#bismuth fusions in particular are super bad about this

[steven-universe-renaissance]

Introduction

This is a Steven Universe Alternative Universe (AU). It tells the entire story of Steven Universe, episode by episode through fanfiction and illustrations. This is a story you can follow even if you have never watched Steven Universe (and if that is the case, you can skip this introduction and proceed directly to the story to avoid any spoilers). If you are indifferent to spoilers, you can keep reading below.

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In this AU the initial change to the premise of the show is very simple: When the Diamonds blasted the Earth to end the rebellion, Rose Quartz did not succeed in saving any of her rebel-comrades behind her shield. It all happened too fast, none were within reach, she was the single sole gem survivor on the surface of the planet. As far as she knew, she was the only uncorrupted gem on Earth for thousands of years, until Amethyst emerged. Once Rose found Amethyst in the Kindergarten, they were the only two uncorrupted gems on Earth for hundreds of years. Along came Greg Universe and, well, when a Rose and a Greg love each other very much… they make a Steven.

That was the original idea that wouldn’t let me go, and I wanted to see if it could be done and how much would need to be changed and how much the story would change. But as I worked on it, I realised that I could change whatever I wanted, so I changed all the parts of canon that I had “fridge logic” problems with. The result is a Steven AUniverse story exactly the same as the show, except completely different.

Now I know there are a million different AUs out there, so I want to provide some indications that you can use to decide whether this is your kind of thing, in the form of questions:

What is this AU like?

-The tone of this story attempts to match the show as closely as possible. There is no grimdark or gore or disturbed or anything like that. It is lighthearted with gravity and important themes, just like the show. There are “filler episodes” with townies and there are “plot heavy episodes” and they are mostly in the same order as they are in the show.

How’s it differ from the show?

-The most important aspect is that it’s more political than the show. (What does that even mean?) But the first thing you’ll notice when you read is that in practice I have had to change lots of details: some episodes needed to be revamped completely (because in canon they were about Garnet or Pearl), some plot-important things I changed just because I had “fridge logic” issue with the canon, etc. So in the end it’s very different, a different story told with some of the same characters and structure.

I imagine that doesn’t help very much to know things were changed if you don’t know what sort of things that includes. So below are some specific questions where the answers are slightly more spoilery, and if you want none spoiler with left beef, then please stop reading here and skip to the first episode.

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Will Pearl and Garnet appear in the story?

-Pearl and Garnet got corrupted by the Diamond blast along with all the other Crystal Gems bar Rose Quartz. So if they appear in the story, they will be corrupted monsters like everyone else. You might recognise them, you might not.

Is Amethyst still the same person?

-Amethyst’s character in the show is very much dependent on being the “youngest” or “worst” Crystal Gem in comparison to Pearl, Garnet and Rose. In this story Amethyst grew up looking up to Rose and having her pretty much all to herself except for Rose’s human love affairs (which Amethyst didn’t mind as she wasn’t in love with Rose herself), and so when Rose disappeared Amethyst felt like she had to take Rose’s place and fill those shoes. So in this story Amethyst is somewhat more responsible while still having her flaws, and her character arc has a different shape.

Was Rose still Pink Diamond?

-I hate to include this here because it’s incredibly spoilery, but I realise these characters are very important and dear to many people, so I will answer honestly: yes and no. I know that’s a total nonanswer, but if the Diamonds are really important to you as characters, this might not be the AU for you, for there will be some… let’s say “character assassination” here.

Was Rose still a bad person?

-Rose has the same flaws in this story as she does in canon. Whether having flaws makes her a bad person or a relatable character depends on each reader.

Will Peridot/Lapis/Jasper/Bismuth/townies/Diamonds/off colors/etc appear in the story?

-Yes, everyone is present and accounted for – though there will be some changes.

Will Spinel appear in the story?

-No, this AU only covers the story we see during the show Steven Universe, not the movie or the epilogue series. And I’m sorry to say but Spinel’s character doesn’t exist in this universe, the Homeworld in this story is not the kind that would create a ”best friend” gem.  Spinels would have some totally different role in this universe.

What about fusions?

Obviously most of the canon fusions include Pearl and/or Garnet, so they are naturally out of the question. But don’t worry. There will be many other Crystal Gems, so there will definitely be fusions besides Smoky Quartz and Stevonnie. The only possible canon fusion, who could happen in this story but won’t, is Malachite.

Are there OCs in the story?

Mostly no. Of course fusions we haven’t seen on screen in the show will be OCs, as well as the component gems of fusions we haven’t seen unfuse in the show, and a few corrupted gems we haven’t seen uncorrupted versions of on the show. Some characters (mainly the Diamonds) are also reimagined and changed so much that they could be considered totally different characters. But there are no gem or human characters that are completely outside of the show’s canon.

Could you give some examples of details that you changed in the story because of “fridge logic”?

-Example 1. In the episode “Frybo” Pearl says that Rose Quartz would put gem shards in (I assume human??) clothes to make them fight for her. But from the way gems talk about shattering and shards (they consider it horrifying etc), it sounds preposterous that the Crystal Gems would have done that. It also isn’t something that Amethyst would know, since she wasn’t around for the war. So the gem shards that make Frybo move are out of the question and that episode’s plot is revamped while keeping the central point (Peedee’s relationship with his dad) intact.

-Example 2. The Rubies getting sucked out the door of the Moon Base is so unscientific it hurts my brain. Space is a vacuum, not a vacuum cleaner; space does not suck. When you open a door into space all the air rushes out really quickly, and then everything is calm (I still don’t understand why the Moon Base would be pressurised in the first place if gems don’t need air?) Also it is established that gems adjust to gravity (Amethyst can’t float-jump on the Moon like Steven can) so the idea that all the Rubies flew off the Moon’s surface so easily is ridiculous. So that part is all totally changed.

-Those are two small examples that changed episode plots significantly. I have some really big fridge logic problems with some of the important parts in the world building in canon, so there are some really big overarching changes. For hardcore fans who know the show well, spotting changes and trying to figure out why there is a change there might make for a fun way to engage with the text. It is also something the readers can engage me, the writer, about. :) I’m very friendly and like to chat with new interesting people from anywhere in the world.

Have you changed anyone’s identity in the story?

-Not intentionally, nothing that has been stated in canon. I’m not super well-versed in the Steven Universe fandom, so it’s hard to say about fanon. I am vaguely aware that there are some very popular interpretations of various characters among the fandom, and I cannot guarantee that the same interpretation can be made based on this story, since I don’t fully understand what specific details those interpretations are based on. Therefore I may have changed a detail that was important to a particular interpretation. But it doesn’t mean I am against that interpretation or that I don’t think that interpretation is valid. So for example, if your interpretation of aromantic and asexual Peridot relies on Peridot never fusing with anyone, then I’m sorry, but I need fusions and I haven’t got that many gems: Peridot will be fusing. But it doesn’t mean that I think aroace Peridot is not valid.

What about ships?

-I don’t ship (it’s just, my brain doesn’t work like that), so there are no ships in particular in this story. But I am also not against shipping. So while there might be some changes to relationships between characters as demanded by the story (for example, I can’t afford to drop Lapis in the ocean for half a season to explore the Malachite dynamic, this story needs more gems earlier than canon does), I’m not intentionally sinking any ships in this story.

[artemispanthar]

OK, so VERY scattered thoughts about the ep because it was an hour long, very exciting, and I’m old and forgetful lol

I really loved this episode, it was so exciting and had such crowd-pleasing moments (all the Steven-Crystal Gem Fusions were quite a highlight for me). The callbacks to old episodes, in particular the Gems landing from a jump echoing the scene from “Serious Steven” (except this time Steven sticks the landing too!), and the opening were just so satisfying to see. Loved it!

I have to say, while I know it’s not everyone’s thing Steven’s desire and insistence on a peaceful resolution is something I really admire (easier done in cartoons, of course, but I think it’s a good instinct to instill in kids). Being able to convince Blue and Yellow of the damage they’ve done and how they too have been hurt and ultimately being able to convince White, it was really a very Steven thing to do.

I did like seeing Blue and Yellow acknowledge what they’d done in the past was bad and try to help Steven, even offering to distract White while Steven escapes with his friends.

Man, like, finding out what exactly happened to Pink Pearl, the whole puppeteering (the “white-washing”, if you will) by seeing it happen to Yellow and Blue Diamond and then the Crystal Gems was dang eerie. Like, I knew what happened was pretty chilling but it is definitely extra creepy to see it happen to character you know.

Bismuth and Lapis and Peridot swooping in as the cavalry was amazing! I can’t really elaborate on that, it was just such a heck yeah moment (love you, Bismuth!!)

Gosh, the new outfits, everyone’s new outfit!! I loved them all, Pearl’s especially, of course, because you know how much I love Pearl, but everyone looked so dang stylish and perfect. Lapis’ sweats and sandals, Peridot’s rad glasses, Garnet’s rad glasses and bi-color coattail thingies, Pearl’s jacket, Amethyst’s jean shorts. All of it perfect.

Loved loved loved seeing all the Fusions! Really just fantastic! As I’ve mentioned many many times, I’ve been dying to see if Steven and Pearl would form Rainbow Quartz and they do!! And I gotta say, I love them, so theatrical with that cool parasol. And Sunstone, man, Sunstone is just precious, exactly what I’d expect from a Steven and Garnet Fusion, a super supportive ray of near-literal sunshine (the fourth wall breaking PSA announcements were just excellent. Stay in school, kids!). Oh, and Obsidian, man, just, like, amazing. Wow.

And so I don’t forget to mention it I’ll put it here, I absolutely adored Connie in this episode. She was so supportive and strong and awesome. imo she really shined in this episode that had a heck of a lot of competition. Connie’s the best, man!

Gotta say, I knew Steven wasn’t going to die (because it’s a cartoon, you know) but seeing him get his Gem taken out was brutal. The whole scene after that, Steven growing weak, his Gem reforming into him (confirming that Steven has ALWAYS been Steven), reconnecting, the really beautiful and adorable fluid animation of them laughing and spinning around. Just, wow.

The music, gosh, the music was just stellar. A+ job by Aivi and Surasshu yet again!

That ending, though. All the corrupted Gems cured, Jasper’s back, Lars and the Off-Colors are on Earth, Steven and Greg and the Crystal Gems are one big happy family. The absolutely precious and lovely bookending sort of thing echoing the opening with them sitting on the beach just made my heart happy. I love these guys so much.

I’m gonna echo like everyone else in saying this episode really felt like a series finale. I know it’s not but it seems like it may’ve been designed to serve as one. I’m curious where the series will go from this, aside from the upcoming movie. Like, I know a lot of stuff wrapped up but I personally would be interested in seeing where all the Gems settle and how that impacts humanity. Plus, you know, I’m not ready to part with my fave precious Gem family yet. And, like, we gotta see how everyone reacts to each other, see Peridot and Lapis fuse, see how Homeworld reforms, see if they make amends for the planets they’ve disrupted, etc etc. I feel like there’s more in this show’s universe that could be explored before it’s done. But, I mean, I know that could just be my love for the show and not wanting it to end soon talkin’, but hey, I’m still curious about those things.

Anyways, I’m definitely, definitely forgetting some important stuff. This episode was so jampacked with moments and it’s really hard to think back and remember everything but man was it such an awesome ride. Love this show, love its crew, and I love all you guys, I hope you all enjoyed the episode as much as I did!

[kendrixtermina]

Did Pearl even actually want to be monogamous?

Early on it wasn’t clear if Pearl’s feelings were ever recruited or if she got dumped once Greg showed up

Then we get to see that Pearl was apparently never dumped (they all but make out in front of Greg), they were in an open relationship and maybe Pearl didn’t feel like she could say that she wasn’t cool with it. 

One would assume that she wanted things to be exclusive like with Ruby and Sapphire, because thats a common thing for people to want thats one reason why someone would be jealous - because she was super commited and wanted the same in return. 

But even that conclusion could be cast into doubt now - never mind what she told Rose/Pink, she had apparently told herself she was cool with the human boyfriends and you’d have to admit something to yourself before you can complain about that or expect someone else to pick up on that (I mean would it be right for them to insist if you vehemently deny it, like you’re some sort of child?). 

But once Pearl starts sorta moving on and looking for new partners, what she does is to pursue a bunch of casual dates and play the field - and it makes sense that she’d want to explore what she really likes, pursue her own pleasure and relish in her freedom after having been rather repressed in the past and having goten over this toxic idea that she had to completely devote herself to someone. 

But if she wanted to be super commited, that same newfound confidence could also have manifested as telling the potential new people very clearly what it is she wants. (ie, commit, but make her own demands to ensure her needs are met) -and this isn’t even that new for her, either, given the revelation that she had flirty banter with war-era comrades (and certain concept sketches have confirmed that her banter with Bismuth was supposed to come off as flirty) - what we saw in “Last one out of Beach City” was, to an extent, just Pearl sort of recapturing the old fire she used to have. 

Also note that in the mystery girl case, Pearl though she’d failed untill Steven pointed out how she just did a bunch of badass rebellious things (quite similar to how she does not seem to have realized her contribution to her and PD’s defection until Pearl and Sapphire pointed it out, even though it was absolutely a team effort.) Perhaps Pearl felt like she was just “pretending” to be the cool renegade, but like, she still absolutely did all that awesome stuff. She just didn’t realize it was her / value her own actions enough- and this has definitely changed by the end of s5. 

Une underappreciated factoid here is that the “post-war catastrophe” layer comes directly after the “clingy 80s Pearl one”, much like “overly perfectionistic/organized Pearl” came before that one (Amethyst sure mentions that she was less finicky before and that they got along better because of that). If we take it to mean that the control freakery was a compensation for the loss of PD, we must also conclude that the clinginess was a coping mechanism for the horror of having all her friends corrupted or killed and that, perhaps, things were at least somewhat different before - 

Maybe the open relationship was even a totally mutual decision at one point.  

I mean both Pearl and Pink Diamond seem like the types of people for whom an open relationship might actually make good sense IRL. They both seem like they get crushes very easily, Pearl gets pretty attached and acts weak around any Big Stronk Confident Lady, and PD was super impressionable and easily taken with new ideas, people and concepts and also like she was pretty driven by her instincts and desires which is often the type of person for whom monogamy would be very difficult. 

It’s quite possible that this totally worked for them both once upon a time, or at least could have,  if they didn’t let their baggage/dystopian upbringing get the better of them. 

Pearl’s dependency issues have to be seen as something separate from particular relationships. Like she did the same thing with Garnet and Steven later on. It’s just some baggage she has that gets in the way of her relationships, be they romantic platonic or familiar. 

On some level she probably idealizes people because some part of her feels she needs something to cling to, not the other way around. An idealized idol is safer to cling to because you don’t view them as having difficulties of their own, but if you think that way you can’t be mindful of that person’s own weaknesses and struggles (e.g. how Garnet would be pretty hurt over being used for her power especially in the light of all the “fusions are just for power” crap)

Back when she & PD first got together it was a positive & subversive thing that helped them both escape, like, ppl of vastly different ranks would not be allowed to be lovers, the other Pearls we se are more like minions/attendants. (hence the “my Pearl” thing) But while relationships can help they can’t magically solve your personal problems all by themselves either. (As we also see with Ruby and Sapphire) The baggage isn’t a part of it - it’s something that got in the way of it. (especially if you consider PD’s own preexisting baggage of being held to impossible standards - Like, it’s not a good thing to base all your self esteem on someone else, but it’s not fair to your partner either, to put them on a pedestal and expect them to be some sort of messiah. That’s kinda what made Greg so special, that he actually got through to the person beneath the mask and still didn’t run or demand that she disclose everything. Hence why he’s the one character who wasn’t shocked at the reveal. Maybe he didn’t have the name “Pink Diamond” to go with it, but he met the real one. I mean just note how she answers the “home planet” question honestly instead of feeding him her coverstory. )

I mean on some level PD and Pearl very much complemented each other in the sense that Pearl’s resourcefulness and diligence balanced out PD’s naive outlook and tendency not to think things through, while Pink added the necessary boldness to get Pearl to act less repressed. 

But you also have a situation where one person isn’t very perceptive social skills wise and liable to let herself be blinded by wishful thinking, and the other is all passive-aggressive and tiptoey-ey and willing to resort to hostility and manipulation before coming out and saying what’s wrong. Pearl wouldn’t voice her complaints because she’d be afraid to jeopardize this thing she’s using as a crutch for all her issues, and PD would just not realize unless she’s outright told or just act like everything is fine, and wouldn’t call her on bad behavior since she just lets everyone around her do whatever as an overcompensation for her own restrictive upbringing & feels guilty for stranding her own earth (Garnet, who does NOT have those same hangups, does call Pearl on her crap - and to Pearl’s credit, she apologized and worked on it and they became better friends as a result. )

And you also had someone who was super guarded and prefers to have their own space vs someone who desires a lot of closeness and can be sorta clingy. 

It’s not that Pink doesn’t care - whenver she’s outright made aware of some error she made or some injustice she didn’t realize she’s always either super apologetic or does what she can to fix it; There’s multiple scenes where she clearly tries to be considerate even if she doesn’t always succeed. (See when Greg actually tells her what’s bothering him) 

If Pearl’s gonna have an endgame love interest at all (which might not necessarily be the case and even then she’ll probably play it casual for a while before she’d be ready for another big commitment, until she can trust herself not to get over-attached), I’d say that Bismuth would be a pretty good choice since she’s also pretty emotionally open and tends to give people a lot of validation, and like, she clearly just thinks Pearl is very awesome, and they could sorta start it out as a casual thing early on without rushing anything.

[luckyladylily]

SU Analysis: Change Your Mind Part 4 - fun with forms and fusions

So a lot happens between yellow's turn and the fusion/form frenzy, but I am only going to mention one thing. White gives yellow a chance to plead her case. This is a very important character moment for white, which I will explain in greater detail when we get to her turn. For now I just want to highlight this as critical to understanding what white is and who she sees herself as.

So, forms and fusions:

Peridot! I love her new form. It is so very her. This girl has never done anything halfway in her life and she isn't starting now. Love it.

Bismuth looks great as always, but I honestly can't remember if it is a major change from her previous armor. I only watched the last bomb once.

I both love and am a little disappointed in the new lapis form. Taken on its own it is a solid design that I have no complaints on. But I would be lying if I said I didn't like her previous form more, but for a very particular and personal reason that I don't think I am going to get into here. So super good design, kinda disappointed in it on a personal level.

Oh and Peri using a trash can lid to fly was fantastic.

Now, the fusions.

Return of Smokey! Yay!

Rainbow Quartz 2.0 was great, loved them. The umbrella was fantastic. I got a strong "what if Mary Poppins was queer" vibe from them. Lots of people got tacco vibes, I think. I think with rq2 it is good to remember that a fusion is not just a combo of two people. It is shaped heavily on their relationship. Rq2 it's an embodiment of the aspects of each other that Steven and Pearl bring out in each other. Also, the umbrella is literally a shield on a stick (pearl's spear).

Sunstone, I have to admit, not my favorite. It was not bad stuff, by any means, but it is not for me, and that is ok. I do feel like that fusion is a bit more of a joke fusion. Though again it is very appropriate in that garnet + Steven is a literal Ray of sunshine and again I feel like hey personality is what is brought out by each other.

Now for the big one. Obsidian.

Oh my God. I love Obsidian. Everything about them.

I loved how each of the Crystal gems brought their own style of dancing to the fusion, Steven you goof what kind of dancing was that.

The sword was awesome. I'mma just make a lava sword and cut some diamond ships in half thank you.

My only complaint is it kinda makes me wonder why they didn't pull out this ace during the blue/Yellow fight. Seems like it would have been a good idea, and I bet obsidian would have trashed the diamonds.

On a more meta note, the fusion of all the crystal gems is again a perfect representation of who they are as a collective group, the things they bring out in each other: a group of complete badasses united in purpose and focused on their goal. Obsidian is relentless, powerful, and would be terrifying if you didn't know they are the good guy. Kinda like the crystal gems as a group.

And the last note: I love Connie's new sword.