Steven UnIVerse: 4shadowing

[Admiral Squish]

So... that was pretty freakin' huge.

[Draconi Redfir]

i dunno if they were supposed to be released today or not, but yeah, four episodes of steven were just released all at once. pretty sweet stuff in story.

remember when steven bombs implied at least a day between episodes?

[DigoDragon]

Spoiler: Today 4-episode Steven Bomb

Show

Huh, so that explains Lion. Interesting, if really, really weird.

I guess the Crystal Gems now have a way back to Homeworld?

[LaZodiac]

i dunno if they were supposed to be released today or not, but yeah, four episodes of steven were just released all at once. pretty sweet stuff in story.

remember when steven bombs implied at least a day between episodes?

There were for once.

[Lord Raziere]

Spoiler: Steven Bomb

Show

Wait wait wait....WHAT!? A diamond might've masterminded this!? WHAT!?

hi Off-Color Gems! you seem quirky enough to be good.

and wow, Lars is suddenly getting awesome. great going! your lack of gem actually helps.

Ok....lars is a zombie now. thats.....a thing

and now Steven can apparently go through Lars hair like a portal. weird.

well....that was both awesome yet creepy afterwards.

So ruling out Blue Diamond as a suspect, we have either Yellow or White Diamond to blame for eliminating Pink Diamond. this just got interesting.

[Draconi Redfir]

Spoiler

Show

Pink's Pearl might have done it too maybe? I mean they're a diamond's right-hand. do you think anyone would question a pearl who said the dimond didn't want them to be there?

Also; Lars should probably grow his hair long. More room for portals that way :P

i wonder if Lars gets other special powers like Lion has. I mean lion can fly / run on air, and open portals with his roar. Hope Lars learns how to make these things over time.

[Chromascope3D]

Spoiler

Show

Just based on her actions alone, how she was trying to rush the trial along despite Blue clearly wanting to hear Rose's side, I'd think the mastermind would probably have to be Yellow herself. Sure, it could be White, but considering that she hasn't been introduced yet, I'd personally rule it out if only for simplicity's sake. Man, it's been a while since I've been this excited for this show. Time to have another two month long hiatus to kill it off again.

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler

Show

Pink's Pearl might have done it too maybe? I mean they're a diamond's right-hand. do you think anyone would question a pearl who said the dimond didn't want them to be there?

Also; Lars should probably grow his hair long. More room for portals that way :P

i wonder if Lars gets other special powers like Lion has. I mean lion can fly / run on air, and open portals with his roar. Hope Lars learns how to make these things over time.

Spoiler

Show

The super team is lookin' good. Steven, Connie, and now Pink Lars.

Spoiler

Show

Just based on her actions alone, how she was trying to rush the trial along despite Blue clearly wanting to hear Rose's side, I'd think the mastermind would probably have to be Yellow herself. Sure, it could be White, but considering that she hasn't been introduced yet, I'd personally rule it out if only for simplicity's sake. Man, it's been a while since I've been this excited for this show. Time to have another two month long hiatus to kill it off again.

Spoiler

Show

It could aaalso be that say...everyone hated Pink Diamond and that's why she was able to get in. Or this is actually a hint that Rose IS Pink Diamond, but it only looked like a shattering. It's fascinating!

[Lord Raziere]

Spoiler

Show

Pink's Pearl might have done it too maybe? I mean they're a diamond's right-hand. do you think anyone would question a pearl who said the diamond didn't want them to be there?

Spoiler

Show

That is another possibility yes. luckily I think I know WHICH Pearl orchestrated it.....namely, OUR Pearl,
the one we know.

After all, what other Pearl would've Rose Quartz needed to pull off the assassination? what other Pearl would get the opportunity? Pearl WAS the first person to join Rose before Garnet or Ruby/Sapphire.

problem is.....Pearl doesn't look like a Pink Pearl. Her Pearl is on her HEAD. Pink Diamond's Gem is at her belly button. The Pearls of Blue and Yellow Diamond match their positions. The Diamond that Our Pearl does fit with? WHITE DIAMOND.

So my theory.....is that White Diamond wanted Pink Diamond out of the picture for some reason and sent her a "defective" Pearl as a present, and that White Diamond knew exactly how Pearl felt about Gem Society- that she didn't like it, didn't like being a decoration, so White Diamond manipulated Pearl into doing it. White Diamond might be a heartless manipulator who knows exactly how to play everyone around her like a fiddle. for some reason, Pink Diamond posed a threat to White Diamond, or at least White believed so, and so she manipulated the situation so that a renegade Gem would shatter her and take the fall, believing that she could probably easily capture Rose then use her shattering as a demonstration the price of defying the Diamond authority then things would continue as normal. but Rose was too good at dodging authority and using it as an inspiration to rebel, meaning that the whole plan backfired.

[Callos_DeTerran]

*Watches one hour special*

WOW!

That was really cool! It raised so many questions! I love the new additions to the cast! I love the characterization!

I'm so eager to see....

...

That's the end of the Steven Bomb isn't it?

YOU CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS CARTOON NETWORK! STOP SCREWING THE FANS OVER DAMMIT!

[theNater]

So... that was pretty freakin' huge.

Truth. And speaking of...

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

What does everybody think the big silhouette in the background was? Statue? Building? White Diamond?

Spoiler: Characters

Show

Who's everybody's favorite among the new ones? I love 'em all, but Padparadscha is just too great.

Spoiler: Conspiracies

Show

It's definitely not necessary for a Diamond to be involved, and Rose displays enough guilt that I'm pretty comfortable assuming she was. What do we actually know?

1. Rose takes credit for it, even thousands of years later, and even to Garnet and Pearl.

2. Pink Diamond's entourage reports that Rose shattered Pink Diamond with a sword.

3. Bismuth described Rose's sword as able to "cut through a gem's physical form in an instant, destroying the body, but never the gem".

4. The Ruby who tried to stab Steven seems to genuinely believe Rose did it.

This suggests that whoever did it could be mistaken for Rose, and held a sword. As shapeshifters, any gem could take on Rose's appearance, but nobody's going to be fooled by, for example, Amethyst, because she lacks convincing coloration and gem placement. But any pink gem with belly-button placement is a suspect. Among characters we know of, that's a pretty limited pool; I think it's just Rose, Pink Diamond, and presumably Pink Pearl. Pink Diamond doing the stabbing requires Pink Pearl to be the victim, and that's a level of speculation I'm not ready to go for yet. But by appearing as Pink Pearl, either Pink Pearl or Rose could plausibly lure Pink Diamond out, then shift to Rose's appearance for the fatal strike. Rose would run into the problem of not having a place to hide whatever sword she used while appearing as Pink Pearl. Pink Pearl would also have that problem...unless her gem weapon was a sword. Then she could generate it once Pink Diamond was in range. Of course, in order to make a convincing replica, she'd have to have gotten hands-on time with Rose's actual sword. So I think I've developed a theory.

Pink Pearl joins the Crystal Gems, learns her gem weapon is a sword, and devises an assassination plan with Rose Quartz. Rose teaches Pink Pearl to mimic her, and arranges for attachments to be made that will cause Pink Pearl's sword to look like Rose's. Pink Pearl then goes back to Pink Diamond, convinces her to step out of the palanquin, shapeshifts, runs her through, and signals a group of Crystal Gems who have been hiding nearby. The Crystal Gems attack, Pink Pearl shapeshifts back during the confusion, and then the Crystal Gems retreat. Pink Pearl organizes everybody and insists they all go back to Homeworld so they can be explain what happened. On the way, Pink Pearl questions everybody under the pretense of organizing a report, and uses the opportunity to browbeat anyone with suspicions into giving them up.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Spoiler: Wanted

Show

Alright, anger at format and potential wait for more Steven aside the biggest thing that struck me about this is...

...I don't think Yellow Diamond had anything to do with the shattering Pink Diamond.

It sounds weird but back in the Zoo, Yellow Diamond was very sincere in the fact that she misses and still grieved over Pink's death. And Wanted reveals the very real possibility that someone arranged to kill Pink Diamond and then covered up..but the only beings capable of doing such ARE the Diamonds.

Even at the trial she seems surprised at Zircon's accusation but it doesn't feel like 'I've been found out' anger...it feels more like 'you did not just suggest that one of us killed Pink Diamond to mine and Blue's faces you idiot' anger. Its not quieting accusations...its proofing someone who said something amazingly stupid anger.

So if Yellow didn't and Blue clearly didn't...who else could it have been?

I think it was White Diamond, largely because right after the accusation was presented we, the audience, are given a visual reminder that White Diamond still exists in form of that monolith/statue. Largely because a Diamond would of had to have done it because , assuming it wasn't an inside job, only a Diamond could have silenced that many witnesses without causing a stir. As Zircon points out, if Pink was killed in front of her entourage then how does no one know exactly how it happened?

Almost as if all the actual witnesses up and disappeared without a trace and we've already seen that if a Diamond orders something even under a pretense such as 'they catastrophically failed in their job of protecting Pink Diamond' that no regular Gem would question it. Heck, Yellow and Blue probably wouldn't have either! That reason alone would have made sense and they were probably too busy grieving to look into it further at the time.

Could Pink have done it? Sure, she could have faked her own shattering and lived a new identity as say...a Rose Quartz. And to be honest, there is a lot of evidence for that as well but SU is very clever with its visual story telling and that reminder that White Diamond is a thing came too fast after Zircon's accusation for it to be a coincidence.

Other thoughts:
The Off-Color Sapphire (who's name I will never remember) is best gem that is not homeworld or Crystal gem.

Yellow can fire lightning that acts like a disruptor..or, mkre likely, did that technology come from her?! That's a terrifying thought to imagine our heroes up against.

Blue's sadness light is...very interesting but I can't pin down why.

After all that hype, that's all we see of Homeworld? A bare glimpse and then another Kindergarten?! Tease!

I didn't have a problem with Lars before...but now? I want Lars and the Off-colors spin off.

Blue Pearl is best Homeworld gem. In part for showing the difference between Yellow and Blue's courts. Cause the whole time Yellow Pearl (tied for best Homeworld gem) was typing the record, Blue was making her own..just using art instead and enjoying herself the entire time. She's adorable and I love her.

So, assuming Rose DIDN'T smash Pink...what were the horrible things she's done that she's alluded to? Was part of it deceiving the Crystal Gems about what really happened to Pink Diamond?

[DigoDragon]

Spoiler

Show

Just based on her actions alone, how she was trying to rush the trial along despite Blue clearly wanting to hear Rose's side, I'd think the mastermind would probably have to be Yellow herself. Sure, it could be White, but considering that she hasn't been introduced yet, I'd personally rule it out if only for simplicity's sake. Man, it's been a while since I've been this excited for this show. Time to have another two month long hiatus to kill it off again.

Spoiler: Steven Bomb Wanted

Show

Yellow seems guilty of something in this, yeah. But it is interesting that the story components don't all match up. Like how Blue said Rose shattered Pink Diamond with her sword, but the sword wasn't made for shattering, only disrupting forms. I wonder if perhaps Rose was able to disrupt PD and then bubble her to prevent her reformation? Maybe PD has been in storage somewhere all this time?

Cause all this talk of PD being shattered, I always wondered--where are PD's remains?

[Phexar]

Truth. And speaking of...

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

What does everybody think the big silhouette in the background was? Statue? Building? White Diamond?

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

The main theory I've heard is that it's White Diamond's ship. It appears to be a giant head and torso, which would fit with Blue and Yellow Diamond having arm ships. Also back at Rose's Landfill in the desert there's what appears to be two giant pink legs/knees sticking out of the sand - this could be the remains of Pink Diamond's ship: http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/Rose%27s_Landfill

Essentially this means that all the Diamond ships would make up a giant woman on their own.

As for the other big spoiler in The Trial:

Spoiler: The Trial

Show

I suspect White Diamond is behind it, since she's still absent despite blatantly being in existence. She's not any sort of fusion since she has a forehead gem which the other Diamonds lack, so she must be an extra Diamond on her own. Yellow Diamond's rage could be a red herring - remember she tried to kill Peridot for calling her a clod, so lashing out like that is in character, especially being accused of assassinating her own sister. We also saw her grief during her villain song in That Will Be All. I don't know if she actually knows anything about it or not, just that she's probably taking an approach of angry disbelief.

It would be a fitting theme for a Diamond to be responsible for the demise of another Diamond - after all the hardest diamonds can only be scratched by other diamonds (for the most part). It's possible that Pink herself might have organized her own assassination but I don't know. All we know is that Rose didn't do it because as Bismuth told us, her sword can only poof gems and not harm the actual gem, so it was someone posing as Rose with a lookalike sword.

Regarding Pearl, she was with the rebellion in the very beginning as far as I know so she couldn't have suddenly gone rogue and shattered Pink Diamond (though it's possible she may have been part of the assassination plot, just not as Pink Diamond's Pearl). Also she was with Rose during the whole Garnet incident when Homeworld was still attempting diplomacy, and there's no way that they'd be using diplomacy after Pink was shattered, which was over halfway through the war. She would have already been known to Homeworld as the 'terrifying renegade Pearl' at that point. The assassin may have been someone else in Pink's entourage who she trusted.

Also regarding the powers of the diamonds:

Spoiler: Diamond Powers

Show

Yellow Diamond has the power to destabilize gems and Blue Diamond made the other gems around her shed tears when she was upset, affecting their emotions. If you merged those two powers together and threw a third power in (whatever White Diamond's power is), wouldn't that have the potential to form something like... the corruption wave/song?

[LaZodiac]

Truth. And speaking of...

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

What does everybody think the big silhouette in the background was? Statue? Building? White Diamond?

Spoiler: Characters

Show

Who's everybody's favorite among the new ones? I love 'em all, but Padparadscha is just too great.

Spoiler

Show

As said, it might be her ship. That seems most likely.

My favorite of the new gems is probably Rutile. She's really cute and I like the idea of "her gem just came out wrongish so she's two people".

Spoiler: Wanted

Show

The Off-Color Sapphire (who's name I will never remember) is best gem that is not homeworld or Crystal gem.

So, assuming Rose DIDN'T smash Pink...what were the horrible things she's done that she's alluded to? Was part of it deceiving the Crystal Gems about what really happened to Pink Diamond?

Spoiler

Show

Just call her Paddy.

I'm guessing part of that is the whole "is still part of a race that horribly destroys worlds to continue existing" thing. Even ignoring the fact that she's a war criminal and space murderer, she WAS a warrior caste for the Homeworld before she became a good guy, which means she's definitely killed other people before.

[DigoDragon]

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

The main theory I've heard is that it's White Diamond's ship. It appears to be a giant head and torso, which would fit with Blue and Yellow Diamond having arm ships. Also back at Rose's Landfill in the desert there's what appears to be two giant pink legs/knees sticking out of the sand - this could be the remains of Pink Diamond's ship: http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/Rose%27s_Landfill

Essentially this means that all the Diamond ships would make up a giant woman on their own.

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

Hmm, so all the diamond ships come together to form Voltron Mega Maid a giant gem robot? I can see that. If Rose's landfill is the destroyed leggy PD ship, that makes the layout appear to have some... interesting interpretations (Steven entered into the 'womb' of the ship, for example).

As for the other big spoiler in The Trial:

Spoiler: The Trial

Show

It would be a fitting theme for a Diamond to be responsible for the demise of another Diamond - after all the hardest diamonds can only be scratched by other diamonds (for the most part). It's possible that Pink herself might have organized her own assassination but I don't know. All we know is that Rose didn't do it because as Bismuth told us, her sword can only poof gems and not harm the actual gem, so it was someone posing as Rose with a lookalike sword.

Spoiler: The Trial

Show

I have for the longest time wondered where PD's remains are. Maybe they were tossed in with the thousands of other gem shards used for experiments or the Geo-weapon, but I feel like that's a question someone in-universe should ask. Maybe the writers are holding off because that is a potential bombshell to use later. Especially now that the whole "Rose shattered PD" story had a bunch of glaring flaws in it.

[Rater202]

Spoiler: Steven Bomb Wanted

Show

Cause all this talk of PD being shattered, I always wondered--where are PD's remains?

Spoiler

Show

The flowers that come from the magic moss all have some kind of gem shard in them. It's the same color as Rose's gem, but it's long been established that Rose looks more like a pink diamond that she does a RL Rose Quartz.

I think that the moss and it's flowers are some form of penance by Rose--Bring Pink Diamond back to life in a form that can't necessarily harm the earth. Or at least, a form that can find peace, unlike the malformed partial bodies of other gem shards.

[Lurkmoar]

Spoiler

Show

Huh. All this time I thought that PD was killed in some awe inspiring battle. The fact it was an assassination is interesting.

So... the obvious way to get Lars and those Off Color gems is to build a ship in that shared dimension, they have it come out of Lars head. I'm having flashbacks of FLCL now...

[Ornithologist]

Spoiler

Show

This kinda broke my theory that Pearl was Pink Diamonds Pearl. Because we know Rose asked her to join before she started the rebellion proper. ... still WTH!

[Draconi Redfir]

Spoiler: The Giant figure

Show

Personally i like to think the giant figure we saw in the back ground was just white dimond herself. she's just THAT big that she casts a permanent silloette on the planet. Maybe she's in some kind of asleep / dormant state or something

Spoiler: Paddy

Show

Paddy is indeed best off-colour gem.

[DigoDragon]

Spoiler

Show

The flowers that come from the magic moss all have some kind of gem shard in them. It's the same color as Rose's gem, but it's long been established that Rose looks more like a pink diamond that she does a RL Rose Quartz.

Spoiler: PD & Rose

Show

Well, the only in-universe image of PD we've seen is the mural. I don't think they look much alike based on that.

Spoiler

Show

So... the obvious way to get Lars and those Off Color gems is to build a ship in that shared dimension, they have it come out of Lars head. I'm having flashbacks of FLCL now...

Spoiler: Lars

Show

Well if you want the full FLCL flashback, make it a giant robot instead of a ship. ;)

Spoiler: The Giant figure

Show

Personally i like to think the giant figure we saw in the back ground was just white dimond herself. she's just THAT big that she casts a permanent silloette on the planet. Maybe she's in some kind of asleep / dormant state or something

Spoiler: Giant figure

Show

Given the size, she probably doesn't move so she doesn't break the planet.

[ellindsey]

Spoiler: Lars

Show

Of all the directions I thought that might go, Lars getting killed off, then reanimated as a gem magic powered zombie was not one of them.

Wonder what would happen if Lars (presumably after making it back to Earth somehow) tried to enter Lion's mane? And then, if that didn't break something, made his way over to the second tree and tried to exit there?

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler: Lars

Show

Of all the directions I thought that might go, Lars getting killed off, then reanimated as a gem magic powered zombie was not one of them.

Wonder what would happen if Lars (presumably after making it back to Earth somehow) tried to enter Lion's mane? And then, if that didn't break something, made his way over to the second tree and tried to exit there?

Spoiler

Show

Probably the same level of difficulty as experience when trying to pull himself into his hair, or more likely when he's inside Lion's part of the world his island closes off.

Also yeah I can't believe Lars is ****ing dead. And that he got turned into a magical girl familiar.

[Phexar]

Following up on the giant figure... playing around with an image of it reveals more detail on it:

Spoiler: Giant Figure

Show

That is, someone inverted the colors on it which makes it clearer how it looks.


Also someone used Photoshop's gamma slider to highlight the lack of arms: http://i.imgur.com/NBzxN4E.png

[DigoDragon]

Spoiler: Lars

Show

Of all the directions I thought that might go, Lars getting killed off, then reanimated as a gem magic powered zombie was not one of them.

Wonder what would happen if Lars (presumably after making it back to Earth somehow) tried to enter Lion's mane? And then, if that didn't break something, made his way over to the second tree and tried to exit there?

Spoiler: Lars

Show

Maybe Lars can't enter Lion's mane because they now share the same pocket-dimensional space?

Following up on the giant figure... playing around with an image of it reveals more detail on it:

Spoiler: Giant Figure

Show

That is, someone inverted the colors on it which makes it clearer how it looks.


Also someone used Photoshop's gamma slider to highlight the lack of arms: http://i.imgur.com/NBzxN4E.png

Spoiler: Giant Figure

Show

Hmm, no arms on that... maybe that's where the gem ships dock?

[Draconi Redfir]

yeaahh, looks like my theory is out the window if it doesn't have arms. must be a structure or a ship of some kind then.

[Rater202]

Spoiler

Show

yeaahh, looks like my theory is out the window if it doesn't have arms. must be a structure or a ship of some kind then.

Spoiler

Show

...*notes how Blue and Yellow's hand ships are entire arms*

I think you're on to something.

[Draconi Redfir]

Spoiler

Show

...*notes how Blue and Yellow's hand ships are entire arms*

I think you're on to something.

Welll...

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

The main theory I've heard is that it's White Diamond's ship. It appears to be a giant head and torso, which would fit with Blue and Yellow Diamond having arm ships. Also back at Rose's Landfill in the desert there's what appears to be two giant pink legs/knees sticking out of the sand - this could be the remains of Pink Diamond's ship: http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/Rose%27s_Landfill

Essentially this means that all the Diamond ships would make up a giant woman on their own.

Spoiler: Huge Things

Show

Hmm, so all the diamond ships come together to form Voltron Mega Maid a giant gem robot? I can see that. If Rose's landfill is the destroyed leggy PD ship, that makes the layout appear to have some... interesting interpretations (Steven entered into the 'womb' of the ship, for example).

Not my theory

[Rater202]

Welll...





Not my theory

Sorry, not paying attention. Brain wonders sometimes.

[Yanagi]

Spoiler

Show

I've been wondering if there's the equivalent of lapidary cutting (or otherwise reshaping) a Gem as opposed to just shattering it. The attempts to weaponize fragments and make clusters suggests that it's not an impossible idea, but outside of norms (then again, so was The Cluster).

I've thought about this with regard to Pink Diamond. Something like: she's not dead-dead as in shattered, but altered and not visually recognizable as PD, or unaware that she's a Diamond, or not a Diamond anymore.