life is for the living

In the Chapters in this era, we only ever see him in black. Because that's his role in the Chapters before he is Papa - he is subordinate to Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil. No, it's on stage where he also gets to wear white, and more importantly

red. Red in the non Satanic church is representative of the blood and sacrifice of Christ - and here, it also connotes a type of blood and sacrifice. On the one hand, the blood shed of the first three Papas to clear the way for him - the plinth of corpses Cardi is standing on to have his moment.

But blood is also representative of work, of blood sweat and tears as the saying goes. Red represents labor movements around the world - that's why it's associated with communism after all. Cardinal Copia (as opposed to Papa Emeritus IV) is ambitious, he is hungry, he is not throwing away his shot, he is dragging himself atop this heap with his own toil (at least he's not aware of the motherly hand helping to push him up). Red suits him. Red is the blood between his teeth and the sweat of his brow.

Blue - Ascension to Royalty

But eventually that work pays off. Now, you know this diva as well as I do. He spent late nights sketching his dream papal vestments on a napkin. He yearned and fantasized. And in Western culture, there's two colors commonly associated with royalty. One is purple - and one that Cardi would Never, Ever Choose - because Terzo had already used it and he is desperate to prove he is better than his predecessor (and I am sure it Galls Him that Fucking V went with purple).

The other of course

is blue. Look at the unprecedented opulence of this drip. And I do mean unprecedented, the gems and the embroidery reach a level of finery the first three Papas never had. The Doylist reason of course is Tobias Forge had a bigger budget. The Watsonian reason is because this is Cardi's Awesome Moment of Crowning. In this moment, he is no longer the ambitious scheming heir who has clawed past anyone in his way - he is now, finally, the King.

Even the iconic black outfit from this era has undertones of blue. And his other garments on stage, save for the Square Hammer jacket, are hints of blue or gold. He is proclaiming his spot on the goddamn throne. It's not a matter of preference - liking red better. Red is a peasant color. Red is for work. Blue is for resplendence and majesty. Blue is for rulership.

The track suit in red - we only see it in the off hours. There's two sides to this. One, the irony in that he's wearing the color of his toil when he's in fact Not Working, the Chapters depict him during breaks. But also - the track suit debuts in Chapter 10 (before that, in Chapter 9 his first appearance as Papa in the Chapters he is in a bathrobe - and while yes dressed down robes are more associated with hedonism and royalty in a classical sense) - in the exact same Chapter where he tells Sister Imperator that when he's home, he feels like he's "just Cardi". That distinction means something. Papa Emeritus IV is a regnal title, a persona (if his idealized self), it is a station he fills (much like Frater Imperator comes to be). Papa Emeritus IV is blue - but Cardi is red, and at home he's not Papa - he is a tired old man having Chinese food and playing video games. Papa Emeritus IV is who he sees in his head when he's dreaming of grandeur, Cardi is who he sees in the mirror.

Side Tangent - the Jackets

There's a gold version of this jacket that you see mid show, I'm not gonna touch on that save for the gold royal Impera he sure did have a gimmick going but I have some thoughts about the Encore Jacket and the Square Hammer Jacket.

Now, when he walks onto the stage, he tells the audience that this is an after show jacket - he's stopped performing, he's face down in decolletage! (of course we know it's a bit but it's endearing). But you see, with the power of his mind, he can transform that jacket into an encore jacket.

Blue for Cardi isn't just for royalty - where red is toil, blue is transformation. His ascension to the Papacy is marked by him changing out of the iconic white suit (white, a blank slate) into his blue raiment. Blue is the color of Cardi as the butterfly who has shed his pupa - the proud peacock with his adult feathers, yes - and the "recategorization" of this jacket bit is reflective of that (note I know this is likely not remotely intentional on TF's part, I just like seeing symbolism that's there regardless of if he meant it). Cardi is inherently transformative as a character - we see him go from Cardinal to Papa, we see him change his face, we see him straddle the line of gender in ways no Papa before him had, we see him undergo a character arc whereas the previous Papas (and so far, his successor) were stagnant characters.

But this is a lighter blue than his regalia. Red is toil, it's edge, it's blood - this is a light blue, a sky blue. A color associated with softness, gentleness - the exact opposite of the lean and hungry Cardinal and his grasping ambition - but multitudes still included in the same man. I bring this up because it is this jacket he wears when he embodies that opposite the most - when he speaks up before going to change jackets for Square Hammer and beseeches the crowd to be nice to one another, to help each other. Blue is the color of his regal mastery - but it is also the color of his kindness.

And then he slips back stage to change for Square Hammer. After which he gives us the Crucifixion Pose - to show us he has nothing more to give (damnit Nihil and your catchy dialogue).

Again, the color of blood and toil and sacrifice - here, the sacrifice is himself. He has given us everything. He leaves it all out on stage, the hardest working number of the night, the adrenaline bleeding out into the audience from the depth of his heart.

Coming Full Circle - Frater Imperator

Remember what I said about black?

I originally wasn't even going to touch on the Frater - after all this is a discussion about Blue and Red. But as I said before black is the color of a servant of the clergy. He leaves us the way he entered. Boombox on his shoulder, dressed in black - because he is no longer climbing and hungry (though the red gems at his breast weep for his toils) - and he is no longer atop the throne where a purple usurper now sits. As Frater Imperator, he's back where he started. Second most employee of the month awards, figurehead, chained to his desk, giving everything while others enjoy the limelight and make decisions. It hit me literally as I was typing the post up that the color symbolism completes the circuit just like the boombox does.

I know none of this is TF's idea - so whatever color he ends up wearing if we see him again might make this all moot. But I got an English degree so I'm licensed in Seeing Symbolism In Places It Might Not Be. And. The bit about transformation, duality, kindness - other than it looking really really good on him, that's why the After Show/Encore Jacket means so much to me emotionally. When I see that jacket I see a short hand for the side of Cardi I fell in love with the hardest (though I also love the petty hater) the man who has a gentle word for the crowd and whose heart is full of gratitude for their presence. I remember seeing someone refer to Cardinal Copia in his suited look as an old world Gentleman, but blue jacket Cardi is a gentle man.