Steven Universe

[Fawkes]

Well, we found out that Steven could only bring out his shield when protecting people he cares about, and not just when he wants to (yet). While it's something we could've guessed, it wasn't confirmed or denied until this episode.

Unless the non-canon part also applies to this - but I think it doesn't, since the green dude's analysis of Stephen's abilities was pretty much on point.

Did we not already know that? It sounded right, so I was just nodding along, but that's interesting if that's the first time it's been confirmed.

[eggynack]

Honestly, I think a big part of the problem is that I just didn't find it funny. There are cases where absurdity really works well for comedy, and this episode was consistently predictable, with the gems acting as only limited straight men. It doesn't help that Uncle Grandpa is someone who I find very annoying, at least in that episode. There's good absurd humor, and bad absurd humor, and where Duck Amuck, or Rick and Morty, or even that weird episode of Ed Edd and Eddy are the former, I think this episode was very much the latter.

[Fawkes]

Honestly, I think a big part of the problem is that I just didn't find it funny.

And that's okay! Not everyone has to like everything! I hope the next episode is one you enjoy more.

[Flickerdart]

Did we not already know that? It sounded right, so I was just nodding along, but that's interesting if that's the first time it's been confirmed.

From what I remember, Steven's only activated the shield once, in the finale, and while he was protecting the Gems at the time, one data point isn't indicative of a trend.

[eggynack]

And that's okay! Not everyone has to like everything! I hope the next episode is one you enjoy more.

As do I. This is probably my favorite show on right now, with occasional Grandpa shaped exceptions.

From what I remember, Steven's only activated the shield once, in the finale, and while he was protecting the Gems at the time, one data point isn't indicative of a trend.

Well, there was that, and also in the premier one or two times, and of course when opposing Lapis Lazuli. They all meet that general protecting others requirement. I suspect that this is the most explicit it has been, though we did have at least a reasonable idea of how it operates.

[Devonix]

From what I remember, Steven's only activated the shield once, in the finale, and while he was protecting the Gems at the time, one data point isn't indicative of a trend.

He's used it in at least 3 episodes cookie cat, ocean gem , and when the hand ship fired on them

[Flickerdart]

He's used it in at least 3 episodes cookie cat, ocean gem , and when the hand ship fired on them

He used the shield in Cookie Cat and Ocean Gem? I thought he used the bubble. I'll have to rewatch the series, I suppose.

[eggynack]

He used the shield in Cookie Cat and Ocean Gem? I thought he used the bubble. I'll have to rewatch the series, I suppose.

In Ocean Gem he used it to explode the water clones. In Cookie Cat, he definitely activated it by, to his mind, consuming ice cream. I don't think he used it in the resolution though.

[Callos_DeTerran]

I...uhh...don't know what I just watched with Say Uncle. Not a fan of Uncle Grandpa and this hasn't really changed that, but I did enjoy a few of the jokes...and it was nice for Steven Universe to take a break from punching me in the feels for a week.



...I still want the next episode though.

[Fralex]

That was pretty funny, but mostly I'm impressed with how clever it was. They made this episode, knowing that a lot of fans would immediately hate the very idea of it, and the lesson was not to immediately assume something unusual will be awful without giving it a chance. The three Gems represented the three primary reactions of the fandom upon first hearing about the crossover:
Pearl: Utter hysteria, what the hell is wrong with the world that this is a thing
Garnet: Anger, this is a serious threat to the series' universe and must be eliminated
Amethyst: Eh, whatever, sounds kinda fun, let's devour a sentient being while we're at it
While not universally liked, it seems more people than not either loved it or were reluctantly won over. I'd say it's a success.

On a side note, I'd say Pearl was more or less in-character here. Considering the way she reacted to Steven dressed as a clown, a full-on mental breakdown in response to a reality-warping buffoon sounds about right.

Also, Mr. Gus's gemsona is from his own Tumblr.

[eggynack]

On a side note, I'd say Pearl was more or less in-character here. Considering the way she reacted to Steven dressed as a clown, a full-on mental breakdown in response to a reality-warping buffoon sounds about right.

I don't really agree. It's a Pearl character trait, certainly, but it was taken to a flanderized sorta place, where it was far more extreme than usual, and her only displayed character trait. She has several breakdowns, sure, but they tend to be nuanced and deep. Like, in Too Many Birthdays, her reaction to Steven's clowning is more hurt than anything, with her real breakdown coming when she thinks Steven is going to die. Which, if you're not going to breakdown then, then when? Consider also Rose's Scabbard, where she had a moment of anger followed by a reserved retreat, or Space Race. where the fact that she's having a breakdown is barely even visible beyond the fact that she's doing insane things. She has swingy emotions sometimes, and more breakdowns than most, but beneath that there's a well of inner strength, and none of that was on display.

Separately, I picked up the Steven Universe game. I've been having reasonable fun with it so far, though it has a bit less emphasis on story than I'd like. The combat system seems pretty deep though, and I've often found myself in a tight spot or needed to take a step back to think about my next move. Also, really like that Steven's main role is to stand in the back and shout encouragement, while toting the group's stuff. Gets into the feel of their relationship quite well.

[Flickerdart]

Separately, I picked up the Steven Universe game. I've been having reasonable fun with it so far, though it has a bit less emphasis on story than I'd like. The combat system seems pretty deep though, and I've often found myself in a tight spot or needed to take a step back to think about my next move. Also, really like that Steven's main role is to stand in the back and shout encouragement, while toting the group's stuff. Gets into the feel of their relationship quite well.

There's a game? I hadn't even heard of this. Worth looking into?

[eggynack]

There's a game? I hadn't even heard of this. Worth looking into?

It's a mobile game called Attack the Light. It's an RPG with a somewhat paper mario styled combat system. As I said, I've been liking it so far, though so far has only been a day. I don't think it's anything really special, but it's fun, of pretty high quality for a licensed game, and has a lot of elements in common with the show (writing, same voice cast (though most things aren't voices), design, and so on).

[Gopher Wizard]

Hi everybody! I'm Gopher Wizard, and I've been watching this show ever since it first premiered! I love it and never miss an episode...except...Say Uncle. I don't know. I didn't catch it because of my intense disinterest in that series. I say two episodes of that show and I was like "What?!?"

I been hearing from a lot of people both on the web and in real life to watch it because it's not so bad - even good in fact. I'm just wondering what you all think. Like, I deeply disdain Uncle Grandpa. The only character I kind of like from that show is Mr. Gus. I have heard it's non-canon. Like, they announce it at the beginning of the episode. I also hear Pizza Steve is gruesomely devoured which is awesome because of all the characters on that show, he's my least favorite and believe me, that is saying something.

I just want to know what you people think I should do: try it or just ignore that episode completely.

On the brighter side of things, I just watched a preview for A Story for Steven, and that looks great!

[eggynack]

As I've mentioned above, I disliked the episode. I didn't think it was all that funny, with the exception of a few moments, and the characters are rather off. Still, it's not an absolutely awful fifteen minutes of television, and it doesn't really ruin anything so much as it's just a big boring blah. So, y'know, I figure watching it is a relatively low cost plan, given the length of episodes, but I certainly can't recommend it as a thing from which one can derive happiness. Some people do seem to like it for some reason though, even some who dislike Uncle Grandpa, so there is a potentially reasonable reward in return for your viewership. I don't really regret watching it, and I may even watch it again to reassess my views, so make of that what you will.

[Silfir]

Watch it. Worst comes to worst, it's eleven minutes long. You might have already spent far more than that vocalizing why you're hesitant to watch it. And it's much more fulfilling to be able to say "I watched it and it was terrible and here is why" instead of not actually knowing anything.

Myself, I found it hilarious in many places. I think you can tell the SU voice actors got a major kick out of their lines. Uncle Grandpa himself was tremendously unfunny, but you endure him like you endure that one relative at your family gatherings, and take solace in the fact you won't see him for the remainder of the year. There's enough other mayhem going on that you'll be entertained plenty.

[Flickerdart]

It's a mobile game called Attack the Light. It's an RPG with a somewhat paper mario styled combat system. As I said, I've been liking it so far, though so far has only been a day. I don't think it's anything really special, but it's fun, of pretty high quality for a licensed game, and has a lot of elements in common with the show (writing, same voice cast (though most things aren't voices), design, and so on).

How the lasting value - is it long/replayable? I'm in desperate need of something to do on my commute.

[eggynack]

How the lasting value - is it long/replayable? I'm in desperate need of something to do on my commute.

I dunno. Still haven't gotten that far.

[Phase]

Not all that long; I've already 100%'d it without much fuss. I played it mostly during my commute of 30-40 minutes, and got through maybe 2 or 3 levels per sitting. It's quirky and fun, if not overly challenging. I maxxed out everyone's levels before I even got to the last dungeon, so things were sort of a cakewalk by that point, but it was still pretty fun and casually tactical.

So yeah, it's maybe 3 or 4 hours, absolute maximum, which could last a week or so of commutes. Only $3, so that's a nice return for more Steven Universe. I heartily recommend.

[Fralex]

Oh, yes, Attack the Light is a fantastic game. It helps make up for my disappointment in the last Paper Mario game. There's badges, and action commands, and strategies... it's fun!

Towards the beginning of the game I really liked giving the Ember Badge to Amethyst. Since her attacks hit lots of targets, she could usually manage to put a burn condition on at least one or two of them. Later in the game the foes got more HP and burn damage didn't take away as large a chunk of their health, so I'm now using a badge that MASSIVELY boosts her Luck when fighting orange and red enemies (like we are now), combined with one that has a chance to disable any foe that is dealt a lucky hit.

[eggynack]

Just beat the last level, and have nearly 100% completion. My opinion hasn't changed all that much, though the direction the story took near the end got across some of that Steven Universe feel. It was a bit on the easy side, and with only a couple of minor exceptions I haven't used all that many items. I just have that traditional RPG hoard of piles of items I'll never use, which is a shame cause some of them look cool. I had fun, in any case, so things worked out well enough, and just in time for another episode too.

[Gopher Wizard]

So I finally sat down and watched Say Uncle. Yeah, I know, I'm kind of late to the discussion. I actually watched it yesterday, but couldn't post today because of my schedule. I have to say, I did enjoy it. It wasn't great, and there were parts I didn't like, but over all I'd give it a positive review. I liked the bit at the end with the check list and the names of other CN characters. I really liked when Amethyst eats Pizza Steve and then puts on his sun glasses. After watching that, a crossover with SU and Adventure Time might be the creepiest thing ever. The Candy Kingdom would know no greater threat.

[Starbuck_II]

Forgot to mention, but I found Amethyst eating Pizza Steve to be nice touch.

I did finds that all kinds of awesome.

[Gopher Wizard]

I did finds that all kinds of awesome.

I think the best part about that was the fact she put on his sun glasses afterwards. So much style! I need to find an image of that online and make it my avatar.

[eggynack]

Now that's what I'm talking about. All that amazing Steven Universe stuff I love so much, with good songs (if a little over long), neat backstory, and I loved the designs of the past-gems. On the surface, it looked like most of the stuff was stuff we already kinda knew, but there was lots hidden beneath that, largely in terms of what human-gem relations looked like before Greg. This is just about the first impression I've gotten that Greg, rather than Steven, was the major disruptive force in gem-life. Also great was that this was the first time we've seen Rose just... be. Really great episode all around.

[Fralex]

ARGH why is Steven Universe only 11 minutes long? I was getting really into it and then it suddenly ended. :(

Amethyst is the cutest cutie who ever cuted.

Why did the Gems act like Pearl had a bad singing voice? WAIT, DOES GREG TEACH HER HOW TO SING?

[Fawkes]

ARGH why is Steven Universe only 11 minutes long? I was getting really into it and then it suddenly ended. :(

Amethyst is the cutest cutie who ever cuted.

Why did the Gems act like Pearl had a bad singing voice? WAIT, DOES GREG TEACH HER HOW TO SING?

I don't think they were laughing about her singing voice. I think they were laughing at her obvious jealousy.

[Flickerdart]

What bothers me is that ~10 years ago the gems (the youngest of whom is at least five thousand years old) look like teenagers.

[Kymme]

Spoiler: Story For Steven

Show

Vedalia is a type of onion. Marty looks like Sour Cream.

Make of this what you will.

[eggynack]

What bothers me is that ~10 years ago the gems (the youngest of whom is at least five thousand years old) look like teenagers.

It bothered me a little, but my understanding is that, despite their age, the gems in the past are rather immature. They still have Rose around, acting as a mother figure, and they don't have Steven around, forcing them to take on that role. It's also possible that they're more youthful looking now than they were in the past, on the basis of some particulars of their current doings. Finally, I don't think we have an exact date on Amethyst's age, and the gem wars could have been rather substantial in length.

Edit: Also, not sure how much stock I'd put in the theory as applies to this particular point, but it could be a Greg perceptional thing, seeing Rose as even more massive compared to the other gems than she actually is. This especially makes sense given that Greg apparently has a weird size thing.