#spinel love story

[amelikos]

I wonder if Spinel feels potentially threatened by Gibeon and Amethio's bond.. the way he phrased it, that Amethio is special to Gibeon and that because of this, he'd get in their way eventually, made me wonder if somehow, he needs Gibeon to keep going on the way he is right now and that perhaps Amethio could be a source of doubt to Gibeon.

Agate's words about blood ties that could lead to hardship now and then made me curious too. I feel like this could be a hint to Agate's circumstances and that she is not just describing Amethio and Gibeon's situation, but also her own. She's only said elusive things so far (back in HZ056, she talked to Dot about how some things are better left unknown and didn't elaborate further).

I wonder if Agate has some ties to the original Explorers? It also felt quite personal to Spinel too since he talked about the future of the Explorers. I thought this was only a job to him, but maybe this is going a bit deeper than that if he wants to ensure their future? He seemingly wasn't only in it for himself either, since he mentioned Amethio getting in "their" way (plural form, so it seems like he includes Agate and potentially the others too). The Explorers were Lucius's friends, but we still don't exactly know what that implies. Were they human friends, and were there several of them that could be connected to Spinel and Agate?

Also now that we've seen what the Rakurium can do to Pokemon, Gibeon's current situation is worrying. Man is constantly stuck in a room filled with Rakurium alongside Zygarde. Last time Amethio visited him, they were separated by glass and Amethio couldn't step in that room. I wonder if constant exposure to Rakurium messed up Gibeon on some level or had negative effects on him? His Zygarde seemed to be adjusted to it, so maybe they're both past the point of reacting negatively to it and are used to it. Or maybe it doesn't have negative effects on humans.

Either way, now that Amethio has seen firsthand what the Rakurium can do, I wonder if he'll still want to acquire more of it for Gibeon. He looked shocked when he saw how Spinel's Blacky reacted to it. Maybe he'll start having doubts, or at least question himself. There is the implication that Gibeon needs more of the Rakurium to live (maybe?), but it doesn't exactly seem to be a blessing either.

[warraigoe]

xxvii.

—  ❛❛  //  spinel.   ¦   your new best friend.

—  ❛❛  //  spinel.   ¦   i heard the story over and over again. ・ 「 in ! 」

—  ❛❛  //  spinel.   ¦   her cut is perfect‚ and she’s pink as well ! ・ 「 images ! 」

—  ❛❛  //  spinel.   ¦   you knew what it meant to love her . ・ 「 musings ! 」

[saiscribbles]

Things Lily has made up about Steven Universe:

The Diamonds are Nazis

The Crystal Gems wear stars because the Diamonds are Nazis

The show is about forgiveness and forgiving Nazis

Spinel was suicidal

Rose was suicidal

Steven has mind control powers

Reset Pearl was in love with Greg in the movie

Gems are based on the Asari from Mass Effect

Nikki Minaj was angry at Sugilite's design

Concrete was a planned character

Aivi & Surasshu are bad musicians with bad equipment

Cartoon Network had no problem with Ruby and Sapphire's wedding and Sugar is lying about campaigning for more episodes to wrap up the story

Connie is 12 in Steven Universe Future

Pearl raped Garnet

The Human Zoo is based on human rights violations in the Congo And of course. She never. Watched. POOL HOPPING

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Still Salty About the Flanderization of Steven

Many SU fans have had to see these memes and are probably tired of them. I really hate the way people who have never even watched the show and probably just LO’s video flanderize Steven into a bumbling wimp or take scenes like him crying about wanting to be friends with Connie or trying to talk down Spinel out of context. People hate him for not killing his enemies on sight and act as if all he does is talk no jitsu. People act as if he’d die trying to redeem Big Jack Horner from Puss in Boots even though he’s met villains like Jack with Aquamarine and Eyeball and not only did he kick their asses but accepted that they were beyond help. Steven prefers to talk over fighting but isn’t stupid and knows when he has to get serious. Even during his “I can make a change” song that’s twisted out of context, he was still fighting defensively against Spinel. He just wasn’t fighting to kill. As for the meme above, did the creator watch Alien Force? The way Ben handled the Dragon, Reiny and the Highbreed would be pretty similar to how Steven would. The idealistic hero who teaches violence isn’t always the answer has already been done so why does Steven get the most hate for it?

I reblogged a post about this but I really am tired of how TOH is propped up as the anti SU when Dana is friends with Rebecca and praised the groundbreaking work Rupphire did. The Owl House crew doesn’t hate SU and wasn’t doing a “take that” by killing its villain or claiming not everyone can be talked down with a hug. They’re two different shows with different stories and themes. Steven would also know that some like Belos can’t be redeemed and he didn’t actually redeem the diamonds. He didn’t like them and acts uncomfortable around them in Future but he needed them to cure the corrupted gems. The point of the diamonds as well as Andy was not that you have to accept bigoted family members but a wish fulfillment where queer people could get their families to accept them. I saw this on Reddit but I think Steven gets so much hate because he teaches the idea that retributive violence isn’t always the solution and because he got a good life with a loving family, girlfriend and adoration of everyone without being a self centered sexist asshole. Internet Dudebros hate the character who showed healthy emotion, treats Connie as an equal and taught stuff like acceptance, boundaries and kindness, as they hate the idea that they don’t have any of that because of how bigoted, self absorbed or toxic they are.

[clockys-soul]

Some (new?) Male wof ocs, they’ve got nothing to do it’s the story I’ve abandoned, but I’d say these guys also life like maybe 6000 years after the main wof storyline.

Canyon is a Sandwing bandit, he’s cocky, clever and overall pretty good at what he does.

Hoverfly is a Hivewing Prince, he’s arrogant and mean, though he loves his older sister, Sawfly, very much and would do anything to keep her safe.

Monsoon is a Seawing noble, he’s extroverted and smug, he’s had more girlfriends than he himself has kept count of.

Nightfall is a Nightwing student, he is observant and clever and sometimes a bit of a know-it-all, he’s very close with his father, who is a nightwing General.

Hibiscus is a Rainwing healer's apprentice, he is very friendly and calm, everyone is pretty sure he’s never been mad in his life, he agrees.

Garnet is a Skywing noble, he’s mean and egotistical at times times but completely calm and kind towards his blind younger sister Spinel.

Violet is a Silkwing, Tailor/Seamster in the Lilac Hive (previously Jewel Hive), he’s kind and softspoken, he loves what he does and is very proud of it.

Copper is a Mudwing Sculpter and Potter, he is kind and likes to help where he can, he hatched from a blood-red egg and has 4 brothers and 1 sister.

Alder is a Leafwing mercenary, he is impulsive and reckless, the jewel around his neck is a gift from his mother whom he loves dearly.

North is an Icewing noble, he is Prideful above all else, but he is also very knowledgeable in all kind of things.

[vilhelios]

— I THINK I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE .

( WHERE I WAS THE SEA, & YOU WERE THE SHORE . ) ; general fluffy romantic headcanons for rafayel / qi yu from love and deepspace <3

CW: not beta read, general rafayel story/lore spoilers, may be slightly ooc, tooth-rotting fluff, very slight angst !!!

— RAFAYEL is a terribly sweet, loyal, and affectionate lover. sometimes, you think he is something like a lovesick puppy—always ready to greet you at the door with a warm hug when you return from a mission, always eagerly awaiting your phone calls and texts. always at your side. when he calls you darling and holds you close, burrows his head into the crook of your neck, you can't help but feel like your being has been warmed by a pleasant summer sunbeam.

despite this, sometimes he feels like he's drifting somewhere far away from you. a receeding ocean tide, sea foam dissolving from your fingertips as you dip your hands in the waves. he's somewhere you don't understand, when he looks into your eyes and searches for an iteration of you in the reflected image of his own eyes—perhaps he is 800 years away, a lifetime and more. and yet, when you gingerly cup his face in your palms, feel him lean into your touch, you know he returns to you.

— RAFAYEL'S art studio is admittedly, a mess. there are days where you'll enter that room spotless and leave with splatters of some new shade of red and his beloved blues all over your clothes and skin. some days, this happens purely on accident—a trip right into a canvas here, a palm pressed onto wet paint there—and on others, rafayel seems to delight in using you as a canvas.

— when RAFAYEL kisses you (in that gentle fashion, where he cups your cheek like if he doesn't you'll slip like seafoam from his hold), those soft lips of his taste of cherries and grapes and strawberries. and perhaps that best encapsulates what loving rafayel is like, this sweetest red, red, red: the way his cheeks and ears flush when you press a kiss to his cheek; the colour of his eyes when the morning's rose-gold sunlight hits the pink in them just right; the bleeding, beating heart he offers to your awaiting hands. eventually, he pulls away to let the both of you breathe, and when he presses his forehead against yours, glances at you with that charming smile of his, you're enveloped in warm crimson all over again.

"there." rafayel smiles, leans back to admire the flamulla he'd painted on your cheek and the pout that graces your lips. "a cute flamulla for the cutie that keeps distracting me."

"you weren't even painting anything when i came in!" you scoff, dabbing the paintbrush he'd given you into the paint upon the palette. while he painted moon jellies, flamulla, and blowfish on your skin, you'd busied yourself with painting seashells on his. some of the clamshells are too close together, the venus combs look a little too spiky, and some conches don't look quite right. when he looks like he's about to chuckle at the sight of them, you poke him with the other end of your brush; "hmph. you're just a meanie."

"how rude!" he feigns, hand to his heart. "this is how you treat me for making you look like one of my most precious paintings?"

— you notice, eventually, that RAFAYEL always gifts you red jewelry (if not pearls, of course). the little treasures glint in the sunlight; rings with a ruby or red spinel centerpiece, a necklace with a red coral pendant, fire opal earrings... they're beautiful and never gaudy, as to be expected from a man with an eye for aesthetics, but it still perplexes you.

you ask him why, while he helps you put on his most recently gifted necklace as you two get ready to attend his aunt's opera show. your painter answers with a thoughtful hum, deft fingers clasping the necklace for you: "red disappears the fastest in the deep sea, so i never got to see it much." rafayel presses a kiss to your cheek, then, before settling his chin on the crook of your neck. "what better way to appreciate a colour i missed out on for so long than seeing it on you, darling?"

— RAFAYEL'S smug and haughty countenance seems to crumble at the mere press of your lips against his skin, little pecks gracing each beauty mark. the first kiss is placed on his cheek, a little ways away from his eye, his head cradled in your palms; you feel how he heats up beneath your touch, a light blush dusting across his cheeks and a bright vermillion burning at the tips of his ears. the second is placed on his chest, your lips and gentle, roaming hands sparking the rapid thrumming of his heart.

— RAFAYEL sees you in everything. in the morning sunlight that filters into his kitchen, in the cherry blossoms that land on his hair, in the sea breeze that rushes past him as he walks along the shore. the mundane of daily life has become filled with so many traces of you that he cannot see them as anything other than beautiful. there's a piece of you in every one of his paintings now, a streak of your favourite colour intertwined with his reds and blues. he made the pigment himself, of course, extracted the colours he needed from your favourite things.

THE LOVERS ; Rafayel (20XX) ; Oil on canvas

This painting consists of only two colours, and depicts the view of a simple shoreline, with waves lapping at the shore. Although simple in essence, the two paints were handmade (as is the norm for pieces by Rafayel) with pigments extracted from materials that represented himself and his beloved. Upon closer inspection, one may notice the difference in brushstrokes between colours—where they start to blend, so do the strokes, perhaps one hand guiding the other. As per the words of the painter himself, this artwork is meant to represent a "marriage and a transfiguration; the way two souls are forever intertwined and changed by love."

a/n : pretty privilege is real because rafayel acts a lot like marius but i like him infinitely more than i do lu jinghe 😭👍 my love/obsession for this pretty little fish has made me rise from the grave of uni work and writer's block... please fill his tag i need to satisfy this itch in my brain that he gives me <\3 might write some more for him + him as abysswalker <3 (p.s. that final hc is perhaps the cutest thing i thought to do)

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

You say it before that you won't write the story pass the original finale, I don't mind that you're doing that (your story your rules yk) but Im curious why since I honestly don't remember if you ever gave a reason for that choice

Love your comic btw being keeping up with it for years and Im honestly really impressed (and glad) that you keep up with it for this long. Also love how you write Rose btw really showed her justice and made her one of my favorites characters <3

The reason is pettiness. I'm petty.

90% of people who want me to write beyond the CYM plotline want me to do it because they want to see Spinel. That's what it's allll about. spinel. Where Spinel? When Spinel? Will Spinel be in the comic? I can't wait to see the movie plot happen with Spinel 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

And I just. Don't really want to do that.

I'm afraid that's the depth of my reasoning. I don't want to do it. I'm not interested. I don't have any fun ideas for how to flip that. COULd I force myself to write something if I was paid exuberant amounts of cash? Probably! But do I want to do it for free? No!

So it's not happening.

As for those that want to see the plot of Future...

It honestly just wouldn't work. A part of the conflict that happens in future will probably happen for WD!Steven earlier than that anyway. Plus, his progress with his self identity and his relationships with the gems and Connie is just inherently different, and it wouldn't serve Future stuff well. Or rather, it will have already happened.

[garr9988]

I say this as a big SU fan: If I had to give Steven Universe one glaring L above all else, while fully recognizing that it may be at least in part due to the final season & Future being so rushed:

It’s having Rose and her death be so heavily suicidal-coded (the art books went in on how much she loathed herself and thought she was incapable of changing, so) and yet ending the series with Steven being so irreconcilably angry with her and the impact of her death that he locks a reminder/representation of her away in a place he doesn’t visit so that he doesn’t even have to acknowledge her existence.

Granted, the finale ended with Steven getting therapy and clearly improving his relationships with the Gems, Greg, and Connie that were similarly causing him grief, but Rose in particular is a very specific case in that we don’t see whether he improves his feelings on her, and because she’s dead she isn’t an active presence in his life that he’s compelled to reconcile with. Greg is his dad and Connie is his girlfriend, he has to like them to keep them around, but there’s no incentive with Rose.

There’s also Greg, Pearl, and Volleyball still loving Rose even with the full picture, but to me that feels barely there anyway, a half-hearted tack-on.

I still have a big gripe with the movie for tacking on Rose’s treatment of Spinel and making Rose seem even worse than before, purely because neither the movie nor Future remind the audience of the ways she eventually improved. It felt like the writers went too far when they had already given us Rose’s story in reverse and already had the characters react negatively to the news she was Pink Diamond in the original show.

There’s obviously room for audiences having to remember these things themselves and that a narrative doesn’t have to point these out all the time. But a narrative bears responsibility for the way it frames things and the way it wants or expects an audience to view something.

Rose’s redemption arc being shown in reverse IS cool, in concept! But when the audience insert protagonist and a lot of other characters get this reverse arc and act like the terrible things are the conclusion of her self, that these secrets aren’t her past that she left behind but the mask being ripped off and the true evil monster being revealed for who she is… it doesn’t leave a good taste in my mouth.

That’s certainly part of why a good chunk of the fandom hates Rose the way they do, bc to a non-negligible extent the show is fostering their view, playing it out on screen without actually correcting it.

It’s obviously realistic and possible and downright good & compelling for someone to have a very negative response to another character’s death (suicide) and the fallout they’re left with. But a character who dies in such a way, especially Rose. deserves to be given sympathy and respect within the narrative.

[minzxv]

Cheesy rivals

. Experiencing rivals to lovers with Spinel and Amethio, Romance

First 2 character ask, I love you vamp anon Amethio's was longer I am guilty of being an Amethio lover(not in a weird way he just is so cool) - 🦇

Warning : Cheesy, Spinel may be out of character

Spinel

Rivals - Spinel was so annoyed when he almost got the pendant by manipulating Liko with his Pokemon then you appear and start acting loke superman, breaking Liko from the hyonosis was his last straw where he just started spamming moves on you and your pokemon. He didn't even care about Liko at this point he was just doing this because he's petty.

Softening up - Spinel stopped hating you which is good, but did you stop hating Spinel? We don't know, he started becoming less mean and snarky to you, always tells his Pokémon to hit the other RVT members. Even his Umbreon started liking you

Liking you - He was shocked himself, like how would he the most greatest and best person in the Explorers fall inlove with a weakling like you who is part of that annoying brats group but it happened so...

Lovers - Spinel becomes a total different person no forced snarky look, but he's smug about it. Like when you start scolding him for attacking Liko he's like "You wanna kiss me so bad it's funny"

Amethio

Rivals - Amethio is a different stories he also hated your guts, but he never hid the fact that he did. Amethio was bold and made it CRYSTAL CLEAR that he hated you more than you hated him. To him you're just another nuisance to him from his success, especially from that pendant.

He secretly becomes more competitive like purposely aiming at you in a battle with Friede

Softening up - nothing noticeable really changed about Amethio he is still cold dull Amethio. What did change a little is his gaze this may sound cheesy, but his gaze becomes softer when you're around, like when he's stalking the airship and randomly finds you walking alone with your pokemon his gaze can't help but soften. Until Konia and Zir said "Boss you alright?" He starts acting professional again.

Liking you - He knew it, but he would never admit it. Amethio is stubborn and thinks things like that are unimportant, so he put his feelings aside and just treated you like a normal Explorers member. It failed after 6 months, but he still didn't have the boldness to do that. You confessed first.

Lovers - Amethio is still quiet and closed nothing changes, nobody noticed anything your top excuses to go walk with him is "I'm gonna go adventure for a while" . In private he's less cold, and treats you like an actual partner instead of just being "A RVT MEMBER" he's not a fan of PDA like Spinel, maybe someday he will be comfortable with that. Amethio is a busy bee, and his old rival being his lover is one of the things he can't process yet.

[jasmine-sketchbook]

Rose Quartz is a complex character, that often gets a lot of hate (for all the trauma she indirectly gave to Steven). I don't hate her nor love her, but I find interesting this trope of a praised absent character who ends up not meeting to the expectation or having a shady past. I firmly believe she thought the war was behind them and Steven wouldnt have to deal with Diamond stuff. As for the Spinel story, yeah, it looks bad, but then again Spinel was a reminder of Pink's own childish aspect, and how nobody took her seriously... Pink (as Rose) has no self love. She doesnt understand how much she means to other and the constant lying about her identity has created a dissonance in her. This dissonance is passed on Steven, who has to accept himself, not as Rose's child, not as Pink Diamond, but as Steven, while feeling the guilt of the two version of his mom.

I love that Rose is good (idc what people say, she is one of the good guys) but she is flawed, has an awful past and still hurts people after her death, people that she wanted to protect.

Rose is a lesson, to not idealize someone you dont really know. She is a lesson that even the best people can have a really dark side. And so she is a lesson that people can change. And, with the redemption of Lapis, Peridot, the Diamonds... she is a lesson that we should stop hating on a dead character's past because SHE CANT EVOLVE ANYMORE, she cant talk about it, she cant defend herself.

I actually believe she would have been a great mom to Steven. Naïve ? Certainlly. Clumsy ? Of course, at the begining. She would have still needed help, but she would have been a loving, caring mom to Steven.

(im venting here because I keep seeing and hearing hateful comment about her. I get it guys, only dudes can be grey characters, if a woman is not perfect she is automatically a lame b****)

[sugarpasteltmnt]

You write unhinged Leo so well, and I really like how you write him. I was wondering if you had tips on unhinged characters 😂, or do you just get inspro from existing characters 👀

aksdakjsdh thank you so much ;w;

And honestly???? I’m not totally sure how to give tips— but I love, love, love unhinged characters in media, so I’ll use them as examples

(long rant below lol)

I’ve always been a big fan of silly, ‘crazy’ characters in animated movies and cartoons. I grew up on Batman the Animated Series and the original Teen Titans, which were full of silly, fun tragic characters.

Don’t get me wrong, i love a good edge-lord— but as a tot i thought the colorful, theatrical, insane bad guys were more fun to watch than the big scary serious ones (ESPECIALLY if they had a good villain song. A+ good shit)

(From left to right: Ratigan from Great Mouse Detective, Joker from Batman the Animated Series, Mumbo Jumbo from Teen Titans, Martin from Secret of Nimh 2, Bill Cypher from Gravity Falls, and Spinel from the Steven Universe movie)

And not just bad guys!! There are a ton of unhinged good/neutral characters that i absolutely adore.

(From left to right: King Bumi from ATLA, Clara from Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun, and, of course, our silly 2018 turtle boys)

((There are many more characters in both categories, but I’ll slide these examples in here for now))

My personal brand of “Unhinged” or “Crazy” characters definitely leans on comedy. That’s what i enjoy seeing and reading! I personally like it because it can help keep a story fresh and interesting. There’s an element of surprise and unpredictability with what a character might do, and i love that!!

I also really enjoy a touch of feral behavior in my unhinged characters. The lack of clarity and the danger that imposes can be a very fun tool to use, no matter the character’s moral compass. (I’m feral for feral behavior lol)

And impulses. Whether a character has a few screws loose or is generally a goober, they like to act on impulses. This often goes hand-in-hand with comedy, and that’s something I enjoy!! We get a lot of moments like that in Rise, and that was one of my favorite parts of that TMNT iteration.

But as far as writing goes, it’s been tricky for me. All of the characters I grew up or love have been visual— trying to find a good balance for reading has been a puzzle I’ve been figuring out as I go.

I read a lot manga (lol nerd) and comics, and I love how thoughts/dialog are depicted. Especially the really dramatic or impactful moments. (I’d add examples but I’m already at the Tumblr image limit LAME)

As strange as it sounds, I try to capture that “impactful visual” style in my writing. If I had ANY advice on writing unhinged characters, pay attention to pacing—

Short. Fast. A calculating thought. Perhaps a run on sentence that lacks punctuation to represent the rushing and disorganized thought process. A question? An answer with little thought. Is this moment amusing; describe how. Is it upsetting; describe how. Are the thoughts starting to scatter? M aybe s o…

Big moment statement.

Action or plan of next big move. Flow should never seem too uniform. Even in normal writing. Don’t be afraid of accentuating— but don’t overdo it. Remember, unhinged characters are impulsive. Have fun with that.

Just as a quick and dirty summary— when it comes to unhinged characters, I like to use comedy, feral behavior, and acting on impulses. I also like to keep it as visually appealing as possible for characters to give the eyes a little treat after reading walls of text. I like to use fun text formatting to help with the fun too (But don’t overdo it! Don’t make it feel like a chore to read) (<- says the girl who goes into way too much details sometimes lmao whoops)

But ultimately— have FUN!!! Unhinged characters are fun, so make sure you have fun writing/drawing/creating them!!

[amelikos]

I really wonder about Spinel's motivations and the reason he stole Rakurium. He was making his own move and acting independently from Gibeon's orders, since Zir and Conia were spying on him on Amethio's orders. Amethio also suspects him of plotting something.

I wonder if he is working for a third party, which is not the Explorers, though I doubt it because it'd make things a bit too crowded. And from what we've seen of him so far, I don't really see Spinel as someone who'd be involved in a grander scheme (good or bad). He prefers to be alone most of the time and avoids people usually, and he seems to have his own agenda.

Given how the Rakurium is also called "eternal blessing" and that Gibeon mentioned needing more of it for "eminent prosperity", I wonder if it has some healing properties or if it's capable of improving someone's quality of life (which would be the reason why Gibeon wants it)? I wonder if Spinel is doing all of this for someone else's sake, or if there is someone he is willing to do anything for. We know he is capable of love, since Blacky is a friendship evolution, and they are both loyal to each other and love each other. I think it'd be interesting if Spinel was willing to cross some lines and hurt others for a goal that could be considered altruistic.. At the very least, we know that Spinel probably joined the Explorers for his own interests and goals and that he is currently not acting for Gibeon.

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

PROPAGANDA

Rose Quartz Propaganda

"We saw her character arc in reverse!! We first saw all the good she did and then learned of her terrible actions in the past. If her story was told the other way around, it would have been a great redemption arc. Yes, she did some terrible things, but she had no choice. She did everything she could to stop the colonization of earth peacefully buy nothing worked. Blue and yellow diamond just didn't listen to her and when they did, THEY were the ones who made the zoo and shit. Rose wanted to free them but couldn't get to them after the war! And with the corruption, there's no way she could have known that'd happen. There's so many things she wanted to do but just couldn't. And with spinel, yes it was shitty to leave her alone for so long, but again, between running her court, running the rebellion, dealing with earth, she likely wasn't a very high priority and like with the zoo, there was no way to get to her after the war since the galaxy warp was destroyed. And don't forget, she was practically a child around this time. You're saying you didn't do any stupid, selfish, or harmful things as a kid? She learned from her experiences and grew, we just saw that growth in reverse, leaving us as viewers with a poor perception of her."

"Rose Quartz is Steven Universe’s dead mom. Initially, she’s set up as sort of an ethereal perfect figure who everyone misses and compares him to. Later we get to see more of her backstory and discover that she’s actually like, a person, with flaws, who has done some bad things, but she did those bad things largely in the course of trying to escape an abusive home life and save the people and planet that she fell in love with. It’s very clear that despite her flaws she was trying to do the right thing and that she deeply cared about others. Unfortunately, a woman who was not a Perfect Martyr was way too much for the Steven Universe fandom to handle. She pretty much set off the wave of SU crit blogs because these people were furious either that she had taken violent measures to solve her problems, that she hadn’t taken violent enough measures to solve her problems, or both somehow. Lots of “Why didn’t she just murder her abusive parental figures?” Lots of “She was evil for having a baby even though she knew she’d die in childbirth!” Lots of “She should’ve been able to protect everyone from a magic nuclear weapon with the power of love somehow.” Lots of “She shouldn’t have rebelled (even though not rebelling would’ve meant the destruction of Earth) because her abusers retaliated and that’s her fault.” LOTS of people drawing her as stick thin even though she was fat in the show. People treated her like she was on the same level or even worse than her abusive parental figures who were also the main villains of the show. It was unbearable to witness."

Mahiru Propaganda

"They got unfairly voted guilty in the first round and keeps getting blamed She never meant to hurt anyone and the only reason she did was cause she couldn’t read social ques"

"Mahiru Shiina is the most traditionally feminine character in Milgram, and she’s very in love with the idea of love. That makes her an easy fandom target. In Milgram, we are introduced to ten murderers. It quickly becomes apparent that not all of these murders are conventional. By the time we are introduced to Mahiru, we already know most of these unconventional murderers. Mahiru’s first music video depicts her going on various dates with her boyfriend, even though he is not shown in the frame. At the end of the video, Mahiru wakes up, turns to the camera, and has a horrified expression. Whatever happened, she didn’t want it to happen. And then a lot of the fandom accused her of being a stalker. Was that what got her a 55% guilty/unforgiven vote? I don’t know. I wasn’t there. But she heard what the fandom said. She heard these voices saying she couldn’t be forgiven. Saying that she was a stalker or that she didn’t really love her boyfriend, even though that wasn’t true. She was beaten to near-death by Kotoko, a vigilante who was forgiven by 67%. Fuuta, who also sustained serious injuries from Kotoko, calls out the audience surrogate, saying what we did with our verdicts would have made us the same as him if Mahiru had died. And yet Mahiru doesn’t blame either us or Kotoko. Mahiru’s second music video shows that she was indeed in a proper relationship with her boyfriend. She smothered him with her love. The video slowly revealed the toxicity in their relationship. She asked why she can’t do anything right. The fandom perception was better in that she was safely voted innocent/forgiven. Still, there are issues. Some infantilize her or say that she’s delusional. Yes, she had a sheltered upbringing and has difficulties reading social cues, but that doesn’t take away her agency. On the flip side, some have theorized that she kidnapped her boyfriend and wasn’t in a proper relationship with him. (Not sure what to say about that, but this is a series about sympathetic murderers.)"

[eco-lite]

Finally got to read Volume 6! I didn’t think anything could top Volume 4, but this one is a very close contender for my favorite. Here are my unedited thoughts:

“Sinhalite Beckons, Part 1”

* An extra case first??? Okay then.

* Who is this female version of Seigi? This is hilarious, they’re way too similar!

* Very curious where in the timeline this story takes place…

“The Wandering Conch Pearl”

* WAIT WTF?? That was Seigi’s dream? Did he dream of himself as a woman interacting with Richard in Sri Lanka??????

* Not the milkman omgggg.

* Oooh Richard’s assistant in Hong Kong. That’s probably the sleezy guy he was talking about in the last story. Can Seigi see into other peoples’ pasts now? Didn’t know there was going to be a supernatural element lol.

* “I couldn’t decide if I should serve tea or not, so my brain cells had a meeting and came to the unanimous conclusion not to” (34). I love Seigi so much. 😂

* “I couldn’t stop smiling. Richard thanked me. He said he thought I was dependable. His smile was beautiful enough to start, but boy, a direct hit from his charm sure packed a punch. I was glad he’s withdrawn to the back room, because I was pretty sure my face wasn’t going to go back to normal for a while” (42). Oh, honey… 😌

* Wow, I did not think I would be learning so much about post-WWII politics between Japan and the Dominican Republic from this series, but here we are.

* This conversation between Richard and Seigi from page 62-67 is all over the place. Richard shutting Seigi down when he invites Richard over, but obviously still wanting to let Seigi in. And he ends up asking Seigi to dinner even though he just made the argument that Seigi should go home and go to bed early. And then he gets frustrated that Seigi is being so amenable to going out to dinner with him?? Bro, get your emotions together! You of all people should know that Seigi is not a mind reader. Let him know how you feel, for fuck’s sake!

* “To me, Richard’s beauty was like Mount Fuji at sunrise or the windswept sand dunes in a desert. Anyone else’s beauty was…very human. When I looked at Richard, I felt a mysterious calm, like if I were looking at a lake or the sky or the sea. Normal human features weren’t even in the same category. But if I said any of that out loud, I was pretty sure I’d offend literally everyone” (67). Yes, would would offend literally everyone. You’re learning, Seigi!

* “To have someone look upon the grain of truth hidden within the most tender part of yourself, and tell you their unvarnished opinion of it—I thought that would, without question, be cause for joy” (69). Okay well then you better tell Richard how you feel about having to leave Étranger in the next story, Seigi! Expose that grain of truth!!

“Resplendent Spinel”

* Seigi is really too nice. Filling in for someone in a club where you don’t know any of the other members? Could never be me.

* Ayame describing the “insincere drivel” her boyfriend spouts at her and Seigi’s reaction is “I felt like I was about to go into cardiac arrest” (93). 😅 Is he finally gaining some self-awareness about how ostentatious his compliments of Richard are?

* Ayame: “‘And if you think that a compliment can’t cut as deeply as an insult, you’re terribly naive’” (93). Seigi: “I felt like I’d been sent flying by a body blow” (94). Seigi is really going through it…

* “‘But you are different. Your words are different. When your words brush my face, it’s like a playful wind. With your absurd vocabulary, you are expressly telling me that my appearance brings you joy. It does feel a bit peculiar at times, but perhaps I find that peculiarity oddly endearing, Seigi.’ And then he smiled. I was struck dumb for a while” (96). Holy shit… 😳

* “‘I have a hard time understanding the nature of your love for me. It’s be a great help if you could give me a rundown, as if you were briefing me for a job’” (101). I wish Richard would ask Seigi to do this. But I think Seigi needs to complete his “self assessment” first. He doesn’t even understand the nature of his own love for Richard.

* Wow, Itagaki is actually pretty mature. Good for him.

* “‘Well, I just want you to know there has been a lot of diversity in body type in the industry lately, and I would love you even if you put on a hundred kilos, so don’t overdo it’” (110). It’s really nice to see a male character so adamant that his girlfriend shouldn’t have to worry about losing weight, especially since she’s in the entertainment industry. I hope we see even more diverse body types in Japanese entertainment in the future.

* I hope we get to see this “long talk” they’re going to have in the next story.

“Paraíba Tourmaline Romance”

* Omg Tanimoto is back! And she’s finally meeting Richard!! The two of them ganging up on Seigi is so funny.

* “Once again, it was Seigi Nakata versus the allied forces of Richard and Tanimoto. Honestly, I was probably the happiest if ever been in my life, but I was also just as embarrassed” (135). This is so cute.

* “‘I agree that romance might just be a stone I don’t know yet, but it feels so removed from me—like that planet made from diamonds orbiting a distant star. Maybe I just don’t have the courage for interstellar travel’” (153). This is so ace. I’m so so glad Tanimoto decided to be true to herself and not force herself into a romantic relationship she didn’t actually want. Sometimes you don’t need to experiment. You just know yourself. I’m so proud of her!

* Wow, I really teared up seeing Richard talk about queerness and fluctuations in identity so directly. I’m so happy Tsujimura had the courage to include frank conversations about queer issues. Richard’s perspective here truly is “like a spring breeze rushing through a window that no one remembered opening” (153).

* “‘What really matters is that you never forget that while you possess the potential to change, your present self continues to become your future self… I know it’s hard to decide what choice will be best for you, if I were in your position, I would not think forcing myself into a romantic relationship would be that choice… While dying on your feet is all well and good, one wrong step might make it nothing g more than foolhardy and reckless. And perhaps in the same way, a strategic retreat isn’t running away so much as it is a change of course’” (157). Ace ally Richard is so important to me. This is why he’s my comfort character.

* “‘When Seigi told me about this place, I thought it was a shop run by a foreign man who would show his customers wonderful gemstones. I see it’s actually a shop that provides kindness and comfort to those who see themselves as Étranger’” (158). fUCK.

* I’m so glad Seigi apologized for what he said to Tanimoto at the museum. I know it’s hard for him to let go of the fact that Tanimoto doesn’t feel romantic love since he has a crush on her, but I think he’s more understanding of her feelings now, thanks to the conversation with Richard.

* Omg Seigi and Tanimoto having a mature conversation about why they wouldn’t work out romantically. So nice to see. I think Tanimoto still kind of misunderstood why Seigi wanted to ask her out before, but that’s very on brand for her lol.

* “‘I feel like having you around has made me a better person than I was before’” (173). Richard!!! 💘💘💘

* Tanimoto defending Seigi and telling Richard to never hurt him again! I love her so much!

* I love this story so much! It was great to learn more about Tanimoto’s past and see her finally interact with Richard, who was just so thoughtful here. I can’t believe he felt bad for telling her not to worry about romantic love because he thought it might hurt Seigi. That’s sweet, but I’m glad he was true to himself and what Tanimoto needed to hear in that moment. And Seigi got just a bit more mature, too. I have such intense affection for everyone in this situation. But not Seigi’s father coming to ruin the vibes at the end. 🤬🤬🤬

“The Tanzanite of Rebirth”

* Seigi’s father is such a disgusting manipulator. I always say I want to learn more about Seigi, but learning how awful this man was to him and Hiromi, and how dark Seigi’s thoughts were at that time… How dark they are now… It’s really distressing.

* The fucking tonal shift from this melancholy last dinner together to Jeffrey showing up in the hotel room is so funny. For real though, what did Seigi think would happen when he followed Richard to his room?? 👀 But it’s really concerning that Seigi felt he had no choice but to follow Richard to his room. Obviously that’s Seigi’s extremely negative headspace talking, but please have some self-respect!

* “‘Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I spent a long time stalking you within the realm of what’s legal, of course. Obviously, I’ve repented of my actions—please, God, forgive me for my trespasses. And since I’ve repented, I hope you’ll forgive me for reoffending. It’s plain for anyone to see that something’s been eating at you’” (228). JEFFREY. It’s kind of sweet that Jeffrey has been keeping an eye on Seigi, but did he have to get this intense about it? This kidnapping situation is so chaotic lol. That is his style, though.

* “‘Why do you treat me like some rock on the side of the road? What do you think I am? A doll that’s not good for anything but being on display? I’ve been on this Earth longer than you have. I possess more knowledge than you, and I have enough free time to be able to afford to spend some on you. And yet you had the audacity to try to abandon me and walk off into the darkness. It’s beyond asinine and irrational’” (230). YOU TELL HIM, RICHARD! (Not to even mention Richard told Seigi he loves him just before this rant.) But I feel like Seigi could have said this exact speech when Richard ran away to England before. They both feel that the other should rely on them more, but wouldn’t want to be a burden. After the England debacle, Richard learned that it’s okay to rely on people who love you. Now Seigi has to learn that lesson too.

* “There was a large dam inside my heart, and what it was holding back wasn’t water but sludge. And I didn’t want any of that getting on Richard. It’s the sort of thing that you let out into a drainage ditch in secret” (232-233). Oh, honey, no. First of all, Richard is a human being who loves you and can withstand hearing bad things. You’re not tainting him. He’s asking you to trust him with this. Second of all, please go to therapy…

* It’s really concerning to see how Seigi thinks of himself as having the potential for violence against people he loves. It’s really common for witnesses of domestic abuse to think that way, but it’s so clear in Seigi’s actions that he could never do that. He has such a good heart. But he’s really clouded by dark thoughts from interacting with his father. It’s not like he was thinking this when he wanted to date Tanimoto. These thoughts resurfaced very recently. Thankfully Richard has done enough self-reflection to throw his own situation in Seigi’s face to show him how ridiculous he’s being.

* “‘You don’t think of me as normal or expected. You don’t think of me as tangible, something that is always by your side. That is why I remain someone distant and unreachable to you… You never attempt to close the distance between us. And you never allow me to pay your price, the affection, you are worth’” (243-244). Wow. This reflective Richard is extremely powerful…

* “The moment I realized that he had been watching over me and accepting me for who I was on a much deeper level than I could even have imagined, I felt like I’d been tossed into the middle of the ocean—it was salty, and I struggled to breathe. I was such a loser, such a thoughtless person, a timid child crying in the dark with his knees held tightly to his chest, and yet it felt like he took it all in and said that it was fine. But it wasn’t just a feeling, he believed in me, more than I could ever believe” (247-248). Yes, Seigi, that’s what you do when you love someone. You did the same for him.

* Omg punk Jeffrey?! I wish I could see all those photos Richard keeps as blackmail. 😂

* I’m glad Richard brought up “what floor?” Seriously, Seigi not feeling able to reject him was scary. For both of them, I think.

* Seigi’s stepdad is an absolute legend! King of positive masculinity! “‘I don’t think being strong or not has anything to do with whether you’re okay’” (272). Fuck yes. Hiromi did so well marrying this man.

* “‘I don’t want an apology, I want you to reflect on your behavior. I imagine you understand this by now, but your number-one assignment at the moment is learning to value yourself more’” (274). The fact Richard is able to say this to Seigi is a reflection of his own growth as well. I’m so glad they’re in each other’s lives. They make each other better. 🥹

* Seigi trying to tell Richard he wants to keep being around him even if he doesn’t work at Étranger anymore but it keeps coming out likes he’s proposing or asking him on a date. I think his first statement was the truest to how he feels: ‘“I want to be by your side from now on, if you’ll let me’” (280). I think Richard was ready to accept that as a proposal until Seigi made a bunch of qualifying statements lol.

* Wow, this story means so much to me. Everything that came out of Richard’s mouth was something both Seigi and I (and so many other people, I’m sure) needed to hear. Their relationship got so much deeper. And I can’t wait to see what shenanigans Seigi gets up to in this hotel lol. Especially if Richard is staying there as well. Very excited for the next volume. This one had better come out on time! 😤

“Sinhalite Beckons, Part 2”

* OKAY this is wild! I swear to god the person on the motorcycle in part 1 is Richard, but it seems to be Seigi now???? And he and Richard seem to live together in this nice house in Sri Lanka???????

* Omg she’s the sister of the airport lady from “Flourite By Your Side!” 😲 Glad she’s feeling better!

* Okay so it’s been three years? And there are pictures of the shop in Ginza and their families on the coffee table?? This is so fucking domestic. Is this their future???

* It’s refreshing to see someone call Seigi attractive for once! RIP Keiko’s love life though lol.

* “‘But you know, you really surprised me. You speak textbook-perfect English, but your Japanese sounds like someone from a local convenience store.’ I told him I thought is was a very interesting gap, and he smiled bashfully. ‘He always tells me that—“At this point, the language you might be the least eloquent in might be Japanese.” It is the one language he didn’t teach me, after all’” (301). This is so funny. And it’s making more sense why I thought Seigi was actually Richard in the first part. I can’t believe Seigi speaks English with a British accent! 😂

* Lol once again somebody’s first assumption is that Seigi and Richard are a couple, and it’s still not hard to see why. Love that Keiko immediately asked Seigi out after learning they’re not together, though. You go, girl! But Seigi’s heart belongs to someone else, huh? For real, please tell me he knows it’s Richard at this point!

* I find it so interesting that Tsujimura decided to show us this glimpse of Seigi and Richard’s future. What was the purpose?? It’s a fun and cute story, but not very satisfying if you’re routing for them to get together. And it weirdly feels like an ending even though I know there are at least two more volumes after this…

“Afterward”

* This isn’t a story but I need to record my reaction to the sentence “the first part of the story has now come to a close with Volume 6—though there is still more to tell.” 😲😲😲 Okay, I didn’t realize this story was in parts! Maybe “Sinhalite Beckons” is a way to transition into this new future chapter of Seigi and Richard’s life. 🤔

* Tsujimura actually knows a jeweler who taught them how to make royal milk tea lol. That’s adorable. They do say to write why you know.

* “It would make me very happy if you would keep me company on their journey for a little while.” Tsujimura, I am with you for the long haul. 🫡 Let’s do this!

[scraftyisthebest]

Man the recent episodes of Horizons have been pretty interesting with the Explorers.

But I also kinda feel at this point that among the Explorers admins, it seems like Spinel and Chalce are the two who are going to be the real "villains" of the group and the true threats to be taken down? The two are very clearly in cahoots with each other, and they're working together and seem to be the "leaders" of every operation the Explorers take on and are the ones to devise the plans. Especially this current one that's been happening throughout the entire chapter, where it's clear that the two had been leading the scheme from the beginning.

Spinel seems to have open hostility towards Amethio and has been working with Chalce to sort of lock Amethio up with Liko in a cave (the latter separated from her friends and with him because of Chalce), while Chalce snuck Coral and Sidian into the academy as a mole and now the two are facing Roy and Dot in a battle that will happen next episode. I think Spinel and Chalce seem to have their own motives in the group and intend to throw out even their fellow admins for their goals. Considering we now know that Amethio is Gibeon's grandson, and Gibeon has chosen him as the heir, I feel like Spinel wants to overthrow Amethio specifically as the heir to the Explorers after Gibeon. Which also explains his total yes-man behavior in regards to Gibeon: he seems to want Gibeon's approval and win him over to become the new head of the Explorers himself, and wants to get rid of Amethio to eliminate the "threat" of him since Amethio has the favor due to his blood relation to Gibeon. Maybe Chalce is also in the same boat.

Because on the other hand, all three of Amethio, Sidian, and Coral seem fairly redeemable. Amethio's sole motivation is to win over his grandfather's approval to be accepted as head of the Explorers, while Coral and Sidian don't really seem to have any innately evil motives for anything and are little more than battle-thirsty blood knights who love battle and seem to actively enjoy getting in the kids' way and beating them up for the fun of it. Sidian is very nice and affable, while Coral isn't and is rather immature and hot-headed, but they don't really feel like they belong with the Explorers...they seem to be there because they want opportunities to battle people and show off how strong they are. The three have had very close interactions with the Explorers at a personal level even as civilians in Coral and Sidian's cases and don't really seem innately "evil". Coral and Sidian are still dragged around by Spinel and Chalce and obey orders when they feel like it but they also tend to act on their own and it's obvious almost every encounter they've had with Liko, Roy, and Dot is by their own will with them disobeying orders in just about every instance. Amethio meanwhile has gone practically completely rogue and is acting on his own.

But I think those three aren't really the villains. Amethio will probably end up siding with the RVT in some way, while Coral and Sidian are at best an annoying nuisance to the kids and will probably just have a weird frenemy relationship with them long term that's built around them battling each other because Coral and Sidian feel like it.

While I don't know what'll become of Gibeon it seems he may not be the sole "big bad", if that's even what he'll end up being at all. Hamber despite being the second-in-command seems like he could be redeemed in some way, and the way Diana talks about him suggests that's how she feels. Even if their current relationship is antagonistic, Diana still does consider Hamber to be her friend, and she feels that she can still do something about him and that he's a better man than he shows himself to be outwardly.

Meanwhile Spinel and Chalce are outwardly "villainous" in their actions and I feel if anyone is certain to be the "main villains" of the story in the end that the other characters have to take down, it'll be them. They're very clever and cunning, and they also clearly have their own plans that will likely involve undermining the Explorers and Gibeon himself. I feel like the others will likely have a better outcome and either will side with the RVT or end up in a place where they're still free and about, either on a new path in the case of Amethio and Hamber, or in the case of Coral and Sidian, vitriolic frenemies with the kids. But Spinel and Chalce will probably end up having to be defeated and ultimately punished in some way, they seem to be the true threats.

A lot of thoughts but yeah that seems to be something I'm inclined to believe. Spinel and Chalce being the real "big bads" at the end. Meanwhile Gibeon and Hamber almost scream "misunderstood good guy" and I feel at least Hamber and Amethio will end up on a better path and redeemed. Amethio is most certainly going to be an anti-hero in the end. And then the "troublemakers" Coral and Sidian are basically going to be the new Jessie and James, two misfits who have nowhere to go so they cling to Liko, Roy, and Dot.

[tomahachi12]

oh fuck when did you get into murder drones!!! i always loved your spinels so this is super exciting. i love the nori and yeva comic..... nori and khan (and uzi too, so i guess the doormans in general, hah) are such important characters to me and they seen to get such little love in the fandom. i like the name Nickolai for Dolls dad, too!!!

I got into the show fairly recently :)

The first of it I saw was a clip of the final fight on tiktok and I thought, "hmm.. good animation.. catchy song.. spooky vibes.. VIOLENCE.. creepy robot wearing human skin like a onesie, eh alright I'll look into it." And now look where I am lol

The animation is excellent and the humor is spot on. It's been my new background noise ever since.

--

The spinels will be making cameos here and there. Maybe not all of them, but at least the main three with a couple more sprinkled in (:

I've been working on MD versions of Spade, Club, Spinel, Rook and Poppy which I'll toss up eventually.

--

I wish we coulda seen more with Nori and Yeva too. But it's hard to explore background characters and keep with the main story in a limited series. So to compensate, I'm just gonna throw my own headcannons to the wind and make up random crap I think is funny (:

I got more planned with Nori, Yeva, Khan and others in the works

Some serious, most stupid af tho