#rose Quartz battle flag

[steven1123x]

My dad set it up for me and it looks amazing!

[love-takes-work]

What do you think the personality and appearance of Smoky Quartz and Sunstone would look like, being fusions with Rose? I really wanted to see them in the series, just like we saw Rainbow Quartz with Rose and Steven.

I'm not really sure. Despite the fact that I enjoy analysis of characters, I don't usually feel that comfortable with speculation on characters I haven't met, and Rose!Smoky and Rose!Sunstone would definitely be very different people even if we apparently have precedent for expecting them to share some elements (including names). I very much would have wanted to see the original Rose Fusions of those characters, and would have very much wanted to spend time with more of the Steven Fusions (including with a longer build-up and reserved special time with each Fusion).

I don't develop a lot of convictions when it comes to speculating on stuff like this, so consider this pretty loosely held, but if you want to know what I think about this, I'll try!

Smoky 1.0

Appearance-wise: She'd keep the skin color and the freckles/flecks, keep the body type and same facial features, keep the arm arrangement and the weapon. I think her hair would be pink, straight, and longer--maybe in pigtails. She'd get some kind of cute ruffled jumper, I think--like overalls with a fluffy skirt--and have tights and bare feet. She'd kinda be the kid Rose never got to be, and enjoy the "childhood" she always wanted for Amethyst.

Personality-wise: She would have some inadequacy issues but they would be buried deeper and probably would not come out in self-deprecating jokes the way Smoky 2.0's did. She'd have a genuine version of Rose's calculated gregariousness. She'd give love freely in a sillier way than Rose did; she'd want to play around and be rambunctious, maybe a prank here and there. She'd enjoy binge TV with Greg and helping Pearl with tasks (if requested). She'd be good with eating and would probably laugh at burp-and-fart jokes. I think she'd enjoy building sandcastles and knocking them down.

Sunstone 1.0

Appearance-wise: She'd have the same weapon and color scheme and still have four arms, but I think her upper body would be less exaggerated and she'd have four arms all the same thickness, without the broad chest. I think her top section would be more like Garnet's except she'd be wearing something sleeveless. I think her flame hair would be big and curly OR maybe totally round like a perfect ball-shaped afro, with an overall effect of more hair/less head. She'd probably have some kind of flexible shoes with the toes showing. She might have one of those leotard-type outfits with a little ruffle depending on if the figure she's based on was maybe an exercise guru or fitness coach. Given that Sunstone 2.0 is influenced by Steven's conception of PSA-spewing mascot vibes, we would have to figure out what Rose's less childish contemporary-to-her equivalent of that is, and I think it would end up modeled after a motivational speaker or guru who was popular during whatever time period Rose and Garnet first formed her, so the clothing details would depend on that. The alternative to this is if Sunstone 1.0 first formed during the war and Sunstone could have been an extremely charismatic commander, but that would very much change the vibe. I could still see her charging into battle leading Crystal Gems with a flag, all hyped up on pep-talk juice, with Bismuth at her side.

Personality-wise: Rose and Steven are pretty different people but they were both given to "motivational" statements, and Garnet is good at boosting confident delivery of whatever primary elements her Fusions absorb, so Sunstone 1.0 would love hyping people up, dropping philosophical and exciting speeches whenever possible, and encouraging people to be their best selves. She'd be far more forward about it than Rose was. She'd use her fourth-wall-breaking/Future Vision type powers to give people reassurances that they would achieve their dreams if they followed their hearts (and maybe give them little prediction hints to give them hope). She'd be extremely outgoing but never say much about her own feelings, always focusing on others. She'd be loud and kinda give Pearl a headache, but Greg would enjoy the hype in small doses. She would not replicate the sometimes physical comedy Sunstone 2.0 does, but she'd be flexible and willing to do acrobatics, and I think she'd like to go surfing.

[thejoueus]

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[marissaofunderground]

“I will fight in the name of Rose Quartz, and everything that she believed in.”

Haven’t had a background this complex and difficult for an avatar since Bendy back in March (though I didn’t use that av until April). Completely recreating Rose’s battle flag, and sizing it to fit the dimensions of an avatar, Pearl stands peacefully in front of it.

And since Pearl is one of June’s birthstones, this is why I had initially planned for Pearl to be my avatar this month. Then the Wanted arc aired, and Padparascha was introduced. Now I’m conflicted as to who I want to use, and I ended up doing avatars of both characters. Thinking of using Pearl this month and Paddy later.

[czerwonywilk]

i love that i can have nonbinary flag when i have homeguard so everyone can see why i have nb in my summoners name

[borumballasstuff]

Project going on ^^

[gemkidsau]

Season Three

I made some posts on Tapas about this but I guess some people missed them, so the confused people in that crew, here is a screenshot of an explanation:

The original plan was to draw the entirety of season two before scheduling it all to post. But a handful of episodes in I got caught up in something else and by the time I had time to work on it again, I just couldn't. I tried and tried but I really just could not get back into it.

So continuing in my promise, here is season three:

Super watermelon island

Garnet sees Malachite surfacing on Mask Island so they go there and ambush her. Peridot stays behind to work on the drill and Rose volunteers to supervise her. Alexandrite defeats Malachite. Jasper is lost in the ocean again and Lapis is brought home, passed out.

Gem drill

Same plot but replace Steven with Rose.

Same old world

Lapis wakes up and Amethyst helps her process what she went through and finds a new home for her (similar plot but Amethyst has a different approach cause of her personality). She chooses the barn.

Barn mates

Peridot insists the barn belongs to her because she’s already been using it. Lapis insists it was promised to her even though Amethyst never actually said that and doesn’t own the barn in the first place. Amethyst decides this is going to be hilarious and makes popcorn. She soon realizes she’s too close to it for it to be funny so goes to solve the problem, but it’s harder than she anticipated. It generally follows the same plot though. The red eye shows up at the end and lapis flicks it.

Hit the diamond

Yeah this one’s the same.

Steven floats

Rose learns she can float.

Mr greg

Steven & Connie’s backstory (Never fleshed this out)

Too short to ride

TBH the same but replace Steven with Rose.

The new lars

Rose wakes up in the middle of the night in Pearl’s body. Terrified, she shakes herself awake, which triggers the switch back. Pearl wakes up groggy and asks Rose why she’s awake. She says she had a bad dream and they go back to sleep.

Beach city drift

The cool kids invited Lars to a party and he’s bragging about it. When Pearl and Amethyst show interest, Lars says little kids aren’t allowed. They fuse and try to keep Opal stable so they can attend the party.

Monster reunion

Rose figures out that she does, in fact, have healing powers. She’s sure it’s a Diamond thing, but thankful as heck it’s also a Rose Quartz thing. Rose says she should try and heal one of the monsters and Pearl says she should do corrupted Rose Quartz. Once CRQ is half healed, it’s the same plot switching Steven for Pearl. We get to learn about the Crystal Gems’ demise. They were fighting at the beach and where Beach City would eventually be built. A Quartz fusion chucked the warp pad to prevent further backup from arriving. Rose notices a Nephrite receiving orders to retreat and looks up to see the diamond attack. The warp pad lands on the Nephrite. Rose doesn’t have a means to protect her friends(sword instead of shield), so they all succumb to the attack. (exit flashback) Rose runs to the temple, but can’t get in. Pearl lets her in. Pink Rose is in there like “wat happen why.” (Maybe CRQ finds something in the chest? IDK where to go from here.)

Alone at sea

Peridot is sad because Lapis is sad and she can’t figure out how to make not sad so she asks Garnet for help. Garnet takes Lapis into the ocean and does her best to show her more of the beauty of Earth. Lapis is finally starting to cheer up when Jasper sneaks up on them and begs on her knees to become Malachite again. Lapis tells her no and makes her leave. Garnet and Lapis go home wary.

Greg the babysitter

Sour Cream is excited because his baby brother is being born today. The gems are like what is a baby. We learn that gems don’t start out quite that small. They theorize that since humans only incubate for 9 months, they don’t develop as far. Gems incubate for years. They come out as 5-year-olds ish. Then Connie wonders if gems were to incubate for a very long time, would they form as adults? The gems laugh at such an idea. :^)

Gem hunt

Connie is getting very good at being close to danger even though she can’t fight or anything, so when she hears the gems are going to the frozen North, she insists on tagging along to supervise. The gems think that’s stupid but they aren’t gonna say no to Mom. Connie and Garnet get separated from Pearl, Amethyst, and Rose. While separated, Connie actually helps Garnet take out one of the beasts. Pearl, Amethyst, and Rose encounter Jasper, who poofs their beast and walks off menacingly as Connie and Garnet find them. (Rose summons her shield for the first time when trying to protect her teammates)

Crack the whip

Amethyst loses a sparring match to Pearl for the first time and is super self conscious about it.

Steven vs amethyst

Amethyst internalizes the problem instead of confronting Pearl.

Bismuth (This is out of order. Should happen before Monster Reunion)

Rose asks why she doesn’t have a room in the temple yet and the gems are like yeah that’s chill we have another spot go for it. She makes her room and to her surprise there’s already stuff in it. The other gems are like yeah there were a few things in our rooms too. We think they’re left over from the previous owners. Stuff like swords and relics. But Rose has some peculiar items in her room. There’s a chest, a sword, a flag, and a bubble. Rose likes the sword and wants to use it in battle.

Beta

Amethyst still feels like shit so Rose takes her to Peridot and Peridot takes them to the beta kindergarten. Same plot.

Earthlings

We find out that even though Jasper was originally made for Yellow, since she was young when PD emerged she was actually training to be given to Pink.

Back to the moon

Same plot mostly. The other gems hear for the first time (from the rubies) that Pink Diamond was shattered on Earth. ‘Who would do such a thing?’ It was a Rose Quartz. All eyes on Rose. Not having planned for this, she panics and runs downstairs. Pearl says she’ll talk to her since she’s closest to her and asks the other to continue helping the rubies without her.

Bubbled

Pearl talks to Rose about what they’re going to tell the others. They decide Rose was bubbled and when Pink returned to Earth in search of her Pearl, she released Rose. Rose asked who she was and she told her she’s a Diamond. Rose is a Crystal Gem so she identified her as a threat and took the opportunity to strike. Soon the others return but their cover (pretending to be homeworld gems for the rubies) is blown at the last second. Rose opens the airlock to blow them into space and one of them grabs her, trying to pull her with them, but she escapes the ruby’s grasp safely.

[chinchillasinunison]

Okay, so! 👏

Thousands of years ago when the Gem Empire was colonizing Earth, two perfect tiger's eyes emerged from the Beta Kindergarten who didn't want to be under the thumb of any Diamond. They thought of themselves as their own Diamonds. So, they renounced their serial numbers and dubbed themselves one half of the sacred gem type: becoming Daiya and Mondo.

They are dismissively called "The Crazy Diamonds" by the true Diamonds: Purple Diamond (Jin Kirigiri), White Diamond (Junko), and Black Diamond (Mukuro) and other elites, not taken seriously. But some gems, the lower castes, do. And soon there's a rebellion afoot, and the rebels take the name the Crazy Diamonds as a point of pride.

The war happened. White and Black Diamond had some excitement for the first time in their billions of years of existence, watching gems tear into each other rather than the unstoppable conquest of lesser species that they're used to. Meanwhile, Purple Diamond heads The Cluster (Izuru) Project as a direct response to the rebels and as a sort of propaganda tool (as if to say, "You want to see a gem that goes beyond your station? This abomination what you get when you go beyond your station").

He sends down the completed Cluster to end the war. Mondo overestimates what he can handle and tries fighting the thing, but Daiya gets him out of the way and takes the hit for him. Daiya gets corrupted in an instant because Cluster has a chaotic mess of powers. Then Cluster starts pulsing, getting ready for a full on nuclear blast of corruption. Mondo and Tashmarine (Takemichi) are the only survivors, using Tashmarine's flag as cover.

They spend their days afterwards finding and containing the rest of the Crazy Diamonds, hoping somehow, someway, someday they can cure them. Daiya is kept out and about because he is pretty tame, apparently having some residual memories of Mondo and Tashmarine, and because Mondo wouldn't have the heart to poof him anyway. He's very dog-liked, which is why Mondo develops such a love for the species besides just thinking they're cute.

Daiya, like other corrupted gems, enjoys to eat despite not needing to. And the Crazy Diamonds don't really have a concept of currency so they just steal him stuff to eat. One night, Takaaki is called to catch the shoplifters. Standard fare for him. Things escalate with Mondo like they always do and soon he lunges at Takaaki with his weapon, knuckledusters. In the face of an imminent and possibly deadly assault Takaaki shoots him in the foot, but since he's a gem he just poofs and Takaaki is like "???". Nobody at the station believes him when he tries to take a literal rock into custody so he just brings it home, convincing himself for his sanity's sake that this kid who disappeared in a puff of smoke right in front of him was some kind of criminal street magician or some shit. He gives the gem to Taka as a paperweight and one night while doing his homework Mondo reforms and there's just... so much yelling all around.

Kiyotaka, unknowingly, is half-gem. His mother was a conch pearl. She wasn't a rebel (because he has enough baggage on his paternal side already, he doesn't need a Rose Quartz situation on top of it), but she fled to Earth over Era 2 and pretended to be human because she passed really well. He and his family just thought the gem Taka inherited from her was a weird growth until Mondo pointed out that it was a gem.

Meanwhile, back on Homeworld, White Diamond starts a coup with her sister Black Diamond. Now in power, they force all gems to battle to the death to gain status. After two millennia, Purple Diamond gathers gems of varying classes, rejuvenates them to weed out descentors, and bubbles them before he sets out for a new place to restart the empire on the other side of the universe. However, something goes wrong and the ship ends up crashing in regular human Makoto Naegi's backyard, Purple Diamond shattering in the crash. One by one he ends up unbubbling them (the rest of this version of Class 78) and helps them adjust to Earth life.

HPA isn't a thing in this AU and Makoto and Kiyotaka attend the same, normal high school. And pretty soon they notice each other's technicolor companions and they're like, pointing Spider-Man meme at one another.

So that was extremely long, but that’s what I have!

[dogcopter]

Rose is Lion 2020 liveblog: Rose’s Scabbard (Part 2)

Rose is Liveblog 2020 Masterlist

Steven & Lion have chased Pearl to the battlefield. Pearl is hugging the sword feeling sad. Steven calls out to her and a very upset Pearl Face appears when she realizes she’s not alone.

She books it.

“Leave me alone!”

They still chase her. This is because both the nefarious Pink Diamond and Steven have boundary issues. Maybe attributable to the fact that they were socialized and raised by insecure caretakers, which proved an obstacle to developing secure attachment themselves as well as integrating certain social norms.

Or maybe they are just concerned for Pearl and don’t want her to be alone because they love her and she had a complete emotional breakdown in the living room five minutes ago.

“Pearl, wait for me!”

They reach the place where Rose and Pearl decided to fight for Earth.

“Get that thing away from me!”

Lion’s eyes are on Pearl. “You’d better sit this one out, Lion.”

Lion verbally agrees, and lets Steven go up alone.

Although he’s still watching Pearl before Steven ascends.

Lion starts cleaning his beans, or bleaning. “Ok! I talked with Lion! He’s gonna chill out here! We’re alone now! Nice and private!”

Lion isn’t present for the next scene, where Pearl recounts a conversation with Rose, but I want to pull a couple interesting lines. 

It is possible he saw the look of grief/rage on Pearl’s face when Steven approaches her, but unlikely from that vantage point. If he actually can overhear things from under the house he might have heard them, though. The most interesting thing is that he sticks around for them afterward - most of the time in the series, Lion peaces out immediately after giving Steven a ride, but of course he cares about Pearl and was charged up to follow her, because he’s Rose.

Two things:

Steven: Pearl, you have to tell me what’s wrong. Pearl: Sometimes, you even sound like her. Pearl: Do you remember this place? Do you have any of her memories? 

and then:

Now she's gone, but I'm still here. Sometimes, I wonder if she can see me through your eyes. *sighs* What would she think of me now?

Pearl characterizes Steven chasing her down and demanding to know what’s wrong as something Rose would do too. The chasing was a team effort between Lion and Steven; Lion’s behavior matches Pearl’s characterization of Rose. 

In the same scene, Pearl recreates a conversation where Rose expressed concern about Pearl’s devotion to her, and tried to give her an out before the stakes went up. 

Both of these behaviors communicate that Rose cared about Pearl, even though they are opposed on another way; one (You have to tell me what’s wrong!) is overstepping a boundary and the other (You don’t have to do this with me.) is triple-checking for consent. Both motivated by concern, though. This in the same episode where we see Lion has concern for Pearl. Another characterization match. Because Rose is Lion!

(We already know that Rose had some trouble with relating to others & Rose’s actions weren’t always the right, best or most effective way of expressing her feelings, but that’s also true of every character and our entire species. Judgment aside, for the purpose of analyzing Lion, we have a match.)

Pearl also states outright that she struggles to accept that Rose is gone. 

The verbiage they always use around Rose’s death is that she “gave up her physical form” - bequeathed her gemstone to Steven. (as Rose is Lion, she’s sorta a soul without a body.) As far as a gem is concerned her gem is her. It must be strange to a gem for wrap their head around someone dying without being shattered, or becoming a “new” person without rejuvenation. 

Not as relevant to the Lionblog but imho this is the mechanic by which Rose is Lion - she has left her gemstone to Steven but whatever soul part of her that constitutes the personality is astral projecting. We’ve certainly seen Steven leave his body and enter others’. See rose is lion 2020 tag for more astral projection word vomit.

Episode ends with one of the most beautiful & emo sequence of images in Steven Universe. This song is called “I’m Still Here”, from Pearl’s line above.

I will eat my Rose is Lion pin buttons if it is not also referring to the fact that Rose herself is still here (looking through Lion’s eyes, not Steven’s). If you didn’t cry the first time you saw this episode, you will after roseislion, which elevates an already excellent story to new heights of angst.

The scabbardly Lion glows and bows to them.

They sheathe Rose’s sword together. episode title drop! Great episode, great title, great layers.

Lion chills while Steven does party tricks and desperately tries to salvage the happy memory bonding time he thought he and Pearl were having earlier today and bottle up all that trauma stress and fear (see Future)

Steven pulls the flag out, and Lion either goes to sleep or starts pretending to sleep. He’s probably pretending. I think he pretends a lot in this series. 

(I like the idea of Lion bracing himself every time Steven goes to grab something significant because what if it’s Bismuth lol)

Pearl gets back on her favorite coping mechanism slash war story hobby. In this shot, we see Lion’s back and Pearl standing proudly with the Crystal Gem flag while recounting a daring tale of charging into battle with Rose to save the day.

Although maybe Lion’s just bored because he’s heard this story before. Or because Pearl telling stories about Rose Quartz is hard to watch after 6,000 years of trauma that started with stories about Rose Quartz. Pearl is having a ball though.

Steven is cuddling Lion, spellbound by unlocked mom lore, his favorite thing. Lion’s ears twitch, which is cute. Lion’s affection continues to level up.

The sun is there Pearl and Lion have matching distant expressions - TBF, Lion is a cat and this could just be a cat face. If he’s Rose in this scene I like to think she’s just as lost in thought as Pearl after all that. Steven has his cute adventure face on. 

This shot and the shot of Pearl in front of the moon are also lore because Earth’s celestial bodies are main characters in Steven Universe. The episode ends after Pearl looks down at Steven/Lion, then back up to face forward.

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe: The Fantastic Mutants Chapter 1: Fantastically Uncanny (originally posted on January 1, 2020)

AN: After going back to the past to explore the history of Thanos, we finally jump back to the future with this latest and long-awaited installment of the Marvel Gems Universe in the all-new Heavy Metal Trilogy! I'm your darling author Lightyearpig, and we're finally back in business baby! Just as a disclaimer, this takes place a few weeks after Change your Mind which unfortunately means no references to the movie or Spinel. Tragic, I know. But without further ado, let the return of the Crystal Gems commence!

--

"So nice of you to take us in professor." Rose Quartz thanked a young Charles Xavier as they, along with Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl strolled through his mansion home in Westchester County, New York during the year 1963. "I empathize so deeply with your desires for harmony between humans and mutants. Both your kinds are just so intriguing to me." "And I find Gems a peculiar topic as well." Xavier remarked with a smile. "I have to admit, I find myself endearing to your plights against those Diamonds thousands of years ago. Do you believe they could strike again?" he asked. "I don't think so. Ever since the end of the rebellion, Earth has been in relative peace for millenniums." Garnet responded adjusting her shades. "However, they could strike again if any deeper knowledge of the Crystal Gems reach them." "So Xy, got any cool stuff to show us? Or are we just gonna keep walking around and talking about junk?" Amethyst asked casually. "Amethyst, be polite!" Pearl gently scolded the smaller Gem, but Charles laughed warmly. "No need to be so concerned Pearl." the professor stated. "But there is one thing I've been working on for the past few years. Please, follow me." Xavier lead the Gems to his office, where he pressed a button hidden inside a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. and opened a secret elevator hidden behind a bookshelf. "Right this way now girls." he commanded stepping into the elevator and the Gems followed. The lift slowly creeped down the passageway and then finally stopped at a sub-basement inhabited solely by a helmet and computer-like device, both connected to a large electronic brain hovering above them. "This is what I call Cerebro." Xavier explained. "It's still a work in progress, but one day I can use this to search for mutants around the world and take them in as both my students & future heroes." "Mind if you give us a demonstration?" Rose asked. "I never thought you'd ask." Charles proclaimed sitting down at the computer and putting on the helmet. -- Years later, a far older, wheelchair-bound Xavier took off the helmet in a more modern looking Cerebro room while Wolverine and Mister Fantastic stood by him. "You sure this is still the one Logan?" Professor X asked the Canadian mutant. "I'm sure of it Chuck." Logan replied. "Just say the word and we'll all be there in a jiff." "I would like to research this boy sometime." Reed Richards commented gazing at a video image of Steven Universe conjured up by Xavier's machine. With a press of his temple, the professor telepathically gave out his orders. "To me, my X-Men!"

-- "So what was that Universe child like Logan?" the field leader of the X-Men Scott Summers, aka Cyclops asked Wolverine while the mutant team flew out to Beach City on the Blackbird. "Real energetic little squirt who sees the good in a ton of people, even Thanos." Wolverine answered. "Got a bunch of crazy friends too, like this big square lady who's literally just a pair of tiny girlfriends in a trenchcoat, a purple midget with a whip, some bird woman who had the hots for his dead mom when she was alive, etc." "My stars and garters, what an interesting bunch." the beastly researcher Hank McCoy commented. "Heads up gang, we should be landing in Beach City any moment now." their current pilot Angel, aka Warren Worthington III, announced as the jet got closer. "Please keep arms and legs within your seats as we begin touchdown. Okay Wolvie, where to?" "Just be on the lookout for a beach house jammed into the big statue of a giant woman near the beach, that's all." Logan ordered sitting down in his seat and looking out the window. "See, there it is!" he exclaimed pointing at that very beach house in the distance, only it was very different from when he last saw it. Since he last departed Beach City after the battle with Thanos, the house now had a second floor in construction process connecting to a barely-finished crystal dome, larger windows at the front and two flags outside of it. When the X-Men touched down on the beach close to the beach house, he got a better look at the flags to discover that one of them symbolized Earth while the other was colored yellow, blue, white and pink. "Whew, talk about a chic place!" the cryokinetic Bobby Drake, better known as Iceman, whistled while gazing at the house. "You told us he was just some kid with crazy alien powers!" "Bob, there's so much you don't know about these Gems yet." Logan declared placing a hand on his comrade's cold shoulder when the door opened and out of it came Steven himself. "Hi Wolverine! We weren't expecting you to come back after helping us stop Thanos!" the half-Gem boy greeted the savage mutant. "And are those the X-Men?! Awesome!" "We just need to talk squirt!" Logan hollered back from below the front porch. "And also, WHAT THE F-" -- "You're just worried that I can survive that." Wolverine snarled while hand soap slowly dripped out his mouth. "So you were saying that your dead mom was secretly a space warlord who ditched her home planet for Earth because she was sick of the other Diamonds treating her like shit?" "That's basically it, yeah." Amethyst commented. Also since Wolverine first left Beach City, the Crystal Gems had changed in appearance as well. Garnet's visor had turned orange while the top part resembled a star, the bottom part of her torso was split between red & blue and had copper & tin wedding rings on her fingers. Amethyst now had a black top exposing her gemstone, jean shorts with black stars on them and her boots were white. And Pearl had gained a cyan blazer with shoulder-pads over a teal blue top, indigo leggings and pink flats. But it was the newer members of Crystal Gems that changed the most. Peridot's visor was now a larger butterfly shape, she proudly wore her stars on her chest & knees and her socks were now chartreuse yellow boots. Lapis had doffed a skirt entirely in favor of dark-blue sweatpants held up by a gold ribbon, her top had the upper portion of a star on it and she now had golden sandals on. And Bismuth was now clad in a black vest-like garment over a strapless red apron while her boots & pants remained unchanged. "Well, good to know." Cyclops stated standing at attention before Steven. "Greetings young Mr. Universe. I am Scott Summers, also known as X-Men leader Cyclops." Scott introduced himself. "My team and I have arrived at your homestead with an offer to better your skills under the tutelage of our superior Professor Charles Xavier." "Wait, you mean Chuck?!" Amethyst exclaimed. "Aw, it's been ages since we last saw him! How's he been?" she asked. "Since he last met you Crystal Gems, he took us in as his students before becoming paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair." Cyclops's lover & second in command Jean Grey responded. "I'm Jean Grey." she introduced herself as well. "These are the rest of our graduating class; Iceman, Angel and Beast. And I'm sure you're already familiar with Wolverine." "Anyone wanna tell me who this newbie is?" Logan asked standing next to a green one-eyed Gem with white hair and a pink diamond on her chest dressed in light green coattails. "Forgive me sir, my name is Nephrite." the new Gem introduced herself. "Honorary member of the Crystal Gems at your service!" "She was the first corrupted Gem we fought and as such, one of the first we fully healed." Garnet briefed Howlett. "She's here today because we're in the process of building a place for all former Gem monsters to call home, just like her." "So kind of like our headquarters, where we train mutants from across the globe to become the next generation of heroes." Jean stated. "Wait, there's more of you?" Bismuth asked the telepath quizzically. "I suppose you must've been unaware for some reason." the scarlet-locked mutant guessed correctly while using her mutant powers to read the blacksmith's mind. "Oh you bet I was!" Bismuth replied. "Just a simple case of being bubbled and stuck in a lion's mane due to...disagreements, shall we say." "You mean this creature?" Beast asked observing Lion as he sniffed his blue fur. "How can it be possible? Surely the mane of a normal lion cannot contain anything at maximum length!" Steven however answered Dr. McCoy's questions by sticking his hand inside the mane. "My word, I must learn more!" "Hey Steven, just came by today to help with construct-" Connie announced stepping into the beach house expecting the Gems to accept her help. They were present, but were too preoccupied by a group of mutants investigating them including a blue-furred man holding Lion by the sides. "Not even going to ask." "Am I the only one getting some weird deja vu?" Lapis pondered. "Oh you bet! All we need now is a black hole bomb made out of kitchen things!" Peridot replied with a snicker. "Oh hey Connie, I'd like you to meet the X-Men." Steven introduced his swordfighting friend to the merry mutants. "You must be the friend of Steven I've heard Logan talk about." Cyclops commented shaking the girl's hand. "I am Cyclops. Me and my teammates are here today to test Steven and see if he's got what it takes to be a student of Xavier." "Oh cool! Let me guess, you have a flying machine outside on the beach to take us to your HQ?" Connie asked. "That's how the last few superheroes came to see us." "You are very spot-on young lady." Beast declared opening the door for everyone to leave. "Come now, we have much to discuss in Westchester!" The Crystal Gems exited the beach house where the Blackbird awaited them on the sand outside. "Oh my gosh, your ship looks so cool!" Steven cried out in excitement. "Can I sit in the front?" "Surely. Anything Steven." Scott kindly accepted when they boarded the X-Men's jet and allowed the boy to take one of the front seats closest to the pilot's section while the other Crystal Gems, plus Lion, simply stood around. "Well aren't you just a lucky boy?" Amethyst quipped while leaning against Iceman's seat. "Getting to ride shotgun with the big cheese of the X-Men." "Though I'm not sure if we're ready to let Steven leave Beach City to better his powers." Pearl stated with concern when Beast put a hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry my dear, he's in good hands." Hank declared. "Or maybe not." Garnet announced adjusting her shades. "I fear something bad could happen to him while at your mansion." "Yeesh, Captain Ominous here. Am I right?" Angel snarked as the Blackbird finally took off, heading towards Westchester and zooming away from Beach City. Down below, Greg was ready to drive up to the Temple in his van when he saw the Blackbird flying overhead. "I wonder what bizarre adventures Steven is getting into this time?" he muttered as the jet vanished from sight. -- "And that, children, is how you land a fastball special." the metal-skinned Russian mutant Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus, declared to a classroom full of young mutants in the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning for Gifted Youngsters. The school was established by the genius to better the skills of the young mutants, build them to be the next generation of heroes and inspire his motto of peace between humans & mutants within them. When the X-Men were not fighting the forces of evil, many of them spent time teaching classes, and Colossus, the leader of the Gold team of X-Men, was no different. "Now then, any questions?" Piotr asked his pupils when one of them raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Collins?" he stated. "Have you noticed that Kitty's head is poking out of the board?" Russell Collins asked, bringing attention to Rasputin's fellow X-Man Kitty Pryde popping her head out with her phasing abilities, inciting giggles from the class. "Bozhe moy!" Colossus exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't see you there Kitty! What brings you here?" "I came because Emma told me to tell you that Cyclops and the others are coming back." Kitty announced. "Uzhe?!" Piotr muttered before turning to his class. "My apologies students, I have other matters to attend to." he apologized to his pupils as he walked out the door. "Be sure to keep studying everyone!" -- In the foyer of the mansion, the X-Men assembled to welcome back their six famous teammates and gemlike guests. On one side were the Blue Team of mutants. Aside from Cyclops, Jean, Hank, Angel, Iceman & Wolverine, they included the weather-wielding Storm, power-stealing Southern belle Rogue, charming card-tosser Gambit, implike teleporting Nightcrawler, fireworks-tossing Jubilee, the disappearing Shadowcat & her pet dragon Lockheed and the tracker Warpath. On the other side was the Gold Team led by Colossus. By his side were the beautiful telepath Emma Frost, Wolverine's clone daughter X-23, Colossus's younger sister Magik, the fire-wielder Firestar, solar-powered Sunspot, pop singer Dazzler, wisecracking shapeshifter Morph, living rocket Cannonball, lava-generating Magma and the other teleporter Blink. Professor Xavier psychically lifted his wheelchair down the stairs and planted himself on the floor to look at the Crystal Gems. "Today my fellow mutants, we welcome some old friends of mine into our school." he announced. "I'd like to thank Logan here for pointing us in their direction." Wolverine simply rolled his eyes before lighting up a cigarette to smoke. "Without Wolverine, our eyes wouldn't have been opened to the potential of young Steven Universe here as both a student of my school and a potential X-Man as well." Xavier finished his speech with a grin. "Now then everyone, introduce yourselves." "Yo Chuck, it's been ages! How ya been?!" Amethyst excitedly greeted the professor. "Why Amethyst, so good to see you again too." Xavier replied tousling the smaller Gem's hair. "It seems that all three of you have changed quite a bit since we last met." he added looking at Garnet and Pearl. "Along with new additions to your ranks as well." "Astounding! Some humans can choose not to use their gravity connectors!" Peridot exclaimed gazing at the mutant's wheelchair. "And they can also choose to not have hair as well!" Xavier gave a warm chuckle and patted Peridot on her three-sided head. "Quite an observant one, isn't she?" "So what's up with the whole no-hair business?" Lapis asked Charles. "It's just old age my dear." the professor stated while gazing at Steven and Connie meeting the rest of the X-Men. "So you're basically Wolverine's clone?" Connie asked X-23. "Yeah, pretty much." Laura replied deadpan. "And I'm also sort of his daughter as well." "Whoa, you have a pet dragon?!" Steven gasped in amazement while Lockheed perched himself on his shoulder. "Well, Lockheed is more of a weird alien dragon, but you get the point." Kitty replied earnestly. "Which reminds me, can I get a look at your lion?" Without Steven even asking him to, Lion walked towards Kitty Pryde and stared at her for a few moments before bowing his head, allowing her to pet him. "Aw, he's a real cutie." she cooed at Lion. "When and where did you get him?" "It was when I was starting to go on missions with the Gems, I found him in a desert one time." Steven explained. "Ah, sometimes I miss the simpler days when I was just an excitable tagalong to them. Just a new monster with no drama related to my dead mom or other Gems in sight." "Kinda reminds me of when I started out as an X-Man." Kitty regaled. "I was just another student of theirs until I happened to save their lives from the Hellfire Club and that's how I became a full member with both Storm & Wolverine having my back." "Wow, you two are surprisingly pretty similar." Connie observed. "You mean like how we were once eager young sidekicks to more experienced heroes who soon grew into our own?" Kitty responded. "Yeah, that's basically it." Connie replied. "So what can all of you do?" "That's just what I needed to hear young lady." Professor X stated. "I want to see how skilled you and Steven are on the battlefield. Come now, to the Danger Room everyone! Reed and company should be down there waiting for us." "What's that?" Steven asked Wolverine. "It's what we call our training room. Able to simulate any situation that requires any of our abilities." Logan explained. "It's been rebuilt God knows how many times, but it's still the same old room through and through." As the Crystal Gems were led by the X-Men, a female student of the Academy watched them depart and her eyes turned yellow as she eyed Lapis in particular. "Ah, she seems easy to replace." she muttered to herself while her skin slowly turned blue. "Let the mission proceed." -- Happy New Year everyone! I sincerely hope 2020 and beyond brings us more fond memories together, and I also hope I don't procrastinate on every chapter like what happened towards the end of both Secret Wars & Gravity Soul. With that said, just who is that mysterious student and what does she want with Lapis Lazuli?! Well if you know your Marvel, then I suppose the yellow eyes and blue skin should give it away. Anyways, be sure to leave a review and I'll see you next time!

[steven1123x]

Guys! My brother is getting me the Rose Quartz Battle flag!

So… I’m getting this because to show my support for 🇵🇸. And I’m so excited to get it. I’ll post it on my birthday!

[afterpinkdiamond]

Rose’s Scabbard S1E45

This is a heavy hitter, with Pearl practically telling Steven his mom didn’t look like his mom and just how emotionally damaged she’s been by Pink Diamond. 

The episode starts with a mission to the Strawberry Fields battleground, where the Gems are collecting up physical weapons left behind by the gems destroyed in the battle there. Pearl talks about not wanting to disturb a historical site but Garnet insists on gathering up the weapons. I should note it’s likely these were made by Bismuth and perhaps Pearl and Garnet’s differing priorities stem from their ways of dealing with her disappearance after so many centuries. Pearl buries her emotional problems as shown in “A Single Pale Rose”, even though they routinely bubble very near the surface, while Garnet deals with unpleasant memories in a much more healthy way as demonstrated during “Here Comes A Thought”. Garnet wants to keep Bismuth’s work close but Pearl would rather divorce her friend from the memory of that battle. Anyway, Steven tries to get Lion to help him find his own weapon, but the cat ignores him, pawing at the ground intently. Pearl remarks that Steven should train him better when Lion comes back with Rose’s Scabbard unearthed. Pearl is shocked, the scabbard having been lost for centuries and Steven asks about his mom having fought in that battle. Garnet tells how many gems were destroyed there, but Pearl cuts in saying that they all rallied behind Rose and won.  Back at the temple, Amethyst and Garnet are trying to get the large ax Garnet picked up into the temple while Pearl reminisces that Steven even looks like his mother sometimes. He is slightly confused and looks back at the portrait, pointing out the very obvious fact that he hardly looks like Rose Quartz. In fact, he looks a heck of a lot more like Pink Diamond. Here are some comparisons from 3D merch I just happen to own :P

Clearly, he looks much more like Pink Diamond, especially the shape of the hair. Which brings up the question of whether gemstones contain something analogous to DNA that determines basic appearance. Because logically... Greg plus Rose wouldn’t look so Pink. Also, I really love the rose flower shape Steven’s hair has on the 3D design. Adorable!

Once Amethyst and Garnet disappear into the Temple, Pearl asks if Steven can keep a secret and offers to show his Rose’s secret armory so they can try to find Rose’s Sword. Steven is excited and they warp off to a remote location. His excitement quickly dies as Pearl describes the 3-hour hike and vertical climb needed to get to the armory. We then see him smiling again as Pearl carries him up the cliff. He asks why his mom kept so many secrets and Pearl states that she had to because it’s the mark of a good leader. She needed to know what to keep from others to keep them safe. She then makes this almost pained happy face saying that Rose told her everything. This face says a lot. She’s proud to be the sole confidant, but it’s hurt her too. Pearl feels burdened with the secrets Pink and Rose forced her to keep from everyone important in her life, but she keeps them out of honor and duty and love for her diamond and her commander. When they get to the armory, Pearl is excited to see Steven’s first reaction to this secret place but he tells her that he’s been here before with Lion. She says that’s impossible but Steven jumps right in and uses the hand pedestal to bring up a lot of the weapons he and Connie found in “Lion 2: The Movie” None of them are Rose’s sword and Pearl starts describing it out of frustration. Steven then says he knows exactly where to find the sword.

They get back to the beach house, and with Garnet and Amethyst watching, Steven pulls Rose’s sword from Lion’s alternate dimension mane. Pearl is absolutely shocked. Steven casually jumps in and rides his bike back out. Amethyst makes the connection that of course, the pink Lion belongs to Rose, that’s why it’s pink. However, what none of them know is that Lion is pink because Rose brought him back from the dead.

Pearl is shaken and the others try to comfort her that Rose kept many secrets. She insists that Rose never kept secrets from her. Steven suggests that Rose might have been trying to protecting her as well but Pearl snaps, yelling at the others and hitting the wall. Rose’s portrait falls from the wall and Pearl runs away with Amethyst telling her to go cry about it. Garnet moves to put the picture back up and Steven decides to go with Lion to find her. Garnet wishes him luck as Lion portals.

Steven and Lion find Pearl back at the battleground. She is hugging Rose’s sword and crying. She runs when she sees Lion and Steven and Lion give chase. She runs up floating platforms and Steven leaves Lion behind to follow. He struggles to jump from island to island while Pearl leaps over several at a time. The final jump proves to be too much and Pearl panics when Steven starts to fall. He manages to catch himself and Pearl leaves him to climb up himself once she’s sure he’s alive. Steven confronts her, saying she has to tell him what’s wrong. 

She’s holding her mouth with her hand similarly to how Pink Diamond commanded her to not tell the final secret from “A Single Pale Rose”. She wonders if Steven has any of Rose’s memories and starts a projection of Rose, voicing a conversation had thousands of years ago, possibly before the war started. The conversation further confirms that Rose was from Homeworld. After the projection fades, Pearl voices a concern that if Rose was watching from Steven’s perspective, what would she think of Pearl now? We see this low self-image even more pronounced in “Mr. Greg” when she laments what she’s become without Rose. Steven, recognizing that Pearl is hurting, hugs her from behind and says he thinks she’s pretty great.

Steven tries to cheer Pearl up with a magic trick, which she doesn’t get but appreciates. He then climbs inside Lion and finds the standard flag Rose left inside. Pearl then tells him a war story using the flag to demonstrate. They later ride Lion back home.

This episode focuses on how much about Pearl and Rose Steven doesn’t know. Small details point towards the truth and more questions are opened up about Lion’s relationship to Rose. Something as simple as Pearl remarking on familial resemblance raise questions about what she actually means, and points towards Pink Diamond. Such a very powerful episode.

[nellynee]

Pearls, and the nature of happiness in gems

So something I’ve noticed recently with Pearls and their owners. 

We already know that Pearls are a servant class, meant to do menial tasks for said owners.They are a symbol of status. But I’m starting to believe that they might have a secondary purpose as well.

Things we know about gem society. 

Lower class gems are more prevalent than higher ones. There are a lot more amethysts than aquamarines for example

there’s a sense of comradery between similar gem types. We see this with the famethyst, with the amethyst’s emerging as Pink Diamond visits them, with the various groups of ruby soldiers we see. Even Topaz, who seem to be much higher ranking quartz soldiers, are drawn to each other.

gems crave socialization. We simply wouldn’t have cases like the crystal gems or off colors congregating together if that wasn’t the case. Gems search for a place to belong, and we tend to see gems who have been allowed to socialize with their fellow gems much happier in this than those who don’t.

Fusion is a representation of relationships, and lower class gems are allowed to fuse freely for battle, while higher class gems are potentially not expected to fuse at all.

Sapphire also indicates in The Answer that she would never have been in a situation that required her to fuse (”of course not, when would I have ever?”) We know that on homeworld, fusion is expected of similar gems to enhance themselves. Whether it’s because her powers would not enhance, there would never be a situation to call for it, or at least partially, saphire’s are rare enough that they would seldom even be in the same room together. This does indicate that rarer gems might not meet another of their kind enough to make her lack of fusion experience common knowledge. 

To summarize, Gems a a species crave interpersonal interactions, and the opportunity for this becomes more and more rare as a gem gets rarer, with lower class gems forming small communities of workers with the exclusionary nature of gem interaction (ie, only interact as an equal of same kinds of gems). As most systems like this do, it tends to fall apart around middle class. We see with with gems like Jasper (a high class and socially excluded quartz, as she’s been fighting all her life to just exist) and in Topaz, a quartz soldier high enough to make Pearl worry and who guards Yellow’s extraction chamber, but still a quartz. Around that point, you start getting them more spread thin, but still covered under the low rank flag, so you end up with examples like the Topaz we know best, pairing off and trying their best to stay together. The low extreme of this being things like the pebbles, or rubies, where there’s so many a gem doesn’t have to be choosy in friends. The other end being the Diamonds, of which we see Pink being unhappy in her solitude, and the confirmation that the Amethysts would not be expected to interact with her candidly, since she is a Diamond.

This makes a lot of sense and there’s probably a lot of you rolling your eyes at how obvious this is, and wondering where Pearl comes in, but here it is. In such a society, where does that leave high class gems?

In the case of say, pre the Answer Sapphire, this comes in the form of a Diamond’s court. Gems of a similar, high class are allowed to mingle there. We even see Holly Blue wax poetic about the potential of her performance at the human zoo allowing her to return to court.

If we take the groupings of the leaked images from the diamond days saga (new gems, all grouped by similar types at the ball) as an indication, the court might be a high class gems only opportunity to mingle with gems of their own kind. Given the classist and proud nature of most high class gems, I doubt they intermingle with other types even in this cases.

But what does this have to do with Pearls?

We know Pearls are often given to gems of high rank for showing exemplary action towards the Diamonds. A successful gem can earn a Pearl. Which makes sense as a reward of status and a servant, but even more so if Pearls are specifically there as a socially acceptable source of constant social interaction. 

Pearls are literally there to make their owner happy. Their purpose isn’t to carry things or be pretty. That’s what they do to obtain their purpose. But their purpose is to make their gem happy

What’s the difference? The difference being the contentment of that Pearl. The difference being the expectations on a Pearl and how that happiness can be interpreted. We’ve seen time and again what happens to a gems mental state when they excel at, fail at, or can not recognize their purpose, so defining a Pearl’s purpose is important.

Off the top of my head, I can think of three instances of indiction of this (if any of you guys notice any more instances of this, let me know and I’ll list it here with credit!)

the first two take place during Now We’re Only Falling Apart, with Pearl stating “I was given to Pink Diamond just a few thousand years before she was given the Earth. I was supposed to make her happy I just, never could” In this case many have written this off as a generalization, but it might also be a direct translation of her purpose

the second also comes in NWOFA, but is much more oddly worded. After attempting fusion between her and Rose, and describing the things she’s been imagining on her own, Pearl says “And I’m not yours, but, I make you so happy anyway.” The delivery of this line making a connection between belonging to her (Rose, in her imagination) and her (Pearl’s) ability to make Rose happy

The third example, off the top of my head, being Yellow’s line in the moment before the song “What’s the use of feeling Blue?”, said line being, “Pearl, do something, sing for her, make her feel better.”

Really, in a society that glorifies classism and authoritarianism, the inclusion of a sub class of gems who’s purpose is to make you feel better, and who accomplish that through total and absolute subjugation to your whims, makes sense. Their servitude is ultimately a byproduct of their purpose in the context of the culture that purpose takes place in. They are ultimately hardwired to empathize with their owner’s emotional needs, potentially to the detriment of their own should those needs not be met.

Really, it’s only important when contemplating gems, and their mental states as compared to their ability, or projected ability to, complete their purpose, when contemplating Pearl’s in particular, but I haven’t seen anyone else point this outlook on Pearl’s as servants out before.

Other notes on blue and yellow pearl

Yellow diamond is especially busy, so an ideal servant would of course, be one who can lighten your load in any way. For instance, if notes from the trial were truly needed, we would have seen Blue Pearl focusing much harder on recording said trial, but Yellow Pearl busily making notes for YD’s benefit makes more sense. She also vets phone calls and is more more technical in her recordings (preferring photos to drawings)

On the other hand, Blue Pearl is quiet and distant, exactly what BD requests of Yellow in letting her grieve. Distance may not be what Blue needed, but it is what she wanted. BP’s artistry might be an extension of past attempts to cheer up BD. Most prefer to think it’s a quirk of hers, but individuality in Pearl’s is harshly squashed, with our Pearl coming to the realization she should be replaced for imagining things on her own. A Diamond’s Pearl is probably under the most intense scrutiny for this. As sad as it is, any individuality we see in the Pearls at this point in time is statistically more likely to be due to their Diamond’s preferences, than their own.

[balancingfluorite]

Chapter 1

I am not sure who will read this. Perhaps it will just be a notation sighted by an unrelated human passing by. Perhaps it will be a gem, lost on this strange and beautiful planet. It is possible too that Homeworld may find this and finally condemn me for the life I have chosen to live. All the same, hello. I am Fluorite.

Where I come from, Fluorites are gems known to be geniuses in the areas they are placed. With a believed state of higher awareness, a Fluorite is designed to help other gems achieve their full mental, physical, and psychic bodies. Our jobs are based on what training a gem may need. If a Peridot is failing to perform her engineering tasks to the expectations of the commander, that Peridot may be sent to a Fluorite. If a Ruby does not fight properly, a Fluorite will correct her.

Other gem bases operate differently. With dwindling resources, Homeworld must not be wasteful. The Diamonds expect efficiency, and that is what we create. Thus we have the odd caste system of my home base.

When the war against Earth began, I was assigned the marvelous task of teaching gems how to fight, specifically with swords and other weapons that a gem might use despite having not created it from her own gem. Our army consisted mostly of Agates, Quartz, and Rubies. Above them stood an Aquamarine whose cruelty knew no bounds, a Sapphire, and an Emerald who we all gladly took a knee to. With her Sapphire’s guidance and fearless composure, Emerald was delighted at the chance to show her aptitude for battle to Yellow Diamond. So we entered the war. My true story begins there.

“Fluorite.” A gorgeous Sapphire stood before Fluorite, eyes closed, and hands clasped politely at her chest. “Emerald requires your presence. Please come to her palanquin.” She turned and took a step to the side, offering Fluorite a position at her side. Fluorite smiled and rose from her studies, letting the documents remain so that any gem might see it.

“Walk at your side?” The tall gem crossed her arms behind her back and stepped a stride beside the smaller gem. “You must want to see me shattered.”

“Fluorite! Never...” The Sapphire turned, eye open and filled with emotion. “I would never.” She placed a hand on Fluorite’s back. Fluorite smiled and placed a hand on Sapphire’s shoulder.

“I am just joking, Saph.”

“Joking?” Sapphire repeated distantly. “Being... shattered...” A shiver passed through her.

“Don’t worry. None of us will be shattered. I am sure of it.”

“But-“ Sapphire stopped and frown at Fluorite as she closed her eyes and clasped her hands at her chest, an obvious imitation of Sapphire.

“I had a vision!” Fluorite exclaimed, but not loud enough for any other gem to become curious. Fluorite bent so that she could whisper in Sapphire’s ear. “A rare Sapphire will abandon her position of seer, take up a sword, and fight alongside the most skilled sword fighter in all the stars.” Fluorite gestured toward the armory. “But what sword will she choose?”

“Sapphires are not built to fight.” Sapphire affirmed, pretending she had never envisioned a future in which she fought, in which she would be in control of the futures she saw. She sighed and began walking toward Emerald’s Palanquin.

The two walked in comfortable silence. At least, Fluorite was comfortable. Passing through the Agates and Amethysts, Fluorite received many smiles from her previous students.

“Every gem can fight, even if they cannot summon a weapon.” Her eyes passed over a group of near-defective Amethysts. They had all learned to fight. They were useful. They would not be harvested.

“If you continue with that line of thought, you will become Off Colored. Refrain your self-serving rambling before you get a gem destroyed.” Aquamarine’s high-pitched voice cut in as she fluttered above the two, a frown fixed on her face. “If you don’t...” Aquamarine placed a hand over her gem, as if threatening to summon her weapon. Fluorite watched, body shifting into a subtle, defensive stance, keeping her body close to Sapphire’s.

“Enough. Please pull aside the curtains, Aquamarine. Emerald has requested Fluorite, not you.” Sapphire spoke quietly, but with a calm that could cut through any storm.

“Hmph. Another arrogant Sapphire. Hardly rare.” She spat, but flew toward the curtains, opening them without further comment.

Sapphire and Fluorite passed into the inner corridor. The walls were lined with monitors. Emerald had many fleets across the universe. One of her fleets was seeing to the conclusion of the elimination of the opposing forces on a planet rich with resources. It was possible that it could contain up to twenty-three Kindergartens. This was a game changer for Emerald. Her status would soar. This pleased Fluorite. Emerald was unlike other gems. She was willing to listen, to learn, to admit to mistakes. When Fluorite had been tasked to decipher the language of a particular planet, Emerald often sat at her side. When Fluorite had been tasked to fight, Emerald would compliment Fluorite’s form. Her commendations made Fluorite feel as if she were glowing.

“My Emerald.” Fluorite knelt and bowed her head before the stern looking gem that made Fluorite look fragile. Armor with pointed tips decorated every part of Emerald’s body.

“Come here, Fluorite. There isn’t much time. I will be joining Condor Agate’s forces. The tides are turning quickly. Come come.” She gestured and Fluorite made her own way to the monitors, trying to both watch what was on screen and also a rare glimpse of Emerald, unbridled and ready to follow her passion.

“What can I do for you?” Fluorite asked. Emerald took in the scene on the screen before looking Fluorite in the eyes.

“I need you to help create an army that cannot be defeated. I need you to teach them how to fight a war, not just a battle. You need to teach them what progress is, what sacrifices should be made, and how to waste as little time and resource as possible while still maintaining their dignity and carrying my flag.” She turned her attention back to the screen and groaned.

There was a large group of Rubies facing down large, monstrous beasts. They fused and took down the largest beast.

“As impressive as this looks, they allowed the tactician to retreat. The big one was essentially a bodyguard. It didn’t even attack until the Rubies antagonized it. They-“ Emerald cut herself off and buried her face in her hands. “They have no idea what they are doing. They think they can just walk in and eliminate the planet’s inhabitants. This is not the right battleground.” She sighed and lifted her head, looking at Fluorite once more. “You can do this, right?” She asked, her voice strong, yet gentle.

“It would be my sincerest pleasure, my Emerald.” Fluorite placed a hand to her chest in a salute.

“I cannot wait to see what you create. You’ve already transformed the incorrectly cut Amethysts. Everything you touch shines.” Her smile reached her eyes. Fluorite felt breathless. She could only whisper an unintelligible sentence of gratitude.

[borumballasstuff]

New su fanart project

[yellow-diamond-screws-lightning]

Why are some people so unwilling to accept PD/RQ’s death? Also what’s in the chest?

It’s been a couple of weeks since CYM aired, and a couple of weeks since we got confirmation that Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond is never coming back, she’s gone, straight from the mouth of Joe Johnson himself. Despite this however, there are a few of us who just refuse to believe it. Why is this? I can’t answer for everyone, I can only answer for myself, so here we go.

1. The concept of death for Gems has always been ambiguous to say the least. In the episode So Many Birthdays, Pearl says that Gems can die, but not from food poisoning. Later in the episode as Steven rapidly ages and quickly arrives at Death’s door, Pearl says that old age doesn’t kill a Gem, but that Steven is half-human.

In Steven the Sword Fighter we are introduced to the concept of a Gem’s physical form being poofed and even then that’s more of the equivalent of going into a coma for a while. Better still, it’s more like just staying in bed for a while to recuperate. 

The closest we’ve ever seen regarding Gem death has been that of shattering. Gem Drill confirmed that this is a situation of a fate worse than death. The Cluster is comprised of millions, perhaps billions of shards all seeking the pieces of themselves, all seeking to be whole again, all seeking to form again.

It’s not until Change Your Mind that a new concept of Gem death comes into the picture, and so far it looks like the only two people who are aware of it are Steven and White Diamond. Yellow, Blue, The two Pearls, Amethyst, and Garnet were all under mind control so it’s safe to assume that neither of them know that Rose is truly “gone��. But with everything we and they have learned, why should they so easily accept that she’s gone? This leads me to point number 2.

2. One of the Crewniverse members (Joe Johnson) said that Rose Quartz is gone and that when Steven dies, she’s not coming back. This raises a few questions however. In the past the Crewniverse (Ian Jones) had said that Rose Quartz is named Rose Quartz in regards to a question of whether or not RQ was actually a Quartz or not. We now know that this was done to throw people off the trail. Needless to say however, the Crewniverse are also notorious for adding simple things to the episodes that turn out to have major foreshadowing. 

While I hate not trusting a member of the Crewniverse there’s a large part of me that’s going, “uh huh...sure.”

3. Rose Quartz deciding to give up her entire existence seems really out of character. Look, I know I have a theory stating that PD then RQ was suicidal and maybe she was, but if she wasn’t? Then something about her willingly deciding to give up her existence to bring a new life into the world seems far fetched. After all, according to Rebecca Sugar, Pink Diamond represents the id, and the id is all about base pleasure. It wants what feels good. It wants to be happy. It is for all intents and purposes rather childish.

There have been many posts calling PD/RQ out as a childish brat and due to her role as the id, this is not so far fetched.

Ergo, we have a situation of did Rose know whether or not she would cease to exist by having Steven? Again, according to Joe Johnson, she knew she would disappear.

Which again for a character that’s supposed to represent the id, this sudden rate of maturity is really out of character. It would be one thing if Rose decided, “hey I think I want to be a human boy!” but for her to just go, “Greg, I want a child. I know I’ll never see him or her, and I know that in order to give this child life I’ll have to give up my existence. I know I’ll disappear and that I will never return, and I know that I will never know my child nor will I gain any benefit from having this child. I also know that by doing this it’s going to hurt everyone despite bringing so much joy! But I really want to do this Greg!”

Yeah...right...sorry, but as much as I love Rose, I don’t buy that for one second. This leads me to my final point.

4. We still don’t know what’s inside of that damn chest in Lion’s mane. Steven tried opening it in Lion 4: Alternate Ending but the key didn’t fit. Whatever is in the chest is something that’s going to be very important. What could be inside of this chest?

 In Lion’s mane are where Rose kept her most precious items. The t-shirt Greg gave her, the sword that Bismuth made for her, Bismuth in a bubble, the battle flag, the VHS tape to Steven, the framed picture of her and Greg, and the chest.

We know that Rose had a secret armory, as well as a dump. Therefore we can conclude that the item(s) in the chest are something very important. We can conclude that it’s something so important that she probably didn’t want even Steven to discover it.

What could it be?

Given that the Gems have many similarities with computers I actually would not be a damned bit surprised if what was in the chest amounted to essentially a backup file. That’s right, in the chest is a back up copy of PD/RQ herself and should Steven die, or even a time long after that, it’ll be up to one of the Gems (I’m banking on Pearl) to essentially resurrect her.

Some might say this cheapens Rose’s death, but I personally don’t see it that way?