Steven Universe S03E14, "Monster Reunion"

[kate_nepveu]

MY HEART. POOR CENTIPEETLE.

(That was Dee Bradley Baker, critter voicer extraordinare (Appa & Momo on A:tLA, for instance).)

Garnet's extremely square face against Steven's puppy eyes! "I lost a battle of will."

There goes the theory that the flash of light that Lapis saw was something that Rose did: it was the Great Diamond Authority (so shortly after Pink Diamond . . . stopped being part of the Authority that the logo hadn't been redesigned yet), it was what corrupted all the gems except the Crystal Gems, and it's different from cracking so Steven's healing abilities (powered by his emotions, like all his stupid powers) have only limited effect on it. (I didn't agree with that theory; I could imagine that her huge guilt and secret was if she had thought it was a much less damaging weapon, but not that she had deliberately won using a scorched-earth method. I think now her guilty secret must be whatever she did before rebelling.)

Ugh, those crayon drawings and the crying and the body horror!

Gem writing, unsubtle gun on the mantel.

I'm glad for the shift in focus, it feels like time.

Comments

[sovay]

Ugh, those crayon drawings and the crying and the body horror!

SERIOUSLY.

Gem writing, unsubtle gun on the mantel.

I am fully expecting Steven to try to get Peridot or Lapis to read Centipeetle's written pages for him. I would love to know what kind of gem she is; her character design was striking (that explosion of white hair, the person parts of her brown and her uniform in slices of green-and-black) and I found it very interesting that her crew were also corrupted into Centipeetles, implying that the process affects all gems of a kind in the same way. I feel like the fact that Steven was able to heal her as much as he did, for even as long as he did, implies that it might in some manner be reversible, even if Rose herself never figured out how.

I had forgotten that we'd seen the flash of light before. Which episode is that in—the one with Lapis' memories of the war?

[kate_nepveu]

Yes, I think it must be, but that Steven's psychic abilities are going to come into play somehow since physical healing isn't sufficient. And yes, the flash of light is in "Same Old World" (check out those colors, btw!).

[sovay]

Yes, I think it must be, but that Steven's psychic abilities are going to come into play somehow since physical healing isn't sufficient.

". . . like if MC Bear Bear didn't tear the fabric of his arm, but the fabric of his mind."

It does interest me that corruption—whatever the mechanism is—so strongly affects the ability of Gems to change shape. I can't help but associate it with Peridot's identfication of herself as an "Era II" (three-Diamond, post-war) Gem, without powers. That may be wingnut.

And yes, the flash of light is in "Same Old World" (check out those colors, btw!).

Thanks! Those would be the colors of the three remaining Diamonds, yes. I watched the episode with rushthatspeaks and gaudior: it looked to us like the Diamonds called a retreat from Earth and then nuked the site from orbit, but didn't bother to make sure that all their own soldiers were off the planet first. Which is entirely consistent with what we know of their behavior, but also suggests that many to most of the corrupted Gems which the Crystal Gems have subdued and bubbled over the years were Rose's allies and soldiers, with only a percentage being the actual enemy.

[kate_nepveu]

About to fall asleep, but, corruption affecting shape makes sense to me because when Gems are poofed, they usually come back with only minor alterations from baseline (see also Amethyst's unsuccessful attempts to go further from it), which suggests that their appearance updates like Names in the Speech (Young Wizards) and thus necessarily follows from their self-conception (see also how Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl have no stars on their outfits in any pre-Steven flashback). If a Gem's mind can't retain a full sense of self, it can't project that self.

And fusion limbs indicating emotional stability and health.

[avram]

Anyone else think Centipeedle's gem is a trapiche emerald?

[kate_nepveu]

Oooh, cool. Honestly I couldn't get past "Pokeball!" (SteelyKid's interest in her cards has come roaring back to life with all the talk about Pokemon, so I've been handling a lot of cards and face-painting a lot of Pokeballs lately.)

[hebethen]

Steven asking to learn "I'm sorry" in Gem language just about killed me ded.