#the job of pink floyd is to protect you by making sure that the nature of reality is the least of your concerns

[asurrogateblog]

the thing about psychedelics is that all the stereotypes are true they WILL try to turn you into some kind of hippie. basically any amount of acid has about a 40-60% chance of either converting you to an eastern religion or making you so much of an atheist that it circles back around to being the same thing. even when nothing happens you can always tell you’re dangerously edging the line between “haha shrimp colors” and “george harrison’s cosmic spirit contacts you personally through the grass”. this is a significantly more extant threat to watch out for than having a The Horrors incident

[silvanable]

OMG I'M SO HAPPY I SEE U AGAIN ON MY FEED AND NOW YOU ALSO TAKE REQUESTS FOR TWST💞💗💕💓❤️❣️🧡💙💚💗💕💕💞💘💝Uhmm... i need to calm down🥺. Can i ask for a hc for Leona, Jamil and Ruggie with a gn s/o who is basically the twst version of mulan? Sorry if i ask for too much🥺 Love you and take care of yourself❤️

bless you, you wonderful doll! please don’t calm down. i found twst right before halloween and by the following morning it had consumed what remained of my soul.

i’m so glad you’re coming with requests and i absolutely adore this idea. mulan was one of my favorite disney ‘princesses’ as a kid because she was absolutely badass.

i’m literally taking this as is, so the boys’ s/o is mulan 2.0 with a twist wink wonk.

and a bonus at the very end for all you lovelies about twst mulan!

↪  GUIDELINES

— JAMIL VIPER

jamil never honestly paid them much mind in the beginning, mostly because he was babysitting watching over kalim.

he probably started to notice them more when they started participating in club sports and the magishift tournaments.

the reason they start interacting because one of their lizards, their asian water monitor to be exact, ended up getting out and saving jamil from a beetle.

queue them running up, heaving a massive lizard in their arms, and apologize for starting jamil mistaking his yell of fear for the beetle for their fear of their scaly baby.

the two strike up a conversation and sort of hit it off after that point, more or less because they constantly come up to him when they see him and start talking afterwards.

jamil has the underlying inferiority after constantly having to put himself below kalim, therefore doesn’t do well with those who look down on him or challenge his worth.

with his s/o, they understand that feeling because everything they have done in life was to fight and prove themselves of being someone worthy.

knowing about each other’s pasts and how each of them has to fight to be even glanced at as someone worrying is part of what brings them together.

the both of them have a lot of untapped or unrecognized potential but it would get better.

the two of them compliment each other in many ways and tend to be the leverage the other can use to bring out the best of themselves.

jamil is the type to actually train with his s/o, while he might not be trained in the same swordsmanship art as them, it’s an enjoyable moment for him because it’s just him and his s/o.

most time it happens he just stumbles upon his s/o practicing and joins in, as much as he loves watching it feels far more intimate to participate in their training because it’s almost like a dance between opponents.

jamil braids his own hair with magic and having a s/o who also has long hair, he would offer to do their hair for them rather happily, be it with or without magic, but he does enjoy running his fingers through their dark hair.

if his s/o asks him if they can braid his hair, he might just pass on to the next life right then and there. catch his s/o decorating his hair with unique trinkets from their home too.

jamil has grown up at the constant service of other people, so his s/o offering to do something for him is not only surprising but extremely heartwarming.

and sharing similar backgrounds he and his s/o would do small services for each other as a sort of show of their affection for one another.

as a person who keeps lots of reptiles, they introduce all of their scaly babies to jamil rather early on, if only to say they have a special fondness for even their beloved viper.

— LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

of course he found them annoying at first but it’s also not every day someone dares to square up with him. he’s used to submission and compliance from others out of fear.

he finds them overly annoying but they always seemed to run into each other until one day they actually got to talking.

turns out they were quite dedicated to their family.

leona has never had a great relationship with his family, so he doesn’t quite understand how someone could be so devoted to their family to put themselves in harm’s way for them.

is not always the most respectful of his dearest s/o but when he steps too far out of line you can bet they’re setting him straight again.

leona is extremely impressed with his s/o skills, particularly their swordsmanship.

these two are literally yin and yang when it comes down to it, opposites but they perfectly balance each other out to keep each other in check.

he likes to watch them practice on the ground after classes when he’s lounging and napping. they always have such an adorably serious expression and appear almost as if they’re dancing.

absolutely will drag his s/o from their practice to nap with him in the gardens.

other times he just plops in their lap while they’re reading or studying.

is actually very impressed, if not a little jealous, of their defensive magically abilities.

leona’s specialty is ancient curses. his s/o specialty is defensive magic, particularly against curses.

not that he would ever throw a curse at them but his s/o has already proven to break more than a few of his little testers for them.

learns about their background somewhere down the line of being together.

his s/o was very reluctant to talk about it given that he was a prince, so trying to explain the work and hardships they had to endure to support and protect their family, particularly their father, seemed like a bad conversation.

leona is actually very attentive when they finally open up and it makes more sense to him the more he hears.

he understands to a degree, but again he never had to struggle with wealth or safety, nor did he have the same dedication to his family due to childhood complications. 

— RUGGIE BUCCHI

found them interesting right off the bat. they were peculiar in ways he couldn’t quite place.

really started to like them when they told leona off one time. ruggie expected them to back down from the savanaclaw dorm leader when he started growling but they did not.

much like leona and his s/o— these two are a balance of each other, yin and yang, and his s/o often likes to remark.

his laid back and carefree nature does clash with their dedicated nature though. it’s a problem sometimes, especially when it comes to why his s/o works so hard.

it’s times like those that ruggie finds he doesn’t know a lot about his s/o, particularly their past. which he understands, as he’s sensitive about his own too, but still his s/o is a mystery to him.

it does take a lot for his s/o to open up about what they’re so focused and determined to become a great mage. and it turns out it’s all for their family, particularly their father.

that brings a new side of them to light for ruggie, brings him to admire them that much more because all their goals were never really for them.

genuinely sees a lot of similarity between him and his s/o’s pasts, sure they’re different but both of them had to learn and adapt to survive—whether it be for themselves or for those around them.

loves his s/o unique magic, being quite a prankster himself, ruggie has thought of 101 uses for his s/o magic that does not involve its usual purpose like roasting marshmallows.

however he does not like being in it’s path as he has been singed by it before ( of no fault of his s/o since they did warning him ).

in awe at his s/o swordsmanship and talent at defensive magic but doesn’t admit it.

he likes to watch but tries to be sneaky about it. getting caught causes his cheeks to tint pink and he will absolutely brush any and everything his s/o says about him staring off.

his s/o culture is vastly different from the one he knows from the afterglow savanna. so he’s curious.

will absolutely ask his s/o to prepare him tea or cook a dish from their home, whether or not they are a decent cook he will eat whatever the offer.

— HEADCANONS ABOUT THIS TWST!MULAN

dresses rather ambiguously leaning masculine but can absolutely slay a skirt and heals.

everyone at night raven college actually thought they were a guy for the longest time until a conversation struck up and they mentioned they were actually nonbinary.

everyone swears their unique magic is shapeshifting because they change their presentation, style, and outfits so beautifully but literally everyone never knows what they’ll look like next.

luxurious, soft hair that’s darker than a starless night. often tied up to keep it out of their face.

red is their signature color.

their father is very frail and was deemed medically unfit to preform his job, so his dear child took his place to support their family.

the only reason they’re even a nrc is because their family persuaded them to go & eventually they agreed if just to have a way to support their family and make them proud.

from an ancient line of warriors in the war against dark magic, users were renowned for their skill with a blade and their magic against curses.

best class is obviously defense magic, more grounded in combat against curses, but no one has beat them on the defense yet anyways.

also exceptionally skilled with a sword. practices daily before or after classes to keep those skills sharp.

floyd calls them “sea dragon” ( shīdoragon-chan ) after the leafy sea dragon.

reptiles freaking love them. is constantly being stalked by some scaly friends. and yes, they absolutely do talk to them all.

on that note they also have so many reptiles in their room. whoever their poor dorm leader is, better pray for them, because it’s not uncommon for a scaly friend to get out of their enclosures and wander around looking for their master.

is a member of the horse riding club.

unique magic would be called dragon’s guidance and it’s incantation is: “ancestors hear my plea, bring honor to my family and watch over me. dragon’s guidance.” 

the magic brings to life a chinese dragon made from the sparks of fireworks from their hands. ( if you’ve ever seen the fellowship of the rings, imagine the firework dragon merry and pippin set off. or a similar firework dragon george & fred weasley from harry potter set off in the fifth movie ).

it acts as a sort of ‘guide’ towards their goal ( for example, finding the way out of the woods if they are lost ).

however their unique magic also has other purposes, as it can act like a signal flair, works well for parting thick crowds ( no one wants to get burned after all ), or a light source briefly before the sparks fizzle out.

[schukasthoughtblog]

Diamonds? (Steven Universe Spoilers right from the get go)

While I was sitting there browsing through a lot of people’s comments and thoughts on the most recent episode and the reveal of Pink Diamond being Rose Quartz.  Something struck me as kind of odd (besides the lack thereof many people talking about Bismuth, smh) 

What IS the purpose of the Diamonds?  What are their ultimate goals and motives?  On the basic level we know that the Diamonds create these kindergartens to mass produce gems with nearly singular purposes.

Be they warrior gems used either in war time or as general security / army hierarchy that have their own niches. 

Peacekeepers to keep things in line.  (Yes, lets not forget this little shit actually managed to stop Alexandrite effortlessly)

Gems to observe, maintain, record and maintain efficiency. 

Gems to terraform planets (At least that’s what I assume Lapis’ main function is for?  Sure she can use it extremely well for fighting, but it can also be assumed she could use those powers to manipulate where you want the water to go and since water erodes rocks, she could potentially use that to cave away at rocks to...  Well, terraform.) 

And specifically there are two gems I want to point in the direction of where I’m going with this that led me down this train of thought:

•The Pearls that are obedient to their masters to the very end

(Beautiful image done by Evelmiina on Deviantart that I found while searching Google for images)

•And the Sapphire used to predict the future 

Where I’m going with this is that in a full retrospect, the way that Homeworld and the Diamond hierarchy operate is almost liked a well oiled machine to produce and repopulate these gems and spread across the galaxy.  

But...   For what purpose?  As seen from Yellow and Blue they don’t necessarily hold any bonds to their Gems that they control, at the very least we know that Yellow Diamond more or less sees them as pawns nothing more, nothing less.  Even so much as to try to go beyond that of their own “attorney” gems (and would have successfully done so were it not for Blue Diamond being there wanting to know more).

What are their purpose?  Their motives, their goals?  What do they ultimately want to accomplish from all of this? 

It intrigues me and genuinely makes me want to know, because in a sense, it makes me wonder...  Are Yellow and Blue “programmed” like the rest of the Gems to serve their “role” as a Diamond?  

And if so, why? 

I think it’s loosely hinted that the Diamond hierarchy works like a “color wheel” you have Yellow, Blue, but no Red.  We instead have Pink Diamond.

Pink is in a way “kind of” like red, a red that is saturated with white to create it’s own experience. 

She in a sense is a “defect” from the regular Diamond hierarchy.  In a way, it would have even made more sense for her to be a “Green Diamond” then that of a Pink, Green is still on the color wheel, albeit not as a primary color, but as a secondary created from yellow and blue. 

Though in spite of that defect she was still very much loved by her sisters Blue and Yellow.  She wasn’t cast away like many of the of the other gems that aren’t “up to snuff” and thrown away to do menial things.

Sure she wasn’t given her own planet right away, but I think that could be chalked up to “immaturity” and still needing to be taught. 

But one of the universal truths amongst the Diamond hierarchy is that the Diamonds are more or less given free will to have their own thoughts and emotions and do so in their own unique ways, even Pink, who albeit was being confronted by the other two for not doing her job “well” they didn’t seem to have any real care in her having her own little side projects or even to experience the world in her own way.  (Ala the Zoo) 

So long I assume as they still carry out their tasks at hand. 

As far as we’re aware Yellow and Blue didn’t really know or fully understand that Pink genuinely cared for humankind and didn’t want to destroy their planet, maybe because she never truly confronted them about it, I think they had hints thrown at them (with ya know, the Zoo and everything), but I think they perceived it as how a human looks to their pets, not how Pink wants to experience free will, to watch things grow organically and not mechanically.  

Could it be that Pink is so different from the other diamonds because she may have inherited more from White then what was originally intended, making her Pink? 

And what about the mysterious White Diamond?

As of right now the most we’ve ever seen of White Diamond has been that of silhouettes and a hand reveal.  

But from this reveal it’s confirmed that White Diamond is even larger then that of Blue and Yellow.  

The natural appearance of what we all associate with diamonds is more or less that of a white appearance. 

And excuse me, because I am actually not all that knowledgeable on Color Theory so I can’t talk about the specifics of it, but I do know of the old “Pink Floyd” triangle that when light hits the spectrum it creates the color.  

Leading to infer that White Diamond was the original diamond, the precursor before the other two, in a sense the triangle of the color spectrum. 

What is that light, that made White Diamond create the other Diamonds, to create this machine of artificial “artificially” intelligent beings that are intended to serve no other purpose but the ones they are designated?  

Are the colored Diamonds also intended to be “programmed” like the rest of the gems?  

How does this “programming” work, is it mental or is it physical?   

None of these can be solidly answered as of right now. 

Though the terrifying thought of it all is, are Gems truly free thinking?  

We know they can love, they can form bonds, they can learn and grow mentally, show empathy, show plenty of emotions, they’re not artificial constructs, they’re beings too.  

We see that from so many cases from Garnet’s whole existence to even the two Topaz’s loving each other deeply and being pained at the thought of being separated. 

Hell, even Aquamarine’s empathy for them after the fact when she decides not to report them.

But after seeing Sapphire and Pearl in these last couple of episodes.  

Sapphire is clearly “programmed” not to “see” the future, but assess it’s probabilities, and even if she can see the things that unfold mentally, it’s still in a way just creating a list of outcomes with a probability tacked on.

This clearly torments in her in certain ways as she’s trying her hardest to find out why she can’t just predict the future, especially when it comes to Steven, how things aren’t just black and white like they usually are. 

(Do note while I’m primarily talking about Pool Hopping and that it’s Garnet, it still seems mostly to be thoughts hailing from Sapphire’s side of the fusion)

And when she thinks it’s finally clear after the events of “Pool Hopping” and that she just needs to stop treating Steven as if he stills needs to grow and be protected at all times.   

The reveal of Pink Diamond being Rose Quartz throws her for a loop and upsets her to no end, mostly being because Rose isn’t who they thought she was, but there’s also probably the lingering thought of this not being even a .0001%

(though that last bit was primarily assumptions on my part, and I’m not even certain if that will be touched on, but knowing Steven Universe the smallest of things are massive foreshadowing, ala Bismuth saying that Rose’s sword was designed for “a fair fight and not to shatter a gem”)

It creates this hook that sinks in and makes it feel that there’s something in her mentally that hooks onto these “foresight” powers way more then what she really needs to.

Personally I don’t think Gems are programmed “mechanically” so to say, what leads me to question that and to wonder if my sentiments on that are actually true.   Is the one that makes me sympathize even more with her then what was already previously shown thanks to the episode of “A Single Pale Rose”.

Pearl

Pearl honestly wasn’t a character I ever considered as my “favorite” but still loved and cared about her just as much as any of the others.

But god, what they’ve shown in the most recent episode pains me to no end.

Pearl was always a character I could relate to knowing first hand how painful unrequited love can be.  Knowing that the person you can love from the deepest part of your heart, the one person that you will always feel will always be the most special to you, no matter how much you try, no matter how much you want to change that...  They will never love you back. 

But was her love for Rose...  Really her own?  I think more or less, yes, she truly did love Rose, she grew those feelings for her beyond that of respect and loyalty.  

But as we know, Rose never felt that way towards her.  Whether that’s from her own assumption that she wanted Pearl to not feel like she’s bound to Pink Diamond anymore and being ignorant to Pearl’s feelings, or simply because she didn’t ever feel that way towards her. 

Everything that occurred in “A Single Pale Rose” I feel can really start the process for closure within Pearl, she no longer has anything bound to her to keep as a secret, the burden she held within her for centuries...  Never being able to repent for the sins she and Pink committed from that one simple act. 

 The deaths of hundreds if not thousands of Gems on her and Pink’s shoulders. 

But...  Why couldn’t Pearl speak of this any sooner?  Did she honor and care about Rose too much for her to go against her last promise to her? 

Or...  Could it be because of Pink Diamond saying the phrase “As my last order from me to you as a Diamond...   Please...  Lets never speak of this again.”

Can this one simple phrase from Pink Diamond actually have locked away Pearl’s ability to even remotely talk about this?  Intentionally or not? 

She shows throughout the episode her wanting to talk about it to Steven, to tell him everything about it.  Even at the very end of the episode where she tells Steven that she “wanted to tell” him for so long.

We know Pearls are designed to be subservient to their masters, and could this have been a part of Pearl’s programming as a “gem” to listen and obey their masters?  Whether or not she truly loved Rose, whether or not she truly believed in the rebellion against the Diamonds. 

How much of what has been done has been of Pearl’s own free will and not because of the Diamond she is attached to?

I believe of her own free will, she genuinely fell in love with Rose.   There’s no denying that.  Her emotions were genuine and real just like Greg’s, we see that in her opening herself up to Greg. 

Of her own free will, she has grown an attraction to the Mystery Girl.

Pearl like everyone else can love, can grow, can feel emotion.  She’s not just a “subservient Pearl to do whatever she wants for her master”, she is unique, she is herself.  And she’s probably one of the most tortured character mentally due to everything that has occurred. 

But this one thing, the last thing her master, her diamond gave to her...   She wasn’t ever able to talk about it.   Not even really to Rose, especially not anymore. 

Though...  I also don’t think Rose really intended for her to be bound by that promise, if she was really bound by force to never speak of that.  

Personally when it’s all said and done, I don’t think Pink is inherently a bad person.  I think she made a lot of poor decisions, but, I think she’s incredibly “human” for that as well.

The mistakes Pink Diamond has made, many of which are unforgivable, but in the time of war can and have to be made in the spur of the moment.  

In a lot of respects the idea of the rebellion being led by that of another Gem is much more powerful then of a Diamond splitting off from her sisters.  It’s more inspiring and really goes to show that there’s power within the people, not within just a singular person. 

And even if Rose was actually that one person, there’s plenty other examples of characters being able to hold their ground to that level, at least to an extent. 

Pink was genuinely terrified enough of Bismuth’s weapon that she bubbled her away (that not also including that she knows Rose’s sword was designed not to be able to shatter, so she could easily see through Rose and Pearl’s plans).

I think when it’s all said and done.  Steven Universe is probably one of the deepest cartoons out there.  There’s so many levels of questions, theories, and possibilities it’s amazing.  And I can’t think of a cast of characters so well developed, so thriving with personality and raw emotion then this show here. 

I guess what I’m getting at is in a TL:DR sorta way is:  

•How “programmed” are the gems to their tasks and what they do?  Is it physically programmed into them or is it “mentally” like being taught from birth that they have to think and act this way. 

•What are the Diamond’s motives?

•Who is White Diamond?

•And are Yellow and Blue subservient to White?  And if so...?  What is the ultimate goal for Homeworld, what they’re really after.

•And Pink is a bad person, but their mistakes fall into the gray area.   And that doesn’t make her irredeemable.  At least, I don’t think so. 

I can’t believe this show has captured me so much that I spent nearly two hours writing this entire thing up.  I have no regrets and I love it.

And I’d also love to hear your opinions on this too ^^