Aventurine and the Rule of Three: Past, Present? and Future
Disclaimer: I did not edit this post very well, and it has not been beta-read. Please let me know if you see an error.
IT'S AVENTURINE ESSAY TIME!!!!!! While I previously planned to expand on my original post on this topic, I realized that things actually go a lot deeper with Aventurine.This post is therefore going to address a different interpretation of the motif of "threes", one that will hopefully be more interesting when explored in detail. My thoughts on this have been so chaotic that this will feel more like a rant than an essay, so sorry in advance!
Thanks to everyone who reblogged my original post to point out that Kakavasha, Aventurine, and Aventurine's future self also make a trio in the 2.1 quest. I owe you a trillion credits. (i think the first person to mention it was @onceuponaladye -- thank you so much!).
Alright, I'll stop yapping. Words below the cut. As usual, I'm not sure if any of this is coherent.
INTRO:
Aventurine's lore is completely intertwined with the number three. Three dice. Three slots. A goddess with three eyes. And not to mention all the other instances where it appears:
Three spade-like symbols on his coin
Three screens behind him in his boss fight
Three stages of his life (life on Sigonia-IV/life as a slave/life as a Stoneheart)
Three Cornerstones gambled for Penacony
Three parts in the prayer to Gaiathra Triclops
... and probably a lot more I'm missing! Feel free to point more stuff out :)
Notably, the writers use the motif of threes as a narrative device in the 2.1 quest segment "All the Sad Tales", in which we see three versions of Aventurine: Kakavasha (his past self), his current self (who I will be referring to as Aventurine), and his future self (who I will be referring to as Future-Aventurine). This gives us a framework for thinking about the other instances of the rule of three. IN THIS ESSAY I WILL! ... try my best to dissect two very prominent instances of the rule of three in the Penacony 2.1 quest, and elaborate on how each acts as an analogy for Aventurine's past, present, and future. The interesting thing, however, is that Aventurine's present self stands out among these three versions of him. While his past and future selves have very distinct identities and morals, present Aventurine doesn't. He's conflicted, insecure, lost. He's caught between the weight of his facade and the burden of his past. And while we already know this from the story, it's pretty cool to see just how much subtle symbolism there is in his lore.
Note: Unless stated otherwise, all quotes are from the 2.1 quest.
SECTION 0: Preliminary Thoughts on Kakavasha and Future-Aventurine (mostly a preface -- skip if needed!)
Before I start my analysis, I'd like to point out that Kakavasha and Future-Aventurine are both complex and well-written characters in their own right, and I am definitely not going to do them justice in this essay. Both of them have incredible depth; each has their own opinion on justice, luck, power, preservation, and so much more. However, while looking through Aventurine's lore, I found that their characters are best represented through sets of two, like the pieces of jewellery Aventurine's mother left behind or the paired quest descriptions in "All the Sad Tales". I'd like to do a complete analysis of them someday, but I will be oversimplifying them a bit in this essay, and I'm sorry about that. Kakavasha and Future-Aventurine specialists (if any of you are out there), feel free to correct me in the notes.
My best analogy for the relationship between past, present and future Aventurine is that Kakavasha and Future-Aventurine are two sides of the same coin, and current Aventurine is the edge of that coin. We usually approximate a coin toss to two equal and opposite outcomes: either heads or tails. The third option -- tossing a coin and having it land on its side -- is rarely acknowledged due to its near-impossibility. However, Aventurine is exactly the kind of person to toss a coin and have it land on its side. It should be impossible for him to hold onto both his past and his future given how much they conflict, but he tries anyway.
SECTION 1: The Three Cornerstones
One of Aventurine's biggest feats is choosing to gamble not one, not two, but three entire Cornerstones on Penacony. Furthermore, Aventurine tries to make both Topaz and Jade's stones seem like they're his own. This mirrors how both Topaz and Jade both share distinct similarities with Aventurine, which allows for us to interpret the three Cornerstones as symbols of the stages of his life:
Topaz represents his past.
Aventurine represents his present.
Jade represents his future.
I'm going to go through the Topaz and Jade sections first, as they're a bit easier to explain.
The Past: Topaz and Kakavasha Topaz and Aventurine share a similar origin. Like Aventurine, she also comes from a desolate home planet, and like Sigonia-IV, that planet was also targeted by the IPC. However, the most important similarity between Topaz and Kakavasha is that both of them believe that human lives should come above all else. When Kakavasha's sister tells him that the rain is a gift from Gaiathra, allowing them to turn the tide in their fight against the Katicans, he says this:
But… but people will die, and you will be in danger… How is that good fortune? Why are you all doing this…
Kakavasha has never cared for the politics of Sigonia-IV, and he also seems to question the traditional belief that poverty and suffering are just the trials of Gaiathra Triclops. In his eyes, all of the ideas that his family taught him (that he should appreciate poverty, that defeating the Katicans is important) have only led to more senseless deaths. To him, his family's survival is the only thing that really matters. Topaz expresses a similar (albeit more twisted) belief to Bronya:
I know freedom is precious to people, but in reality there are things of much greater value… such as survival.
In addition, Topaz states that she works in the interest of the common people, and she's known for not caring much about wealth. In this regard, Topaz and Kakavasha have similar ideals.
Topaz also seems to be one of the most honest IPC employees. It's even mentioned in her Character Stories that the one exam she failed was business etiquette, suggesting that she never really puts up a facade for the sake of making a deal. Accordingly, Kakavasha is the only version of Aventurine that isn't acting. He lives as himself: questioning the world around him, grieving what he's lost. The other versions of Aventurine do not have that privilege.
The Future: Jade and Future-Aventurine As we know, Jade was essential in recruiting Aventurine to the IPC in the first place, and they've worked together on many missions. Both of them are experienced in making high-stakes deals, often using lives as bargaining chips (although Aventurine only ever bets his own life -- I'll get to that). These are traits that become more and more central to Aventurine's character as he tries to bury his past and commit to his Stoneheart persona. In the 2.1 quest, Future-Aventurine fully embodies this facade: he's cynical, manipulative, materialistic. Good at sweet-talking in a condescending way, to the point where he sounds a little too much like Jade:
Which is why once you step into the hotel, you remove your high hat and beg everyone you come across for help, like a hyena scavenging for scraps in the desert. - Future-Aventurine, 2.1 quest Unfortunately, there are no more Avgins in Sigonia. You're the last lucky dog. - Jade, Aventurine’s Character Story III
They both speak to Aventurine in the same patronizing manner, and they both refer to Aventurine as a kid/child/young person at some point.
(Side note: When Aventurine is "in character" as the confident negotiator that his future self seems to be, he also acts a lot more like Jade. For example, in Aventurine's animated trailer "Non-Zero Sum Game", he swirls a flute of champagne around the way Jade swirls her wine. Pretty neat detail.)
Future-Aventurine and Jade also share a trait that neither Kakavasha nor current Aventurine possess: the willingness to put other people's lives on the line. Future-Aventurine points this out himself:
In your hands, those who follow you could've become joker cards. They're far more useful that way. - Future-Aventurine, 2.1 quest You will become the IPC's agent in the Silverchain Galaxy. From this moment on, every huff of your breath and every minute of your life will contribute to the Amber Lord's great cause... - Jade, Jade's Character Story: Part I
Future-Aventurine and Jade are both willing to take advantage of people's desires, ultimately using lives themselves as betting chips (or "joker cards", as Future-Aventurine says). It's important to note that Future-Aventurine specifically mentions "those who follow you", which perfectly parallels Jade's ideology towards deals. She waits for those who need her to come to her first.
So, if Topaz represents Kakavasha's innocence and hope, and Jade represents Future-Aventurine's unapologetic, cunning nature ... Where does that leave present Aventurine, represented by the real Aventurine stone? Luckily for us, Future-Aventurine has the answer to that:
The Present: A Fractured Sense of Self?
...Just look at it, tsk. Shattered, just like your life. Poor thing. A humble pebble coated in the most lustrous sheen.
See, the irony of Aventurine's Cornerstone plan is that the two stones he surrendered to the Family -- Topaz and Jade's -- are the ones that make it out unscathed. His own stone is not so lucky. And like his future self says, it's a perfect representation of his life. Because Aventurine's current self is fragmented. His identity is a mosaic of every life he's lived before and every life he'll live after, patched together with escapism and a proficiency for acting. He is the facade and the person under it. He's Kakavasha, Future-Aventurine, both, and neither.
To explain this better, I'd like to look a bit closer at the phrase "a humble pebble coated in the most lustrous sheen". This phrase is especially important because Acheron basically says the same thing of Aventurine, and she knows him especially well after everything that went down in 2.1.
A shattered emptiness draped in the guise of desire... his existence is strikingly powerful, yet the self beneath is extraordinarily faint. - Acheron, "About Aventurine"
(Side note: I find it funny how Acheron just occasionally just drops a Very Accurate Statement about Aventurine and then refuses to elaborate. She's so real.)
"A humble pebble coated in the most lustrous sheen" can be interpreted in two ways:
The first interpretation describes Aventurine's relationship with his past. Kakavasha grew up on a desolate planet, living mostly in poverty. In this situation, he is the "humble pebble". Aventurine's origins make him somewhat of an oddity among the employees of the Strategic Investment Department, and many people were against him being selected as a Stoneheart in the first place:
"And let's not forget the letters from the councilors of the Sigonian Sovereignty. They denounce his tribe for once breaking agreements and sowing discord, leading to significant changes in the balance of peace between the tribes, resulting in repeated delays in the signing of agreements between Sigonia and IPC. Allowing such an employee to join at the IPC would be a severe detriment to public relations..." - Aventurine's Character Story: Part I
Regardless of what others say of him, Aventurine's success in the IPC has given him a great deal of wealth and status, which he uses to mask his difficult past. This is the "lustrous sheen"; the "strikingly powerful existence" that hides his suffering beneath it.
We can tell from the story that Aventurine has never forgotten his past. The "sheen" that the IPC affords him only exists on the surface; no matter how much wealth he has, he cannot use it to erase his previous suffering. And on top of that, Aventurine usually has to conceal his past to maintain his power. But even if he didn't ... the IPC destroyed Kakavasha's home. Aventurine can't bring himself to reconcile with his past identity because of the guilt it causes him, knowing he's now on the enemy's side. In fact, he already thinks of Kakavasha as someone as someone who'll be better than him:
"Kakavasha": Awesome, I hope I can become as good-looking as you when I grow up. Aventurine: Of course you can. Aventurine: You'll be better, and stronger than me.
What does one do with a past they can't return to? It is a problem with an impossible solution, and in the end, it leaves Aventurine stuck between acknowledging his origins and burying them. He knows that Kakavasha will always make up a part of him, but he can't bring himself to accept that -- not when the very company he works for caused his younger self so much pain.
So if present Aventurine both is and isn't Kakavasha, then what about Future-Aventurine? Could Aventurine become him? Could he commit entirely to the facade, living off of deals as Jade does? Could he, perhaps, acquire enough power to be truly free?
This is where the second interpretation of the phrase "a humble pebble coated in the most lustrous sheen" comes in. Because interestingly enough, aventurine is often used as a substitute for jade.
??? (Future-Aventurine): This type of stone isn't rare, but its hue is very similar to a certain gem. In fact, it's often used as a substitute. And that more precious gem is... Aventurine: ...Jade.
A "humble pebble coated in the most lustrous sheen" can also be an act of deception. It can represent Aventurine using glamour and frivolity to make himself seem more confident, daring, valuable -- more like Jade, who has always had more power than him.
I mentioned already that Future-Aventurine is very much like Jade. He's willing to throw away a lot of things for success. In fact, he tells the present Aventurine that (like Jade) he should have no problem putting other people's lives on the line:
In your hands, those who follow you could've become joker cards. They're far more useful that way.
But Aventurine refuses. In all his endeavours, he never gambles away anybody else's life; he only ever stakes his own. That's something he's unwilling to budge on, because he knows what it feels like to be treated as a bargaining chip. And tragically, that's what prevents him from fully realizing his potential as a Stoneheart -- from fully becoming Future-Aventurine, who is so much like Jade. Because Jade's entire business operates on the principle of using lives as capital. Therefore, Aventurine can never become equivalent to Jade if his morals stay as they are now; he can only be a "substitute", a less valuable version.
The present Aventurine is a study in irony. He can't forget his past as Kakavasha, but he can't fully acknowledge it either if he wants to be a Stoneheart. And yet, the pains of that buried past are what prevent him from truly reaching the top of the IPC. He is truly just as shattered as his Cornerstone, made of bits and pieces of other people. People that he once was; people that he might eventually be. And yet he himself is close to being nobody (the self beneath is extraordinarily faint).
Although the Cornerstones are arguably the best representation of the relationship between the three versions of Aventurine, there is another set of three that represents him very well. And although it'll feel a bit repetitive, I'd like to address it too.
SECTION II: The Prayer to Gaiathra Triclops
May the Mother Goddess thrice close her eyes for you … keeping your blood eternally pulsing. May your journey be forever peaceful … and your schemes forever concealed.
You guys probably know what I'm going to say in this section, but this is one of my favourite things about Aventurine ever, so I'm going to say it anyway. The prayer he and his family say to Gaiathra Triclops is yet another example of a set of three: it contains three wishes, each corresponding to one of Gaiathra Triclops' eyes. And like the Cornerstones, these three wishes seem to perfectly align with the stages of Aventurine's life. Again, I'll start by talking about the parts that coincide with his past and future identities, as those are a bit more straightforward.
The Past: "... keeping your blood eternally pulsing." When interpreted literally, this phrase parallels Aventurine's childhood fairly well. Of course survival would have been a priority for Kakavasha -- he and his family were living in terrible conditions on a conflict-ridden planet. There wasn't room in their lives for much else. However, "blood" can also refer to one's relatives, giving this phrase a double meaning; Kakavasha's primary goal was not just survival, but also the survival of his family. Despite his sister emphasizing that he was the blessed child of Gaiathra Triclops, that he would be the one to survive, Kakavasha always thought of his other family members. In his mind, their survival was just as important as his own.
There is also a third interpretation of this phrase, which Kakavasha's sister brings up in their final moments together:
As long as you are alive, the blood of the Avgin will never run dry.
As Kakavasha's sister told him, he was the hope of the clan -- the one who would lead them to happiness. If anyone could make it out, it was him. And so the burden of preserving the Avgins' memory falls entirely onto his shoulders.
One of the reasons Aventurine cannot let go of his past is because of this responsibility. If he truly lets Kakavasha "die", then the history of his people will truly be lost, reduced to only what the IPC was willing to say of them. And Kakavasha will die as soon as Aventurine truly loses himself to his facade.
The Future: "... and your schemes forever concealed."
You're a natural, kid. You don't stop at fooling the audience — you fool yourself too. - Future-Aventurine
I (hopefully) established in the last section that Future-Aventurine is every bit the cunning gambler that people think he is. He's deceptive, condescending, always taunting Aventurine. He even acknowledges himself that he has very few likeable traits. He has no qualms with playing dirty, using others as chips for his deals. He even tells Aventurine he should've sold his mother's lucky charm, completely ignoring its sentimental value (he is both right and wrong about this, but that's a story for another day).
In the context of his character, this part of the prayer is bittersweet. On one hand, it's a sigh of relief: Future-Aventurine has the power he needs. He no longer has to wish for survival. On the other hand, it's tragic, because it means that Future-Aventurine really does completely fool himself. It means that he buries his past, his fears, his suffering. All he's concerned with is his schemes.
(If you need further proof that Future-Aventurine, this phrase, and Jade are connected, Jade repeats "May your schemes be forever concealed" to Aventurine at the end of their first meeting.)
However, for Future-Aventurine to exist, Aventurine must first completely fool himself into believing his Stoneheart facade. He has to convince himself, again and again, that it's worth it; that he can abandon his past and commit fully to the act. And that is the ultimate scheme that he wishes to conceal. Future-Aventurine is a product of Aventurine successfully deceiving himself, and that's tragic. Because even though Future-Aventurine finally has enough power and influence to save himself, there is no self left to save.
The Present: "May your journey be forever peaceful ..." Finally, we get to the last section of the prayer (and the last big section of this post!) Of all three parts of the prayer, this is the least specific. The concept of "peace" isn't as concrete as those of survival and deception, and the idea of a "journey" is equally vague. This aligns with Aventurine's uncertain present; he doesn't truly believe in the IPC, and he doesn't solely desire wealth or fame. He has no way of saving his past or future selves. Then, what does Aventurine want? He questions this himself in the 2.1 quest:
Even if I overcome this difficult trial, what would come next? What awaits me after this glorious gamble... an even more glorious one?
Aventurine is always looking for the next deal, the next gamble. This is his journey -- he goes from one opportunity to the next, never settling too long in one place. He needs the thrill of danger to distract himself, and yet anxiety underscores every bet he makes. He can't win without wondering when his lucky streak will end.
What Aventurine truly lacks is peace. He wants closure; he wants a purpose; he wants answers to those impossible questions (Then how bad were our sins? / Then what did we do to deserve living in a world like that?). He remembers enough of his past for it to haunt him, but not enough to feel whole. And of the million lives he's lived, not a single one has been truly fulfilling.
To tie it all together, this is the description of Aventurine we get at the end of 2.1, which parallels both his need for peace and the concept of his "journey":
His life knows not quietude. His fate yet demands him to win them all, to weather tempests, one after another... til mire enshrouds his very breath. And now, in the unfathomable depths of dream, the once falling die... has at last landed on its earthly rest. Quietly, peacefully, it at last landed.
"Quietly, peacefully, it at last landed". At the end of 2.1, Aventurine does find some semblance of peace, which is a writing decision I am infinitely grateful for. For at least a moment, Aventurine's needs are fulfilled. For at least a moment, he's okay. I very much hope it's not the last.
FINAL THOUGHTS (it's 3AM)
If you made it here, congratulations! Or "I'm sorry"? It's been years since I've written something like this, so I'm not entirely sure which is more appropriate.
In any case, thank you for reading! I love Aventurine and Penacony so much that it was hard to really express my thoughts on them. Most of the time I spent working on this essay was just me staring at my computer with a vague ache in my chest. Penacony is all about illusions and deception and false identities, but I still think it's neat just how well the characters embody these motifs. Aventurine is not who we think he is, and he's definitely not the person he once was. But none of those versions of him were wasted, because they all contribute to the strange, messy, wonderful character we know. I hope I did him at least a little justice with this rant.
Thanks again for reading, everyone!!
