jeskarkatie-blog

[barblaz-arts]

Your recent Vaggie art is so stunning, more people need to appreciate her! 💖

Sooo true

I truly believe if more sapphic-leaning people watched the show, Vaggie could be more popular. Unfortunately HH is the kind of show to attract people who're more into men for obvious reasons, but it is how it is.

Lotsa people say that the show focused way more on the men rather than the women but it honestly didnt feel that way to me? It felt pretty fair in HH, and more female characters got to show their depth(Charlie, Vaggie, Emily, Carmilla, Rosie, Sera, etc) while the only male characters that I saw get to show actual dimensions instead of ONLY being entertaining(and phenomenal!) singers are Angel and Lucifer. Just because certain fans felt more drawn to the male characters because of their allure despite having no depth(so far) doesnt necessarily mean the show is under-representing it's female characters.

Vaggie is such a great character if others could give her as much thought as other characters whose only defining moments so far are good song numbers.

[rosenotactuallyquartz]

Here is a Pearlrose question that I find tricky. Why do you think Garnet seemed to not care that Pearl was upset but helped Greg in We Need To Talk? I've had people tell me that she was purposefully pulling Rose away from Pearl because she believed they were so unhealthy together (1)

(the asker goes on to say: “But I preffer the opposite take: that Garnet was actually so clear on Rose's love for Pearl that she did NOT actually realize Pearl was doubting It/ insecure. To her Greg and Rose becoming closer would just add to Rose's life, she had no idea Pearl could feel replaced because It was obvious to her that that was not the case)

oh i know exactly what you’re talking about, i’ve seen this before. i can’t wait to talk about it !

—

how garnet felt about rose’s bond with pearl

first off, i think it’s incredibly important to understand how garnet perceived rose.

“We never questioned ourselves, or her!” — Sapphire, Now We’re Only Falling Apart

“She had to. The Earth belonged to Pink Diamond. Destroying her was the only way to save the planet. For Amethyst to be herself, for Pearl to be free, for me to be together. For you to exist.” — Garnet, Bubbled

during the war, there were two opportunities in which rose could have harmed her. instead she accepted her; she helped her start a new life on earth with the other crystal gems.

of course she trusted all of rose’s choices—not only did she meet her as a leader, protecting garnet was the first choice that garnet ever saw rose make. she also witnessed rose make this decision within the first few seconds of garnet’s existence.

considering that garnet trusted rose and every choice she made (and everything she did during a war) garnet would absolutely trust rose to make her own decisions about her personal, intimate relationships thousands of years later.

sapphire confirms that garnet never questioned rose at all throughout the time she knew her. she felt comfortable as herself and she trusted that, if rose had a problem, especially a personal problem, she would handle that.

garnet was also aware of the fact that there was a lot she didn’t know about their relationship.

“And there they were: Rose Quartz, the leader of the rebellion, and her terrifying renegade Pearl.” — Garnet, The Answer.

during the war, pearl was rose’s second-in-command and confidant. considering that only pearl knew rose was pink diamond, and she hadn’t been rose for long, they definitely had periods of time where they’d disappear for awhile.

in rose’s scabbard, we discovered that rose had a secret armory location that only pearl knew about. later on, when she found out about rose’s lion and garnet mentioned that “rose kept many secrets, even from us” (which could have very well meant her & amethyst) she didn’t hesitate or protest when pearl replied with, “but not from me.” when amethyst yelled, “you’re not the only one who misses her!” that was the only moment where garnet looked taken aback.

garnet would never try to pull two of her friends away from each other, especially knowing that they kept a lot of things private.

since they did—she would also understand that any issues that they had, they’d most likely be solving on their own and behind closed doors.

there was no logical reason for her to judge the relationship, or believe another relationship is “better.”

garnet was also able to see pearl + rose for what they always believed in; what their dynamic was all about. they were always rebels, they didn’t see gems or life on earth the way that homeworld did.

(she likely heard rose refer to pearl as “my pearl” a few times throughout the war and later on as they lived together. i think that early on, garnet had a positive impression of the relationship)

garnet also related to pearl and rose’s relationship. a lot.

“That’s just how I felt when I came here with Ruby.” — Sapphire, Now We’re Only Falling Apart.

in homeworld, sapphire was described as being a “rare, aristocratic” gem. rubies were considered inferior and they are “for” the sapphires, to protect them.

however, when ruby accidentally bumped into sapphire, she spoke to ruby with respect and warmth. she was different from homeworld; she thought differently. she also made small talk, and the first thing ruby learned about sapphire as an individual was that she wished she could see more of the earth.

on the battlefield, ruby and sapphire ended up being the last two out of the group they originally had. sapphire was about to be harmed, but ruby saved her at the very last moment.

she prioritized protecting sapphire over logic, over consequence, over her own life.

so, of course, garnet understood pearl.

“Back during the war, Pearl took pride in risking her destruction for another. She put Rose Quartz over everything: Over logic, over consequence, over her own life.” — Sworn to the Sword

at a time when ruby didn’t expect to escape from homeworld, sapphire ran away and took ruby with her. she was able to explore the earth just like she wanted to, and she did this with ruby.

meanwhile, pearl and rose nearly fused for the first time and had a conversation about their feelings for each other. while sapphire had a moment where she was frozen, rose was frozen in her own way, too.

everything was very new to her, and even a bit overwhelming, in a positive way. homeworld had rules on how to interact with each gem and what to feel. on earth, rose found that she was completely in awe of pearl. she admired her, she would blush because of her. pearl would argue with rose (a diamond) because she wanted to protect her in every way that she could, even when rose told her not to because she cared about pearl. they saw each other as unique, flawed individuals and it felt so natural and right.

so, why question it? the only reason it’s perplexing is because of homeworld’s guilting and disapproval.

“Please don’t ever stop!” — Rose, Now We’re Only Falling Apart

“Don’t ever question this.” — Rose, The Answer

ruby and sapphire’s fusion helped pearl and rose, and their conversation helped garnet.

many fans might claim that garnet would try to pull pearl and rose apart because of unhealthy “obsession/dependency” on pearl’s part, but what they don’t realize is that this perception of pearl often comes from her behavior in the timeline with steven.

you know, in her early stages of grief. less than fourteen years is nothing compared to the 6,000+ years that pearl loved her. often what people perceive as obsessive behavior is pearl being fixated on the, in a gem sense, devastating loss of the love of her life.

(& not because she’s a pearl, or her original dynamic with rose. they were both against the beliefs of homeworld and their love only started when they were in a safe environment to genuinely fall in love with each other. because she watched the mistreatment and abuse that rose faced from the other diamonds, then they escaped together. she watched rose almost get killed or be in serious danger on the battlefield, but she managed to save her countless times. she watched rose struggle with trauma and mental health, and only she could fully understand why. she survived so much with her and they had each other, but she still ultimately lost her.)

obviously pearl would appear to be more obsessive when she is fixated on the pain of her early grief.

however, following the war, it’s likely that pearl and rose were very attached to each other.

garnet would understand this because ruby and sapphire are the same way. with the trauma that garnet, pearl, and rose had from the war along with homeworld, there was an understanding that they all held each other extra close, were extra “clingy,” really, because they almost lost each other.

ruby often struggled to care about herself because she was so focused on protecting sapphire.

this was a quick interaction they had in jailbreak:

Ruby: “Did they hurt you?”

Sapphire: “No, no, I’m okay. Did they hurt you?”

Ruby: “Who cares?!”

Sapphire: “I do!”

apart from strong attachments, there were other problems that pearl + rose might have that garnet would understand.

sapphire and rose shared a similar problem, too:

“I keep looking into the future, when all of this has already been solved... As if it doesn't matter how you feel in the present. No wonder you think I don't care!” — Sapphire, Keystone Motel

although rose never had future vision like sapphire, both of them shared a tendency to get stuck in their own minds/daydreams.

sapphire looks into the future so much that she can’t be present, while rose had a lot of dark & painful thoughts about herself. these may not seem similar, but in both cases, sapphire and rose would become withdrawn and struggle with communication in relationships.

they had trouble really hearing and processing pearl & ruby’s words sometimes because of everything going on in their minds. “i need something right now, in the present,” or “can you understand that i love you for you, i know exactly who you are and what you’ve done and yes, you still deserve me and you still deserve love” would be hard to process when your brain is saying the opposite.

garnet would know that they wouldn’t benefit from splitting up, because she related to them. splitting up (especially without communication and making that decision on their own) is not something ruby and sapphire would want.

understanding the differences between gem relationships and human relationships make garnet’s intentions in “we need to talk” more understandable.

“Uh... I-I don't know. I don't understand your human relationships. So... uhm... goodbye!” — Pearl, Full Disclosure

relationships between gems are incredibly different from human relationships.

i think this confuses people sometimes, and i can understand why. they remember that ruby and sapphire are married, but what they don’t remember is that no other gems seemed to get married. most of them don’t understand marriage, and the crystal gems themselves had to learn about it and understand it more.

pearl and rose showed affection for each other in a variety of ways—and yes, some were things they learned about on earth. however, this is love and affection. gems are unlikely to learn about more complicated things, such as human rules and norms when it comes to love.

gems never say that they’re dating, or that someone is cheating on someone else. they do not label themselves as being polyamorous or monogamous. they just love.

gems can definitely be jealous, especially when they were someone’s favourite for a very long time and they’re suddenly becoming close to someone else, in a way that they havent been before. gems can worry about not being a favourite, but this is more difficult for others to see and much more subjective than cheating.

creators confirmed that pearl’s lyric “she chose you” in it’s over, isn’t it was only about how she saw the situation and not about what really happened. this isn’t like humans, picking someone to date over another. rose’s death was very confusing and pearl was simply trying to make sense of it. rose having a child with greg and then no longer being able to live with pearl forever definitely made her feel as if she wasn’t chosen. but both of you helped her begin to process and understand her grief more. rose loved both of them. her death doesn’t change any of that; it happened for reasons related to her, along with wanting to bring life into the world.

i think many fans look at pearl + rose’s relationship from a human perspective. this is one of the reasons why, even after the creators confirmed that pearl + rose were not unrequited, people continue to think that rose didn’t love pearl.

but even if humans can’t understand it, garnet would understand their relationship.

it’s also important to note that pearl + rose fused in we need to talk, before greg planned on trying to fuse with rose. as pearl said, fusion is the ultimate connection between gems.

“She had control when she used her power to drag their fusion into the ocean. But, a fusion like theirs is unstable, bound together by anger and mistrust. If that bond snaps, their anger will take over, and destroy.” — Garnet, Chille Tid

“I embody my... I mean, Ruby and Sapphire's love. I'll always exist in them, even if I split apart. But the strength of that love keeps me together. So I can stay Garnet for a very long time.” — Garnet, Keeping it Together

garnet witnessed pearl + rose’s fusion that day. they fused very casually (whereas the other crystal gems only fuse in deadly situations, according to pearl) and that would definitely tell garnet a lot about their relationship.

garnet understood their relationship. human relationships, not at all.

many fans say that rose couldn’t love / respect anyone until we need to talk, when greg demanded it. he asked her if she’s been in love with other humans before, and she responds with “how would i know?”

this doesn’t mean she’s never been in love before. with the confirmation that pearl + rose was not unrequited, rose being referred to as the love of pearl’s life in the movie, and many scenes in the show… at that point, rose had been in love with pearl, but never in love with any humans.

since human relationships are so different from gem relationships, rose simply wanted to know how greg, as a human, defined being in love.

“Love at first sight doesn't exist. Love takes time, and love takes work. At the very least you have to know the other person... And you literally have no idea who or what I am.” — Garnet, Love Letters

as a close friend & as someone living with pearl and rose, garnet knew and understood them well, but she didn’t know and understand greg yet.

it was only a few months into their relationship. with everything that garnet said about love, there was no reason for her to “root for” or “prefer” rose’s relationship with greg over rose’s relationship with pearl. they didn’t love each other yet, and she knew that pearl and rose loved each other.

rose barely knew him and she barely knew him; while she trusted her friends and everything going on with them, she couldn’t have trusted greg yet.

it’s interesting to me that so many fans have focused on the fact that greg was the first human who rose respected.

while that may be true, i haven’t seen anyone consider how the other humans treated rose. it seemed perplexing to rose that greg wanted to get to know her and build something meaningful.

people focus on how rose couldn’t respect the other humans, but if no one brought that up to her, it’s likely that they didn’t respect her, either. they probably saw her as a fascination, too, and they never even connected enough for rose to start experiencing human relationships.

when garnet saw that greg was trying to fuse with rose, i think she helped him because she realized that he was different from the other humans. special, really. he wanted to know rose, and this fusion/conversation could really help him build something meaningful with her.

garnet never saw pearl be jealous of humans who rose interacted with before, so she simply saw this as being another new bond between rose and a human, but this time, a nicer, more loving one.

before i post this, i have to mention another misconception i’ve seen:

garnet wasn’t looking into the future & seeing/accepting rose’s death & steven’s birth. it doesn’t work that way, especially because sapphire never looked into rose. either way:

“No one can see the future. I can see options and trajectories. Time is like a river that splits into creeks or pools into lakes or careens down waterfalls. I have the map, and I steer the ship.” — Garnet, Future Vision

“Rose hasn't shapeshifted, and she isn't trapped. Steven is a fusion. Rose could be trying to un-fuse.” — Garnet, Three Gems and a Baby

so there you have it. a detailed answer to a very tricky pearlrose question. the opposite take, as described after the question, absolutely makes more sense.

[yennefxr]

Why Vilgefortz threw himself off a cliff (ft. Girlboss Yennefer)

TWN based spoiler heavy Vilgefortz ramble about subterfuge, Aretuza's destruction and his ultimate frenemy Yennefer. 

If you ask yourself ‘Why did Vilgefortz do that?’ or ‘How could Yennefer do this?’ This one’s for you. 

Vilgefortz throwing himself off a cliff in season one to the pearl-clutching horror of Witcher fans was actually kind of genius. The greatest sorcerer on the Continent loses a sword fight to Cahir of all people and as a result Vilgefortz is written off as a thoughtless, useless and ineffectual villain. 

It’s too far of a stretch to consider the central antagonist of the saga may have an ulterior motive and that the fight’s victor was total misdirection.

Cahir was always going to walk away unscathed for two reasons:

Cahir doesn’t know it yet but they’re coworkers and it’ll reflect badly on Vilgefortz if he fillets him. 

Cahir is the only person that knows the true identity of Ciri and this is invaluable information to both Emhyr and Vilgefortz for their respective elder blood schemes.

The fight was subterfuge and the outcome never mattered, what did matter was that Yennefer was there to witness it. 

Vilgefortz’s behaviour is overtly theatrical during this scene - he dramatically flies in, he’s throwing swords about the place, he’s doing flips, Christ he even has a gimmick involving an endless supply of swords. He could have severed the mind connection with Yennefer at any point but it was imperative she witnessed this performance. Why? 

In S2 Vilgefortz has essentially fucked his way to the top. He’s not exactly subtle and there are clues to his true motives throughout all of his scenes. For example:

  He tells a Nilfgaardian soldier he can’t save him today because he’s Team Aretuza right now (a cute throwback to him bashing that Northern Kingdom soldier’s head in at the end of S1).

He is openly conversing with Emhyr within Aretuza, most likely about elven baby slaughter.

And finally he is so obviously manipulating Tissaia that it’s almost criminal he didn’t look down the camera and wink. But I digress.

Vilgefortz’s theatrics return during Cahir’s fake execution (because yet again Cahir was never at risk). Our attention is firmly on Yennefer and Cahir’s Bonnie-and-Clyde style escape and not on how every northern royal or high ranking member of Aretuza saw Vilgefortz hand that axe to Yennefer before she went full renegade. This may not seem significant but Cahir has now miraculously survived two near-death experiences and both times Yennefer and Vilgefortz have been at the helm. 

For Vilgefortz to put Cahir’s neck on the line he would need to know exactly what Yennefer intended but so far they’ve interacted for maybe five minutes at most. So how much does he know about Yen? 

During his introduction in S1 he knew exactly how to locate her, her romantic past with Istredd and the strength of her bond with Tissaia. Using the latter he expertly manipulates her back to Aretuza and onto the battlefield with a few clever words. 

They strategised together at Sodden to coordinate the counterattack and in the process he let her take the lead, so he knows exactly how she operates in combat situations. 

By the end of season two he knows Yennefer is with Ciri and Geralt since he has been tracking Ciri from the moment she fled Cintra through Rience. He knows all about her family unit and what that means to her to have that connection. 

Vilgefortz has clearly been studying Yennefer since before he appeared on screen, but if that isn’t a convincing enough argument, he’s also a mind reader. He’s so adept at it in the books that he’s frequently shown as bored waiting for characters like Geralt and Ciri to catch their thoughts up with his conversation. 

Whilst not yet confirmed in the show, an audition transcript posted back in May 2022 on RI alludes to Vilgefortz being far worse than just a mindreader: 

Voice 1: I can tell you that whoever did this has grand plans. It’s a mind-control enchantment. Anyone’s head would be a tangled mess.  Voice 2: Mind control? To what end? Voice 1: I don’t know. But it’s damned powerful. It has elements of sorcery, druidic magic and there’s even some ancient elven in this spell. That’s the other thing. The subject must be part elven. Maybe a couple of generations removed, but still. Voice 1: Who would have the power to do something like this? Voice 2: I don’t know anyone with the knowledge to do something like this. It would take lifetimes to acquire these all these skills, but whoever he is, he has a variety of interests.

This scene is now confirmed to take place during episode 3 of Season 3 with one of these voices being Geralt. 

Vilgefortz knows in S3 through his own studies of elder blood that Yennefer will need help tempering the chaos within Ciri and he knows exactly where she will turn. Straight back to Aretuza and her own maternal figure Tissaia with whom he has conveniently allied himself with both politically and romantically.

We've seen in the trailer that Geralt is less than enthused by this but Yennefer is adamant it's the best thing for Ciri.

Vilgefortz will actively defend and encourage Yennefer’s return to Aretuza despite her reputation across the Continent as a traitor, because Ciri will fall right in his lap. And whilst it seems strange for Vilgefortz to defend Yen he’s actually done it before in this deleted scene with Stregobor.

Stregobor: There’s something unnatural in her Vilgefortz: And there’s something unnatural in how entrenched your protege is with Nilfgaard 

Vilgefortz could have commented on any of Stregobor’s antics but he deliberately chose to rebuke Istredd. Stregobor’s student and one time spy. It’s reminiscent of teachers arguing about their student’s behaviour. It’s small but Vilgefortz has planted that seed of connection between him and Yennefer and he has been doing so continuously. 

Stregobor is truly the boy who cried wolf after the Renfri debacle and as such the audience (and Aretuza) is totally unsympathetic to his protestations of a traitor being amongst them. He’s so adamant in his prejudice towards Yen that he blindly appeals to the real traitor, again emphasising how the lines between Yennefer and Vilgefortz are starting to blur. 

Stregobor is the first to identify the connection but TWN has not been shy in making parallels between Yennefer and Vilgefortz:

In S1:

Yennefer is strapped into a chair and forcibly sterilised. This never happens in the books and it is voyuersticly grisly in the show. Vilgefortz straps women into chairs and forcibly removes their wombs as part of his elder blood experiments in the books.

Yennefer stands at the top of Sodden Hill and scorches the Earth below. In the books Vilgefortz’s last stand at Stygga invokes a similar image. 

In S2:

Yennefer is the hero of Sodden. In the books, Vilgefortz is the hero of Sodden. Though in the show they can't seem to make up their minds.

And the piece de resistance is that Yennefer hunts Ciri across the Continent to sacrifice her for magical powers. In the books, (you already know where this is going)it’s Vilgefortz. 

Yennefer and Vilgefortz themselves even acknowledge their shared calculating natures during a terse discussion of the political fallout after Sodden.  

Possibly their most contentious connection is Tissaia.

Vilgefortz was justifiably criticised for being romantically involved with Tissaia but there’s zero consideration as to his motive entering that relationship. Putting aside Tissaia and Vilgefortz’s shared political aspirations and their similar ideology on what to do with girls who no longer serve their purpose (eelgate), we’re left with Yennefer. 

We know Vilgefortz has been manipulating both women and that he’s been watching them closely. He repeats Tissaia’s own words to Yennefer back to her like a mantra:

But to what end? Vilgefortz has nothing but contempt towards Tissaia and Yennefer’s relationship, and later Yennefer and Ciri’s bond. This is all a projection of his horrific mommy issues (more on that later) but here's an example of his feelings towards motherhood taken from Lady of the Lake: 

“I would have given you a reason for your crippled excuse of a maternal instinct. Although you’re dry and sterile as a stone, you’d not only have a daughter, but a granddaughter too. Or at least an excuse for a granddaughter."

Aretuza is the perfect hunting ground for Vilgefortz to find victims for his elder blood experiments. Students that don’t ascend are callously discarded, and coupled with the fact the girls have only been sent there as they have zero place in society and their families want them gone, they now fit the profile of ‘perfect victim’. Nobody’s that won’t be missed. If S3 follows the books then when Vilgefortz and Tissaia take control over Aretuza Tissaia will be promoted to Arch-Mistress meaning her protection of the girls slips as her her attention shifts elsewhere. Now Vilgefortz can play.

However there was a moment in S1 that makes me think he’s been set up an opposing force to Tissaia’s maternal nature since the beginning:

Vilgefortz has been snatching these girls from just beyond Tissaia’s reach. He is making a mockery of her role as rectoress and the motherly role she has adopted towards her girls. This has now been confirmed as true via RI.

What becomes of Vilgefortz’ victims is something Geralt will discover in S3 when he goes on the hunt for Rience’s master and discovers a grotesque monster consisting of girl body parts fused together by fire. Fun. 

Tissaia and Vilgefortz’s relationship was never simple - consider these motives and exactly why he is so intimately placed within Tissaia and Yen’s relationship. Vilgefortz has dug his claws deeps and intends to weaponise Tissaia’s demise against Yennefer to break her.

Now onto the coup, in a bid for redemption a politically motivated Yennefer will be directly responsible for organising the conclave of mages in S3. Whether she is directed to do so by Tissaia or Vilgefortz or through her own volition remains to be seen. We know there are ulterior motives regardless of who hosts.

 What’s particularly striking about this is that as Thanedd burns it completes Yennefer’s self fulfilling prophecy, as warned about over the seasons by Stregobor.

Stregobor is adamant Yennefer will lead Thanedd to ruin and compares her alleged actions to that of Falka during her rebellion in S2. Anything to reclaim power. He insists history will repeat itself and likely foreshadows his own death at Thanedd:

The question is will Stregobor uncover the true identity of Aretuza’s traitor or will he die clinging to the belief that Yennefer will betray them all?

Moving onto the aftermath of the Thanedd coup the tiny blink and you miss it interactions between Vilgefortz and Yen take form - the fight that never was, the power exchange in front of Kings, her return to Aretuza, and all the jarring similarities between them. Yen was never working with Nilfgaard, she was working with him. At least this is what Vilgefortz wants the Continent to believe and he’s been planting that seed since S1. Stregobor noticed it. The Northern Kings saw it. Geralt will see it. 

Now Yennefer is all alone and her relationships have been systematically destroyed. 

Aretuza is gone and Tissaia is dead. Geralt has only just forgiven Yen for trying to sacrifice Ciri in S2, what will his natural conclusion be when Yennefer takes them to Aretuza and lands them in front of Vilgefortz? The Lodge knows Yennefer is innocent but that doesn’t fit their narrative so her friends run with her being a traitor and are happy to let her die as one.

Yennefer is now on the run and the only path she has is directly back to Vilgefortz.

TWN may not delve as far into her isolation as the books did; there are hints that Geralt and Yennefer will face Vilgefortz together and honestly I would prefer that. Geralt’s acceptance that Yennefer betrayed him in the books never sat well with me so I would welcome that change in the show. 

So why has Vilgefortz done this to Yen? We begin to understand when Vilgefortz tries to recruit Geralt during Time of Contempt; he beguiles him with philosophy, immortality and concerning ideologies regarding women but Geralt simply doesn’t bite, until Vilgefortz hits too close to home.

"And there at the end of the world, I met a woman. A sorceress". "Be careful", whispered the Witcher, and his eyes narrowed. "Be careful that the similarities you are so desperately searching for don’t lead you too far".

Geralt rejects all of Vilgefortz’s attempts to find common ground with him and alluding to Yennefer is a step too far. Vilgefortz denies this connection and goes onto discuss how his preternatural rage stems from his mother’s rejection, the callousness of the Brotherhood and then back to the sorceress once more. 

“I left her. Because she was promiscuous, arrogant, spiteful, unfeeling and cold. Because it was impossible to dominate her, and her domination of me was humiliating…I left her, because she was like my mother. I suddenly understood what I felt for her was not love at all…a perverse need for suffering and atonement. What I felt for that woman was hate.”

Vilgefortz’s reason for becoming a mage was hatred - he has nothing but contempt for women and the magical Chapter. Yennefer is the embodiment of that hatred, from her own cold and spiteful demeanour and later her selfless maternal quest to save Ciri, she is the perfect target for his rage. He wants her to suffer and be humiliated as he was. 

Neither Vilgefortz or Yennefer were ever going to be satisfied sitting courtside at the beck and call of a King, in that respect and in many other ways they are similar. But their major difference is where that quest for power leads them and for Yennefer in TWN that leads her to attempting to sacrifice Ciri to regain what she lost. 

Yennefer gains far more when she meets Ciri - she finds connection, she finds a daughter, she finds everything she has been searching for. Her desire for power pales in significance to the point she would sacrifice her own life to save Ciri’s. She becomes utterly selfless and in doing so distinguishes herself from the Lodge and the antagonist she has been paralleled against from the second he appeared on screen. This is the Yennefer that will be tortured by Vilgefortz for months, but she accepts this as long as she can keep Ciri safe.

 I don’t necessarily agree with Yen’s actions in S2 but they’re not unfounded. The issue is the fandom at large has been drawn to caricatures of these characters that are the very antithesis of who they are. For a fandom that loudly professes their commitment to complicated women Yennefer was relegated to a love interest in S2 remarkably quickly. Fuck her complexity, she’s holding hands with a man now, therefore who cares what she did to Ciri. Let her be a little evil.

 It’s just such a dull reductionist take on Yen. 

Vilgefortz falls victim to this too - there’s zero exploration or even expectation of a motive which is tragic as the antagonist of the saga. It’s unusual how little traction Mahesh Jadu gets as a villain considering tumblr’s obsession with them but I imagine once Vilgefortz interacts with Geralt perception will change as it did with Yennefer after interacting with Jaskier, Istredd after meeting Geralt and I can only imagine the reception Phillipa will receive after interacting with Jaskier too. Is it an unfortunate pattern or is it just a coincidence that these characters only get traction after being blessed with meeting the golden white men of the franchise? I digress.

Vilgefortz and Yennefer are complicated characters who make zero attempt to coddle the audience but what they do do is contextualise each other. They are what the other hates most, and yet they’re mirror images. They deserve more than being reduced to lazy tropes and love interests and hopefully in S3 more people give both Anya and Mahesh the opportunity to show the depth and intrigue their characters can bring to the Witcher. 

[autisticsupervillain]

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Stats Equalized!

This Month's Fighters...

Pearl vs Undyne!

Conditions:

Undyne starts in base.

Scenario:

When the monsters begin walking down from Mt. Ebott to rejoin with humanity, the Crystal Gems mistake this for a full on monster invasion and begin to fight them off. Acting in self defense, Undyne locks spears with Pearl.

Analysis: Pearl

What would you do if you were born into servitude? If all your life, you were nothing but an object to be owned. A thing to be bought. What would you do, if after centuries of a life spent like that, someone finally set you free? Well, if your name is Pearl, then you'd fall head over heels in love with them.

Pearls are the servant class of gem society. From the moment they sprout fully formed from the ground, they're handed off to high class gems to manage their needs and chores. Pearl originally belonged to White Diamond, the big ruler of all gemkind herself, but was handed down to the bratty little kid of the royal diamond family, Pink Diamond. You see, Pink.... "broke" her original Pearl.

Pink was very... innocent, for lack of a better term. She was childish, bratty, and unaware of the consequences of her actions at the best of times. That's why she was never trusted with running her own colony and expanding the Empire. She simply couldn't handle it... until her complaining finally annoyed her fellow Diamonds enough for them to give her her own planet: Earth.

It was there that Pink learned what colonization entailed: wiping the slate clean. Sucking all life from the Earth and leaving nothing behind. Disgusted, Pink took on the alias of Rose Quartz and staged a rebellion against herself, with Pearl as her dreaded sidekick, the terrifying Renegade Pearl.

Pearl idolized Rose for this. Feel in love with her deeply and completely, in a way she never knew she could feel about anyone before. So much so that, even as the consequences of Rose's actions feel down around them, Pearl held her up as something untouchable. Someone perfect.

These insecurities followed her years after the thousand year rebellion came to an end and even after Rose's death after that. Rose would give up her life to create a half human child and Rose would be tasked with raising him. An innocent young boy named Steven.

As one of the last three remaining Crystal Gems, Pearl is a deeply intelligent warrior, fighting on the front lines in a thousand year long war and continuing to fight dangerous superhuman beasts after that. She keeps a plethora or swords and spears stored in her gemstone, the very culmination of her being, which she can use to seal away objects and people. Her ambidextrousness and athleticism allows her to switch up strategies on the fly, fluidly dodging attacks with a dancer's grace, alternating between swords and spears on the fly, and summoning holograms of herself to train with her or assist in combat.

Pearl is skilled enough to train Connie Maheswaran up from a regular teenage girl into a nearly superhuman swordmaster who can cleave a car in half. Though it helps that her spears can shoot lasers from the tip. Not to mention all of her unique Gem powers. As a Gem, Pearl's body is actually a hard light inorganic construct that she can shapeshift to her will. She doesn't age, is completely immune to any human weaknesses like diseases, and she can regenerate her body from any amount of damage so long as her gemstone remains intact. Furthermore, she can trap and teleport opponents away with a bubble and fuse with any other willing Gem for an exponential boost in power.

It took a long time for Pearl to begin to process her grief and begin to see Rose for the flawed, nuanced person she actually was. Not helping matters how she and everyone else sort of treated Steven like a Rose 2.0, giving the poor boy a massive complex. But, as Steven did what his mother could not and brought peace between humanity and gemkind, Pearl grew and matured alongside him, redefining what it meant to be a Crystal Gem and learning how to always find a way to save the day.

Analysis: Undyne

Monsterkind has not seen the surface of the Earth in generations. Sealed away by mistrustful humans long ago, monsters now live beneath the surface of Mt. Ebott. With limited resources that will one day run dry, the monsters live a life without light and without hope.

The Underground needs a hero. Undyne, the Captain of the Royal Guard, is willing to step up to the challenge.

Inspired by heroes who served in the Human-Monster War, Undyne dedicated her life to training, hoping to claim the soul of the next human who fell Underground so that monsters can break the barrier and save themselves. And if she had to kill a child to do so, so be it. Monsters have suffered long enough.

Undyne, as Captain of the Royal Guard, is Natura one of the strongest monsters in the Underground, one of the few whose blows can stagger King Asgore himself. She can summon her spears to attack from any direction, even directly beneath the enemy's feet, and can circle around you to attack from the opposite direction they came from. Her magical spears do damage to both body and soul simultaneously, potentially even destroying your soul with one hit. Furthermore, Undyne can turn a foe's soul green, physically rooting them in place to keep her foe from evading or escaping her blows. Though, her sense of fair play does bite her here, as she has a tendency to provide her opponent with a shield to defend themselves with.

But, above all, Undyne's greatest strength is her determination. Her shear stubbornness rivals even that of other humans, allowing her to harness the spiritual essance of Determination in a way no other monster can. Regenerating from being split in half in a burst of desperate willpower to become the Undying.

As the Undying, Undyne is far and away the strongest being in the Underground, trumping even Asgore in sheer strength by a wide margin. Her attacks from every direction become nearly unavoidable and her sheer durability makes any fight with her a marathon.

The only problem is, it doesn't last forever. When Undyne reaches her limits in this form, she will begin to melt, as her body just cannot handle high concentrations of Determination like a human body can. As a monster, Undyne is extra vulnerable to attacks with a high killing intent, which Determination can't quite entirely negate. Against a human with greater Determination, her defeat is inevitable...

Luckily, if the Player has any conscience at all, that won't happen. If Frisk is allowed to show mercy, Undyne gets the chance to realize that not all humans are evil, setting aside her prejudice to help Frisk save the Underground from absolute destruction and break the barrier.

No matter your choices, Undyne will always be the Hero of the Underground.

Throwdown Breakdown:

This matchup is absolutely fascinating.

Calling back to my verdict in Peridot vs Sir Pentious, I do thoroughly believe that Gems have souls. Certain abilities such as Steven's astral projection and his ability to enter minds have spiritual connotations, so they should be susceptible to soul based attacks. As such, Pearl has never displayed any resistance to attacks that directly destroy your soul and could therefore be one shot by Undyne if she manages to get any hits off.

So, the question becomes: can Undyne land a single hit on Pearl?

Pearl far outstrips Undyne in terms of skill and experience. While Undyne's training with Asgore and Papyrus is impressive, especially considering the attacks both are capable of throwing out, she lacks Pearl's thousands of years of live battlefield experience. For every moment she's free, Pearl is going to be dancing and weaving circles around Undyne, with Undyne's short temper and tendency towards frustration exasperating this. If Frisk is capable of luring Undyne into Hotland for an environmental advantage, I think a fighter as acrobatic as Pearl is capable of the same.

However, Pearl's reliance on acrobatics means she's going to struggle that much more to adapt to Green Mode, effectively forcing her to stand there like a wall and deflect shots from all sides. It's a complete shift in mentality for her. It doesn't help that the few times Pearl has actually gotten hit, it's been because she was either distracted and thrown off her game, or suprised by something she's never seen before. This is both. She her losses against Spinel, Peridot, and the time she got poofed by her own holo-Pearl.

Back in Pearl's corner, she isn't very likely to push Undyne into the Undying state. Even if this were an "all morals off, Death Battle" scenario, Pearl is not a genocidal monster who would one shot Undyne through sheer hatred like the Player did in the Genocide Route. Undyne isn't going to be inspired to save the whole world from her. That said, this point goed back in Undyne's corner. Even without Undying, Undyne is still extremely tough to put down through sheer determination and Pearl is going to have to work very hard to wear her out.

In situations where Pearl wins, it'll come in the late fight, with Pearl adapting to Undyne's tricks with superior skill and experience while using her Holo-Pearls to outnumber her and beat her down from various ranges and with various styles. See her later rematches against Spinel and Peridot after adapting to their tactics. Unfortunately, Pearl doesn't have the margin for error she needs to last that long. Without any resistance to direct soul destroying attacks, Pearl is dead if she makes a single mistake, where Undyne can and will keep fighting even while melting into goo.

Pearl has all the tricks she needs to beat Undyne and she's doing everything right for a fight against her, but to win consistently, she'd have to be absolutely perfect. And given her track record in similar situations, she simply isn't.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Undyne!

[three--rings]

My Renegade Bound Fic Holiday Exchange Books, which can finally be revealed after spending months on them.

My assigned partner had, among their requested fics, one OFMD fic that was on my tbr list so I immediately went for that one.  Then I looked at the Good Omens fic on the list and realized I really liked it and it had lots of lovely art and decided hell I’ll do that one too.

So first of all we have The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me by ShowMeAHero aka @andillwriteyouatragedy​.  (Please pardon the shitty photo quality, I had to take these right before replacing my phone with one that has actual megapixels.)

The typesetting isn’t particularly exciting, as it’s all one chapter so I didn’t have chapter breaks to decorate or anything, so I kept it fairly simple.  

The front and back covers are a lovely printed fabric from Joann’s, made into bookcloth, with Steel Blue Verona bookcloth from Hollander’s on the spine. 

The title was printed directly on bookcloth with my laser printer.

The endpages are Thai marbled Lokta paper also from Hollander’s. I bound it with a flat spine and hand-made endbands from pearl cotton.

The second book I made will be in a separate post...

[lexiklecksi]

Share a writing snippet (tag game)

Thanks for tagging me @squarebracket-trick to share a writing snippet. These are of my NaNoWriMo wip, my fantasy novel "Drachenbrut". For my dear English readers I've roughly translated my German writing below the cut, but please note it is NOT reflective of my writing style and if something sounds weird I got lost in translation. To the few people who actually read it, I am very grateful. This is a snippet of a scene told from Varuna Kailani's pov, mother of the siren sisters and the exiled Meara Kailani. (Click for the oc intros and here for my master post.)

Ein röchelndes Husten neben mir schreckt mich auf. Ich summe meinem Mann leise seine Lieblingsmeldodie ins Ohr und sein Husten versiegt sogleich. Wie lange werde ich ihn noch am Leben halten können? Er ist immerhin zwanzig Jahre älter als ich und seine Haut wird immer fahler, ist beinahe so grau wie meines Hammerhais Ilukas. Die kurze Ablenkung hat Nerida gereicht, sie ist mit Nalu in der Nebenhöhle verschwunden. Ich fasse es nicht, dass sie vor Kurzem noch an unser Gewissen appelliert haben, Meara wieder nach Hause zu holen und sich dann völlig daneben benehmen. Die letzten Perlen werden abgezählt, ich muss alle schleunigst wieder versammeln, bevor mein Mann seine abtrünnigen Töchter bemerkt. Mit einem Wink deute ich Kairi an, ihre Schwestern zu holen. Sie nickt ergeben und krault fort, während ich mein liebstes Lächeln aufsetze. „Ich danke euch, dass ihr den weiten Weg auf euch genommen habt, um mit uns zu handeln“, säusle ich. Keano nickt zustimmend und Malio blickt für einen Moment weniger finster drein. „In Gezeiten wie diesen ist es wichtiger denn je, die Beziehung zwischen unseren Familien zu stärken“, fahre ich laut fort. „Uns wurde auch schon zugetragen, dass die Thalaneh sich mit den Nerisura verbündet haben“, spricht Malio abschätzend. Mein Mann verzieht gequält das Gesicht, es kränkt ihn zutiefst. „Wir danken für den frischen Fisch“, erwidere ich diplomatisch und bemerke erleichtert, dass Nerida und Nalu im Torbogen aufgetaucht sind. „Das Meer verabschiedet euch“, wünscht mein Mann auf Wiedersehen. „Wir schwimmen mit euch“, antwortet Keano und treibt zum Ausgang.

I'm tagging @vintagecivet @lavender-laney @charlies-storybook @holdenmarrswritings @betweenthetimeandsound

Rough English translation:

A rattling cough next to me startles me. I hum his favourite melody quietly in my husband's ear and his coughing stops immediately. How much longer will I be able to keep him alive? After all, he's twenty years older than me and his skin is getting paler and paler, almost as grey as Iluka's, my beloved hammerhead shark. The brief distraction gave Nerida a chance to slip away into the neighbouring cave with Nalu. I can't believe they recently pleaded to our remorse to bring Meara back home and then completely misbehave on such an important day. The last pearls are counted, I hurl everyone back together as quickly as possible before my husband notices his renegade daughters. With a wave, I gesture to Kairi to fetch her sisters. She nods devotedly and swims away while I put on my favourite smile. “Thank you for travelling all this way to trade with us,” I purr. Keano nods in agreement, and Malio scowls for a moment. “In times like these, it's more critical than ever to strengthen the relationship between our families,” I continue aloud. “We've also been told that the Thalaneh have allied themselves with the Nerisura,” Malio spits dismissively. My husband pulls a pained face, looking deeply offended. “Thank you for the fresh fish,” I reply diplomatically, and realise with a gulp of relief that Nerida and Nalu have appeared in the archway. “The sea bids you farewell,” my husband says. “We'll swim with you,” Keano replies and drifts towards the exit.

WIP only tag list (comment + if you want to be added or - to be removed): @matcha-chai @callmepippin @zettelkaestchen @silversynthesis @ladywithoringes @stargazingandpoetry @scaevolawrites @lyra-brie @constellationapex @eos109 @azriel-alexander-holm @cirianne @charlies-storybook @betweenthetimeandsound @captain-kraken @thesorcererspen @poetinprose

[resisteverything]

I'm going to rewrite Steven universe. Part 1: pearl.

Pearl is the character I felt was the most hurt by Rebecca Sugar trying to outsmart herself. I love her, but her entire character concept was accidentally ruined and they never explored her nearly as deeply as they could have.

I'm going to start at the beginning. She is not rose quartz pearl. She is white diamonds pearl. And her backstory is like this. As a diamonds pearl, she knows all the other diamond pearls. But she has a special bond with pink diamonds pearl. Until one day pink diamond has a violent outburst and hurts pink pearl, causing her body to crack. This outburst also causes her to fall off of some platform down to earth, ending up in imperial Japan.

She stays there for a while waiting for white diamond to find her. She discovers swordplay and becomes deeply interested in it. They offer to give her her own sword, but she refuses. After a few days she reluctantly takes a sword and starts to train. She becomes a prodigy at it and eventually becomes one of the best sword fighters in the city, and finds a sense of liberation in it that she had never felt before. But she still waits for white diamond to come back. Until white diamond comes back with Jasper, specifically in the form of a puppet pink pearl.

Pearl is horrified by this, and when they try to take her she panics and slashes Jasper in half, poofing her. She fights puppet pink pearl to try to poof her so she can form a new, not controlled body but in the end they're both poofed. Pearl forms a non-white multicolored form, but pink pearl takes on a form that looks like a puppet. Pearl tries to convince her to leave since she deserves better than the diamonds, but she rejects her help. Pearl asks if Pink will tell white diamond where she is, and Pink says she'll say pearl got away while she was poofed.

Then Pearl wonders what she will do with her life now, and decides that since she's now a warrior pearl, she must be a pearl to a warrior. Then she comes across Rose Quartz and after learning about the rebellion offers to pledge herself to her. Rose is bothered by this, but accepts it because it's what Pearl wants and chose for herself.

Now she actually is a renegade pearl. This also improves rose/pink diamonds character since she no longer kept her own personal slave, and adds a level of real anti-hero complexity to their dynamic, rather than Rose being a romanticized slave master. And also space race makes sense now.

As for what will happen afterwards. One, pearl rescuing the other pearls. Maybe blue pearl becomes a singer for a video game, and then we hear her voice in the OST for a video game Steven is playing and Pearl is happy to see it.

Two, her reuniting with pink pearl, having an emotional moment where she helps her live with her trauma, and probably dating her. This would be one of the relationships that define her character, alongside her relationship with rose.

Three, pearl would ask herself hard questions about her relationship with rose. She would find out about the twist with the rest of them, and it would make her wonder what Rose even thought about her and if Rose was liberating her or using her. She would wonder if Rose would have ever hurt her the way she hurt pink, and wanting to know why she did it.

[katenepveu]

Continuing my Whale Weekly catchup posts with chapter 24, in which Ishmael passionately defends the honor of whaling as a profession, and chapter 26, in which we meet Starbuck. I wanted to mention something I hadn't seen discussed much in the tag, which is democracy.

At the end of this post I do talk about the overall themes of the book in a way that might approach spoilers, and also this got long, so here's a cut:

One of the disorienting things to me about Ishmael's politics in chapter 24 was that he went immediately from "whaling enabled colonial exploration and that's great!" to "whaling liberated Spanish colonies and that's great!" (and then back again). But the reason Ishmael approves of the latter is that

if space permitted, it might be distinctly shown how from those whalemen at last eventuated the liberation of Peru, Chili, and Bolivia from the yoke of Old Spain, and the establishment of the eternal democracy in those parts.

(This is [citation needed] for the first clause; also, according to the notes in the Norton Critical Edition, Melville knew the last clause was not actually true.)

(I love Ishmael's frenetic ranting proof by assertion; later on, he claims that whale bones were "the most conspicuous object" in a parade (triumph) honoring a Roman general, and has his imaginary interlocutor say "Grant it, since you cite it." Again: [citation needed]!)

Goodness, the digressions are catching. Anyway, going back to democracy: at the close of chapter 26, Ishmael abruptly goes into flights of exclamation marks while talking about Starbuck's courage and dignity:

But this august dignity I treat of, is not the dignity of kings and robes, but that abounding dignity which has no robed investiture. Thou shalt see it shining in the arm that wields a pick or drives a spike; that democratic dignity which, on all hands, radiates without end from God; Himself! The great God absolute! The centre and circumference of all democracy! His omnipresence, our divine equality!

If, then, to meanest mariners, and renegades and castaways, I shall hereafter ascribe high qualities, though dark; weave round them tragic graces; if even the most mournful, perchance the most abased, among them all, shall at times lift himself to the exalted mounts; if I shall touch that workman’s arm with some ethereal light; if I shall spread a rainbow over his disastrous set of sun; then against all mortal critics bear me out in it, thou just Spirit of Equality, which hast spread one royal mantle of humanity over all my kind! Bear me out in it, thou great democratic God! who didst not refuse to the swart convict, Bunyan, the pale, poetic pearl; Thou who didst clothe with doubly hammered leaves of finest gold, the stumped and paupered arm of old Cervantes; Thou who didst pick up Andrew Jackson from the pebbles; who didst hurl him upon a war-horse; who didst thunder him higher than a throne! Thou who, in all Thy mighty, earthly marchings, ever cullest Thy selectest champions from the kingly commons; bear me out in it, O God!

And I'm reminded that Peleg tells Ishmael he should be a missionary instead of a sailor; that the sermon Ishmael heard was about Jonah and the difficulties of being a prophet; and that Peleg calls Ahab "a grand, ungodly, god-like man." To borrow a phrase, "Surely all this is not without meaning."

[weirdcatperson1]

Pearl’s story and struggle really appeal to me. I think that finding one’s voice and power is a widely appealing storyline, but I’ve never found a character I related to more. I really appreciate the nuance with which femininity and power are portrayed in pearls arc. I know there are other lenses that you can look at pearl through, but this is the one that resonates most with my life experience.

Pearl is created knowing she is unimportant, and she is made knowing she has duties. Pearls are to be quiet and submissive, competent and independent, beautiful, and most importantly, to lend an air of status to their superiors. This was the femininity I grew up with. Pearls early life highlights how in conforming to these expectations, femininity grants you social power.

Unfortunately for pearl, this social power is very conditional. Once pearl moves to acknowledge and actualize her desires for justice and respect (and love!) she is shunned and othered. The renegade pearl simply does not have enough power to change the current system of power from within.

The next time we see her chronologically, she aims to suppress bitterness about her relationship with Rose. Pearl has broken out of the enforced prejudice of the diamond authority, but has not truly escaped. Vestiges of prejudice linger in pearls mind and actions, as well as Roses. Rose did not need to keep keeping secrets, she did not need to keep operating as if she alone knew best.

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

Oh Steven Universe season 1 my beloved

[rezicoded]

low res lesbo

[rosenotactuallyquartz]

the beach

a pearl + rose headcanon and analysis

for thousands of years, pearl, rose, garnet, & amethyst lived together in the crystal temple by the beach. the temple is a statue of obsidian and the town is called beach city. with all that sand, the vast sea being their view everyday, & even staying long after rose’s death with a house built for steven, the ocean must have some significance if they’ve chosen the beach to be & remain their home forever.

and they could have built the temple anywhere.

earth

“we’re actually here! and i am fitting right in! none of that dumb salute, thank you so much for talking me into this, i couldn’t have done this on my own.” — rose, now we’re only falling apart

“you took her on this whirlwind tour of earth and then she wanted to live here with you forever!” — steven, now we’re only falling apart

“i want to live here with you! we’ll both finally be free.” — rose, a single pale rose

“why would i ever want to go home, if you’re here?” — pearl, rose’s scabbard

it was pearl who gave pink the idea to change her shape for the day so that she could visit the earth. rose said that pearl even “talked her into it.” rose was hesitant & confused, but pearl said, “you look so happy.” a feeling pink was hardly familiar with.

it was pearl who suggested that they explore more of earth instead of merely the kindergarten. rose hadn’t thought of that. it was then that she realized the harm her colony would do.

it was pearl who became rose’s first meaningful relationship, building it based on their choices and not homeworld’s. they were each other’s first fusions, first loves.

it was pearl who was known as the terrifying renegade, despite homeworld’s beliefs, norms, and expectations or even what she says in do it for her: “deep down you know you weren’t built for fighting.” rose gave pearl the choice to fight with her or be safe from the war completely. mind you, rose was absolutely terrified at the time. she hadn’t been rose for long, she was made to feel powerless & still understanding what she was capable of. she had fears of being shattered or worse, caught by the diamonds. but pearl insisted that she wouldn’t be alone. she was an incredible sword fighter which went against everything homeworld planned for pearls, she was rose’s sole confidant & second in command.

it was pearl who helped rose because “i can’t exactly shatter myself.” this experience was traumatic for pearl, as it looked convincing and she had to physically harm rose so that she would vanish and pearl could take her gem with her.

she was by her side a few thousand years before pink was given the earth, she was by her side as they began their lives on earth.

what the ocean meant to rose

pearls are formed in water and closely associated with the ocean. there’s also the reef for the pearls and the waterfalls in pearl’s bedroom.

pearl’s essence, especially from rose’s perspective, is similar to the beach in front of the crystal temple. her blush and her eyes are the same colour as the water. as a pearl & with her personality, she likely has a scent that’s similar to the beach—saltwater & sunshine. like the beach, pearl would be comforting from rose’s perspective. she knows all these secrets and flaws and issues and she protects her and stays with her, loving her unconditionally.

after the war, i believe rose made the decision to live near the ocean with the crystal gems. after all, she led the rebellion and discovered that her shield could save herself + garnet and pearl from the diamonds. while everyone had a say about the temple and their rooms, i think rose was simply the one who chose the location.

choosing to live near the ocean was rose’s way of thanking pearl. this fits with her personality and ways of showing love; she was poetic, soft, endearing.

because pearl helped rose feel at home for the first time. with her form, with pearl herself, and on earth. so, when it was time to choose a specific place to call home, rose wanted to honour pearl in some way.

also, as rose’s comfort, living near the ocean meant rose could always remember she’s surrounded by comfort now and she’s far away from homeworld. it’s likely that rose also felt anxious around a lack of colour because of white diamond’s environment, so colour in general helped her out a lot. especially ocean blue, a colour she associates with the first individual to ever truly comfort, know, & care for her.

she fell in love with pearl, and because pearl was by her side from the beginning, she helped her fall in love with the earth. she was amazed by pearl. considering rebecca sugar’s comments about rose worshipping everyone around her sincerely and falling in love with pearl’s boldness, along with the quotes above, it's clear that rose believed she wouldn’t have the life she wished for without pearl. it was a symbol of everything she fell in love with, a way to honor pearl like one would honour a hero, and a way to feel as surrounded as possible with the comfort pearl gave her.

what the ocean meant to pearl

pearl wholeheartedly agreed with rose’s decision. she might have even mentioned her desire to live by the ocean long before they needed to consider a place to call home.

from pearl’s perspective, the ocean reminded her of rose.

it reminded her of specific things she loved about rose. breathtaking, unlike anything else. so big and its presence is soothing as if it strives to be—and has therefore chosen for it’s form to be—soft and gentle and embracing. at the same time, it’s imperfect & complex.

nobody on land who sees the ocean is aware of its true depth. but a pearl has always been there, closer & for much longer. the ocean is also reflective. every time she looks at it, she sees herself. a reminder that they’ve been a part of each other’s story since the very beginning.

on the topic of stories: the ocean is generally a symbol of a journey. sailboats travelling across earth to start new lives long before the invention of airplanes. it’s also a symbol of peace and stability.

this would remind pearl of her entire story with rose up until that point. protecting her for a life of stability & peace.

at the same time, it has remained unchanged for centuries, the way that rose never believed she could change. this severe self hatred caused an immense amount of pain for rose’s other loved ones, pearl, rose, and their relationship. but there’s so much vastness, depth, tides, waves. look a little closer, a little longer & the ocean also changes like the rest of the world.

some things are out of its control, and knowing enough about the ocean would make a person learn that it can be loud & playful, destructive & chaotic.

completely aware of its true depth, many imperfections, and secrets that people on land would only speculate about, pearl loves the ocean anyway.

one final bittersweet part is that the ocean looks endless. she believed her time with rose, living with her on earth, would be endless. that may not be the case, but the love is still endless, hence why she continues to live by the ocean after rose’s death. she may not live with rose forever, but that love will always be present, a love that she will always live with.

the ocean reminded rose of everything she fell in love with. it reminded pearl of everything she protected, including some secrets that you don’t exactly see from the surface.

[minionwater]

memories of a broken heart

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

Once upon a time I only lived to be of Pink Diamond’s service ‘till the day the two of us snuck down to be on this planet’s surface We became our fantasy And I was sure she set me free But in the end I guess I never left her side And after love and loss and all the tears that I cried I find that

Here we are in the future

For the anon who requested it: Pearl’s mini recap song snippet from Happily Ever After.

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

How come Jasper and Lapis didn't recognize Earl as White Diamond's Pearl?

Okay, let’s tackle this one by one.

1) Jasper didn’t even SEE Earl. She was completely focused on Rose, and then on Steven. She’s not standing around taking attendance, she’s smashing in faces!

2) Lapis also didn’t see Earl for more than a second. Earl and Steven were hiding the whole time until Steven ran out, and Lapis DID recognize him, and focused on him primarily.

3) Even if they did see Earl, Jasper is a QUARTZ. She’s in Yellow’s court. How often would she see Earl? And from how far away? Blue and Yellow flipped out when White Diamond’s Pearl first appeared in Legs From Here To Homeworld. I’m willing to bet chips on the fact that she doesn’t get out into the public eye much. Lapis, if she did see her, saw her literally 6000+ years ago.

3) Earl no longer looks like she did under White Diamond’s rule - she’s got a new outfit, and she no longer moves like a doll. Even if Lapis/Jasper DID decide to somehow hyperfocus on Earl in their moment of being concerned with Steve, why would they leap to the conclusion that this gem in pink shorts and a totally different outfit is somehow also White Diamond’s Pearl? 

Extra Credit: If you think Lapis should have recognized WD’s Pearl, I think it logically follows that literally EVERY OTHER GEM IN THE SHOW should have recognized, idk, The Renegade Pearl That Hung Out With Rose Quartz But Was Actually Pink Diamond’s Personal Pearl?!

When in fact, we have Blue Diamond herself not even squint when Rose and Pearl crashed her party. 

Look at her! Out in plain sight, smashin’ up Blue’s Court! And no one bats an eye! 

The thing with gems is that their culture pre-reform is such that a gem’s sole purpose IS its duty. Their outfits, the way they act, the things they do are just as much a part of their identity as their gem placement and type. That’s why Amethyst could fool Rubies into thinking she was Jasper by just ACTINg like a Jasper. That’s why Rose could fool the Diamonds. That’s why no one questioned Pink Diamond’s Pearl - because the idea of stepping outside of their decided role, to do something different, to change yourself based on what YOU want to become, is inconceivable. 

And that’s why Lapis and Jasper will absolutely not look at Earl the Background Extra for 5 seconds and make the connection. 

[ilikekidsshows]

Your take on the Rose Quartz reveal in your most recent post is well-reasoned, fascinating, and unsupported by the *completed* show. That's the problem with trying to discuss a show one has dropped. If anything, the way the show and characters view her only gets *more* complicated from there, and it's not uncritical of its own implications. In particular, Pearl's relationship with her own past with Pink Diamond is fleshed out in a way that addresses your key complaint (especially in the movie).

I see you're not a longtime reader of the blog. Otherwise you'd know that Steven Universe "losing" me doesn't mean I dropped the show. It means I stopped caring about what happened. I am fully aware of how Steven Universe Future invents new character flaws for Pink Diamond that complicate the characters' relationships. I just don't care about any of it. I concede that they clearly tried to do some fixing up, but the results weren’t that successful in my opinion.

As such, I’ll clarify that this issue isn't as simple as "make it more complicated and it's automatically better". I was pointing out specific concerns that weren't addressed with enough complexity in the original show, and they don't get addressed in Future either.

To repeat, these issues are:

Do the Crystal Gems really love Rose Quartz or is that their programming making them follow Pink Diamond?

The show treats Pearl’s tenure as a Crystal Gem as liberating and her relationship with Rose Quartz as positively romantic, when, in actuality, Pearl had no agency as a Crystal Gem, because Rose Quartz was still Pink Diamond, her slave owner who knew Pearl was geassed to obey her when she used her to fake her own death, which happened way past Pearl joining the Crystal Gems.

The Crystal Gems were a sham. Their role model, the Renegade Pearl, took all her marching orders from a Diamond, knowingly. The conflict also wasn’t a rebellion, because their leader was a Diamond, one of the ruling class. It was not about the underdogs proving their worth, it was about a god-queen staging an elaborate scheme to run away from home. No one points this out.

The reveal that Pink Diamond abandoned Spinel, had anger issues, was physically abusive to Pink Pearl and did a bunch of other messed up stuff does not address any of these issues. It just makes the character relationships more complicated in a different way. That's not enough. It's not enough to just make things more complicated when the problem was that the original complications weren't handled with enough nuance.

Furthermore, Pearl saying that the abused Pink Pearl "still has it bad" for Pink Diamond is not Pearl reconsidering her relationship to Rose, it’s just more idealization of Pink Diamond's relationship with her literal brainwashed slaves. "Have it bad" is what you say about someone who's in love, not someone who's been brainwashed to worship someone else. Also, the episode ends with the Pearls "understanding"/forgiving Pink, so the writers actually made it even worse instead of fixing it. They had a chance to make Pearl see that Rose was her slave owner, but instead the message of the episode was: "Rose was better with our Pearl because at least she didn't physically abuse her and that means she changed for the better and she's totally redeemed."

Rose Quartz should have been a separate character from Pink Diamond who committed regicide if she was meant to be a morally gray character instead of a full-blown villain. There's no way to view someone who kept a slave while pretending to be trying to liberate slaves as anything other than black morality. The "rebellion" was staged to preserve Earth, not free the Gem species. Even in the show, the Crystal Gems are all: "we have to protect Earth because that's what Rose Quartz wanted!", while Bismuth is the only one who wanted to free gemkind from the Diamonds' tyranny. Despite this, no one points out how the Crystal Gems rebellion was never a rebellion, it was a scam pulled by Pink Diamond, who had saving a strange planet as her primary concern, while not caring about saving her own people at all.

This is especially grating because the potential to tackle it is there. The Crystal Gems built monuments to honor the great Rose Quartz, much like how the Homeworld Gems built monuments to the Diamond Authority. Rose Quartz was treated like a Diamond without the people who did the worshipping knowing she was a Diamond. And yet, once the truth comes out, no one questions whether or not their feelings for her were a part of the "worship your Diamond" programming all Gems come with, especially Pearl, who knew Rose was her Diamond. No, instead we get: "[Pink Pearl] still has it bad", like the conditioning to worship a Diamond is just a cute sapphic "lady and her handmaiden" romance. And that happens after the movie, meaning Pearl actually learned nothing from that experience.