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#it really felt like in general the crewniverse just lost interest in the story around the third hiatus or so
tumblunni · 5 years
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Ehh i think i finally summed up why all of this steven universe diamonds stuff has been so underwhelming.
YES you can redeem a villain
but you have to
actually
TRY
Yes you can write a story about the world’s most fuckin horrible person being really actually sad at heart
Yes you can write a story about an abusive parent actually being able to change
Yes you can write a story about some wild genocidal alien civilization of asshole space rocks actually only doing it because something something societal pressure DESPITE BEING THE ONES IN CHARGE WHO SET THE DAMN RULES I GUESS
But fucking hell its not gonna be EASY and you shouldn’t treat it that way.
All of this shit was SO fucking quick?? And everything else WASNT!
You spent SO long hyping up these guys you spent SO long convincing us that they WERE evil and that they had entirey different motives for what they were doing and EVEN WITHIN THIS FUCKING EPISODE you spent more time showing us White Diamond being absolutely ridiculously existentially horrifyingly awful and refusing every offer everyone gave her to help and refusing every chance and fucking fucking goddamn violating people’s entire minds and just.. fuck.
After all that you cant just fuckin have steven walk up to blue and yellow and say “hey everything you did was bad” and them go “GEE WE NEVER KNEW!” for some reason this time they’re convinced in a single sentence despite it being the same sentence steven said before in every damn episode and pink said to them years before and every person they abused and enslaved and mutilated and KILLED said while they were DYING
And you can’t fucking have white diamond never redeem herself and never change and never admit she’s wrong and steven SOLVE IT WITH FUCKING FIGHTING WHILE SAYING HE DOESNT WANT TO, WHILE THE ENTIRE SHOW TRIES TO CLAIM THE REASON THEY ARE DOING IT THIS WAY IS BECAUSE OF PACIFISM
because seriously he?? just defeated her?? and this made her?? change???
redeeming a villain shouldn’t be easy. redeeming a villain has to have the villain TRY. white diamond has done nothing to prove she really has a heart, prove that she really did all this for sympathetic reasons, prove that she’s able to change, AND ESPECIALLY NOTHING TO MAKE IT UP TO ANY OF THE PEOPLE SHE’S HURT
she just got defeated and basically admitted she’s wrong cos she has no other choice. and i guess her blushing because steven issued a SICK BURN to her is meant to be enough proof that her entire motivation so far has been because of self confidence issues forcing her to put up a false front aka her entire personality we saw so far. If you wanna tell me she’s entirely different to what we saw so far then please could you please give it more screentime than twelve goddamn seconds.
This is like how yellow and blue just suddenly were accepted as part of the family and steven agreed to go with them to homeworld literally just because they realized he “is really pink diamond”. Like they never fucking repented or actually learned to empathise with humans or ever explained why they dont empathise with humans no nope the only answer we got is that they were sad about their sister/daughter/friend dying even though they were already doing all the same evil stuff before that and its what caused her to leave in the first place. no we’re gonna just completely trust them instantly and not even continue making an effort to convince them? we’re gonna trust them so much we’re gonna trust that white diamond will also change just cos we beat her up? COS SERIOUSLY STEVEN FUCKIN DEFEATED BLUE AND YELLOW IN A FIGHT AND THATS THE END OF THEIR ARC, HOW IS THIS PROVING THE POWER OF PACIFISM!! beating everyone up and then saying the same singular sentence again and somehow now it works!! or saying “my mum was pink diamond” and it doesnt convince them but hey if we say it again with magical proof its true then i guess it works now. wow that sure does argue the power of words i guess
everything EVERYTHING they did was just a fuckin misunderstanding cos they dont UNDERSTAND they were doing bad and thus they dont have to face any form of consequences beyond being mildly embarassed i suppose.
if you wanna make that the ending then you need to work to disprove all the hours you spent implying that.. yknow.. they were doing things because they were evil
and even if theyre sympathetic they still did evil things and they still need to work to prove that theyve changed
and ESPECIALLY if you’re making a show very heavy on subjects like LGBT discrimination it shouldnt be FUCKIN WOW UNEXPECTED that the audience would see this plot as a metaphor for stuff like homophobia and abusive parents and.. yknow.. societal oppression in a law system that forces you to live in the closet in constant fear of being discovered and killed. and all the other apparantly accidental undertones of racism and extermination of indigenous people in stolen land which YOU REALLY SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED PEOPLE TO SEE WHEN THE PLOT IS LITERALLY EXTERMINATING PEOPLE TO STEAL THEIR LAND
all of that means you need to do MORE work to prove that that isnt actually what the plot is supposed to be, and more work to redeem villains who are very heavily goddamn triggering to a large part of the vunerable audience YOU SPECIFICALLY MARKETED YOURSELF TOWARDS
this was just so fucking overwhelming and somehow rushed despite being an hour long episode, and i hate it because the show spent so much effort on so much other stuff yet decided to half ass it at the really important part that NEEDED to have thought and time put into it if it was gonna nail the landing
especially after ALL THAT FUCKIN TIME AND EFFORT INTO THINGS THAT ONLY AMPED UP THE VILLAINY AND TENSION OF THESE GUYS AND MADE IT SO MUCH WORSE
like fucking hell how can you be so tone deaf??? this has been in the planning for so damn long and theyve been working on it forever and THIS is what they chose to rush over? this is the priorities they thought were important? even just within this episode if youre struggling to fit it all in then like seriously cut out some of the stuff like the montage of unseen fusion forms that did basiclaly nothing but a few jokes, and the equally as rushed bad lars and sadie romance resolution. Which is another thing that needed a lot of work to fix when the introduction we got to these two was a really unhealthy relationship and a dude who refuses to change despite being given twelve chances but suddenly changes COMPLETELY on the thirteenth one and i guess cos he died that proves he’s all good now. Except he acts all weird and creepy in the very next episode and endangers his new friends by acting all possessive over sadie again and getting angry that she has other friends????
i hate it because ive had to deal with the fandom telling all the people who were rightfully uncomfortable with how these subjects were handled that oh we’re just overreacting and oh wait and see cos they totally have a big plan for the ending or something that’ll make it all make sense. And comparing people being triggered by child abuse and racism to “huhu those dumb su criticals who hate the art style” or whatever...
god, man, its just a deflection of what the issue really is
“oh youre saying NO VILLAINS can EVER be redeemed and NOBODY can EVER talk about dark stuff in shows without being SECRETLY BAD AND SUPPORTING IT IN REAL LIFE?”
no im not saying that im just saying the subjects are fucking depressing to people who’ve suffered from the real life stuff and the villain redemption should be GOOD and should THINK ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE if it wants to make up for it
like fucking hell look at how much zuko from avatar went through before his redemption. look at how long he struggled with his morality and how long it took him to realise he was wrong. look at how much detail they showed us on all the people who negatively influenced him into making the bad choices he did. look at how much he went through to make up for what he did and apologise to everyone he hurt. look at how everyone he hurt didnt believe him at first and it took a while for everything to work out. look at how sometimes he messed up and took steps backward before getting to where he needed to be. and look at how he actually changed as a person and continued learning and growing and trying to be a good person even far into the future after the story ended.
hell, fuckin look at PERIDOT! peridot had a full goddamn zuko arc! peridot had more screentime than all of the diamonds combined, and it was way better utilized! she had a full process from being introduced as a scary villain BECAUSE OF MISUNDERSTANDING WHO SHE REALLY WAS, then being revealed as having a fully rounded personality, flaws and redeemable traits while still being a villain. and moments of her proving that she did indeed only become a villain because she didnt understand what she was doing was wrong, and a personality that matched with that reveal rather than having NO INDICATION she was like that until it suddenly happened only after she was defeated. and her redemption came slowly through friendship with steven and it had moments of the other characters not instantly trusting her and also of her making mistakes and struggling with believing steven’s philosophy when it went against everything she knew about life. and speaking of which it was established that she had a very different life which had negative influences pushing these ideas upon her, and tough stuff that made her scared and pressured. Not just being in a high position of ruling over a planet in the lap of luxury and ONLY AFTER BEING DEFEATED do we learn that they feel pressured by the societal expectation to be perfect and they actually would have agreed all along with dismantling the system but they were just too afraid to be honest. Or whatever the fuck that rushed ending was trying to go for! And man even after peridot joins the team she’s NOT redeemed yet, she’s initially only halfway doubting herself and only teaming up with steven because they’re both afraid of the cluster. And she messes up and says horrible shit to her new friends and feels the consequences of her actions and chooses to change. And her ultimate choice to switch sides is REALLY hard, she gets so close to going back to the diamonds and its a great personal sacrifice on her part when she chooses to give it all up and make an enemy of the person she was so scared of!
and GAHHH that good redemption is one in a million episodes that really set up the diamonds Being Bad and should have been a goddamn tally in the “effort required in the fuckin ending” chart!
could we not have even just had one ten minute episode of blue and yellow going around earth and experiencing human life and realizing there’s things worth protecting? or a few damn scenes foreshadowing white being actually insecure and lying to protect herself, rather than GENUINELY ABUSIVE BECAUSE SHE’S BAD?
and seriously even if you hurt people because you hate yourself YOU STILL HURT THEM
a sympathetic backstory should be a reason why they COULD be redeemed, not proof that they already are redeemed just because the backstory was stated in words and nothing else has fuckin changed.
imagine if zuko just lost one fight to aang and said “yes but my dad abused me” and aang was like “oh no now lets team up with zuko to beat up his dad” and none of the bad things zuko did were ever mentioned again and also he keeps his season 1 personality throughout the entire series
imagine if peridot fuckin.. just changed sides cos she’s funny and we like her. people wantedher to change sides as soon as she acted funny and likeable but they still made the effort to actually prove she had changed! the diamonds didnt act remotely harmless or remotely good until they just suddenly are in the very last episode.
hoo
fucking
ray
also why are we constantly just ignoring all these dark things about homeworld? like the episode with holly blue agate and the famethyst slave caste and all the creepy ways the entire place operated. i totally thought thatd.. yknow.. EVER BE REFERENCED AGAIN?? its never even mentioned that anyone even WANTS to go back and save them?? and the human zoo were outright stated to be like.. unsaveable. “oh theyve never known real human life and theyre happy in their slavery so itd be cruel to take them away from it” One off episode, forgotten about. And the creepy as fuck scenes of gems being BUILT INTO THE WALLS AND DOORS AS SECURITY SYSTEMS and the confirmation that more lapis situations are constantly going on yet somehow that singing hairbrush person doesnt get all the sympathy that she did. And steven going daww at the pebbles instead of being horrified that theyre born to work as servants and forced to live in the walls because the noblewomen dont want to look at them? and he asks them to make him a new outfit?? and theres no plot anything involving them except them puttering around in the background outfitting?? like was none of this meant to be seen as PROOF THAT THE DIAMONDS WERE EVIL and PEOPLE WHO NEEDED TO BE SAVED????
goddddd
please say they were rushed or something please say this is all the faultof being given less time than they expected please say there were other plans for other episodes we didnt see that would have given at least slightly more substance to any of this
also why wasnt this even advertised as the last episode if its the last fuckin episode
hhhh well at least obsidian was a great character design and so were the other fusions and new outfits even if they only appeared for twelve seconds. and white’s whole scary evil mind invasion stuff was really good even if it actually hurt the episode by being good, kinda
man im not even mad or anything i just feel mehh and bored and like im actually glad its over. i never wanted to feel that way about a show that used to be so good. i kinda wish the earliest episodes werent so good if the answers to all those well set up mysteries were gonna have so much less effort than the setup itself
...man i should make a whole post about all the mistaken ways i THOUGHT the show was gonna go that actually would have been way more interesting than the real answer.
i’m just super glad that my last theory was wrong cos wow that would have been the only thing worse than this ending! when white pearl first appeared before we’d actually seen white diamond, and it had all this thing that white diamond hadnt been seen in ages.. well i was worried it was setting up some sort of reverse twist where actually white pearl is bodysnatching white diamond instead of vice versa. So the whole evil empire would actually be run by a member of the slave class that its oppressing, and the diamonds/representative of the upper class would actually be poor victims all along. dear god i am so glad i got that wrong! tho im weirded out by how evil white/pink pearl looked in that first hint that she was originally pink pearl??
anyway basicallly im just so fuckin tired
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bluekayanite · 4 years
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(SU:F Theory - Snow Day) Has Steven REALLY Changed That Much?
...Or is he just still dealing with an old issue?
(I intended to post this last week, but apparently forgot to actually, you know, post it. >_<  I’ve got another one upcoming, but here’s this one for now.)
EDIT: Some edits have been made.  Not gonna stress myself over the details this time.
My Feelings on the Ep
Okay, I dunno about you, but I actually found the story of Snow Day pretty upsetting.  The whole thing was about Steven running from his childhood favorites, and he pretty much stated that it was because he didn't want to be seen as a kid.
Sure, I can get behind not liking when people assume you haven't changed, especially when the changes in question have to do with you learning and growing (been there... -.-), but it didn't feel like that was the real issue.  I mean, there's growing up and changing, and then there's more-or-less trying to hide, or to erase the past.  IMO, this ep showed Steven trying to avoid "kids stuff" to an extreme.  He literally jumped over the edge!
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And not just the kids stuff, but it feels to me like he's been avoiding silly stuff in general, like that goofy charm that seemed like an essential character trait throughout the first series.
Even the idea that he could've left behind so much of the goofiness I love was pretty distressing - it really feels like he's trying to run away from a part of himself, essentially killing a part of himself (or at least a version thereof).  But that's not the whole of the issue for me.
To me, it really kind of felt like Steven believed the Gems were wrong to still want to appreciate the old stuff with him - not because of “seeing him as a child, still,” but... like they couldn't still appreciate the way he used to be, even in a nostalgic sense.  Like he believes that they shouldn't be allowed to enjoy the silly stuff, either.  Or the little things in general.
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(If you're not taking the time to pet something cute, I'd say it's pretty serious.)
Also: come on!!  The Cheeseburger Backpack and Together Breakfast are two of the most iconic things of the series-es!  And personally, like I kind of said, I’d say Steven's goofiness is right up there with them!  Even the vegetarianism!  Remember how big Steven was on hot dogs?
"I think there isn't such a thing as a bad [hot] dog, though.  Only bad chefs!" - Steven, Wacky Sacks Unboxing minisode
It was even in the first opening of SU!
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I don't mind that SU:F is more mature than SU, but it feels like it's missing a lot of the heart that made SU so easy to love.  I’m even noticing that there's been a shortage a star-iris-endings.  I’m pretty sure the last iris was used in Guidance... for a fake ending.
Not that I think the star-iris should be forced, but it seems like it's not being used, even when Crewniverse has a perfectly good chance to do so.  The fact that they've used it at all suggests that they're not trying to avoid using it - more like they've fallen out of the habit, or something.  And I’m really starting to feel the absence of the little bit of lighthearted warmth that it typically brings.  It just kinda quietly punctuates just how serious the show has been.
...It's pretty depressing, really.
But yeah, in general, I'm not a big fan of the idea that you have to let go of kid things as soon as you grow up.  Doctors believe that play is just as important for adults as it is for children.  Heck, that article even mentions reading aloud to someone (and I'd say, by extension, being read to) as a form of play... one of the forms that Steven specifically avoids.
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And if you ask me, The No Home Boys sounds like its pretty deep - not just a basic, “silly” kids’ story.
"My favorite story is this classic one where the No Home Boys are chased[...] by a mysterious pursuer, which turns out to be the very fear resting within themselves." - Steven, On The Run
At the very least, it's what led to him having an adventure that led to him learning something important, and to bringing to light - and resolving - some previously-unspoken tension between Pearl and Amethyst.
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So at the very least, I wouldn't cast aside childish things so quickly, if only for all the good that they have already brought.
There's also the fact that adult play has been accepted as a pretty important thing in our current society - it's basically our culture now.  As said on the YT Channel Lockstin & Gnoggin (in response to COPPA), "This isn't the 1970s anymore[...]  Adults are no longer afraid to be interested in things."  I mean, heck, I think odds are pretty good that if you’re reading this, you're probably an adult who enjoys “kids stuff.”  I know I technically fit in that category - I’m getting old enough that I don't like to think about it. ^_^;
Personally, I believe that the “adults can still like ‘kids’ stuff” thing could really use more representation in mainstream media, ESPECIALLY after the whole COPPA thing.  Personally, I’ve always believed that this would be done through Steven Universe.
And personally... I still think odds are good that it will.
Why I Think There's Still Hope for the Subject
The “adults enjoying ‘childish’ stuff” thing isn't just a thing with Millennials and the Internet in general: it's a pretty strong part of the culture of the Crewniverse, what with them actually enjoying Together Breakfast for the release of the ep by the same name.  Not to mention donuts topped with Pop Rocks fire salt (exact quote - for Joking Victim), a big bowl of macaroni-and-nothing (for Warp Tour), and even a Rice Krispie temple that promptly got pummeled by a giant hand (technically for Bismuth, but also referencing Jailbreak).  And those are just a few examples.
And in general, I've noticed that SU is very Millennial show, featuring values like that the reason for work should be to enjoy life, rather than to make money (Drop Beat Dad), and I've already said that being able to enjoy "kids stuff" as an adult is a pretty Millennial thing.
So to me, it seems like it's probably inevitable that Steven's going to get over the "trying too hard to adult" thing.  Heck, if anything, I'd say that Snow Day is just another part of the long-running-buildup.
Steven has a history of trying to cut everything “childish” out of his life, and/or being embarrassed when it's brought up.
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This felt like an extension of that history - to me, it feels like this issue leveled up, like he's trying harder than ever before to avoid being associated with "kids stuff."  His reaction to Garnet presenting the Cheeseburger Backpack certainly looks like one of embarrassment, and one of not even appreciating the gesture, regardless.
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And if you look, this whole thing started when the Gems implied that birthday parties were a "kids thing."
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(My apologies for VUDU’s captions - they got better, I promise.)
Since then, he’s been stuck on the idea that he would have to leave things behind as he got older.
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Before that, he was trying to convince the Gems of just the opposite.
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Little did Steven know that they actually came around, while he was away...
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But now?  Now that they've obviously come around, he's still having trouble getting over what was once said.
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He's even overtly objecting to being called "cute," or like a kid!
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I think this is a pretty good example of how one little thing can result in a problem that a person struggles with for a long time afterward; how one idea can result in a person pressuring themselves to try and be something or not, even if the people who gave the idea have changed their minds.  I think it's a pretty good example of the kind of baggage - the kind of problems - we carry around with us.
And you know what the official description of SU:F says?
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"[A]s [Steven] runs out of other people's problems to solve, he'll finally have to face his own."
I very much believe that this is one of them. =3
Before I saw the movie, I had been spoiled by the “catchup” vid for the last season clearly being narrated by an older-voiced Steven.  (So sorry, Hilary, that you want through so much trouble, but the neck wasn't much of a secret to me. XD; )  And spoilers aside, it had been pretty well hinted that he was going to grow up, via both of the “Birthday” episodes. 
(Personally, I’m kind of disappointed that we missed the magic growth spurt - I always thought it would've been hilarious. X3)
I’d often thought that Steven was going to grow up when he realized that he didn't have to leave “childish” stuff behind - that he can be grown up without having to "stop being a kid," or worrying about how people would see him if he didn't.  I kind of figured it would allow him to feel more comfortable about growing up, and so he would grow up.
But, apparently, that's still a thing he needs to work on.
And sure, I'm glad Steven came around at least a little, but I wonder if it's really enough... especially since he doesn’t even seem sincere on loving that the Gems upgraded the Steven Tag game.
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But also, it seems to me like this issue is affecting more of his personality than just his desire to have fun... like he's losing quite a bit of himself.  Remember how Pearl once described him?
You have to feel like yourself!  Sweet and considerate, and only occasionally obnoxious! - Pearl, So Many Birthdays
It does seem like Steven's been having trouble with the considerate angle, lately.  I mean, he kept busting into Jasper's hideout, he took over Amethyst's mentorship program (completely ignoring the feelings of the Gems being mentored), and in general, he's kinda... asserting himself and his opinions more than listening to others(').  I'd even say that he's lost a lot of his sweet, and he's... probably more than occasionally obnoxious. ^_^;  I mean, Aquamarine and Eyeball certainly think so. X3
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Now?  Well... I'd say that the Gems have at least as much of a point as Steven does.  I have to admit, I feel a lot like Amethyst - I think she has a point about the direction Steven is (or had been) heading, and about what kind of example he was setting.
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I agree that the issue is serious enough for Pearl to be justified in being willing to join in (which I really love her doing =3).
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(Seriously, I’ve actually been worried for Steven.)
...And now I’d say that her old plea to feel like himself again is even more valid than ever.
In a way, Snow Day felt a lot like So Many Birthdays in reverse: instead of Steven trying to spend time with the Gems and making them feeling awkward about silly stuff, we now have the exact opposite.  Now, instead of allowing himself to still be a kid, Steven tries to convince them not to make him be a kid.  ...Which, again, is fair, but still.  I'd say it goes too far when he hates the idea of "kid."
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But yeah...  I figure this has gotta be addressed sooner or later.  Personally, I can't wait fo the day when it is. XD;
...call me crazy - call me super crazy - but I’m hoping that a certain Pink Doofball* will talk some more sense into him. X3  That, or maybe his dad.
(*If you're not familiar with my blog... well, here's my main theory, in case you're interested.  I know it probably sounds insane, but it would mean a lot if you'd give it a look.)
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The Bird And The Tiger
(This is another repost from my old blog.)
The problem with essentially pigeonholing yourself into making a Steven Universe blog comes when you realize you don’t actually have that many subjects to go through during the drought between episodes.
But after some deliberation, I realized I had quite a bit of fun with my Jaspis post, so why not try the same thing twice? Steven Universe is ripe with possible ships waiting to set sail, and even more character interactions that really should be addressed in some form or another.
So for this little rant/analysis, let’s delve into something a bit more on the fringe of the show’s canon. There’s plenty of Jaspis interactions, Lapidot interactions, Pearlmethyst interactions and more that you can find within the canon, but this one involves two Gems that have yet to really share a proper scene together (and as such, no stylish opening image, sadly), yet they seem to be quite tightly connected: Jasper and Pearl!
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(This is literally the only scene they appear together!)
At first glance, Jaspearl might almost sound like a crackship. These are two characters who’ve never had any major interactions together, rarely ever mention one another, and just overall have almost nothing to connect one another besides sharing the same TV show.
But as season 3 progressed, and we found out a little bit more about Jasper, there are some curious parallels between the servant and the soldier that make this a very interesting “what-if” relationship to be explored. There’s quite a bit to get through with these two, so like last time, I will try very hard to keep things organized and coherent.
Let’s start with one of the show’s main characters: Pearl.
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Pearl does not need much introduction. She is not a very subtle character, despite how nuanced many of her aspects may be. Possibly the oldest surviving member of the Crystal Gems, Pearl seems to be the one to take her role as “mother” to Steven the most seriously. She can be authoritative to the point of bossiness, caring to the point of overbearing, and emotional to the point of being a complete wreck.
There is no denying Pearl carries her emotions on her sleeve, and while she can get easily carried away because of them, they always come from the right place. She can be remarkably patient when she wants to, but also more uptight than a college dean in an 80′s comedy. Pearl has her flaws, but they do come from a very real place.
Rose Quartz was as much of an influence on Pearl when she was alive, as she was when she died. Even ignoring the resentment (big or small) that might have boiled up inside Pearl over the years due to Greg essentially winning the Rosebowl, and even the fact she’s now caring for the son/reincarnation of her former love interest, Pearl’s issues started a long way back, thousands of years before Greg even existed.
As we’ve seen in the show, Pearls in the Gem Homeworld are little more than servants. They’re not depended on anything besides carrying things, opening doors, looking pretty and maybe occasionally singing. There’s likely not a whole lot of respect being thrown around in a Pearl’s direction, or even any kind of validation for their existence outside of being ordered to do something. So we can gather this was most likely Pearl’s life before Rose came into the picture: she was just someone’s lackey, and this was all she knew. But then came the rebellion, and Rose showed her the endless possibilities that lay ahead of Pearl. Everything she wanted to be, she could be, and Pearl clearly took Rose’s words to heart. Maybe a little too much.
It’s made quite clear throughout the show Pearl still has issues properly coming to terms with the concept of “not having an owner”. She was madly loyal to Rose Quartz, which while it can certainly simply be interpreted as nothing more than loyalty out of respect/love, I feel there’s just as many clues to suggest something a bit more complicated. Pearl might still be having difficulties rationalizing her newfound freedom with her instincts of servitude.
Pearl’s mentality of “I’m not strong unless I’m being told what to do” is displayed in a few episodes, probably most prominently during the Sardonyx mini arc. Pearl’s relationship towards Rose, while undoubtedly romantic in nature, suffers greatly from Pearl’s own mentality: it isn’t enough that she loves Rose, but her entire existence is connected to her. Without Rose, Pearl is nothing; without a leader, Pearl is useless.
Rose’s death affected her in ways far deeper than simply grieving over a loved one. It left her practically aimless and without a purpose, all of that strength she had built up over millennia would have been gone in an instant as she was left without someone to tell her that she was still strong.
Now, of course, it could be argued much of what I just said has been rendered moot by season 4, more specifically around “Last One Out Of Beach City” where Pearl seems to finally drop her Rose blues, and jumps back into the dating scene after Mystery Girl.
However, this can be read as yet another example of how Pearl has difficulties letting go of the past, and more specifically, Rose. You really only have to take a look at Mystery Girl to realize it, and the show itself points out her physical similarities to Rose Quartz. For Pearl’s first human crush to be a woman who resembles (vaguely, but still resembles) her long lost leader seems to have hardly been done on accident (although it could very well just have been laziness, but there’s enough speculation in this post already).
This part of Pearl’s character hasn’t been approached again at this time (”Room For Ruby” having been the last episode since this post), so only time will tell where this particular plot point might head in the future, if even at all.
But with Pearl out of the way, it’s time to approach the other big side of this ship:
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Jasper is a whole other ball of relationship issues, even if she doesn’t seem like it at first. While the brave Gem soldier started her run in the show as a confident and powerful antagonist, things have changed quite a lot since “The Return”. A big catalyst for that change was Lapis, who I have a whole other post detailing what went down between them there. So to keep things short: Jasper has become a bit obsessed with the concept of fusing.
However, whether this is purely from a standpoint of “fusing makes me more powerful” or if there’s something deeper going on, that’s quite up for debate. Jasper has expressed sorrow over both her fusion partners eventually leaving her in the end, and her pleads to Lapis to reform Malachite didn’t seem to be feigned (she blamed and attacked Steven for Lapis’s refusal, as opposed to just going after Lapis to force a fusion after all).
While it’s yet to really be overtly stated, Jasper seems to have developed a necessity to stay fused. Exactly how deep this goes remains to be seen, but it’s quite the fertile ground for speculation. Maybe Jasper is only interested in power, but maybe that’s just what she’s telling herself and fusion is emotionally affecting her more than she’d care to admit.
But that’s not all that’s been haunting Jasper since she returned to Earth, but this one is much simpler. Jasper lost her Diamond to Rose Quartz, and that has affected her very deeply. Jasper clearly felt a strong connection to Pink Diamond, but whether this is considered normal among Gems, or if there was actually a more intimate and personal relationship between Jasper and her Diamond remains to be seen.
It’s also worth to not this quote by Rebecca Sugar herself regarding Jasper, and her refusal to accept help from Steven and the others:
“Jasper is very different than Peridot and Lapis. Unlike them, she has a deep hate for herself because of her origins on Earth. She is determined to never be weak or vulnerable. So at the point when she’s the lowest, there’s no way she’d ever accept help, because she believes she doesn’t deserve it.
Peridot and Lapis both believed they deserved better than what happened to them, but not Jasper. She went back to Earth to face her demons, and she lost. She’s consumed by her own self pity.”
With this, we can see Jasper has a lot more insecurities than the “perfect Quartz” would be expected to have. From her anger towards the loss of her Diamond, her self-flagellation and her growing fusion complex, there’s quite a lot going inside that hard head of hers.
Where exactly this leaves Jasper and Pearl is entirely up for interpretation, obviously, but there’s definitely a lot to work with between the two should they ever get a proper interaction together.
Both Gems lost someone they deeply cared about (to the other’s significant other, no less); both Gems have had their issues regarding fusion (Malachite and Sardonyx) and using it as a way to empower themselves; both Gems have quite deep-seated inferiority complexes, and they generally act upon them in similar ways (shutting themselves out for others, or even manipulating others to feel better about themselves).
Even on a more surface level, the image of a petite, calm and refined element building something between a much larger, cruder and more violent one to help them find their gentler side is a popular story that can be told very well, very easily (”Beauty And The Beast“ has survived long enough to prove this).
What the future holds for Pearl, only the Crewniverse can say. For Jasper, even more so. It would seem like a badly missed opportunity if these two never get to meet one on one in some capacity, but whether that seems likely to you or not depends primarily on how much faith you still have on the writing staff for the show.
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