I don't think those are tears of guilt at the end of Rose's Scabbard. Pearl is so codependent that even after Rose is long gone, she still views her self worth through Rose. I think Steven confirming Pearl's worth, existence and experiences as valid allows Pearl the release of a lot of repressed emotions about Rose and the codependency she had for her. But, there is not enough critical discourse around Steven Universe and it's my main special interest so please make more.
Feel you on the discourse part. Regarding Pearl's tears, I honestly think it's a mix of both. I think you're spot on regarding her realeasing repressed emotions in that scene. For one she feels validated by Steven but also realizes just how unfair she is being to him, because it's not his fault Rose is gone and she's aware that she's compairing Steven to Rose. But at the same times she feels good about the validation because in some capacity she still sees Steven as Rose. I think in that moment she also internalizes that Steven and Rose are different people. Also think that these were tears of Love for Steven. I think in that moment she realized how much she matters to Steven, and despite Rose not being here anymore she now has Steven, who adores her as well, but in a differnt way.
During Pearl’s early days, she fused with Pink Diamond. It makes sense that she longs for that connection again. She shouldn’t have done what she did to Garnet, but it makes more sense with that context.
Ironically, it was Pearl in her most naive self who told Pink Diamond that freedom WAS possible right when she needed it most. While Pink was feeling trapped, Pearl was proposing ideas for her, ideas that went absurdly against Homeworld yet Pink started to believe. It is important to mention that Rebecca stated in an interview that Pink Diamond and Rose were separated people in Pearl's mind, she believed in Rose's new identity, and how at the end of the day Pink had granted her freedom. But her choice, Pearl’s proud way of "rebelling", as an individual, was to follow the person she loved…The fantasy both Pearl and Rose created, and the one both struggled.
At the same time the moment Pearl "shattered" Pink Diamond was inherently catastrophic for her. Not only because the ugliest phase of the war began, but because Pearl "murdered" the person she was literally made for. It went against every part of her programming, her instincts, and it probably hurt psychologically way more than she was willing to admit. Pearl's feelings of guilt are often overlooked "why did I do it?" In the end everything resulted in the war, corruption and destruction of gems… Feeling responsible while lying to everyone, left simply unable to communicate and properly deal with her own emotions, and not knowing how to ended up with Pearl having a huge mental fog. Disguising her own chaos with a need of control. There’s an interesting post in the SU subreddit called “A theory on ways Pearls functioning(with images)” and speculates on how important the perception of visual forms are for gems.
Pearl probably has one or the saddest backstories in the whole show. Her story of sacrificing everything to be with rose only to be upstaged by Greg and still being forced to keep roses most important secret puts her up there with spinel and lapis for me.
I think that ‘A single pale rose’ was such an important episode not only because Steven learned the truth about Rose, but because Pearl wanted something that was intrinsically opposite of what Pink wanted, and Pearl chose to do it anyway. It was incredibly difficult for her to do, but the fact that Pearl chose to disobey Pink’s final order because SHE wanted to (“I’ve wanted to tell you for so long”) was the final domino preventing her from moving on. I think after that episode Pearl does still grieve Rose, but it’s in a more healthy way. It’s grief, but with room to move on and grow as a person. It’s no longer all-consuming.
Amethyst too, don't forget that she is also tragic. Amethyst hides her feelings of insecurity behind being brash and using humor. But, she knows she was created to fight a war she really had nothing to do with and the only reason they didn't want her is that she was considered defective because she wasn't born big and strong like the other Amathysts. She is dealing with the fact that if she wasn't "defective" she would have been fighting on the other side of a war. She was only created to destroy and fight. Yet she was so weak she wasn't born on time and when she was born she had already been abandoned and alone. It stayed in her mind that she wasn't really the big and strong gem she should be and that makes her feel so insecure that she feels she has to hide her insecurities when, in fact her "defectiveness" ended up making her our "Amethyst" instead of a regular noncapatslized amathyst "drones"
@NotWhatIamMadeFor yeah! I'm glad Amythest realized that everyone likes her the way she is and that if she was as "big and strong" like the others then she would not have been Amythest at all
YES!! I saw so many people complaining that the episode ruined Pearl because it meant she wasn't a rebel pearl anymore, just following her superior, but the ACT of informing Steven is the biggest act of rebellion she could have done, and against the person she was so in love with that the phrase in love doesn't cover it
CORRECTION: - rose didn't create the zoo, she asked the diamonds if she could preserve life on earth and they created the zoo - rose didn't randomly attack bismuth. bismuth attacked her first, which makes roses events much less shitty
Wait sorry, where were we told the latter bit? I know that Rose realized Bismuth wasn't going to let up on the idea of Shattering, but I don't remember Bismuth being the first to fight her about it lol; only the post-flashback tussle with Steven
I feel like Rose isn't even really a bad person overall. Not only is her story told backwards but you can chalk up the Spinel thing to her not having experienced much in terms of development past the tantrums. It feels like a thing a diamond WOULD do, and it's extremely lax compared to destroying planets with life on them.
@@Tuskbumper The show pretty much just starts using her as an escape goat for all the atrocities caused by the other Diamonds from Season 4 onwards (which is when the show started getting really terrible imo). How interesting would it have been if the show actually stuck to its initial attempt of portraying Rose as a nuanced character (instead of villainizing her at every chance they got, from a certain point onwards).
Pink didnt make the human zoo. Blue and Yellow did after Pink told them she wanted to keep the life on earth. The other diamonds misunderstood her and created the human zoo as a supposed gift.
We have to remember we see rose’s character development in reverse because it is from Stevens perspective and as a child he only grows to learn of these things.
Dude i cannot watch that scene from rose's scabbard without tearing up. it is such a powerful and impactful scene and the first time we truly see pearl's walls down and her past with rose.
The thing with Rose is that, during her lifetime she was one of the 4 most powerful entities in the universe. All the relationships she had, with anybody, were asymmetric. This is what her conflict with Spinelle shows: that if someone has the power to ask an annoying underling to stop moving for all eternity, and enough privilege to then forget about the matter, they will use it. The mere existence of the diamonds is a bad thing, even when they're personally nice.
Very good point! While the effect of her choices had devastating consequences, Pink D didn't ask to be in the position of having so much power over others, especially so much emotional dependency from Spinel and Pearl
@@PS-dm1dq she also had no idea of how powerful/meaningful she was to others. She was oppressed and abused by the other diamonds and many of her actions both as rose and pd mirror that her worth to other people is unknown to her as she herself felt small and unimpactful
Rose didn't make the Zoo, the Diamonds did when she asked them to stop the colonization because she didn't want to kill the humans Rose didn't attack Bismuth, Bismuth attacked Rose when she didn't agree Pearl WAS free. She didn't want to. It was her choice to stay
"Pearl WAS free. She didn't want to. It was her choice to stay" This seems a little bit naive. The gem rebellion was Pearl's idea, and once Rose committed to it, there was no path back for Pearl. If Pearl defected from the Crystal Gems then she would have been killed, or worse. She was not equipped to live independently or with the humans. Her only real choice was to fight for the Crystal Gems. Rose knew this and felt guilty about it, you can tell from the exchange between Pearl and holo-Rose. True freedom for Pearl would mean dismantling the Diamond Authority, which is not something that Rose was able to do for Pearl, but ultimately Steven succeeded at doing.
@@Crisis121 The gem rebellion was objectively not pearls idea, the show goes out of its way to show rose started the rebellion after her status as pink diamond did nothing to save earth. Pearl didnt create the rebellion at all, her assistance lead to pink learning the truth and starting one. There is nothing to suggest defecting from the crystal gems would mean death for pearl, so no her only choice was not just to fight for the crystal gems. There was no guilt because there was no "this is the only real option for pearl", Its a bit weird to use the exchange between holo rose and pearl to say rose felt guilty that pearl had no real choice besides fighting for the crystal gems when there is nothing that establishes this being true. Rose literally sits there and makes sure this is something pearl actually wants to do, and that she understands the consequences of winning being never going home and losing being death/ On earth pearl was free, she was allowed and expected to behave as her own gem capable of anything, not a servant who just follows orders.
The human zoo was created by other diamonds NOT Pink. Pink wanted to convince Blue and Yellow to stop the colony since she cared for humans who lived there so the diamonds created zoo for her so she can keep few humans safe and continue the colony
plus for spinel, she probably knew she was about to go to war and i wouldn't bring this joyful fella into a war personnally. plus, after the war all the portals and all ways for her to contact spinel were destroyed on earth. she had no way of coming back to her.
@@Ikuyoghurt just bc she was slightly annoyed with her doesn't mean she abandoned her willingly? she still liked spinel, but spinel was litterally the embodiement of what the other diamonds limited Pink to be : a child needing toys to play with and nothing more. If I was Pink I probably would have mixed feelings about Spinel too.
@@nasta1exe “she didn’t abandon her willingly” yes bc she definitely didn’t abandon spinel on her own free will 😍 Just stop the convo, ur logic isn’t logical
Pearl’s *obsession* cough devotion makes me sad. Why she’s at the bottom of my stack rank. Living for someone else is low vibes. If her devotion only comes from her feelings of worthlessness and longing, it’s not a strength and it’s proven to be a weakness in the show. Pearl is a baddie by her own right and her worst moments come because of her obsession. Stephen looks HARROWED when she tries to inflict her ideology on Connie. PERIDOT FOR LYFE.
@@sqkoiOh plsss 🙄 Blue Diamond literally mentally and physically tortured her actual child (solitary confinement is a torture method). Not only was she imprisoning Pink for long lengths of time in a pitch dark room, but she'd go into the room to continually ab*se her in other ways. Constantly gaslighting her (claiming it's Pink's behavior that's getting her tortured, making herself out to be the victim). And literally blasting Pink with her powers so hard that she gets slammed into the walls. That scene where Steven's in Pink's pov in the prison chamber not ringing a bell to you? How is any of that motherly? Having a soft voice doesn't make somebody motherly. She, Yellow, and White are the reasons Pink felt so unloved that she didn't think the other Diamonds would care if she disappeared. And let's not even go into all the genocide that Blue was partially behind. Istg, I will never understand why people think Blue is so sweet. She's one of the cruellest characters. Trying to change after eons of being a genocide-loving ab*ser does not make her a nice person. She's got a very long way to go before she can be considered sweet or motherly. Do I think she's capable of change? Yes. Do I think she's the best motherly figure on the show? Hard no. She literally put her own kid through hell and back. I'm not even going to respond to anything you say back because I literally can't emotionally handle people who excuse abu*er's actions.
Rewatching season one makes it so much more impactful and painful to see her anxious and flighty personality begin and her complete dedication to Rose throughout the series explaining why she is so dedicated and thinks so little of herself. Plus her singing voice is just unmatched and unbeatable imo.
I think Rose is an excellently complex character, as well as pearl. And their entire relationship as well as their backstory. It's such an interesting dynamic. Rose, despite being an alien, is incredibly human in her flaws, her decisions and even in her selfishness. I've often wondered if she bubble bismuth because she regretted leaving spinel in that garden which was a horrible action, but it does make you think about it. If it affected how she handled the interaction with the breaking point in that moment. she was also incredibly human to act thinking only of yourself, just to avoid embarrassment. Maybe that's why she didn't tell the other gems, maybe she wanted to keep having them look at her as this goddess, because it made her feel better to think of herself as this literally changed being to separate herself from her previous existence . Where is she did horrible things, because that's what she knew in her culture. you could argue it makes her a victim as well (being a victim doesn't absolve you of bad behavior). Growing up in a dictatorship. She's a very complex character. She's not good or bad. And pearl is another victim in a long line of the terrible actions of the diamonds. these characters can be simply categorized as good or bad. Just like humans, they are a collection of actions and experiences, and its how we learn from them that define our character. And I think for a kid show, the fact that all of these characters can be analyzed in such a uniquely human way despite being aliens, is very cool. It's not the best show to ever exist on television, but I think it's a wonderful addition to the world of animation, and pave the way for a lot of other excellent shows. Steven universe has a special place in my heart I growing up i always felt like an alien watching people and mimicking them to pass as human when in reality, I never understood them.. My mask was flawless until I couldn't keep it up anymore. And that was right around when Steven universe came out, in my 20s and it helped me a lot. I saw some of my self and Rose not only because I am a giant woman but because I had created a façade that wasn't me. I felt like I wasn't a real person and I felt myself asking myself all the time is this not how it works? I probably wouldn't have had the introspection to get help and realize that I'm autistic and that it's OK to be me and that there are people out there who find tall women very beautiful. It was nice to see your character like that even if she wasn't perfect.., people wanna talk about bad characters, but I think it's important to remember that you can't always put someone in the box of good and evil and that sometimes even 'bad' characters in shows that may be a little corny can have a good effect on people. I really liked your video by the way I thought it was very well worded. Keep up the great work.
I definitely agree that Rose is an incredibly complex character, and I love that you've been inspired by her. 💖 I enjoyed reading your comment. I also can totally relate to putting up a facade to appear more "normal." One thing though that I'd like to amicably bring up: Rose actually was a huge victim. It's not arguable, it's indisputable. One of the hugest victims on the show. The other Diamonds literally tortured her (solitary confinement is a torture method). They put her through so much physical and emotional anguish that she literally thought they wouldn't care if she disappeared. Hence the fake shattering. I'd also say that she was a lot more good than bad. She made some mistakes, but not as many as people make it out to be. She left Spinel because the other Diamonds literally gave her Spinel as a toy to play with. How could Pink then see Spinel as anything other than a toy when she had no other frame of reference for what Spinel is? Pink's entire character is based off the life and growth of a human. The youngest we see Pink is when she was a child, hence the other Diamonds giving her "toys" like Spinel and sending her off to the Garden to play so they could work without being distracted. Pink leaving Spinel symbolizes a child leaving behind a toy they've grown tired of. Rebecca actually said this and was inspired to create Spinel by a memory of herself leaving behind a toy when she was a kid. That scene that so many see as Pink being a terrible person is her being a naive child who simply couldn't know any better due to her environment and upbringing. Pink exploring Earth with Pearl, realizing how messed up the other Diamonds' actions are, and rebelling marks her adolescence. This is also when she poofed and hid Bismuth, which was due to being threatened by Bismuth, not due to any kind of despicable agenda that fans love to make up. One thing that comes to my mind is how many Gems Rose must've seen the other Diamonds shatter. Other than feeling threatened by the fact that she's Pink Diamond and Bismuth was out to kill anybody outside of the Rebellion (Pink Diamond would've been her main target), Rose could very well be triggered by even the thought of shattering. It annoys me that all the blame is on Rose here when Bismuth was the one who wanted to stoop to murdering Gems that were brainwashed by the Diamond authority. Rose would know about that brainwashing better than anybody, as she was literally raised by them. The Rose we see after the war is her as an adult. As you said, she's such an amazingly complex character and the fact that people just write her off as a villain breaks my heart. Even Rebecca has talked smack about her, which makes zero sense to me. Why create such a nuanced character and give them so many layers if you're just going to end up scapegoating them? 😕 Anyways, I'm always glad to see people who don't bash Rose for a living. 😆🩷
She had one of the biggest character arcs that I did not expect - even from the pilot. She went from the well-mannered co-parent to an internally suffering war veteran with closure issues fast.
while there was some mistakes you made, overall it's a topic I love to see discussed. Pearl's character was so intriguing because it was heavily involved in the mystery of the show. I also love the noticable arc of her character such as her finally feeling comfortable to shapeshift, take a small bite of food and enjoy human culture etc by the end of the show. It shows such incredible growth from her servitude to true freedom from all internal struggle of truly belonging to no one.
I was so happy for how much Pearl has changed in the final, she became so nice and calm, for the most part, and opened up to people. That was really satisfying to see for me, because Pearl was and still is my favorite Steven Universe character.
This is just a thought, but when Pearl was rejuvenated, before she appears again, her clam asks if the master of that pearl wanted customization, and when Greg didn't, the shell said that the settings will be default, showing us Pearl. This is just a thought which may add to how sad it is for Pearl. We all know that pearls are customized to match their master, but Pearl isn't, making me think that because Pink Diamond's pearl was broken, White decided to keep it, and brought Pink a new Pearl, but Pink didn't customize her. It made me think that maybe Pink loved Volleyball more than Pearl.
I would have LOVED some sort of scene in Future where she had to choose between Rose and Steven and she made the choice to fight to get Steven. Like some gem manipulated her mind to think that she could give up Steven and get Rose back and she snapped NEVER
i don’t pink diamond is a bad character, they need to make a mini series about the life of pink diamond. we already know that everything was told backwards but I think it’ll bring justice to her character.
3:27 It wasn't actually her who created the human zoo, it was actually Blue Diamond who made it for her as a reaction to her saying she wanted to spare humans. It wasn't her idea. It was confirmed in an episode where they said something like "idk uh pink diamond didn't actually want that", or at least it was implying it-..
5:07 “blinded by love” she saw the good in her, she agreed what she was doing was good or atleast better than what the diamonds were doing. Y’know fighting for freedom
I hope you have a series of all of the characters in Steven Universe and end them all with " and that's why x is the most complex charecter in Steven Universe." Great essay very well edited thank you
having watched rgu (which i believe was one of the heaviest inspirations for pearl and pink) really gave so much more nuance to understanding pearls character now, and i think the parallels are just so interesting between them and utena/anthy
5:32 pearl was a shared “slave” (with that logic assistants are slaves) shared with all diamonds based on her color palette it’s an pretty obvious assumption but as we see in in the end ‘white’ pearl was just pinks pearl being controlled since white diamond was so powerful why would she need a “slave” she took control of pink bc to her she was useless and probably would have been shattered if it weren’t for pinks attachment to her
Just love this video, i was searching for an interesting steven universe video to watch, cause i got really into su vibes and randomly found a video about my favorite charcter and just love it, keep going lavaman, hugs from brazil
One note: Rose did not setup the zoo - that was her sisters, the other Diamonds set up a zoo for her when she told them she wanted to save the biological life from the gems invasion. The other diamonds set up the zoo to try to preserve some life, imagining that Rose just wanted to keep the life as a 'record', like how we save things in museums.
when steven says "well I think your pretty great" it reminds me of stevens video that rose left for him "every time you love being yourself thats me loving you" kinda implying that because he thinks shes pretty great rose must have too
just finished binging all of your content! your complex understanding and analytical approach to these shows is amazing, it’s almost like experiencing these moments for the first time. Keep up the great work!! :]
An important distinction is the fact that Pearl did not know a Pink Diamond that was “bratty” and did the things that we now know she did. Pearl was her second pearl. She never knew her to be unkind as Volleyball would have been her pearl at the time, so she has an inherently different perspective of Pink Diamond.
You make some incredible points and I love this conversation. But I want to make some points. 1- the show spends a lot of time showing us how codependent Pearl is, by showing what happened after her partner died. Ruby is just as bad, maybe worse when forced away from Sapphire. But Garnet's purpose is to show power in healthy relationships. 2- Rose Quartz is a hero, who made impossible choices, and took impossible chances for her friends. She gambled everything and lost. Pink Diamond was a bratty teenager. Who Pearl barely even met. And Bismuth wanted to murder Rose's mother and sisters. If someone ever shows you the gun they are going to use to kill your family members, it is no longer a disagreement. Even if they are your friend, even if they don't know you are related. Even if your siblings are involved in a war. Bismuth deserved better, but Rose was emotionally justified.
the thing about pink's character is that she was so selfless yet so so selfish, because she struggled with self worth, she didnt know how much she meant for the other characters therefore, her shitty actions specifically towards spinel have a reason behind them
I think Pink Diamond was always jist "Playing the Part" because thats what she was taught to donby Blue and Yellow, until Greg makes her snap out out of itnin that scene before they "fuse", and thats why Rose fell for him, because she was being genuine for the first time.
3:30 Pink wasn't the one who made the zoo. It was blue and yellow. This was stated in 'Now we're only falling apart' in 8:11-8:24 "When she told the other diamonds she didn't want to go through with the colony, they told her to finish what she started. When she told the other diamonds she wanted to preserve life on earth, they created the Zoo and threw a handful of humans in." 4:10 She didn't just randomly "kill" her friend for disagreeing with her. The breaking point went against the crystal gems' basis of peace. She was very justified in locking Bismuth away, but not in not telling anyone else about it.
Another incredible video. Your analysis and voice as well as topic choices are awesome. It seems like you put a bunch of work into thinking it through and as someone who is trying to write a story myself, videos like this are great perspective. Glad I found your channel 💫
Five points I feel are relevant 1) Rose never "chose" Greg over Pearl. Most likely, she was never even aware Pearl was jealous 2) Rose did not build the human zoo. The Diamonds did. 3) BISMUTH was the one who tried to kill Rose for disagreeing. Not the other way around 4) Pearl WAS free. If she had wanted to stay in Homeworld Rose would have found a way to let her. Look at other Pearls and you'll see they aren't attached to their Diamonds like that. Pearl just loves Rose, so she has no reason TO wanna ditch her 5) Pink and Rose being very different identities is crucial to Pearls character. Because she ONLY loves Rose, not Pink as a Diamond.
My 2 cents on this 1. Regardless of whether Greg was jealous she did chose him over pearl 2. Just ur right I fucked up on this one lol 3. Is this true? I know its implied but just because she tried to kill Steven doesn't mean she tied to kill rose (maybe i missed the subtext tho lol) 4. My arguement was that pearl was never free because she had no other actual option as her world only existed in the context of rose. Like she 'could' have stayed at homeworld but she had never even spent a day without rose and she was deff dependent of her. Like basically a slave loving her master she was created to serve feels very different from pearl just randomly being in love 5. I mean you're right pearl only loved rose when she was in rose form but rose is still the same person as pink (maybe you could elaborate more on how this is relevant) Overall good points!
@@lavaman9910 1 - nope. She didn't choose Greg she loved them both. She didn't even know they were treating it as a competition 3 - yes, Bis attacked Rose. Not the other way around 4- Pearl was free. She stayed with Rose becaude it was by any measure the better option. None of the other pearls are attached to their Diamonds. It is not because she is a Pearl.
@@paloma4444 i think the idea is that pearl didn't have a choice because without rose she saw herself as nothing (because she was made to be roses slave)
@@chessguy-hq3zr That is not how choices work dude. That is like saying 'I didn't have a choice but marry my wife because without her my life is so much sadder'
Imagine having a crush on someone and been with them for thousand of year only for them to fall in love with someone else for one year its not rose fault she can chose who ever she love and I don't think pearl tell rose how she feel all those time anyway but still it hurt alot
I actually agree pearl is a very fascinating character. Steven universe actually had me questioning some parts myself. I actually hated pearls character but then I realized I didn't like her character because pearl and I have damn near mirror traits. I had a relationship where I felt exactly like pearl to the point were it became obsessive but since are relationship ended prematurely and down right horrible. All these years I still have may questions. Could we have been happy together? Was the relationship wrong? Was it all my fault? Was I just a stupid little girl? Was everyone right about us about me? Etc. It messed me up so bad that my life ment literally nothing to me for over a decade. When I started watching Steven universe pearl character really hit me, it's had to validate yourself when you live for another person you forget that you matter especially when Noone there to tell you matter. Pearl character really hit me after she sang its over isn't it." You won and she choose you and she loved you now she gone. It's over isn't it why can't I move on. Now that I'm an adult I can tell myself yes that happen to me but that not all of me. And that I'm something.
i always thought of the tears as relief or a for reprieve. that there is someone who thinks shes great and loves her for her. also hey youre the one that made the lemongrab video, i really enjoyed it. this videos is cool i should really try to to back to steven universe
I really like the parallel between two scenes with her and White Diamond when both of them was about to remove Steven's gem out of his body but Pearl didn't and WD did. They both had the same thesis “if I remove it from the human she'll be free and come back to me". But Pearl was mature and empathic enough to realise her actions could hurt the baby. Also she accepted (even at this moment out of respect and obedience) Rose's choice. WD didn't.
i think she didnt love him when he was born, but she grew to love him. loving him in a way she had to learn because she only knew romantic love for rose, so she had to learn familial love
Where have you gone bro? Just binge watched every one of your videos and I love your content and takes. You have genuine talent and I would love to see more content from you
my man I just found your channel and I can see your really good at video essays I think you should keep going. cuz you just found your self a new subscriber
Awesome video! So much thought has obviously been put into it. And I think you really captured the beauty and nuance of Steven Universe, a show that I really loved. I Hope you make more videos like this maybe on Adventure Time characters cause they're also pretty fun and complex. How about Princess Bubblegum or Marceline or Ice King?
5:35 okay. So I just wanted to add in, Pink Pearl, now Volleyball, is shown to still have feelings for Pink diamond in the epilogue. It might be something baked into the pearls to prevent their willing defection from the authorities.
WOOOO! 4500th like! This is an AMAZING video that showcases exactly why Pearl will always be my favorite. I relate to her and honestly love her too to an insane degree. She is amazing
4:23 while yes I agree that the spinel thing was a little fucked but in her defense what do you think would of happened if she had told her? She’d beg for her to not leave? She’d call the diamonds? They never liked her, saw her as her play thing but tell them this would grab her approval. Pink ose was afraid she didn’t have her full trust.
4:00 pink/ rose was protecting the others, her enime of whom she could of kill but instead she PAINLESSLY put them in a bubble so they’d still be alive bc death was to permanent in her eyes and bismuth had to be put away with the rest bc she wanted to kill the enemy so rose/pink thought that she was just as bad as the enemy 4:00
I think the most genious development is in fact Pink Diamond/Rose. God she had so many layers, SO many development and plot twists. All perfectly placed so that she is the "Grayest" character in the show. You can love her. Or hate her for the things she has done, you wont be wrong either way. All that development done while she isn't even alive during the story. Brilliant
Pink leaving Spinel on a floating rock in space is bad but what other did she have? And I don't think she realized Spinel could be sad or mad considering Spinel was a TOY, Spinel was made to play with Pink keep her company and happy that's it. So if Pink is trying to prove to the diamonds that she's js as good of diamonds as they are so she can stop being overlooked by them, taking Spinel wouldn't help. If she took Spinel then she would turned on Pink right then and there because, Pink would've been so hyper focused on the earth and saving she would have less and less time for her. Giving Spinel to the Diamonds could've been just as bad because at that time all the other diamonds cared about really was their colonies so they wouldn't be focused on Spinel and Spinel could turned on them ultimately causing her to go under white's authority or be shattered by yellow. At the end of the day Spinel was a toy for pink to play with. we all grew up at one point and stopped playing with toys.
dang I thought this was a channel with an hundred+ videos but was instead an welcome edition to an content creator that'll do that in the near future, gonna be a treat indeed which is keep up the great work, have fun while doing so and of course do it at your own pace cause honestly videos like this just makes me want to see the world in different lenses while of course getting ideas and other stuff for writing I suppose you could say.
Bismuth also wanted to shatter rose as roses self defense she had to bubble bismuth and my theory is that rose doesnt want the crystal gems to know that she bubbled bismuth because maybe she the crystal gems think her as a bad person or smt
I like these. I can't tell if it's helping my creative writing in terms of character writing but I like to think that it's helping to look at characters differently as I get older.
I love my waves of feelings I’ve always had for Pearl. I’ve loved her, I’ve been disappointed by what I thought was bad writing for her, I’ve felt deep sorrow & sympathy for her, I’ve felt pride in her, and now that the show is over I just live Pearls character & think she’s my favorite!
I find it interesting, and not sufficiently talked about, that two of the top four Pearls in the hierarchy (the attendants of the Diamond Authority) appear to be switched. White Diamond’s gem is in her forehead, Blue and Yellow’s are in their chest, and Pink’s is in her stomach. Blue and Yellow Pearl have chest gems - but White Diamond’s attendant has a stomach gem, and the Pearl we’ve come to know as a major character has a forehead gem. White Diamond’s damaged Pearl attendant also has flowy clothes and a floral-looking side bun hairstyle, while “our” Pearl has clean lines and muted colors, opting for sandy blonde hair and glassy blue clothing; her hobbies, while certainly emotional, are also the most “classical” and “academic” of the Crystal Gems: piano, ballet, swordplay. She’s a perfectionist and really the only one among those main three who can ever be seen to STUDY. This mirrors White Diamond’s position in the hierarchy as Freudian superego, where Blue and Yellow serve as ego (action and emotion) and Pink serves as the impulsive id. Add to this that Pearl’s powers are unlike those of almost any other Gem we encounter save for White Diamond herself - holographic projection being the most significant of these; even Gems assigned to broadcast reports use tech to do this - and it seems very clear that White Diamond “exchanged” the service of these two Pearls as a means of surveillance and control over Pink Diamond. Even though she’s clearly an independent Gem in the main timeline of the story, the Pearl of the early days had to consciously defect from the service of White Diamond, refusing to tell her crucial information about Earth and Pink, hiding her own memories in a convoluted series of holograms… long before the “shattering.” Pink seemingly had no awareness of just how loyal or disloyal Pearl might be, but at least at that time during the war, her naïveté went unpunished. Pearl could have ended the whole thing. We have a show because she didn’t.
Steven Universe’s story is an intricate tapestry of growth, pain, and resilience, interwoven with the lives of those around him. Every character in the show is not merely a supporting player in Steven’s journey but a critical force that shapes who he becomes, even when their influence brings conflict or harm. Steven’s growth, from an idealistic child to a deeply wounded but self-aware young adult, mirrors our own struggles with identity, relationships, and trauma. To fully understand the depth of his journey, we must explore not only his triumphs but also the scars left by those who loved him-and sometimes failed him-along the way. --- Steven’s Childhood: Innocence Shaped by Legacy At the heart of Steven’s early life is the shadow of Rose Quartz, his mother. From the beginning, Steven is framed as her successor, not just as a member of the Crystal Gems but as the inheritor of her ideals, powers, and choices. To Steven, Rose is a paragon of love, rebellion, and selflessness-a vision shaped by the reverence of the Gems and the absence of her physical presence. But even in these early moments, cracks begin to show. Steven is repeatedly reminded of Rose’s legacy but given little room to explore his own identity. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl adore Steven, but their love is tangled with their unresolved grief for Rose. Their protectiveness sometimes becomes smothering, and their inability to fully separate Steven from his mother lays the groundwork for his identity struggles. Steven begins life wanting to be like Rose but is burdened by expectations he does not yet understand. --- The Crystal Gems: Their Love and Their Failures The Crystal Gems are more than Steven’s family-they are his first mentors, friends, and protectors. However, their love for Steven is not without flaws, and their own traumas often affect how they raise him. Garnet: The Unshakable Leader Garnet is a fusion, the embodiment of a loving relationship between Ruby and Sapphire. She represents stability, confidence, and balance, qualities that make her the de facto leader of the Crystal Gems. Garnet is Steven’s moral compass, teaching him to trust his instincts and remain true to his values. However, her stoicism sometimes creates distance, leaving Steven to face moments of uncertainty without fully understanding the stakes. Her lessons on fusion are some of the most critical in Steven’s journey, teaching him that connection and communication are the foundation of strength. But Garnet’s struggles with vulnerability-seen most vividly when she temporarily unfuses-also teach Steven that even the strongest relationships require effort and compromise. Amethyst: The Flawed, Relatable Sibling Amethyst is both Steven’s playmate and his mirror. Her lighthearted, carefree attitude makes her seem approachable, but it also masks her deep insecurities about being “defective.” Amethyst’s struggles with self-worth resonate with Steven, who also feels inadequate compared to the legacy of his mother. Amethyst’s dynamic with Steven is one of mutual growth. She learns from Steven’s compassion, while Steven learns from her that imperfection is not failure. However, Amethyst’s tendency to avoid addressing her deeper emotions sometimes leaves Steven to navigate his feelings alone, unintentionally reinforcing his habit of repressing his pain. Pearl: The Dutiful, Broken Caregiver Pearl’s relationship with Steven is perhaps the most emotionally fraught. Her love for Steven is genuine, but it is tangled with her lingering devotion to Rose. Pearl’s grief manifests as an obsessive need to protect Steven and uphold Rose’s ideals, often at the cost of her own well-being. Pearl’s perfectionism and emotional distance create tension in her relationship with Steven. Her reluctance to see him as his own person, separate from Rose, burdens Steven with a legacy he never chose. Over time, however, Pearl begins to heal, and her vulnerability becomes a source of strength. Steven helps her confront her past, but the emotional weight of her struggles leaves a lasting impression on him. --- The Diamonds and Homeworld: Forgiveness and Pain The Diamonds-Yellow, Blue, and White-represent the oppressive forces of the Gem Homeworld, as well as the remnants of Rose’s complicated past. Steven’s encounters with them challenge his beliefs about justice, redemption, and the nature of power. Yellow Diamond: The Rigid Enforcer Yellow Diamond is the embodiment of control and efficiency, valuing order above all else. Her rigid worldview initially clashes with Steven’s empathy, but through his efforts, she begins to see the value of change. However, Yellow’s transformation does not erase the harm she caused, and Steven’s forgiveness of her raises questions about the emotional cost of extending compassion to those who have done great harm. Blue Diamond: The Mourner Blue Diamond is defined by her grief for Pink Diamond. Her sorrow is palpable, and Steven’s ability to connect with her emotionally is a testament to his compassion. However, Blue’s tendency to wallow in sadness without taking action mirrors Steven’s own struggle to move forward from pain. Their dynamic highlights the importance of addressing grief rather than becoming consumed by it. White Diamond: The Tyrant Redeemed White Diamond is perhaps Steven’s greatest challenge. As the ultimate authority figure, she represents the toxic perfectionism and control that Steven fights against in himself. By confronting White Diamond and showing her the flaws in her worldview, Steven not only reforms her but also symbolically rejects the expectations placed upon him. --- The Breaking Point: Steven’s Transformation in Future In Steven Universe Future, we see the toll of years spent solving others’ problems. Steven, now a young adult, is left without a purpose. The peace he fought so hard to achieve feels hollow, and the unresolved trauma of his experiences begins to surface. Steven’s transformation into a monstrous version of himself is a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil. His tendency to suppress his emotions, coupled with his belief that he must always be the one to fix things, leads to a catastrophic breakdown. This moment is a stark reminder that even the most compassionate and resilient individuals have limits, and ignoring those limits can have devastating consequences. The climax of Future is not a battle against an external villain but a confrontation with Steven’s own pain. His decision to leave Beach City and embark on a journey of self-discovery is a profound act of self-care, symbolizing the importance of prioritizing one’s own well-being. --- The Essence of Steven’s Growth: A Mirror of Humanity Steven Universe’s journey is a reflection of our own struggles with identity, responsibility, and healing. His story is not about achieving perfection but about learning to embrace imperfection and find balance. The characters who shape him-flawed, loving, and complex-remind us that growth is a collaborative effort, and healing is an ongoing process. In the end, Steven teaches us that it’s okay to seek help, set boundaries, and choose our own path. His journey inspires us to face our own challenges with empathy, courage, and a willingness to grow, no matter how difficult the process may be.
I loovvveee your videos! I love your words. It just makes sense. I"ve seen it before and I've felt the feelings but never described it. You just did it for me. You're cool
I don't think those are tears of guilt at the end of Rose's Scabbard. Pearl is so codependent that even after Rose is long gone, she still views her self worth through Rose. I think Steven confirming Pearl's worth, existence and experiences as valid allows Pearl the release of a lot of repressed emotions about Rose and the codependency she had for her. But, there is not enough critical discourse around Steven Universe and it's my main special interest so please make more.
felt that bestie
I agree I thought that way too when I watched the show
This
Also she started doing this with Garnet as well
Feel you on the discourse part.
Regarding Pearl's tears, I honestly think it's a mix of both. I think you're spot on regarding her realeasing repressed emotions in that scene. For one she feels validated by Steven but also realizes just how unfair she is being to him, because it's not his fault Rose is gone and she's aware that she's compairing Steven to Rose. But at the same times she feels good about the validation because in some capacity she still sees Steven as Rose. I think in that moment she also internalizes that Steven and Rose are different people. Also think that these were tears of Love for Steven. I think in that moment she realized how much she matters to Steven, and despite Rose not being here anymore she now has Steven, who adores her as well, but in a differnt way.
Seeing Pearl sabotage the tower just to fuse gave so much insight into her character. I hurt for her but the storytelling is brilliant.
During Pearl’s early days, she fused with Pink Diamond. It makes sense that she longs for that connection again. She shouldn’t have done what she did to Garnet, but it makes more sense with that context.
@@xTwilightWolvesx It's just Rose now
Ironically, it was Pearl in her most naive self who told Pink Diamond that freedom WAS possible right when she needed it most. While Pink was feeling trapped, Pearl was proposing ideas for her, ideas that went absurdly against Homeworld yet Pink started to believe.
It is important to mention that Rebecca stated in an interview that Pink Diamond and Rose were separated people in Pearl's mind, she believed in Rose's new identity, and how at the end of the day Pink had granted her freedom. But her choice, Pearl’s proud way of "rebelling", as an individual, was to follow the person she loved…The fantasy both Pearl and Rose created, and the one both struggled.
At the same time the moment Pearl "shattered" Pink Diamond was inherently catastrophic for her. Not only because the ugliest phase of the war began, but because Pearl "murdered" the person she was literally made for. It went against every part of her programming, her instincts, and it probably hurt psychologically way more than she was willing to admit. Pearl's feelings of guilt are often overlooked "why did I do it?" In the end everything resulted in the war, corruption and destruction of gems… Feeling responsible while lying to everyone, left simply unable to communicate and properly deal with her own emotions, and not knowing how to ended up with Pearl having a huge mental fog. Disguising her own chaos with a need of control.
There’s an interesting post in the SU subreddit called “A theory on ways Pearls functioning(with images)” and speculates on how important the perception of visual forms are for gems.
Pearl probably has one or the saddest backstories in the whole show. Her story of sacrificing everything to be with rose only to be upstaged by Greg and still being forced to keep roses most important secret puts her up there with spinel and lapis for me.
I think that ‘A single pale rose’ was such an important episode not only because Steven learned the truth about Rose, but because Pearl wanted something that was intrinsically opposite of what Pink wanted, and Pearl chose to do it anyway. It was incredibly difficult for her to do, but the fact that Pearl chose to disobey Pink’s final order because SHE wanted to (“I’ve wanted to tell you for so long”) was the final domino preventing her from moving on.
I think after that episode Pearl does still grieve Rose, but it’s in a more healthy way. It’s grief, but with room to move on and grow as a person. It’s no longer all-consuming.
Amethyst too, don't forget that she is also tragic. Amethyst hides her feelings of insecurity behind being brash and using humor. But, she knows she was created to fight a war she really had nothing to do with and the only reason they didn't want her is that she was considered defective because she wasn't born big and strong like the other Amathysts. She is dealing with the fact that if she wasn't "defective" she would have been fighting on the other side of a war. She was only created to destroy and fight. Yet she was so weak she wasn't born on time and when she was born she had already been abandoned and alone. It stayed in her mind that she wasn't really the big and strong gem she should be and that makes her feel so insecure that she feels she has to hide her insecurities when, in fact her "defectiveness" ended up making her our "Amethyst" instead of a regular noncapatslized amathyst "drones"
@NotWhatIamMadeFor yeah! I'm glad Amythest realized that everyone likes her the way she is and that if she was as "big and strong" like the others then she would not have been Amythest at all
YES!! I saw so many people complaining that the episode ruined Pearl because it meant she wasn't a rebel pearl anymore, just following her superior, but the ACT of informing Steven is the biggest act of rebellion she could have done, and against the person she was so in love with that the phrase in love doesn't cover it
CORRECTION:
- rose didn't create the zoo, she asked the diamonds if she could preserve life on earth and they created the zoo
- rose didn't randomly attack bismuth. bismuth attacked her first, which makes roses events much less shitty
Wait sorry, where were we told the latter bit? I know that Rose realized Bismuth wasn't going to let up on the idea of Shattering, but I don't remember Bismuth being the first to fight her about it lol; only the post-flashback tussle with Steven
I feel like Rose isn't even really a bad person overall. Not only is her story told backwards but you can chalk up the Spinel thing to her not having experienced much in terms of development past the tantrums. It feels like a thing a diamond WOULD do, and it's extremely lax compared to destroying planets with life on them.
@@Tuskbumper 100% agree
@@Tuskbumper The show pretty much just starts using her as an escape goat for all the atrocities caused by the other Diamonds from Season 4 onwards (which is when the show started getting really terrible imo).
How interesting would it have been if the show actually stuck to its initial attempt of portraying Rose as a nuanced character (instead of villainizing her at every chance they got, from a certain point onwards).
@@Tuskbumper spinel is enough for me to not like her.
Pink didnt make the human zoo. Blue and Yellow did after Pink told them she wanted to keep the life on earth. The other diamonds misunderstood her and created the human zoo as a supposed gift.
We have to remember we see rose’s character development in reverse because it is from Stevens perspective and as a child he only grows to learn of these things.
pearl is a representation of the psychological damage you get from fumbling a BBW only to see her have kids with a soundcloud rapper
Real.... happened to my friend Hava,, he's ok now
Real
Except Greg is a hell of a catch anyway.
Frrrr
Dude i cannot watch that scene from rose's scabbard without tearing up. it is such a powerful and impactful scene and the first time we truly see pearl's walls down and her past with rose.
The thing with Rose is that, during her lifetime she was one of the 4 most powerful entities in the universe. All the relationships she had, with anybody, were asymmetric. This is what her conflict with Spinelle shows: that if someone has the power to ask an annoying underling to stop moving for all eternity, and enough privilege to then forget about the matter, they will use it. The mere existence of the diamonds is a bad thing, even when they're personally nice.
Very good point! While the effect of her choices had devastating consequences, Pink D didn't ask to be in the position of having so much power over others, especially so much emotional dependency from Spinel and Pearl
To clear up one thing though only Pearls are compelled to obey orders from diamonds. Pink likely assumed Spinel would just get bored and stop.
@@PS-dm1dq she also had no idea of how powerful/meaningful she was to others. She was oppressed and abused by the other diamonds and many of her actions both as rose and pd mirror that her worth to other people is unknown to her as she herself felt small and unimpactful
This is why i seriously wish that in future, or even before that, they would be poofed indefinitely
@@look4thestarss You can see this in her relationship with the other diamonds really well.
Rose didn't make the Zoo, the Diamonds did when she asked them to stop the colonization because she didn't want to kill the humans
Rose didn't attack Bismuth, Bismuth attacked Rose when she didn't agree
Pearl WAS free. She didn't want to. It was her choice to stay
"Pearl WAS free. She didn't want to. It was her choice to stay"
This seems a little bit naive. The gem rebellion was Pearl's idea, and once Rose committed to it, there was no path back for Pearl. If Pearl defected from the Crystal Gems then she would have been killed, or worse. She was not equipped to live independently or with the humans. Her only real choice was to fight for the Crystal Gems. Rose knew this and felt guilty about it, you can tell from the exchange between Pearl and holo-Rose.
True freedom for Pearl would mean dismantling the Diamond Authority, which is not something that Rose was able to do for Pearl, but ultimately Steven succeeded at doing.
@@Crisis121 The gem rebellion was objectively not pearls idea, the show goes out of its way to show rose started the rebellion after her status as pink diamond did nothing to save earth. Pearl didnt create the rebellion at all, her assistance lead to pink learning the truth and starting one.
There is nothing to suggest defecting from the crystal gems would mean death for pearl, so no her only choice was not just to fight for the crystal gems.
There was no guilt because there was no "this is the only real option for pearl", Its a bit weird to use the exchange between holo rose and pearl to say rose felt guilty that pearl had no real choice besides fighting for the crystal gems when there is nothing that establishes this being true. Rose literally sits there and makes sure this is something pearl actually wants to do, and that she understands the consequences of winning being never going home and losing being death/
On earth pearl was free, she was allowed and expected to behave as her own gem capable of anything, not a servant who just follows orders.
The human zoo was created by other diamonds NOT Pink. Pink wanted to convince Blue and Yellow to stop the colony since she cared for humans who lived there so the diamonds created zoo for her so she can keep few humans safe and continue the colony
Exactly !! I wanted to say that !
plus for spinel, she probably knew she was about to go to war and i wouldn't bring this joyful fella into a war personnally. plus, after the war all the portals and all ways for her to contact spinel were destroyed on earth. she had no way of coming back to her.
@@nasta1exeshe was literally shown to be annoyed with spinel before she left her there, don’t make excuses for lying and abandoning someone.
@@Ikuyoghurt just bc she was slightly annoyed with her doesn't mean she abandoned her willingly? she still liked spinel, but spinel was litterally the embodiement of what the other diamonds limited Pink to be : a child needing toys to play with and nothing more. If I was Pink I probably would have mixed feelings about Spinel too.
@@nasta1exe “she didn’t abandon her willingly” yes bc she definitely didn’t abandon spinel on her own free will 😍
Just stop the convo, ur logic isn’t logical
forever my favorite character. Lapis, Blue Diamond, and Peridot after her in no particular order, but Pearl will always be #1 for me.
Pearl’s *obsession* cough devotion makes me sad. Why she’s at the bottom of my stack rank. Living for someone else is low vibes. If her devotion only comes from her feelings of worthlessness and longing, it’s not a strength and it’s proven to be a weakness in the show. Pearl is a baddie by her own right and her worst moments come because of her obsession. Stephen looks HARROWED when she tries to inflict her ideology on Connie.
PERIDOT FOR LYFE.
oh nice list. im a lapis defender 4lyfe tbh. so many people hate her or call her "mutually abusive" with jasper and it's so frustrating.
so glad blue diamond is on there! shes such a sweet character and tbh the best mother figure-like character in the series
@@sqkoiOh plsss 🙄 Blue Diamond literally mentally and physically tortured her actual child (solitary confinement is a torture method). Not only was she imprisoning Pink for long lengths of time in a pitch dark room, but she'd go into the room to continually ab*se her in other ways. Constantly gaslighting her (claiming it's Pink's behavior that's getting her tortured, making herself out to be the victim). And literally blasting Pink with her powers so hard that she gets slammed into the walls. That scene where Steven's in Pink's pov in the prison chamber not ringing a bell to you? How is any of that motherly? Having a soft voice doesn't make somebody motherly. She, Yellow, and White are the reasons Pink felt so unloved that she didn't think the other Diamonds would care if she disappeared. And let's not even go into all the genocide that Blue was partially behind. Istg, I will never understand why people think Blue is so sweet. She's one of the cruellest characters. Trying to change after eons of being a genocide-loving ab*ser does not make her a nice person. She's got a very long way to go before she can be considered sweet or motherly. Do I think she's capable of change? Yes. Do I think she's the best motherly figure on the show? Hard no. She literally put her own kid through hell and back. I'm not even going to respond to anything you say back because I literally can't emotionally handle people who excuse abu*er's actions.
@@amazinggraciegurl ok
Rewatching season one makes it so much more impactful and painful to see her anxious and flighty personality begin and her complete dedication to Rose throughout the series explaining why she is so dedicated and thinks so little of herself.
Plus her singing voice is just unmatched and unbeatable imo.
I think Rose is an excellently complex character, as well as pearl. And their entire relationship as well as their backstory. It's such an interesting dynamic. Rose, despite being an alien, is incredibly human in her flaws, her decisions and even in her selfishness. I've often wondered if she bubble bismuth because she regretted leaving spinel in that garden which was a horrible action, but it does make you think about it. If it affected how she handled the interaction with the breaking point in that moment. she was also incredibly human to act thinking only of yourself, just to avoid embarrassment. Maybe that's why she didn't tell the other gems, maybe she wanted to keep having them look at her as this goddess, because it made her feel better to think of herself as this literally changed being to separate herself from her previous existence . Where is she did horrible things, because that's what she knew in her culture. you could argue it makes her a victim as well (being a victim doesn't absolve you of bad behavior). Growing up in a dictatorship. She's a very complex character. She's not good or bad. And pearl is another victim in a long line of the terrible actions of the diamonds. these characters can be simply categorized as good or bad. Just like humans, they are a collection of actions and experiences, and its how we learn from them that define our character. And I think for a kid show, the fact that all of these characters can be analyzed in such a uniquely human way despite being aliens, is very cool. It's not the best show to ever exist on television, but I think it's a wonderful addition to the world of animation, and pave the way for a lot of other excellent shows. Steven universe has a special place in my heart I growing up i always felt like an alien watching people and mimicking them to pass as human when in reality, I never understood them.. My mask was flawless until I couldn't keep it up anymore. And that was right around when Steven universe came out, in my 20s and it helped me a lot. I saw some of my self and Rose not only because I am a giant woman but because I had created a façade that wasn't me. I felt like I wasn't a real person and I felt myself asking myself all the time is this not how it works? I probably wouldn't have had the introspection to get help and realize that I'm autistic and that it's OK to be me and that there are people out there who find tall women very beautiful. It was nice to see your character like that even if she wasn't perfect.., people wanna talk about bad characters, but I think it's important to remember that you can't always put someone in the box of good and evil and that sometimes even 'bad' characters in shows that may be a little corny can have a good effect on people. I really liked your video by the way I thought it was very well worded. Keep up the great work.
i just read all that
I definitely agree that Rose is an incredibly complex character, and I love that you've been inspired by her. 💖 I enjoyed reading your comment. I also can totally relate to putting up a facade to appear more "normal." One thing though that I'd like to amicably bring up: Rose actually was a huge victim. It's not arguable, it's indisputable. One of the hugest victims on the show. The other Diamonds literally tortured her (solitary confinement is a torture method). They put her through so much physical and emotional anguish that she literally thought they wouldn't care if she disappeared. Hence the fake shattering. I'd also say that she was a lot more good than bad. She made some mistakes, but not as many as people make it out to be. She left Spinel because the other Diamonds literally gave her Spinel as a toy to play with. How could Pink then see Spinel as anything other than a toy when she had no other frame of reference for what Spinel is? Pink's entire character is based off the life and growth of a human. The youngest we see Pink is when she was a child, hence the other Diamonds giving her "toys" like Spinel and sending her off to the Garden to play so they could work without being distracted. Pink leaving Spinel symbolizes a child leaving behind a toy they've grown tired of. Rebecca actually said this and was inspired to create Spinel by a memory of herself leaving behind a toy when she was a kid. That scene that so many see as Pink being a terrible person is her being a naive child who simply couldn't know any better due to her environment and upbringing. Pink exploring Earth with Pearl, realizing how messed up the other Diamonds' actions are, and rebelling marks her adolescence. This is also when she poofed and hid Bismuth, which was due to being threatened by Bismuth, not due to any kind of despicable agenda that fans love to make up. One thing that comes to my mind is how many Gems Rose must've seen the other Diamonds shatter. Other than feeling threatened by the fact that she's Pink Diamond and Bismuth was out to kill anybody outside of the Rebellion (Pink Diamond would've been her main target), Rose could very well be triggered by even the thought of shattering. It annoys me that all the blame is on Rose here when Bismuth was the one who wanted to stoop to murdering Gems that were brainwashed by the Diamond authority. Rose would know about that brainwashing better than anybody, as she was literally raised by them. The Rose we see after the war is her as an adult. As you said, she's such an amazingly complex character and the fact that people just write her off as a villain breaks my heart. Even Rebecca has talked smack about her, which makes zero sense to me. Why create such a nuanced character and give them so many layers if you're just going to end up scapegoating them? 😕 Anyways, I'm always glad to see people who don't bash Rose for a living. 😆🩷
All I wanna do
Is see you turn into
A giant woman A GIANT WOMAN
*["Pearlhaps" one of the most well developed gems! Her story is just so full of layers...]*
She had one of the biggest character arcs that I did not expect - even from the pilot.
She went from the well-mannered co-parent to an internally suffering war veteran with closure issues fast.
Hmmm, layers, like the layers of her memories inside of her gem?
Pearl is my favorite character in SU, she went through so much and still doesn’t get as much attention like the other gems. She’s amazing.
Pearl is my favorite character. Her development was so stunning, her character is so unique.
while there was some mistakes you made, overall it's a topic I love to see discussed. Pearl's character was so intriguing because it was heavily involved in the mystery of the show. I also love the noticable arc of her character such as her finally feeling comfortable to shapeshift, take a small bite of food and enjoy human culture etc by the end of the show. It shows such incredible growth from her servitude to true freedom from all internal struggle of truly belonging to no one.
bro, I don't even care about this show, but you made me care about one of the characters. please keep this up. you have a transcendent gift
My god, pearl’s character hits soo different in the early episodes upon a rewatch of the series. So many interactions are given deep layers
I was so happy for how much Pearl has changed in the final, she became so nice and calm, for the most part, and opened up to people. That was really satisfying to see for me, because Pearl was and still is my favorite Steven Universe character.
This is just a thought, but when Pearl was rejuvenated, before she appears again, her clam asks if the master of that pearl wanted customization, and when Greg didn't, the shell said that the settings will be default, showing us Pearl.
This is just a thought which may add to how sad it is for Pearl. We all know that pearls are customized to match their master, but Pearl isn't, making me think that because Pink Diamond's pearl was broken, White decided to keep it, and brought Pink a new Pearl, but Pink didn't customize her. It made me think that maybe Pink loved Volleyball more than Pearl.
I mean to begin with? Probably. She had a connection with Volleyball and Pearl was meant to be her replacement.
I would have LOVED some sort of scene in Future where she had to choose between Rose and Steven and she made the choice to fight to get Steven. Like some gem manipulated her mind to think that she could give up Steven and get Rose back and she snapped NEVER
THAT WOULD'VE BEEN SICK
She literally was silently fighing between those two the whole show
Idk I feel like it would kinda go against the finale in season 5, cause isn’t that exactly what white did
I feel like we already knew that by that point personally.
i don’t pink diamond is a bad character, they need to make a mini series about the life of pink diamond. we already know that everything was told backwards but I think it’ll bring justice to her character.
Pink diamond didn't create the zoo. That was blue diamond, after pink requested for humans to be preserved
I agree with the tittle of this video.
3:27 It wasn't actually her who created the human zoo, it was actually Blue Diamond who made it for her as a reaction to her saying she wanted to spare humans. It wasn't her idea. It was confirmed in an episode where they said something like "idk uh pink diamond didn't actually want that", or at least it was implying it-..
Loving the character studies, please keep ‘em coming!
Sollux pfp
5:07 “blinded by love” she saw the good in her, she agreed what she was doing was good or atleast better than what the diamonds were doing. Y’know fighting for freedom
I hope you have a series of all of the characters in Steven Universe and end them all with " and that's why x is the most complex charecter in Steven Universe." Great essay very well edited thank you
having watched rgu (which i believe was one of the heaviest inspirations for pearl and pink) really gave so much more nuance to understanding pearls character now, and i think the parallels are just so interesting between them and utena/anthy
5:32 pearl was a shared “slave” (with that logic assistants are slaves) shared with all diamonds based on her color palette it’s an pretty obvious assumption but as we see in in the end ‘white’ pearl was just pinks pearl being controlled since white diamond was so powerful why would she need a “slave” she took control of pink bc to her she was useless and probably would have been shattered if it weren’t for pinks attachment to her
I randomly saw the lemongrab thumbnail and put it on to sleep but then ended up staying up because I was so interested. really great content
Just love this video, i was searching for an interesting steven universe video to watch, cause i got really into su vibes and randomly found a video about my favorite charcter and just love it, keep going lavaman, hugs from brazil
One note: Rose did not setup the zoo - that was her sisters, the other Diamonds set up a zoo for her when she told them she wanted to save the biological life from the gems invasion. The other diamonds set up the zoo to try to preserve some life, imagining that Rose just wanted to keep the life as a 'record', like how we save things in museums.
Please make more content like I’m genuinely serious your videos are amazing.
3:29 actually that was blue diamonds idea after she misunderstood pink diamonds life has value point she trying to make
3:29
Blue Diamond made the zoo, based on how she interpreted what Pink wanted.
when steven says "well I think your pretty great" it reminds me of stevens video that rose left for him "every time you love being yourself thats me loving you" kinda implying that because he thinks shes pretty great rose must have too
This was a neatly done exploration of Pearl's behavior. Thanks for the video.
I thought yellow and blue made the zoo to help pinks obsession with the humans
Pink gave the idea to save/keep humans
just finished binging all of your content! your complex understanding and analytical approach to these shows is amazing, it’s almost like experiencing these moments for the first time. Keep up the great work!! :]
An important distinction is the fact that Pearl did not know a Pink Diamond that was “bratty” and did the things that we now know she did. Pearl was her second pearl. She never knew her to be unkind as Volleyball would have been her pearl at the time, so she has an inherently different perspective of Pink Diamond.
I’m totally inlove with the narrators voice ✨😩
You make some incredible points and I love this conversation. But I want to make some points.
1- the show spends a lot of time showing us how codependent Pearl is, by showing what happened after her partner died. Ruby is just as bad, maybe worse when forced away from Sapphire.
But Garnet's purpose is to show power in healthy relationships.
2- Rose Quartz is a hero, who made impossible choices, and took impossible chances for her friends. She gambled everything and lost.
Pink Diamond was a bratty teenager. Who Pearl barely even met.
And Bismuth wanted to murder Rose's mother and sisters. If someone ever shows you the gun they are going to use to kill your family members, it is no longer a disagreement. Even if they are your friend, even if they don't know you are related. Even if your siblings are involved in a war.
Bismuth deserved better, but Rose was emotionally justified.
I'm so happy that i found this channel
the thing about pink's character is that she was so selfless yet so so selfish, because she struggled with self worth, she didnt know how much she meant for the other characters therefore, her shitty actions specifically towards spinel have a reason behind them
I think Pink Diamond was always jist "Playing the Part" because thats what she was taught to donby Blue and Yellow, until Greg makes her snap out out of itnin that scene before they "fuse", and thats why Rose fell for him, because she was being genuine for the first time.
6:59 “we all did what we had to during the war”
you are such an underrated channel!!! keep it up! i love this stuff
3:30 Pink wasn't the one who made the zoo. It was blue and yellow. This was stated in 'Now we're only falling apart' in 8:11-8:24 "When she told the other diamonds she didn't want to go through with the colony, they told her to finish what she started. When she told the other diamonds she wanted to preserve life on earth, they created the Zoo and threw a handful of humans in."
4:10 She didn't just randomly "kill" her friend for disagreeing with her. The breaking point went against the crystal gems' basis of peace. She was very justified in locking Bismuth away, but not in not telling anyone else about it.
Another incredible video. Your analysis and voice as well as topic choices are awesome. It seems like you put a bunch of work into thinking it through and as someone who is trying to write a story myself, videos like this are great perspective. Glad I found your channel 💫
Five points I feel are relevant
1) Rose never "chose" Greg over Pearl. Most likely, she was never even aware Pearl was jealous
2) Rose did not build the human zoo. The Diamonds did.
3) BISMUTH was the one who tried to kill Rose for disagreeing. Not the other way around
4) Pearl WAS free. If she had wanted to stay in Homeworld Rose would have found a way to let her. Look at other Pearls and you'll see they aren't attached to their Diamonds like that. Pearl just loves Rose, so she has no reason TO wanna ditch her
5) Pink and Rose being very different identities is crucial to Pearls character. Because she ONLY loves Rose, not Pink as a Diamond.
I agree with you.
My 2 cents on this
1. Regardless of whether Greg was jealous she did chose him over pearl
2. Just ur right I fucked up on this one lol
3. Is this true? I know its implied but just because she tried to kill Steven doesn't mean she tied to kill rose (maybe i missed the subtext tho lol)
4. My arguement was that pearl was never free because she had no other actual option as her world only existed in the context of rose. Like she 'could' have stayed at homeworld but she had never even spent a day without rose and she was deff dependent of her. Like basically a slave loving her master she was created to serve feels very different from pearl just randomly being in love
5. I mean you're right pearl only loved rose when she was in rose form but rose is still the same person as pink (maybe you could elaborate more on how this is relevant)
Overall good points!
@@lavaman9910 1 - nope. She didn't choose Greg she loved them both. She didn't even know they were treating it as a competition
3 - yes, Bis attacked Rose. Not the other way around
4- Pearl was free. She stayed with Rose becaude it was by any measure the better option. None of the other pearls are attached to their Diamonds. It is not because she is a Pearl.
@@paloma4444 i think the idea is that pearl didn't have a choice because without rose she saw herself as nothing (because she was made to be roses slave)
@@chessguy-hq3zr That is not how choices work dude. That is like saying 'I didn't have a choice but marry my wife because without her my life is so much sadder'
Imagine having a crush on someone and been with them for thousand of year only for them to fall in love with someone else for one year its not rose fault she can chose who ever she love and I don't think pearl tell rose how she feel all those time anyway but still it hurt alot
Pink.. Didn't make the zoo, blue did.
I love your takes
I am so glad I watched through Steven Universe these past few months. This show has definitely grown on me, I love it and the characters.
I actually agree pearl is a very fascinating character. Steven universe actually had me questioning some parts myself. I actually hated pearls character but then I realized I didn't like her character because pearl and I have damn near mirror traits. I had a relationship where I felt exactly like pearl to the point were it became obsessive but since are relationship ended prematurely and down right horrible. All these years I still have may questions. Could we have been happy together? Was the relationship wrong? Was it all my fault? Was I just a stupid little girl? Was everyone right about us about me? Etc. It messed me up so bad that my life ment literally nothing to me for over a decade. When I started watching Steven universe pearl character really hit me, it's had to validate yourself when you live for another person you forget that you matter especially when Noone there to tell you matter. Pearl character really hit me after she sang its over isn't it." You won and she choose you and she loved you now she gone. It's over isn't it why can't I move on. Now that I'm an adult I can tell myself yes that happen to me but that not all of me. And that I'm something.
I really enjoyed watching this, makes me want to rewatch the show, thank you lavaman
i always thought of the tears as relief or a for reprieve. that there is someone who thinks shes great and loves her for her.
also hey youre the one that made the lemongrab video, i really enjoyed it. this videos is cool i should really try to to back to steven universe
I really like the parallel between two scenes with her and White Diamond when both of them was about to remove Steven's gem out of his body but Pearl didn't and WD did. They both had the same thesis “if I remove it from the human she'll be free and come back to me". But Pearl was mature and empathic enough to realise her actions could hurt the baby. Also she accepted (even at this moment out of respect and obedience) Rose's choice. WD didn't.
in the span of an hour, you have become my new favorite TH-camr. plss keep making videos, they are amazing!!
i think she didnt love him when he was born, but she grew to love him. loving him in a way she had to learn because she only knew romantic love for rose, so she had to learn familial love
so so good video thank you!
Where have you gone bro? Just binge watched every one of your videos and I love your content and takes. You have genuine talent and I would love to see more content from you
There are characters that are literally multiple people but bird mom is still more complex because she's got so many issues 😂
Bro this long form stuff is amazing keep it up
my man I just found your channel and I can see your really good at video essays I think you should keep going. cuz you just found your self a new subscriber
Awesome video! So much thought has obviously been put into it. And I think you really captured the beauty and nuance of Steven Universe, a show that I really loved. I Hope you make more videos like this maybe on Adventure Time characters cause they're also pretty fun and complex. How about Princess Bubblegum or Marceline or Ice King?
5:35 okay. So I just wanted to add in, Pink Pearl, now Volleyball, is shown to still have feelings for Pink diamond in the epilogue. It might be something baked into the pearls to prevent their willing defection from the authorities.
Lavaman:
6 videos
OVER 10K SUBS (good for you man)
Me:
27 videos
46 subs (I'm still proud of it tho)
Pearl said something along the lines of “she asked to preserve life but they created the zoo and threw a handful of humans in” 3:48
WOOOO! 4500th like!
This is an AMAZING video that showcases exactly why Pearl will always be my favorite. I relate to her and honestly love her too to an insane degree. She is amazing
I thought the human zoo was Blue Diamond’s way of giving Pink what she wanted since she mentioned she wanted to preserve human life.
I completely watched Steven Universe start to finish multiple times and I never knew this
Or this deeply
Good video ❤
I love your videos, man! You really catch a lot of hidden beauty in the storytelling of these shows.
4:23 while yes I agree that the spinel thing was a little fucked but in her defense what do you think would of happened if she had told her? She’d beg for her to not leave? She’d call the diamonds? They never liked her, saw her as her play thing but tell them this would grab her approval. Pink
ose was afraid she didn’t have her full trust.
Blue diamond made the zoo when pink tried to advocate for human life instead of building a colony
Keep making videos playa, all of these are gold
4:00 pink/ rose was protecting the others, her enime of whom she could of kill but instead she PAINLESSLY put them in a bubble so they’d still be alive bc death was to permanent in her eyes and bismuth had to be put away with the rest bc she wanted to kill the enemy so rose/pink thought that she was just as bad as the enemy 4:00
i found this channel through the lemon grab video and i absolutely love it.
I think the most genious development is in fact Pink Diamond/Rose. God she had so many layers, SO many development and plot twists. All perfectly placed so that she is the "Grayest" character in the show. You can love her. Or hate her for the things she has done, you wont be wrong either way. All that development done while she isn't even alive during the story. Brilliant
Pink leaving Spinel on a floating rock in space is bad but what other did she have? And I don't think she realized Spinel could be sad or mad considering Spinel was a TOY, Spinel was made to play with Pink keep her company and happy that's it. So if Pink is trying to prove to the diamonds that she's js as good of diamonds as they are so she can stop being overlooked by them, taking Spinel wouldn't help. If she took Spinel then she would turned on Pink right then and there because, Pink would've been so hyper focused on the earth and saving she would have less and less time for her. Giving Spinel to the Diamonds could've been just as bad because at that time all the other diamonds cared about really was their colonies so they wouldn't be focused on Spinel and Spinel could turned on them ultimately causing her to go under white's authority or be shattered by yellow. At the end of the day Spinel was a toy for pink to play with. we all grew up at one point and stopped playing with toys.
dang I thought this was a channel with an hundred+ videos but was instead an welcome edition to an content creator that'll do that in the near future, gonna be a treat indeed which is keep up the great work, have fun while doing so and of course do it at your own pace cause honestly videos like this just makes me want to see the world in different lenses while of course getting ideas and other stuff for writing I suppose you could say.
She bubbled bismuth for a reason, bismuth wanted to shatter the diamonds (and Maybe other gems)
Bismuth also wanted to shatter rose as roses self defense she had to bubble bismuth and my theory is that rose doesnt want the crystal gems to know that she bubbled bismuth because maybe she the crystal gems think her as a bad person or smt
Love this, your channel is pretty good
I like these. I can't tell if it's helping my creative writing in terms of character writing but I like to think that it's helping to look at characters differently as I get older.
Great video, hope to see more from you on Steven Universe!
I love my waves of feelings I’ve always had for Pearl. I’ve loved her, I’ve been disappointed by what I thought was bad writing for her, I’ve felt deep sorrow & sympathy for her, I’ve felt pride in her, and now that the show is over I just live Pearls character & think she’s my favorite!
I find it interesting, and not sufficiently talked about, that two of the top four Pearls in the hierarchy (the attendants of the Diamond Authority) appear to be switched.
White Diamond’s gem is in her forehead, Blue and Yellow’s are in their chest, and Pink’s is in her stomach. Blue and Yellow Pearl have chest gems - but White Diamond’s attendant has a stomach gem, and the Pearl we’ve come to know as a major character has a forehead gem.
White Diamond’s damaged Pearl attendant also has flowy clothes and a floral-looking side bun hairstyle, while “our” Pearl has clean lines and muted colors, opting for sandy blonde hair and glassy blue clothing; her hobbies, while certainly emotional, are also the most “classical” and “academic” of the Crystal Gems: piano, ballet, swordplay. She’s a perfectionist and really the only one among those main three who can ever be seen to STUDY. This mirrors White Diamond’s position in the hierarchy as Freudian superego, where Blue and Yellow serve as ego (action and emotion) and Pink serves as the impulsive id.
Add to this that Pearl’s powers are unlike those of almost any other Gem we encounter save for White Diamond herself - holographic projection being the most significant of these; even Gems assigned to broadcast reports use tech to do this - and it seems very clear that White Diamond “exchanged” the service of these two Pearls as a means of surveillance and control over Pink Diamond.
Even though she’s clearly an independent Gem in the main timeline of the story, the Pearl of the early days had to consciously defect from the service of White Diamond, refusing to tell her crucial information about Earth and Pink, hiding her own memories in a convoluted series of holograms… long before the “shattering.”
Pink seemingly had no awareness of just how loyal or disloyal Pearl might be, but at least at that time during the war, her naïveté went unpunished.
Pearl could have ended the whole thing. We have a show because she didn’t.
This TH-cam channel is awesome, glad to be here at 7.83k subs and I hope you many more
just watched all ur vids man hope u keep these up
Dude, these videos are awesome!! Can't wait for any new videos you have brewing!
Wonder where you went.. holding out for more vids
Steven Universe’s story is an intricate tapestry of growth, pain, and resilience, interwoven with the lives of those around him. Every character in the show is not merely a supporting player in Steven’s journey but a critical force that shapes who he becomes, even when their influence brings conflict or harm. Steven’s growth, from an idealistic child to a deeply wounded but self-aware young adult, mirrors our own struggles with identity, relationships, and trauma. To fully understand the depth of his journey, we must explore not only his triumphs but also the scars left by those who loved him-and sometimes failed him-along the way.
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Steven’s Childhood: Innocence Shaped by Legacy
At the heart of Steven’s early life is the shadow of Rose Quartz, his mother. From the beginning, Steven is framed as her successor, not just as a member of the Crystal Gems but as the inheritor of her ideals, powers, and choices. To Steven, Rose is a paragon of love, rebellion, and selflessness-a vision shaped by the reverence of the Gems and the absence of her physical presence.
But even in these early moments, cracks begin to show. Steven is repeatedly reminded of Rose’s legacy but given little room to explore his own identity. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl adore Steven, but their love is tangled with their unresolved grief for Rose. Their protectiveness sometimes becomes smothering, and their inability to fully separate Steven from his mother lays the groundwork for his identity struggles. Steven begins life wanting to be like Rose but is burdened by expectations he does not yet understand.
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The Crystal Gems: Their Love and Their Failures
The Crystal Gems are more than Steven’s family-they are his first mentors, friends, and protectors. However, their love for Steven is not without flaws, and their own traumas often affect how they raise him.
Garnet: The Unshakable Leader
Garnet is a fusion, the embodiment of a loving relationship between Ruby and Sapphire. She represents stability, confidence, and balance, qualities that make her the de facto leader of the Crystal Gems. Garnet is Steven’s moral compass, teaching him to trust his instincts and remain true to his values. However, her stoicism sometimes creates distance, leaving Steven to face moments of uncertainty without fully understanding the stakes.
Her lessons on fusion are some of the most critical in Steven’s journey, teaching him that connection and communication are the foundation of strength. But Garnet’s struggles with vulnerability-seen most vividly when she temporarily unfuses-also teach Steven that even the strongest relationships require effort and compromise.
Amethyst: The Flawed, Relatable Sibling
Amethyst is both Steven’s playmate and his mirror. Her lighthearted, carefree attitude makes her seem approachable, but it also masks her deep insecurities about being “defective.” Amethyst’s struggles with self-worth resonate with Steven, who also feels inadequate compared to the legacy of his mother.
Amethyst’s dynamic with Steven is one of mutual growth. She learns from Steven’s compassion, while Steven learns from her that imperfection is not failure. However, Amethyst’s tendency to avoid addressing her deeper emotions sometimes leaves Steven to navigate his feelings alone, unintentionally reinforcing his habit of repressing his pain.
Pearl: The Dutiful, Broken Caregiver
Pearl’s relationship with Steven is perhaps the most emotionally fraught. Her love for Steven is genuine, but it is tangled with her lingering devotion to Rose. Pearl’s grief manifests as an obsessive need to protect Steven and uphold Rose’s ideals, often at the cost of her own well-being.
Pearl’s perfectionism and emotional distance create tension in her relationship with Steven. Her reluctance to see him as his own person, separate from Rose, burdens Steven with a legacy he never chose. Over time, however, Pearl begins to heal, and her vulnerability becomes a source of strength. Steven helps her confront her past, but the emotional weight of her struggles leaves a lasting impression on him.
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The Diamonds and Homeworld: Forgiveness and Pain
The Diamonds-Yellow, Blue, and White-represent the oppressive forces of the Gem Homeworld, as well as the remnants of Rose’s complicated past. Steven’s encounters with them challenge his beliefs about justice, redemption, and the nature of power.
Yellow Diamond: The Rigid Enforcer
Yellow Diamond is the embodiment of control and efficiency, valuing order above all else. Her rigid worldview initially clashes with Steven’s empathy, but through his efforts, she begins to see the value of change. However, Yellow’s transformation does not erase the harm she caused, and Steven’s forgiveness of her raises questions about the emotional cost of extending compassion to those who have done great harm.
Blue Diamond: The Mourner
Blue Diamond is defined by her grief for Pink Diamond. Her sorrow is palpable, and Steven’s ability to connect with her emotionally is a testament to his compassion. However, Blue’s tendency to wallow in sadness without taking action mirrors Steven’s own struggle to move forward from pain. Their dynamic highlights the importance of addressing grief rather than becoming consumed by it.
White Diamond: The Tyrant Redeemed
White Diamond is perhaps Steven’s greatest challenge. As the ultimate authority figure, she represents the toxic perfectionism and control that Steven fights against in himself. By confronting White Diamond and showing her the flaws in her worldview, Steven not only reforms her but also symbolically rejects the expectations placed upon him.
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The Breaking Point: Steven’s Transformation in Future
In Steven Universe Future, we see the toll of years spent solving others’ problems. Steven, now a young adult, is left without a purpose. The peace he fought so hard to achieve feels hollow, and the unresolved trauma of his experiences begins to surface.
Steven’s transformation into a monstrous version of himself is a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil. His tendency to suppress his emotions, coupled with his belief that he must always be the one to fix things, leads to a catastrophic breakdown. This moment is a stark reminder that even the most compassionate and resilient individuals have limits, and ignoring those limits can have devastating consequences.
The climax of Future is not a battle against an external villain but a confrontation with Steven’s own pain. His decision to leave Beach City and embark on a journey of self-discovery is a profound act of self-care, symbolizing the importance of prioritizing one’s own well-being.
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The Essence of Steven’s Growth: A Mirror of Humanity
Steven Universe’s journey is a reflection of our own struggles with identity, responsibility, and healing. His story is not about achieving perfection but about learning to embrace imperfection and find balance. The characters who shape him-flawed, loving, and complex-remind us that growth is a collaborative effort, and healing is an ongoing process.
In the end, Steven teaches us that it’s okay to seek help, set boundaries, and choose our own path. His journey inspires us to face our own challenges with empathy, courage, and a willingness to grow, no matter how difficult the process may be.
Man these videos are sick keep it up I will be watching all your videos from now on
I loovvveee your videos! I love your words. It just makes sense. I"ve seen it before and I've felt the feelings but never described it. You just did it for me. You're cool
We need this man back😭