So just a small detail about Sasha and Anne’s fight in “Reunion”.
It’s very, very easy to miss, but while Sasha and Anne are circling each other, there is a moment her where Sasha’s eyes changes colors.
Further breaking down the frames, we can tell that it actually flash 3 different colors. White, dark pinkish brown, and dark, dark red.
All 3 of which are just a distant, distant variant of Sasha’s Pink.
What i find more interesting, is that this is the only such moment of it’s kind.
Every other time when one of the girls inadvertently call upon their Calamity powers directly, their Eyes are always clear and bright with the blue, pink and green all very clear and visible.
This moment at the tower is the only time in the series when the eyes don’t even come close to glowing in their intended color, and furthermore, it doesn’t seem to have come with any increase in strength or speed for this duel.
This in and out of itself is interesting, and I can see 2 explanations for what caused this moment where the powers are instinctually called upon, and seemingly just fizzled out. Neither of which are exclusive from the other.
1. In this moment, Sasha is so far removed from the ideals that strength is build around(Namely protection, love, determination and force of will), that the powers simply refuse to come. She is extremely emotional, and in great need, but as she is at this point, fighting the person she loves more than anyone or anything, the powers will not flow through her.
2. The second, and in my opinion far more likely answer, is simple that when it comes down to it, Sasha’s heart isn’t in this fight. She doesn’t truly WANT to fight Anne. Not really.
The moment that ended up costing Sasha the battle, despite being stronger, more experienced and a flat out better warrior than Anne, is that at the end, Sasha ended up doing the exact same thing she did later at the gatehouse when she and Anne fought again.
Rather than dealing a final blow, Sasha instead just stood there, menacingly and pointed a sword at Anne, thinking/believing/hoping that that would be enough.
And just like at the gatehouse, this complete lack of capability of bringing herself to deliver a coup de grace, ends up with Anne counterattacking from a position of seeming defeat, and easily beating her.
I very much think this chronic inability to commit herself to actually defeat Anne decisively is why her powers fail her in this hour of need.
One of strenght’s defining virtues, is determination, a refusal to ever give up, but here, Sasha isn’t able to do that. Not with Anne. Never with Anne.
And so when she instinctually calls upon them, they immediately dissipate.
So one thing i noticed about the way Mother Olm speaks about the powers of the Calamity gems, is that she, and by extention the Olms as a whole has a somewhat contradictory view of them.
On one hand, she basically says that her kind basically believed the gems shouldn’t be used at all if possible, while condemning the other races for using them for conquest.
But at the same time, she makes it perfectly clear that as far as she is concerned, the powers of the Gems and by extention the Music Box, rightfully belongs to Anne, Sasha and Marcy, and that Andrias has “Stolen” them.
And she encourages Sasha to obtain and use those powers as well. Because it is her “Right”.
By what? By destiny and divine mandate, that’s what.
Andrias has lost his divine right to the powers, and by extension his right to rule. And here comes 3 new chosen ones to wipe the board clean to allow a new and better Amphibia to rise.
One thing i find interesting though, is that it’s not hard to figure out how the Olms probably helped lay the groundwork for the Amphibian Empire of old.
On one hand, the Olms believe that the Gems powers are better left alone. But at the other hand, they very much belive that the people who master them and prove themselves worthy, has a “Right” to use them, a divine mandate to do so.
These two ideas are not compatible.
The olms didn’t want anyone to use the gems if it could be helped, but at the same time they preach that it’s wielders have a right to do so.
The Olms in the olden days would have promoted this idea that the users of the stones powers had a divine mandate to use them, which not too surprisingly lead to them actually do that very thing, which lead them to becoming a real powerful force on the continent.
Which for better or worse is the logical endpoint of the Olms stance that the gems wielders have a right to make use of their powers.
The olms were probably very hurt when the Amphibian empire began to expand beyond to other worlds, but at the same time, assuming they were big advocates for the sacredness of the gems, and the people who were worthy of using them, they no doubt played a massive role in the rise of the empire, by being champions of the calamity users “Right” to use their powers as they saw fit.
It’s a delightful, but very believable contradiction. These powers are sacred, holy, and should be left alone. But if you DO manage to master them, they are YOURS by RIGHT to use as you will.
I rather hope this contradiction is brought up and called out in the show, because the Olms believe in the Divine right of those wielding the stones powers, just as much as Andrias forefathers did, they just didn’t like the way the people with that right utilized it.
They weren’t wrong about that path mind you, but it’s very clear that both these two groups sprang from a shared belief in that those who had obtained these powers had a right to use them.
asdswascf imagine if shortly after rescuing Marcy, Anne and Sasha start talking about the prophecy and them being the three stars that save the world expecting Marcy to be all excited
and Marcy just says “Is that all you needed me for? To stop Andrias?”
Marcy:Is that all you need me for? To stop Andrias?
Anne:No! Well… we DO, but tha-
Marcy: So what now? We save all the worlds and… that’s it?
Anne:Well, yeah!
Sasha: We can just forget this ever happened.
Marcy: How are you going to forget with me around? I’m the reason we’re here in the first place. That’s why you took so long, isn’t it? You hate me. You didn’t even want to save me!
Anne:Marcy-
Marcy:Don’t act like you want me here! What’s you plan for me, huh? Are you going to send me back to my parents? So you can just forget about me? Are you going to leave me alone!?
asdswascf imagine if shortly after rescuing Marcy, Anne and Sasha start talking about the prophecy and them being the three stars that save the world expecting Marcy to be all excited
and Marcy just says “Is that all you needed me for? To stop Andrias?”
