#Hnk analysis

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 107 Thoughts: Goodnight, Sweet Phos...

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay with this post. I originally intended to finish it and post it on Wednesday, but you know.... life happened.

Another month has gone by and now we're on our second to last chapter for Houseki no Kuni. That's right; it's been confirmed that the next chapter will be the last chapter. Can you believe it? If you've seen my previous posts, I'm sure you have an idea of how I feel about this news.

But that'll be for the end of this post. For now, let's talk about this chapter! I don't know how long this one will be, but I'll still warn you that it might be longer than intended, which is the norm for me. This post is a bit too messy for my liking so I might end up making some edits to it later. For now, I just want to have it posted.

As always, please feel free to share your own thoughts in this post! Here we go!

Visual Storytelling Through Change in Style

The first thing I want to talk about is the visuals for this chapter. It greatly contrast with the visual style of the previous couple of chapters. In those chapters, the art was loud, intense, and chaotic, and yet mesmerizing and immersive. The heavy use of black, sharp lines and patterns emphasizes on the harshness of the changing environment. And in many of those page, Phos looks so small, as they are literally being consumed by their surroundings. Even though there were many panels where Phos, Eyeball, or the pebbles are the focus, the background is still very overwhelming in comparison.

Now contrast that with most of the visuals in this chapter. Most, if not all, of the intense visual motifs from the previous chapters are gone; no sharp patterns, black is subdued significantly, and the background isn't overpowering the characters.

The intensity of the visuals were cut back significantly and were traded in for simplified line art, heavy use of the white negative space, and soft hues that make everything airy and dream-like. This is especially true during Phos's sequence. I like how there are very few thick continuous lines in the artwork. These illustrations are mostly made up of light, loose broken up short lines that create abstract structures. And I like that as the regression continued, Phos's design simplified to the point that they were just a small abstract face.

This art style literally and metaphorically showed us the deconstruction of Phos. It's so simple, and yet so impactful.

This is also the case for the last two pages.

The change in visual tone does a nice job emphasizing the literal and figuratively change in scenery. To be more specific, the drastic art style changes can symbolize the final metamorphosis of the remaining characters and the story itself. With Eyeball and the pebbles, the style emphasizes how they've transitioned to a whole new place in a literal and allegorical sense. And with Phos, they're style does the same by emphasizing on the deconstruction of their being during their final moments.

I apologize if what I said was confusing (I also got myself confused for a moment haha) But I'll just end this section with this: I liked the art in this chapter.

Now then, we should jump into the meat of this chapter....

Phos's final curtain call.

Phos Can Finally Rest...

Like I stated before, I found Phos's pages really beautiful for different reasons. In terms of visuals, it's nice seeing some softer imagery after having nothing but sharp, chaotic ones. And story wise, it's nice to see Phos finally letting go and feeling fulfilled.

They are finally free, for real this time. Free from heartache, pain, existing. Phos is no longer held back by the sorrow they had been carrying, and they are free of regret.

They are finally at peace.

And would you look at that? We got to see Pho's original face one last time. And they were happy.

Good for them.

Before going to the next section, I want to quickly talk about this page:

When I first looked through the spoiler tag for the previous couple of chapters, I remember seeing some posts from people who seemed unsatisfied with how the story progressed. From what I understand, many of them didn't like that Phos decided to forgive the remnants of humanity. With this latest chapter, I'm sure there are fans who were also not happy that during Phos's final moments that they are thinking about wanting to see their old families again. I can understand the sentiment, though I'm not surprised with this development.

Despite everything that had led the story to this point, Phos did not hate their old families. Yes, they harbored malice towards them during different points of the story, and it would have been justifiable for Phos to punish them along with the other remnants of humanity came to them to pray. But instead, Phos chose to forgive and free them.

I originally saw Phos's actions as their way of finally cutting ties with their families and relieving themselves of the emotional baggage that they burdened them with. But it's been hinted for a while that despite everything, Phos still loved their families. And the fact that Phos wishes they could see them again solidifies this fact.

Though I can't say if I like this revelation or not, I still find it interesting. But again, I can understand if some readers disagree with Ichikawa's writing decisions. If you have your own thoughts about Phos's final moments, please feel free to share them!

But regardless of everything, I still think this was a wonderfully fitting send off for Phos.

But I'm not done talking about Phos just yet.

And Start Anew...

I'll admit that having the first image I see be Phos's last gem piece shatter was not the welcoming image I wanted to see. For a moment, I thought my hope that there was a chance the small piece of Phos would grow sentience and live a new life was shattered (haha.)

But hooray, for that theory became a reality! Despite Phos's last piece breaking up again, a small bit remained and is evidently showing signs of life. It was wonderful how the pebbles immediately recognized that small piece as their brother, showing once again how open and welcoming their are. Small Phos is so lucky.

And how ironic is it that this Small Phos is considered the smallest, (in some ways) youngest, and most fragile new member of this new family... much like how Phos was with the gems at the beginning of this whole story. (I know that Phos was the same height as the other gems, but because of their makeup and position within their society, Phos can be considered less significant or "smaller" than everyone else)

Hm. With that thought in the air... I hope the parallels end there and this doesn't mean that this small and untainted piece of Phos won't be subjected to a similar treatment of their predecessor, right?

...right??

Nah, it should be fine....Unless Aechmea somehow comes back-

Created Their New Path: Final Act of Defiance?

The second to last thing I'd like to talk about is this page because it had me thinking about few things.

It made me think back to the previous chapters, namely the crazy, nearly perfect plans perpetuated by Aechmea and the Lunarians. It's been emphasized many times how calculated Aechmea's plans were, especially when it came to Phos. He nearly predicted every action Phos would make and kept planning and manipulating accordingly until things go the way he wants. And in the previous chapter, it was also heavily implied that he and the other remnants of humanity counted on Phos, Eyeball, and whatever new organisms they came across, to get onto the Dues Ex Machina ship. In some way, they predicted correctly.

But now I must ask these questions:

Did they also count on the possibility of Phos not entering the ship?

Did they also count on Eyeball switching off the ship's autopilot, manually controlling it, and subsequently crash landing it on a planet that more than likely wasn't the original destination?

For these questions, I want to say no.

It's interesting how even though at this point in the story, both Eyeball and Phos seemed resigned to the fact all of their actions were a result of them being manipulated, even after the perpetrators were long gone. But funny enough, I think that their very last actions were entirely their choice. For Phos, staying on the planet and ceasing to exist was entirely their choice. And for Eyeball, choosing to meddle with the ships settings to grab Phos's last gem piece and boost the ships' output. I don't think Aechmea counted on Eyeball doing that. If Eyeball is correct and they did pass the planet that Aechmea had possibly prepared for them, then this means that Eyeball had in many ways changed the trajectory of his and the pebble's lives, albeit unintentional. This could all mean that are all finally free from Aechmea and his long-game, 4D chess plans.

Phos and Eyeball have finally and truly defied Aechmea and humanity.

...BUT THEN AGAIN.. there's always that dumb chance that this was ALSO somehow part of Aechmea's plan. I highly doubt it, because that would be very ridiculously convoluted, even for this story. But then again, you never know with this author.

But for the sake of this post, I want to believe Phos and Eyeball came out on top in the end by intentionally and unintentionally forging paths that wasn't previously made for them. Even though Phos's final choice was somewhat influenced by the professor, it still felt like it was truly their decision.

I hope this doesn't unravel somehow with the final chapter.

Speaking of which-

The Final Stretch...

I can't believe it. This story is about to end. We'll finally almost done and what a journey it has been. I can't believe I started getting into this series almost over 6 years ago. Many things have happened since then, and during this time, this story had sent me on such an emotional rollercoaster. Though there are many things within the story that I wish was different or handled better, I still think this was a very wonderful and thought provoking story.

Now Ms. Ichikawa has to stick the landing. This could make or break this series.

After everything you put us readers through, I hope the true finale will be worth it.

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #hnk #hnk spoilers #hnk phos #hnk spoiler #lotl #hnk meta #lotl spoilers #hnk analysis #hnk chapter 107 #hnk phosphophyllite #hnk manga #hnk thoughts #story analysis

[nacrelysis]

im not gonna shut up about bort and dia im not im not im not gonna shut up about how bort drove themself away from dia because they pursued excellence for sensei and im not gonna shut up about how bort never let dia help them to the point that dia challenged that giant lunarian dog thing on their own to try to prove themself and im not gonna shut up about how when dia told phos to change themself they were probably talking about themself, dia, diamond, because they feel useless compared to bort.

im not gonna shut up about how dia and yellow are both diamonds that feel undeserving of their titles; dia because they are fragile, yellow because their partners keep dying, do you think bort worked even harder because they hated the idea of feeling like their siblings did? im not gonna shut up about how bort found a life outside of bloodlust only for them to be forced back onto the battlefield because of the lunarian invasion and do you think they saw dia then and thought, oh. oh no. this is what dia has become. this is because of me. because i do!! i think about how bort saw the diamond that stopped being their elder sibling centuries ago, and saw the way they splintered and fractured with that never-ending hunger to prove themself, and realized that a diamond is so much more dangerous when they are fragile.

i think about how the division of soul flesh and bone plays into the story - gems are immortal, so they have forever to realize their purpose; but gems are immortal, so they have forever to realize their emptiness. they have forever to lose their purpose, because bones cannot change like soul and flesh do. flesh twines and souls drift but bones crack if you bend them too hard. the lustrous have one purpose and that's why when they become lunarians, they have a sense of freer will and indulgence. and ignorance. bort in the room alone watching the jellyfish.... god i wish i could understand what the panels were saying

#houseki no kuni #hnk #宝石の国 #houseki no kuni spoilers #hnk bort #hnk dia #SCREAMS #PHOS MY BABY #YOURE SUFFER IN #hnk ch 96 #hnk ch 96 spoilers #houseki no kuni analysis #hnk analysis #hnk 96

[mieowkoid09]

THEY LOOK SO SAD IN THIS PAGE... DID THEY LOSE SOMEONE TO THAT MISTAKE?? Omg... headcanons/theories incoming

What if the gem Bort lost was Heliodor? The timings match up seeing as how Dia said that "Bort is getting so strong lately."

...Basically. implying this is a recent occurance. And you know who got caught recently?

Heliodor.

I'd also like to point out that Heliodor was captured at the cape of emptiness, aka where Cinnabar is staying. So its also an interesting detail to CinnaBort.

Ugh i need to see cocky Bort getting absolutely traumatized plz

#someone make a fanfic where Cinnabar still decides to stay at the cape of emptiness #but Bort is like “No” dont do that thats stupid #and then they fall in love #CinnaBort #Bort #Bortz #houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #宝石の国 #hnk manga #hnk #houseki #heliodor #cinnabar #houseki theory #houseki headcanon #houseki analysis #Cinnabortz

[weebookey]

Land of The Lustrous: Looped Ending & The 28th Gem? [THREAD]

Ichikawa really hinting at that looped ending

— Volume 1 introduces how the gems strategize as duos — either as a fighter or a watcher. Phosphophyllite naturally wants to help fight like the rest against Lunarians, but Kongou disapproves of this request due to their clumsiness and low hardness.

— Phosphophyllite and Kongou are clearly antithetical — Phos, being 'perfect' within the imperfect body; and Kongou, the imperfection within perfection itself.

— Unlike the other Gems, Phosphophyllite has always opposed Sensei in light of curiosity and truth, although he fails to confess because of his functionality, it doesn't stop them from seeking out answers no matter what, even if its going to the Moon...

— But if Phosphophyllite is truly a fighter, then whom is the watcher? Someone that has been here the whole time... Kongou's Brother? Although it was stated that they have no traces of humanity in them, is it a safe theory to make that Kongou mistook it for a gem?

— These are memories, so let's believe the location of the city is relative to Phos and this is where Kongou's Brother misdirected the meteors. It's possible that the dormant remains of the box would still be within range of the original setting at the school.

— If we assume they are made of the same material, then what actually separates the two? Is this Ayumu tinkering with herself? The fact that the "Lustorus-to-Lunarian" machine works with Kongou despite not being being a lustrous, but containing traces of Humanity interests me...

— With the relationship between Kongou and Aechmea still unknown, anything is on the table for the conclusion. The shared dialogue was incredibly suspicious during the 10,000 year wait and there has to be more history between them and Dr. Ayumu

— I'm sure it doesn't really matter anymore, but regardless of what the answer truly is, they both share an entertaining affinity with another 🍿

— END —

#manga #houseki no kuni #phosphophyllite #land of the lustrous #hnk manga #Phos #manga thread #analysis

[randomnumbers751650]

THE FINAL CHAPTER IS TITLED LAND OF THE LUSTROUS!

ABSOLUTE CINEMA MANGA!

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #i am so emotional #hnk ended #it felt like a part of me ended too #well im the opinion that #no matter how good or satisfying #every ending has a bit of trauma #following phos journey was a rollercoaster #but im too tired to write a big analysis #so i just want to tell this #thank you haruko ichikawa

[penebui]

Euc is seen as a good leader when others see Phos as a shit leader, and its such a cool foil bcause effectively they are the opposite

Phos is proactive, and Euc is really not that, theyre reactive. It's not Euc's fault necessarily.

Once Euc is established as "leader" they quickly fall into the same type of limbo Sensei had been in for years. They have constant ideas on how to combat their problem and try to move forward to a mutual understanding, a form of peace, and understand why Phos is doing what he's doing.

But they ditch all of their plans, because the general consensus of the earth gems is to just. Shatter Phos. They're constantly hostile to anything that resembles a form of letting Phos even move. Any form of compromise that Euc thinks of, they know their fellow gems will not accept because they'll interpret it as some form of compliance (letting Phos speak and at least try to understand why they betrayed them and took the other gems).

Euc doesn't know what to do with Phos's remains that'll satisfy what they want to actually do and what the gems think should happen, which is why Shinsha making the suggestion to hide parts of them was a saving grace.

Euc stops pressuring Sensei to pray after years and years, because they finally understand. They don't know why he refuses to pray, but they know the stress that comes with wanting to keep others happy while having ideas that they can't enact.

They're seen as a good leader because they follow the others, but still at times voices and chooses to make a decision to put things into motion. No one did anything when Sensei revealed himself a robot. Euc was the one to accept him first.

In high stakes moments, when no one else is around to hear, they actually do what they want to do without the fear of peer pressure.

The scene where Euc manipulates Phos before they're crushed by Cairn? It's what they actually wanted to do. They don't want Phos to be outcasted, hated, or lonely. They knew Phos would choose earth over the moon once they heard that. They don't have enough time to articulate, they're fighting each other of course. That's why they said it. And that's why Cairn crushed Phos, and why Padpa doesn't exactly reprimand her.

When Phos crushes all the gems, Euc relents and begs him to take them to the moon to work things out. This mightve been what Euc wanted to really do, a long time ago, with their other ideas. They've been around the others for so long that they haven't seen Phos's descent into pure madness and hatred despite Phos's very disfigured appearance which indicates their mental state, because everyone slowly began to accept their circumstances and not work to improve them, a stark contrast to Phos's loud determination to change everything. And who could blame them? Phos was the first of their kind to show genuine hate, and a desire to destroy with no mercy. True malice. They only saw that in the form of lunarians, who they only saw as mindless drones until they all had the chance to turn into lunarians.

The last time Euc voices their decision, is when they're a lunarian like the rest. Even after everything, they know Phos is only a gem, a child who wanted to be loved and was effectively, lonely. And even then they only do this after the gems 'closest' to Phos said they'd forgive him. So they ask, "is there anything we can do for Phos?"

Phos, is seen as a bad leader. Whether it's because the gems are scarily quick to accept their circumstances and once again, not thinking of ways to improve them and liking things as they are, or because of Phos's brash, arrogant, and loud personality. Everything they do directly opposes and disrupts the lives of everyone around them. They break the peace. But they're constantly making decisions that move them towards their goal.

They make the decision to reassemble the gems with the hardness of 5 and up, even though the gems under that will be forever lost. They decide to stage a night raid, they decide to go back on their own and try to convince Sensei to pray. They meet with other head figures to discuss what needs to be done. They're constantly doing something.

So why the fuck does everyone hate them? One, they're selfish. Not in the bad way, but in the way you can tell that this kid is also just a kid. They chased Shinsha once (lightheartedly). Before the moon, Phos used to tease Cairn like a sibling would. After the moon they argue with Cairn and become petty, because that's effectively in line with their personality.

Constant kerfuffles like this serve to show that Phos wasn't supposed to become like this. Wasn't supposed to make big decisions at the age of 300, relatively young for a gem, and decide the world is a fuck and things could be better for the gems because there was a possibility that peace could truly happen. It's like giving New Goshe trauma by taking New Morga and then pushing them saying "go and solve all of the world's problems!". Because that's quite literally what happened.

Its also why Phos doesn't give into peer pressure if you ignore the other major factor of being so far removed from relationships and being lonely. They're rebellious, so they never gave two shits about things like that even though they so desperately wanted to be loved.

The only leader that the gems know are Sensei and Aechmea. Sensei, is calm and collected, and tries his best to stay away from personal relationships because in the end the gems will get taken to the moon. But he also taught and raised them and tries his best (even though he gives up pretty quickly) to help. Aechmea is the embodiment of what a good leader should act like, even though he's probably one of the worst beings in all of the earth and the five moons. Charismatic, all welcoming, technically an extrovert, great personality, everyone loves him! Even Euc shares some qualities with these two, and why they're also seen as a good leader personality wise.

And then there's Phos. Who is the total opposite of all these things.

They think of every possibility, but also forgets about the unpredictability of the situation. They didn't expect 88 to switch with 34, they didn't expect New Goshe to sneak in, they didn't expect Padpa to decide to become an absolute killing machine during the night raid, Cairn to dump them, and everything in between. And when unpredictable things happen, their personality shines through.

They constantly drop their leader facade, and are unprofessional. The thing is, their leader facade was only there because Antarc was taken from them. The personality change was from trauma, and when they slowly recovered and their mental state improved, they went back to being snooty Phos.

The next form of personality change was because of Lapis Lazuli's influence, even then that didn't last long.

And unprofessionalism? They've always been like that.

Aechmea was proactive, and Sensei was reactive. Phos became proactive, and Euc became reactive.

The constant negative feedback eventually crushed them, the doubts and things the gems would say ate at them, and their resolve crumbled and they stopped being a leader the moment their nervous breakdown still continued even after being put back together. The only one who saw all this was Aechmea, who effectively did nothing because it furthered his plans and agenda. Phos was never meant to be a leader.

Euc never stopped being a leader, but being more removed from the gems like Sensei and Aechmea were seem to give them more confidence in their decisions even if we only see like, one instance of it. Euc has the personality, professionalism, and already had experience at being a leader. The only downside that they had was that they gave into peer pressure because of the personal level they were at with their peers. Euc effectively is fit for a leader.

Its why Euc is seen as a good leader to the gems, and why Phos is seen as a terrible one.

#Hnk #Houseki no kuni #Phos #Phosphophyllite #Euc #Euclase #Hnk euclase #Hnk euc #Lotl #Land of the lustrous #My post #Text post #Sorry for the sudden hnk analysis essay I've been trying to Not do that but this one escaped me #This is also not an invitation for euc hate. No hate zone for any and all gems here #I'm merely analyzing

[tiluuuuuuuuuuuu]

Mini character analysis:

(BSD and HNK spoilers)

I've been looking up HNK x BSD crossovers for no reason in particular, but one thing I've seen is Akutagawa and Atsushi being compared to Bort and Diamond respectively. Mostly because of personality

However, I believe it would be better flipped. Ignoring aesthetics, Diamond's internal struggle with being overshadowed by Bort and their one main flaw of their perfect cleavage (being able to be split perfectly once hit at a weak point) is much more like Akutagawa and how he is weaker with his illness and constantly compared to Atsushi in his and Dazai's mind.

Whereas Atsushi is stronger physically like Bort who when hit at a weak point can still be fine and is often more praised by the other gems

The only problem is their personalities and aesthetics which are opposites, but I believe Dia and Bort's later personalities in the manga do fit more

It's a very similar dynamic except they seem to develop opposite to eachother

I'm too tired to think anymore so uh yeah, thanks for coming to my TEDtalk

#bungou stray dogs #bsd akutagawa #akutagawa ryuunosuke #atsushi nakajima #bsd atsushi #diamond #houseki no kuni #bort #hnk bortz #hnk diamond #character analysis #the brainrot is real #tired as fuck

[aquillwieldingmagpie]

Dan Heng once Dan Feng once Yubie Honkai Star Rail 🤝 Phosphophylite "Phos" Houseki No Kuni

Ship of Theseus themes, Samsara themes, "How much of me is what I was made of and how much of me is my experiences", not really being the person you once were, Haunted by The Horrors™ of their existence, Memory Related Issues, several Buddhist themes attached to them.

I shall not elaborate at this time due to sleep deprivation.

#dan heng #phosphophylite #dan heng honkai star rail #houseki no kuni #hnk phos #One day I shall write the Dan Heng/Dan Feng analysis essay... One day... *brandishes quill*

[randomy-chan]

Chapter 99

Sometimes I think about if Phos would’ve been happy as a lunarian but honestly, after today’s chapter? Nah

They still would strive to be liked. I think the moon gems being happy during their 10.000 years was just superficial. They swept all their issues under the rug

And that is the last thing that would make Phos happy

I do hope we get a name for our rock buddy though

#Houseki no kuni #hnk #BUT THAT MEANS #MY ANALYSIS WAS RIGHT #Can't believe a rock was more human than the other descendants tho

[vikuku]

Loneliness and Empathy in the world of Houseki no Kuni

Hii!! I have been keeping this in my head for while and I ended up deciding to do a blog regarding it (my first blog here!) and I think I have everything done to be able to explain my point of view of something have seen in Houseki no Kuni.

I watched Houseki no Kuni in 2020. the anime beautiful landscapes immediately caught my attention, but as I saw more, I had a feeling of loneliness in the series backgrounds even though the characters were there.

I feel like those landscapes actually shows how lonely everyone is

Despite living together and fighting as a team, they’re still lonely, most of them seems to not to care much about each other's well-being. the only thing they care is the work they must do. They wouldn’t even ask someone to hang out, ask how they are doing or anything like a friendship.

In the beginning Phos was weak, so the gems would not be interested to her that much, when Phos got new legs, more gems started talking to her, so pretty much basically they only got interested in her when she became useful and no longer a burden to them.

What I’m saying is that almost no one else cares for each other, so they’re alone.

#theory #analysis #houseki no kuni #houseki spoilers #land of lustrous #gemstone #phos #phos hnk #hnk #hnk spoilers

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 106 Thoughts: Bon Voyage...

Hello all. I hope these last few months have been kind to you in some way. These months have been... a lot. Some very good things happened, and some very bad. I wish we lived in a world were tragedies were just fiction, but that sadly isn't the case. I won't elaborate, but I promise, I'm okay. I just hope 2024 improves, though I know for many others, just hoping isn't enough.

I'm sorry for this late post. Once again, real life had me so distracted that I honestly forgot about Houseki no Kuni's chapter coming out this month. I only remembered when I saw activity around my older HnK posts.

Well, I finished reading the chapter and it was very beautiful and sad in different ways. I'll share more of my thoughts, though I don't think it'll be as long or detailed as my previous ones to be honest... Though I could be wrong! We'll see how it fairs. And who knows? Maybe I'll make another post to dissect this chapter further. But for now, I'll just write whatever comes to mind and try to make it as coherent as possible. I hope you like it. And as always, please feel free to share your own thoughts!

Here we go!

Thunderous Spectacle: The Final Journey

Once again, Ms. Haruko Ichikawa decided to flex her art skills by making beautiful, bombastic illustrations that encapsulates the chaos that is happening on Earth. And the ship departing looks straight out of a sci-fi movie; my mind went to Star Trek when I first saw those pages. Maybe Dune would be more appropriate; I actually don't know, I haven't read or watched Dune, though I hear it's very good.

I wish I had more to say about the visuals for this chapter, but I think they speak for themselves. I will say though...It's moments like this when I marvel... this was originally about a silly gem child trying to find their place in the world. And this is how their journey is finally coming to an end. Almost nothing is recognizable. This certainly was not how I thought this story, or specifically Phos' story, was going to unfold. I wonder if this was Haruko Ichikawa's plan from the beginning? Who can say...

Speaking of plans... Let's talk about Phos's and Eyeball's conversation.

Manipulation or Consideration: Humanity's Parting "Gift"

That was an interesting conversation Eyeball and Phos had when they were finishing up putting the little pebbles onto the ship. I think I remember stating in the last post how I thought it was odd that the Lunarians had this ship prepared for Phos. I'm glad this was somewhat addressed, but the conversation reveals that there was more behind this literal Deus ex Machina ship.

(I will never stop calling it that)

So if I'm understanding Eyeball's logic, Adamant and the Lunarians were considering Phos in the end? That after Phos fulfilled their last duties to the remnants of humanity that they'd be given the chance to leave the planet with whatever species came about before the planet died- Oh. Wait.

Wait.

Was this the thing that Adamant and Aechmea were alluding to back in chapter 96???

Oh my goodness, I think it was.

As I was typing this and going over some of the saved pages I had from the previous chapters, I saw the one with Euclase and I suddenly remembered their weird conversation with Adamant and Aechmea. I also remembered wondering what the heck they meant in the later chapters since their plan for Phos seemed to only be self serving.

HUH.

( Please let me know if I'm way off! For all I know, I could be making stuff up, but oh my goodness, when I made that connection AAaahh)

This was not how this portion was originally going to go, but there you go. I was going to talk about how twisted but not surprising how calculated everything was from the the Lunarians and the other ruminants of humanity's end. And I was also going to mention how the Doctor also fit into this since she was also calculated and manipulative in her own ways. Despite the different forms it takes, humanity didn't seem to change much in this world...

I was also going to originally say that the Deus ex machina ship feels like a backhanded "gift" for Phos, especially after everything that happened to them. And though I still feel that way, after thinking back to chapter 96, I'm now starting to see Phos's perspective of this gift. That despite everything that they put them through, Phos's former families still left this parting gift for them so they could live on elsewhere after they are long gone and when Phos was free from their duties. It's still a backhanded gift in my opinion, but it showed that they cared... at least a bit.

And the fact that their plan also included Eyeball is just wow. I do not blame his small, comedic outburst for that realization. He was manipulated too from the getgo!

At least in the end, Phos chose not to go into the ship. Phos intended to burn that bridge. Even though this thought was implanted by Sensei, Adamant, and the Lunarians, Phos still made that choice on their own and they are owning it. It's bittersweet, though, because regardless of whether or not they stayed or went, Phos's decisions were still a result of them being manipulated one way or another. Pretty much a lose-lose kind of situation, but at least the choice that Phos chose in the end still aligned with what they wanted in they end.

They are giving Eyeball and the little pebbles a chance for a fresh start while Phos can finally end the cycle... By taking humanity and himself to bitter end...

Or does he?

Goodnight, Phosphophyllite

The final farewell between Phos and Eyeball was touching. In a last minute decision to give Phos closure and in an act of true salvation, Eyeball took the last piece of Phos with him. The true remaining piece of Phosphophyllite. To me, this action felt more earnest and heartwarming than the Deus Ex Machina Ship (but that's just me).

What will happen with that piece of Phosphophyllite? Who knows? Maybe that piece will gain sentience and live a peaceful life with the pebbles? A life free of all the constraints as well as the freedoms that was intentionally and unintentionally reinforced within societies created by the former remnants of humanity? I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

As for the Phos that was left behind? The Phos that we've watch evolve from the beginning to end? They will finally rest.

They will finally, and truly be free.

(Albeit in a seemingly not so pleasant way?? Well, they weren't complaining so maybe the lava and other harsh elements isn't hurting them. I hope that's the case.)

I had the feeling that this chapter will be the last time we see Phos, or at least this version of Phos, and it would be a sad but proper send off.

But after seeing THIS at the end, I'm not so sure:

Of course Haruko Ichikawa decides to be cheeky with that little note. Ma'am. Why did you say this???

Is this her roundabout way of saying that Phos is kind of back to square 1? Of being the lonely, jobless Phos who no longer has a purpose and is left with nothing to do but "think." That's pretty funny/messed up joke if that's what she's hinting at.

But again, we'll have to wait and see.

WELP. That's all I have for you all. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'd love to hear what you thought about this chapter. We're nearly at the end of this saga. We're are almost there...

Please be worth it.

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #hnk #lotl #hnk spoiler #hnk spoilers #hnk manga #lotl spoilers #hnk meta #hnk phos #personal thoughts #hnk chapter 106 #hnk chapter 96 #hnk analysis #story analysis #long post #meta post

[catphos]

I see a lot of people make claims along the lines of “Cinnabar is ungrateful to Phos/doesn’t deserve Phos”, and it bothers me to no end. Cinnabar is so far from ungrateful, to the point where I can’t understand why people think they are (although maybe I’ve just analysed them so much that I notice smaller details about them). Cinnabar, someone who was lonely for so, so many years with absolutely no purpose to the point of wanting to go to the moon where at the time, they believed they’d most likely get turned into jewellery (which could be considered a type of “death” for gems), found hope within Phos’ words. And you know what the thing is? Cinnabar did not ask Phos to go to the lengths they did to find them a job. Cinnabar didn’t even want to get involved with Phos, because they didn’t want to give themselves hope. And weren’t they right to be doubtful in the end?

Cinnabar was treated terribly by the other gems. Rutile basically admits it here, that they use the night watch as a cage to keep them in. Instead of continuing to find a purpose for Cinnabar, everyone seems to have given up at this point – Benito even admits that they feel uneasy living next to Cinnabar. I’m sure Cinnabar is aware of all of this, as they are never visited by anyone except Rutile before and after winter hibernation. Phos being so determined in their words towards Cinnabar, saying that they’d find them a job no matter what, would of course stir something within Cinnabar, however, Cinnabar being as prudent as they are, would of course be hesitant about holding onto such a promise. Cinnabar is very careful and paranoid about the future, so it’s implied that they would consider Phos not going through with their promise in the end. In that scenario, why would they want to hold onto something that isn’t even guaranteed? Why become hopeful only to be let down again? Wouldn’t it just be easier for them to stay as they are, with absolutely no possibility of being let down again?

Cinnabar barely even trusts themself. They don’t want to be stuck with the night watch, but they’re too paranoid. Paranoia is such a common theme with Cinnabar, a trait that Phos points out a lot in fact. That’s the thing, Cinnabar is not ungrateful for Phos, but rather Phos is so different from Cinnabar that it’s hard for them to just go along with their plans. Phos is extremely impulsive and does not think things through very far ahead, whereas Cinnabar almost thinks of every single possibility when they are making a decision. They always seem to be aware of what could possibly go wrong and think about the end goal/result, and it goes without saying that Phos lacks this mindset almost entirely. That’s what’s so interesting about Cinnabar and Phos, it’s that they balance each other out and yet they’re both too unprepared to cooperate their mindsets. Phos doesn’t think they are smart or considerate enough to work with Cinnabar, and Cinnabar isn’t brave or impulsive enough to work with Phos. This is why when Phos asks Cinnabar to help them find out about the connection between Sensei and the lunarians, Cinnabar rejects their offer.

Think about it. Cinnabar already has a miserable life – a lonely life where no one can find any purpose for them whatsoever. Cinnabar has already told Phos that they know Sensei is connected to the lunarians somehow, so they clearly would have run through many scenarios in their head already. That’s the kind of person Cinnabar is, someone who needs to see every step ahead of them. When Phos proposes discovering the mystery as a job for them to do, why would they have a good reason to accept? I’m genuinely curious. Cinnabar has witnessed how impulsive Phos is first-hand, from them making such a specific and hard-to-achieve goal, to losing multiple parts of their body. And you could say that maybe Cinnabar is too picky, or has their expectations so high, but Phos did say that the job would be fun. And why would Cinnabar want to get involved in a job that could be even MORE stressful than the night watch? Cinnabar wants happiness just as much as Phos does, and they didn’t even ask Phos to go so far for their sake in the first place. As for Cinnabar rejecting Phos’ offer to go to the moon…

Now, before Phos went to the moon and talked to Cinnabar, they did ask Cinnabar to come with, but took back the offer because they wanted to check things out first. This was a huge mistake on Phos’ end, although they weren’t aware of why it would be in the first place. When Phos asked Cinnabar that time, you can see Cinnabar’s arm raise up, as if they are going to accept the offer, only for Phos to let them down. And to be honest? Maybe Cinnabar would have gone with them this time, however Phos made yet another mistake. The mistake of mentioning that other gems were leaving for the moon as well. In the image above, you can see Cinnabar’s eyes widen when Phos first makes the offer, however when they mention other gems, their eyes widen even more. To me, this panel has a MASSIVE difference from the previous one, where they thought it would just be them and Phos. I can think of reasons why this line, “come with me and the others”, would shock Cinnabar in a negative way. The first one, being that Cinnabar would have wanted to go with Phos alone. This could be a stretch because I am biased and love the idea of both of them just going to the moon alone, but it’s quite possible, isn’t it? Cinnabar just wanted to team up with Phos. They wanted teaming up with Phos to be the fun job only they could do. Do they really have a purpose on the moon if Phos can just bring the other gems? Wouldn’t it just be like living on Earth, because the other gems are more capable than them? That’s the feeling I get, anyway. The other option, which kind of ties in with the last one, is that Cinnabar really does relate to Sensei a lot, implied in the way they say that they don’t want him to be lonely. Sensei is treated as a flawed being, an outcast once Phos starts deep diving into the mystery between him and the lunarians. Because there is something “wrong” with Sensei, he is seen as different by Phos, even to the point where they consider him an enemy. Phos is not only viewing Sensei, who loves them very much, as an enemy because of his flaws, but is trying to turn the other gems against him as well. Sound familiar? Well, maybe not identical, but isn’t this kind of what Cinnabar has experienced their entire life? They are different from the other gems, they have a “defect”, and instead of others adapting to them to give them a better experience, they are expected to adapt to the world around them all by themself. Isn’t it unfair? Cinnabar didn’t ask to be born that way, to be born with something that only hurts others and keeps them away. The same can be said for Sensei, and I think this is why Cinnabar resonates with him.

It’s kind of sad how much Phos, someone who understands Cinnabar’s situation more than anyone (and vice versa), fails to realise why Cinnabar wouldn’t go with them to the moon after everything they’ve said. “In fact, we’re in danger just being close to Sensei!” Once again, the same could be said for Cinnabar. The expression on their face says a lot, because even though Cinnabar usually frowns, they look frustrated more than anything here. The person who gave them hope, who gave them a reason to keep on living and wishing for the best, is now just like everyone else. The person who once understood Cinnabar more than anyone else in the world, suddenly doesn’t seem to understand them at all. And while the fact that Phos has forgotten the details of their promise as well as other specifics is not Phos’ fault, it would of course affect Cinnabar a LOT.

This is really the nail in the coffin. The offer isn’t about pairing up with Cinnabar at all really, and Phos can’t even figure out why that’s wrong because of their memory loss.

Phos has absolutely no idea. How could they know, when their memories are so scattered? They even move on from it so quickly, because their goal is no longer about finding a job for Cinnabar, it’s about making Adamant pray. I mean, can you even blame Cinnabar for being suspicious about that alone? Cinnabar recognises traits of Lapis in Phos when their head is replaced, and now Phos is also working with the lunarians, the beings that attacked them for who knows how long. Not to mention the fact that Phos once desperately called out to Cinnabar to stop them from going to the moon, and yet Cinnabar couldn’t do the same thing in return. It’s really tragic, but that’s what I love about these two. They just really needed to talk, Cinnabar needed to make that push to communicate their feelings and desires to Phos, and Phos needed to be able to go further and ask Cinnabar how they feel about things, and not just talk to them when they needed advice.

Anyway, I need people to stop solely blaming Cinnabar, and saying they are ungrateful, or that they don’t deserve Phos, or that they are the reason Phos is unhappy, because it’s not true. Both of them have made mistakes, and neither of them have made the extra effort to communicate properly. They’ve been treated as outcasts for so long that it makes sense that they’d have a lack of knowledge in the areas of communication and working together with someone. I just can’t imagine either of them truly hating each other, because they had such a strong impact on each other’s lives. They are two sides of the same coin, even after all this time.

#hnk #houseki no kuni #lotl #land of the lustrous #phosphophyllite #phos #cinnabar #analysis #meta #I'm so sick of people hating cinnabar for things they're not #or things they didn't do #it's very easy to label things as black and white but hnk isn't that type of media in the slightest #everything has shades of grey #the gems aren't even human after all

[mieowkoid09]

WAIT WAT

I have no idea what this means... is there a connection between water/ice that makes the ones living in/are liquid that makes them prone to knowing things others dont? is that why Phos is also liquidish in their latest form!? did Antarc subconsciously know that Phos is going to become something more than a lustrous??? and since light can be considered a liquid, is that why the lunarians are such know-it-alls'??? I am so confused-

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #phosphophyllite #phos #宝石の国 #hnk spoilers #houseki spoilers #land of the lustrous spoilers #hnk manga #laphos #houseki analysis #houseki parallels

[weebookey]

Ever wondered why Cinnabar is the only gem to have their Japanese name? Here are some ideas on alternative meanings behind 'shinsha'!

#Houseki no Kuni #Theory #Manga Analysis #HnK #Land of The Lustrous #Shinsha #Japanese #Learn Japanese #Cinnabar

[swimsauce]

LETS FUCKING

I think we may be approaching the end, which is sad, but I am very interested on where this is going.... I see two outcomes possible rn

-only phos gets to pass on

-phos, now divine, will select those they deem worthy of mercy anf leave the rest behind

-or some other shit idk

#spoilers btw #hnk #houseki no kuni #lotl #land of the lustrous #also the humor in chp 96 is so underrated i love how ichikawa balances out existential dread with genuinely funny dialogue #chp 97 #i be imploding over here #i realized there was a massive typo mega cringe on me yet again #analysis

[bioswear]

[VENT POST / DNREBLOG]

Gotta keep telling myself like, 60% of the HnK fandom is just babies who are like, Barely out of their teenage years (allegedly - I’m not IN the fandom bc im almost 30 and fandom drama anything is stupid and not worth my time) but sometimes I’ll see a stupid take and then it’s like “oh you’re just 19 okay. Ur a BABY in comparison you don’t have the life experience to know better” but man it’s SO HARD to not have anyone on my same intellect to talk about this series 😩

It just feels like a vast majority of readers side with Phos despite all of the equally shitty things they did with the Gems and treat Phos like they fulfilled all of their promises even tho they didn’t? They jumped from one empty, long-winded promise to another and the only way they were ever fulfilled is by someone else who fell into the place that Phos left.

Like, Bort was absolutely correct when they said Phos preyed on their weaknesses and then manipulated them into leaving earth (save for Dia, who had already peaced out-ied), but you all aren’t ready for that kind of taking accountability yet

Also, regarding Phos, the best most recent example I can think of comes from TUA S3; this quote from Five:

You know what they call a superhero who works alone and doesn’t listen to anybody? A villain.

In the perspective of the Gems, Phos is a wild card. Unpredictable, chaotic, powerful, othered. All in all, Phos is basically a superhero relative to the Gems’ usual abilities. They are To be feared, because they [the Gems] don’t understand. Jade even says “I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to understand you” (PARAPHRASE) Phos, whether intentionally or not, lauds this over the rest of the Gems.

[To simplify - Phos is that kid who keeps kicking the back of your chair. Hard. And doesn’t stop when you ask politely]

So like YES - the Gems absolutely suck in that aspect of not really ever understanding Phos based on their formulated, projected image of them. Yes they should’ve made more of an effort to support Phos earlier on, etc etc. BUT at the same time, if their circumstances were also being outwardly manipulated the entire time by Aechmea, then they really couldn’t do much to stop it.

On the flip side, the Gems suck because they’re now dealing with their own butterfly effect of problems coming to light between themselves and their community/culture as a whole because of Phos, who swung at the proverbial bees nest??? That also doesn’t sit well, because it’s reducing the problem to Black vs White; good versus evil, and that’s where I fear people are losing the actual themes of the story in exchange for “durhur my blorbos” brainrot 🙄

[Dont blind yourselves to the ways in which a character does or doesn’t take accountability and responsibility for their actions. It’s what differentiates a hero from a coward; the degree in which a character owns up to their actions is a huge reflection of their personal integrity]

Even if Phos viewed their own actions as noble and worth the effort and troubles imposed on the others, they still acted selfishly. Solo. They saw this big, monumental task that nobody had ever done before and developed so much tunnel vision for it without thinking of how their actions would branch out and affect everyone else around them.

When Cinnabar tells them to drop it for their own sake, Phos does the complete fucking opposite and escalate things. They hear “Don’t do that” and see a challenge to prove wrong.

So I don’t blame Cinnabar for not wanting to go or stay with Phos, since REALLY, this fucking far, Phos never actually thought about Cinnabar other than as a means to fulfill THEIR promises to find them a better job. Cinna even acknowledges that - “if you had just asked to be partners, it would be different” (NOT VERBATIM) - like Shinsha Isn’t fucking stupid, and perhaps is able to see through more of the ruse Phos put up than the other Gems because they lived separately from the community mindset. And also if we’re speaking truthfully, their connection wasn’t even that deep beyond shipping lenses. Phos never took the time to really get to know Shinsha or understand what THEY wanted. Phos imposed what they thought Shinsha wanted.

Anyway Jesus fucking Christ I have a lot of thoughts and analysis now that I’ve reread Houseki at an older age - there are a lot of moments and events that I didn’t fully understand when I first read it. But boy there are so many more things I get now that im older :’)

Also all attempts at starting “fandom drama” with me will be ignored :) because I literally don’t care about the petty trivialities of fandom drama.

#i just need to find the people my age who can actually have discussions on the theme #without being like THE GEMS SUCK #like yes we know that. we’ve seen it #hnk #actually analyze the series and open your minds up to LEARNING media literacy and analysis actually #this phase of earth and humanity is not ready for the conversation of individualism vs community #especially bc we real life fucking humans Suck at it #personal txt #it’s just like PLEASE did we READ the same series #explain why they suck without saying THEY WERE MEAN :( or give me any insight that you actually understand the content and it’s nuances #you gotta learn to view the big picture detached from personal bias and emotion #but also let yourself connect and relate to characters #maybe a lot of these kids see themselves in Phos #i know at one point my perspective held Phos in favor but that’s because of where I personally was in my life #which was a very Me against the World type mindset (which makes an ugly color on anyone) #but I was also 18/19 when I viewed phos favorably