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rebelpearl · 1 year

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I love shipping evil/awful/abusive characters with really patient and supportive characters that help them recover and be good.

I KNOW THIS SOUNDED AWFUL BUT LISTEN I JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO WORD IT!!

!! I like showing the character recovering and just how their trying to get better and to be better and the person their being shipped with is just so patient and helpful. How both of them would make sure boundaries and consent are top priority and stepping out if things get heated and then talking it out after everyone's calmed down. !!

(whoops, this part isnt even a vent but it sounds like one! 😅 TW: talk of abusive relationships, sa??, and recovery from a equally abusive relationship)

I was in a similar relationship that Lapis and Jasper were in but worse. Both of us were toxic and abusers but one took the first step of saying no and saying that they were not good for eachother(that person was lapis in "jaspis'" relationship), in my case though, that person was me. Because of how I'm still recovering from that extremely traumatic elementary school/middle school(Yes, I was that young, I don't even know how she knew about sa and abuse and all of that at her age but she did.) relationship like this I still struggle with my brain romanticizing Lapis and Jasper because it reminds me so much of me and her. But whenever I think about them I indulge for a little bit before crossing them out and refusing to think about them because it just seems awful. Because of this I like relationships where the (still redeemable) abuser gets one last chance to recover healthily and they take the help and become a better person. Unless the abuser is completely unredeemable, like my ex.

Do not think that I am saying that trauma is an excuse, it is not.

Sorry about the rant, this was supposed to be cute but I just wanted to give an explanation. My recovery weakens sometimes and I just fantasize about awful stuff and shipping sweet recovery relationships like this is helping me recover. I am hypersexual(it is one of my symptoms from my depression unfortunately) and that makes me have the most disgusting intrusive thoughts and I just want to look over to sweet and fluffy romantic things to escape for just a little bit. I don't know why I'm trying to defend myself so much even though I know people probably wont hate me on here for these ships, I've just had some crazy things said to me by ship discourse people. I feel like I have to be cautious even if I know I didn't say anything wrong because what if I do end up doing something wrong by mistake?

#ship discourse?#random rant #accidental vent #TW talk of abusive relationships #and sa (briefly)#yes this is about some steven universe ships #NOT JASPIS

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beevean · 3 months

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I want to hear your lapidot rant

I wrote this in 2018 lol, right after Reunited (and funnily enough the reunion between Lapis and Peridot, where the former literally just says "hey", pissed me off)

tl;dr it's a toxic ship with shaky foundations, an even shakier chemistry built on denial and stagnation, and whose harmful effects on Peridot got glossed over because the finale was rushed. Lapis was objectively a bad person to Peridot - which is not my problem! It makes sense for her character and her issues! But nothing came out of it! They just made up off screen and then stopped interacting but still acted like besties!

I had a similar friendship. I was the Peridot, bending backwards to make my friend happy, who then decided she didn't like me anymore and left me alone and heartbroken. This is why I'm still salty about how popular Lapidot used to be. I never got the appeal, and I felt cheated by the ending.

It doesn't help that Lapis and Peridot were genuinely better characters when separated. Back to the Kindergarten was the first time I liked Peridot ever since uhhhh that episode where she discovered her magnetism powers. Which also had her hanging out with Steven and Amethyst but not Lapis :) when around Lapis, she was reduced to the Silly Meepmorp Comic Relief and I couldn't stand it. And I grew tired of Disheveled Emo Teen Lapis very soon.

anyway the superior ship is jaspis because the show was very clear about how fucked up it was lol. i appreciate the honesty

But Amedot was cute too :) the two had much better chemistry together IMO.

#steven universe #love the show but eh it's not perfect

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anonymous1038 · 1 year

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Revenge

@ila-appreciationweek day 3

(cw: implied abusive relationship and bullying)

That arrogant little shit.

Cody has been thinking about that shitbag ever since he was driven away from the party by his friends, all of them leaping to his defense almost immediately.

It makes his rage boil to the surface. It boils in his bones, in his blood, in his entire body.

“Little fucker…” He hissed, kicking a loose stone into the air, fishing his phone out of his pocket and going to his contacts, finding a specific one almost immediately. “And to think I gave him love when he wanted it…”

Cody remembered middle school very, very well. How his eye caught a very peculiar and stupid looking head of shaved lavender hair. How he gave him the kindness and affection he craved for from whatever the hell happened to his friend.

And he rejected him.

Jasper Bright rejected him.

They say time heals all wounds, but for Cody, those wounds only got worse overtime.

It’s why he targeted Jasper in particular. As revenge for turning him down. As revenge saying all that shit about him.

Yeah, he only kicked him a few times, but it was to make him stronger.

Yeah he pulled his hair too hard, but he couldn’t look at him in the eyes while he was talking. He deserved it.

He deserved everything coming his way.

He presses the call button to Jocelyn’s number, and soon he hears her voice.

“Yo, heard the shit that went down.”

Cody spent the next five minutes ranting to her about how ungrateful Jasper is and how much of he hates him and his friends.

“Yeah, fuck that guy. Nerdy little loser.”

“And you know what? I think I should get some revenge on him. A prank. Catch my drift?”

“What drift? That twerp wrecked your car didn’t he?”

Cody doesn’t bother to correct her.

“You’ll see.”

.~.

Cody waits outside Britney’s house until he caught sight of a red jacket and lavender hair leaving the property, talking animatedly with that pretentious student body president.

But what really set him off was the linked hands.

They were holding hands.

Jocelyn said earlier that Britney caught them both kissing in her dad’s office or whatever, but seeing it in person made him sick.

It made him mad.

“You want to stay at my house tonight?” Jasper asks, rubbing soothing circles over Lucas’s hand. “Your parents probably won’t appreciate you staying out late.”

“I’ll be fine. They come home late on this day so they won’t notice.”

They give each other a kiss on the cheek. Cody struggles to not gag at the sight.

“Walk home safe.”

“You too.”

.~.

Jasper turns around every few minutes as he takes the path to his house, Cody taking extra care to not be noticed as he follows him.

As he stalks him, a thought creeps into his mind.

Why the hell should he do it at his house?

Why not do it right now?

His mind made up, he looks around to make sure no one is able to see him. It was late and barely anyone is on the streets.

Once Jasper is away from the light of a streetlamp, he rushes forward.

“Hu-“

He slumps to the ground before he had a chance to scream, out like a light.

Cody takes his unconscious form into his arms, heading in the direction of his house.

.~.

Cody opens the basement door and walks down the steps, flipping the light switch on and seeing the stirring form of Jasper Bright, wrists chained to the wall. A groan escapes his throat as he looks around, the light forcing him to keep his eyes shut for a few seconds.

He comes forward and yanks his hair, earning a yelp.

“Hey, Jaspy.” He spat out the nickname like it’s poison.

That seemed to get a reaction out of Jasper, his eyes widening and blinking a few times, dread and terror crossing his features.

“…Cody?”

“Hey, love.”

Jasper glares at him.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Where’s your little nerdy loser friends to tell me that, hmm? Where’s your boyfriend at?”

The way the word boyfriend left Cody’s mouth is reminiscent of venom.

“Wh…what?” Metal cuffs prevent flesh from moving, and panic crosses his face as he looks back and sees the chains. He begins to tug at them, trying to break free.

Cody kicks him in the stomach. It stops the thrashing as he heaves from the impact.

“Listen here, you’re never going to leave this place again. Not until you make up for what happened in middle school.”

“…fu…fuck…you.” Jasper looks up at him with pure hatred. “You hurt me. How can I ever be with you?”

“You will be. One way or another.”

Cody smirks.

“But suit yourself. Rot here until you yield. Can’t wait to see all the missing posters of you at school.”

#ilitw #ilaw #cw abuse #cw bullying #cody ilitw

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luvtalwyn · 3 years

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ALSO LOOK AT MY LOVE TAL <333 UGHHH I ADORE HER SO MUCHH I MISSED HERR!! LOOK AT THAT GODDESS!! <3333

ratchet and clank are cute too i guess

#ratchet and clank #ratchet and clank rift apart #talwyn apogee #jaspie rants #//I LOVE TALWYNNN #//MY LOVE<3333

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zuckarr · 5 years

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Oh my, please feel free to rant in my inbox as much as you like! I love listening to what people think, as long as it’s civil discussion. To be honest, when I noticed the asks, I thought it was anon hate (ships like Jaspis attract hate like there’s no tomorrow), but I was very pleased and happy instead! Thank you so much for sending them!

Before I start answering, I’d like to know if you were inspired by my words ‘I understand why some people think Jaspis is abusive’? It probably sounded as if I don’t think it’s abusive, which is partially true, but I care to clarify that I do see the flaws and the ‘bad’ in their relationship. I think of it as half unhealthy, half human: most of what they did to each other was very human-like, in my opinion. Like you said, both Jasper and Lapis have their own traumas and both of them are strong, yet messed up. I don’t understand why there seems to be this idea that any issue in a relationship can immediately lead to label it as abusive. I have the most wonderful boyfriend myself, we’re both open-minded and we try our best to be happy as a couple but we still have issues, we still hurt each other when we’re frustrated, we cry, we feel guilty, we frown, we get mad. And that doesn’t mean we’re in an abusive relationship, it simply means we face life together, through the good and the bad. Life’s never easy and it’s not supposed to be idyllic all the time. I learned more from pain than I did from happy moments. That said, I’d like to link a video that explains what I’m saying much better than I could ever do: Why We Are Mean To Those We Love

What bothers me the most about Jaspis haters is how easily they tend to point their fingers at Jasper and how lovingly they protect Lapis, who is, in their eyes, the victim. Luckily, there are people like you who can see that there’s really not a side to take here... they’re both guilty AND innocent. All that happened between them didn’t work out and it turned bad because it happened at the wrong time, under the wrong conditions and it was based on the wrong feelings from the very start. I’m glad you pointed out Jasper’s hunger for power, which is the reason why she asked Lapis to fuse, ending up obsessed with the thought of Malachite so much she even started LIVING IN THE OCEAN! That’s the equivalent of being obsessed with someone and consequently choose to live under their balcony, how messed up is that? I believe negative feelings should never be fed, and Malachite was simply the worst thing to be for someone with a low sense of self-worth like Jasper. Jasper was unaware of that when she and Lapis fused. Additionally, Jasper had absolutely no idea of what it means to love, all she knew was fighting. We can’t expect her to be ‘good’ in any relationship if she doesn’t even know how to.

About Lapis, I absolutely love her complexity. She’s strong, yet she struggles with feelings of guilt, anger, anxiety and confusion. You’re right in saying that her sense of self-worth seems rather stable unlike Jasper’s, and that she seeks peace and happiness knowing she deserves it. I imagine Lapis as someone who is haunted by all those ghosts and scars from the past, and still hasn’t healed at all - and that’s why she seeks peace in the first place, it’s the only state of mind that doesn’t feel as painful and as haunted as it would normally feel under pressure (how cool is it to think she’s been feeling terrible while living at the bottom of the ocean underneath all that water pressure, as if metaphorically hinting at the enormous psychological pressure she and Jasper were under). Living at the barn with Peridot surely gave her the calm that she needed, but... avoiding problems =/= solving problems. Running away has been her ‘natural reaction’ for so long, no wonder why she kept doing it. It saddened me to see people criticize her for leaving so many times, but what saddens me the most is that Steven Universe is FILLED with teachings of love, forgiveness, understanding, family... heck, it even gives all of the reasons why some characters do what they do, yet some people still act hateful towards their actions and/or towards the characters themselves.

Anyways, I’m rambling, sorry! Whether Jaspis is abusive or not, what truly matters is that both parties suffered, and none of them had bad intentions. Their relationship was unfortunate, miserable and frustrating, but! I do think they are totally compatible and that they could start all over again someday, this time with the right timing and with more attentiveness and care than ever. This time, they could be together out of love, not out of ‘force’, and who knows how beautiful they could be!

I have one last thing to say and one question for you: 1) I smiled when I read ‘the abuser also suffers negative consequences’, that’s brave of you to say. We all make mistakes and it’s easier to judge than to make an effort and understand. When I made mine, I wish people asked me why, or what was wrong, or what caused me to. Instead, I had to be both the one who hurt them AND the one who had to understand their reasons and my own by myself, which... took a while. 2) Just out of curiosity, what makes you think Jasper has a low sense of self-worth?

#ask #anon ask #steven universe #jasper #lapis #lapislazuli #lapis lazuli #lasper #jaspis #su #jasper su #lapis su #stevenuniverse

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swordsareforthegays · 5 years

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And while we’re on the subject I don’t judge people for shipping abusive fictional relationships either because

-shipping doesn’t always mean romanticizing or idolizing, sometimes it means finding the dynamic interesting, wanting to explore unhealthy relationships while recognizing that they’re unhealthy

-I shipped jaspis for a time and for me shipping that was about wanting to see them both redeem themselves and become better for each other. I didn’t ship their relationship as it was in canon, but in a hypothetical future where they became better people - usually after spending some time apart - and made up and didn’t want to hurt each other any more and felt horrible for what they put each other through in the past

-ships that some people consider abusive other’s might not. I’ve seen people call catradora abuse. I’ve seen people call pearlrose abuse. I don’t think either of those ships are abusive, and most people in those fandoms don’t either but hey, obviously there are people out there that do so I guess to them I’m shipping abuse and I’d like to not be sent hate for shipping those things, so I won’t send hate to people for ships that I consider abusive either

-maybe they’re shipping to cope, you don’t know and no one has to disclose their history for you to understand and decide if they’re allowed to ship something!!!! But I don’t think you can only like an abusive ship if you’re coping, I think people are just allowed to find bad dynamics interesting, refer to point number one

Anyway rant over I just have Opinions and I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately

#and AGAIN shipping incest and pedophilia? still gross. but i put abuse in a different category kind of #for the reasons above #and like i stopped shipping jaspis because of the way their arcs went but i still totally see the appeal

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seedserotiny · 6 years

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Pyrohydriscence

Rating: Mature

Pairings: Lapidot, past Jaspis

Summary: Human AU. Lapis loses everything. Her car, her apartment, her sense of control over her own life… and then she gains a roommate.

Warnings for this chapter: none

Chapter 5

Peridot was still at work when she got home. Today was Friday, though, so the next two days would be her time off. Lapis wondered if she was going to get anything done with her roommate home. So far she hadn't had any callbacks on her applications. It was really too early to worry about that, but since she was starting to like Peridot, she felt like she should probably definitely get some money coming in sooner rather than later. She had savings still, which would cover the first month, but she didn't have much after that. The responsible part of her wanted to keep on the hunt for a job every day until she landed one.

She wondered how long it would take. Lapis had a decent resume: some college, some job experience, and, thankfully, her DUI didn't count as a felony, so she didn't have to put it on her applications. Of course, she couldn't work anywhere that served alcohol, so her options were limited. Pretty much any kind of restaurant job was off the table, for example.

She half-heartedly submitted her resume to another coffee shop. Lapis was definitely not just sitting around waiting for Peridot to get home. Nope.

The sound of keys in the lock brought her back to attention. Pumpkin scrambled off the beanbag chair and waited by the door. Lapis tried not to think too hard about the fact that she and Peridot's pet seemed to share the same level of excitement about Peridot's impending presence.

She entered behind a stack of pizzas. What a splendid human being. "I hope you like mushrooms," she called out, plopping the boxes on a kitchen counter. Lapis loved mushrooms. Now that her hands were free, she gave Pumpkin a good ear scritch, went to the fridge, and popped open a soda. "Happy Friday!" She announced, making a 'cheers' gesture and heading off for her daily post-grimey-job shower. "By the way, you owe me for one of the pizzas, free-loader!" She shouted through the door before the sound of running water kicked on.

Lapis groaned dramatically. She thought she almost heard her roommates signature nasally snicker through the walls.

When Peridot returned, Lapis was ready on the couch with Pumpkin and two plates of several slices of pizza. "Season 1 finale!!" She yodeled when Peridot joined her on the couch. She was surprised that her vertically challenged roommate had changed right into some comfy pajamas, rather than her usual post-work attire. Her pants had little aliens on them. Lapis coveted them.

"Prepare yourself. Not everyone can survive exposure to the sheer amount of talent that went into this episode," Peridot said ominously.

Lapis clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a moment as if she was centering herself. "I think I'm ready."

Peridot nodded solemnly and started the show.

Approximately 44 minutes later, Lapis sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, enraptured, shaken. "What. You mean… this whole time? And that part with Paulette, and Pierre, oh my God."

"I knoooow!"

"We must start season 2 immediately." She began to rummage for the second disc set. She smiled. This was much better therapy than… actual therapy.

"Hey Lapis?"

Oh, maybe not. Peridot's voice sounded serious, and not in the usual hammy way that meant she was playing it up for the effect. Lapis turned around. Her roommates brows were furrowed, and she looked right into Lapis's eyes. "Yeah?"

"Who's your favorite character?"

Lapis punched her in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for!"

"For being such a damn nerd. And hm…" Lapis pondered a moment. "Paulette, I think."

"What!!"

"What."

"Paulette is by far the weakest character. I don't know what Percy sees in that… sobbing magnet of misfortune."

"Well, she is kind of hot."

"Well, yeah, but they have no TRUE compatibility. It's like the writers are forcing the relationship at every turn. Percy wastes SO much of his time protecting Paulette and performing these romantic gestures. I don't think she even comprehends how much he does for her. Take, for example, season 1 episode 4, when they have the archery competition-"

Lapis tried to look like she was absorbing anything Peridot said after that. These speeches tended to have momentum; it was easier to let her finish than it was to try to stop her. Besides, Peridot looked so sad and embarrassed when she realized she'd been ranting. Lapis occupied herself by getting up and putting in the next disc. She found herself enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Yeah, she sincerely doubted she'd get a lot done this weekend.

By the time Lapis tried to return to the couch, Peridot had worked herself into a lather. She gesticulated, lying on her back, sprawled across the couch. "And then, in episode 7! Blurgh blurgha blurrgh," she said. Or something like that.

The tiny woman was somehow taking up the whole couch.

Lapis responded like a rational adult and flopped backwards onto the middle seat, crushing Peridot underneath her back in a surprisingly comfortable lounging position. Peridot gurgled and sputtered. "Hey, don't let me interrupt. Episode 7, right?" Said Lapis. She grinned as Peridot "Tiny Hands" Pumpkinmom struggled in vain to escape.

"Behemoth!" Peridot screamed, managing to wiggle her torso free and beginning to push on the side of Lapis's head and arm.

"I am 5 foot 3, you hobbit."

Peridot's wriggling and slapping was starting to disturb her lounging. Lapis grabbed both of Peridot's wrist and held them in one hand. This was the first time Lapis had ever had size as an advantage in a tussle. The power was going to her head.

Some of the noises that Peridot made in response were not quite human, but they were quite entertaining. Lapis didn't realize she was laughing gleefully until she snorted. Oh no. She just gave the enemy ammunition.

Peridot inhaled a breath, no doubt locking and loading a sick burn.

"I'll let you go if you don't say whatever it is you're about to say," interrupted Lapis.

Peridot calculated the costs and benefits of that proposal for a moment. "I accept your terms."

Lapis released her, just in time for the theme song to end and the show proper to start. Peridot settled into her usual sitting position with a huff.

Lapis pretended not to notice that they were still technically touching.

----

Yep, Lapis got absolutely nothing productive done that weekend. And she had plans for this one. The fish tank Peridot had given her was all set up now. They were definitely going to have to go to the pet store to pick up some aquatic residents. And Steven wanted to hang out too.

But for now, it was still Friday afternoon, and she still had to finish out her second session with Dr. Garnet.

"It was my fault, really, I initiated casual physical contact first. Now, between Steven, Peridot, and Pumpkin, I get no moments of peace. My space is no longer sacred. Yesterday I was reading in a one person bean bag chair and suddenly I had a rabbit and a house elf reading over my shoulder. Reading is not a team sport. She made me wait to turn the page until she caught up. Who does this?!" Lapis ranted.

Garnet chucked, "I understand completely. But, I have to ask, does this contact really bother you? Communicating boundaries is very important in close relationships."

Close relationship was a little strong. I mean, she'd known this group of people for what… 4 weeks now? Way too soon for close relationship status. For sure. "Well, I don't know, it's different than I'm used to." Honestly, Lapis was more familiar with being touched in a much different context.

"Forgive me if I assume too much, but I think it's possible you're enjoying the affection. Based on what you've shared with me, you're overdue for some healthy friendships."

A tactical strike. Lapis wasn't used to being read so easily either. "I mean, it's not… unpleasant, to be touched. I just. I don't want her to get any ideas or something."

"Hm." The head tilt.

"That just sounds like some awful drama, having to reject Peridot if she makes a move or something. We live in like… the same room."

"Hm-hm."

Lapis looked at the diploma behind Garnet's head. "Now that I say it out loud I feel silly, or like, vain. Like I expect anyone I'm around to want in my pants. God, what am I even talking about? I think Peridot would gnaw off her own arm before making me feel any negative emotion on purpose."

Garnet blinked. Maybe. The glasses made it hard to tell.

"I can't believe I actually wasted time sort of worrying about that. Why am I so uncomfortable with… comfortable situations? It's like I look for some hidden fucked up shit in everything. I mean, most of the time I'm right, but still. Steven trusts so much, and it seems to make him so happy. I kind of envy that."

"You shouldn't."

"Huh? Why?" Lapis was baffled, it didn't seem like a therapist to talk negatively about trusting people.

"You do trust."

Oh, she got it now. Well, kind of. "What do you mean?" Lapis was pretty damn sure that wasn't the case.

"You sincerely believe that Peridot wouldn't hurt you."

"Oh... Oh."

Garnet gave her a small smile.

"I don't know how to feel about that," Lapis admitted.

"Take as long as you need to process. Our session is almost over. We can continue this conversation next week, if that's something you'd like to do."

It was Lapis's turn to hm.

---

Lapis stood at the bus stop outside the clinic. For the first time in a while, she was really craving a drink. She dug her nails into her palms. She felt floaty, off balance, standing there, waiting for the bus. The shitty part of her started mapping out liquor stores that might not card her, bars she might be able to get into without flashing an ID. She wondered which bus lines would take her there. Her phone had a handy app for that sort of thing.

Her phone beeped. She thought of Jasper.

"Tell my baby angel Pumpkin I'm on my way home to him and I have baby spinach. Also hi Lapis, I guess." It was Peridot.

Lapis looked at her phone for a while. The bus pulled up. She got on and rode it home.

----

That stupid therapy session made Lapis start paying attention to her feelings. She didn't want to be caught off guard like that again. She would get so good at emotional self-awareness that that smug therapist wouldn't have anything to hm about. That's right, she would become a paragon of maturity out of pure spite.

But that whole process kind of sucked. If she hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have noticed things like the way she would feel a smile bubble up when something happened that she wanted to tell Peridot about later. She wouldn't have noticed how her body relaxed when she leaned into her on the couch, and how much fun she had during their many battles of wits. She wouldn't have noticed how her ridiculous outfits, the way she always spoke with her hands, and her nerdy ass hobbies were becoming sort of endearing despite everything Lapis stood for. When the interviews started coming in, despite the massive amounts of relief she felt every time she got a chance at a job, she felt agitated when they took place while Peridot was off work. Yeah, she would have much preferred to not have noticed any of those things.

She didn't know how she felt about those feelings. Periods of relaxed contentment were punctuated by periods of existential panic. Lapis felt like this all would have been better if it happened several years later, after she had time to untangle all her baggage. But she couldn't just ask Peridot to leave and come back later when she felt ready to interact with someone on a non-superficial level.

And besides, there was one feeling she could easily identify:

She didn't want any of it to change.

#lapidot #steven universe #su #human au #peridot #lapis #pyrohydriscence

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a-pearl-by-any-other-name-blog · 7 years

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The Bird And The Tiger

(This is another repost from my old blog.)

The problem with essentially pigeonholing yourself into making a Steven Universe blog comes when you realize you don’t actually have that many subjects to go through during the drought between episodes.

But after some deliberation, I realized I had quite a bit of fun with my Jaspis post, so why not try the same thing twice? Steven Universe is ripe with possible ships waiting to set sail, and even more character interactions that really should be addressed in some form or another.

So for this little rant/analysis, let’s delve into something a bit more on the fringe of the show’s canon. There’s plenty of Jaspis interactions, Lapidot interactions, Pearlmethyst interactions and more that you can find within the canon, but this one involves two Gems that have yet to really share a proper scene together (and as such, no stylish opening image, sadly), yet they seem to be quite tightly connected: Jasper and Pearl!

(This is literally the only scene they appear together!)

At first glance, Jaspearl might almost sound like a crackship. These are two characters who’ve never had any major interactions together, rarely ever mention one another, and just overall have almost nothing to connect one another besides sharing the same TV show.

But as season 3 progressed, and we found out a little bit more about Jasper, there are some curious parallels between the servant and the soldier that make this a very interesting “what-if” relationship to be explored. There’s quite a bit to get through with these two, so like last time, I will try very hard to keep things organized and coherent.

Let’s start with one of the show’s main characters: Pearl.

Pearl does not need much introduction. She is not a very subtle character, despite how nuanced many of her aspects may be. Possibly the oldest surviving member of the Crystal Gems, Pearl seems to be the one to take her role as “mother” to Steven the most seriously. She can be authoritative to the point of bossiness, caring to the point of overbearing, and emotional to the point of being a complete wreck.

There is no denying Pearl carries her emotions on her sleeve, and while she can get easily carried away because of them, they always come from the right place. She can be remarkably patient when she wants to, but also more uptight than a college dean in an 80′s comedy. Pearl has her flaws, but they do come from a very real place.

Rose Quartz was as much of an influence on Pearl when she was alive, as she was when she died. Even ignoring the resentment (big or small) that might have boiled up inside Pearl over the years due to Greg essentially winning the Rosebowl, and even the fact she’s now caring for the son/reincarnation of her former love interest, Pearl’s issues started a long way back, thousands of years before Greg even existed.

As we’ve seen in the show, Pearls in the Gem Homeworld are little more than servants. They’re not depended on anything besides carrying things, opening doors, looking pretty and maybe occasionally singing. There’s likely not a whole lot of respect being thrown around in a Pearl’s direction, or even any kind of validation for their existence outside of being ordered to do something. So we can gather this was most likely Pearl’s life before Rose came into the picture: she was just someone’s lackey, and this was all she knew. But then came the rebellion, and Rose showed her the endless possibilities that lay ahead of Pearl. Everything she wanted to be, she could be, and Pearl clearly took Rose’s words to heart. Maybe a little too much.

It’s made quite clear throughout the show Pearl still has issues properly coming to terms with the concept of “not having an owner”. She was madly loyal to Rose Quartz, which while it can certainly simply be interpreted as nothing more than loyalty out of respect/love, I feel there’s just as many clues to suggest something a bit more complicated. Pearl might still be having difficulties rationalizing her newfound freedom with her instincts of servitude.

Pearl’s mentality of “I’m not strong unless I’m being told what to do” is displayed in a few episodes, probably most prominently during the Sardonyx mini arc. Pearl’s relationship towards Rose, while undoubtedly romantic in nature, suffers greatly from Pearl’s own mentality: it isn’t enough that she loves Rose, but her entire existence is connected to her. Without Rose, Pearl is nothing; without a leader, Pearl is useless.

Rose’s death affected her in ways far deeper than simply grieving over a loved one. It left her practically aimless and without a purpose, all of that strength she had built up over millennia would have been gone in an instant as she was left without someone to tell her that she was still strong.

Now, of course, it could be argued much of what I just said has been rendered moot by season 4, more specifically around “Last One Out Of Beach City” where Pearl seems to finally drop her Rose blues, and jumps back into the dating scene after Mystery Girl.

However, this can be read as yet another example of how Pearl has difficulties letting go of the past, and more specifically, Rose. You really only have to take a look at Mystery Girl to realize it, and the show itself points out her physical similarities to Rose Quartz. For Pearl’s first human crush to be a woman who resembles (vaguely, but still resembles) her long lost leader seems to have hardly been done on accident (although it could very well just have been laziness, but there’s enough speculation in this post already).

This part of Pearl’s character hasn’t been approached again at this time (”Room For Ruby” having been the last episode since this post), so only time will tell where this particular plot point might head in the future, if even at all.

But with Pearl out of the way, it’s time to approach the other big side of this ship:

Jasper is a whole other ball of relationship issues, even if she doesn’t seem like it at first. While the brave Gem soldier started her run in the show as a confident and powerful antagonist, things have changed quite a lot since “The Return”. A big catalyst for that change was Lapis, who I have a whole other post detailing what went down between them there. So to keep things short: Jasper has become a bit obsessed with the concept of fusing.

However, whether this is purely from a standpoint of “fusing makes me more powerful” or if there’s something deeper going on, that’s quite up for debate. Jasper has expressed sorrow over both her fusion partners eventually leaving her in the end, and her pleads to Lapis to reform Malachite didn’t seem to be feigned (she blamed and attacked Steven for Lapis’s refusal, as opposed to just going after Lapis to force a fusion after all).

While it’s yet to really be overtly stated, Jasper seems to have developed a necessity to stay fused. Exactly how deep this goes remains to be seen, but it’s quite the fertile ground for speculation. Maybe Jasper is only interested in power, but maybe that’s just what she’s telling herself and fusion is emotionally affecting her more than she’d care to admit.

But that’s not all that’s been haunting Jasper since she returned to Earth, but this one is much simpler. Jasper lost her Diamond to Rose Quartz, and that has affected her very deeply. Jasper clearly felt a strong connection to Pink Diamond, but whether this is considered normal among Gems, or if there was actually a more intimate and personal relationship between Jasper and her Diamond remains to be seen.

It’s also worth to not this quote by Rebecca Sugar herself regarding Jasper, and her refusal to accept help from Steven and the others:

“Jasper is very different than Peridot and Lapis. Unlike them, she has a deep hate for herself because of her origins on Earth. She is determined to never be weak or vulnerable. So at the point when she’s the lowest, there’s no way she’d ever accept help, because she believes she doesn’t deserve it.

Peridot and Lapis both believed they deserved better than what happened to them, but not Jasper. She went back to Earth to face her demons, and she lost. She’s consumed by her own self pity.”

With this, we can see Jasper has a lot more insecurities than the “perfect Quartz” would be expected to have. From her anger towards the loss of her Diamond, her self-flagellation and her growing fusion complex, there’s quite a lot going inside that hard head of hers.

Where exactly this leaves Jasper and Pearl is entirely up for interpretation, obviously, but there’s definitely a lot to work with between the two should they ever get a proper interaction together.

Both Gems lost someone they deeply cared about (to the other’s significant other, no less); both Gems have had their issues regarding fusion (Malachite and Sardonyx) and using it as a way to empower themselves; both Gems have quite deep-seated inferiority complexes, and they generally act upon them in similar ways (shutting themselves out for others, or even manipulating others to feel better about themselves).

Even on a more surface level, the image of a petite, calm and refined element building something between a much larger, cruder and more violent one to help them find their gentler side is a popular story that can be told very well, very easily (”Beauty And The Beast“ has survived long enough to prove this).

What the future holds for Pearl, only the Crewniverse can say. For Jasper, even more so. It would seem like a badly missed opportunity if these two never get to meet one on one in some capacity, but whether that seems likely to you or not depends primarily on how much faith you still have on the writing staff for the show.

#steven universe #pearl #jasper #su pearl #su jasper #jaspearl #fan thoughts #repost #sadly there is no Gastonite #but there is a Gaspeite #close enough?

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