Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-226878-20140920054701/@comment-226878-20140921011732

Shades of insanity wrote: it wouldn't make sense to use Dust and be limited or use just Semblance with no restrictions. So I guess Semblance are all the skills Dust cannot do, that in the end it adds up. But where starts Dust and where ends Semblance? Dust is only limiting in supply but for so very long, Dust has apparently been in abundance otherwise, how could Remnant technology have advanced as far as it has? Clearly, it's only recently that people have begun to note the decrease in its availability (thanks to the actions of Cinder and the White Fang). On the other hand, Semblance is far from having no restrictions. Having Dust allows one to do virtually anything whereas one's semblance is relegated to just one aspect. Naturally, one's own imagination can vastly stretch a skill's versatility, but it's still just a single skill. About Glynda, is it her Semblance? or is it her crop that makes things fly? It's been stated that weapons are an extension of the individual. Glynda's riding crop is basically the same as any wand on Harry Potter: the stick itself is not necessarily magical, but is simply a conduit through which the wizards and witches focus their own innate magical ability. If it can be argued that Dust in itself cannot achieve telekinesis, then that leaves the only other option being that Glynda's telekinetic abilities are derived of her own semblance.

Also note the use of the term "semblance." A semblance is something that is not exactly what is appears to be, but in all aspects strives to be similar. For Ruby, this explains how she is able to go from a standing position to flashing around the room. Speed is either constant or its not. That meaning that any object that begins at a still position must build momentum before acquiring a significant measure of speed. As anyone arguing against the viability of Iron Man's suit will tell you: sudden increased velocity to a human body can be deadly. Bones shatter, organs rupture, air is not able to properly filter in the lungs. Ruby's ability to sidestep these issues is not taken into account in the naming of her "semblance" because Speed is used as a summation not a direct translation of her ability. That's the purpose behind the word semblance. There are multiple aspects to anyone's particular skill, but it's name only tells one thing about it.

Another explanation to Ruby pertaining to why Ruby is so "spent" after using her semblance is that her Aura works doubly hard in order to protect her body from the damaging strain brought on by her extremely sudden movements.