#when he mentioned Nigredo Albedo Rubedo Citrinitas

[agent404-storm]

its correlation with life and the stars in Teyvat

the water drop materials from domains from Sumeru have his exact flower design on them (i forgot the names, im at work rn sorry lol i can go into it later if you want,,) in both placedown on the ground level and the levitation Solar Isotoma in the sky level,, the sun is a star and gives energy and life,,

its less so that things were built or refer to him because of him,, and more so that the fundamentals of his very being and the Ancient Alchemy he studies are of the same origin as the knowledge of old and the life of Teyvat itself

so.

Is anyone going to help me explain this

The little symbol that is literally associated with Albedo, a four-pointed golden flower, is sitting on the stained glass of the Mondstadt Cathedral.

This means something because I would pay money to assume that glass design, if not the glass itself (repairs obv) is older than he is. What's he doing here.

Also all the windows are the same btw. I noticed it on one on the other side so this isn't a one off thing

[jekyll-doodles]

(🪓 ) for the wakey wakey lords+049

🪓 (axe) - Does your oc have survival skills? Have they ever had to use them? What would they do in an apocalypse? Could they survive?

Somehow, being in the foundation's custody was the best and worst place for them. On one hand, it was a secure location with plenty of resources and a more-or-less professional staff in each respective field as needed. Compassionate in the way of treating them like humans who needed help, and not monsters that were to be destroyed. On the other hand, however, it was still a place that contained dangerous anomalies; which, unfortunately, included them.

There are, of course, protocols in place for when something breaks out or, on rare occasions, when someone tries to break in. And Nigredo had told them plenty about what to do in those situations – granted, his knowledge mostly came from being on the other side of the problem. Knowledge learned from others’ mistakes. That, along with the security they were already assigned, made them feel somewhat safer. To add on, Citrinitas and Rubedo had their knight training, which sometimes proved useful in either needing to protect themselves or others. And Albedo could, for the most part, keep a calm composure, which worked wonders to ease others in those times of uncertainty.

There were just… a few complications. Finding out that they were not immune to the effects of each other’s acids was probably the worst. What’s more, how they found out could not have been worse. Albedo had the only account for what fully happened: that while visiting each other, Citrinitas had been triggered by the mask Rubedo still wore at the time. They described how he attempted to distance himself once he realized it, but only managed to get outside the room before being overtaken. Rubedo, not knowing what would happen, tried to hold back his friend and was stained with the choleric fluid too. The ensuing fight would have been fatal if foundation security had not shown up when they did. Albedo themself was thankfully unharmed, but badly shaken.

Neither man could recall the fight. Only a burning anger; a primal wrath to rip and tear flesh with tooth and claw. It was a couple weeks before they were cleared to visit each other again. I do not believe Citrinitas had ever been triggered by Rubedo’s mask prior to this nor again after. And am frankly uncertain of why it happened. Grateful though, that it was only once.

But then, in the foundation’s infinite wisdom, it attempted to see what the effects fully were on each other in a more controlled environment. Of the tests proposed, only one was attempted before the entire experiment was completely condemned. A collected sample of Nigredo’s acid was placed onto Rubedo’s hand (who consented to the test BUT REALLY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO?). What happened next would be as they expected: the subject was suddenly incapacitated by intense anguish. What they did not expect was said intense anguish triggering his own breakdown. His sobs of grief melting into maniacal laughter and the red beginning to streak down his mask – You’d think they’d have enough sense to stop the test there. But no. It wasn’t until after five researchers had been injured–- one nearly dead – was it called off, and he was restrained and sedated.

The worst and best place for them. Not to mention when there was testing with the acids on other SCPs. Going about as well, that is to say as horribly, as you could imagine.

[castlephantom]

Lament of Innocence things that I question myself (if I'm not alone 👀):

"They trusted each other completely, and they were bound by an old friendship."

The age gap between Leon and Mathias is literally 10 years. But that allows me to have some headcanon that Leon and Mathias knew each other because possibly their fathers were also knights or their mother had known each other.

"Rinaldo: The only person who truly understands it is Mathias.

Leon: If you are an acquaintance of Mathias, you are trustworthy."

Like how long Rinaldo and Mathias knew each other. Some think that they met few years ago but then is this line:

"Rinaldo: His family has a book of secret arts, originally handed down orally."

Which this gives me a theory that Mathias met Rinaldo when he was young. I can't exclude the possibility that Rinaldo also knew Mathias' father. I want to imagine that Mathias' father searched an alchimist and somehow he met Rinaldo.

"Succubus: Th-That old man... his own daughter..."

This really interesting aspect that Rinaldo's daughter, Justine, served her at one point if we take the comic, but I want to think that Justine was a teenager when she was turned by Walter and then was given to serve the Succubus. But then the alchimist says:

"Rinaldo: ... And at the center of it were the bodies of my wife and son... I could not believe my eyes... My daughter was there, laughing, blood dripping from her mouth..."

Justine was probabily outside before she became a vampire. After she was turned, she killed her mother and brother (and I think that she was the second born while her brother was the first born) and Rinaldo was in shock state.

The reason why Rinaldo didn't tell to Leon in the first place is because was uncomfortable topic after someone when really in hell and when he killed his daughter, Rinaldo cried about his family after he lost against Walter and stayed in the cabin, but want a revange for Walter had done to him.

"Rinaldo: Making the Philosopher's Stone is the ultimate goal of alchemy... It provides eternal youth. The two other stones were apparently created accidentally. No details of how they were made remain now."

So the Ebony and Crimson stones were creared accidentally? But if we look to create the Philosopher's Stone where were needed four stages:

nigredo, the blackening or melanosis

albedo, the whitening or leucosis

citrinitas, the yellowing or xanthosis

rubedo, the reddening, purpling, or iosis

This give a me a theory that the where other 2 stones besides the Ebony Stone (the weakest) and Crimson Stone (the strongest).

"Leon: I abandoned everything in order to save Sara! I could... I could never do such a thing."

At this point Leon was really in the most desperate to save Sara only to find out that Walter vampirized her. Leon didn't want to sacrifice her, but Sara felt that she would become a monster. Saddly, Leon made the choise that would bring the existence of the most iconic warpon: Vampire Killer.

"Walter: I see... It seems you have enjoyed the gift that I gave you.

Leon: Yes, thanks to that, I now have the power to defeat you."

Literally Leon was trying to say: Thanks for turning my girlfriend intro a vampire and now I have the power to kill you. (I didn't want to make joke about this, but this was probabily in Leon's mind)

"Mathias: That was my goal. It was my revenge against God!"

One thing that Mathias did this was because Elisabetha died and he was jealous of Leon that Sara was alive. But as I mention in the my post of cause of Elisabetha's illness, which I believe that was the real reason why she died.

"Leon: Is this what the woman you loved would have wanted? The Mathias I know would not have loved such a woman."

At first I thinked that "your wife didn't want you to become like this" but then something was in my mind that "do you ever thinked that your wife would be happy". Seriously Mathias. How selfish you could be? He uses Elisabetha as a pretext at this point for his goals.

"Mathias: Elisabetha was a kind, honorable woman. She was concerned only for me to the very end... That is why I hate Him! Am I wrong?!"

Are you sure, Mathias. I really think that Elisabetha is probabily felling sad at her husband's actions. Imagine if Mathias' parents watch at their son from afterlive and and be like: "... seriously son?! We didn't raises you like that!?". Also would be an argument between Leon's and Mathias' parents.

But imagine that after the events and Leon suddenly tells to Rinaldo about what happend:

Leon: Mathias is a vampire.

Rinaldo: Unfortunatly, he would become like Walter.

But after that tragedy, Leon married a woman that started the liniage so their descedents will hunt Mathias.

[dark-raven-666]

Can you please give us headcanons of the lord's?

We need more of them!

Alagadda Lord's headcanons

Pronouns used for the Lord's they/them and he/ him

Art was found on google,credit to the original artist

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Citrinitas

- Citrinitas is a musician and loves to play music. After a long day of dealing with Rubedo and his other Lord work, all he needs is to play the harp. The yellow sky of Alagadda gives the perfect shade to the room and he can be at peace for a few moments.

- Absolutely HATES beer only drinks wines and champagne.

- They know that Rubedo listens to their music sometimes and even caught him sleeping outside of the room once, he never mentioned the whole thing to anyone.

- Loves that Rubedo listens to their music, but would rather die than admit to it.

Rubedo

- Everyone in the city of Alagadda know him, he's famous for his energy and always being at the bar.

- The citizens are divided in liking him, some think he is way too irresponsible to be a Lord and others think he is the perfect amount of fun and relaxed. After all Rubedo is pretty much the only Lord the citizens can interact with in a "chill" manner.

- Is actually a fan of classical music and feels relaxed when it plays.

- Drinks the pain away

- Sometimes when he drinks and walks back to the palace he finds Citrinitas playing the harp and just sits outside the room and listens quietly.

- pretends everything is ok but probably needs therapy.

- They always make sure to leave the door before Citrinitas finds him.

Albedo

- They are hardly ever seen, they are the only Lord that never leaves the palace unless absolutely necessary. After all they have so much paper work to do and as the wearer of the diligent mask they have to keep up with that title.

- Drinks only at parties and when sharing toasts. And never has more than two drinks at once.

- Takes time to warm up to people but when he does he's the most gentle and kind person you'll ever meet. Still very busy so you hardly ever see them

- Loves painting but never has time for it.

Nigredo

- Banished from Alagadda and is never to return. The citizens don't remember them.

- Before he was banished he was very clingy to Albedo and never wanted to leave his side. Albedo tolerated him, but didn't enjoy it that much.

- The reason for his clinginess to Albedo is that he looks up to him and wishes he was like him. So elegant, gentle, strong, independent who wouldn't want to be like him

- The citizens respect him as a Lord and some even fear him.

- Doesn't like the flavour of alcohol so he never drinks not even at parties or during toasts like Albedo

- Probably drinks Capri Suns.

All four lords

- The Lord's live in the kings palace and each have their own room which they are free to decorate however they please.

- The palace still has very strict rules about behavior and table manners, that is why they all have very good table manners.

- Each of the Lord's has one maid assigned specially to them and them alone.

- Sometimes Citrinitas has to go to the bar and drag Rubedo out. He is always very ashamed of having to do that. At first it was odd but then everyone got used to it.

- Albedo is done with every bodies bull shit.

- Albedo is the oldest then comes Citrinitas, Rubedo and, Nigredo last.

- Just because Nigredo is the youngest doesn't mean he is young according to humans. He refuses to say the actual number but he is determined to have at least 1000 years of age.

- The king raised Citrinitas since he was a "kid" well a young adult since kids aren't allowed in Alagadda.

- Citrinitas respects the king as a higher up but still can't help and not see him as a fatherly figure.

- The Lord's have a sibling like relationship even though none of them are related.

- Albedo is always worried for the kings health and tries to make sure that he is served foods that will help his health. But he can't do much because the king is to get everything he wants.

- They all need therapy but refuse to admit it

///////////////////////////////////////////

Hope you enjoyed my headcanons!!

And yes we absolutely need more content of these beautiful masks

[finisnihil]

I finished exploration and collected all readable material as of 2.0 and I noticed something interesting.

So we have an association with the alchemy processes but I think it’s related more so to Jungian psychology.

When you look at the Fate’s Atlas there’s only four Adventure Missions listed.

They’re the missions where you relive the person’s memories using an item of significance to them. These four missions fit the stages.

Nigredo-The Trees At Peace

Chadwick confesses to himself and us that he actually created the super weapon to prove himself, not for some kind of “greater good”

Albedo-Goodness is Rare

The Emperor goes through her suppressed memories to stitch together her unconscious past with her conscious present and she asks if her good deeds in her new life make up for the sins in her old one.

Citrinitas-Cosmic Star

When we go through Lesley Dean’s "memories" it's actually the memories of outside individuals who are unhealthily dependent on his existence and he teaches them how to live without circulating their lives around him

Rubedo-Envision a Rose Forthcoming

Cocona's memories consist of her expressing a desire to die over her lack of agency and individuality, with her quest concluding by her finally reclaiming it and fulfilling her dream of singing.

We also see the colors red and yellow used in the weird tape we find

The yellow text mentions "opening your mind" and in my original post I mention the experience and emotion expressed in red.

Red used to express finality is more noticable with this in mind.

Acheron displays this. Death is associated with waking up and when she "wakes" us in her cutscene the hall and door are red. She also mentions fleeting red will appear to us once more when we have a choice to make.

The core four Adventure Missions follow this structure as well. We deconstruct the memories in the pivotal item of the person in the stage of Nigredo, relive and "purify" the memories in Albedo, experience a moment of understanding of the events and discuss them in Citrinitas, and then end the sequence with some sort of "Death" in Rubedo, ending the replay of the Stone Tape item. Chadwick is taken to finally rest, the Gray Knight dies and the Emperor is taken away to stand trial and presumably be executed for her crimes, Cocona tries to jump her death and the Trailblazer talks her down from it, and Lesley Dean comes to term with the fact he's dead and there's nothing supporting his memory anymore.

It seems to be most heavily implied that Acheron is an Emanator of the Finality and i've discussed her psychopomp role at length. When she speaks in red the emotional memory she recalls is the final impression of the event her mind remembers. She is a personification of Rubedo, she steps in to end the Stone Tape's "replay" as an agent of Finality and "Death".

So. I think. I may have figured out the significance of the red text in Penacony’s quest line and it’s relation to Acheron. Spoilers ahead for Penacony

First, let’s establish the connections and contexts in which red text is used in Penacony. The first time we experience it is when we meet Acheron.

During this initial conversation, Acheron tells us something extremely important.

Acheron easily forgets things UNLESS they are tied to emotional response.

When we see the red text used going forward it’s typically through emotional recollection.

Acheron asks if we have met before because it feels like we have. When she talks about her interactions Black Swan and her old friend she never recalls details like their facial features, their names, nothing like that, she only remembers the atmosphere of the interaction and how it made her feel.

When we see the red text pop up again it’s during exploration of the Dreamscape Reverie

In both these instances the red text is denoting emotion, experience.

This tape we find, it's extremely important.

When you turn it in to a member of the Bloodhound Family he informs you that the tapes are associated withe the assault of Sweet Dreams Troupe and a corruption of their "consciousness". He then gives an interesting description of their effect

.

The use of the term "tapes" is not a coincidence and I think I have the anwser.

It's the Stone Tapes Theory.

For those unaware, the Stone Tapes Theory is the belief that "ghosts" as we know them are actually recorded memories. During traumatic or emotional events, the mental impression seeps into objects like the stones of a house and the memories of the events get "recorded" in the object like a tape, and it's believed it can be "replayed" if interacted with in a certain way (it's the premise of a movie called Last Night in Soho which is an excellent watch if you want to look into the concept more).

The objects attacked were ones typically in a state of being inanimate and the attacks disrupted the impressions they already carried. They disrupt the mental state and emotions of the living because the living get sucked into the "replay" of the event. The term "phantasmagoria" in relation to the Dreamscape is used in the letter with the tape, which is a term for dream-like visions or illusions, typically seen in a half-concious or sleeping state.

How does Acheron connect to all of this?

In a previous analysis of mine, I talk about Acheron's connections to death and her possible role as a psychopomp. Death and Sleep are connected in many folklores across many cultures as Sleep is seen as a temporary stae of Death.

The Dreamscape has many allusions to being an afterlife or place of death beyond having the "Death" nightmare creature.

Souls are gathered in the Dreamscape and when you talk to many NPCs it's a shock to realize they're actually dead and their memory is being stored in the Dreamscape like the Stone Tape Theory. Chadwick, Lesley Dean, etc. And these are the quests that are shown in the Fate's Atlas. They're important. We access their memories connected to their fate using an inanimate object that holds significance to their specific situation.

Sparkle is used to reiterate that death isn't permanent in the Dreamscape but I don't think it's just because you can wake up, it's also because the "tape" can be rewound and replayed from the start.

Acheron was picked out from the start by Black Swan as interesting. She was her first dance. Acheron also shows to be able to navigate the Dreamscape very well on her own. The mingling of memory and death is significant because I think Acheron is serving as a psychopomp leading souls out of their Stone Tapes. Stopping them from being rewound. Her sword has a red eye and she sees the world in black, white, and red. The living, the dead, and Stone Tapes. This comes into conflict with Black Swan, who as a Memokeeper, would be striving to preserve those Stone Tapes. Sam burning entities in the Stone Tapes could be bad because he's destroying the tapes with those still inside them while Acheron is trying to guide the souls out.

Penacony has a big clock theme with an area of the Reverie even commenting that the clock doesn't work because time stands still in a dream. The different areas of the Dreamscape are called Moments. These "Moments" are just Stone Tapes.

Do you know what witness marks are? They've been symbolic in horror media like Mike Flanagan's adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House. They're scratches or dents in antique clocks left behind where pieces may have moved or been stationed and are used by clockmakers to help restore or wind antique clocks. The founder of Penacony as it is now is the Watchmaker. Acheron is a witness mark. All the special guests are. The Watchmaker's legacy is whoever can use the witness marks to fix the big clock of the Reverie and smooth out the disruptions in the harmony of life and death, these Stone Tapes.

Feel free to add your thoughts, mwah!

[dourpeep]

Got interested in Rhinedottir's name being a reference to the Der Ring des Nibelungen opera (and Rhinemaidens being the first to be in the start and end of the opera). My 1st thought that maybe the Rhinedottir is the unknown god but scratched that since unknown god's model name is asmodai (ref to asmodeus in the demonology). Then I thought maybe its the same case as makoto & ei? Thoughts on this?

Referencing this post!

I thought the same!! Which is why I included that little thing talking about the Unknown God...also her outfit was white and gold (Albedo, Citrinitas) and magic (cubes) is black and red (Nigredo, Rubedo)...so yeah! It's a possibility, perhaps not concreted, but it definitely stands some form of chance.

So whether the Unknown God has a direct association to Gold/Rhinedottir or if the Unkjown God has something to do with Khemia and the way that alchemy works, we don't know for sure.

The only thing we're missing atm to be able to even start on this is...when was Albedo created? Or if it hasn't been long since, does this mean that Gold/Rhinedottir has only just achieved the true limits of alchemy? Or was she holding back? Or perhaps she was experiencing difficulty?

One thing is for certain. Durin was corrupted some time after the events of Khaenri'ah's fall because by then, Venti was asleep.

So I suppose it'd make sense to assume that Albedo, due to his connection with Durin's lifeforce/power, wasn't created until after Durin fell once more.

(note for later, please ignore-- chronologically: Riftwolves, Durin, Albedo)

Continuing-

If the Unknown God is (theoretically) Gold/Rhinedottir, it makes sense why Celestia put an end to Khaenri'ah. The illumination that is associated with alchemy can be hand in hand with the manifestation of a vision—an ability to be beyond what is capable normally.

So if Khemia means anyone who practices has the potential to become a god without the help of Celestia or the need to ascend, then that would be a major threat to them.

As for the name, it's possible that it's just a moniker or a newly appointed name, we don't really know if the gods themselves are born with the names they are known by (Barbatos, Morax, Baal, Beelzebub) or if they're appointed when they ascend to godhood.

Note: I was going to mention how Venti as a wind sprite was referred to as Barbatos, but I can't recall if that was true or not. I know only that he was referred to as a "little elf".

Anyway, that being said, I hope more will come to light as we continue on.

[bikmui]

.why albedo is a homunculus, a lazily copy-pasted meta by yours truly

>Albedo's alchemy derives from Khaenri'ah, whose alchemy is focused on creation

The alchemy that Albedo commands is wholly different from any of the arts practiced in the Seven Nations of Teyvat. Its lineage can be traced back to the nation of Khaenri'ah.

Khaenri'ah was an underground realm, and its natural fauna were few indeed. As such, its alchemy focused more heavily on the creation of life. This art of creation was known as "The Art of Khemia."

>The "chalk" of his title refers to the chalk, from which the earliest man was created:

The next stage after "soil" is "chalk", which was also something his master had mentioned.

"Chalk is the spotless soil, and was used to make primordial man."

>Chalk following soil references the order to the alchemical process: nigredo (blackening), albedo (whitening), citrinitas (yellowing), and rubedo (reddening). In this process, the product is cooked, then purified, before being mixed together and becoming a final product (gold was associated with the colour red, hence the term)

>(Note that the last two steps are switched around in MHY's version)

>This is relevant for two reasons:

a) This process is set out in the Magnum Opus, which is likely what his master left for him

b) He is named after this second step

>If one was to name a child after the steps of the alchemical process, surely it would make sense to name them after the final, successful stage?

>So why is he named after the second stage? Precisely because it is the stage where the chalk from which mankind was created is distilled from soil

>We all know about his passive "Homuncular Nature"

>Homunculus is Latin for "little person" and refers to the creation of a miniature person. Note Albedo's height:

>With this in mind, this quote makes a lot more sense. Just as chalk is created from soil, he was created by his master

"From soil was birthed chalk."

The profundity of this statement is well understood by Albedo. Such incomprehensible statements are bound up in the memories of his master. His master was not his birth mother, but Albedo has no doubt that his life stems from her nonetheless.

>This is emphasised further:

"The universe is the dark essence of the true starry sky, and the earth is the accumulated memories of time and lives. The chalk: that is you. The earth is where alchemy gets its name, and is the basis of all life. And this..."

>The yellow in his aesthetic may signify how "complete" he is, although the confusion regarding the order of the steps makes it difficult to speculate:

>If rubedo is the final step (as in the original Magnum Opus), then Albedo is incomplete; he is still in the process of being created. This could be a reference to how he finds it difficult to interact socially with others

>If citrinitas is the final step (per his voice lines), then the yellow in his aesthetic may indicate he is complete - a whole person. This appears to be the more likely reading:

>This may be a reference to his final assignment, given to him upon their finding the "Heart of Naberius". Naberius is a demon in the Ars Goetia (and therefore likely to have been/be a god). Importantly, he "makes men cunning in all arts/sciences" - possibly a reference to how Albedo is a genius alchemist

>Additionally, he "teaches the art of gracious living", which is perhaps why his master told him to discover the meaning of the world

"I hope I'm not overthinking things. When parents tell their children of 'the meaning of this world...' They must mean living a happy life, right?"

And

Citrinitas is the final stage of the alchemical transmutation process. The meaning of the object being transmuted has finally been brought to light, becoming gold and revealing its true value... I too have found my own meaning.

TL;DR: Albedo is likely a homunculus, owing to his height and the emphsis (including in his name) on the albedo/purification stage of alchemy, where the chalk from which humanity was born is distilled. The yelllow in his aesthetic appears to suggest he is a whole person; supported by his final assignment to "find meaning".

[drsilverfish]

Nothing Gold Can Stay... (15x04 Atomic Monsters)

Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

Robert Frost

Hey everyone, as ever, I am catching up British-time, so I haven’t jumped into your posts yet, but I’m looking forward to it!

I’m sure there are some great gifs and discussions already out there about Dean and his “man meat” grief-eating. 

But I thought I’d start with Veronica and Robert Frost.

Those of you who’ve been following mine or @occamshipper​ ‘s musings on the use of alchemical themes in Dabb-era SPN will know that gold was highly significant to the medieval alchemists. It was their ultimate goal, to turn “base metal” (lead) into gold, and that was understood as a metaphor (or a mirror on the earthly plane) for the refinement of the soul on its journey to God.��

Next week’s episode, 15x05, is titled  Proverbs 17.3, and in the Bible, Proverbs 17.3 reads (King James version):

The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold:

But the LORD trieth the hearts

Gold is, officially, a theme. As is the symbolic red of the heart.

As Becky tells Chuck, it’s not the monsters (ooh shade at the Leviathan, whom Chuck thinks were “great”, just like he thought the ending of Game of Thrones was “great”) which SPN fans are really interested in, it’s the emotional interactions between the characters - i.e. their hearts. 

Becky, in Perez’ metafictional commentary, is the fan-fiction representative who has come to understand the SPN story better than sucky origin-writer Chuck. She knows it’s about the emotional notes, the heartfelt conversations between the hero characters (including Cas, since she shades his non-mention all too often in Chuck’s MOTW stories) - aka the real “gold” of the story.

Interesting also, in terms of alchemical colour symbolism, are Sam’s God-wound induced “red visions”, which seem to be of an AU in which Sam has succumbed to his old demon-blood addiction (symbolic of his S5 apparent “destiny” of possession by Lucifer):

I was waiting for the Ouroboros (spiral/ circular narrative) reference to 5x04 The End (in its numerical correspondence to 15x04). And here it is, because Sam in the red-vision in 15x04 speaks in a similar voice to Lucifer!Sam in The End. Dean in the 15x04 red vision is a desperate fighter and Sam has said “Yes” to the demonic, just as was the case in 5x04 The End.:

In alchemy, there are four traditional colour-stages along the alchemical transformational road from lead to gold - nigredo (blackening) albedo (whitening) citrinitas (yellowing) and rubedo (reddening). Reddening is the final stage before gold. So Sam’s red-visions, and the gold which becomes a theme in 15x04 by means of the quotation from Robert Frost’s beautiful poem, are linked pieces of alchemical symbolism. 

Their meaning, I think, is that just as Amara’s link to Dean through the Mark of Cain changed Amara for the better (she learned about love through experiencing Dean’s “heart” through the Mark in S11, thus shaking off The DarknessTM to become clothed in yellow, the colour of the sun, at the start of S15), so Sam’s link to Chuck through the God-gun (of equalising/ revenge) will (hopefully, eventually) change Chuck for the better. A balance of powers - the feminine God-principle and the masculine God-principle, both learning compassion and becoming their higher selves (achieving the spiritual synthesis of “gold”) through their links to the (red) hearts of the Winchesters.

That means suffering for the Winchesters along the way, of course, as they too, undergo the alchemical process of self-transformation by (eventually) fully facing their Shadows (their unconscious); Sam’s fear of being permanently “contaminated” by the demon-blood fed to him as a baby, and Dean’s fear of abandonment (stemming from the loss of his mother) which leads him to be over-controlling and to act out and push people (ahem, Cas) away.    

But back to Veronica. Veronica who quotes Robert Frost’s lovely poem in her tribute speech to her “best friend” Suzy (possibly, her lover - that subtextual reading is certainly available).

Veronica is a fascinating character, because she is “read wrong”, by Dean in particular, who thinks she’s the vampire, the one killing her cheerleader rivals in order to get the top spot. And he’s wrong because, as Sam points out, she has braces, a no-no for vamp-teeth. Dean is really sarcastic about the memorial speech Veronica is practising for Suzy, of whom she says, “I’m lost without Suzy, it’s like a piece of my heart is gone.”  

Here is Dean, being a sarcastic little shit about Veronica’s emotive school-girl speech: 

Of course, Veronica’s eulogy for her dead beloved, who was “gold” and thus (in her Frost’s poem analogy) was too beautiful to last in this world, is too painful for Dean to hear. It verbalises what he cannot (he can’t even bear to speak Castiel’s name, all episode):

“My best friend Suzy who I miss like she was a part of me, and in many ways she’s still a part of me.”

In subtext, Dean also reads Veronica “wrong” because he thinks she was Suzy’s rival, when in fact, she was her lover (part of a Veronica-Suzy-Billy love-triangle, the F/F element emphasised by their attendance at a school called “Beaverdale” where “beaver” is of course slang for vagina). 

Look at all those red hearts (symbols of romantic love) on Suzy’s memorial pin-board, Indeed, look at all that red in general. A “match” for Sam’s “red-visions”. If Sam’s rubedo (alchemical reddening) trial is his God-wound, Dean’s is his separation from Cas: 

Veronica, it seems (unbeknownst to the Winchesters) is a neophyte hunter (as well as, in subtext, Suzy’s lover) a sleuth, on the trail of whoever killed Suzy. And it looks like she knows it was a vampire. When Sam and Dean are questioning her (and she’s clearly suspicious of them) we see her with a syringe of what looks like blood behind her back, ready to jab them:

We know, from 1x20 Dead Man’s Blood, that in the SPN universe, a dead person’s blood can temporarily take down a vamp. So it seems that whilst Dean suspects Veronica of being the vampire, she suspects the Winchesters (a recurrence of SPN’s perennial - “Who is really the monster?”/ it’s not black-and-white theme. The reference to Dead Man’s Blood is also interesting, as this was an early episode in which Dean defied his father (stepped out of being John’s “good little solider”, who did see monsters in black-and-white) yet now, we have, Ouroboros-style Dean regressing to old John-learned behaviours (conceal, don’t feel) after the second death of Mary. 

I love this little Veronica detail. It’s an un-explored thread in the story, a piece of fan-fiction catnip begging for further elaboration. More Perez meta-narrative, in fact, in which he suggests that, despite the sinister Chuck and his insistence on a final SPN ending with a gravestone reading “Winchesters”, the story itself is WaywardTM; it is capable of fluidity, of control being wrested from the origin-creator (God). After all, Chuck created free will, and despite his desire for total control, he cannot undo this wild-card element in the narrative, which Veronica’s little secret hunter-identity (in subtext, also, her secret queer identity) just like Becky’s fan-fic, is a mirror for. 

Veronica’s citation of Frost’s melancholic poem becomes a metaphor for (Dean’s) lost love. Just as Sam’s mention in the final Impala scene, of how he still thinks about Jess often, becomes a verbalisation for Dean’s own constant (unspoken) thoughts about his own lost love; Cas.

 Veronica and Billy (who were possibly both Suzy’s lovers; although in text it’s Billy, in subtext Veronica, true to SPN’s ongoing bisexual subtext in relation to Dean) exchange a memorial bracelet to Suzy in front of Suzy’s picture, as Veronica tells Billy a piece of her heart is gone:

Both are mirror images for Dean - Veronica-the-vampire-hunter who mourns excessively, and Billy-the-vampire, who has killed the person he loved (just as Dean has driven Cas away):

Dean is forced by Chuck’s authorial hand to kill Billy, who is both a representation of his own lost son, Jack (Chuck’s cruel re-staging of the scene in which Dean almost kills Jack in 14x20 Moriah) and of Dean himself (symbolising Dean’s present “self-murder” aka his self-punishment and repression re Cas):

Nothing gold can stay....

Frost’s poem is also used by Perez as a metanarrative commentary on the sadness we all feel as SPN draws to a close. Everything beautiful has its time to fade and die, Frost says; even SPN, says Perez.

Frost’s poem also makes reference to Eden, to the Fall, and how that was, in God’s plan, an inevitability; the descent from the Godly to the earthly. 

It’s noticeable how, just as The Fall was presented as Eve’s fault in the Bible, Chuck is, yet again, trying to eliminate the feminine principle from the narrative, just as he has always done throughout SPN (which began with the deaths of Mary Winchester and Jess). Chuck kills Suzy, as the driver of the episode, and he “poufs” Becky (the fan-fic writer) out of existence (possibly into an AU) so he can finish the story the way he wants, just as he has re-murdered Mary Winchester (or possibly also poufed her into an AU) to continue the Winchesters’ suffering. 

But Chuck’s determination to arrive at a tragic ending, an ending in which the feminine principle is still subjugated, Perez suggests, can be subverted, because the seeds of subversion are already there in the story; Veronica’s secret and subversive sleuthing (slash her subtextual queerness), Becky’s emotionally open, subversive, fan-fic, and the continued yearning of the Winchesters for true free will (not yet knowing Chuck is still actively f-ing with them) despite the burden of their grief,  

If gold is the result of the final alchemical synthesis, of “masculine” and “feminine” principles, of the conscious and the unconscious mind, here represented by Chuck-the-author and Becky-the-fan-fic writer (who were once a couple, but are now broken up, just as Chuck and Amara, Dean and Cas, are currently broken up).... Then, the alchemical symbolism suggests, the darkness of the break-up stage (The Abyss, which we are currently in) can be overcome by the red (rubedo) power of the heart - Sam’s God-wound trial, his heart-connection to Chuck, and Dean’s own heart-wound trial, the loss of his (heart) connection to Cas.

Yes, we are still working on the power of love.

Love ultimately confounded Chuck’s apocalypse in S5, when TFW went “off script” and, Ouroboros-style, it can do so again in S15.

Chuck can be overthrown (transformed), Perez tells us, by his own story; and thus the story can find its own (heart-filled) free will ending. 

Perhaps, after all, something gold can stay.*   

*My usual disclaimer applies - none of this suggests or implies an inevitable Dean/ Cas romantic (unequivocal) textualisation. 

Although, I would like to think that Perez, by including the by now all too formulaic Dean-is-bisexual subtext via bisexual (subtextual) mirroring in 15x04, is commenting, meta-fictionally, on Chuck’s (aka TPTB’s) (wearisome) eternal tendency to do this, thereby suggesting that the over-turning of Chuck’s narrative control should, by rights, also include the overturning of this formula into... something new. 

[nadziejastar]

Thoughts on the Power of Waking (Part 2)

Lea and Isa

Axel: Hey, Roxas. Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.

All the characters had their development ruined in KH3, but Lea and Isa’s subplot was handled the worst BY FAR. It’s really sad because it had the potential to be the most beautiful of them all, since their relationship was the most in need of a rebirth. I was very impressed with the amount of emotion Axel’s Japanese voice actor put into this scene about the sunset. Axel was clearly remembering his past when he was saying this to Roxas. 

Mickey: There's something real strong that binds us to each other. Even in the darkness, you can reach him. All you gotta do is follow that connection!

Isa was lost in the darkness, but Lea’s light could reach him, since red light travels the farthest. And whaddaya know, Lea also got randomly knocked unconscious about the same time Ventus did, right before the Demon Tide swallowed everyone up. Well, that’s because Ventus and Lea were supposed to be using the power of waking on Terra and Isa.

Xemnas: The time has arrived. Look to the skies! There hangs the heart of all hearts--Kingdom Hearts--shining down on us at last. See the countless hearts that have gathered? Hearts full of rage...hate...sadness...and bliss. There, in the sky, hangs the promise of a new world. My friends! Remember why we have organized--all the things we hope to achieve. The strength of the human heart is vast. Soon, though...we will have gained power over it! Never again will it...have power over us.

Lea’s light was the sun. Isa’s light was the moon, but that light has been corrupted. Xemnas was using the moon’s light to have power over people’s hearts. And Isa was one of those people. Isa was NOT Saïx. That was the ENTIRE POINT of Lea’s character arc. 

Chirithy: The edges of sleep and death touch, and one can’t help the occasional crossover. Something is holding you here---refusing to let you go. You’re hanging by a thread.

The power of waking is, at its core, the power to bring a person back to life. The edges of sleep and death touch. Isa did not need to atone. He needed to be resurrected. 

Axel: So you don't need a heart to have something that you can't bear to lose then. If that's true, then I guess the closest thing that we Nobodies have would be memories of our past. You know, memories of the stuff we couldn't bear to lose, back when we couldn't bear to lose it.

Isa was originally written as a character who was extremely important to Lea.  Axel cherished his memories of him more than anything else. He wanted to save him so badly it led to him summoning his Keyblade. He couldn’t bear to lose him. In Luxord’s deck, both The Sun and The Moon are shaped like the Four of Pentacles. This card shows a man desperately clinging to a coin, as if his life depended on it. It represents that you are holding onto something tightly and have an inability to let it go. This could be money, possessions, or relationships. It only makes sense that Isa was not present in Saïx. He was in the Final World. He was just barely clinging to the Realm of Light. He almost passed on to the other side for good. Lea was the only reason he didn’t. 

Rabbit in the Moon Legend

Three immortals reincarnated themselves into three poor old people and begged for food from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and monkey both gave food to the immortals. However, the rabbit did not have any food. It then said to the immortals: “you can eat me” and jumped into the fire. The immortals were so moved by the rabbit and sent it to the moon to become an immortal jade rabbit. Ever since, the Chinese jade rabbit stayed in the Moon Palace to accompany Chang’e and pounded immortal medicine for those living in heaven.

After it was decided that Lea would become a Guardian of Light, his entire character arc---from the ground up---revolved around ISA. That’s why both of their characters featured the themes of “immortality” and “rebirth”. That’s who Axel’s line about the red sunset was written for. Even the waning crescent on Isa’s jacket fits this theme. It’s the final phase of the moon, representing the end of a cycle, before a new one begins. The sun dies and is resurrected every morning. By taking the focus off of Isa, you totally RUIN Lea’s character development. No Isa, no character arc for Lea. Period. End of discussion.

The Phoenix Myth

The phoenix is a legendary bird mentioned in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. According to ancient writers, the phoenix lived for 500 years, then died and was reborn. It had brilliant golden and scarlet feathers and grew to the size of an eagle. Just before dying, the phoenix built a nest of fragrant herbs and spices, including cinnamon and myrrh. Then it burned itself on a funeral pyre ignited by the sun and fanned by its own wings. It then rises from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle. The phoenix is associated with immortality and resurrection.

Isa was the one who Lea was supposed to be trying to save in KH3. Not Roxas. Not Xion. Not anybody else. ISA. That is the entire reason he was created. Roxas (Ventus) was going to be saved by Aqua. Lea needed someone to give HIS character arc emotional depth. The setup was SOOO perfect. These two characters---more than ANYONE else---had their entire relationship revolve around the power of waking. Nobody in their right mind would just throw all of this away on a whim to make them apprentices. No fucking way I can believe that. This was all thrown away because the story got botched beyond repair. I’m sure it broke Nomura’s heart.

Lea: I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people's memories, I can live forever.

Isa: I know I won't forget you. Believe me, I try all the time.

Lea: See, I'm immortal!

The Phoenix is a symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone. Many don’t realize that the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone is also represented by the union of the sun and moon. The White Stone actually becomes the Philosopher’s Stone when it turns red. Lea didn’t just need to be reborn. He needed to resurrect someone else, too. That red light needed to reach them and grant them new life and immortality.

Ansem the Wise: So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep. Even me...and even you.

The Moon represents “rest, retreat, anticipation, preparation, and dreams”. It really was too perfect for the Realm of Sleep, Final World, and power of waking subplot. If there was a single character who personified the idea of “birth by sleep,” it was Isa. No contest. Again, you would be out of your mind to throw this away and make him an apprentice.

Stage 1: Nigredo (Black)

Axel: Nothing lasts forever, man. Least of all for a bunch of Nobodies. But you know, we'll still have each other...even if things change and we can't do this anymore.

Roxas: Yeah?

Axel: As long as we remember each other, we'll never be apart. Got it memorized?

The Philosopher’s Stone is created in four stages. The first stage is death. That’s what Lea and Isa’s entire story was about. Their relationship DIED. The Recusant’s Sigil means “death” and “endings”. Lea happily said he wanted to live forever. But Axel sadly said that nothing lasts forever. And he had his friendship with Isa in mind when he said it.

Stage 2: Albedo (White)

Naminé: We don’t disappear… we’re only reborn.

Axel: I’m not like you and Roxas.

Naminé: But—but you…

Axel: It’s because I don’t have a heart. I don’t want to disappear, but I’m not upset or sad about it.

The red and white opposites have to undergo a greater separation before they can achieve their final union.

Saïx: He won nothing and is nothing. He couldn't stand the emptiness of being without a heart, and that led to his demise. He was foolish and weak.

Axel and Saïx’s relationship in KH2 was all about driving them as far apart as possible, so that when Lea and Isa eventually come together again, it would be that much more rewarding.

Stage 3: Citrinitas (Yellow)

Axel: Love is what happens if there's something really special between two people.

Roxas: You mean, like, if they're best friends?

Axel: Well, you can care about your friends, I guess, but that's not what I'm talking about.

Xemnas wanted the light of Kingdom Hearts to enslave people in darkness. Axel wanted the light of Kingdom Hearts to experience love. I absolutely think that Lea and Isa were envisioned as having romantic feelings for each other. And I definitely think Axel was speaking from personal experience here, because he was in love with Isa. This probably would have only been subtly hinted, and never overt. But the reconciliation between Lea and Isa was not supposed to so...casual, like it was in KH3. It was supposed to be magnificent and glorious, like the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

Stage 4: Rubedo (Red)

Roxas: You made us a promise.

Axel: I did?

Roxas: That you'd always be there...to bring us back.

Axel: Yeah...

Roxas: Got it memorized?

Axel: Best friends forever.

All the games leading to KH3 had Isa as the foundation of Lea’s character arc. BBS showed how their friendship was alive and thriving in the past. Re:CoM was when Axel’s sleeping memories started to awaken. Days showed how their relationship was dead, existing only in memory. KH3D showed Lea trying to resurrect it. Axel went out in a blaze of glory at the end of KH2 and was born again as Lea. As soon as he was reborn he went to look for Isa. He promised he’d always bring his friends back. Then out of nowhere, Isa became a total afterthought. That’s...not how humans operate.

A promise… We’ll meet again…in the next life. We did say that. I remember. I remember our promise.

I also think Lea made Isa another promise, which was to be the cornerstone of their shared subplot, which revolved around the themes of rebirth and immortality. The Phoenix symbolizes the liberation of the spirit. Isa’s heart was captured, and Lea needed to liberate it. His Keyblade was called “Flame Liberator”. Isa was waiting for Lea in the next life, in the Final World. But Lea couldn’t let him go, and brought him back to the Realm of Light. They kept their promise. Giving Isa a birth by sleep would have given Lea an incredible character arc. It greatly saddens me that he didn’t get that. Practically all the emotion was sucked out of his story. Lea is mostly remembered in KH3 for...breaking the fourth wall. That is a damn shame.

[thewonko]

On Symphogear and Alchemy

Symphogear, we need to talk.

For the most part, you're great. Everything I've ever wanted from a Lesbian Magical Girl Karaoke show and more. But then I watched episode 10 of AXZ, and saw this:

[caption: Elfnein looking shocked and saying "But the distinction of macro and microcosm is the most fundamental law of alchemy!"]

To put it simply, this is about as wrong as you can possibly be about alchemy. And I'm going to use this opportunity to both explain why, and to share some rambling observations I've had about alchemy in Symphogear. (Plus a prediction about Hibiki’s impending apotheosis and/or deicide)

Now, I will say, I'm making an assumption here. I'm assuming that Symphogear is using Hermetic alchemy (or at least a variant of it). This assumption isn't without merit for a few reasons.

Firstly, Hermetic alchemy is almost always what is referred to when people say "alchemy", just because Hermeticism was that wide-ranging and, frankly, influential (A discussion of Hermeticism as a philosophy can be saved for later, but some relevant points are brought up below). Heck, it's what Issac Newton was using before he died of mercury poisoning (a fate that many alchemists shared, due to their tendency to use (and sometimes eat) mercury when trying to make philosopher's stones).

Secondly, and speaking of philosopher's stones, remember back in episode 12 of GX where Hibiki, Chris, and Tsubasa all release the safeties on their Ignite modules (helpfully created with alchemy by Elfnein)? Here are some reminders:

[caption: Aoi Tomosato on the bridge of the S.O.N.G. submarine saying "They've shifted from Phase Nigredo to Albedo!"]

[caption: Sakuya Fujitaka looking at his console which prominently displays the word RUBEDO saying "They've reached the final phase, Rubedo!"]

In the creation of a philosopher's stone the prima materia (literally "first material", the basic stuff that must be worked and transmuted to make a philosopher's stone) is moved through four stages on its way to becoming a philosopher's stone

Nigredo: Or "blackening" wherein the material is burnt, and partially destroyed

Albedo: Or "whitening" wherein the material is separated into opposing principles, and rinsed clean

Citrinitas (sometimes xanthosis, which is a far better name because it's got an x in): Or "yellowing" wherein the material begins to glow with its own inner light, showing that it is becoming whole unto itself

Rubedo: Or "reddening" wherein the opposing principles the material was divided into during the albedo phase are reunited and merged, resulting in a truly Complete stone that has gone through a final transmutation and is now itself capable of transmuting other materials

"But wait!" I hear you say, "That's four stages! Symphogear only used three!" That's true, and I'll tell you something interesting about alchemists. Namely that alchemists are lazy. After the 15th century or so many alchemists tended to compress citrinitas and rubedo into one step. So there you go. Three steps, three Ignite stages.

Now, here's where we step aside a moment to point something out about alchemy in general and philosopher's stones specifically.

Thanks to a certain British schoolboy, most people know that a philosopher's stone can turn lead to gold, and create the Elixir of Life (or Grand Panacea, if you prefer). But as I've alluded to above, Hermetic alchemy was part of the larger whole of Hermeticism, which held as a central tenet "as above, so below" (or if you prefer to quote anime alchemists "One is All, All is One"). Which is to say (and here's why Elfnein was so wrong in that first image), that the self is a model of the universe, which is in turn a model of the self again, and that affecting one can effect a change in the other, because they are fundamentally the same thing.

Thus, the philosopher's stone wasn't just a way to make some extra cash by turning lead into gold, it was a metaphor for, for lack of a better term, becoming one with the Divine. If the creation of the stone could elevate useless lead into Pure gold and elevate an ailing human body into a hearty and hale one, then, because One is All is One, it could also take the base human spirit and elevate it to its own Pure and divine state.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get back to our Magical Karaoke Lesbians.

The Symphogear girls don't hit the albedo stage until they're fighting Carol after she refused to stop destroying the world, at which point they hold a pure will to stop her, A "determination to fist", if you will, and Carol (an alchemist, remember) effectively separates the four of them into an Us (Carol, wanting to deconstruct the world) and a Them (The Symphogear girls wanting to keep the world in one piece). Hello, opposing principles!

The girls quickly move from albedo to rubedo and heyo, what's this?

[caption: The six Symphogear girls, in X-Drive mode, all glowing with an inner light]

Six girls, all glowing with their own inner light. That sure looks like citrinitas (or the first half of rubedo in the compressed version) to me. And just as an aside that will certainly never come up later, Hibiki's X-Drive mode is yellow.

Anyway, they beat Carol and save the world. Yay! Now let's jump forward to episode 7 of AXZ Where this happens:

[caption: A picture of what will come to be called "The Fool's Stone" with Elfnein (offscreen) mentioning "the basic alchemic philosophy of the contrast between the microcosm and the macrocosm"]

S.O.N.G. needs a way to stop the Illuminati's philosopher's stones from interfering with the transition into Ignite mode, and Carol suggests finding a piece of debris from that time Gungnir was fusing with Hibiki and almost killed her by turning her into a rock, claiming that since it's a piece of worthless trash, it will be able to stop the Pure light of a philosopher's stone. Chris takes the opportunity to get in a dig at Hibiki and dubs this the "Fool's Stone".

Except hang on just one minute here. We've established already that the "basic alchemical philosophy of the contrast between the microcosm and the macrocosm" is that there isn't one, so why would a piece of garbage be any good here?

To answer that, let's assume here that a fool is a person who knows nothing. From there we can make a jump to Socrates, the (in)famous ancient Greek philosopher who is reported* to have said "I know one thing: that I know nothing." This is one of the reasons he was thought of as wise. So a philosopher (Socrates here is a synecdoche of all philosophers because One is All, All is One) is someone who knows nothing, which is to say a fool (Hello, opposing principles!). A Fool's Stone is a philosopher's stone, and this is what now coats the Symphogear relics. If the relic is already Pure, then the Pure light of Saint-Germain et al's philosopher's stones won't do anything to them.

*I know he never says this in Plato, but apocrypha often takes root anywhere it can and now we're here. Besides whether it was Socrates or another philosopher said it is unimportant, as we'll see in a moment.

Anyway, on to AXZ episode 10. Aside from Elfnein being a terrible alchemist and getting the very core of her art completely ass-backwards, we also have something interesting.

[caption: Saint-Germain and Hibiki stand side-by-side, ready to kick Adam Weishaupt's dumb ass]

Here's Saint-Germain, an accomplished alchemist/philosopher, finding out that her ally is actually her enemy (Hello,) and joins up with Hibiki, a notable fool (opposing), to fight him, merging the Us/Them distinction (principles!) that's been between them all season.

So, to recap, at the end of GX, Hibiki was left at the end of citrinitas (or halfway through rubedo), and we got a new crop of alchemists to replace the one who died from an overdose of too much yellow determined fisting. One of these alchemists has just merged a shit-ton of opposing principles regarding Hibiki.

What happens next? Well, since Saint-Germain just finished putting Hibiki through rubedo, Hibiki becomes as the Divine, and uses that new position to punch Adam Weishaupt (pretender to Hibiki's new position) in his smug face.

tl;dr: I just used alchemy to prove that Hibiki will become a god

[jekyll-doodles]

I would definitely give rubedo some cheek smooches, forehead smooches, smooches on the back of the hand, etc, if he were to allow me to. He seems very sweet and kind, as well as loving. Not to mention he's very handsome??? I could see albedo and citrinitas being more like parental figures, and nigredo like a brother.

Anyways, they live in my head rent-free and bring me so much joy. I wish that sometimes I could literally spend a day with them. (Sorry if that's a bit weird. They're just my comfort characters, and when I'm sad or upset I think about what they would say/do to cheer me up)

Have a great day!

I'm glad my works were able to bring you some joy and comfort 😊🌻

Have a wonderful day too 💐

[jekyll-doodles]

@purplerose-456 @albinoratman2200

I tried to wrack my brain for "weaknesses" but its gets pretty complicated and abstract, so we'll go with guilty pleasures ai things liked despite feeling kinda ashamed for liking it.

Guilty Pleasures: Off the top of my head, the easiest is Rubedo with wine. A bit of a dangerous pleasure to have. Besides that, i could see Nigredo liking chocolate. Its not something he would be able to get before being a lord, and its a rare occasion when he does have some -- it still feels like a This Is Not For Me thing. Imposter syndrome induced by chocolate. Citrinitas, enjoys the act of cooking and is particularly good at it. I dont know why. He has those vibes though. Oof the occasional daydream of a simpler life, no fighting, no entire kingdom to manage, just him cooking a homely meal for his wife peaceful simple life.

Desserts: Slightly harder to answer given the differences between today's desserts and a Back Then desserts (and my lack of knowledge on the latter.) Despite that, as mentioned above, i think Nigredo would still favor chocolate. Its a nice treat from time to time. And in modern times, its certainly easier to get and with less worrying about having it. But still, he treats it like a rarity. It would be cute i think too: Nigredo sharing his m&ms with 999.

Rubedo and Citrinitas have probably argued over whats better, tarts or custards.

Albedo is. Tricky. She has niether a favorite dessert nor any material guilty pleasures. If you count the conflicted feeling they have when it comes to their relationship with Citrinitas as guilt, then that i suppose. This lord has dedicated most of their life to their studies, practices, and advising the king. Having this intimate relationship that serves none of those is just. An adjustment.