#BC of how the show seemed to write her in relation to fusion

[peachie5000]

okay so the news about the series possibly having a future is huge but I also do really need to emphasize queerplatonic/aroace lapidot real

[mudlarkspur]

🍑🍐 and 🫐for the ask game!

🍑 If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

What if HK!Honet ended up in Wandersong. That'd be pretty wild. Or if video games existed in Hollow Knight. Maybe Cornifer is just humming one of Bard's songs,,,,,, not turtle related I know but I wanna see it.

🍐 Is there anything in canon that you absolutely hate and love to fix in fics? A wrong choice made, a fuck-up in characterization, a misunderstanding never cleared up, a conversation never shown onscreen, etc…

Not overwhelmingly? There's parts of canon I'm not keen on and ignore (whatever happened at the end of Lair Games and also that Piebald exists) so I don't really 'fix' that. Part of rottmnt being a kid's show with loose worldbuilding means I can basically rework anything and I rarely write fic for stories with more thorough worldbuilding.

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

Uhhhhhhhh so one of the good things about a Fandom of something that's over is that a lot of rocks are getting turned over and there isn't a ton that I like that hasn't had at least someone get in on it. If you asked me a year ago I'd have said Kendra bc that's when I decided I was going to stan her but a lot of people have come around in the meanwhile.

[artemispanthar]

It was a bit uncomfortable seeing Peridot specifically confirmed as asexual through her reaction to fusion, which I think revived the "fusion=sex" idea in the fandom, Rose seemed like the only one that *wasn't* asexual because she conceived Steven, Peridot is more unique in an aromantic way bc fusions are different kinds of relationships and she was uncomfortable with being involved with a romantic fusion between two lovers

Yea, I think a lot of folks focus on the asexual part over the aromantic part of Peridot’s identity, which I definitely think is more informative of her reluctance to Fuse. Not that Fusion is inherently romantic, but like you said, Garnet 1000% is a romantic Fusion and so it makes sense Peridot would be uncomfortable with that from an aromantic perspective. Like, if a couple invited you to dance with them or hang out within the context of their relationship, it’s understandable that would feel very intimate and a little intrusive, even if the couple didn’t mean anything untoward by it (they’re just so comfortable being together they forget!). And this isn’t even getting into the cultural influence of Homeworld’s opinion on Fusion (especially post-Rebellion) and how much that impacted Peridot’s relationship with the concept.

also, just personally, I get the impression that Peridot being aroace rep was something that developed overtime and not something they actively set out to do with her character. “Log Date 7 15 2″ is a very early days episode, both in SU’s run and in Peridot’s development, and it’s very much an episode exploring her character and the internal process of her learning about Earth, the Crystal Gems, etc and coming over to their way of thinking. The Fusion segment is Peridot’s learning exercise, becoming more accepting of Garnet and Fusion in general, understanding what it is, and being willing to learn and try new things (even if she wasn’t comfortable going through with it), which is extremely important because Homeworld Gems are absolutely able to learn, grow, and change once exposed to new ideas.

My perception of it is that Peridot’s discomfort with Fusing was not intended to be evidence of her being aroace at the time it was written (consider how much pseudo-romantic content with her was in episodes around the same time), but rather in retrospect as they continued to write the story they realized the incident informed an aroace identity. I suspect this is because aroace people both on the crew and in the fandom were like “wow, I really relate to this! It really feels like it represents me” and the show decided to continue off that train of thought.

So I feel like, perhaps if they were to do it over again, they might make Peridot’s aversion to the romantic aspect more apparent. Naturally, complex metaphors can get muddy sometimes, especially with on-going media that allows its story and characters to grow and develop in unforeseen ways. So sometimes lines are crossed and require less literal interpretations. So stuff like Peridot and Pearl’s reactions to Fusion should be seen less as speaking to the inherent nature of Fusion and more as being reflective of their personal relationship and understanding of the concept of Fusion