tarajenkins:

kasunshine:

Trying to understand character motivation with limited information is something I love thinking about. Lapis is one of the more recent ones. What we know: Pearl did not know the gem in the mirror was able to communicate instead of following orders.



Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl did not know how powerful Lapis Lazuli actually was. During the fight with her, Lapis was able to overpower them all the the same time even though her gem was cracked.



Pearl stated the mirror was found at the galaxy warp, the warp that connected Earth to the homeworld.



Lapis Lazuli already knew who the crystal gems were already.



Lapis Lazuli seemed to already know about the earth. “She never believed in it.” This makes me think she was placed inside the mirror while she was on earth for at least a little while.



Rose Quartz’s power (the shield) completely neutralized Lapis’ power.



Rose kept secrets from the gems.

Greg’s speech about wars in general(link). Rose had to turn on her own kind.

I don’t think the current crystal gems could have put Lapis in the mirror. And based on their limited knowledge on Lapis, I don’t think they did it. However if ROSE did it to stop Lapis from reporting to homeworld to protect earth and kept it secret, it sort of would explain Lapis’ hatred of the crystal gems and earth. I know Rose also wanted to heal broken/corrupted gems, so I don’t think destroying Lapis would be the answer for her. She does care deeply for everyone. Then again its still a super cold move to do.



At the same time, I can completely understand motivation of both sides if that WAS the case. Turning traitor to homeworld, or protecting earth. That’s why Greg’s scene about wars really hit me. It very possible the gems did things they would be terrified Steven would hate them for. War is an ugly thing and like Greg said before, there are no good wars. Both gems and people were lost because of it. I really want to know wtf happened back then;;;

Greg even revealed that Rose Quartz was an active participant in what was being done to Earth until “she couldn’t stand it anymore”, along with the other Gems. And now, “All they do is try to make up for it. They just can’t forgive themselves.”

On a planet that is 71% water, imagine back then how terrifying someone like Lapis would be if she were fighting against the Crystal Gems with the entire ocean, not holding most of it back in a bid to return home. Endless water clones? “Blue Diamond” of the mural is shown to be standing on what appear to be waves.

The first generation of Rose Quartz powers nullifying ocean gem powers….

Deja-vu!



I am not convinced at all she is Blue Diamond, but that can’t be a coincidence. The Crewniverse has proven multiple times they drop hints and clues everywhere. And then you also consider she knew how to kill humans, and is apparently confident in her ability to force a fusion to stay together….

I think it’s safe to assume that Lapis was a Homeworld-loyal Gem, and likely fought against the Crystal Gems to some extent in the war for the Earth. Her hatred of the Crystal Gems is possibly neither here nor there, but:

1) She WANTED to return to the Homeworld. If she were an enemy to them, or if they were the ones who had imprisoned her, why would she risk actually returning, not just a “for a second, from a distance” flyby as Pearl had attempted? We’ve seen what the Homeworld does with traitors. It also likely didn’t occur to her to apologize for what she’d done with the ocean because, like the other Homeworld Gems, she does not see humans as creatures of any consequence.

2) She could not have been a prisoner in “The Message”. How would a prisoner have any access to send a message back to Earth? “You got one call.” “Oh okay, let me just call Earth for for no reason, AHAHA I LIKE HEARING MYSELF TALK IS ALL ALSO MY NICKNAME IS STEVEN”. She said things on Homeworld were more advanced, not scarier; that she couldn’t understand any of it, not that she feared it. The worry on her face there was for Steven.

3) She was a willing part of the mission team back to Earth in The Return. Peridot had requested an escort and got one in Jasper, and Lapis’ information led them straight to the Gems’ base. It had to be Lapis who guided them. Not only did Jasper ask Lapis for confirmation, Peridot only saw the Crystal Gems at the Kindergarten, quite far from Beach City. It was obvious she had reported what the Crystal Gems had done to her, too, since Jasper knew it enough to offer her revenge as a fusion later in Jailbreak.

So it really does seem she sold the Crystal Gems out. She could have lied, like she did with Steven, but it didn’t matter to her that Steven loved the Crystal Gems because she hated them. If Steven had not been there, Lapis would have just watched as the Crystal Gems were killed or at least taken prisoner. As it was, did you notice that she made no attempt to save Steven against Peridot’s laser blast? In that moment, when Steven decided to defend the Crystal Gems again, he was once more on his own.

Think about that! If you’re going by the theory is she became Malachite to “protect” Steven: why did she not even try to stop that laser? Shove Peridot? Cry out to him? Anything but just stand there?

It’s like Sunshine said, she cares for Steven, but only on her terms. She was willing to stay silent to preserve her own safety and standing with the Homeworld. After she was imprisoned for withholding information, she still refused to help him on the ship when he needed her. Even Steven was disappointed in that, you could see it in his face and hear it in his voice.

“You are not being the person little Stevie knows you can be.”



Lapis seems tired of it all, but there is no chance to just exist in apathy, and apathy is not a good thing either. Because of that, she is angry at both worlds.



I really think the closing song refers heavily to this:

“If I could begin to be

Half of what you think of me

I could do about anything,

I could even learn how to love”

And I bet that’s why you never see her smiling and happy in sketches from staff. Not in the Highschool AU, and not elsewhere.

She has the potential to be a truly good person, but she isn’t there yet. She literally “trusts no one”. I look forward to what her next step will be! I wonder if we’ll get a Godzilla nod out of Malachite, haha



Also: How the heck did GREG know what she looked like? He never saw her in person in Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem, yet even Steven was surprised at his Water Witch album cover.



Dun-dun-dun?

