Steven 2niverse: Made of Love

[Lizard Lord]

What of the whatnow?

The hourglass that let Steven travel through time and create a band made of time-clones.

[Ravian]

But yeah if the gems had invented time travel through technological means thousands of years ago, it begs the question of why it was never pursued. Imagine if Peridot had one of those. Sure Steven screwed it up pretty badly, but with enough calculation the Crystal gems would never get close to catching her.

If you're familiar with the X-men days of future past movie, you know how useful an early warning system from your future self can be when you're outnumbered and pursued.

One could say it was a failure and abandoned. (Steven after only made the past worse by changing it.) but the Gems don't strike me as the kind of society that would abandon such a practical idea due to complications. And yet the device is essentially treated like a one-of-a-kind artifact.

Magic can use the excuse of something being uniquely powerful and impossible to recreate, but the point of a technological device is that it be able to be replicated.

My head-canon is that the glass was created by some Gem with an incredibly innate gift for time magic. The glass represents the pinnacle of her work, but due to her destruction or corruption, it's proven impossible to recreate.

[Lizard Lord]

But yeah if the gems had invented time travel through technological means thousands of years ago, it begs the question of why it was never pursued.

I'm assuming you mean why the technology was never pursued and not the individual object, yes? Because the individual object was pursued.

[Ravian]

I'm assuming you mean why the technology was never pursued and not the individual object, yes? Because the individual object was pursued.

Yes exactly. A magical item is sometimes unique, even within a magical race. Sure it would be great if one could have an army wielding Excaliburs, but it's simply not possible because the sword is magic, not something easily replicated. Meanwhile once the principles behind a mundane firearm are understood and the materials are available, one can easily begin outfitting an entire army with it. It's one of the biggest differences between magic and technology in fiction, once technology is understood, it is easy to repeat it, while magic generally defies that sort of understanding.

[Vulkan]

Anyone else see this Sadie animation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tj4Q6xtgjo

I mean its sweet and corny enough to risk diabetes so quick warning

[Lacuna Caster]

I mean its sweet and corny enough to risk diabetes so quick warning

Well, that describes a good portion of the show, so, heh. I liked it.


I don't think we're ever going to find an entirely consistent explanation for some of the hijinks in season 1. I blame the 4-dimensional mice.

[StabbityRabbit]

Anyone else see this Sadie animation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tj4Q6xtgjo

I mean its sweet and corny enough to risk diabetes so quick warning

Aww, that was great.

On the whole, "How do it do?" discussion: Like someone else said I don't think it's ever going to be properly explained. Heck, we don't even exactly know what the Gems are, and they're kind of the back bone of the show.

[The Fury]

My thought on how Gems work/magic or technology-- There are some problems with describing the Gem stuff as being purely technology but the show's pretty fast and loose with science anyway. Case and point, in the episode Space Race Steven not only pops the canopy off Pearl's homemade spaceship at high altitude but is able to hold a conversation with Pearl. I mean, it seems like it would be too noisy for that what with the buffeting and screaming engines. That's not even getting into the the low oxygen that high up. Then there's the fact that Steven can breathe on top of Lapis's space elevator in the Ocean Gem.

Just because this is the internet I feel I should clarify that I'm absolutely not saying "Steven Universe's science is terrible, so the show's terrible and if you like it you should feel terrible!" I'm more than willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of a good story, and I really liked both episodes I mentioned. Right now, I'm just not sure how relevant how Gem-tech and Gems themselves work is to the overall story. I'm sure we'll get an explanation as soon as it does become relevant.

[Lacuna Caster]

What The Fury said.

Hey, hey hey- somebody needs to register an alt-account as The Sound. Then we could have... The Sound And The Fury! ...Eh! ...Eh! ...Eh!

EDIT: Okay, that was terrible. But seriously, please continue.

[The Fury]

What The Fury said.

Hey, hey hey- somebody needs to register an alt-account as The Sound. Then we could have... The Sound And The Fury! ...Eh! ...Eh! ...Eh!

EDIT: Okay, that was terrible. But seriously, please continue.

Maybe we could get people to register as The Valiant, The Duster, The Belvedere, and The Satelite and we could have an all-Plymouth classic car rally?

Sorry, that was even worse. *Ahem.* I don't really have much to add to that point on Gem-Tech, except I'm leaning more towards the idea that it's more technology as opposed to magic since in the show it actually is called "Gem-Tech."

Also, that Sadie animatic... So cute.

[Coidzor]

I just had a thought. Considering all the ancient temples and lost relics and the like on Earth, it stands to reason that Gems have been on earth for millennia before Rose's Rebellion.

What if humans are humanoid because of the presence of Gems or Gem-tech/relics on Earth, rather than it just being a coincidence?

That might also explain in part why things didn't come to a head until after humans had developed enough obvious sapience to begin building cities if their history began on a scale similar to our own. Like it wasn't until the biosphere was making humanoid life that the planet was such that Kindergartens would be of most interest/use.

/Fryman

Anyone else see this Sadie animation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tj4Q6xtgjo

I mean its sweet and corny enough to risk diabetes so quick warning

That's cute. Thanks for sharing. Love that Kate Micucci.

[Lacuna Caster]

Spoiler: relevant illustration

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Neodusk understands me.

[Ravian]

I just had a thought. Considering all the ancient temples and lost relics and the like on Earth, it stands to reason that Gems have been on earth for millennia before Rose's Rebellion.

What if humans are humanoid because of the presence of Gems or Gem-tech/relics on Earth, rather than it just being a coincidence?

That might also explain in part why things didn't come to a head until after humans had developed enough obvious sapience to begin building cities if their history began on a scale similar to our own. Like it wasn't until the biosphere was making humanoid life that the planet was such that Kindergartens would be of most interest/use.

Well the Sea Spire was said to be a center of peace and culture for gem kind (to say nothing of the other ruins) The only thing is we don't know whether those ruins were necessarily for only gems of built by the Crystal Gems during the war.

So far what we know of the timeline is that Gems were there for at least some period of time before the actual war (particularly since the sky arena was apparently used for the first battles for Earth.) 6000 years ago the Kindergarten was put into place (while the battles for earth were going on 5000 years ago.

That said Gems would need to be around for an incredibly long time before that to influence human evolution to that degree. Humans evolved into their current state 200,000 years ago, We had generally developed modern behavior 50,000 years ago, and Agriculture 12,000 years ago. Gems may not care much for lower life forms like humans, but considering that they have a vested interest in kindergartening planets, I'd feel they'd notice we were sapient in that kind of period of time even without cities.

Also Pearl is familiar with humans hunting and gathering. That could tell us that gem activity on Earth is older than human Agriculture, but it also tells us they noticed such a development in humanity, a development that far outdated city building.

(The only issue is that Pearl also said she was only a few thousand years old when she joined Rose's Rebellion, so that timeline has a few holes in it.)

I think that the appearance of Gems is somewhat of a coincidence. One that can be somewhat justified by the fact that a bipedal form is one of the easier forms for sapience (it allows for good mobility, visibility, and the manipulation of tools.) But mostly just for creative convenience, since it's much easier to have Steven interacting with humanoid gems rather than if they had bizarrely alien forms.

I do buy the idea that gems might have been incredibly instrumental in the establishment of human civilization though. Imagine Rose Quartz worshiped as a goddess by ancient cultures. (She already has plenty of the traits associated with ancient fertility goddesses, such as powers associated with healing and plant life, as well as a motherly demeanor and heavier appearance.)

[Flickerdart]

Also Pearl is familiar with humans hunting and gathering. That could tell us that gem activity on Earth is older than human Agriculture, but it also tells us they noticed such a development in humanity, a development that far outdated city building.

(The only issue is that Pearl also said she was only a few thousand years old when she joined Rose's Rebellion, so that timeline has a few holes in it.)

Considering that there are still hunter-gatherer tribes today, I think we're fine timeline-wise.

[Ravian]

Considering that there are still hunter-gatherer tribes today, I think we're fine timeline-wise.

True but it's not nearly so widespread, while Pearl talked about it like it was something humans all used to do.

The Quote: "You used to hunt and gather. Whatever happened to that."

If Gems had arrived around the 4000 BCE mark that the war started at, agriculture had spread throughout the world and even developed independently in the Americas. The only areas that weren't engaging in were those that didn't have the right resources for it. The reason why there are still hunter-gatherer tribes is because those tribes are both extremely isolated and lack the necessary land for (most of them live in jungles, and deserts with terrible soil conditions for agriculture and little in the ways of animals.)

Consider that 4000 BCE was when humanity first formed cities, having enough people stay in one place for a city requires agriculture (and a lot of it), heck any form of permanent settlement is largely dependent on agriculture.

Agriculture really did completely overhaul human civilization and it spread incredibly quickly over the course of only a few thousand years, and given that Pearl appeared very aware of this shift, it heavily implies that Gems were living among humans during the neolithic revolution and gradually became aware of this change as it occurred, while if they had encountered humans right before 4000 BCE, than they likely would have only thought of it as something only small pockets of humans did, while agriculture was the norm.

Imagine visiting a high school that you saw was super into hockey, lots of banners and such supporting their team and such. You'd likely be surprised if a few years later you went to the school and found that the school had suddenly switched over to loving football, and the only hockey fans are essentially a handful of social outcasts. That's more or less the equivalent to Gems checking on humanity before and after the Neolithic revolution.

However at the school's equivalent to 4000 BCE, hockey was already a sport only being enjoyed by a small minority, and football had already taken over as the favorite sport. Any outsider looking in for the first time would clearly see hockey was on its way out, and unless they really looked at the schools records, they likely wouldn't even have known it used to be a thing all the school loved.

[Flickerdart]

Agriculture in the Americas started in South and Central America. North America followed much later - around 1800-2100 BCE.

[Ravian]

Agriculture in the Americas started in South and Central America. North America followed much later - around 1800-2100 BCE.

Hmm... point conceded. Seeing as how the gems live in North America, I could imagine that their most persistent contact with humans over their millennium of existence could be with native American tribes. Especially since Historical Friction seems to indicate that most of the Gem monsters and ruins seem to be in the Americas. (Given the whole, "This is a dangerous land" speech they apparently gave to Captain Dewey.) It's possible that the Gems never even set up warp pads on other Continents.

Still it seems a little odd that so much of their activity was centered on a comparatively smaller landmass than Eurasia.

Hmm... New theory.

When the Gems landed they likely just considered humans a pest and thus decided to focus their operation on an area with a comparatively smaller and less settled population, that was still large and fertile enough for their purposes. (Which explains why they didn't land someplace desolate like the Saharra, Siberia, or Australia.)

Humans may not be a huge threat to gems, but given that they were still severely outnumbered it would probably cause them a lot of problems trying to set up their life-draining kindergartens close to enough humans that might decide to start wrecking it.

[The Vagabond]

You know, I wonder-
Would Rebbeca have any of the characters, at some point, see a psychologist?

[Vulkan]

Any idea when the show returns?

[Sigh]

Sometime next month, it was supposed to have bombed on us by this time this month but it got pushed back for unknown reasons.

[LaZodiac]

Sometime next month, it was supposed to have bombed on us by this time this month but it got pushed back for unknown reasons.

Unknown, boring business related reasons, according to the staff.

[Fragenstein]

You know, I wonder-
Would Rebbeca have any of the characters, at some point, see a psychologist?

And diminish their fighting capability? That would be insane.

On a related and less insane note, I'm transitioning a foster child into my household with intentions of adoption. He's had a rough time and is currently in a group home owing to some unfortunate behavior patterns in his past.

He's much better now, though.

He still shows anxiety when confronted with concepts of 'good behavior' and 'bad behavior'. Sunday was the first time we were allowed to take him shopping, and he was concerned that we might not approve of how he acted.

He asked if he could have a toy if he was good, but it was clear that there was anxiety present as he processed what we might consider to be good. I didn't like it, and it was clear that we were headed towards some sort of episode if he was allowed to continue to worry.

My solution was to deflect away from 'good' and 'bad', and told him that he could have a toy if he was 'Serious Steven'.

No, the boy's name was not Steven, but he responded immediately to the term and we had no problems whatsoever afterwards.

[Sigh]

That's adorable, and a good way of using positive reinforcement in a situation.

[LaZodiac]

No, the boy's name was not Steven, but he responded immediately to the term and we had no problems whatsoever afterwards.

Beyond the gay rights space rocks, beyond the badass fight scenes and interstellar war, beyond all of that, THIS is why the show is important. We need more shows that both adults and their kids can watch together and both be invested in and enjoy, teaching messages without being preaching and just being genuine.

[The Fury]

On a related and less insane note, I'm transitioning a foster child into my household with intentions of adoption. He's had a rough time and is currently in a group home owing to some unfortunate behavior patterns in his past.

He's much better now, though.

He still shows anxiety when confronted with concepts of 'good behavior' and 'bad behavior'. Sunday was the first time we were allowed to take him shopping, and he was concerned that we might not approve of how he acted.

He asked if he could have a toy if he was good, but it was clear that there was anxiety present as he processed what we might consider to be good. I didn't like it, and it was clear that we were headed towards some sort of episode if he was allowed to continue to worry.

My solution was to deflect away from 'good' and 'bad', and told him that he could have a toy if he was 'Serious Steven'.

No, the boy's name was not Steven, but he responded immediately to the term and we had no problems whatsoever afterwards.

Y'know, as someone that has loved cartoons for nearly their entire life despite being told how irrelevant they actually are, I always appreciate these stories about how a cartoon ended up changing someone's life for the better. Sincerely and honestly, from the bottom of my cold black heart, thanks for sharing this.

Beyond the gay rights space rocks, beyond the badass fight scenes and interstellar war, beyond all of that, THIS is why the show is important. We need more shows that both adults and their kids can watch together and both be invested in and enjoy, teaching messages without being preaching and just being genuine.

In that vein, I really liked how the show approached the subject of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a topic that tends to get preachy in kids' shows and even when it doesn't, it tends to be looked at in an overly simplistic way-- "Forgiving people is a good thing that good people do!"

So when a kids' show treats it as something a lot more serious, it tends to really stand out. In Steven Universe, while it's clear that Pearl feels terrible about betraying Garnet's trust and is trying very hard to earn that trust back, it takes Garnet some time before she's even willing to speak to Pearl again. I think this teaches something more relevant about forgiveness-- that it's nothing trivial. In fact it's one of the most difficult things one person can do for another and even strong people struggle with it.

[Kymme]

Hey, look what I just found:

Spoiler: Spoilers

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Spoiler: It's the SDCC Extended Opening

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[Rater202]

Hey, look what I just found:

Spoiler: Spoilers

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Spoiler: It's the SDCC Extended Opening

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Spoiler

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As before, i note that when they get to the part that is the second opening, it's Greg instead of Garnet that says "Believe in".

[Cizak]

Hey, look what I just found:

Spoiler: Spoilers

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Spoiler: It's the SDCC Extended Opening

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Even though I loved this opening when it first showed up, I have to say

Spoiler

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Pearl's and Steven's "I will fight for" lines are... not healthy.
Pearl will fight for Rose's beliefs and... that's it. But what does Pearl believe in? What causes her to fight as an individual? Rose is so stuck in the past that she can't even be her own person when it comes to risking her life, and that's really sad.
And Steven will fight to be everything that everybody wants him to be when he's grown. Everybody including him, or everyone else? Steven is not Rose. He should not turn into Rose when he grows up. He should fight to be everything that he wants to be. But is this what he wants? To turn into an exact copy of his mother? I don't think so, or I certainly don't hope so. Because that's not healthy in any way, shape or form.

All the Crystal Gems need to move on, especially Pearl. Steven needs to be his own person. I'm all for character flaws, but as kickass lines the theme song... no. Not a fan. This opening is getting worse for me the more I think about it.

[Rater202]

Spoiler

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I'm pretty sure that Steven's line is meant to come across as "The Gems believe in me, and I'm not going to let them down."

Pearl I don't see a problem with. Pearl has issues, but choosing to honor Rose by fighting for Rose's cause is one of the healthier aspects of her obsession.

[The Extinguisher]

Hey, look what I just found:

Spoiler: Spoilers

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Spoiler: It's the SDCC Extended Opening

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Spoiler

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Okay, I can't get over how sinister Rose looks in Steven's "I will fight for" bit. I'm super interested in what we're going to learn about Rose.