#I do wish it could have had a bit more time devoted to the homeworld arc

[leaf-miner]

Yeah. I remember watching it as it came out and really loving it. And then I started seeing everyone saying it sucked and I still really liked it but I felt kind of embarrassed about that. I didn't agree with a lot of it (like seriously “white diamond should have been killed” what, do we believe in the death penalty now?) but I thought "Well everyone's saying it's bad so it must be true". I ended up convincing myself that I probably didn't really like it that much. It was one of the first fandom discourses that I witnessed in real time, so I hadn't gotten used to the weird bandwagoning thing people do in fandoms yet. Sometimes I wonder how many other kids convinced themselves it was bad because of the constant negativity surrounding it.

sometimes i worry that *i'm* wrong and SU is bad/rushed/blah blah. then i remember whites fragile need to be perfect and ego defense of thinking she's fixing things. i remember how its perfectly mirrored by stevens need to fix others. how its both beautifully symbolic in CYM an made more explicit and heart-rending in future.

yeah that shit rules. white being reformed is great. its the ultimate rebuttal to the ideology that only good/useful/perfect people deserve to live- which is exactly the standard white held herself and everyone else to. it mirrors stevens arc of selfless heroism. it mirrors the toxic, insecure selflessness thats plagued everyone from pearl to jasper to rose about what it means to "deserve" to live it ties into "love like you" of how learning self-love is intertwined with loving others. it ties into how steven can't let go of his hero role until he's confronted by *literally* having his own mind in white's body, hating the idea of being like her yet ironically reacting exactly how she would - "this is someone bad for society, they should be shattered, this is what's best for everyone." trying to hurt her only hurting him. trying to help her helping all of gemkind - from the corrupted gems to dismantling a system that was held up by those exact ideals.

yeah no SU is fantastic. i'm so sad that its reputation is "oh well it wasn't that good, but it had some lgbt+ rep :)" which is just about the most condescending crap ever. i would gladly flip it. i think most cartoons that have come after SU haven't been that interesting, they've just been mostly generic stories with some lgbt+ rep.

[introvert-celeste]

su prompt: Bismuth trying to come to terms with Rose trying to flee the Diamonds and how this informed Rose's entire military strategy, in that she didn't want ANYONE to get hurt at all and the whole revolution expanded way out of what she might have originally planned?

HI, HELLO. Yes, I FINALLY finished this prompt, and it’s quite a bit longer than I had planned (I was aiming for >1000 words but *shrugs*). I’m not sure if this was exactly what you meant, but I chose to go a more personal route for this. Bismuth is torn by her feelings about Rose, the war, and her own actions and this is her trying to air these feelings out.

Bismuth stood on the warp pad for a moment as the light dissipated around her, determined and nervous in equal measures.

Rose’s fountain stood serenely in the shadows of the surrounding cliffs, silent save for the distant babbling of its healing waters. Under different circumstances, it could have been a peaceful retreat from the trials of daily life; to Bismuth and the countless gems who passed through its arches over the years, however, it was not so simple. This fountain was their saving grace, discussed in hushed whispers during the war lest their enemies learn of its miraculous properties, and in extension the legendary abilities of their leader. It was also a grim reminder, recalling its necessity in the intensifying rebellion. To Bismuth, it was a symbol of her devotion to a gem she thought she knew.

The gems of Little Homeworld scarcely ventured out to the fountain after they were healed of their corruption, treating it with the same respect as a sacred place. Since Steven hit the road, however, this was the only place that gems could reasonably travel to in order to heal any damage to their gemstones. One could find a small group gathered here on any given day, recovering and finding solace in the tranquil setting, but Bismuth was lucky enough to find it completely deserted.

In those three years following the healing, Bismuth had her own reasons for keeping her distance, and they all boiled down to her complicated feelings surrounding Rose. She was not ready to confront them. In the spirit of personal growth, however, she figured it was time to revisit those feelings.

As she walked the path toward one of the fountain’s four star-shaped entrances, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia. She recalled the countless rotations she spent in this spot, carefully carving out what she considered one of her greatest works of architecture from mountainous terrain, using nothing but her own two hands.

As the fighting increased between the Crystal Gem rebels and Homeworld’s armies, so too did the casualties, and Bismuth was one of the few gems close enough to Rose to know that it was taking a serious toll on her. She remembered the crowds of rebels who would flock to her after every battle, barely holding themselves together as they waited for her soothing tears and comforting smile. She remembered the moment she realized that Rose was not, in fact, infallible when, after many days of healing, she found that she had no more tears to shed for the gems she could not bring back.

This fountain was one of Bismuth’s many gifts to her idol, her friend. Every stone in this place had been so lovingly crafted; she didn’t even know that it would work, and yet she worked so diligently so that, even in the midst of great tragedy, Rose could still find peace. Indeed, the immense relief on Rose’s face made it all worth it. As she stood at the top of the stairs, gazing at its magnificence, however, she struggled to recall that simple gratification.

Alongside Rose’s tears, Bismuth poured her heart and soul into this fountain, this planet, this cause. She laid her gem on Rose’s anvil because she trusted her. All of the Crystal Gems trusted her, found hope in her presence. Old, bitter tears burned at the corners of her eyes as she gazed at the towering statue before her, its arms outstretched, inviting all who entered the sanctuary into its stony embrace. Even as the artist, she wondered how she could just stand there so serenely, as if she wasn’t playing everyone for a fool. How dare she look so peaceful when her actions were actively hurting her own gems, on both sides of the war?

Rose Quartz. Pink Diamond. How ironic, that Bismuth would spend so much energy fighting against the Diamonds, only to learn that she had idolized one the whole time.

Still, approaching the base of the fountain, she felt some of that old devotion weigh on her, bringing her to her knees before one of the seated statues. She bowed, waited in earnest for Rose’s insistent voice urging her to rise, but it never came. When she raised her head, the statue didn’t so much as regard her, bearing the same impassive expression as its larger sister.

In that moment, she realized that she had never seen Rose with such a tranquil expression. There was always a storm behind her eyes, a storm that Bismuth always mistook as Rose’s inner fighting spirit. Turns out, it was just another façade.

“Been awhile, huh?” She said, her voice cutting through the still air.

The statue was, of course, silent.

Without thinking, Bismuth got up and seated herself beside it. She closed her eyes, feeling the presence of the statue. True to size, it almost felt as if they were here again in this place, sharing a pensive moment before heading back to the battlefield. The moment hurt more than Bismuth could even begin to describe.

There were a million things she wanted to say, so much pain she waited to offload onto this piece of stone, and yet when she opened her mouth to speak, the first thing that came out of her mouth was this:

“I pity you.”

And she felt it in the very core of her gem, at the very depths of her soul, she felt it. She pitied her as much as she pitied herself, and the Crystal Gems, and all the gems who had to fight in this gem-forsaken war. She pitied her with the same intensity that she worshipped the ground beneath her feet, those thousands of years ago. She wanted to hate her, and yet how could she, after she had invested so much of herself in loving her, as a leader, as a friend?

“You were in way over your head, and so was I,” was the next thing she said. “I wanted to fix a system that was too big and broken to fix, and you wanted to hide from it. In the process, we were doing exactly what we were made to do: you led; I followed…until I didn’t.” I guess it makes sense that you poofed me. Discipline for a gem who’s stepped out of line, she continued in her head, unwilling to speak this bitter thought into existence. Instead, she turned away from the statue, unwilling to face it anymore. “Sometimes, I still wish you woulda shattered me back then, so I could hate you properly now.”

Her breath hitched as the tears started to flow. “I wish I could hate you, so I wouldn’t have to think about the terrible things that I’ve done!”

Her voice echoed against the walls and the surrounding cliffs. The rose bushes—her rose bushes—rustled at the disturbance, the first time they acknowledged her presence since she got there. Steven had told her about them once, about how aimless and hostile they became without Rose’s guidance, but they never caused any trouble for as long as Bismuth had known of them. Sure enough, they stopped moving as quickly as they had started, and all was quiet once more.

It was almost a comfort, knowing that a piece of Rose was there, a passive listener to her deepest feelings, one that could easily pass its judgement onto her if it so chose.

“Yellow started healing shattered gems from the war a couple weeks ago. I bet you never expected that.” Bismuth continued evenly, grabbing control of her voice. “Did you know they were still on Earth? Did you know about the Cluster?” She sighed. “I guess it doesn’t matter now, but you were always so concerned about those shards. Crystal gems, Homeworld gems, they were all balled up together and stuffed in the planet’s mantle just so they can blow the planet up thousands of years later. I hope you didn’t know about all that.”

She was beating around the bush, and she knew it. That awful guilt that had been building inside her throughout those two weeks was becoming too much to bear. That was why she came here in the first place: to get this weight off her chest and finally air out that old resentment she still clung to, toward Rose, toward herself, toward the entire system that put them in this situation in the first place.

In her peripheral vision, she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the water, with the statue barely visible beside her. The curls of its hair were crafted so delicately, she could have sworn she saw them bounce in the gentle breeze. A great tangle of emotions moved her to action as she gazed at her face in the pale pink waters, slapping at it angrily.

“I can’t bear to even look ‘em in the eyes!” She sobbed, as a cascade of droplets rained down on the pair and their distorted images in the disturbed pool. “Those healed gems come to Little Homeworld because they don’t know what to do with themselves, and I don’t feel right telling them what to do! I don’t feel right because…”

She turned to the statue, her anguish overflowing.

“Because half the time I’m wondering ‘did I shatter this one?’”

She wanted comfort; she wanted punishment; she wanted something; but the statue was quiet, painfully quiet.

“Yeah, I’ve shattered gems, way more than I’d care to admit. I bet you didn’t know that.” She said it like she had gotten the final word, but she didn’t feel at all triumphant.

In that moment, all Bismuth could think of was Rose’s horrified expression as she showed off the Breaking Point, what it was capable of. She could only imagine how Rose would have reacted to this. Yes, accidents happened and self defense was necessary on the battlefield, but she’d be fooling herself if she thought that that was all she ever shattered a gem for. She knew what she was capable of. She preached about a fair fight, but there were plenty of fights where her first blow was the killing blow. She knew what it felt like to have a gemstone crush against her fist.

“Would you hate me if you knew?”

Although the statue still offered no response, Bismuth already knew the answer to that one. Rose felt many things and did many things—she was many things—but Bismuth knew without a doubt that she didn’t have a hateful photon in her physical form. She may resent her, she may never forgive her, but she would never hate her, or anyone, for that matter.

Bismuth considered herself a proud gem, but she wasn’t too proud to admit that she was wrong. It wasn’t even a matter of right or wrong when it came to the war. There were no winners, only those who came out better off than their opponents. Everyone suffered, one way or another. Bismuth suffered from trauma and guilt, equally; she suffered every time a reconstructed gem soldier regarded her wearily, a gem who had followed orders right to their own demise.

She laid a hand on the statue’s shoulder, drained and defeated. “I don’t forgive you,” she said simply, “but I don’t forgive myself, either.”

They were both desperate to end the fighting, but their desperation only led to greater destruction.

“I hope you would feel the same.”

[synoxshots]

OC list

Yo! I’ve finished the Big Update to my oc page, filling in nearly all the characters in my legacy and including my two new Sith babies. I’m also cross-posting here under the cut in case it’s easier/because I’m extra. 

Edited and up to date as of September 2020.

Universe notes: 

Main universe has Yalla’ra as the Outlander/Alliance Commander, all fit into that barring Iphedarius

Iphedarius is my dark side Outlander/Commander AU - as I couldn’t see her playing nicely enough to fit in to an Alliance that wasn’t her own.

Qiren also has an AU where she is the Outlander and the Alliance doesn’t side with either the Republic or Empire. In Yalla’ra’s universe Ticcer is the story-canon smuggler, Qiren funds the Star Fortress resistances before formally joining the Alliance.

Yalla’ra

Class: Jedi Knight

Type: Guardian

Species: Miraluka

Born: 12 BTC

Born on the Miraluka homeworld of Alpheridies, Yalla'ra's force talents were clear from a young age and led her to join the Jedi Order. She quickly rose to prominence whilst learning under Master Orgus Dinn, but despite her triumphs she was far from the ideal Jedi – struggling to control her emotions, being too ambitious, and being prone to acting rashly. After joining the Tol Braga's strike team to face the Emperor, she was haunted by her failure and determined to destroy the Emperor no matter what the cost. Despite her success, the dark path she led strained her relationship with the Jedi Council, who denied her the rank of master despite her achievements.

Her path changes after meeting the ghost of Orgus Dinn on Rishi, who helps her realise she's lost perspective of what a Jedi should really be. She regains her memories of her time being possessed by the Emperor and is overwhelmed with guilt – for her actions then, but also before and since. As Alliance Commander she follows the path of the light, being determined to have a positive impact on the galaxy by first and foremost helping its citizens.

Ticcer

Class: Smuggler

Type: Scoundrel

Species: Mirialan

Born: 14 BTC

Ticcer was just a teenager when the Sacking of Coruscant happened, orphaning him and his sister and destroying their home. He has to start doing all he can to get by – running small cons, pickpocketing, stealing speeders – all sorts of petty crime that is part of daily life in Coruscant's underworld. He has a natural charm which he uses to swindle as many people as he can, and he also learns to fight dirty to get by.

He hates the Empire for destroying what his life might have been, but is apathetic towards the Republic because they were never there for him and his sister in their time of need. When his sister dies in the crossfire of a fight, he ends up becoming more ruthless and selfish, taking on an attitude of him against the world.

His life as a smuggler starts when a con gets a bit too big on him, leading to him killing the guy in self defence and running off with his ship filled with guns to be delivered offworld. Ticcer happily obliges and falls in love with the life he finds, first falling in with a smuggling crew and later deciding to go out on his own.

Ruka’ii

Class: Jedi Consular

Type: Sage

Species: Human

Born: 10 BTC

Ruka'ii is devoted to the force, always believing she is following in the path it has laid out for her and trusting in it to guide her actions. She believes her role as a Jedi is to serve others and the Republic, and as such completes her missions without complaint to the burdens placed upon her.

She always seeks to understand the people she meets and their motivations, and would much rather use her words than resort to combat. She believes in justice and redemption, willing to give her enemies a second chance wherever possible. She is also unafraid to stand up to her allies when she believes their choices are leading to a dark path, even when this may be a hindrance to their objectives. She has a talent for diplomacy and negotiating, which leads to her being chosen to work with the Rift Alliance and gaining the title of master despite her young age.

She is a scholar with interests in history and archaeology, the complexities of the force, and other cultures throughout the galaxy. When she is not away on a mission, she is often to be found studying in the archives on Tython and maintaining contact with her allies from her travels.

Qiren Alto

Class: Smuggler

Type: Gunslinger

Species: Human

Born: 15 BTC

When Qiren Alto started smuggling she thought she'd be all about the money, but somewhere along the line she became the person that stands up from the little guy. Her and her crew still get a good share, but she likes to steal from the rich and give it to the poor – a bit of direct action against the political machines of the galaxy. She believes in loyalty and is happy to help a friend out, but still won't hesitate to take revenge when she's betrayed or someone takes a shot at her reputation. Overall she sees herself as one of the good guys, even if sometimes she's doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or vice versa.

She's a massive flirt, not caring if they're Empress of the Sith or Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, she'll still give them the eye. She's snarky and cocky and aware of her skills, charms, and good looks – and she likes to bring that up as well. She'll find the funny side in even the most serious of situations and make everyone – companions and enemies – roll their eyes. She likes to look the part as well, and believes a good hat and a good jacket are two of the most important things a smuggler should have.

Jayma Oli

Class: Bounty Hunter

Type: Powertech

Species: Human Cyborg

Born: 16 BTC

Growing up on Nar Shaddaa, the underworld was just a way of life for Jayma Oli from a young age. Her parents owned a popular cantina on the city planet, but it was more of a front for the shadier business dealings that went on behind the scenes. Jayma followed in the family profession as soon as she was old enough to hold a blaster, gaining a reputation as an enforcer despite her youth and small stature.

Growing up around spacers gave Jayma an unshakeable wish to travel the galaxy however, and to see the sights she'd heard about in all their stories. When she turned 18 she left her home to live that dream, making a living as a hired gun and soon finding a place for her talents with a smuggling crew. She is professional in her role, following her orders to the letter, and though she doesn't kill for the sake of it she is always determined to defend her honour. Money is her prime motivator over any political beliefs: she has no great love for either the Republic or the Empire, but often finds herself working with the Empire as they offer her the best deals.

Iphedarius

Class: Sith Warrior

Type: Marauder

Species: Sith Pureblood

Born: 14 BTC

Iphedarius was born to an ancient Sith bloodline, and taught from an early age to value and pursue power above all else. As the fifth of six children she faced less pressure from her parents to provide further heirs, and was able to focus fully on her Sith training. She proved powerful in the force, fully giving in to the dark side and encouraging Sith values amongst her companions, and rose to become one of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy in her role as Emperor's Wrath.

She tried to remain faithful to the Emperor for as long as possible, though eventually his atrocities could no longer be ignored and she sided with Darth Marr for his expedition into Wild Space. When Valkorion took up residence in her head, she was at first willing to use his power but realised by doing so she would never have true control. After his defeat she seized the opportunity to become Empress, later returning to become Empire's Wrath after the destruction of the Eternal Fleet.

Xianen

Class: Sith Inquisitor

Type: Assassin

Species: Twi’lek

Born: 12 BTC

Xianen was part of a group of Jedi younglings travelling to an enclave when their ship was attacked by the Sith and all non-humans shunted into slavery, though watched carefully for evidence of their force abilities. Initially she resolves to stay true to the Jedi way and attempts to escape from slavery numerous times with varying levels of success, but over time the punishment she is given breaks her resolve and she gives herself fully to the dark side of the force. She is bitter and angry, vowing revenge against the weak Jedi Order and wishing to show them the full force of the dark side. This delights the Sith, and she is duly sent to Korriban to receive full training.

Emyr Devand

Class: Sith Warrior

Type: Juggernaut

Species: Human

Born: 13 BTC

Emyr Devand was born on Ziost, his parents being active members of the Ziost Liberation Front. His parents did their best to keep their terrorist activities a secret, though drip-fed him some of their ideas and also encouraged him to hide his force-sensitivity, not wanting him to become a Sith. However, when Emyr was nine his parents were uncovered as traitors and sent to prison, leaving him to be raised by his staunchly pro-Empire grandparents.

His grandparents were delighted to discover his force-sensitivity, seeing it as a matter of pride when they sent him off to the Sith academy and a chance to dispel the family shame caused by his parents. He arrives at the academy with much to prove and relishes the chance to finally learn to use his force powers, but his parents have had enough of an influence that he finds himself struggling to give himself truly to the full ideals of the Sith.

Onyxus Vai

Class: Bounty Hunter

Type: Mercenary

Species: Rattataki

Born: 20 BTC

Born on Rattatak but fed up with the planet's warring ways, Onyxus always wished to leave his homeworld behind and seek his fame and fortune in the wider galaxy. His size, physicality, and fighting skills honed on his planet soon helped him to find freelance work for many gangs and spacers in the years that followed. However, despite appearances and his obvious ability, away from the job he is a relaxed, quiet character and known by his friends to be a gentle giant.

Over time as a freelancer, he finds himself repeatedly bumping into the pirate crew of Paxton Rall, the two saving each other several times on their travels before deciding it will save them a lot of time if Onyxus simply joins his crew. The two form a close friendship and later romance, travelling the galaxy and living the pirate lifestyle. Onyxus joins the Great Hunt as part of a harebrained scheme cooked up by the crew after his birthday celebrations, another of their wild plans for fame and adventure. It comes as something of a surprise when he gets accepted, but he soon makes a name for himself as a successful bounty hunter.

Leire Santo

Class: Trooper

Type: Commando

Species: Human

Born: 15 BTC

The child of two Republic military heroes, Leire Santo was always destined to follow in her parents' footsteps. After excelling during her time in a military academy and impressing in early postings, she was scouted to join the elite Havoc Squad. Despite a self-confidence that could at times border on arrogance, the shock of having to suddenly take upon a position of leadership proved to be the making of her. She believes in doing the right thing and never wants to stoop to the Empire's level, even when at times it contradicts the strict letter of the orders given.

Though her injuries cause her to step back from active duty during the war against Zakuul, her leadership skills and tactical insight make her a key member of the Eternal Alliance. As the Alliance formally becomes part of the Republic following the destruction of the Eternal Fleet, Leire is elected as the senator for Odessen.

Ank’aeto’sonu

Class: Jedi Knight

Type: Sentinel 

Species: Chiss

Born: 18 BTC

Ank'aeto'sonu - more often known as Kaetos or Kaet - was born on Csilla, a force-sensitive child in a society that shunned force users. Loving their child dearly and wanting a future where they wouldn't be forced into hiding, when Kaetos reached adulthood their parents paid for a series of transports to a Republic core world where they could seek out the Jedi.

Kaetos arrived on Corellia in the days following the Treaty of Coruscant when tensions were still high, and so was initially treated with high suspicion on their meeting with Republic forces. However, their persistence paid off when meeting Jedi Master Tol Braga, and they soon found themself joining the Order as a padawan learner. With a lot of catching up to do, they find their force training both frustrating and hugely rewarding, and in the Jedi Order finally feeling like they have a place where they belong.

[dansiere]

FIVE SONGS

list five songs associated with your muse and its meaning to them as a character, or to you as the writer. this can be applied in-character or out-of-character. it can go as deep as looking at the song’s real-world origins or meaning along with the themes it carries to the muses’ story, values, or experiences, or as simple as if your muse would listen to this kind of music, or even if you just listen to these pieces for inspiration.

TAGGED BY: @handspoken, who kinda hates me? Just kidding I love you okay. TAGGING: @rosiqe, @citialiin, @absolutia, @huntershowl, @blossomingbeelzebug, @foxcharmed, @noirtux, @hiskniight, @ndeavor, @kissafist, @ahsterism (muse of your choice!), @carvedbones, @enshijou & @ettards. -- steal it, honestly. It is a great meme.

01. Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell Moons and Junes and ferries wheels, the dizzy dancing way that you feel as every fairy tale comes real. I've looked at love that way. 

I have probably talked about this song so often already but BOY where do I start? I was watching “Love Actually” & Both Sides Now started playing; it’s the scene where Karen (Emma Thompson) almost breaks down & cries while realizing that her relationship is a farce, that she has been foolish & blind & delusional. It continues with her doing her absolute best to calm herself down, to not collapse but function instead; she pretends she is fine, fearing that she might ruin her family’s Christmas party otherwise. It’s a raw, emotional scene unfolding itself while Joni sings about how she came to realize that everything has two sides; the very thing we dream off, aka we imagine / how we wish things are & the harsh reality. No song could ever express Pearl’s delusion with life & love [but also realizing one’s naivity] better than this one; the aspect of pretending that she is fine in order to not ruin her family’s lives with her agony fits excruciatingly well too. -- in fact, the stanza “I have looked at love from both sides now, from give and take & still somehow it’s love’s illusions that I recall. I really don’t know love at all” has been my blog description for months & I won’t change it any time soon. Additionally, this song is about growth & personal change sung with a certain candidness that words can’t really describe  -- this song single-handedly inspired me to create this blog, ngl.

02. Dernière Danse - Indila Oh my sweet torment, no point in fighting, you start again. I'm just a worthless being, without [her] I'm troubled. I wander around alone on the subway, a last dance: To forget my great misery. I want to get away, everything to start again.

Number two on my list is a bit of an oddity; it is the song that inspired me to change my URL & bottom header quote. I have always related this song to Pearl basically because it SOUNDS cheerful, has a more upbeat melody & seems positive enough on the outside; however, upon looking at the lyrics & understanding what the artist actually sings about you may or may not get chills. It’s literally a song about losing oneself, misery & the horrid feeling of loneliness after loss all wrapped up in some funky & cheery melody. It seems rather SURREAL at first & upon translating the lyrics you might believe Google is messing with you but... no. The cheery intro fools you, just how Pearl fools everyone in believing that she is a-okay. -- the song grows more & more serious / dramatic with the melody / beat becoming “heavier” over time. While still rather peppy, you can tell that something is wrong the second the background choir kicks in. -- needless to say, I consider the lyrics to be a reference to Pearl’s extreme directionlessness, her lack of purpose, severe lethargy & how she lost herself in her misery.

03. Dark Paradise - Lana Del Rey And there's no remedy for memory your face Is like a melody, it won't leave my head. Your soul is hunting me and telling me That everything is fine, but I wish I was dead.

At first, I wanted to use this meme as an excuse to gush on & on about It’s Over, isn't it? but then I remembered that Dark Paradise is a thing. Lana Del Rey simply had to be on here due to her habit of utterly & completely romanticizing tragic romance & death to an almost unhealthy degree. Pearl is guilty of the same issue. -- glorifying things you should absolutely not glorify. Dark Paradise deals with the loss of true love & the trauma that follows; not being able to move on, not being able to let go, blind devotion, stuck in the same grief, the same melancholy, the same subtle craving for death (through drowning). It’s haunting really, but these are topics that not only fit Pearl aesthetically but also motif wise. The largest part of her season 1 - 3 arc dealt with her grief over losing Rose & her inability to overcome her trauma in that regard. Dark Paradise strikes that nerve & expresses that despair rather accurately. 

04. Blinding - Florence and the Machine And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack All around the world was waking, I never could go back Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn wide open And finally it seemed that the spell was broken.

I wanted to add a song that might describe Pearl’s mentality more; something from Sleeping At Last, Aurora or Sia maybe, but given how I have been gushing about Florence & the Machine lately, I felt like I had to include them because of their extreme Pearl-esque aesthetic alone. Blinding is massive. It shakes you to the core & drags you along, whenever you want it or not. Its heavy percussion & lyrics, the REALIZATION hit you like a truck; I have always associated this song with the moment Pearl realizes who she is. May it be before the war or after "Now We Are Only Falling Apart". It has a revolutionary feeling to it: she wakes up from her Homeworld induced trance & breaks her conditioning, she wakes up from her lethargy & takes a stand for herself. It works either way, really. 

05. The Fantasy - 30 Seconds to Mars Do you live, do you die, do you bleed for the fantasy? In your mind, through your eyes, do you see? It's the fantasy Maybe, tonight we can forget about it all: it could be, just, like heaven. I am a machine: no longer living, just a shell of what I dreamed.

I needed a renegade song; something fast & aggressive; this one had the perfect vibe. The Fantasy it is loud, emotional, gritty & chaotic; it’s fast-paced, it’s desperate. It opposes all Past Pearl is supposed to stand for. It builds up, it swells, grows more & more apoplectic over time. -- “Dying for the fantasy” is another big motif on this blog; in fact, her dream / fantasy controls most of her early life to the point where it becomes an obsession. -- this song embodies the very compulsive drive she had, once. Reaching for a Golden Future that eventually turns out to be “just a shell of what she dreamt”; the fairytale that almost cost her her life in the end.

06. Honourable Mentions songs I need to list somewhere or I will burst.

Running Up that Hill - Kate Bush, Eight & Three - Sleeping At Last, Falling Infinite & Strangelove - Black Math, Everything I wanted - Billie Eilish, Send in the Clowns - Barbra Streisand, Bird Set Free - Sia, God is a Woman (cover) & Infections of a Different Kind - Aurora, Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benata,  Beautiful Lie - 30 Seconds to Mars, Love Lockdown (Cover) & Pork Soda - Glass Animals,  One Match & Romeo - Until the Ribbon Breaks, Over the Love & Hardest of Hearts - Florence & the Machine, Beautiful Crime - Tamer, Truth Is a Beautiful Thing - London Grammar, Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin, Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys, Far too Young to Die - Panic!At the Disco, Cut the Cord - Shinedown, The War - SYML  & Reborn - Talos.

[jerusalemstraycat]

Post-Finale Thoughts (very long post)

Here is a comprehensive and possibly unnecessary summary of my feelings and opinions about the SU:F finale. I’ve been procrastinating (lol what else is new) so it’s a week later than I would have liked, but at least my thoughts have had a chance to fester a bit. Anyway.

I was a bit iffy about the way it went at first, but it grew on me. There are several glaring issues, as there always are, but overall it was a great note to end on. What an amazing sendoff for one of the most iconic shows of the decade.

Part of the reason the finale felt so weird to me on my first watch-through is probably the fact that I started with Everything’s Fine, having watched Homeworld Bound when it was released early.

Homeworld Bound was a great episode overall and set things up very nicely for the rest of the finale, and not having that bookend made the last three episodes feel odd and disjointed. The power of watching a show in the way it was meant to be watched, I guess.

I am SO relieved to see that Spinel’s new living arrangements are working out, you have no idea. That was my main concern with the end of the movie.

It was neat seeing the Diamonds find new applications for their powers, but Yellow’s ability to fix shattered gems with tweezers and healing static didn’t sit right with me. It makes Jasper’s shattering seemingly irrelevant and lowers the stakes way too much. How can it be that reversing corruption is harder than literally bringing back the dead? (Pink Zombie powers notwithstanding - it’s probably different with organic creatures.)

THAT SCENE WITH WHITE THO. Good lord. When Fragments first aired a common complaint was that it felt jarring, like it didn’t really belong in the series. However, the possession scene somehow fit right in while still being just as terrifying. I don’t really have much to say about it in the way of interpretation that hasn’t been said already, but I do want to point out how cool it was that Zach could sound like two entirely different people in that scene. He HAS the range.

Everything’s Fine was also good, though I feel it could have been re-timed.

The first half of the episode was excruciating to watch. Not quite as bad as Together Forever, but it went on for far too long and simply belabored its point.

Maybe it’s all the half-corrupted Steven fanart I’ve become very attached to, or my low tolerance for secondhand embarrassment, but I really feel the episode would have benefited from devoting more time to the breakdown/transformation scene at the end and making it more gradual.

But hey, I’m not going to complain about what we got, because that ending was phenomenal. The slow descent into madness, the whole impostor syndrome thing that is all too real for me, the expressions??? The exploding into monster form at the end??? I loved it.

I Am My Monster is easily my least favorite episode of the finale, and probably of the second half of SU:F in general.

The only good parts were the scenes with Connie, and of course the ending (which was probably my favorite part of the finale). The rest felt so sparse and empty, which was even more of a letdown considering the potential it had. That time could have been used in so many interesting ways, but it wasn’t.

I would have loved something from Steven’s perspective, some mindscape stuff, internal monologue (or even dialogue), clarification of what the heck was going on, closure concerning Steven’s nature as a half-Diamond, something! But no, we had to settle for a lackluster kaiju fight and clumsily executed group hug.

Don’t get me wrong, everything happened that needed to happen, and strangely enough nothing felt rushed, but...I’m not satisfied with the way it went down.

As much as I grumble about this episode, I did love how Connie was the one to give him the “healing kiss” (such a sweet scene ;_; ) BUT that didn’t change the fact that the “power of love” thing they were going for was a familial love, not romantic. Infinite thanks for not going the romantic route.

The Future was what really saved the finale for me after the disappointment of IAMM.

I don’t actually mind the timeskip, though I do wonder how in the heck Steven managed to recover from everything. I’m just glad my boy’s okay, and I don’t think I could have emotionally handled seeing what happened in the intervening months.

And I love how understated everything was - he’s not dramatically turning his back on his home, he’s moving out like a normal person, keeping in touch with his loved ones. He’s in a relationship with Connie, he’s got a therapist, and Jasper’s at Little Homeschool. No need to make a big deal out of any of it.

I really feel what Rebecca said about this episode - it’s an ending where Steven, always forced into the limelight, gets to live his life with some privacy.

Parting thoughts:

I’m perfectly fine with the chest in Lion’s mane remaining a mystery, as a metaphor for the secrets of OG SU being revealed. I’m NOT fine with Rose’s portrait remaining in there forever, because it seemed to me at the end of Rose Buds that it was just continuing to repress Steven’s feelings toward Rose and putting off dealing with them.

Speaking of which, we spent all this time watching Steven trying to reconnect with his humanity but NOT reconciling it with his Diamond side. I wish we could have had some scenes where he internalizes that having the powers of a Diamond does not make him a bad person.

I do appreciate that Rose/Pink was barely brought up at all, since the main conflict was no longer related to her. That had been dealt with in the first half of the series, and bringing her in in the finale would not have been appropriate.

Zach Callison Broke Into My House And Smashed A Barrel Over My Head Killing Me Instantly. Seriously, I’ve been watching SU since season 2, and it’s been such a ride hearing him grow as an actor over the course of the series, and you can tell he really put everything into SU:F.

Of course everyone’s obsessing over Zach’s performance but I would also like to commend the whole cast, who did a superb job of bringing the characters to life (particularly Deedee Magno Hall, Shelby Rabara, and Michaela Dietz. Pearl, Peridot, and Amethyst really made the series for me).

I don’t really cry over shows (though Storm in the Room came close) but rewatching the end of CYM after finishing the finale simply ended me. Remember when it seemed like a nice happy wrapping-everything-up kind of ending? Lol.

If you read the whole thing, I applaud your tenacity. Send me your own thoughts, agree, disagree, whatever. Actually please disagree, I would love to hear other takes.

[vaelredetris]

CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE PROMPT

01. Tell us about your character’s name. Was it given to them or chosen? Does it hold any special meaning? If your character has aliases or nicknames, how did they get them and what do they mean?

CONTENT WARNING: suicide mention //// vaelre was the name of a priestess-in-training who sacrificed herself when mandalorians came to tear down one of the krath temples. she took out the invaders by showing up at their camping site and blew the place up. 

chimera was assigned to her. “a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve.” they needed a name that they could brand her with. she had to become the enigma they needed her to be. her name is spoken like an omen and is especially foreboding when used in tandem with her partner’s alias.

02. What is your character’s relationship to their homeworld? Do they hold fond memories of it, or do they hate it? Are they still here, and if not, do they miss it?

if given the choice to go back to rhelg, she wouldn’t be against it. it just won’t be super sentimental. home is neither rhelg or the temple walls she grew up in. home isn’t the ashes of her parents who crumbled to their own ambitions or the death witch she called her guardian. for however long her childlike innocence lasted, those years gave her enough fond memories to last a lifetime. she’s not reliant on those feelings. they do provide her with experiences that she can draw from when she plays a role.

03. Describe your character’s relationship with those who raised them. Was it positive? Negative? Neutral? What sorts of ideologies were they raised with, and do they still stand by them now?

she did love her parents. although they tried to push her into believing that the force and the sith was everything supreme in life, she idolized her parents above all. the way they spoke with such devotion towards their beliefs, she saw them as the ones who opened up the universe and hung the moons and stars. now that they’re gone, so is her faith in the practices of the krath belief. there are some beliefs that she can’t help shake herself of, but she knows that she can’t follow in their footsteps.

galentra, thIS MF. if vael’s parents were the ones who held the heavens up, galentra was someone who fell like lightning from heaven. she groomed vael to take her place as a cog in the sith empire. but she didn’t let vael go without giving her the tools to fall back on. to this day, vael won’t trust anybody completely due to her fear of being betrayed again.

04. What is your character’s relationship with the Force? Is your character Force-sensitive? Whether or not they are, do they believe in it? Do they lean more towards the dark or the light or are they somewhere in between?

she yearns for it in the most holy way where she wishes it will stain her through and through. she knows she’s not meant to commune with it in the same way others are. she accepts the closest proximity to it as she can manage. it surprises no one that she would submerge herself in the dark ways of the force if given the chance.

05. What three word would you use to describe your character? What three words would your character use to describe themselves? What three words would someone close to them use?

i’d call her a weaponized manic pixie

vael would call herself “FuN EdG3 L0rD”

boaz would describe her as a “charmingly cute disaster” or “(the) headache i (can’t/won’t) get rid (of)” the latter is more than 3 words and i misused the parentheses but i don’t care. it had to be said

06. Describe your character’s aesthetic. Do they tend towards fashion or function? Do they like to accessorize? How does this extend into their own personal spaces, such as their home or their workspace?

her habits ranges from wearing the same outfit for 3 days straight to constantly changing outfits mid day. and no, the outfits she changes into aren’t always clean. ultimately it depends on if she’s working or not. but her everyday outfits has a lot of gold and deep red tones. long flowing fabrics are fun but she doesn’t always have enough money for those. her workplace is described as organized chaos, but it’s more chaos than organized. she’s a bit of a hoarder. just a tad.

07. What are your character’s vices? Guilty pleasures? Bad habits? Weak spots?

haha. sex. it’s sex. she was taught that sex could be used as a tool to control others. but she also treats it like small talk about the weather because this is how she gets to know someone. for most it’s a quick hack into seeing what their personality is like. but most times she’s just having a great mf time.

she also drinks a lot

as far as bad habits go, she likes poking at her bruises. doesn’t drink enough water. chooses foundation that’s too late for her complexion but says it’s part of her aesthetic. 

she has a weak spot for people who start talking about stuff they’re real passionate in. *chef’s kiss* she loves that shit

08. Tell us about your character’s relationship with food. What are their favorites? Do they enjoy cooking? Are they adventurous? Will they eat absolutely anything or are they hard to please?

will eat cardboard if she has to. she’s the type who puts ketchup on stuff and calls it a day. she’ll try anything once really. 

09. How does your character feel about engaging in relationships—romantic and / or sexual—with others? What is their history like? Do they fall in love easily? Are they constantly in and out of relationships?

she doesn’t do love. she does hate being alone. she’s dated a string of people just because she had the time and found someone attractive. humans, near-humans, aliens, nobody is safe from her! she’s gotten out of that habit for the most part recently. having the work spouse around has “””grounded””” her. like having an external conscience that’s a lot harder to ignore 

10. What is your character’s pain tolerance like? Can they hold their own in a fight, despite injury? If someone hurts them with the aim of gaining information, how much can they take before they cave?

that scene in Umbrella Academy where Klaus was tortured but he got turned on. that’s the approach vael would take with being hurt for the sake of intel gathering. she knows how unsettling it is for other people. when she’s set on something, her stubborn mind will sacrifice everything to reach the goal. sometimes she’ll get so angry that it clouds every pain receptor in her head. she’ll bulldoze her way over to you in a fight, intestines trailing along if need be.

11. What is your character’s weapon of choice? Are they more skilled as a melee fighter or do they have more skill with ranged weapons? What’s their fighting style like? What sort of training do they have behind them?

she wields a mid-length serrated blade. it’s not the most efficient weapon but it is effective for maiming. her combat skills aren’t as refined as other fighters. her fighting style is more sorcery based for mid to long range fights. she specializes in manipulating bolts of lightning.

12. Does your character have any words or catchphrases that they say frequently? Tell us about how they picked them up.

she’s a parrot. she’ll pick up anything she hears often and then lose it if she’s not constantly around it. right now she’s in her “LOOK....LOOK” phase

13. Tell us about a negative experience your character has had with either the Jedi or the Sith, and how this has affected their standing. Whether currently aligned or unaligned with either faction, if forced to choose, how would they side?

there is a distinct memory of a directive officer who questioned whether boaz was purposely letting their captive off easy. the officer used vael as an example to get to her partner. she was left tip toeing the edge of consciousness before the officer had let the offense go. it took her weeks to recover fully. 

despite vael having more negative experiences with the sith than the jedis, the sith culture is all that she knows. she grew up hearing about the monster on the other spectrum of the force for so long, she’s never stopped to question it. she’s convinced that she’s help convert and torture so many of them, that they would not offer the luxury of repentance to her. 

14. How would your character react to seeing a relative or friend on the opposing side of a battle or mission?

::::||| oh you mean, how will she react to being betrayed? she’s grabbing her knife and charging

15. Describe a memory that your character finds embarrassing.

these memories mostly of the nsfw nature. once she tried to sit on someone’s face and accidentally broke their nose. it’s like 60% embarrassing, 40% funny to her

16. What goals does your character hold for themself and what steps have they taken towards achieving them? How far are they willing to go to reach them? What is their be-all and end-all?

essentially, vael aims to go through life unapologetic and uncensored. she outgrew her objective to be stronger than her parents. she realized she doesn’t want to become strength embodied. in actuality, she just wants to be adjacent to it and be in its company. she wants to find something to be passionate and devoted to, something to lend her skills to. the sith empire is the closest thing that fulfills that need

17. What is the one thing your character would change about their life if they were given the chance? What other lives could they have lived as a result?

she would like to have killed galentra before she had the chance to sell vael off. she imagines herself being a vagabond, traveling through space. there’s a part of her that assumes she’d still end up where she is today.

18. Living in such a high-conflict time, how does your character feel about doing what they must to survive? Will they hurt or kill others—either directly or indirectly—to protect themselves and / or those close to them? If so, do they regret it when all is said and done?

it’s kill or be killed. she’s never held others’ life in high regards. if someone needs to be taken down, she’ll get the job done. what is a regret.... if her parents were alive, that would present quite the dilemma for her though. good thing they’re DEAD. D-E-D. DED

19. What is the biggest problem your character is currently dealing with?

adjusting to having her audio perception being out of whack. any time someone talks to her on her right side, she can’t hear shit. 

20. Give us 3+ headcanons of any length or subject matter.

she experiences frequent night terrors. it’s only when she’s absolutely exhausted that her mind won’t jolt the rest of her body awake in the middle of the night. this is why she’ll always be the one who sneaks out first after a one-night stand

she is a really good artist. with her illusion based powers, she’s required to picture the scenes in her mind first. this comes naturally to her as she’s a visual person. she’s completely self-taught

it’s in her gut, this feeling that the other shoe will drop any time soon. she doesn’t know what she’s expecting exactly. it’s not like things are going super well for her, but she is comfortable. she has this paranoia that sometime will change drastically in her life.

bonus. Give us a list of any length telling us why our “fave is problematic.”

cries on command to get sympathy

impulsively spends money

steals boaz’s rings sometimes

takes everything personal

always plays the victim

cackles by default. no giggles. no small chuckles. just cackling.

can’t navigate to save her life

never learned how to drive/pilot either 

stole candy from a baby once

[mage-cat]

New Beginnings - Ch. 1 - Rebuilding

I’m trying for a bit of an Unbubbled reboot here, but you won’t see anything familiar from that until chapter 3 or 4. For now, enjoy Bismuth and Peridot planning their reconstruction of the beach house and Bismuth being a blatant Amedot shipper.

Link to AO3 through here.

Chapter below the cut.

Peridot blinked at the sight of the unfamiliar stone room she had regenerated in. She was seized by momentary, panicky thoughts of capture until she noticed Bismuth at a workbench with a pencil in hand and an easy smile.

“Hey there. I hoped you'd be back soon. I want a second set of eyes on these plans before I start anything. Glad to have those diamonds off your form?”

“Yes,” she said emphatically, fingering one of the stars at the hem of her new tunic. She had paired it with leggings and boots in her usual shades of green. It was all structured with angles that echoed her gemstone but still comfortable and practical for gardening and tinkering. “Where' s everyone else?” She asked as she looked around. There didn't seem to be any other people here, but there was a staggering variety of weaponry.

“Lapis Lazuli is next to where you were,” Bismuth answered gesturing to the shelf Peridot had been standing in front of. “Everybody else is taking care of Diamond diplomacy on Homeworld. Me, I gave two seconds' thought to the idea of smiling politely at the tyrants and decided that the best thing I could do was make sure Steven came back to an intact house.”

“Phrase it like that and I'm glad that I got left behind too.” Peridot hadn't been surrounded by this much metal since before she had first tapped into her powers. She found herself smiling. “What is this place?”

“My forge. I had been keeping near the Temple, but that Ronaldo guy was hanging around nearby. I decided to go somewhere else before he started to try and tell me how to do my job again. He has very strange ideas about armor. I don't really want to hear how he thinks building construction works.”

Peridot pulled a tall stool over to the workbench. “He has strange ideas about gemetics, too. Steven told me he was interested in the subject, so I tried to teach him some things. It seems that, once he thinks he's right, he's very stubborn.” With Peridot seated on the stool, the two Gems were much closer to eye level with each other. “This is small compared to how Homeworld builds workshops, but I'm impressed.”

Bismuth beamed. “I learned a lot building this place, the first thing that was ever really mine.”

Peridot sounded slightly wistful as she said, “There is something special about that.”

“So, gemetics, huh? You were a Kindergartener?”

“One of the best in the sector.” It wasn't bragging if it was true. “It's why I was chosen for the mission to Earth to check on the Cluster. Well, that and I think Moss Agate was happy to not hear from me for a while.”

“Just what is the Cluster anyway? With everything happening, no one had time to explain it to me.”

Bismuth's eyes widened as Peridot filled her in. “That's...”

“Horrific. I know. But you know how Homeworld is. We're not people, we're resources, and that goes double if we're shattered.”

“I really hate the Homeworld system.”

“I'm willing to bet that you would like the Era 2 version even less. Now let's see these plans.”

Bismuth began to describe how much of the beach house was still standing, the urgent structural repairs needed, and the improvements she saw room for before Peridot began to introduce refinements and her own ideas. She cackled when she heard that the Diamonds' Hand Ships were also wreaked on the beach and available for salvage. There were materials Bismuth had never heard of in there that they were free to use.

During a lull in their planning, Bismuth said, “This is just me getting my bearings, but are you and Amethyst an item?”

The line Peridot was drawing faltered as she lost then regained her grip on her pencil. “Wha... what makes you say that?”

“Just a feeling I got, and I'm guessing that means 'no'.” Bismuth smirked. “Though that blush tells me you kinda wish otherwise.”

“Amethyst and I are close, but not like that.”

“Hey, there is nothing embarrassing about being interested. I've had a lot of fun with Quartzes. Strong curves that get soft in interesting places, eager hands, and there's something about all that hair, and you were lucky enough to find one just your size.”

The blue blush was creeping to cover more of Peridot's face as details of Amethyst flickered across her mind's eye. “I never thought about things like that before I came to Earth. I'm still getting used to it. One of the first things I ever liked on this planet was making Amethyst laugh. I'm not sure she feels the same way though. It might just be the usual Quartz gregariousness.”

Bismuth shrugged off the topic. “Maybe. You've spent more time around her than I have. Speaking of things you've been around to notice, do you know why they made the living space so far above the high tide line? If it's just to line up with the Temple's door, then I have some ideas for the space underneath.”

After they had discussed more details of the rebuilding plan, Peridot asked, “So you have a lot of experience with relationships?”

“I've had a lot of friendships that could get very... intimate. Nothing as serious as Ruby and Sapphire or Pearl and... Rose. Dang, what are we even supposed to call her?  But I was the smith, so everyone met me soon after they joined up. Since everyone knew me, plenty of people thought of me when they wanted to... explore their new freedom. I was really popular with the Quartzes. I'm big and brawny enough that they never had to worry about hurting me if they lost control, but the way builders like us tend to think and the way soldiers tend to think are different enough that it made me interesting.”

“So you never had serious romantic feelings for anyone?”

“I had a hopeless crush on someone who was too devoted to someone else to notice I was flirting with her.” It was Bismuth's turn to blush.

“It wasn't Ruby or Sapphire was it?”

“No. Stars, no. My type may be more mental than physical, but I do kind of have of a minimum height requirement. No offense.”

“None taken. Trying to figure out if Amethyst is flirting with me is romantic distraction enough.” She gave a long look at what they had drawn up. “We should get back to the beach so I can see exactly what we can salvage before we go any farther.”

The beach was still littered with pieces of the barn. Some of the wood fragments had actually broken off the beach house, but while the hole in the house had been covered with a large, blue tarp, the contents of the barn were less protected. Even at a glance, Peridot could catch glimpses of objects she had thought were gone forever.

“I had hoped to see the barn again, but not like this.”

“You attached to the place?”

“I lived in it for most of my time with the Crystal Gems. At first we were all temporarily camped there while working on the drill to reach and disable the Cluster. When that finished, I wanted to stay a while longer to repair some damage that happened in the interim. Before I could really start on that, Lapis needed a place to stay, and the barn was the best option. She wasn't a Crystal Gem, but she didn't have anyplace else to go. I decided to make it my mission to convert her. I bent over backwards, literally, but she still left at the first sign that the Diamonds may have been coming. She took the barn and everything we both had made with her.”

“It seems like Lazulis have a way of getting to people. I knew a Crystal Gem during the War who worked with one and was real broken up about not getting her to defect when she did.”

“Maybe that's why Jasper got so hung up on her too,” Peridot mumbled to herself.

Hours turned into days. Salvage turned into construction. When Steven and the Crystal Gems returned from Homeworld, they found Bismuth, Peridot, a beach house that would have been completely repaired and finished if the two hadn't gotten perhaps a touch carried away with expansion ideas, and Lapis still regenerating in her gemstone.

[feebtastic]

On Rose: Finn, the Stormtroopers & Reylo

Let’s me start by saying how much I love Rose Tico and the qualities she represents. Kelly Marie Tran did such a phenomenal job in the film, making me fall in love with this character at first sight. Down to earth, fierce and compassionate, Rose is above all devoted to the cause to fight against the FO, not to become a hero but to do the right thing. Rose’s dedication to the Resistance and her fighting spirit are her greatest strengths.  

I was therefore especially happy to get more of her thoughts and feelings in Jason Fry’s novelization. There’s one particular passage that I really love and wish to explore here:

“Rose didn’t know what to think about the fact that a man trained to be a First Order stormtrooper could be innocent enough to assume a feral, unapologetic thief actually owned a fancy yacht. She supposed it made her feel simultaneously better and worse about the galaxy. On the one hand, maybe there were painfully naïve young men behind many more of those expressionless, skull-like helmets—lost boys who’d never been allowed to have so much as their own name. On the other hand, battalions made up of those lost boys had destroyed Rose’s homeworld and so many others. How much more ruin and misery would they inflict on the galaxy? How many more people would they rob of loved ones? Rose had never heard of another First Order stormtrooper shaking off his brainwashing and refusing to carry out the murderous orders he’d been given. Maybe Finn was the only one.”

Chapter 22, Jason Fry. “The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition.

The line “She supposed it made her feel simultaneously better and worse about the galaxy” initially puzzled me a bit. Rose sure has lots of reasons to feel worse about the galaxy but what makes her feel better? And it’s not only about Finn. Let’s break down this excerpt and consider what it means for Finnrose and even Reylo in Ep. IX.

I. On Rose and the Stormtroopers

Firstly, I love that her time spent with Finn has allowed Rose to consider something she might never have thought of before, that Stormtroopers could be ‘innocent’, ‘naive,’ and most of all, even ‘lost.’ Rose has witnessed the atrocities that the FO and their Stormtroopers had inflicted on her home planet. She must have heard of many other planets’ destruction since joining the Resistance. And before meeting Finn, these ST were probably just faceless monsters to her. These soldiers wear “expressionless, skull-like helmets”, embodying the death and devastation left in their wake. While recalling the exploitation she’d witness on Otomok, her home planet, Rose was “pale with anger”. But just as Rey has realized that beneath Kylo’s terrifying mask is a broken young man, a lost and terrified boy, Rose also realizes that there might be more ‘Finns’ in the FO. There might exist more “naive young men” who have not been allowed any kind of identity or knowledge beside what makes them “well-engineered cogs in [the FO’s] war machine, designed to further its murderous work.” (Chapter 24)

Secondly, the multiple use of ‘maybe’ suggests how tentative Rose’s thought is. She feels pity and sympathy for these troopers, these “lost boys (and girls) who’d never been allowed so much as their own name.” Would they not be considered victims of the FO as well? Kidnapped and brainwashed, would these Stormtroopers know any better than what has been drilled into them?

Perhaps the answer is no, Rose thinks, they wouldn’t know any better. Battalions of these troopers are inflicting “ruin and misery on the galaxy” after all. There’s also a sense of resignation in Rose’s last thought: how “she’s never heard of” another deserted trooper and so “maybe Finn was the only one.”

To me, Rose feels better about the galaxy because there might be Stormtroopers who are not inherently evil and murderous monsters, but lost boys whose minds have been twisted to do the FO’s bidding. She feels worse because these lost boys ARE following orders to kill, destroy & oppress.

More than that, I think Rose feels better because there’s a glimmer of hope in the form of Finn, who has somehow done the impossible and was able to escape the FO’s grueling conditioning. Finn represents the hope that goodness and humanity can survive against all odds, even against a system that was built to snuff out these qualities from its soldiers. But Rose also feels worse because there might ONLY EVER be Finn, a single Stormtrooper who could rebel against the system. Finn being an outlier, an exception is in that way both better and worse.

II. On Finnrose

The given excerpt is such an interesting addition because it demonstrates Rose’s character development in TLJ beyond her feelings for Finn, which we see more clearly in the film. Rose’s interactions with him have allowed her to rethink the human identities involved in the war, esp. those on the opposing side. Among all the characters who have interacted with Finn, Rose was the only one who wonders about the larger implication of Finn’s desertion. She questions, even only briefly, whether there are or could be more Finns out there. Maybe Finn was the only one who could break free from the FO on his own, but with the right catalysts, could more follow his steps?

The passage also shows how Rose is Finn’s most suitable counterpart in the Sequel trilogy. On the one hand, Rose is one of the more mature characters in the ST. Paired with her, Finn, who has been isolated from the outside world from birth, is able to learn and grow. In TLJ, Rose has shown Finn what she and the Resistance are fighting for: for freedom, against the injustice done to her home planet, for the oppressed and exploited across the galaxy. Finn thus gains reasons to stop running and join the fight. On the other hand, the learning doesn’t only go one way. Rose has also learned many things about the FO from Finn and not just from infiltrating the Supremacy, as was clear from the excerpt.  As a result, in IX, I expect Finn’s arc to be him finding a role in the revitalized Resistance. And Rose, with her own newly gained knowledge about the FO, could again work in tandem with Finn (under/alongside Poe) to help shape the Resistance’s strategies.

While Finn has mostly contributed his knowledge of key FO weapons and technologies to the Resistance in TFA and TLJ, I wonder if he would be able to supply even more powerful insights about the human elements within the FO going forward.

In the TLJ junior novelization, prior to his execution, Finn thought this:

If Finn was going to die now, at least he could rest well knowing he had tried to help his friends make a difference in the galaxy. He had only one regret. He wished he could have convinced other troopers to do the same.

Perhaps in IX, we’ll see Finn and Rose discuss the Stormtrooper program, Finn’s experience in it and how he wishes he had tried to convince other troopers to turn while on the Supremacy. It seems quite plausible then that Finn and Rose could together plan and realize a Stormtrooper rebellion from these musings. Finn’s intention has been shown above. And Rose’s thoughts in the excerpt that starts this post suggest that if Finn voices his intent in Ep. IX, Rose would be able to see where he’s coming from and understand the potential of that idea. While nothing much about a potential rebellion has been hinted at    within the first 2 films (beyond these tidbits in the novelizations), I believe that if he wants to, JJ can still pursue this storyline in next film.

III. On Rose and Reylo

Last but not least, I find that Finnrose and Reylo have more parallels than I’ve previously thought.

In TLJ, Rose is not only coming to terms with her own grief but also with the real person and motivation behind Finn’s hero image post Starkiller Base. Her initial hero worship of Finn was from a somewhat simplistic point of view, (just as Rey’s view of Kylo as a ‘murderous snake’ was.) Reality, Rose finds, is much more complicated. While his desire to take the beacon and flee (to save Rey) is not entirely selfish, Finn also hasn’t had a reason to join the Resistance cause. Though Finn had returned once to the FO to save his friend, all he wants to do at the start of TLJ is to continue his run since TFA, mostly out of fear. This fear is the result of his years in the FO, of having been disciplined and punished to elicit obedience, and of knowing the FO’s terrifying military capabilities. Knowing what he knows, the most realistic action is to run. Throughout the film (and the book), Rose gradually realizes that she needs to “give him a break”, that he might need time to really shake off the pernicious effects of his oppressive Master, to find the courage and desire to be in the fight, and to find his belonging.

“Maybe it hadn’t just been his infatuation with Rey that had driven him to flee, she thought—maybe he’d also been trying to escape unfamiliar surroundings in which he was alone and didn’t fit in.” (Chapter 24)

Isn’t this what Rey also realized about Ben after the throne room scene to an extent? That the choice to turn and what to do after that turn is a complicated and difficult one?

“Luke’s error had been to assume that Ben Solo’s future was predetermined—that his choice had been made. Her error had been to assume that Kylo Ren’s choice was simple—that turning on Snoke was the same as rejecting the pull of the darkness.” (Chap. 29) (or the same as joining the Resistance)

While both Finn and Kylo had done the right things, the selfless things at some point (Finn helping the Resistance on SB and even with the Canto Bight mission, Kylo killing Snoke), they were not ready to immediately join a new cause or to change their long-held paths. But as I’ve described above, both Rey and Rose see the glimmer of hope and the goodness within both men. Similar to how Finn still retains a good heart despite all his Stormtrooper training, it is incredible that Kylo still feels compassion for Rey (and Finn at the beginning of TFA), remorse after Han’s death, and love for his mother. Even after a lifetime of manipulation and abuse by Snoke. Although Finn and Kylo are surely at different stages of their journey, I believe the parallels are there. While Finn was able to escape the FO in TFA, the shadow of what he endured as a Stormtrooper remains with him long after. It was only with time, others’ help and inspiration that Finn realizes the cause he truly believes in and find the strength & courage to fight for it.

And so will Ben Solo.

Many have said that Rose will be one of the first people to understand Rey and Kylo’s connection and Rey’s belief in Kylo’s goodness, and I wholeheartedly agree. Rose’d definitely know what it means to focus on saving those one loves, rather than just destroying the things one hates. Not only that, given the above excerpts, it is also clear that after TLJ, Rose has gained a more complex understanding of her enemies. There’ll surely be ruthless and remorseless individuals in the FO, like Hux or Phasma. But there might exist lost boys (and girls), who are killing, hurting because of years of manipulation & conditioning. Finn’s escape represents the hope that perhaps all is not lost. Finally, I think Rose will also understand that not everyone can make the right and selfless choice all at once, or all the time, even if that choice comes more naturally to others. Even if there’s goodness in someone, it might take time for them to choose to follow the hard path or the right cause.

All in all, Finn and Rose’s individual development and dynamics in TLJ are some of my favorite things about the film. Their relationship, though not as angst-filled and brimming with sexual/romantic tension like Rey and Kylo, still presents some of the most interesting ideas and concepts in the Sequel Trilogy. If Reylo has the epic trappings and mystery of the Force, Finnrose deals with the war in Star Wars on a more on-the-ground level, where troops and technicians dwell. However, both represent themes about hope, faith in love and in the goodness of others.

Just some of my thoughts. What do you think? How are you imagining Finn and Rose’s arcs in IX? What’s your wishlist for these two?

[wonderwafles]

Destiny 1

(In response to this - I’m still taking questions for it!)

Favorite Character: Maybe it’s my Eliksni bias, but probably Variks. I enjoy the intersection of “kind of creepy shaman with goals of his own” and “friendly alien who likes us”. His storyline appeals to me, too. (This was a hard question D:)

Least Favorite Character: I like pretty much all the characters to some degree! But if I had to choose... maybe Arach Jalaal? He’s a little too stiff and serious for me to get into too much. Plus, Dead Orbit isn’t really my favorite faction.

5 Favorite ships: Saladin/Jolder (mostly because of some lovely fics I’ve read about them), Eriana/Wei Ning, Eris/Toland (of course), Cayde/Andal... and if I can go into the realm of very non-canon, I think Cayde/Failsafe would be kinda cute :c

Character I find most attractive: Oh, Mara Sov. (crown emoji)

Character I would marry: Any or all Eliksni

Character I would be best friends with: Maybe wishful thinking, but I think I would enjoy talking about the Light and academe with Ikora :D

A random thought: I know I bad-mouthed Dead Orbit earlier, but I would absolutely love to go out-of-system at some point. Visiting Fundament in-game would be the dream, or maybe the Eliskni homeworld? I suspect that will be end-game stuff if it ever happens, but I can dream

An unpopular thought: I actually liked Uldren a lot even before Forsaken made him Cool tm, since I respond well to characters who are mean to me or other characters I like for some reason. Plus, I just enjoyed the “moody Fae prince with a chip on his shoulder” aesthetic and then he just kept getting more like Crow from the early trailers from there, which I thought was neat. And even though I’m quite angry at him now, I still like him :’D

My Canon OTP: I think Eriana and Wei were the only capital-c Canon pairing in my ship-list (I think?), let’s go with them!

My Non-canon OTP: I’m having trouble coming up with one single OTP, but I will say I enjoyed Cayde/Eris when it was going around. Not necessarily even in a “I’d love if they got together in canon” way, but more so that I just enjoyed the concept from a distance, I suppose. (I’m a Cayde multi-shipper, I guess)

Most Badass Character: I still count that scene where the Queen and the Techuen are fighting Oryx as probably the most badass in the whole series. So, probably Mara Sov.

Most Epic Villain: You know Oryx is of course very good and a favorite of mine, but my overall favorite villain is probably still Skolas. I think something about him got to the heart of the story of the Fallen - this character, Kell of Kells, who was supposed to be a hopeful figure who liberates the Eliksni and leads them into peace, instead enslaving them and bringing them to war. Compared to how the Fallen have literally fallen from glory and try in vain to reclaim the Light, only to find themselves on the side of the Darkness. Also, Eliksni bias.

Pairing I am not a fan of: I don’t dislike this pairing by any stretch, but it always seemed to me that Petra/the Queen wouldn’t really work. I think the Queen is too distant and mecurial to return Petra’s affections - that is, there’s something very human about Petra and something very alien about Mara, that I just don’t feel would connect very well. That’s just my opinion, though, of course!

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Well. I really do like Cayde, I do. But I think in recent times the writers have been leaning a bit too much on his “comic relief” persona than other aspects of his character. That being said, there are a lot of recent lore tidbits (especially in the “Letters to Ace”) that give him a lot more depth, so I think this may just be a “presentation” issue - it seemed like the writers may have been a little afraid to lean away from that side of him during gameplay and shoved his other facets into the corner.

So it’s not so much that I think that Cayde’s a bad character as I think they made a good character and just didn’t use him to his fullest potential.

Favorite friendship: Cayde and Ikora have a lovely dynamic, and I enjoy their interactions a lot! 

Character I most identify with: Honestly, I’m not sure! But being as I’m not a violent person and sometimes get uncomfortable with the idea of violence in real life, I like Efrideet’s story a lot. I can’t remember if this is fanon or canon, but there were ideas going around about Efrideet being the most easily angered of the Iron Lords, which contributed to her being a pacifist, that I kind of relate to - at least, I relate to having a complicated relationship with one’s own anger and how to perceive it. The pacifist Guardian group sounds awesome, too. I don’t think I could commit to being a full pacifist - not while the survival of the human race is on the line - but then again, neither did she. So, I would say Efrideet!

Character I wish I could be: I mean, Crucible champion? Super-intelligent? Knocked a Cabal ship out of the air with her sheer power? Gently skeptical and passionately devoted in equal measures? “Osiris may have taught me everything he knows, but that’s not everything I know”? I think we all know the answer to that

[crispwiz]

Lapis/ Peridot scene discussion (Big spoilers up ahead)

Today I want to discuss the Steven universe trailer we got from sdcc, specifically the Lapis and Peridot interactions. Before I start let me say I am a Lapidot shipper, but I want to keep this discussion more neutral for those who do not think Lapidot will be canon. In this discussion I will stay away from saying calling any of these interactions romantic. While these scenes could be possible lapidot build up, to me these scenes prove the Lapis and Dot care about each other a lot, whether it is romantic or platonic is your call.

To begin the first scene we see with Lapis is her in a video message with Steven. It seems he has retold the events from the wanted special and water mom is very distraught after hearing about it, remarking “YOU RAN FROM YELLOW AND BLUE DIAMOND??!?”. One thing a lot of fans forget is that Lapis is still not a crystal gem and but isn’t quite a homeworld gem either. After being imprisoned in the mirror, after crashing the hand ship, and after malachite Lapis still always had the first impulse to return to homeworld. But in Same old world Lapis realizes she can’t return to homeworld after all she did to Jasper. Plus Lapis must have some vengeance towards homeworld too, since it was hw gems that imprisoned her and when she returned the first thing they did is send her right back in a prison cell on the hand ship. She no longer has respect for the diamonds as a homeworld gem would, but instead fears them. And she sees when Steven tells what he did in the wanted special that a war is coming and the diamonds will return.

Next scene Lapis is at the barn, she says “they are going to take their anger out on this planet just like they did before! I am not going to let myself get caught up in another war” while squeezing Peri’s shoulder. One thing to note is I think this line does indicate Lapis was more involved in the war than she lets on. There is a possibility she may have been more involved with the war, rather than just being “caught up”, though that is a topic for another day . Whether or not she possibly fought inn the war, we know now that maybe even before the war she had mixed feelings about homeworld’s leadership, as she phrases it “they are going to take out their anger.” Not that they were trying to end the rebellion, or that they were trying to take Earth as their colony, but that they were simply venting. I think this a very interesting insight on the war. We have seen crystal gems talk about the war but not a lot of hw gems besides jasper, who show undying loyalty to homeworld during the war. Perhaps some smarter gems with more political control (like lapis as we have seen she may of once been part of the blue court) may not of completely been with homeworld on the war, unlike soldier gems created simply to fight and serve with unquestionable loyalty. She didn’t want to be a crystal gem or anything, but lapis might have had some disagreement towards the diamonds for shattering thousands of gems and causing her imprisonment all because they were angry. Now we know something very important though, lapis knows a lot more about the war than she previously told and understands more about it than someone like peridot, who just read records about it. Now, that way she is talking to Peridot and the way she squeezes her shoulder, although brief, says volumes about how much she cares for peridot. I can see what Lapis says and does indicating three different meanings:

1. I will take you under my wing- This is a warning, I am pushing you to come with me. I am squeezing your should to try to get you to connect with me and see all of the risks you are taking staying. War is worse than you think, you have never seen it, I have. Leaving Earth has it’s risks but at least being shattered isn’t one of them. You can stay, but I highly suggest you don’t.

2. Comprehension- Understand what I am saying, you don’t have to agree. Understand why I am doing this, even if you think it is wrong see my side, I don’t want you to hate me for this. Look at the risks of both staying and leaving, understand them, and be ready to bear them once you make your choice. Either way, I am not staying, I have made my choice.

3. Loving- I care about you, I know you are probably going to stay but know that I care about you. This is how I feel, this is my choice and it doesn’t mean I didn’t care or that all of the days we shared mean nothing. Most likely you will stay and that is your choice, so since we might say goodbye soon just know I won’t forget you.

Perhaps she meant only one of them, perhaps she meant all three. Regardless I think Lapis and Peri have come really far since they first met. They  started off hating each other and now they are hurting just trying to say goodbye to each other. Clearly over their time at the barn they have developed some closeness to each other, and now that they are back at the front lines of the plot this connection will have a huge hand in what goes down in the upcoming season.

We also see that Lapis is using her hydrokinesis near the barn? I honestly have no solid predictions for this scene. Some ideas I have are: Peridot is running after her or clinging to her arm to try to get her to stay so Lapis pushes her off and then using her powers to hold Peridot down so she can get away; Lapis is taking the water out of the aquarium in the barn to attack something; lapis  is creating a wall of some sort to hold Peridot back while she flies away; Lapis gets into a fight with a crystal gem (as we see she smirks a little bit as she uses her powers). Honestly those are just quick baseless predictions there is not much to go off right now. Oh, and a hopeful but improbable one: Lapis is staying on earth to fight and is preparing for battle.

We see a scene of lapis looking back before flying away but I will  come back to that later. At the very end of the trailer we get a dialogue of Peridot saying Earth is our home now! Isn’t it worth fighting for?”. My guess is this takes place as lapis is about to leave Earth. Seeing Peridot so genuine about her devotion to the earth and trying her best to convince Lapis to say makes me so happy to think of how far this little dork has come.

Returning to the Lapis flying away scene, it is believed this is lapis’ response to Peridot reaching out to her, turning her back and fleeing. Although this seems cold I think this is the saddest part of the trailer. When Lapis turns you can see the pain on her face as she does it. The way she looks at peridot says “A part of me doesn’t want to do what I am about to but I have to and you are only making this harder”. She then turns her face so that Peridot can’t see her shutting her eyes tightly as if to hold back a great pain or tears before flying off. Lapis wishes she could stay but knows she can’t. And Peridot wanting to defend Earth goes against what Lapis wanted. Lapis wanted Peridot to understand what she was getting herself into before making her decision and she still seems oblivious. Lapis knows that this is what Peridot wants and that even if she told peridot she would still want to stay. It hurts even more to leave, to leave behind peridot who has no idea what she is doing. It would of been easier is peridot came with her or at least understood that staying was suicide. She is leaving one of her only companions to let her naive self getting killed for a cause she barely understands, making saying goodbye that must harder.

This was my deep analysis of the lapis and Peridot moments from the trailer, but what do you guys think? If you have any more ideas, thoughts or opinions please reblog or respond to this post with them I am completely open to discussion.

[joyofcrime-elinorhigh]

Steven Universe Hit the Diamond REVIEW:

Hello there, everybody! My name is JoyofCrimeArt and I apparently do cartoon reviews now! Now last time I did a review like this I did a three part review about how I think that the 2016 Powerpuff Girls reboot wasn't THAT bad. So now, just in case there are some of you out there who don't already want to kill me, now I'm going to do a review of Steven Universe that...isn't....one hundred percent.....positive. OH MY GOD, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME TUMBLR!  Okay, I just want to make this clear right now, I don't hate this episode. Not at all, and this is not a wholly negative review. There are a lot of things in this episode that I do like. I just felt like this episode had some things in it that was worth talking about, and was also just good material to make jokes out of. That being said, since I'm new to this whole reviewing thing I should probably quickly talk about my thoughts on Steven Universe as a whole first, just so you all know where I'm coming from in terms of my views and opinions about the show. Also spoiler warning for Steven Universe up this point, as Hit the Diamond is the newest episode of Steven Universe currently out as of the time of me writing this. Steven Universe, I believe, is kinda overrated. I also think that it's quite possibly my favorite show currently on television, and one of the greatest shows Cartoon Network has ever made. Steven Universe is an amazing show that manages to encapsulate so many genres and story ideas together in a way that works very naturally. I love how it's able to combine elements of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy, Action, Adventure, and Magical Girl tropes together to make a truly amazing story. The characters are fun and likable and the animation is just amazing. I know some people have problems with it because how the characters can sometimes be a bit off model at points but what they do with color and backgrounds is just so amazing. The show has a truly compelling ongoing story and mystery as we learn more about The Gems and there homeworld, and as more and more side characters make there way into becoming main characters the show is able to actually answer the questions it raises while still having more and more stories to tell. Steven Universe is truly a great show and if you haven't seen it I HIGHLY suggest you check it out. Now then if all of this is true though why would I say it's overrated? Well there are some people online who think the show is good too...perhaps a bit too good. A lot of people online act like the show is perfect and anybody who thinks differently are wrong. The fanbase for this show, like many large fanbases can be hostile. Now I'm not saying there ALL like that or anything, and I don't think you should let the fanbase stop you from enjoying the show, but what I am saying is that the show has flaws. And I actually took some time to think if I should review this show because of how some people will attack you if you point out any flaws, but I'm hoping we can all be open minded about this and have a polite and thought out discussion about this episode and hear each other out without jumping to a-OH GOD NO! PUT DOWN THE FLAMETHROWER-  Anyway, now that all that is out of the way, let's talk about this episode, "Hit the Diamond." (Love the pun in the title by the way, good start.)  Now this episode starts right where the last episode, "Barn Mates" left off. A team of five Ruby soldiers had landed on Earth, supposedly looking for Peridot. We see them come out of the ship and I like how they all do have different designs, and even some hints of different personalities. In "The Answer" all Rubies seem to just act the same, which I though was kinda a waste, but here they do act differently from each other, while still keeping there soldier like mentality that Rubies seem to normally have, which is nice cause it shows the Rubies as individuals in some ways, while still showing how Homeworld still holds a tight grip on things like individuality. They act different, but there still all soldiers. It's a nice middle ground.  Steven, Lapis, and Peridot tell the other gems about the Rubies and Peridot makes an expression that...well...I could look at it for hours and still find it funny.

 What the actual heck is wrong with this, even Lapis is confused. By the way Peridot and especially Lapis are hilarious in this episode. (Lapis I'll explain later on.) Peridot's reaction to Garnet calling her a clod is so funny and actually heartwarming in an unintentional way.  So anyway Garnet decides to unfuse and become Ruby and Sapphire. Sapphire tells Ruby to go over to the other Rubies, and to act casual, because she wants to deal with this situation non violently. We see Rubies amazing casual strut and the other Rubies tell our Ruby to check out the barn after MISCOUNTING the number of soldiers with them! Now this is actually where the designs of the Rubies being different actually becomes a flaw. If the Rubies all looked the same, like they did in "The Answer" we could just have Ruby knock one of them out or something and take her place, but now, because the designs are different the only way we can have Ruby join the other Rubies is by making all the other Rubies be stupid! I'll get into this more as I continue to describe the plot but this becomes a big problem for the episode, from a story telling perspective. Ruby comes back to the Barn with Steven and Ruby tells the other Rubies that there are humans in the barn and Steven tells the Rubies that the only way that they will be allowed to search the barn is by beating the humans in a game of BASEBALL!    Now I can understand that Steven would say something like that. He was holding the baseball bat that Amethyst gave him and he only had a second to think of an excuse on why the Rubies can't enter the barn. My problem here is, why do the Rubies care about what the humans say. Rubies are soldiers and The Homeworld Gems are imperialist and genocidal to humans. I know that Homeworld isn't ACTIVELY trying to destroy the Earth, but if a human gets in the way of there mission why wouldn't they try to kill them, like how Peridot tried to kill Steven when they first met, and he was just somewhere he wasn't suppose to be? The Rubies could just fuse and step on Steven, they don't know the other Gems are there. But whatever, they wanted to do a baseball episode and I'm pretty sure there would be no logical way to justify it, so it does count as a slight plot hole in order to make a good story, which is okay because the idea of the Gems playing baseball is a really funny one, but it still makes the Rubies look like total clods!  Steven and Ruby come back to the barn and tell the other Gems about the game. Sapphire comments about how even with future vision she did not see this coming and Lapis delivers a line that really...all things considered...sums up the episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgxYUxqcg1Q

Hey guys, are we sure that Lapis Gem is a Lapis Lazuli? Are we sure? Because I don't think her Gem is a Lapis Lazuli, I think it might actually be crystallized CRYSTALLIZED SALT BECAUSE THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE EPISODE LAPIS IS SALTY AS FU*K!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpj6Nuc1SI4

Seriously, watch the episode again, and pay attention to Lapis's deliveries and facial expressions. She is so salty! I guess after being imprisoned three time's she is just has zero fu*ks left to give.

(Also I like how she doesn't have a belly button, that was a nice touch.)  Anyway all the Crystal Gems except Peridot begin playing baseball against the Rubies, claiming that there humans. Now granted, they are all using fake names, (as seen in the picture above) and wearing clothes that would hide there gems, but still, this is really contrived and stupid! Now I get that the Homeworld Gem's haven't been on Earth in thousands of years, and we don't know if these Rubies where even there during the first Gem War, but are to really believe that whoever sent these Rubies to Earth, weather or not it was Yellow Diamond herself or some underling of Yellow Diamond, didn't give the Rubies an even BASIC description of what a human was! And another thing, have these Rubies never seen a Pearl before while on Homeworld? Or a Sapphire? Or a Lapis? I mean it's possible that maybe they didn't but I still find it pretty hard to believe that these Rubies wouldn't be able to figure out that these are in fact Gems. It's another example of the Rubies being stupid just to advance the plot!  So the game begins and it goes about as well as you would expect, and I kinda wish more of the episode was devoted to seeing the Gem's play baseball, like the volleyball game in "Beach Party" but the it takes a good half the episode to get to the game and when you count the episodes climax most of the episode is not focused on the game itself. I can't fault the show on this, as they even had to take some time out of the LAST episode to set this plot up, so really it's just a small nitpick. So as the game goes on but the Crystal Gem's start to lose because Ruby and Sapphire aren't focusing on the game but are, as Lapis saltily put it, are flirting.....This is going to be the part that Steven Universe fans crucify me for isn't it?  Now I don't want this to become misconstrued or anything and turn into a debate in the comments of about sexuality and calling me a bigot or anything, BUT...I just want to make my case here. I have no problem with Ruby and Sapphire being a gay couple, and they can be a really cute couple together. In fact "Keystone Motel" is all about Ruby and Sapphire and that is one of my favorite episodes of the whole dang series. But, and I might get some hate for saying this but, for the love of God can you two just keep it in your pants for five minutes! Your friends life in on the line for Gods sake! I mean this is a serious, I'll be it pretty stupid, situation! You need to keep your head in the game for the sake of the mission. I mean you guys are fused together all the time, which I would think would be like the ultimate form of flirting, and now that your unfused you literally can't spend even a second not being all lovey dovey to each other, even when, again, PERIDOT'S LIFE IS AT STACK! I mean I have no problem with gay characters in children's media, I really don't, but there are bigger things on the line right now! Sapphire even says later in this episode that she can't keep her eye on the ball because she just wants to look at Ruby. I mean you two can be as gay as you want with each other after the game, it's not like you two are going anywhere! Even the best couples give each other some space. I mean there lovey dovey-ness is the main conflict in the episode, and before you call me a homophobe keep in mind that Steven and even PEARL acknowledges that there behavior is a problem! PEARL! The character who spends half of her episodes being obsessed with Rose, if Pearl thinks that your being to clingy you KNOW you have a serious problem...and the worst part of all of this is that now I'm going to be hunted down and killed by the Steven Universe fanbase! Do you realize that, I'm going to die a martyr fighting against the STEVEN UNIVERSE BASEBALL EPISODE! It's times like this where you question your life choices.  So anyway now that you all hate me now let's finish up describing this episode. So in the end of the episode Sapphire is able to keep her eye off Ruby for like, three seconds and is able to hit the ball and get a home run. However the only reason she's able to look away from Ruby isn't because she realizes that there's bigger things at stake here, but because Ruby assures her that she can look at her when she's running back to home. (Oy.) Anyway Sapphire is able to run to home base and ends up fusing with Ruby by accident revealing there true identity as a Gem.  The five Rubies then fuse and Charlyne Yi tries really, really hard to do a deep voice but...It doesn't really work. Peridot then comes running out of the barn in a hilarious Peridot-y fashion, telling the Rubies that she's the one there after and that they don't need to hurt the other Gems. Now I know that Sapphire wanted to do this non violently but why they don't just all fuse into Alexandrite and just step on the Rubies is beyond me, and would I suppose wouldn't really fix there problems long term, but still. In all seriousness though seeing Peridot willing to give herself up is a great things to see. The Rubies then inform the Crystal Gems that there not actually after Peridot, but there just looking for Jasper. We also get a great line abut Peridot calling herself leader of the Crystal Gems, which is awesome.  Now here's what I don't get, and this might be considered nitpicking but it still bothers me. I get that Yellow Diamond wouldn't care about Peridot, because as far as she knows the planet was about to explode. But what I don't get is why Yellow Diamond, or whoever is in charge of the Rubies, didn't just say "Find Jasper, and if you see this traitor Peridot, shatter her while your there." It would be an easy command to give and since Peridot was the Rubies best chance of finding Jasper (Since Jasper was her escort) Yellow Diamond must of figured that the Rubies would probably meet Peridot while on Earth while searching for Jasper. They have no idea where Jasper is and Peridot would be there only lead. Maybe Yellow Diamond assumed the bomb from "Message Received" killed Peridot but it's not like the bomb was that big, and Garnet was able to dispose of the bomb pretty easily so Peridot probably could of gotten rid of the bomb to if she wasn't to busy hiding in the fetal position. But besides that, why does Yellow Diamond even care about Jasper. She probably has tonnes of other Jasper's and from what we see of Gem society in "The Answer" Gems seem to be seen as easily replaceable by the Diamonds. I mean we haven't seen much of the Diamonds yet so maybe there not as heartless and cold as I'm assuming but it seems like it would be easier to just grow a new Jasper instead of sending an entire fleet of Rubies to Earth.  Anyway Steven tells the Rubies that Jasper is on Neptune and the Rubies believe him because, if you haven't noticed by now, the Rubies are idiots! They get back in there ship and The Ruby with a gem in her eye (Cool design by the way) says thank you in a really weird way. I don't know if it's a just a weird read or if it's setting something up that will make all the stuff I just complained about make total sense but whatever, we'll have to wait and see. The episode ends with the Rubies flying away to Neptune to look for Jasper and the episode ends. So what are my final thoughts on this episode?  I don't hate this episode, at all. I actually really like it, though in some ways it's in a kinda "What the heck am I watching" kinda way. Kinda like "Say Uncle." There are a lot of things that I legitimately like. The episode is legitimate funny! The concept of The Gems playing baseball is an amazing one! Seeing Peridot be crazy and Lapis being salty is hilarious and seeing Charlyne Yi voice six characters is great. Ruby is so frickin' cute! You could say that Ruby is.....................................................................................................................chibi? Yuk Yuk Yuk!

But then there are the actual flaws in the episode. The whole thing is what TvTropes calls an "Idiot Plot" or a plot that only works when all the characters in it act really really stupid. Now I get that with a concept like there there's no real way to make this plot make sense, and I do think that sitting through the Rubies acting like idiots to get to the "Gems play Baseball." is plot is overall worth it, I just wish they could do it in a way where the Rubies wouldn't need to act THIS stupid! Not only that but Ruby and Sapphire whole romance thing is also pretty bad. Garnet always talks about doing what's best for the mission but Ruby and Sapphire jeopardize the mission throughout the episode and never really learn a lesson from it. I mean there together literally all the time! I would think they could spend a few minutes apart from each other without being so cutesy!  I do like this episode, as I love episodes like "Say Uncle" and "Garnet's Universe" where the show just does something weird and wacky, I just think they could of made the plot fit a little better. I mean the last time Homeworld Gems landed on Earth it was made out to be such a big deal, with several episodes about the Crystal Gems preparing and worrying about this oncoming threat. So it seems a bit odd that this time the thought of Homeworld Gems landing is treated so casually. Maybe that's part of the joke but still. I feel this whole episode was just made to homage the "Samurai Champloo" episode "Baseball Blues" which I'm not knocking at all, but it's just a personal theory. We all know how much Rebecca Sugar likes her anime references...  So yeah, I hope I was able to explain my points in a manner that let's you see what I think of the episode. I don't hate it, but I do think there are some story problems. What do you think of the episode? Did you like it? Am I a piece of homophobic cis gendered trash? Tell me in the comments down bellow, I would love to have a civil discussion about it, and I would love to hear what you all have to say, even if you personally disagree with me. I also would like to know what you think of my review style, and how I could improve upon it. I tried something new here with the images and the video clips and I tried to be a bit more comedic in this review then the Powerpuff Girl one, so I would want to know what you think. Got any suggestions for things for me to review? Tell me down bellow and maybe if you all like this review I might do one on all of Steven Universe, or at least another episode. Please fav, follow and comment if you liked the review and want to see more and have a great day. dwigif.com/view/P28oyAz (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Steven-Universe-Hit-the-Diamond-REVIEW-622017366 DA Link

[galen066]

Humans 101.7

Night cycle.

T'kani flicked xer tablet off, rubbing xer eyes. Hours of staring at the screen had resulted in an annoying headache. Perhaps a short walk would help. Yes, to the Aligned Systems arboretum, xhe decided, for the one small patch that truly was home. As comfortable as xer cubicle was, it lacked Zherel esthetics.

Securing the door, xhe padded down the almost quiet corridors and ramps, occasionally hearing the diverse species engaged in conversation, fragments of disagreement, or the low intonation of spiritual devotions, and realized that xhe was utterly alone. The sole Zherel in the entire academy. No others to groom with, no casual touch of reassurance. Solitude. Xhe had a sudden appreciation of the condition the first Zherel had endured to achieve starflight.

The arc of the arboretum demisphere loomed before xer, the riot of greens, blues, scarlets, and deep violets of exemplar foliage of the Aligned Systems worlds muted in the sea of night and starlight that was the reality of the entire galaxy existing beyond the dome. Night, eternal and infinite.

The token patch of Zherel botany was to xer left, near the reinforced glass wall that comprised the arboretum’s boundary. As xhe approached, T'kani saw the human Kristoph, seated on the bench closest to xer homeworld’s contribution to the enclosed ecology. He was reading, but not from a tablet. An actual firm copy volume, xhe realised.

T'kani hesitated, only for a moment, not sure if xhe was disturbing him. Without glancing up, Kristoph smiled. “Sah'rhu, T'kani. Care to join me?” Xhe was slightly astonished to hear Zherel spoken without the assistance of the academy trans-comm.

“If I am not intruding”, T'kani murmured. A casual wave invited xer to share the bench. “I won’t disturb your privacy, if that is a concern, classmate. I just wish to sit beneath the trees of Zher, my home.”

Kristoph closed his book over a finger to mark his place. “You aren’t disturbing me. By coincidence, privacy is the reason I’m here,” he said, shifting to look at xer. “My roommate wanted some private time with their paramour, and as humans don’t generally enjoy public mating displays…”

T'kani stifled a laugh behind xer hand. “My apologies and condolences, classmate.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve had to crash on a park bench, certainly won’t be the last”, he chuckled.

“Pardon me, ‘crash’? I’m unfamiliar with that term, other than as an unplanned impact event”, T'kani explained.

“Slang term”, Kristoph answered. “It means to find alternative sleeping arrangements at the last moment.” T'kani’s ears rose in understanding.

They sat in silence for a period, the twinkling velvet silence of the night arching over their heads through the leaves. Kristoph opened his book again, not ignoring xer, but leaving T'kani in silent contemplation of her situation.

“Your pardon, classmate”, xhe began.

“Please, Kristoph. When I’m addressed as ‘classmate’ after hours, I find it a bit odd. We’re friends, ‘Kani. You can relax.” T'kani did just that, the tension leaving xer shoulders.

Xhe began again, “Your pardon, but how do you and the rest of your species cope with being so few in number at the academy, relative to the general population representative of the Aligned Systems?”

Kristoph paused a moment. “I think it’s because for a very long time we weren’t sure if we were alone in the universe or not. Toss in a double handful of stupid global conflicts that damaged Terra’s biosphere to the point our population dropped, you wind up with a species that is tough, capable, and now, properly empathetic. When your nearest neighbor is a klick or more away, and you don’t have telecoms to keep in touch, you learn to adjust to solitude, and appreciate the company when it shows up.” T'kani reflected on what Kristoph just said. In xer own case, the Academy transmitters would have the range to send a missive or two home. A nod, and xhe decided to do just that come morning. But something in the way Kristoph had spoken gnawed at xer. From xer studies of human psychology, Kristoph was speaking in a manner that suggested deeply personal experience. “Kristoph, please, do not mistake my next question as intrusive”, xhe began. “There have been things you have said that I begin to understand you have experienced, lived through, that the other humans have not. Certain small references to historic events…” Kristoph put the folded knuckle of his right index finger to his lips in thought, and T'kani trailed off into silence, unsure if she had just deeply offended him. “Before the end of the Seventh World War, humanity was perched on the edge. We came damn close to wiping ourselves out. We, that is, humans, did everything we could to stop that from happening. We did research into cloning, forced growth methods, bioengineering, nanotechnology, anything that would keep us from tipping into oblivion.” He leaned back, eyes closed, continued. “The research needed test subjects for human trials, and not everyone was a volunteer. And not every test subject survived.” Silence. The night seemed a filament of crystal so fragile a breath would shatter it. “Something in my gene code bonded with the treatments, with the nanos, far too well. I don’t get sick, ever. Minor injuries heal within minutes or hours. Major injuries take a few days. I don’t get drunk, and a lot of medical drugs are useless to me, even pain-killers. And I don’t age.” T'kani stared at Kristoph. Fear, wonder, and sympathy warred in xer expressions. Kristoph lowered his head, gazing at the floor. “I’m not the only one, worse the luck. The upshot is, we’re effectively immortal. The downside is, we do still die, mostly at our own hands, out of loneliness, or rather wishing to escape that fate. Because you see, we Osirians as we are know to our kin, are forbidden from breeding. We can’t be sterilized, because the procedure heals and is rendered pointless.” A sigh. “So after the last war, and we, humanity, finally got our shit together and figured out how to get along, and then we discovered the transfer effect for star travel, the Osirians were 'invited’ to spread out into the human colonies as long-term observers and monitors. Just so long as we Don’t. Have. Kids.” T'kani realized xer hand was resting gently on Kristoph’s shoulder. Xhe didn’t recall when xhe had done it, but it felt right to offer what support xhe could to this human, this person, who understood loneliness on a scale very few others in the galaxy would ever know. Kristoph smiled, a little sadly, but with a touch of understanding good humour. “I could see when I spoke to you in your own language you were more than a little caught off guard.” T'kani nodded, silent. “Well, I figured someday the trans-comm might go down, and being able to talk to others in their own tongues would be a good skill. Besides, I’ve got all the time in the world.”