That was such a nice episode. I know Jamie's writing was supposed to be really over the top but I think it would be really pretty if it wasn't dictated so dramatically? over all: warm fuzzles .........................Also I am getting a lesbian vibe from the mail lady please tell me I am not alone
Spoiler: Reformed hinternet's slow, so you get a psuedo liveblog "see yourself as a cartoon character" *Pearl voice* Be careful with the fourth wall, Steven! Motor oil sandwich. Motor. Oil. Sandwich. Dat's gross, Amethyst. Those are, uh, sure some feet. I am beginning to see where this episode's title comes from. Is. Is this how corrupted gems happen? D: okay, that was cute. Disappointed by lack of Centipeedle, though, even if it was a bit early for her. I wonder if she's Serpentine?
I started warming up to Amethyst since "On the Run" this was a pretty good episode. I think her personality still rubs me the wrong way but I like her as a character and I like how she is developing. Also the 4th wall humor was really great this episode without feeling unnatural. Like Steven saying something like "it's fun to pretend you're a cartoon character" and "who want to watch a cartoon where they cry all the time" and steven says"I do!" and looks and sounds like he's gonna cry. I did notice that he is very good at character analysis though! Even if he doesn't quite realize it. His descriptions were all spot-on :P
The problem for me with Pearl is she has the character trait "cares about how things look sometimes more than how they are" which is something that often gets my BPD rage going IRL and is something I have a hard time going "it's just a character" about the way I can with other negative traits. I couldn't imagine living with her IRL. I have a bit of the same problem with Rarity from MLP but to a lesser extent. It's possible it comes from some of my early problems with femininity since that's considered a feminine failing (vanity). I remember being a little kid and getting furious over an episode of Pokemon. Two Pokemon chefs ran two restaurants next to each other. One could make beautiful food that tasted like shit and the other could make delicious food that looked rather plain. What angered me was that in the end, the lesson was that both qualities were important rather than just that the "food should taste good" guy was right. Man, just typing out that episode summary still got my blood pumping a bit. Which is kind of weird, because this only makes me angry with vision. Technically the full version of this opinion should be "who cares about either, food is for nutrition," but that doesn't feel as right as dismissing how things look but taking into account how things feel to the other senses.
So uh, I've only recently gotten into the show but I have a few theories and headcanons and such to share? One: We know that the Crystal Gems swore to protect humanity. We also know that they've been involved in some very shady business in the past (Greg's "no such thing as a good war" comment, Jasper of all people respecting Rose's tactics, LITERALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT LAPIS AND THE MIRROR...). While part of their devotion to protecting Earth is likely due to the whole thing about Rose seeing beauty in everything, I wonder if perhaps part of it is their way of, for lack of a better phase, atoning for their past sins. Like, "we have done inexcusably awful things, and while we may not be able to change our pasts, we have an eternity to do something good--even if it's not for our own species." Not sure how to words right now, but yeah. Two: It's pretty obvious, especially in Rose's Scabbard, that Pearl had a thing for Rose. And yeah, it could've just been admiration and loyalty, but her seeming jealousy of Greg ("I can sing!") points to a romantic attraction. Worth noting, though, is that in Story For Steven, past!Pearl looks to have been the equivalent of a human teenager--probably between 15 and 17--whereas Rose looks like an adult in her 20s or 30s. And given the fact that gems don't truly age, with their bodies essentially matching their mental state (see: So Many Birthdays), it's quite likely that Pearl was, mentally, the equivalent of a high schooler, with Rose being...well, an actual adult, and Greg's mental (and, being human, physical) age being closer to Rose's than Pearl's was. It'd be kind of like a schoolgirl having a crush on a favorite teacher, essentially. It's quite possible that Pearl was reading way too far into Rose's words, believing that she reciprocated her romantic feelings for her, when in fact Rose was more of an older mentor to her. Again, can't words. But I think there's a good chance Rose wasn't in (romantic) love with Pearl, and that Pearl, being really bad at reading people, misinterpreted things. Three: I know it's been mentioned before, but I really like the idea that Rose's army consisted of misfits and rejects, and I think Jasper's mockery of the remaining Crystal Gems is actually quite revealing. Pearl is described as "lost" and "defective." It's very, very widely believed in the fandom that Pearl is autistic, or at least the gem equivalent thereof, and I'm personally inclined to agree--she's pretty much tied with John Egbert for the number one position on my list of Characters That Are Totally Autistic Okay. That would explain the "defective" bit, at least coming from a jerk like Jasper. (And given the fact that she essentially defected from Homeworld, there's possibly some wordplay there as well.) "Lost" is a bit more confusing, but it's also possible that she didn't have anyone else she was close to at first, that she was aimless in some way--joining Rose's army gave her a purpose in life. Amethyst is described as "an overcooked runt." On The Run shows us that she was grown in the Kindergarten, of course, but while it's clear from the holes that many other gems were grown there, she implies that when she came out, there was no one else around. The phrase "overcooked" supports that--she was born late, essentially, and if the "runt" thing is any indication, she may have had some sort of deformity. In fact, thinking about it, that might be why a comparatively small crack in her gem caused her body to warp uncontrollably and her speech to become incomprehensible, whereas Lapis' far more severely damaged gem impeded her a lot less--it could've been, essentially, the gem equivalent of a physical disability. Garnet is described as "a shameless display." We don't know much about how fusion is viewed in gem society, save for Jasper's comment about it being "a cheap tactic," but it's possible that permanently fusing, or even fusing out of love at all, is viewed as socially taboo to the extreme. Which leaves us with Rose, who saw beauty in everything--including a girl with a mental disability, a girl with a physical deformity, and a girl who shunned all societal norms. And really, who else would make a better rebel army?
Eh, I don't think I buy that Pearl's love for Rose (and I agree, Pearl definitely had a Thing for her) was equivalent to a schoolgirl-teacher crush. Pearl fought alongside Rose for millennia - I see it much more a queen-and-knight situation, or warlord-and-lieutenant. And Rose's own feelings for Pearl... I could see it going any way.
I'm surprised you didn't quote 'queen-and-knight' there, hehe. But, well, yeah? I actually also saw some good fanart of those two that mentioned that meme.
hey, random-ish question- how long do you guys think Lapis' skirt is approximately? Because I'm looking up screenshots and getting conflicting answers from just that, so I'd like to hear some other people's opinions on how long they think it is/how long they think it should be.
SAME. Like I am not ready for tonight. Stevenbomb + Homestuck upd8 + new TMBG song = ACEY FREAKING OUT IN THE BEST WAY. (all we need is for gravity falls to be back right now >_>)
