#murder all of her friends except for two. she thinks the crystal gems will be fine without her if she says goodbye to become steven but

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 24: Fragments (originally published on August 23, 2021)

AN: The end of the Alternate Future begins here! Or this story at least, I've got a few follow-ups planned after finishing this one, one of which I might set up here. But regardless, here we are at the end of Part 3 and from here on out, things will go downhill for our heroes & uphill for our villains. Can Steven be saved from both himself and Black Rutile? Who knows? Except for me that is, and a very select few as well. But I've had enough keeping you in suspense, let's get straight to the action.

Synopsis: Steven's condition gets worse and he seeks help from Jasper.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Dee Bradley Baker as Lion

Ron Perlman as ?

--

"Hear me my followers and rejoice!" Black Rutile declared, with Aquamarine perched on her shoulder, as she recorded herself making a grand speech to her remaining minions in her cave lair. "Our day of revengeance is at hand! No more shall that sanctimonious half-breed tyrant enforce his iron-fisted rule over our people! Because despite claiming to be a pure-hearted child, recent intel has confirmed he is far from it."

As an example, Black Rutile played the footage of Steven crashing his father's van that her satellite had gathered. "Look at this absolutely abhorrent act." She stated. "What kind of child would ever dare murder their father without any rhyme or reason?"

"Actually, there have been a few throughout this planet's history that have done just that." White Topaz leaned into view to point out.

"SHUT IT TOPAZ!" Black Rutile angrily commanded before turning back to her viewers. "Anyways, soon he will be exposed as the monster he truly is, and with the army we have regrown from the colonies some of my subordinates have retaken, we shall lay siege to the tyrannical Crystal Gems and strike them at our weakest!"

"You sure about that my Rutile?" Black Rutile's Topaz bodyguard leaned back in, much to her master's anger. "'Cause I've gotten word from Cinnabar's faction that some of your former Black Pearls have formed, like, a little squadron to fight back against her."

"Can you not ruin my speech, you ignoramus?!" Black Rutile shoved her Topaz away. Just as she was about to make a grand conclusion to her speech, Black Rutile quickly declared "End transmission." and shut off the recording. "Now look what you did, I was making a motivational speech to my allies, but you had to keep getting in the way just like you always do!"

"Always?" White Topaz replied while making shadow puppets against the cave wall. "Look, I may spoil your plans some of the time, but your ego is just as much to blame the rest of the time."

"That is indeed true Topaz, but now I must ask," Black Rutile said. "what is with this attitude? Where's the overly polite idiot that always followed my orders without question, no matter how horrible they are?"

"I'm betting she's already having second thoughts about your plans." Aquamarine advised her superior.

"You mind if I," Eyeball suggested before making a slashing noise with her mouth and pulling her chisel from her gem. "put her to rest?"

"I'm being serious you guys!" White Topaz said. "The three of you may think you're Gems of the people, but I don't think Gems like those would ever hyperfocus on ruining the life of one person instead of just focusing on something healthier!"

"Like what, forcing ourselves to join those ingrates and deprive ourselves of our way of life in favor of becoming part of a hive-mind?" Black Rutile asked, menacingly pulling out her bowie knife to threaten her Topaz with. "I have been plotting against the Crystal Gems ever since Steven brainwashed the Diamonds, and I refuse to abandon those plans just because you don't like them! Now, are you going to be a good little bodyguard, or do you want to ditch your best friend in favor of the hypocrite?"

Although White Topaz showed tons of reluctance, she nervously got down on one knee and bowed her head to her three teammates. "No, my Rutile. I am at your beck and call, whenever you need me."

"Very good my Topaz." Black Rutile put away her knife to pat White Topaz on the head with an evil smile, before turning away to tap at her visor. "Now if we have nothing else to discuss, it seems the seeds of doubt I have planted in Steven's mind that fateful night have finally begun to grow." She stated before her visor created a holographic chessboard with pieces resembling herself & her minions on one side, and the Crystal Gems & the Diamonds on the other. "Now all we need is just one last push." On that last word, Black Rutile then spawned a chess piece resembling Jasper that she put squarely in the middle of the board.

--

Far from Black Rutile's lair in the woods, Steven and Greg had finally returned home to Beach City after a father-son outing that turned rather disastrous. Fortunately, the Crystal Gems were already home to be told of what happened and as Steven gazed out over the deck, Bismuth asked Greg what happened.

"So Steven just flew off the handle because of a song?" Bismuth asked while helping Greg put his van back together. "Frankly, I could think of weirder reasons to get angry."

"No, it wasn't because of the song." Greg admitted to the blacksmith. "It was because we drove off to my childhood home in Keystone and he learned that my upbringing wasn't too different from his mom's."

"I don't think you ever told anyone about when you were a kid." Bismuth replied.

"Not that I wanted to until now." Greg stated. "But after that crash, I don't think I ever want to bring them up again. Steven started ranting about how he wished the Gems never found Earth and he had a normal human life like I had."

"Whoa whoa whoa, where did all this come from?!" Bismuth yelled in alarm, raising her hands towards the former rock star.

"That's what I said!" Greg exclaimed before turning to his despondent son. "And now that I think about it, maybe he had good reason for those wishes after all he's been through."

Steven looked down in utter shame and regret before he walked back inside the beach house, clearly avoiding a chance to speak with his father about the incident.

--

As soon as Steven got inside, the other Crystal Gems were there to greet him, but the looks on their faces told Steven things weren't going to be good.

"Sit down on the couch Steven, we need to talk." Pearl commanded the son of her deceased lover, who did as he was told before Pearl began pacing around. "I just can't believe you, Steven! Crashing the van with Greg inside?! You know how fragile humans are, young man! These pink outbursts need to be dealt with!"

"It's not an outburst!" Steven yelled, briefly inflating himself as he turned pink.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about!" Pearl exclaimed before Steven got back up and started walking away. "What is happening to you?!"

"It's nothing, just puberty, honest!" Steven cried as he struggled to keep his pink form at bay.

"Whoa no little dude, I've seen enough sitcoms to know that is not what puberty is like!" Amethyst declared. "Right, Garnet?"

"I can confirm, this is not regular puberty." Garnet nodded before Steven put up a literal wall between him and his guardians.

"Steven, drop the wall this instant!" Pearl ordered as she pressed against the pink, hexagonal dome.

"I'm sorry Pearl!" Steven gasped in apology before the wall disappeared. "I just need some space, okay? I'll be in my room." But as Steven walked upstairs, Amethyst rushed to keep him from going any further.

"Not so fast, my dude!" Amethyst declared. "You gotta tell us what's going on!"

"It seems like Steven wants to avoid a serious discussion altogether." Garnet analyzed.

"No, I'M NOT!" Steven yelled, dropping to his knees and pounding his fist on the stairs, creating a shockwave that shook the entire room.

"Steven, either you talk to us about what's going on, or you're grounded until you're able to explain." Garnet firmly declared.

"She's right man, you gotta chill!" Amethyst exclaimed.

"We need to do something about this before anyone else gets hurt!" Pearl stated as Steven continued struggling where he stood.

"Don't let these strange powers control you." Garnet tried desperately to calm the half-Gem down. "You're better than this."

"LEAVE ME ALOOONE!" Steven finally roared, causing a pink shockwave to burst from his body and seemingly force the Gems to move in slow motion. Or rather, he was moving faster than everyone else. "I'm speeding up again!" he muttered while gazing at his equally pink hands. "I gotta get out of here!"

Steven ran out of the house and far away from the Crystal Gems. There was barely anywhere he could go right now. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl kept enabling these strange new powers, yet Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth probably barely knew what to do about things. Thus, there was only one Gem left he knew could help him in his time of need.

--

"The Gems tried to help me, but they just kept making things worse." Steven explained to Jasper later that night while the two sat around a campfire in front of her cave. "And that's why I refuse to go back."

"So what you're saying is," Jasper answered before dramatically removing the cloak she was wearing. "you want a rematch?!"

"What?! No!" Steven exclaimed. "I just told you why I came here in the first place. I think my Diamond powers are coming out, and I have no idea how to control them. I just want to be alone so I can't hurt anyone or be super toxic and controlling."

"So, you finally admitted it, eh?" Jasper rolled her eyes as she got up and walked away. "If you want to be alone, your definition of it is horribly wrong!"

"But Jasper, this is the last place anyone would look for me!" Steven explained before running after Jasper. "Wait, don't leave me here!" he begged the bigger Gem. "This thing with my powers is the real problem."

"The only problem you have is your friends." Jasper declared, much to Steven's confusion. "Just like how you keep holding everyone back, they're doing the same to you!"

"Are you sure?" Steven asked. "I definitely believe I'm getting them all worried."

"That's because they're afraid of you." Jasper responded. "And not just of your powers, but your control over others. And you are too! You came out here to hide, but I'm not one to hide myself. I don't need to hide my power or try to stifle it, I let everything out by training!"

"Like this forest?" Steven wondered, looking around the patch of destroyed trees he and Jasper have stumbled upon.

"Exactly." Jasper answered, walking up to a tree and making it fall over with a single punch. "And to control that power, I have to use it. Those so-called friends of yours don't understand because they always want to make you feel bad for being yourself!"

"Yeah, I do feel bad." Steven muttered to himself, gazing at his fist before walking over to punch another tree, turning pink as he landed a blow that created massive cracks on the bark and wounded his hand.

"Yeah, crush that weakling tree!" Jasper cheered Steven on.

"No!" Steven exclaimed before kissing the tree to fix the damage he did.

"Are you kidding me?! That's disgusting!" Jasper gagged at the sight when she looked down to discover that Steven's kiss caused some grass to grow around them. "No, the grass!" she yelled and rapidly pulled out the grass beneath her. "Get out of here!" Jasper then angrily turned to Steven and picked him up by the collar of his jacket. "Quit helping this planet's ecosystem and show me! Show me your power!"

Jasper harshly threw Steven to the ground, causing him to groan in pain. "No way Jasper!" Steven coughed as he got up from the toss. "I can handle myself!"

"Shut up!" Jasper yelled and lunged at Steven, who turned pink on reflex and created a barrier to defend himself from the Quartz's ruthless attack, but it proved ineffective as Jasper punched straight through it, causing Steven to fall to the ground. "This is it; this is all you were worried about?! What a rip-off!"

As Steven helped himself off the dirt, Jasper just kept on yelling. "I am way stronger than everyone you hold back and are holding you back in return!" she bellowed while pointing at Steven. "Because I'm not afraid of this, and you shouldn't be either!"

In response, Steven turned pink again and created another shield to launch at his opponent. "Yeah, that's more like it!" Jasper declared eagerly and prepared to defend herself, smashing the shield with just her arm. "Now tell me, was it good to let your anger out that way?"

"Y-yeah." Steven realized how good it felt to vent his rage on someone who could be a match for him, allowing Jasper to let out a loud laugh. "If I stay here, will you teach me how to control all this?"

"I won't teach you until you fight me!" Jasper refused the offer.

"Well, I won't fight you unless you teach me!" Steven replied.

"Ugh, fine!" Jasper groaned in resignation.

"Really?!" Steven smiled as he returned to his normal color.

"Here's lesson number one," Jasper responded. "No smiling."

"But I've seen you smile." Steven pointed out the goofy smile Jasper wore when he agreed to fight her not too long ago.

"Lesson two, shut up!" Jasper yelled before she kicked Steven into the air, and the boy landed far from where she could see him with a thud.

"Guess my training starts now." Steven declared to himself before he heard footsteps behind him and turned around to find who was behind him. "YOU!"

"Training with Jasper, Steven?" Black Rutile snickered disdainfully. "Wow kid, you're not just one Spinel, you're an entire circus of them!"

"What do you want with me now Black Rutile?" Steven asked his new archenemy as Black Rutile's three minions appeared behind her.

"We just came here to talk." Aquamarine answered. "As much as we would love to kidnap you and hold you for ransom, or maybe even kill you right here and now, we think hanging with a brute like her is much more fitting."

"Besides, we all know you'll just drive her away like you did to everyone else." Eyeball laughed. "Or maybe even something worse!"

"Look, what we're trying to say is that you should just give up now and get the help you really need." White Topaz cautioned Steven, unaware of how angry she made her teammates. "We only want what's best for you, so you won't get in the way of my Rutile's plan!"

"Are you seriously trying to help our enemy here?" Black Rutile growled with eyelids lowered at White Topaz. "I thought you were at my beck and call whenever I needed you!"

"If you're trying to ruin my life again, it won't work." Steven firmly declared as he got up to face the four insurgent Gems. "I know what you really are, Black Rutile. You're no hero to Homeworld, you're just a callous bully who will do anything to get her way."

"GROW UP STEVEN, GROW UP!" Black Rutile abruptly yelled at Steven's face. "Sociopath, hypocrite! Refusing to save a dying pet because of the natural order when he refuses to accept everyone is leaving him! Who's the real villain between us two, my boy, hm?"

"Still you." Steven remained resolute against the Rutile.

"You can't even begin to comprehend my current plans." Black Rutile replied just as resolutely. "Soon, everyone on this accursed rock will see you for the monster you truly are."

"Hey, where are you?!" Jasper bellowed from afar, and Black Rutile saw this as her cue to leave.

"Wouldn't want to keep a certain someone waiting." Black Rutile smirked. "But at least the three of us agree the Crystal Gems are the real problem."

"Aw, but I wanna turn Jasper against Steven too!" Eyeball complained. "Plus it would be an honor to see her in person again. The real deal, not an Amethyst shapeshifting into her."

"Oh, shut up, and let's get out of here." Aquamarine slapped her Ruby partner and dragged her away by the hand.

"Hey, no hard feelings kid?" White Topaz asked Steven, causing Black Rutile to slap her mouth shut.

"We'll see each other again Steven." Black Rutile declared. "But until then, I'll be watching you, just like I've always had since our last fight."

As the four rogue Gems left, Steven was left alone with his thoughts once more. And with those thoughts, a certain voice in his head re-emerged. "You know, she does raise a few good points."

"You again!" Steven said to the voice. "What do you want now? Are you another Gem working for Black Rutile?!"

"Well, kind of." The voice answered. "I'm not directly working for her, but it's thanks to her that I'm even speaking to you now. Remember that night while the Gems were out in Los Diego? She helped me grow."

"I thought so." Steven muttered in a moment of clarity. "But please, just leave me alone!"

"Maybe I'll just sit back and watch while you worry your so-called friends sick." The voice laughed deeply. "Don't you worry, we'll be seeing each other again very soon."

With that foreboding goodbye, the voice once again vanished from Steven's thoughts. Was it true, was that voice even haunting Steven because of what Black Rutile said to him? Or could it perhaps be even older than that?

"Are you dead or something?!" Jasper yelled for Steven. "Come back over here if you aren't, we got training to do tomorrow!"

"I'm coming!" Steven cried and raced back to Jasper's cave. As soon as he got there, Jasper threw her cloak at his face. "What was that for?"

"Think you might need this." Jasper stated while peering out from her cave. "Humans need to sleep, right?"

"Aw, you really do care for me." Steven blushed at the seemingly kind gesture, but Jasper just scoffed and retreated into the darkness of her home. Steven then just shrugged and laid down on the ground with the cloak covering him like a blanket, gazing up at the stars and wondering how the Crystal Gems must be doing.

--

The next morning, the Crystal Gems were now searching across Beach City for the missing Steven. Pearl had placed posters all over town while Greg helped Lion and Amethyst sniff around for him, but so far they found nothing that would help them.

"Whoa, easy Amethyst!" Greg yelled as he tugged on the leash of a purple-furred Dalmatian with an amethyst gemstone on her chest, which then turned into an exhausted Amethyst.

"We're getting nowhere with this!" Amethyst complained. "I mean, I learned how he could slow down time through Smoky Quartz, and even I don't have a clue!"

"I hope we find him soon, I'm getting worried." Pearl whimpered before she found Garnet walking up to them. "Anything from Little Homeworld, Garnet?"

"Nothing, Peridot and Lapis told me they didn't see Steven recently." Garnet answered. "However, Zuli said she did see a pink blur zoom past yesterday."

"That's the same one I saw with Bismuth while we were fixing the van!" Greg declared. "Could that be Steven?"

"It probably is." Pearl said before she began to break down into tears and hug Greg tightly. "I miss my baby!"

"We all do Pearl." Greg sniffed and returned the hug, followed by Garnet, Amethyst, and Lion joining in to comfort the Pearl. "We all do."

However, little did the Gems know, Steven was perfectly fine. But not the kind of fine they want him to be.

--

Far off in the woods, Steven had fallen fast asleep underneath the blanket Jasper had lent him. But his rest wouldn't last long as Jasper emerged from her cave and smashed a wall, shocking him awake.

"Rise and shine, your training begins today!" Jasper barked as she walked up to the half-Gem boy and picked him up by the neck. "Now tell me, what are you here for again?"

"Uh, to get a better control of my powers?" Steven answered.

"Not enough energy." Jasper shook her head in disdain. "Why don't we start with the only way you can talk to people?" she suggested and then cleared her throat. "So you're here because of your mother, kid? Well, whoop-de-doo!" the big Quartz began singing while circling Steven. "You still haven't realized more have suffered than just you! If you wanna get tougher kid, here's a tip. I got three little words for you: get a grip!"

"Shouldn't that apply to you too?" Steven asked his new mentor.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jasper growled while walking towards some boulders and picked one up.

"I mean, you're stuck here because of me." Steven continued, much to Jasper's anger. "Not to mention closets full of-"

"Do you want my help or not?!" Jasper roared.

"Yes ma'am!" Steven nervously complied before Jasper threw him a boulder.

"That's better." Jasper grinned smugly as she hoisted up more boulders on her back and walked away. "Follow me."

--

"You've been through a lot brat, but let me say something about that." Jasper began singing again as Steven followed her up the mountain with boulders in hand. "As a veteran, I've seen far messier, you should've seen the Clash at the Theater."

"I don't think I've heard of that before." Steven stated while setting the boulders down nearby.

"Doesn't matter, just giving an example." Jasper replied as she dropped her boulders too. "Now come on, throw me some shields!" Steven nodded before he turned pink and summoned multiple barriers to unleash on Jasper, who managed to break through all of them. "The fusion's all high and mighty. Amethyst can be pretty flighty. And the Pearl, wow, she's nuts, you see! They all got experience, but none like mine!"

--

"Maybe when you're done, you'll be feeling just fine." The next day, Steven continued training via splitting logs in half on a stump, while Jasper demonstrated her superior strength by knocking down a tree with just a push. In the meantime, Black Rutile whispered something into Jasper's ear without her knowing the Rutile was even there.

--

"If you wanna get tougher kid, here's a tip." As night began to fall, Jasper challenged Steven to a race, her spin-dash against his pink form's speed. "I got three little words for you: get a grip! Ya hear me!"

"Yeah, those three little words are 'Get a Grip!'" Steven joined in on the song as he began catching up to Jasper.

"Now we're talking!" Jasper cheered triumphantly.

--

"No time for healing!" As the training went on to the day after that, Steven had grown slightly taller and more muscular, and even began growing a beard as he threw another barrier at Jasper. "Who needs feeling?!"

--

"You're still reeling?" Steven caught a fish in the river with a more polygonal bubble that he cooked up to eat, while Black Rutile loomed behind him with another lie to tell him. "Well, my tips are quite appealing! Let's say it again!"

--

"If you wanna get tougher kid, here's a tip." Steven and Jasper harmonized while clashing fists in a forest clearing. "I got three little words for you: get a grip!"

"Yes, for everything to go as planned, get a grip." Black Rutile muttered while watching the two train with an evil smile, eager to see how far Steven has come and how far he'll fall.

--

The next day, thunder began rumbling far from Steven, who knelt in front of a campfire with a more muscular body that made him as tall as Jasper and a wildly different hairstyle.

"I found more rocks!" Jasper called out to her student while tossing over some more rocks for him to train with. "You won't believe how hard it is to find a good rock around here, especially since we broke most of them."

"I'm done with rocks Jasper." Steven declared while getting up to face Jasper. "I'm finally ready. For our rematch." He then put out the fire behind him with one stomp, showing the other Gem how serious he was.

"Took you long enough!" Jasper cackled as she cracked her knuckles and prepared for her long-awaited round 2. "Then come on, show me what you got!"

Steven responded by creating another hexagonal shield to launch at Jasper. However, Jasper jumped over the shield and attempted to punch Steven, but suddenly, she got punched instead. As Steven let out a gasp, Jasper summoned her horned crash helmet and slammed it into Steven's head, sending him tumbling backwards into the ground.

"What are you holding back for Steven?!" Jasper yelled while the resulting smoke began to clear. "You think you can't take it, that I'm just going to coddle you the whole way through, just like the Gems?! You still want to go back to them?"

"No!" Steven coughed from the smoke.

"You still afraid to be strong?!" Jasper continued taunting her foe. "Are you dull?! ARE YOU PITIFUL?!"

"I AM NOT!" Steven bellowed out loud, causing a shockwave that knocked Jasper back, and nearly shook a certain Rutile from a tree she was hiding in as he lunged at Jasper with fury in his eyes.

"Is that all?!" Jasper cackled arrogantly, forcing Steven to create more barriers to strike at her with, which finally landed a hit on Jasper and slammed her into a tree. "That's more like it!"

Steven let out a sadistic giggle before he lunged again, far faster than normal as he started repeatedly punching Jasper while the two soared through the forest and into the air.

"Come on, come on!" Jasper beckoned Steven as their brawl took to the skies. "Show your master what you can really do!"

Steven's maniacal laughter grew louder and louder with each punch before kicking Jasper to the ground. "You were right Jasper!" he declared while summoning more shields to trap Jasper with before forming an even larger one in front of him. "I HAVE BEEN HOLDING BACK!"

With a murderous smile and white diamonds in his eyes, Steven made his barrier grow razor-sharp spikes before launching it at his captive opponent. And for the first time in what felt like ages, as the spiked shield rocketed towards her, Jasper felt one emotion that she barely showed to anyone else.

Pure, unadulterated terror.

What had she done?

--

The cloudy skies gave way to a loud thunderstorm as Black Rutile climbed up to the top of another tree to watch the outcome of the fight, and she was more than happy with what she was seeing.

"Bravo Steven, I never knew you had it in you!" Black Rutile clapped loud enough for Steven to hear as he returned to his senses to realize what he had just done. "If I hadn't planned for that, she would've made a great bodyguard!"

With tears and raindrops staining his face, Steven hid whatever he was hiding in his balled-up fist while glaring at Black Rutile before he raced back to Jasper's cave. When Black Rutile decided to climb down the tree, she was greeted by the nervous look on her Topaz's face. "So, who were you betting on to win?"

"I was betting on Steven to curb his problems more healthily, and you just kept stringing him along!" White Topaz accused her superior, but her accusations were shut down by a bowie knife pointed straight at her face. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Would a shadow puppet make you feel better?!"

"No need." Black Rutile frowned, hiding behind the tree to watch as Steven, now wearing his jacket again, hid his fist in one of the pockets while running out of the woods. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing him squirm."

"Oh yeah, it's funny how pathetic he is." White Topaz laughed nervously in agreement. "Come on, let's head back to the cave. Don't wanna get wet."

"Indeed," Black Rutile agreed and strolled back to their lair with her arms behind her back. "wouldn't want anyone knowing what we did to him."

--

"I sent so many messages, but he hasn't replied!" Pearl fretted while pacing around the beach house as the storm continued. "Do you think he even had his phone when he ran away?! What if something horrible happened and it's all our fault because he wanted to stay away from us?! What if-" Pearl's panicking soon turned to hyperventilating as she curled up into a ball on the floor and began rocking back and forth when Amethyst stepped in to calm her down.

"Pearl, chill out!" Amethyst literally shook Pearl out of her traumatized state and picked her up off the floor. "Panting and sweating over everything won't bring Steven back! It's not like he's going to just barge in as soon as I finish talking!"

Just then, Steven finally returned home, much to the Crystal Gems' delight and worry. However, he had no time to tell them where he's been as he gunned for the bathroom.

"Steven, where have you been?!" Pearl cried out in fright for her surrogate son.

"No time to talk!" Steven exclaimed before ducking into the bathroom.

"Seriously man, we've been looking everywhere!" Amethyst added just as the door closed in front of her. "Hey, what was that in your hand?"

"Nothing important!" Steven replied, peeking out the door one last time before going back.

"The way he said that makes me get a bad feeling about this." Garnet declared ominously.

--

'This has been a horrible day.' Steven thought to himself while filling up the bathtub and snatching the three Diamond essence bottles from the mirror, taking a moment to find a dark shadow in the exact shape of his muscular self from earlier standing behind his reflection.

"I never knew you had it in you either." The shadow growled before Steven turned to dump all the Diamonds' essences in the bathwater and pulled his fist out of his pocket, unfolding it to reveal Jasper's shattered remains in his palms.

"Please work, you gotta work!" Steven muttered in total panic while piecing Jasper's broken gemstone the best he could and submerging it in the water. "Please Jasper, I'm sorry!" he began sobbing for the deceased Gem, his hot tears streaking against his face and dropping into the water.

"I'm sorry."

END OF PART 3: FRAGMENTED MIND

TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART 4: WE WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR FAMILY

--

Wow. Great googly moogly, it's all gone to shit, just the kind of shit that Black Rutile likes. Is Jasper truly gone? Okay, definitely not since next chapter after the break will be Homeworld Bound. Has Black Rutile won? Maybe. Will the voice in Steven's head take the wheel? Who knows? Find out on the epic final part of Steven Universe: Alternate Future, to perhaps begin after the usual two-month hiatus. Or maybe I should go for a shorter hiatus this time. Or maybe longer? What do you guys think? I mean, by the time I publish this, I'll be getting ready for sophomore year of college so my time will most definitely be filled up. But regardless, there are now only eight chapters left of laughs, tears and adrenaline rush, so don't even try to miss the next arc! Okay, peace!

[nodesiretogrowup]

alrighty, play-by-play recap time!

“A shining civilization, until it fell...INTO THE SEA.” Something about that line/delivery makes me laugh

Kind of wish we had seen them solve to clues to Mervana

Why was this Huey’s quest? He doesn’t end up doing much. Did he chose this adventure?

“I like them.” “We know, Webby.”

Scrooge and Huey nerding out together is ADORABLE

Louie is already done

“Cool, now there’s two people who want to put us in constant danger.” Donald understands your pain. We need an episode focusing on Louie and Donald

I NEED to know why Della hates fish 

Why is Della piloting the sub if she hates the ocean? I feel like Donald would be more qualified

“HEY, KNOCK IT OFF!” That was SUCH a sibling moment

LP isn’t here because he needed a break after last week’s episode OR something went down when he was with Oceanika and he can’t be in the ocean for some reason

Louie knows how this shit goes down

So according to Louie’s chart; Huey has been sacrificed the less with 10, then Webby with 15, Louie at 23, and Dewey at 63 

“DEWEY’S ON TOP!” Sweetie, that’s not a good thing. How many of those times do you think LP saved him?

I bet Donald had/has a tally sheet too

Webby is PRECIOUS

“Life’s not some fairytale filled with happy endings and...” “MERMAIDS!” Webby is SUCH A MOOD this episode 

It’s so cute how in AWE all of them are...

Except for Della

One more Della moment in the theme

Poor Donald

Those things in Aletheia’s headband look like eyes and I can’t unsee it. Also, STARFIRE THE MERMAID!

BEAST BOY THE MERMAN! He pretty much looks like a duck/mermaid version of Greg. It’s great

“So, speaking as a mermaid, WHAT’S IT LIKE TO ACHIEVE MY DREAM?!” WEBBY IS ME

I know the “suffering builds character” line is a joke, but it rubs me the wrong way

How is Scrooge’s hat not floating away?

Della’s reaction to saying fish is how I feel about eating fish

“Look at this stuff, isn’t neat!” THAT’S MY GIRL! I bet The Little Mermaid is Webby’s favorite Disney movie

This was much less dangerous than the last time Webby played hacky sack

Scrooge 100% DONE when they say that he’ll have to give up his worldly possessions

 THERE’S THAT ONE MERMAID THAT LOOKS LIKE GOSALYN! I’m gonna pretend they are distantly related

Why is Honestus’ statue so BEEFY?

 Louie is ALREADY calling bullshit

NO ONE MAY TOUCH THE DONALD

“Wow, a laid-back society where everything is free. Sounds PERFECT for you!” “It’s too perfect.” I love when Louie and Webby are paired off. They have pretty much opposite views of the world

“IT’S. A. TRAP! And take it down a notch, Beakley!” “Sorry, I was trying to drown out your nonsense.” You’re harshing her vibes, bro

 “These hippies are harmless!”

Donald playing drums is adorable

“Operation Flower Power was...groovy.” FIRST THAT SUMMER IN PARAGUAY, NOW THIS! TELL ME YOUR SECRETS! Beakley probably has fucked as many people as Launchpad, possibly more

The face Louie makes after Beakley leaves is great. He knows Beakley fucks and does NOT want to think about that

I want to know all the warnings on the cave. My favorite of the ones I could see was NAAAAAHHHHHHH!

“Those MER-MURDERERS” Alliteration is fun, kids!

Digging the more proactive Louie, even if it is just to keep himself from dying

Donald is digging the vibe and Dewey is SO FOCUSED on playing the drums

FUCK YEAH, ARTS AND CRAFTS! Dewey was like “MY TIME HAS COME!” And Donald seemed pretty happy about arts and crafts too

Donald was TOTALLY checking out his own ass

Dewey is SO FOCUSED. Arts and crafts are SERIOUS BUSINESS

He looks SO PISSED when Scrooge takes the tail

Why do they have toxic markers? Hell, where did they even GET those markers?

“They’re ALL our markers” That face she makes is great

Dude, the harp fucking DRAGGED Honestus! We stan!

“It’s a beautiful castle made of coral and shells...” Webby, those are ruins

I knew that fish monster was Honestus. He had a crown and everything. Also they call him a sea serpent but nothing about him is serpent-like 

“This is a chase” Is that really any better than a trap?

BEAKLEY TO THE RESCUE

“I’ve never been happier to see an adult!”

“Same thing we are-snoopin”

Webby ended up being spot on that the Mervanans had no idea what was really going on

“Something is going on here.” And Louie raises his arms in victory

I want more Beakley and Louie episodes. They are both cynical but deal with it in different ways, especially when it comes to Webby. Plus Louie has a unique position when he’s been the one that had secrets kept from him

“Her optimism is her strength!” “You can’t hide the truth from her forever!” “I kept her in a mansion for a decade, that worked out pretty well.” I don’t know why but this reminds me of how the Crystal Gems and Greg dealt with Steven

I love that Huey’s tail has the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook logo on it

Me and my sister agreed that Donald’s tail looks like an Easter egg

DONALD IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR! NAMASTE, MY FRIEND

Dewey has flames on his tail because of course he does

“Man, these are hard to get around in. And off I go.” He just accepts that he’s falling

I’m with Louie, FUCK STAIRS

Della has that dumbass energy. We stan. Also, she and LP need to hang out. I feel like they’d somehow both lose in a game of Go Fish. Stupid, beautiful pilots :’)

“MOM LOOK AT MY SUPER COOL FINS!” “*gags* I have no family.”

CAPITALISTS DO NOT GET TO KNOW TRUE PEACE

Donald and Huey nodding after Aletheia calls Scrooge a judgemental boomer, beautiful

“I don’t want inner-truth, I want outer harp!” That’s a good line

“Scrooge, back to the arts and crafts section!” And then his face! Golden!

Louie clinging to Beakley’s arm is so cute

I LOVE YOU, HARP LADY!

“But I only tell the truth, a thing the merpeople used to value.” I feel like that could apply to other (current) situations

Whenever Honestus speaks during the song I lol

Also, what hard work was going on above the sea? Was there like a war or something? I need more!

I think the Harp and Honestus were a thing at one point

If the merpeople become more monstrous the longer they stay in the water, why are the ones who have lived their ENTIRE LIVES in the ocean still humanoid? How long was he gone? How many generations have come and gone? Why didn’t he age? I NEED MORE INFORMATION

Poor Webby. The person she trusted the most has been lying to her for who knows how long! I think we know what Webby’s arc for the season will involve

Louie does NOT want to be in the middle of this

MER-MURDER-MAIDS!

I want to PERSONALLY THANK the GENIUS that had David Tennant use hippie slang. You did the lord’s work

The face Scrooge makes when he thinks that they are gonna take his money is PRICELESS

I feel bad for the Mervanans. They were left to fend for themselves. They did pretty good for themselves all things considered but still

Della taking baby steps only to be pushed right back into her comfort zone, I felt that

She’s just like, nope

“Gotta get harp down. Gotta save family. Maybe sell the harp later.” The kid has his priorities straight

The way the Harp acts when Beakley picks her up is a mood and I ship it

“Is that what I sound like? Oh, boy.” I love the way Bobby says “oh, boy”

“We would never!” “Yeah, we’re vegan.” At least these merpeople actually flat out say they don’t eat fish, unlike other merpeople who act all high and mighty even though they probably eat fish too

I love the one dude who just kinda flaps out of the water

“I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.” “CORRECT!”

DUDE, DON’T INSULT THE MAN’S COOKING SKILLS! IT’S YZMA, KRONK, AND THE SPINACH PUFFS ALL OVER AGAIN!

I think Donald is just always angry ala Bruce Banner

Donald is me when someone says the wrong thing to me on an already shitty day

He just slings Dewey over his shoulder and drags Huey. I feel like a family meeting about chili is in their future. Though the Harp didn’t say whether or not Dewey was lying so...

“Our king returned and tried to eat us.” In the words of Zuko; that’s rough, buddy

“We’re all monsters on the inside.” “WE ARE?! GET IT OUT OF ME!” Vero is having a very bad day

“Mervana isn’t a place. It’s, oh boy, it’s in your heart!”

Louie and Webby make each other better and that’s what’s great about their team ups

“We need your inner-truths to move from your hearts to YOUR FISTS!” WEBBY WILL FUCK YOU UP

“WELCOME TO MERVANA” BITCH!

Poor Harp. It’s not her fault that she only has one setting

I WANNA RIDE A MERMAID! No, not that way! ok maybe that way too

Webby’s eyes sparkle when the merpeople get to land

DROP ON THE DECK AND FLOP LIKE A FISH

“TIME TO SEND THIS FISH BACK TO SCHOOL!” Della knows how to one-liner

Her Naruto run is great. I bet she’s been watching it with the kids

Della is gonna wash her leg SO HARD after that

I don’t think Honestus should have gotten off so easy. The dude’s a dick who only cares about himself. I know that wouldn’t mesh with the moral of the episode, but I still hate him

Della looks so fucking confused, like LP usually does. THEY ARE MEANT TO BE BESTIES

Dewey kept his tail. So cute!

“She’s kinda harshin’ my vibe.” I know, my dude, I know

“And it’s finally where it belongs.” “Telling shiftless hippies to get a job!” Scrooge is harshin’ my vibe. Stupid capitalist

The head kiss Beakley gives Webby GIVES ME LIFE! SO PURE

Well of course she’s fibbing! Beakley is/was a SPY! Her job was secret keeping!

I really enjoyed this episode. I, like Webby, ADORE mermaids so I wasn’t gonna complain there. I liked that the merpeople weren’t actually evil because that would have been predictable af. It really ties in with the legacy theme of this season. Just because the people who came before you were jerks doesn’t mean you have to be. I think I enjoyed the other episodes a bit more but that’s probably because they were a bit more focused on a single character and only introduced a few new characters. I give it an 8/10, not enough Launchpad and not NEARLY ENOUGH fish puns

[introvert-celeste]

Do you have an issues going on with jasper and why it seems like she's getting shafted despite being talked about a bunch of times by RS in the past and the fact that they are possibly not going to address the lapis and bismuth situation and it's possibly resolved off screen in the time skip and it's going to be a barn situation (peridot and lapis becoming friends quickly despite lapis really hated her) which is probably why some people are turned off by seeing peridot, lapis and bismuth togeth?

Oh, anon, anon, anon...you brought this upon yourself. Now you have to listen to my long ass theory about how jasper, Lapis, and Bismuth are all connected and that connection lies in Beta. I don’t feel like linking to all the other posts I’ve done on it, simply because I don’t feel like digging them up, so you’re about to get the long explanation.

Now, do I have a problem how the show is currently treating Jasper? No, not really. Not anymore. I’ve become jaded by her absence and I can stand to wait a little longer if I have to. I would love to see her as soon as possible, but I don’t think her presence...fits with the movie. I mean, she’s still technically an antagonist. Nothing has been resolved with her.

Do I have a problem with Lapis and Bismuth’s miraculously friendly relationship, despite the fact that Bismuth poofed Lapis, which inadvertently led to her being trapped in the mirror for thousands of years? No, because Rebecca confirmed today at SDCC that Lapis doesn’t know that our Bismuth was the one who poofed her (it also confirms that that was our Bismuth, which was never explicitly stated previously).

With that out of the way, I begin.

It all starts 5750 years ago, when Blue Diamond showed up with her entourage to deal with Rose Quartz and her “small but persistent” rebellion, which was basically just her and Pearl wrecking shit. Among her entourage is a gem that looks like Lapis, same gem placement, hair shape, everything.

Lapis claims in Same Old World that “we” (suggesting she was a part of group) “were only supposed to visit for a short time” (meaning Blue Diamond expected to capture Rose Quartz quickly), so it fits in with the previous assumption. She goes on to say “but we got caught in the middle of the war.”

Keep in mind that the rebellion prior to the events in The Answer consisted only of Rose/Pink and Pearl, the only gem she could trust. Pink was fight solely for the Earth and it’s organic inhabitants against gemkind. After she met Garnet, she realized that gems like her are also worth fighting for, so she would have likely started accepting more gems into her group, starting with Garnet. More gems means stronger forces, and stronger forces of gems who have been abused by Homeworld in ways Pink probably wasn’t even aware of meant a bad time for Homeworld. Rose’s little rebellion grew into an all out war.

Peridot says in Beta that “halfway through the rebellion, Homeworld scrambled to generate extra soldiers on the ground.” The rebellion began ~6000 years ago and ended a thousand years later, so halfway would have been ~5500 years ago, which is when Jasper was born. Well, that’s when she started fighting against the Crystal Gems, according to the Guide to the Crystal Gems, but considering Eyeball said that Jasper “came out with [her] helmet on and shattered 80 Crystal Gems before the sun went down!” I think we can reasonably assume Jasper was born in the middle of a battle.

5500 years ago also lines up with the Lapis’ claim that she was “caught in the middle of the war,” a quote that corresponds with the lower image of the two above. 5500 years ago is 250 years after the events of The Answer. To spare you any more unnecessary elaboration, my theory is that the Crystal Gems grew rapidly after Rose met Garnet, and Blue Diamond employed her own entourage to help create more Homeworld soldiers on Earth. The Beta kindergarten strongly resembles Antelope Canyon, which is shaped by yearly flooding, so I’d say Lapis is pretty qualified to help cut this kindergarten.

As you can see, the top image shows Lapis in a green landscape, corresponding with her first assertion that she was “only supposed to visit for a short time.” The second image, meant to be the same location, it rocky and barren, telltale signs of a kindergarten that has sucked the life from the surrounding area. There is also the outline of what appears to be an injector in the bottom right corner and, most obviously,a group of Jaspers running in the background. Immediately after this image, a couple of the Jaspers actually explode into shards. Not poofed, because there is no orange smoke. Only a bright flash of light and bits of rock, whether from the gem or from the ground, flying up into the air.

Here’s when Jasper was poofed for reference.

So, it wasn’t just a battle...it was massacre. Sure, Jasper “took out” more than her fair share of Crystal Gems, and I’m sure her fellow Betas had few scruples over shattering the gems that were attacking them fresh out of the ground, but from how Peridot was trashing it, saying it was “too small” and “obviously a total rush job,” I doubt it would have been hard to shatter them. The way she criticizes the shape and locations of the exit holes suggests that the vast majority of the Betas were defective, with Jasper being the overly perfect exception. We also have to consider who else was present.

As I mentioned before, Rebecca confirmed that this was our Bismuth. As we know, Bismuth isn’t opposed to shattering, not like Rose. While I don’t think she’s a ruthless murderer--after all, she didn’t damage Lapis’ gem here--she’s far from a passive fighter. Bismuth has led a life of hardship, and she was among gems who also led lives of hardship, and Beta was Homeworld’s newest military tactic. To quote Greg, “there’s no such thing as a good war.” That’s only bolstered by the fact that the first time Beta was even mentioned was in It Could Have Been Great, when Peridot pointed it out as the Cluster’s insertion point. You know, THE CLUSTER, as in the gigantic ball of gem shards deep in the Earth’s mantle? That Cluster. Beta is where it was inserted into the ground, which implies that there was such an excess of gem shards that, combined, they could eventually create an entity that would destroy the planet just by forming. I’m sorry, that just...it’s truly upsetting.

That being said, I believe that this is one of the reasons Beta hasn’t been talked about in the show yet, besides via Peridot’s third-party perspective. She didn’t even exist then. It isn’t something anyone wants to talk about, whether out of shame or grief. Many, many gems on both sides were likely shattered there.

SO, what does all of this mean?

It means that no, I don’t think Jasper is being shafted, although I do with they would have addressed all of this earlier, at least some of it. I think the right time hasn’t happened yet, and that nothing has been resolved. Lapis doesn’t know who Bismuth really is, so there really isn’t anything to resolve until they start talking about what happened at Beta which, as I mentioned, doesn’t seem like the sort of thing the gems who experienced it would bring up in casual conversation. It would be a heavy topic.

And as I’ve speculated, I seriously doubt Jasper took the news about Pink Diamond well. She has a history of running off on her own, and Beta is the only logical location for her to go at this point. It was where she was made, and it’s not a place where anyone else is bound to go, given it’s history. I believe this is where the Beta discussion will begin: when they specifically go out looking for Jasper and she reveals the awful truth of the place. That will lead to discussion of Lapis and Bismuth’s involvement, as well as Bismuth’s inadvertent responsibility for Lapis’ suffering.

Unlike before, we’re now in a position where we can hear all three sides of the story. Bismuth is unbubbled, is on friendly terms with everyone, and has made peace with what happened with Rose. Lapis no longer has an incentive to run away, now that the Diamonds aren’t threats, and has time to settle into the family dynamic. Jasper is uncorrupted, but otherwise at her most vulnerable, now that she knows that Rose Quartz, the gem that basically ruined her life, was also the gem jasper has wanted to avenge since she was “shattered.” She won’t do anything to hurt Steven, now that she knows who he really is, and he’s more likely to get an honest answer out of her. Think of all the backstory that was necessary to get to this point and you will find that they really couldn’t have done this any earlier without taking away from it.

So, while I am dying to see Jasper again, I don’t want her to be in the movie. I want them to save her for season 6, when we can have a proper arc for her, like she deserves, and I want Bismuth and Lapis to be a part of this arc. I want them to shed some light on Beta.

[volleydorkscentral]

ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS IN THE UNUSUAL ASK GAME, YOU COWARD.

First of all: 

Second, questions under the cut: 

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? - Spotify! all the way. i hoarse my bf’s account so he can never listen but i don’t care it’s mine now it’s full of my music and my playlists and whenever i’m listening to it and it suddenly changes cause he tries to use it on his phone I call him, “are you using spotify?” “oh. i mean i can listen to something else?” “cool, thanks!” and i get my music back. :D

is your room messy or clean? - it’s somewhere in between. my actual ROOM (bed room, i assume) is pretty clean, except i never make the bed. but the house is .. a work in progress. it’s not dirty but it’s cluttered so my bf and I are having to work together to clear that and build shelves and stuff for more storage space.

what color are your eyes? - dark brown! (with little green flecks when I cry)

do you like your name? why? - Not really? i don’t hate it. My mom wanted to name me Savannah but they had her sign the certificate while she was still drugged from her c-section so it ended up as Crystal?? Idk. She named her dolls Crystal when she was a kid.

what is your relationship status? - dating for almost six years. 

how many times a week do you shower? uhhh idk. I don’t shower every day (unless i get gross). AT LEAST four times… but I don’t wash my hair every time cause that’s bad for my hair. I SHOWER WHEN I AM DIRTY.

favorite tv show? does Haikyuu!! count? that’s probably a given. HM. Well, we don’t have cable so I don’t watch a lot of NEW shows? …. OH. Duh. Fuckin me I’m a dumbass. Bob’s Burgers. I literally have it on ALL THE TIME. I don’t like silence so it’s ALWAYS on in the background if i’m not listening to music. I’ve seen every episode a zillion times. I can usually pinpoint every scene and the major lines/jokes.

shoe size? most brands it’s 5 1/2 

how tall are you? SHORTER THAN NISHINOYA BUT TALLER THAN YACHI. I’m like… 5ft-5’1 depending on how much my back hurts. (i used that earlier and someone said it was funny and i’m trash so i’ll repeat it here!)

sandals or sneakers? i wear Bobs LOL. (knock off toms) and i’ve got one pair of sneakers and sometimes I wear my ballet flats around even though my bf says they look dumb fuck u they’re comfy.

do you go to the gym? No. I used to, but where I live now it’d be like a 45 min drive. I don’t really LIKE gyms though? working out is boring to me. No matter how hard I try. I’d love to start dancing again for real.

describe your dream date - April 25th because it’s not too cold and not too hot. Okay but jk that’s a lie where I live it’s balls hot in april. Idk. I’d like to go hiking when it’s not very hot? Take my dog, let her run around. Take a picnic. Sit in a grassy field and talk about dumb shit cause we know each other’s dreams and hopes by now.

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? UHM. fuck like…. $27? i know there’s a twenty and a handful of ones. And a handful of change.

what color socks are you wearing? - NONE. MY FEET ARE COLD. FOREVER COLD.

how many pillows do you sleep with? - pft like 6.

do you have a job? what do you do? - No; I quit after being over worked, under appreciated, cheated out of my paychecks a few times, and no job still due to lingering health issues.

how many friends do you have? answered this already!

whats the worst thing you have ever done? - UHM. Idk i haven’t murdered anyone. I don’t like this question cause if i really try to answer it i’ll spiral into a frustrated, furious depression and self-hatred so… NOPE.

whats your favorite candle scent? i’ve got this candle i got from etsy that’s like… Scottish Highlands? It’s grassy and kinda MAGICY.

3 favorite boy names - i don’t really have favorite names?

3 favorite girl names - answered already

favorite actor? god idk. i’m so bad with names and celebrities. uhm. I really like don’t have a favorite. I LIKE a bunch. Benedict Cumberbatch; Freddie Highmore… uhm. uh. Hugh Laurie? 

favorite actress? IDK OKAY?? I LIKE a bunch but i don’t favorite?? I really like Gwendoline Christie. Uhm. Anne Hathaway makes me laugh. MAGGIE SMITH. how could i forget!??!

who is your celebrity crush? I LEGIT don’t have one.

favorite movie? CLUE takes the top spot most days.

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? I used to read a lot more. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

money or brains?  personality, bitch.

do you have a nickname? what is it? not *really* but people online used to call me Chrys. My bf calls me ‘sweetie’ sometimes but he also calls the dog that so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

how many times have you been to the hospital? - uhm. like the er? Once when I broke my arm. Doc in the box? Not since 2017.

top 10 favorite songs - PFT. Uhm. Jesus just let me die a little. Excluding all Disney; Not in any order:

No One - Biometrix

Danser - Lisandro Cuxi

A Single Moment of Sincerity (E) - Asking Alexandria (the band I was listening to when I designed my rockstar MC that I love so much)

The Annabel Trilogy (a series of 3 albums) - Alesana. Can’t pick a single song because they’re all a part of a huge story. Listen to them.

Chucky vs. The Giant Tortoise - Dance Gavin Dance

Anticoagulant - Sianvar

Ohioisonfire - Of Mice & Men

Coincidance - Handsome Dancer (Watch the Video for the love of god. THANKS ASH FOR THIS GEM)

Devil’s Backbone - The Civil Wars

Still Here - Digital Daggers (i’ve been listening it to a lot for inspiration for a new AU so… yup. That’s gonna be fun and painful)

do you take any medications daily? - yup

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) - i got dry ass skin it sucks

what is your biggest fear? - uhm… physical fear? idk. Heights is a big one that I developed? I used to not care but a while ago I was walking on a bridge and I just… looked over and got FUCKING DIZZZY with nausea and fear that I was gonna fall and almost fainted. 

how many kids do you want? - HONESTLY… one or two.

whats your go to hair style? - tried to brush but gave up so just threw it in a claw clip

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) - moderate? one story, four bedrooms. big ass yard though for the dog

who is your role model? - I don’t really have one.

what was the last compliment you received? - answered already

what was the last text you sent? - actual TEXT message? ‘as long as there’s someone with her overnight she’ll be okay during the day cause of the dog door and stuff. just play with her before you go to work and maybe hide some treats around the house for her to hunt for’ - texting my friend that’s gonna house sit while we go on a family vacation soon.

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? - UH idk the age? i know I saw my mom writing scavenger cards though. My fam has never had a lot of money so to make Christmas more interesting my mom/grandparents (we lived with them till I was in 3rd grade) would make these elaborate scavenger hunts for me and my cousins to do to find our presents around the house or out in the barn or, on one memorable occasion, at the bottom of our pool! Good memories. 

what is your dream car? - one that RUNS and has badass AC and speakers

opinion on smoking? - hate it. please don’t do it around me. my bf’s family alllllll smoke all the time and i get so sick when i have to go on vacation with them and be around it for a long time. 

do you go to college? - i DID. I went to Culinary school and majored in Baking & Pastry

what is your dream job? - Author or Dog Trainer

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? - rural as all hell. give me trees, cows, and horses. 

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? Not usually? but usually the people i’m with do. 

do you have freckles? Not on my face (except one) but i’ve got more like… on my arms and just randomly all over but i dont think ‘freckles’ would be what anyone thinks of when they think of me

do you smile for pictures? - only if i’m forced to be in them

how many pictures do you have on your phone?  - HAHAHAHAHAHA. Well. Before I got my new phone it was over 10k. Now though its only about 2k. 

have you ever peed in the woods? - Only when I was camping. 

do you still watch cartoons? - ALL THE GODDAMN TIME

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? - neither. but i HATE WENDYS and can tolerate McD’s fries and they’ve got ballin’ sweet tea so I guess McD.

Favorite dipping sauce? this honey dijon creamy thing at my favorite French restaurant but idk what is is.

what do you wear to bed? - t-shirt 

have you ever won a spelling bee? - YUP. 2nd grade.  

what are your hobbies? - writing, crocheting, photography, reading, uh… i forget what else

can you draw? when i was doing it all the time i did ok? but i’m WAY TOO IMPATIENT now a days to do it. 

do you play an instrument? - no but i wish i did :(

what was the last concert you saw? - i’ve never been to a concert. crowds are icky

tea or coffee? - tea!

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? - already answered this

do you want to get married? - Yes pls

what is your crush’s first and last initial? - (bf, but I suppose i still have a crush on him? is love considered a crush?) J. Y. 

are you going to change your last name when you get married? god yes. my current last name is my shitbag of a sperm doner and i hate it. my mom kept it after they divorced only cause she thought her maiden name would be too hard for me to spell but i would give anything to have that name instead

what color looks best on you? - idk. i prefer black but i’ve been told green and certain shades of pink/yellow. 

do you miss anyone right now? - not until i thought about it, thanks

do you sleep with your door open or closed? open so my pupper can go in and out

do you believe in ghosts? not until i’m faced with darkness and creepy things 

what is your biggest pet peeve? people chewing their food loud. people not picking up after themselves. people interrupting me (but not in the excited, OMG way. that we can work though) but in the ‘i don’t care what you’re saying i’m going to talk now’ way

last person you called` - my bf to discuss plans for his brother’s bday

favorite ice cream flavor? cookies n’ cream!

regular oreos or golden oreos? DOUBLE STUFF OF EITHER

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? FUCK SPRINKLES

what shirt are you wearing? a shirt that has my dog’s face on it :D

what is your phone background? - the art that Ash drew of Bokuto from my fic Just a Taste!!

are you outgoing or shy? - i hate talking to strangers but with my friends i’m pretty fucking loud and chatty

do you like it when people play with your hair? only people i know

do you like your neighbors? nope. he’s an asshole who neglected his dog and i wanna skin him alive

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? i do my best to remember to do it at night but i always do it when i shower

have you ever been high? yup. 

have you ever been drunk? yup

last thing you ate? BIRTHDAY CAKE

favorite lyrics right now - idk? i guess the first lyrics that came to mind, even though they’re not my favorite, just ones that i like and were stuck in my head for a while: “All of the handsome fiction / will melt away / and when the flame burns brighter / Evaporate” Evaporate - Dance Gavin Dance

summer or winter?  WINTER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. IT’S SO FUCKING HOT IN SUMMER I DIE EVERY DAY

day or night? both have their merits

dark, milk, or white chocolate? - all chocolate but i prefer white to just EAT. 

favorite month? uhm. uhh. November maybe? for NaNoWriMo. 

what is your zodiac sign - pftt.. i think i used to be a Gemini? i don’t believe in all that stuff 

who was the last person you cried in front of? - ….. my dog? but probably my mom and Grandmother when my GM basically said my bf didn’t love me and was a shit human being and i was a shit granddaughter for loving him. i was both upset and furious and i walked away from them. (my mom called and apologized, but i haven’t spoken to my GM since)

THERE ASH ARE YOU GODDAMN HAPPY. that took so long LOL (I hope the formatting came through I had to redo it on this tumblr page UGH)

[spacedimentio]

Save the Light Impressions

I recently became interested in what Hessonite’s deal was and since it’ll be a long time before I’ll be able to get the game, I decided to just watch a cutscene compilation (this one, if it matters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy5tOb3gzLY). Dunno why I’m taking down all my reactions, just cause it’s fun I guess. Enjoy

RIP Car Wash

What even is the prism? It's not a gem, right? But it's clearly got conscious thought, even Hessonite talks to it like a person

haha Greg called her a glittery space lady, accurate

it's a little OOC that Greg wanted to come along. at least he's having fun tho. aww, steven's so proud of him :D

actually, what's Hessonite even doing. Why didn't she fuck off back to space once she found the prism

yeah that's totally not a triforce with six arms or anything. it's not the diamond authority symbol either i don't think, the triangles in that all meet in the middle

Mayor of Bummertown

I would have named the boss Dave, zero hesitation

"Our prism is in another castle!" i love you steb

oh no, bad memory time at Bismuth's forge :( I hope she'll be playable in the next one (i would scream forever if there was a playable diamond)

did Steven really just answer the phone with Myello? Oh IT'S PERI. Aaaand we're learning about RPG mechanics. Meta.

frozen donuts are a thing?! :o

it's her. the square. she seems to be almost identical to how our peridot used to be, so i wonder what the difference in personality is. Aside from her favorite insult being pebble instead of clod

ah yes, ye old tennis match

man i love that you can form fusions in this game

oh lord, i don't wanna imagine what chaos would happen with two peridots. also Greg is taking ice damage during the cutscene, help him

oh no, they're meeting. of course the first thing Squaridot says is "WHY ARE YOU NAKED" (and they obvs flipped her sprite cause the gem's her other eye now)

hey look, new insults for my list of gem related curse words

weird, angry mirror indeed. imagine what they could do if they were friends!

oh RIP. why do you get to choose who murders Squaridot. I hope for more multi-peridot action in the future

wait, what machine did you rip that off of and when

i already knew Peri was playable but it's still cool. i love how she flutters her feet when she jumps! i wonder who the DLC character is going to be (lapis, probably. Bismuth would be metal, though)

"Clod-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named" oh my god i love you

"Whatchu talkin' bout Peri" the best, they're the best

Oh so wow, Hessonite is THE Hessonite, huh. Real famous. If she came out as a Crystal Gem, it would sure cause a stir

Yeah I was also wondering why she's sticking around instead of just leaving? and she is kind of leaving her troops scattered all over the place with no rhyme or reason

these are great names. The Great and Terrible Spikey McSpikeball! of course the guy playing picked the most boring one

i love how Peridot just fucking yeets her tablet to attack

sugilite tiny!

you know, i was gonna get this game anyway at some point, but it's nice to know that it's the kind of rpg i like, one where you can participate in the attacking and blocking process.

how dare you switch out peridot for pearl. you know what, next game i hope you can be everyone all the time cause there's too many good characters to pick from

whatchu doing up here pizza lady

yeah they just...all ran right in front of her directly in her line of vision and she didn't see them somehow

oh the prism is resisting. it really took Steven's words to heart last game

Hess my dear, is this prism your only friend (oh my god that's totally it isn't it)

is the wiki sure she can't teleport cause holy fuck is she fast

"Gugh, Peridot, this is just like when we tried to hunt you down. But worse...cause, y'know, she's actually threatening." rude

huh. i don't remember the pyramid temple blowing up and leaving debris, i thought the whole thing disintegrated cause it was a construct of the gem it was housing. looking at screenshots of Serious Steven it definitely did explode

are they really trying to tell me there was a pyramid under the pyramid and no one noticed

call it the Spooky Basement! call it the Spooky Basement! you disappoint me, player, although Secret Temple of Secrets isn't so bad

*steven rolls cheerfully through a skeleton and then everyone jumps down a big hole* um

yo there's a mural of Rose fighting some light warriors! that's rad as shit!

*gets to the hallway with the torches that turn on as you go by* gee i sure wish i could watch this with sound, but alas i am recovering from ear fatigue and it would be a bad idea.

oh my god he reset her preferences no wonder she's pissed XD

HOLY FUCKING CHRIST RIP AMETHYST AND PERIDOT GODDAMN AND GARNET TOO PIZZA LADY STRONK

wow she really is a genuine threat, she forced Rose and Pearl to give ground back in the day

oh no you did not just say that Pearl should come with you. fuck her up, P!

also i just realized that she is really tall. like 10 feet tall at least

aw no fair you can't just flashbang them all you dink

oh it's sapphire. wait has connie even met ruby and sapphire in the show? did we not get to see it?!

where the fuck even are you guys, i could swear that connie and greg fell off the platform into the abyss

wait, they don't have new forms, did they even regenerate? i don't think connie was out cold for that long. did they even poof? i saw colored clouds of dust but no gemstones. i mean, i know this is a game and all but it's also canon so ???

and peridot is breaking the fourth wall by commenting how you can't force her to sit at home at the moment

ancient thingamajig. wow is thingamajig a real word, my spellcheck is not yelling at me about it

yeah connie! kick her ass for me!

since when are gems into riddles. i wonder if anyone has made much headway into translating the written gem language yet, last i heard they hadn't made much progress. apparently only Steven Sugar knows what all the symbols mean

wait steven was watching connie and greg's parties running around that whole time? i guess even the game never leaves steven's POV. where even is he, in the prism realm? oh, the place was turning pink for a minute until he went towards the sparkly thing

steven is always accessing memories isn't he. at least these aren't his mom's this time

you might be getting sick of her steve but i'm sure not!

from far away it really looks like she's chillin' with a martini glass and i was about to scream

corruption beam :(

was he just like passed out on the floor somewhere hallucinating

aww, he picks up the light steven exp by hugging it :o

"Just feeling a little...light headed." i...puns?

the Light Warrior is the final boss of the first game right? ...i should have probably watched a video about that one first

oh i just had a thought! if they make a third one then we get to have Rainbow 2.0 and Sunstone and Obsidian in it! :D

woah, trippy. tbh steven's connection to the prism is kind of strange. i wanna know exactly where that thing came from and why it's so deeply connected to him now. did Hessonite have visions like this when it was hers?

yeah that's... if a place is connected by warp pad, wouldn't it be easy to find by just warping randomly? unless separate warp networks are a thing but still, you'd just have to sneak onto a CG warp pad and go. ....how do warps even work, they can go through roofs and stuff and there's like this whole other dimension with all the warps like stars in the background and ???

how does the forge even do an upgrade with no Bismuth. maybe i should stop trying to fit this into canon details

what makes you think Hessonite could see you? is this some Voldemort Harry Potter connection shit. is that actually how she found the forge, this game ain't explain much

oh that's...that's a big oof. bismuth was working on a huge-ass statue of Rose before they got into their argument

"i saw her again" what no you didn't, that was just a white screen with a text box

"Beats me how any of this whacky prism stuff works!" ...i feel called out

why does that bigger spaceship look like a funky piece of headwear to me

well, at least it's closer than the moon

oh what, Lion didn't come with you? didn't you need multiple roar warps to get to space last time, just above the earth still seems kind of far, also how did he know the coordinates of the ship, he could have easily sent them all into the void

?! and then he's there?!? already asleep? how???????

aww what you're going to tease me with a citrine guard but not let me see her?

freaky. strangely organic looking technology is nothing new but i don't think i've seen stuff oozing through it before

"Look at you, acting as though you have the moral high ground!" *shakes fist angrily* She's like Emerald, but better! I can't

i guess he did kind of steal it, but it was more like finders keepers really

whuh has the prism always been able to talk?

"a Prism" oh no are there more? probably

woah that's a big boy. What the heck does Spectral Conclusion mean. and the prism is inside it instead of it being a separate creation, interesting

aww, it's looking at itself in confusion. Steven reaches out to it with his words, as he does

the prism isn't really...doing a lot of attacking (cause the player is picking the right choices probably). oh nevermind, it has a hugely damaging rainbow cannon

/r/murderedbywords, except in a good way

"Destroy Steven!" huh since when does she know his name? she could have gotten it from several places, really

oh oh oh! it's pizza time! standing in the middle of them is probably not the best idea, but look at her, she's exuding confidence!

wait wait wait, when the player used a healing move, did i just see an option to heal the prism? or at least, it's health bar showed up. is it gonna help later?

can i have like, a full sprite sheet for Hessonite please and thanks

if this was in the show, steven would be dead from that hit

aaand Steven did two points of damage with his shield bash, she ain't even flinch

pearl what are you doing

wow, she also only did a few points of damage

is Hess like, super tough. i love how much of a threat she is, cause most Homeworld gems we've seen aren't all that scary

oh! oh! you can heal the prism! that's probably how you damage her cause you'd be here forever chipping away otherwise

HOLY FUCK, SHE JUST DID 270 POINTS OF DAMAGE, THAT'S LITERALLY ALL OF SUGILITE'S HEALTH. I know the wiki says that attack does massive damage but jeezus!

so far the prism hasn't done anything, they're just chipping away at her slowly

oh, so gems do poof in this game. i guess we're just ignoring new forms because it wouldn't make sense in the timeline if we didn't

huh, does pearl inflict burns in this game? oh and she shoots fireballs, guess that answers my question.

it's kind of sad that the status is doing more damage than everyone else combined

whuh, she just attacked the prism! RUDE.

stop beating up the prism you degenerate! i guess i shouldn't be shocked

hey, Garnet and Amethyst are alive again. ah finally, some damage now that Garnet's lowered her defense

A-Amethyst, you're facing the wrong way. i wish Hess had targeted her with her big attack, then i could have made an "oh no she has airpods in" joke

oh, but the player formed Smoky, so she's not even aiming at anyone in particular anymore lol. she went for Pearl tho, fuckin' eviscerated

is this battle normally this long, it's been almost 10 minutes

this battle would probably be much harder if she didn't waste her turn being a bitch and attacking the prism. gee, and you wonder why it doesn't want to listen to you after encountering steven's kindness. i wonder...what would happen if you let the prism's HP get to zero? it would take a long ass time but...now i really wanna know but i doubt there’s any videos about it!

garnet's rocket fist did damage to the prism cause Hess is standing next to it. c-can you attack the prism, is that how you get the bad ending??

man, they haven't even had to heal because she's just beaten up on that poor thing for the past 10 turns. i mean, really, she could easily murder all of them in a heartbeat if she wanted

ok finally, she is defeato. I'd feel more sad for you if you didn't abuse your subordinates (definitely has detracted from my liking of her, i won't be too hard on her for it though because Homeworld is bad like that and she doesn't know better). at least you’re good at eating your humble pie without complaint

oh, i guess you get to choose your ending? it's kind of weird that it's not like, influenced by your game choices. cause technically like this it's your choice, not the prism's choice. so what was with the prism having health then. was it just to show how awful Hessonite is to it?

also, i can't look at light Steven without thinking of Pink!Steven and hhhhh

"You're a wise creature, aren't you?" Yes, yes he is *nods sagely* I hope you come back someday to learn more from him

You're pretty adaptive, huh Hess? of course, if you've been having these thoughts and feelings for thousands of years you're probably not too shaken up by the realization that they're true. That’s actually pretty great of you to want to figure yourself out.

ha, so Garnet didn't let her leave like the wiki made it sound like, she just yeeted away, and good luck catching anyone who can move at 5 million miles per hour

the gems are running in place in the next scene and Amethyst is backwards again. connie is also facing the wrong way. ...this game's a bit jank, isn't it :P not that i mind, a little jank is fun!

Peridot breaking the fourth wall with her Are Pee Gee again. I wonder which one it is. Golf Quest Mini?

do you get anything for 100 percenting this? oh, i guess there's achievements. no bonus content tho?

Lapis: I think I could use a break.

i for one would like to know what book the prism was reading. also, it's back to not talking again.

AWW YIS! We goin' out for pizza tonight bois!

The gems finally get to stop running in place in the corner

aaww, it's a beach scene reminiscent of the opening. kind of weird that greg is the only one animated but still cute

also someone's last name is Gooch and i feel bad for them

alright now to google Hessonite's VO... Christine Baranski. Are-Are we just hiring broadway singers for everyone now? not only would I die if Hessonite made an appearance in season 6, my soul would reach the farthest realms of space if she sang a song on top of that.

well, that's a wrap! time to jot down all of Hess's dialogue for later reference! It’s a crime that there’s so few fanfics about her, she actually has a lot of potential!

[loreweaver-universe]

Hmmm.

Okay.

MIDPOINT CHARACTER ANALYSIS: ROSE QUARTZ

(the fruits of one woman’s pain)

Here, have a song about Rose Quartz.

DISCLAIMER: I AM A LIVEBLOG, AND HAVE ONLY SEEN UP TO THE EPISODE LETTERS TO LARS.  ALL SPECULATION AND DISCUSSION CONTAINED HEREIN IS BASED ON WHAT I’VE SEEN UP TO THAT POINT AND MAY BE QUITE WRONG; THIS POST IS FOR MY FOLLOWERS TO SEE WHAT I’M THINKING, NOT SOLID STATEMENTS OF FACT, AND AS SUCH DO NOT SPOIL ME ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS.

Rose is a rough subject, one I’ve expounded upon at length, but let’s collect it all in one place.

Initially, I thought the show was telling us not to trust her.  I thought it was pointing towards her being an antagonist of some sort; I thought it was pointing to the damage she’d wrought and going “this is somebody you must not take at face value.”  Turns out I was right about the latter option, at least, because the tales the Gems told Steven about her goodness and purity and wonderful infallibility were, at best, gilded exaggerations.  Turns out she was guilty of plenty, plenty of hard decisions, plenty of bad ones, plenty of morally gray ones that Steven isn’t yet equipped to understand. 

In the end, she was just a person, like anyone else.

Ironically, as Steven’s opinion of his mother has tanked, mine has risen considerably.  Rose Quartz’ essential humanity, for lack of a better term, has made her not just a fantastic character, but eminently more understandable and sympathetic.  Her losses, her failures, her crimes, her fallibility, and, in the end, her mortality have made her one of the deepest and most interesting characters in the entire show.

Which is why I’m so confused by what the show’s implied about her alleged murder of Pink Diamond; it is vitally important to Rose Quartz’ character arc that she be guilty.

Rose’s guilt is the lesson, you see.  Nobody’s perfect.  Nobody’s unbreakable.  Everybody’s faced with a choice between bad and worse at some point in their lives, and the choices we make in those situations tell us a lot about ourselves and each other.  Rose Quartz was faced with a choice; hold to her no-killing preference in the face of overwhelming solidarity as led by one of their society’s living gods and risk the extermination of another people and the continued enslavement of her own, or topple the throne, cut the head off the snake, and parlay the advantage thus gained into victory.  She chose victory--and victory in this case, regardless of what the Diamonds later did to destroy what the rebels fought for,  was freedom and salvation.

Absolving Rose Quartz of her greatest crime defangs her character, reducing at least part of her to that simple golden idol that the Crystal Gems held in such high esteem.  Not only would that be disappointing character development and a pretty boring twist, it doesn’t fit with the rest of her character.  Would the woman who locked one of her closest friends in a box and threw her down the deepest hole she could find--because that friend wanted to kill the people Rose was trying to save--balk at killing her former Diamond to save two species?  It’s confusing to me that it’s been implied that the answer is “yes”.

It also removes part of the motivation for her to take her own life, and, yes, I’m still on about that.

Rose Quartz, in the modern-day memories we’ve seen, was a broken woman.  She’d lost her fire.  She was deeply unconvinced of her own personhood, let alone her own value.  She was stagnating and aware of it and hated herself for it.  Greg started to breathe life back into her, but before he could heal her fully, she saw...I’m not sure how to describe it, really.  I’ve called it an “out”, but I’m not sure it’s quite that simple.  I’ve talked about the lies suicidal people tell themselves about how their deaths would be a good and wonderful thing if they accomplished some good with them, and Rose dying to give Steven life smacks too much of that for me to think anything else.

There’s one other thing bothering me, though, now that I’ve had time to ponder it, and now that I’ve gotten this hint that there’s some answers coming.  In the webcomic Order of the Stick, there are two primary art styles--the solid vector artwork, which depicts events that are Actually Experienced, and crayon doodles that depict tales being told but that did not necessarily actually happen that way.  I bring this up because in a recent episode Garnet told the tale of Rose Quartz’ rebellion, which was almost entirely in the simplified, symbolic flashback art style that we’ve seen several times before...

...except for one shot.

This happened the way we were told.

Did the rest of it?

[sometipsygnostalgic]

kinda frustrated that every conflict in season 5 is build on misunderstanding

homeworld take back steven because they think hes rose quartz and they think rose shattered pink diamond which we immediately wonder if she didnt. okay, yeah, interesting conflict...

connie leaves steven, he doesnt know why

mayor dewey gets blasted by the public because of what steven thinks is a misunderstanding that he was responsible for the kidnappings. in reality steven is misunderstanding that the public dont like dewey because hes shit. 

uhh.... gemcation is the gems misunderstanding steven and thinking hes upset over the very legitimate homeworld experience he just had where lars dies, when hes instead upset because connie wont respond to his texts

kevin party is a misunderstanding circlejerk. steven takes kevins advice, kevin treats them like two teenagers trying to hook back together because he wants stevonnie, naturally steven upsets connie for listening to kevin, connie thinks theyre best friends, she confesses to him she wanted to talk but wouldnt respond to his texts because shes an actual idiot. steven apologises but we never find out what for because connie never explains why she was upset except for “we were supposed to be a team” which is a dumb justification to anyone watching that episode who saw how strong aquamarine was. then they fob kevin off, which is good, but jesus christ this arc was bad.

Raising the Barn is 11 minutes of peridot deciding whether to leave with lapis or stay on earth, with an added catch - lapis for some reason thinks peridot wants to go with her and gets mad when peridot finally says she doesnt for not letting her know earlier. this jerks the conflict around from something interesting onto a fucking irrelevant part of it and undermines the conflict between lapis and peridot on this issue which is so core to their characters.

next episode tries to be soulful as well and showing nothing can ever grow in the kindergarten again but our evidence for this is them planting sunflowers in a patch of unfertilized shade.......... 

sadie thinks a lady is her mom and gets mad about it but she turns out not to be her mom

lars thinks sadie is having fun to spite him and steven and connie rightfully tell him to fuck off. okay yeah this one is fine

lapis leaves the soar system forever because she thought steven’s dream meant the diamonds were coming. steven was just having a fucking dream of the past. yes it was an important one but thats not what it meant at all and she disappears over it instead of over their actual reality, solidifying lapis as meme status for how often she leaves

ongoing misunderstanding: bismuth is still bubbled because she thought steven was rose quartz and tried to kill him. the gems still havent bothered trying to talk to her about their own thoughts, which could steer her away from her murderous intend, especially now they can share the truth about pink diamond and why rose didn’t want to destroy her army....

the entire series turns out to be built on... what doesn’t count as a misunderstanding so much as a lie - rose quartz is pink diamond, and pearl knew the whole time. the conflict rising from this twist on the part of the crystal gems is good 

....except we already know how all the ongoing conflicts are going to end no thanks to cartoon network showing us footage of the resolution, and guess what: it’s all about as easily resolved as misunderstandings usually can be.

you cant build entire storylines on problems that are easily resolved, they end up having no substance or meaningful solutions. the characters dont have to work towards a happy ending when they can just be granted one with a tiny bit of verbal honesty. 

the entire plot of the series so far is going to end on easily resolving a misunderstanding? really???? whats the POINT watching then?

[gemsofephedia]

How LoliRock has to change for season 3...

I’ve been mulling over what season three of LoliRock would be while trying to brainstorm for Gems of Ephedia: Garnet/Ruby. Watch out, I’m just going to ramble for a bit. 

I think the series backed itself into a very difficult corner if the creators ever decide to do a season three. Seasons one and two more or less had an episodic formula: 

Praxina and Mephisto cause a problem or LoliRock finds a problem to solve through Iris’s pendant

the twins summon the monster of the week

the twins, their monster and LoliRock fight

LoliRock solves the problem and collects an Oracle Gem

For season three, that formula has to change. The ending of season two made it pretty clear that it was taking steps towards a deeper, maybe darker, story. LoliRock has been for the most part lighthearted and I cannot imagine the series going back to its self-contained 26 episodes without facing the consequences of Mephisto’s murder. (Assuming he stays dead.) Either the episodic formula has to stop completely or the creators introduce a new story element that keeps the formula. Regardless, with the way things ended in “Crowning Glory,” things have to change. There are no more Oracle Gems to collect. Mephisto is gone but Praxina now has Banes. Praxina has sworn to get revenge by targetting people on Earth. The stakes are much worst.

Before, for the twins, it was mostly about them trying to somehow collect the Oracle Gems. Now, Praxina’s only goal is to hurt people related to LoliRock and it feels like there is very little reason that Praxina does not go full-dark. It is a big difference between Team Rocket trying to steal Pikachu and Uchiha Sasuke looking to get revenge for the murder of his entire clan.

The way I see it, she would start manipulating people to turn them against LoliRock. She could cast a curse on Nathaniel, Kyle or Matt and make them hate the girls. She could turn LoliRock’s fans against them. She could outright kidnap Nat and hold him for ransom. She could kill him even. Easily, Praxina’s actions can spiral from social manipulation to outright murder--considering how Mephisto died. Other than the fact that the show has an age rating and tone, Praxina’s revenge could be anything.

The only reason that LoliRock is back on Earth is that their friends are in danger. Otherwise, they could have just stayed on Ephedia. It seems that the story has to stay on Earth with the ocassional visit from Carissa and Lyna or trip to Ephedia to help the Resistance.

It is also a possibility that Mephisto, Lev or Gramorr come back from the dead somehow, but if the creators decide to do that, things must change for the characters. You cannot just walk away from death like it is nothing. That would just devalue it as a plot device. Iris is especially problematic when it comes to facing traumatic things that are consequences of her actions--like dealing with Lev’s sacrifice at the end of “Stop in the Name of Lev” or her actions in the apocalypse timeline in “Princess Brenda.” She just goes on and acts like everything is fine, but no, Iris, it’s not fine! Maybe it’s a defense mechanism for herself and she is ignoring her responsibility, maybe it depends on the writers and the company’s mandates, I don’t know. When it comes to things that affect her, like the truth about Ellira, Lev lying to her, the dream crystals, vocalextras, etc. we see her doubt, but those aren’t necessarily consequences of her actions, more like wrongs being done to her.

Iris has also demonstrated to have enough rage to be considered murderous, “Princess Brenda” being the prime example, but we don’t know if shanila affects her mental state. The other thing that has changed with Iris is now she is officially with Nat. There is that relationship to balance and it is one of the few things that keep her attached to Earth.

Back to the episodic formula, things have to change. I cannot imagine 26 episodes of Praxina trying target the people around LoliRock for revenge, but I also do not want to see another gotta catch ‘em all quest. The monster of the week element had its merits but sometimes they were completely illogical additions to the story, like in “Strawberry Fields for Never.” (Gramorr sent an ogre to Earth but we do not know why. All we knew was that there was a monster and girls had to destroy it.) There were a couple of times that the plots were bare bones, some better than others.

Gramorr is no longer there to push the plot either with new spells or plans. Hell, we never really understood who he was or what his motivations were. The same goes for the twins. Mephisto mentioned rewards and power and it seemed that it was the same for Lev, but what rewards? And why? Everybody and their grandmother knows that Gramorr is a name to run away from. Why work for him in the first place?

LoliRock could start to introduce their friends to their secret magical lives, but does that mean we start going down an urban fantasy route? As far as we know, humans don’t have magic but they can be affected by it. How do we just let them know that a murderous psycho witch is coming for them because one of them murdered her little brother?

Things have to have consequences. Episodes can’t just be self-contained anymore. When Lolirock first aired, it was aired out of order and despite that, it changed very little. As long as you had two-parters together, the season bookends in their places, the order of everything in-between did not really matter (with a few exceptions).

Anyways, this ramble is getting long. All this is to say that I still don’t have a clear idea on how to proceed with Garnet/Ruby yet without turning it into an urban fantasy version of Pretty Little Liars.

[florencetheflowerfairy]

TSOL Chapter 30 Liveblog

For @lightchildofthespring

The Song of Love by Koukacs / Lightchildofthespring is a longfic retelling of Digimon Adventure where Taichi and Yamato never became Chosen Children, so the focus is more on the other children. It’s epic and dramatic and the ladies are awesome.

Supposedly SHOCKING THINGS are supposed to happen in this chapter, so I have decided to liveblog it!

Please, DO NOT READ THIS LIVEBLOG unless you have read “The Song of Love”! There will be massive spoilers!!

Anyway that’s me (I’m both of them), SUPER READY to tackle this chapter!

How much suffering will you get away with, Koukacs?? I’LL FIND OUT!

Thoughts before I begin:

Supposedly this chapter is darker than “For Friendship, Perhaps,” where there was a GRISLY MURDER.

I REALLY DON’T KNOW HOW YOU CAN GET DARKER THAN THAT BUT OKAY.

BASICALLY I AM EXPECTING KOUSHIRO TO DIE.

Though of course he will get better. 

Though I also have a wild theory that you will parallel Otae and Koushiro by having them both watch their brothers get killed.

WHAT IS THE REVEAL? Something to do with how Fate was created? Are we going to see that? Was Makoto involved?

Is Koushiro going to get a fabulous hairdo ala “Steven and the Stevens”?

So many important questions. OKAY LET’S DIG IN.

1. “The end of all things”

WHAT A TITLE. I MEAN, WHAT CAN I EVEN SAY ABOUT THAT.

2. “I did nothing wrong, Hikari-san.”

Fate, is that you?? My favorite villain?? Also LOL, “nothing wrong,” you TWAT.

3. YES IT IS FATE. MUAHAHAHA.

4. “You’re not really that logical. There’s a lot of pain in you. And anger.”

Hikari is so perceptive and brave!

5. FATE IS PUNISHING KOUSHIRO?? BECAUSE HE INFECTED FATE WITH GLITCHES OF BEING ABLE TO FEEL EMOTIONS??

AAAAAHHHH AW MAN.

6. OMG I love Hikari being so logical about how Koushiro is the brain and absolutely integral to the team, while Fate is being such an emotional mess about this.

This mysterious conversation is giving me lots of Utena vibes and Fate is like Dios.

7. Okay wait. The person Fate is talking to is NOT Hikari? That finally clicked in my brain. I assumed it was like a Dream Version of Hikari. Um.

8. The mysterious wise Hikari-like person just said that Love is Eternal, awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

9. “You’re just a simulation of her that I created!”

I am suddenly reminded of Sirelo’s Ex Machina fanfic. HIKARI THE ROBOT STRIKES AGAIN.

10. “In the end, you are a part of me, just like those other two!”

The other two?? Are the other two Koushiro and Makoto?

11. The story of the Shepherd Boy STRIKES AGAIN.

12. BACK TO YOSHIE YAY!

13. “Among my friends, I was the one who took the longest time to start understanding my partner.”

This made me emotional.

14. Yoshie isn’t shocked at all by Motimon’s assessment of Koushiro’s personality, and she even talked to Masami about it! It’s amazing how similar she and her son are!

15. Aaaahhhh, Yoshie and Koushiro love each other but are terrible at communicating. SO YOSHIE NEEDS TO PLAY HER VIOLIN FOR HIM! THAT’S BEAUTIFUL! I hope to see that happen!

16. OH HI MASAMI. And Koushiro is unconscious, oh dear. STILL ALIVE, THOUGH. THAT’S A PLUS.

17. Back to Koushiro’s vision which Fate has apparently been planning for ages. Makoto’s face is so similar to Yoshie’s!

DON’T TOUCH ME.

18. Haha!! I like how Koushiro is already trying to outsmart Fate! :D

PLAY IT COOL, KOUSHIRO. YOU CAN WIN THIS THING. BE COOL AND CONFIDENT AS WHOEVER THIS LADY IS.

19. DON’T FALL FOR THE TRAP, KOUSHIRO. SOMEBODY IS GOING TO DIE IN THIS CHAPTER AND I DON’T WANT IT TO BE YOU.

20. Fate would use TENTOMON against Koushiro. EVIL EVIL EVIL.

21. “I can hear Koushiro’s heartbeat” and this is shocking?? ARE THEY ALL DEAD AND IN HEAVEN EXCEPT FOR KOUSHIRO? IS THAT’S WHAT GOING ON? Oh wait it’s literally Hell isn’t it.

22. Aaaaaand now Makoto and Tentomon are acting as though they can “still save Koushiro from Fate.”

23. YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE VERY CONVINCING IN ORDER TO GET ME TO TRUST YOU.

24. “Calm down, please. We’ll tell you everything you need to know. It’ll be hard to believe...”

“I’m very open-minded.” The other boy spoke in a defiant tone.

THAT’S MY BOY. THAT’S MYYY BOOOYYYY. THAT’S SOME QUINTESSENTIAL KOUSHIRO RIGHT THERE RIGHT THERE. THAT MIGHT BE THE MOST KOUSHIRO-ESQUE THING YOU HAVE EVER WRITTEN.

I LOVE KOUSHIRO.

“I’M VERY OPEN-MINDED AND ALSO HOW DARE YOU ACT LIKE I’M NOT.”

25. Makoto and Tentomon are the other two computer simulations!! :O

ROBOTS GALORE. IT’S A ROBOT CHAPTER. YAY!

26. “Who were the others? Am I not the first one whose mind Fate abducted? Did those other people... Did Fate kill them all?”

Steven and the Crystal Gems

Come on now don’t be shy

I learned to stay true to myself 

by watching myself die!

I mean I knew this was coming so I’m not surprised but STILL.

27. Aaahhh, so many Koushiros, tortured to death. Koukacs...

28. I’m willing to believe that these Sophisticated Imaginary Friends are good people and that they can help Koushiro. I need to believe that!!

29. I’m very curious why Koushiro is older in this place?? 

30. FAKE-HIKARI IS HERE. SHE’S GOT BLACK BOOTS AND A BADASS PINK COAT. WILL SHE BE FRIEND OR FOE?

31. I’m like barely halfway through this chapter. XD

32. Aaaaahhhh, Koushiro is so afraid that Fate is putting his mother through the same anguish that it did to him. :’’(

33. THE SHEPHERD BOY STRIKES BACK.

34. It’s Real-Hikari! (?)

I CAN TRUST HER, RIGHT?

35. MAYBE SHE’S NOT REAL-HIKARI EITHER GAAAH.

36. MASAMI, SAVE YOUR SON.

37. I have decided that I don’t trust this Hikari after all.

38. “The third question is ‘How many seconds of time are there in Eternity?’”

And Lo, Florencetheflowerfairy answered: Count the number of letters in The Song of Love. Then start from the beginning and count them again. And once you have finally understood all the mysteries in this fanfiction, exactly one second of Eternity will have passed.

39. Anyway, it seems like the reason Koushiro is in this unusual circumstance is because he and his mother have “synchronized.” Not unlike what happened to Koushiro and Sora when Sora was trapped in her own personal hell! The word “synchronized” also makes me think of two hearts singing together, like a song of love. :)

Koushiro and Sora!!! Their friendship!! <3 <3 <3

40. Okay I am TRYING to trust this Fake-Hikari. She seems like a good Sophisticated Imaginary Friend.

41. Aaahhh, Koushiro is being very smart to ask them for information to ask on how to kill Fate! I wonder if that will happen??? (Certainly these computer simulations inside of Fate don’t seem to be as evil...)

42. “I want to know how Fate was created” and then apparently this knowledge is VERY BAD AND WILL HURT. Oh nooooooo. BUT KOUSHIRO IS TOO CURIOUS. HE MUST KNOW.

43. “You really hate the Spirit...” WOW, YOU THINK?

Makoto is sad about this.

I don’t know how this is possible, but is the Spirit somehow made from Koushiro or Makoto’s spirit...?

44. “You’ll be bringing yourself your own end!” Tentomon says. Aaaahh, that old prophecy, finally finally going to happen.

BUT HE’S GOING TO GET BETTER. IT’S OKAY.

45. Aww, I’m glad that Koushiro remembers that his friends and family love him! :’)

46. That’s very clever of the Sophisticated Imaginary Friends to say that they can tell him everything that happened leading up the the creation!

47. And now, they are telling the story of the drabble you posted on your tumblr, when Makoto told the Fairytale to Koushiro... 

48. It really sounds like Koushiro and Fate are the same and I don’t know how that’s possible.

49. Oh no, Masami and Yoshie died in this universe. :’’’(

(I’m fine, don’t worry about me. They’re fictional.) (BUT THAT’S SO SAD, REALLY.)

50. “HE”? IS KOUSHIRO FATE? DID HE DIE TO CREATE FATE? TO CREATE UNIVERSES WHERE HIS PARENTS WEREN’T KILLED?

51. “Where have you been?” And Koushiro thinks that the voice sounds familiar? Who else could it be but Koushiro? Or, Makoto?? Somehow??? I DON’T KNOW???

52. Fake-Hikari is deleted, aww. :( 

53. Aaaaand Fake-Tentomon is also deleted! Makoto will probably be deleted soon, like I thought at the beginning...

54. Aww, Makoto loved him!! <3 :’)

55. Aaahh, Koushiro promises to tell his parents about him!

56. Makoto dies before Koushiro’s eyes. Just like what happened to Otae! Poor Koushiro!!

57. And now we see the chair from Wizarmon’s vision!

58. “Don’t let that thing scare you! Be brave!” BE BRAVE, MY SON!!

59. “I know you too well.” THIS THING HAS TO BE KOUSHIRO. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.

60. “But I know I would never do something like that!” I sense a big dose of IRONY is going to smack you in the face, Koushiro.

61. It’s Koushiro. The chapter ends with the image of Season 1 aged Koushiro and Season 2 aged Koushiro looking at each other.

62. WELP

63. OH GEEZ

64. HOW CAN HE EVER GET OUT OF THIS MESS?

65. GOOD LUCK I LOVE YOU AND YOU’RE GOING TO BE OKAY AND YOU’RE GOING TO HUG YOUR MOM SOON.

[littlemisssquiggles]

Crystal Musings: That tears it. Now that I’ve seen ‘The Trial’ there is no doubt in my mind now that a DIAMOND was responsible for Pink Diamond’s demise while framing of Rose Quartz for the crime! Thank you Moonstone for saying what I’ve suspected ever since we first found out that Pink Diamond was shattered!

I’ve always had my lingering suspicions that it was a Diamond who shattered Pink Diamond instead of Rose Quartz and the episode ‘The Trial’ definitely proved my theory. However even after watching that episode, I’m still very much torn between two hunches. I can’t decide if Yellow Diamond was the one responsible for this whole Pink Diamond incident or if she had a protégé to help her and by protégé, I mean White Diamond.   Here’s what I think:

[///WARNING/// SPOILERS AHEAD///] ’

What if... There was a love triangle among the Diamonds. Maybe Yellow Diamond is in love with Blue Diamond but because Blue Diamond was deeply in love with Pink Diamond, she was jealous of their relationship. Blue Diamond did mention to Greg that she and Pink Diamond were very close. So maybe, similar to Ruby and Sapphire, Blue and Pink Diamond shared a romantic relationship. (Sorry to all the SU fans who thought the Diamonds were ‘sisters’)

But even though Yellow was jealous of Pink’s relationship with her beloved Blue, I don’t think she disliked her enough that she wanted her kill. The reason I said that is, I think even though Yellow Diamond was jealous of Pink and wanted her out of the way so that she can have Blue all to herself, that didn’t necessarily mean that she wanted her gone. She did hint in the song ‘What’s the Use of Feeling Blue’ that she deeply missed Pink Diamond highlighting that at one time, she did love her very much. Maybe not in the way Blue did but...there was compassion.

I think Yellow conspired to get rid of Pink but not have her shattered.

Then there’s the fact that we have yet to see White Diamond. This brings me to my hunch. I think both Yellow and White Diamond conspired to get rid of Pink Diamond both for different reasons. Maybe Yellow wanted to get rid of Pink so that she can have Blue Diamond to herself and White Diamond wanted to get rid of Pink so that she can have full control of the Earth or...maybe she suspected that Pink Diamond would turn on the Diamonds because of her passion and interest in the Earth.

Think about it. Pink Diamond was the one who started the Human Zoo. In the series, we were made to believe earlier on that the Human Zoo was somewhat of a bad place---like a prison but when we got to the actual reveal of the zoo, as it turned out the zoo was basically a paradise where the Diamonds raised their own batch of humans. Like a farm where they raised them in isolation but still look good care of them nonetheless.

If Pink Diamond was suspected to be such a tyrant then why would she go through the trouble of creating a zoo that took care of the human specimen she took under her care? Seriously why?

I think Pink Diamond shared the same philosophy as Rose did. I think the Earth fascinated Pink Diamond and she wanted to do everything in her power to protect it from becoming the wasteland that Home World wanted it to be.

Y’know what I think? What if...Rose Quartz, being one of her soldiers started the rebellion under secret orders from Pink Diamond?

What if...Rose was working with Pink Diamond the entire time to help protect the Earth but kept her alliance with her Diamond a secret from even her fellow crystal gems because she wanted to protect Pink Diamond as well. Maybe out of fear that the other Diamonds would discover her treason, what if...Pink Diamond had Rose fake her treason against her Court but the reality was that everything that Rose and the Crystal Gems were doing was what Pink Diamond wanted all along...to protect the Earth.

Pink Diamond’s death came about possibly because her fellow Diamond, White, suspected that she might be working with the rebels and had her killed by an impersonator to frame the very person she was working with. Imagine how cool of a twist it would be to be to find out later that Pink Diamond was a good guy and she and Rose were friends who wanted the same things.

Garnet did say that Rose had many secrets. Maybe her alliance with Pink Diamond was one of them. She didn’t want the other Crystal Gems to know that she’d been working with a Diamond because primarily she possibly feared they’d desert her and her cause if they found out the truth that she’d been working with one of the very people she and her group had been fighting to upheld (meaning the Diamonds) and secondly; she also wanted to protect Pink Diamond, her Diamond and friend, out of fear that Home World would find out and had her killed. A feat which, as we all know, failed either way because Home World did find out and Pink ended up dying. But not everyone was in on the truth; not even the Diamonds.

So I’m calling it now. White and Yellow Diamond both conspired to axe off Pink Diamond. Yellow only wanted Pink out of the way so that she can have a chance to be with Blue Diamond who she was secretly in love with. Yellow did not anticipate that Pink Diamond would be shattered. That was all part of White Diamond’s plan to get rid of Pink because she saw her as a possible sign of weakness in their ranks---a perpetual stain upon the perfect Diamond hierarchy that they had created together. After Pink was shattered, Yellow Diamond probably confronted White about it implying that killing Pink was not part of the original plan; now feeling guilty for even playing a part in this scheme. Yellow Diamond must’ve known about the attack on Pink Diamond outside her palanquin and even instigated it, ordering all the gems present at the scene to not to say a word. The intention was to only poof Pink Diamond and make it appear as if she were shattered to frame Rose Quartz; not shatter her for real. So Yellow must’ve known and premeditated everything to do with Pink Diamond’s death except the actual death part. That was ALL White Diamond’s doing. White Diamond is possibly blackmailing Yellow Diamond at the moment; threatening to rat her out to her precious Blue Diamond about her heinous crimes against Pink if she didn’t keep her yellow mouth shut.  So Yellow had no choice but to play the part of innocent spectator; dealing with the burden of her lies and deceitful actions all while enjoying the spoils of Blue’s affection. But not entirely cause not only is Blue still grieving over Pink’s death but she’s also very much determined to know the truth of what happened. And I think Yellow’s actions in ‘The Trial’ will only serve to further fuel Blue’s persistence as well as her suspicions that something is certainly off.

Man oh man, just when I thought Steven Universe couldn’t get any more riveting in terms of story. I know everyone has been itching to learn the truth about the war but I like how, instead of showing the whole thing, the series is giving us clues and encouraging us, as the viewers, to piece together the truth for ourselves. I know the truth will ultimately be revealed. But I am enjoying playing super sleuth with these episodes and coming up with hunches. It’s like playing detective and trying to solving a murder mystery case (which technically it is). It’s quite fun.

The more I look at Steven Universe, the more I think at some point, Blue Diamond will seek out Steven. Not out of hate but as a means of befriending him or at least creating a temporary alliance. I think Blue will start to distrust Yellow Diamond and secretly meet up with Steven to get to know more about him, the Crystal Gems and...possibly the Gem he was spawned from to get an understanding of both her and him. Either that or she’ll send her Blue Pearl to do it.

Either way...things are certainly getting more interesting!

~LittleMissSquiggles (2017)

[fighterxaos]

WHELP! Here we are at the review for Saban’s Power Rangers. However, before we go to the end result, and my thoughts on the film let us look back at how we got here. It was around 2014, when Lionsgate responsible for Twilight (Blegh) and Hunger Games (Ok), announced that they acquired the rights to make a Power Rangers film. Considering that we had two Power Rangers movies before this, the first an alternate take on the opening events of Season 3 was a success and the Turbo movie which was canon was not good, fans around the world were skeptical with Lionsgate for attempting this.

  When the first casting reports came in we only knew who would play Kimberly, Naomi Scott. However, in the weeks to months follow we would discover Dacre Montgomery would be Jason, Ludi Lin as Zack, RJ Cycler as Billy, and Becky Gomez as Trini, thus completing the team. Around that time, Hunger Games star Elizabeth Banks was cast to play the “Wicked One” herself Rita Repulsa. Whereas, Bryan Cranston’s casting as Zordon did not happen until much MUCH later, and not even the other cast members knew Cranston was cast as Zordon until the Comic-Con announcement.

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Then on October 8th 2016, the first teaser was released with very mixed signals. Several fans thought that the film would go down the route of the “BayFormers/ Chronicle” by being grim-and-dark. That conception would THANKFULLY change with the second trailer on January 19th 2017. One thing that fans did criticize was that alongside the trailer releases, Lionsgate would reveal info via the toyline rather than through more official channels. Now, I did not hate that route, because I am burnt out by MMPR in general. However, I am about to tick off a lot of MMPR loyalists, but… I AM BURNED THE HELL OUT ON THE CLASSIC MMPR! The main reason why I can enjoy the comics from Boom! Studios and Lionsgate film is because they are doing new things with the property.

  Lionsgate is keeping the series grounded, and is re-inventing the classic characters for a new generation of fans. Old and current fans seem to scoff at this a lot, with comments like “This is a remake of something from my childhood, it is going to suck!”, “If this movie isn’t EXACTLY like the show, it will bomb!”, and of course, “Will the original cast make cameos?” If one cannot figure it out, I am just shaking my head at these comments. Now, I have lived through Power Rangers’ good times and its dark days. Yet, out of all 21 seasons, as I do not count the SUPER seasons as separate seasons, I have only hated two seasons. These seasons were of course Power Rangers Operation Overdrive and Megaforce, so if anything, I can live through this movie “not being the same as the 1990’s”. Now, with that said let see if Saban’s Power Rangers can deliver a new experience that fans of the franchise can enjoy!

SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT!!!

Our story begins in the Cenozoic Era, as the Red Ranger is crawling out of a gravel-laden battlefield. The Yellow Ranger removes her Power Coin, and gives it to the Red Ranger before she dies. The Red Ranger can only say to her, “I’m sorry”. We then discover the Red Ranger is Zordon, as he de-morphs and hides the Power Coins of the other fallen Rangers, except for one of them. The Green Ranger, appears who is none other than Rita Repulsa (yeah called it!), and she does not wear the Dragon Shield. Now, before Rita manages to defeat Zordon he radios Alpha-5 to direct a large meteor toward the Earth to act like a tactical nuke. The plan is successful, stopping Rita, as well as killing Zordon. Honestly this feels a little bit like Dino Charge, with Keeper’s crash-landing on the planet…

  Fast-forward to the present day, where Jason is assisting in a prank where the one guy thought he was milking a cow, but Jason reminds him that the cow was a BULL. Oops. Most fans groaned at this, but at least Jason was not doing the “milking” like one other review exclaimed. Jason, and friends get caught and attempt to get away, however Jason crashes his truck. In the crash, he breaks his leg, gets caught and takes the blame for everything. Jason seemingly has a good heart, but it is not in the right place yet. He is then placed under house arrest, kicked off the football team, loses his scholarship, and forced to go to detention. At detention, we then meet Kimberly, and Billy. Kim is there for an unknown reason, but is later revealed to be the reason why she has been ostracized by her former friends. Kim sent out revealing photos of student, and it was a big screw-up. A lot of people call her out for it, but to be honest teenagers do stupid crap and it is an incident that reflects reality. Whereas, Billy is in detention for sort of making a bomb. He loves to tinker with things, and it sometimes results with the items exploding. Billy is also bullied a lot due to the fact he is autistic.

Now, Jason and Billy quickly become friends after Jason stands up for him. To show his gratitude Billy offers to reprogram the Jason house-arrest anklet for him. At first, Jason passes on the idea however takes the offer, but he also needs to help Billy with a favor. The two head out to the quarry where Billy has been investigating the area, being the son of an archaeologist. There they come across Kim, as well as Trini and Zack while Billy sets off a charge. From the blast the group discovers the Power Coins, as security arrives. They make an escape in Billy’s family van, but crash into an on-coming train. They manage to survive due to the powers within the Power Coins, however the power resonating reactivates Rita’s reviving her recovered corpse. Upon her revival, Rita sets forth murder anyone who stands in her way. Rita’s ultimate plan is to obtain as much gold as she can to restore Goldar, and reclaim the Zeo Crystal!

  The next day, the gang discovers they are all completely healed, especially Jason’s busted leg. Then within the following hours discover the powers they have acquired. They all decide it is best to head back to quarry and see if they can find an answer. There they accidentally found an underground cavern, which leads them to the Command Center. Now, it the film the place is never by either of its original names, but just bear with me as I still call it the Power Chamber. The Rangers first encounter Alpha-5 before meeting with Zordon, like their originators and just like the original only Jason is willing to hear out Zordon’s pleas for help. Jason manages to convince the others to join the Zordon, learning they only have 11 days to stop Rita. The following morning the team begins their training, and learn the rules of being a Ranger. One thing that stands out it that to be able to morph the group needs to be synchronized with one another.

They make a few attempts early on to morph, but are unsuccessful. Alpha-5 then steps in to begin teaching them basic combat skills needed to fight Rita’s minions, the Putties. After a montage in how they become skilled fighters, the team is still able to morph. Alpha-5 steps in again thinking that maybe if the Rangers see the Zords that it will inspire them. Alpha-5 also explains that the Zords represent Dinosaurs because at the time they were strongest species on the planet. The explanation however raises the question; would the Dragon Zord or Thunder Zords be based on alien lifeforms that are equivalent to mythical creatures?… Anyways, Zack swipes the Mastodon for a joyride, but almost kills the Rangers in the process. Yet, it goes with his rebellious ways, as well as WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO TAKE A ZORD OUT FOR A JOYRIDE?

  Never the less Zack’s stunt leads to fight with Jason. Billy goes into break up the fight, and in doing so it unlocks his ability to morph, just briefly though. My guess was he unintentional wills himself to morph, due towards the feelings of having friends. Later that night, they host a traditional campfire discuss dealing with their problems. Trini returns home, and she is ambushed by Rita who demands to know where the Zeo Crystal! Yeah, the Zeo Crystal is in the film, and it is shown to be a massive collection of gems that hold an immense power, McGuffin Level! Trini though does not know of its location, so Rita attempts to persuade her to join her in her quest before leaving. Now earlier during training, Jason overhears Zordon and Alpha discussing that once the Rangers can morph, he can revive himself. Jason is quickly pissed with Zordon, and engages him in an argument. Zordon tries to explain that the Rangers will need him in the battles to come, but Jason realizes he is just as scared as everyone else. He then chooses to keep the this a secret, until Trini mentions she has been in contact with Rita. From this they devise that now could be the time to defeat Rita, while she is still weak.

They go to set-up and engage Rita, but she still vastly overpowers the Rangers. The choreography in this scene is great in my opinion. Rita uses her power to tie-up the Rangers, and claims that she will not kill them if they tell her where the Zeo Crystal is. At first the Rangers, hold back the information, but after she tortures Zack, Billy reveals the location. The Zeo Crystal is hidden beneath a Krispy Kreme, of all damn things! Rita then thanks Billy, but her gratitude is shown by drowning Billy and forcing the others to watch. The team recovers Billy’s body and takes him back to Zordon in the hopes he can do something. Initially Zordon says there is nothing he can, but this emotionally unites the team allowing them to morph. Alpha exclaims to Zordon it is time for him to finally return, and he vanishes for mere seconds. However, he returns to the ship having used that time to revive Billy from the dead. The team finally undergoes their morph, and visuals are purely stunning! I honestly enjoy these Guyver-esque bio-organic armors, as well as the added voice modulation system. I also personally like how the suits are both physical ones that are accented by CG like how Marvel does it for their heroes.

  Exiting the Command Center the Rangers encounter a hoard of Putties. Jason manages to pulling out the Power Sword to even the odds. Yet, even then there is still too many of them. Zack’s response is go get his Mastodon to mow down all the Putties. Everyone else follows his lead, and race off to Angel Grove to stop Goldar.  While the Rangers race to the city, the fans are met with a homage to the original sequence accompanied by “Go Go Power Rangers”. However, it is not the new orchestral version, but the original from the 1995 movie, which I found as interesting nod to the original film too. Once entering the city, Rita summons forth another group of Putties to fight the Zords. I personally love the bit where the T-Rex Zord throws a yellow and black racing-striped Camaro with Jason exclaiming, “Sorry, BumbleBee!” I must admit, I laughed my ass off at that! In the battle, Putties causes Jason’s dad to crash his truck, as he was looking for him. Jason jumps out of his Zord to save his dad, but remembers to hide his identity in the process. The rangers manage to hurt Rita which collapses the Putties. It is here where Goldar shows a sign of sentience, going to rescue and heal Rita. The Rangers then attempt to hold a line separating her from the Zeo Crystal. The team blasts Goldar with everything the Zords have. The Zords must run on laser logic because they do not seem to run out of ammo. Goldar crushes the Pterodactyl, sets the Zords ablaze, and sends them into the pit with Zeo Crystal. While the team falls to their death, Billy thanks the team for being his friends as they are engulfed in an explosion.

Yeah Rita, ABOUT THAT… Apparently, the explosion and the team’s unity resonates with the Zeo Crystal allowing the Zords to combine! Thus, the Megazord is formed. Now, I have come to like the design, and the fact each Ranger has their own cockpit. The only thing I do not like is that the battle with Goldar is short. Yet, it has a defining moment where the Megazord hits Goldar with a freaking German Suplex. Instantaneously the scene made me want to cry out “SUPLEX CITY, BITCH!” The Megazord eventually uses the Pterodactyl’s wings as swords, to finish off Goldar. The Rangers then attempt to tell Rita to stand down, and turn over her staff housing the final Power Coin. Rita goes crazy with the whole “I KNOW I AM WORTHY!” line. In that fit of rage, Rita lunges towards the Megazord, but Trini bitch-smacks Rita into space as if she is Team Rocket. The Rangers stand triumphant, with bystanders looking on in awe. Among the people in the crowd are cameos by Amy Jo Johnson, and Jason David Frank.

  The city starts to rebuild after Rita’s attack and Jason returns to the Power Chamber. He returns the Power Sword and Zordon questions why being worthy of the sword. Jason merely replies that he will back for it one day. Jason heads to class meeting up with Kim, and Billy where they pass him a note of the iconic lightning bolt with their colors in it. Meanwhile Trini is home fixing her room, as her brothers talk to her about the Rangers. When Trini mentions the Yellow Ranger, they tell her “He was awesome too!” Trini then replies, “How do you know it’s a boy?” which I felt was a jab at the original issue with Zyuranger’s adaptation as MMPR. There is then a mid-credit scene where the teacher calls for the new student, Tommy Oliver, who is missing from the room. THANK FREAKING CHRIST, the scene does not reveal Tommy, and leaves the reveal for the sequel!

My Thoughts & Final Analysis:

Now, that was Saban’s Power Rangers and I found it to be utterly AMAZING! The fact that we have a backstory on Rita, and Zordon makes this better than the original show. The way it was portrayed makes more sense than the typical good vs. evil plot. Elizabeth Banks KILLS IT as Rita in this movie. She has the crazy down pat, and she can “ham” it up just as much as the original Rita could. Then as for Alpha-5, the character was much like the original out of the way, supportive, and comedic. Bill Hader is a wonderful Alpha-5 too, as he has that sass I enjoy in characters. Hader’s portrayal really reminds me of the corrupted Alpha from “The Wedding” multi-parter. However, the movie DOES drag a bit during the development of the Rangers, but it is reasonable. Fans coming out of the film argued it took much time, and that there was not enough of the suits or “cheesiness”. Yet, I argue the Rangers need to be built up to be a team, and earn powers. Furthermore, if the development occurs after they get the suits, the characters might easily become afterthoughts.

RJ Cyler – Billy/Blue

I gravitate towards Billy the most in this movie since I have Asperger’s Syndrome, and RJ Cyler portrays the symptoms accurately. I feel like Zack and Trini fell by the wayside, and not as used as much as the others. However, during the campfire scene when the gang opens up to one another, is where Trini’s development stands out! Trini’s body-language as Zack jokes about her intimate relations tells the audience everything on she has not entirely able come to terms with the fact that she is gay; or she simply just does not have the confidence to be more open on the subject. Never the less, the whole scene speaks volumes and is another relatable struggle with the teens/ people of today.

  The film also has a ton of Easter Eggs, so one might need to have eagle eyes to catch them all in one viewing. I am serious, trust me, there is a lot of them! However, I will not say what they are because see them is more entertaining. Plus, the film deserves multiple viewings. The movie is a TON of fun, and I cannot wait to see what they do with other past villains. Maybe we can get out of these sequels a new Ivan Ooze? Anyways, I am Zeltrax Millennuim and I hope for those reading this review that it was either on par with those who like the film, or convincing people who have not seen it to check it out!

Final Verdict: 9.5 out of 10

Millennium’s Mind: Saban’s POWER RANGERS Review

WHELP! Here we are at the review for Saban’s Power Rangers. However, before we go to the end result, and my thoughts on the film let us look back at how we got here.

Millennium’s Mind: Saban’s POWER RANGERS Review WHELP! Here we are at the review for Saban's Power Rangers. However, before we go to the end result, and my thoughts on the film let us look back at how we got here.

[ganymedesclock]

Hi @themodernmisogynist​, I see that you have very kindly taken me up on my offer. 

That said, you appear to have failed to explain how the messages you outline have not been actively contradicted by the show itself.

Message Received: “Steven,” Garnet says, “sometimes people don’t deserve the effort it takes to befriend them.” She is specifically talking about Peridot, who in that same episode, not only covers for the Crystal Gems at her own expense even before she had any intention of betraying Yellow Diamond, but, held her ground, argued with, and then berated her superior, overcoming considerable stress to do so.

End takeaway: Wow Garnet sure was totally wrong about people not deserving kindness or patience.

Oh, but Clockie, you might be saying, that was only one time. It isn’t as if Garnet made a sweeping, generalized statement (which she did) that was immediately contradicted by the entire rest of the episode (which it was) and which Garnet herself spent the entire next episode being friends with Peridot (which she did)

But sure. It’s just one episode.

Gem Drill: “Steven,” Peridot says, “I know you feel bad about the Cluster, but, it’s going to destroy the Earth. And it is too twisted and broken to come back. You can’t talk to it.”

“That’s nice,” says Steven, and talks to the Cluster, who helps him protect Earth.

Earthlings. “Steven,” says Jasper, only this is thematic paraphrasing and Jasper didn’t actually call him that name, “some people are so bad that they deserve to suffer.” She says this while very obviously sitting under a massive burden of self-loathing, unsubtly implying that she believes everything bad that has ever happened to her is her fault. Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot, are all horrified by what happened, and nowhere does the rest of the tone of the episode treat Jasper as right.

But I mean, clearly, Crewniverse is just making sure not to spoil us that their series is going to end like countless other stories that have gone the exact same way, and refused to sympathize with or forgive any of their antagonists!

Who ever heard of a story where the themes present in the beginning of the story are relevant to its ending?

It isn’t as if the assassination of Pink Diamond is set up in such a way that we are meant to be incredibly uncomfortable with it, as shown by how our viewpoint character, Steven, continues stressing out about it afterwards!

It isn’t as if the idea of using lethal force on his worst enemies was something Steven found revolting in Bismuth and even after Bismuth tried to kill him, he would rather destroy the Breaking Point than even leave it there, showing his misgivings on the subject are stronger than Rose’s, who logically had the chance to destroy it but didn’t?

“These people brag about how many planets they’ve [colonized]”

Quote and episode title or it didn’t happen. You may be referring to Message Received, “and I want that planet to die.” In which case: there definitely isn’t any reason why Yellow Diamond would be upset about Earth and speaking out of personal hurt the way a bunch of other characters that we are asked to sympathize with have.

You also may be referring to a thus-far unsupported fan-interpretation of the moon murals that they are depicted with their colonies, of which, even if those are planets under the control of their Diamonds, “bragging about how many planets they’ve killed” is a very biased and unsupported theory, because the worst we see of Homeworld comes from a place of callousness, not from “boy I love murder.”

You argue the show has never dealt with the question of whether or not someone can be redeemed but without even going back and combing the episodes I can find at least two that talked about that exact concept and proceeded to cheerfully rip it to shreds and play a happy ukulele song over it.

But you’ve intrigued me now. Your argument seems to be that the Diamonds are uniquely irredeemable. That Bismuth, Centipeetle, Jasper, every other antagonist we’ve met so far will be ultimately forgiven, except for the Diamonds.

What’s the deciding variable?

What specifically have the Diamonds done that makes them deserve to die, and you had better, once again, have specific episode names and scenes that you can list off to prove that’s what they did.

Is it because they don’t have any remorse? Because Peridot sure didn’t!

Is it because if you tried to give them an olive branch, they’d just as soon try to crush you with a giant metal fist? Cause that’s exactly what Peridot did!

Is it because they’re too twisted to even understand you if you tried to talk to them? Cluster.

Oh, and also, I obliquely referenced this in my earlier post but Crewniverse has released several statements that the show does not have actual villains, one of them as early as Warp Tour. Somehow I feel like the Diamonds, as characters in the show, are covered by those statements. And since I’ve been here heckling you for quotes and links, it’d just be hypocritical of me to not include that myself, wouldn’t it?

Here you go. Relevant part is the final paragraph:

But we won't necessarily see that many iconic villains on Steven Universe, says Sugar — the Gems aren't dealing with a particular person, but something "bigger than that." There's not "really a singular enemy." Instead, the conflict will be within the group, and it'll be about Steven figuring out what's right.

Funny how that statement is completely incongruous with the Diamonds being responsible for everything right. 

And here is where I stop arguing about why that can’t be, and start arguing about why that shouldn’t be.

A friend of mine recently said something that I feel very apt: “Not everyone will see themselves in Steven. Any time any story tries to say not everyone can or should be saved, someone watching that show will watch it and say ‘it’s me. I’m the one who can’t and shouldn’t be saved.’”

And what the actual hell is fantasy good for if we can accept magic alien rocks that make humanoid bodies but we can’t accept that there’s a basic right for people to live?! Why is the idea that you can solve problems with people without killing them the most unreasonable thing here?

Because the show sure as hell isn’t saying you can’t have a beef with someone and Beach City Drift was dedicated to the idea that you don’t actually need to give the people who wronged you the goddamn time of day, that they may well not regret what they did to you, that you may well not have a means to make them sorry. 

It’s saying that hey maybe there’s possibly, somewhere in this green earth, a way to deal with your beef with other people without literally shoving them off this mortal coil forever.

You’re talking about how much it’ll hurt Steven? How about everyone like Jasper who’s already deeply, profoundly hurting from the loss of Pink Diamond and the thousands of people who would be thrown anew into that situation?

Are you really telling me Steven is the only person who would grieve the Diamonds? You’re trying to tell me if Steven was going to kill them, no one would try to put themselves in the way?

You’re telling me, at bare minimum, that Steven, someone who literally has stated as his goal that he thinks he’ll be able to understand everyone (Guide To The Crystal Gems) would look at someone, in that instant, at his mercy, and kill them?

And I’m going to say something else, while I’m here and I have your attention. I’m sure that you think your perspective is very informed, very intelligent, that you’re voicing a sad but unequivocal truth of the world.

You aren’t.

You’re telling me, and I’m mad and not going to mince words here, the same tired boring garbage I have heard it feels like hundreds of times here, by unimaginative people who tell me Peridot doesn’t deserve an arc, I should give up, she’s just going to die eventually- who told me to give up on Jasper. Who didn’t even have to say anything because even I didn’t believe the Cluster was going to be forgiven.

This is the same recycled hogwash I have heard literally as soon as Peridot was introduced as a character. That there’s something uniquely diabolical about her that you can see just looking at her in ten seconds of screentime. That somehow she’ll be a cardboard cutout piece of evil, and that this is somehow more deep than addressing the idea that anything on the scale of destroying an entire planet can happen and be perpetuated without the existence of a Pure Evil Mastermind who does nothing but live in a poorly lit room tapping her fingertips together and intermittently kicking poor helpless Gems so we remember to hate her.

But you and everyone before you has packaged it and handed it to me like a beautiful present, like this is the most inspiring, incredible idea you’ve heard of.

But what if, you whisper on bated breath, eyes aglow, your face flushing by the very excitement of what you are about to tell me- what if Yellow Diamond doesn’t actually have any sympathetic motivations? What if she’s just a terrible person for no conceivable reason, and meaninglessly, she refuses to ever reconsider her perspective or make a friend once in her life?

Wouldn’t it be so much more valuable to have another remorseless, senseless, two dimensional villain to throw to the massive pile of remorseless senseless two-dimensional villains we already have, than to actually try to explore how one actually does try to reconcile something of that magnitude, how the Diamonds became how they are and how they might potentially change, as magnificently flawed and complex beings?

You look at me, awaiting an answer. Surely, your revelation has rendered me speechless.

I smile at you, and speak:

Get your poorly conceived entry-level grimdark shit away from me. 

[shinneth]

Gem Ascension Tropes (White Diamond-specific: K - P)

Primary General Post ♦ Full Article ♦  Primary Peri Post ♦  Primary WD Post 

Karma Houdini: Pretty much everyone except Steven is fully aware she is this no matter how decisively she’s been defeated. When Steven spares her with an Energy Donation, she proves this when she retaliates with that very energy.

Killed Off For Real: White shattered into a ring of dust moments before Homeworld followed suit. She ain’t coming back from that.

Know-Nothing Know-It-All: For being the Diamond of Omniscience, White has one hell of a selective memory and for the most part all but disregards Steven and Peridot’s identities and lives on Earth. She is solely focused on who they are as Diamonds; White speaks as if they never had lives or a purpose elsewhere. This behavior works to the Crystal Gems’ benefit on more than one occasion throughout Act III. Literally, the only time White seems to have any kind of awareness of Steven and Peridot’s Earth lives is when she’s part of the Celadon Diamond fusion.

Lack of Empathy: A bit of a given when one considers the countless amounts of lives she’s ruined at best (outright ended at worst) even before the events of GA. Not to mention the fact that White makes it very clear that she doesn’t see herself at fault for anything that ever went wrong with Homeworld and isn’t sorry for a single crime she commits. Losing Pink Diamond is probably the closest White ever came to averting this trope, but that was also largely her fault (that she, shockingly, refuses to own up to). Pink’s spirit outright admits she’s the only soft spot White has that the Crystal Gems could exploit to appeal to her alleged “better nature” … but given the lives she’d shatter before reality finally makes her face the music, it really isn’t worth the effort.

Last-Second Chance: After Steven grants White an Energy Donation at her request before leaving, she’s extremely offended by how neutral he’s behaving around her. She’s also not taking Peridot’s mellowed down stance on her well, either, given everything she put these two through, and by extension, all their friends and everyone she ruled over. To be treated like she’s irrelevant is far worse than being reviled, as it makes her feel insignificant despite being who she is. Despite Steven’s good intentions, White sees this as a Cruel Mercy. So, against all rational thought, she attempts to throw a last fatal parting shot In the Back at the Crystal Gems before Peridot nearly turns it into a Backstab Backfire (which she only defies at the last second after the sheer satisfaction of terrifying White is far more rewarding than simply taking her life).

Let’s See YOU Do Better!: Literally the only somewhat-valid ammunition White Diamond has against the Crystal Gems towards the end of Act III is her speculation on whether or not they can do a better job at handling an entire empire than her. The Crystal Gems maintain their positive outlook on how life will play out from here on out, but every single one of them has at least some degree of concern on how they’re going to handle adapting millions of confused and terrified Homeworld gems to Earth, as well as how to handle the issue of the colonies inevitably falling apart unless they get involved. The only thing that’s certain at this point is that the Crystal Gems won’t be following White Diamond’s example.

Light/Bright is Not Good: She is a Complete Monster, and also the lightest, whitest, and brightest of the entire cast by far.

Logical Weakness: Since White Diamond’s powers of omniscience largely rely on her ability to Body Surf through the bodies of gems she hijacks with her pallification, it stands to reason that White is screwed and practically blind if she is in a situation where there are no gems for her to use as puppets. In Act III, Pearl manages to create a vaccine that grants gems immunity to her influence (though it can’t cure gems that are already infected). By Chapter 5, all of the living Homeworld gems – regardless of their health – were migrated to Earth courtesy of Steven and Peridot. By Chapter 7, Garnet and Moonstone dispatch all of White Diamond’s proxies after the real White fused to become Celadon Diamond. This left White with no means of observing the world through her subjects’ eyes, and the Crystal Gems were immune to her influence. White also could no longer hide behind a mass of clones; she had to confront the Crystal Gems directly from that point onward.

Mad Scientist: She, Yellow, and Blue were behind the development of all Unwitting Test Subjects prior to Peridot. The reason, at least as far as White is concerned, is little more than For Science (and whether or not diamond dust is a viable component to add to injector fluid to better a gem’s inherent skill). This trope’s more of a thing for Peridot’s case specifically, since she’s the only test subject who got an extra element in Yellow Diamond’s shard thrown into what made her; White’s rationale for this was to see not only if she could grow a new Diamond from another gem, but to see if a gem from the bottom of the caste system can rise all the way to the top through this experiment. Surprisingly, White ended up being successful on both points.

Manipulative Bastard: Might as well be White’s middle name. She pulls a very long and elaborate game with Peridot to wear down her defenses, then at the right moment, targets Peridot’s weakness for Steven to overcome the Determinator. From that point onwards, Peridot becomes very easy to manipulate over to her side. Although it isn’t long before Peridot (as Chartreuse Diamond) pulls a Heel-Face Turn, all White Diamond has to do is trap her again along with her friends and then make Peridot’s resolve crumble with a single Armor-Piercing Question about her inability to fuse (with some heavy implication that her very influence is hazardous to Steven’s health). With that, White is able to force Peridot into a fusion to form Celadon Diamond, and as a bonus, has Peridot as a permanent hostage.

Master of Illusion: Conjures an illusion of Steven that even bears his voice with the sole purpose of distracting Peridot long enough for her to lose in the ongoing struggle to keep her neck from getting lacerated. She ripped it straight from Peridot’s own mind, as a bonus.

Meaningful Title: The Diamond of Omniscience; as a serial Body Snatcher, she can oversee everything going on in Homeworld without ever having to leave her palace.

The Mentor: Makes herself out to be one for Peridot in Act III when she ascends and becomes Chartreuse Diamond, but it’s all an act to keep Peridot Properly Paranoid about using her new powers too much.

Mike Nelson, Destroyer of Worlds: White really didn’t think through her rebooting-Homeworld plan very well. She obviously had no plans for precautions on how to protect her own subjects from the planet’s inevitable destruction, let alone the infrastructure of the metropolis or even herself. Arguably, White might have survived such an event in peak condition, but there was no evidence whatsoever that she had any plans for damage control or any form of a Plan B if this process didn’t work the way she intended it to. Ironically, Homeworld did end up getting reborn, albeit through natural means – in other words, it’ll be millions of years before the new Homeworld would even be inhabitable. It also happened without any input from White whatsoever, and frankly couldn’t have worked out with her as an element even if she did live to see it.

Mind Hive: Utilizes proxies to resemble identical copies of herself via Clone by Conversion of several pallified gems fusing together.

Mind Rape: Resorts to this after accepting that she can’t break Determinator Peridot any other way.

Moral Event Horizon: Objectively, White crossed this a loooong time ago; she’s every bit as responsible (if not more so) for countless acts of global genocide and everything else inherent with being the ruler of a densely-populated planet where Individuality is Illegal and life can be forfeit merely on a whim. In terms of Gem Ascension, well… the easy answer would be the moment she (as Celadon Diamond) blew up the Crystal Gems’ spaceship, resulting in the attempted murder of Greg and actual murder of Pumpkin in Chapter 7 of Act III. But honestly, her very first heinous action of killing Blue Diamond in Chapter 6 of Act I could count, too. Then there’s the slew of atrocities White’s committed between these two moments…

Narcissist: No matter how often she screws up, White Diamond will never admit to being anything less than perfect. Even when it’s painfully obvious how ignorant and delusional she is late in Act III, at no point does White even show the slightest hint of self-awareness of her own insanity and ineptitude. She blames Homeworld’s crapsack state on everyone else, which is why she wants to form the Diamond of Miracles to reboot the planet back to its previously-perceived “perfect” form it once was thousands of years ago.

Never My Fault: Homeworld is dying because of her by Act III. It was already merely a shell of its former self prior to GA, but that was also largely due to White Diamond’s carelessness. Still, despite being shown all the evidence that points to her as the cause, she will point fingers at literally everyone else to blame for the state of Homeworld before ever considering her own responsibility.

No One Sees the Boss: Downplayed in that White Diamond has clearly been seen in canon by several of the main characters before GA even starts, but it’s made clear in Chapter 6 of Act I that this is actually a very big deal. Historically, White Diamond almost never shows herself, and Peridot confirms that it’s actually taboo to even talk about White, or even namedrop her. This has been the case not only in modern times, but even Lapis and Bismuth can’t recollect anything about White Diamond when they lived on Homeworld many thousands of years ago as well. As GA progresses, the trope becomes averted, as White is pretty much forced to step out from the shadows to address her subjects in order to fill in for Yellow and Blue Diamond after killing them both in Act I.

No Sympathy: Surprising, isn’t it? The self-centered, morally-bankrupt, and single-minded main villain of the main story doesn’t give two hoots how much others around her suffer as a consequence of her actions. Most of the time, White is shown not acknowledging someone’s turmoil at all, even when it’s shoved right in front of her face. 

Not So Omniscient After All: With Steven and Peridot sending away all remaining gems on Homeworld to Earth, then later Garnet and Moonstone destroying all of her remaining proxies, White Diamond no longer has the means to be anywhere and everywhere. She can’t exactly be a Body Snatcher (nor a Body Surfer) if there are no bodies left for her to hijack. She can’t even use the Crystal Gems for that purpose, as by that point they’ve all been immunized to her pallification.

The Omniscient: Official title is the Diamond of Omniscience. 

The Perfectionist: Per canon, but subverted and deconstructed in the GA continuity. Much as White strives for perfection, even within Act I it’s apparent how unhinged and imperfect White truly is through her actions and judgment. She honestly does more damage to herself and her plans than the Crystal Gems do. At no point does she consider herself responsible for driving Homeworld so far into the ground that it can no longer sustain itself; all White cares about is creating a miracle to reboot the planet to its former “perfect” glory, so that she can continue pretending she runs a flawless empire.

Possessing a Dead Body: While pallification technically doesn’t fully kill a gem, they’re little more than a vegetable after the fact, whether they’re directly being controlled by White or not. Played a little more straight with the White Diamond proxies, which are made up of several pallified gems forcibly fused together to take on her appearance and likeness; White directly controls those more so than the standard pallified gem, and Chapter 7 of Act III proves the gems who make up these proxies are impossible to save; even poofing a proxy will automatically shatter every gem in that “fusion”. The fact that they weren’t transported to Earth with the other Homeworld gems by Steven and Peridot (who even rescued standard pallified gems) is also indicative that they are well beyond saving, and therefore the proxies are little more than several dead gems melded together.