#the su critical movement was a blight on society

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

I remember back when the s3 finale of steven universe came out i read this one rly long post where someone claimed there was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY ROSE QUARTZ IS PINK DIAMOND GUYS. And their reasoning was that in the s3 finale we learned about the beta kindergarten and it was a piece of shit. It was built in a hurry for the war i think so the quartzes that were made mostly didnt stand a chance

And what this proved for the author of the post was if pink diamond werent rose quartz she would have just been incompetent for building a shitty kindergarten that made weak gems who got killed. But if rose quartz was pink diamond then that meant she purposely made shitty gems to be killed in a war that she started. So that theory was #debunked bc The Crew Would Never Do That. Because it would make rose a Bad Person and god forbid this show that already has rly well written flawed characters pick at the flaws of the resident paragon of virtue.

And bc i was 14 i completely believed that post. That theres no way the character whose goodness every other character unhealthily obsessed over would be revealed to be her own person with flaws and mistakes. Even though that arc was already well in motion in s3. And afterwards when i watched the show there were so many hints that rose was pink diamond? Like the characters couldnt go 5 steps without running into some diamond imagery. Everything in the plot was leading to the reveal.

But i was there like "yeah it would make the most sense if rose was pink diamond and faked her shattering but theyre OBVIOUSLY not going to do that so what if blue and yellow pearl were in on it lmao." Like bc i read that post i didnt believe they would go there until literally the episode before they revealed rose was pink diamond. Yes even after steven had multiple dreams in pink diamonds perspective.

I dont even know why i was so insistent rose couldnt be pink by the time they revealed it they already showed rose as such a flawed character that they obviously didnt have a problem with making her a "bad person." Besides by that point the pink diamond thing would have and did contextualize all her actions and give them even deeper meaning.

But yeah. That diamond imagery around steven was all a coincidence. Pearl belting a gay ass ballad to a night sky filled with diamond shaped pink stars is just an unrelated aesthetic choice. That one time baby stevens onesie made a diamond shape around his gem was just bc the storyboarder didnt know how fabric worked. And rose having a completely set of powers from the other quartzes on the show is just bc rebecca sugar wanted steven to kumbaya his way into everyones heart and amethysts "spin dash and destroy everything in your path" move didnt fit that aesthetic.

[thecreaturecodex]

Great Old One, Haspergrin

“Fiddlesticks sketch” © “TheFearMaster”, accessed at his deviantArt page here

[Commissioned by @echo-of-carcosa​ for their gaslight fantasy game. In their game, Haspergrin here is the arch-enemy of Kasadeya, whom they also commissioned. The commission info mentioned plagues and destroying cities--current events led me to take the flavor text in the direction of ecofascism.]

Great Old One, Haspergrin CR 28 CE Outsider (native) This towering humanoid appears as a scarecrow made by a madman. Its head is vaguely beak-like, a cape of shredded leather and feathers hangs off of its back, and its legs appear to be composed of yokes and horse collars. It clutches a massive scythe in one hand, and its other arm is oversized and tipped with blade-like claws.

Haspergrin, the Rotting Reave, Autumnjack Concerns night, plague, technophobia Domains Chaos, Darkness, Destruction, Evil, Subdomains Entropy, Fear, Night, Rage Worshipers ecofascists, evil druids, Luddites Minions blights, sahkils, wererats Unholy Symbol a broken cog worn as a collar or bracelet Favored Weapon scythe

Haspergrin, the Rotting Reave, is the Great Old One associated with the destruction of cities and the collapse of industrial societies. His cult is obscure in worlds without access to technology, but to advanced civilizations he is a bogeyman first class. His ultimate goal is to see all settlements wiped away, and for humanoids to live once more in small, scattered and terrified groups, no longer able to impose their will on the world. As such, his dogma appeals to many druids, who find themselves growing more corrupted and hateful even if they began with good intentions. His cult often recruits from the ranks of the oppressed underclasses in cities, encouraging them to tear down the foundations of lives without proposing any alternative but violence and chaos. He delights in deaths intended to “save the planet”, and his followers spread disease as a form of “population control”.

Haspergrin’s very presence snuffs out all artificial light sources, and as such he prefers to make himself known at night or underground. Before making his grand entrance, he will often use mythic contagion to spread a disease for miles around, weakening resistance and shattering morale before he even strikes. Those that see him find their higher brain functions stripped away, collapsing into a primal, animal state. His battle tactics involve destroying weapons and armor with his mighty scythe, and spreading diseases as widely as possible with his great claw. He will often allow some of his foes to survive his onslaughts, to serve as a reminder of his wrath and to die slowly of contagion.

Haspergrin has stalked humanity for millennia. He was originally a sahkil tormentor, devoted to the fear of the dark. But as humans built cities, developed artificial lighting, and banished night from their lives, Haspergrin grew ever more hateful. How exactly he transcended the ranks of the sahkils is somewhat mysterious, but his faithful hold that his current form emerged from the body of his old one as an imago emerges from its cocoon. Sages suspect that this transformation was permitted under the aegis of one of the Elder Gods, such as Sheol Nugganoth or Nyarlathotep. The current sahkil tormentors see him as an enemy, especially Kasadeya, whose concerns often focus on high society. Haspergrin can still summon sahkils, who obey him out of respect for his former status and fear of the fate that awaits them if they disobey.

Haspergrin            CR 28 XP 4,915,200 CE Huge outsider (evil, Great Old One, native) Init +21; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, Perception +47, see in darkness, true seeing Aura neverlight (1 mile), unspeakable presence (Will DC 36, 300 ft.) Defense AC 46, touch 25, flat-footed 39 (-2 size, +7 Dex, +10 insight, +21 natural) hp 676 (33d10+495); fast healing 25 Fort +26, Ref +27, Will +29 DR 20/epic and lawful; Immune ability damage, ability drain, aging, cold, construct traits, death effects, disease, energy drain, mind-affecting effects, paralysis, petrification; Resist acid 30, electricity 30, fire 30, sonic 30; SR 39 Defensive Abilities constructed body, freedom of movement, immortality, insanity (DC 36) Offense Speed 60 ft., air walk Melee +4 unholy adamantine scythe +52/+47/+42/+37 (2d8+17/19-20x4 plus 2d6 against non-evil opponents), great claw +48 (4d6+25 plus plague), bite +43 (2d6+8) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks dreams of darkness, mythic power (10/day, +1d12) Spell-like Abilities CL 28th, concentration +38 Constant—air walk, freedom of movement, true seeing At will—contagionM (DC 24), darknessM, enervationM, fear (DC 24), insanity (DC 27), nightmareM (DC 25), rusting grasp, stone shape 3/day—greater dispel magic, empowered greater shadow evocation (DC 28), greater teleport, finger of deathM (DC 27), quickened plague storm (DC 26), power word blindM, repel metal or stone 1/day—gate (DC 29), shades (DC 29),  storm of vengeanceM (DC 29), summon sahkils, wail of the banshee (DC 29) M = Haspergrin can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability Statistics Str 44, Dex 25, Con 40, Int 29, Wis 32, Cha 31 Base Atk +33; CMB +52 (+56 sunder); CMD 73 Feats Blinding Critical, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Deafening Critical, Empower SLA (greater shadow evocation), Greater Sunder, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (scythe), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Improved Vital Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (plague storm), Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +43, Bluff +46, Disable Device +45, Intimidate +46, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, engineering, local, religion) +42, Knowledge (nature, planes) +45, Perception +47, Sense Motive +47, Spellcraft +42, Stealth +35 Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Druidic, Infernal, Sylvan, telepathy 300 ft. SQ otherworldly insight Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization solitary (unique) Treasure double standard (+4 unholy adamantine scythe, other treasure) Special Abilities Constructed Body (Ex) Haspergrin has all of the immunities of the construct type. He is immune to bleed, necromancy effects, poison, sleep effects, stunning, exhaustion and fatigue, and nonlethal damage. He is immune to any spell or effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also affects constructs. Dreams of Darkness (Su) Haspergrin can use his nightmare spell-like ability on any creature that has ever taken 10 or more points of ability damage or drain from a disease, or anyone who has ever been injured while in total darkness. In addition to the effect of the nightmare, creatures so affected must succeed a DC 36 Will save or be plagued by shadowy hallucinations. Such creatures are permanently shaken, and suffer a 20% miss chance when making all attack rolls. Creatures that cannot see are immune to this effect. This is a mind-influencing curse effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Great Claw (Ex) Haspergrin’s great claw is always treated as a primary natural attack, even when he makes weapon attacks. It deals 1.5x Haspergrin’s Strength modifier as bonus damage. Haspergrin can also wield a scythe in one hand without penalty. Immortality (Ex) When Haspergrin is slain, his body disappears, leaving behind only his scythe. The first creature that picks up his scythe must succeed a DC 36 Will save or be compelled to build Haspergrin a new body, which takes 1 week of work before it animates and Haspergrin lives again. If this save is succeeded, or nobody touches the scythe, it fades away after 1 day. In this case, Haspergrin cannot manifest a physical body until one is built for him by a cultist or dupe. Neverlight Aura (Su) All artificial light sources cast no illumination within 1 mile of Haspergrin. Any spell with the light descriptor cast in this aura must overcome Haspergrin’s spell resistance to function. Plague (Su) A creature struck by Haspergrin’s great claw must succeed a DC 41 Fortitude save or succumb to one of the diseases that can be afflicted by the contagion spell. There is no onset for this disease, and the save DC for this disease becomes DC 41. Any creature that touches a creature affected by Haspergrin’s plague must save or be infected with the same disease, although the onset time and save DC are as normal for that disease. The save DC is Constitution based. Summon Sahkils (Sp) Once per day as a swift action, Haspergrin may summon one or more sahkils equal to a CR 20 encounter. They serve him faithfully for 1 hour or until slain. This is the equivalent of a 9th level spell. Unspeakable Aura (Su) Creatures that succumb to Haspergrin’s unspeakable aura are feebleminded, as per the spell. The save DC is Charisma based.