#asksfullofusgar

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi, I've been meaning to ask this for months but procrastinating has stopped me so before I forget again her it is. Ever since we got the new HxH chapters an old question has been resonating in my mind a bit and since you're the resident Nen expert here (I love your analysis on character's nen as well as the meta analysis of said characters) who better to ask this question to. I have a lot of points I'd like to touch (because of a bit of revelations we had in these new chapters) but to not make this long the summarized version is: Do you think it's possible for a character to forget/erase an ability they've created and what would the implication would be for doing so?

Hi!

This ia very cool concept tbh and I... don't really know :'') I can share my thoughts, though.

In general, I think that everything can be done with nen. So, for example, I think if you want to cancel an ability... you can, but just like it isn't easy to change your core self (and nen abilities are symbolic of who you are... unless you completely fuck up and come up with a very weak/superficial ability like Kastro did)... I think erasing an ability takes some effort.

For example, I don't think Kurapika would be able to erase Emperor Time that easily because it is symbolically linked to his survivor guilt. That said, I think it is possible for him to find a way to lessen its effects. To erase it, though, I think he should offer something in exchange.

Different is the case of Gon, whom I think sacrificed one of his possible futures and so can't use nen anymore. I don't think he has lost the ability to use nen, altogether. Rather, I think he has to re-learn it again, which means he might re-learn Jajanken or change ability altogether (at least, this is my favourite headcanon :''')).

One might also develop a jonen ability and try applying it on its own... maybe it wouldn't work for every ability, but might take away some effects for some...

Basically, just like there are many many many people, I think there are many many many ways to go about it... For example, a character that after a while becomes fed up with their ability might trade it to learn another power quickly. Wouldn't that be interesting?

Another idea is that one might come to refuse their previous self completely, which might lead to them becoming unconsciously unable to use nen... I think this would be manifestation of a very deep trauma. That said, we know nen can be unconscious... Think about geniuses or again think about Gon's transformation. His trade was mostly an unconscious and emotional choice. Not a planned and rational one.

And what about a character, who simply stops using their power? Just like one might develop an ability by training constantly, I deduce if you stop using it for a long time and you end up changing meanwhile... you might wake up one day with that ability not being part of you anymore... Of course this is only if you genuinelly change... not if you just repress who you are and refuse a power without addressing the deeper issues it represents...

In short, yes I think it can be done and that it can be done in many many ways. I don't think it is as easy as... okay then I am forgetting this ability. Still, if a person really wants to they can. Sometimes, it may happen even if they don't want to.

Thank you for this very interesting ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

What does magic symbolize in art?

Hi!

I mean... it really depends on the work :''')

For example, in Harry Potter magic is love. In Witch Hat Atelier, it is art. In other works it might be uniqueness. Or nature.

Not really a right answer here :''')

Thank you for your ask and sorry if I could not be of much help!

[aspoonofsugar]

Are Mercury and Emerald foils? How so?

Hello anon!

Yes, Emerald and Mercury are very strong foils and their foiling specifically serves Cinder’s arc other than their own.

I won’t repeat in detail why it is so since I have discussed it in the posts above already :)

However, you can find a synthesis with some additions in the following paragraphs!

WISH, FEARS AND THE CYCLE OF ABUSE

Let’s look at Em and Merc’s respective recruitment scenes:

Emerald is found hungry, in the middle of the day and after she has just stolen a jewel.

Mercury is taken in hurt, with his house on fire, in the middle of the night and after he has just killed his father.

Emerald is the Cinder that is hungry for things and steals them. She is the Cinder that wishes for something.

Mercury is the Cinder that keeps enduring abuse until it is too much and then sets things on fire. He is the Cinder broken by fear that has internalized she is bad.

Day and night. Hunger and fire. The thief and the butcher. Wishes and fear. Semblance and weapon. They are complementary in basically everything. Together they perfectly describe Cinder and why she has become who she is. In a sense, them (and not the Maiden powers) are her real slippers, her true selves and her two halves.

So, they are characters that, among other things, let us understand Cinder better because Cinder’s coping mechanisms are explored through them.

In particular, they make obvious why Cinder is unable to leave Salem and the cycle of abuse. To be more specific, Emerald and Mercury show different reasons why people are stuck in the cycle.

So why do people stay in the cylce of abuse? How can you steal their freedom away?

Desire and fear.

Desire blinds:

Delusion I'll steal til you’re blind and defeat you from inside your mind

Fear paralyzes:

So, Emerald stays with Salem’s inner circle despite disliking it out of desire. She wishes for Cinder’s love. She wants Cinder to be her family and thinks that if she is good enough, her wish will come true.

I mean, this is something touched on several times:

Salem: It's important not to lose sight of what drives us: Love, justice, reverence... But, the moment you put your desires before my own... they will be lost to you.

No matter how scared she is of Tyrian or Salem and how much she feels what she is doing is wrong. As long as there is hope for her wish to come true, she stays:

Emerald: Cinder. You’re here! I knew you’d co--

Cinder: Quiet.

It is only when she realizes that what she wants is an illusion that she is finally able to leave:

On one hand Emerald sees Cinder refusing her genuine care (taking the Grimm hand away from her hold) and accepting Salem’s twisted manipulation (taking Salem’s hand). On the other hand Emerald realizes that she is doing the exact same thing with Cinder:

Mercury: Would you stop trying to protect her already? She doesn’t care about you.

It is poignant that after this short moment of realization Emerald takes some timid steps towards leaving. What is more, there is this:

Yang: You’re gonna have to try and summarize it. Why should we trust you?

Ren: Because she’s scared. Just like us.

She is never stuck in the cycle of abuse because of fear, but because she is blinded by her desires. However, once she can see the truth, she is able to run away also because of her fear.

Well, Mercury is Emerald’s opposite. He presents himself as if he is only thinking about what he wants:

Mercury: Salem's promised us everything. We win this thing for her, we'll be top dogs in her new world. What more do you want?

But it is just a mask. Let’s compare once again Emerald and Mercury’s recruitment scenes:

Cinder: Follow me, and you’ll never be hungry again.

Mercury: So what’s in it for me?

Emerald is the one offered something by Cinder... Mercury is promised nothing. Yes, he asks what he will be given, but we are never shown Cinder’s answer and this means that it is not important.

This is because Mercury does not really know what he wants:

Emerald: I mean, there has to be something you want from this, right?

The moment Emerald openly asks him, he has no answer. So, Mercury is not motivated by what he has to gain from the abusive situation he is in. Rather, it is what he has to lose:

Roman: It's not what I have to gain, it's that I can't afford to lose!

He doesn’t think he can find love or happiness in Cinder’s group or Salem’s inner circle:

Mercury: Cinder doesn't care about you! She doesn't care about either of us!

What he wants is to avoid hate and hurt:

Mercury: I'm sorry you didn't have a mommy that loved you, but I had a father who hated me!

So, all in all, he simply can’t leave out of fear:

Tyrian: All you ever learned was pain and violence, and now you're too afraid to leave it. Such a tragedy.

However, just like Emerald initially can’t accept that she is tricking herself, Mercury can’t admit that he is scared. He prefers to believe a narrative where he is the one in control:

Mercury: I've had to work harder than anyone to get where I am. You may not like it here without Cinder, but I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

This is clear when it comes to his most recent “promotion” too. He frames it as something he himself wants and that it is great for him:

Mercury: Yeah about that, Salem’s got other plans for me. I’m not gonna be taking orders from you anymore.

Still, the moment he is alone with Emerald (the only person he dares to be vulnerable with), his motivation becomes clear:

Mercury: Look, even if what he said was true, we can’t stop Salem. You told me yourself, Hazel tried. He failed and he got in line. Big guy’s not going to pick fights he can’t win, and neither should we.

Is he particularly invested in Salem’s new world (or no world) project? Not really, he just wants to survive.

Still, surviving is not really living and Mercury’s stubborness on staying where he is just leads him in an even more abusive dynamic:

However, Em has shown that it is possible to leave the cycle. She manages to do so by seeing the truth of her desire and by running away because of fear.

Mercury’s way of leaving lies instead in admitting that he is scared and in following his true desire:

It is obvious that he adores Emerald and that he wants her to be safe. He should let this wish guide his actions.

SULPHUR + MERCURY + SALT

Sulphur, mercury and salt are the three principles of alchemy. They are the three substances everything is made of in nature (according to alchemy, not science obviously :P).

Symbolically, they are linked to different elements and to the three parts of the self (heart, mind and body). Now. I wouldn’t say CEM perfectly fits when it comes to symbolism. For example, the elements do not add up. That said, it is a fun motif that superficially at least describes where I see the trio’s dynamic going.

So, to summarize, sulphur symbolizes the heart, mercury the mind and salt the body. Eventually, sulphur and mercury (heart + mind) are meant to leave salt (body) behind and to form a unit of their own.

This is clearly where Emerald and Mercury’s arcs are going and not because Cinder is bad or irredeemable, but simply because they are framed as kids growing up and Cinder is their guardian. Overcoming mentors is an important step into adulthood.

As for now, I would say that both Mercury and Emerald have left childhood and have entered an adolescent phase. They both left Cinder behind and have gone their separate ways. However, they have not become adults yet and it shows in how they have been “taken care of” by other parental figures and foils:

Hazel has sacrificed himself for Emerald and clearly inspired her to grow. Tyrian has trapped Mercury in an abusive dynamic.

What is more, deep down, neither Emerald nor Mercury have properly solved their contradictive feelings for Cinder. And this prevents them from properly self-actualizing and becoming sulphur (heart) and mercury (mind).

Firstly, Emerald is clearly meant to be the heart of the trio. She conveys what all three deep down want (to be loved), even if Cinder and Mercury negate it. She is also the first to show regret for the trio’s actions and the first to start her redemptive path.

However, thinking that Emerald joining the heroes has solved all her major struggles is imo false. In a sense, it is possible that she has broken an illusion, just to enter into another.

To be more specific, let’s highlight that after Midnight (the hour when all illusions come to an end) Emerald suddenly stops mentioning Cinder.

If you watch volume 8 focusing primarily on Em’s arc, you’ll notice that it has a pretty clear divide before and after Midnight. Up until episode 6 the focus of Emerald’s story is Cinder. She welcomes Cinder back, goes on a mission with Cinder, supports Cinder, saves Cinder and defends Cinder. She barely has any interactions with other characters and anyway they are all about Cinder, like her exchange with Merc in episode 6.

However, after her quiet moment of realization on the bridge:

She just stops considering Cinder in a way that is almost odd. It is a very huge shift of her focus, which is really not explored nor verbalized. And since we are in a story, it should have been if it were meant to be the moment Emerald solves her issue with Cinder.

Instead, we have Emerald simply starting to act on other things and relationships. She tries to convince Mercury to leave with her, joins Hazel, bonds with Oscar and so on. In all of this, she never tries to communicate with Cinder. Actually, it is implied she is ignoring her:

Watts: Did... Did anyone respond?

Cinder: No.

Sure, initially they might have taken her scroll away, but later on she is shown to have it:

This means she saw the call and ignored it. Let’s highlight that Emerald believing Oz and Oscar does  not explain her behaviour towards Cinder. She tries to convince Mercury of the truth and could have made an attempt with Cinder as well. However, she does not and simply leaves her.

The easiest explanation is that the clock striking midnight has finally dispelled the idealized illusion she had of Cinder. Still, the end result is not really Em being able to unpack her relationship with Cinder or to face it. Rather it is her repressing it altogether. Cinder who?

Basically she has turned Cinder from everything into nothing. She has made her disappear:

However, she can’t really ignore Cinder and the end result of this negation is on a meta level Cinder attacking her new group and making victims.

Secondly, Mercury should be the mind, according to his name. However, he acts as the body:

For example, there is a lot of focus on him training in his free time. This makes sense when one remembers that Mercury’s current sense of self is rooted in an ideal Marcus forced on him:

But I gleam like a blade and I'm harder than iron

The whole point of mercury as a metal is that it is not hard. It is fluid, flexible and able to change and adapt. Still, Marcus had no use for these traits and taught Mercury that all that mattered is strength. That said, even in the way Merc fights it is obvious that what he truly shines at is analytical and observational skills rather than brute strength. He is able to discover Pyrrha’s semblance after exchanging some blows with her. He usually fights in a way that is calculated and makes use of the battlefield. Moreover, he is mostly useful to Cinder because he helps her gaining information in the underworld:

Mercury: My dad always said... "if you need to know a city, ask the rats."

So, Mercury wears this mask of the violent and bloodthirsty fighter, but he is probably just forcing his own nature. In order to make his true self emerge he should accept his true feelings. Those for Emerald, sure, but also those for Cinder:

Mercury: You mean--

Emerald: She's alive?

Mercury and Cinder are deep down the same. This is why Cinder took in a scared and hurt child. Sure, she rationalizes him (and Em) as an asset, but the truth is that he was a way less sure investment than Emerald. She finds him seriously wounded, distressed and scared. Taking him in was more of a risk than taking Emerald imo. Similarly, Mercury used to truly depend on Cinder and genuinely felt protected by her power:

Mercury: You should be able to take her no problem.

However, then Cinder messes up and leaves him and Em behind. Merc’s reaction is to simply move on out of a sense of survival. Honestly, him acting smug for his new role in Salem’s circle is not him hating Cinder or finding her worthless. It is an attempt to be in control and him lashing out at her (like, guys, he is an emo teen).

So, Emerald must muster up the strength to face Cinder, while Merc must aknowledge his bond with her and Em. Only in this way they can call her out and so help her. And yes, Cinder will need all the help she can get:

It has been made super clear that her Grimm hand is eating away Cinder’s freedom little by little. In this sense she is becoming the body. She is being eaten alive by her own hunger.

RWBY is a series where kids overcome mentors and inspire them to be better. We have seen it with Yang and Raven, Ruby and Qrow, Weiss/Penny and Winter, Oscar and Oz. Probably we will see something similar (even if more conflictual) with the murder kids and Cinder.

I mean, Em has already overcome Cinder by recognizing her own abusive situation when Cinder can’t see her own. Em woke up at midnight, while Cinder is still blinded by Salem’s fake promises.

I would not be surprised if Merc fred himself in a moment where Cinder’s agency is further negated.

Still, they will probably show Cinder the path to freedom in the end. After all, they explore why Cinder is stuck in the cycle (wish and fear), but also show how it is possible to leave.

[aspoonofsugar]

Hello!! What did you think of Lore Olympus's latest chapter?

Hello anon!

I loved it! I like dream landscapes and both Persephone and Hades's dream were interesting to the point I wonder if they are not gonna hint at some future development.

In general, I am enjoying the current arc, which is setting up Chronos and Apollo as the 2 major threaths. They are 2 different generations of toxic masculinity connected through Zeus, who is currently being challenged to change. This is interesting and very difficult to pull off narratively after the last arc, where Zeus plays the major antagonist.

Anyway, I am curious to see what Chronos is up to, why everyone is asleep and what will happen now!

Thank you for the ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

I found your chainsaw man ask really interesting! Wanted to know your thoughts on Aki and his end, turning into the gun devil

Hello anon!

Thank you for the nice words and sorry for the wait :''')

That said, I am sorry, but I do not think I have enough info to answer your question. As I said previously I was a distracted readers of chainsawman and especially the first part I followed not so much :''') Since that is key for Aki's arc, I do not have many elements to comment on it. I think @echo-from-the-void made a post on it though.

In general, I found his final moments tragic and beautiful and him becoming a part of the Gun Devil just when he is realizing his new friends >>> vengeance is just heartbreaking.

It is also interesting the pivotal role his death has in Denji's arc and how he basically dies with no coscience of what is happening... so completely controlled. After his death, in a sense Denji himself wants to become like Aki is in his final moment... controlled, but with no pain... however, this is not the answer as we see in the ending.

So, Aki is one of the many victims of control and society.

Also, I loved his relationship with Angel!

Thank you for the ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

Do you like Dabi?

Hello anon,

yes, I do! I like all the LOV. I am not a hardcore BNHA fan, though, so I am not the best person to whom ask analysis or theories :''') @hamliet and @linkspooky are the way to go!

Thank you for the ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

Hello! What do you think of Jinx and Silco as a ship?

Hello anon,

nopenopenope :''')

Sorry, everyone can ship what they want, but as for me

1) I am not really a shipper and I generally dislike when platonic bonds are turned into romanticones because apparently only romantic relationships have value...

2) When it comes to Jinx and Silco specifically, even forgetting the age gap, their relationship is coded as a parent-daughter one. Silco treats Jinx as his child. Like, a friend of mine noticed how even his desk is full of Jinx's drawings... just like a father would keep every junk their little girl does in kindergarden.

Thank you for the ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

Do you think Vi likes girls only or likes both boys and girls ? Because she surname Jayce "pretty boy" at the end of ep8 and winks at him later (even if I don't think this is enough proof or anything)

Hello anon,

I am sorry, but I am not really interested in discussing or making headcanons on characters' sexuality :'''). It is obvious that Vi has one love interest and that is Caitlyn. Other than that, I think people can make all the headcanons they want about her (so, Vi being a lesbian or bi, etc.).

Thank you for the ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

I can't help but think that Cinder's ability to mold the objects that she overheats with her semblance could somehow reflect how Cinder tries to mold her reality into a chosen/protagonist of a story narrative.

Hello anon!

Yes, this is a reading you can give. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Have a nice day :)

[aspoonofsugar]

Do you listen to podcasts ? Do you have podcasts you like ?

Hello anon!

Yes, I love the Silt Verses and I am liking Alice isn't Dead, but I need to finish it! I am inspired by many podcasts the wonderful @misstrashchanchan reccommends, but I have not the time to listen them all :''')

Thank you for the ask!