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amphtaminedreams · 2 months ago

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Just in Time for Fashion Week: A Retrospective A-Z Ft. RTW S/S25, Resort 2025, Haute Couture F/W24, etc. Plus my Top 30 (Part 4)

-clockwise l-r: Samuel Guì Yang RTW S/S25, S.S Daley Men's RTW S/S25, Salon 1884 RTW S/S25, Sandy Liang ", Resort 2025-

-Savannah College of Art and Design RTW F/W24-

-clockwise l-r: Schiaparelli RTW S/S25, Haute Couture F/W24, Sea Resort 2025, Sia Arnika RTW S/S25, Simon Miller Resort 2025, Sea RTW S/S25-

-top to bottom: Self-Portrait RTW S/S25, Resort 2025, Self-Portrait Residency RTW S/S25-

-clockwise l-r: Simkhai RTW S/S25, Simone Rocha ", SIXDO by Do Manh Cuong ", Sinéad O'Dwyer "-

-clockwise l-r: Skall Studio RTW S/S25, Snow Xue Gao ", St.John Resort 2025, Stand Studio "-

-clockwise l-r: Sportmax RTW S/S25, Stein ", Stella McCartney Resort 2025, RTW S/S25-

-clockwise l-r: Swedish School of Textiles RTW S/S25, Tanner Fletcher ", The Elder Statesman ", Steve O Smith "-

-clockwise l-r: The Attico RTW F/W24, S/S25, Resort 2025-

-clockwise l-r: Thom Browne Haute Couture F/W24, The Row RTW S/S25, The Garment ", Tibi RTW S/S25, Resort 2025-

-clockwise l-r: Tom Ford RTW S/S25, Toga ", Tolu Coker "-

-clockwise l-r: Tory Burch RTW S/S25, Resort 2025, Ulla Johnson Resort 2025, RTW S/S2

-top to bottom: Uma Wang RTW S/S25, Undercover ", Vaquera "-

-l-r: Valentino Resort 2025, RTW S/S25-

-clockwise l-r: Versace RTW S/S25, Vetements ", Vivetta ", Versace Resort 2025-

-clockwise l-r: Victoria Beckham RTW S/S25, Resort 2025, Vivienne Westwood RTW S/S25, Viviano "-

-clockwise l-r: Who Decides War RTW S/S25, Yirantian ", Yohji Yamamoto ", Wiederhoeft "-

-l-r: Yuhan Wang RTW S/S25, Zuhair Murad Haute Couture F/W24-

-l-r: Zimmerman RTW S/S25, Resort 2025-

The Best of the Year (In No Particular Order)

Soo I'm just gonna do a quick snappy run down here because I wanted to get all these finished in time for the F/W25 shows to start and yet they're on us already! I won't get into anything else about how there are fucking evil men in charge of the world because I'd be here all day! So let's go:-)

-clockwise l-r: Rick Owens RTW S/S25, Loewe ", Christopher Esber ", Atlein ", Jacques Wei ", Ann Demeulemeester "-

1. Rick Owens RTW S/S25, creative dir. ": My thoughts on Rick Owens are that when it's not for me, I find it at best dull and at worst ugly. I know I didn't need to be that harsh, but I'm following up by saying that when I do like Rick Owens, it's incredible and I love it, lol. I really have limited knowledge of Star Wars but this season's looks reminded me of a cunty Star Wars villain. Very Adam Driver, whoever he plays, if his character was a fashion girl, iygm. Gwendoline Christie would look incredible in this stuff.

2. Loewe RTW S/S25, creative dir. Jonathan Anderson: I know it's a controversial opinion but I'm not usually all that impressed by Loewe. Perhaps it's because I'm a basic bitch and I need something at least a little aesthetically pleasing going on. I can do an unusual structure but I need some pretty fabrics or colours or something to balance it out. This year's Loewe filled that brief for me. The cropped leather ponchos are GORGEOUS. I feel like these are the kind of garments high street stores will potentially try and dupe but without this kind of quality, they won't come close.

3. Christopher Esber RTW S/S25, creative dir. ": The best of this collection were the muted Greek goddess-esque pieces and those alone were enough to give Christopher a place on this list.

4. Atlein RTW S/S25, creative dir. Antonin Tron: You could argue that some of what we saw on the runway for Atlein's RTW S/S25 show was a bit pedestrian but you know what, idc! I'd wear the fuck out of it! So much so that I can overlook the blue lip look, which I appreciate the skill it must have took to pull off anyways. The days I tried to make that work for me are ones I am demanding we leave in the past, lmao.

5. Jacques Wei RTW S/S25, creative dir.": Jacques Wei's work is yet another reason I am SO glad that Vogue Runway is finally bloody getting on the Shanghai Fashion Week train. This collection in particular was like a blend of 1920s flapper, nineties detailing and prints, and that delicate yet modern feel I've come to look forward to from the brands which present in Shanghai. what did I do before I was aware of Jacques Wei? Serious question? Wow, wow, wow. I never knew I needed the end result of a rich flapper girl time traveling and rummaging through Courtney Love’s ‘90s wardrobe like this wtf. Finding out that Jacques is a graduate from Paris's Atelier Chardon Savard is no surprise because these are exactly the kind of outfits I picture a Parisian fashion girl wearing in my head. Emily in Paris' stylists, take notes. If they did, then I might actually watch the show.

6. Ann Demeulemeester RTW S/S25, creative dir. Stefano Gallici: Stefano Gallici's take on Ann Demeulemeester is very different from his predecessor's Ludovic de Saint Sernin, which don't get me wrong I adored (still thinking about Hunter Schafer in a RTW F/W23 piece on the red carpet), but I love this too! There were some pieces that were a bit meh but on the whole, the nods to all my favourite periods of fashion were on show. '70s bohemian rock AND the '90s redux of those trends with touches of the era's standard protocol grunge look too results in a collection which for the most part, ticks of all the boxes in my mental style criteria checklist.

-clockwise l-r: The Attico RTW S/S25, Etro ", Ermanno Scervino ", Prada "-

7. The Attico RTW S/S25, creative dir. Gilda Ambrosio & Giorgia Tordini: I have loved The Attico for years and to see Gilda & Giorgia finally get to present a collection on the runway feels well deserved. It was so hard to pick just a handful of favourite looks because everything was stunning. The combination of grungy street style inspired techwear with the high glamour of dripping sequins and chainmail à la Versace/Rabanne closing looks was everything to me<3

8. Etro RTW S/S25, creative dir. Marco De Vincenzo: Marco De Vincenzo is doing an incredible job at maintaining the standard I've come to expect from Etro which remains one of my longtime favourites and at this point, probably will do til the end of time. The brand's cohesive, recognisable aesthetic continues to be an amazing source of outfit inspiration the likes of which you don't get even from the street style of celebrities who throw $$$ at stylists to curate the casual bohemian vibe. Don't get me wrong, there's a tonne of girls on Pinterest and Instagram who do an amazing job. I know people have strong opinions on Florence Given but she's the first big name that comes to mind. In terms of public figures who have MONEY! money though, what's stopping you from dressing like this?

9. Ermanno Scervino RTW S/S25, creative dir. Ermanno Daelli: Ermanno Scervino's collections are like the dainty younger sister to Etro's. Like the Elle Fanning to Dakota. Whom I just found out by the way is the same age as me. An incredibly humbling fact considering she's out there wearing Alessandro Michele's Valentino on the red carpet and I'm...here...writing this...I suppose that is where talent gets you and my reserves are unfortunately limited. If Alessandro Michele ever wants to do an act of charity, my porch door is open and waiting for a delivery:-)

10. Prada RTW S/S25, creative dir(s). Miuccia Prada & Raf Simons: I usually feel such a disconnect with Prada where it's like everyone else is seeing something completely different to me. It's pretty widely beloved and positioned as the pinnacle of "edgy" designer fashion, but it's always seemed a bit too "safe" imo. I finally kinda get it though! This collection and the F/W24 collection, in hindsight, have both lived up to the brand's reputation. Call me a convert.

-clockwise l-r: Nensi Dojaka RTW S/S25, Grace Ling ", Sandy Liang ", Oude Waag "-

11. Nensi Dojaka RTW F/W25, creative dir.": Nensi's designs make me so happy to be a woman<3 I think it would be impossible not to feel like a goddess in one of her pieces.

12. Grace Ling RTW F/W25, creative dir.": Not dissimilar to Nensi Dojaka's work, Grace's expertly channels an otherworldly kind of femininity. But instead of drawing from a mythological past, Grace’s collection has a more futuristic feel. Less mythological siren, more a space age one, iygm??? Like alien queen type shit!

13. Sandy Liang RTW F/W25, creative dir.": The hype around this Sandy collection really lives up to those early collections of hers that I adored. Like this is a progression of the Liang aesthetic I'm on board with: simple, subtle elegance with a bit of a retro feel. Sandy's been on a Miu Miu trajectory for me since she debuted at fashion week, so unfortunately if the pattern serves me right, I expect to be underwhelmed next season. I waver between love and disappointment. With one collection, I completely understand why she is the fashion darling of the 2020s and the next, I'm just not feeling it. So with this being a high, I anticipate a low next time round. Not to shit on her as a designer, because she is OBVIOUSLY miles ahead of anything I could possibly ever hope to achieve, but I feel like there's a slight inconsistency when it comes to her stuff hitting my style sweet spot. It always seems to hit just right for everyone else, it's just me! So yeah. I'm going to show all my love for this collection whilst I can. This is not me being pessimistic, it’s just realism. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst is life’s cheat code for avoiding disappointment, didn’t u know!!! ;-)

14. Oude Waag RTW F/W25, creative dir. Jingwei Yin: Living in London myself, I'm a habitual hater of Central Saint Martin's students, and look ifykyk, they are a consistently pretentious bunch. They are the tyrants of the Tate Modern. But then again, when the place is constantly churning out designers like Jingwei Yin, I kind of understand why. SO much incredible fashion comes out of that place, and Jingwei's brand Oude Waag is no exception to that rule. I absolutely fucking adore this collection, and its gothic take on ethereal, futuristic glamour. Like I said, this top 30 isn't necessarily in order of preference, but if it was, this showcase of excellence would absolutely be in my top 5.

-clockwise l-r: Chloé RTW S/S25, Mugler ", DOMINNICO ", Viviano "-

15. Chloé RTW F/W25, creative dir. Chemena Kamali: everything I see from Chloé since Chemena Kamali took over continues to cement the brand as one of my new favourites. Soooo fucking good, lord!!! I want EVERYTHING from these last few collections in my wardrobe fr. Plus with Chemena being another Central Saint Martins graduate, I feel like her talent is yet another reason I need to try and work through my bias again their students, lo.

16. Mugler RTW F/W25, creative dir. Casey Cadwallader: Mugler on my favourites list? What’s new. It’s not up there with my all-time favourite Mugler collections by any stretch but it’s still got everything I love about the brand going on.

17. DOMINNICO RTW F/W25, creative dir. Domingo Rodríguez Lázaro: Dominnico has done it for me once again. Is it the highest of high fashion brands out there? Probably not. But seriously, it’s criminal that there aren’t any pop girl groups dominating out there right now because this is the kind of collection that would be absolutely perfect for some arena choreo. The pieces taken individually could easily be dressed down too. There’s so many influences going on in this collection, from Manga superheroine, to nascar edition bratz doll and American football style athleisure which I know sounds disastrous on paper but in reality is so hot!!! I am excited to see where Domminico goes from here.

18. Viviano RTW F/W25, creative dir. Viviano Sue: This season’s Viviano reminded me of a lot of other brands; like somehow Molly Goddard, Bora Aksu, Vivetta, Rodarte, Rave Review, Cecilie Bahnsen, & Marques’Almeida all got together to pull off a scientific miracle (some serious high tech fertility clinic must exist out there ) and their baby is Viviano RTW F/W25. Gorgeousss!

-clockwise l-r: Alexander McQueen RTW S/S25, Valentino ", Zimmerman ", Resort 2025-

19. Alexander McQueen RTW F/W25, creative dir. Seán McGirr: Yet another CSM graduate, I have to give McGirr his flowers here because this is the first Alexander McQueen collection I've really loved since he took over from Sarah Burton and it reminds me of her work a lot. SoOoO PRETTY!

20. Valentino RTW F/W 25, creative dir. Alesandro Michele: Is Alessandro's Valetino basically Gucci 2.0? Do I care? Not at all. The fact that Valentino has always been known for elegance gives Alessandro an excuse to go full ethereal glamour with every single look, the likes of which he'd usually save for the end of a Gucci show. I hope this man stays relevant forever because there's nobody doing it like him.

21. Zimmerman RTW F/W25, creative dir(s). Nicky & Simone Zimmerman: Assume Zimmerman is always going to be on these lists unless I say otherwise at this point, lol.

22. Zimmerman Resort 2025, creative dir(s).": Zimmerman's Resort collection was just as magnificent as their RTW F/W25 offering, so the brand taking up 2 spaces on my list is no surprise.

-clockwise l-r: Namilia RTW S/S25, KNWLS ", Bora Aksu ", Mark Gong "-

23. Namilia RTW F/W25, creative dir. Shayne Oliver: Though it’s not quite on par with the excellence we saw under Nicola Brognano’s tenure at Blumarine, the Namilia RTW S/S25 collection is the closest we got to filling the void he left in the interim between his departure and David Koma's takeover, following that disastrous but well-intended effort by Walter Chiapponi. What a GREAT choice btw. Blumarine is thankfully back on track now Koma's taken over; it is SUCH a relief the brand's higher ups listened to the resounding disappointment expressed by fans in response to the unrecognisable RTW F/W24 collection. Now David Koma's been named Chiapponi's successor, I imagine Blumarine's only gonna go onwards and upwards from here. Though Namilia has yet to quite reach the levels of greatness we saw under Brognano's tenure at Blumarine, a meticulously crafted take on Y2K sleaze complemented by a range of thematic aspects emerging from a revolving door of gothic fantastical mystique (think back to the apocalyptic siren aesthetic courtesy of the RTW F/W23 collection and the rock and roll mermaid vibes of RTW S/S23), Shayne Oliver's approach is not too dissimilar. I’m getting off track here, this was not intended to be an obituary to old Blumarine. It’s in praise of Namilia who to a certain extent have succeeded in capturing the spirit of Brognano's work. Ed Hardy is up there with Juicy Couture & Von Dutch when it comes to y2k sleaze, and the pairing of the brand with a range of faux leather, chaps, fur and latex pieces worthy of a part-time dominatrix, full-time front rider of a motorcycle gang seemed like a chaotic nod to the Blumarine vision of recent years, albeit a nod which still represents a work in progress. I really don’t think Namilia is on Blumarine’s level but it would be unfair to knock the former for the sake of comparing a latter because we’re talking about two brands with a massive discrepancy in capital and customer base. But if Namilia grows as a brand, it has the potential to rival what I imagine Blumarine will once again be with David as creative director.

24. KNWLS RTW F/W25, creative dir(s). Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault: Yet more evidence that I owe an apology to Central Saint Martins' students for giving us KNWLS.

25. Bora Aksu RTW F/W25, creative dir.": With the revelation that Bora Aksu is yet another graduate of CSM, this post may as well be "Lauren getting humbled", BUT anyways, I loved this collection. It reminds me a lot of the Simone Rocha aesthetic I was so mesmerised by, in the sense that I feel Bora took the blueprint of the “ladylike” ideals of the early 20th century and all its fabrics and silhouettes and whimsy and said fuck that and shoved that ideal down the rabbit hole, Mia Wakiowska in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland style. Big fan:-)

26. Mark Gong RTW F/W25, creative dir.": One word: perfection!

-clockwise l-r: Gabriela Hearst RTW S/S25, Miu Miu ", David Koma ", Rokh "-

27. Gabriela Hearst RTW S/S25, creative dir.": Gabriela leaving Chloé was honestly the best outcome for her as a designer. Firstly, not only has her own brand come into her own as an individual with the result being that her collections are stronger than ever, but secondly, Chemena's vision for Chloé is one of leaning fully into the bohemian dream in all it’s glory, which Gabriela always seemed hesitant to do. Probably because as we can see from her solo endeavour, she likes to take things in a more minimalist, rustic direction. It really, really works for her; with her full attention presumably being on what she puts out there as a solo creator, it appears to have given her room to truly flourish and take her brand in a direction that seems more self-assured in its image than ever.

28. Miu Miu RTW S/S25, creative dir. Miuccia Prada: Miuccia Prada was really on a roll here, what with her collaboration with Raf Simons for Prada, and the direction she took with the Miu Miu S/S25 collection being real stand outs for me. Seriously, something must have been in the air when the S/S25 design process was taking place because just like Sandy Liang, Miu Miu ticked all the right boxes for me this time round. Whether I agree on Miu's Miu's greatness is an opinion I go back and forth on all the time, not without much guilty and questioning of my own taste that is, especially because it's consistently every other fashion girlie's wet dream. Don't get me wrong, on the level of the individual garments, Miuccia's impact is insane. There have been so many specific pieces over the last few years that I've adored; for one, she's responsible for the revival of the ultra-mini skirt which I owned many a dupe of myself (before I gained weight and became pathologically fixated on my ballooning legs which just to be clear is a reflection of me and my crippling body dysmorphia rather than any statement about who should and shouldn't wear these kinds of things!!!!). BUT, with that being said, I haven't particularly connected with any of the collections as a whole in quite some time despite Miu Miu being one of my favourites when I first got into unattainable fashion, lol. This season, I felt the love again! In particular, those belts!! Seems like a random detail to get caught up on but I adore them.

29. David Roma RTW S/S25, creative dir.": David Koma's S/S25 collection making it onto my list isn't at all shocking because he does practically every time. Considering the fact I just found out that he ALSO has been responsible for the last few Diesel collections the last few years, paired with his new role as the creative director at Blumarine, I am even more in awe of this man's talent. He never misses. I really can't imagine anyone better to take over the job of creative director at Blumarine, tbh. Maybe Ludovic San Sernin but not at the cost of David Koma, to be clear! I just think a creative partnership between those two would be one for the ages.

30. Rokh RTW S/S25, creative dir. Rok Twang: If you needed further evidence that there's absolutely no rhyme or reason to the order of this top 30 list, take the fact that I've put Rokh's S/S25 show last. It's probs my no.1 of the lot. Anddd he's yet another CSM graduate, which pretty much concludes my journey to admitting that maybe I'll allow those students a little pretentiousness because with the institute's output, they're kinda entitled to it. Until they congregate right in front of every. single. fucking. piece. of artwork I'm trying to get a glimpse of in London which will probs put me right back to square one in my bias against them, lol. Another thing, I’m not one to believe in the universe being some kind of sentient entity but based on the way it immediately gets busy the second I say the store is quiet at work, note that I’m knocking on as I write this: Rok Hwang would also make an ideal consultant at Blumarine. Remember RTW S/S21?? That's the dash of witchiness the pairing of David Koma and Ludovic de Saint Sernin would need to take Blumarine back to its former greatness. I don't think anyone could do what Brognano did in isolation but if there's any trio that would be fit to reach those heights again, it's David, Ludovic and Ron for sure. Rok can join JUST as a consultant though. I say this because if someone else had to take over Rokh completely in his absence it would a loss for the culture. The worst thing to happen in the fashion world since Alessandro left Gucci for Valentino, or before we thought he wasn’t going to continue doing the exact same thing at Valentino he was doing at Gucci, lol, which btw I have absolutely no ill will towards him for. I was never that big a fan of Valentino anyway so it was a worthy sacrifice, as much as many will consider that statement to blasphemy. I said what I said!!

Anyways, that's it for now! I want to keep my into & outtro short and snappy so I can stay on track with covering the RTW F/W25 and Haute Couture S/S25 shows as they happen.

So hope anyone reading is well in spite of the shitshow that the world is swiftly becoming these days and as soon as my degree is done (5 weeks left, wtf!) I will be back with a proper recap of the last couple of years of fashion, entertainment and thoughts if anyone is remotely interested, lmao!

As always, please feel free to DM me if you need someone to chat to:)

Lauren x

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andrewmoocow · 1 year ago

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Steven Universe Snake Eyes chapter 7: Gods and Monsters (originally published on October 9, 2023)

AN: And so, we enter the biggest bomb I've ever dropped in one of my stories since I revealed that Haruko Haruhara was saved from her destroyed home planet by Rick Sanchez and eventually betrayed him for Atomsk before meeting Dipper and Mabel Pines. The origins of the Gem race has been one of the biggest mysteries in all of Steven Universe with tons of fans giving their own ideas on it, even as far back as the first season. I've pondered that too sometimes, but there are some parts of the series that are best left to the imagination. Well, until now that is! In this version of Steven's universe, the story of Gemkind shall finally be revealed for all to see, and you all have front row seats to a glimpse at a whole universe's worth of backstory and quite possibly the biggest threat Steven will face yet.

Synopsis: Steven and company meet the creator of all Gemkind and learn of an evil far greater than Black Rutile.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Aurelio Voltaire as King Cobralan Serpentes

Shirley Millner as Queen Constricta Serpentes

Neil Flynn as Aescul

Henry Rollins as Captain Boa

Jennifer Paz as Lapis

Shelby Rabara as Peridot

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Grace Rolek as Connie

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond/Gem

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Peter Cullen as Titanium

Frank Welker as Tungsten

David Kaye as Steel

Corey Burton as Chromium

Bumper Robinson as Gold

Scott McNeil as Iron

Jeffrey Combs as Mercury

Hailee Steinfeld as Zinc

Jason Marsden as Prince Nosiop Jormagundr

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Keith David as Pyth

Matthew Moy as Lars

Zach Steel as Ronaldo

Atticus Shaffer as Peedee

Cissy Jones as Princess Naja Jormagundr

Enuka Okuma as Rhodonite

Kathleen Fisher as Fluorite

Erica Luttrell as Padparadscha Sapphire

Ashly Burch as Rutile Twins

Jeff Bennett as Murinus/The Sheriff

Featuring Samantha Newark as The Lapidarist

And Joel Grey as King Serpentes I

---

The date, 420,000 years ago. The place, the prehistoric planet that would someday become Serpentes, the capital of the Slytherophidian empire. Before it would become the mighty metropolis that thrived on forcing species from across the universe to compete, Serpentes was a small scattering of snake people colonies dotting the planet's countryside, all under the shaky rule of one monarch, its namesake king Serpentes the First. Serpentes typically spent time away from his subjects on expeditions to explore the planet and learn its history, as he proclaimed himself a scholar. But there was one discovery that would change not just the history of his home planet but the entire universe as well.

"Found anything yet, sire?" a Slytherophidian dressed as a cowboy asked while spitting into a bucket. "We've been out here for weeks and still haven't found any ancient ruins and all that! Might I suggest we quit the tomb raider business, cut back on searching uncharted lands and temples of doom, and go home already?"

"No, Murinus, there has to be something we're missing. I know it!" Serpentes muttered to himself while examining the map in his hands. "We just need to keep looking!"

"Look, Your Highness, I can totally get your eagerness to explore, but I'm happy with just kicking back and letting you do all the work." Murinus said before turning his tail into feet and kicking them on a rock. "Hey, do you see a light somewhere over there?"

"A light? Where?!" Serpentes excitedly replied while gazing out into the horizon. "By Jove, I think you're right! We must go there immediately!" To the king's delight, he could see a faint beam of light ejecting from an ancient temple hidden in the distance. "Come along, Murinus!"

"Me and my big mouth," Murinus said to himself as his king dragged him along toward the temple as the beam got even brighter the closer they got. Upon arriving at the temple, the beam of light was at its absolute brightest, and Serpentes couldn't be more excited.

"Hm, I must say, this would make a nice castle to live in." Serpentes mused as the duo entered the temple, which was filled with crystals and rocks jutting out of the walls and the ceiling. But the most peculiar inhabitant was a large, crystalline being gently clutching a bubble housing a strange gemstone. "And who might you be?"

"Almost there, my child. Almost there." The being whispered to her bubble before she turned to discover Serpentes and Murinus in front of her. "More snakes? You shouldn't be here."

"Do not worry, giant woman. We come in peace." Serpentes calmed the being down. "My name is Serpentes, the king of the Slytherophidians. And this is my companion, Murinus. Say hi, Murinus."

"Howdy." Murinus tipped his hat to the giant woman. "Say, what's that you got in there, madame?"

"Oh, this?" the giant said, presenting the gemstone inside her bubble to the two Slytherophidians. "I've been working on it for the past couple of eons. I call it Gem. It is an advanced lifeform that possesses extraordinary powers unseen by mortals, but I'm not sure how I can test it to make sure it won't harm anybody with how powerful it is."

"Then, why don't I help you take care of it?" King Serpentes offered his assistance. "Maybe I can set up a way for it to grow and control its powers so that everyone can watch and see how strong it is."

"That is a wonderful idea, Serpentes." The giant agreed with the king and shook his hand, sealing the deal.

"By the way, I don't think I ever got your name," Serpentes said.

"My name?" the giant replied. "My name has been lost to time, but you may call me the Lapidarist."

In the present day, Steven and the Crystal Gems were being taken through the Jormagundrs' castle towards a hidden doorway by the royal guards, all having no idea what to expect when King Cobralan said it was time for them to learn the truth. As the trip grew longer, the group was soon joined by different sets of guards escorting Greg & Connie and the Diamonds.

"So, uh, what are we doing?" Greg asked nervously. "I was going to cheer you up after your big fight with Black Rutile, but then suddenly, these guys told me they had something I needed to see."

"Do they have a birthday surprise planned for Steven?" Peridot added just as curious.

"I don't know." Yellow Diamond answered. "But whatever it is, I don't think we'll ever be the same after today."

"You are indeed correct, Yellow Diamond," Aescul said as he led the group through the dark corridors hidden within the castle walls to a mysterious chamber that closely resembles the Crystal Temple back on Earth. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet your maker. Hee, I always wanted to say that."

"Wait, our maker? As in the creator of all Gemkind?!" Pearl squawked in shock as the Gems and humans bore witness to a massive, crystalline being kneeling before them, its face utterly blank except for a large diamond on it and wild, spiky hair not unlike White Diamond's.

"Hello, my children." The giant said. "I am the Lapidarist. I am the creator of all Gems."

"Dude, this is so sick!" Amethyst yelled in amazement. "We're face to face with our actual god here!"

"Correction, she is our god as well." Titanium declared as he and the other Metals emerged from the shadows of the chamber to meet their sister race. "So the rumors were true. Our creator still lives."

"Hello there, Miss Lapidarist." Steven greeted the Lapidarist. "My name's Steven Universe. Uh, do you like being called Miss, or do you prefer any other pronouns?"

"On the contrary, my friend, my species has evolved past the need for what you call genders." The Lapidarist explained. "But Miss Lapidarist does have a nice ring to it."

"So, this is the mother of all Gems?" Spinel wondered while scratching her head and sitting on Yellow's shoulder. "How come we never knew about this?"

"Hello there, Lapidarist." White Diamond said sourly as she glared at the creator of the Gem race. "Fancy seeing you again after millions of years."

"Ah, Gem. What a surprise." The Lapidarist greeted White with an inquisitive tilt of her head. "What is it you're calling yourself these days, White Diamond? Not sure if I like the name."

"Okay, enough with the introductions, everybody!" Mercury complained. "Now then, big lady, the snake people said they were going to give us answers, and by your name or whatever, we're gonna get some answers!"

"Actually, we prefer to be called Slytherophidians, Mr. Mercury." Captain Boa corrected the curmudgeonly Metal medic. "The Lapidarist has been the royal family's best-kept secret for generations, all the way back to our first king Serpentes I."

"We've been watching your race for a few years now because the Lapidarist wanted to see if Steven truly meant well in making the radical changes he did to Gem society." King Cobralan added.

"Well, I sure did, no matter what certain emotionally stunted terrorists may say," Steven said assuredly, unaware that Black Rutile, Nosiop, and Pyth were watching from afar.

"Hmph, yeah, right." Black Rutile said glumly while the three villains kept themselves hidden. "Just wait until I use the Lapidarist's powers to wipe you out for good."

"So Miss Lapidarist, earlier you called White Diamond by the name Gem," Garnet said. "We'd like to learn more about that; thank you."

"That was the name I was given when the Lapidarist created me," White said, rolling her eyes as she cringed at the thought like a human would when remembering their awkward teenage years. "And a name I've abandoned for eons."

"Well, allow me to enlighten you." The Lapidarist said while altering the entire room like a holodeck to present the Crystal Gems with White Diamond's hidden past.

In the beginning, there was only one. A single black infinitude, so cold and dark for so very long that even the burning light was imperceptible. But then the infinitude found release, and at last, the darkness broke, filling it with shining stars. From these stars came the Lapidarists, who filled this newly born universe with life. On that day, the universe as we knew it was born. Cells, molecules, atoms, from ions to pions, muons to gluons, neutrinos, gravitinos, these were the first planets to be forged by this race of builders, with life blossoming on each one. Life, a precious gift persevering in the face of every obstacle, but it would soon come under attack.

Where there was light to create the first sentient beings, there was a being of pure darkness and evil that sought to extinguish it. A terrible snake-like creature of frightening power known as Squamata devoured planet after planet, millions of voices suddenly crying out in terror before they were just as suddenly silenced. The Lapidarists tried all they could to stop this threat from becoming more powerful. They created many races like the Magmen, the Metals, the Slytherophidians, and the races of the first Universal Lords to combat it. While they successfully sealed Squamata away beneath the future planet of Serpentes, it came at the cost of the entire Lapidarist race being wiped out except for one. Declaring itself the guardian of the monster's resting place, the last Lapidarist isolated itself from the rest of the universe in a hidden temple where it spent millenniums forging the being that would eventually save the universe from their ancient foe. But all of that changed one fateful day.

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the first-ever challenger of the Contest of Champions, Gem!" King Serpentes announced as he revealed the Lapidarist's creation to the other Slytherophidians. Gem was a tall, pale-skinned female humanoid with copious amounts of mascara applied and dressed as a warrior, but her most distinguishing feature was a gemstone attached to her forehead. "I had found this creature one day years ago on an expedition to the wilderness of our planet and brought her home with me. That was when I got the idea to have her compete against species from other worlds to see who is truly the strongest in the universe. Now then, release her competition!"

The gates opened, and out came a green, hulking humanoid with massive muscles wearing only purple pants that let out a booming roar. Gem just smirked and pulled a spear from her gem that she used to fight the monster.

"What an astounding display of strength, ladies and gentlemen!" King Serpentes exclaimed as Gem duked it out with the ogre-like beast, showing great tenacity and grace compared to the monster serving as her opponent. "Perhaps if more were to come, we would make this into an annual event where champions from far and wide could come and display their powers, like the Grendel we captured, for example!"

"Just a little bit more, you disgusting Grendel!" Gem exclaimed eagerly as she began stabbing at the monster with her spear, causing it to leak pink blood to the cheers of her adoring fans. "Yes, you all love me!"

"And what a shocker, everyone!" Serpentes exclaimed as Gem finished off the Grendel. "Gem has slain the creature! She is truly an amazing warrior!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you all!" Gem accepted the riotous applause as she reunited with King Serpentes outside the arena. "Oh, Your Majesty, I had so much fun today!"

"Perfect, Gem. And you'll be having more fun for years to come." Serpentes said as the two walked away to the temple from whence she came, which was now having a new castle built over it.

"Um, Mr. Serpentes, if I may ask a question," Gem asked her king. "Have you ever thought about letting me explore the planet like you do? Maybe even the whole galaxy, the universe even? I bet there are infinite possibilities for me to explore out there!"

"Now, now, Gem, don't get too excited." Serpentes calmed Gem down. "I admire your enthusiasm, but your one true purpose is here, right at my side and fighting in the Contest of Champions."

"But I just want to explore like you do!" Gem urged her father figure, now sounding an awful lot like a certain pink diamond. "Why can't you let me?!"

"I understand, my dear, but the universe is a vast and dangerous place filled with millions of species that could no doubt either kill you or steal you for themselves," Serpentes explained. "Please understand that this is why you are forbidden from ever leaving Serpentes. Now, I'm off to speak with the construction workers, so you behave yourself, young lady."

Although Gem understood why Serpentes was so protective of her, she felt utterly sheltered in the world she called home. However, while the king did say Gem was forbidden from ever leaving the planet, she assumed he didn't mean more than one of her.

"Wow, White was just like Pink when she was created?" Steven realized as his eyes were opened to White Diamond's past while giving the three Diamonds a smug smirk.

"Maybe that's why you abused her so much because she reminded you of yourself," Connie added wryly.

"Guess it's true what they say. Some people are more alike than you think." Gold giggled at White's embarrassing memory while the Diamond blushed in shame.

"Don't make that face at me, White; don't deny what you were in the past." The Lapidarist chided her creation. "Do you remember what happened afterward?"

"Do you not?" White asked, her eyes widened in genuine surprise as she tried to dodge the question.

"Ooo-hoo-hoo, this should be juicy!" Steel giggled eagerly as White took a deep breath and came clean.

"Yes, I remember what happened afterward," White admitted. "For hundreds of years, I took advantage of a loophole created by Serpentes and created the first Gems."

Using technology stolen from another race that she reverse-engineered herself into what would later be known as Injectors, Gem began using Serpentes's resources to create more beings like her that she would dub Gem. However, this would come at the cost of the planet slowly suffering the effects of these Injectors draining its life energy, causing dozens to die in uncharted parts of the planet. Upon discovering this courtesy of Murinus, Serpentes sought to do something about this crisis.

"Are you sure that Gem could be to blame for all of this?" Murinus said as he and Serpentes marched to the Devil's Palm canyon, named as such for resembling a humanoid hand with a plateau in the center where the palm would be. "At least she ain't running off to explore the universe."

"And that's the problem!" Serpentes exclaimed. "When I said she was forbidden from leaving, this was not what I meant!" Soon, the duo arrived at the Devil's Palm, where they discovered not just one colorful humanoid with a gemstone on her body but dozens upon dozens more of them. "What in the?!"

"SERPENTES!" the new species all cried out in delight at Serpentes's arrival.

"Hey, your Majesty." One of them greeted casually as Serpentes tried moving his way through the sea of humanoids to reach Gem.

"Gem, what is the meaning of this?!" Serpentes yelled angrily at his creation. "Whatever you are doing, you will soon destroy this whole planet! Is this what you wanted, to tear our world apart and then abandon it to find some other planet to terrorize?!"

"No, my lord, this is not what you think!" Gem urged Serpentes. "You forbade me from leaving Serpentes, but you didn't say the same for all these creatures that I call Gems. Nice name, don't you think?"

"Yes, that is a very nice name, but that's not the point, my child." Serpentes said while drawing out a sword from his hip. "I am sorry, but to ensure the safety of our planet, I'm afraid I'll have to shatter you."

"Is that so?" Gem said as she drew her spear with a smirk. "Then come on, enough talk! Have at you!"

"I will do what I must," Serpentes replied as he readied his blade.

"You will try." Gem added before the two went head-to-head in a mini-Contest of Champions. The Gems that Gem created began cheering for their mother figure as the Slytherophidian and the Gem clashed under the scorching afternoon sun, while Murinus saw fit not to get involved in the situation and wait until it got better.

"You can't keep doing this, Gem!" King Serpentes urged his mighty warrior. "This technology you stole from the Metals was designed to harvest resources from planets at the cost of slowly killing them! How did you even find such things?!"

"Steel practically gave them away when the Metals decided they wanted to live in harmony with their colonies instead of committing genocide." Gem revealed while nimbly dodging a sword swipe. "He just happened to dump them all here one day and let me take some for myself."

"I should really tell them to stop using other planets as a garbage dump for their old tech." Serpentes muttered to himself before seeing an opening on Gem and jabbed his sword into her gem, causing a slight crack.

"W-what did you do?" Gem whimpered in fear as her form glitched while Serpentes looked down at his tail in shame at what he had done. "What did you do to me?"

"I'm sorry, my dear." Serpentes apologized while stroking Gem's face. "But I am only doing what is right." With another stab of the snake king's sword, Gem was utterly shattered, her namesake gemstone on her forehead being reduced to four pieces in four very familiar shapes. "Murinus!"

"Yes, my liege?" Murinus asked as he emerged from his hiding spot before being handed the four gem shards. "Oh no, you didn't."

"I want the Lapidarist to find somewhere for these shards and all of these Gems to flourish so they won't cause any more damage to Serpentes." King Serpentes ordered, looking out at all the Gems inhabiting the Devil's Palm Canyon. "I can handle one Gem, but this many would give me a headache."

And so, with help from the Lapidarist, once she was told of what happened, Gem and all of her creations were exiled to an uncharted planet that would one day become the Gem Homeworld. Hundreds of years afterward, the first of Gem's shards would reform into White Diamond, followed by Yellow, Blue, and Pink Diamond over the next couple thousand years, eventually forming the Great Diamond Authority and beginning to conquer a good portion of the universe that the Universal Lords didn't dominate.

Though the Lapidarist was disappointed at what Gem had become, she vowed not to interfere. She had no choice but to watch as the Diamonds wreaked havoc across the universe, conquering and destroying planet after planet as her story was passed down for generations. At the same time, her fallen kinfolk's other creations, such as the Metals and the Magmen, began rising to prominence in the intergalactic community.

"And that is the story of the Gem race." The Lapidarist concluded her story, having blown everyone's minds with the history she revealed to the Crystal Gems once hidden from the public eye. "I am truly sorry that I have been the author of all your pain through my creation of the Diamonds."

"We know you didn't mean any harm, Lapidarist," Bismuth said. "You only wanted to create life, but then it went horribly wrong."

"And we've carried it with our family for generations." Queen Constricta said while everyone was still unaware of who was spying on them.

"This is most interesting." Nosiop muttered excitedly. "Perhaps once we gather our army, we can unleash this snake creature and prove to the Slytherophidians that we were meant to be conquerors!"

"Yes, conquerors," Pyth smirked deviously like he had other plans in mind that didn't align with the prince's.

"As I said, I am truly sorry, but I can make a change." The Lapidarist stated while presenting a mechanical, orb-like device. "This is an Accretionator. A powerful device with the ability to create a strong gravitational pull that can draw in various asteroids and cosmic dust to revive an entire planet. Observe." To demonstrate, the Lapidarist created a hologram of a Gem colony that Steven and Connie recognized, the planet that the jungle moon they once visited as Stevonnie orbited. When the Accretionator was inserted into the planet, asteroids and space dust were vacuumed to the planet's surface, making it as good as new, like it was never conquered and colonized. "Impressive, isn't it? So tell me, do you accept this bargain?"

"Uh, we're going to need to discuss this among ourselves first," Peridot said as the Crystal Gems huddled together to discuss the Lapidarist's offer. "You saw what that Accretionator can do, right? Hundreds upon thousands of worlds revived in seconds! Do you realize what this means?!"

"Yeah, but what about afterward?" Lapis asked. "Are we just going back to how things were before Era 3 started? I think I know someone who would love that."

"Yeah, yeah, Black Rutile and all that," Jasper added sarcastically. "If Steven didn't completely break her body and her spirit, she'd accept the deal faster than you can say, 'Pull the lever, White Topaz.'"

"So what should we do?" White Topaz asked while looking back at the Lapidarist, patiently awaiting their answer. "I don't want to keep our literal goddess waiting."

"Well, ladies, your final answer?" Captain Boa spoke up. "No need to keep a lady waiting."

The Crystal Gems broke their huddle and turned to the Lapidarist. "Look, we're flattered by your offer and tempted by the chance to heal those broken worlds." Pearl declared. "But we just can't do it; the price is too high."

"The entire reason why we became who we are today is because we wanted to freely express ourselves," Amethyst added. "We wanted to live our own lives without anyone telling us what to do or how to do it."

"And we don't want to harm others simply because they are different. Everyone should be able to coexist regardless if they are flawed." Garnet stated firmly. "Like the Diamonds, for example. They have done horrible things in the past, but they're working to make a change for the better, no matter how hard it may be. I'm sure we have made ourselves loud and clear."

"How interesting." The Lapidarist said with a tilt of her head. "I thought I could coax you into complying like you did with so many other individuals, but it seems I was wrong. You prefer to make a change in your own way."

"You're right," Steven replied. "Besides, we once met alternate versions of ourselves from another dimension who were like our polar opposites, and they didn't want to make a change either."

"Should you tell them, or should I?" White whispered to the other Diamonds.

"Tell them what?" Iron asked, overhearing the three Gems' conversation.

"I don't think I like where this is going." Zinc said disdainfully as the Diamonds turned to face the Gems.

"Steven my dear, lately there have been rumors going around of a cover-up we've been performing," Yellow stated shakily. "Well, I must say that the rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Tungsten asked curiously.

"There were rumors that we were hiding the fact we did indeed wipe out organic life on a couple or so planets." Blue Diamond declared. "Well, suffice to say, the rumors were true. We exterminated all life on planets that were trying to fight back, and we hid the truth by saying we would never kill organic life. It's a secret we've been hiding for years, but somehow, the Slytherophidians found out and used it to blackmail us into coming along with them!"

The Crystal Gems all gasped in shock at this revelation. While they were aware that the Diamonds had done many horrible things over thousands of years, they were always told that the planets they conquered were primarily uninhabited, so hearing that a few worlds turned into colonies did house intelligent life was quite possibly just as, if not even an even bigger shock than learning of their species' origins. But no one took this harder than Steven.

"Why am I not surprised you'd hide something so horrible from us?" Steven said gloweringly, trying his best not to lose his temper again. "I wanted to give you three a chance, even after all the horrible things you did to me, us, and everyone. But no, you just keep hiding secrets from everyone, just like my mom did when she was alive. And especially a secret this awful. This is why I'm always so uncomfortable around you because I'm worried that any moment, whenever I turn my back, you'll just go back to your old ways and try to kill me. So destroy all my friends if you want, because I will make you pay for it."

"Steven, you don't understand. We never wanted it to be like this!" White exclaimed as Steven quietly stormed off.

"You pressed the Mom button." Amethyst declared. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Steven, wait!" Spinel yelled as she jumped off Yellow's shoulder and ran off after Steven, leaving the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds, the Metals, and the Slytherophidians alone with the Lapidarist.

"You know, my offer is still on the table." The Lapidarist suggested to the Diamonds.

"We appreciate the gesture, but it will take more than just one device to atone for what we've done." Blue politely declined the offer. "Is there anything else you want to tell us?"

"Indeed, there is." The Lapidarist replied. "There is a prophecy that states that on the day of Ragnarok, there will be a mighty warrior who will emerge from the merger of a group of troubled beings to save all reality from Squamata." She then began to chant the prophecy out loud while her body shined every possible color in existence. "Enlightened warriors of clashing kinships come from afar to banish the Eclipse. Only when united in heart and mind, can they stop the worlds from being aligned."

"So definitely a fusion then." Garnet declared after a quick analysis of the prophecy.

"Yeah, but of who?" Greg asked curiously.

"That is for you to find out, my mortal friends." The Lapidarist said while reverting her body to normal. "But in the meantime, I sense a great crisis on the immediate horizon."

Elsewhere in the Jormagundrs' castle, Princess Naja was pacing about her room after being locked away by her brother's enforcers for trying to interfere with his plans. "Nosiop can't get away with this." She muttered to herself. "But who can possibly help us in this hour?"

"Hey, anyone in there?" Lars asked as he knocked on the door. "One of the guards told us that somebody got locked up in their room. Can you tell us who you are before we break you out?"

"I'm Princess Naja Jormagundr!" Naja introduced herself to her rescuer. "My brother had me imprisoned here because he's plotting to conquer our race, and he and Black Rutile didn't want me getting in the way! You must tell Steven Universe at once!"

"Don't worry, miss, we got your back!" Ronaldo yelled as he tried breaking down the door by ramming into it. "Agh, my shoulder!"

"Hey, Paddy Sapphire, can you shapeshift us a key hand?" Peedee asked Padparadscha.

"Ooh, Peedee will ask for my help to free the pretty princess!" Padparadscha said before the door opened, revealing Lars, Ronaldo, Peedee, and the Off-Colors on the other side of the door.

"Looks like our princess wasn't in another castle after all," Lars said as he took Naja by the hand and gave her a gentlemanly kiss. "So, what's this about your brother?"

"He wants our race to become conquerors because no one could take him seriously," Naja explained. "He has aligned interests with Black Rutile to further those goals, and I fear they will doom you all."

"Oh dear, not Black Rutile." Fluorite shook her head in disgust. "Nosiop has made the wrong choice. Black Rutile is one of the evilest, cruelest Gems we know."

"Or is she?" Rhodonite wondered. "After her big meltdown to Steven, I'm having second thoughts about Black Rutile."

"Of course, she could also lie to gain people's sympathy." The left Rutile twin suggested.

"That is so like Black Rutile to do that." The right Rutile added.

"So, now, what do we do?" Peedee asked. "Are we just going to wait and see how this goes?"

"Everyone, I have another vision!" Padparadscha exclaimed. "Prince Nosiop Jormagundr is going to make an announcement!"

"Hey, she's right!" Ronaldo gasped before pointing at Nosiop slithering into the stadium. "Look over there!"

At the Ouraborium, Nosiop had returned to his family's viewing box, where he sat on his father's throne alongside the other Universal Lords to make his grand speech. "Today, people of Serpentes, shall be the most glorious day our planet has ever seen." Nosiop declared with Black Rutile and Pyth standing on either side of him. "As of today, I shall now take my father's place as your ruler, for he is not fit to be a king or a Universal Lord. Let this be a wake-up call to you Slytherophidians, the Universal Lords, the Gem race, and the ignorant masses across the entire universe! I shall soon arrive with an entire army of loyal Gems at my side to face down an ancient foe my father has hidden from you for so long! We all must answer to the hand of fate, and fate has chosen me to conquer this world!"

As soon as Nosiop finished his speech with an evil laugh, the entire stadium was sent into a frenzy, wondering if their prince was joking or if he intended to conquer Serpentes. The Universal Lords were left shocked at this declaration, but none were as affected by this as Black Rutile, who looked to one side as she began contemplating her role in Nosiop's plans.

And so, Nosiop pulls off step one of his grand plan. Announce what he's doing to the world and make everyone so scared and confused, they'll have no idea what to do with him. Yeah, talk about dropping a lot of bombs in just one chapter, but this isn't the end of it! Next chapter, we'll be in the homestretch with chaos aplenty and a contemplation of where certain characters will end up by the end. It can only get crazier from here, folks.

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