#selenestarmoon

[aspoonofsugar]

If Kanae had remained alive until the end of the series, do you think Akio would have used her as the new Rose Bride after Anthy left? And if that were the case, would Kanae have allowed it?

There's a really interesting theory about Kanae that I've seen from some Tumblr users. The theory suggests that Kanae was a former duelist who was possibly the winner of all the duels before the events shown in the series, and I'd like to know what you think about it. Here's a short post that gives some hints about this theory: https://www.tumblr.com/anthycoded/745253794824224768/of-course-the-ep13-shadow-play-is-directly-about

Hi!

First of all, I will say I am mostly interested in reading the whole duel system as a metaphor for the cycle of abuse vs the process of growing up. By this I mean I am not super interested in understanding how the powers work or anything too much world-building related 'cause I think that is not the point of the series (everything is willingly left very vague and surreal). All of this to say this is the lens I will use to answer you.

Ask 1 - It may have been possible, but personally I think it would not have happened. The point of Akio and Anthy's relationship is that it is toxic and co-dependent. It is not just Anthy who is initially dependent on Akio, but Akio himself psychologically depends on Anthy. This means that:

Symbolically, Anthy is meant to have for Akio a power nobody else has. This is why only she can be Akio's rose bride.

Psychologically, Akio is parasitic to Anthy and depends on her. He feels strong and wise and adult because he can abuse Anthy and through her other kids. Now, an abuser can definitely find a new victim, but:

A) It would not work thematically - the whole point is that symbolically Anthy leaving means the cycle is broken. Akio won't be able to re-create the system of duels without Anthy as his accomplice. Similarly, the other kids in the student council are all growing up and making themselves more independent from Akio's toxic influence. (Especially Touga aka Akio's other main victim).

B) If Akio were to choose another victim to replace Anthy I am not sure he would choose Kanae. Long story short, Akio is not interested enough in Kanae. Throughout the story Akio focuses mostly on three people: Anthy, Utena and Touga. The implication is that they are his "favorites". His court of Kanae is instead linked to the idea of getting a hold of Ohtori Academy. There is also the fact Kanae is already 18. The implication of Akio getting rid of her when she is becoming an adult ties into him being attracted only by kids.

C) Despite all of this, if for some reason Akio were to choose Kanae as his next "main victim", I think Kanae might not be able to escape him. I say this for the simple reason that in the series she in fact fails to escape him. She stays a victim of her mom and Akio until the very end. Like, it is obvious that she does not really love Akio nor is particularly happy to marry him. Still, she goes along with what her parents tell her, which makes so she is unable to grow up and become her own person.

Ask 2- I think it is an interesting theory, but personally I disagree with it.

1- The "lilies" reference happens in episode 13, while Kanae's episode is 14. So, I don't think it relates to her. The person the shadows are talking about is Utena. Moreover, I read a translator note that explained what the shadows are saying is part of a saying. Here is what that translation note says:

"Standing, she is like a (herbaceous) peony; sitting, she is like a (tree) peony; and walking she is like a lily."

It's a stock phrase to describe such a radiant beauty that every movement adds to her charms.

In context, it means that Utena overcame the first cycle of duels and left them looking as beautiful as a lily. However, she will be asked to come back to the arena to start a new cycle soon. As for why there are lilies in Kanae's duel, I can think of two reasons:

Since Kanae's duel is the very first of the second cycle, the lilies may be a symbol of the new cycle starting. Utena left the first cycle as a lily and she is now starting a second journey.

The lilies may foreshadow Kanae's death since they are flowers very commonly used at funerals. Kanae deep down knows she is in danger, but she can't act on this unconscious realization.

2- I don't think it makes sense thematically (nor plot-wise). The cycle of duels is both "growing up" and "the cycle of abuse". This means that leaving it means to both be done growing up and freeing one-self from abuse. For example, Nanami leaves the moment she grows and realizes she does not want to be a prisoner of the cycle of violence anymore. The same goes for Utena and Anthy. If Kanae truly were a duelist in the cycle started by Akio, but managed to leave, then... why is she still Akio's girlfriend? Why is she still a trapped child? Why isn't she wiser and more conscious of the danger she is in? Like, the more the kids fight, the more they grow up. If Kanae truly was a "previous winner" she should be far ahead than everyone else, but she is one of the most helpless characters. There is also the fact that... there is really no winner of the tournament tbh. That is the point of the series. There are no princes, nor princesses and the whole thing is manufactured by Akio. The point is that the kids can never truly leave the cycle nor Ohtori Academy:

Akio:  The students of this academy are all free, have a love of learning, and above all, do not fight. Right? Utena:  I hope it always stays that way. Kanae:  Nothing bad ever happens at Ohtori Academy.

Ohtori Academy is a twisted Neverland. In the conversation above both Utena and Kanae are victims of Akio's lies and illusion.

Sure, you could argue that Kanae is a previous Utena aka she won all the duels and became Akio's "princess" for a while. However, she is now too old and Akio is thinking of discarding her. Still, I doubt it since it is implied nobody before Utena came close to complete the whole process. Moreover, the context around Kanae's relationship with Akio is clear enough. Akio seduced Kanae's mom and charmed her father to become their "heir". Then he and Anthy proceeded to poison Kanae's father and kept preying on Kanae to secure Akio's power at Ohtori.

Thank you for the asks!

[starry-blue-echoes]

I don't know if you knew this but Araki in his book Manga in Theory and Practice, The Craft of Creating Manga said that Valentine is a coward.

that 100% checks out, he seems like the kind of guy to do that shit

[aspoonofsugar]

What are your favorite duels in Utena and your favorite duel songs?

Hi!

Oh, hard question!

Songs in no particular order

Eve of the Evolution Revolution - I just love Nanami and I love the focus on evolution as revolution which is key for the series (and has probably inspired other series too > See RWBY "It's time for a revolution, a bloody evolution" :P)

Conic Absolute Egg Algebra - I just love the title which conveys the struggle to grow up, the idea it is an equation you can just solve. Also I love the egg symbolism, which is again key to the series as a whole

Utopian Past Tense Incantation - I don't particularly like Miki or Kozue as characters (I don't hate them, just I don't find them super compelling). However, I love this song and I love it gives you the interpretative key to read Miki's stopwatch symbolism. It is the "time machine" Kozue sings about! Plus it is just a banger

Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku - No explanation needed. It is just such an iconic song and it always makes me dance while giving me such epic vibes. You truly feel as if something special is bound to happen whenever it starts playing

Fights in no particular order

Nanami's two fights - I love how much Nanami grows between them. In her first fight she is quickly defeated and needs to cheat and use a knife. In her second fight she is strong enough to fight Utena with her sword.

Touga's three fights - They are just too important for Utena and Touka alike. The first duel is Utena's only defeat and the second one is Utena reclaiming her identity. It is the only duel I think where Utena wears a pink rose aka the color of her hair (self). The final one is great for Touga, Saionji (two losers that integrate) and it foreshadows Utena's flaw (she treats Anthy like Touga treats her).

Saionji and Utena's duel in the final arc - I love Anthy intervening and taking the swords outside of Utena to symbolize both of their growth.

The final duel against Akio - It is obviously very loaded symbolically, but I LOVE it because of how incompetent Akio is LOL. After all that built up Akio is not one of Utena's strongest opponent and it fits him perfectly.

I also quite like Juri's duel because she always loses because she can't fully believe in herself. It is a nice theme.

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi, what did you think of episode 5 of the Amazing Digital Circus?

I honestly felt really bad for Ragatha.

Hi!

I liked it, but slightly less than the others because it is a bridge episode, building up tension for a big payoff. As a result, even if it is very good it was less impactful to me than earlier episodes, which were self-contained. That said, I think it is still excellent.

Story-wise it lets us finally explore both Jax and Ragatha, who are two of the three main characters together with Pomni. Moreover, we get more and more hints that something is wrong with both Caine and the world. The OC ominously spying the group in the end is an excellent payoff to Caine's "Who knows what would happen if an OC managed to stay here" line in episode 2 :P All in all, the storm is slowly building both among the three main characters and in the digital circus, as a whole. This episode really felt like the quiet before everything falls down.

Writing-wise, I think the use of the format was incredible! So far, the series has taken a very simple idea (a role-playing digital game) and has used it to go meta (episode 2) and to explore different genres (ep 3 and 4). And yet, it keeps surprising me in how original it can be with its premise! Having the group going through 6 different adventures, each one designed for one of them was awesome. It was a clever way to let us explore different sides of the characters, but also to hammer home what truly matters aren't the flashy plots Cain cooks up, but rather the people going through them.

When it comes to the focus of the episode, I think it can be summarized by this moment:

Pomni: Which wire do I cut? Jax: Follow your heart. Come on, just pick your favorite color. Pomni: Like the red one? Kinger: I'd personally go with blue. Blue's my favorite color it being closest to black and all.

Here, President Pomni must make a choice. She must choose which wire to cut and the story draws attention to two specific colors: blue and red. Now, blue and red are Pomni's two colors:

And they are also respectively Ragatha and Jax's main colors:

Ragatha wears a blue dress, while Jax wears a red salopette. Moreover, Pomni mentions her favorite color is "red" the episode she warms up to Jax:

In short, I think Jax and Ragatha are clearly meant to represent two complementary sides of Pomni hence why she needs to develop a bond with both. This is also in line with how the other characters have been used so far.

Pomni is the main character and she takes the spotlight in the first two episodes. There the main theme is set-up together with her arc. The Amazing Digital Circus explores the difference between virtual and real, fiction and life. Specifically, Pomni's conflict is to find real relationships in this virtual place. She initially latches on a fake bond (Goomi-goo) because she relates to him. This is no different from a person seeing themselves in a fictional character. And yet, a character is a product of the imagination and can't forge true ties. Hence why Pomni is forced to (and eventually chooses to) let go of the OC, in order to find belonging in the main group, whose members are oddballs and flawed, but real. At the same time, Pomni's struggle is really everyone's struggle. All the characters are trying to connect despire their flaws. So, Pomni mirrors everyone and has something of everybody within herself. She is the archetype of "the self".

Kinger and Gangle are the main focus of respectively episode 3 and 4 and they represent two opposite parts of the self.

Kinger in his horror adventure explores the shadow, so who you are in the dark. After all, the episode deals with inner fears and Kinger teaches Pomni darkness isn't bad, because it lets your true self emerge. For example, Kinger shines both symbolically (he is more lucid) and physically in the darkness. Similarly, Pomni can face her insecurities and anxieties without being conquered by them.

Gangle in her slide of life adventure explores the persona, so the mask we wear everyday. In particular, Gangle tries to hide her depression and sadness by wearing an unbreakable plastic mask. She tries to be "normal" and to conceal her mental illness. Still, it doesn't work and she slowly and silently spiral. At the same time, Pomni starts to see behind everyone's facade. She notices Gangle isn't okay and helps her. She gets a glimpse of both Ragatha and Jax's real selves.

So, what about Ragatha and Jax? It is a little soon, but they may represent femininity and masculinity in their most toxic aspects.

On the one hand Ragatha is very feminine and she has clearly been forced by her mom to repress all her negative emotions. That's why Evil Ragatha is aggressive and mean.

On the other hand Jax is very masculine and it is obvious he represses his vulnerability and sensitivity. That's why Evil Jax is very meek and kind.

So, both Ragatha and Jax hide parts of themselves. Ragatha tries to be perfectly perfect in any way and she is so kind it ends up feeling performative. Jax instead wears a carefree mask and tries to appear unfeeling, when it is obvious he can be very emotional. It is because of their inability to be genuine they struggle so much to integrate in the group.

Gangle and Zooble share a strong friendship and Kinger is basically the odd grandpa nobody understands, but everyone more or less accepts. Pomni is the newest member, but she has managed to form genuine bonds with Gangle and Kinger and gets along well with everyone. What about Ragatha and Jax?

Ragatha is superficially functional and well integrated. She gets along with others and is supporting and welcoming. And yet, she lacks close friends because she keeps putting up walls. She tries so hard to be liked she ends up pushing people away like Gangle and Jax, who both perceive her as fake. Even when it comes to Kinger, she avoids him when he tries to confront her about her vulnerabilities in episode 2.

Jax doesn't fit with the rest of the group, as his jokes are often malicious and he basically bullies the others or at least messes with them. Shortly put, he is annoying, which is why everyone basically gangs up against him in episode 5. They vote to make him a vegan and to put him into a maid outfit. That said, he is more successful than Ragatha in letting go of his mask and shows Pomni glimpses of his real self. Basically, the moment he stops being an asshole and starts truly interacting with Pomni, the two connect pretty easily.

In any case, the truth is that neither Ragatha nor Jax truly need to hide parts of themselves to get along with Pomni. They do not need to force Pomni to be who she isn't and they don't have to fear the other will "steal" Pomni. The episode itself makes it clear. It is true Pomni warms up to Jax, but she is very open and kind to Ragatha, as well. She lets Ragatha bat in her stead to cheer her up, but Ragatha instead focuses on Pomni and Jax's newborn friendship. In short, the one getting in Ragatha's way is none other than herself.

That said, I feel a lot for her to be honest. Her wish to connect with others and her attempts to do so by trying to be perfect are relatable to several people, I think. At the end of the day, Ragatha has done nothing particularly wrong. On the opposite, she tries to be kind, even if it means she gets hurt in the process. Think back at the first episode, where she is left behind by Pomni and instead of like... getting upset at her, Ragatha brushes off the whole experience as unimportant. And yet, you can't forge a bond by always behaving perfectly. You should become able to share some of your negative emotions too. However, Ragatha is scared because she has no idea of how to go at it. She clearly wants to, but struggles. A good example is Ragatha sharing her past in the pub adventure. All the characters start sharing little details of their lives. They are not going super deep into it and are just chitchatting. Once again Jax and Ragatha are the two odds ones (not counting Kinger).

One the one hand Jax doesn't share anything. He references "Breaking Bad" and his joke is cut short. On the other hand Ragatha shares too much, she goes into too much depth and leaves everyone speechless.

Basically, Ragatha is cut in a situation where she doesn't really know how to be herself. She wants to share to the point she inserts herself in the conversation, even if nobody asked her anything. And yet, she is unsure on how to do so and ends up hurt, even if the others have really no ill will towards her.

In short, I love her, I am curious to see how her story develops!

[aspoonofsugar]

What do you think of the songs from RWBY volume 9?

Hi!

Sorry for the long wait and thank you for the patience <3

So, I love volume 9 soundtrack! It is wonderful musically-wise and I am very happy to see that Casey, just like Jeff, uses the songs to explore the characters' arcs. Volume 9 is really the return of character-driven songs and I am grateful for that!

Here is the list of some metas I have already written for some tracks:

Chatterbox (Neo + CC's song)

Worthy (BB's song)

Quiet (Jaune's song)

As for my favourites:

Guide My Way

Chatterbox/Quiet/Checkmate

Worthy

Trapdoor/Inside

The Edge

Guide My Way is one of my favourite RWBY songs ever, so let's analyze it a little!

GUIDE MY WAY

The Red Like Roses trilogy explores Ruby's feelings over Summer, as she sings to her mother. In particular, the red like roses motif shows the layers and the evolution of Ruby's grief.

Initially, we are simply told that:

Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.

Red roses remind Ruby of Summer Rose, so she goes to visit her grave:

This is the premise of the Red Trailer, but no other indication is given. This fits Red Like Roses being about RWBY as a team, which mirrors Ruby's tendency to carry others' burdens and to repress her own.

However, Red Like Roses Part II reveals Ruby's reaction to Summer's disappearance is raw and complicated:

Both voices: It doesn't matter how The petals scatter now Every nightmare just discloses It's your blood that's red like roses Voice 1: And no matter what I do Nothing ever takes the place of you

It is Summer's blood, that's red like roses. So, Summer becomes linked to violence and death. However, Ruby refuses to face these dark emotions. It is this hidden trauma, which leads to Ruby's spiral and breakdown in volume 9. Here is where Guide My Way starts:

Saw you In a dream Are you who you seem? Was it always in the cards for me To be aimless? No direction, nothing pulling me down From the sky it seems like I always get too High Oh the air is cold, I don't know how to breathe I'm begging, can you Guide my way out Of this place?

Ruby is aimless and there is nothing pulling her down. This choice of words is interesting because they tie into the gravity imagery, which fills the Atlas Arc:

Keep dreaming 'bout a better world You keep wishing for some clarity Always hoping that a lightning bolt Is gonna save you from this gravity

Gravity is linked to limitations. It is something that chains and makes people fall. People like Ironwood, for example, who is crushed by this force together with his kingdom. And yet, Ruby is designed as a person able to defy gravity. As a matter of fact Petal Burst lets her basically move unbounded by the laws of physics:

And yet, this freedom slowly becomes a burden. Ruby is never tied down by bad things. She can inspire everyone. She can guide everyone. She always flies higher than everyone. And yet, this in itself is a problem:

Past Ruby: That’s right! It’s up to you to make things better, isn’t it? Everything all depends on you! Your sister needs you, your friends need you, the whole world needs you to keep fighting, forever and ever, against an invincible monster that took your mother!

Ruby is so above everyone else that she finds herself lonely and lost:

She drinks the tea and ends up in a strange dimension, where she has to choose alone who she is going to be. In this dream world, she meets the person who fills her dreams:

Red like roses fills my dreams

Guide My Way is just a long monologue Ruby tells Summer. Basically a prayer:

Open wide You were born to hypnotize them all They said their prayers (Can you, can you) can you hear me up there?

Through this one-sided confrontation Ruby affirms herself as a person still strongly defined by her mother:

I can't define Would it even be enough to change my mind? Your memory ever-lasting at war with my foolish pride What is left? I know it's you and I, when I look inside

And yet, a different individual, as well:

I'll be who you were and I'll be even more

She is still incomplete:

Otherside, Did you mean to make me half or whole? Will I ever be (complete)? When will I become all of me?

And yet, she realizes Summer may not be complete herself:

What survives After all the dust has gone? Were you there till the end (the end)? Were you at least called a friend?

Ruby doubts her mother for the first time. Was she at least able to be herself until the end? Like Penny, who was at least called a friend? Or did Summer become her own antithesis?

Who is Summer Rose?

A broken pedestal.

And who is Ruby Rose?

A shattered mirror.

Or is she?

A moment of quiet is all it takes To reclaim a life and a promise made

Just like Jaune, Ruby only needs a moment of quiet to realize who she is supposed to become:

I am the reflection of who prevails I'm what inspired the fairytale

Her own reflection prevails on Summer's one. In the beginning, Ruby wants to be like Summer, that she equals to the fairy tale heroes her mom reads her about:

Ruby: I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters… They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!

Still, Ruby is the one who will make the fairty tale into reality:

Blake: The real world isn't the same as a fairy tale. Ruby: Well, that's why we're here! To make it better.

As a result, she doesn't need fairy tale heroes anymore. Rather, she is going to inspire fairy-tales. Actually, she has already inspired one:

She inspires Little to grow into Somewhat. She helps a literally fairy-tale character. She is the childhood hero (Huntress) to Little. Just like Summer is Ruby's childhood hero:

Somewhat: You do feel… familiar. Like a happy dream I can’t remember.

Ruby is a happy dream Somewhat can't remember. Summer is a happy dream Ruby can't remember. This is why in Red Like Roses Part III there is simply:

Red like roses fills my dream

Red like roses here is not linked to death (it doesn't bring Ruby to the place Summer rests) or violence (it isn't Summer's blood that's red like roses). It is simply Summer's color, which fills Ruby's happy dreams. Even if she can barely remember Summer, she still loves her. Not as a hero, but as a mother:

Summer: I love you… just the way you are. Always…

At the same time, Ruby herself becomes someone else's dream. Specifically, she becomes the dream of her inner child (Little). She doesn't need to idealize Summer anymore because she is growing to be her own hero. She is going to take care of her inner child in Summer's place. This is what it means to become an adult.

This is what the refrain of the song hints at. It starts with Ruby begging Summer, but then it slowly changes through the song, until it reaches its powerful ending:

I'm begging, can you Guide my way out Of this place?

Guide my way out Of this place

Guide my way out Of this place (I can guide me, I can guide my way out) Guide my way out Of this place

Ruby herself can guide her way out.

OTHER SONGS

Here comes some quick miscellania thoughts on other tracks.

Chatterbox: I love how it plays when the Jabberwalker appears and it is impossible to understand who is singing. It is a beautiful nod to Carol's original non-sense poem and it ties with the CC and especially Neo's arc

Quiet: The sound of clocks, the reference to Pyrrha and the mention of a miracle as a nod to Jaune's allusion make it a fave. I also love it plays in one of my favourite scenes of the seasons.

Worthy: I like it musically and I love how it describes Blake and Yang's relationship through the metaphor of falling, which calls back to the episode Worthy itself.

Checkmate: It is one of my favourite musically, but I don't have much to say about its lyrics. I think it beautifully introduces the viewers to the season and it calls back to player and pieces in many ways. It also references the chess motif throughout the series.

Inside: I love how its lyrics reference the Blacksmith's speech about living with Balance and beautifully illustrate the theme of the season.

Trapdoor: I like it musically, but I have not much to say about its lyrics. I think it is kind of self-explanatory as a song.

The Edge: My least favourite track. It is good enough, but not my piece of cake.

Thank you for the ask and have a nice day!

[aspoonofsugar]

Do you think the maidens are related to Jung's view of the four stages of anima development?

Hi!

Sorry for the long wait...

I don't really think it is the case tbh.

The 4 stages of anima developments are:

Eve, the Mother

Helen, the Seductress

Mary, the Goddess

Sophia, the Wisdom

You can already see they do not really fit... In particular:

Cinder isn't the Mother

Raven isn't the Seductress

Winter isn't the Goddess (or is she?)

Even if you postulate that the cycle starts with Raven, we would have:

Raven might fit the Mother

Winter doesn't fit the Sedcutress

In general, the main problem with this reading is that the 4 stages of anima integration are about a character (usually male) who integrates his anima. For example, Jaune's arc is about this process. Still, the 4 maiden's role in the story isn't linked to a specific character.

You might wonder if maybe the maiden can symbolize the 4 stages of the anima for Jaune, since his development is one way or another linked to the death/survival of some thematic maidens: Pyrrha, Weiss and Penny. To an extent, Pyrrha fits Eve, Weiss fits Helen and Penny fits Mary. Still, Pyrrha fits Helen and in particular Mary too. And Weiss definately fits Sophia. So, I don't see it, as for now, but maybe I will change my mind later on :)

More importantly, the 4 Maidens are in fact tied to some Jungian Archetypes, which are the same of the 4 stages of alchemy (and team RWBY)

The Summer Maiden is the Maiden of Destruction (Nigredo = The Shadow)

The Winter Maiden is the Maiden of Creation (Albedo = The Anima)

The Spring Maiden is the Maiden of Knowledge (Citrinitas = The Wise Woman)

The Spring Maiden is the Maiden of Choice (Rubedo = the Self)

So, I think these are the archetypes of the maidens who tie with the themes of each relic and arc.

Thank you for the ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

We know that Neo is a character that is linked to the number three so I thought that she could also represent the mind-heart-body pattern:

Mind: Neo's semblance, overactive imagination, allows him to mirror her imagination into reality, basically projecting her mind out of her head. Also Neo is quite creative inits use of her semblance and her general fighting style.

Heart: Neo is someone who wants to have the freedom to express herself and live as she wants (she follows her heart). Besides, Neo feels genuine affection for Roman for respecting her for who she was and in return she turned Roman's heart so that she cannot process the loss of her and is carried away by her feelings of pain.

Body: One of Neo's inspirations is neapolitan ice cream, a dessert. In addition, Neo is thirsty for revenge against Ruby and hate against Cinder and the first thing she does when she arrives in Ever After is to attack the Jabberwalker (Neo follows the basic instinct of a human which is to kill or be killed).

Hi!

It is true Neo has traits of heart/body/mind, but I don't think it is something unique to her or that it fits a specific pattern tbh.

I think you can try and link each color to either mind, body and heart. Still, I don't think it is so easily done, as the id, ego, super-ego triad, which is clearly stated in her book.

In general, all characters have some heart, mind, body to them, but usually they are one of the 3 when in a specific dynamic.

For example, I think Weiss is mind to Jaune or Ruby, but Heart when it comes to her dynamic with her siblings.

Blake is Mind and Yang is Heart, but this doesn't meanBlake has no feelings and Yang is stupid. It means in their dynamic they are complementary. See, during their confession Blake is the one, who figures out what they have to do, but Yang makes it possible by starting to compliment her and is the one who confesses first.

Jaune is initially body, in how he is raw and needs to develop. Then he starts becoming more like Pyrrha, heart, but one of his major traits is that he is a clever strategist.

Mercury similarly is body, but I think he needs to develop into both mind to complement Emerald's heart.

And so on!

Thank you for the ask!

[aspoonofsugar]

Emerald and Mercury's arcs can be interpreted as healing arcs.

Hi!

Yes, I think you could call their arcs in this way :D

As I have written here, I think Emerald's follows the same structure as Weiss and Blake's arcs. She is given time in a better environment with better people and this will make her stronger.

As for Mercury, it is more difficult to say because his arc is slightly behind Emerald's, but I think he will heal eventually. Tbh, I think the idea of healing is a central theme to his arc (even more than Em's in a sense) because it is brought up directly:

Mercury: “This (Mercury’s semblance) is a crutch!” “This makes you weak!”

The truth is that structurally there are 4 different types of arcs: positive change arc, negative change arc, positive steadfast arc, negative steadfast arc. By combining these 4 arcs and by changing some parts you get variations. For example, I think Cinder's arc will be a variation that combines a negative steadfast arc + a positive change arc. This means she will refuse to change and spiral, she will get huge consequences, she will be saved and by that point she will finally change.

Despite the structures being finite, people tend to call different arcs with different names depending on the themes they explore or on what happens in the arc. For example, there is a redemption hence it is a redemption arc. Or there is healing hence a healing arc. Similarly, it is a coming of age story, so it is a coming of age arc :)

Anyway, yes, I think healing is a theme that will be key to Em and Merc's arcs!

Thank you for the ask!