the Docmother is In

I want to talk about the dichotomy in Kumo no Ito / Aka no Ito. The reason why this season is burn and sinking. It’s not like i am the only one to notice this though, it must be obvious to most people. I just wanted to archive my findings.

Kumo no Ito is the spider’s thread, the spider being Rien, and his side representing sinking. Being an abnormality freak, I was thinking back on Ryōshū’s Penitence / Red Eyes ID’s uptie story. How she talked to the Spider’s Bud abnormality. “if you really consider these baby spiders your family… … shouldn't you be attacking me by now?” Like Wildhunt Heathcliff, gloom is merely resignation to grief after the hurt is done. If Rien had “The Courage to Protect”, his family wouldn’t have died. Even if I understand the Index specifically targeting these spineless people, I can’t write him clean of his crimes. He gave them up to the spider, resigned to staying entangled in the web.

Aka no Ito is the blood ties Shiomi Yoru shares with Ryōshū and in turn Araya. It represents family, love and wrath. Naturally, children would bond with their parents, even if said parents abused them. Seeing their parents hurt would trigger any child, regardless of how they feel about their parents. Ryōshū grew up seeing her mom trapped in the Spider’s web, neglected by all her other parents. When you’re used to absolute emotional starvation by others, even rage directed at you could feel like love. As long as it feels like someone gives enough of a fuck to hate you, it’s preferable to apathy. Because then, doesn’t it sound like they’re mocking you, agreeing that you deserved this fate?

Silence, and compliance is the worst treatment for these warm blooded people. They require emotional engagement, and if left alone, they will only further tear themselves apart. You can see it in not just the three generations of women but for the little kids that love their parents like Kira, Lucio, and Valencina. They have burn in their kit, they all love hard, only to meet an emotional brick wall.

My conclusion is that while you can sever the Spider’s thread, as they are not blood related to you, but you can’t sever the facts that you exist thanks to somebody. That is the meaning of blood ties. You could permanently sever them from your life and move on, but you would also lose parts of yourself that was bound to them. That’s why Arayashiki cuts at your most treasured memories when you cut others. And that’s why Ryōshū needed to be raised by both the warm blooded and cold blooded. She needs to keep making deep attachments and sever it at will. All to become the perfect wielder of Arayashiki.

But as you can see, the title of the Canto is The Unsevering. We can’t right what’s wrong, but we can could undo our estrangement to our family post mortem. After all, they could no longer hurt us and we could no longer hurt them more after death. All that’s left to do is gloom over it.

In her EGO, she looks down, showing her submission and obedience, showing that she gives more worth into what the others Fausts think than her own thoughts.

Also, she doesn't wear the prisoner's jacket than most, if not every sinners wear. Instead, it is attached to a coat rack. It shows her importance and place into Limbus Company and how she isn't shackled by the same contract of every sinner. Also, the barbed wire is not there as well, adding to what I have said.

It can maybe symbolize how she is imprisoned not by others like everyone else but by herself, her others selves, and so Gesellschaft, her initial ability and tool.

What is left to really understand is what represents what lies beyond the window. It seems to be someone observing something? I'm not sure if it's Cogito or not... But either for now, I don't have an educated guess about this.

Also, it's interesting how she was paired with Forsaken Murderer for her lob corp ego suit, knowing how it ties to her as the scientists can represent the others Fausts and our Faust as the test subject and so the murderer.

Representation Theory is also a branch of mathematics concerned with (as I understand it in my very limited way) - similarities between objects, specifically finding ways to describe abstract algebraic concepts in more concrete terms. Lastly, "Representation" is a key idea in The World As Will And Representation, the key work of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer:

This idea of an 'objective' will - the deification of the mind and mentition - as well as the focus on the negation of the individual as an 'illusion- vibes very strongly to me with how the Gesellschaft is presented to us. Thematically, it also makes for a very interesting counterpoint with how Rien is presented to us in Canto 9, specifically, how his interpretation of Mahayana Buddhism is explicated. Finally, I think the shadows on the wall themselves are absolutely evocative of Plato's allegory of the cave, which is an exploration of the liberatory power of the mind to 'free' us from illusion:

Throughout canto 9, Rien’s parental abuse is most prominently psychological. He leverages his status of authority to groom Ryōshū in multiple ways, treating her quite literally as an “object of affection”. Based on his scenes in the game, he appears to employ the following tactics:

Infantilization - prolonged treatment of someone as if they are much younger than they really are. He still calls her “sweetheart” and his “darling daughter” and even when Ryoshu demands to see Araya, he asks to read her a picture book. There are also the implications that he projects his late daughter onto her even after all this time.

Rien:     My darling daughter. I hope you've been doing well for yourself out there.

Rien:    But don't you think it's about time you stopped playing and came home?

Rien: Now, come sit here. Shall I read you a picture book?

Ryoshu: .......

Rien: You used to really love fairytale time, when you were but a child.

Rien: Until one day, you gave me the cold shoulder and just walked straight into your room. Said you were too old for "stuff like that."

Ryoshu: Fuck off with your bullshit.

Ryoshu: Just answer my question.

Rien: You're trying to skip ahead.

Rien: Remember how we never finished our books? We'd always save the ending for later.

Rien: I don't know if you were aware, but I had all of them bookmarked.

Rien: So that, should you come to long for those moments again, we could pick them up right where we left off.

!@#*%$ Dad, why do sea waves keep crying?

Rien: Because they're sad that they're knocking over the sand castles.

!@#*%$ Then they should just not knock them over.

Rien: Waves move with the winds. When the wind blows, the high and low tides can't help but knock down everything in their path.

!@#*%$ Then why not just... push back when the wind blows?

Rien: Think about it this way, darling.

Rien: The waves... built those sand castles only because the wind pulled them in.

Rien: And now, the wind is pushing them to bring the castles down.

Rien: So the waves really have no reason to feel sad.

!@#*%$ Then, Dad...

!@#*%$ ... when will they be happy?

Location: Corridor of the Index, Past

Yoshihide ... when will they be happy?

Rien: …….

Rien: Well... Let's take our time finding that out, shall we?

Rien: We can save the ending... for later.

Rien: We'll read all these endings together once you grow up and become as old as Daddy.

Yoshihide: ... Okay.

Yoshihide: Then you gotta read to me every day.

Yoshihide: Pinky promise!

Location: The House of Spiders Rooftop

Rien: ... I hear the waves.

Ryoshu: ... How do they sound?

Rien: ... ly.

Rien: They sound lonely.

Destabilizing triangulation - person attempts to control the flow, interpretation, and nuances of communication between two separate actors or groups of actors, thus ensuring communications flow through, and constantly relate back to them. When Ryoshu asks about Araya, he immediately dodges the question and instead talks about their “fairytale time” when Ryoshu was a kid.

Rien: It's no surprise you'd arrive at that conclusion. After all, she's always hated you. And she had the least commitment to her duties.

Rien: That hatred was born from a festering pit where no hopes nor desires remained... because she abandoned her own future.

Rien: Now, come sit here. Shall I read you a picture book?

Rien: That's blood ties for you.

Rien: You'd always cough your lungs out whenever Shiomi lit up a cigarette.

Rien: But the moment you grew up into an adult, you started walking down the same path as her.

Rien: What other choice do I have but be the guiding hand that brings you back to the right path?

Gaslighting - he uses Ryoshu’s hatred for Shiomi Yoru to make her believe it was her who unlocked the vault, knowing full well she was dead and that Araya was masquerading as the Pinky Nursefather.

Ryoshu: My daughter. Where is she?

Ryoshu: asked in a quiet voice, as though she couldn't care less about anything else he had to say.

Rien: Araya... She loved you so much.

Rien: I hope you can still recall her face. You'd wielded that sword with such abandon that day, hadn't you?

Ryoshu: Only I... should've been able to open that vault.

Rien: Are you sure, sweetheart? I'm sure you know better than that.

Rien: It was crafty of you, though.

Rien: You'd always disappear and hide whenever Shiomi poured out her resentment toward you.

Rien: Back then, I thought you had a particular talent in the game of hide-and-seek.

Rien: When the truth was as simple as that exceptional sense in your shared blood activating the special Time Vault.

Ryoshu: ...!

Ryoshu: The Dihui Star... So she's the one who opened the vault. She took Araya.

Rien: It's no surprise you'd arrive at that conclusion. After all, she's always hated you. And she had the least commitment to her duties.

Rien: That hatred was born from a festering pit where no hopes nor desires remained... because she abandoned her own future.

Rien: Now, come sit here. Shall I read you a picture book?

Coersion - actively defies the Prescripts to make Ryoshu stay at the House of Spiders despite her clearly wanting to leave it all behind.

Rien: Sweetie, all would be well if you'd just stay. The House of Spiders doesn't have to disappear.

Rien: So please... don't leave.

Objectification - while this is shared with the rest of the Nursefathers, it is especially glaring in Rien, who knew more than everyone about elevating Ryoshu to the state of Muga/non-self. In fact, he calls Muga Ryoshu the House of Spiders’ “piece de resistance” and talks about her as if she were a painting.

Rien: At long last, the painting has begun!

Rien: That's my darling daughter. You have made your father proud.

Rien: Here it is...

Rien: The first stroke of the House of Spiders' masterpiece, its long-awaited pièce de résistance, has finally been painted.

Violation of boundaries - goes in tandem with Coercion and Infantilization, he clearly does not respect Ryoshu’s boundaries as an adult by treating her as if she were still his little daughter from the days they spent in the House of Spiders, and trying to pull her back into it, going as far as to defy the Prescripts for it.

Rien: You used to really love fairytale time, when you were but a child.

Rien: Until one day, you gave me the cold shoulder and just walked straight into your room. Said you were too old for "stuff like that."

Ryoshu: Fuck off with your bullshit.

Ryoshu: Just answer my question.

Rien: You're trying to skip ahead.

Guilt tripping - after Ryoshu gets out of her Muga/Non-Self state, Rien tries guilting her by bringing up how she killed her daughter with Arayashiki. When Ryoshu asks where Araya is, Rien responds not only by dodging the question, but also bringing up how much Araya loved Ryoshu knowing full well of both of their emotional states at the moment. When Ryoshu snaps at Rien, he brings up Araya, telling her to imagine Araya snapping at Ryoshu like she just did to Rien.

Ryoshu: My daughter. Where is she?

Ryoshu: asked in a quiet voice, as though she couldn't care less about anything else he had to say.

Rien: Araya... She loved you so much.

Rien: I hope you can still recall her face. You'd wielded that sword with such abandon that day, hadn't you?

Yoshihide: What, did that stupid pager beep you to shut up when I ask you difficult questions?

Rien: You've gotten a bit snappy, sweetie.

Rien: Imagine how hurtful it'd be if your daughter started talking like that to you someday.

Yoshihide: Don't bring Araya into this.

Inappropriate behavior - him being generally weird about Ryoshu, weirdly sensual, focusing on her appearance. He puts more focus on her physical aspects in place of any consideration of her actual thoughts and feelings; notably only remarks on the physical sensation even when talking about her rampage.

Rien: You're home.

Rien: I was just thinking about you.

... a room where the Index's Nursefather was waiting for Ryoshu: with a beaming smile.

Though... something about his mask gave the smile a chilling edge.

Ryoshu: .......

Rien: Whenever I miss you, sweetheart...

Rien: ... I run my fingers along the grooves of the burn mark you've seared into my face.

Rien: It's bumpy on this side, but grainy like wet sand on the other side. Like the trace of waves rolling across the shoreline.

The Index Nursefather caressed the smooth surface of his mask.

Rien: Come closer. You've got a scratch on your cheek.

Rien: It happened during Valencina's class, didn't it? Her methods are simply too violent—she's the kind of teacher who uses the number of scars as a measure of training intensity and effectiveness.

Rien: Let's take good care of that wound so it doesn't scar, okay?

Yoshihide: Whatever.

Rien: Be sure to dress your wounds so they won't scar, okay?

Rien: Sweetie.

Rien: Subjectively speaking, let me say that you are far more beautiful now than you were earlier.

Essentially, given the abuse tactics seen employed by him, one could reliably say that Rien exhibits a fundamental disregard for Ryōshū’s personhood — he doesn't see Ryōshū as her own person with wants and needs, but rather as an extension of him; he wants her to be dependent on him instead of having her own agency, be his own emotional support.