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Alright, so uhh... Here's the deal. From what I've seen, ranging from various oppositions of overly specific abilities (ex. Love Manipulation) to the existence of an ability removal megathread, the wiki seems to prefer umbrella abilities (ex. Non-Standard Breathing, Healing, and Empathic Manipulation) over overly specific abilities (ex. Sand Manipulation, Crystal Manipulation, and Smoke Manipulation). So why am I proposing Chemical Manipulation? Well, I think it falls under the same umbrella ability quota that the wiki generally prefers. Why is it an umbrella? Well, I believe it accounts for various substances that either would or would not fall under "Poison Manipulation." Let's focus on the ones that don't fall under "Poison Manipulation" as I'm well aware on how that's the elephant in the room.
Pheromones: Okay, so pheromones are these chemicals that are generally used as markers. Insects generally use pheromones for things like identification, signals, mating rituals, whatever. Pretty much it's their way of "speaking." Aside from insects, I can hardly think of examples for this one.
Potions: Okay, now here's the meat of this one. Potions are these weird liquids that can do anything depending on how they're made. Granted there are solid potions out there, like the one the Wicked Witch of the West used enchant a field of poppies in order to entice Dorothy and the Munchkins and put them to sleep, but still. There are many examples of potions that come to mind. The one example that kicked off this thread is this very Mickey Mouse cartoon:
Here, we see Mickey Mouse creating a steroid potion that he makes use of in the form of an old-timey bug sprayer. Said potion puts the affected in a sort of Hulk mode that buffs them to a point of turning against those who had wronged them. I recommend watching the entire cartoon to see what I mean, because the cartoon will explain it better than I can.
Other examples include Steve, who makes use of potions as items, weapons, and arrow-tip enchantments; Dr. Nitrus Brio, who throws bottles of potions as a means of attack and even drinks his potions to turn into a more literal Hulk; and Witch from Puyo Puyo, who for all intents and purposes is a bit of a dummeh when it comes to potions as her potions ranged from completely useless to overly specific. Pokemon Trainers do make use of Potions as healing items, but I don't think they specifically made them, you know?
The fact that Potions can do anything alone should drive home the point that Chemical Manipulation is an umbrella ability, although pheromones and poisons fall under the same umbrella. Potions and poisons are most likely to fall under the supernatural umbrella than pheromones are as pheromones are fairly by-the-books chemicals while potions and poisons can be made to do or even affect anything, with potions being more associated with things like alchemy and magic.
There is a case in fiction where a poison can also be a potion where Tom makes a poisonous milk that immediately kills a fly, but winds up roiding up Jerry: https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Dr._Jekyll_and_Mr._Mouse
Non-Toxic Chemicals: You see, skunks are a thing and, well, yeah. They spray weird stuff and it gets stinky... What else am I supposed to write here?
While I personally think it's unlikely that this one would go through due to the stipulations potions may have, I am personally satisfied that I can put this on the table. Plus let's be real, putting Witch in Armorchompy's "Worst User of Every Ability" thread would be the funniest thing ever. So yeah, there's that.
Pheromones: Okay, so pheromones are these chemicals that are generally used as markers. Insects generally use pheromones for things like identification, signals, mating rituals, whatever. Pretty much it's their way of "speaking." Aside from insects, I can hardly think of examples for this one.
Potions: Okay, now here's the meat of this one. Potions are these weird liquids that can do anything depending on how they're made. Granted there are solid potions out there, like the one the Wicked Witch of the West used enchant a field of poppies in order to entice Dorothy and the Munchkins and put them to sleep, but still. There are many examples of potions that come to mind. The one example that kicked off this thread is this very Mickey Mouse cartoon:
Here, we see Mickey Mouse creating a steroid potion that he makes use of in the form of an old-timey bug sprayer. Said potion puts the affected in a sort of Hulk mode that buffs them to a point of turning against those who had wronged them. I recommend watching the entire cartoon to see what I mean, because the cartoon will explain it better than I can.
Other examples include Steve, who makes use of potions as items, weapons, and arrow-tip enchantments; Dr. Nitrus Brio, who throws bottles of potions as a means of attack and even drinks his potions to turn into a more literal Hulk; and Witch from Puyo Puyo, who for all intents and purposes is a bit of a dummeh when it comes to potions as her potions ranged from completely useless to overly specific. Pokemon Trainers do make use of Potions as healing items, but I don't think they specifically made them, you know?
The fact that Potions can do anything alone should drive home the point that Chemical Manipulation is an umbrella ability, although pheromones and poisons fall under the same umbrella. Potions and poisons are most likely to fall under the supernatural umbrella than pheromones are as pheromones are fairly by-the-books chemicals while potions and poisons can be made to do or even affect anything, with potions being more associated with things like alchemy and magic.
There is a case in fiction where a poison can also be a potion where Tom makes a poisonous milk that immediately kills a fly, but winds up roiding up Jerry: https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Dr._Jekyll_and_Mr._Mouse
Non-Toxic Chemicals: You see, skunks are a thing and, well, yeah. They spray weird stuff and it gets stinky... What else am I supposed to write here?
While I personally think it's unlikely that this one would go through due to the stipulations potions may have, I am personally satisfied that I can put this on the table. Plus let's be real, putting Witch in Armorchompy's "Worst User of Every Ability" thread would be the funniest thing ever. So yeah, there's that.
