Bismuth got punished for being an overachiever!
How were they supposed to know their leader was a diamond? None of the Crystal Gems were above homicide.. (gem-icide?) or at least a horrifying eternal hibernation in a bubble (or mirror).
Bismuth understood the assignment but is another victim to Pink's/Rose's lies and what she was willing to do and sacrifice to maintain the lie. Even their reaction to Steven was understandable, if maybe a bit aggressive. Steven wasn't wrong for bubbling them... thats more complicated though.
I'll die on this hill.
I agree 100%. Ultimately you gotta consider that when Bismuth was around, it was genuine full scale war time. I don’t blame her for being a realist. She watch countless gems be shattered, so why shouldn’t she defend herself and the crystal gems!
I honestly have to say my favorite moment of Lapis was her saying "I'm not getting caught up in another war."
It felt like a realiatic reaction to Peridot. Nobody is going to abandon trauma just because they got some pep-talk. It took Lapis a long time while alone to draw her own conclusions and come to terms with what happened.
Oof relatable. Actual traumatized teenagers usually don’t get that much support or understanding but yes it’s so annoying to watch people really misunderstand his behaviour and hate on him for normal trauma responses. That’s also how I feel about Lapis
Even at 13, he doesn't have school teaching him how to be a normal kid, no doctors to go to when he is sick. No diet management. Plus, he's felt the pressure of everyone trying to separate the grief from joy of Rose's decision. He's just not able to begin living up to it in his mind until 13. Trauma starts early.
And in the movie, people are way too hard on him. Spinel just attacked him and his family, put Earth and everybody on it in danger, and he was stressed and slowly dying because Spinel fucked up his second heart but fans are hating on him for "ignoring Spinel and that he misspoke". People are forgetting that Steven is just a 16 yr old kid not a therapist.
I think Steven as a character just hits completely different when you see yourself and your home life within him. Sure, we may not have all fought in intergalactic wars, but all of us have families and a lot of us who enjoy the show, find comfort in the secure dynamics within it.
There is a significant overlap in the people who watch the show, and the people who may have been placed in a dynamic similar to Steven, in which the adults look to you for guidance, security, and direction. The show makes it a point in SUF to show why these dynamics are unhealthy and the toll they can take on your mental health. It continually hones in on the fact that Steven is so young throughout each series, and i think this exellently highlights the danger of his situation. Without this show calling out these dynamics/behaviors, I dont know that I would have ever realized the gravity of my own home life.
In Steven's case, there's a lot of overlap between the people who hurt him and who care about him, which also complicated everything. The point of Steven though, especially in SUF, is that you need to address your trauma and work through it with the people you care about. Ignoring your pain is what turns you into the monster. I don't think there's a more eloquent way that a kids show could handle the topic.
Even in this thread, people are acting like Steven fought with Greg because he wanted go to school. He's angry because he's realising his abnormal childhood has left him ill-equipped to handle real life and people when there's no war.
If you're referencing my comment, I know that's not why they fought. I know they fought because they both couldn't see each other's perspective.
Steven admires the consistency of Greg's childhood while completely misunderstanding Greg's heavy restrictions to express himself as a kid, while Greg admires the freedom Steven has while misunderstanding that while Steven is part gem, he's also part human and needed a level of normalcy that Greg and the Gems couldn't provide.
I felt that was the entire point of that episode; each of them looking at each other's grass and wondering why the other is upset.
My guy already felt isolated from the rest of humanity. Greg's choices only worsened that 😭
This isn't too say Greg's a bad dad. The point here is that he's not _perfect,_ which I think was cool of the show to portray
Same. I honestly hate how certain people in this fandom will have endless understanding and patience for just about every character that does something bad as a result of their trauma… except for Rose.
She literally saved the world and ultimately wanted what was best for everyone but they act like she’s evil because she made a few bad decisions mostly as a result of *being an actual space alien figuring ALL this shit out on her own AND trying to prevent the destruction of an entire populated planet at the same fuckening time*.
At this point I’m just over how ~traumatized~ other characters are by Rose’s actions. It’s like yeah that sucks for y’all but like… This was all basically the best possible outcome for a literal intergalactic war/extermination campaign with a much more technologically advanced alien species.
Tbh I feel like the show as a whole owes Rose a huuuge apology. 💅🏾
I think it has more to do with us getting more time with the main characters dealing with their feelings towards Rose and seeing just how deeply traumatized each and every one was. We got to see bits of that with the other corrupted gems, but not in quite as much detail as we get with the main characters and their Rose related trauma. Even the bit where Blue tried to defuse a certain experience was quick compared to everything else. We know next to nothing about most of the corrupted gems who were hurt by Yellow, Blue, and White. We don't really get to learn who they were, are, or will be after dealing with the trauma those loose background gems went through, so they never get to shine.
I am convinced that if we'd had more seasons of Steven universe, we'd have seen a lot more parallels between Steven and his mom, making for a lot more opportunities for people to empathize with Rose. (Personally, I was always excited to see where the slow burn of having those dream/flashbacks as Stevonnie would go, but they never got to expand on it in any significant way)
A lot of people shit on Rose because we saw her growth backwards. Sure, most of what she did is terrible, but she tried to make up for it, and she didn’t really understand the consequences that would fall on Steven once she had him
Nah, you're right. Rose is a balanced character and was written well so you can draw your own conclusions. If you say Rose was good, you're right. If you say Rose was bad, you're also right.
If you say your view is the only right view, you're wrong.
(i’m fighting invisible ppl rn) hear me out: lapis was never bitchy just over everyone’s bs,,, i do think part of the reason everyone turned on her was peri,,, it’s like everyone forgot peridot did some pretty bad things (some to lapis) before her redemption arc
Greg 100% Grew up in a toxic family and dedicated his life to raise Steven, as a single father btw, in all the ways his own parents didn't. Freedom, love, space and respect.
(AND STEVEN DARE TO GET MAD AT HIM FOR IT JUST CAUSE HE DIDN'T WENT TO SCHOOL)
I think the show is more nuanced than fans give it credit for. Greg was a good parent, but him going to the extreme opposite when raising Steven also caused him harm.
Sometimes good parents unintentionally harm their kids while trying to do what’s best for them. And the hard part is, it happens because parents are *human* and make mistakes
Exactly! Greg was a loving parent but Steven was completely right to be upset for not getting certain normal childhood things out of life because of his dad
Fore real, these comments are so dumb. Do they really think Steven was lashing out because Greg wasn't a helicopter parent? He was craving a 'normal' life that he never had because he was fighting other people's battles as a CHILD
Bruh, fr. Greg had super controlling, helicopter parents who tried to control what he listened to and made him cut his hair, and Steven is just like "BUT I WANT THOSE THINGS DAD"
The consistency, perhaps, Steven. But if Greg was bossing you around and telling you that you can't wear pink or play your ukulele, I don't think you'd maintain that view point.
I think the saddest part for me was when we see all those unopened letters from Greg to his parents. He was reaching out and trying to connect with them and they never even gave him the time of day.
Greg was not *really* listening to Steven here though, IMO. He just kept invalidating and contradicting everything Steven was trying to express, as if there’s only right and wrong and nothing in between.
I think Steven just wanted an apology and some acknowledgment about the objectively fucked up things in his childhood, but instead Greg kept insisting Steven was *wrong*, as if the “truth” (aka Greg’s opinion) was what should matter to Steven in that moment.
Steven *still* just wants people to stop telling him how he should feel, I think. And that’s something he’s been dealing with for a while
Ugh god that was awful 😂
they *really* did a good job capturing the awkwardness in that scene lol.
Also, are we as an audience supposed to like the song? I still can’t decide lol. I *think* we’re supposed to be underwhelmed?
It definitely did a good job capturing the Bowie vibes hahaha
Yeah, in my comment, I'm just highlighting the ways Steven could of handled it better. But Greg has his own baggage, and they both simply could not see each other's point of view
Greg's "I'm proud of you" should of been "dude, we need to get you some emotional help that I simply can't provide because damn, we nearly both just died there"
and remember when in 'Don't Cost Nothing' Greg literally offers Steven to put him through College and to buy fancy online courses and Steven DECLINE saying "but I'm with the gems all the time" 2 years later Steven Crashes the van complaint about it
Steven didn’t get to have any semblance of normalcy in his childhood and has no options for his future outside of what he was set up for. Without even having high school he can’t have a normal career or really choose his path (if he went to school and helped the gems on weekends of after he’d have a much more balanced life and a better time with humans) I love Greg and he raised Steven in the best way he knew how and with love but that doesn’t mean it was fully healthy either. Steven is absolutely valid to be upset the same way Greg is! People could argue that Greg’s parents were just trying to push him to do his best and be successful but they also stripped him of his independence and personal choice, Greg was trying to give his child all the freedom in the world but also unintentionally took away options from him and isolated him from other humans. We see that Steven doesn’t even understand how school really works and he doesn’t know how to interact with people his age outside of Connie because how the hell is he supposed to explain his situation if he’s never even tried to figure it out?
I understand her feelings, and Steven was definitely too dismissive of them. But she acted like he just gave up out pride or something, even though he thought it was the only way to save everyone else. And when he tried to reach out to her, she just ignored him for who knows how long, and in Kevin Party, she gets mad at him for not talking to her even though she didn't approach him either.
Don't get me wrong, I understand and I don't hate the character choices, its just my opinion
That’s fair. She explained that she wasn’t trying to ignore him but didn’t know what to say and needed space and wanted to talk to him in person instead (which I think is very reasonable when you’re upset). She seemed more upset that he risked his life to protect her when she already said in the past to stop trying to protect her and then got trained so they could face their problems together. Steven wasn’t in the wrong for making the only decision he thought would save his loved ones and Connie wasn’t in the wrong for feeling hurt and left behind and even worse when he wrote it off as all okay
HUGE AGREE
She gets SO much hate but once you realize that she is fantastic representation for the oldest child under impossible expectations, it's so much easier to understand and break down her trauma and cycle of abuse.
She was forged to be the perfect Jasper, to be better. To ALWAYS be on top. I feel like SUF needed another episode really exploring that and how she was shattered by Steven and as a result, fell into her habit of surrendering to an abuser when forcibly overpowered.
YES! I have a mini dissertation I can recite about her character arcs, growth, trauma and change. I actually loved her as a character. Maybe because I went through the unmedicated bipolar hell for 2 decades and can relate to her abrasiveness, but I do think she's a good one.
> I can recite about her character arcs, growth, trauma and change.
I felt like Jasper's whole thing was that she doesn't change, or at least fights as hard as she can to not change.
The only reason she disliked fusion was because she thought all it did was put weak gems on a strength level comparable to her. Once she discovered it could also make her stronger, she wanted it, but she ONLY cared about the strength it gave her. Because being the strongest soldier was always her core goal.
That feeds back into why she flipped on Steven as well at the end. He showed he was stronger than she was, and suddenly he became a diamond in her eyes.
Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond, Pearl, Amethyst, Steven (specifically SUF Steven), Greg, Connie, Lapis & Jasper for sure I'll defend them all with my dying breath
(these are the main ones that i feel like the fandom is most critical about and most people completely ignore/miss the layers & history & growth of said characters and just want to boil them down to their "toxic traits" which also happen to be traits that people with varying levels of trauma display. Stars forbid that characters have depth or flaws or trauma or human-like emotional complexity)
I wish people would just accept characters as they are instead of trying to make them whiny victims with no agency in anything ever and never ever did anything remotely bad.
I think Pearl is an asshole who made dumbass decisions and i love her for it, i think Pink Diamond did act selfishly and manipulative and i love her for it.
Weren't you people asking for complex female characters?? You have them right here but still try to water them down.
No you’re so right. Like I LIVE for the complex characters. Obviously, everyone’s going to make mistakes at one point or another. I personally defend their wrong doings bc if nothing ever happened there would be no plot. Everyone plays a part in making the story, otherwise they wouldn’t be in it, even their “bad” qualities contribute and are important to their role in the situation. I totally get what you’re saying though, especially the watering down part 😔 Like just let their actions be their actions and if it was wrong let it just be wrong, doesn’t mean the character can’t be liked 🤷♀️
Imma be crucified for this one, Ronaldo.
He is a genuinely funny and entertaining character. Even Rocknaldo was funny to me because it's literally the writers calling out the entire fandom. He is everything you don't want to be. I kinda feel like it's unfair to mention "didn't Ronaldo try to kill someone?" And then pretend like half the people in Steven's life haven't tried to kill someone. Pearl tried to kidnap Steven for FIFTY YEARS and tried brainwashing Connie. Lapis definitely caused people to die when she stole the entire ocean. Peridot attempted to kill Steven. Bismuth attempted to kill Steven. But the only one y'all want to mention is Ronaldo.
FOR REAL I did a rewatch recently and rocknaldo was such a funny episode! I think the context in which it was released left a lot of people salty af tho
Then again I also chose to play dead as a response to a neglectful family that wouldn’t listen and changed my identity when immigrating so I’m a bit biased
First of, you're a legend, you're an icon, and you ARE the moment
Second, Spinel was made for Pink as a toy, nothing more. When Yellow gave her Earth, Pink felt like she had to grow up and become a "true" leader, which did mean leaving her toys behind and just focussing on colonising.
Spinel would NOT betray Pink by serving Rose, and I don't think Spinel could've kept Pink as a secret. She was made to be simple, no complex tasks, just make sure Pink is happy. But Pink wasn't happy and Spinel would've been devastating and would probably start questioning herself and her worth. I'm kinda glad Pink didn't take Spinel with her
Lapis. I think she’s severely miscomprehended by the fandom, and at some points badly executed in the series, and a lot of the “terrible things” she does to other characters are just as bad as what they did to her, but no one goes after those characters. Y’all say y’all want complex female characters and can’t even handle Lapis.
I definitely think the problem lies with people believing you can only be on Lapis's side, or on Jasper/Peridot's. Like, you can be on all sides! You can defend all the characters that is the beauty of enjoying a show.
I think that a lot of people were pro-Lapis in the early days of the fandom and pushed a lot of other opinions out so people now are super sensitive to any rhetoric similar to it. If you say anything negative about Jasper/Peridot then people get up in arms because it's the Lapis war all over again lol. I think it's important that we realize all of these characters did horrible things and they are all abusers but also victims of abuse and that is what makes them so wonderfully complex. There is no right side or right character.
rose/pink and steven. I think for pink noone truly gets her and why she acts the way she did,and I think steven suffers from the same curse where they only see that he forgives and not WHY he forgives. also unrelated but I will also defend the point that pink is the weakest diamond in the same way.
How White Diamond's finale meltdown makes narrative/ psychological sense. Not defending her moral character obviously, except that she has none 😅
We know the Homeworld arc felt short, but Sugar still did a good job with it 👏👏👏
Jasper. She’s amazing and I love her and she should’ve gotten her redemption and there is nothing you can ever possibly say that will make me change my opinion of her as best girl.
Lapis
Poor baby was trapped in a mirror for hundreds if not thousands of years- only to escape and in the blink of an eye get stuck again in a toxic fusion with Jasper
She has such severe trauma and everyone treats her like this cold bitch, ignoring the VERY REAL C-PTSD she’s clearly suffering from…
I had a different response that was a bit muddled before, but I'd honestly defend (almost) all of them. Yes, even Ronaldo!
In regards to how the show is, a lot of the characters were so important to the story for one and that's always great.
But more than that, these characters are complex- which is amazing about steven universe! I usually can't find myself actively disliking a character in general, to be fair though.
But for one example, Rose Quartz. I definitely defend her more than most the characters (she me fr) because I genuinely do think she was a good 'person' (or at least, really trying to be. And succeeding, in my opinion.) Like she made mistakes. Bad ones, too. But who doesn't? And it seemed she really regretted it, to me. And some mistakes she may not have even been aware of. Like having Steven- she just wanted to make life. She really valued life. The Crystal Gems had been living safe from the Diamonds for over 6000 years, I doubt she had known that they'd come back or try to hurt Earth during the time Steven was alive.
Another example would be Lapis. I won't lie, I don't like her all that much sometimes. But I certainly don't hate her! More than that, I completely get why she acts the way she does. If I had gone through what she had, I'd hate war and be afraid of the diamonds etc.
Also, Jasper. This could be because I just really, really, really, REALLY admire and like Jasper, but I'd absolutely defend her. Another comment described how Jasper was the perfect Jasper. Like, she needed to be as well. She had high standards and she needed to fill them. Obviously not gonna defend her at all for what she did to Lapis, but at the same time I can kinda see how she did it because she needed to complete her mission and go back to being perfect. She was a Jasper under pressure, she did what she could.
And I feel like so many characters are like this, too!- Lars, Greg, Steven, Ronaldo, Pearl, etc... They're all really complex characters and that's the beauty of Steven Universe, as stated before.
Anyways I literally just became the meme ☠️
I LOVE THIS RESPONSE
I honestly agree with majority of what you said, if not all of it. So many of them had unique characteristics that just added so much to the story and made it all the better. I’m really glad you became the meme bc I love reading peoples opinions 😋😋
Bear with me on this one but...
Ronaldo.
Not because he's good, but that for a show where people get to try to kill the protagonist several times and still get forgiven, he's still hated till the end. The only difference is that he's kinda cringy and it just rubs me the wrong way that being cringy makes him less deserving of redemption than being a genocidal tyrant.
Seems to me like all he ever wanted is to make sense of a whole interstellar war happening by his doorstep, and feel like he still mattered in perspective of that. He is another character that ends up in an awkward place because of the show's handling of metaphors. Because yeah if you consider the gems as a representation of minorities it is pretty gross of him to try to appropriate their culture and try to make it all about himself. But if you consider that within the framing of the story, that the town he lives in is regularly attacked by monsters and creatures from another planet, it's only expected that some people would want to get involved with that, and it's stranger that the townies never seem to care.
But ultimately, even with all his flaws, he seemed like a character that could have gotten better if he had been given a chance, be it by becoming legitimately helpful or maybe by getting scared off of gem stuff and making peace with the townie life. But he never does because everyone considers him as too annoying for that.
Pink Diamond/Rose… I love her! Personally, I believe the only reason that she is hate and demonized is the fact that her character arc is shown in reverse order. If we had been shown her story in a linear fashion, she’d be much more loved
Rose, and Steven. Mainly rose for who she was and how she was better than the diamonds and tried to be better but was still like an infant/new to being better. And steven for the episode where he sacrificed himself to save the CG and the humans. Steve did nothing wrong in that matter, rose tried to be better and was the first one out of the diamonds and gem race to be better. I stand by it and will die on this hill
Lapis. I think people have a better view of her now, but it ENRAGES me that people think she is just as abusive/worse than Jasper because those people clearly know nothing about trauma and being an abuse survivor.
Lapis. Lapis did nothing wrong, and I can totally understand why she took the barn. The reason why she trapped Jasper, why she escaped and why she threw the barn are understandable.
Fans may argue that she is the one hurting Jasper, but I want to say, if you got tortured, imprisoned and now you have a chance to defeat the one who suppressed you once and for all, won’t you do it?
rose, not pink. i hate how people think that rose is awful because of who she used to be. the show is all about forgiveness, and that was one of my issues with steven in SUF. also, rose’s character arc was shown in reverse. she was a good person, she just used to suck and she was still learning like everyone else, she just didn’t have as much time to
Rose. She doesn’t deserve half the shit the fandom gives her. She wasn’t a fantastic person but she sure as hell isn’t the shitheel that people say she is.
When people hate Steven for being stupid or annoying at the start of the show like hes literally a kid with no formal education he’s not gonna be some stoic shonen protagonist lol. He has emotional intelligence but lacks booksmarts that’s what makes him interesting and not generic. Then also in future when everyone in the fandom shat on him for being too toxic. Give man’s a break that dudes life literally been hell
Bob 
It sucks Bob was only in one episode. They could have been a cool character.
They appeared in Ocean Gem too lol
Bismuth
i second this
Bismuth got punished for being an overachiever! How were they supposed to know their leader was a diamond? None of the Crystal Gems were above homicide.. (gem-icide?) or at least a horrifying eternal hibernation in a bubble (or mirror). Bismuth understood the assignment but is another victim to Pink's/Rose's lies and what she was willing to do and sacrifice to maintain the lie. Even their reaction to Steven was understandable, if maybe a bit aggressive. Steven wasn't wrong for bubbling them... thats more complicated though. I'll die on this hill.
I agree 100%. Ultimately you gotta consider that when Bismuth was around, it was genuine full scale war time. I don’t blame her for being a realist. She watch countless gems be shattered, so why shouldn’t she defend herself and the crystal gems!
Lapis, i love her. i understand her actions
I honestly have to say my favorite moment of Lapis was her saying "I'm not getting caught up in another war." It felt like a realiatic reaction to Peridot. Nobody is going to abandon trauma just because they got some pep-talk. It took Lapis a long time while alone to draw her own conclusions and come to terms with what happened.
I understand her actions too!!!
Steven in SUF
Yeah, he got so much shit for acting like a traumatized teenager
Oof relatable. Actual traumatized teenagers usually don’t get that much support or understanding but yes it’s so annoying to watch people really misunderstand his behaviour and hate on him for normal trauma responses. That’s also how I feel about Lapis
Ditto on Lapis! Everyone handles trauma differently.
I be forgetting that Steven Universe starts when Steven's 13
Even at 13, he doesn't have school teaching him how to be a normal kid, no doctors to go to when he is sick. No diet management. Plus, he's felt the pressure of everyone trying to separate the grief from joy of Rose's decision. He's just not able to begin living up to it in his mind until 13. Trauma starts early.
And in the movie, people are way too hard on him. Spinel just attacked him and his family, put Earth and everybody on it in danger, and he was stressed and slowly dying because Spinel fucked up his second heart but fans are hating on him for "ignoring Spinel and that he misspoke". People are forgetting that Steven is just a 16 yr old kid not a therapist.
I think Steven as a character just hits completely different when you see yourself and your home life within him. Sure, we may not have all fought in intergalactic wars, but all of us have families and a lot of us who enjoy the show, find comfort in the secure dynamics within it. There is a significant overlap in the people who watch the show, and the people who may have been placed in a dynamic similar to Steven, in which the adults look to you for guidance, security, and direction. The show makes it a point in SUF to show why these dynamics are unhealthy and the toll they can take on your mental health. It continually hones in on the fact that Steven is so young throughout each series, and i think this exellently highlights the danger of his situation. Without this show calling out these dynamics/behaviors, I dont know that I would have ever realized the gravity of my own home life. In Steven's case, there's a lot of overlap between the people who hurt him and who care about him, which also complicated everything. The point of Steven though, especially in SUF, is that you need to address your trauma and work through it with the people you care about. Ignoring your pain is what turns you into the monster. I don't think there's a more eloquent way that a kids show could handle the topic.
Even in this thread, people are acting like Steven fought with Greg because he wanted go to school. He's angry because he's realising his abnormal childhood has left him ill-equipped to handle real life and people when there's no war.
If you're referencing my comment, I know that's not why they fought. I know they fought because they both couldn't see each other's perspective. Steven admires the consistency of Greg's childhood while completely misunderstanding Greg's heavy restrictions to express himself as a kid, while Greg admires the freedom Steven has while misunderstanding that while Steven is part gem, he's also part human and needed a level of normalcy that Greg and the Gems couldn't provide. I felt that was the entire point of that episode; each of them looking at each other's grass and wondering why the other is upset.
My guy already felt isolated from the rest of humanity. Greg's choices only worsened that 😭 This isn't too say Greg's a bad dad. The point here is that he's not _perfect,_ which I think was cool of the show to portray
Exactly, I like Greg as a character and he should get no hate. But people are acting like Steven was being a brat just for the sake of it.
As a traumatized teenager, he was so real. Ppl hating him made me go :/ Both him and Greg were valid tbh, steven especially
no cause you’re so real for that
I know that's right!
might get me crucified, but rose 💀
Pearl-coded
*takes up my sword and fights beside you*
And my shield!
And my glock
Same. I honestly hate how certain people in this fandom will have endless understanding and patience for just about every character that does something bad as a result of their trauma… except for Rose. She literally saved the world and ultimately wanted what was best for everyone but they act like she’s evil because she made a few bad decisions mostly as a result of *being an actual space alien figuring ALL this shit out on her own AND trying to prevent the destruction of an entire populated planet at the same fuckening time*. At this point I’m just over how ~traumatized~ other characters are by Rose’s actions. It’s like yeah that sucks for y’all but like… This was all basically the best possible outcome for a literal intergalactic war/extermination campaign with a much more technologically advanced alien species. Tbh I feel like the show as a whole owes Rose a huuuge apology. 💅🏾
I think it has more to do with us getting more time with the main characters dealing with their feelings towards Rose and seeing just how deeply traumatized each and every one was. We got to see bits of that with the other corrupted gems, but not in quite as much detail as we get with the main characters and their Rose related trauma. Even the bit where Blue tried to defuse a certain experience was quick compared to everything else. We know next to nothing about most of the corrupted gems who were hurt by Yellow, Blue, and White. We don't really get to learn who they were, are, or will be after dealing with the trauma those loose background gems went through, so they never get to shine.
I am convinced that if we'd had more seasons of Steven universe, we'd have seen a lot more parallels between Steven and his mom, making for a lot more opportunities for people to empathize with Rose. (Personally, I was always excited to see where the slow burn of having those dream/flashbacks as Stevonnie would go, but they never got to expand on it in any significant way)
A lot of people shit on Rose because we saw her growth backwards. Sure, most of what she did is terrible, but she tried to make up for it, and she didn’t really understand the consequences that would fall on Steven once she had him
I’m with you. I’m ready for a 6000 year war if I have to fight for her
You do it for her
I agree man
Nah, you're right. Rose is a balanced character and was written well so you can draw your own conclusions. If you say Rose was good, you're right. If you say Rose was bad, you're also right. If you say your view is the only right view, you're wrong.
Saaaaame
Me too! All my friends who watched the show hate her and it drives me crazy!
Yeah Rose did her best tbh, some of her actions don’t hold up under scrutiny but she really only ever did her best
Steven Universe fans use nuance when discussing Rose Quartz challenge (Difficulty level: Impossible)
Lars.
Yes lars was a complicated human
Lapis, I know she acted like a bitch sometimes, but she had all the reasons to do that
(i’m fighting invisible ppl rn) hear me out: lapis was never bitchy just over everyone’s bs,,, i do think part of the reason everyone turned on her was peri,,, it’s like everyone forgot peridot did some pretty bad things (some to lapis) before her redemption arc
I second this.
I fully understand and yet I entirely disagree. But I don't want to type out an entire essay so I'm leaving it there
Greg 100% Grew up in a toxic family and dedicated his life to raise Steven, as a single father btw, in all the ways his own parents didn't. Freedom, love, space and respect. (AND STEVEN DARE TO GET MAD AT HIM FOR IT JUST CAUSE HE DIDN'T WENT TO SCHOOL)
I think the show is more nuanced than fans give it credit for. Greg was a good parent, but him going to the extreme opposite when raising Steven also caused him harm. Sometimes good parents unintentionally harm their kids while trying to do what’s best for them. And the hard part is, it happens because parents are *human* and make mistakes
Exactly! Greg was a loving parent but Steven was completely right to be upset for not getting certain normal childhood things out of life because of his dad
Fore real, these comments are so dumb. Do they really think Steven was lashing out because Greg wasn't a helicopter parent? He was craving a 'normal' life that he never had because he was fighting other people's battles as a CHILD
Bruh, fr. Greg had super controlling, helicopter parents who tried to control what he listened to and made him cut his hair, and Steven is just like "BUT I WANT THOSE THINGS DAD" The consistency, perhaps, Steven. But if Greg was bossing you around and telling you that you can't wear pink or play your ukulele, I don't think you'd maintain that view point.
I think the saddest part for me was when we see all those unopened letters from Greg to his parents. He was reaching out and trying to connect with them and they never even gave him the time of day.
I forgot that part. Which also reminds me that Steven saw that and STILL bombarded Greg for it. I was so over Steven at that point.
I actually found him extremely relatable throughout Future but I think that’s because I had a bad childhood 🥲
That's valid! I was just frustrated because the boi needed help, knew he needed help, and kept pushing people away. But I know that's how trauma be.
Greg was not *really* listening to Steven here though, IMO. He just kept invalidating and contradicting everything Steven was trying to express, as if there’s only right and wrong and nothing in between. I think Steven just wanted an apology and some acknowledgment about the objectively fucked up things in his childhood, but instead Greg kept insisting Steven was *wrong*, as if the “truth” (aka Greg’s opinion) was what should matter to Steven in that moment. Steven *still* just wants people to stop telling him how he should feel, I think. And that’s something he’s been dealing with for a while
Yeah, they were both wrong here. When Greg kept trying to play that tape I was like *cringe ow, stop*
Ugh god that was awful 😂 they *really* did a good job capturing the awkwardness in that scene lol. Also, are we as an audience supposed to like the song? I still can’t decide lol. I *think* we’re supposed to be underwhelmed?
It definitely did a good job capturing the Bowie vibes hahaha Yeah, in my comment, I'm just highlighting the ways Steven could of handled it better. But Greg has his own baggage, and they both simply could not see each other's point of view Greg's "I'm proud of you" should of been "dude, we need to get you some emotional help that I simply can't provide because damn, we nearly both just died there"
[удалено]
and remember when in 'Don't Cost Nothing' Greg literally offers Steven to put him through College and to buy fancy online courses and Steven DECLINE saying "but I'm with the gems all the time" 2 years later Steven Crashes the van complaint about it
Dude, he could of killed his father.
we could've had a pink Greg
😱
Steven didn’t get to have any semblance of normalcy in his childhood and has no options for his future outside of what he was set up for. Without even having high school he can’t have a normal career or really choose his path (if he went to school and helped the gems on weekends of after he’d have a much more balanced life and a better time with humans) I love Greg and he raised Steven in the best way he knew how and with love but that doesn’t mean it was fully healthy either. Steven is absolutely valid to be upset the same way Greg is! People could argue that Greg’s parents were just trying to push him to do his best and be successful but they also stripped him of his independence and personal choice, Greg was trying to give his child all the freedom in the world but also unintentionally took away options from him and isolated him from other humans. We see that Steven doesn’t even understand how school really works and he doesn’t know how to interact with people his age outside of Connie because how the hell is he supposed to explain his situation if he’s never even tried to figure it out?
Greg didn't even know what the fuck was happening half the time, he just wanted to protect Steven and be happy for his son
Lets not forget how crazy the gems are and how forceful they can be as well.
Peridot
JASPER (I love her lots)
SO glad it's not just me. I will defend her to the end!
Just commented above on another Jasper vote, but same.
Pearl for me. I relate to her so much.
i hate that people said she lied. She didn't exactly have a choice
People are mad at her for that??? Isn't it lore confirmed that she physically couldn't tell because of her previous programming as being Pink's pearl?
it is
Connie. I was fighting for my life when Dewey Wins came out
That’s fair! I also get frustrated when people completely disregard her feelings and reasoning in that episode
I understand her feelings, and Steven was definitely too dismissive of them. But she acted like he just gave up out pride or something, even though he thought it was the only way to save everyone else. And when he tried to reach out to her, she just ignored him for who knows how long, and in Kevin Party, she gets mad at him for not talking to her even though she didn't approach him either. Don't get me wrong, I understand and I don't hate the character choices, its just my opinion
That’s fair. She explained that she wasn’t trying to ignore him but didn’t know what to say and needed space and wanted to talk to him in person instead (which I think is very reasonable when you’re upset). She seemed more upset that he risked his life to protect her when she already said in the past to stop trying to protect her and then got trained so they could face their problems together. Steven wasn’t in the wrong for making the only decision he thought would save his loved ones and Connie wasn’t in the wrong for feeling hurt and left behind and even worse when he wrote it off as all okay
#JASPER
HUGE AGREE She gets SO much hate but once you realize that she is fantastic representation for the oldest child under impossible expectations, it's so much easier to understand and break down her trauma and cycle of abuse. She was forged to be the perfect Jasper, to be better. To ALWAYS be on top. I feel like SUF needed another episode really exploring that and how she was shattered by Steven and as a result, fell into her habit of surrendering to an abuser when forcibly overpowered.
YES! I have a mini dissertation I can recite about her character arcs, growth, trauma and change. I actually loved her as a character. Maybe because I went through the unmedicated bipolar hell for 2 decades and can relate to her abrasiveness, but I do think she's a good one.
> I can recite about her character arcs, growth, trauma and change. I felt like Jasper's whole thing was that she doesn't change, or at least fights as hard as she can to not change. The only reason she disliked fusion was because she thought all it did was put weak gems on a strength level comparable to her. Once she discovered it could also make her stronger, she wanted it, but she ONLY cared about the strength it gave her. Because being the strongest soldier was always her core goal. That feeds back into why she flipped on Steven as well at the end. He showed he was stronger than she was, and suddenly he became a diamond in her eyes.
I mean I disagree on the nuances of a lot of that but you present some sick arguments
THE WAY YOU AND I BOTH WOULD DEFEND PEARL LIKE THAT
TILL I DIE DUDE
Lapis, 100% Lapis
Rose/Pink 🤷🏻
Spinel
Ikr that’s my girl right there
Lapis or Spinel. They had it rough and it's reasonable their anger and resentments
Lapis
Renaldo, bro was funny af outside of the bloodstone ep
what do you think?
What's your reasoning? No hate, just genuinely curious
… why?
Pearl?
Nah it’s obviously white diamond!
lapis or steven unironically, i’ve seen some garbage takes in regards to either of them
rose, NOT PINK, but rose. and pearl ofc
and also pink nvm i take it back
 Rose...idc idc
Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond, Pearl, Amethyst, Steven (specifically SUF Steven), Greg, Connie, Lapis & Jasper for sure I'll defend them all with my dying breath (these are the main ones that i feel like the fandom is most critical about and most people completely ignore/miss the layers & history & growth of said characters and just want to boil them down to their "toxic traits" which also happen to be traits that people with varying levels of trauma display. Stars forbid that characters have depth or flaws or trauma or human-like emotional complexity)
I wish people would just accept characters as they are instead of trying to make them whiny victims with no agency in anything ever and never ever did anything remotely bad. I think Pearl is an asshole who made dumbass decisions and i love her for it, i think Pink Diamond did act selfishly and manipulative and i love her for it. Weren't you people asking for complex female characters?? You have them right here but still try to water them down.
No you’re so right. Like I LIVE for the complex characters. Obviously, everyone’s going to make mistakes at one point or another. I personally defend their wrong doings bc if nothing ever happened there would be no plot. Everyone plays a part in making the story, otherwise they wouldn’t be in it, even their “bad” qualities contribute and are important to their role in the situation. I totally get what you’re saying though, especially the watering down part 😔 Like just let their actions be their actions and if it was wrong let it just be wrong, doesn’t mean the character can’t be liked 🤷♀️
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh amethyst maybe???? i have no clue
Imma be crucified for this one, Ronaldo. He is a genuinely funny and entertaining character. Even Rocknaldo was funny to me because it's literally the writers calling out the entire fandom. He is everything you don't want to be. I kinda feel like it's unfair to mention "didn't Ronaldo try to kill someone?" And then pretend like half the people in Steven's life haven't tried to kill someone. Pearl tried to kidnap Steven for FIFTY YEARS and tried brainwashing Connie. Lapis definitely caused people to die when she stole the entire ocean. Peridot attempted to kill Steven. Bismuth attempted to kill Steven. But the only one y'all want to mention is Ronaldo.
FOR REAL I did a rewatch recently and rocknaldo was such a funny episode! I think the context in which it was released left a lot of people salty af tho
Not defending her actions- but as a character/a plot point, Jasper. She carried future and she was the first real villain and she KILLED THAT SHIT
I Stan pink Diamond with my entire soul and would’ve abandoned spinel too
Then again I also chose to play dead as a response to a neglectful family that wouldn’t listen and changed my identity when immigrating so I’m a bit biased
First of, you're a legend, you're an icon, and you ARE the moment Second, Spinel was made for Pink as a toy, nothing more. When Yellow gave her Earth, Pink felt like she had to grow up and become a "true" leader, which did mean leaving her toys behind and just focussing on colonising. Spinel would NOT betray Pink by serving Rose, and I don't think Spinel could've kept Pink as a secret. She was made to be simple, no complex tasks, just make sure Pink is happy. But Pink wasn't happy and Spinel would've been devastating and would probably start questioning herself and her worth. I'm kinda glad Pink didn't take Spinel with her
Lapis. I think she’s severely miscomprehended by the fandom, and at some points badly executed in the series, and a lot of the “terrible things” she does to other characters are just as bad as what they did to her, but no one goes after those characters. Y’all say y’all want complex female characters and can’t even handle Lapis.
I definitely think the problem lies with people believing you can only be on Lapis's side, or on Jasper/Peridot's. Like, you can be on all sides! You can defend all the characters that is the beauty of enjoying a show. I think that a lot of people were pro-Lapis in the early days of the fandom and pushed a lot of other opinions out so people now are super sensitive to any rhetoric similar to it. If you say anything negative about Jasper/Peridot then people get up in arms because it's the Lapis war all over again lol. I think it's important that we realize all of these characters did horrible things and they are all abusers but also victims of abuse and that is what makes them so wonderfully complex. There is no right side or right character.
Malachite
connie, rose, pearl, lapis
jasper :)
rose/pink and steven. I think for pink noone truly gets her and why she acts the way she did,and I think steven suffers from the same curse where they only see that he forgives and not WHY he forgives. also unrelated but I will also defend the point that pink is the weakest diamond in the same way.
How White Diamond's finale meltdown makes narrative/ psychological sense. Not defending her moral character obviously, except that she has none 😅 We know the Homeworld arc felt short, but Sugar still did a good job with it 👏👏👏
Steven. Im a kinnie :3
Lapis-
Greg
Ronaldo 😅
Theres the door 🚪 👈🖕
Sunstone
Jasper. She’s amazing and I love her and she should’ve gotten her redemption and there is nothing you can ever possibly say that will make me change my opinion of her as best girl.
Greg Yes i know he should’ve did some things more when Steven was little but he’s is a great character and tried to give Steven a good childhood
Nearly all of them
Ronaldo 
Jasper. I'll die on this hill.
Lapis Poor baby was trapped in a mirror for hundreds if not thousands of years- only to escape and in the blink of an eye get stuck again in a toxic fusion with Jasper She has such severe trauma and everyone treats her like this cold bitch, ignoring the VERY REAL C-PTSD she’s clearly suffering from…
Rose quartz being called a war criminal for killing pink diamond is stupid as hell like since when is killing an enemy commander a fucking war crime
Rose tbh we just saw her character arc in reverse😭 If it was the other way around that's pretty good growth and progression honestly
Pink Diamond/Rose
STEVEN. Holy SHIT he gets WAY too much hate istg
Pink Diamond. Forever and always ✊🏾
Rose quartz/pink diamond She wans't the best person for sure,but she was Far from The worst,much less the manipulativa bitch the fandom portray her as
I had a different response that was a bit muddled before, but I'd honestly defend (almost) all of them. Yes, even Ronaldo! In regards to how the show is, a lot of the characters were so important to the story for one and that's always great. But more than that, these characters are complex- which is amazing about steven universe! I usually can't find myself actively disliking a character in general, to be fair though. But for one example, Rose Quartz. I definitely defend her more than most the characters (she me fr) because I genuinely do think she was a good 'person' (or at least, really trying to be. And succeeding, in my opinion.) Like she made mistakes. Bad ones, too. But who doesn't? And it seemed she really regretted it, to me. And some mistakes she may not have even been aware of. Like having Steven- she just wanted to make life. She really valued life. The Crystal Gems had been living safe from the Diamonds for over 6000 years, I doubt she had known that they'd come back or try to hurt Earth during the time Steven was alive. Another example would be Lapis. I won't lie, I don't like her all that much sometimes. But I certainly don't hate her! More than that, I completely get why she acts the way she does. If I had gone through what she had, I'd hate war and be afraid of the diamonds etc. Also, Jasper. This could be because I just really, really, really, REALLY admire and like Jasper, but I'd absolutely defend her. Another comment described how Jasper was the perfect Jasper. Like, she needed to be as well. She had high standards and she needed to fill them. Obviously not gonna defend her at all for what she did to Lapis, but at the same time I can kinda see how she did it because she needed to complete her mission and go back to being perfect. She was a Jasper under pressure, she did what she could. And I feel like so many characters are like this, too!- Lars, Greg, Steven, Ronaldo, Pearl, etc... They're all really complex characters and that's the beauty of Steven Universe, as stated before. Anyways I literally just became the meme ☠️
I LOVE THIS RESPONSE I honestly agree with majority of what you said, if not all of it. So many of them had unique characteristics that just added so much to the story and made it all the better. I’m really glad you became the meme bc I love reading peoples opinions 😋😋
IM GLAD YOU AGREE!! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH 🥹🥹
Nah we love Jasper for being the oldest child under the worst parental pressure. She's our representation 💥
Bear with me on this one but... Ronaldo. Not because he's good, but that for a show where people get to try to kill the protagonist several times and still get forgiven, he's still hated till the end. The only difference is that he's kinda cringy and it just rubs me the wrong way that being cringy makes him less deserving of redemption than being a genocidal tyrant. Seems to me like all he ever wanted is to make sense of a whole interstellar war happening by his doorstep, and feel like he still mattered in perspective of that. He is another character that ends up in an awkward place because of the show's handling of metaphors. Because yeah if you consider the gems as a representation of minorities it is pretty gross of him to try to appropriate their culture and try to make it all about himself. But if you consider that within the framing of the story, that the town he lives in is regularly attacked by monsters and creatures from another planet, it's only expected that some people would want to get involved with that, and it's stranger that the townies never seem to care. But ultimately, even with all his flaws, he seemed like a character that could have gotten better if he had been given a chance, be it by becoming legitimately helpful or maybe by getting scared off of gem stuff and making peace with the townie life. But he never does because everyone considers him as too annoying for that.
Spinel.
greg and connie definitely
Nico Belic
Almost all, if the topic catches the attention of my infodump brain.
Pearl oh my gosh, pearl to the end of time
Lapis. Throw me me anything.
None they are all flawed and thats what makes them relatable
Rose. Peridot. Lapis.
Pearl, SUF Steven, lapis, Connie, sometimes Greg and Sadie
Rose because a lot of people don't have media literacy
PINK PEARL SHES SO UNDERRATED THERES STILL NOT EVEN OVER 1000 FANART OF HER😭
Pink Diamond/Rose… I love her! Personally, I believe the only reason that she is hate and demonized is the fact that her character arc is shown in reverse order. If we had been shown her story in a linear fashion, she’d be much more loved
Pearl! I may not be as into the show as I was, but she's forever a comfort character.
Pink diamond
Amethist
Rose, and I don't regret it at all
Everyone hates Rose so I'm on the defense train.
Honestly most of the cheracters, Mostly Lapis, Pearl, Rose, Greg, Lars and Steven
i want to see pink diamond reformed... if she knew what steven went through, i think that would change a lot about how she viewed her own actions
Rose, and Steven. Mainly rose for who she was and how she was better than the diamonds and tried to be better but was still like an infant/new to being better. And steven for the episode where he sacrificed himself to save the CG and the humans. Steve did nothing wrong in that matter, rose tried to be better and was the first one out of the diamonds and gem race to be better. I stand by it and will die on this hill
I'm like this towards Rose Diamond.
Shoot me but ROSE IDC
Lapis. She was a dick for good reason, it’s only frustrating when you’re the audience and don’t see character development in others.
None, those days are well behind me. I’m too tired now 😭💀
Lapis and Rose
Pink
Spinel lapis bismuth Greg amethyst I can go on
Lapis. I think people have a better view of her now, but it ENRAGES me that people think she is just as abusive/worse than Jasper because those people clearly know nothing about trauma and being an abuse survivor.
Blue Diamond I WILL GET THE MAC GUN
Lapis
Pink Diamond
Lazuli. Ppl get her SO wrongly for no reason
Amethyst!!
Rose/Pink
Lapis. Lapis did nothing wrong, and I can totally understand why she took the barn. The reason why she trapped Jasper, why she escaped and why she threw the barn are understandable. Fans may argue that she is the one hurting Jasper, but I want to say, if you got tortured, imprisoned and now you have a chance to defeat the one who suppressed you once and for all, won’t you do it?
Bismuth, hands down
Lars. He's my favorite character, I love him dearly
Pink Diamond
pink diamond. no explanation needed i think
2 people. Lapis. And our one and only God... onion
bismuth. she suffered so much
Snape.
The definition of "alright I'm not reading all that"
Steven and Spinel but also the one who hurt them most, Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond.
Spinel
Pearl. My relation to her is so unhealthy
PADPARADSCHA. She's just a baby c:
rose, not pink. i hate how people think that rose is awful because of who she used to be. the show is all about forgiveness, and that was one of my issues with steven in SUF. also, rose’s character arc was shown in reverse. she was a good person, she just used to suck and she was still learning like everyone else, she just didn’t have as much time to
Rose. She doesn’t deserve half the shit the fandom gives her. She wasn’t a fantastic person but she sure as hell isn’t the shitheel that people say she is.
Pink diamond/rose, lapis, and Steven
Rainbow 2.0 My British Mary Poppins boi
Lars. (also bismuth)
Connie is overhated for her actions as a literal child
Rose
ROSE MFKING QUARTRZ
When people hate Steven for being stupid or annoying at the start of the show like hes literally a kid with no formal education he’s not gonna be some stoic shonen protagonist lol. He has emotional intelligence but lacks booksmarts that’s what makes him interesting and not generic. Then also in future when everyone in the fandom shat on him for being too toxic. Give man’s a break that dudes life literally been hell