I have thought this for a while now, but the latest episode bundle has really pushed the "You're happier not knowing things" moral.
Steven is the happiest kid who is uneducated and always kept in the dark, anytime he tries to gain knowledge it ends badly, and the moral is usually it was better not to have tried.
Also wonder how Lapis, Peridot, and Connie screwed the pooch.
Happier, yes
Better, no.
Holy shit...
Is Steven Universe part of the Lovecraftian Horror genre all along and I just never noticed?
No, but the whole "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" is a very popular idea for a reason
You sure mate?
Alien race of immortal, energy-based shapeshifters attempt to siphon the life out of a primordial Earth, with little to no regard for the inferior organic beings which populate it...
A gargantuan monstrosity of twisted limbs and distorted features lies dormant deep beneath the Earth, sleeping, incubating...
A island-bound community ritualistically offers up sacrifices to a hideous, hulking Leviathan that lurks somewhere just off the coast...
...
I dunno...
the parallels are there, but it's just the memes, not the facts
even a little meme is a dangerous weapon
I don't think the point of the episodes was that, it was just that things were hard because steven keeps looking into Rose's past even tho she herself wanted to forget about it.
I still think that experience was worth it.
ALso, post everything Blue-Pearl related, I am in love.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, because that's exactly what it is; general knowledge of something without any understanding of it's purposes or subtleties.
Imagine if you gave someone a lightsaber, and they thought it was a flying device, or a neat way to light up a room. They'd die hilariously, of course it's going to be a common concept.
Also no, it's because he's 14, and his very existance could restart a civil species wide war simply because of who he is. It's like how hellboy had to be coddled and cared for until he was older, simply because seeing someone who looks like satan walk down the street with a giant rock fist would cause mass panic, three different worldwide cults opposing him and several with him, and probably 100 images of internet porn per day.
Unfortunately, like hellboy, steven also ages slower, so waiting till he's full strength is gonna take a while. Fortunately, he isn't quite so distinctive, and while Pearl is an overprotective aunt, Garnet is fine with giving him knowledge unless she has a conflict of interest, like potentially bumping into her diamond who wanted to shatter her.
Eh, I've always found it to be more similar to a feminine and slightly less camp Transformers, though they do the lovecraft references nicely. I did like the re-animator scene from the hospital.
I liked the Dragonball reference from the hospital
So what gave it away.
>was it because fusion looks a whole lot like lezbo sex thing?
>was it the human/alien reproduction stuff in a kids show?
>was it the connie/steven fusion/sex (12.75yo+14yo) bit?
With all that, and you key in on "happier not knowing shit"???
all of that has been talked about to death
The lovecraft inspiration doesn't get a whole lot of time
My apologies. I just discovered the show a few months ago. Binge watched it over the holidays, and just recently started following the boards.
Yeah. I discovered this show on episode 6, cat fingers. Watched it totally blind, instantly fell in love.
Fucked off for years until about the end of Season 2, binged the whole thing, have been having autism attacks about it ever since. Good times. Good times.
Who, in your opinion, is best gem?
I love how the underlying message to the fanbase was "No, we're not going to give you the answers yet. Shame on you for asking."
>"You're happier not knowing things"
Spoken like true pussies.
Yes the morals of SU are incredibly bourgeoisie.
They're not good for children or most human beings but the SU audience hipster viewers they're intended for benefit from them and the ignorance the show spouts.
Notice how a reoccuring theme is how Steven (Usually the self-insert POV), a lil twerp reprimands and patronizes everyone who are thousands of fucking years old and more competent/smart/strong and overall above him yet he brings them to tears and never suffers anything or is really that useful. He's like the male Madoka basically but raised by 3 Homura's that he regularly condescends.
if you pay attention, the show just acknowledged that embracing the happy ignorance is a pussy stance and Steven is striving to educate himself on his mother's history, the history that he is now embroiled in.
>Ignorance is Bliss.
That's not a moral, it's an observation.
>incredibly bourgeoisie
But they're not. With age comes wisdom is known, but people often mistake prejudice for wisdom, which is why society occasionally progresses very quickly after a lot of people in higher castes suddently lose power for whatever reason.
Steven's usually right for lecturing them as well; Bismuth not only to commit war crimes but to standardise them, Garnet's judgement is clouded by her own personal feelings, Pearl has a tonne of emotional baggage that she throws at others occasionally even though they share her pain to the same and occassionally higher degree, and Amethyst has a massive inferiority complex.
This isn't even getting into the morals of the homeworld gems, who don't do things because they're right or wrong, they do them because it's what they've done for ages, and they don't change even though it leads to massive problems because of it.
If anything, the show's morals come from steven, an unprejudiced child whose fresh perspective has saved people so many times. This isn't exactly a new concept either; Aang did it well, Morty is the only thing stopping Rick from blowing his head off with a futuristic shotgun, and hell even the simplistic approach of Homer does it well in the good simpson's episodes.
This would also apply to Moral Orel, where you can see how fucked up everything gets when you ignore shit like that.
>You mean... you like my Dad like my Mom likes my Dad?
>Your mom likes your dad?
That wasn't a moral of the bomb. The moral if there was one was simply not to rush into things.
Except the Zoomans show exactly where that ignorance puts you; it can make you an emotional invalid that throws a fit the second something doesn't feel good.
I'd say it says that happiness isn't necessarily all that makes life worth living.
What was the moral?
Greatness should not be constrained for the comfort of the mediocre.
hail the overman
Morality is a meme.
Because the progressive liberals who run the show believe that a young male child show grow up unquestioning his mother overlords, as long as they live in a progressive and sucky society.
The ones who lived in Pink Diamonds zoo lived in paradise, but it was bad because they live in a paradise. That's what progressives hate.
NIETZSCHE WAS RIGHT
Best for what?
>each has their merits
I would trust Pearls precision engineering, but would rather have Peri handle all engineering compromises. The two working together under basic direction would be an engineering dream team.
And did you notice when Pearl tried to fly an unknown spaceship? She touched the controls and her eyes went all wonky.... like she was instantly downloading all the ships information. Suddenly, she was an expert pilot.
But, twice, Pearl demonstrated poor judgment when it comes to something she really wants for herself. I would be worried about Pearl ever thinking that Rose might regenerate if Steven ever dies. She misses Rose so much, she might even be tempted to "poof" Steven in the hopes that Rose regenerates.
I've a ton of compassion. So the Lapis backstory and story arc made me feel too many feels. That threw me for a loop for a couple of days. Damned story arc even invaded my dreams. It bothers me that a mere story can influence me so heavily.
>maybe it was the binge watching that did it.
But Lapis and Pearl are the only two characters I find even mildly attractive. But I noticed Peri is sometimes drawn with a mound - a subtle loli attempt, perhaps?
>Steven was sexually attracted to her at first.
Sapphire is the kind of person I would love having long conversations with.
>but she would always be bored because she already knows everything I'm going to say.
Kinda puts the skids on all conversations.
I find Steven's almost manic enthusiasm annoying. He needs to GROW UP A LITTLE.
I mean, he's still acting like a 10 year old at Christmas morning - every day of his life.
...
If anything it's a lesson in causality.
That's something I didn't grasp as a kid. I thought personalities were this inherent thing, you are what you are no matter the circumstances.
That's the thing with kid audiences, you got to give them context and then some. Even though it's bad storytelling to just flat out say "this character has abandonment issues"; kids don't have the life experience, for example, to see the relationship of an orphan growing into an adult that pushes everyone away.
>"You're happier not knowing things" moral.
You mean "As you grow up you have to learn about things and it's not always pleasant, but you have to know them"
why?
>implying you have control over anything.
I liked that bit
Gem Harvest is honestly the most insightful and fair representation of clashing ideals in a long time on television and ends with a great moral
it really is surprising a show criticized for being so "tumblr" would even have such an episode
it's no surprise tumblr hates the episode though
Yes. Remember the gem-shard monsters and the episode where Steven morphs into multiple sentient cats?
Nihilism plz go
Was this bomb not just a big middle finger to the fans? I thought Steven during this bomb represented the people who go "JESUS TELL US SOME GODDAMN LORE" and showing that everything goes terribly when we do get info.
I feel like the entire bomb was an excuse to (poorly) justify keeping Steven (and us) in the dark.
That's a feature of the ship. Peridot had the same eyes when she was piloting the ship, Pearl went all wonky because she wasn't used to the datastream
Yes she has tried to kill Steven or failed to save him due to MUH ROSE but I can't hold that against her.
Lapis is a bitch with a sad backstory but that doesn't excuse her rape of Jasper
>it really is surprising a show criticized for being so "tumblr" would even have such an episode
Note: This is not a valid reason to hate the show or anyway a good critique of said show.
this
I think this episode was needed
>But, twice, Pearl demonstrated poor judgment when it comes to something she really wants for herself. I would be worried about Pearl ever thinking that Rose might regenerate if Steven ever dies. She misses Rose so much, she might even be tempted to "poof" Steven in the hopes that Rose regenerates.
She thought of that when Steven was a baby and decided not to.
>I find Steven's almost manic enthusiasm annoying.
He is supposed to be a nice and enthusiastic kid. I hate all the attempty trying to grimdarkify it and turn him into some brooding asshole for no reason.
> So the Lapis backstory and story arc made me feel too many feels
Ocean&Mirror Gem was pure fucking horror especially with the dissonant soundtrack and the many, many disgusting implications. The Malachite rape stuff was good aswell. Then suddenly shes a gay emo teen doing nothing forever. Whats her fucking role in the show? Nothing, she could have been shattered or something with zero impact to the plot.
It was the opposite. Yes, Steven's thirst for knowledge and lack of maturity in seeking it out caused all sorts of pain, but it needed to happen. Ignorance is bliss but ultimately it is a prison.
"tumblr" is a take all term that can mean a lot of things
pastel colors are usually considered to be "tumblr" people can dislike color direction
people can complain about masculine traits basically ignored in the show
people can dislike gayness in a children's cartoon
>Masculine traits being ignored
Greg exists and is manly as fuck
Literally a rock star.
Meh. If anything, the bomb made it clear how important it was to actually say things. Like, the whole ordeal would have been prevented with "Oh, that's pink diamond's carriage, we'll take you there in a week." If, "but why not now?" "Because there is a homeworld warship there that will kill us all if we go now." I doubt Steven would have been hot for battle against a warship when they couldn't even take down a much smaller science vessel.
If Garnet was a rational actor, then yes that would have been the perfect solution. But it has been shown repeatedly that the gems are NOT rational actors, despite all their smug superiority, especially not the Crystal Gems.
Plus he is the single most positive and likeable character in the show despite looking like a nascar loving hick.
The big irony is that Steven does personify the masculine, in so far as the boy grows into the man. His main weapon, the shield, implies that he will grow up into someone who protects fights for others, a heroic trait.
Its pretty creepy though, how we realized now that the fucking diamonds have been casually visiting earth this whole time.
it helps that he's hot as fuck
Not so much right now, but Young Greg
woosh
The gems are TERRIFIED of homeworld, especially the diamonds. It's no wonder they paniced, and resorted to lying again
Greg is unironically my spirit animal
Yeah, I don't blame them at all, but blind panic is not the correct answer here. Steven's blind stumbling is at least attempting to be proactive, instead of sticking their head in the sand and hoping that it all works out.
Some of the zoo humans sort of looked like young greg. Is he the gems' type? of a lineage that interacted with gems in the past? or is the crew so lazy their characters are starting to look similar?
The three Crystal Gems don't suffer prejudice. All the things Steven lectures them for are ridiculous and it's more so that he has to be considered 'right' all the time as if their emotional stability is entirely dependent on the innocence, goodwill and coddling of a 14 year old kid. In that it floods with bourgeoisie moral lighting.
I'll give you Bismuth, and also because the show had the gull not to pull back it's punches. It's not like she immediately stopped fighting and instead realized everything he was saying was right, started crying and gave up her principles on the spot just because a little boy cried and begged him to.
That said, the entire show feels like an aversion to that example. It puts Steven on way too high a pedestal rather than questioning his naivety or balancing it out.
Him comforting the three CG I can accept. Him coddling and being their only emotional support and ability to cope with anything is a faltering narrative stretch beyond imagination, and takes some serious ideology peddling to buy into. How did they survive for thousands of years without a kid to cry in front of them? The show wants to depict them as war criminals, rebels, exiled soldiers and soldiers but they need a little kid to bring back to the moral light? Holy shit C'mon.
When did they say it was bad?
Or did you just it was bad?
If anything the liberal bourgeoisie show is saying that keeping Zoo-people in a neverending safe space is acceptable.
That seems far worse than what you're implying.
What's even weirder is that some of the zoo humans looked like Stevonnie.
i wouldn't go so far to say he's masculine
he never does anything that can be considered manly
he's not a rockstar, he just had a band
Its because the choosening program is designed to breed superhot humans, so it's no wonder they look more like Greg
I think he was like a one-hit-wonder rockstar. So he was a rockstar, but not really anymore.
>The show wants to depict them as war criminals, rebels, exiled soldiers and soldiers but they need a little kid to bring back to the moral light?
This is classic Bourgeois ideology to a tee by the way.
Give your citizens the responsibilities, capabilities, obligations and demands of an adult to serve you.
But make sure you treat them like little more than children when it comes to their own self-sovereignty and well-being.
>Aang did it well
Aang didn't really do it "Well", but he did it better than Steven and completed it at least. He was a man on a mission, had to fight and risk his ideals, and got to complete that mission because Deux Lion Turtle Ex.
If Aang were like Steven and got to break down Zuko and Emperor tearing up with remorse coming to his side just because he started crying and begging them to stop, because he's soooo innocent and pure and they're big bad MEANIES! That would be pretty much spitting in the face of everything, the struggle and moral complexity the show was trying to go for. I'm half guessing that's how Steven will reform the Diamonds at this point.
But he didn't do that. He learned there are times you have to fight and cannot hold onto child-like ideals without them being challenged.
It's far too preachy at times.
Dude I can name plenty of bad or wrong morals in the show but the one you said is wrong. The point of these episodes is Steven is growing up and learning. Experience comes from mistakes and overcoming them.
not even one hit wonder
his only song that got famous he never really had his name on
>instead of sticking their head in the sand and hoping that it all works out.
Remember: thats exactly what the CGs did for the better part of 5000 years.They never fully cleared up earth, collected all the gem monsters , decommissioned or refurbished the gem sites or made any plans or preparations in case homeworld comes back for round two. They just sat on their asses and basked in their blind luck the cluster existed without they even knowing about it. If not for Steven coaxing intel out of Peridiot the earth had ben LOST. If Homeworld gave a fuck about them they would have been effortlessly rounded up and shattered. Just look how Jasper alone shat on them once.
Pearl never managed to get over Rose not wanting her in millennia, Amy remained the same self-hating wreck. They went nowhere, they are just stagnating without Steven to push them, force them to change just as Rose intended.
Yes. Rose was a complete garbage team leader. I'm glad that God-Emperor Steven is here to save them.
I think you catched just the first part. The truth usually does contain dark secrets you would be WAY HAPPIER not knowing them, let's face it, but also teaches through Steven and the people at the zoo that is better living a shitty truth than a sweet lie.
Remember that all gems are designed to be subservient. At first they all served the diamonds, but then they served Rose. But even she was designed to be subservient, and so they just kinda sat around aimlessly.
Stuff didn't really happen until Greg showed up. It's a symbol of how just the feminine alone will be rather passive. Until the masculine shows up, theres no potential or impetus to change.
Its not just Rose, every gem ever was like that. They might break free of their caste system but they cant break free of the stagnation. Maybe their geological timeframe of existence makes them really risk-aversive too.
Yes, Steven is literally change and masculinity embodied in more ways then one. A perfect concept of Yang.
>they are just stagnating without Steven to push them
People that say this show is sjw/tumblr have to take some serious leaps when the show pushes the idea that for thousands of years 3 woman cannot do anything on their own but when they have a B-B-B-BOY! they can suddenly move forward and grow again.
When I was reading The Sandman, the only thing I could think was "I'd totally take a secret over a mystery"
Cain was a douche but he got shit done. Even if the secret destroys you, at least you'll do something unique.
Excuses, no. But it was completely understandable (by me at least). Jasper was just the latest in a long line of abusers when Lapis snapped. 6000 years of pent up rage makes for one hell of a catharsis.
Did Jasper deserve all she got? No. Did she deserve to be punished? Jasper was about to abuse Lapis in a wholly disgusting way. She deserved to be punished for that. But not for 6000 years of torture and imprisonment. But Lapis had her target and she had all that rage. Sure, it all came out.
If I were on the jury, I would say "guilty, but recommend time served".
>I hate all the attempty trying to grimdarkify it and turn him into some brooding asshole for no reason.
Oh, I don't want him turned all emo. Just tone it down a notch. He's had some experiences now. How many teens act anything like him? Even Connie handles herself like a pro compared to him. (a little to much like a pro, considering her age and experience).
And Re: Connie. I consider part of Pearls training another example of poor judgment. She was teaching Connie to die in defense of Steven. But Connie has only 1 life. It's not like she regenerates. She would be dead, and Steven would be devastated. If anything, Steven should be the one willing to lay down his life for Connie. At least he has a good chance of regeneration - even if it's not as Steven.
>she could have been shattered or something with zero impact to the plot.
Agreed. But she's one powerful gem all on her own - as long as she's near the Earth. I think she might earn her star if the show is allowed to go a couple more seasons.
BD: “I hear you like big women.”
Greg: “Lord, give me strength.”
>some people say that steven is a baby just for being a kid i say that is bullshit he must be strong he must have the balls to face the homeworld steven must fight he is the future leader of the crystal gems
Hes not just that though. As the son of human and gem, he's the embodiment of both. His gem side is what gives him power, but his human side is what gives him motivation. His connection to his home and family is what drives him.
The gems didn't have a drive until Steven showed up. They could have spent that 5000 years cleaning up the earth, but it looks like they didn't. They hardly cared about anything on the earth until that stuff posed a threat to Steven.
The whole show is about how the passive feminine and the active masculine combine and are necessary for a unified person. And we're watching Steven grow into that unified person.
What would he need to be more masculine? Be emotionally stunted, have a deeper voice, and try to fix issues with negative reinforcement?
>Jasper
>abuser
the only abuser there was Lapis
Jasper is a pure sweet puppy who is just trying to disprove the horrible stigma of being born on Earth. Yes she's misguided, yes she's maladjusted, but she is HUGE and she has HUGE GUTS RIP AND TEAR.
Jasper is a dick but she didn't deserve what happened to her, despite bringing it all on herself. Seriously, who thought that raping the dog with space AIDS was a good idea
Connie is a tryhard, and that works in her favor sometimes (sword fighting!) and against her (bro you are not a survivalist after reading a few books)
Deeper voice. That's it. That's all I want. Maybe that form he took during the birthday episode (the second one, before he reverted to baby form)
>And we're watching Steven grow into that unified person.
Except he's not. He's been stuck as a 10yo for 4 years now.
instead of being just reactionary to everything, actually act on a situation
But he IS changing just the show is moving at such a glacial pace that developments arent that aparent. Just look at the Steven of early S1, fucking around with ice cream, zero powers, never even taken on missions. Now he often and unknowingly commands the gems around, makes serious decisions and 1v1me FGT'd Bismuth, a hardcore OG gem.
>I consider part of Pearls training another example of poor judgment.
No shit, that was the point of the episode. Then it went on to show that constantly training, being proactive and getting prepared is a greatly useful thing and humans CAN take a part in defending their planet. Something that the CGs literally never ever considered.
Why is there no government in SUniverse? Aliens can just slip in and out of earth's atmosphere undetected?
>FGT'd
Wha, is that a Bleach reference?
A slight model change would be nice. Or even just early teen voice cracking here and there.
>Connie is a tryhard, and that works in her favor sometimes (sword fighting!) and against her (bro you are not a survivalist after reading a few books)
Despite being very intelligent, well read and generally having her shit together Connie is still just a 14 year old grill. A human search team for a 5500 year old interstellar space warrior champion who had no trouble reking several CGs before would have never brought her along.
It's implied that the aliens lobotomized human dna or something made them passive wienies earlier in their evolutionary history.
Earth tech lags way behind real world equivalents due to Rose's intervention in world geopolitics.
Jet propulsion is a hobbyist thing only practiced in Germany, radar never got off the ground, and Europe never got cucked because Baghdad never fell so the sandniggers aren't niggers, they're just sandy. Rome was probably still fucked tho, I bet Rose fell into the same hedonism trap that they did.
Dewey is doing a lot of shit cleaning up but I guess to most humans gem shit is just normal. They kept finding weird crystal building and monsters since the first civilizations, ancient stories might have a war in heaven instead of a flood etc.
There is that cave painting with humans worshipping a diamond and that whole human zoo thing. I can totally imagine this was HWs idea of mercy.
That's the trait of a leader which being one would conflict with his other traits.
I don't think Pearl considered the implications and ramifications of Connie's death. Yes, Connie became a valuable team member. But the risk is higher with her than with any of the others. Much, much higher.
If it was a bunch of human soldiers, or even people Steven did not know personally, it would be OK. People die all the time. But Connie is someone Steven loves deeply. They're practically a romeo/juliet trope. And we don't need a sapphire to know how that shit ends.
he's not a leader
he's a guide to Steven, but not often
The message was that the truth can hurt.You might be happier being ignorant but thats not healthy
Took several episodes and Steven yelling at her to give a shit.
tumblr hates this episode? Why?
Well you see the hivemind that is tumblr, consisting of approximately 1,178,888 linked brains to the Overmind calculated in their bio-Tech meetspace that the anonymous synapse-sensus was that the episode scans for approximately 37% of Trace Triggering with an additional 29.2% Triggering content and thus Tumblr, the website overlord, who is one being, one mind, printed it's report and delivered it to us free citizens at Sup Forums home of anonny mouse and we r lejun, thus proving once and for all tumblr hated the episode.
As for what reason? You'd have to consult the oh great and powerful tumblr mind for that.
>steven must fight he is the future leader of the crystal gems
I really hope they pull a Xiaolin Showdown and make another character the leader. I kind of tired to the trope where the main charater eventually becomes the leader just because.
I think they associate Andy with Trump.
Because tumblr disagrees with the idea that, if you have a mildly racist and intolerant uncle, you should still love and accept them instead of cutting them out of your life and/or losing your goddamn mind.
How about instead of that whole thing you posted, try giving me one thing in this episode that people on tumblr hated.
So is anyone gonna explain the suits of armor in Rose's armory? If Gems don't need armor, wouldn't that imply some humans fought in The War?
If so, who and why? Why is a giant chunk ripped out of Siberia?
Wait, really? How deep do the differences go?
Well we stil have garnet...or Coonie?
I think you think you're a lot more witty than you actually are.
Is tumblr a retard asshole?
It does kind of reflect how everyone now lives in their own social bubble where their narrative is the only truth
If you look closely you can notice everyone who disagree with the cast is either a: evil or really petty, b. misguided and in need of help
I started noticing something was wrong with the morals when they let steven say "She should just know" when talking about peridot no joining the crystal gems
I mean, you hold a gem as an effective war prisoner, treathen her with death and expect her to join your cause when you show her a pretty flower? nigga please
The moral false steps have become more noticeable since then. It may not preach anything, but it's definitely a product of today's USA youth
I think we can agree that Rose overreacted to Bismuth's proposal.
>Him coddling and being their only emotional support and ability to cope with anything is a faltering narrative stretch beyond imagination, and takes some serious ideology peddling to buy into.
I don't think it's too unbelievable considering just how unstable these 3 particular gems are.
this should be a pasta
>armor in Rose's armory
mementos
No but it's Sup Forums I'd be lazy if I didn't crack a sass now and again.
And I just think it's silly people here ask "What did tumblr think of X" when what they really mean is "What did Sup Forums think of whatever they assumed tumblr thought of X."
It's not a sekrit site or anything, you can literally go down their right now, scroll down and look at a hundred posts pretty quickly. But I don't understand why people put so much stock in tumblr anyway, it's content isn't that much higher than youtube comments. Why do you care what people on another website think?
tl;dr Uncle Andy was conservative. He didn't like the Gems at first until he did.
Steven and the Gems tried to cheer him up and warm up to them, and it works.
He decided he was just lonely and being a bit old-fashioned from not staying with his family.
He stays with the Gems in the barn and they accept him instead of turning away.
"Tumblr" hated this apparently, I guess. Someone on it probably did. Yeah, totally. Somewhere, probably.