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two4joybirbs · 1 day ago

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Why Aventurine Joined The IPC in The First Place- An Essay

Hi tumblr !! I'm back once again analyzing Aventurine bc he makes me sick and crazy ^_^

I wanna talk about a really, REALLY important part of his character that I haven't really seen a big comprehensive analysis on- the reason why Kakavasha chose to be Aventurine in the first place.

Some people headcanon that his owner was the last Aventurine, and that he got screwed into having to take his place since he killed him. Other people think that he joined the IPC for revenge, and that he was always planning on climbing to the top and destroying them from the inside out. Most people seem to think he was forced to join the IPC and he didn't have a say in the matter. While I do see where these ideas are coming from I guess, they lack evidence and, more importantly, leave out an incredibly tragic and ironic piece of Aventurine's character, a piece that I think is absolutely crucial to understanding him / appreciating this sad, sad man as a whole:

Kakavasha chose to be Aventurine for himself, and now he regrets it.

I'm going to dive really deep into this, so do some stretches / grab a snack if you wanna keep reading.

I could argue that his regret is the backbone to his entire character. On a surface level, I understand the other theories, but I want to dive DEEP into the mind of this miserable blond man and expose the most vulnerable parts of his character. So, let's start right at the trial with Jade. Why was he on trial in the first place? What did he originally want? TLDR, Vasha killed his owner, he fucked with the IPC, and he let the IPC capture him so he could be on trial (preferably in front of the head honcho Diamond, but alas, he got Jade instead).

On trial, Vasha explains that he wants 30 tanba: no more, no less. I think we can infer that he wanted to earn back the other half of his market value and finally be at peace with that part of his life (as much as you can be after experiencing something so awful). He makes a bet with her, and what does he bet? His life. He bets that she wont kill him, and instead, she'll give him what he's asking for. But Jade offers him more than that. She explains to him that she can give him everything he wants and everything he’s never had, so long as he forfeits everything he has to the IPC and gives her some collateral, something of equal value. Being a literal slave, the only thing he has is…himself, really. Which, funny enough, that's what he offered up in the first place: his life. The trade offer is, kill your old identity and everything that has to do with it, and start a new life as somebody 'better'. Jade didn't tell him he had to join the IPC or the Stonehearts. He wasn't in debt with them, there's no proof that he 'owed them' 1 Aventurine, nobody ever mentions this. All she did was offer it to him.

I know what you're probably thinking: he didn't really have a choice, though. It was either join the IPC or die.

But oh, that's where the deliciously painful detail comes in- he absolutely did have a choice. Never said it was a good choice, but still. He could have said no, and he could have accepted his death sentence. Jade did initially say she'd give him the pocket change he wanted (I did the math actually and concluded that 60 tanbas is roughly the equivalent to $3, which is also the standard value of a caret of Aventurine) so he could have left it there, be satisfied with earning his 'worth', and died. But, he didn't. After all, he fought tooth and nail to stay alive, right? He just killed 35 people with his bare hands to save his own life. Death is so final, and it's scary, and he spent so long trying to run from it. Though he was probably anticipating the IPC would want him dead after his trial was over, he was more focused on earning back his money. After all, his luck would surly come through and save him...and it did (kind of). Jade offered him more than he could ever want, and it got him thinking. Up until this point, he had been nothing but a lowly Avgin: a slave, a victim of poverty and genocide, a child who was supposedly blessed by Gaithra but still saw nothing but pain and suffering his entire life. He's being offered an opportunity that sounds too good to be true. Finally, he'd have a chance to prove his worth. How lucky!

And, I think it's interesting that while she's saying this, he doesn't really say anything. That's what personally leaves me to believe he wasn't expecting such an offer and it lowkey caught him off guard, and he didn't even have to verbally agree before Jade was telling him to go pick out a new outfit that matched his new identity. And after that flashback scene, Aventurine is quiet for a hot minute, and then says in reflection:

Objectively, he made the 'correct' choice to show the world his value, and he did! He's one of the most powerful people in the IPC, richer than anybody could imagine, and he's feared and respected as a shrewd, brilliant business man. The problem now is that he has no value for himself. Why not? Let's remember what his sister said to him before she died:

She told him, "never resent the pain and poverty you're going through", because their mother had told them, "pain and poverty are the trials of Giathra Triclops". What did he do in that moment with Jade? He resented the pain and poverty he went through. He resented the Katicans, the IPC, the people who enslaved him + man who bought him, the world for screwing him over, everybody. He was probably thinking, "I can be worth more than $3, I can earn a seat at any table I want, I can prove that I'm important and powerful and not to be messed with. Everybody thinks Avgins are worthless, I can prove them wrong." I think he also justified it by thinking, "if I'm in a place of power, I can help the Avgins, I can help people, I'm not just doing this for me" (yes he is).

Also extremely important moment in this same scene, his sister was scolding him for risking his life to save her gold necklace. He made a bet with the Katicans who stole it and won, and what does his sister say? She tells him that it was a foolish decision and he had her worried sick, and he should never risk his life for something as stupid as a necklace. Vasha is confused, because he thought she'd be happy. He's like, but it's your gold necklace, the only thing you have left from mama ): and she's like well yes but at the end of the day it's just an object, YOU are what matters in my life. YOU are my only brother, my only family, the most important thing. YOU have to live on.

Coincidence that he ended up killing off Kakavasha to be Aventurine? Not at all. And you know what? I fully believe after he agreed to be Aventurine, he regretted not choosing death. When I first mentioned that he did have a choice: be Aventurine or die, I bet a lot of people read that and scoffed like, "pft, that's hardly a choice" but this is Aventurine we're talking about! Such a massive part of his character is surrounding death! His entire arc is centered around how desperately he hates himself and how much he wants to die, doesn't it make so much more sense why when you unpack his character this way?

I bet he thinks about going back and getting executed by the IPC. At least he could have died as someone he knew, someone he could recognize in a mirror (even though he never had one of those until he joined the IPC, so he only ever saw himself as Aventurine...painful, right?) He could have died as Kakavsha, someone he knew that his mother and sister loved. Now, though? Would his mother and sister love someone like him? A selfish, cruel, top executive for the IPC? Would they love him if they knew what he was doing? Would they love 'Aventurine'?...does anybody love 'Aventurine'? His sister made him swear he'd 'protect this wealth', but he sold it in a heartbeat. Now all he has is material wealth- what he grew up without, and ended up envying. The IPC quite literally owns him now- I know people insist on saying this isn't true and he still has some autonomy but be serious please, even though they don't outright say that once you're a Stoneheart you are one for the rest of your life, they really shouldn't have to. If you're given a position as one of the ten most powerful humans in...basically, the entire world, a branch of people that work for the scary government who basically owns...the entire world, do you honestly think they'd ever just let you go? You think they'd fire you like a normal ass person and tell you to pack up your cubical and hit the unemployment office? The IPC, the people who are literally cartoon super villain levels of evil?? Of course not. Aventurine is stuck there forever now, held on a rather tight chain, and he knows that, he knows the only way out would be to die (wink) or disappear off the face of the earth (wink wink).

Also, not for nothing, but he managed to cost the IPC literal billions of dollars by tricking them into looking for resources that don't fucking exist as a slave. He didn't have to be in the IPC to screw with them. If he really wanted to, he's clearly capable of causing massive damage to them all on his own. Yes, it would be easier to destroy the IPC while inside of it and I guess you could argue that's why he joined them, but again, I just don't think that view point does much for his character.

AND the very, very important piece of information that debunks the 'revenge' theory for me is that he didn't know the Avgins were gone until AFTER he became Aventurine. There was no way he went into that situation knowing that the IPC got them all killed. Sure, he probably knew the IPC was evil / that they're the ones who enslaved him (the people in black comment) but knowing they're evil isnt the same as knowing they wiped out the Avgin race. He probably figured, even if they're evil, they have the power to help people. Even though they don't, if I'm in the IPC, I can.

Let's take a look at character story Part III: (yes I quote this ALL the time in my essays but it's SO important so I will continue to do so)

"The Avgins in Sigonia... what happened to them afterward?"

"Unfortunately, there are no more Avgins in Sigonia. You're the last lucky dog."

"What about those people who helped me on planet ██? Now I can finally repay their kindness."

"They are no more, either."

...

He returns to his office in a daze. The aventurine stone emits a peculiar glow on his desk, seemingly congratulating and mocking him at the same time.

"Was luck truly on your side when you wrestled with fate?"

That justification I mentioned, where he was probably thinking he could do some good with such a high position? Immediately not an option anymore. Everybody he wanted to help is already dead, and who is responsible? Drumroll, please! The people he now belongs to! And now, he's screwed! It's too late to go back. Was luck on his side in that trial? He bet his life, after all...and he lost it. He got a new, shiny one in return, but still, he lost HIS. The first time in his entire life he had a choice, he had an ounce of autonomy, he chose wrong. And now it haunts him (literally and figuratively).

I really believe this was the catalyst for his regret and the start of his downward spiral. And this is, again, why the revenge theory just doesn't pack enough of a punch for me. Why does he hate himself so much? Why is he constantly trying to get himself killed?

Sure, I absolutely think being enslaved for several years didn't help his self worth. I think it instilled some extremely damaging beliefs, like thinking his worth is represented by a price tag over his head. He got attached to the idea of gaining wealth, earning a seat at the table, proving he's 'worth' a lot. The more money he accumulates, the more he can hide behind. The bigger the bet, the bigger the win, the bigger the payout. The more jewelry and clothing and liquor, the more masks he can wear, the more frivolous shit to hide behind. It gives him control. He can see his worth laid out in front of him. And since his luck never fails, he just keeps getting more. But, he's always hanging onto one chip, one last chip because he knows that unlike other people, his worth can be lost all in an instant. Its all material. 'Aventurine' is all material- he's glitz and glamour and wealth. God forbid he loses that...what's he left with? Himself? Who's that? It's not Kakavasha anymore. It's a made up character, a role he plays everyday.

Which, is why I don't think the concept of his worth is the only reason for his self-hatred. I think the majority of it is because he became exactly who he used to resent. He's reckless with his life because he doesn't want it, because he regrets getting it in the first place, because...is it even his? It's why he considers himself, more than anything else, a MASSIVE loser, even though he wins every gamble he takes, because he has 'everything' and lost the one thing he wanted.

Of course, he keeps a tiny shred of his original identity. He embraces his roots and recognizes himself as the last Avgin alive, but one who now shares traits with the Katicans. Selfish, cruel, blood-thirsty, these are all words he and his sister used to describe the Katicans in the past, which he now uses to describe himself. He literally describes himself as a selfish crazy murderer:

Also, when asked why the Katicans were so cruel, his sister told him, "they want everything, only to end up with nothing." That's the exact mistake Aventurine made. And idk if I'd necessarily call him cruel, but he's definitely not very nice! As much as I love Aventurine with my entire heart, and even though I do think these parts of his personality are a mix of 'persona I have to keep up' and 'I'm fucking miserable and even though it's my fault I'm going to make it everybody else's problem', that doesn't change the fact that he's problematic. He's manipulative, bitchy, condescending, bratty, and he's selfish (despite him being pretty generous with his money, he's giving people money + gifts in hopes that he'll get their attention or support in return, and the general choices he makes during Penacony are inherently selfish. Not to mention he has more money than any person could ever need, but again, that ties back to his obsession with his 'worth'). That ofc isn't all he is, and I do hate it when people characterize him to just be a crazy evil asshole with no conscience because he has lots of good qualities, but it just furthers my point that he has quite literally become everything he used to hate.

I don’t think I even need to mention the fact that he’s literally haunted by Aventurine AND Kakavasha in his quest line, both of them are there with present him, who is seemingly weird combination of the two of them. The guy who "never changed", but did, in reality.

So TLDR, based on all of this, I interpret his character like this:

He chose to join the IPC for himself. He wanted the money, he wanted the power, he wanted the glory. But, he felt guilty for wanting it because in the back of his head, he thought of his mother and his sister who told him that nothing is more valuable than your life or your family, everything else is just material. Even so, he wanted it. For once in his life, he wants to be the one sitting at the table. So, he did it, and he justified it to himself by saying "well, this must be my good luck at work! Maybe this is the reward for all my pain and suffering! I'll join the IPC and I'll use the resources to help the Avgins, and to help the people who need it." Of course, that doesn't happen because the IPC is literally full of cartoon supervillains, and he feels that first sting of oh...shit, that wasn't supposed to happen. It's giving, "I told myself I'd use this position to help people, that this was the best choice for everybody, but I actually made the decision out of selfishness. I learned too late that the Avgins are gone and I can't help them anymore, so now I'm bitter af because I'm still a slave, I just belong to the people who killed my race rather than the dirty old man who bought me. I made a mistake and I wanted the Aventurine stone, but now that I have it, it doesn't feel how I thought it would, and the price I paid was more than anything I can ever win in a casino. My life is a meaningless performance now, so everyday I fill the void in my chest with money and superficial relationships and liquor and poker and try not to think about how fucking miserable I am." And he has nobody to "blame" for it but himself. Ofc he can blame the Katicans, the IPC, the entire world, but the person he resents the most will always be himself, because at the end of the day, this was his choice.

Do I blame him? Absolutely not! That's why I put scare quotes around the word, because that's what's so tragic about him. Anybody would have made that choice. People in WAY better positions than him would have sold their soul for WAY less. He had a fucked up ass life, and one of my favorite parts about his character (ironically) is how human he is. Ironic, imo, because he's constantly viewed as anything other than human. A slave, a stone, a flashy persona, a ruthless executive, but never just what he IS at his core, which is a terrified twenty something year old guy who made a mistake. It's incredibly human to want things, to want money and status and respect, ESPECIALLY when you grew up facing nothing but abuse. But he was so focused on worth, on proving his worth to himself and everybody else, he was so stuck on that price tag attached to him that he wanted to prove he was better than that. And he did, at the detriment to himself.

So...sneaky guy who wants revenge on the IPC and just happens to be a really suicidal / jaded (no pun intended) person as a result of trauma? Sure, I guess. But internally tortured guy who lives every second of his life riddled with guilt, cant even look in the mirror without seeing his mother's and sister's eyes on someone he doesn't even recognize? MUCH better, imo. Obviously anybody can interpret his character however they want to, but thank you for hearing me out (:

Aventurine ur my pookie bear princess ilu

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