Please tell us more about characters assigned rocks 👀
Oh no my trap card! long post time!
Okay, the rocks that I assign to characters depend on a lot of different factors (mostly vibes), am I planning aesthetic matches? eg. rubies and garnets for technoblade? Narrative matches? eg. gypsum for dream? Character matches? vibe or function? eg. feldspar for techno, muscovite for phil? The result is a pile of different rocks assigned to each of my special little guys, some with more uhh tenuous connections than others.
Let's go over the rocks I assigned to the syndicate (+dream) and why:
First up, Technoblade and K-Feldspar:
This is one based mostly off of vibes. It's one of my favorite feldspars and Technoblade is my favorite guy. And orthoclase feldspar, or K-feldspar, is PINK.
But I am nothing if not able to make explanations for things that were initially just based on vibes. Let's look a little beyond, shall we? Feldspars are known for being very structured in the sense that they have two defined cleavage planes at 90 degrees to each other, making rectangular blocks with irregular ends. Techno, to me, is the pillar of support and structure to his friends, so a cleavage pattern that reflects that is fitting. (in contrast, I think Ranboo's character could be represented by obsidian, which is glass-like). Beyond that, feldspar is the most common mineral in the earth's crust, making up about 60% of the crust. In terms of Technoblade, this could represent his impact on the mcyt community, his character's role in driving many major plotlines, or if you like the old immortals hc, a lasting impact on the world throughout history. (If you like the old immortals theory, please consider pairing feldspar techno with olivine philza! Olivine is a green mineral, the most abundant in the upper mantle!)
A couple other notes: K-feldspar is pink because it has iron mixed into it, but it's named for the high concentration of potassium. Potassium is also known for: exploding! Also. It's PINK. But, generally I do tend to associate feldspars with Philza instead of Technoblade, because feldspars are what makes moonstone and labradorite, and I tend to associate moon and star mythos and symbolism with Phil.
Philza and muscovite:
I know I just wrote muscovite, but I was thinking of fuchsite, which is a chromium-rich muscovite!
I can't really put a finger on why I feel that muscovite fits Phil so well, but I think the micas suit him. Maybe it's something about how they used to use Mica to make windows (Muscovy glass, from Moscow, gives muscovite it's name!), and I feel that Philza's builds and character act as windows into rich worldbuilding. Maybe it's something about the fact that micas are made of many many layers and Philza adds a depth to each of his characters (and even literal layers with the colorzas). Muscovite is generally clear and reflective, while biotite micas can be dark enough to be black even in thin sheets. both suit Phil in my opinion, but the inclusion of alluminum in muscovite sometimes gives it a metallic sheen. It can be thin and transparent sheets, but it's still durable and versatile as a material. Maybe that reminded me of how people always see Technoblade as the warrior, but Philza has been known as a survivor for just as long if not longer.
Connor and Ocean Jasper:
I'm going to be honest. I know nothing about this guy.
Ocean jasper is blue. He's blue. What more is there to say?
Ocean jasper, or orbicular jasper, is a pretty rare stone! The main reason I assigned this to C!connor, other than the color, is that from the little I knew of his character, he was still somehow everywhere. That sums up my understanding of jasper pretty well too! It's a silicate mineral, defined more by its crystal structure than its composition, but some people still just call it chalcedony or quartz, and jasper is everywhere with lots of varieties! It reminded me of seeing all of C!connor's appearances with his normal skin and all the time traveler theories. The same Connor under different names, the same quartz under different names.
Niki Nihachu and Rhodochrosite:
This is the one I feel fits the best, actually! Yes I did initially think of it because it's pink, but Rhodochrosite is an extremely cool mineral and I think the fact that people think of it as "just pink" reflects perception of Niki's character compared to her true depth.
Just look at the versatility of it! From crystals to roses to speleothems. Rhodochrosite has been used for manganese, which is used in steel and aluminum alloy production, or to concentrate silver. In both cases the process is destructive and creates a lot of byproducts, which reminded me of the hurt caused to C!Niki through the revolution, and the way she was spoken over and ignored after. Another aspect of rhodochrosite is that it generally forms in hydrothermal veins. High pressure formation conditions to create this beautiful mineral reflect, to me, Niki's arc of finding herself again.
Ranboo and Snowflake Obsidian:
I think any obsidian fit's C!Ranboo well, but you know I had to choose snowflake obsidian because it's black and white.
Ranboo's fragmented memory made me think that a fracturing material would be a good fit, and obsidian has the properties of glass. It is also not lost on me that obsidian forms when magma or lava hit water. However, snowflake obsidian forms through the process of devitrification (vitri-, like vitreous, meaning glass-like), where glasslike substances become crystalline. The white material is cristobalite, a silicate material that forms at high temperatures. What this means is that snowflake obsidian is not as glass-like as other types of obsidian, just as Ranboo's memory loss is not exactly what it first appears to be either.
Dream and Gypsum:
Gypsum, in some forms called selenite, is a pretty well-known mineral. However, many of the forms are known under different names so people do not realize that they are all the same mineral.
Gypsum can form roses, clear selenite, reflective satin spar, the sands of white dunes, rock, crystals, and more. It's used in construction, to make chalk, to make buildings, to analyze mineral thin sections, to measure hardness on the Mohs scale, and to charge crystals by those that believe in spiritual properties of minerals. I see these many different forms as parallels to Dream's many faces on the server, real and perceived. Many different names given to different forms of the same person. I think the many used of gypsum also reflect the perception of Dream by the rest of the server. Gypsum is attributed power by some (is Dream the most powerful villian on the server?) and use by geologists and builders (Is Dream a way to get the revival book? Is he an ally?), but one of the main qualities is that it has a very low hardness, and is very easily broken. Is the role and name assigned to Dream, by others and by himself, more than he can fulfill without breaking?
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