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honeyishrunkmyself Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#30851: May 9th 2016 at 12:44:33 AM

JASPER is the abuser, she was the one who came up with the idea to fuse with someone who didn't like her in the first place anyways.

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#30852: May 9th 2016 at 1:01:09 AM

She let Lapis make a choice though.

I'm pretty sure things would've played out differently if Lapis said no.

Probably wouldn't have ended well.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#30853: May 9th 2016 at 1:21:07 AM

I've spent like forty minutes thinking this out, so I hope I don't come off as insensitive to other viewpoints. Any mistakes here are entirely my own and are mostly down to missed visual details.

Lengthy post, fair warning.

@Randomness. Even that is kind of an assumption. Ambiguity is the word here. All we can say for sure are the basics:

  • 1. Lapis was assaulted by Jasper before she could escape.
  • 2. Jasper offered fusion, tempting her with revenge against the Gems while planning to use their combined power and motivation to finish the fight.
  • 3. They performed a reluctant, but consenting fusion dance, forming Malachite.
  • 4. Putting aside any alternatives she may or may not have been able to make use of, she chose to fuse with Jasper to at the very least prevent her from continuing the fight with Steven and the Crystal Gems.
    • 4.5. Lapis had been taken off guard by Jasper's assault, during which time she wasn't able to use water to subdue a powerful Quartz that had just gotten up from a ship after planetfall. If she was able to subdue Jasper with her powers in the approx 36 seconds of time between assault and fusion is possible, but uncertain taking into account her desperate physical and mental condition after previously wishing to surrender aboard the ship.
  • 5. After gloating over her new found power, the fusion of Malachite with Jasper currently in charge attempts to finish the Gems, but is surprised to find Lapis uses chains to bind Jasper into the fusion, with which Jasper retaliated with equal fury. Lapis appears to take the upper hand, dragging them both down to the ocean depths.
  • 6. Both Jasper and Lapis have been in a constant struggle, second-by-second to keep them down at the bottom of the ocean since submerging.
  • 7. In a mindset of desperation and fatigue, Lapis while seemingly in control for the moment begs Steven not to help her and leave. She has expressed a similar willingness to keep Steven from harm by Jasper at her own personal safety multiple times, but has also demonstrated rage at being imprisoned by others on multiple occasions as well.
  • 8. Jasper, consumed with rage at seeing Steven, now in a similar state of mental strain as Lapis, overcomes her hold on the fusion and tries to fatally harm Steven, but is pulled back before she can. The implication is that Lapis keeps the upper hand, but it is unknown if Jasper has ever gotten control back before, but is implied as Lapis doesn't show surprise at this change.
    • 8.5. In contrast with Lapis Lazuli's coherent sentence fragments, Jasper is only seen to be angrily shouting "you!" repeatedly, either from a single-minded hatred of Steven, Lapis, the anxiety of the present conflict, or any one of or in combination of these factors.
  • 9. Lapis says she isn't herself anymore and wants Steven to let her do this for his sake, disassociating her self-identity which has been a theme of strength throughout the show in her belief in keeping him safe. Meanwhile Jasper appears to have fallen to a similar loss in identity during their struggles.
    • 9.5. Malachite without any obvious advantages, both tries to attack and give a last shout of desperation to Steven.
  • 10. As this continues, their mutual anger and mistrust will keep the fusion bound and their feelings will be fully consumed, bent on destroying the focus of her rage.

Thoughts:

While Lapis Lazuli is equally responsible for maintaining the fusion, the fact that she insists several times that this will keep Jasper away from him is technically true. That she believes this is for him, supported by her self-doubt, rage at those that have imprisoned her on both sides, mistrust of Homeworld, and depressive anxiety aboard the ship are reasons as well. She has both manipulated and been manipulated by Jasper, who for her part is not getting off lightly.

Jasper has demonstrated in her limited presence on screen nothing but contempt, pride, and superiority with no reservations for those beneath her strength, but that does not mean she's not been through a harsh situation.

Whatever else can be said about Lapis' true motivations for fusing, there's more evidence to suggest that her many warnings she risked her safety to provide and constant insistence of protecting Steven no matter how misguided aren't all a convenient outlet for darker feelings.

Neither Gem is guiltless in this situation, but the fact that Jasper was the one to provoke and manipulate her first paints her in a more negative light, Lapis was just trying to escape another oppressive situation even before the fusion.

edited 9th May '16 1:25:06 AM by darkabomination

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#30854: May 9th 2016 at 1:44:36 AM

I'm just going off of things I've noticed, but besides the Cluster and Gem mutants...there's no such thing as non-consensual fusion, fusion will only happen if the gems performing it are both trusting. Manipulative trust as well.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#30855: May 9th 2016 at 2:03:33 AM

there's no such thing as non-consensual fusion, fusion will only happen if the gems performing it are both trusting
Consensual: With permission, with consensus, without coercion; allowed without objecting or resisting.
I definitely think Jasper's action count as coercion. What did you think she was gonna do if Lapis turned her down? Let her go?

You're also leaving out how Pearl got Garnet to fuse with her through deception/false pretenses.

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#30856: May 9th 2016 at 2:35:19 AM

I didn't forget that. Manipulative trust or false pretenses would apply to the Pearl and Garnet situation as well as the Jasper and Lapis situation. I don't see why I needed to bring it up.

Jasper could've poofed Lapis or shattered, she's strong enough.

edited 9th May '16 2:40:24 AM by randomness4

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#30857: May 9th 2016 at 2:50:17 AM

Man how the hell did Sugar get the CN execs to pass this? And yet they changed Onion's baseball bat with screws embedded in it during the mod scene in "Political Power". Priorities...

thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#30858: May 9th 2016 at 3:10:27 AM

[up][up]Best case would be Jasper realized she had some value as a hostage. More likely Jasper would just kill her immediately out of spite.

Lapis pulled a dirty-ass trick, but I feel it was completely justified—not because Jasper deserved, but because it was self-defense more than revenge.

edited 9th May '16 3:16:07 AM by thatother1dude

unnoun Since: Jan, 2012
#30859: May 9th 2016 at 4:23:37 AM

I think it may be slightly more codependent than abusive.

Only slightly.

Also, the ship name for Steven and Connie is Stevonnie.

The ship name for Ruby and Sapphire is Garnet.

edited 9th May '16 4:26:43 AM by unnoun

Ninjaxenomorph The best and the worst. from Texas, Texas, Texas Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
The best and the worst.
#30860: May 9th 2016 at 5:09:39 AM

When it comes to art I see portmanteau names used more often; 'I drew some Garnet' and 'I drew some Rubyphire' have different implications.

Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#30861: May 9th 2016 at 5:41:32 AM

I've seen some au fics that get kind of weird where unfused Gems are walking about with fusions. Well, mostly as people not Gems, but they interact just fine.

unnoun Since: Jan, 2012
#30862: May 9th 2016 at 10:13:24 AM

"Garnet isn't in a relationship, she IS a relationship!"

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#30863: May 9th 2016 at 10:19:30 AM

She's the baby that comes from da relationship, a lotta bit of both parents in her.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#30864: May 9th 2016 at 1:14:54 PM

Not a leak but an official sneak peak from CN about Gem Drill.

Oh really when?
ScottPilgrim2013 Why aren't you laughing? from Arkham Asylum Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Waiting for Prince Charming
Why aren't you laughing?
#30865: May 9th 2016 at 1:16:48 PM

Jesus, shit looks like it's already hitting the fan. Can't imagine whatever those two do will stop the cluster for long.

My Tumblr "If theirs one thing I'm good at, it's blowing" Jesse Cox 2013
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#30866: May 9th 2016 at 1:17:06 PM

[lol] That last part with Peridot. So perfect.

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
Ruise Nyanpasu~ from your subconscious Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
Nyanpasu~
#30867: May 9th 2016 at 1:21:57 PM

[up]x3 Please not.

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#30868: May 9th 2016 at 1:33:26 PM

God, I love them.

Oh God! Natural light!
Ruise Nyanpasu~ from your subconscious Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
Nyanpasu~
#30869: May 9th 2016 at 4:09:40 PM

Three days until we all die!

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.
randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#30870: May 9th 2016 at 4:13:07 PM

Yes that is correct.

Expected reaction: ('-')

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#30871: May 9th 2016 at 4:26:02 PM

Also, I finally got the Steven Universe goes to school comic on free comic day.

It was quite good.

Whatever the Gems do to educate Steven apparently works because he aced an exam. And Steven is really good at cheating at dodgeball.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Ruise Nyanpasu~ from your subconscious Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
Nyanpasu~
#30872: May 9th 2016 at 5:45:15 PM

[up][up]Expected reaction: =) - ^o^ - O_O - =D - >=( - :o - </3 - ='( - ='D - >:3 - XP (dead)

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#30873: May 9th 2016 at 9:13:22 PM

Their drill is the drill that pierces the... hells? I mean, they're going down instead of up.

RhymeBeat True colors from Eastern Standard Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: In Lesbians with you
True colors
#30874: May 9th 2016 at 9:16:16 PM

Steven Tale NPCs

Practicing maintaining the same body type for sprites of small size without going for outright palette swaps. Think that will work for the Quartz sprites?

The Crystal Caverns A bird's gotta sing.
randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#30875: May 9th 2016 at 9:31:12 PM

Probably not.

They're size is their whole deal.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.

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