Theory; Chuuya's gravity control is limited but he's very good with working with it
Buckle up, this is going to be fairly lengthy.
I'll be diving into my logic using mainly light novels and explaining misdirects that might make this theory plausible while also addressing anime inconsistencies.
The theory; Chuuya cannot freely control the gravity of objects he touches, they can go in one vector direction or he can adjust the magnitude.
A quick explanation; A gravity vector represents both the direction and magnitude of the gravitational force experienced by an object in a given location.
Acceleration due to gravity is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction, and is directed towards the center of the Earth. The acceleration due to gravity is independent of an object's mass, as demonstrated by Galileo's experiments with falling objects.
Alright, enough of that math stuff (yes I did far more research into math and physics over a fictional character than I ever did in school, I'm not proud.) Let's talk first about the clearest explanation of Chuuya's ability taken from the LN, Dazai, Chuuya, 15:
This is going to get fairly image heavy so I'll put everything behind a cut. But as a quick example to illustrate my point about Chuuya possibly having limited control I would like to show an example of someone who does have more control over floating objects.
That would be Tachihara using "Midwinter Memento" to freely control metal, Ferrokinesis
Think about Tachihara and then Chuuya who is someone who's honed his ability for years. Why haven't we seen him use his ability the same way? Let's dive into the theory!
Note: Because of image and video limitations, I'll be posting this in parts to further explain my points.
Edit: Link to Part 2!
Let's go back to the 15 light novel where Chuuya's ability it talked quite a bit about.
For most of this theory I'll be pointing to the Light Novels (LN) as those are direct from the mouth of Asagiri. It's going to be the most accurate in terms of Chuuya's capabilities. The anime is known for taking liberties, but I think they do stick to the limitations once Asagiri got a better idea for how Chuuya's gravity manipulation works (more on that later).
The anime and manga both give us visual clues that Chuuya's ability may have limitations on directions. If Chuuya could freely control the gravity of things touching him he could have propelled the bullets back in all directions. He doesn't, however. He uses momentum and sends the bullets in a straight line in the direction of his choice
In this instance, Chuuya is affecting his personal gravity as not only a means of defense but to boost his speed. His personal gravity is opposing the direction of the bullets, so they ricochet off him and back at his enemies. In the LN there's a scene where a soldier fires wildly at Chuuya and the bullet ricochets off him and seals the soldier's painfully slow fate.
This entire scene is what got me thinking about Chuuya's limitations.
If you watch the video you'll see Chuuya manipulates a piece of the ground within his orbit and lifts it upwards. He turns his ability on and off as needed and focuses on physics to deliver the most possible crushing projectile attack. When the boulders hit the agents you can see they aren't glowing red. Chuuya focused his weight into a kick to propel it like a missile.
It's just further proof that Chuuya is actually a prodigy in his own way, knowing how to calculate physics to deliver an optimal attack. He's not only relying on his ability but his innate knowledge of mass and force. This is also touched upon in the light novel for Dead Apple which is a bit gray area for me since it's not written by Asagiri.
Another good example of Chuuya's limitations lies in his fight with Rimbaud who is a dangerous counter to Chuuya's ability.
This fight shows Chuuya can't fly as some might think he can.
Similar to the fight in Dead Apple, Chuuya uses debris more as a way to maneuver than as projectiles like he could have. Because he knows if he runs out of places to stand, he's ultimately going to lose in the long run. It's more than likely tricky for him to try keep track of too many objects, especially if he can only control one gravity direction at a time.
In Dead Apple Chuuya likely would have been focused on keeping the boulders around him floating in one spot which is why we dont see him holding the debris in place while also launching them at his enemies. It's a sign of his limitations even during his most powerful state. Chuuya instead focuses on closing the gap between himself and his enemy, using his body to get the final attack with kicks and punches. As long as he has a way to launch himself, Chuuya always can rely on manipulating gravity of his own body.
This is why things like water and sand are his natural enemy. He can't control a ton of small particles, he has to actively touch everything to control the gravity of it. The reason why this works in Dead Apple is because he touches the roof, a huge object, and then breaks it into multiple pieces, so by theory he has touched all those objects.
There are examples in Storm Bringer but there's one I personally find worth talking about and that's Chuuya attack on Verlaine with the electrified rod.
At first glance it could seem as though Chuuya is freely controlling the direction of the stake, but I think it's more a sign of Chuuya reversing the direction of the metal, appearing as though he was getting revenge on N when the goal was to surprise attack the man behind him. He needed the momentum to get a good strike on Verlaine.
Because I've hit the limit on videos, I will continue on in another post. I told you this was going to be lengthy!
Residence: Hartford, Connecticut | Westchester, New York
~ Physical Appearance ~
Hair Colour: Red
Eye Colour: Blue
Skin Tone: Pale
Body Type: Ectomorph
Height: 5’10
Faceclaim: Nicole Kidman
~ Background ~
Hometown: Hartford, Connecticut
Evangeline Newton was born to a perfectly normal family, in a perfectly normal house, in a perfectly normal neighbourhood. However, she was the complete opposite of normal. When objects around the house started floated, or becoming impossibly heavy when Evangeline was around, her parents were disconcerted. When Evangeline’s substitute teacher ended up in the hospital with a pencil in her hand after slapping Evangeline, her parents pulled her out of school. When Professor Charles Xavier informed them that Evangeline had been accepted into Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, they were all too ready to send her off.
~ Family ~
Mother: Marlene Newton (née Marks)
Marlene Newton wanted nothing more than a perfectly normal life. And for a while, she had it. A loving husband, a healthy, adorable baby girl, a beautiful home and a stable job. Until her daughter turned nine and things started floating. Marlene, horrifed that her daughter was a freak, pulled her from school after an incident involved a pencil, Evangeline and a particularly irritating substitute teacher.
Father: Jonathan Newton
When Professor Charles Xavier collected Evangeline from her home in Hartford, Connecticut, Jonathan and Marlene Newton were relieved. Finally, they could be normal. They could start over. Within a year, the Newtons had packed up and moved to Arizona. Within two, Marlene was pregnant. They had a second child, a son, and it was like Evangeline never existed.
Younger Brother: Malcolm Newton
Malcolm Newton never knew he had a sister. His parents didn’t speak about her. When he was eight, Malcolm found a lone photograph of a red haired girl in the attic. His mother confiscated the picture and scolded him for poking his nose into things that he shouldn’t. Five years later, Evangeline Newton showed up on his doorstep, with Professor Charles Xavier in tow, to inform the Newtons that Malcolm had been accepted into the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.
~ Mutation & X-Men ~
Code Name: Redshift
Allegiance: X-Men
Class: Alpha
Mutation: Gravity Manipulation
Evangeline possesses the mutation of gravity manipulation. This ability allows her to control the gravitational fields of objects, people or places. Evangeline is able to form gravitational fields to protect herself or her allies and can even change her own gravitational weight to provide advantages in battle. Evangeline can “see” organisms or orbjects based on their gravitational field and even move them by changing the gravity around them. She can also manipulate her own gravitational field to enhance her physical attributes by changing the pull of gravity. Finally, Evangeline can create black holes that absorb everything in their path, including people or objects. Hypothetically, Evangeline could alter the universe and the space-time continuum.
Job: Librarian at Xaviar’s School for Gifted Youngsters
~ Personality & Traits ~
Personality: A spiritual yet grounded individual, Evangeline places great importance on her time for contemplation and meditation. Although introverted, she is close with many students and teachers at the school. A strong believer in balance and the universe’s way of making everything equal, Evangeline can often come off as superstitious. Evangeline has a strong intuition and often acts on gut instinct. Despite her spiritual, superstitious nature, Evangeline is a rock for the team, rarely, if ever, becoming involved in spats or disagreements between members.
Likes: Meditation, nature, calm, reading, physics, the outdoors, flying, the students, training, quiet
Dislikes: Isolation, waking up early, hot weather, public speaking, sour things, bugs, being late
~ Relationships ~
Best Friend: Jean Grey
Friends:
Scott Summers
Ororo Monroe
Charles Xavier
Anna Marie LaBeau
Warren Worthington III
Allies:
Hank McCoy
Logan Howlett
Kurt Wagner
Piotr Rasputin
Enemies:
Magneto
Mistique
~ Misc. & Notes
Evangeline is a strong believer in the saying “early is on time and on time is late”.
She’s allergic to cats and gets itchy eyes and a stuffy nose.
Evangeline’s favourite colour is green. Specifically, sage green.
Her favourite meal is breakfast, and her favourite food is french toast. Evangeline makes the best french toast.
Her guiltiest pleasure is a cheesy 80’s movie and a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Evangeline really dislikes busy traffic, she finds driving in general nerve-wracking, and having about 500 other people crammed down the same highway is positively panic-inducing.
She has an affinity for collecting vinyls.
Evangeline hates humid weather. It makes her hair frizzy.
She does the crossword every morning. It’s one of her rituals, alongside having a cup of tea and, if it’s a good day, some french toast.
Her favourite musician of all time is Joni Mitchell.
People always fear what they don't understand. You knew that. You were used to being shot at, targeted, awed, and feared due to your ability. But this world was very different. Those who feared you here possessed weapons unlike those of your past. Most were still loud and metal, but something had knocked you out without a moment's pause and you had no idea what.
But when you'd come back around, it was slow, like something was still coaxing you back to sleep. And you felt heavy. Not tired, but weak, like you could barely life your head. Which was true, but you forced it all the same. Your brain felt like it was split in two, but you looked around.
"Good day. Or maybe night, I've no clue," came a strangely accented voice from beside you. You were slow-moving, but you eventually turned to it. A woman sat beside you, also on the cold, stone floor. Her wrists were trapped in metal encasements which were linked to the wall behind you both. You leaned back, upon knowing it was there, slow yet jerkily. You followed the line of your chins up to where they hooked to the wall. "Don't bother. The black rush and willow root take our powers."
You stared at the woman silently, not understanding the relevance of what she just said.
"What did you do to get the Winchesters after you?"
Your head fell against the stone wall you were chained to, and the chill actually muted a bit of your migraine. "Who?" you asked in confusion.
The witch stared at you, determined to force the truth out of you. She already knew it would be pointless. But more than that, she knew why the Winchesters had been hunting you. They had called the ancient witch a week ago for help. They were certain they were hunting a witch, despite the lack of hex bags, vigils, or a witness who claimed to hear chanting or a foreign language. But entire rooms were left weightless and any criminal in the path of the mysterious monster and been knocked out and concussed by a single impact. Witch was all they could figure. But Rowena didn't feel your magic, as she could with witches, especially Naturals. She felt your strength, fighting her spells on you, but no magic to power such strength. Where did it come from? "Hunters," Rowena explained simply, spitting the word like the taste was vile. You ought to know. There was no way you really hadn't heard of the Winchesters. "I suspect they were on your tail before you even realized what was happening." She took the 'poor little witch just doesn't understand' route with an adorable, pitying pout. "Do you make things levitate?" she asked curiously. Perhaps you truly didn't know of your power.
"It's not levitation," you explained very seriously. Not only did you know. "It's 0 gravity, the constant state of space just without the air-sucking vacuum. I travel the universe, dimensions, whatever, to find new places to explore, experience, live, then I move on. Each new planet has a new gravity level I can learn to apply." You slowly pushed up to your feet, clinging to the wall when you almost fell.
The redhead held her hands out as if to catch you.
"Black rust and willow root," you mumbled to yourself before a gold corset and choker glowed themselves onto your person. The choker rested atop the necklace seemingly woven into your flesh. Your shoulders slumped and your arms fell as if weights were attached to your wrists. But only the manacles remained, unchanged. You stumbled back with no cause, arms being brought closer to yourself. The chains snapped as if centuries old and brittle, but the wrists stayed youthfully strong and only brought blood to the surface, just beneath your skin. You grabbed the offensive bracelets and onehandedly snapped them off.
The ginger jumped, startling you, and jerked her wrists in her own manacles. They weren't charmed nor did the mentioned mixture affect a witch as old as her. She was supposed to spy on you, but found an innocent target of those hunter fools and her own zeal to gain their favor and soon abandoned that mission. "Wait! Me too."
You paused and looked down at her. While she was wise and helpful, the term 'hunters' implied a conventional morality. Perhaps she truly belonged incarcerated. But those in power and armed had a habit of catching those who didn't deserve it in the middle. You were proof of that, used to being shot at.
"I like to travel myself. You'll be hard pressed to find an accent like mind around here. I can show you everything about this world and how to blend in."
You looked down at your decidedly foreign clothing appraisingly.
Footsteps sounded from slightly above and aside.
"Please," the redhead added at the last second.
"Even if I break your chains, I have no idea how to escape. My bed's been made. You really want them mad at your attempt too?" you asked incredulously. The steps neared.
"I can get us out," the woman claimed desperately.
You stared at her before impulsively snapping the wrist of her chains. She stood lightning fast and moved behind you. Oh, were you her human shield? You should've known better than-
She took your shoulders and mumbled some foreigner than you words just as the door bust open.
Neither of you were around long enough to see the two men turned to the corner at the bottom of the stairs to the dungeon. The broader man immediately cursed, kicking the wall while the taller man held the chains to examine them. "Dammit, Rowena," the older brother scolded himself for trusting the powerful trickster. She usually kept her word, but it seemed she had a more promising prize.
You grabbed onto whatever you could as you pieced back together in a new location. You groaned and lowered yourself to sit in the nearest chair.
For some reason, even the witch felt more taxed. She could move about the hotel room easily enough, but some part of her return to crystal spell was requiring more strength. "It gets easier, magic," Rowena informed you later, bending down to scoop up a dark crystal with a resin-like fluid shimmering along the exterior. She stroke through the many rooms in their immediate vicinity, gathering this and that, then packed it all into a bag and luggage. She found you in the kitchenette by the time she was done, gold accessories removed, and inspecting the common - not to you - machines. Your hands hovered over the toaster, shuddering the occasion. Rowena's eyes went to the lever pushed all the way down and smirked. Generating heat wasn't actually the purpose of a toaster. She couldn't help her smile when you jumped, listening to the springs bring the bread slots up. "They're'll be the same machines in the next hotel. But we've to go now." The Winchesters knew where she stayed and even the room number, when she was in town, and therefore not staying at the bunker.
You were easily herded downstairs and into the car she'd called. She'd have to get you dressed properly, Rowena decided as the doorman made no effort to hide his ogling. Why shouldn't he? You didn't notice, too taken with this new world. Why shouldn't he? Because the witch felt a stab of jealousy which prophesied nothing food for him. She left him a gift in his pocket and slid into the car with you. You watched everything with learning eyes, watching how she opened the door, from both sides, how the car rode and was driven, differently than the transportation modes in your home. "What's your name?" you asked, staring out the window at the world passing you by.
She told you and got yours in return. It was precious, just like you, and Rowena was hooked. If you noticed the possessive hand on your thigh, you had no protests. Rowena smiled smugly and watched as you were safely sequestered to a new state.
*
Rowena lived in style everywhere she went. And she brought some style to you as well. She got to dress you like a little doll, her little doll, and she kept you safe, even if it meant slipping hex bags (you never noticed) in your pockets to ensure that. By spying on you or repelling any wishing you harm or wishing for you, she was acting in your own best interest. Then she took it back when you got back, before you noticed.
Sometimes you left without, but the witch was particular about that. More often than was fair, Rowena worried about you going to your own world again or moving onto the next. Like she would wake up or come back from a personal errand or she'd just be waiting for you only for you to be gone forever. She made sure to introduce you to as many new things as possible. Your innocence and confusion at the smallest things delighted her, even while you understood and dealt with the harshest cruelties of life. It was like living with a hunter with how much you chased bad guys. But a competent one, as you usually solved them within the day. Her little wanderer.
You dressed well, Rowena would stand for nothing less. You weren't fond of dresses despite being fond of Rowena in them. Yes, she'd long since discovered the root of your weakness to her. Her pouts easily manipulated you into surrendering your clothes and trying what was offered to you. Once you decided on a slacks/blouse combination, Rowena ordered similar clothes in bulk. You would be stunned at the massive amounts of clothes - you deserved nothing less - and might argue, but Rowena was feeling touchy. She had plans for the evening the Winchesters finally caught up with you and her. She could have handled the boys fine, but they were still after you. She could have told them she was training and maintaining you, but you reacted when they tried to shoot. You disappeared and reappeared behind them, kicking Dean from behind and high. Sam spun to point his gun at you next, a reaction to Dean being injured, but you flew. The boys were obviously unused to flying enemies and you were incapable of sitting still or trusting Earth's gravity. Luckily for you and unluckily for the boys, you brought your own. The boys dispatched of, you returned to the ground and Rowena's side.
The witch was endlessly amused by your instincts to both defend and come back to the ginger and she proudly took you that night. You were a clingy thing, but she took that as a victory. The next time the Winchesters found them, they'd come to Rowena like they should have in the first place. Maybe they'd be peaceful, maybe not. She slightly hoped they wouldn't be so she could return the favor you'd just shown her. She did so enjoy flinging the boys across the rooms with a simple telekinesis spell. But she'd convince them she was training you, and keeping you from making any harm of your own.
Perhaps that wouldn't be assuring.
A/N: The photo is a basic must-have for and Shifter Reader. Consequence of it coming from a video game. The neck part is R's health and the green will get darker as she gets more injured. It will squeeze and puncture if she needs to leave to heal. The blue is of course how much longer R can shift and even she needs it if she isn't paying attention. She can feel what she cannot see. The center gem is colorless because it is directly proportionate to R's or requester's eye color. It can be added in the request and it is also the color R becomes when shifting. I imagine regular crystals will work for empowering R further, especially Rowena's. Any request with shifter reader, please add a plot idea because I never have any for her.
Gravity manipulation: this quirk gives its user the ability to manipulate the gravity of objects they touch with five fingers. After touching an object the user is able to increase or decrease the gravity of that object. The user is able to use their quirk on anything but it works best on loose items that aren’t tied down to anything. The downsides of this quirk are, the quirk can only be used if all five fingers touch, when overused the user becomes nauseas and weak.
I know my past two quirks have been boring but I’m gonna make a fun one later today :)
