oh i know that guy! they p cool, but holy shit their theme. why the fuck everything gotta have its own separate scrolly bar dodad? does that happen for anyone else or is it just me? it's super obnoxious! like that first link i gotta scroll down on the ask box to read the full deal, then scroll down on the page to see the full box where the post is, then scroll down on the post box to read the fucking post. fucking hell, what's even up with that?
it's happening for me too and it's especially aggravating on the asks, but I'm guessing it's to try and keep everything more cohesive and tightly contained. whether or not it's working is another question, but. now, of course, I'm down the theorycrafting hole again though; I feel like some of their theories re: Blue Diamond are a bit of stretch, but I'm digging a lot of their character analysis and I'm really glad to see they aren't falling into the jasper is evil/an angel vs lapis is a monster/precious uwu cinnamon roll dichotomy man I can't wait for regular episodes to air again
personally I don't mind the scrolling, because their theme is unique but their text posts are still legible I think I would like it more if the ask box didn't scroll, but over all I really like their theme. But meh, different strokes for different folks.
@liminal PrrrrPrrprrr nuanced Jasper views! I uh...like Jasper a lot in case you are not in skype chat and missed that. And well to put it bluntly she pulls some inexcusable shit but I don´t think she´s made of pure crystalized evil like some of the fandom seems to think. (And My take on Jaspis/Malachite is that they bring out the worst in each other. Also Lapis WHY? You coulda saved yourself a lot of pain if you had dragged Jasper down unfused.)
See, my take on it is: The ocean was right there. She's used it before to pulverize the crystal gems, a worn out Jasper would be no match against her. While it's true that Jasper didn't really give a fuck about her and the scene is read as really rape-y, Lapis chose to fuse. Not just to protect Steven, because she could have done that with the ocean, but she wanted Jasper to be her prisoner. Both physically and mentally. Yes, it's hurting her too, and she has been through a lot of horrible trauma herself, but she's basically trying to reclaim power over her life in the worst way possible. But this is not the first time Lapis has done something really fucked up when she was lashing out (she also tried to murder the crystal gems, along with Greg, Steven, and Connie before Steven talked it out with her and healed her gem). Lapis is definitely not a cinnamon roll who did nothing wrong, and yet the fandom constantly glosses over that. I don't think you can look at Jasper and Lapis and say one of them is the abuser and the other is the victim, because both of them do shitty and abusive things to each other. They are both simultaneously victims and abusers, and that makes tumblr's dichotomy where abusers are inhuman monsters incapable of redemption and victims are delicate and wouldn't hurt anyone explode. TLDR: Do not fuck with Lapis Lazuli. She will ruin your life.
I am actually not sure Jasper really didn´t care about Lapis consent at all. She would have to have some sort of consent for the fusion to work at all, after all. You can see she keeps pushing for Lapis to consent instead of just forcibly fusing with her. (Probably because that´s impossible but maybe Jasper needed to be able to tell herself that she asked for consent.) Note I am not saying the scene wasn´t skeevy as all get out. Consent obtained under coercion doesn´t count. But Jasper having an inkling of an idea that what she´s doing is wrong would give her a toehold for maybe redemption arc. (Please give me a Jasper redemption arc creators!)
the first time i encountered the "don't ship Jaspis, it's abusive!!" i was like... but if that's true, Lapis is the one doing the abusing. people who paint the Malachite scene as Jasper forcibly pushing Lapis into fusing are missing the entire point. that scene to me is so clearly about the abuse victim taking back power from her abuser. in a terrifying and incredibly destructive way, but to me that's a feature, not a bug. :D and as horrible and destructive this monstrous forced fusion seems to be, it makes perfect sense for Lapis. she was imprisoned for millennia in the mirror, with her gem cracked. as soon as she was freed from that, she basically was taken prisoner again by Homeworld. so she sees an opportunity to trap Jasper, and even though it's at her own expense? she's got way too much experience enduring stress and confinement and pain. so she's going to use that skill against her would-be captor and to keep Steven safe. but the fact that she thinks she's more useful like this, imprisoned again... man, i just made myself sad.
Oh my stars and gardens. It is such a RELIEF to see some nuanced discussion about all that. The fact that Lapis is seizing her agency and control back by choosing to create Malachite was the point, to me! I really wish I hadn't been spoiled on how that scene ended, but it was so exciting and filled with tension just the same. I also think it highlights the way someone who has been continually victimized can become an abuser themselves (Because nothing's simple, alcoholism or domestic abuse can hurt a kid who then grows up and repeats those same behaviors, etc.). Like...Lapis has been (mostly) passive, but just because Steven healed her and she got to fly home doesn't mean she's through with all her anger. I'd bet she's got things to be angry about that date back to before her (harvest?) imprisonment. Lapis is keeping herself trapped with Malachite. It's sick and sad, but it's probably partly because it's a familiar thing to do. And, like. Wouldn't the point of shipping Jasper and Lapis be that it's a fucked up power dynamic with a struggle for power and control? It doesn't float my boat....usually....but ships and fanwork are a fantasy space where you can let your darkest id out to play. Oh heck yeah. Water...the ocean is a turbulent and dangerous place. The ocean is pretty and full of wonder and potential and it will fuck you up. ....you know, I've never actually seen any content from the Lapis The Cinnamon Roll side of things. Does anybody have any good sources?
There is a REASON that I still think that No Children is an amazing Malachite song. "I hope that our few remaining friends give up on trying to save us" is like 75% of what Lapis says in Chille Tid.
"I am drowning, there is no sign of land You are coming down with me Hand in unlovable hand And I hope you die I hope we both die..."
That's exactly how I learned about Malachite and what happens to her: a friend asked me if I was okay with a spoiler and I figured what's the harm, I already saw Made of Love and I KNEW I needed to watch this cartoon. And it was a clip of Malachite being pulled under, set to those very lyrics~
EDIT: Yes, that's it. I think I just found it! I had to dig around a little, because there's a similar, but longer, clip on youtube that times the music and lyrics differently. It's good too! And then it looks like somebody's drawn a full music video? Heck, let's have a party. I'll link 'em all. http://ziraangel.tumblr.com/post/113579909786/evilplotting-i-promise-you-this-isnt-mmmm -- the superior original https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEu08y_tIAk -- Longer, different timing on lyrics+scenes is kind of nice. -- oh fuck, this is really cool. Someone drew out a whole music video's worth of art panels with lyrics, and somebody else set it to music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCSb5Jr_1Z0 -- Have some more Lapis schmaltz because I like this vid.
Oh yeah, the art one is by Shelby Cragg (wecansexy). I don't think I ever saw the video-ified version, I should watch it.
I like healthy ships too, but I also love Japis specifically because it's fucked up. It's really weird to me that there is a very vocal group of people on tumblr that somehow thinks that enjoying these things in fiction means you want them to happen in reality. What about all those "Oscar bait" movies what about the "True Art = Angsty" culture that keeps artists stuck in a destructive pit of depression because society says real artists are tormented? Fucked up things in fiction can be very cathartic and compelling regardless of your history and whether or not you are "using it to cope". Even as a little kid, I was naturally drawn to sad stories and tragic characters instead of bright and colorful comedies. To me, stories that are pure fluff without any "problematic" characters and conflicts are boring as fuck. I sincerely hope this younger generation isn't the new moral guardians who will erase decades of progress against censorship so they can "protect" society (and of course the children!!!)
