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Ah, the Earth. Did you miss me?

Save the Light

Hessonite is the main antagonist and final boss of Save the Light. She is an Era 1 Garnet who was the original wielder of one of the remaining Light Prisms as well as Nephrite and Squaridot's director and commander. She is first depicted in "Monster Reunion" and mentioned in "Legs From Here to Homeworld". She returns as a supporting protagonist and playable character in Unleash the Light.

Appearance[]

Debut[]

Hessonite was tall and lanky, standing about a head higher than Garnet. She had a light orange complexion and pale yellow hair in a large curly afro drawn back to a widow's peak. She had a dark maroon unibrow and a yellow-orange marking in the shape of the Prism over her left vermilion eye. She wore a sparkly high-collared cape over an orange-red jumpsuit with large pointed poofy hips, thigh-high white boots with jaffa-colored soles, and white elbow-length gloves. Hessonite's gemstone was located in the center of her chest and was a rounded rectangle with rectangular facets.

Current[]

In Era 3, she now has a new outfit, consisting of a red and white puffy jumpsuit with a black belt and black shoulder pads, white hip points, gray and black-striped upper sleeves, and white-gray gloves. She also had inverted-colored boots, with a red ring at the top and red toecaps. While disguised she wore a long, indigo scarf and a visor similar to Sugilite's with pinkish-red lenses and rounded cyan frames. It is unknown if this is merely a disguise, shapeshifted form, or a new reformation altogether.

Personality[]

Very tall, commanding. She had fluffy hair and a lot of, um, bravado?

Connie Maheswaran, Save the Light

According to Rebecca Sugar, she was pompous, but also vicious and aggressive when opposed.[1] During her introduction Hessonite was shown to have a high sense of self, looking down on others as beneath her. True to her former rank, she was commanding of those she deemed inferior and not opposed to treating them as tools. She was also quick to anger when things didn't go her way and reactive to anything that removed opposition.

After her defeat Hessonite admitted she was imperfect, wanting to be as everyone told her but needed the Prism to live up to such expectations and called herself defective. This revealed that for her imperious demeanor she was insecure and might have felt trapped by her race's high standards.

Of further note was her reaction when she surrendered the Prism, only for Steven to encourage it to make its own decisions. Both surprised and touched by what she described as Steven's wisdom, she agreed to let it be. From this exchange, it was proven Hessonite was not above developing respect for those who proved their worth and she came to view the Prism as more than just another Homeworld tools. Hessonite ultimately questioned whether she was the perfect warrior Homeworld insisted or something else entirely, disappearing after realizing she had the chance to find out. With no indication she intended to report the matter to anyone, she was likely breaking away from Homeworld's rigid beliefs to discover her own path.

After doing so in Unleash the Light, she displayed a calmer, more cunning side as seen when she hid in the shadows, watching the Crystal Gems and her former Prism George from afar and remorse for her previous actions when she helped save him from Demantoid and Pyrope, telling him about Steven's prior lessons of ignoring their supposed purposes in existing while choosing a different way of living. However, she still retained a tendency for theatrics and arrogance, as seen when she dramatically explained her motives for mostly remaining hidden to Demantoid's disgust and Pyrope's disbelief.

History[]

Over 6,000 years prior to the present day, Hessonite received her Light Prism from Yellow Diamond to the praise and admiration of her peers. However, the Prism was more than a status symbol as Hessonite used its powers to devastating effect – when weaker opponents challenged her, she ordered the Prism to use its light constructs to attack them. Hessonite was also close to fellow Prism-bearer and Garnet Pyrope. She was eventually put in charge of a group of Nephrites and their captain, ordering them to travel with her to Earth for colonization. When conflict broke out, she joined the fighting herself and helped vanquish many Crystal Gems, even personally fighting Rose Quartz and Pearl during the Rebellion. However, Hessonite ultimately met her match in Rose Quartz, who struck the Prism out of her hand with a decisive blow from her sword. In the end, Hessonite ordered her Gems to retreat and was forced to flee without her Prism, as the Great Diamond Authority prepared to use their weapon of last resort. Some time after this, in Era 2, she became closely acquainted with Demantoid.

"Monster Reunion"[]

Monster Reunion 200

Hessonite giving Nephrite the order to retreat.

The partially-healed Nephrite drew several pictures of Hessonite giving her the orders to colonize and retreat from Earth.

Save the Light[]

Hessonite traveled to Earth to reclaim her former prism, alongside one of her gems, a Peridot. She emerged from her inverted pyramid ship, after it landed on and destroyed It's a Wash, rhetorically asking if Earth missed her. She then spotted her former Prism as Light Steven and commanded it to come with her after stating she was it's rightful owner. When Steven protested Hessonite seemed mildly bemused by the presence of humans and ordered the Prism to attack, only to be frustrated when it produced minor constructs. She also took notice of it's new form, angry that it had "gone soft".

Throughout the game, Hessonite traveled across Earth, taking the Prism to areas that served as battlegrounds during the war in an attempt to restore its default mindset. The lack of progress frustrated her, as did the Prism's tendency to keep forming Light Steven, implying it belonged to Steven and not her. However, upon encountering the remaining Crystal Gems, she falsely concluded they attempted to take control of the Prism and caused it to malfunction. Deeming them an obstacle, she attacked them directly, poofing Garnet, Amethyst and Peridot and knocking Greg, Connie and Steven unconscious. After Steven lost consciousness, he found himself in the Prism's mind where it revealed Hessonite's past him.

Hessonite later discovered Bismuth's old forge and decided to use it to "improve" the Prism. By the time the Crystal Gems arrived, she'd already completed her work and left the planet using her ship, which turned out to be a modular component attaching to a larger vessel in Earth's orbit. In response, the Crystal Gems used Lion to create a portal to the vessel to seek out Hessonite and save the Prism.

When the Crystal Gems arrived on the bridge of the flagship, they found Hessonite waiting in her command chair. Taking the opportunity to reflect on how she was forced to leave the Prism behind when Homeworld's forces fled, she then expressed her frustration at having to abandon it only for the Crystal Gems to survive and allegedly "steal" it. Steven attempted to explain the Prism hadn't served him that way, but Hessonite refused to listen; angrily insisting the Crystal Gems were nothing but thieves who stole her most valuable weapon and damaged it. Shen then reveals that she used Bismuth's forge to turn the Prism back into an obedient servant. With grave satisfaction, Hessonite ordered the Prism to destroy the Crystal Gems as punishment for reactivating the Prism in the first place.

However, as they held their own Steven appealed to the Prism directly, asking if it wanted to fight. When the Prism expressed hesitation and regret, Hessonite was infuriated it still had some form of attachment to Steven and decided to deal with the Crystal Gems herself. Descending from her command chair, she summoned her sword and engaged her opponents directly. Her fighting abilities made her a deadly adversary, but the resolve and teamwork of the Gems overwhelmed her.

Driven to one knee, Hessonite broke down, as she admitted it was not the Prism that was defective, but herself. While her peers on Homeworld insisted she was perfect, Hessonite revealed that she never believed it and needed the Prism to live up to her intended role. Bitterly concluding she was no longer worthy of owning the Prism after losing the battle, she urged Steven to take it for himself.

However, Steven surprised her by refusing to accept ownership of the Prism, insisting it was no one's property and asking what it wanted. From here the outcome depended on the Prism's choice: If it chose to go with Hessonite, she would vow to use its power to conquer worlds, while Steven hoped the Prism could save itself. But, if it chose to stay on Earth, Hessonite will be moved by Steven's wisdom. When the Crystal Gems voice their concerns about releasing a high-ranking commander in Homeworld's army, Hessonite laughs at their attempt to apprehend her and states that she was beginning to have doubts about her role in life - the perfect warrior Homeworld claimed or something else altogether. She then happily decided to go and find out for herself, and departed without further incident or indication she intended to report the Crystal Gems to her superiors.

"Legs From Here to Homeworld"[]

After Steven temporarily uncorrupted Nephrite with the help of Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond, she apologized for failing to heed Hessonite's orders to retreat.

Unleash the Light[]

After the official start of Era 3, she assumed a new form and disguised herself with a scarf and visor. She first appeared as a shadow when the Crystal Gems were approaching the Palace of Light; despite Steven briefly feeling her presence it was dismissed by Pearl. At one of Demantoid's colonies, when Bismuth showed off the Prism Containment Chest, she nearly mentioned Hessonite's name stopping herself after frightening her former Prism, now named George.

When the Crystal Gems went into the Palace of Light, she appeared before them in her disguise, to which Steven immediately figured out her identity, leaving her at a loss for words and causing George to cower in her presence before she departed. She reappeared later only to be interrupted by Pyrope, much to her chagrin, and was later cut off again by Demantoid, as well making her even more frustrated. When the Crystal Gems fought Pyrope, with Demantoid showing up to chastise her, Hessonite made another entrance, reaffirming Demantoid's scolding of Pyrope's arrogance and drawing her sword before Pyrope used her fan to knock her scarf and visor off, "revealing" her true identity as Hessonite (to only Pyrope's surprise). Hessonite then looked on in shock as Demantoid used her modified limb enhancers to grab George and force him to combine with the other Light Prisms. During the fight between the Crystal Gems and the combined Light Prisms, Steven was silenced by Demantoid after trying to get through to George, which resulted in Hessonite taking over and reminding George about what Steven had taught them, about choosing their destinies, and apologized for her past mistreatment of him, even using his new name. This finally snaps George out of it, thus causing the combined Light Prisms to split once again. In the end, she stated she would reopen the Palace of Light to all of Gemkind and keep an eye on Pyrope and Demantoid, after they got into a heated argument that resulted in them poofing each other.

Abilities[]

Hessonite possesses standard Gem abilities including bubbling, shapeshifting, fusion, regeneration, agelessness and superhuman attributes.

Skillset[]

  • Superhuman Speed: Hessonite can move at immense speeds, sometimes leaving an orange blur in her wake.
  • Sword Proficiency: Her summoned weapon is a pink-bladed backsword with a teal edge similar to Rose's Sword but with a slender blade and golden hand-guard.

Save the Light[]

  • Sword Strike: Hessonite rushes towards her target and attacks them with a blockable strike with her sword.
  • Sword Slash: Before performing this attack on her turn, Hessonite will change her stance and face the target she is about to attack. She then rushes towards her target slashing them with her sword at blinding speeds dealing massive damage before moving just as quickly back to her original position. This attack can easily defeat opponents and destabilize Fusions who are unprepared.
  • Light Shatter: During this attack Hessonite will draw her sword with both of her hands in front of her pointing it downwards. The room then darkens and light triangles will appear beneath Hessonite and her opponents. She then thrusts the sword to the light triangle beneath her shattering it. The light triangles beneath her opponents shatter as well dealing damage.

Unleash the Light[]

  • Overconfidence: Hessonite buffs only herself (of course), increasing the power of her next attack. Stacks with other effects.
  • Witness Greatness: Hessonite deals heavy damage to all enemies through multiple slashes. Takes a full turn to charge.

Episode Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • Ian Jones-Quartey confirmed she appeared in the show, drawn by Nephrite in "Monster Reunion".[2]
  • She and Garnet shared similarities in having afro hairstyles, heterochromic eye colors, squared jaws, and full lips, possibly a reference to how hessonite is a type of garnet in real life.
    • She also had similarities to and differences from Jasper:
      • She arrived in a starship that touched down at a key landmark in Beach City.
      • She had a Peridot under her command.
      • Her primary colors were yellow and orange and she reported to Yellow Diamond (formerly Pink Diamond).
      • She wore a cape in her debut; however, Hessonite continued to wear hers meaning it might have been part of her form rather than an "appearance modifier".
      • She developed a grudge against Steven though unlike Jasper she recognized Steven as his own individual rather than Rose Quartz or Pink Diamond in another form.
      • She developed an obsession with something that gave her power; whereas Jasper was undone by her obsession with fusion, Hessonite let go of her desire for the Prism.
  • She was the first sword-wielding Gem whose sword was summoned rather than physical like the ones owned by Rose Quartz and Pearl.
  • Hessonite was the first member of a new Gem-type to be revealed somewhere other than the show.
  • Her design was inspired by Ziggy Stardust including the different eye colors and facial markings.[3]
    • In her Unleash the Light model, her facial marking erroneously appears to extend off her face.
    • In her Crystal Gem costume in Unleash the Light, her triangle-shaped marking becomes star-shaped.
  • According to Grumpyface Studios, her "teleportation" ability wasn't actually teleporting and that she is just able to move very quickly.[4]
  • When thinking about her new role in Unleash the Light, Hessonite was initially envisioned as a "reclusive nomad" rather than a mysterious masked hero.[5]
    • When designing her new and heroic form, inspiration was taken from Super Sentai to match her over-the-top and theatrical role and personality.[6]
  • In some of the initial designs for her Crystal Gem outfit, her cape would have been replaced with a more modest letter jacket.[7]

Gemstone[]

Image Description
HessNewJirachi
Hessonite's gemstone is located on her chest. It is red-orange and somewhat rectangular, and has facets around the edge.

Gallery[]

Screenshots[]

Drawings[]

Save the Light[]

Unleash the Light[]

Designs[]

References

  1. Den of Geek: "Hessonite is a pompous Homeworld commander who makes her way to Earth in order to retrieve the lost Prism and transform it back into a powerful weapon. She is the director of the previously announced Squaridot who is also making her debut within the game. Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Christine Baranski will be providing the voice for Hessonite in “Save the Light”."
  2. Source
  3. grumpyfaceblog: "Early on we were looking at some Ziggy Stardust reference when helping out with her design (among many other things), and came up with the idea of having two different eye colors and an eye marking that matched the shape of the Prism."
  4. She actually isn’t teleporting at all (though I admit the effect does give this impression) – she’s just able to move and dash quite quickly, appearing as a streak. Think Powerpuff Girls ;)
  5. https://twitter.com/Grumpyface/status/1574807433733492736
  6. https://twitter.com/Grumpyface/status/1574807437026021384
  7. https://twitter.com/Grumpyface/status/1574807443661410318
ve Characters in Steven Universe
Crystal Gems Human-Gem Hybrids: Steven Universe

Unfused Gems: AmethystBiggs JasperBismuthLapis LazuliLarimarPearlPeridotRubySapphireSnowflake Obsidian
Fusion Gems: AlexandriteCrazy Lace AgateGarnetMega PearlObsidian (Rose Quartz Fusion)OpalRainbow QuartzSardonyxSugilite
Hybrid Fusions: Obsidian (Steven fusion)Rainbow Quartz 2.0Smoky QuartzStegStevonnieSunstone
Inactive Gems: Rose Quartz
Humans: Connie Maheswaran
Pets: LionPumpkinCat Steven

Homeworld Gems Unfused Gems: CombyEmeraldPebblesPeridotsSapphiresSpinel

Fusion Gems: MalachiteTopazZebra Jasper (fusion)Giant RubyRuby (triple fusion)Lemon JadeBluebird Azurite
Inactive Gems: Pink Diamond

Off Colors Unfused Gems: PadparadschaRutile Twins

Fusion Gems: FluoriteRhodonite
Humans: Lars Barriga

Other Gems (Formerly) Corrupted Gems: AlbiteAngel Aura QuartzBig Bird • Biggs Jasper • BixbiteBlue ChalcedonyBlue Lace Agate • Cherry Quartz • ChrysocollaDesert GlassEarth BeetleGrossular DiopsideHeaven Beetle • Jasper • Lace Amethyst • Larimar • Moonstone • Nephrite • Ocean JasperOrange Spodumene • Snowflake Obsidian • Tongue MonsterUnknown Giant Gem MonsterWater BearWatermelon TourmalineWhite TopazZebra Jasper (singular)Minor Corrupted Gems

Other Gems: Minor GemsUnknown Gems (Morganite • Nephrite-XJ Cut-763 • Unknown Quartz Warrior • Blue Diamond's Court • Pink Diamond's EntourageUnknown Crystal Gems67 Elite CitrinesPyritesHessonites, Demantoids, and PyropesKyanites)

Forced Fusions: Cluster Gems (The Cluster)

Comic Gems: Ant Gem MonsterClock Tower GemFrozen FragmentGlass GhostInvisible Manta RayMole Gem MonsterMolluskMonster Lizard GemObeliskOld Book GemPlant MonsterPerils of PweepweeRainbow Cloud MonsterRed Bird Gem MonsterRed Eel MonsterScorching ShardSlime Gem MonsterSlug MonsterSnowbeastTentacle MonsterUnknown Giant BirdVine Monsters

Other Major Characters Humans: Greg UniverseSadie Miller
Recurring Characters Humans: Andy DeMayoBarbara MillerBill DeweyBuck DeweyBuddy BuddwickDante and Martha BarrigaDoug MaheswaranPriyanka MaheswaranHarold SmileyJamieJaneJenny PizzaKevinKiki PizzaKofi PizzaMartyMr. FrymanMystery GirlNanefua PizzaOnionPeedee FrymanQuentin FrowneyRonaldo FrymanShepSour CreamSuitcase SamVidaliaYellowtailZoomans (F-3Jay-TenU-12Wy-Six)

Others: Baby MelonBlue CrabsCactus StevenHolo-PearlMagic MossSteven Jr.Watermelon Stevens

Minor Characters Humans: The Best Diner in the World's WaitressEmpire City Wildlife Rehabilitation Center EmployeeGaryGreg's family (Aunt and Uncle • Aunt DebGrandfatherParentsGreat-aunt Gregargia) • Hospital Employees (Dr. GeroDr. StrombergDr. West) JeffKhajima, Jaime, and BrandishMarty's RoadiesMayoral BodyguardsMike KrolOnion's Friends (Garbanzo • Pinto • Soup • Squash) • Patricia and DanielRickySabinaSteven's BabysitterSunshine JusticeWilliam Buford BuchananWilliam DeweyMinor Human Characters

Animals: Butt LobsterCrystal BasiliskDogGiant BirdMask Island BirdsMask Island FishMask Island WormOnion's MouseOnion's SnakeParty GuyRaccoonSeagullsSnakeSteven The ThirdSusanMinor Animal Characters
Aliens: Beetle AliensBird Blob AliensUngulate AliensWorm AliensFlower-Like AliensMinor Alien Characters

Fictional Characters Cookie CatDogcopterMearlPizza JennyMinor Fictional Characters

Camp Pining Hearts: PaulettePercyPierre
"Garnet's Universe": FoxmanHopperHoppyRingo
Golf Quest Mini: AceAce's Father
Li'l Butler: Li'l ButlerMr. MoneyMrs. MoneyDaughter Money • Dirtbike Money
Lonely Blade: Evil JanitorLonely BladeLonely Blade's Brother
Rose's Room: Cloud ConnieTiny Floating Whale
The Spirit Morph Saga: ArchimicarusLisaPlinkmanWind Lizard

Antagonists Blood PolypCentipeetlesCrab MonstersCrystal ShrimpDrill ParasitesElectric SkullsFryboHolo-ConnieShadow ConnieSmoke MonsterWater Clones
Alter Egos Billy Bank AssetsChunk TruckConcrete HeatDashing Danny DooberHandsome Hank HackleschmidtHowl JonesLoch Ness BloggsterPurple PumaSea WaspShark-O-ManiaTiger Millionaire
Attack the Light Blue LightGreen LightIndigo LightOrange LightRed LightViolet LightWhite LightYellow Light

Groups: Light ArmyBlue Monsters • Green Monsters • Indigo MonstersOrange MonstersRed Monsters

Save the Light Hessonite • SquaridotHessonite's Citrines
Unleash the Light DemantoidPyrope
The Phantom Fable Fable • Lonely PearlJasper (Eyeball)
Groups The Cool Kids • Crystal Gems • Crystal Temps • The "Famethyst" • The Great Diamond Authority • Homeworld Gems • Off ColorsSadie Killer and the SuspectsSecret Team • Steven and the Stevens • Zoomans • Species
Gem Types Aquamarines • Bismuths • Diamonds • GarnetsJades • Lapis Lazulis • Nephrites • Pearls • Pebbles • Peridots • Quartzes • Rubies • Sapphires • Topazes • Zircons
Homeworld Gem
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