#Vertin probably doesn't have an answer because she's not a part of the event

[the-blossica-fan]

And when Semmel joins the Suitcase for real in 1.9 she's gonna be like. hang on a sec. i know that liquor girl.

The way she double takes most people there /silly

OR when she sees Jessica and Spathodea and thinks "why do these people look like the people i fought before"

That's so silly!

I think she'd be staring at them trying to figure out why they look so similar to those who fought for her - fought with her. Not the little occasional glances, FULL ON STARING. She hasn't blinked in a while, her brain is trying to come up with a coherent answer.

She does, eventually, ask Vertin or someone she knows about it, no one gives her a clear answer.

The worst part? She probably hasn't interacted with any of these people so she doesn't know if it's them or wishful thinking.

[taniahylian]

Madam Z is an arcanist

So, I've seen some debate in the fandom wether Madam Z is a human or an arcanist, and I decided to make this post because there is actually a canon answer that's been given to us two times; first in chapter 4 of the main story, and then in the Green Lake event.

First, in chapter 4-14 we get a narrator trail that clearly states that Z is an arcanist that somehow made it to the same level of hierarchy as the humans in the Foundation comitee.

Then, in the final part of the Green Lake event we see Tooth Fairy and Z in a car, and TF notices she has a headache, but Z denies it and then confesses that she doesn't want to eat tooth fairies because the texture "creeps her out", revealing that she has consumed them before (remember that TF will only give tooth fairies to arcanists, as said to Blonney). Upon this, TF says she also has human drugs, which Z accepts.

This caption yet again confirms Z is indeed an arcanist.

I don't blame anyone for not remembering these details because Z is unlike most arcanists we typically see in the story; mainly, she has no fancy powers, and doesn't seem to be facing direct discrimination for her origins.

Now, maybe she doesn't have powers; we know this is possible thanks to Kumar, who was born in a family of arcanists yet she couldn't use arcanum. She could also be a half-blooded arcanist, which we know struggle a lot using arcanum as well. She could even be the same case as Greta; having 1/4 of arcanist blood, which would mean she she'd have practically no arcanist characteristics (which is why Greta considered herself a human). However, Tooth Fairy once treated a kid with tooth fairies, and we know the only arcanist in his family was his grandma, so he was also 1/4 arcanist, yet he was arcanist "enough" to consume fairies.

Now, regardles of if Z can use arcane skills or not, I think it's likely she's not "out" to most people in her workplace. We know many of the members of the commitee are rather prejudiced against arcanists, and often are openly racist towards them, and while I don't think they'd stop themselves from saying these things if they knew Z was an arcanist, I think they would definitely use this fact against her, especially when they were trying to stop the storm reformation from being approved.

That said, I think some trusted people in the Foundation do know of Z's status. First of Tooth Fairy, since she won't give people tooth fairies unless they not only are an arcanist, but also accept themselves as an arcanist.

While this is the only confirmation we have, I'd like to think other people like Greta, with whom Z seemed at least amicable, or Katz are also on the loop. Vertin too, probably, and finally... Constantine. I actually think the whole thing with the kids and the storm was also Constantine's subtle way of telling Z "this is what happens to arcanists who rebel", so she could control her better, but of course that's only speculation.