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Steven Universe fan theories for like five years

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i had a lot of fun with this spread! bottom left pose is from @adorkastock

[description: marker drawings of rose quartz in lingerie, with some ballpoint sketches of her on the side]

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Sometimes I think about how and why some people had such a *bad* reaction to the end of Steven Universe, specifically in regards to the Diamonds living.

Even though they no longer are causing harm to others and are able to actually undo some of their previous harm by living, some folks reacted as though this ending was somehow morally suspect. Morally bankrupt, even.

And I think it might be because so many of us were raised on a very specific kind of kids media trope:

They all fall to their deaths.

Disney loves chucking their bad guys off cliffs. And it makes sense- in a moral framework where villains *must* be punished (regardless of whether their death will actually prevent further harm or not), but killing of any kind is morally bad for the hero, the narrative must find a way to kill the villain without the protagonists doing a murder.

It's a moral assumption that a person can *deserve* to die, that it is cosmically just for them to die, that them dying is evidence that the story itself is morally good and correct. Scar *deserves* to die, but it would be bad for Simba to kill him. So....cliff.

Steven Universe, whatever else it's faults, took at step back and said "but if killing people is bad, then people dying is bad", and instead of dropping White Diamond off a cliff, asked "what would actual *restorative*, not punitive, justice look like? What would actual reparations mean here? If the goal is to heal, not just to punish, how do we handle those who have done harm?" And then did that.

Which I think is interesting, and that there was pushback against it is interesting.

It also reminds me of the folks who get very weird about Aang not killing Ozai at the end of Avatar. And like, Ozai still gets chucked in prison, so it doesn't even push back on our cultural ideas of punitive justice *that much.* and still, I've seen people get real mad that the child monk who is the last survivor of a genocide that wiped out his entire pacifist culture didn't do a murder.

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the crystal fairies

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rose being in love with pearl <3

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Rebecca: *has her personal, private art stolen and leaked without her consent*

"Fans": OMG Rebecca is so evil I can't believe she'd - *checks notes* - draw her own ocs in a way I personally don't like! In her own sketchbook! Where I wasn't supposed to see it!

Okay for real this is really the last thing I'll say about it. Promise.

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its insane to me how discourse topics never really go away they just recycle 4 to 5 years later on a different social media. like whyyyy is my twitter timeline full of steven universe sexuality discourse in 2024. takes a long drag of my cigerette "the gems cant be bisexual discourse.... i havent heard that name in years......"

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They are BUSY can u give them a second????????

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No one expects the Uncle Grandpa episode

NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT THE UNCLE GRANDPA EPISODE

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this is a basic drawing but,,, sapphire,,,, she's so pretty KMS

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Steven Universe - Art Nouveau Series by Alexa Rockman

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credit

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i am in a SU phase . help me

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Oi Sai , what are you thoughts on the offiacial Pearl X Greg art ?

Well it's not "official" for one thing. It's old personal sketches. People need to stop acting like sketches in the sketchbook of the creator or someone else on the team makes something canon. Do you know how many cringe Switcheroo sketches I have of ideas I'm never gonna use?

Obviously I don't like it. Like many other lesbian fans I relate heavily to Pearl. Lesbian fans already get enough shit from people saying "WEEEELLLLL Sugar is bi and the Gems are teccccnniiccally NB sorta and she based them on her so Pearl's not REAALLLY-" like... couldja let us have this one? Could you let me have my silly fantasy of an all-female society where lesbian is the majority.

Look, when I was growing up in the 90's I had to sit through endless media of a woman being introduced a "lesbian" only to have her entire storyline revolve around her suddenly being attracted to a man. It's bad enough society still acts like lesbians are basically bisexual women (or worse, straight women) in denial and that genuine homosexuality in women is just impossible. So it can grate me.

I don't think it would happen, Pearl in canon is shown to only have interest in women and disinterest at best and repulsion at worst with men, but if Sugar ever made me have to relive Chasing Amy in my comfort show I'd be pretty cross with her.

Now I'll just await the inevitable comments that will try to condescend to me about why I shouldn't feel this way.

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Very strange to me how many people seem to think Steven would be a lenient parent and Connie a strict one. Steven literally yells at his dad in Future because of his loose parenting, and Connie essentially has a meltdown in Nightmare Hospital because of how strict her mom is 💀💀💀

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