#so when cat stevens happened my mind went what if this song but ship??

[mostlikelytofangirl]

Oh baby, baby, it's a wild world It's hard to get by just upon a smile

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #nieyao #nie mingjue #meng yao #my music taste consists of a lot of oldies #so when cat stevens happened my mind went what if this song but ship?? #I just think wild world suits them in this period of canon :') #me calls this art

[rjcopeseethemald]

WIP Questionnaire ±1

To be honest, I keep looking for these as an excuse to talk about my work

This one I got from @illarian-rambling, I wasn't tagged in her post but I accepted the open invitation However, since this is how my mind works, I'll turn this into a game. Updated Rules: 1. Answer as few or as many of the following questions as you'd like! 2. In passing the tag along to others, you can add one question of your own, or replace an existing question.

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

The magic system. It took years for the idea to finally click in my head, too. It started when I watched the Terrible Writing Advice on Myths, Legends, and Gods; JP just had to challenge me with "A pantheon of the Periodic Table would be way too big". So I said "Alright, bet", but the idea still wasn't there. Then, I finally began watching ATLA and Breaking Bad (very late to both parties), and then my brain went: "What if... chemistrybending?"

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Probably a more light-hearted version of "Can You Hear The Music" from Oppenheimer.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

Hydrogen, Admiral Wright, and Miilo Saba. Hydrogen is the Elemental of their namesake atom, and I attempted to write them as wholesome and eccentric. I would liken them to a much older and wiser version of the Collector from The Owl House. They also wield a flaming shortsword, and can turn invisible (since hydrogen gas is invisible by default). Admiral Wright is the main antagonist of volume one. She was the first woman (and still only one of two) to be fully commissioned in the Lodinican Republic Navy, and is otherwise known as its toughest commander. Her backstory is a commentary on how simply letting marginalized people into unchanged power structures doesn't change their marginalizing nature. Miilo Saba is the older cousin of the twins Lia and Lioko, and he's the captain of an anarchist smuggler ship. He's mostly light-hearted and laid-back, except in a situation where there's no messing around, in which case he can become deadly serious. Why? To be honest, I picked these three because they were the most engaging for me to write.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

Likely the animated ones I've mentioned before: ATLA (Legend of Korra included) and The Owl House, plus other animated shows like Steven Universe. The book will include illustrations a la The Chronicles of Narnia, except in an art style that would easily translate to 2-D animation.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Holding myself to the standards of good writing. In particular, character writing and depth of worldbuilding.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

I have sea wyverns, which are about twice as big as an albatross; landback tortoises, which are somewhat of a grounded take on the mythological giant turtle/tortoise trope; and more minor appearances like torpedo-fish (fish that can swim up to 80 knots in short bursts) and taransis, cat-sized Lucas-the-Spiders.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

The equivalent era to our world is the 1910s-early 1920s. There are ocean liners, trains, and horses, and the occasional airship, while cars are still rather new.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

I am almost done, thank God. I'm planning to take spring quarter off from community college to finish it.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

The novelty of its magical premises and take on the fantasy genre. Perhaps its politics, too, but those are more of a background thing.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I hope it's as original as I claim it to be! A pipe dream of mine is that the complete series financially sustains me, but I'll just retire to a commune upstate if that doesn't happen.

I will add a question 11: What pieces of media have been the most inspiring to you for this WIP? Passing this along to @serotoninshift, @kaylinalexanderbooks, and @she-who-fights-and-writes if any of you all are interested!

Blanks below:

What was the first part of your wip that you created?

If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

What part of your wip are you working on rn?

What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

What are your hopes for your wip?

What pieces of media have been the most inspiring to you for this WIP?

#writing #writerscommunity #writeblr #my writing #writers on tumblr #writers #author #writblr #writerblr

[popculturebuffet]

Loud House Reviews: The Purrfect Gig

The Sam/Luna trilogy comes to an end here, as we get to the most recent of their now annual episodes, each so far produced and aired toward the end of the season. That being said like last season Sam had at least one apperance before this as I saw her in the thumbnail to “Deep Cuts”, the OTHER Lunacentric episode this season. And while it sounded bad to me at first looking into it.. no. The writers, for the most part, gave almost every kid two episodes a piece, and last season gave each 3, so to the writers credit they TRY to ballance out who gets episodes.  

The exceptions are Lincoln, who has around 5 that don’t also feature the girls as a whole, and 2 of those are with Lana, Lori who has 4, 2 of them shared and justifed as she’s possibly leaving for College next season and thus her episodes outside of one focus ont hat, and Lana and Lola: Lana has 3, and Lola has 2, and both have one together. And really even with those imballances it’s really impressive the show juggles 14 leads, with the parents themselves getting 2 this year too, along with Clyde, not counting his ones with Lincoln. | And that’s WITH the baffling decision this season to have the first 5 episodes be “With THe Cassagrandes”, i.e. 5 episodes of the Casagrandes that are counted as loud house episode that weren’t produced over at the sister show for some reason. And I have nothing against the Cassagrandes, what i’ve seen it’s not a bad show: I already have gone on about how much I love bobby, and I also love CJ and new comer Sam. I love the fact it has plenty of representation and a diffrent kind of big family, I love the theme song and I love the fact Melissa Joan Heart is on it because she’s terrific and spent the last decade really not picking her roles well. She was the lead in Holiday in Handcuffs, aka the movie where she kidnaps Mario Lopez and holds him at gunpoint to pretend to be her fiance until he gets Stockholm syndrome for really flimsy reasons. But I dont’ feel i’ts fair to the show to wedge it into another show’s spot: The Cassagrande-Santiago clan has shown up in 2 half hour loud houses and 2 15 minute eps. The kids watching KNOW these characters, and reception of the loudest mission was positive enough to get a spinoff made. You don’t need to spend a huge amount of another show’s episode order to promote a show kids will likely watch because it has characters from a show that airs all the time and is uber popular and has a similar humor style, and fans of the Loud House will at least try becuase they like the mothership and have known was coming for years now. This show HAD an audience going in. I watched both American Dad and the Clevland Show because it was from the same crew as family guy which I liked at the time. Granted American Dad had a decent stretch and Clevland Show .. had David LYnch as a recurring cast member I guess? Seriously david, this and not gravity falls? The point is it feels insulting that they felt the need to try and promote the show more, and all they did was take up episodes of the loud house and confuse children, and possibly turn viewers off a show they would’ve watched anyways. And if your wondering why I took such a massive detour it’s simple: Other than noticing the fact they’ve been specifically making sure each sibling gets more than one spotlight episode, shared or not, and this dumb decision.. Season 4 isn’t THAT much diffrent than Season 3. It carries on plots started there  (Lori heading towards college, Luann and Luna’s relationship), but otherwise it’s basically just more shipping and shenanigans. But really. .that’s far from a bad thing, as I consider season 3 a highwater mark for the show, and it introduced a lot of neat new elements (Lynn’s Table, Stella, Leni having a job) that are still prevelant in season 4. It’s not bad and it’s even more understandable given that next season, every character is growing a year (thank you press releases), meaning they have tons of new plots to explore, and large status quo shifts with Lincoln going to middle school, which out of the four schools shown is so far the most underdeveloped and will need development, and Lori possibly moving out of the house and going to college, among many other things that have me chomping at the bit for next season. But that’s probably a few months away so for now, it’s time to get back on focus and with everything else out of the way, the actual review of this episode starts under the cut. 

We open with Luna sitting in bed sighing when her poster of Mick Swagger starts talking to her. Whatever she’s smoking I could really use some. Depression is a bitch. Anyways, her drug induced hallucination of her hero starts talking to her. I haven’t really talked about Mick yet since the show uses him sporadically but he’s exactly what you’d expect; The show’s version of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, only slightly younger.. maybe. I dunno. Maybe he’s been around since the 60′s and is just a timelord. Or a groovy robot. Or has a dorian grey thing going on. We haven’t really gotten into Dino Spimoni situation yet where Luna helps her idol and has to help him reunite with a partner or convince him to stop faking his death. Just a reminder that Hey Arnold is great and that if you think it’s odd his crooner dean martin based idol got talked out of faking his death by a 12 year old, keep in mind he also tracked down the daughter his vitamise neighbor gave up so she could go to america and have a better life, helped convince his neighbors not divorce, and had to save his pig from being eaten in a revolutionary war reinactment. Hey Arnold was far weirder than I remembered and i’m here for it.  Anyways, Hallucination Mick asks if Luna is coming to his concert this weekend, and she HOPES so she just dosen’t have the money for  VIP pass to meet the actual version and do drugs with the actual mick swagger for a change. He says you never know when opportunity will come a knockin and it does in the form of the McBrides! Clyde’s dad’s Howard, the skinny one voiced by national treasure Micheal McDonald and Wayne Brady whose also great.. and i’m not just saying that because i’ve seen this. Don’t be absurddddd....

Howard and Harold are Clyde’s dads... and while Clarence and Steven Universe beat them to having Gay parents in a children’s cartoon, their still the first interacial gay couple in a children’s cartoon, and on a nicktoon period, and even if they weren’t either of those it’d still be fucking great. Anyways the two are nice characters, while i haven’t seen EVERY ep with them their a loving couple, nice parents, and treat the loud kids as their own.. granted that goes too far in one episode, but still, thems good people.  Anyway Howards having a panic attack, respect, and as his husband calms him down, we find out why: the mcbrides are going to pick up nana for the annual family reunion, and their catsitter cancled. Hence Howard’s freakout and Harold worrying about the 20 pounds of amish potato salad in the trunk. So naturally their hoping someone can watch their cats, Cleopawtra and Nefurtiti for the day, and them going to the louds makes sense, both for the obvious of the Louds being their closest friends in the neighborhood, and the not so obvious of a previous episode I haven’t seen having established the older kids as the best babysitters in royal woods, meaning that in addition to knowing them they have skill and this likely isn’t the first time. Luna, not thinking about herself, admits Lori went to hit the golf course early and Leni is at work, a nice way to explaning why it’s Luna that gets the job: She was there and it was implied by the fact she was getting high and talking to her hallucination that Luann isn’t, so most of the other options they’d have without some reservations are gone with no contrivance necessary.  Anyways Luna’s Drug Fueld hallucination,  points out money can be exchanged for goods and services, such as VIP passes, and also mentions sam already has hers. Either Luna’s forgot or her hallucination can use her phone. Either is probable, and is backed up by Hallucination Sam, before both start playing their guitars and Luna air guitars with them. I”m unsuprsied by all of this. She offers and the McBrides take her up on it immeditley. I do like that it avoids the “I don’t know if your up to this” cliche that always happens in these types of scenarios, the McBrides have no reason not to trust her, so they just.. do. Hell Harold only sets out one rule: don’t invite anyone over.. and it’s not even because he dosen’t trust Luna to have anyone over or anything like that, he just knows the cats get anxious with a crowd, though their therapist is working with them on that. And of course the two rich men with a single child have a cat therapist. I would too if I were rich. Harold and Clyde throw and unconcious Howard into the car and their off, they’ll be back at 6. And TOTALLY won’t be home hours early for hyjinks. Totally.  Luna arrives to find a massive binder on feline care. Someone went to the Amy Santiago school of binders. It says to feed the cats at 10 sharp.. and it’s 10:02. Luna tries feeding them but the cats instead attack her in a full on psycotic rage and dump food all over her, so dinners on her. 

Anyways, Luna then tries walking the cats which goes as well as you’d expect.. not because she had to put harneses on cats and expect them to do anything at a certain time, but because they pull hard. I can relate to that with my dog.. not my cat. He just goes wherever he wants because he’s old and kind of an asshole.  Anyways, with the cats now messy from running over a guy with a cake, because of course, Luna looks up what to do next which is.. give.. them a bath. 

Who.. who does that. I know their messy, but use a rag or something. No animal likes being bathed but cats, esepcially one who this episodes shows aren’t declawed (And rightfully so but still), do not LIKE being bathed. Granted they wouldn’t like being cleaned off with a rag or something either, but it still feels less cruel to both them and any prospective babysitter to just hold one down and wipe it off then find the other and repeat. Look witht he walking thing I can see why someone would, in their case because their probably too skittish to let their cats wonder around, and in some cases because said cat is young. But this.. this even for a comedy contrivance is stupid. It’s not the worst uninetional cat abuse i’ve seen in media, Elmyra exists and the mother of the lead of get fuzzy tried putting her cat on a vegetarian diet, which Rob, said lead and a staunch vegetarian himself, not only found concerning but gave said cat the money for takeout.. keep in mind in this strip cats can talk and walk upright. Also I miss when Get Fuzzy was both daily and good. So Luna naturally ends up in the bathtub, soaked and depressed and not sure what to do when her friendly neighborhood sign that the drugs haven’t worn off yet comes by and tells her to shape up if she wants to go to the show with Sam. This gives Luna a great idea. LIke a Zack MOrris great idea it involves breaking the rules.. unlike a Zack Morris idea, it dosen’t involve sexual harassment or a zany scheme. She decides to call Sam, since she’s apparently great with cats and given we saw how she was with chickens last time, not a real stretch. She also pops Mick’s bubble which.. hurts him.. somehow. I dunno.  Anyway cut to Sam arriving. She arrived fast because she was picking a new character up from his gamer’s club meeting: Her brother Simon, who’d been mentioned in side materials but makes his first apperance here. I like him, he has a neat design and i’ts nice to give sam a family life of her own, and he’s a nice if glued to his not-nintendo switch kid. Frankly I hope he and LIncoln meet at some point. I mean he has an opening in his friend group starting next season there’s no way Rusty passes 5th grade. And even if he somehow does, it’s not like adding another member is too much of a stretch given, once they got past courting her, the rest of his group warmly welcomed stella in and it’d be an intresting dynamic having his sister’s girlfriend’s brother in the group. Also if your wondering if i’ll ever stop finding ways to bash rusty in these reviews even when he’s entirely absent..

Anyways, Luna slams the door in the kids face, which he takes in stride , and explains the situation, and after fred fliintstonning him is taken off the table, go with “Sneak him past the cats”. It works because cats never look up at the backs of a gay teenage couple sneaking a small child inside. Luna decides to leave Simon in the entertainment room while she and Sam watch the cats and he finds Clyde’s VR gear and asks to try it on, with Luna reluctantly agreeing as long as he’s careful.. which as far as we see.. yeah he entirely is. The Sharpe’s are good people. 

Cue a montage! Sam helps luna scrub the cats, with brushes as they should’ve done minute one, put them through spa type pampering which is also a call back to the first time we saw the McBride’s house in the series, take selfies, and then sing the cats to sleep, in a really sweet and really well sung lullaby, notable for being the first time Sam’s sung on the show and Allyson Stoner, who I haven’t mentioned but should’ve before this shame on me, does a terrific job and has done a terrific job as Sam in general. Luna thianks her for the help, Sam says no sweat they get to see the show together, and Sam ducks out... before realizing she forgot something. Her wallet... no wait she has that.. OH SHIT HER BROTHER. And before she can get him DOUBLE OH SHIT THE MCBRIDES ARE BACK.  Harold is grumbling about the potato salad... apparenlty Aunt Brenda brought some and wasn’t supposed to. I do like how both McBride dads have their own quirks:While Harold IS the more rational one, he can slip up just like anyone can. Luna prepares to leave.. only to realize oh shit her girlfriend’s brothers in the house still. Her not all complex scheme! She fakes having left something behind to get him out, and once sam calls comes up with a plan: Sneak Simon around back. Sam sneaks around with the bush she ducked into, and we get one of my faviorite tropes: A scooby doo doors sequence! Also the dads speak in unison. Dawww. We also get an adorable bit of Sam gesturing for Luna to hand her the boy. I couldn’t find a gif of it sadly, and I would’ve credited it, but I did find 50 tons of creepy Sam X LIncoln fanart. Just.. why. Why exactly. Why do you do this to me tumblr. And to be clear I have ZERO issue with shipping a character whose sexuality isn’t fully confirmed as just gay in canon with a male character, Bi and Pan representation is important. It’s why I get annoyed at the people who throw a hissy fit any time Della Duck is shipped with Launchpad. Here though I do because it feels like this ship is ENTIRELY a troll, especially since LIncoln has 80 other options, not at all including the icky incest ones, and that I cut and dry have every problem with, and is being done soley to annoy people who ship sam and Luna and are finally enjoying some gay/bi representation on children’s television. If this is a troll then kindly 

Thank you John. So anyways Sam does grab the boy and nearly gets him out the door.. only for the mcbrides to run into their bisexual catsitter shoving a small chubby child out their kitchen window only to have a lesbian fall out into their kitchen. Naturally Howard faints again and Harold is displeased... probably because his husband fainted again.. and you know the shenangians in his kitchen. The only time shenanigans are allowed in that kitchen are when Clyde is sleeping at a friends house for the night and only on the table dammit. They got reinforced oak for a reason.  We cut to the boys playing, which is a nice touch: Clyde being a nice kid dosen’t mind sharing, Simon has similar intrests, and the only time we’ve seen him be eh on sharing is letting Lincoln borrow his new console.. and he not only felt BAD for not wanting him to borrow it and having to try and get it back, but he only did so because the Loud house is insanley chaotic and understandbly he wasn’t sure it’d get back to him safetly. His dad’s rasied him well, he’s a good boy once he got past his ‘Stalking his friends older sister” phase and got into his “anything besides that “ phase.  Luna comes clean to the McBrides and.. Harold appricates the honesty. And both are impressed with how well they took them, with Sam and Luna giving each other credit. So instead of getting upset, especially since Luna was both honest and only called in Sam for help and Simon was an unexpected guest and they both did a fantastic job, they offer to split the money instead. Sam, in a really sweet gesture, then gives Luna her half with no hesitation or prompting from her girlfriend, Luna gives her a cheek smooch and they hug. Then Luna acciently wakes the cats, and we end on the girls singing the cats, Simon and the McBrides all to sleep. Also Luna’s hallucination is alsleep.. those drugs wore off hours ago after all.  Final Thoughts:  A really fantastic setup. Once again the show shows it’s slowly gained talent for taking stock plots (in this case a babysitting episode) and making them actually intresting, mostly by having the characters behave reasonably. While it didn’t really expand Sam’s character, it didn’t really need to , the previous ep with her having fleshed her out as a sweet, kind girl with a talent for animals, and Simon is a wonderful addition to the series massive cast of side characters that , unlike some additions , will hopefully show up again. Seriously half the reason I bitch about Rusty is that the show is great at making charcters, and improving them after a few bumpy episodes as seen with Clyde, Lori and Luann, but yet still uses him and dosen’t make him any funnier, while I can name handfuls of characters who either need more apperances (Girl Jordan) Or haven’t shown up again at all (Carol Pingery, Rocky, Maggie). And that’s not even all of them obviously, but my point stands. But given he’s the brother of one of the main characters girlfriend and would fit in with the main character well, I have a feeling we’ll see simon again at some point.  I also really liked seeing the McBrides, mostly because I haven’t seen many of their episodes, and found them to be delightful, helped by having wonderful va’s behind them as standard for the show and great chemsitry and it was a nice bonus to have the shows two main gay couples interact, without it feeling at all forced, and neither did Sam’s inclusion. And while we haven’t gotten a full on kiss with Sam and Luna, which really they should, CN beat them again on that, the cheek kiss and hug was still very sweet, as is the episode really. It’s funny, heartwarming, and really enjoyable. While itd osen’t have as much emotional weight as the last two eps, I like that it didn’t: For once the conflict was low key but understandable and now Sam and Luna are a full couple, they can just do cute couple shit and get into wacky shenanigans like any other couple on this show without any angst attached. It’s really nice. It also shows that no, a couple being together isn’t boring fuck off will they or won’t they, but i’ve ranted enough about stuff unrelated to this episode. I really liked it and hope to come back to these two someday.  For now as I sign off Pride Month is far from over... as next up I have multiple things planned, but one of the biggest is a FIVE PART series on Red Action and Enid from OK KO. Yes FIVE. All 3 of their romantic eps, and Red’s first two for proper context both for the finale, which uses both episodes as part of the plot, and for a proper view of her character arc and to ease readers into the series better. So be there for that, and a donald duck birthday celebration, and until then, later days! 

#Sam Sharp #Luna Loud #Saluna #the loud house #howard mcbride #harold mcbride #clide mcbride #simon sharp #the purrfect gig #pride month #lbgtq

[bluekayanite]

(SU/SU:F Observations/Theory) More on the SU Moon

So I've been convinced for awhile that the moon appearing in Steven Universe eps (and at least one of the books) is NOT RANDOM.  The first four eps of Steven Universe: Future helped solidify this for me even further.

So here's what I think the appearance of the moon means, as well as a number of my moon-related observations from the original SU.

EDIT (Dec 16, 2019): Corrected a detail that I missed/got wrong. =3 EDIT2 (Dec 17, 2019): Added another detail. ^w^

So, I believe that an important person from the Gem War has been imprisoned in the observation orb in the Diamond base.

(The force field is for extra insurance, filtering out anyone who might intend to do a rescue.)

Like the mirror that Lapis was trapped in, I believe that this prisoner can see what's going on through the orb's observation functions.  When this person is watching, the moon will appear.

When this person is paying closer attention than usual, the moon will often be bright and/or full... it may even be pink.

Sometimes, when this person is watching hard, even the sunset (or sunrise) will be pink.

I believe that - like with the search robonoids in Off-Colors - Rose's sheild wasn't enough to black out White Diamond's mind control powers.

I believe that the prisoner on the moon is the real Pink Diamond.

The Prisoner is Certainly Interested in Pink's Stuff

The reason I decided to write this is because of the moon's presence in the third and fourth eps of SU:F, Rose Buds and Volleyball - eps that would certainly be relevant to Pink Diamond's interests, because they're about Gems that would more-than-likely be important to her.  The moon shows up a LOT in Rose Buds, and is often on the bright side.

Granted, most of the appearances are in the same background of Steven's Room, during the slumber party - I omitted about half the shots because they'd be redundant. XD;  Still, it's quite a bit for the amount of show it's in.

That said, it doesn't start showing up until after the Rose Quartzes came to Steven's house.  And Crewniverse definitely took some creative liberties for *where* it appears.  For example, it's seen in *almost* the same place in the sky for both night and day shots of the house.

The moon doesn't work that way. XD  It's going to appear to go across the sky, just like the sun does, and at about the same rate.  The amount of shift that it does have would only suggest a change of... maybe a half-hour, if that.  Certainly not enough time to go from broad daylight to a dark, starry sky.  Another thing is that, even though the moon is shown on the opposite side of the house from Steven's new sliding-doors, you can see it through the sliding doors. XD

Also: even though you normally see it through the left side of the doors, it switches to the right side, just for this one shot.

So it really seems to me like they're trying to emphasize "the moon is there!"  I can't think of a reason why they would do that, unless it were important to the story... in this case, a story about a few Rose Quartzes, who Pink made.  (I like to imagine that it's like she's trying to press her nose to the door. XD)

Now in Volleyball, while most of the shots are indoors, the shots of the house include the moon... again, in both day (right at the beginning of the ep) and night (right at the end of the ep), and again, in about the same position in the sky for both day and night.

Though this time the moon even changes phases, going from quarter-moon to a full one.  Again, the moon doesn't work that way!  It takes a week to go between a quarter-moon and a full moon.  (It's also one of the times when its on the brighter side.)

So again, I don't think this'd be done unless it were important to the story.  Again, the story is about a Gem that Pink (probably) made, and who is probably important to her.  I've already mentioned that I suspect that a full moon means that Pink is paying extra-close attention - this suggests to me that Pink Pearl really was that important to Pink.

...I could only imagine what Pink would be feeling.  She might be a that the Pearl (esp. the pink one) seem to be doing okay, but what they think about her would probably be awkward at best.  ...more likely it would be painful though IMO - one of the Gems who she was really closest to has forgotten who she really is.

The Moon-Prisoner Seems Interested in Steven and the Crystal Gems

Okay... so I haven't actually scanned through all the SU eps to see where the moon shows up, but here are the things I have noticed:

The moon shows up a lot when Steven and Connie are together - as does the pink-sky thing.

In Sworn to the Sword, the moon is actually full briefly during the Jam Buds song... and then instantly changes to a quarter-moon.  This is extra weird moon-behavior, since it's actually impossible for the moon to be full during the day, since it has to be on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun to be full. XD  She's gotta be paying really close attention - not to mention be very POWERFUL - if she managed that. X3

(And yes, I'm sure it's not the sun.  The sun isn't made of two shades of blue.)

Anyway, the moon is there for two of Greg's stories.

It's also there for Garnet's wedding. ;3

(Looks to me like Pink's a 'shipper. =3 X3  It even shows up during Gemcation, when Connie and Steven aren't talking.)

It's there, full, and bright, for ALL of the wrestling matches.  (Seriously, ALL of them.)

It's hard to see after Tiger and Puma get beaten, but it's there.

It's bright and pink when Steven is having trouble with his cat fingers - possibly suggesting freak-out.

Speaking of freak-out, the moon shows quite a bit during the Heart of the Crystal Gems arc, after "the Reveal" - as do pink sunsets.

In The Question, there's also a higher rate of pink-colored, diamond-shaped stars with a halo around them - something else that I think could be a clue that the prisoner's watching... maybe even trying to communicate.

She also seemed to be watching during the fiasco with the communications tower (where the moon is explicitly used to show the passing of time).

...and may have checked in out of worry, after.  Specifically, on Amethyst.

And seemed to have watched for the resolution. =‘3

It's hard to miss the moon at the end of Rose's Scabbard.

She also apparently watches Beach-A-Palooza - the moon is even noticeably pink during Sadie's Song!

(...though admittedly, the pink may be harder to notice against my marks. XD; )

There's some INTENSE pink-sunset going on in Raising the Barn, when a fellow prisoner is thinking about running away.  (Plus a half-moon, after it's too late to stop her.)

She may have noticed when Lars - a friend of Steven's - went missing.

She may have even followed Buddy’s adventures.

I even wonder if she somehow got Lion to go get Steven out from the ocean in Escapism.

Overall, the impression that I get from when and how the moon appears is sort of a curious, excitable, and supportive (and/or worrying) feeling.  And it would seem to me like the prisoner enjoys entertainment, much like Pink is established to. ;3

The Moon is Conveniently Absent for Certain Plot Points

Like I hinted at, there don't appear to be any signs of the moon in either Little Homeschool or Guidance.  In fact, other than when Jasper first arrives, the moon hasn't shown AT ALL when either Jasper or Smokey have been involved - and even when Jasper first arrives, it's a stretch, because you have to count seeing the moon from the hand-ship, where I'm not sure the orb could look into.

Though I guess the sky could be considered pink after the crash... (I'd say it's more of a light/pale red, though - not quite "pink" range.)

And the sky is definitely pink at the end of Back to the Kindergarten - an ep that Smokey appeared in.

Still, it seems plausible that the prisoner doesn't know much about what's happened with Jasper, and she might not know about Smokey (or the other with-Gem Steven-Fusions) at all.  I'm thinking there's a pretty good chance that there's going to be an ep where Pink meets Jasper, and there's some shock involved (on both sides).

Similarly... one of my theories is that Smokey's freckles are a recessive trait indirectly inherited from Pink, who had to hide her own freckles.  (They're the only truly new trait gained when Steven fuses with one of the CGs.)

I think this might be setting up for a pleasant surprise on a first-meeting with Smokey. =3

There are other points where it seems like she missed something important - for example, there's no sign of the moon during Pearl's most famous song... or anywhere else in Mr. Greg.

I've also yet to see the moon any time when the other Diamonds were on Earth.  (Though it does show up after they've already left...)

And... well, while the sky is pink through much of the movie, I think that's caused by the injector, not the moon-prisoner.  The only time you see the moon during the *actual story* is during Independent Together.  (Plus one of halo'd stars that I think could also be important.)

So... depending on where her focus was, the prisoner may, or may not, have noticed Spinel.

...And even if she did, she probably hasn't seen Spinel's newer form.

(It also shows during Steven's recap - one place where it seems like she might be watching proudly. =3)

(...Come to look, it really looks like the rings of light coming off the moon are focused toward Steven, too. 83)

I think it's also possible that the moon disappearing could mean that the prisoner's stopped watching.  For example, while the moon was clearly above the communications hub near the end of Cry For Help, it disappears when Sugilite knocks it down.

I also realized while gathering screenies that the moon isn't found in Sadie's Song after Barb goes to get more glitter.  (I'd previously assumed that Pink was watching all the way through, but now I'm not so certain.)

Granted, it's possible that both these cases were meant to declutter...  I certainly don’t think that just because the moon is missing in a specific shot means that the prisoner isn’t watching at that very second.  For example, there are a number of moonless shots in The Question that come in-between shots with the moon.

(In general, I believe that if the moon shows up outside, before an important scene inside, then it means that she’s watching throughout the indoor scene - possibly throughout the whole ep, even.)

It's also possible that, since they actually were keeping track of the moon's position in Sadie's song, it just didn't show after the glitter-run because the camera never faces toward it.  Still, it did seem like they fudged its location when they showed the empty stage, so that seems like a stretch.

Though now, I'm thinking there's a really good possibility that, since they both looked like they were leading toward trainwrecks (even if it was only the case one of those times), she couldn't bring herself to watch. =D;

Maybe she has even more trouble with anxiety than I realized...

The Moon is in the Openings

So I couldn't find any sign of the moon in the first two eps of SU:F, but you can see it in the opening.

((SIde note: I really love when Peridot is doing cute stuff. =3))

The moon has always been in the SU openings - you can find pink sunsets in them, too (though not the one for SU:F) - it's one reason why the moon and the sky seem so important to the story, to me. =3

EDIT: It took me awhile to notice, but you can also find some pink sky in the SU:F opening! =D

It’s just mixed in with a blue sky, during the day, instead of a sunset, which usually has orange.

(The way I read it, I guess you could say that Pink was part of the group shot, too. =3  Anyway...)

I find it kind of odd that the moon only shows up for Amethyst in the first intro... though I guess it makes sense that it'd at least show for one of Pink's Gems. XD;

EDIT2: Oh!  And not only is there pink sky during the songs, but you can sometimes find it during the ep title. =3

But yeah, this is another one of those places where it seems to me like Pink's offering support, following Steven's adventures.  In a way, it kind of feels to me like she's always been a part of those adventures - or at least, like she wanted to be. 3′=

#su:f theory #su moon #su:f moon #su:f #steven universe: future #rose quartz wasn't pink diamond #image heavy

[commenter2]

SU episode summary: Back to Homeworld arc

This post summarizes episodes Legs From Here to Homeworld to the Escapism. Change your Mind will get its own separate review.

Legs form Here to Homeworld

Stevens face when BD hugs (crushes) him XD

So after all the conflict, the Diamonds are friendly ? IDK what to think I mean it was bound to happen but still, maybe YD will change her mind.

YD tears on gems XD also does Steven’s gem look a bit different here, more pink ?

Though short its good to see Nephrite back, in her true form too though I wonder why in her true form she doesn’t remember anything about her time being corrupted or with Steven I mean she’s sentient to know the diamonds as centipeedle. Plus the reference to Save the Light !

Finally WD’s gonna enters the story.

Pink Legs are PD ships, called IT, and still makes the entrance to junk pile really awkward !

PD’s ships got those that’s that go on for miles XD Also its funny that it has high heels

I like Connie’s mom in this scene, also them looking a the ship’s booty XD. You think that’s what Ronaldo was taking a picture of XD.

Sometimes I wonder if the gems get Earth things wrong on purpose cause Cats don’t need to be watered Garnet. Bismuth’s speech could be proof cause she’s been out only for a little bit and knows earth terms !

Like mother like son eh Pearl !

Homeworld’s a shattered planet ? Also tall Homeworld Peridots !

Another white Pearl ? What’s up with her face ? Also nice Wizard of Oz reference there

WD, so bright. Wait is she the inventor of the high heel ? Or did she steal the idea form Earth ?

Well that was something ? Lets see what’s happens next

Familiar

Cute little pebbles. Also Steven’s gem is back to being reddish. Im also still waiting to see/hear how PD went from a brat shown in Jungle Moon to being nice !

YP ugh ! and I agree on Steven on the bathing suit, you’ve worn a tux before Pearl !

Homeworld is low on supplies yet there making gems just to use as walls ?

Ok I take it back Pearl. Plus im pretty sure this this conforms that Homeworld does take ideas from Earth.

YD is jealous of Steven XD Plus her laughing ! And how did she do that thing with her sweat ?

BP, my gem :)

What does Pearl mean by conquer ? Is there other sentient races in the Steven Universe’s universe ? Are Sneeple confirmed ?

First gems just for wall and now for statues ? Combs NOW ! I don’t see why the lowers gems don’t rebel, you think they ever tried (not counting Crystal Gems). Also peoples dream of BD in a pool have just come true, even if she is still in her normal clothes XD !

Who knew gems practiced oral hygiene ?

Fools gold came from the Diamonds, I wonder if this confirms that they named all the other gems ? or at least there nicknames ?

I actually use to play a similar game like that with my friends ! Small world.

That pebble still has Steven’s phone. Also they come from Rose’s tears ? Speaking of which, her drawings are cute and represent how she’s the child of the diamonds.

Peter Griffin must be happy that Stevens’ singing the title so often in his song.

Cinderella reference, cute but Steven I think its unwise to look like your mom when your trying to prove your not.

Its Party Time Gems !

Together Alone

This is dream isn’t it, I can tell by YD long neck (which is hilarious) Pink Pearl, YD smiling , barf hair (which means something I don’t remember though) and WD.

Pearl watching Steven sleep again XD but where did Connie come from (they slept together sorta :3 LOL and the pebble still has the phone !

YP: What is fun ? SpongeBob crashes in: F is for Friends who do stuff together !!

More BP drawings ! YP as a model LOL

BD your rudeness is showing again ! and Connie as a pet, if anyone’s a pet its Steven.

More fusion prejudice !

Amethyst with limb enhancers, Cool ! Now lets seem her use them in combat ! And Sapphires !

WD thinks she’s too cool for this ! And those gear gems symbolize perfectly how other gems are only parts used by the diamonds.

Stevonnie, uh oh what’s happening ! OMG Opal is back, its been forever since she’s been in the series !

I knew those cheek gems were intersti DAMMIT YELLOW stop destabilizing everyone. At least it shows there still not 100% friends/allies yet.

Steven and Connie are in a time out !

Escapism

I don’t see why at least Steven couldn’t go out that window, he could have float and get home.

An astral projection episode, at least its not 100% filler.

Marlonwebb: The Crystal Gems are going to get even. Thank to the aid of Watermelon Steven !

First watermelon dogs now birds, how ? Also its cool to see that the melons have formed a military. The dog stands ! At least this plot point is short.

Watermelon sharks ! At least Steven’s kiss made it friendly.

Who knew Bismuth was handy with other materials besides steel ? Also Connie cuddling Steven, cute !

#steven universe #white diamond #pink diamond #homeworld #blue pearl

[geek-gem]

Reunited

5:01 pm so as of now I've seen the new Steven Universe special, "Reunited" and their will be spoilers possibly so be warned I will tag it with spoilers too.

To be honest I didn't want to immediately go on my phone and talk about this. Because just I was wondering if that was seriously all until Adult Swim came on. So the tv is now on The Loud House just commericals on now. Including I've been watching some of the show again despite how I'm critical of the show.

But let me talk about this now.

After all these years and I've been a Steven Universe fan since the Summer of 2014.....all the build up, and after going through many years of again build up and people being critical and some being well stupidly critical where me and others couldn't take them seriously. Just after everything all the other stories and theories so much stuff so much shit going on. It all builds up to this.

Now Loud House is on the Girl Guru episode enough.

But I'm gonna say some stuff and people might say better stuff then me but this is my reaction.

The special, "Reunited" and this specific Steven Bomb was all worth it and it's possibly one of the or maybe the best Steven Universe episode ever. Even though the series is a big story but in a way.....how about a comparison here it might be stupid.

Think of Infinity War....this was my kind of thing. Seeing a whole bunch of this shit and just what we get these could be first reactions.

Okay looked at the last paragraph and the other before it I'm sorry of rambling at first but seriously. I'm very positive of the episode. To be honest for the first three episodes I didn't rewatch them including July 4th fireworks starting at 7 but rewatched, "Made Of Honor" yet was mainly on my laptop. I think I'm gonna leave this episode on basically see it again.

Now I think I should get into more details. It's a really great fuckin special it is. Because it's like an event me and other fans have been waiting for in so long. Including yeah some pretty funny moments and twice they used okay spoilers now they used the Peridot flower thing twice which is funny.

But it's like an event seeing all these characters and I don't know if this is a finale to a season. Because the ending and just after it ends is surprising as hell.

Basically let's talk about the wedding. I'm gonna be honest I said woah after the whole thing Sapphire explained with Steven and Ruby surprised by a whole lot explained and then Sapphire explaining it in a simple way. Especially the fucking kiss they actually showed that. Which is pretty fuckin amazing. Especially yeah Garnet came back which is awesome. I was surprised by the kiss it's just it's surprising because they actually showed it on TV despite I suppose Rebecca Sugar didn't have fear of showing it but still.

Now to the biggest things almost just said thing. But just the Diamonds and their is so much to talk about.

The big battle especially the biggest fucking surprise the Cluster actually turns into a large arm and fucking arm wrestles Yellow Diamond's ship. The fact the Cluster is seriously that in control of it's actions is amazing and good that it's on the Crystal Gems side. Especially even Steven mentions that and the Cluster even does thumbs up twice.

Also just the battle between the Crystal Gems and the Diamonds it's fucking awesome and some surprising stuff man. Now I'm thinking I hope the Diamonds Pearls are somewhere maybe on their ships I'm worried now where are they now man.

Yet again their are indeed some funny moments especially Peridot which is quite a surprise glad Bismuth loves her attitude holy crap I remember the ideas that Bismuth might of hated Peridot and Lapis yet yesterday shit changed.

Also Lapis she came the fuck back holy fuck. Yeah I'm swearing a bit I guess in a way to express myself on this stuff. But especially before but just her entrance is amazing she fucking slams the barn on Blue Diamond. Yet also one of the biggest things. It's her interaction with the Crystal Gems before more of the battle and the whole thing of officially joining now.

I'm just remembering all the times people talking about her relationship with the Gems and now here we are man.

Seriously again lots of stuff especially the last half the fact this is three parts was surprising. It's not just tap parts it's three parts man.

But the last half which especially before that holy shit after Yellow Diamond basically poofs Peridot who has the balls to even step forward to the Diamonds after being launched by Bismuth onto Blue Diamonds face. Yellow actually runs towards Steven and fucking steps on him I'm being serious. Especially he had his shield and it protected him but fucking broke. Crap glad it didn't end on that.

But the last half again Steven's I guess in....their minds of shorts. Including able to connect with everyone and just oh shit man. Then also the last part he's trying to talk to the Diamonds and it's quite a struggle and just hearing everyone's thoughts also some silly stuff in there too man.

Yet after all that he's able to talk with them and reveal what actually happened to Pink Diamond. Then it just fucking ends with the Diamonds and especially everyone else looking at Steven seeing he's up now. But also the biggest thing the Diamonds realize who he is now.

Okay other thing I remembered which was funny was Greg surviving and getting I think I remembered he was called Cat Steven and Greg says he will rather stick with them the other Gems.

Also I don't know why I thought of this the fact Steven needs to sleep to speak to the Cluster I was thinking their gonna jam a tranquilizer or something in his neck it sounds so weird. But it's funny he went to sleep rather quickly after Greg played his guitar.

Also remembered the funny moment Ruby speeding up to Sapphire and shit's on fire and Greg playing the guitar more quickly.

Along with I wanted to mention this. This special actually fucking starts with a song by Steven especially with him reacting to some people's negative stuff and whatever looking on the more bright side of things.

Now I need to speak of the final part and this wasn't shown in the ending. The ending is left pretty open ended. Their is footage of the next episode which seems to line up with that gif of Blue and Yellow with the Crystal Gems at the house.

Holy shit especially Centi whatever she's named is gonna be part of that too. Their talking about the whole thing that the Diamonds used to wipe out most of the Gems on Earth and how it affected Gems.

But basically I should just get to the point I fucking loved this special. Especially the show started when I saw the intro I turned off my laptop well exit the screen was watching some Klayton Fioriti stuff the 20 years Lost World Jurassic Park stuff I exist that out and turned off the screen not the laptop.

Again sorry I really enjoyed the special. So much good shit. The fact we finally got this is amazing. Now we're gonna get more after this but it didn't reveal the date of what I saw.

Hopefully at Comic Con we will get more information.

Also on a funny note considering my reblog sorry for the mention gal but want to @beevean her post and how I made a joke about White Diamond. Also put back the n of her username whatever.

At first my ideal and it's was mainly a joke about she was the one who killed Pink Diamond that White Diamond is a facist. But now the theory and it works perfectly and if this is true how much symbolism Rebecca Sugar and the Crewinverse have done. The idea White Diamond distancing herself from so much shit.

She does not appear in this. In fact maybe hopefully she will appeared or even mentioned in those upcoming new episodes that maybe the Diamonds could be on good terms now. Or even maybe some Comic Con stuff but from what I know they don't really reveal something like that unless Cartoon Network fucks up but this time they didn't which is amazing man.

In a nutshell and I'm gonna copy this. This is probably one of my favorite things from series, the best Steven Bomb and my favorite of the series or just the build up is worth it. It's basically my Infinity War yet probably hopefully for other fans as well. But not the kind of Infinity War where spoilers the ending contains White Diamond making half of the universe disappear where Connie says, "Steven I don't feel so good". Okay Connie was my first choice then Greg or Peridot but Jesus Christ let's be glad their isn't something like that and wanting to keep which characters alive stop it sorry guys.

Tags done but seriously all fucking great man the best we've gotten is such a long time the greatest hopefully just sorry I'm rambling the greatest.

Edit had to click here again it's 5:46 pm I forgot the time but just got the nutshell thing on Deviantart and Loud House is on commericals gonna reblog shit. But seriously the fucking greatest.

#steven universe #su spoilers

[weedle-testaburger]

Steven Universe for Depth Fandom Questions!

Top 5 favourite characters: Stevonnie, Lapis, Steven, Connie and Amethyst

Other characters you like: Peridot, Pearl, Flourite, Sadie, the Cool Kids, Bismuth, Rhodonite and Greg

Least favourite characters: Ronaldo, Jasper, Holly Blue Agate and Aquamarine

Otps: Connverse, Lapidot, Rupphire and the Cool Kids as a poly ship (including Sadie)

Notps: Jaspis and any other Steven ship besides Connverse

Favourite friendships: Steven and Connie’s, Steven and Lapis’s, Amethyst and Pearl’s and Lars’ friendship with the Off-Colors

Favourite family: Steven, the Gems and Greg

Favourite episodes: I guess I’ll pick one from each season for brevity? :P Alone Together, Sworn To The Sword, Alone At Sea, Mindful Education and Reunited.

Favourite season/book/movie: Hmm... I think season 3, although it’s close between seasons 3, 4 and 5

Favourite quotes: Peridot describing her meep morp: ‘It represents the struggles of inner communication. The tape is the ribbon that binds our experience on Earth together. It has no functional purpose! It just makes me feel bad!” (the way she says that last bit so delightedly kills me), and Steven throwing marshmallows at Peridot and declaring “This is life for you now! Endless suffering!”

Best musical moment: Here Comes A Thought, I do love Mr Greg but that song hits me even harder than all the songs from that episode tbh

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: Steven and Connie making up in Kevin Party (I know that episode had its flaws but I was so happy to see them make up honestly)

When it really disappointed you: Lapis fleeing the moment Steven mentioned the Diamonds in Can’t Go Back, I felt like it sucked that they almost seemed to be abandoning her for the foreseeable future and I was so glad to see her back for Reunited

Saddest moment: Lapis taking the barn and leaving Peridot in Raising The Barn

Most well done character death: Jasper’s corruption (I think it’s the only ‘death’ that counts anyway lol)

Favourite guest star: I don’t think Uzo Aduba counts since Bismuth is back in the regular cast so I guess I’ll go with Nicki Minaj Favourite cast member: I kinda have to say Grace Rolek cause I met her and got an autograph at Birmingham Comic-Con, she was lovely :3

Character you wish was still alive: Can I say Lapis and Peridot since they’re poofed now? If not I guess Centipeetle

One thing you hope really happens: I would love so much to see another full-on Crystal Temps episode, maybe with a special intro or something

Most shocking twist: The Pink Diamond one, I’m still barely over it tbh

When did you start watching/reading?: Early Summer 2016

Best animal/creature: I would die for Cat Steven

Favourite location: the Jungle Moon I think

Trope you wish they would stop using: I feel like it’d be nice if the show didn’t make everyone redeemable, I don’t mind the lead on from Reunited because I do think the Diamonds turning against Homeworld could be really interesting, but I feel like much as kids need to learn respect and tolerance they also need to learn some people won’t respect you no matter how nice you are to them

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: Showing the importance of consent, communication and mutual trust in friendships and relationships

Funniest moments: The meep morp quote I mentioned before

Couple you would like to see: If Lapidot becomes canon I would go nuts

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: Hmm... maybe some well-known voice actresses like Tara Strong or Kristen Schaal voicing fusions would be cool

Favourite outfit: Lapis’s or all of Connie’s and Stevonnie’s (I can’t choose between them aidsfdsh)

Favourite item: Ik it’s cliche but Cookie Cats, if they were a real food I’d eat them all the time honestly

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: A few of the books, a postcard book, all the Pops except the Pink Diamond and Stevonnie ones (I WANT THE LATTER SO MUCH), all the blind box figures except one of the Garnets, Onion and Peridot, the Steven, Connie, Amethyst and Peridot blind bag figures and the Australian DVD box sets (because I love having DVDs of the shows I like and my PC works with all regions)

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: I feel like I’d want to hang out with Sadie tbh, she’s kinda dorky and cute and the sort of person I like being friends with irl. Gem stuff is cool but I’m too much of a wuss for it :P

Most boring plotline: Gem Drill wasn’t great imo, the buildup was fun more for seeing Peridot’s big redemption than the actual Cluster and the climax was kinda sneezed at us

Most laughably bad moment: Idk if it’s very laughable but most of the Ronaldo stuff (I actually remember liking Rising Tides, Crashing Skies though)

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: Hmm... either We Need To Talk or The Answer, I think

Most layered character: Torn between Amethyst, Pearl, Steven and Lapis, but I’m inclined to say Lapis cause she’s had the biggest arc proportional to her screentime

Most one dimensional character: Ronaldo, I don’t think there’s any argument here

Scariest moment: Lapis and Jasper fusing at the end of Jail Break was haunting as hell

Grossest moment: The Human Zoo’s machine stripping Steven in Gem Heist :/Best looking male: I think Lars tbh, although young Greg is cute as hell too

Best looking female: Amethyst is the one I find most attractive, but Lapis is very pretty

Who you’re crushing on (if any): Amethyst tbh

Favourite cast moment: Those vines Zach, Deedee, Jennifer and Michaela did with Thomas Sanders were amazing XD

Favourite transportation: Lion

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): the Jungle Moon was gorgeous, although the bit where the Gems all line up to take on Blue Diamond in Reunited was amazing too

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: Much as I love Mindful Education to bits, I do find Connie’s ‘fighting instincts kicking in at school’ kinda weird, and think it would’ve been better if she’d just had a fight with her parents since that’s kinda more relatable.

Best promo: Probably the Lars of the Stars preview from SDCC last year, that got me super hyped for that episode half a year before it aired!

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: I think the moment I went from liking this show to realizing I absolutely love this show was probably Alone Together. That episode is just so nuanced, has so many great moments and lines, and has some of the smartest symbolism SU has ever done, that it really endeared me to it.

Thanks for asking Bia! Sorry I took a while with all the questions :3

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 50*: Full Disclosure

“I want to be a part of your universe.”

Steven Universe is a hero, but is he a superhero? Sure, his powers are magical, and his enemies tend to be more monstrous than villainous, but the same could be said of fellow Steve-with-unusual-surname Stephen Strange. Steven certainly evokes your typical sidekick, and the Crystal Gems have a cool team name that sounds more like the Justice League than the Jedi Order or the Fellowship of the Ring. Most importantly, Steven lives in contemporary times despite his sci-fi/fantasy adventures, and lives a dual life between the weird and the mundane.

He doesn’t fill quite enough tropes for me to firmly put him in that category, but I bring it up because Full Disclosure uses a plot straight out of superhero lore: keeping a secret to keep a loved one safe. This secret tends to be the character’s identity as a hero, which has frankly been done to death; great shows like The Flash (well, its first season is great at least) grind to a halt as our lead continually lies for no actual reason (why would your friend let villains know that they’re prime kidnapping material?), and the plot point has been brilliantly deconstructed by the likes of Brian Michael Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Mark Waid’s Irredeemable. Steven Universe similarly subverts this story, thankfully in the span of a single episode, to show us just how childish this self-distancing really is.

Not that Steven’s reticence isn’t understandable: Greg, who we’ve seen worry about his son plenty of times before, has a massive freakout after hearing what Steven went through in The Return and Jailbreak, and any kid could make the logical leap that their friend might have a similar reaction. Greg’s message of support through his hyperventilation is everything to this scene; Tom Scharpling really can dad with the best of ‘em.

From here, we have a rare stretch of Steven alone and introspective. This isn’t Samurai Jack we’re talking about, so Zach Callison is either talking to a hypothetical Connie or singing about his feelings. Regardless, we have poignant moments of silence as his rambling falters to the physical aftermath of Homeworld’s attack. 

Ronaldo makes his way into the plot, and does exactly what Ronaldo should do: act pompous and give lousy advice. Scenes like his are why I can never be too hard on the guy, because he has a role to play that no other character can, and he plays it well. His speech is a nice dose of comedy in what could be a bleak sequence, but nonetheless captures Steven’s internal struggle. Most importantly, he doesn’t overstay his welcome!

It’s unfortunate that the song that follows has to come on the heels of Stronger Than You, because it’s one of the show’s finest but it sorta gets lost in the fray:

Integrating the ringtone we’ve been hearing since the end of Jailbreak into an actual song is unspeakably clever. While the workmanlike lyrics aren’t too special compared to other Steven Universe numbers, it’s a welcome return to Steven singing; we may have gotten a taste in On the Run and The Message, but he hasn’t gotten a full-length solo song since all the way back in Island Adventure. Steven may just be singing what he’s obviously thinking, but between Zach Callison, the visuals, and the instrumentation, I’m good.

The sequence has two flashback montages of sorts: Steven looking through past pictures of hanging out with Connie to reestablish their history, and actual events we’ve seen in the past two episodes. Even if these episodes are fresh in our minds, Steven’s specific memories highlight just how much he’s witnessed: Garnet’s destruction, Lapis’s imprisonment, the menace of Peridot and Jasper, the crash, and the formation of Malachite. Note that the headbutt that gave him his black eye is omitted, because Steven is most upset about bad things happening to other people, which fits right into his concern about Connie and his dad.

After some fun with the Gems, we immediately see how childish Steven’s behavior is, first using exaggerated vocabulary and then sloppily avoiding Connie rather than confront his feelings. Episodes like this are the reason Connie is so surprised to learn that Steven is older than her in Steven’s Birthday, because her maturity saves their friendship; Grace Rolek even incorporates a little Doctor Maheswaran as she admonishes Steven for making her worry. But not before this perfect little moment:

Full Disclosure’s insistence on letting destruction speak for itself is wonderful, considering we just got a song that spells out Steven’s exact thoughts. After seeing Steven shocked into silence a few times earlier in the episode, Connie’s wordless run through the hall of the ship as she chases Steven hammers in just how big of a deal Jailbreak was. Moreover, the visual storytelling reinforces her character: this alien stuff is confusing and a little scary, but she’s more focused on her friend than sating her curiosity.

The staging of their confrontation builds enough suspense that it made me a little worried in my first watch, which is pretty impressive considering Steven and Connie obviously aren’t going to stop being friends. I love that we don’t see Steven explain what happened, not only because we saw it and got his summary already when he told Greg about it, but because it allows for one of Full Disclosure’s departure from the show’s signature style. Beyond the reverse star wipe opening, we get not one but two fade-out transitions—one after Steven’s song, and the other during this implied conversation—and both enhance the pensive tone of this aftermath episode.

All this worry makes the conclusion that much more satisfying. On the micro level we see that Greg has calmed down, and on the macro we see the whole town coming back together. It’s not Ocean Gem’s three-cheers-for-Steven ending, but what he needs after such a life-changing finale is a little relief.

And yet.

Act I of Steven Universe is over, with Steven having a major victory that marks a turning point in his growth. Considering the shape of things to come, it’s fascinating that his first adventure post-Jailbreak involves him keeping the truth from loved ones in the exact way his mother did. And it’s fascinating that he’s so concerned about others that he's willing to put his own happiness on the line for their sake, because that’s the self-destructive martyr complex that drives his actions after the story of Rose shattering Pink is revealed. And it’s fascinating that Connie debunks both of these notions well before they become major themes in the show’s third and final act (not counting the movie and epilogue series). We’re playing the long game, and the seeds of the angst that consumes Steven after Back to the Moon are planted right here, but Connie has already revealed the solution to Steven’s eventual problems: trust is the antidote to Rose’s legacy of secrecy, and love is the antidote to Steven’s sacrificial mindset.

Future Vision

Steven gets a taste of his own medicine in the aftermath of Wanted, where Connie ignores his calls and texts. Both incidents are sparked by Steven going to space without her, but her differing reactions speak volumes about her character development: here she’s worried because she’s out of the loop, but by the time he goes to Homeworld she’s furious and hurt that he let her go through it again. Ignoring how far their partnership has come to take on danger by himself betrays how hard Connie’s worked to be a part of his universe, and I’m thrilled that the show addresses this. 

See below.

I guess you could read it that way…

If you watch Full Disclosure first, the knowledge of the Temple’s fence is foreshadowing. If you watch Story for Steven first, it’s a callback. I gotta go with the foreshadowing on this one.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

As the unofficial third act of a two-parter, Full Disclosure suffers a bit compared to individual episodes. But tone is still king for me, and I welcome any portrayal of the immediate aftermath of major episodes. Characters in serials tend to be unrealistically resilient when it comes to episode after episode of drama and trauma, and a big part of Steven Universe’s second season is establishing just how much these past events we’ve seen (versus the first season’s focus on past events in a character’s history) affect our leads.

While Full Disclosure itself doesn’t make the cut, now that we’re fifty episodes in I’m expanding the Top Ten to a Top Fifteen. Congratulations to On the Run, Warp Tour, Maximum Capacity, The Test, and Ocean Gem for getting out of the runners-up slot!

Top Fifteen

Steven and the Stevens

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

Rose’s Scabbard

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Winter Forecast

On the Run

Warp Tour

Maximum Capacity

The Test

Ocean Gem

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Future Vision

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

No Thanks!

     4. Horror Club      3. Fusion Cuisine      2. House Guest      1. Island Adventure

#full disclosure #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

[moonshroooms]

I’m bored and feel like answering random questions

and also no one is gonna ask me them so I’m gonna do it A++

Do you prefer city lights, or stars?

Stars. City lights are pretty since there’s much more color variety, but stars mean you’re probably around nature and less civilization. And city lights mean I have to go somewhere near the city. not my cup of tea. Unless we’re talking about photos. Then stars still win. What is the most romantic thing that's happened to you?

You know I’m not sure if this really qualifies. But one of my close friends had a crush on me, but hadn’t told me yet. I don’t remember the conversation, but I’d said something along the lines of “cause I’m fantastic!” And I’d been walking away and I think I heard him sigh “and beautiful” and I don’t think he really intended for me to hear it (if I did infact hear him right), but I did my brain kinda went ‘wut the faaack’ cause it was really sweet and a little embarrassing to hear. And while I didn’t return his feelings, I kinda think about sometimes and get a little twitterpated.

Describe the image that comes into your head when you see the word "ethereal". 

Most often the image that comes to my mind is something of a ghostly creature. I think what creature comes to mind depends on the moment. But they might be white, with just the faintest blue tinge. And whether the blue is from their body or the faint glow around them you aren’t really sure. An eternal mist flowing from their body and dissipating into the air. They have bright eyes that glow stronger than the rest of them. And they move with a slow grace, a calm walk, a flowing movement. And when you lock eyes you’re frozen, and it pierces you. And you can’t describe the emotion that is evoked from their gaze, you only know that it’s strong, and changed something in you, even if it’s only a small thing.

What would someone have to do to earn your trust?

Die.

Describe the outfit you truly want to wear. Anything, a spacesuit, an Elizabethan style gown, a cape made from spider silk, reality doesn't matter.

To be honest, I like a lot of stereotypical ‘jungle warrior woman’ type outfits. Those ones that are basically a bra and a skirt with those leg slits. Kind of like what you see in the Disney move Atlantis. I’m far too self-conscious about showing skin to wear revealing things in my day-to-day life (I think only just started wearing shorts when I was like, 20. And even then I have like 2 pairs and barely wear them). I find it funny that while I could barely bring myself to wear basic shorts, I wear a bikini when swimming. I think that’s attributed to the fact that a lot of people wear skimpy swimwear though, so I feel like I stick out less. But I digress. A ‘shirt’ that goes across the chest, like tropical wear you often see. A really long skirt that’s knee-length or nearly floor-length, but there’s no real sides to the skirt. And like, cool swirly or squarish symbols all over my skin. And I want multiple ones of different colors. Also a robe/robe + hood for when it’s cold and because whipping those around is cool.

What impossible thing do you wish was real?

For me, and anyone I deemed worthy, to have super powers. 

What kind of adventure would you like to have?

Something dangerous, something exciting. Traveling amongst nature, having to fend for myself. Exploring new lands, meeting interesting and previously unknown cultures, finding mystical creatures that are truly of magic. Keeping in mind in my adventure I’m perfectly equipped and knowledgeable to handle all of the things and wouldn’t die the second I poked the wrong plant. 

What is the worst way for you to die? (In your opinion).

Parasites. OR, being stabbed to death by thousands of dirty and contaminated hospital needles. Just. Things that can eat me that are difficult to punch creep me the frick out. And as for hospital needles: there are so many infections and diseases on those things, and they sit there in their plastic containers. Festering off each other. And as if being stabbed by needles wasn’t enough, if you managed to survive the impaling, your body would fall apart because of the hundreds or thousands of festering plagues you just contracted.

(P.S. the hospital needle horror happened to be spawned from a really good comic called Awful Hospital located right the flip here: http://www.bogleech.com/awfulhospital/intro.html)

Seriously go check it out it’s really good, funny, dramatic, weird, interactive, and (as of May 3, 2017 as I post this), regularly updated!

Can you dance? 

No. And I desperately want to. I think I can keep beat, but I have no idea what to do with my legs really. Most of my dancing includes acting out what the mood/lyrics of the song are, or aggressive tribal dancing. Make an obscure reference.

“Greetings my Tallest, it is I, invader Kiiiiish!”

What is your favorite color for a balloon?

Blue looks good on everything.

What store would you be the least likely to be found in?

A weed shop.

Bowties or Ties?

Bowties. They can be on your head or on your neck.

What’s wrong with taking the backstreets?

Being mugged or someone or their dog probably pooped back there and left it.

What is your favorite Pokemon type?

Poison and Dragon (though I like the concept of poison types rather than the actual Pokemon in it. When a poison eeveelution comes out I can die happy). And dragons are just dragons.

What if I told you that you were pretty?

Ikr, thx m8

What turns you on?

Stomachs, sour punch straws.

Sign?

Scorpio! :D

Who is your OTP?

Kisshu x Ichigi from Tokyo Mew Mew, and yes I know they’re unhealthy, dysfunctional, and also not canon, but dammit they were my first OTP and remain stubbornly at the top after all these years. They are my guilt OTP.

Shion x Nezumi from No. 6. Best part is I went into No. 6 not reading the description and going in completely clueless, so their romance blindsided me. Either way they’re just really cute and I’m not sure why I like them better than some older ships I like.

If you could dye your hair any color right now, what would it be?

A sunset gradient or a silver/blue gradient! 

Put your songs on shuffle, and tell me the first song that plays.

What Can I Do For You? - Steven Universe

How do you compare to people’s expectations of you?

I fail them completely.

A fictional character you familiarize yourself with.

Rin and Razo from the Books of Bayern (Forest Born and River Secrets are their books specifically).

Favorite Animal?

I’ve been in love with beluga whales for my whole life. White lions are a close second!

Name a few of your insecurities.

Whether or not people think I’m stupid, and whether I am intelligent or not. Being myself, because I fear people would find me annoying. My opinions on the world, and if others would view them as childish or ignorant or naive. Mostly just a lot of how others view me.

What brings out a mean streak in you?

People that slight me.

Describe a person who would be the polar opposite to yourself.

Confident, social, aggressive, forgiving, outgoing, worldly, a people-person, strict, self-righteous, noticeable, impressive, rebellious, happy.

Have you ever helped/rescued a wild animal in trouble?

When I was younger my cat brought in a lot of animals she hunted as gifts. I did my best to nurse them back to health (mostly lizards. Anything warm-blooded was dead if she brought it back). Some lived, some didn’t and I was always happy to watch them zip back into the wild like a bullet.

Describe the backstory for a character you’ve created.

A siren who comes across a werewolf child she takes interest in and befriends. Through some ups and down she decides she won’t eat the souls of humans anymore, despite the fact that means she also gives up living forever and growing new powers/strengths as a result. If/when that kid dies, however, she plans on going straight back into her old ways. She believes that she is an inherently evil creature, and no amount of pretending to be good will ever change that.

What’s your signature scent?

Cherry Blossom lotions/perfumes, mint chapstick.

Favorite school subject?

Science, P.E.

What is the closest framed picture around you a picture of?

My late cat, Princess.

The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?

Their face.

Is cheating ever okay?

No.

What’s a nickname only your family calls you?

Peanut. Cause apparently when I was born I was shaped like a peanut.

What was your first stuffed animal and it’s name?

Probably not the ‘first’ per-say, but the first I remember was a big, sparkly, rainbow, beanie-filled boa constrictor that I named Bo-Rainbow. I still have him to this day :’D

Whats drink you always order at Starbucks?

Water.

Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

Whatever position I happened to leave it in.

Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

No sheets, useless piece of fabric and makes the bed to hot >3<!

Do you have freckles?

Kinda? Not typical freckles, but a few sun-kisses on the right side of my face and on random spots on my body.

What size is your bed?

Twin.

Ever used a gun?

Yes, a few times! But thankfully not against anything living!

Can you curl your tongue?

Yup, yup!

Are you open about your feelings?

Depends on the feelings. Usually no.

If you could choose between being able to play any instrument in the world, or being able to speak any language, which would you choose?

Speak any language. Singing’s the only instrument I like!

#personal #ramble #about me