Welcome the the SU Shaded Tea Room. Where I throw shade left and right, discuss episodes, songs, ships,and theories. Feel free to comment who will be roasted or episode you want me to discuss.
"A big part of Lapis' character is manipulation." - Rebecca Sugar
This may be one of the longer chapters in this book. Please read in its entirety before you say I'm picking on Lapis.
So you know how you when you first watch something you miss something, like easter eggs or whatever. Well , I was watching Lapis' Lament ( A SU themed marathon) and I noticed a lot of things about Lapis.
For starters, she actually showed Steven how to free her from the mirror. I thought nothing of it at first, then I realized what Pearl said about the mirror Lapis was trapped in. If the mirror could only show records of the past, how would she know how to free herself or show Steven how to do it? She took advantage of Steven's kindness. She could have just as easily convinced Pearl or any of the Crystal Gems to free her when they found her at the Warp Pads.
Another thing is why would Homeworld not keep her on...well Homeworld. Lapis has been on Earth of thousands of years. If anything, she's valuable in the eyes of the elites.So why send her back to Earth? If anything they could have said, "She's a traitor who just changed the symbol on her clothing to blend in," torture her, and get information from her. Instead they send her back with Jasper and Peridot. Why?
When she and Jasper first fused, and I stated this probably more than once, she had the chance to say fuck you and side with Steven...and not the Crystal Gems....Just Steven. But she fused with Jasper and trapped herself once more on Earth. My question is...why? Other than to traumatize her. Their fusion was unstable and unhealthy. Like it hurt to even look at it. And then in their subconscious, they were chained. With Lapis controlling the chains. Jasper called her out on it in" Alone at Sea", and Lapis looked like a sinner in church.
She showed her "past" to Steven, or at least some of it. My thing is how did someone, who had jacked the ocean, and took on three Crystal Gems with nearly indestructible water clones, all while having a cracked gem...get poofed so easily? The same gem who, physically is weaker looking than Jasper hold her down in a fusion for who knows how long? Like Lapis could have easily flown out of the carnage or created a tidal wave to protect herself( if they were near water) if need be. Somethings don't add up.
There are a few red flags that stuck out to me:
"All [the Crystal Gems] care about is the Earth! But I never believed in this place..."- Ocean Gem
"I don't belong on Earth... not with the Crystal Gems. I never have."- Same Old World
"You, you three knew I was in there and you didn't do anything. Did you even wonder who I used to be?!"—Mirror Gem
To quote a few things. So who do you side with truly Lapis?
"Now, you may simply interpret these lines as her being bitter about being trapped for thousands of years all because of a conflict she had no stake in, but to me it seems more like Lapis does have some kind of personal grievance against the Crystal Gems specifically (this is also apparent in her attitude towards them). " reddit user Tal9922
Lapis seems to have some resentment to the Crystal Gems.But my thing is, why all of them. If anything it should be towards Pearl, who found her, and Rose. She does freak out a bit when she show Garnet ( Ruby's gem) reached for the mirror, but for all we could have known, Garnet would have freed her after Steven went to bed and tried to reason with her. Who knows.
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"I was only meant to visit for a short time. But I got caught in the middle of the war."- Same Old World
She told Steven she was caught in the middle of the war, but she was( most likely )seen in Blue Diamond's court in "The Answer". If she was part of her court, don't you think she would have been important enough to be evacuated along with the other members and protected?
So here's what I think happened....
Lapis is actually a spy for Homeworld. Think about it. Earth is like 70% water, more or less. Sending a gem that is powerful enough to manipulate the tides of battle ( pun sort of intended) makes the most sense.The Temple is near the ocean. So why not a Lapis Lazuli. Our lapis was chosen, and befriended the CGs, which probably explains why she was on the battlefield. Blue Diamond lost Homeworld's ace in the hole ( Sapphire), and was trying to find a way to make up for it. Bismuth saw her as a traitor and poofed her. She probably would have been shattered if it wasn't for someone finding her gem and placing her in the mirror to get the information from her, that way they didn't waste time waiting for her to regenerate. The HW gems were ordered to evacuate the premises and they dropped Lapis in the panic , and accidentally stepped on her. There was a flash of light and a sound that corrupted many gems. Some time passes and the CGs went to the Galaxy Warp and destroyed the pads that connected them to HW, there Pearl found the mirror. They thought it was just an object that was left behind, and kept it. And then Pearl gave the mirror to Steven, and well you know what all goes down.
The reason I say she was a spy is because she seems to know a lot more about the Gem War than she says she does. The whole wrong place/ wrong time thing I can believe, but how would she know where the battlefield where she was poofed was at? And they sent her back to Earth with Peridot and Jasper...as an informant. Seems a little suspicious. And then she traps herself. She said she doesn't belong on Earth and not with the Crystal Gems.Where else could she go...Homeworld.
Here's the final piece I believe ties it all together...
In Ocean Gem, she clearly has no remorse for attacking everyone until Steven summons his shield. Steven activates his shield to block an incoming attack and the water doubles dissipate. A lot people believe it was the vibration of the impact that caused it. While that's understandable, I purpose it's something else. Maybe when Steven summoned his shield, Lapis recognized it as Rose's. (Similar to how Jasper recognized it) When she saw the shield, she might have thought that if he has Rose's shield, he must have her healing powers. The same way she got him to free him, she convinced him to fix fix her gem. Feeding him , " I just want to go home" line.
She was so determined to go home in Mirror/Ocean Gem, but when "Jailbreak" comes out she's all " woe is me" wtf happened.? Jasper even told Steven that he should be pointing his shield at Lapis and not her. A good skill a spy or undercover agent should have are:
- Observation: Carefully examine their subjects without appearing to display an inordinate amount of attention. When they're shadowing subjects, they need to perform effective surveillance while avoiding detection.( something she clearly forgot) They must also pay attention to details and should have excellent powers of recollection.( as seen many times)
-Mentally Agile and Intuitive- Be able to make split-second decisions, so they can respond quickly when situations take an unexpected turn. When working in the field, spies rarely have the luxury of going back to the drawing board to brainstorm a plan B. They have to formulate alternative solutions on the spot. Also, they need intuition when they lack time to gather additional information ( People and Street smart)
-Master of Disguise: Often they pretend to be unsavory characters so they can fit in with their targets, or they may pretend to be naïve, would-be-victims. They must be convincing in these roles and possess the ability to hide all traces of their own personalities.( In Lapis' case a homesick gem)
-Secretive- Must be secretive and maintain confidentiality. They can't reveal their identity or discuss their job. Basically the only people who knows the truth is the spy and their employer.
To name a few. But when you're fused, it seems you share memories as the fusion themselves and as the gems that make them. Jasper may know the truth about Lapis, which explains why she sent her flying with that killer uppercut, to keep her from talking. I'm not calling her a liar or anything, I think she is just leaving out details. I think she truly cares about Steven, despite manipulating him, and don't want to hurt him. I mean the kid is already starting to learn the darker side of the CG history, so learning the truth about Lapis may crush him.
But that's just me. I could be right, I could be wrong . Only time will tell. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree or disagree with me? Why? Did I miss anything?
