#they aren’t a big company they��re literally just fans doing the lord’s work for other fans | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

aion-rsa · 4 years ago

Text

Resident Evil Village Easter Eggs and References Explained

https://ift.tt/33mKVQj

This article contains RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE spoilers.

Resident Evil Village may be one of the year’s biggest and scariest games, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t have a little fun from time to time. In fact, Village is packed with easter eggs and references that keep things light, even as you’re running away from the giant vampire ladies of its world.

While you’d expect the eighth major installment in the Resident Evil series to include a few nods to the previous games in the franchise, one of the most surprising things about Resident Evil Village is how it not only references some of the older games in the series (as well as a couple of horror movies) but how some of those callbacks have deeper meanings that expand this game’s lore and even set up future installments.

From the village’s familiar merchant to a brand of beer that shouldn’t be there, here are the easter eggs and references that we’ve found in Resident Evil Village so far.:

Joseph Kendo’s Self Defense Book (Likely a Gift From Chris)

Ethan and Mia’s house contains a few notable easter eggs, but one of the more interesting ones that’s easy to miss is a self-defense book found on the upstairs bookshelf written by someone named Joseph Kendo.

Does that name sound familiar? That’s probably because Joseph Kendo is the brother of Robert Kendo: the gun shop owner from Resident Evil 2. Joseph Kendo is also a former S.T.A.R.S. weapon instructor who made the pistol that Leon uses at the start of Resident Evil 4. It seems Ethan went to the best.

Covered Mirrors in Ethan and Mia’s House

Take a walk through Ethan and Mia’s house, and you may notice that most of the mirrors seem to be covered by sheets and blankets. The only mirror that isn’t covered (the bathroom mirror) appears to be fogged up. What’s the deal?

The game doesn’t outright explain this design choice, but it’s either part of an effort to prevent you from seeing Ethan’s face, who remains a faceless protagonist in his second outing, or it’s something Mother Miranda did when she assumed Mia’s form. Mirrors sometimes reveal true identities in horror fiction, such as in vampire stories, and it’s possible that Miranda covered them to prevent anyone from seeing the real her. That, or she didn’t want to look at her new face.

Ethan Winters’ Bobblehead Collection

Head upstairs in Ethan and Mia’s home and you’ll find a stack of boxes near the office area in the back. At the top of one of those boxes is a football player bobblehead that Ethan says he really should get rid of.

Considering that it’s the same kind of bobblehead found throughout the Baker house in Resident Evil 7, it’s not hard to see why the toy bothers him so much. It certainly seems like a strange keepsake from a dark time.

Ethan’s Hand Can’t Catch a Break

This one is less of an easter egg and more of a running joke, but it’s not long into Resident Evil Village before Ethan’s left hand is mutilated by a wolf. A little later on, one of his hands is even chopped off.

This is callback to Resident Evil 7 where Ethan loses his hand early on only to have it reattached later. For whatever reason, Ethan’s hands just can’t catch a break in these games. Like in the last installment, our hero also pours first aid med on his hand to heal.

Resident Evil 4’s Opening Sequence

You may have spotted this reference in some of Village‘s trailers and demos, but an early scene in Resident Evil Village’s…umm…village sees Ethan fight off a small army of werewolves and other unnamed horrors. From the way Ethan blocks doors to the staging of specific sections, this whole area feels like an elaborate callback to Resident Evil 4’s famous early scene in which Leon must evade waves of crazed villagers in a similar fashion.

Salvatore Moreau Turns into a Very Familiar Giant Fish

The battle against the otherwise timid Salvatore Moreau takes a dangerous turn when the lord of his house jumps into the water and transforms into a massive fish. This shocking moment will be a little less surprising to Resident Evil 4 fans who remember doing battle with a very similar giant fish in that game. The designs aren’t exactly the same, but given how many RE4 references are spread throughout Village, there’s no doubt this was an intentional callback.

Games

Resident Evil DASH: Canceled Sequel or Urban Legend?

By Matthew Byrd

Games

Resident Evil: The Many Ways the PlayStation Game Was Changed

By Matthew Byrd

The Duke References Resident Evil 4’s Merchant

Linger for a little while on the Duke’s shopping screen, and you might hear him say “What are you buying?” He’ll then laugh and mention that it’s just something an old friend of his used to say.

This is obviously a nod to Resident Evil 4. The friend that the Duke references is none other than Resi 4’s legendary merchant. It’s not entirely clear how those two characters know each other, but we suppose that it’s not unreasonable to suggest they could have met at the annual merchant trade show.

The P.T. Hallway and Giant Baby Monster in Donna Beneviento’s House

Dollmaker Donna Bneviento’s house is one of the scariest locations in Resident Evil Village. Then again, it should be scary considering that it’s clearly designed to resemble the house in one of the scariest games of all-time, P.T.

The house’s main hallway is nearly a 1:1 replica of the P.T. hallway. There’s even a phone in the corner of the hall that rings when you’re least expecting it. Incredibly, this area also features a clear nod to P.T.’s “baby in the sink,” although Village ups the ante in that regard with a giant baby monster that will truly haunt you.

Umbrella Symbols and Oswell E. Spencer

Some fans noticed early on that Village’s trailers featured a strange symbol that resembled the Umbrella logo. Well, that logo actually appears several times throughout the main game and even has a starring role in some of the story’s most important cutscenes.

As we discussed elsewhere, it turns out that the logo’s appearances are much more than a nod to the original RE games. In fact, a letter we find towards the end of Village reveals that Umbrella’s founder, Oswell E. Spencer, spent quite a bit of time with Mother Miranda and used that ancient design as the basis for his company’s logo.

Dulvey Beer From Resident Evil 7

One of the villagers in Village is drinking heavily from a bottle that’s kind of hard to see. If you zoom in on it, though, you’ll discover that it’s actually a bottle of Dulvey Beer: the Louisiana craft beer seen throughout Resident Evil 7.

How did this bottle of craft beer make it all the way to a small village in Europe? Given that this is likely just a cute nod to the previous game, it’s best not to ask those kinds of questions.

The Black Goat from The Witch

The Witch is one of the best horror movies of the last 10 years and among the genre’s most influential recent films as well. The Witch may have even influenced the design of Village in ways both big and small.

One of the animals you’ll find in Village is a large black goat that seems to boast a more distinct look than some of the other killable creatures you encounter. That may be because this black goat appears to be a clear reference to Black Phillip from The Witch. Their designs are incredibly similar, and considering how Village‘s vibe and themes are generally reminiscent of The Witch, it’s likely that Capcom decided to include a more obvious wink to that movie as well.

The Shining Scarecrows

Resident Evil Village’s title screen, and a couple of sections of the game’s actual village area, prominently feature creepy-looking scarecrows who seem to be frozen. Take a closer look at the scarecrow and you’ll discover that they might actually be dead villagers whose bodies were repurposed.

More importantly, the design of these scarecrows appears to be a subtle nod to the end of The Shining. At the very least, their upward-looking dead eyes and mischievous grins recall the look that Jack Torrance had on his face when he was frozen in the snow at the end of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Eveline Returns

The main villain of Resident Evil 7 reappears in Village, this time as a figment of Ethan’s imagination who needs to remind him of his true nature. We also learn that Mother Miranda provided the mold and Eva’s DNA to The Connections, the bio-terrorist group behind the events of the last game, who created Eveline.

Chris Redfield and the BSAA

Chris Redfield plays a major role in Village, effectively becoming the second protagonist of the story towards the final act of the game. In an installment that basically tells the origin story of the Umbrella Corporation, it makes sense that the series’ original hero is back, too. And just in time for the franchise’s 25th anniversary!

Meanwhile, the counter-terrorism organization Chris works for in the later games, the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, also returns, but this time to muck things up for Chris and his team towards the end of the game.

Mother Miranda’s Name

The neopagan cult leader main villain of the game is Mother Miranda. While there’s a very literal reason why she’s referred to as “mother” in Village, this may also be a reference to Italian filmmaker Dario Argento’s Three Mothers Trilogy of witchcraft movies. In that cycle of interconnected horror stories, each witch is named “Mother”: Mother Suspiriorum (Mother of Sighs), Mother Tenebrarum (Mother of Darkness), and Mother Lachrymarum (Mother of Tears).

Like those witches, Mother Miranda’s name also has a translation in Latin: “Mother to Admire,” which is very fitting considering she is worshipped by those she rules over. The way she could fit into that trio may also be why Village seems to be obsessed with the number four.

Cadou and Las Plagas

Mother Miranda uses a parasite called Cadou on the villagers in her search for a vessel for Eva. All Cadou seems to do to her unfortunate subjects is turn them into lycans, though.

While the early Resident Evil games focuse on the highly contagious viruses created by the Umbrella Corporation, Resident Evil 4 introduced the idea that a parasite could infect people and turn them into bloodthirsty killers, too. In that game’s case, the parasite was called Plagas.

Ada Wong Cameo?

As revealed by IGN, the Trauma Pack DLC features some behind-the-scenes artwork that reveals Capcom considered including fan-favorite spy Ada Wong in the game.

“Early plans had a mysterious masked person that saves Ethan,” reads the caption for the concept art. “This was going to be Ada Wong investigating the village, but this was cut due to a number of conflicting scenarios…An early plot point was to have Ada, disguising herself with a mask, help Ethan escape from his trial.”

Interestingly, Ada’s proposed costume in the game would not have been unlike Jill Valentine’s plague doctor-inspired costume in Resident Evil 5.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!

The post Resident Evil Village Easter Eggs and References Explained appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3xVsxMj

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

1 note · View note

entergamingxp · 5 years ago

Text

Let your mind wander with 40 of our best reads • Eurogamer.net

We’ve been lucky enough to publish some wonderful work on Eurogamer over the years, written by some wonderful writers, and we thought pulling some of it together at a time like this would be a nice thing to do.

If you see something you like, scroll down to the bottom of the piece and click on the author’s name to see what else they’ve written. There are some real treats I haven’t been able to include here – it’s a long enough list as it is!

Thank you everyone who contributes to Eurogamer and helps make it what it is, and thank you for reading it. Have a nice Easter weekend.

How Age of Empires 2 got some Scottish kids into RTS – Here’s a question: How do you get a bunch of disillusioned kids in the arse end of Scotland into real-time strategy games? Sam Greer remembers the 90s in Scotland and an unlikely gaming champion.

Petscop, the internet’s favourite haunted video game – Last March, a YouTube channel titled Petscop began releasing Let’s Play-style videos of what appeared to be a bargain-bin Playstation One game designed to entice undiscerning children. But things quickly took a darker turn, as Sara Elsam finds out.

An ode to video game doors – It’s easy to underestimate doors, Andreas Inderwildi writes, and yet they are also imbued with a kind of magic. If you’ve ever wanted to see a lot of lovely video game doors, now’s your chance.

After half my life, Ace Attorney’s re-release brought me full circle – Some games can have profound influences on our lives. Jay Castello grew up with the Ace Attorney series and wanted to be a lawyer – but life doesn’t always go the way it was planned.

I went Christmas carolling in Rust with a real piano, and got shot a hell of a lot – When Emma Kent heard that craftable pianos were coming to Rust (with MIDI support) and she could plug a microphone in too, there was only one thing she wanted to do. But would her fellow Rust players share in her festive spirit?

The story behind the Oblivion mod Terry Pratchett worked on – Imagine one day getting an email thanking you for the companion you made for Oblivion, signed by someone claiming to be author Terry Pratchett. Then imagine discovering, many letters later, it really was him. Cian Maher tells an unlikely story of friendship and collaboration.

The Lords of Midnight: on the legacy of a truly epic wargame – Even now, there’s little else remotely like it. Jennifer Allen remembers a cruel but magical adventure for Commodore 64. And thanks to devoted fans, there is now a way to play it.

Red Dead Redemption 2 and XCOM 2 have one crucial thing in common – companionship – From perishable squad mates to tales around a camp fire, Vivek Gohil digs into what makes companions in Red Dead Redemption 2 and XCOM 2 so special.

I was in Football Manager and I don’t know how to feel about it – Imagine our surprise when writer Chris Tapsell turns around and announces he was once in a Football Manager game, a series he loves – but as a football player. If it weren’t for a shoulder injury he may well have been a professional footballer today. But something always bothered him about his FM representation: his stats weren’t right. His height, his birthday, his eccentricity. This is the story of him getting to the bottom of it.

Roleplaying across the internet – It doesn’t have to be people sitting around a table. In its purest form, roleplaying is when a person says, “Let me tell you a story,” and the other person says, “Me too.” Giada Zavarise takes into the world of forum roleplaying.

If Ubisoft wants to cling on to Clancy, it’s time to talk politics – Tom Clancy relished a political drama so why does Ubisoft try to avoid it in his name? Is such a thing even possible? Edwin Evans-Thirlwell takes a closer look at Clancy and the legacy he left behind.

I owe everything I am to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday – You’re in a game shop in the mid-1990s and you have £15 to spend, and that’s a lot – you’re a kid and you’re poor. Jennifer Allen had a choice on her hands. What to choose? Pele? Streets of Rage? Or how about this box with the hero and the aliens on…?

Kazunori’s War: the world of Gran Turismo’s creator – He keeps a selection of pre-packed bags by his desk so he can leave at a moment’s notice. He’s an occasional racing driver. And he spun out a car at 200km/h as a very naughty youth. He is Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of Gran Turismo, and Martin Robinson travels to Japan to meet him.

It’s not easy being green: a brief history of orcs in video games – Who invented orcs, how did they get their green colour, and when did they start being more than dumb enemies? Nic Reuben seeks answers.

Why did ancient Egypt spend 3000 years playing a game nobody else liked? – Here’s a game responsible for one of the first ever instances of trash talk, a game played by pharaohs, but even after 3000 years of play, Senet went the way of the disonaur. Christian Donlan tries to find out what happened.

The boy who stole Half-Life 2 – In May 2004, a German boy wakes to find his bed surrounded by armed police officers. Seven months earlier, the source code to the in-development-and-late Half-Life 2 leaks onto the internet. Simon Parkin tells the story of a global hacker hunt, from both sides.

The six-year story of GTA Online’s long-vacant casino – When GTA Online launched, the Vinewood Casino was there. It wasn’t open but it was “opening soon”, according to a sign on the door. One year later, still closed; two years later, still closed. Nearly six years later, still closed. Why did it take so long? Jordan Oloman digs into a troubled development.

The cult of Hideo Kojima – What is it about Hideo Kojima that has crowds turn out in their hundreds to meet him? Khee Hoon Chan waits among one such crowd in Singapore, and then all of a sudden, spotlight on, Kojima is there.

Hearts and minds – Tom Bramwell puts on his best suit for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and it leaves him wondering why there aren’t more heroes in games.

The US town ruled by an AI storyteller – Great storytellers talk about creative partnerships with all kinds of things, from drugs to religion to half-awake states of mind. Can artificial intelligence now be added to the list? Emily Gera shines a light on a fascinating storytelling experiment.

The God who Peter Molyneux forgot – Do you remember Curiosity and the promise of a life-changing prize for whoever tapped the last block? Brayn Henderson does – he tapped it. But did it change his life? Wesley Yin-Poole travels to Scotland to find out.

The Wind Waker inspired me to build a boat – Ever decided to build a boat because you really liked a game about sailing around? No of course not. Nor, I bet, have you ever bought an ocarina instrument because of a game, or fashioned your hair to look like Nathan Drake. Or have you? Omar Hafeez-Bore ponders the influence of games.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and the feud that keeps on running – This time he’s demanding a single coconut. Philippa Warr tells the a hilarious story of two lifelong friends falling out over a valentine.

Brando and Bowie: The amazing stories of a man you’ve never heard about – He alone witnessed Marlon Brando’s last ever performance, and David Bowie kissed him on the lips. He held high positions in the video game world and directed big games for big companies. And yet, he never quite found success as we know it. Or did he? Bertie tells a long story.

Why can’t video games get shoulders right? What an inspired question! And it turns out it’s all in the shoulder blades. Alan Wen investigates.

Viva Piñata places a brutal lens on late-stage capitalism – Don’t be fooled by its cutesy looks. Viva Piñata is, as Hazel Southwell tells us, maybe the only game where the kind of business psychopathy preached on Huel-based wellness retreats outside San Francisco will actually work.

The promise of a game world you can touch – James Holland puts his hands in front of him and as the on-screen bubbles start to pop, he feels them popping on his skin, on his bare skin – he’s not wearing gloves or equipment of any kind. Is this the tech of the future?

Inside Tomb of Horrors, the hardest D&D module ever made – Just getting inside can be an ordeal, as two of the entrances lead to certain death, and losing a character level 10 or higher – all that time invested – really hurts. Why would someone make something like that? Malindy Hetfield takes a closer look.

PS2: The Insiders’ Story – The PlayStation 2 is still the best-selling console in the world. It was a landmark machine and its success made Sony feel invincible. Ellie Gibson takes us back to a time of David Lynch adverts and wild parties.

VR has already taken people with dementia to the seaside, and now video games are exploring neurological disease itself – Watching a participant literally cry with happiness as they remove the headset is not a sight writer Luke Kemp will soon forget.

Decoding Shenzhen: The Chinese city that makes the world’s tech – Known as the mecca of manufacturing, Shenzhen is a fishing city turned megatropolis, where an idea can be made a reality and sold in a market stall in two weeks. Arshiya Khullar investigates.

The human cost of Red Dead Redemption 2 – In October 2018, Red Dead Redemption set a new benchmark for the kind of production values a video game could reach. Technically, it was a marvel. But at what cost?

The folklore roots of Sekiro’s anus-ball snatching enemies – Why does an enemy in Sekiro grab a pale fleshy thing from your behind, hold it up like a trophy, then devour it in its own behind? It’s all to do with some disturbing monsters in Japanese folklore, as Ewan Wilson finds out.

Why I play video games – Dr Omar Hafeez-Bore believes a good part of why he chose to pursue medicine was because of video games, and not for the reasons you may think.

Stories with dice: the thrill of old-school D&D – Even 40 years on, video games have a lot to learn from Dungeons & Dragons. Oli Welsh discovers the joy of pen-and-paper role-playing games.

A horse named Gizmondo: The inside story of the world’s greatest failed console – It’s like it never existed now, but for a while Gizmondo – a handheld gaming machine – was going to conquer the world. The 2005 launch party even featured Pharrell Williams and Sting. But less than a year later, the company behind Gizmondo collapsed into bankruptcy. Ellie Gibson hears the whole shady story from the people who were there.

Passing on the gift of games – Have you ever passed the gift of gaming on and watched someone come to terms with it like you once did? Oh the tantrums I used to throw playing Street Fighter! Emad Ahmed has a niece and nephew to pass the gift onto, with surprising effects.

After I stepped into Yakuza’s world, Yakuza’s world seeped into mine – Wish you were there, in Japan? Well, there are few games better than the Yakuza series for taking you there. They helped Malindy remember happy years studying there, and overcome a painful memory.

The quest for Shadow of the Colossus’ last big secret – What if everything in Fumito Ueda’s renowned game had not been found? Could there be a 17th colossi hidden somewhere, waiting to be discovered? Craig Owens takes us into a world of unsolved mysteries and secret hunters.

The secrets of Dark Souls lore explained and explored – It’s not easy to get at the story in Dark Souls because unlike in other games, it’s scattered and hidden away. Richard Stanton connects the dots for us.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/let-your-mind-wander-with-40-of-our-best-reads-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=let-your-mind-wander-with-40-of-our-best-reads-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

0 notes

truecantaloupelove-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Steven Universe Finale (FanFic): “The Shattering- Part 1″

Hey, everyone! Welcome to my Steven Universe fanfic finale: this is how I’D imagination the perfect end to one of the best kids’ cartoons in the last 50 years. I little background; part of this fan episode was born from my frustration throughout Season 4, I felt the side episodes were taking up too much time, and there wasn’t as much attention devoted to fusion, gem lore, good action scenes and music like their was in previous seasons. Well, if you want something done right, do it yourself, so this fan work has the full package: fusion, battle, the cluster, ALL the Diamonds, some of of our favorite sidelined heroes returning to the action, and so much more.

A word of warning: this story does contain one OC of mine; a homeworld gem agent named Holy War Quartz. I really enjoy her as a character, I think she’s plucky and strong-willed in a very fun way, but I know how people feel about OCs so I tried not to give her too invasive of a roll in the story.

This episode is meant to take place during the final Homeworld invasion of the Earth, where things REALLY go down and get tense. I’ve filled in some of the gaps in lore that we haven’t learned yet, but I’ve still tried to keep it as close to canon as possible.

This is a fan-friendly, inclusive episode for everyone, just like the creators would want. Anyone is welcome to enjoy it, and there shouldn’t be anything offensive or upsetting in this to longtime hardcore fans of the series like me. Part 2 is one the way soon, so with that, enjoy!

Steven Universe—Series Finale:

S06 E25: “The Shattering”

A Fan-Made Episode

(Opening credits)

NARRATOR: On the last “Steven Universe” things had gotten pretty heated for our heroes—literally. (Shot of all the Crystal Gems and Connie trapped in a cage above a chasm filled with lava and brimstone) The nefarious Yellow Diamond had captured all but one of the Crystal Gems and decided to hold them as hostage for leverage against the remnants of Earth. But any sort of human counterattack was unlikely as Homeworld’s invasion of Earth was in full force; and all resistances to the relentless assault were being pummeled.

(Scenes of battalions of Quartz, Topaz, and Ruby soldiers decimating sieging and decimating major cities around the globe) As if that wasn’t enough; the cluster had finally begun to emerge, and the effects on the Earth’s tectonic plates were cataclysmic. Steven Universe led a brave defense for his hometown of Beach City, but when a great tremor split the boardwalk in two and swallowed the bulk of its citizens into the earth, this battle too proved futile—and tragic.

(A Quartz soldier spears Greg through the chest. Steven is seen holding his bleeding father, crying) Mortally wounded, Greg Universe was left for dead in the infirmary, but the rage of his father’s loss empowered Steven to do something he’d never been able to do before. (Steven screams a howl of agony and begins to transform, growing older, meaner, stronger) The pain caused him to finally break through the barrier of his pre-pubescent body, transforming this meek, effeminate child into a stout, brawny man bent on revenge. Enraged, he cut a lethal swath deep into the ranks of Homeworld’s forces, but even this effort would have come to naught had it not been for the sudden arrival of a new, shocking, and unexpected ally.

(White Diamond emerges, wielding massive twin swords. He intervenes as Steven is about to be overwhelmed in his berserker rage; the two of them pull together and manage to beat back the enemy) Together, these two brave warriors managed to drive off the invasion party—for now. But the Earth is in a dire state, and all of the forces of Homeworld are massed between Steven and his imperiled friends. Can Steven and the renowned White Diamond possibly hope to turn the tides of this war? Can they save their friends and neutralize the cluster before it fully emerges, wreaking devastation upon the planet? Is this humanity’s last bow? Find out on today’s “Steven Universe”!

(Aerial shot of Beach City; buildings are in splinters and fires are smoldering everywhere. The Big Donut, its roof ripped off and two of the walls collapsed in, is being used as a makeshift hospital; the remnants of Beach City’s citizens who aren’t too wounded to walk scramble around trying to bring the triage under control. Steven stands over his unconscious father, fists clenched)

STEVEN: Dear old Dad, I remember you once told that no matter what happened, there would always be a guardian angel out there to protect me. Well, now I need that angel more than ever, and only too late I learned you were lying. Yet somehow even now, I can’t bring myself to hate you for it.

(He surveys the wreckage of the city) I was once a boy with a home. With hopes and dreams. With a family, or at least what counted as a family in this decadent world. Now, when the true weakness, the feebleness of my world is exposed for what it is, and when all the rot and decay is stripped away, what am I left with? Nothing. Nothing but the fury, and my own restless thoughts to keep me company.

(As he ponders, a mutant gem monster the size of a rhino bursts through the perimeter and tears havoc through the town. Steven goes for his sword but is too slow. The gem monster is about to trample him when a white crystal blade slashes through its deformed body from behind, poofing it instantly. White Diamond stands there, his chest bare-shirted and his lips opened on a snarl)

WHITE DIAMOND: Keep your guard up, Half-Breed! I can’t afford to be watching your back every second!

STEVEN: (Dispassionately) Oh, yeah. Thanks. (He takes the mutant gemstone and bubbles it) Guess I owe you one.

WHITE DIAMOND: I mean it, Universe. You’re no use to me as an ally if you’re dead.

STEVEN: I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that you want to be my ally in the first place: I’ve turned Gems before, but never this fast.

WHITE DIAMOND: Don’t flatter yourself; this has nothing to do with you personally, it’s a simple strategic analysis. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

STEVEN: That’s funny, I thought the Diamonds were on the same team.

WHITE DIAMOND: You really don’t understand your own culture even now, do you? You’re comrades-at-arms must have left you woefully ignorant.

STEVEN: (Bitterly) Well, they weren’t exactly the type for answering questions when asked.

WHITE DIAMOND: I’ll give you the shortened version, if only because it expedites my purposes. The truth is, Universe, that there is only one Diamond Patriarch, the White Diamond. This is the way it has been from ages immemorial: one Diamond, to rule them all. All planets, all gems, all the knowledge and technology of Homeworld ultimately belong to him. All the other Diamonds serve him as members of his court, or, as you more primitive humans might call it, his harem.

I too was the ruler of Homeworld, once, like my predecessor and the predecessor before him. But I made the first mistake any Gem can make: I fell in love. Pink Diamond, she was truly the most beautiful of all creatures, and I loved her more than any of my other concubines. So I spoiled her, and pampered her, and did something no White Diamond had ever done, or ever should do. I gave her a planet of her own, to rule. But Yellow Diamond took exception to our love, she became bitter and envious of her sister and plotted how she might take revenge. It took centuries for her plan to be carried out, but finally she found the perfect opportunity, and in one fell swoop, she tricked me, draining my power and forcing me to take residence in this diminished, weakened form. She deposed me, usurping my throne and my birthright. She set herself up as the new tyrant of Homeworld, with that simpering blue peon at her side. She rewrote history, she massacred millions of gems who resisted her blasphemous treason, and she divided the Gem empire, knowing it to be beyond her capacity to rule.

It is fitting, in a way, that the ancient grudge between us should be settled on this planet, where it began so long ago. I have had to live as an exile and a wanderer for thousands of years, but at long last my aching thirst for revenge is about to be slaked. But I’ve learned how to plot, I’ve learned how to wait out the centuries and play her long game. When I re-ascend to take my rightful place as Lord and Master of all Gemkind, I won’t make the same mistake she did. Let me be clear: Yellow Diamond won’t escape this day with her life.

STEVEN: (Wryly) I thought you said you were giving me the short version.

(WHITE DIAMOND yanks him off his feet by the scruff of his pink shirt. Even in his diminished size, he’s still nearly ten feet tall)

WHITE DIAMOND: I will not have my plans for vengeance foiled by your lack of conviction! This day is about more than either of us, Half-Breed! This is restoring the rightful order to the Universe. I have no love of Yellow Diamond; the Kingdom of Gemkind has gone to ruin in her hands! She knows this, she knows full well that only a White Male Diamond is fit to rule our kind, and yet she persists in her debauched, unholy reign, pretending to be a leader when she was created to be nothing more than a consort. I’m going to end her charade, and you’re going to help me do it, Half-Breed. You play a vital role to my plans, and therefore, I order you to stay focused and alert!

STEVEN: If means getting revenge, you don’t have to tell me twice. Now put me down. (White Diamond does so) So, what is our plan?

WHITE DIAMOND: Yellow Diamond currently holds my stolen energy, which puts us at the disadvantage. However, I still know her weaknesses. If we can make it to the throne room, I only need a few minutes of diversion to reabsorb my power, and once that happens, this entire war will be over.

STEVEN: Seems simple.

WHITE DIAMOND: Not quite. Yellow Diamond and her pusillanimous blue lackey are cowards by nature; her flagship is going to be surrounded by literal legions of soldiers, each tier stronger than the last. I know how her battle formations work; at the frontline, she’ll put the crippled, the forced fusion shard gems. Those, at least will be easy enough to hack through, but they’re only meant to wear us down before the real task begins. Next rank is the corrupted abominations, a shade more difficult to break through if only because they retain more of their sentience. Then after that, come the hybrids.

STEVEN: (Shocked) You mean there are more human-gems hybrids?

WHITE DIAMOND: Indeed. When Earth was colonized we learned to breed and weaponize the humans, some of whom we collected and carried back to Homeworld as prizes. Under my rule, at least, we only resorted to such a disgraceful tactics due to mounting desperation to provide relief contingents for our soldiers during the Great Gem War. Trained under the right conditions, these hybrids can become even stronger with their powers than natural Gems. However, their flesh bodies make them doubly vulnerable to both physical wounds and attacks to their gems. The half-breeds are a sort of trade-off in battle tactics, they have the best of both worlds as well as the worst. And by all means they are an insult to the purity of the Gem race, but do not underestimate their deadliness.

STEVEN: (Hushed) I can’t believe I’m not the only one…

WHITE DIAMOND: You have already met one such hybrid in the past, believe it or not. The agent known as Holy War Quartz 8-X1J was sent to this very town only a mere couple of months ago, will undoubtedly be among their ranks. Like you, Universe, she is in fact half-human.

STEVEN: Amy…

(He has a flashback to 11 episodes earlier, fighting against a tall, limber blond-haired girl in the temple. She appears to have been making short work of all the Crystal Gems in the flashback)

WHITE DIAMOND: “Amy”? That must have been the alias she took on for her mission. In any case, we must stay focused. Beyond the half-breeds lies the real challenge: Quartz soldiers, hundreds of them. And more likely than not a couple of fusions towards the back. Luckily, if we make it through that, all we have left to deal with are her personal guards.

STEVEN: Sounds like a tall order.

WHITE DIAMOND: I don’t understand your human inanities. But listen, Universe, before we march into this glorious battle, you really should consider finding some attire more appropriate to combat. Unlike me, your body can sustain permanent damage from flesh wounds.

(Steven looks down at his tattered pink star shirt. Since his transformation, it’s become far too small for him, exposing his midriff, clinging tightly to his pronounced pectoral muscles and outright shredded where his shoulders bulge through)

STEVEN: What? You mean this old thing? (He rips the shirt clean off, exposing his sleek, muscled physique) I was going to get rid of it anyway. I’ve outgrown it. (He throws the now pink rag aside and searches through the bodies for something more suitable. He comes across Suitcase Sam’s black rugged black trenchcoat) Ah. Here we go.

WHITE DIAMOND: Hmm. Much better.

STEVEN: Couldn’t have said it better myself. (He throws the black trenchcoat on, leaving it unbuttoned to expose his abs. Then he takes his father’s old bloody bandages and wraps them around his head as a headband of defiance) Don’t worry, Dad. Your old schstu-ball is gonna spill some blood for you.

WHITE DIAMOND: Listen, Half-Breed. You have to realize that even with me on your side, we’re going up against nearly impossible odds. If I weren’t a Diamond, it would be thoroughly impossible for the two of us to overcome the legions of Homeworld.

STEVEN: So what’s new for the Crystal Gems?

BISMUTH: Well in that case, maybe you have room for two more in this party?

(Bismuth and Jasper emerge through the perimeter. Steven sees them and runs up to give them a bear hug)

STEVEN: Bismuth! Jasper! How did you guys make it out of the Burning Room?

JASPER: The earthquakes just about leveled the entire Temple, Rose. The Burning Room was shaken off its foundations and all of the bubbles broke loose. We had to spend a couple of hours fighting through the corrupted defectives, luckily, this Bismuth here was sentient and competent enough to help me. Which reminds me, watch your step, the beasts are still swarming the area.

BISMUTH: (Looking around) Are we making bases out of ruins now? Whose terrible idea was this? (Noticing that Steven is now eye to eye with her) And look at you, boy! You’re more shredded than a six-citrine fusion! Whatever happened to that tubby, weepy pacificist who ran a sword through me?

STEVEN: He’s dead, Bismuth. That boy you knew is gone forever.

BISMUTH: Glad to hear it!

JASPER: What happened here, Rose? I know I was out for a long time, but this! This miserable chunk of rock looks even worse off than I remembered it.

BISMUTH: I was about to ask the same thing! This whole place has gone to matchwood! What’s up?

STEVEN: You were right, Bismuth. About the Diamonds, about Homeworld…everything. And I was too stupid to listen until it was too late. Now Yellow Diamond has her invasion in full force, and I’m worried the cluster is about to break free.

BISMUTH: Well, you know what I say. It’s never too late to turn over to a new leaf. Now come on, chin up, boy. We’ve got work to do.

STEVEN: But Bismuth, I…I destroyed your breaking point. I’m so sorry…

(Bismuth starts laughing)

BISMUTH: You really are something else, Rose. Did you honestly think I only made one?

(She drops the bag slung over her shoulders onto the ground; it’s filled with breaking points)

STEVEN: No way!

BISMUTH: Come on, now, everyone arm up! Something tells me we’re going to be needing these in the fight against those Homeworld upper-crusts!

WHITE DIAMOND: I most certainly agree. These two will prove a valuable asset in out assault on the flagship.

(Bismuth notices White Diamond. Her eyes narrow and she takes one of the breaking points, about to charge him)

BISMUTH: You…!

STEVEN: Bismuth, wait! He’s on our side!

BISMUTH: (Disbelieving) What?

STEVEN: He’s an ally! He saved me! And he’s going to help us stop Yellow Diamond!

BISMUTH: So…we’re teaming up with a Diamond to help stop a Diamond…well, I never thought I’d live to see the day…

WHITE DIAMOND: It’s most unusual, I’ll grant you. Believe me, I never expected to be fighting alongside plebian bismuth and a lowly quartz soldier, but desperate times and all.

BISMUTH: Don’t push your luck. Fortunately for your gem, I’ll take all the help I can get right now. Like they say, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

WHITE DIAMOND: Ha! Seems it’s true even a common brigand knows how to speak wisely every now and again.

BISMUTH: I said don’t push it. But enough chit chat! Everyone suit up! Unless I’m mistaken, we’ve got a war to fight!

JASPER: (Picking up a breaking point) Finally. I’ve been waiting to get back to what I was made for a long time now!

BISMUTH: (Holding a breaking point in one hand and a massive battle ax in the other) That’s the spirit! Now let’s go show those Homeworld elites who’s BOSS!

(Cut to a shot of Yellow Diamond’s monumental flagship. Its shape is a golden arm, appearing as though rising straight out the ground the way it’s positioned, the hand at the top clenched into a fist. Cut to the inside. Pearl, Amethyst, Sapphire, Peridot and Connie are still trapped in a cage suspended over a lava pit. On the opposite side of the room, Yellow Diamond paces the room anxiously while Blue Diamond quivers uncertainly, hunched over in her throne. Their Pearls stand by in attendance, apprehensive. Ruby has been quarantined in a yellow bubble, suspended above them. This doesn’t her from kicking, flailing, and screaming mutely)

CONNIE: (Nervous) So…anyone up for a barbecue?

SAPPHIRE: (Deadpan monotone) Your attempts at humor are doing nothing to set anyone at ease.

CONNIE: Well, I have to try something to keep from losing it right now. Do you want us all to just give up hope right now?

SAPPHIRE: Hope does seem to be rather useless at this point. My future vision refuses to grant me even the slightest possibility of success.

CONNIE: Wait…you mean you’ve already seen the future where we all… (She can’t finish the sentence; her voice trails off)

PERIDOT: She’s right, you know, we’re all completely doomed! I’ve calculated our odds of survival, and they’re currently less than 0.000000017% and dropping! Even if we could somehow escape the Diamonds, there are too many dangers threatening the whole planet right now—(A violent tremor shakes the ground)—like that! I’m not ready to die yet, not now, not on this planet! (She curls up into a fetal position beside Amethyst shaking uncontrollably)

SAPPHIRE: (Grimly) Hmm…true, without Ruby I can’t see the future branching off into alternate possibilities, but, I have a feeling that even if I could, I’d just see the same thing in every direction. There’s only one way this ends.

CONNIE: So…listen, I know if we were to be dropped right now, I’d pretty much be a crispy critter and a puff of smoke, but aren’t you Gems basically indestructible?

AMETHYST: (Blowing hair out of her face) Phht. I wish.

PERIDOT: Hold me, Amethyst!

(Amethyst picks her up like a basketball)

SAPPHIRE: She’s right. A gem’s gemstone can be cracked, broken, or corrupted, but in all cases, the consciousness still remains in some form, even if it becomes scattered and diffuse. If you want to truly destroy a gem, you have to apply a more…permanent punishment.

CONNIE: Like melting you down.

(Peridot lets out a howling sob and Pearl covers her mouth with her hands. Sapphire stays stone faced and stoic)

SAPPHIRE: Once the gem is liquefied, it breaks down into its core components. At that point, the gem is truly gone and the being it once held is extinguished.

CONNIE: So why isn’t Ruby in here with us?

SAPPHIRE: She’s the only who can survive at higher temperatures. Theoretically, she could fuse with all of us and extend her protection to everyone. No, I believe they have a far more creative sentence in mind for her. (Ice crystals begin to form at her base)

CONNIE: Aren’t you afraid.

SAPPHIRE: Of course. I’m absolutely petrified. Livid, too, I’m so furious right now I can barely think. (The ice crystals harden and grow)

PEARL: (Mournfully) Our only hope now is for Steven to come and rescue us. But I don’t see how that could happen.

PERIDOT: (Exploding) It can’t! He’s too far away, he’ll never make it in time, even if he could, he’d never be able to make it past the might of the D—

(Amethyst puts her hand over Peridot’s mouth, muffling her outburst)

CONNIE: I sure wish Steven would come and save us all. We need him.

SAPPHIRE: For his own sake, it’s better that he forgets about all of us. Him coming here will do nothing more than throw his life away with ours, and I’d rest easier knowing that he at least saved himself, and is living on peacefully somewhere far, far away from here.

(Cut to a shot of STEVEN decapitating a forced gem fusion with a berserker howl, his sword cleaving downward in a deadly arc. Beside him, Lion is clawing and making short work of a mass of writhing arms. White Diamond has unleashed his swords from their hilts by chains and whirls them around in viscous swaths, every slash breaking the form of a dozen monsters. He laughs maniacally at the thrill of utter butchery. Behind, Bismuth and Jasper are shattering gems left and right, Jasper supplementing her attacks with spin dashes and her crash helmet. There is very little talking for the first 10 seconds of this scene; the focus is entirely on the fighting. A far shot shows the countless hordes of gem armies, Yellow Diamond’s fist flagship looms in the background.

Gradually Gem shards have begun to litter the ground. Steven stoops down during a lull in the fighting and begins bubbling the fallen shards)

WHITE DIAMOND: There’s no time; leave them be! It will take them a few days to reform anyway.

STEVEN: They just keep coming! Is there no end to this? (Cleaves a twelve foot colossus in half through the midsection)

BISMUTH: We’re thinning out the hoards, boy! Don’t worry, this ain’t nothin’ compared to the stuff I fought back in the great war!

JASPER: EEEIIIYAAAGHH!! (She bludgeons a misshapen octoped to dust)

(The fighting continues. Steven mounts Lion and prepares to fight cavalry style. The gang tightens their formation, hacking devastation on every side as they slowly advance)

WHITE DIAMOND: Almost…there! We’re nearing the next tier!

JASPER: (Bloodthirsty grin) I could get used to this!

BISMUTH: I can feel it! We’ll be fine as long as we stick together!

(A tumultuous earthquake shakes the ground, rending a fissure in the Earth’s crust right ahead of the group. Entire ranks of gem monsters fall into the chasm. White Diamond uses his chain swords to grapple to the other side of the rift, simultaneously Steven leaps the fissure with Lion. Jasper and Bismuth are left stranded)

BISMUTH: Clods!

JASPER: Don’t worry about us, we’ll hold the front back here! You two press on! Everything is for nothing if you don’t make it to the ship!

WHITE DIAMOND: Duly noted! (They charge forward)

BISMUTH: …”We’ll hold the front?”

JASPER: Come on, I have an idea!

(Steven, Lion, and White Diamond have moved into the corrupted monsters. Swarms of deformed, animalistic mutants press them in on all sides, only the murderous frenzy of their blades holds them at bay)

WHITE DIAMOND: (Through the onslaught) I can’t believe Yellow Diamond would stoop to such a depth to keep ahold of her own power! (He chops through a feathered Agate corruption with seven eyes) This is sacrilege! Taking loyal, pure-blooded gems and twisting them into these unholy amalgamates! These are the tactics of our enemies! Depravity! (He grabs a bipedal monster by the tongue and slices it off with a lightning fast thrust of the blade. The severed tongue hangs in his hand, still dripping wet and palpitating. It squirms, it struggles, pulsing under his iron grip for a full three seconds before giving out and disintegrating into nothingness. White Diamond takes the rest of the beast by the head and plunges his sword straight through the gem) It’s too late for you, wretched child. The best I can do is make this quick.

(The creature squeals a primal, bloody scream as its gem shatters)

WHITE DIAMOND: How are you holding up, Universe? Is that meat-sack of a body fatiguing you yet?

(Steven hangs on Lion’s back, still violently swinging, but drenched through with sweat and stained with his own blood)

STEVEN: (Gasping) A little!

WHITE DIAMOND: Take this! (He tosses a small bean like crystal through the ensuing chaos; Steven catches it and gulps it down)

STEVEN: What is it?

WHITE DIAMOND: It’s an uznes shard. Extremely rare. It will revitalize your gem and give you energy to sustain yourself. But use them sparingly, I only have three and I might need one for myself!

(Steven’s gem glows bright and his expression immediately perks up)

STEVEN: Oh, yeah, that is some GOOOOOOOD stuff! (He laughs thunderously and decapitates a row of gem mutants with one hand)

(Meanwhile, Bismuth and Jasper are being driven back by the throngs of gem mutants. The untenable defense has forced them into a strategic retreat, taking out whoever they can as they fall back. But the opposition is overwhelming)

JASPER: (Spotting a cave) Quick! In here!

(They rush into the cavern. Bismuth rips an enormous crag off the wall and shoves it into the mouth of the cave as a barrier. The pounding of the gem mutants from outside shudders through the entire hollow of the cave)

BISMUTH: That boulder ain’t gonna hold forever!

JASPER: Bismuth. Fuse with me!

BISMUTH: What? Are you crazy?

JASPER: It’s the only way we’ll be strong enough to defeat them! We can’t last much longer on our own! (The boulder begins to convulse from the battering on the other side)

BISMUTH: I don’t even know you!

JASPER: Doesn’t matter; I’ve fused with strangers before! Right now, this is survival; it’s fuse or die!

(Bismuth seems to be weighing her options. The boulder begins to crack and splinter, the howling from the outside reaches a crescendo)

JASPER: I don’t have time for this. We have to do it now!

(She grabs Bismuth by the arm)

BISMUTH: What are you doing? Let go!

JASPER: We can beat them together! Just say yes already! (She tries to force Bismuth into a fusion dance)

BISMUTH: No! No! Stop!

JASPER: Quit…struggling! I’m doing this for your own good! (The dance turns into a wrestling brawl. Jasper grapples Bismuth and refuses to let go as they thrash about the cave. Bismuth changes her arms to hammers and attempts to club her assailant into submission, but Jasper is stronger. She pins the Smithing Gem down and holds her firm under the weight of her body. The gemstone on her nose begins to glows)

BISMUTH: Don’t do it! Please!

JASPER: Just relax. You’ll thank me for this later.

BISMUTH: NO!

(The boulder at the cave’s entrance explodes into a shower of rock splinters. Gem mutants pour in like gumballs. Bismuth screams out a primal wail as her body begins to turn into light, her gemstone blazing. The melting figure of radiant energy wavers for a second, struggling, but then the form resolves. Cut to a shot of outside the cave. The entire side on the cliff is literally demolished by the shock wave of power released from the fusion. Boulders fly everywhere, crushing gem mutants by the dozen. A being of pure light rises, growing twenty, forty, sixty feet tall before resolving into a distinct form. The scream turns into a bellow. Then into a laugh)

Sunstone: AAHH-HAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! Ooh, I take it back! This feels amazing!

(Sunstone emerges from the dust of the cave. To call her burly is an understatement. Her body vaguely resembles a top-heavy centaur in form, but that’s where the similarities end. A scorpion-like tail whip protrudes from the end of the abdomen, and along the back, a row of spikes climb upward. Four limbs serve as legs, their ends tapering down to a fang-like point planted in the ground. The other four limbs serve as arms, two with fully formed hands and two with sickle-like blades. The skin of the fusion is a sparkling burnt orange, the face having Jasper’s shape but Bismuth’s rainbow dreadlocks billowing down to the waist. Two sets of eyes, one ochre and one steel, stare down at the throbbing masses of gem monsters in sadistic glee. When she speaks, she talks with two voices at once, not unlike Malachite. She also appears to still be aware of her component parts)

SUNSTONE: I haven’t felt this good in ages! (Switching persona) I know, right? I told you this was the way to go!

(Sunstone notices the masses of Gem monsters trying to claw at her feet)

SUNSTONE: HA HA HA HAHAHAHAH!!! Puny creatures! I’ll show you what true strength is! (She smashes a dozen monsters beneath one of her legs) We are strong now! Nothing can stand against us! No one can stop me! (With a swipe of her tail, thirty gem monsters are sent flying. She pounds the remnant of the cliff face with her fists, making it rain rocks the size of houses) I am mighty! I am powerful! WE ARE SUNSTONE!

(The scene switches to Blue and Yellow Diamond, watching the commotion of battle from on high)

BLUE DIAMOND: There really seems to be struggle going on down there, Yellow. I don’t understand how anyone could have mounted a counterstrike and survived for this long.

YELLOW DIAMOND: There is only one explanation. He must be down there with them.

BLUE DIAMOND: (Suddenly terrified) You don’t mean…?! No, that can’t be! Perhaps we should withdraw. We may not be safe here anymore.

YELLOW DIAMOND: Calm yourself, Blue. It’s all going to be over soon. This planet, this war…everything. Soon she will emerge, and when that happens, we need not fear even White’s wrath against us. (Another seismic wave rocks the ship) Every tremor of this planet’s crust sets her closer to breaking free. I can feel it now. She is very close. No doubt he can feel it, too. That must be why he’s acting so desperate.

BLUE DIAMOND: (Tearing) I just want this to end.

YELLOW DIAMOND: We’ve come too far to turn around now. You swore to me that you were in this to the very end. I’m not about to let you back out!

(Blue starts crying and her Pearl comes to comfort her. From the other side of the room, the Crystal Gems look on)

CONNIE: Can you tell what she’s talking about?

SAPPHIRE: I can’t see anything beyond a few hours from now. Everything just goes black. Which I can only assume must mean… (She trails off)

AMETHYST: Dark.

(Ruby still thrashes wildly in the bubble, her endurance ceaseless and her temper riled. Sapphire watches her with a hard gaze)

CONNIE: You two were really close, weren’t you?

SAPPHIRE: I would say so. Ruby and I were about as close as any two friends could be.

CONNIE: And…?

SAPPHIRE: And I don’t want her to be hurt. She was my best friend. She was almost like a sister to me.

CONNIE: A sister, huh?

SAPPHIRE: Just a sister, if you’re asking. I’m sorry, but I really would rather not talk about this. It’s already weighing heavy on my mind, discussing only makes the burden greater.

PEARL: Kind of like me and Rose, right, Sapphire?

SAPPHIRE: Yes, exactly like that. You two were very good friends as well, weren’t you?

PEARL: I’d say we were just about as close as sisters too. But the more I learn about Rose, the more I realize I never did understand her.

AMETHYST: Hey, could we worry more about escaping right now?

PEARL: There’s no point. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves right now.

(Another convulsion rocks the ship. Peridot squeals and shivers in trepidation)

PERIDOT: Will they never stop?

SAPPHIRE: That one felt different. That was no earthquake.

(Blue and Yellow Diamond rush to the portcullis of the ship bridge. They gaze out the panel and behold the image of Sunstone rising, wreaking terror upon the Gem hordes)

BLUE DIAMOND: Great stars! What is that thing?

YELLOW DIAMOND: A wrinkle in our plans. This…this development may complicate things.

BLUE DIAMOND: Oh no, oh no no no no, I knew it was going to come to this! We’re doomed, Yellow! What are we going to do, what are we going to do, what are we going to do?

YELLOW DIAMOND: Calm down, Blue, we’re not in trouble yet! We still have contingency plans.

BLUE DIAMOND: I’m scared, Yellow.

YELLOW DIAMOND: Silence! I’ve had enough of your simpering; just hush and let me deal with the situation! (She presses a button on a comlink and speaks into it) Put the troop into high alert and have them send me up green squad commander. Inform all units to standby for possible deployment.

(The Crystal Gems see the edge of Sunstone’s rampage from their prison)

AMETHYST: Whoa-ho-ho! That thing is huge! It’s even bigger than Sugilite!

SAPPHIRE: I admit, I didn’t see this before. I have a fairly good idea what that creature is, though I hardly believe it myself…

(The doors to the bridge slide open and “Amy”, otherwise known as Holy War Quartz 8-X1J, strides in. In contrast to everyone else in the room, her appearance is absolutely stunning. Her luscious, silken golden locks drip down to her waist, her flawless white skin smooth and gleaming as ivory apples. Her eyes are shadowed with intrigue and mystery yet crystal blue and sparkling like the crisp ocean waves, they flutter like the delicate wings of butterflies beneath deep, seductive lashes. Her body is sculpted to a figure of perfection; tall, slender, lithe and sleek, yet still voluptuous in all the right places. Her liquid legs could enchant even the stoniest mercenary, her wine red pouting lips could send the coldest woman-hater to his knees begging for mercy. There’s not a trace of flab or fat or weakness in her tight, trained and expertly honed vessel of enchantment. She is everything every woman dreams of being, everything every man desires. She is the ideal female figure in every way. Her clothing consists of nothing but a sheer, clinging white tunic, draped off her form like a billowing curtain concealing a masterpiece of art. A curving diamond window is cut into the bust to expose a blood sanguine gemstone, polished to perfection and radiant like the rest of her. She enters before the Diamonds and kneels submissively)

AMY: How may I serve you, my Diamond?

YELLOW DIAMOND: Holy War Quartz 8-X1J, a situation has arisen on the eastern perimeter of our encampment. You will go and attend to this matter; put down the assailants by any means necessary. I am also authorizing you to command our Special Forces Squad V-284 LL “Hydra” to assist you in this endeavor. Be advised that we believe the filthy unregistered Halfling, known locally as “Steven Universe”, is among the counterattack forces. I believe the two of you have encountered each other once before, on a mission where your results were less than satisfactory. Kill the Halfling, take his gem and bring it us as proof of his demise, and you will be well on your way to redeeming yourself for this failure. Go now.

AMY: It will be an honor, my Diamond. I will not disappoint you again.

YELLOW DIAMOND: Indeed you will not, else you be disassembled and returned to your core components and recycled. Go, time is of the essence.

(Amy exits, determined. As she leaves the bridge, she whips out a chain-flail Morningstar, her gem weapon, from the quartz embedded in her bust. Yellow Diamond looks on in admiration)

YELLOW DIAMOND: You will soon learn what it means to cross a Diamond…Steven Universe.

(Back on the battlefield, Steven and White Diamond fly pell-mell into the ranks of gem soldiers. Chaos reigns in side. Confusion, clamor, and the dust of broken gems scatter the battleground of nightmares)

WHITE DIAMOND: Ingrates! Mutineers! Misshapen clods! How dare you attack me, the father of all Gemkind? Has it been so long that you don’t even recognize your own master and creator?

(A Topaz centurion raises a ten foot axe to cleave White Diamond in half, but Steven springs in on his feline mount, intercepting and eviscerating the ugly blob of a gem)

WHITE DIAMOND: Well done, Half-Breed. To arms!

(They collect in a defensive formation. It’s becoming clear that even with their combined strength and determination, they’re beginning to tire. A row of quartz soldiers launches spin dash attacks against them, but Steven blocks all of them with his shield and then slashes their forms with his mighty blade.

Suddenly a roar like a thunderclap echoes across the plain. Steven and White Diamond briefly turn to behold the monstrosity of Sunstone battering her way through the mutlitudes)

WHITE DIAMOND: Inconceivable! Is this another part of Yellow Diamond’s clandestine freak show?

STEVEN: (Dawning) It’s Jasper and Bismuth! They fused!

WHITE DIAMOND: Our allies found a way to increase their power levels that much? I don’t know whether to call it blasphemy or strategy!

STEVEN: Shut up and fight! You can worry about it later!

(Steven repels a platoon of Rubies that just charged them. By amazing coincidence, it’s the same Ruby squad that visited them on Earth several seasons ago. Steven makes short work of them, poofing Eyeball and Army, shattering Doc, letting Lion chew Leggy to shreds in his jaws, and then pouncing on Navy, the last one standing)

NAVY: No! Wait! Please!

(Steven grapples her and begins to choke the Gem to death)

STEVEN: I’m going to repay you for all those times you tricked me and disgraced my companions!

NAVY: (Struggling to speak) ...have…mercy…

STEVEN: You mean like this? (He rams his sword straight through her chest. Her eyes widen and she lets out a strained gasp of agony of before disintegrating into thin air.)

STEVEN: (Bubbling her) The day I let you free will be the day pigs fly, you charlatan. It’s more than you deserve.

WHITE DIAMOND: Universe! Look up!

(Steven sees what appear to be birds descending from the sky. However, as they draw nearer, their true nature becomes apparent)

STEVEN: Lapises! Lapis Lazulis, dozens of them, headed dead toward us, ten’ o clock!

WHITE DIAMOND: Matri con Skrias! Run! Take cover! Find something to grab onto!

STEVEN: Why?

WHITE DIAMOND: A Lapis’ power multiplies tenfold on Earth! With that many of them, they could—

(He is cut off as a tsunami levels the battlefield. The Lapis Lazulis have conjured a tidal wave of epic proportions and slammed it against the coast. Trees are uprooted. Boulders are supplanted. Only Yellow Diamond’s flagship remains intact. Thousands of gems, fusions, mutants and monsters are swept away with the tide. White Diamond, through superhuman effort, manages to plant his chain sword into the ground even as the surge blasts them full force. He clings to the hilt as an anchor with all his might, even while holding his other sword with the opposite hand. Steven grips the blade end desperately, blood pouring from his serrated hands. As the tidal wave subsides, Steven and White Diamond are left waterlogged and frantically panting for breath)

STEVEN: (Gasping) That…just about…did me in…

WHITE DIAMOND: Here comes another one!

(A second wave of equal force pummels them with unrelenting fury. And then a third and a fourth. Blast after blast of pure typhonic force nearly yanks them out of their bearings. Steven’s grip slips and White Diamond has to latch onto his arm to keep him from flying away. By the time the blows finally stop, both warriors have been pushed to their body’s limit. They lie prostrate on the flooded coast, wheezing and struggling to stand)

WHITE DIAMOND: No giving up, Half-Breed! It cannot end this way. We must think of something…

STEVEN: I can’t go on…I’m sorry, Dad…Rose…

(The Lapises descend like a flock of harpies, darting and wheeling about their prey. One of them levitates several water globules with her hands and morphs them into blades. Steven looks up, weary and defeated. He grits his teeth, too exhausted to defend himself. The Lapis readies her volley. She fires. The missiles race toward their target but they never arrive. A whirring blade chops them straight out of the sky. White Diamond is on his feet again, panting but flailing his chain swords with renewed vigor. He stands over Steven, shielding him)

WHITE DIAMOND: I…am…stronger!

(He slashes more water spears out of the sky as the Lapises unleash a hailstorm on him)

WHITE DIAMOND: I am stronger than you low-caste slaves!

(The Lapises barrage him with hardened aquatic spheres, but the razor precision of his weapons dissipates every one of them to mist)

WHITE DIAMOND: I will not bow down to you! I will not be humiliated!

(They draw water up from the earth, forming a sheet to slice the ground from beneath his feet, but he leaps to the side and severs the curtain in two)

WHITE DIAMOND: I am stronger than this planet!

(Full throttle attack; they slam him into the eye of a literal monsoon, but he stays upright against the catastrophic winds, swords in hands, howling in the face of the storm)

WHITE DIAMOND: I am stronger than fate! I am stronger than DEATH! I am stronger than all of you!

(His weapon finds a home embedding itself in one of the Lazulis. She screams before poofing; White Diamond cries out in triumph)

WHITE DIAMOND: You can’t stop me! Nothing can stop me! I’m coming for you, Yellow! I will be avenged at last!

(A fresh tremor catches him off-guard and rocks him off his feet. At that moment of instability, a water bolt catches him dead on the forehead. His gem cracks. The entire world goes dead silent and slips into slow motion as he falls)

WHITE DIAMOND: (In silent thoughts) No…I don’t understand. Was that really it? Did I really come all this way only to be halted now, with victory in sight?

(White Diamond clatters to the ground)

WHITE DIAMOND: All my life…every day, every waking moment has been predetermined and set in stone for me. A Diamond is born knowing everything for every situation; how to act, how to look, even how to think. Every deed was carefully measured and performed in perfection. Every decision was made before us, and the end was known before the beginning.

But now, coming to the end, everything falls apart. Even in exile, there was never a second I didn’t know exactly what I should be doing: I fought to regain my throne. To realign the sacred balance of Gemkind. Because it was what I was born to do; there was nothing else. Everything I needed to know was taught to me before I was born.

But death…death is the one thing we were never taught. How does one prepare for such an illogical impossibility as death? Now I stand face to face with the greatest, blackest abyss in the cosmos, a darkness I was programmed to never pay an instant’s heed to. And for the first time in my life, I ask myself: was it all for nothing?

No. This wasn’t meant to be my fate. Nothing in this adds up. All those years of tyrannical glory, the kingdom, the colonies, the untraveled worlds and the endless mystery of cosmic beauty, what are they now, now that I face the end of existence, the end of me? This isn’t supposed to happen. How can I be dying? I have so much left to see, to explore, to discover, to conquer and rule. My road can’t just end here, slain ingloriously by the blow of a common footsoldier. I…I’m better than this! I can’t die! I won’t die! Not here, not now! My journey must continue; I’ll stand on my feet and show them what a Diamond is truly made of! I am resolved to live! I won’t die! I won’t die! I…won’t…

(Everything fades to black)

WHITE DIAMOND: (Quivering) Keep…holding…

(The screen goes pitch black and there are a few moments of total silence. Absolute void. Nothing. X. 0.)

(A distant noise is heard, a far off stirring like the intonation of music across a winding corridor. The shot cuts to a close up of White Diamond’s gem. The fissures that cracked its surface are receding into nothingness. The shot cuts out just a little, and we see Steven cradling White Diamond’s head. His pink bubble is wrapped around them, the sound of Lapis Lazulis hissing and snarling can be heard outside it)

STEVEN: Don’t leave me.

(White Diamond opens his eyes)

WHITE DIAMOND: Steven! How…?

STEVEN: I healed you. I healed your gem.

WHITE DIAMOND: You can do that?

STEVEN: (Gazing up at the seething Lapises meaningfully) Yes. I can. It’s the gift of my mother, Rose Quartz. It took another uznes shard, but with my stamina restored, I have all of her abilities as mine, including this shield that surrounds us.

WHITE DIAMOND: Inconceivable! All this hidden potential in a mere Rose Quartz, and it was never explored. How greatly the Gem Kingdom could have benefited from this latent power!

STEVEN: Yes…my powers are very useful for healing. But do you know what else they’re good for? (He drops the bubble) KILLING!

(Steven conjures up a swath of thorny vines to shoot straight up from the earth and wrap around the Lazulis in mid-flight, breaking their wings and crushing their bodies until the very life is squeezed out of them. Every Lapis is poofed in a matter of seconds. Their useless gemstones clatter to the earth in a rain of crystal tears)

WHITE DIAMOND: (Laughing) Well done, Half-Breed! I was wise to choose you as my ally.

STEVEN: Now let’s move! The way is clear— (the sound of rushing winds like a roaring waterfall drums the distance) —no. NO!

(More Lapis Lazulis are pouring out of the windows of the flagship. There are hundreds of them, possibly even thousands, darkening the sky)

WHITE DIAMOND: Stand your ground, Universe! It seems our fight isn’t over yet!

(But the winged terrors speed right on past them, not paying a moment’s attention to our heroes. It soon becomes clear who their real target it: Sunstone, still kicking and howling in the distance)

WHITE DIAMOND: Fate has granted us a diversion! Fly! Fly fast as your feet can carry you! This is our chance!

(The two race toward the flagship, but White Diamond soon becomes tired of Steven’s comparative lack of speed and throws him onto his shoulder. Then he really takes off, surging over the yawning plain with superhuman power. They reach the entrance to the ship in less than a minute)

WHITE DIAMOND: Almost there!

(They both stop short, eyes dilating. The entrance to the flagship is wide open. But there, standing at the foot of the entrance, slapping her Morningstar against her palm, is Amy)

TO BE CONTINUED...

0 notes