#badass peridot

[lee-blenderiano]

Peridot, it took me a while to do this kind of paint so, leave a like please

[cleoinspace]

The twist with the candy people was really out there, I must say... I'm not sure I'd do something like that now.

Lapis and Peridot’s Talk Show, Carmen’s Desperate Move, and A Return to Japan

Note: This fan fiction is for General Audiences, bringing together characters from Steven Universe, Carmen Sandiego, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Revolutionary Girl Utena. This story is part 12 of “An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers,” my multifaceted crossover fan fiction. For further reference, here is a map I created, all the locations used in this story appearing on there. Peridot’s name is abbreviated as Peri, apart from the first mention, to make her more personable.

See the master list for An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers here.

Romantic pairings: Adora / Pearl (Peadora), Lapis / Peridot (Lapidot), Connie / Steven, Ruby / Sapphire (Rupphire), Anthy / Utena

Friendships: Player and Carmen, Peridot and Lapis and Utena and Anthy, Chu-Chu and Anthy, Chu-Chu and Utena, Lapis and Pumpkin, Peridot and Pumpkin, Garnet and Steven, Garnet and Carmen, Bismuth and Carmen, Amethyst and Steven, Julia and The Chief, Julia and Carmen, Greg and Steven

Words: 5.6k

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21218822

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1254821732-an-unlikely-alliance-of-evildoers-lapis-and

Asianfanfics: https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1424027/lapis-and-peridot-s-talk-show-carmen-s-desperate-move-and-a-return-to-japan

Characters: Carmen Sandiego, Player, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis Lazuli, Adora, Utena Tenjou, Anthy Himemiya, Chu-Chu, Steven Universe, Connie, Bismuth, Ronaldo Fryman, Priyanka, Greg, Garnet, Amethyst, The Chief, Julia “Jules” Argent, Pumpkin, Flask Robonoids, Stevonnie

Summary: Carmen and Utena remain scarred from the horrifying sights in Yokohama, Japan, but Peridot and Lapis have moved forward, and are realizing their dream to host a talk show. Even though this boosts everyone’s spirits, for Carmen, desperate times call for desperate measures, while Lapis, Peridot, Steven, Connie, Bismuth, and Pumpkin are drawn back to Japan to face evildoers who want to use the candy people to their own ends…

Keep reading

[love-takes-work]

January 2025 Latest Steven Universe Hot Topic Merch

Hot Topic is putting out new stuff again?

So you might remember that a kinda strange Steven/Pearl buddy bracelet came out a while back. I bought it but questioned why did they have a Steven/Pearl set and, ya know, not anyone else? Well, now there is a 4-part buddy bracelet set of the Crystal Gems!

And I'm pleased that the Steven and Pearl ones are NOT the same design as the set I already picked up, because I'd be annoyed:

But I'm not done! Guess what? There's something special for all you pearlrosies out there.

YES, IT IS BATTLE PEARL AND BATTLE ROSE PARTNER NECKLACES. YES I'M DYING

They are similar in some ways to the Ruby/Sapphire necklaces they released a while back. (I have these.)

And guess what else? Bizarrely, Hot Topic is releasing a sticker set.

And boy, it's a GOOD one! Look! It has the Diamonds! It has Peridot! It has various designs of the Gems! Greg! Rose! Lapis! Logos! Gemstones! We get a Bismuth sticker! A Centipeetle Sticker! A Jasper sticker!! Can you believe this?

And what's especially neat is that they're all doubled. So if you're like most of us and waffle forever between wanting to use a cool sticker and wanting to keep it for another day, you can do both!

This is badass I can't even.

[wt555]

I'm getting back into Steven universe and do you see my vision

like, look at the peridot we follow in the show:

-weeb (just like tord)

-tech nerd (which I envision tord would be, considering he had that secret laboratory and shit)(also the main reason I wanted him to be a peridot)

plus, I never envisioned Tord as a super strong guy either (hence why I like the limb enhancements that these peridots have)

In my head he's more nerdy and book smart rather than physically fit. He just likes the edgy aesthetic that being a "badass gun owner" comes with

-and they are both assholes

someone else probably already did this, but I hadn't drawn anything eddsworld related in a while, so I wanted to get this out of my system

idk if I'll make my own EW au about this, but I did think that Tord would be named "Tord" by Edd, as a nickname or something

[ceiwiart2]

Do you have lore for your Steven Universe au? Love the characters disings (especialy Pearl, she look so badass)

Ahhh! Thank you sm! This is going to be a long post, apologies In advance!

But yes, I do actually! I realized I've never really put the lore here, sorry about that guys!

Let's start off with the Diamonds:

White Diamond is the CEO of a Gemology company that works to study minerals and gems to distribute to jeweler companies.

Blue and Yellow Diamond are gemologists that work under her.

The zircons (haven't drawn them yet) would be their company lawyers.

Pink Diamond is a humanitarian/ environmentalist and does not work for White Diamond. But in this AU, PD no longer exists d/t childbirth.

I don't have human names for them all yet and don't know if I will ever get to that point of creativity tbh lol.

As for the rest of them:

Spinel is the mean girl in this AU. She likes Volleyball but I like the idea that Volleyball actually has a crush on Pearl. (Credit to fettiowi on twt for that one.)

Pearl, on the other hand, is in a relationship with Bismuth.

Bismuth is a car mechanic and welder and owns her own business. Pearl is her secretary.

Garnet is a psychic medium and has her own Crystal shop, she gives all of her friends gem jewelery and has a third eye tattoo on her forehead in place of where her eye is in the series.

Amethyst works as a model for Vidalia.

Not sure what Volleyball's origins are yet.

Lapis and Peridot are dating and have that kind of relationship where they pick on each other a lot to show their love for each other.

Jasper is a gym rat. And that's all I got for her rn.

And I think that's all of them for now, thanks for the question and being interested in my Human AU!!! ☺️💙

[clarktooncrossing]

DUDELZ | Malefidot

GREETINGS PEOPLE OF TODAY AND ROBOTS OF TOMORROW! IT'S ME, CLARK, BACK WITH ANOTHER DOSE OF WEIRDNESS!

After years of being told how good the show was and watching clips on YouTube, I began to watch Steven Universe proper back in mid-2023. Getting through the first season was the hardest hurdle. My main problem was that the Crystal Gems didn't really seem all that heroic. Pearl was petty, Amethyst acted like an ass, Garnet felt disconnected, and none of them really seemed to care about the planet they were protecting. Our heroes, everybody! Thankfully most of these problems were later fixed and I began to enjoy the show immensely. However, my favorite characters is by far Peridot. She started out as a generic evil villain when introduced near the end of Season 1 before becoming an energetic, eccentric little goober with a satisfying redemption arc. Most fans seem to think she's autistic and I'd be totally down with that. Just like I would've been totally down with her hooking up with Lapis but THAT NEVER HAPPENED! They could've been their own Percy and Pierre!

...Where was I going with this? Oh right!

I don't remember how specifically the idea came to be, but @burningthrucelluloid suggested I draw Peridot as Maleficent, the evil fairy from Sleeping Beauty. Between Maleficent being my favorite villain and the idea sounding hilarious, what reason was there not to draw this? Took me a while, but eventually we have the DUDEL you see before you. Usually DUDELZ are meant strictly for my original creations, but I decided including more fan art will not only bring more traffic to my artwork, but aid me in keeping my creative juices flowing. Either way; Malefidot!

There's not much else to say about this sketch. Just look at it, what more explanation do ya' need? It's while drawing this that I realized that Sleeping Beauty and Steven Universe kind'a share a few parallels. A royal heir raised by three magical women? The protagonist meeting their one true love and said true love turns out to be a sword-wielding badass? Both stories showing how love ultimately triumphs over evil? What I know for sure is that this concept should be expanded upon. Show of hands, would anybody be up for seeing the original three Crystal Gems dressed as the Good Fairies? Let me know in the comments. For now, I hope you all enjoy!

MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

(Yes, the live action movie sucks, but I do enjoy this cover.)

[thedeerman]

ummm someone tell me why listening to system/BOOT PearlFinal (3) from the SU Movie just gave me the wildest fucking Hazbin AU concept (this is fucking long pls forgive me)

So- Steven Universe Movie x Hazbin Hotel. All of them have just had their memories wiped, their 'default' personalities reset, and not having any idea who they once were. you get to really see what each character would have been like had they not faced whatever horrible thing landed them in Hell to begin with.

Going through that song in particular made me really think, guys. Hear me out.

Lucifer is Rose/Pink in this, so he wouldn't really be there.

Obv Charlie takes her rightful place as Steven, as she is literally, in almost all fucking ways, Adult Demon Steven Universe. Take out the aliens and add in the bible and you got Charlie Morningstar

Lilith is Pearl- She fell in love with the angel that took a liking to her, dedicating everything about her existence to Lucifer. Even when it came to giving up everything, she did it for him. Reset, she's just as dedicated but has no one to give that dedication to. Until...

Yes, ALASTOR HAS TO BE GREG. Lilith may have come from Eden with Lucifer, by his side from the very beginning, but after all those years, I never thought I'd lose... Also, the whole 'pearl latching on to greg as her new diamond' thing makes that EXTRA hilarious. Charlie's gonna be all "Mom, don't you recognize them? Don't you recognize me?" Lilith's overly helpful ass is gonna be like "Hmmmm... Well I certainly recognize my Um Radio Demon!" And Al just, "...Oh boy."

Angel is Ruby, even if he hadn't been raised in the mafia, I'd like to think that Angel would be a solid badass mf either way, dedicated to protecting what he cares about.

Husk is Sapphire, ever think that maybe the reason the oddly wise bartender always seems to know everything isn't because he's a bartender? Uh oh, secret's out, Husky. (not to mention the idea of Huskerdust 'isn't it love' is killing me)

Niffty is Amethyst- except an amethyst is big, and strong... this one is not the best example, something is clearly wrong! (im sorry i have no self control). anyway yall can't tell me that cute little reset 'who am i? whats going on? idk, lemme just copy this guy over here' Niffty wouldn't be the best fucking thing

Now, I don't think it even needs saying that Sir Pentious needs to be Peridot, if you show me both of their pictures I will say 'that's the same picture'

And that means Cherri takes her role as Lapis, which I fuckin adore

As much as I'd like to make Vaggie be Connie, Connie is entirely absent the whole movie lmao and I also think that Bismuth is a damn good gem for Vaggie anyway. Bold, determined, has a deadly hatred of the place she came from and will do anything to defend her new home (gay as shit)

And for spinel, I'm not 100% sure. I'm thinking it could be an adamsapple situation where Adam was left in Eden, forever waiting for Lucifer to return despite the fact that he's essentially dead to the rest of Heaven. once he finds out about Lucifer having made a life for himself in Hell, he goes to take out his jealousy on Charlie and the others. and when he's reset he goes back to a silly, fun loving innocent guy that wants nothing but to make others happy.

Uhhhh oops that got long, im Very Normal about these two shows, guys. i swear.

[georgi-girl]

Steven Universe Recast

Retelling Steven Universe using CGI characters with a theme of magical creatures instead of gems. This is going to be a lengthy one, so you might want to sit down.

We have…

The Main Humans:

Antonio Madrigal in the role of Steven. In this world, fairy/ human hybrids are called changelings. Aside from talking to animals, he also has the powers of other Madrigal members, such as healing, enhanced strength, growing plants, affecting the weather, and best of all; Mirabel’s power of listening.

Felix Madrigal is the role of Greg. I guess he’d have a different surname in this story. Or maybe he was married to Peppa, and she passed away. I’ll leave that up to you.  

The Crystel Gems:

Nimona the pucca in the role of Amethyst. Pucca are shapeshifters who serve as foot soldiers in the Fay army. But Nim would rather play and cause mischief.

Mavka the tree nymph in the role of Pearl. Nymphs, like pearls are cultivated to serve whoever possesses their soul plant. But Mavka was emancipated to cultivate her own path.

Sweet Dream the fusion in the role of Garnet. She’s a fusion of Branch the scout troll (in the role of Ruby) and Poppy the wood troll (in the role of Sapphire). Fusion between different species, even different ranks of magic creatures, is forbidden.

Supporting Protagonists:

Nora aka Anansi in the role of Bismuth: Well-intentioned overzealous butch warrior. Spider people are used for manual labor in the Fay world, but they rebelled and went on the lam, with Anansi as their leader.

Mike the cyclops in the role of Peridot. Cyclops are bred to be soldiers, but since Mike was born “defective” he works as a scout.

Celia the gorgon in the role of Lapis Lazuli. Gorgons are architects with stone powers. During the war, Selia was petrified by accident and left behind when the Fay left.  

Sophia the First in the role of Connie. This was a hard role to fill out, and Sophia’s the only character I can think of whose young enough to be matched with Antonio. I think they’re a good couple.

Chunky the death cat in the role of Lion. He was bred to be a war mount, but he ran away from the battlefield.

K-Pop pretty boy Merlin in the role of Lars. Wizard wannabe who (spoiler) is eventually turned into a dwarf and becomes a rebel leader.

Sweet precious Snow White in the role of Sadie. Badass with a heart of gold.

The Off-Colors:

Terry and Terri as the Rutile Twins. They’re conjoined cyclops twins who were deemed “useless” at birth but were rescued by Cory.

Pomni in the role of Rhodonite. She’s a fusion between Gnomeo and Juliet.

Oh in the role of Padparadscha. He’s a goblin bred for clean-up duty, but he’d rather play in messes than clean them.

Cory the Manticore in the role of Fluorite. She’s a fusion between a vampire, a were-lion, a scorpion centaur, and a satyr. She rescued the other off-colors from being killed by the Fay.

The Antagonists:

Chackel the vampire in the role of Jasper. He’s an assassin who loves his job and can’t stand letting his prey get away.

Lou the siren in the role of Holly Blue Agate. Self-righteous control freak. Male sirens are rare, so they get special ranks, usually as instructors or enforcers.

Manon aka Puppeteer in the role of Aquamarine. A pixie retriever with the power to paralyze people (plus she kind of looks like Aqua) 

Laverna the pixie the role of Emerald. She’s an inspector in charge of hunting down dissidents.

Elves Velvet and Veneer in the role of the Zircons. Veneer is the blue one, Velvet is the green one. Elves are in charge of upholding the law and seeing if it’s been broken. These two are very bad at their jobs.

The K-Pop Quintet in the role of the Ruby Squad. Scout Trolls similar to Branch who seek out missing VIPs.  

The Diamond Authority: They are based on legendary Fairy Queens.

The Director as Gloriana the White Diamond. Creator of the Law.

Mayura as Mab the Blue Diamond. Interpreter of the Law.

Style Queen as Titania the Yellow Diamond. Enforcer of the Law.

Then there’s Sun Yi, who is based on the Celestial Weaving Maid of Asian lore.

CosmoBug (my favorite variation of Ladybug) as Pink Diamond and Sun Yi as Rose Quartz. There’s lots of symbolism in this transformation; she goes from a racially vague unsure teenager to a fully Chinese-coded mature grown-up.

Queen Bee in the role of Yellow Pearl. She’s a daffodil nymph.

Miraculer in the role of Blue Pearl. She’s a tulip nymph.

Raggatha in the role of Cracked Pearl. She’s a rose nymph whose right eye was replaced with a button. Long story.

Finally there’s Anxiety in the role of Spinal. She’s a personal companion brownie assigned to Sun Yi. But she kept freaking out over everything, so Sun left her with the nymphs.

Character fusions coming soon.

[peridot112]

comm request: lapidot fusion!!

idk if half of these details are necessary but i like giving lots of info

name: turquoise

abilities (excluding lapis and peris normal abilities which are also included and are more powerful): corrosion, improved metal powers (morph, liquify/solidify) and, therefore, this badass can also do metallic wings.

personality: mostly chill but excitable, nerdy, funny, kind, vaguely motherly at times?

looks: i have no idea. this ones up to you honestly, i just need more concept stuff so when the decade comes i can finally put together what my sillybrain is thinking

sORRY FOR THE REALLY LONG ASK :D

anon cuz for some reason im slightly embarrassed?? idek why

Anon, tbh I forgot to say I’m not doing them anymore because I’m doing my pink Steven au (not ur fault btw I forgot to say)

But also I don’t really believe in Peri and lapis fusion because peridot doesn’t like fusion and lapis has trauma from it from jasper, idm the people who do tho cuz I do ship them.

Anyways I can’t be bothered to draw it but on Roblox there’s this game where you can fuse two gems together so I’ll get on and post it when I can !!

Really sorry about this (it’s mainly because I’m lazy and have too much stuff to draw )

[lee-blenderiano]

Peridot kung fu master(wing chun)

Yep i like the result a lot hehe

[booksrbetterthanpeople]

Since you came up with different hero/villain names for the Akuma and Science Classes, what would be the hero/villain names for the Recess and Theater Classes? (Obviously we already have the name for Victoria and Anthony)

DC/Marvel

Recess

Austin A: Star Quartz/They

Austin B: Roulette/Mystic

Austin Q: Mako/Cosmic Lord

Auston T: Jade Lantern/Lunar Soldier

DJ: Malleable/Trash Panda

Spinelli: E voilà/Uomo di sabbia

Victoria: Electra/Inferno

Gia: Peridot Shot/Blizzard

Mindy: Buteos/They-Hunk

Gerard: Professor Chill/Voltaic

Mason: Emperor/Ms. Extraordinary

Rochelle: Artemis/Chief

Kendra: Groove/Green Imp

Lotta: Power Up/Harbinger

Theater

Ayesha: Rainbow Surfer/Heavenly

Anthony: Umbra/Bloodsucker

Dot: Badass/Speck

Petra: Karma/Rascal

Roxanne: Stellar/Infinite

Eri: Hex/Amethyst Witch

Candace: Equilibrium/Saber

Soo-Yeon: Blood Bro/Magnetite

Margo: Fury/Vanquisher

Staci: See-You/The Master

Parker: K.O./Ares

Brecken: Multiple/Oak

Agnes: Specter/Platinum Tide

Mona: Hurricane/Mind Warp

Genevieve: Lady Mars/Screech

Eloise: Illuminate/Liz

Anais: Gear/Critter

Jesse: MalevoLyricist/Midnight

Missy: Quick Fire/Rancor

[daddymus-mamatron]

for the character breakdown meme: Skywarp, if you fancy it. (You pick the continuity; I'm interested regardless...)

break Skywarp aft down:

there are 2 Skywarp. The male prankster (DA for dumb aft [affectionate]) and the female badass (ES earthspark). They both exist and I love them both. So double the answers.

How I feel about this character

DA - love him, great comedic relief, the sweet to Star's bite. I wish he wasn't always portrayed as himbo but I can live with it. (You Could Be) One of Us is one of my fav Skywarp out there ES - She's fierce, she's hot, with nova Storm they were the best antigonist of s1. That battle at the ceremony is still one of my fav action sequence from that show.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

DA - He's very shippable, love it when the trine are romantic, I mentionned the whole elite trine and Skyfire already but it bears mentionnig again. ES - I don't know honestly. She has huge lesbian vibes tho peridot

My non-romantic OTP for this character

DA - the cassettes. he gets along with all of them, no frame discrimination from my 'Warp cuz he knows how much it sucks to be treated like shit because of your frame. ES - I love to think she'd get along with Swindle. On his side it's for the warping abilities, and for her it's blackmail material for when she'll need it.

My unpopular opinion about this character

DA - Mhhh, not sure about that one. He's just such a great guy ES - heard between branches that Warp and Nova are sisters. Grumbling because now the purists will be down anyone throat sigh the Es canon is a mess anyway

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

DA - wished the poor thing caught a break in Skybound sob ES - Her rage at S2 Screamer was delicious food, I would have loved more!!!

[lazaxus-the-alien]

Hey kagura how would peridot react if scorpion(hanzo hasashi), appears and ask her to be his aprenttice and join the shirai ryu, would lapis be jealous?, or think that peridot would look like more badass

That's what we'll find out.... wait...

[standingbyawishingwell]

While I can’t speak for everyone who disliked the movie (as I am not one of them) I think I can represent a small section of people who felt dissatisfaction with the way Spinel was handled and how her arc concluded. Both her and Steven.

Also, I’m here to say Hi! You didn’t think someone from 2025’s Summer would still think about this post, did you?

Anyways, I will yap.

If your argument is that Steven should do the things that traumatized him repeatedly in the past because he’s always done it before, repeatedly hurting himself in the service of fixing Pink’s mistakes, you are ignoring the main point I made.

Which parts of “befriending someone who hurt you” is traumatic to Steven?

By extension of your argument, do you think Steven befriending Peridot, Lapis, seeking out Jasper, and Bismuth, was all done because he believed he was responsible for his mother’s actions?

While he had traumatic experiences and conflicts with them, (and it is established how much he suffered because of that in Future), he never explicitly states he regrets befriending them or that it’s a current weight on what their foundation for friendship is built on.

Steven deserves to develop healthy coping mechanisms and conflict resolution skills that do NOT require him to sacrifice himself over and over again.

I agree. Also, he never actually developed those skills. You said so yourself:

Steven risked his actual life while he didn’t have powers so he could go talk to Spinel, and he wouldn’t fight her when she wanted to fight. He STILL put himself in the line of fire far more than a less compassionate person would.

While I understand Steven was just trying to save his planet, there are ways this could be solved without putting himself in self-sacrifice mode again. For one, he could have obviously asked Lapis to fly him up to the injector and guard him while he was still not powerful instead of climbing up himself knowing he could fall any minute.

He could have asked Connie for help. She has his badass Lion that can teleport and a badass sword they could fight with. He still chose to solve things on his own when it came to him and Spinel.

I won’t ruminate too much on the crystal gems because they were too busy saving citizens, but even so, one of them could have said they watch over Steven while the other two fused, rescuing humans.

The ending of the movie, with Spinel going off with the Diamonds, might seem a little disturbing with all the codepencency floating around there, but if you want to talk about compassion, I think this is a good place for Spinel to start. 

I agree that it’s disturbing. Not because of the codependency, but because of the history of abuse the Diamonds had with Pink.

Steven experienced it firsthand. It’s not like he didn't know. He called Blue out when she made him cry. Yellow threw Stevonnie into a dark prison, essentially starving Pink (we know gems need sunlight in order to function properly, but this goes into meta territory.) White isn’t explored in much detail as Pink doesn’t mention her once, but she’s shown to be callous enough towards the perceived Pink in Change Your Mind.

And yet, despite knowing all of it very well, Steven was the one to introduce Spinel to the diamonds, and the diamonds to Spinel, and leave them with her unsupervised. Spinel actually hid when the diamonds showed up. Until Steven said: Come out.

And then he back-pedalled and said “They’re not exactly easy to get along with”, in which he didn’t even remotely reference the abuse, only saying that because they annoyed him/were too clingy.

I think Spinel at least deserved a proper warning.

One counterpoint is how Spinel was also toxic. We know what she did wrong. But what separates Spinel’s incident from the Diamonds is that she does not share a history of this behaviour, unlike them.

Like you said yourself:

This was a trauma reaction, yes, and she isn’t entirely to blame for being upset because she was worried she was just being used and none of her actions were logically thought through.

A lot of people don’t realise this but up until Homeworld Bound, we never actually saw Spinel when she wasn’t reacting to her trauma. Yes, it was a wrong way to react to trauma. But it was still a reaction.

Then there's the fact how the Diamonds changed for the better.

Except the diamonds didn’t abuse Pink out of a flight or fight response. They knew exactly what they were doing, like how abusers often do. Abuse is a cycle. Spinel’s anger, while nonetheless harmful, is short-lived by comparison.

Unlearning all they did, no matter how much they want to, takes practice. Narrative-wise, throwing an abuse victim like Spinel into the mix is not something that would realistically end well, as she’d become the outlet for their further missteps.

It’s an irresponsible decision, made by an irresponsible person. And I’m not blaming Steven for doing this. Apparently, he doesn’t know better. But this decision shouldn’t have been final.

His huge crime here is not wanting to be someone’s friend?

It’s not a crime per se, but it does reflect on his preferences.

Let me get this straight: I do think Steven was compassionate. I don’t think the “I want to help you” from Steven is missing. It’s the “I want you” that’s absent.

And because why? Since when was it established that he doesn’t want someone in his life when so far he’s been the “mom and sister collector”?

I think the problem isn’t that Spinel demands attention and care from Steven - because she does get it. Steven treats her kindly. The problem is that Spinel’s own emotional trauma lies in “I do not matter to people, they will all eventually leave”.

All Spinel ever wanted was a reliable person. Someone who stays. And the thing she wants most and the thing that she needs most, are unfortunately the same.

The truth is, as much as people like Spinel need to learn to not put their worth in someone else’s eyes but their own, everyone needs *someone*. The problem is Spinel had no one. And when you think of someone - anyone - who would face through hardship and pain just to befriend someone, first person who comes to mind is Steven.

Did Steven befriend Lapis, or Peridot, or anyone out of presumed obligation? I don’t think so. He only did because he wanted to. There’s no logic behind it. The argument that it’s because Steven has realised he owes nothing to no one doesn’t make sense. Didn’t he always know that?

Furthermore, doesn’t Future backpedal on this? That Steven feels obligated to fix everything and everyone even when no one needs it? His character arc “Steven who shouldn’t need to fix everyone” he has in the movie is ultimately erased.

I think what we can all agree on is: It has no logic. Nobody behind the ink and pen thought about *why* Steven would chose one person over another. He just does. And that’s the beauty of it, but also the cruelty.

There’s no logic to it other than Steven’s own preference like how you don’t choose who you want as friend, you either want them or you don’t. And that’s fine. But this is crucial to know for a writer - namely, why would this character want to befriend x and y, but not z? If you do not have it figured out, that’s completely fine in most cases where the story isn’t about love and friendship. But in a world where this is a cruical point you are trying to establish, it does. Steven’s preferences are these people, and he doesn’t want to befriend Spinel because this and that. So what is “this and that”?

Now what i find interesting is this: The reason most assume Steven doesn’t want Spinel is because Steven is tired. But I ask: Hasn’t he always been?

Wasn’t he tired when Jasper attacked him even though he tried to heal her out of corruption?

Wasn’t he tired when Lapis grabbed him by the neck and tried to drown him? He looked particularly distressed when Connie was drowning.

Wasn’t he tired when Homeworld came and wanted to abduct all his human friends he had mentioned to Peridot?

Because people who think Spinel was treated worse than others don’t say “Steven was unfair to not chose Spinel” we say “it’s unfair that someone like Spinel is the only person not chosen”

Again, this could have served the story’s themes quite well… If Spinel’s wants and needs weren’t the same.

The point is that Steven Universe has written itself into a corner. And then it stepped away from that corner, making it worse. Steven would have realistically been the one person to care for Spinel, knowing everything established about him. And then he wasn’t.

Steven’s only possible logic could be when someone doesn’t ask for it, he wants to, and when someone genuinely wants to be friends, needs friends, he doesn’t. And that may sound like criticism but it is the truth. It is what we’ve seen.

It’s not about anything being Steven’s fault, it’s that arguably, his choice feels unlike himself based on everything we came to know about him.

Or as @bowtothetangerinequeen put it:

That’s the sort of treatment Spinel, not only needed but deserved, and there’s no reason for him not to, given his history.

Also, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned anywhere in your post:

Why would the crew put a line so raw as “You liked me, didn’t you?” in the movie, only to pull a “No, I don’t.” from Steven?

It’s not like that line is a form of spinel misunderstanding his intentions, precisely because it’s said at the end. She started out as “mistook help for devotion”, so she should go from not understanding to understanding. By the end, she should have ended up in a place where she gets how steven feels about her, and accepts that. That’s her arc.

Let’s say this line is Spinel coming to the conclusion that he *would have liked her* If she didn’t hurt him. That inherently implies these two would have gotten along if it wasn’t for spinel trying to kill him, right? But that doesn’t make sense either. She didn’t say “You would have liked me” she said “liked me”. Simple Past Tense.

But like, babygirl Spinel, where?

The crew most likely intended that line to draw home the point of “if you want people to stay, maybe don’t lash out when they don’t” But does that mean… Steven wanted her? At some point? At any point? Even once? Because no.

That line wasn’t a misunderstanding. Yet it isn’t true either.

While I’m personally on the “Steven should have befriended Spinel” route, I think Steven not wanting Spinel makes sense, for multiple reasons I won’t name.

Steven can also choose to like some parts of her, while not fully wanting her, not fully wanting her presence. Because that’s what this is - he doesn’t like her as she is. My problem is the narrative acts like he does. All the while Steven keeps running away from her.

Because what doesn’t that imply about Steven? Whatever the answer is, it isn’t addressed.

I may be overreacting, but in an auditory-visual experience, dialouge is supposed to convey the thematic message. Every line counts. And if that’s your message, it’s confusing what it is you wanted to achieve.

TLDR; Steven comes across as reasonably unfair not because he isn't compassionate, but because Spinel required a different type of compassion. A devoted one. Something which Steven has been able to provide to everyone else so far, except her, because the writers said "Let's make sure he doesn't".

-

If you read it this far, thank you for being able to withstand my blethering. I don't know what I wanted with this by the way. I guess I’m just interested in your take? I would not have taken the time to write this if I wasn’t.

When someone toxic needs a friend

I just wanna add a little personal reflection to the discussion of Spinel’s treatment in Steven Universe: The Movie.

A few signposts so you know where I’m starting with this:

A criticism I’ve seen: 

Steven was not particularly warm to Spinel. He did not hug her. He did not offer to be her friend. He spoke carelessly and triggered her toward becoming murderous again. He only cared about what she could do for him.

A perspective I’ve seen: 

LOTS of people with borderline personality disorder or strong feelings about abandonment personally relate to Spinel and are critical of Steven from this perspective.

Rebecca Sugar’s commentary on Spinel:

The thing about Spinel is that she’s a really toxic person. 

She’s so toxic that she’s literally trying to poison people. 

In my interactions with friends who have had a history difficult enough to make it hard for them to trust other people and sometimes even actively want to hurt others, it’s just a very difficult situation to navigate. In the case of Spinel and all of these characters, that’s extremely exaggerated because cartoons have the ability to be extreme exaggerations. I wanted to explore what it’s like when you’re trying to help someone who really doesn’t want to help themselves, who wants to embody the negative feelings that they have about themselves. I think that’s something really real. I hadn’t seen that in a cartoon before. 

Spinel, unlike many other characters, actually has the goal of hurting people, which is new territory for the show. She really wants to hurt Steven, and there’s a reason that she does—because she’s in so much pain. I just wanted to explore all the dimensions of that.

I also think Steven has his way of trying to handle and dissolve conflict. It’s not necessarily a good way for him to handle this situation. It really leaves him in a difficult state, and I think what I wanted to show in the way that they interact is that at a certain point, when you can’t help someone, you have to be able to protect yourself. 

Ultimately, he can’t really convince her to change. It’s something she’ll have to want for herself. But what he can do is protect himself from her, making it impossible for her to hurt him. 

It’s sort of up to you if you would like to love her. If you watch this movie and she, you know, frustrates you, that is totally fair. I want that to be a big part of who she is.

[From the AV Club interview]

So here are a few things I want to shed light on.

It’s very interesting that Rebecca intended Spinel to be read as “a toxic person” because so many fans fell in love with her, said they’d be her friend, hated intensely on Pink Diamond because of what she did to abandon the poor Gem, and sympathized with her directly. But Rebecca was looking at Spinel from Steven’s perspective. And that’s also what I did.

I’ve been Steven. I have VERY much been Steven.

When you meet someone who was done dirty, when you recognize the horror they’ve been through, when you see how much pain they are in and agree they have the right to be angry, it’s natural for empathetic people to offer themselves as comfort.

But when you’re Steven, you also know it isn’t YOUR fault either. Before you have the ability and experience to set boundaries, you can get sucked into other people’s stormy waters and think you’re helping if you drown in solidarity with them. What’s really important to preserving yourself is learning that you can stand on the boat and toss a life preserver. That it doesn’t ACTUALLY HELP to jump in the water and sink with them.

Some folks are angry that Steven didn’t jump right into sacrifice himself on the altar of friendship in the service of an intense, literally murderous stranger who tried to poison him and his planet and lash out at his friends, robbing them of their rich pasts and their relationships because all of it hurt HER so much. It is SO easy to understand WHY SPINEL WAS ANGRY. But nothing she was doing to Steven, his friends, or the Earth was going to fix her problems, and furthermore, she FULLY UNDERSTOOD that it was NOT THE FAULT of any of the people she took her anger out on. It was irrational, yes, and that is part of her dysfunction. But also, in these situations, what helps explain it still does not excuse it.

Some have railed at Steven saying he somehow forgave genocidal tyrants like the Diamonds but couldn’t be friends with a damaged Gem like Spinel who just wanted friendship. The big difference there is that Steven got involved with the Diamonds when both parties believed he was a different person. The Diamonds believed he was the lost Pink Diamond, and Steven has also spent much of his superhero life believing he WAS his mother and was therefore obligated to accept punishment for her crimes or to clean up the messes she made. Now that he knows he is not her and that she did some pretty horrible stuff, he also wants the right to stop feeling responsible for every person Pink hurt in the entire region of space.

Steven gave Spinel basically compassionate treatment. He did not abuse her. He did not insult her. He occasionally coddled her when it seemed important (and though some said he was too businesslike while he pursued his mission, he was literally looking at the world ending within two days if he didn’t solve the problem). And most importantly … .

He let her leave the garden.

Spinel stayed in the garden all those millennia because Pink Diamond told her they were playing a game. All that time, she had visions of Pink returning so she could see her smile, hear her laughter. We see a sequence where she tried to follow Pink out of the garden and Pink manipulated her into staying willingly. We watch those feet leaving and one pair of feet staying behind. We see Pink disappear.

When Steven goes to leave the garden, Spinel follows in the same manner. Some have criticized him for letting go of her hands.

But he invited her out of the garden. He didn’t say stay. He said come with me.

As he sang about her deserving someone better, he was sincere. But he did not say the person to make her feel found should be him. He did not want to take on another person with thousands of years of baggage who would require a specific brand of attention and so much tenderness to avoid snapping. He did not allow her to be held by the hand and led out. He recognized that she needed encouragement to leave this place because of what was done to her, but he wanted her to take the steps.

Compassionate people are crushed all the time under the weight of needy people who make it hurt to love. People like Steven can acknowledge that Spinel deserves love and deserves to be happy without accepting that it’s heartless to stop short of personally doing it. Especially when you literally have to take physical, mental, and emotional damage as a general consequence of offering support and counseling. It is sometimes just beyond what you can do.

I made the mistake several times of getting very close to someone who treated me poorly while taking comfort in my presence. I cared that they were hurt and I didn’t know how to say “You deserve love” without stepping in and loving them. In EVERY case I was involved with, the person went from initially grateful to “why don’t you help me more?” shockingly quickly, and two of them deliberately tried to create situations where I would be trapped with them and isolated from others. 

I could get very personal here but I don’t think I need to. Those of us who relate all too well to Steven wanting to help others will have been in this situation. Your heart hurts for people who live with pain that has never touched you, but when they’ve made it clear with one of their first actions that they feel satisfied at the idea of ruining your life, trusting them could mean the end of you. Especially if they demand that you risk life and limb to fix and save them before you’d dare to call it love, and especially if they want to be fixed without feeling responsible for initiating any of it. Some people mistake suffering for working hard toward a goal. Both can hurt but only one is constructive. If I’m expected to spend extensive resources on someone, I need some partnership in the goal, and I can’t accomplish that with someone whose wish for companionship manifests as “I want you to feel as bad as I do, and will take steps to hurt you so I have someone to cry with.”

Steven risked his actual life while he didn’t have powers so he could go talk to Spinel, and he wouldn’t fight her when she wanted to fight. He protected himself while she spent her anger. He STILL put himself in the line of fire far more than a less compassionate person would. He took time and tenderness to listen to her story and sympathize with her, tell her she deserved better, bear witness to what she’d become after being treated like a discarded plaything, and bring her hope with promises of a new future and a way to feel found.

Sadly, Spinel flipped back to being murderous at the first sign that Steven might be about to prioritize someone other than her, reframing his reasonable needs as if he was planning to abandon her, isolate her, discard her. This was a trauma reaction, yes, and she isn’t entirely to blame for being upset because she was worried she was just being used and none of her actions were logically thought through. 

But does someone ever “deserve” the friendship of a specific person who can’t feel warm toward them because of their OWN bad experiences? 

No! 

Steven has a big heart but he has his very own huge storehouse of trauma, and being physically attacked with his family and planet put in danger over the actions of his mother is at the top of the list. Instead of assuming that the person who has trauma the loudest is the most hurt, can’t we just acknowledge that Spinel’s and Steven’s respective traumas make them NOT the best match for friendship?

The ending of the movie, with Spinel going off with the Diamonds, might seem a little disturbing with all the codepencency floating around there, but if you want to talk about compassion, I think this is a good place for Spinel to start. 

She just wanted to make Pink Diamond laugh and enjoy her life. She longed to do that for so long and then it all ended when she found out she would NEVER GET TO DO IT. I think bonding with the other Diamonds and having a familiar, safe place to experience the kind of love she’s used to will be a good FOUNDATION for building herself into a person beyond that. For now, she needs comfort. I hope they treat her well.

[darinaethelaianprophet]

You know what ? Undertale and Steven Universe mash together too well.

And I'm not just talking about Stronger than you or the Sans is Steven theory, although they are inseparably a part of this conjoinment.

Undertale is about choice, choice to kill, choice to spare, choice to make a fish house into a crème bruile.

Choice to change.

In the genocide run (and many others) Sans asks the player if they think even the worst person can change. He even offers us a chance to spare him, to stop the killing and reset, so that everyone is alive again, so that our mistakes are undone.

It's a prevalent meme that Steven talks his way out of every fight, even if it's not true (aquamarine my beloathed) and that he approaches conflict with the intention of not fighting at all.

SU explores it's villains, down to their core of why they do what they do. It's not always perfect, whether it's the shows fault or not (diamonds my beloathed etc.) but for the most part it works (Jasper, Lapis, Peridot, Spinel and Bismuth my beloved).

So does Undertale, from the little vulkin wanting a hug to Undyne who holds the pressure of the underground on her shoulders all the way to Alphys who just wants to fix her mistakes. And be an anime girl.

And speaking of anime, come on, Undertale lives off of anime references both for fun and genuinely badass moments (Asriel Dreemur god of hyper death my beloved/beloathed/whatever the fuck.)

And SU ? The whole concept of fusion is taken from dragon ball if not earlier. The fight scenes ?! Fantastical. World building and storytelling ? One level under Ghibli of not on par in some cases.

Yes I know the Rose is Pink diamond reveal was obvious but the fact that the fandom still fought so hard over it means the show did a good job hiding it.

And for the last part, the music. THE TUNES.

Undertales soundtrack is legendary. Leitmotifs go flying left and right and the unique style of each song compliments the characters so well you can hear them in random meme comps and you instantly go "hey thats Alphys's theme." THE POPE HEARD MEGALOVANIA.

SU ? Every song is a catchy banger and when the emotional ones hit they hit HARD.

So yeah, I'm not surprised theyade such a combo.

[burnt-to-cynders]

Alright, I’m like halfway through Steven Universe Future, so I think I have my superlatives worked out.

Hottest Gem: Pearl

Gem I Felt Most Seen By: Amethyst

Most Badass Gem: Garnet

Best Arc: Lapis

The Absolute Best Gem of All Time: Peridot

Coolest Gem: Bismuth