hey, nysm fandom, a quick PSA on hypnotism: if a character is capable of intense focus and to concentrate on something super well and loses track of time and/or their own needs when doing something they have interest in, they are easier, not harder, to hypnotise. hypnotising --- especially the quick kind that merritt practices --- is about making a person focus on one thing and then stealing that focus. for this to work, the person’s mind needs to be able to concentrate on one thing and forget the rest, so that when surprised or startled, their focus is entirely on the hypnotist, who then instantly starts feeding suggestion before the subject has time to regain composure.
what i’m saying is, for example, j. daniel atlas can’t both be able to hyperfocus and be naturally difficult to hypnotise
either he stays aware of his surroundings at all times and is aware of the passage of time when he practices, or -- more likely -- he’s actually susceptible to suggestion but so used to the presence of magicians that it’s difficult for merritt or (especially) the less experienced jack to take him off guard enough to put him under hypnosis
this also means that dylan, who we know for a fact can’t be hypnotised against his will if at all, is an excellent mental multitasker