starter. I feel like I’ve forgotten to write something or to give a “silver thread” to what I’ve written, but it’s okay this way.

[kineticpoppy]

remade that one Antarc art, will see if i like it in the morning

[kineticpoppy]

Phosphophyllite and the themes of change and permanence

In the very first chapter of Houseki no Kuni, the main character Phos, looks at their reflection that can bee seen on a near by pond. As Phos tries to figure out a cute hairstyle before meeting with Sensei, the reflection of Phos`s face shatters. In retrospect I find this small scene rather important and symbolic, since Phos changes in some regards both internally and externally quite radically, during the course of the series. Maybe so strongly that Phos cannot recognize themselves anymore. 

However I think there are also some things in Phos behavior and mindset, which they have not managed to change. In this post I`d like to take a closer look at the themes of change and permanence, that happens in Phos`s life. The structure of this post will be the following one:

- Change and stagnation: the paradox of Phos 

- Change versus permanence - Phos versus Euclase 

- The Ship of Theseus 

- Conclusion

Keep reading

[kineticpoppy]

What are your thoughts on Cairngorm in Houseki no Kuni?

Alright, let’s talk about Cairngorm Houseki no Kuni

First and foremost to understand Cairngorm you must understand Ghost. Several things established about Ghost from the get go, they have little self confidence, they idolize others especially Lapis, and they see Cairngorm as the embodiment of their flaws.

When Ghost is musing to themselves about Canrigorm, they suggest that being able to be with somebody who is perfectly suited for you is true happiness and Phos agrees with the musing.

Ironically, Ghost and Cairn already had this relationship where no matter what they would be together and be able to understand each other, but ironically they are too similiar and because of that they clashed too often and loathed one another in the form of self loathing. Which is why Ghost clings to Lapis so much they see Lapis and their own relationship in idealized terms, that when they wee following Lapis they did not have to rely on their unreliable self. 

Which is also why Ghost blames themselves for Lapis’ departure. After all if Lapis was perfect then it could not be Lapis’ fault, it must have been something wrong with Ghost, for it is always something wrong with Ghost. To escape their own self loathing though, ghost blames all of their flaws on Cairngorm the quartz inside of them. 

The only praise they give to Cairn is how dependable they are, and wow… this is also the strongest trait that Cairn shows around Phos. It’s almost like something led them to believe that their dependability was their own good trait, and thus Cairngorm shows his dependability by being utterly devoted to Phos. 

To the point of self sacrifice and self ham to an extreme extent. However, their bond is not just Phos taking advantage of Cairngorm’s complete and total loyalty towards them. It’s very much a two way street. The same way that Phos projects antarcticite onto Cairn, Cairn projects Lapis onto Phos. They are from the beginning both looking for other people who once gave them a place of belonging in each other, and in that way as well both looking for a place of belonging in their roles to each other.

The same way that Cairn is Phos’ partner that will never leave him after losing the previous two, Cairn’s total devotion to Phos gives them a job that will never end and a reason to keep on being, when they were used to just being the inside of Ghost and having no purpose or use beyond that.

Which is why what Achmea says in this chapter is partially a manipulation on his part. It was not just Phos taking advantage of Cairn’s loyalty, Cairn got something out of their relationship as well.

Cairngorm is in the end, somebody who shares Ghost Quartz’s flaws. That applies to the way they deal with others as well. Cairn wants to escape themselves who they always see as poor and flawed, and instead cling onto somebody who sees them as better than they are. 

It’s just as likely to be their own low sense of self worth that drives their abnormal devotion than it is a phantom promise from Ghost Quartz.

Aechmea even suggests that nobody notices Cairn’s loyalty is unhealthy, almost as is to suggest they did not want to notice. Then, immediately afterwards they are the first person to compliment the dark nature of their quart which Ghost in the past referred to as a black thing and ugly.

Immediately afterwards, Cairn completely attaches themselves to Aechmea. It’s almost like… the symptoms are being treated but not the cause. Cairngorm’s central tendency is still to attach themselves to others to make up for the self love they can’t give themselves. The just chose a new target this time around to the point of completely losing interest in Phos, the same way Cairngorm lost interest in Lapis after moving onto Phos. 

So, Cairngorm regaining his sense of self is probably not going to be achieved only through the prince, and there’s definitely an element of manipulation to it, but it’s still important progress for them to let go of what they once clung to for a little while in order to eventually re-evaluate it and then redefine what those things mean to them on their own terms, and not just what Ghost told them to feel, or what they wanted to cling to to avoid thinking about themselves. 

[kineticpoppy]

Just a theory about Phos’s body and HnK’s story, base on ‘Seven Treasures of Buddhism’.

Jan 26th 2018.

[kineticpoppy]

:)

[kineticpoppy]

Just a theory about Phos’s body and HnK’s story, base on ‘Seven Treasures of Buddhism’.

Jan 26th 2018.

[kineticpoppy]

雪君snow | 宝石之国——幻想曲

※Permission to upload this was given by the artist. Do not remove the source or reprint without permission.