#oqd blue

[viaphni]

"Diamond. Calm Down."

Raw colors below cut

These make the pose a lot more visible

Blue is holding Diamond's wrist and shoulder, Diamond struggling against his hold and screaming at Lapis who has already stormed off

[viaphni]

An analysis for the latest Corrupted Colors episode, “An Argument,” because it was AMAZING

To start off with general thoughts, the acting was REALLY good, especially at the very peak of the argument where Blue was having to separate the two of them. The change in vignette colors was great too—red to black, mirroring Diamond’s spikes of anger and frustration. It very much helped with representing the jarring spikes of emotion that we feel during arguments, those little sparks of rage that make us say things we don't mean. The core argument was very telling about all three characters and their motives, how they view the war in their minds.

It begins simply, innocently, with Lapis suggesting that the trio plan their strike against Chaotic. Some ideas are proposed, but Diamond is quick to interject with his own view.

Diamond wants to carry out the fight alone. He wants the seal, to keep everyone safe and away, and to go to Chaotic alone.

It highlights that his entire view on the situation is a trauma response to his experiences during the last infection. The impression that Dark Diamond left on his mind. He lost so many people during that time. In the end, when he was fighting Dark Diamond, he really was alone. He had lost Abe, Bedrock, the Emerald, Lapis, the Kings and their heirs—they had all fallen to the infection. All he had to validate his strength in those moments was The First Pickaxe. A valued relic, sealed away—it chose him. Something chose him and said he was worthy even after all the mistakes he made. I’m sure that was one of the main things that kept him going at all.

Now, the pickaxe rejects him. And Diamond doesn’t know why. He doesn't remember the pain and loss of the second crossover, the way Origin spoke to him.

“You’ve proven yourself to be too weak for the fights ahead, Diamond.”

It’s too strong, even for you.

He was disgraced by a god. And he doesn't even remember.

It must be so frustrating, the weapon’s silence. He’s won now, and he thinks he’ll win again, surely he’ll win again because he’s Diamond! The Diamond who saved them all, look at all he did! Him rejecting the aid of Lapis and Blue makes so much sense, because that’s the way he was accustomed to operating, and now he has to make room for other strengths, other possibilities, chances of injury and infection and death. And to him, that is unacceptable.

When Diamond is shut down by the other two, he gets defensive. He starts to accuse them of thinking they’re more powerful, thinking he’s being put down.

In relation to the pickaxe, I can lead into Lapis’ section of the argument.

When Diamond gets defensive, this is Lapis’ first response.

And he’s right. Diamond always wants to position himself as the shield and the sword at the same time, defending in front of everyone yet taking the whole fight himself—Always rushing in. This seems to come from a place of care and concern, not wanting Diamond to be harmed. They almost lost him when he was impaled by the Guardian. If Chaotic got him in a bad place alone…

Diamond shuts him down. He says that he defeated Dark Diamond, that Lapis was the one who got infected, Lapis is the weaker one, and he is stronger.

Lapis did not take this well. He lashes out;

These are his major lines before storming off. There’s a lot to unpack here.

He accuses Diamond of bragging, sitting on a high horse since his defeat of Dark Diamond. A corpse. The line “he was already dead” adds a lot of depth to the overall situation, I think. Dark Diamond was powerful, but he was always pathetic. A hollow husk of the man he once was. He was already dead. Diamond just put him back in the ground.

And Lapis brings up the pickaxe—how it’s inflated Diamond’s ego.

“You’ve gotten on a damn high horse. ‘Cause of that pickaxe. You think you’re some sort of higher power, DON’T YOU?! THE PICKAXE ISN’T EVEN RESPONDING TO YOU! IT KNOWS YOU’RE NOT WORTHY!”

As I said earlier; “All he had to validate his strength in those moments was The First Pickaxe. A valued relic, sealed away—it chose him. Something chose him and said he was worthy even after all the mistakes he made. I’m sure that was one of the main things that kept him going at all.”

The pickaxe is what let Diamond save everyone. He is still holding onto it through its dormancy. It reminded me a lot of Sabre's shadow sword in Rainbow Quest, the way it was inherently something no longer healthy for him to hold, but he still was attached to it because it gave him strength and an upper hand in a losing battle. He was GLUED to it. It made him feel superior. And there was that moment, where Time and Elemental begged him to step down and give up the sword, to accept help—but Sabre rejected it. He lashed out. He hurt his friends. Diamond seems to be having a similar response to the pickaxe.

Lapis’ accusation towards Diamond could also open an interesting perspective into his own mind, though it is a bit of a stretch.

It’s no secret that Lapis is aware of his “weakness.” His infection, his training under Enchant, it was all enough to let him be aware of his limits. But (and this does branch into theory) I don’t doubt that there’s still insecurity woven into that awareness. That craving for adventure, that need for more. In the Great Library episode, Lapis says:

That he’s been doing the bare minimum to help. So maybe his anger at Diamond could be coming from a place of self-doubt and destruction? Bit of a stretch? Maybe.

And now, for Blue. Seeing his character finally have a serious moment was really good, after 13 episodes of being just… the silly goofy drug addict who references memes and juggles eggs.

At the end of the argument, when Lapis and Diamond were practically screaming at each other, Lapis storming off—Blue held Diamond back from following him, telling him over and over to calm down. There wasn’t any aggressive edge to his voice. Out of the three, he stayed level headed. (A less important thing he says is something he mutters to himself while heading back to the wheel—“Jesus. Am I dealing with kids right here…” Does he not realize… When is he going to learn…😭)

Once Lapis was gone, Diamond was leaving too, but Blue told him to come back to the helm. This was a moment where a different side of him was able to show. While asking him to come back, his tone shifted to something more emotional than usual. “Diamond, Diamond, I need you back here—I need to talk to you, okay? I wanna explain this and I can’t really, I— Can you come back. Please.”

He sat Diamond down, starting off by explaining that he knew what it was like to be weak. How he wasn't always this “strong dude, casually doing everything, no worries im the world—” He used to have a close friend, describing them as having been buddies. (One connection I did make is that while Diamond and Lapis were arguing, Blue had repeated “we’re buddies here, we’re buddies here.” Could add to the fact that he was seeing his own experiences within theirs)

They had their arguments, as every relationship does, sometimes “even more heated than this one.” One day, they had a fight so bad that it caused them to stop talking. But…

“About a week later, I realized it was absolutely stupid. I tried apologizing, and, uh, well.. I couldn't. Wasn’t possible anymore. (“What… happened?”) He’s… I don’t even know what happened, but he’s- he’s gone. That’s all I know. I think he got sent off to the war, but.. Not entirely sure about that.”

Diamond admits that what he said was wrong. That he just wants to protect his friends. He doesn’t want to lose anyone else.

“And that's why I’m telling you this. It’s best to… go apologize. [...] But I don’t want you guys to end up like I did with my friend, I don’t want you guys… to end up in a…well, bad relationship like that, and then not get the chance to apologize.”

Blue had a similar predicament to Diamond, and it cost him a close friendship. We didn’t get any more detail on this lost friend except for the fact that he’s gone. Before Blue mentioned his disappearance, I was tempted to think that this friend was the Professor. But the Professor is still present in the group, so it can’t be him. Then, I considered a Winter Steve, but dismissed that idea too. I assume more than likely he was just another Blue Steve. Who knows, maybe we’ll find out soon. (Crack theory: He turned into sherry) But that was genuinely a really good moment for his character. He was being serious, but there was also something very,, I struggle to find a word for it. Something very old and tired behind it. something very gentle. Like an old wound that never quite closed right. And I envision that’s sort of what this situation feels like overall. Despite them having known each other for a very short time, Blue seems to care a good bit about these two. After everything he had to have lost,,,,,

The point of his friend being sent off to the war was really intriguing as well. It implies that there was a draft, that people were forced to fight. That would make sense with the apparent aggression and violence of The First War. Especially if this friend was of another color.

Overall, Blue’s calmness and control through the whole situation shows that his character has clearly grown from those past experiences. He was able to dismantle the argument and talk with Diamond through his feelings. He’s obviously a lot more mature than he typically lets on, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else he has to offer in future episodes.

Now, for the apology…

Diamond heads down under the deck to speak to Lapis. At first, he is dismissive, telling Diamond to leave—but he listens once Diamond shows that he’s calmed down and willing to talk. “I know I’m weak.” is a crucial thing Lapis says, because it reflects a way in which he probably sees himself. But Diamond says he’s probably the strongest person he knows. And it is true that Lapis is strong. From the very start, he’s endured. He was always able to get back up. (Enchant definitely had a hand in teaching him that, despite his uhh. occasionally unnecessary methods cough cough The Pit).

“We’re supposed to be buddies,” Diamond says. Another repetition of that word. And Lapis comes around, apologizing as well. He says that Diamond needs help too.

Diamond responds with a hesitant “maybe, but…” showing that he isn’t quite ready to let go of that desperation to defend. He’ll probably have issues with that for a while. He says that it’s hard. And I believe it’s going to be that way for a while. After everything he went through, even with what he forgot from the crossovers, so much strain has been put on his mind to continue feeling alone and isolated. To a point where all he knows is desperation. But, with talking through it, an opening to heal is made. They can only move forward by communicating with each other. And Blue made that clear enough with his own story.

But something strange happened after Diamond shut the door, and I think it adds a little more fuel to a recent theory I had (I don’t think I posted the thing I wrote about it).

As he’s leaving, he overhears—

I can’t. He’s my friend.

Lapis seems to be speaking to somebody we can’t see. Whatever it is, it looks like it wants him to do something harmful to Diamond. If I had to make any guess, it’s the Abyss Mage appearing in a sort of Shadow form. It’s apparent enough from earlier hints—

These shots from the trailer,

And this line from episode 16,

They both hint at the presence of the Mage, or something similar, haunting Lapis post-infection. He even has that darker end to his name in chat. If this is the case, then there are still traces of the void infection present in the world. And this would have negative effects on everyone. Lapis, obviously, being reminded of his recklessness and mistakes, and Diamond, finding out that one of his only friends was never truly saved by his efforts. That would be a rough discovery to make.

That’s about all I have to say for now. This episode was GREAT, and definitely my favorite so far! Everyone did an amazing job acting and presenting their characters realistically and properly. It was very good development for all three of them. You see them handling external conflicts, but interpersonal conflict is a little more rare to see. I’m very much excited to see where things will go from here and discover more about them!

btw I need them to be a found family. I love them 🙏 Your honor, they are brothers. 🙏🙏

[codajaiden]

OQD is so silly

they're so goofy

[viaphni]

i have been drawing. a LOT

Here are some highlights from recently (oldest to newest)

[viaphni]

blue and the sniffer eggs is such an intriguing thing in OQD

Because i know its probably just a silly goofy bit but i cant help but see how it ties to his character as a whole.

The near extinction of the chromatics was like an ancient event or something, and the sniffer as a Minecraft mob is also something ancient and critically endangered

If Blue has so many of these eggs and always has them on his person, that could be him trying to preserve another little part of his life and/or culture that was stolen away by the Creators so long ago

They are both too old to count with a life too lost to properly remember

And he has energy manipulation abilities too, maybe he can use them to keep the eggs stable and living

But why havent they hatched all this time

Is he Keeping them from hatching? Is he afraid to let them live in fear that they, too, will be victim of slaughter?

meanwhile the canon

Edit: Just watched the new CC episode