EQ AU: Quintessence
First, I want to say sorry for how long this is...
So, a little bit of context first: this all is a part of my Altean!Danny AU with @supernaturalist1234, which I’ve already done a brief overview post on. I have pages and pages of notes on this and I keep forgetting to post more, so here’s a little more lore, this time on the quintessence/ectoplasm in this AU, which is where we got the name for it (Ectoplasmic Quintessence):
Quintessence
There are four kinds of quintessence: green, blue, white, and purple
Ectoplasm is a form of unique green quintessence only found in several parts of the universe. It’s unique properties allow any recently departed soul that lingers long enough in ambient quintessence to become a ghost. ‘Haunted’ planets often have green quintessence. Places with ambient green quintessence are easier to rip through to other dimensions in. Earth is the only place you can access the Ghost Zone from because it has the most ambient green quintessence of any recorded place in the universe.
Oriande is a second close, as green quintessence is also easier to manipulate in alchemy or quintessence manipulation, so Oriande was built where at the time, they had the most access to green quintessence.
(Because Danny got zapped in a portal of green quintessence, he has an insane amount of control over ectoplasm in particular, but also just quintessence in general. He can sense green quintessence and beings who have fairly high levels of it (his ‘ghost sense’))
Blue is the quintessence that shows up in every living thing's aura. It's what gives life.
Blue quintessence is what they drain out of the planets. It turns purple when Haggar distills it to be used to power the robeasts, Zarkon, and her other projects.
White, like green, is used for alchemy, and as it is more common, it is what is most commonly used. The white lion in Oriande is pure white quintessence. (It isn't technically alive, so no blue)
Purple is corrupted quintessence. It can be tainted by death and is created by using quintessence to kill. Blue quintessence specifically can also turn purple when forcefully removed from a living thing. A person's aura gains more purple the more they kill. It can be used like white and green quintessence for alchemy ,and is thought by some to be more powerful than white and even green.
(Note on purple quintessence: it's not necessarily evil, it just means that you've killed, and is associated with death. The paladins all have some in their auras. It can also be purified by white quintessence if done correctly. Oriande's specialty was teaching how to use white q to purify purple. Allura uses it to save Lotor, and regularly cleans the paladin’s auras of purple after Oriande.)
Every living thing has an aura. Anyone with enough green quintessence in their aura can naturally see auras, but anyone who learns to use quintessence can learn to see auras. Most living things have about 50% blue quintessence in their auras. The other 50% is made up of a combination of white, green, blue and purple that determines their ability to manipulate quintessence. Members of a species have similar blue-green-white-purple quintessence ratios. If a person kills, the purple quintessence first replaces that person’s white quintessence, then their green quintessence, then finally their blue quintessence. Danny’s aura is almost all green quintessence at this point - about 70%, while another 20% is white (from his mom and Altean heritage) and the final 10% blue. His blue is much, much lower than most people - hence the nickname ‘half-dead’. (Note: Alteans typically have between 10-40% white quintessence)
But yeah, that’s quintessence and how ectoplasm worked into it!