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andrewmoocow · 3 years

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Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 22: Pumpkin Patch (originally published on August 9, 2021)

AN: At long last, the homestretch of Part 3, which I have already dubbed the Tearjerking Three last time. And for our first entry into this trilogy, we finally get an update on the relationship between Peridot and Lapis, which I found to be done so dirty in Future as a Lapidot shipper. I mean, they didn't even interact with each other even when they were in the same episode together! Plus, Pumpkin just disappeared into thin air once the movie came along, leaving the only hint of where she is now are those similar gourd puppies from The Future. But enough griping, let's get my personal answer on what really happened, and maybe a big surprise that I no doubt have already spoiled on DeviantArt anyways.

Synopsis: Steven, Peridot and Lapis reminisce on the anniversary of Pumpkin's death.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven, Pumpkin

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst, Ocean Jasper

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon

Jeff Bergman as Farmer

Featuring Billie Eilish as Turquoise

"Maybe I'll find myself smiling on that distant shore," Steven sang to himself while gazing at his watch as the oven timer counted down in front of him. "Maybe I'm not alone."

The timer beeped, notifying Steven that whatever he had in the oven was ready. After putting on some oven mitts and opening the oven, Steven pulled a pumpkin pie out and set it on the counter to cool. "This one is for you two, guys." He said before gazing at a nearby calendar that read June 7th. "I remember it like it was yesterday." Steven then began to reminisce on the aftermath of his visit to Homeworld.

A few weeks the Crystal Gems have successfully convinced the Diamonds to help them in healing the corrupted Gems on Earth, these Gems now needed somewhere to live. As far as Steven knew, there was no way they could expand the Temple to make room for all of them, and he's sure none of the newly healed Gems wanted to return to Homeworld, so the Crystal Gems decided that their only choice now was to build them their own little town. They had some basic ideas down, but all they needed now was a name.

"How about Peritropolis?!" Peridot suggested as she wrote down her choice of name on the whiteboard, with little sketches of her face surrounding the name for emphasis. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"How about something that won't stroke your ego?" Steven frowned at the idea.

"What about Barnstantinople?" Lapis proposed. "We are building it around where the barn used to be after all."

"Speaking of which, how's clean-up on that going?" Amethyst asked, looking out the window to gaze at the wreckage that was once Lapis and Peridot's barn house home. "I think some bits of it might be useful somehow."

"I say we put that on hold." Lapis stated. "That old barn caused just as much harm to Peridot and me as much as it did good."

"You serious about this?" Peridot asked her blue roommate. "I mean, we had so many good memories in there."

"Yeah, and a lot of those memories were you just bending over backwards trying to keep me happy." Lapis added. "I know you're still sad about me jumping ship and coming back with only a "Hey", but I still got things to work out, y'know."

"OK." Peridot said just as their pet Pumpkin opened the door. "Oh, hey Pumpkin!"

In contrast to Peridot being excited to see Pumpkin, the little canine fruit let out an exhausted bark before sitting down to nap, revealing wrinkles around her eyeholes.

"Hey, is your little buddy there doin' alright?" Bismuth asked. "I barely know a thing about the lifespan of organic creatures, but even I know she ain't doing so hot."

"Oh, I'm sure she's just tired!" Peridot assured Bismuth. "Just needs to rest, that's all!"

"Don't be so sure Peridot." Garnet advised the little Gem. "Pumpkin was brought to life with magic, which means she's probably lived longer than a pumpkin normally does."

"Just let her be happy Garnet." Pearl whispered into Garnet's ear. "She's already been through so much recently, and I don't think she can take anymore."

"You sure she's OK Dottie?" Steven asked Peridot regarding Pumpkin. "Nothing lasts forever, you know."

"Oh, she just needs some extra time in the Sun!" Peridot laughed. But despite her insistence, that wasn't how the story really went.

"Okay, a little to the left!" Peridot commanded Squaridot as the eye Gem Peridot levitated a lifeguard chair around while Bismuth, Ocean Jasper & Teal Zircon dug up the ground to build a swimming pool. "No, your other left!" she corrected herself. "Wait wait, your other OTHER left!"

"There's no such thing as an other other left!" Squaridot yelled and grumpily set the chair down next to where she was standing. "How's this?"

"Perfect." Peridot gave her fellow technician a thumbs up before turning around to see the Lapis twins walk towards the construction site. "Oh, I see our lifeguards wanna start early!"

"Why was it necessary for us to dress in these?" Laz wondered while modeling the red one-piece she was wearing. "I don't think red is my color."

"I don't know about you Laz, but I make this look good!" Zuli declared while flaunting her body in a matching outfit. "We look just like the hotties on Coast Patrol or Destiny from CPH season 3! By the way, where's Lapis? She's head lifeguard, so shouldn't she be out here with us?"

"She still has the suit, but she's not coming out because today is a special day." Peridot stated. "It's the anniversary of a certain something."

"Hey, I think I can see Steven's car!" Ocean Jasper cried out as she peeked out of the hole to find Steven disembarking from his Dondai Supremo and walking over with the pumpkin pie in hand. "And he's got a pie, maybe as thanks for our hard work."

"Naw, I don't think it's for us Ocean." Bismuth said just as Steven walked over to Peridot. "I think we should leave them alone for a bit and get back to work."

"Aw, but I wanted a pie!" Teal Zircon complained.

"I see you got the pie." Peridot said to Steven while gazing at the pie in his hands. "In case you're wondering, we worked on a new meep morp last night dedicated to her."

"Okay, why don't you show me?" Steven offered.

"I'd be happy to." Peridot smiled before turning back to everyone at the in-progress pool. "Keep up the good work everyone, I'll just be taking the rest off!"

"Yeah, take some time for yourself, Peri." Bismuth replied while Squaridot used her burgeoning ferrokinesis to lift the blacksmith out of the pool. "Just don't get too teary-eyed and fill up the pool early."

"Yeah, we're planning on filling the pool for our opening ceremony!" Teal called while struggling to get out.

"And I'm just gonna catch some rays." Laz declared as she sat down on a lawn chair, pulled some sunglasses over her eyes, and began sunbathing. However, her moment of peace was cut off by Zuli loudly blowing into her whistle and laughing.

"So, who's the pie really for Bis?" Ocean Jasper asked as she climbed out the pool before helping Teal and the two sat down next to Bismuth.

"You two got a moment?" Bismuth asked, and the Jasper and Zircon nodded in affirmation. "Well, the pie is actually for a friend of theirs."

Steven and Peridot kept walking away from the pool and eventually found themselves in front of the Little Homeworld house that Lapis & Peridot shared. It looked like a smaller version of the barn the two Gems once lived in, but instead of being decorated with a mishmash of items around the barnyard, it now looked like Peridot did most of the construction with bits of metal and advanced technology sprinkled onto a simple-looking two-story cabin.

"Hey Lapis, we're here." Steven called out to Lapis as he and Peridot entered the cabin to find Lapis napping on the couch with a manga on her lap and a red one-piece hanging on a clothes hanger nearby. "Lapis, wake up."

"Agh, don't go with her Pierre!" Lapis yelled as she woke up from her nap and rubbed her eyes to find Peridot & Steven before her. "Sorry you guys, I was trying on my lifeguard uniform, but then I got bored and decided to relax a little."

"You still remember what day it is?" Peridot asked while Steven presented his pumpkin pie.

"Yeah, I still do." Lapis declared sadly. "Want to see the meep morp we've been working on, Steven?"

"Sure." Steven replied before the two Gems took him upstairs to their shared bedroom & workshop, where a very large sculpture of Pumpkin stood, a big smile permanently etched onto the front beneath a pair of innocent eyes. "Almost like the real thing. Except bigger."

"Showing this to you makes me miss her even more." Peridot began to hold back tears. "I still remember how I coped with it too."

The groundbreaking ceremony of what would soon become Little Homeworld went quite swimmingly for the Crystal Gems, thanks to the support of their Beach City friends and the Diamonds. But amidst the rejoicing of a new beginning for Gems on Earth, there was some bad news that flew right under everyone's noses.

After Peridot marked the giant pit where the barn once was with Little Homeworld's flag, Pumpkin came strolling up to her green owner looking far wearier and more decayed than she did previously, a sight which worried them greatly. As soon as the ceremonies ended, Pumpkin was rushed back to the beach house.

"Please Steven, you gotta do something!" Peridot begged Steven while Pumpkin laid before the trio with a heavy sigh emitting from her mouth. "Pumpkin doesn't have much time left, surely you must have the solution like you always do!"

"I'm really sorry Peridot." Steven said regretfully. "As much as I would love to help you and Lapis out, Pumpkin wasn't long for this Earth anyways. Death is a perfectly natural part of life. It can be real sad and scary to watch someone you treasured so dearly go, but ultimately, their time will come all the same."

"So, she was going to die regardless?" Lapis said apprehensively while stroking the living gourd's rotting body. "I don't really see how this is possible since you did bring her to life with your powers, but I can deal with it."

"Well, I'm not!" Peridot objected tearfully. "It's not fair! I've already been through so much, why does the universe have to keep nailing the hammer into the coffin?!"

"Peridot, I know you're upset, but you gotta listen." Steven tried comforting his little green pal. "Death is completely natural, even if it's scary. I mean, my dad might die someday, and so might Connie. I'm not sure if I can die like a human though."

"Well, your race is different." Peridot declared. "None of you will ever know what it's like to live forever!" With that, she stormed out of the beach house to vent, leaving her two friends to worry for Peridot.

"I don't think I want to know where this is going." Lapis muttered.

"If it's anything like what happened to Peridot after you left Earth, I don't think she'll take it very well." Steven agreed.

Using a trashcan lid, Peridot flew far away from the general area of Beach City and into the countryside, where farmlands were very prosperous. Farmlands like the ones she and Lapis tended to together in the past, and the ones where Pumpkin was born. The very sight of all these fresh crops made her more miserable. What gave them the right to grow so healthy while Pumpkin looked so withered?

"Rackum frackum produce, I'll show you what for!" Peridot mumbled as she touched down in front of a pumpkin patch and swiftly got to work on destroying them. "You walked so Pumpkin could die!" she yelled as her green body became covered in orange pumpkin insides. "Why can't anything go my way for once?!"

"Hey, get offa my crops ya gremlin!" a farmer yelled at Peridot while stomping over to her with a pitchfork in hand. "You got any idea what it's like to work so hard on a great harvest, only for it to be ruined by a bunch of punks?!"

"No, but I'm sure you don't know what it's like to love someone only to lose them!" Peridot argued with the farmer, a retort that stunned him a little before he tried to look more sympathetic.

"Coping, eh?" the farmer said. "Look, you have every right to get mad, but that don't mean you can just stomp all over someone else's hard work! You gotta find better ways to vent, ya know!"

"Look, sir, I literally just ran away from home, I don't have time right now." Peridot coldly rejected the farmer's advice.

"Well, looks like you left me no choice." The farmer shook his head before reaching behind his back and pulling out a scary mask to frighten Peridot with. "BOOGEDY BOOGEDY BOOGEDY!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Peridot screamed loudly before flying away from the farm on her lid.

As soon as Peridot returned to Beach City, she soared right towards Steven's house, where she found him making a grilled cheese sandwich, and began pounding on his window.

"Steven! Steven!" Peridot yelled from outside, getting the half-Gem's attention. "Let me in, I wanna talk!"

"You know you can just come in yourself." Steven suggested before opening the door for his green friend. "How have things been going?"

"I got an idea for you." Peridot stated. "How about in exchange for helping me with Pumpkin, I'll do something for you in return. Just name your price, I'll do anything!"

"Peridot, are you trying to bribe me into saving Pumpkin?" Steven asked. "Didn't I tell you earlier that death is a natural part of life?"

"But you managed to save Lars from death with your crying!" Peridot objected. "Why can't you do the same to Pumpkin?! Why does she have to die while so many other pumpkins have to live?!"

"Pumpkins?" Steven asked. "What other pumpkins?"

"I vented my frustrations by whaling on some farmer's pumpkin harvest." Peridot confessed innocently. "He didn't take too kindly to that."

"I think I know where this is going." Steven realized. "Five Stages of Grief, right? First was anger, now you're bargaining. Which means depression might not be too far behind." Just then, as if on cue, Steven's phone started ringing with a message from Lapis that he readily picked up. "Hello?"

"Steven, is Peridot there?" Lapis asked from the other end of the line. "Ever since she fled the house, I took Pumpkin back to our place, and now she wants to see us both before, you know."

"See what I mean?" Steven declared to Peridot, who was now on the verge of breaking down because now, she finally realized it was too late. "Do you want to see her?"

"Yes please." Peridot began to sob and hugged Steven tight. "Promise me that you won't ever leave too, Steven."

"I promise." Steven stated, hugging Peridot back.

Meanwhile, at the massive construction site that would soon become Little Homeworld, Lapis gently watched over the slowly dying Pumpkin, whose normally bright orange skin now had splotches of grayish-black, as she let out a weak yip. "Don't die yet, sweetie." Lapis assured Pumpkin. "Peridot will be here soon, I know it."

And right on cue, Peridot and Steven soared right towards Lapis on the trash can lid to see Pumpkin off one last time. Peridot raced as fast as she could towards the groundwork for her and Lapis's new home and tightly nuzzled her pet gourd, unaware that it wasn't in the mood for such a tight hug.

"Peridot, let her go! She's in pain!" Lapis yelled while prying the sentient pumpkin from Peridot's embrace, much to the green Gem's agony.

"No, please!" Peridot cried. "Just let me hold her!"

"I'm sorry Peri, but I don't think she can take much more!" Lapis argued while on the brink of crying just as much. "Pumpkin's already dying. She's so scared right now, so let's just-"

"Don't try to argue Lapis." Steven solemnly interrupted Lapis. "Peridot's already having a breakdown as is."

"I'm sorry about that." Lapis quickly apologized before she turned to Pumpkin. "Pumpkin, if you can still hear me, I want you to know that you and Peridot were the only things keeping me sane here, even when I ran off to the moon." She said to the dying fruit. "I can't thank you enough for brightening my day with your cute little smile, your barking, and all the days we spent playing together. Even if we find a replacement, none can ever replace you, little guy."

"You want a turn, Peri?" Steven said to Peridot.

"Fine, but I won't like it." Peridot sniffed loudly as she walked up to Pumpkin. "You were like an offspring to us, Pumpkin." She said quietly. "When I first saw your little carved face, those adorable stubby legs, it filled my heart with so much joy. Figuratively, of course, since we naturally don't have hearts. But every step we took together, every struggle, kept me grounded here on this crazy planet. Oh stars, now I won't know what to do now."

"Mah, mah," Pumpkin barked weakly with her last breath. "Mommy."

"I promise you," Peridot declared while her gem touched Pumpkin's forehead. "I'll never forget."

And with that, Pumpkin gently shut her eyes, allowing herself to pass on with her mothers and her creator by her side.

The funeral that followed was a private affair, with only the other Crystal Gems, Connie and Greg in attendance, and Pumpkin buried outside Peridot & Lapis's house. However, it was after the funeral when trouble began brewing. Just like when she had first begun living with the Gems, Peridot began hiding away in the bathroom for the next week to grieve the demise of Pumpkin and seemed resilient in refusing to come out, no matter how much they tried.

"C'mon P-Dot, open up!" Amethyst called while pounding on the door. "If you're planning on flushing yourself down the toilet again, let me tell you again, I tried that once and it didn't work."

"I think I know what to do." Greg proposed his idea and held up a boombox that began playing a song he knew she would recognize. "I look up to the sky, that's full of stars-"

"I'm trying to mourn here, leave me alone." Peridot despondently declared.

"I say we should respect her wishes." Garnet stated before she turned her gaze to Lapis. "Unless…."

"You think I should go in there?" Lapis asked.

"You are quite possibly Peridot's closest friend." Pearl agreed with Garnet.

"Closest friend?" Bismuth raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, we all know there may be something more than that!"

"Well, okay then." Lapis finally accepted with a shrug and slowly pushed the door open. "Wish me luck." She then said before entering the bathroom and closing it behind her. "You still in here?"

"So, they sent you in now." Peridot observed hoarsely. "I may have lost all hope, but I can still hear you know."

"They do say we're the closest." Lapis said before she sat down on the edge of the tub where Peridot had hidden herself away beneath a cocoon of Steven's bedsheets. "Come on now, get up and sit next to me."

"Okay, if it's you, I'll talk." Peridot succumbed to Lapis's offer and rose from her comfy shell to talk with her barn mate. "I'm sorry for worrying you all this past week, it's just that Pumpkin was basically our baby! Watching her die was like watching a child die!"

"Except the child wasn't human, it was a magical living pumpkin." Lapis remarked, which caused Peridot to glare at her. "No offense."

"But still, outside of our relationship, why did you volunteer?" Peridot wondered.

"Well, because I wanted to return the favor." Lapis answered. "Remember what happened after that boat trip I took with Steven and his dad?"

As soon as Lapis dropped Steven and Greg off at the docks following the boat trip gone wrong, she needed someone to lean on in her time of need. It didn't matter who, it could be any of the other Crystal Gems, or one of Steven's human friends. But right now, there was only one person, or rather Gem, that she could turn to.

Lapis could now see the barn in the distance, and as reluctant as she was to admit it, Peridot was the only one who could understand her regarding a certain Quartz. "Peridot, are you there?" she called for her green housemate. "I'm back!"

"Lapis, so glad you could make it!" Peridot exclaimed while racing out of the barn. "I discovered that I can move spoons with my mind, I made some decent progress on my Camp Pining Hearts essay; though I'm still stuck on the poutine theory, and-" However, she realized a bit too late what Lapis was feeling. "Is something the matter?"

"Steven and I found Jasper during the trip." Lapis said morosely. "She wanted to fuse with me again because she says I changed her. And to be honest, I think it was kind of my fault. Unfusing with Jasper drove her mad and I even said I missed taking all my frustrations out on her!"

"Lapis, are you serious?" Peridot gasped in alarm.

"Yes, I'm serious." Lapis declared as her eyes darkened and she turned away from Peridot. "Go ahead, run off and live with the Gems again so you don't have to be another one of my victims. If Jasper says I'm a monster, then I guess I really am one, especially after the way I treated you when we first moved in together."

"Okay Lapis, I don't want your garbage right now!" Peridot yelled, briefly breaking Lapis out of her funk with the almost exact words she described the tape recorder she broke. "I can see you're very stressed out. You want to scream so bad, to hit something, to let your anger out! But whatever you do, don't lose it on other people."

"Wh-what are you saying?" Lapis asked.

"I'm mostly just repeating stuff I read online," Peridot admitted. "I think what you need is a way to vent healthily, maybe on a perfectly defenseless object."

"Like what?" Lapis raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"One second!" Peridot exclaimed while walking into the barn and coming back out with an alien plush wearing a top hat and bowtie that she gazed at with a solemn expression. "I'm so sorry my sweet." She said softly to the stuffed toy before presenting it to Lapis. "Go ahead, hit it as hard as you can. Or maybe something else violent, whatever."

"Okay." Lapis sighed as she began feeling around the toy for something to do before grabbing at the bowtie and ripping it off the alien's neck, causing some stuffing to spill out of the hole she created. "Whoa."

"So, how did that make you feel?" Peridot asked as the alien dropped from her grip.

"Good." Lapis muttered in awe of what she just did. "I feel so much lighter now, like a real adrenaline burst."

"See, as I told you." Peridot smiled happily. "You just needed healthier ways to relieve stress."

"You're right." Lapis agreed when she got an idea. "Now, how about I try something a little heavier?" She then glanced over to a nearby pickup truck and used the water from Peridot's makeshift pool to lift it into the air. "How about this?"

"Yeah, I think that could work." Peridot nervously replied before Lapis suddenly tossed the truck into the air. "NO WAIT, THAT'S A LITTLE TOO-" she screamed and covered herself to avoid getting hit, but the truck instead crashed into the wall over the barn entrance, creating a massive hole that the vehicle filled. "Hm, guess I was wrong."

"Well, if we're gonna be living here together, why don't we make ourselves at home?" Lapis laughed and put a hand on Peridot's shoulder.

"Yeah, I think this is a good start." Peridot agreed while wrapping her arm around the taller Gem's waist and the two began brainstorming ideas for remodeling the barn.

"Yeah, I really was there for you back then." Peridot realized with a grin. "And from then on out, we were so close."

"You bet." Lapis replied and cupped Peridot's face in her hands. "Let me be a shoulder for you to cry on this time. I love you Peridot."

"I love you too Lapis." Peridot responded happily before the two began to kiss, and their gems started glowing as they began to fuse into a tall, slender Gem with turquoise hair, dark cyan hair in the shape of a maple leaf, Peridot's glasses, Lapis's top with a bright yellow star on it, a skirt with a bronze ribbon around her waist and dark teal sandals with bronze accents.

The new, accidental fusion of Peridot and Lapis looked around the bathroom and gazed down at her four hands. Feeling around her body, she felts the gems of her components on her forehead and back before coming to a shocking realization and let out a loud, confused scream. "AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Is something wrong?!" Steven exclaimed as he barged into the bathroom to discover the fusion before him and started screaming as well, but this time in joy. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the new fusion continued screaming and covered her face in alarm at Steven as the two continued shrieking at each other.

"But was that fusion really an accident or maybe something more?" Peridot asked while she, Steven, and Lapis walked outside to her and Lapis's garden in their backyard.

"Maybe a mix of both?" Lapis answered with a shrug. "I mean, we did kiss each other after saying "I love you" to each other, but the fusion part came out of nowhere."

"Still, we were all so happy to see you two fuse at last." Steven said. "Words could not describe how long I've been waiting for that moment."

"I couldn't shapeshift, so I just assumed I couldn't fuse as well." Peridot observed before they happened upon a makeshift tombstone that read 'In memory of Pumpkin. A good girl to the end.' "You know, all this talk reminds me of a song I've been writing for the past few days. It may seem a little short and I pulled from other sources, but it's the best I got."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lapis suggested eagerly. "Sing for us."

"Yeah, we never heard you do a solo before either." Steven agreed with the ocean Gem.

"Okay, if you insist." Peridot declared before she cued a nearby Robonoid tending to the garden to start playing jazzy music, and she started to sing. "My sweet little pumpkin o' mine, a living gourd with a smile so fine. You made us smile with your bark, your stem's like emerald, and filled with seeds of gold. You were our most beloved work of art."

Almost as if Pumpkin was coming back to listen to Peridot's eulogy, many similar living produce like additional pumpkins, some gourds, and squashes, began coming out to watch. "You saw fields of corn, sandy beaches too. In summers so warm, it was just us and you." Peridot continued singing. "And I think to myself, what a wonderful pet."

Soon, Lapis began to join in on the song as well. "Though your time was short, like all things are." She joined Peridot in singing with her own solo. "We'll always think of you, when we look at your star."

"Our sweet little pumpkin of ours," the pair finished the song and embraced each other. "You were a wonderful pet."

With that, the two Gems fused into Turquoise, this time on purpose while surrounded by living Cucurbita, and smiled.

"Thank you for coming today, Steven." Turquoise said to Steven. "It really means a lot to us."

"Nothing to it girls." Steven smiled while rubbing his finger on his upper lip.

In Memory of Thea "Muriel Bagge" White

June 16, 1940 – July 30, 2021

"What courage you have."

So ends the first installment of the Tearjerking Three. In comparison to what will come next, I'm pretty sure this will be tears of happiness at these two dorky barnmates basically becoming an item at last and even fusing too (also, I totally took Turquoise's design from @artifiziell, she makes some amazing stuff, go check her out). But next time, we move on from someone being dead for real to someone being dead to Steven. Can you guess which one? Oh who am I kidding, if you watch me on DeviantArt, I basically spoiled everything after this.

#steven universe #steven universe future #fanfiction #steven universe alternate future #steven quartz universe #peridot #lapis lazuli #pumpkin #garnet #amethyst #pearl #bismuth #teal zircon

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maine-writes · 3 years

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The Gift of Friendship

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Snowflakes gently fluttered down upon the city, a calm breeze blew frigid air through the streets, and children frolicked and laughed in yards and parks.

Vonvon sat by the fireside, adding yet another layer to a haphazardly wrapped present. It was an orb of mismatched, brightly colored wrapping papers, held together by bunches of several kinds of tape, studded with messy bows.

"There. We. Go!" The child announced, holding their handiwork up whilst humming a rather triumphant tune.

"Honey, what've you got there?" Connie inquired as she peeked in from the kitchen. She was busily working on a bowl of chocolate batter, some spattered on her apron.

"Ms. Jasper's present! Since Papa let her teach me how to fight, I've learned a lot! So I want to give her something nice."

"Something nice?" Connie continued, "Must be quite the present to be so lovingly wrapped up."

"Of course!" The child giggled, "She's got to be lonely living alone up in the mountains."

As the hours pass, the sky would grow dark, the wind would turn from a gentle breeze to a harsh blizzard of frigid wind and biting ice. But the warmth of the fire would provide a safe haven to those in the house.

"It's coming down quite hard." Pearl noted, her hands on a mug of hot cocoa.

"You think the others will freeze to death out there?" Amethyst wondered.

"I'm sure Peridot and the others will make it here okay." Garnet assured the others. "Besides, Steven will be with them."

"Ooh, I'm so excited!" Pearl continued. "How about you, Connie?"

"Of course!" She replied, wrapped up in a festively decorated Christmas sweater. "Two months out on Homeworld? I bet he even misses blizzards."

"Who would've thought interplanetary relations would be so time consuming?"

As the adults chatted away the minutes, Vonvon stared at the frosty window, their gift in their tiny little hands. Occasionally, the lights of passing cars would illuminate the window for only but a second, and each time, the child would hope it was their father and the others.

Then came a lull in activity, a stillness that seemed to last forever. A classic cartoon played on the television, but Vonvon wasn't interested.

"Vonvon." Garnet called. "Grab a blanket."

"I'm not cold, Auntie Garnet."

"It's not for you."

Suddenly, the door opened with a crash, and in came Lapis Lazuli, clad in thick clothing.

"Guys!" She yelled, "Help!"

She was dragging the small, frozen form of Peridot, who wasn't wearing any other layer of clothing over her usual outfit. She seemed trapped in a state of shock, as if surprised by being flash frozen.

"I'll get a blanket!" Vonvon said, running to their room.

"What happened!?" Pearl panicked, "Put her by the fire!"

"The Dondai died out there, so we had to walk." Steven explained as he walked in, taking off his fluffy hat, a large duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Steven!" Cried the Gems, running past Peridot to give him a hug.

"Guys, Peridot?"

When the child returned, a furry pink blanket in hand, the Peridotcicle was slowly melting by the fire, a towel protecting the wooden floor, and their parents were sharing a tender moment.

But as they looked around at the collection of familial Gems, taking the time to catch up on each other's lives, they noticed one was missing.

"Papa?" They began as they approached.

"Vonvon!" Steven said, giving them a great big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Papa missed you! Oh, and the Diamonds wanted me to give you a gift."

From his bag, Steven produced a strange potted plant. It seemed to be crystalline in structure, with a deep indigo stem and lime green, diamond-shaped bulb at the end.

As Vonvon stared at the plant's reflective surface, they wondered how to take care of it, seeing just how alien it was.

"Wow, thanks. Where's Ms. Jasper?"

"Oh, she offered to drag-"

Then the door blew open again, to the surprise of everyone. Standing in the doorway was the towering form of Jasper, her ragged cloak waving dramatically in the blizzard.

"Your transportation's in the driveway." She stated, brushing snow from her short, beige hair.

"Thanks, Jasper. Was it hard getting it here?" Steven asked as the Gem walked inside, trailing snow as she did.

"Not at all. Like carrying a small injector."

"Ms. Jasper!" Vonvon called, running over to the amber Gem, present in hand. "I have a gift for you! Chag Sameach!"

"Oh, wow, thanks."

After tearing the wrapping paper from the present, which would've been quite a feat if not for her strength and large hands, she discovered that the present was a couple of knitted dolls, a large one resembling herself and the other, which was significantly smaller, being Vonvon.

As Jasper looked down at the child's beaming grin, a little smile curled upon the corner of her mouth.

@artsycooky13

#christmasprompt2020 #steven universe au #todays theme; gifts

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onyx-was-here · 4 years

Text

Gone: chapter one (evil!lapis)

A/N: this au takes place only a little while after Spinel leaves Earth to go live with the Diamonds. Instead of little homeschool, Steven decided it would be a better idea to move human culture to other planets, and finding bio-friendly ways to continue to create gems so the Diamonds would stop being bored and have something to do(although most of that work wouldn’t be done by the Diamonds).

If you have any questions, let me know!

AND BEFORE YOU YELL AT ME, NO, PERIDOT IS NOT. GOING TO DIE. SO CALM DOWN.

Peridot was surprised that the warp still worked.

The planet was overgrown with plants. It had once been a gem-controlled colony, but the biome had fought back severely, and the gems had to give up the planet before it destroyed more of their tech.

It had been in mind to destroy it, but all efforts had been futile.

Peridot remembred this, and knew it was no use to try and use this planet.

She turned around to warp home. She would head Steven and Lapis off, tell them not to come. They were probably still busy with the last planet anyway— they weren’t supposed to be here for another fifteen minutes.

Before she could take more that three steps towards the warp pad, she heard rustling behind her.

A random chunk of metal from long-forgotten gem tech flew to her hand. She brandished it in front of her like a sword and turned around slowly.

“..Hello?” she called out. “Answer me!”

Nothing answered her. Either the life here didn’t match gem levels of intelligence, or…

It didn’t want to be found.

She walked closer to where she had come from.

“Lazuli? Steven? If either of you would warp in right now, it’d be greatly appreciated!” she muttered nervously.

She noticed a cave that had been nearly covered by the insane overgrowth.

“Okay, you sneaky clod. Come out here right now, or I’ll destroy you with my insane metal powers!” she yelled into the cave. No response, but an echo that provided proof the cave was much larger than she anticipated.

She turned to walk away. Maybe all it was was some critter that managed to survive in this overgrown disaster.

Until she heard the rustling again.

Peridot spun around, now brandishing the chunk of metal over her shoulder like a baseball bat ready for a pitch.

“I know you’re there!” she yelled.

Then someone emerged from the cave.

Peridot started connecting dots. This gem was a rutile. This was not the standard rutile outfit— it was covered in lots of symbols not native to gem-kind or alike to any she had seen on Earth. This could only mean one thing— this gem was part of a rebellion. She tried to remember all of the rebellions she had been briefed on when she first had emerged, way back when… there was everyone’s least favorite, the Crystal Gems. She laughed to herself, now that she was one of them. There was no time for laughing, and she was losing valuable milliseconds of her deductions.

Other rebellions, other rebellions… she suddenly remembered the most unreasonable of the lot, well, in her opinion, at least. They weren’t fighting for their idea of justice, they didn’t believe the Diamonds to be over corrupt— in fact, they were fighting for a worse system, where they would be in charge. Era 3 would have no effect on them— they probably hate this too.

She remembered some of the symbols she was forced to memorize in order to recognize these rebellions in action. Peridot wouldn’t call her older self “lazy”, but she did remember slacking off when it came to learning these things, because she always had the option of using her screens instead of calling things from memory. She cursed her older self; what a bad idea that had been!

But then one of the symbols on the rutile’s arm clicked. A circle with an “x” like symbol over it.

The main symbol for the rebellion that she had been begging it not to be— the worst, most unreasonable and unstable of them all—

The Order of Fury.

Peridot remembered the pictures she had been shown— all outsider gems captured would be enslaved, and if resisted— shattered, on the spot. The smartest of gems captured wouldn’t be able to escape.

This thought process had all, of course, been in the time span of a couple of seconds, due to Peridot’s amazingly high-speed intelligence.

The rutile turned around to call deeper into the cave.

“Hey, 86? You might like to see this.”

Peridot bolted for the warp pad, but she wasn’t really a fast runner. She felt a taller gem— possibly a quartz of some sort— begin to gain on her.

The warp pad lit up, and Peridot sighed in relief as Steven and Lapis materialized. She was safe!

Or so she thought, until she realized she had stopped running and allowed herself to be grabbed as a reaction to the relief of seeing her friends.

“Let go of me, you clod!” she cried, struggling within the arms of the quartz soldier that had grabbed her.

“Woah woah, what’s going on here?” Steven asked, putting his hands out in front of him. “Did you not hear—”

Lapis’ face fell as she examined the quartz soldier holding on to Peridot.

“Steven,” she started. Peridot noticed how Lapis was beginning to tense up. Peridot wasn’t sure how Lapis had known about the Order— but it didn’t matter. She understood the danger and was able to get Steven to safety.

“Leave me. I’m going to be shattered— I already resisted— but at least neither you or Steven will be hurt.” Peridot told Lapis. Lapis began to shake her head rapidly.

“No, no, no, this can’t be happening. Steven— we need to get out of here. Now.” She turned to Peridot, tears in her eyes, and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

Peridot nodded, accepting her fate. “Go. Before they send for backup.”

“But—” Steven stammered. “We can’t just give up—”

Lapis shook her head, and before Steven could move, warped them back to Earth.

At least they’re safe. Peridot thought to herself as the quartz turned around and began to return to the cave.

Here’s my very smol tag list!!! please lemme know in the comments if you want to be added to the tag list!

@maxiewillstabya, @smilingsam, @tycheeh

thank y’all so much!! if you like it, please reblog it and spread it! likes are appreciated but do nothing!

#lapis #lapis lazuli #lapis lazuli steven universe #lapis steven universe #steven universe #steven universe future #peridot #peridot steven universe #lapidot #abandonment tw #kidnapping tw #self sacrifice tw #death tw #lapidot au #au #alternate universe #lapidot evil au #lemme know if you need any more triggers tagged #even if you don't think it will show up in the story-- just in case it does

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justfor2am · 5 years

Text

steven universe the movie au but it’s sanders sides

I’m calling it the Thomas Universe AU!

(creative, I know)

okay but hear me out

anyone who is human irl is still human in this au...this would take place in FL where Thomas lives, and this goes with the assumption that the sides are real and his friends + family know/can see them. patton + deceit appear unconventionally, and i know it wouldn’t make sense for the canon sanders sides universe rules, but i’ve already disregarded most of those so...

also, i know it wouldn’t work EXACTLY like the movie obvs and some stuff would have to be left out (like the diamonds....sorry babes)

also also I’m sticking a cut in here because i just realized this is gonna be a long one

Characters

Steven/Pink Diamond: Thomas (I’ll explain the PD later)

Garnet: Roman + Remus except it’s the opposite of a love story; learning to love themselves “unfused” as individual creativities (no remrom here please)

Amethyst: Virgil (i considered him as Pearl and you could make a case either way, but song-wise this works slightly better)

Pearl/Pink Diamond: Logan (see above, you could also make a case for him as Amethyst, and I’ll explain the PD later)

Bismuth: JayisJo (because i love them)

Lapis: Joan

Peridot: Talyn

Spinel: Patton + Deceit Fusion (yes, i know i know. i’ll explain)

Plot

Thomas is his best self, healthy, happy and surrounded with friends + family. They’re in the middle of fixing up their new office (Little Homeworld), and home (Thomas’s Apartment) is stable. The sides are all getting along, even as insufferable as Remus can be.

In this universe, Patton + Deceit were never thought to be “real” like the other sides. Whereas Thomas would film using his actual sides, he and Joan “invented” Patton and Deceit for the series’ storyline. They were, accidentally, repressed to the back of Thomas’ mind, and finally through their feelings of abandonment, come forth as one fused side called “Ethos”.

Ethos plants a bug in Thomas’ mind that would repress all of his sides back into his mind. He wouldn’t be void of personality, but it would hurt, and ran the risk of contaminating his friends. Since his friends don’t have sides, it would drain their personalities instead, and it’s a race to get Ethos to stop the bug.

Title Character Backstories

Steven Universe is self-explanatory enough, title character yada yada. Thomas also being Pink Diamond is meant as a younger Thomas, more so as a symbol of immaturity and also because I didn’t want to use Thomas’ actual mom because that literally wouldn’t have worked.

(For Logan, see Songs: Drift Away)

“Garnet” would have been the result of the great Creativity Split. Roman and Remus, once expected to stick together as one side, have learned (sort of) to co-exist with each other. In this universe, Thomas has accepted Remus (after a lot of wor) and the two creativities are more brotherly.

“Amethyst” would have been a reflection of Virgil’s time with the “dark” sides. Young and impressionable, him learning to accept love from the “light” sides and be himself despite the fighting between the two halves.

“Pearl” is a call-back to Logan’s quickly shifting from “Teacher Guy” on Vine to “Logic” in Sanders Sides. He felt his only purpose was to help Thomas; any emotions he felt were meant to be disregarded.

“Spinel” as a Patton + Deceit fusion still has her original stretchy powers, because with Deceit’s constant usage of shapeshifting and Patton’s joking manner, it just makes sense. They have Deceit’s Director!Patton Disguise, with four arms and two eyes, one blue and almost constantly tearing up, the other Deceit’s snake eye. There’s a monocle on the blue eyes, and small patches of snake skin. They also have a top hat, because snazzy.

alternatively: pick whichever fusion of them that @fangirltothefullest drew because that’s kinda the best way to visual them.

Weapons

• Instead of a scythe-style Rejuvenator, Ethos have a collapsible staff that can be split in two, each half with a long, thin blade inside. Swiping the sides with a blade does the same as a Rejuvenator + plants the “bug” in them. For Thomas, it only plants the bug.

• Roman uses his sword, and his shield to launch Remus in the air for attacks. Remus sticks with his morning star. Neither have future vision.

• Virgil doesn’t have a weapon, his “power” would be speed and darn good punches. He still has his “tempest tongue” ability, when his anxiety is extremely high.

• Logan has a shortbow, but is not above straight up wacking people with it.

Songs

Let Us Adore You:

Since I don’t have a Diamond equivalent, this song only really matters during its reprise.

Happily Ever After:

Moves the plot from Thomas’ house to “Little Homeworld”. Logan is being taught the bass by Jamal at his house (Logan is summoned by Thomas to the office later). Thomas drives to the office and talks to Roman and Remus, who’re play-fighting and writing scripts.

He walks into a room to be stopped by Virgil, because he was about to step into a can of paint. (This is one of the unfinished rooms). Joan, Tayln and Jay are there too, helping out. By the end of the song, Thomas is standing outside with all of his sides, enjoying the sunshine and being happy.

Other Friends:

Ohhhh boy. Ethos monologues at them for a bit, perched up on a lamppost. Logan recognizes them (this will be important later). They’re clearly unstable, and the sides get ready to fight.

Ethos uses their instability to their advantage, fusing and unfusing quickly around them to avoid getting hit. Ethos also uses their rubber powers to throw Logan into the air and letting him fall, trapping Virgil in a tree, and knocking Remus’ and Roman’s heads together. He finishes it off by scaring Thomas and pushing him into the ground, jumping back on the lamppost.

They all regroup, in pain, and after Thomas’ obvious lack of recognization, Ethos is only more unstable, yelling. He pulls out the staff and poofs the sides. Thomas manages to poof Ethos as well, but not without getting hit first.

system/BOOT.PearlFinal(3).Info:

We have this nice intermission where we see all of the sides “reset” and Logan narrates as his episode 1 self. Here we see Remus and Roman fuse automatically, without showing their individual forms. They pose still and quietly, without their individual quirks. Virgil forms as his Pre-AA self, bitter but also quiet, looking very nervous and trying to blend in.

Ethos reforms, but not fused. Deceit and Patton are both happy and friendly, acting like a Spinel-duo. Patton specializes in jokes + puns while Deceit does more physical humor. Deceit’s outfit is white instead, and he has no hat. Patton’s outfit is is original cardigan one. Patton and Deceit also finish each others sentences.

Thomas beings to notice the bug affecting himself, stinging him occasionally.

Who We Are:

Thomas is moping around while Jay, Joan and Talyn try to help figure out a solution. They set on the plan to make them all remember who they are.

Isn’t it Love?:

Remus and Roman accidentally unfuse, and they both feel a breath of fresh air. Neither of them have a proper “form”, and they take the song to pick out who they want to be. While they’re both much happier apart now, they still don’t know themselves.

No Matter What:

One of my favourite songs from this movie, and the key reason why Virgil would work better as Amethyst. Thomas takes Virgil back through his memories, showing him the music he used to like, how to sew, and they retake the sorting quiz together and talk about it.

Thomas puts on a few Halloween movies and Virgil starts to come back. He goes to stand in his corner by the stairs, and Thomas runs up to his room and gives him the ‘famILY’ card. With that, Virgil comes back.

Disobedient:

I don’t have as much to say here, but for funny purposes Logan “belongs” to Jamahl.

Independent Together:

A Thomas/Jamahl duet, they don’t “literally” fuse, but they’re still singing together. Logan remembers who he is and duets with Virgil. It’s a sweet moment.

Drift Away:

Ohhhh boy (part 2). Deceit and Patton are singing over each other here. The “Garden” is Thomas’ mind, and Logan/a younger, immature Thomas are Pink Diamond. Inadvertently, as Thomas was maturing, he wanted to put silly, childish things behind him. Logan, acting as his Logic, realized that meant Ethos, and went to “put them away”.

He told them Thomas was growing up, and that he would come back to them soon. But Thomas was young when this happened, and he soon forgot about them. Deceit is the one to pose the question: “Is this how it works, am I doing this right?” Patton is unwilling to ask such things, not wanting to doubt Thomas.

They stay there, mostly silent together. They see Thomas grow up, but never the other sides after Logan, because they don’t know the two are stuck back there. Patton keeps making excuses for Thomas, that he’s not ready yet, that he’ll be back soon.

The tipping point is when Deceit’s “character” is introduced. Patton was more than happy to excuse his own “character” into the Sanders Sides Series, but Deceit wasn’t. Upon seeing himself, and hearing Thomas and Joan talk as if Patton and Deceit weren’t really there, broke him.

Deceit called Patton out for excusing Thomas’ behavior, and grief breaks over him. With Deceit’s anger and Patton’s sadness, the two fuse into Ethos. Deceit wants revenge, Patton wants answers. While Deceit is the stronger of the two in the fusion, Patton does have his moments of fronting.

Found:

Thomas talks to Ethos, offering him a place in the Mindpalace again, and apologizing. Ethos takes him up on the offer, Patton clearly fronting. He turns off the bug in the sides and in Thomas.

True Kinda Love:

Remus and Roman finally come to themselves, play-fighting again before working together to protect Thomas + co. from Ethos. Ethos reactivates the bugs to work faster, and runs away from Thomas’s office to his home. Joan and Tayln offer to look after the sides while Thomas goes to find Ethos, who’s perched on top of his house, curled up.

(work with me here,) Thomas goes up the fire escape to the roof, (pretend his roof is flat would y’all?) to face off.

Change:

Ethos is ready to fight. Thomas is not. He actively avoids hitting/getting hit by Ethos, moving the fight back to the ground and darting between the park near his house, letting Ethos punch the trees instead. He talks to Ethos, who’s starting to come undone. After getting punched into a tree, Patton pulls himself out of the fusion and goes to help him.

Deceit sees him do this, and after a moment of self-frustration, refuses with Patton to turn off the bug before unfusing again. Thomas takes them back to the office to check up on the other sides, who are now doing just fine.

Let Us Adore You (Reprise):

Finally, this song comes in handy! Instead of the Diamonds singing to Spinel, the sides offer Patton and Deceit a place back in the Mindscape with them, while Thomas says that if they need some time alone, he understands.

The sides all apologize, especially Logan for leaving them alone for so long.

Patton all but jumps at the idea of having a real home, and is thrilled to have a place. Patton sings first, “Today, right here, right now, I'll love again. I've already found someone.”

He starts walking toward them, but stops. Deceit has his arms crossed, and is standing farther back. Patton offers him a hand, and Deceit finally takes a step forward. He’s more hesitant, mostly because like ten minutes ago he was trying to kill all of them. But he misses playing with Thomas, even if as a side his purpose has corrupted with time.

“Yes, I know that you're not her and I was her's. You know what it meant to love her, and you remind me so much of her.” A group hug ensues, and Deceit and Patton are both holding on tight to Thomas. A few tears are shed, and the healing has started.

Finale:

Thomas is continuing to work with all of his sides to make sure Patton and Deceit are adjusting well. The office is eventually finished, Patton and Deceit even get to play themselves in the series. All is well, and Thomas is looking forward to the future and what it brings.

And yeah, that’s all folks! Feel free to do whatever for this, I might write some things for it too. But if y’all do stuff with this, please tag me, I’d love to see whatever y’all make! :-)

#sanders sides #steven universe the movie #steven universe #thomas sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #deceit sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #fusion #justfor2am #justfor2talks

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artemispanthar · 5 years

Text

OK, so VERY scattered thoughts about the ep because it was an hour long, very exciting, and I’m old and forgetful lol

I really loved this episode, it was so exciting and had such crowd-pleasing moments (all the Steven-Crystal Gem Fusions were quite a highlight for me). The callbacks to old episodes, in particular the Gems landing from a jump echoing the scene from “Serious Steven” (except this time Steven sticks the landing too!), and the opening were just so satisfying to see. Loved it!

I have to say, while I know it’s not everyone’s thing Steven’s desire and insistence on a peaceful resolution is something I really admire (easier done in cartoons, of course, but I think it’s a good instinct to instill in kids). Being able to convince Blue and Yellow of the damage they’ve done and how they too have been hurt and ultimately being able to convince White, it was really a very Steven thing to do.

I did like seeing Blue and Yellow acknowledge what they’d done in the past was bad and try to help Steven, even offering to distract White while Steven escapes with his friends.

Man, like, finding out what exactly happened to Pink Pearl, the whole puppeteering (the “white-washing”, if you will) by seeing it happen to Yellow and Blue Diamond and then the Crystal Gems was dang eerie. Like, I knew what happened was pretty chilling but it is definitely extra creepy to see it happen to character you know.

Bismuth and Lapis and Peridot swooping in as the cavalry was amazing! I can’t really elaborate on that, it was just such a heck yeah moment (love you, Bismuth!!)

Gosh, the new outfits, everyone’s new outfit!! I loved them all, Pearl’s especially, of course, because you know how much I love Pearl, but everyone looked so dang stylish and perfect. Lapis’ sweats and sandals, Peridot’s rad glasses, Garnet’s rad glasses and bi-color coattail thingies, Pearl’s jacket, Amethyst’s jean shorts. All of it perfect.

Loved loved loved seeing all the Fusions! Really just fantastic! As I’ve mentioned many many times, I’ve been dying to see if Steven and Pearl would form Rainbow Quartz and they do!! And I gotta say, I love them, so theatrical with that cool parasol. And Sunstone, man, Sunstone is just precious, exactly what I’d expect from a Steven and Garnet Fusion, a super supportive ray of near-literal sunshine (the fourth wall breaking PSA announcements were just excellent. Stay in school, kids!). Oh, and Obsidian, man, just, like, amazing. Wow.

And so I don’t forget to mention it I’ll put it here, I absolutely adored Connie in this episode. She was so supportive and strong and awesome. imo she really shined in this episode that had a heck of a lot of competition. Connie’s the best, man!

Gotta say, I knew Steven wasn’t going to die (because it’s a cartoon, you know) but seeing him get his Gem taken out was brutal. The whole scene after that, Steven growing weak, his Gem reforming into him (confirming that Steven has ALWAYS been Steven), reconnecting, the really beautiful and adorable fluid animation of them laughing and spinning around. Just, wow.

The music, gosh, the music was just stellar. A+ job by Aivi and Surasshu yet again!

That ending, though. All the corrupted Gems cured, Jasper’s back, Lars and the Off-Colors are on Earth, Steven and Greg and the Crystal Gems are one big happy family. The absolutely precious and lovely bookending sort of thing echoing the opening with them sitting on the beach just made my heart happy. I love these guys so much.

I’m gonna echo like everyone else in saying this episode really felt like a series finale. I know it’s not but it seems like it may’ve been designed to serve as one. I’m curious where the series will go from this, aside from the upcoming movie. Like, I know a lot of stuff wrapped up but I personally would be interested in seeing where all the Gems settle and how that impacts humanity. Plus, you know, I’m not ready to part with my fave precious Gem family yet. And, like, we gotta see how everyone reacts to each other, see Peridot and Lapis fuse, see how Homeworld reforms, see if they make amends for the planets they’ve disrupted, etc etc. I feel like there’s more in this show’s universe that could be explored before it’s done. But, I mean, I know that could just be my love for the show and not wanting it to end soon talkin’, but hey, I’m still curious about those things.

Anyways, I’m definitely, definitely forgetting some important stuff. This episode was so jampacked with moments and it’s really hard to think back and remember everything but man was it such an awesome ride. Love this show, love its crew, and I love all you guys, I hope you all enjoyed the episode as much as I did!

#steven universe #steven universe spoilers #change your mind #change your mind spoilers #battle of heart and mind #battle of heart and mind spoilers #artie thoughts

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froodyie · 5 years

Note

Can you do a story with Steven and Spinel dressing up as different animals with a nose mask with each of their animal costumes?

AN: Thank you so much for sending this request! I actually had fun doing it! I had to make it Halloween bc tbh I couldn’t imagine them dressing up in animal costumes any other occasion. I hope you like it ^^

“A week! We gave you a whole week! I can’t believe you couldn’t last a week! No, scratch that! I do believe it!”

Spinel rolled her eyes and continued walking towards the Warp Room, tuning out Yellow Pearl’s useless rambling as said gem followed closely behind her with Blue Pearl and Pink Pearl in tow.

“Aw leave her alone, Yellow!” Pink Pearl said, stepping in to defend Spinel as usual. “What’s wrong with wanting to visit a friend?”

“What’s wrong?! What’s wrong!!! I’ll tell you what’s wrong!!! She does this every single day!! ‘Oh where are you going, Spinel?’ ‘I’m going to visit Steven.’ ‘Oh! Has anyone seen Spinel?’ ‘She’s with Steven, my Diamond.’ With that track record, she’s better off living on Earth with him then staying here in Homeworld.”, Yellow Pearl retaliated, very defensively and with her arms crossed.

“Well...uhm..but Spinel,” Pink Pearl began, searching for what to say. After a few more attempts, she gave up, giving Spinel an apologetic look that told her: ‘She does have a point.’

Yellow Pearl beamed upon seeing this and raised her head up in a very haughty manner. She focused her attention on Blue Pearl. “What do you think, Blue?”

“To be quite honest, it really doesn’t bother me at all. It’s cute that she likes visiting him a lot,” she calmly responded with a small smile on her face, “Besides, Yellow, I thought you were happy about Spinel’s daily trips to Earth. You were talking about it the other day.”

Spinel bit down on her lip, stifling a giggle. Behind her, she heard Pink Pearl try to do the same, but she failed and snorted loudly.

An offended look passed through Yellow Pearl’s face and she crossed her arms, huffing. “At first,” she began to defend herself, “But it gets tiring and frustrating when all your Diamond asks you is: ‘Where’s Spinel? Has anyone seen Spinel?’ I was hoping for a week or more of not having to hear that, but our dear Spinel just couldn’t wait at all! Oh, but 6,000 years? She can definitely wait for that long! That’s nothing for her!”

A thick blanket of silence fell upon everyone the moment those words came out of her mouth.

Pink Pearl stood aside with her hand over her mouth. Blue Pearl’s mouth hung slightly open and with her hands, she pushed back her bangs to reveal her eyes, pupils wide in shock.

It took Yellow Pearl only a matter seconds before she realized what she had just said. She began to stutter, desperately looking for an apology.

“Sp-Spinel! I didn’t m-m-mean it—oh my s-stars!”

It was too late. Before she knew it, she was backed up against a tight corner. Spinel loomed over her, tall and intimidating with her hands balled up into giant fists, ready to take aim. Yellow Pearl gulped and instantly shielded her gem with both her hands.

“S-Spinel! Don’t! She didn’t mean it!” Pink Pearl begged, hands outstretched as if she was about to grab Spinel to stop her, but she didn’t. She held back, only hopeful that her words would get to the gem.

They didn’t. Made obvious by Spinel raising her right hand high over her head.

Yellow Pearl shut her eyes tightly and turned her face away, expecting a very painful blow that never came. Instead, she felt a finger flick her nose, making a loud, audible ‘whack!’ sound.

“H-Huh?” She opened her eyes. Spinel’s large, spiraling, magenta-colored eyes, filled to the brim with dark amusement, were the first thing that greeted her.

“Heh,” the gem chuckled and shook her head softly, “Ya really have a big mouth...For a Pearl. Don’t cha?”

Yellow Pearl remained silent and so did everybody else.

Spinel backed up a few steps. With her arms crossed, she shook her head and clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Gee! With that mouth, I’m very much surprised you’ve been able to hold this position of yours as Yellow Diamond’s Pearl for millions of years. You’re darn lucky things have changed now.”

“I-Spinel…”

She didn’t listen to her. Her eyes roamed around until they landed on the giant Warp Pad in the middle of the room and widened as if she just remembered why she came here in the first place. With a hop, she stretched her way on top of said Pad and warped away without saying anything.

Whatever fear Yellow Pearl had shivering within her disappeared the moment Spinel left and she rolled her eyes, letting out a tremendous sigh. “‘You’re darn lucky things have changed now!’ Bleh!” She mocked, sticking out her tongue.

It went back in the moment Pink Pearl jabbed her elbow into her side.

—-

“Ta-da!! Our last pumpkin for tonight! What do you guys think?” Steven exclaimed with a wide, joyful smile on his face. In his arms, he cradled a large Jack-O-Lantern with a pair of monster eyes and sharp teeth.

“It looks great!” Connie complimented as she walked over and grabbed it from him. She settled it inside the red wagon, alongside the many other Jack-O-Lanterns they made.

“A little bit different than all the others you guys made, don’t you think?” Amethyst said, hopping off from the table to inspect the Jack-O-Lanterns.

She had a point. The majority were decorated with drawings of their closest family and friends: Garnet, Pearl, Bismuth, Lapis, Peridot, the Diamonds, and so on. The only one that actually seemed to be showing the terrifying spirit of Halloween was the one Steven had just finished making.

“That’s actually why I made it,” Steven admitted, chuckling softly, “Now thinking about it though, it kinda sticks out like a sore thumb. Maybe it wasn’t a very good idea…”

The growing sound of squeaky shoes approaching quickly caught their attention. They turn around just in time to see Spinel hop down the stairs and run her way towards Steven. Before he could do anything, he found Spinel’s arms wrapping around him and pulling him in for a hug.

“Steven! My good pal!!” Spinel cheered, smiling widely.

“Spinel! It’s nice to see you!” Steven laughed. He gave her a hug and a pat in the back the moment she let him go.

“Hey Spinny!” Amethyst greeted with a wave. “Where you’ve been? We missed you the last three days.”

“Oh, the Pearls needed me for something that was supposedly important at first,” Spinel said, rolling her eyes. Her eyes then fell upon the wagon full of Jack-O-Lanterns and then the bucket full of candy on the table and then the Halloween decorations hanging on the ceiling. “Hey, wait a darn minute! What’s all this stuff?”

“It’s all of our decorations for Halloween!” Connie explained. The young girl grabbed the candy bucket from the table and walked over to Spinel. She held it out to the gem, offering some. “Here. Take one.”

Spinel looked at it, confused at first, but then she pulled out a round, red lollipop.

“Uhm...what’s Halloween??”

“Oh!” Steven exclaimed. “I completely forgot! This is your first Halloween!”

Amethyst scoffed playfully. “Pfft! This is the first Halloween for nearly every gem at Little Homeworld. Spinel, you should’ve seen the presentation Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth put up a few days ago! Halloween 101. It was a huge riot!” The small gem’s eyes widened. An idea had popped into her head. “HEEYYY! What if we recreate that! Right now!”

Connie nervously laughed as she remembered the disaster that had been the presentation. “How about we not?” She clapped her hands together before grabbing a hold of the wagon’s handle. “People are going to start trick-or-treating soon, so we should start putting these guys up. Steven will tell Spinel everything there is to know about Halloween. Won’t you, Steven?”

He nodded with a small smile. “I’ll see you guys later! If my dad shows up a little bit early, tell him I’m here with Spinel.”

After the others left, Spinel pulled the wrapper off her lollipop and popped it into her mouth. “Now,” she began, crossing her arms together, “What’s this whole Halloween biz?”

“You remember how I told you about the Fourth of July a few months back, right?”

She nodded.

“Halloween is a holiday just like that one. Minus the fireworks and American flags everywhere and also the barbecue. For Halloween, everyone dresses up in costumes, be it scary, funny, or cute, and go around at people’s houses to get candy.

“Oh,” she took out her lollipop and looked at it, “That’s nice.”

“I know, right!? Free candy for a night!”

“Is there a reason ya guys celebrate it?”

“Well...it’s mostly to have fun and it’s the one night you can go around wearing any costume you want.”

“You can’t wear a costume outside of that?”

Steven shook his head, sadly. “Not unless you work at Freddy Fazbear’s or Duck-Fil-A or any other company that has a mascot that requires a costume. Hey, speaking about costumes, it’s a good thing you came here tonight! I have something to show you

She gave him a quizzical look.

Before she could say or do anything, he grabbed her hand and led her to his room. When they got there, the first thing that caught Spinel’s eyes were the two outfits lying neatly on his bed.

“I was having a hard time picking a costume for this year,” he began to explain as he grabbed both of the outfits and showed them off, “But then I decided to ask Lion to decide for me and—guess which one he picked.”

Spinel thought for a second before pointing at the costume at the right.

“Yes! Who would’ve guessed he could be like that, huh? That’s Lion for you.”

The costume was literally a lion costume that Steven had painted pink to make it look exactly like Lion. The other costume...well, she wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

“What about the other one?” She asked.

“That one’s a Cookie Cat costume!”

“Oh...uhm what’s a cookie cat?”

“Oh, Cookie Cat’s an alien cat that left both his family and home behind when he came down here to Earth to escape an interstellar war. He was the mascot of these delicious ice cream sandwiches by the same name. Unfortunately they stopped selling two years ago probably because of competition. Curse you Lion Lickers. I would’ve definitely have bought you some if they still sold them. I’m pretty sure you would’ve liked them.”

Spinel looked at the costume he still held in his hand. Her eyes were focused on Cookie Cat’s two different colored eyes.One white and one pink.

“Yeah, I would have,” She said and then reached out for the costume, taking it out of his hand, “Hey, Steven. C-Can I ask ya somethin’?”

“Hm? Yeah sure.”

“Y-Ya wouldn’t—I-I mean you guys wouldn’t mind if I joined ya for this, would you? I-I think I like the idea of this whole ‘treat-or-trick’ thing.”

Steven smiled at her. It was another one of those types of smiles, so filled with warmth and love, which left Spinel feeling kinda weak every time it happened (and let me tell ya, it was happening quite a lot recently as she came to notice). It took so much of her power to prevent herself from falling victim to her buckling knees or to let her heart-shaped gem fly out of its place in a ‘bumpidity-bump!’ mess.

“I wouldn’t mind and I’m pretty sure the others won't either. I was actually about to ask you if you wanted to,” he said and then he walked over to his clothes cabinet, where he began to look through all his garments, “I have a ton of costumes here. Which one would you like? I have this sneople costume and oh—I still have this Pink Diamond outfit from two years ago…”

“Actually,” Spinel began, holding out the Cookie Cat costume in front of her, “I’d like to wear this.”

He smiled again. “Sure! Go ahead.”

She wasted no time in pulling the costume over her and in such a cartoonish manner that Steven had only blinked once when she already had the full costume on.

“How do I look?”

“Great! It’s a perfect fit!” Steven complimented. Just after he said that, the sound of rock music entered through the open window of his room. “Ah, Dad’s here! You can go down with the others. Tell them I’m getting ready.”

“Sure thing!” She said and watched as he quickly walked to the bathroom. Once the door close behind him, she walked down the stairs.

“Spooky scary skeletons,” she sang to herself, happily imagining the fun night that awaited them, “Send shivers down your spine…”

#steven universe #spinel #steven x spinel #stevinel #spineven #froods writes

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love-takes-work · 6 years

Text

Steven Universe Podcast Volume 3: Episode 5: Reunited

This is Volume 3, Episode 5 of the official Steven Universe podcast, looking at the episode "Reunited," including input from Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey.

The official description:

Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar and former Executive Producer Ian Jones-Quartey return to provide a detailed look at the creation and execution of "Reunited." Rebecca reveals her original idea for the wedding, the inspiration she drew from old movies like "Fiddler On The Roof" and "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum," and why it was so important for her to get "Reunited" made. Rebecca and Ian also discuss the different fighting styles and abilities of the Diamonds, everybody's wedding outfits, Ronaldo's armor and sword, the Cluster, and how the entire Steven Universe series is so informed by "The Wizard Of Oz!"

This, as usual, is bit long so I’ll do my bullet points of interest, with longer descriptions after the jump.

Highlights:

The episode was not originally meant to open with a song. They added the opening number much later to establish plot elements that needed to be fresh in our minds and also set the stage for how Steven was feeling.

They knew the Cluster arc would culminate in arm wrestling way back when they first invented the Cluster arc.

Musical influences for the opening number and the episode itself included For Me and My Gal, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Fiddler on the Roof.

The Cluster manifesting as an arm while the rest of it stays unformed to spare the Earth is described as "very uncomfortable" for the gestalt creature.

Katie Mitroff is credited for much of the opening song sequence, including wedding outfit design, with help from Joe Johnston.

Garnet's wedding outfit was originally conceived as being torn for the battle, but the design they used turned out perfect for showing the mixture of garments AND working well for fighting.

Ronaldo, seen wearing armor and talking to Bismuth at the wedding, is described by Ian as mansplaining armor to Bismuth.

Early concepts of the Ruby and Sapphire wedding started with Garnet actually marrying herself, in an episode known as "If You Love Yourself So Much."

Diamonds in combat were mostly handled by storyboarder Miki Brewster.

Blue's ability to incapacitate others with her sadness was known early on, and Lapis's reaction was an obvious element they intended to include.

Rebecca thinks the Wizard of Oz and Sleeping Beauty are the most commonly cited films in their writers' room, with a little bit of Cinderella for aesthetic.

Blue Diamond getting a house dropped on her is a Wizard of Oz reference.

Lapis being the one to drop the barn on Blue was a satisfying confrontation, as Blue is described as a parent who abandoned her.

Violence following a wedding was another nod to Fiddler, but it was important to Rebecca that the wedding itself be completed.

The Diamonds' invasion could not have happened any sooner or they would not have faced a united, prepared team of Crystal Gems. They now know what they're fighting for.

It's so important to show that communication and compassion for others leads to strength. The show often depicts the best Fusions as being healthy relationships, and Rebecca thinks spending time and effort on cultivating these relationships--and on yourself!--will make you stronger in the next thing you do.

Ruby and Sapphire's wedding was an important story type Rebecca and Ian felt their characters deserved to have. They were created as a classic cartoon couple who managed to get various romantic story types assigned to them throughout the show; Rebecca was determined to champion this mission to let them have this.

Ruby and Sapphire's introduction in "Jailbreak" was met with a decision-maker slapping a specific prohibition on them being a romantic couple. Rebecca had to argue, "But they ARE."

It's so incredibly vital that couples like Ruby and Sapphire are not considered more adult than typical couples in G-rated content.

Rebecca is grateful and relieved that the wedding has finally aired and they got to do this, but she stresses that this is only one example amidst a hundred years of weddings and couples that communicate an exclusively heteronormative message. There's still so much to do for LGBTQ kids to help them understand they DO belong in a "family-friendly" world.

Though much of the discussion for representation has been about couples, they emphasize they're not just talking about couples here or pushing the idea that everyone's dream should be getting married. It's just that if you do want to marry someone, there is a future for someone who imagines being happy in a non-heteronormative relationship.

The show is designed to give kids tools to handle their own feelings.

Rebecca is excited to include Ruby and Sapphire as a couple that decided to get married after being together a VERY long time. Couples need to talk and know each other instead of jumping into something like marriage.

What's next on Steven Universe? An exploration of what it means for these rebel Gems to be on Homeworld, with Steven "in the palace," and the upcoming episodes are "huge."

The detailed summary is below!

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

We open by discussing the opening of the episode: How did they come to the conclusion that they wanted to open with a song? Rebecca explains that the song was a late addition; originally they were just going to open on Steven banging on a vending machine trying to get some Chaaaaps out (which would echo what happened later when the Diamonds banged on the Earth to get the Cluster out!), but they wanted to set the scene with something that would tie together all the elements necessary to understand the upcoming action, as well as establish what Steven was thinking about and how he felt right then. Music is such a great vehicle to cover emotional complexities, so it made sense to do that with a song.

This episode was a VERY long time in the making, and they had the ideas for the arm wrestling with the Cluster back when they first started planning the Cluster arc. They had to make sure we had seen the Diamonds' arm ships early on so this scene could happen. The song really helped not only check in with Steven and his "manic need for positivity" but also became a great device for showing us where each major character's mind is as we go into this. It could have just been a couple scenes of talking, but the song works so much better.

McKenzie prompts her guests to discuss musical influences for "For Just One Day Let's Only Think About Love." Rebecca says she was paying a lot of attention to old Judy Garland musicals, so she pulled from a song called "For Me and My Gal" which is wedding-themed (she sings a few lines from it), and she really liked how in these kinds of old musicals they'd have people singing and then talking. It's really hard to coordinate, she says, but Ian says Rebecca has always wanted to collaborate with Aivi and Surasshu to do a big Broadway song like this. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was another musical that was a big influence on the switch-between-singing-and-monologuing technique. Fiddler on the Roof influenced the structure of the episode too, since there's a scene where a wedding leads directly to the significant violence of the film.

The Cluster was suddenly brought into this episode after not being mentioned for a while, and Rebecca describes this as being partially the result of "a lot of moving parts." They knew how they wanted it to work, but it was just a matter of putting the pieces together. Steven befriending the Cluster was discussed in a writers' meeting that happened in 2014 or 2015. It was necessary for Steven to befriend the Cluster so it could help him, but it could never actually emerge without destroying the Earth, so that arm that emerges is obviously only a small part of it that almost seems like the Earth itself is fighting back. The arm can't just stay there chilling, though, because the Cluster is uncomfortable interacting that way with only a piece of itself formed.

Now into discussing the characters' wedding outfits, Rebecca credits Katie Mitroff for boarding a lot of the song sequences, as well as Joe Johnston for design. Some of the outfits were planned long ago, like Pearl revisiting her tux, but new outfits included Amethyst's "semi-casual suit" and Peridot's dress. Garnet's outfit went through many iterations, including some ideas to have her fighting with a torn wedding dress. (Gem clothing doesn't really tear exactly, though. Ian and Rebecca suggested the torn bit would have turned into sparkles?) Rebecca really loved the asymmetrical dress situation that was also "born out of necessity" that allowed Garnet's different clothing elements to show and also worked well as a battle outfit.

Ian brings up Ronaldo wearing his armor at the wedding, which Rebecca thinks she might have come up with but wasn't sure. It's all "stuff that happens in the room." Regarding the scene where Bismuth and Ronaldo are standing there in armor, Ian describes it as Ronaldo "mansplaining to Bismuth what armor is." In discussing Ronaldo and his use of the sword he got at DelmarvaCon, they remember that the armor's first appearance in "Keep Beach City Weird" was originally meant to include a bizarre extending baton that he would smack Steven with, but it was flagged as too violent. Ronaldo's "weapon" then became a potato. Ian jokingly says they've got to bring the potato weapons back. Rebecca's like "no, we don't need to do that."

Next, McKenzie wants to know how long Rebecca's been planning Ruby and Sapphire's wedding outfits, since we've now seen concept sketches from 2015 on her Instagram. She remembers drawing it for the first time in probably 2014, and she started pitching the wedding either late 2015 or early 2016. Originally, the concept was to have Garnet marrying herself in an episode called "If You Love Yourself So Much." Conceived as a simpler, self-contained episode, it contained cool images like Garnet dancing with herself and putting rings on her own fingers. They got to use some of that briefly at the reception. This idea didn't get through, but later when she started trying to get a wedding episode, she incorporated the clothing designs we can see from those early sketches, modified later to include the flowers Ruby was wearing in her hair. (Rebecca pulled the idea for those specific flowers from a friend's wedding.)

The next portion of the podcast discusses that epic Diamond battle. Rebecca was really excited to have Miki Brewster do her thing on this fight. The orbs and lasers that Blue generated were essentially invented by Miki, but the sadness wave was an older invention first shown in "The Trial." Blue's ability to incapacitate other Gems with her debilitating sadness in a battle was a really early development. As soon as they knew Blue could do this, they immediately thought of how Lapis would be affected by it and knew they would use it.

Rebecca then brings up the Wizard of Oz and how it directly inspired some elements of Steven Universe. That movie is absolutely a sci-fi/fantasy story. Rebecca feels that the Wizard of Oz and Sleeping Beauty are the two films that get brought up the most in the writers' discussions, with a little of Cinderella for aesthetic. Dropping a house--well, the barn--on Blue was a direct callback to the Wizard of Oz. Torturing the characters, as Ian says, was necessary to get Lapis to a place where she would take the barn in the first place, though Rebecca clarifies that there was nothing contrived about how Lapis acted; it all made sense with her character arc.

Lapis being an original member of Blue's court is mentioned, though they say they don't get to dig into that history, but Rebecca compares Blue to a parent who abandoned Lapis. Having her get to confront Blue and drop a house on her was cathartic. The Diamonds don't take care of the Gems they make. It's part of the problem with their entire system according to Rebecca. Lapis struggled to "take a side," being that she felt manipulated by everyone; now that she's begun to make choices, she can have some control over her life. Lapis always worries she'll do something horrible with power if she has it.

Garnet has a history with Blue too, they point out; Garnet has lots of fear and anger toward Blue, so it was nice to have her standing-up-to-Blue moment tied into Lapis's. This whole arc, from Lapis to Garnet, was about characters making choices for their own reasons. Garnet was ready to stand up to Blue now that she is 100% solid in who she is and why she is together.

McKenzie then asks Rebecca and Ian to discuss their motivation for having the Diamonds appear on the day of Garnet's wedding. Rebecca again cites Fiddler on the Roof and they mention how classic it is to have a wedding and then a fight. It was very important to Rebecca that the wedding itself not be interrupted. It was just the reception after.

(Chronicler's note: I also grew up watching the movie of this musical, and if you haven't seen it, the wedding has the main character's eldest daughter marrying the poor tailor she was in love with, versus the wealthy butcher she was supposed to marry. In the culture of the movie, the Jewish fathers generally chose husbands for their daughters (often through a matchmaker), and Tevye thought marrying Tzeitel off to an old rich butcher was assuring her a secure and rich life. Instead, she was in love with a tailor, and would have been unhappy marrying the butcher. When she begged to wed her love instead, Tevye found himself challenging tradition and questioning his own heart for his daughter's happiness, so this wedding was about new and old finding balance. And then the reception is crashed by the army intent on demonstrating their power and presence. It kinda wrecks the mood.)

The Crystal Gems are able to do what they're doing in this fight because they have recently been reunited in a powerful way by the recent events, and Rebecca brings up the important points Bismuth raised: what do the Crystal Gems stand for NOW, now that we know they were founded on something that isn't appropriate to fight for anymore? Who are they as a team? They have to rally behind Steven, and he has to be comfortable deciding the direction of that, along with Garnet who is now back to herself and has recently gone through some of the same emotional stuff. The Crystal Gems know they can trust each other, no matter what they were originally founded on. They could not have fought the Diamonds cohesively before they went through all this together.

Ian says many concepts they work into the show start with an idea or an image, and they figure out how to get it into the show in a fun way. Rebecca feels they must pull it together with themes about relationships, communication, growth, and emotional stability--and that these lead to strength. Using Fusions to explore this is ideal because they're relationships AND they're characters. Strong, healthy relationships make really excellent Fusions who can accomplish great things. Time devoted to cultivating these relationships and taking care of yourself and your community will lead to strength in your further actions.

In the last leg of the podcast discussion, McKenzie wants to talk about the wedding, and they begin discussing the struggle to actually air this wedding at all. As mentioned earlier, Garnet's marriage to herself was rejected; they wouldn't let it through at all. So Rebecca wanted to find another way to approach it, and describes their approach to their new concepts as being pretty similar to the conversations they had with decision-makers over other controversial episodes leading up to it.

Ruby and Sapphire needed to have every style of love story. "Jailbreak" introduced the characters, and immediately a conversation was born: why do we have this, who are they and why do they need to be what they are to each other, what's the context, etc. Every time these characters surfaced, Rebecca had to explain why she thought they should be able to show what they were showing. "The Answer" was the fairy tale. "Hit the Diamond" was the romantic comedy. "Keystone Motel" was the couple fight and reconciliation. What couple who's been through these doesn't get to have a wedding episode? It's typical endgame.

Ruby and Sapphire are designed to be very typical as a couple, with their fire-and-ice star-crossed lovers vibe; it was important for them to get to do all the things every other couple like them got to do, and there was NO reason they shouldn't get to do it unless the decision-makers were making a special exception for them. Rebecca actually got specifically told that Ruby and Sapphire CANNOT be in a romantic relationship, as soon as she introduced them. She responded, "But they ARE." There's even a song about it celebrating their introduction.

Rebecca remembers a Valentine's Day post of some kind by Cartoon Network finally listing Ruby and Sapphire as one of their couples, and she almost broke into tears. She wasn't allowed to talk about their relationship at the time, and it meant so much to her to be able to start doing that--at the time, she wasn't able to talk about the characters' relationship OR herself being bisexual, but she knew she should be able to tell these stories to children and that there was nothing indecent about them.

She remembers that when she was directly told Ruby and Sapphire's relationship IS NOT OKAY, she remembered being indirectly told the same thing throughout her childhood. She finally saw it was true, this must not be okay, and she felt how harmful that was to her personally. And she and Ian knew they could not let the next generation suffer that harm. They had to know it IS okay. Rebecca says some of the issue comes with the show being aired in other countries, and in those cases the dialogue is sometimes changed in translation. There are also issues with their show being put in G-rated time slots, even though Steven Universe is NOT a G show. But G shows are always full of love, innocent kisses, marriage! There's nothing more wholesome than that and there's no reason Ruby and Sapphire shouldn't have that. Their love is not "inherently more adult" than what kids get to see from more traditional couples.

If you've never even SEEN a couple like Ruby and Sapphire in a G-rated show, you don't even know what it can look like, and Rebecca felt this lack had become an emergency for today's children. You learn and internalize these messages as a child. This harm mustn't be done to these kids; they will learn that there's something different and not-okay about that kind of love, and even if it seems okay in adult shows that they can seek out, they'll have to unlearn and heal instead of just not being damaged by it in the first place. Ian thinks kids can't learn that anything could be wrong with Ruby and Sapphire unless someone else told them it was wrong, so with children you're free to present the world as if you don't expect anyone to object to it. Then, they'll follow suit.

Rebecca is so grateful and relieved that the wedding finally aired and "we made it." But it's just the beginning--one drop in the bucket that's otherwise filled with heteronormative programming. There's still so much to do for LGBTQ kids to help them understand they DO belong in a "family-friendly" world. Feeling that lack so deeply, knowing there's something different about yourself--there is no way to communicate fully how this knowledge drilled into you as a child can corrupt you into fearing yourself and your own feelings. The exciting feelings of liking someone become terrifying, and you don't fully function as a person.

Rebecca also emphasizes that she's not fully focused on "couples" here. She wants the show to give kids tools to handle their anxieties and battle the challenges the outside world puts on them. She's beyond happy that the wedding has done what it was supposed to do, but there's still so much to do that she feels responsible for doing. Ian comments that it's not like anything has been "solved." Kids need to feel that happy dreams are in reach for someone like them. Rebecca doesn't want kids to get these ideas from Disney weddings that getting married is the primary goal and vehicle to happiness, but they need the freedom to imagine their future with a partner they can have happily ever after with; they should be allowed to be included in the option to have that dream.

In discussing fan reactions, Rebecca points out that they deserved to have a kiss like this twenty years ago. She describes the satisfaction of the wedding as bittersweet--it's not enough. She got to talk to a very young fan about Garnet recently in San Diego--this kid just saw Garnet as Garnet, and loved her and her relationship, but getting to have this was not a long time coming for him the way it is for Rebecca herself and older fans. It's just what it is and there's nothing weird about it for that young fan.

Rebecca also emphasizes that the wedding was a cool chance to bring a couple into marriage after they'd been together for a REALLY LONG TIME. Their choice to get married is very informed, contrasted with some cute cartoon weddings where characters are already in love after they've known each other for a few minutes. Rebecca thinks it would've been cool if Snow White got some time to talk to the Prince about whether they have any compatibility beyond their initial chemsistry. Ruby and Sapphire reflected in the wedding vows saying they are making a decision to change their lives individually and together. They will put work into their relationship, and that's what will increase their strength.

And McKenzie's last question is what do fans have to look forward to next? Rebecca is reluctant to talk about what's next, though she points out that Steven is "in the palace now." Ian thinks the trial they've been through has now led to them getting tested in a new way. Being on Homeworld now, what is that going to mean to each of these Gems who worked hard to get away from Homeworld? Rebecca says these episodes that are coming are huge. She can't wait for us to see them.

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

#steven universe #steven universe podcast #rebecca sugar #ian jones-quartey #mckenzie atwood #reunited #myblog

3K notes · View notes

shinneth · 5 years

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Well in that case, let’s have 10-15 as well! It’s hard picking stuff that’s not already been revealed, you’ve done a hell of a job building the GA universe.

Hahaha, very good point! I have exploited the hell out of them. And I anticipate future exploitation will follow! And thankfully, these questions are much, much trickier to answer. So between this and the wrestling-watching commitments, this took me more than a day to compile~! But that’s a good thing since it was ultimately thought-provoking and I may or may not have stumbled upon a concept or two to utilize somewhere down the line.

10. What two songs, two books, and two luxury items do they take to a desert island?

(my literal-minded self is assuming this is one item each; it’s also the crueler of the two interpretations, which is fitting)

At first I thought I’d have to force my mindset away from GAverse since this kind of set-up wouldn’t naturally happen unless Steven and Peridot really wanted to challenge themselves... then the movie happened and now there’s actually a very convenient way this could happen without GA Peridot trivializing this!

(of course, I’m uncultured trash, so the music and books make this the most challenging bit...)

Peridot is bringing her goddamn tablet, of course. Even without wifi, she can at least continue logging events the old-fashioned way... and this is one damn scenario where a daily log would be useful. At least until the battery runs out on that. Though I wouldn’t put it past Peridot to find a way to create a stable power source for that sucker. Making a lifeline for her tech would be Peridot’s #1 priority that isn’t related to keeping Steven safe and sound. :P She could also manipulate the metal in it to access hard-to-reach resources, if at a limited capacity.

I see Steven bringing an instrument, namely that damned ukulele. Simple mind, simple needs, and of course he’ll just see this scenario as an opportunity to actually teach Peridot some proper music lessons.

Music and books are where it really gets tricky. For books, Peridot’s getting something practical. So of course she’ll bring Lord of the Flies and claim that’s her guidebook to survival on a desert island. Steven is more for sentiment and bring that Sailor Moon manga we’ve seen him keep around in his room. Sailor Moon (the manga especially) is full of romance, so that suits his priorities perfectly, lol.

Similar case can be said for music: Steven will opt for a nice, mood-setting romantic song while Peridot brings the most loudest and obnoxious music known to her. Because logically, music like that stands the greatest chance in drawing outside attention so they’ll be rescued!

Peridot might be more lax about the ordeal if there’s steady food and water for Steven to survive off of; otherwise I see her largely panicking about being stranded in an environment where resources Steven needs to live on are finite.

(I’ll admit, I got the idea of Peridot and Steven doing a duet of this song (which I bet would sound way better with their VAs) while in this situation...)

11. What do they hide from one another?

Now it’s GA Steven’s turn to trivialize the scenario! It’s officially nigh-on impossible for Peridot to hide one goddamned thing from Steven from GA3 onward... not that Peridot was ever that good at hiding shit from Steven to begin with.

In fact, a certain Post-GA story proved the only things Peridot truly can hide from Steven are secrets even she isn’t aware of, such as how exactly she first met Jasper and Lapis. The only reason Peridot was good at keeping that hidden from Steven was due to it being so traumatic that she made herself forget it in order to live with herself and move forward. So really, memories like that are the only things GA Peridot can hide from Steven at this point. There might still be a repressed memory or two, but overall she’s nearly out of stuff she could realistically withhold.

Outside GA, I feel like Homeworld has always been far more awful than it’s been made out to be, and Peridot would be the one who best knows just how awful life there can be. So if she’s hiding anything from Steven and has any prayer of keeping it that way long-term, it’s going to be the hell she used to have in her former life, or possibly the things she had to do to survive in said life. Of course she’ll still go out of her way to hide her insecurities and inferiority complex from Steven, but it’s practically a guarantee she won’t be able to keep that hidden for long.

Steven... is only slightly better about this. The fact that both suck at lying and maintaining a poker face, as brought up last time, really shoots him in the foot here. So I think I can answer for GA and regular headcanon in one go with him: anything related to Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz that Peridot hasn’t already learned about is probably gonna be stuff Steven keeps to himself about. He values Peridot so much as one of the only gems that has virtually no bias one way or the other about his mom, so the last thing Steven wants to do is fill Peridot’s head with the same “propaganda”, so to speak, that he and the rest of his friends have had drilled in their own heads for most of their lives.

Additionally more for GA, I think Steven possibly has more commentary about Peridot’s past life that he hasn’t already shared with her... but he’s going out of his way not to dredge up those old times. Especially when the Homeworld refugees will already be doing that for him on a daily basis (which logically would be why Steven would still be thinking about those times at all). After all the dirty laundry Steven has aired out in Peridot’s presence, I think he’d be keen on keeping anything still unsaid about their pasts/origins/heritage to himself solely for his girlfriend’s benefit. After all, Peridot being a uniquely fucked-up gem is still a pretty new concept that she’s still trying to adjust to. So Spinel’s gonna be a fun little addition to their lives in more ways than one!

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?

Hm, tricky to answer for GA, since it feels like they’re already at the “serious” phase of the relationship in these Post-GA stories. Realistically, though, Steven and Peridot are gonna have their hands full being the Era 3 centerpieces and have very limited time for dating or other romantic shenanigans.

Plus, the workload stressed these two out to the point that within 3 or 4 months in, they already tried going all the way despite both of them knowing they were being morons for resorting to that this soon. And consequently, as my most recent story confirms, they fucked up not only their first time, but also their reputation among their circle of friends... which consequently gave the two even less time to be together.

Taking that into consideration, it’s probably safe to say Steven and Peridot won’t even have the time to officially keep their relationship a steady one until Era 3 stabilizes. That said, by the following year when Steven turns 17, they should officially be in the “serious” phase considering they’ll be ready to really go all the way. And the first change made when it gets serious is either going to be a demand to the Crystal Gems to give them daily private time - or even better - Steven and Peridot get their own shared bedroom. I actually like that one more.

Otherwise, GAverse aside, I think the change that signifies Steven and Peridot getting serious... hmm. I kinda like the concept that they independently get the idea to propose taking their relationship to the next level and surprise each other when they unknowingly spring that announcement at the same time, having made each other a trinket of some kind for each other to mark the occasion. Then like dorks, they’ll announce this to the rest of the Crystal Gems and they’ll be like “uh yeah we saw this coming a mile away, dumbasses, congrats”.

I also like the idea of Peridot being more self-conscious of her appearance when the relationship becomes more serious, which makes her a little obsessive and experimental with things like outfits, accessories... and god forbid, make-up. Of course, Steven won’t care about any of that... but that won’t make Peridot any less determined to look the part of a serious girlfriend!

13. When do they realize they should get together?

Definitely already a done deal in the GAverse as of Act III, Chapter 5. Had events played out differently, they would’ve officially been an item since the end of Act I. However, Steven coming back for Peridot even after she had given up hope of ever being rescued and being the one to fix her mind after White Diamond fucked it up royally - not to mention accepting her identity as Chartreuse, not giving a damn that she’s an abomination of scientific fuckery, or even that Peridot betrayed her friends (largely against her will, granted) - that makes for a more poignant moment when Steven tells Peridot that even after all the fuck-ups she’s made in Act III, that he still considers them boyfriend-girlfriend, and so should she.

So, thinking out of the box is trickier since we still have only a bare-bones grasp of what all’s happened in the time gap between seasons. Honestly, the most logical time for them to realize they should hook up should’ve been when Connie shunned Steven while Lapis abandoned Peridot. At the very least, any episode post-Raising the Barn should’ve been a golden opportunity for Steven and Peridot to realize how much they really love each other.

And since the movie was annoyingly heavy-handed with the Connvese teases with virtually no Stevidot interaction while season 6 as a whole is a still giant ? ... then it’s a matter of blindly grasping at straws to think when else they should hook up. We know they’re due for a bonding moment at some point in season 6, though. Hopefully it’s not about Lapis, but if it isn’t, I suspect it might have involve fusion... and I still like the headcanon of Peridot only being able to fuse with Steven due to being an Era 2. Not just an Era 2, but a type of gem that logically should never have a reason to fuse since peridots are not meant to fight. Their limb enhancers give them a means for self-defense, but that’s it. But some exclusivity with the fusion - plus Steven being the one to reassure Peridot that she’s not inadequate as a teammate (I imagine even in 2 years, she’s likely to be the weakest Crystal Gem).

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do?

Welp! I guess for gems I’ll have to think of some kind of equivalent (I guess chipped/cracked/destabilized/corrupted... ooooor what’s expected of Peridot to deal with once she’s got buns in her oven?), but for Steven having the cold...

Well, whether it’s GA Peridot or Not-GA Peridot, they’ll behave similarly but one will have a much wider range of capabilities than the other. Not that this really means much for GA Peri in this field, since she has no real comprehension of what a human illness is like and therefore can’t just will Steven’s illness away. In both cases, Peridot would first seek help from the likes of Pearl, Greg, or Connie. If Peridot’s left to deal with this solely on her own, however, she’ll probably give Steven a thorough interview of every single little symptom he has, then use Google-Fu to get instructions that she’ll follow to the goddamn letter.

Hopefully she doesn’t come across an instruction worded in a way that she’ll interpret it in some other way entirely because she doesn’t understand the phrasing, because that could lead to chaos easily.

In the meantime, she’d ask Steven like every other minute if he needs something unless he’s asleep. And since Peridot has no innate understanding of this phenomenon, she’ll relentlessly study Steven’s mannerisms, symptoms, and actions until she feels she’s achieved enlightenment. That, or Steven gets annoyed and tells her to cut it out... though she may argue she’s constantly staring at Steven like a creeper for educational purposes.

She won’t leave his side regardless, though, and since she’s not at risk of catching his cold, Peridot’s of course going to snuggle with him all the same and volunteer to be his supplementary cushioning.

If Peridot is ailing... depending on what it is, Steven will similarly ask Pearl and probably Garnet before doing anything on his own if they’re available to him. Google’s not gonna give him the info he needs, of course, so Steven’s got a bit of a tougher job in keeping Peri healthy. Then again, Steven’s a motherfucking healing saint, so whether he’s GAverse or not, Steven could easily trivialize this since he’s basically the show’s white mage. GA Steven will have the advantage of being able to read exactly how Peridot is feeling, so he won’t need to interrogate her to figure out the source of her pain/discomfort/illness.

Of course, neither Steven would just observe her like a weirdo (like his girlfriend would, basically); he’d be right there for hugs and cuddles and wouldn’t dare leave Peridot’s side unless he really needs to use the bathroom. But even then he’d feel so guilty leaving her alone for even a second, so he’d rush it.

Steven might even be corny enough to try chicken soup on Peridot. And of course if there’s buns in the oven, Steven will treat Preggerdot like absolute fucking royalty.

Bonus: Accurate video representation of how Steven and Peridot will interact when she’s in labor

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15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote?

Something with good physical comedy; that way Peridot is more likely to get some entertainment out of it on a first viewing without having to ask Steven what the joke is while he explains it.

For some reason, I was thinking Liar Liar.

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Since Peridot and Steven are so painfully transparent when they try to lie, they’ll feel much better about themselves watching something like this!

As for final vote, I think Steven would be the gentleman and let Peridot have the final vote. Peridot would likely think at least on some occasions that the final vote should go to Steven since he knows movies in general way better than she does (and therefore would have better overall judgment in what to pick), but Steven would just insist that he’s letting Peridot choose because since he trusts her instincts, she should, too.

There’s always a coin toss if they end up in a stalemate. :P And this would apply both for regular canon and GAverse.

Much more challenging round this time! Love it! I’ll always invite more questions, though at this point I may need to find some more memes to reblog, fff... here’s the meme if anyone still wants to snag questions from it and ask me from here!

Feel free to pass this headcanon BS to your fellow Stevidot peoples! There’s no such thing as too much content for this blessed ship.

#steven universe #peridot #su peridot #stevidot #gem ascension #answered asks #nice anons #shipping #ship meme

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astudyinsarcasm9 · 5 years

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Battle of Heart and Mind - Review - Beware of Spoilers

Before I dive into the review I just want to make a list of things that were left unanswered, just to get it out of the way. Here it is:

- How did White Diamond know that PD was Rose? It was never explained.

- How did White know what a child is.

- How did White know what a mom is. Blue and Yellow had no idea what a mom was or even what a child is. Why would White know?

- Who made White or how was White formed? And if she was the first gem in existence how did she know what was she supposed to be?

Feel free to add more.

I’ll split the review into parts so it’ll be easy to follow.

Part 1: Blue helping Steven and her and Yellow fighting.

While I liked the tender moment between Blue and Steven and the fact that she helped me I still think her giving in happened a tad too quick. All Steven had to do was point out how she locked PD in the same prison. he was in and how she must have cried so many times because of how Blue treated her. I understand the guilt Blue feels and because of that her change of heart seems a bit more believable.

Next. And I can’t believe I’m saying this but how did no one notice that Yellow was sitting in a room full of bubbled forced fusions:

That is incredibly messed up. And I am willing to bet that those were all experiments that went wrong and they were bubbled to study them on how to possibly make the cluster? Could be. Either way it was so so wrong.

The fight between Yellow and Blue was nice albeit short. I would’ve like to see Blue poof, just for a bit, just so we can learn a bit more about Diamonds. She could have reformed quickly afterwards. Anyway, Steven managed to stop them fighting and Yellow agreed to help him escape. But during the fight Blue said something that I think is very important:

”She was suffering in silence for ages, just like our gems, just like me”. This line is the ONLY reference we get to the fact that Homeworld gems are oppressed and unhappy. No one mentions it again. And I get it there wasn’t time but at least show the Homeworld gems reacting to the battle, to what was happening. The world felt so empty without them.

Anyway, after White gets in the way of Steven leaving Blue and Yellow’s ships return and we see Bismuth, Period and Lapis are piloting them.

And let me just say that Lapis and Peridot’s new forms are really nice. Peridot is so cute. I only wish she would have done something with her hair, but I guess that’s just how Peridots look.

I kinda like how Lapis doesn’t have an obvious star on her outfit. She is a CG but she’s not fully there yet. I guess the half star counts too.

After this, there comes another important line that I think deserves some talking about:

”No, I won’t go. Pink Diamond ran away from you. Rose Quartz, my mom, she started a war with you. But I don’t wanna run, I don’t wanna fight, I just want to talk”.

It’s a really...interesting line if you think about it. It shows how PD, RQ and Steven differ and how each had a different perspective about things. And again it shows how Steven is just a pacifist who wants to talk things out. I suppose it s only fair because at that point a battle with White would’ve meant doom but then again, at least try. Sometimes talking is not enough, that’s just how life works.

The special goes on to say how Steven and the Diamonds have to fix their broken family and Connie even steps in and says how her mom use to enforce a lot of rules on her which made her feel miserable. But that once she told her mum how she felt things got better.

That’s all cute and sweet but...we’re talking about a race of beings that conquer worlds and commit genocide like it’s nothing. And White doesn’t just make rules for the Diamonds, she makes rules for everyone, and if anyone disobeys them she outright shatters or posses them. I’m pretty sure Connie’s mom would just ground her and that would be all. I mean one can not just put a ”=” between these two instances and call it a day.

Anyway, Blue and Yellow’s decide to talk to White about how they feel and Blue has this to say about it:

”White, we used to be close, don’t you remember? Pink would make us laugh, all those silly things she did for no reason. But there was a reason: she wanted us to be happy together, but we weren’t and we’re still not. I know my purpose is not to be happy but I find it harder and harder to enforce your rules when they make me miserable, when they make us all miserable”.

Btw, Yellow’s speech was so corny. I get that she was terrified of White but it sounded so weird.

I could have gotten 100% behind Blue on this if it weren’t for the fact that...we were never shown that enforcing White’s rules made them miserable. All we saw is them doing their jobs as Diamonds and showing no remorse for it. Blue wanted to shatter Ruby. Yellow is willing to poof or shatter anyone that doesn’t fit in. We were never shown them having a moment, after, let’s say, ordering a gem to be shattered. Maybe it could’ve worked. To show them torn apart by their roles as Diamonds. But nope, none of that.

And sure they were close and Pink made them laugh but in the grand scheme of things they were still dictators, they were still shattering gems, conquering planets and so on. And even if they were happy together Im pretty sure that White would’ve wanted them to keep Homeworld as it is.

Part 2: Steven’s fusions and getting into White’s head.

Steven’s fusions were so cool. My favorite was Rainbow Quartz 2.0

I like to think it’s a male gem even though they’re genderless. But just because Steven is involved. Anyone is free to see them as they want. It’s still a really nice fusion.

I liked Sunstone too but her design was so-so. But that wasn’t the problem for me, the problem was breaking the fourth wall. It took away from the tension and the seriousness of the moment.

And that’s another problem of this special: it juggles with the tone. Sometimes it’s dead serious, sometimes it is over the top silly. It wants to be both but the two don’t exactly mix well. It reminds me of Disney’s Hercules where they did just that and the result was just a mush of silly and serious.

Keeping the tone consistent would have been a big plus. Not make it totally grim but just let the serious moments feel serious and urgent.

I think my favorite part of the special is when Steven is in White’s head/room. It was intense, it was serious, it was dark and most of all there were stakes.

Obsidian was wicked cool. Though I thought she’d look slightly different than the temple because Rose was involved in the fusion. Steven was.

Just one question: What was White waiting for while the gems were dancing to fuse into Obsidian?

Part 3 - Removing Steven’s gem aka the best part of the special with the best animation.

I loved, loved, loved this part. Everything was perfect.

The animation? Top notch. The music? There was music when the gem was removed - Great. The atmosphere? Great.

What I loved most was that PD/Rose did not reform. Everyone speculated for so long as to what would happen in a scenario like this and now we have our answer. It’s a confusing one but a beautiful one nonetheless.

Steven is not his mom at all. He is the literal fusion of PD and Greg. I viewed that scene as White ripping off PD’s genes from Steven and Steven falling apart because he was left with the Greg part of him. PD is gone because she literally fused her genes with Greg and passed her gem entirely to Steven. She made sure she was gone and she practically delivered and empty gem for him to make his own. It wasn’t PD or Rose powering Steven it was Steven powering Steven.

Brilliant.

Part 4: White and her realisation that she herself is off-color.

The animation on White was fantastic I need to say that. I liked that she was proven wrong, that she saw with her own eyes that Steven was Steven and that PD was gone forever. It turned her world upside down, sure but it told us that she is not all knowing as she wanted to be seen.

I can’t say I liker her sudden change of heart.

People who abuse and who are as toxic as she is will not just change because they are told that their ways are bad. Sure some of you might say she still seemed reluctant when she was on Earth. She seemed but the fact that she so quickly accepted to go on Earth and fix the corrupted gems, shows that she got over it quickly.

It is nice to see her facial expressions while on Earth and I get they were trying to show us how she is not comfortable with what is happening but come on, what dictator turned around so quickly?

Though, White being off-color was brilliant.

Part 5: Healing the corrupted gems

I was so happy to know we were gonna see the corrupted gems be healed.

But then I was so angry that it was just a montage. I mean it’s better than nothing but we waited for so many seasons for this. I understand there was a lack of time - 44 minutes - when they marketed it as an hour special - but come on.

I wanted to see Centy interact with Steven. I wanted Jasper to talk and find out about PD not just to see her all flustered after seeing everyone around her. We can assume Amethyst told her very briefly what was going on but still.

I felt cheated out.

Also, Lars was back and while the off-colors delivered my favorite joke from the special I feel it wasn’t worth their showing up. It was rushed as hell. And it felt awkward as the Diamonds were just standing there assisting to this little human reunion.

All in all it wasn’t bad but it was, as with all big SU episodes, incredibly rushed. The story is there, the characters are there but it was all cheapened by the terrible pacing and by the fact that, at the end of the day, Blue and Yellow were absolved of all their wrong doings because they were doing all those things to please White.

Again, I feel the need to reference ATLA and how there Zuko’s family, a royal family, which the Diamonds can be inferred also are, was also broken and messed up but the show acknowledged that it was a family beyond repair, that it was too toxic to even go there and that while YES they did have happy times, as Zuko tells us they had, even in those happy times Ozai was still the toxic person we know and they were still part of a system which oppressed the Fire Nation people. The fact that they were family and that they had happy times did not take away from the important aspect of Ozai being a dictator. Also, Azula was also doing all the terrible things she did to please Ozai yet the show doesn’t excuse her but it tells us it was messed up.

Why is SU excusing the diamonds?

#su spoilers #steven universe #white diamond #pink diamond #yellow diamond #blue diamond #homeworld #change your mind #boham #battle of heart and mind #fusion #su critical

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sk-salazar · 5 years

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Here are my favorite things and some amazing observations about “Change Your Mind”. Needless to say, there are spoilers.

💖 Those cute rainbow caterpillar bois that Pink brought to Homeworld. And the image in my head of them chasing the Pearls. 😂 Someone needs to draw that.

💖 That DejaBlue pun.

💖 Connie standing up to Mama Blue and using her strict parents to her advantage.

💖 Steven standing up for his support of fusion instead of just giving Blue an empty apology.

💖 Blue realizing that she was wrong to use her emotional manipulation powers on her loved ones all these eons. And her comment about Homeworld failing Pink instead of Pink failing Homeworld. So many kids who defy the status quo need to hear this.

💖 Blue hiding the kids in her hair loop.

💖 The symbolism behind Steven throwing off his Pink Diamond getup and putting on his own clothes to confront White. (Maybe they’re just more comfortable, but I feel like there’s a clear message there.)

💖 Blue saying, “She prefers to be called Steven.” Even if she didn’t use a male pronoun, I can see a message here of accepting your trans kid and defending their chosen identify. Even if it causes a strain in your marriage.

💖 Connie’s courage (again!) to stand up to Yellow. Everyone kept blaming Connie for “blowing Steven’s chance to talk to White” because she fused with him. And Connie’s statement about changing the rules for everyone was the best clapback to that. Steven knows he’s right. Steven knows that servitude is wrong. He knows that denying who you want to be and not loving who you want to love is wrong. So if he is to confront White Diamond, he must do it on his terms, not hers.

💖 Yellow crying of her own volition.

💖 Connie’s “face-off” pun and all the hand puns about the ships. 😂 And Bismuth wanting to uppercut an upper crust. The writing for this episode was 🔥.

💖 Steven saying “GASP!” instead of actually gasping. 😂

💖 Lapis’ and Peridot’s new forms! I’m so in love with Lapis’ palazzo pants and golden sandals! She looks like she has so much more personality now. 💙💚

💖 Peridot saying, “Who needs thumbs?” even tho they’re the reason humans are an advanced species. 😂

💖 Steven’s observation about all his forms. Pink represented the “flight” response and Rose represented the “fight” response. Both of which are primitive responses to conflict. Meanwhile, Steven represents using logic and compassion to foster dialogue. He’s the most ascended form.

💖 Blue saying, “In order to fix [our family], we must admit that it’s broken.” Here, she voices the most common fear of those people who always push back against progress.

💖 Yellow telling Steven to #TakeAKnee . I see what you did there, Sugar Woman. 😏

💖 Yellow having the courage to tell White that “we need to talk about us”. (I love all the throwback references in this episode! One of which is this line, which is a throwback to the episode about Greg and Rose.)

💖 Steven telling White to “let us in your head” or to “get out of your head”. To be “in your head” means that you’re self-centered and unconcerned about the world around you. Again, that 🔥 writing.

💖 Amethyst’s owl pun. 😂

💖 Steven fusing with all the Crystal Gems to save them. Not only was it a great idea in an emergency, but it’s a great plot device. It gives us the answer to our questions about who all the Steven fusions are, thereby making it easier to wrap up the show sometime in the near future.

💖 The new fusions!!! Rainbow Quartz is a posh twink, Sunstone is a positive, 80’s rapper-esque cool dude role model for kids and Obsidian fucking Te Ka.

💖 Rainbow Quartz blowing a raspberry, Rainbow Quartz blasting off with a literal rainbow trail, Rainbow Quartz’s “two stones and one bird” joke. Just, Rainbow Quartz. 🌈

💖 The Crystal Gems forming a cheerleading pyramid to form Obsidian and Pearl doing a Swedish Alps move.

💖 That badass fucking shot of Obsidian’s multiple arms. As well as that epic music they played for her scene.

💖 The Crystal Gems’ new forms. Pearl has completely thrown off that flimsy veil thing that all Pearls have. (Which is a symbol of servitude to her.) And now, her outfit is a lot more conventionally human. (Maybe a sign that she wants to pursue Mystery Girl?) Also, the Star is on her back, representing her putting her past as a Crystal Gem behind her. Now, she’s just Pearl and she just wants to live her own chosen purpose.

Garnet has both red and blue in her corset. After Ruby and Sapphire spent time apart, Ruby realized that she liked being with Sapphire while still being herself. Maybe Sapphire came to the same conclusion. Maybe they both came to the conclusion that they’re not two halves of a whole. They’re two whole beings in one pair.

💖 Bismuth loving Connie enough to make her a custom non-Rose Quartz-themed sword. I love how much she loves and protects the new crew.

💖 The Great and Lovable Peridot declaring that she’s Homeworld’s savior.

💖 As unnerving as it is, I love the way White tries to mess with Steven’s head. She talks about Yellow’s, Blue’s and Pink’s impurities making them dependent on each other. (Essentially, colored diamonds are created because of impurities.) And also how Pink surrounds herself with outcasts in order to be considered normal or good. I don’t agree with any of her statements, but you’ll often hear bigots use the same kind of logic to justify their worldview, which really makes this show hit home in many ways. I have to admit, her words kind of messed with my head, too. For a moment, I had some intrusive thoughts, wondering if I believed what I believe so that I could be “the best of the worst”. I snapped out of it really quick, mind you. But this was an incredibly effective speech.

💖 Amethyst calling White a dirt wad. 😂 She has NO chill.

💖 Again, White Diamond being an absolute villain when she says, “Now I’ve removed all their flaws. Now they are perfect, now they are ME.” This could be an interpretation of God. He sees free will as a mistake because his creations choose NOT to glorify him and NOT to be molded in his image. So many awesome sneak-disses of real people in this episode. 😎👏🏼

💖 Yellow Pearl’s silly Pink Steven line turning out to be foreshadowing. 🤦🏻‍♀️

💖 The palpable representation of self-love in the form of Steven adoring his own form. Also, there’s a throwback to Rose Quartz saying, “Every time you love yourself or you love being yourself, that’s me loving you and loving being you.” Steven really is Pink’s ascended form. The song in the credits is from Pink to Steven.

💖 Rose Quartz and Pink being gone for good. So many stories have characters that come back to life and it seems like death loses meaning nowadays. As much as I love Rose, I’m here for her never coming back. Especially because that represents Pink/Rose/Steven growing and moving on. Just as we never go back to our old, naive selves, neither should Pink.

💖 Steven being equal to White in power, apparently. She was shook with that scream of his! And he took his sweet ass time walking towards his meat suit. That’s power right there.

💖 White saying, “I only want you to be yourself and if you can’t do that, I’ll do it for you.” A perfect representation of people nowadays forcing people to deny their true identities through draconian laws, unwritten social codes and bigoted statements.

(“You do not look like this, you do not sound like this, you are Pink Diamond” = “If you have a penis/vagina, you’re a man/woman.” “That gender doesn’t exist.” “Men and women are supposed to be with each other because...reproduction.” “You can live together, but don’t call it marriage.” Etc, etc.)

💖 The best line in the whole show: “I AM a child. What’s your excuse?” What a sweet, heartfelt way to remind us of the pilot episode, when all this magic got started. 😭

💖 White Diamond interpreted Pink’s “impurity” as warmth earlier. All this time, she thought that being “perfect” meant being detached, cold, unsympathetic, overbearing and cruel. But she becomes more likeable and multi-faceted when she absorbs Pink’s warmth/light. Without it, she’s a creepy, aloof puppet master. But with it, she becomes the same old White that the Diamonds loved. She changed quite easily, so that indicates to me that she felt the need to remove her emotions to become a more effective leader. (Kind of like how people with broken hearts often vow never to love again.) There should be a future exploration on this. Did she remove her own emotions? Did she do it in order to detach herself from grieving for Pink? Or did a higher, more eldritch power do this to her? 🤔 Either way, Pink’s warmth is the antidote to all forms of frigidity. For all that guff about her perfect white light penetrating everyone, she sure got shown a thing or two. 😁

💖 Apparently, Pink Pearl is okay-ish. She probably still has the trauma of being taken from Pink and having her eye cracked. But she apparently has no memory of being controlled. I was so tormented for the last month, wondering if poor Pink Pearl was screaming for freedom, trapped inside her own body. 😢

💖 Steven’s throwback to the song he sung to Lars and Sadie when they were stranded on the island. “If you let others just be whoever they are, maybe you could let yourself be whoever you are” is a throwback to “Let Yourself Just Be Wherever You Are”. It’s also a perfect message to people who rely on bigotry and forcefulness to serve as their whole identity.

💖 Sadie’s green hair. 💚 What a look! And Greg is such a good guy that he’s allowed Sadie and her band to play his song. ☺️ Also, her literal mic drop when the Diamond mothership lands above her. 🤣

💖 The way our perfect cinnamon roll always brings people together. The way he introduces the off-colors to the Diamonds like it’s NBD, like there hasn’t been eons of bad blood between them. And the way White is willing to say hello to them first. What a good grandma. ☺️ It’s funny that earlier on, White said that Pink inspires others to be their worst selves. Yet whenever Steven does stuff like this, it inspires me to be my best self. And many other fans too, I’m sure!

💖 Lars being kind to Lion. ☺️

💖 The off-colors and corrupted-now-uncorrupted Gems finally getting their happily ever after. ☺️

💖 Jasper still retaining a scar of her corruption. Because no one ever comes back unscathed and that little detail makes this story so much more real to us. Also, the way Amethyst explained everything to her, even after the way Jasper had bullied her.

💖 Yellow throwing up some deuces as the mothership was blasting off. 😂✌🏼 There is hope for these Diamonds after all.

💖 Steven’s closing song. What a perfect message to sum up the entire episode. 😍

#steven universe #pink diamond #pearl #rose quartz #amethyst #lapis lazuli #yellow diamond #blue diamond #peridot

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sharethisgemwithme · 5 years

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“Change Your Mind” instant reaction

As always, my first watch is without pausing or rewinding. The stopwatch for part one starts as close to "We..." as possible (assuming we get a standard intro). As this is a single episode, I'll pause the clock during commercial breaks and try to gather my thoughts, then post the whole thing in one block.

As the episode just aired, and this is quite lengthy, parts 2-4 are behind a cut. I’m gonna go through and re-proofread after posting.

0:00 - LET THE BATTLE OF HEART AND MIND BEGIN. I don't expect a standard episode title card, more likely something like they did for "Bismuth". 0:03 - WE'LL ALWAYS SAVE THE DAY! 0:21 - OK, title card. And the litany of boarders. 0:34 - Wake up, Pink Lasagna. 0:44 - "Oh right, prison." Exactly what I would have sarcastically typed. 0:58 - Umm, where is she? 1:11 - You didn't send her to the zoo, did you? 1:24 - What the hell? 1:38 - That's a weird looking pebble. Even for the pebbles. 1:48 - Oh. Shit. flashback? 2:04 - She's gonna take away your pearl. That's gonna become White Pearl? 2:28 - Everything goes in circles. 2:39 - Another terrible nightmare. Enjoy eternity spent in prison. 2:55 - Yep. Everything goes in circles, alright. 3:06 - Connie, you are probably not gonna help the situation right now. 3:25 - Ok. "I'm sorry." 3:29 - Or not. 3:38 - Bunches of tears. 3:49 - This is not gonna make her any happier. 4:09 - It has warped him into thinking that fusion is okay. Which is not a bad thing. 4:32 - Oof. 4:46 - You did. A lot. Enough to make her run away and pretend she was gone forever. 5:04 - "This is why you left, isn't it?" Pretty much. 5:10 - I think we're about to get a song... 5:35 - I don't know we're ready to get you home. 5:45 - MEAL TIME. 6:08 - Good luck with that. 6:25 - Busted. 6:42 - "She prefers to be called Steven." Wow. Close enough. 7:06 - Diamond on diamond violence. 7:24 - This is a good distraction. 7:38 - That's a lot of shards in bubbles in the background there. 7:50 - I saw four gems there. 8:00 - They're not ready to reform yet! 8:08 - You've already done that. Yep, just like Blue just said. 8:20 - But Yellow can't admit that she's hurtng. 8:34 - Yellow trying to fuckin' kill Blue here. 8:59 - It's been only 100 something episodes since that hot dog line came up. I'm glad Yellow was like "WTF does that even mean?" 9:21 - You'd think these bridges would be a bit sturdier. 9:29 - "I'm not." 9:45 - RUN FOR IT. 9:58 - Makes sense. The harder the hit, the longer the recovery. 10:17 - Yeah, this isn't gonna work. 10:29 - Time for white to say her line from the promo. "You're not going anywhere." 10:35 - I mean that was kinda obvious, but... called it. 10:58 - White Pearl, you are freaky as all hell.

OK, so Steven and Connie have retrieved the physical gems, and have Blue and Yellow on their side, but 3 on 1 might not be enough for a fair fight.

11:00 - Start of Act 2. 11:15 - Go to your rooms. All three of you. 11:29 - Was that pun really necessary, Connie? 11:44 - And here comes Bismuth! 11:55 - They look like they're lying, even though we know they aren't. 12:14 - Boom, what a knockout. 12:22 - Bismuth's piloting one of them. 12:32 - I guess Peri's piloting the other one, if she's woken up. 12:45 - Damn, those are some fancy outfits 12:52 - Lapis... almost has a star. 13:00 - Good thing you fixed it. 13:20 - One of these days Steven will learn how to GET THE FUCK OUT WHILE YOU CAN. 13:45 - At least put the gems somewhere safe! 14:07 - And White won't admit it. 14:14 - Connie's motif. Always pretty. 14:25 - Remember when Dr. Maheswaren was used as a proxy for Yellow? 14:55 - She called him Steven! 15:08 - FORM VOLTRON! 15:20 - It's about time we found out why the diamond ships form a full body. 15:55 - Id on't know what they'd actually want to say, though. 16:02 - I took over a lot of worlds, and I don't get enough credit for that. 16:25 - So many geology puns there. 16:30 - I'm not sure that's the kind of conversation Steven was really looking for, though. 16:51 - Peridot's visor is too wonky IMO. 17:00 - Let us all into our head. That might be a bit too literal. 17:!2 - WHAT THE FUCK. 17:19 - WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK. 17:28 - NOT OKAY. 17:36 - AGAIN, HOW ABOUT WE GET THE FUCK OUT AND REGROUP? 17:50 - Goddammit, Steven. I told you to put those somewhere safer than IN YOUR HANDS. Don't you have pockets?! 18:28 - What? That's a bit weird. 18:36 - Is that how he's gonna get the other ones back also?! 18:54 - "Owl be fine.” NICE. 19:04 - WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS!!! 19:15 - Whose voice is that? 19:28 - Luckily this chasm is fuckin' infinite. 19:59 - OH HELL YES WE DOING THIS ALRIGHT! 20:07 - Or maybe not just yet.

Holy shit all the new fusions and forms, fuck yeah everything. But we didn't even get a name or appearance for Steven + Garnet before they got stomped on by a diamond ship.

20:15 - Start of Act 3. 20:19 - So much for a chance to collect my thoughts first. 20:29 - "You better step off." "Chillax my dudes." 20:41 - Sunstone. Wow. 20:48 - I feel like I should be able to place this voice, but I can't. 21:12 - Fourth wall breaking. Just like on the bingo card. 21:25 - Bungacowa. That's Amethyst's line! 21:38 - What the hell is even happening now? 21:58 - That didn't work. 22:02 - Another wonky visor. 22:10 - Obsidian? 22:14 - OBSIDIAN! 22:20 - You might wanna hurry this dance up. 22:38 - Gonna look like the temple fusion? 22:58 - YEP. Even though I question the chronology of that. 23:11 - Huge is a relative term. 23:25 - Yeah, it's about time the B team started doing something down here. 23:49 - Peridot, shut up before you get smacked in the face again. 24:02 - Try to be a little more stable when you got a human holding on for dear life. 24:22 - Oof, they took a hit. 24:39 - Bismuth's suit is metal. That should be good enough. 24:48 - Fuckin' ow. 24:52 - Connie. Where's Connie? 24:58 - Whew. 25:05 - "I've got this." The hell you do, Connie. 25:19 - If you're Voltron, then why am I the one forming blazing sword? 25:40 - Gem script decoders, get to work. 25:59 - They fell apart. But now they've got a way in. 26:15 - Save Connie! 26:24 - Never mind, she's okay. 26:40 - Oh this is creepy as all fuck. All three of them with one voice. 27:07 - So why didn't White zap Steven or any of the true rebels? 27:39 - Amethyst is me. As usual. 27:51 - Why did I have to ask that? 28:02 - Yeah, and it's plenty, Amethyst. 28:11 - GET OUT OF THE WAY, DAMMIT. 28:24 - This is not going well. 28:32 - And now they're all devoid of color. 28:55 - That was a middle finger, just sayin'. 29:09 - Oh good we got the 360 degree head spin just for kicks. 29:35 - She's not often told that she's wrong. 29:47 - "Because you are also flawed."? 30:07 - That's a creepy laugh. On top of all the other creepy shit. 30:20 - Connie, be careful. 30:33 - The student faces the teacher. 30:58 - Please make it stop. 31:15 - You've gotta say something more than just "You're wrong." 31:28 - That picture did seem a bit weird. 31:53 - We know that he's part gem. That doesn't mean he's the same person. 32:15 - And one more commercial break? 32:30 - Oh don't you dare. 32:49 - FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. WE ALWAYS WORRIED THAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN.

"Three Gems", "Bubbled", and I'm sure one or two other episodes teased the idea of what would happen if Steven's gem was removed. Well we're about to find out, I guess. Shit.

33:00 - Start of Act 4. 33:05 - Oh wow, a two-part vision? 33:19 - This is freaky. 33:32 - Shit, I wasn't looking at all the forms. 33:45 - Yikes. 33:49 - No one's quite sure what to say. 33:59 - Are they gonna talk together? I guess not. 34:15 - That's some hardcore yelling from Pink Steven. 34:35 - Merge with him. Please. 34:42 - Fuck, Connie got strong. 34:52 - It's not a real thing. You can't zap him. 35:10 - Or something like that. 35:21 - Luckily he's got a 360 shield. 35:40 - What does this mean? 35:50 - Flesh Steven is in so much pain. 36:02 - 'Cause it's funny how much you suck. 36:19 - He's back! 36:40 - White is losing her shit. She's the one having the tantrum. 36:54 - Oh, her imperfections are showing. And now there's color in the world again! 37:13 - I don't think you're in control anymore. 37:25 - And where's the original Pink Pearl? 37:33 - Show us the original pink pearl. 37:39 - Read the room, guys. 37:55 - There she is! 38:02 - Still wondering what the deal is with her eye. 38:14 - OH FUCK, THAT'S WHY SHE SHINE SO BRIGHT, SO THAT NO ONE CAN SEE HER SHADING. 38:30 - We're all who we are. 38:38 - Why don't you let yourself just be whoever you are! 38:45 - You been doing a shit job of making everything better so far, White. 38:59 - And we're glad they left Greg behind. 39:12 - Sadie's singing Greg's greatest hit! 39:25 - IT'S BEACHAPALOOZA. 39:38 - Greg's gonna break into tears. And then some. 39:47 -- Ronaldo's face! 39:55 - PERFECT TIMING, LARS! 40:12 -Or maybe not, Rhodonite, but it's okay. 40:29 - Yeah, they know who the Diamonds are. 40:44 - You're kin with each other now. 40:55 - Oh god, Padparascha. 41:02 - "Lars isn't going to know what to say." Oh god, I laughed. 41:18 - How long has it been since we had a nice star wipe ending? 41:39 - I think that counts as a hot pink limousine. 41:56 - Ronaldo already pissing off Lars. 42:20 - We're healing everybody!!!! 42:42 - New verse for the "WATCG"! 43:02 - JASPER! 43:15 - Someone's gonna have to explain something to Jasper. 43:36 - So... where the hell do we go from here? 43:52 - Like, seriously. What in the hell can the next episode possibly be? 44:45 - Eh. I'm not sure how I feel about that last song. 45:00 - Movie promo! 45:10 - COMING THIS FALL.

And... we got the credits from "We Need to Talk" for some reason. Okay then. No credit notes tonight, I suppose.

#steven universe #change your mind #battle of heart and mind #diamond days #su liveblog #instant reaction #su spoilers

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bigjbonk · 5 years

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Change Your Mind Review (SPOILERS)

Now I don't usually do reviews, but man, I can't NOT talk about this episode. I'll be pointing out the best, the worst, and the confusing, as well as some speculation. Prepare yourselves, because this will be a long one, and I have no idea how to do the "keep reading" thing on mobile. Really sorry! So I guess we'll start from the beginning. At first, I had no clue Steven was sleeping. It didn't hit me at all until it was revealed that Connie was gone. I thought it was a nice way to start, because the audience was just as disoriented and lost as Steven was in that moment. That, and it was made obvious that this was a regular occurrence for Pink. Then there's Blue herself. She was furious because she couldn't understand his actions, and when Steven tried to get her to understand, she retaliated because she couldn't. In real life, people try to explain things using what they know, even if the information they have isn't accurate or reliable. People assimilate new knowledge into the old, because that's easier than changing the information you have. This is where many prejudices come from. When new and old information conflict, it can create a strong dissonance, and generally, people don't know how to react to that. So if assimilating doesn't work, they reject. Luckily for Steven, he was able to contextualize the situation in a way that Blue could understand. Though it's not totally clear if Blue fully understands (and it wouldn't be realistic to expect her to after eons of being told that organics are inferior and that non-identical fusion is atrocious), she realizes that she had indeed been doing something wrong. This scene gave me hope. If one Diamond could find it in herself to change and move on, then maybe the rest would too, though I had no idea how the crew was going to pull it off in the next 40 minutes. Then there was Yellow. She had all of the same issues that Blue had, and more. The thing with Yellow was, she was already trying to fix things, but not in the way things needed to be fixed. Instead of working to make things better, she worked to make things WORK. The problem is that making do isn't helping at all, but rather maintaining the flawed system that continues to hurt the lower-caste Gems, and the Diamonds are still miserable anyway. Yellow is fully aware of this, yet she still reacted violently when Blue tried to do something different. Why? Fear. Ultimately, this is White's system, and to try to change it would mean incurring her wrath. It's mentioned that White had poofed a Diamond before, and if the old murals were anything to go off of, it was probably Blue. Yellow didn't want that to happen again. Even if it meant hurting Blue now, she wanted to guarantee that White wouldn't do something worse. For someone as structured as Yellow, it only made sense that reaching her meant showing her that "making it work" just wasn't working. I thought it was a touching scene overall. And oh boy, was I excited when Bismuth arrived to fight off White. And then when it was revealed who was flying the other ship, BOOM. Lapis and Peridot, ladies and gentlemen! I absolutely loved the new designs, I gotta say, though that was when I got my first nitpick. Where did the orange in Lapis's sash come from? A homage to Jasper? On a blue Gem??? Gems are usually analogous in their color schemes, so to see a contrasting color on her was odd. Though maybe it's possible to see spots of other color in real lapis lazulis? I wouldn't know, and I could be wrong. It still irked me a bit, but in the grand scheme of things it was easy to overlook. Just feel the need to mention. White's ship's eyes? Those are horrifying. Put them away. Put corks in the pupils. Please, for the love of Sugar, those are going to give me nightmares. But at least seeing her trying and failing to swat everyone was pretty dang funny for someone who seemed so poised and perfect a few episodes ago. We. Finally. Got. More. Steven. Fusions!!! Smoky's outfit was adorable, Rainbow Quartz was a little surprising but definitely acceptable (I love Pearl's jacket by the way), and Sunstone was... uhhh??? Unique? Not what I was expecting from Garnet, that I will say. But the Fourth Wall breaks absolutely killed me. I guess I sort of liked the fusions? They were nice, but I was kind of simultaneously wishing to see more of them, and for their introductions to be spaced out more. It kind of felt rushed together. Also, fusing with a Gem before she's ready to reform seems really dangerous, but I guess it isn't. And what was with the whole "our only hope is for the four of us to fuse" thing? There were literally three other perfectly good gems right there. Obsidian. That was their name, right? They were pretty much exactly what I was expecting, and they are great monster mom. "YOU'RE HUGE!" Cue even huger giant woman robot mecha ship monster. The resulting climb/battle was equal parts awesome and amusing. The Gems crawling into the pupil gave me Big Jethro vibes. Considering who Sugar is with, it was probably intentional. (Wink wonk IJQ?) We totally called it with White Pearl. But to think White would do to the other Diamonds what she did to Pearl? That was really unexpected. That whole scene was unsettling and utterly terrifying. You know what I noticed about White throughout? She was projecting. The fandom generally seems to agree that White is very abusive towards the Diamonds, and her behavior definitely lines up. One thing that people as a whole have in common, I believe, is a desire to be good. Nobody really WANTS to be bad, but we are well aware that some people just are. And we don't want to be like those people. For some that means volunteering, and for others that means being polite to strangers. Most will try to suppress their flaws in some manner, as White pretty much outright admitted to doing. In some cases, though, oftentimes in abusive situations, there is a tendency to project those flaws onto others. White told Steven that he surrounded himself with weaker beings so that he could feel strong, but isn't that what White herself did? It's easier to say something is wrong with someone else than yourself. And then she made them "better." She did something that "helped," so now she could say she did something "good." And bad people don't do good things. By changing the Gems like she did, she was reinforcing her notion that she was doing something good, and therefore she could continue with that behavior. This is likely also why she talked over Steven in "Legs From Here To Homeworld." If he got a say, he could say something to challenge her world view, and that's scary. She couldn't accept that she had done something bad. ...There are theories and fanfictions everywhere discussing what would happen if Steven's gem was removed. Most decided that he would die. Some said Pink/Rose would come back. I guess now we know? He doesn't die, but he was severely weakened, possibly dying. Not that anything else could be expected in a kid's show, at least not on-screen. Not a disappointing outcome, though. What I don't get is, what WAS Pink Steven? Whatever that was wasn't a Gem, or at least not a Gem in the sense that we have come to understand Gems. I think that was just the Gem essence within Steven or something? Hopefully there will be something later on further explaining whatever that was. And can we talk about "SHE'S GOOOOOONNNE!" Uh, what?! It got a little Dragonball there for a second. But... why? Why is Pink Steven so OP? He made White, the strongest of all the Diamonds, fall down. Doesn't sound like much, but when a show makes a point of pointing out "Wow, this character is stronger than all of the other characters," that's a really big deal. But how, and why? Why is Pink Steven OP? Why is Pink Steven OP?! Please explain, Rebecca! :0 So, is Steven a human-Gem fusion then? Because that gave me some serious "Jailbreak" vibes. Oddly enough, it makes sense, and I am totally okay with this. White's Blush really brings out her whites. Cutest thing since Peridot's laugh on the Moon Base. Very precious. I shouldn't say this about evil immortal alien queens, but White is a gumdrop. Huh, White sure had a lot of ideas for what she was supposed to be. She had to get those notions from somewhere, right? That tells me that there has to be something out there greater than the Gems, possibly their creators? Everyone has their place in the Diamond Authority, including the Diamonds themselves. That means White was given her purpose. Perhaps she was in a similar boat to Yellow, maintaining the image to prevent wrath from higher up? Not at all related, but how did she know what a child was, anyway? We. Are the Diamond Authority. We'll try to save the corrupted Gems. And if you think we can't, we'll have a bubble bath and prove you wrong. JASPER. PADPARADSCHA. I love how every shot White is in, she just has this sneer like, "Ew, what am I even doing here, what are these things, is this water contaminated, where did these people come from, can we please just get back on the ship." It's nice to see that the Diamonds are really trying now. It's too late to correct their past wrongs, and they're probably not going to do a complete one-eighty after all the conditioning they've been through, but they're on their way to being their better selves, and I am happy for them and wish them the best. All in all, a wonderful episode all around. If this was why Steven Universe has such a wonky schedule, then keep it up if it means we get more like this.

#steven universe #su #su spoilers #spoilers #long post #longpost #review #change your mind #su change your mind

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pixelpolaroid · 6 years

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Let’s talk about Steven Universe

I’ve never done on of these blog review things before, but I really wanna talk about the most recent Steven bomb. I thought about doing it throughout the week, but this gives me more time to rewatch the episodes and get proper thoughts out. I’m deciding that I’ll go through each episode one by one and make some notes. Hope you enjoy and feel free to add your own thoughts. I’d love to get other opinions on this.

This is your last warning. SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!!!!!

S05 E19 Now we’re only falling apart

After Steven tells Garnet and Amethyst, Pearl says that it was Pink diamond’s last order to not tell. She specifically said Pink, not Rose. I think that that’s very telling, it’s obvious from a lot of the last few episodes that Pink wasn’t a huge fan of being a diamond, probably because she wasn’t treated as one.

A small detail that I really like and I’m sure a lot of people have pointed out is that before Garnet unfuses, there’s a tear under her left eye; Sapphire's eye.

I like the fact that Sapphire says she never looked into Rose. Sapphire was clearly a very well respected gem, having 3 Ruby guards when visiting Earth. She probably would’ve been more suspicious on her own. But not after Rose was the first person to be okay with her as Garnet.

Pearl was given to Pink diamond. She wasn’t made for Pink, she was given. Interesting choice of words. That, along with her gem placement just makes me believe that our Pearl was specifically made for White, but then given to Pink.

Something that I don’t think anyone has pointed out yet, when Pink and Pearl go down to watch the Amethysts on the orb thing (whatever it’s called) the murals aren’t there yet. I wonder if they were made after Pink was shattered.

“We’re creating life from nothing,” So this shows that until she went down to explore Earth, Pink legit thought that she wasn’t hurting anything through her colonization.

I thought the Amethysts looked weird until I realized their wearing pink instead of blue, like from the last time we saw them.

Nice gemsona Pearl.

8XM! They were gonna wait for Amethyst!

Pearl is obviously enthusiastic about the many resources for making gems, just like Peridot. SO Pearl wasn’t like Pink, she didn’t see the Earth the way Pink did, even after they explored. The only reason she joined the crystal gems was because she was following orders. AND THAT IS ALL!

Damn Pearl, is one thirsty gem. Immediately trying to fuse after finding out it’s possible. I would’ve loved to see the first Rainbow Quartz fusion, but I think it’s fitting that they didn’t. They probably weren’t expecting that to happen, mutually panicked and then started to unfuse.

Pearl so quick to saying that she needs to be replaced is interesting. After all the work from the revolution, she still thinks that. Maybe because it’s already happened before?

Pearl talking about how Pink was selfish and probably wrong, and then that little detail where she’s about to stop herself. Very nice! It’s always the little details that you gotta appreciate.

Overall Episode Review:

This one does give a little more about Pink and why she did the things she did, but still never justifies her action completely. Even Pearl dissagrees with her, which says a lot. The biggest issue I have that came out of this episode. Lemme break it down:

Pink starts to complain to the other diamond that she doesn’t want to finish the colony, saying she wants to preserve live on Earth. Then Rose Quartz shows up out of no where telling Pink to stop the colony, to preserve life on Earth. Neither of them thought it a little too coincidental??? Really? Diamond, surprisingly not the sharpest gems on homeworld.

S05 E20 What’s your Problem

Okay first issue. Both Sapphire and Ruby left. Sapphire left crying saying how her relationship was a lie, irrational, and crying. Ruby took the time to write a note and said she needs time to think. Then they all freak out cause they think its the end of Garnet? Bitch if Sapphire can see the flawed logic in her action when she’s trying to be angry, Ruby will be back. I don’t need to know it’s a kid show to know that.

Why would she be cowboy? Love it

Garnet is Pearl’s OTP

You’re saying Ruby is pretty literal? Steven all gems are pretty literal! Besdies Amethyst, most gems don’t seem to understand sarcasm or when something is just a phrase.

Steven and Amethyst are both doing the very well known tool of “Worrying way more about the needs of others and ignoring their own,” I think a lot of people can probably relate to this, and I’m really glad Rebecca Sugar put this in.

Kiki is literally the cutest person ever. I want her as a best friend.

Amethyst and Steven are literally the best pairing. This is why their fusion works so well. They understand each other in ways that other gems and human can’t. I love Smokey Quartz because of this fact. Amethyst is slowly becoming my favorite character.

Finally!! Someone said it! I’m so glad that they’re finally making it clear that no one is responsible for what Rose did. She was rash and selfish and Amethyst was like the quickest to accept that, but what she didn’t accept was they had to deal with her mess.

I think I made my finally overall review in that last comment. Onto the next one!

S05 E21 The Question

So Greg is basically the love doctor at this point, and it’s very obvious. I love him so much. The fact that he’s so chill with Rose being Pink is amazing. He loved Rose, not Pink.

Ruby is literally a college freshmen on their first day of being on their own. She wants to experience things for her own in order to figure out what she wants. It’s great seeing Greg be so supportive, I think he probably sees a lot of himself in her. He wanted to do his own thing and make music, so he did even though not everyone thought he should.

Ruby Rider is such a good song. It’s so fitting, but also just has good lyrics.

This episode shows the difference between being alone and feeling lonely really well. Being alone means that you don’t have anyone around, while being lonely is that empty feeling when you don’t have anyone close.

S05 E22 Made of Honor

This episode is probably my favorite in this Steven bomb.

The fact that Steven is breaking gender roles by planning a wedding his entire life is the best thing next to a gay wedding in a children’s TV show. Love it!

I’m really glad that they brought Peri back in advance instead of having her show up at the wedding because then it feels like she’s been there longer. I still think it’s funny that all while they were talking about Pink and Garnet unfused and all that, she was just hiding out in the bathroom.

Ok I saw a lot of things coming for this Steven bomb, but I was legit shocked when Steven went to bring back Bismuth! Which I love btw. She says, “I just tried to shatter you,’ Which, for her, yeah that just happened. But it’s been months for everyone else.

Seeing Bismuth’s legit shock and confusion after seeing a friend corrupted is so genuine. She’s lost for words, completely frozen with fear and denial. By the time she does snap out of it, it’s because her life is endanger, but she’s crying. Full of regret and sadness.She can’t even watch as she fights and eventually puffs her, its really quite sad. I think a lot of us missed that in the excitement of seeing Bismuth again.

I’m fine. *sticks head in lava* *screams* OH MY GOD!! So relateble Bismuth.

Bismuth jokes about how absurd she must have sounded to Rose, but here’s something that I really wish would’ve happened. Imagine what Bismuth said to Steven, that she would’ve taken the fight to homeworld, shattering the Diamonds. It would be nice to think that Pink would’ve not only been worried about herself, but the other diamonds as well. However, considering that she didn’t consider how they, and her armies would’ve felt after she herself was shattered, it’s probably very unlikely that she’d be worried about them. It is taking all of my willpower not to rant about Pink Diamond but I’ll save that for another day.

Garnet is Bismuth’s OTP

Ok another little detail I love. Ruby lights the grill then is like “look bae! I did a thing!” Ruby is literally about to get married to this gem but is still trying to impress her with how hot she is. That’s so precious!

Steven, buddy. I love you, but do you really not see the problem Bismuth has with just showing up like this? Even I thought it was a horrible idea to bring her at first. However I do appreciate this scene because it further shows that he is JUST A KID!!!

Small detail, when Steven calls the gems around, why is Peri about to pour soda on the grill? Honey, what do you think that will do?

I honestly would’ve loved to see Peri and Bismuth’s first interaction. I think it would’ve been pretty funny.

S05 E23 The Reunion

Firstly the Song: Steven’s opening song is the definition of ignore your problems until they go away. Actually though I think the song is really beautiful. I love Pearl in her Mr. Greg suit, especially with the hat. Peridot’s always been the one to worry, doing calculations and determining the problems and possible bad outcomes, so the fact that we first see her in this episode thinking about what Lapis said is extremely fitting. Her little spring dress makes her look so cute too.

5750 years and 8 months. That is a long hecking time together. It’s also a long time since the revolution, which I always thought was only like 2000 years ago.

“By the power invested in me and by the state of Delmarva,” nice one Sugar. Nice

I really love Garnet’ wedding outfit. It’s super cool looking.

Ok Ok Ok, shit gets real. The battle with Blue Diamond is just super cool. I’m really glad that it was it’s own entire episode because the diamonds are a big deal. Seeing them actually holding pretty strongly against everyone is pretty impressive and really shows that they’re the leaders for a reason.

So Garnet steps up to the plate, and while she doesn’t actually do much more than distract Blue, this scene really shows so much. First off, I’m just now noticing that Garnet didn’t unfuse when Alexandrite did, which is pretty awesome. Her power walk to Blue is super cool and so is the music. I know everyone has already praised Garnet for how strong her relationship is, but this just shows it so well. All the others are struggling to stand, but Garnet knows that she has to do this right now so Lapis can (literally) get the drop of her. Awesome moments.

Lapis drops the barn on Blue like how I drop ansty stories on my followers ;)

So Lapis and Peridot didn’t hug. Which is fitting for their characters and their relationship. they’re not the huggy, touchy kind of friends, they’re the watch TV until we see the sun and make stupid art together friends. Them hugging would’ve been awkward and forced.

Ok back to Blue Diamond. It’s impressive that they knocked her down, but Lapis literlly chucked them all right at her and she just stood there and took it like a champ! I’m still not over how freaking powerful these gems are! God I really wish we could’ve seen her fight Alexandrite.

Lapis having trouble against Yellow, yeah sorry. Water/Flying is 4x weak to Electric. All she had to do was rub her feet on the carpet then poke you.

Amethyst’s main thought just being “don’t die, don’t die, don’t die,” such a mood.

Okay I know it’s pretty bad that Peridot and Lapis got poofed but I really hope that at least Peri reforms with a star. I need a new form change, that’ll be awesome!

Ok hearing their thoughts followed by their auras getting stronger and pushing steven back shows a lot about them psychologically. Yellow blames herself for Pink’s shattering, she always has. Yes she’s upset, but her way of projecting that lose is harsher, more sturdy, like lightning. While Blue just misses her and thinks about how she could still see her again. Her aura is much more smooth, effecting people emotionally, just like how she is more emotional. Yellow emotes with action more than emotions. Their responses match their attack styles which I find so cool.

Overall Episode Review:

What I love about this episode is that you think it’s gonna be about Ruby and Sapphire getting a back together. But they aren’t having a reunion, they’re having a wedding. The reunion is Homeworld with Earth; the Diamond authority with the Crystal gems; Blue and Yellow with Pink. The fact that they had to feel Pink before actually seeing her feels similar to how we’ve seen gems in the past. Gems are very literally, but the most extreme actions happen when they’re extremely emotional. Pink became Rose because the Diamonds wouldn’t listen to her, and she got angry. Garnet stayed Garnet because they were in live. Bismuth attacked Rose because she wouldn’t listen, and later attacked Steven because she felt betrayed. Gems have very strong feelings.

Hopes and predictions for the next Steven bomb:

Well as a lot of people want, I really hope we finally get to see White Diamond, like she seems like an important character but we haven’t even heard mention of her. We’ve seen her hand and that’s it. Also I want the off colors to show up, the new Lars and the twins back on Earth would be sweet!

As far as plot wise, I think that Yellow and Blue are going to want Steven to come back to Homeworld with them. I know they’re not going to be okay with the crystal gems just staying there, so I’m super interested to see what becomes of that.

Well that took a lot longer than I thought. If you made it this far, good job. And comment “Topaz” so I know you did (It’s my birth stone). A little Easter egg for the go getters. I’d like to do more of these types of things. Maybe about more specific characters or something. I don’t know. This was a lot of fun and like I said if you have any other thoughts or something you’d like to add/ discus

I’ll end it here since this has been going on for a while

-Pixel

#steven universe #crystal gems #garnet #amethyst #pearl #ruby #sapphire #peridot #lapis lazuli #yellow diamond #blue diamond #connie #pixel talks #review

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unicagem · 6 years

Photo

Tbh the reason I entered the Steven Universe fandom after 2 years of watching the series is Emerald...

If I won’t like her, she might even be the reason I will leave it... that stigma when your name is associated to a character but you don’t want. Rip.

Naah, sad scenarios aside, this is my Emerald cosplay! As you know this is the outfit from the concept art, but at the moment I only have this shade of (EMERALD) green bodypaint, so you’ll have to wait before seeing the other PERIDOT GREEN skintone (although this shade doesn’t look as bad as I thought). I’ll have to paint the neck and hands too but I’m glad the other version has gloves because it’s a torture wearing bodypaint/bodysuit on hands during cons >>

I don’t know what to wear as shoes? The black boots were my original idea but I remembered I have golden shoe cover from an old cosplay. Too bad they look quite rough compared to the rest because I made them by hand before buying the new sewing machine (whose name is Jasper, useless detail), but honestly, I like the effect on my leg more than the boots.

Wig?? Here’s what I tried to do:

Cute right?

HELL NO!

It looked horrible when worn, the photos make it look better but I assure you it was really ugly especially in the posterior part! The hair spray made the wig look like it was covered in shitty wood glue (or something else) and instead of volume it made me look like a troll. I used hair spray other times and this is the first time I get this horrible effect... So I washed the wig and used hairdryer to change the hairstyle. At least, now it looks fuller, but still far from Emerald’s hairstyle, and as you can see I’m keeping a headband because it helps me putting locks where I want for photos. I found a lovely tutorial about changing the direction of the wefts with vapor and then teasing, but... teasing a wig? Me? I’m not ready for that, I should try it with an old wig first.

This said, I feel like Bibi. Or Emerold. Wrong Emeralds.

Now, have this photo that came out with a weird lighting and shows the moment when I was accidentally possessed by some spirit (all I wanted was to imitate her pose in the concept art but clearly yesterday wasn’t the right day)

Here you can see the back. I don’t know why but it reminds me of the Joker. Although I have enough fur to complete the collar, I didn’t attach it because I like the neckline I created! Sorry I don’t have a photo, I forgot to take it, but it should be called “Queen Anne” style!

In any case I have two fur shrugs, so this isn’t a problem.

The gemstone is attached to the tiara. Obviously, I can’t take pics without or I’ll be gemless as well (?). The problem is that I ran out of the thing for the molds and I just have resin, and since this shit is expensive I can’t buy it rn. But I’ll see if at the con I can find something to make a gem like Worbla’s Crystal Art... I want to try it (the first day of the con I’m wearing another cosplay, which ironically is Disney Esmeralda, so I can get what I need to complete Emerald)

However, since I can keep my eye open, this is more comfortable than I thought!! My visual field is like zero but ok.

AH! The weapon.

Those things come from an old cosplay that won’t be finished and will become something original for Lapis probably. But I might finish those blades and use them for Emerald? Yeah who wouldn’t want to die by heart blades??? Emerald is the stone of love bitches let me love you. 😂

As for the fangs, my canines have a weird shape, but I found a nice thing to try with fake nails. I’m not sure for how long I can keep them in my mouth (?) and I don’t know if I can put them on the inferior arc too (also knowing myself I’ll find a way to hurt my tongue anyways).

?? Wish I had a cape or something because wearing this = being naked (and I cosplayed the old design of Alexstrasza), I’m actually thinking of making Lars’ cape in case my period decides to make a surprise during the con otherwise it’s O V E R ♥

#emerald #me #my cosplay #i forgot to take a pic with pearl's spear... i even keep it in my room how could i forget o<-<#steven universe

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wishmakersblog · 7 years

Text

Autumn 1

@lapidot-week

“Lapis, Peridot! Come here, I have gifts for you guys!” Lapis looked up from her book upon hearing the voice of her beloved Beach Summer Fun Buddy.

Well, it’d have to be her Fall Buddy for now. It was so beautiful outside, leaves the colour of fire had fallen all around the forest near their home, and the half human had made them all into big piles for he and the Crystal Gems to play in. Yes, it was true, Lapis now called herself a Crystal Gem. It was rather hard not to after she’d been poofed and reformed with not only a golden bow that wrapped around her waist, but a dark blue star on the side of her skirt, according to her magazines asymmetry was stylish.

The two Gems excitedly ran over to the young boy, Peridot on all fours, sniffing the boxes he had in his arms, Lapis was no better though, she was lightly prodding the bow that was attached to the box with her name on it. “What are they?” Peridot asked, Steven started to laugh.

“Easy Peridot, relax!” The half Gem chuckled. He set the boxes down on the ground and moved them close to the two Gems. “Okay guys, Pearl and I made this stuff for you, we figured you guys would like them, they’re super soft and fuzzy. Go on, open them!”

Not even a second went by as the Gems greedily tore their presents open. In Lapis’ was a dark brown sweater with thin red, orange, and gold stripes. In the center was a bright orange leaf similar to the one used in her Meep-Morp. It was warm and fuzzy, it felt oddly soothing to brush her slender fingers over it.

Peridot's was a warm burgundy with thick orange and yellow stripes that were much lighter than Lapis', in the center was another leaf though in a different shape. A maple leaf? Wither way it looked much too big for her, but the Ocean Gem felt that it would look strangely cute. The blonde Gem had something else in her box though, thick fuzzy gold and orange socks with red on the very end.

Lapis smiled when she saw them, she knew there was a reason Steven hadn't given her any. The blue gem hated the feeling of wearing something on her feet, it made her uncomfortable and more anxious for some reason she couldn't quite explain.

“These are for you guys!” Steven told them, “I want you guys to have some fun, and everyone likes to dress up in fluffy clothes for fall.”

The two Gems grinned, and slipped the 'clothes' on. They felt nice, and smelled sweet too, like that cinnamon stuff Pearl liked to put on pies, Lapis snickered at the memory of Peridot sniffing to fine brown powder only to break out into a sneezing fit.

Lapis hugged the half Gem tightly. “I like my sweater, thank you Steven. It doesn't even pull down my bow either!” She exclaimed with joy, because in all honesty the blue Gem very much liked her new outfit, the gold bow compensating for her lack of golden colouration. On Homeworld she had been considered 'flawed but too needed to waste' upon her birth during a slight recession (some big power core had melted and destroyed a bunch of things on one colony and a lot had to be moved to a new one, didn't matter though, her first flight had been fun).

She felt Steven almost tip over when Peridot pounced on him for what was now a group hug. “Wow, thanks!” She cheered, “These are exceptionally well-made, and a very sweet gesture, I'll be sure to think of a gift for the Crystal Gems soon, just give me time. Although, you'll be getting the best one.” The blonde said with a smile.

Steven started to laugh. “Okay, well there's no need to thank me guys, it's just something I thought you should have. I want you guys to be happy!”

Peridot and Lapis looked at each other before looking at the young boy. “We already are!”

After Steven had left, the two of them headed out into the forest. Peridot held her hand, the green Gem's sleeves came up to her fingertips with the bottom of the sweater going down to her mid-thighs. The forest was beautiful in fall, the green leaves changed to the colour of fire, some of the drifting lazily about in the breeze and some crunching softly under their feet. Acorns fell from the trees, tiny animals with bushy tails running around to gather them up. Birds sang in the trees and flew around overhead, weak sunlight dappling the earthy leaf-covered ground, the light swirling like water as the leaves rustled from the cool breeze that gently ruffled Lapis' hair.

“Hey Peri, wanna see something cool?” Lapis asked the small Gem, who looked up and nodded with wonder in her large innocent eyes. Sadly, the blue Gem had to let go of her hand, and raise her own. Water from the river floated over to them, and gathered up what must have been thousands of leaves. She flicked her wrist, and it gently smushed the leaves into a humongous pile before setting them down, when the blue Gem flipped her hand over the water quickly vanished back into the river, not a single drop had been left on the leaves, they were all perfectly dry.

“Woah! Lapis that was amazing, what is this?” Peridot ran up to the leaf pile in excitement, poking a few leaves and laughing as she smiled back at the taller Gem.

She smirked though, Peridot knew so little about forests, this was almost too perfect. “It's something to keep uh... The... Phantom Queen away. Yeah.”

The blonde tilted her head. “The what?”

Lapis pretended to be shocked. “You mean, you don't KNOW? I've been on Earth for thousands of years though, so I'm not surprised you've never heard the legend.”

Now Peridot stomped her little feet like a toddler throwing a fit. “What is it?! Come on Lazuli that's not fair, please tell me!” She whined and tugged at the taller Gem's skirt. Lapis was thankful she had enough self-control not to crack a smile at how cute the technician’s face was, pouting and huffing at her.

Lapis took her hand once again, and sat beside the leaf pile. “Alright, alright, calm down Peri. Once, a long time ago, there was a Queen. She was cruel, and ordered everyone around without ever thanking them-”

“Like Yellow Diamond?” The little nerd's eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Pfft, yeah, like Yellow Diamond.” Lapis snickered, Peridot could be pretty funny sometimes, even now, her eyes wide with a terrible awe as she tried to imagine this bullshit story. “Anyway, she was so cruel and terrible, that one day her subjects decided that they knew exactly what they wanted her to do.”

Peridot was fully enraptured in her story, nodding and fidgeting with her hands on her crossed legs. “W-what did they do?” She asked.

And Lapis definitely had an answer. “Well, in an old forest, just like this one, the brought her out for a walk, telling her that they had found a beautiful treasure that they buried under a pile of leaves, so that no one would be able to steal it.” She leaned in a bit closer, trying her hardest to ignore the full lips in front of her own mouth now as she kept talking. “So, when she got close to the leaves, all her subjects rushed forward and pushed her! Under the leaves was no treasure, but a huge hole they had dug! The Queen fell all the way down into it, sitting at the very bottom she screamed for them to pull her up, because she herself wasn't tall enough to climb out.”

The short Gem quivered a bit where she sat. “D-did they help her?” She asked, but Lapis shook her head, a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

“No, they left her there. She died in that hole, surrounded by all those leaves, that's why I have this pile. Legend has it her angry spirit is too scared to go near any more leaves.” The bluenette 'explained' to Peridot, whose shaking had subsided.

“Oh, okay.”

Lapis' smirk grew as she slowly drew water from the river again, this time much more discreet and with the hand Peridot couldn't see. The water silently made its way through the leaf pile. “But you know what else the legend says? It says that sometimes, the Phantom Queen gets brave, that she really wants REVENGE on the subjects, that she'll drag down people who are small like her, right through the leaves, never to be seen again, it all starts when she grabs your leg.”

3 guesses on what Lapis did with the water.

The liquid tendril latched onto Peridot's ankle, and the tiny Gem screamed with fear. “LAPIS HELP ME!” Peridot cried and screamed, the blue Gem cackling with laughter as the water let her go and appeared in front of her face to show her it was just a joke. Tears rolled down Peridot's cheeks as she shook and... Lapis realized she'd gone way too far with that.

The bluenette forced the water back down to its source and held the tiny Gem tightly. “Oh Peri I'm sorry, I didn't think you were going to be that scared.” She murmured gently as she rocked back and forth to sooth Peridot, who sniffled as she hugged Lapis' neck, shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.

“...” The younger Gem whispered something, but Lapis didn't catch it.

The blue Gem managed to wipe her tears away. “What was that?” She asked.

“Was... W-was that story... T-true?” Asked Peridot, who now just sat in her lap having her back rubbed. Lapis shook her head. “When the water grabbed me I... I thought I was never going to see you again, I’d be trapped forever, a-and I would never be able to see you ever again!” She cried. Lapis pulled her closer and patted her back.

“Shh, shh it's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that Peri. And believe me, if anything EVER tried to hurt you, I’d destroy it. Nobody hurts my Peridot-” Her breath hitched. Did she really just say that? For months she'd been thinking such sweet thoughts about the short Gem, imagining herself and the blonde in all those situations she'd read online for Percy and Pierre, all the things that brought a smile to her face.

“Yours?” Peridot had the slightest grin. “Is this your... Your way of courtship Lazuli? It's odd but... I like this part.”

The blue Gem smiled back at her. “Then... Then from now on I'll just hold you and say nice things. No more scary stories. I promise. No monster is going to hurt you Peri.”

Peridot now had a warm look in her eyes, she leaned up and pressed her soft lips to Lapis' cheek. A brilliant glow filled the forest as two became one quicker than eyes could blink.

Speaking of eyes, Turquoise opened hers for the very first time.

“No one is going to hurt us.”

#lapidot #lapis #peridot #fusion #halloween

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