White Diamond: The Illusion of Perfection
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
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A lot of characters and plot points in Steven Universe got screwerd over when Cartoon Network cancelled the original series and only gave them 6 episodes to wrap things up. But nothing or no one got screwed over more than White Diamond. The ruler of Homeworld, the leader of the Great Diamond Authority, the final antagonist of the series, the biggest challenge Steven has ever faced! White Diamond carried so much weight, a lot was riding on her character for many fans of the show back in the day. Unfortunately, it felt like the conflict with her was resolved before we could even get the chance to know her. Like Pink Diamond, she’s a cautionary tale. One that warns viewers of what happens when you constantly live inside your own head, isolating yourself from others and believing your perspective is the only one that matters, even when your actions affect not just the people around you, but the entire universe. It's time to breakdown the gem who could've been one of Cartoon Network’s greatest villains, if Steven Universe was given more time to flesh out its ending! This is White Diamond: The Illusion of Perfection!
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Written, Hosted and Co-Edited by AwestruckVox
Co-edited by @JoshuaCriger
This video, including all pictures and clips used is a critique and is covered under "fair use" under section 107 of the US Copyright Act 1976. If you would like to see the shows and episodes in full. Purchase them online or the DVD sets by their respective owners.
0:00 - Intro
2:25 - Inspiration
7:50 - A Perfect Empire
15:29 - Battle of Heart and Mind
27:16 - Welcome to Era 3
36:06 - Change? - บันเทิง
seeing steven universe have this completely random but beautiful resurgence in fanmade content in 2024 is making me so emotional, i love this show so much
Hopefully Rebecca and CN see it and maybe make a new SU project🤞
@@flubbcat4267well idk cuz Rebecca said that the show is based on her life experiences. What more life experiences can she have
@@changingpeopleslivesmoon2993 the show is based off her life experiences but then can still go in new directions, like a diamond prequel series would be rad
i’ve literally relapsed on steven universe for some reason watching old videos and even rewatched the whole show
It is just as relevant to the world today as it was in 2013, in my opinion.
Actually in the End of an Era book it’s stated that White was physically unable to physically harm Pink because of her shield. So instead she’d use Yellow and Blue to harm her instead which really plays into the whole grandmother using her children as a weapon.
Wow that adds a whole new depth 0_0
That's actually so sad and crazy how she actually WANTED to hurt Pink!😭
So the corruption beam was just the other diamonds stripping the gems of their defining traits and leaving only Pinks impulse. The worst, base form of themselves without governance of their own impulses and emotions. Like a newborn, with only the ability to scream and tantrum but not communicate through higher thinking.
That is honestly a really cool way of looking at the corruption. Kudos!
@@MikeruNatsuaki which would mean, she lied to the other diamonds, who believed it would obliterate all of the gems.
and also that means if pink also blasted the gems the corruption would really kill them! removing all the parts of a being
I honestly blame CN for cancelling the show. Rebecca wanted to add like two more seasons and CN ruined it, which gave the crewniverse no choice but to squeeze as much as they could, even by not giving white diamond enough screen time
Exactly. Anytime, there's not an ounce of heterosexual content in a cartoon, the big wigs will kill off a show.
Rebecca chose to have a gay wedding over a more fleshed out ending, and as much as it pains me as a fan of the show, she made the correct choice.
Eh, this is a very shortsighted take. CN ultimately had no choice but to cancel the show because the wedding basically got it pulled of being played in a number of countries which screwed with their funding. No funding = no show. RS herself admitted that CN (whose CEO at the time, and possibly still, was a gay man) did not want to end the show and supported her decision to go through with the wedding. CN then greenlit the movie and SUF despite having "cancelled" the show. Rebecca made a choice she believed was right, but that choice is what led to the shows cancelation because the show could not sustain itself after the wedding episode. I'm not putting blame on either her nor CN, because, ultimately, the actual culprit is the rampant homophobia present across the globe. It's very unfortunate, but it is what it is.
Note that I'm not trying to say CN is perfect or anything, but realistically, they let RS have as much of her way as she could get away with and then some. If CN itself really had a problem with SU, they would've never allowed the movie and they most definitely wouldn't have allowed SUF.
if only they got more seasons they could of had the wedding episode being the finale of season 5 and then have 2 more seasons for homeworld and other stuff
@@matti.8465no she didn't
Fun gemology fact: White and pink diamonds have the same crystal structure. The pink coloration comes from the intense compression of the structure instead of the presence of chemical impurities found in blue and yellow diamonds.
It really gives a new spin on why White blushes pink instead of something more her color. Pink is a part of her. The pressure she put on the littlest diamond is the same pressure she puts in herself.
Woah that's a cool way of putting that
"I've stopped waging space wars... for now!"
"I've stopped killing people!"
"I've been saying please and thank you to the peasants!"
That's a very convincing argument, ladies. Very convincing. That will certainly win him over.
Yeah it's very convincing 😊😊😊
Personally I don't think it is convincing, but it is a improvement nonetheless.
"We will pass the rest of our immortal existence to resurrect and cure all the people we killed."
Is this better?
Nah they just wanted whatever was left of pink(Which was basically just Steven and spinel). They even have a whole song to try and convince him to stay with them.
To be fair, liberation of Yellow's colonies should logically be an ongoing process because it was something that she did for millennia. And you don't spend thousands of years doing something and fix it in 2 years. There also has to be work put into dismantling your armies more than just ordering them to stop.
But the bar gets even lower with Blue and White. Not killing others, not making beings suffer, and being polite to others are very low bars. Do Blue and White seriously want medals for that? Come on.
A theory I still have is that the big Diamond attack, or “the great annihilation light” as I’m calling it, corrupting gems instead of annihilating them wasn’t an accident, White influenced it to do that on purpose so Pink would have a reason to come home, and this added onto why Pink never tried to go to space to begin with
That could be a possibility.
Yeah I also read that attack as impatience on white's part, trying to force pink's hand. Same with the cluster.
It's true, White Diamond definitely should've been given more screen time and development. In fact when it came to being an antagonist WD didn't get nearly as much attention, Not even after she almost killed Steven by removing his gem.
Very true, she only really got to appear in the finale and the issue was resolved almost immediately, unlike previous antagonists like Jasper and Peridot whom we got to enjoy for many episodes
Sadly SU had to end short due to CN not giving them enough seasons and episodes to make the show play out how they wanted. So thats why it seems rushed.
i honestly wish she would’ve just stayed a villain she was so cool 😭
I wouldnt say allat now @@glizzygobbler2688
@@jayla5808 maybe they could have not made all those stupid filler episodes that never amounted to anything???
I love how when White says "Judging anything based on appearance is WRONG"
Steven has a face that says "B*tch really ? You're really trying to be the High and Mighty person right now ?"
You know one thing that never once crossed my mind was the fact the White knew Pink was Rose Quartz but now that I have heard about it it makes a lot of sense.
We Need to Talk About the Diamond Blue! I think Blue is an exception to this. While I wouldn't say she's redeemed, it's clear she's definitely changed her attitude towards things. When she talks about having not shattered and not made anyone cry she sounds genuinely proud of the fact, rather than like she's being forced to do something unpleasant, like Yellow and White. Obviously this isn't something to be super proud of, but for someone in her position it is something that would be a big step. She is also the first one to admit the problems with their empire, as well as the first to embrace change. On top of that she knows that "lower lifeforms" (humans) are not as simplistic or so far below them as originally thought.
She does refer to Spinel as "one of Pink's treasures", but it's worth nothing her first reaction to hearing about her plight is one of sympathy. Her attitude has developed drastically after Pink "died." The events of the Diamond Days Arc and Steven's attitude were the catalyst to finally push her in that direction fully. Having actually faced her grief and embraced it seems to have cultivated a level of empathy in her. Aside from a one or two hiccups, she pretty much accepts Steven's way of life and ideas immediately.
Just like Sadness in inside out and a new emotion in inside 2 😮
I more or less agree with your assessments about Blue Diamond, except I do think she has been redeemed, or at the very least, is on the path towards redemption.
@@StareachValcin definitely much further than the others at the very least.
A thing to mention, is that her realization that humans could understand her happened from talking to Greg, before Steven even knew he should try to redeem them.
Man, that almost primal "SHE'S GONE!!" being yelled while pink-steven remains stone-faced still hits so hard.
Very much like a kid hiding their feeling behind a mask. Gotta look perfect and palatable while just absolutely screaming inside
I'm happy people finally get over the "Pink is the true evil in the entire show" mentality. I know she had done some bad things but she learned. She learned and matured to become Rose Quart. I know that doesn't make the bad things she done goes away but it show that she is a good person but was misled.
I don't think White Diamond suspected Pink was Rose, I think she was just in denial.
White supresses all of her feelings, including grief, so she would delude herself into thinking Pink is just messing with them and she'll come back eventually. Because the alternative would be too much to handle while mantaining her facade.
I am so glad the podcast and End of an Era exist. There was so much that didn't make it into the show, and giving Rebecca the chance to elaborate on what they didn't get to show us tied together so many different loose threads, especially White since she was the biggest casualty of the show's cancellation
Didn't think I'd run into a parallel between white diamond and Greg universe's parents, but uh, here we are now. Love this show and all the little connections and details. Amazing.
Until the day comes where Steven Universe continues, I did my own version of White's improvement through a fanfic
Name? Link?
What they said 😂
I agree that White Diamond definitely wasn't properly shown enough as a character in the original Steven Universe series, especially since she's the main antagonist of the series responsible for all the terrible things that the great Diamond authority. This is a great and informative video about White Diamond as a character, her character flaws, her history which wasn't fully conveyed in the series, her problems with Pink Diamond, how White was the only one who probably realized that Pink wasn't shattered, and how she was defeated by the simple fact that she was proven wrong once. In truth, Steven wasn't really able to convince White Diamond with words or even actions. It took White taking Steven's gem and seeing for herself that Pink Diamond was truly gone that White started to lose. White couldn't accept that she was wrong, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't just make herself right. This definitely allowed Steven to finally get her to stop her evil ways. I do agree that White Diamond still hasn't done enough to redeem herself, even during Steven Universe Future.
I feel like White Diamond was so caught up in perfecting her empire that she doesn’t even consider her own Diamond comrades and her soldiers that she’s clouded in her own ideals. (Also, I want the Roundtable to do the Rise and downfall of Tara Strong. Given that she’s now moving like a degenerate on Twitter and going in depth on who cut ties with her)
Oof. You're telling me that Zionist didn't stop there with her Islamophobic comments and fake apology?
I'm going back to my original headcanon (with a tweak). The diamonds were all one being and their "birth" was them splitting apart. Also might contribute to their disgust towards fusion.
Literally personified by the parts of the robot being themselves
with a "mom" like her I'd also need a summonable shield
I honestly hope they continue Steven universe it’s literally my childhood.
same
Finally watching this, I'm halfway through - at the reveal that White Diamond knew Pink wasn't dead - and dear gosh! This actually does go with her reaction to finally reuniting with "Pink", or rather her lack thereof
I remember one comment I saw putting it best, when White Diamond asked "Did you have fun?" what she really meant was "Are you done f---ing around?"
This entire time she was aware of everything going on and that it was all because of Pink, messing up like she knew she would, and was simply waiting for her to finally come crawling back to admit she was wrong and finally fall into line
That is...pretty horrible, and that's not even getting into what happened to the other gems!
I expected white diamond to be more intimidating mysterious ominous and just straight up terrifying
Well that was going to be the case blame cartoon Network for cancelling the show she felt casualty because of it I like the other diamonds before her
pink steven is the personification of I'm done with ALL your shit.
I glad there are still videos like this one about Steven Universe . Even after the show ended a while ago.
The fact that I was in 7th grade when this chain of episodes aired but now, I've graduated high school and currently in university.
Discovered this channel weeks ago, watching the 6y ago videos, and just now I realised it's still alive
21:02 this kinda reminds me of the concept of cringe, and how people would send hate or try to belittle other people for doing things they wouldn't do or find acceptable. Like how people would make cringe compilations of newer artists work because they think its strange or goofy looking
GIVE US LAPIS LAZULI: Prisoner of Tragedy
I would love for a series about pink diamond and what her life was like on homeworld with the other diamonds
White Diamond was so good at being bad but so bad at being good.
The diamonds definitely gave me "big sisters" vibes.
I feel like White Diamond knew that Pink would survive the attack on Earth, especially since White knows that Pink's shield can withstand their blasts. She probably just didn't care about the state of the other gems on Earth because why would White care about a bunch of "side characters" that don't really mean anything to her in the long run? It's like, would an author care about the lives of that society that lived on that planet they just blew up to further the main protagonist's story arc? Probably not.
White Diamond is like the author of a story, and Pink Diamond is like her main character that she puts through hell in order to further her development in the story. At least, that's how she sees it--unfortunately, said main character has a mind of her own and rebels against the author which causes a lot of problems when you look at all the awful things White has done to her.
Oh white Diamond the potential she had to be the biggest threat of the series and well…. We saw the end result lol. I still enjoy white diamond bc of her personality and design. She still has sm lore surrounding her as she is the original gem and hasn’t been touched upon yet.
White diamond could've been up there with mr perfect cell but cartoon network did her dirty and left her being first form frieza 😮💨
Huh.
White not being able to reconnect with Pink is the same as Grand Pear not being able to reconnect with his daughter Pear Butter due to her being dead.
An interesting parallel I hadn’t considered til now
Wow.
And just like White Diamond, Pear Butter, Bright Mac, and Grand Pear had limited appearences. We also didn’t get that much information, especially how PB and BM died. Then again, it’s a kid’s show. But, they handled the situation in a mature way.
It's so twisted that White Diamond thought of all this as a game that she had to beat Pink at. White let the others suffer unfathomable levels of depression, anger and grief and it took a mental toll on both Blue and Yellow. All of it: The corruption, the war, the shatterings, even giving the Earth to Pink- all of this White trying to prove a point to Pink. WTH.
White truly desired perfection
White Diamond: Judging people based on appearances is wrong 😃
Steven:😑
I thought that White Diamond was supposed to be an allegory for someones old, out of touch conservative parents
I think she can be that as well
One part that you forgot to mention about the Id is the principle of Creation and the Principle of Destruction. Pink Diamond/Rose was the only Gem ever to have a baby like us. And that meant some (ahem) adult activity with Greg. Freud talks a lot about that type of activity in his work. As Rose, her powers were about healing and she loved life. But Rose could never, ever get away from the trauma that she had as Pink. As Pink, her powers were destructive. Rebecca said she was severely depressed and traumatized. She was filled with self-loathing and guilt for everything that happened. And all of that destroyed her. Creation and Destruction. She wanted to create life and the price was her death.
What an dejavu
Congratulations on being first to comment
I haven’t been this early since Steven universe future
I thought the diamonds were created form the universe itself
i wish the industry had more respect for animations
New Steven Universe Vid let’s go!!!
If (wich I do think is likely) Steven universe ever gets a continuation or reboot I would love to see whites character explored more in the light of a narcissistic parental figure, she shows a lot of narcissistic traits in her general character and also the mind games she plays with pink causing detriment to pink, the other diamonds and even the rest of the gem population and the universe as a whole purely to prove a point and exert power over pink as her motherly figure, idk i could be wrong Abt this and if I am pls correct me if I am but I think white is a good portrayal of a narcissistic abusive parental figure and I think it would be super interesting to see this aspect explored in more detail (pls Rebecca sugar and CN make a pg13+ Steven universe and my life is urs🙏🙏🙏 )
İ have started to realize how many stuff is getting canceled .. and how 99% of it being stuff like steven universe , owl house ... İt makes me realize something and i hate people A LOT more now
Her shoes are so nice
I liked her better when she’s perfectionist villain
Agreed, was a very interesting character for me
Should’ve gotten more screentime and character development instead of just instantly and easily changing her mind like they did
@@garg4531 yeah she’s like my second favorite diamond ( my favorite diamond is blue)
@@rainbowquartz9513 Same here
Heck when I first saw her she even inspired an idea for a final antagonist in my own series! (Though his redemption probably would’ve gone better)
Oh yeah there’s also White Pearl. Creepy as heck and I absolutely love that about her
@@garg4531 she definitely scared me and her appearance shook the fandom.
@@rainbowquartz9513 Can imagine so
For me, I was already an Adult when I watched SU and saw the ending. So I could see what they wanted to do and appreciate White despite the poor storytelling that came with her limited appearance and time due to being cancelled.
LOVE your steven Universe videos guys! Love learning from you!
You guys are cooking! Thanks for these videos!
You guys should make a video on the potential for an Owl House Amphibia Gravity Falls crossover sequel series.
A narcissistic parent can have genuine positive feelings about their child. Which makes trying to live away from them so hard.
The menstruation story is really quite interesting. The reflection doesn't even bother trying to comfort themselves or pick themselves back up, just floats into the false reflection world.
Long ass video like this about SU?? We love to see it 🎉
I love how when White says "Judging anything based on appearance is WRONG"
excellent break down on white diamond, they were able to get some of this across on the show, but your break down and the sources you used really brought it into better focus
When SU returns (because it will eventually) Im very interested to see how the Diamonds are doing with their redemption and improvement as people
What a fantastic character analysis and video! Love the new Steven Universe content
The show definitely hits on a whole new level as an adult. I hope someday, if we ever do get a reboot that we would get to see a Homeworld background story.
Ngl, White's power to mind control others reminds me a lot of the power of the Founding Titan from AOT. Makes sense since she's basically a weird mix of Ymir and King Fritz.
Dude pls create a Playlist for this series
I live for your Steve universe content ❤ it really give me so much closure and more understanding to the show. I plan on rewatching it soon with everything I’ve learned from you !! White definitely did not get enough screen time and the ending was kinda rushed b
WOOOHOOO 🎉🎉🎉
MORE IN DEPTH ANALYSIS TIME 🎉🎉🎉
Wooo more round table
Man all the diamonds are nuts 😭 but this was a great video i love this
Hm, I see, i appreciate this Video, very good job, it’s a shame this idea couldn’t be fully realized and explored, but i hope too there’s a chance for Second Try.
Anyway, i wonder who you’ll cover next, can’t wait to find out, maybe Lapis?
I really hope we get more Steven Universe in the future ❤
same!!😭😭 i'd even watch him grow up to old age
Great job on the video
I love the new SU videos from you!
I hope you do more of these in the future, because I like seeing your videos of pink diamond, peridot and here. I hope you do Blue Diamond next. 😊
Hope you do a lapis video soon im enjoying new steven universe stuff lol
If we do get a SU continuation, I'd like to see the origin of the Diamonds so that Steven can gain a better understanding of his mom and make peace with his general feelings of her, regardless of what he decides.
Maybe it could also have Steven inviting the DeMayos to a big reunion party for him, Greg, & the Gems since he got in touch with them after he moved out and wanted Greg to make peace with them to show a familial contrast
This would be amazing
The balls sound effect made me think I was watching a Kurtis Conner video
I love you so much thank you for this video
I just rewatched the entire series of Steven Universe last month and really enjoyed it.
I absolutely love her character design
Even Diamonds crack under pressure
The diamonds are super interesting characters they are complicated there conflicting and opposites to each other but also compliments each other alsoo can i just say were really doing this steven universe character deep dives aaaaaaaaa and white diamond for that matter i god i love you
not the kurtis conner barbie video B A L L S echo
tbh, im just happy to be living my 2010s self by watching this video...
Steven Universe really shaped an entire generation. It really was just sad that the Crewniverse had to wrap up that entire arc so quickly.
I would definitely love to get my hands on any official serialised content if there are any created by Rebecca and her team!
Really enjoying these character analysis videos. They are very well done and I hope to see more. Also, I'd like to see a new video focused on fusions... between Steven and characters from other media. If Steven Universe ever did a proper crossover, then you know a unique new fusion would be part of the equation. What would they look like? What would they be called? And, most importantly, what unique abilities would they possess?
Pls lets make steven universe popular enough again to let rebecca sugar do something more with it🥺. How she said, if you want it back, make a ton of noise!!!
WHITE GILF ALERT I REPEAT WHITE GILF ALERT !💎🚨
Steven: Why are you doing this!?
WD: pink…Don’t you think the universe would be better if everyone was white
Steven: (shocked pikachu face)
Ive never watched Steven Universe. Thanks for posting.
Omg yes anew vid!
Yeah I thought it was pretty obvious
Sonicccccc mussssazzzzzzzzk during the diamon breakdown! What an unexpected surprise
@TheRountable she really is but to make her feel like that illusion of being perfect i would add a bit more the Frieza ism if you what mean “I don’t let gems fuse with these pitta full waste of space monkeys”. including some of the goku black you “think to can take on a goddess” mentality with that her having saying of “I’m better then all of you and every else knows it”. Would be the types of traits i would have added in to be that much more of an opposing threat to the whole cast but that just the way i would have added to her character to make feel more impactful and dominating in sense.
Can’t wait to watch!
White Diamonds Aura was unmatched, Never mentioned, never seen anywhere else besides a logo or Mural, but her presence weight and hype was there from the get go
In another Universe , she was given the story she deserved
Yessss more of these let's goooo
30:46 white pearls like I don’t like you poppin shit at white diamond, for her I inherent the beef
I would still love to see the creators of the Gems, if they’re mineral-based computational machines, then someone HAD to design them.
I personally think that the diamonds where accidentally made or just made by their selfs maybe from like a giant planet and decided to take over homeworld
White Diamond is giving major narcissist vibes. She sees her subjects as extensions of herself and sees everyone tas functions/tools.