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Malachite Character Analysis

(Warning: Mention and analysis of a very toxic relationship.)

¨These two are really bad for each other. Malachite was formed through extortion and deception and held together out of revenge. Malachite is the worst relationship imaginable.¨

Malachite was a character that was introduced in Season 1 finale “Jailbreak” after Jasper and Lapis Lazuli decided to fuse together to defeat the Crystal gems.

In this post i’m going to examine Malachite as a fusion and what she tells us about Jasper and Lapis and their relationship.

Lapis Lazuli´s and Jasper´s backstory:

First let’s talk a bit about Jasper’s and Lapis´ past:

Steven first found Lapis trapped in a Gem mirror, after spending some time with her, he decided to free her and later healed her gem so she could return to Homeworld by using her magic water wings.

In the episode ¨Same Old World¨ (Season 3) Lapis tells to Steven her backstory about how she got trapped in that mirror.

¨It was thousands of years ago. I was only meant to visit for a short time, but I got caught in the middle of the war. It was awful. I tried to run, but… I was picked up by a Homeworld soldier and confused for a Crystal Gem, and used as a tool.¨

Lapis talks about what happened to her as it was an accident, a terrible tragedy in which there´s not only one person she can blame for all her problems. In a way, she´s potrayed as victim of the Gem war, she was on Earth for a visit and then she was meant to leave.

She was treated as a prisoner from gems who were supposed to be on her side, used as a tool and left behind on Earth like her life was nothing.

¨It soon became clear that there was no hope in stopping the rebellion. All of the Homeworld Gems fled, and all the panic of escaping Earth, I was left behind. And there I stayed. Freedom in my sight, but out of reach for ages, until I was found.¨

Then she spend thousands of year trapped in that mirror, alone, with no one to talk to, with her gem cracked on top of that. Anyone stuck in that situation who quickly became insane and would definely not be the same person that used to be before the traumatic event.

It´s not suprising Lapis was so angry when Steven free her from that mirror. While she didn´t want to get revenge on the Crystal gems she still had a lot of anger and frustration buried deep inside her.

As for Jasper, her backstory differs greatly from Lapis´:

Jasper was born in the middle of the gem war in the Beta Kindergarten, in less than a few hours she took more than 80+ Crystal gems impressing many Homeworld gems due to her strengh.

She was considered a gem role model in Homeworld, she was an example of what a quartz soldier should be. The issue was that depiste being highly respected by her peers, she couldn´t get out of her mind that she still was a gem that came from the worst kindergarten on Earth.

According to Peridot on ¨Beta¨ most gems born in the Beta Kirdengarten came out flawed or defective in some way. This was because Homeworld rushed the place during the war to get more gems. 

Jasper was one of the few gems that came out ¨right¨ to the point she could be considered a superquartz soldier by Homeworld´s standards.

However not matter how much praised she got, Jasper thought there was something with her because of her origins. This made her develop an  obsession with proving her power and getting more and more self-destructive as time passed.

¨Jasper is a bully in the truest sense. Deep down, she’s afraid there’s something wrong with her, so she has to feed her ego. She has to put other Gems down to stay on top. Who she is and where she’s from gnaws at her all the time. She has a fantastic reputation, she’s considered the greatest Quartz soldier produced on Earth, and that might impress other Gems, but it will never be good enough for her.¨

¨Because she loves honor, fighting, making her mark, and winning the battle, she’ll actually go against her programming a little bit just to be the winner. So she can be self-destructive at times. She is tragically obsessed with proving her superiority.¨

Why is all this important? Well, it´s essential to know where these characters are coming from to understand why they decided to be Malachite in first place and why they were a recipe for disaster the moment that Jasper asked Lapis to fuse with her.

On one hand you have a gem that was spent thousands of years trapped against her will and carries a lot on anger and trauma inside her. On the other hand the other gem also has war trauma, it’s very self-destructive and thinks she’s horrible. Mix these two together and what you get is a unstable fusion made of hate and revenge.

Malachite as a metaphor for Jasper´s and Lapis´ relationship

Now that i have talked about their past. I going examine the scene in which they fuse into Malachite in “Jailbreak” and what the fusion tells us about their relationship.

After being defeated by Garnet (a fusion) Jasper decides to find someone she could also fuse with to win against the Crystal gems.

She spot Lapis Lazuli and grabs her before she can escape flying. She convinces Lapis to fuse with her to get revenge on Crystal gems. She reminds her how they used her and how they are traitors to Homeworld.

¨These Gems, they’re traitors to their Homeworld. They kept you prisoner. They used you.¨

It’s worth of pointing out that Jasper never tries to “force” Lapis into fusing with her in this scene. She tries using her, true, but she waits until Lapis accepts and gives her hand.

Now, Jasper could care less about Lapis in this scene. For her, she was only just a tool to get revenge on the Crystal gems and Rose Quartz. There wasn’t any “trust” between the two.

As for Lapis, she tried escaping from Jasper first but after realising that she was about to being used again by someone who had kept her prisoner in the ship she snapped and decided to stop being treated like an object for once.

Moments later after they fused into Malachite, Lapis took control of the fusion’s water powers and chained her down, dragging her into the bottow of the ocean.

¨I’m done being everyone’s prisoner. Now you’re my prisoner! And I’m never letting you go! Let’s stay on this miserable planet… together!¨

As Lapis stated, she was done of being everyone’s prisioner, she was tired of being treated like a tool by everyone. Control in her own life was something was constanly taken away from her. So by trapping Malachite (and herself) meant that was able to make choices again.

As for Jasper, i already mentioned that she only wanted Lapis to become more powerful. Jasper is a gem that shown to be obssesed with winning and fighting. She doesn’t accept defeat easily and the more she loses, more self-destructive she gets.

In “Chilled tid” Steven gets a glimpse of what Malachite’s mind looked like: Lapis and Jasper were fighting over the control of the fusion. They both were completely exhausted and beaten.

There’s a visual methaphor about how they are both chained to Malachite in this dream sequence. This is very much like how it’s really difficult to get out of a toxic/codependent relationship and how one feels trapped with no hope of getting out of it.

Another interesting detail is when Jasper takes control, all she’s able to say is “YOU! YOU! YOU!¨ to Steven. It shows how crazy she gets when can’t win a battle and how her mind deteriorates in the process.

The episode "Alone at the Sea” explores their relationship even further by showing which their main motivations were and how it affect them both.

First of all, the reason of why Lapis didn’t want to be near the ocean again it’s because it remind her of time she used to be fused with Jasper:

“Look, Lapis, I know you spent a really long time fused with Jasper at the bottom of the ocean, but you’re not Malachite anymore.And water is a part of who you are. You can’t let one bad experience take that away from you.”

During the boat trip Lapis keeps blaming herself for the events of Ocean gem and Malachite:

“It’s my fault. I’m the one to blame.”

“I'm terrible! I did horrible things! I-I broke your dad’s leg. I stole Earth's ocean! Go on! Tell me I’m wrong!”

She describes herself as “terrible”. She thinks she don’t deserve the kindness that Steven has giving her during all this time.

Lapis is a character who usually stuggles with change in the series. She thinks she won’t be able to revover from her trauma, that she can’t grow and become a better person.

She also mentions to him how she can’t help but think of when she used to be Malachite.

“I’m really trying to enjoy it out here, but… I can’t stop thinking about being fused as Malachite, how I used all my strength to hold her down in the ocean, and how I was always battling against Jasper to keep her bound to me.”

“But it’s not like that anymore. You don’t have to be with Jasper.”

“That’s not it. I… I miss her.”

“What?!”

“We were fused for so long.”

This implies that after spending so much together Jasper and Lapis became codependent of each other. Steven, who was still a teenager in this scene, couldn’t fully get grasp of why his friend who missed being in a terrible situation like that.

And Lapis was not the only one that felt like this.

When Jasper shows up, she shows she has been missing Lapis as well and she has been tracking her to find her.

In a very rare moment that would look out of character for her Jasper kneels down and begs for Lapis to be Malachite again.

¨Let’s be Malachite again.¨  

Keep in mind that until know Jasper has always been potrayed as someone who would do anything it takes to win. She’s tough gem soldier who isn’t afraid of her enemies. She’s strong,cocky and agressive. So why did she ask to be Malachite again?

“I was wrong about fusion. You made me understand! Malachite was bigger and stronger than both of us! We could fly!”

She emphazises Malachite’s power when they were fused. How strong and powerful she was.

This makes sense considering the factthat Jasper thinks of herself as “horrible” and “defective”. She has a huge inferiority complex that comes from how Earth gems are perceived on Homeworld.

So, being Malachite made her feel “complete” and cover up her insecurities and personal issues.

“It’ll be better this time. I’ve changed. You’ve changed me. I’m the only one who can handle your kind of power.”

She tries to convince Lapis by saying how she’s the only one that can “handle” her powers. This shows again how self-destructive Jasper can be as she was willing to go through that pain again just to feel powerful.

Another reason, i think, it’s because she partially blames herself for Pink Diamond’d shattering. She probably wanted to be punished for her “failure” or wanted someone who she could follow again much like she started calling Steven “My diamond” in “Homeworld Bound”.

As for Lapis, there are a few reasons she had her doubts of being Malachite again:

1) The fusion was a way for her to gain control back on her own life. She was tired of being tricked and used by everyone that she wanted to take her anger on someone.

“I was terrible to you. I liked taking everything out on you. I needed to, I-I hated you. It was bad!”

Lapis wanted someone to go through the same pain she had to endure for thousands of years. And that someone could have anyone. She choosed Jasper as she was the closest one to her in “Jailbreak”.

When she was separated, she felt she suddenly lost that great amount of power that the fusion gave to her. She lost that “control” she had.

2) During “Alone at the sea” she describes herself many times as terrible and how she doesn’t deserve the boat trip. She keeps blaming herself from her actions and how she can’t get better.

Jasper even calls Lapis a monster in a moment, stating they very much alike:

“You can’t lie to me. I’ve seen what you’re capable of. I thought I was a brute, but you… you’re a monster.”

Lapis wanted to go back to be Malachite since she thought it was what someone as terrible as her deserved. She thought she couldn’t grow into good person. Gems terrible as her and Jasper were meant to be together.

But Lapis knew better than getting trapped in that fusion again.

“NO! ”“What we had wasn’t healthy. I never want to feel like I felt with you. Never again! So just, go!”

In the end she refused to fuse with Jasper and realised how toxic their relationship was. It was a terrible experience and something she didn’t want to take part in ever again.

Malachite as a character

Being fusion who is supposed to represent an very toxic relationship, Malachite is potrayed as very agressive, unstable and sadistic. She´s quite unpredictable since her actitude depends of who it´s taking control of her.

When her eyes are ¨cat shaped¨ it usually means that Jasper is the one controlling her. If her eyes are wide and open, it indicates Lapis is the one in control.

It´s difficult to affirm Malachite ever had her own personality at all,as her components were always fighting over her power and she was a mere tool from the moment she was ¨born¨.

¨A fusion like theirs is unstable, bound together by anger and mistrust. If that bond snaps, their anger will take over, and destroy.¨  

She ends up being a pretty tragic character as her whole existence was filled by hatred and suffering to the point she didn´t know anything else. Unlike other characters from Steven universe she wasn´t given the chance to redeem herself.

It´s interesting how Malachite in ¨Super Watermelon Island¨ kept exchaching between ¨we¨ and ¨I¨ to talk about herself. This indicates again that she wasn´t fully her own person.

If Lapis and Jasper were to fuse again after having worked through their issues, Malachite would be a more stable and less agressive fusion. But that´s very unlikely to happen since it was a terrifying experience for both of them.

In conclusion: Malachite is character with tons of metaphors that talks a lot about Lapis and Jasper and who they are as people. She serves to show how toxic some relationships can get when there is a lack of basic trust and understanding and is created by mutual hatred. It´s an example of how complicated relationships can be and how a person it´s really more complex they appear to be.

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Unordinary episode 89:

Now we reached the TRUE problem with John. It’s not his powers that makes him hesitate, it’s himself. He needs to find a way to forgive and love himself so that he won’t revert back to his ruthless ways.

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cannot stop thinking about how good the fabrication of consent in squid game was… like yeah, the participants consent! over and over, from agreeing to the slapping game to ringing up the number of their own accord to meeting at the location to signing a separate sheet once more upon arrival… they can even disband the game if the majority decrees it. but this is all performative. because of course they’ll agree - of course they’ll come back.

the second episode is even all about addressing this ‘consent’, and that potential audience superiority: “so why don’t they just leave???? if they can??? why did they even do all this to start with?? it’s so extreme, to do all that just for money, i would never”

because, the show says, look at what they’re returning to. look at the life that’s offered as their alternative. debt up to their ears, money-brokers beating them up, poverty at its worst. do you see? do you see how yeah, joining that game is optional, but it’s optional in the sense of choosing to be stabbed or shot: theres consent, but not actual desire. that theres agreement, but under exploitation. there’s a reason only poor people are chosen to compete and it’s so obvious but i fucking love how the show handles it and addresses any audience superiority anyway

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People who ‘love nature’ but violently hate their native coyotes, spiders, snakes, and scavengers are fake.

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Shizuka Cousland.

Full Name:

Shizuka Cousland.

Nickname/Alias:

Lady, Lady Cousland, Lady Shizuka, Ice lady,  Yukion'na, Shirayuki-hime.

Meaning:

Shizuka:

Quiet, Summer, Fragrance.

Yukion'na:

Snow Woman.

Shirayuki-Hime:

Snow White.

Title:

Lady, Warden, Lady Warden, Shirayuki, Shirayuki-Hime, Shizu.

Pet Name:

Pup, Ice Lady, Hime.

Gender Role:

More lady-like than anything. But, she has her moments.

Class:

Enchanted Warrior

Sheild and sword.

Orientation:

Straight.

Real Age:

Depends on the place and time.

Age Appearance:

17-20.

Birthday:

August, 24th.

Birthplace:

High Ever.

Zodiac Sign:

Virgo.

Immediate Family:

Father:

Bryce Cousland.

Mother: Eleanor Mac Eanraig.

Brother: Fergus Cousland

Sister in law: Oriana.

Nephew: Oren Cousland.

Ethnicity:

Alamarri and a Fereldan.

Eye Colour:

Crystal blue.

Hair Colour:

White-Silver, with a blue Tint in it.

Hairstyle:  

You would think her hair was easy to tame, but it wasn’t. She has thick hair and while it was still straight and seemed to look neat, Shizuka always had a hard to taming it into the usaul hairstyle. It was down, never tied up so what could be hard about that. Right? you would be surprised to know how many tugs is there.  Brushing it into a neat place and leaving it was the hard part mostly, unlike most nobles who move there hair into buns or braids. She preferred it down and long, at least to her hips. Her bangs were combed to both ends, right and left. Leaving the centre of her forehead and face to be seen.

Makeup:

Her lips are painted red or pink, depending on her mood or how they got up. There was no need to put anything on her face really, she was perfect the way she is and her mother believed that woman should wear less than more when it comes to make up. She did, have some silver eye shadow as well. It was barely seen though.

Appearance:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Body Type:

Athletic, but looks fragile from the first glance.

Build:

Petite looking, but well built for a women.

Birthmarks/scars:

There was a birth mark, of two eagles on her right shoulder, her twin has it as well.

Distinguishing Features:

Her pure white hair, pale skin and blue eyes.

Posture:

Lady-like.

Scent:

No one can place her scene, but apparently it’s a flower called Andraste’s Grace.

Heroes:

Mother and Father, Though recently it was the Grey Wardens.

Pets/Familiars:

A wolf, Though for this it is going to be like a normal dog, able to withstand the Taint.

Wardrobe examples:

F-o-r-m-a-l. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. B-a-l-l-r-o-o-m. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. F-i-g-h-t-i-n-g. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. C-a-s-u-a-l O-u-t-f-i-t-s. D-a-n-c-i-n-g. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. N-i-g-h-t w-e-a-r.

Equipment:

-Family sword.

-Sword level one.

-Sword level two.

-Sword level three.

-Cousland Shield.

-Shield level one.

-Shield level two.

-Shield level three.

Accessories:

-Locket.

-Family Ring with the crest on it.

-Magic book

-Journal/Diary.

-The crest of the Cousland family.

Element:

Water.

Biggest Failure:

Letting the people she loved die alone, even at all.  Her life was always about them and how she would bring her people up as a heir. At least, they told her as much. If she didn’t then her brother would. Even then, they would have found someone willing to marry her anyway.

Secrets:

As a young girl she wished to be free, never to hold herself back. Her family always knew she wanted to be free and wander like her brother did. However, due to her class he was forced to ignore that and grow up. But, in there group she fears that her secret love for freedom might come out. A witch who has been free since a child, A sister who choose her path and lived with it, Even there Assassin friend made her wonder.  No one like her should even be thinking of that, but she did.

Hobbies/Interests:

Writing in her journal and diary, by herself, Walking in the forest alone or with someone, Watching the night sky, singing, Dancing, writing poems, horse riding.

Skills/Talents:

-There is a small part of magic in her, but not enough to call it dangerous. I’m trying something new with this, so I hope you will accept this part- She is NOT a full blood mage. -Casting without her hands. -Making her magic flow into her weapons. -Knowing different herbs, poisons. -Cooking. -Flower Arranging. -Can work with a shield, but she choose a smaller one than most.

Likes:

Singing, Dancing, Children, Animals, her brother, Alistair, morrigan, Writing poems, Cooking, Night walks.

Dislikes:

People treating Elves, Servants or anyone of low class bad, Her title coming up, talking about the past,  howe.

Pet Peeves:

-The Servants being treated badly. -Someone giving up with not say in the matter. -Pointless talk. -Bringing up the past. -Judging someone for no reason.

Personality Detailed:

Personality:

Intelligent

The Virgo are an intelligent lot, who would love to know about various subjects and increase their general knowledge.

Practical They don’t believe in living in the fantasy world and will be very much in touch with the reality. Their practical approach is one of their biggest strength.

Analytical The Virgo possess an analytical mind and see things in black and white. They are capable of producing a clear analysis and thereby a solution of even the most complicated problems.

Reliable You can trust a Virgo for following the instructions and trying his best to do the job well. Besides, he is a rational person and would not let emotions affect his decisions.

Modest Since they are goal-oriented, perfectionists, rational and reliable, it is very likely that they are great achievers too. But you will rarely see them boasting about their accomplishments. Overcritical They have such a clear picture in their minds as to how things should be, the Virgo tend to be overcritical and lose the plot in the process. Fussy The Virgo-born often get lost in details and they will not have a peace of mind till they resolve all the issues. Besides, their strong likes and dislikes make them quiet fussy. Fastidious Pleasing or impressing a Virgo is tough job, as anything less perfect (in their eyes) does not make the cut. Harsh They call a spade a spade and they don’t sugar-coat their opinions before putting them across. Their harshness does not always go down well with the people around them.

Conservative The Virgo are conservative and won’t readily accept modern ideas. Maybe it has to do with their need to test the waters and be sure of the outcome.

Judgemental

The Virgo-born are criticised for being judgemental. They cannot ignore faults and mistakes as anything less than perfect is not good enough for them.

Symbol:

Cousland Crest.

Vice:

Chastity.

Virtue:

envy.

Background.

The outpost of Highever was originally a bannorn and was held by the Elstan family, who was a secondary branch of the then-freeholder family of Howes. During the Towers Age, Bann Conobar Elstan was murdered by his wife, Flemeth, thus ending the bloodline. Sarim Cousland, the captain of Conobar’s guard, took the lands and title. The Couslands declared their independence from Amaranthine, starting a war that lasted thirty years. When the war ended, Highever won its independence and possession of half the land that had once been southwestern Amaranthine. Highever became a teyrnir during the Black Age. Previously, the Couslands held only the minor title of Bann. During the lycanthrope plague, Bann Haelia Cousland[1] or Mather Cousland[2] according to other sources, gathered the lords together under the Cousland banner to drive the werewolves out of their lands, thus earning the title of Teyrn. Calenhad Theirin was born in Highever in 5:10 Exalted as the third son of a poor merchant. He left at a young age to become a squire, but returned during the Unification of Ferelden as a Teyrn. The contemporary ruler of Highever was Teyrna Elethea Cousland; She fought the soon-to-be-King Calenhad in an attempt to maintain Highever’s independence, and so when Calenhad’s army reached Highever, Teyrna Elethea led the local banns against him, but lost against the future king. After Elethea’s men were defeated, Calenhad asked her to swear fealty. She did, thus allowing the Couslands to retain the teyrnir in Calenhad’s new kingdom.[2] In the beginning of the Storm Age, the Couslands conspired with Warden-Commander Sophia Dryden in the Grey Wardens’ attempted rebellion. The rebellion was betrayed to King Arland by politicians before it began, and the king’s guard ambushed their meeting place, with the rebels barely managing to escape. The Couslands were not so lucky, however. King Arland executed the Cousland Teyrn and a number of others, and then sent soldiers to Soldier’s Peak to stamp out the remainder of the rebellion. During the rebellion against Orlais, the Couslands opposed the Orlesian rule. However, Arl Tarleton Howe of Amaranthine supported the Orlesians and this resulted in several bitter battles between Amaranthine and Highever. Eventually, the Couslands manage to capture Harper’s Ford and hang Tarleton Howe for his treachery. Unlike his father, Rendon Howe was part of the rebellion like his uncle Arl Byron Howe. Rendon and Bryce Cousland fought beside each other at the battle of White River, becoming two of the fifty rebels who survived the defeat. Thereafter, Arl Rendon Howe was a great friend of the Couslands. Arl Howe later betrayed the Couslands, using the chaos of the Fifth Blight as his route to power. Teyrn Cousland had called together the forces of Highever and Amaranthine, intending to ride with Howe to support King Cailan against the darkspawn. However, upon arriving at Highever, Arl Howe told Teyrn Cousland that the Amaranthine forces would be delayed for a few of days. Not one to keep the King waiting, Teyrn Cousland sent the bulk of Highever’s forces ahead to Ostagar under the command of his eldest son Fergus Cousland, intending to leave with Howe’s Amaranthine men once they arrived. After Fergus left the castle, Howe’s forces took advantage of the Couslands’ weakened defense and made a surprise attack during the night, killing the teyrn, his wife Teyrna Eleanor Cousland, and Fergus’ wife Oriana and son Oren, as well as most of the other inhabitants of the castle. Though Fergus was left as the rightful heir to the Teyrnir of Highever, Howe then declared himself the new teyrn. Eventually, however, Duncan will rescue the human noble from the surprise attack on Castle Cousland in exchange for joining the Grey Wardens. Following the end of the Fifth Blight, Fergus Cousland will inherit Highever and become the next Teyrn. Fergus will also be given control of Amaranthine, which he presents to the Grey Wardens.

Theme song:

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> I love you… > Once I can smile again from the bottom of my heart, I’ll come visit…