Weepy Lesbian Space Rocks

[CormansInferno]

Or the Steven Universe thread, because lord knows there's not enough geekanerd sci-fi discussed here. Apparently it's now the 3rd Season because Cartoon Network has changed the number of episodes in a season so they could spend less on animation production. Italy premiered the next three weeks' worth of episodes earlier in the week so now those are circulating through unofficial channels and holy shit the baseball episode. Really disappointed that no one held up a puppy to distract the pitcher, but that's because I think every baseball-related story would be a thousand times better with more Rube Waddell references. 

[eldritchhat]

the baseball episode. Really disappointed that no one held up a puppy to distract the pitcher, but that's because I think every baseball-related story would be a thousand times better with more Rube Waddell references.

NSFW content. Click to show.

And for a version with beautiful sound:
https://gifsound.com/?gif=i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/126/360/329.gif&v=Bk3sLHZzZRI

Also, I'm guessing every one is gonna post their piles of Steven Universe Fan Arts, 'cause I for sure know I will.

Edit: Just realized how fucking huge of a spoiler that thing above is, putting it in NSFW as to not be a dick

[Positronic]

Boy do I love those weepy lesbian space rocks!

I've been holding out on watching the latest episode that was leaked, since I've realized that it's a lot easier for me to get through a bad work week when there's a new SU episode waiting every Thursday. I'm glad that the episodes are coming out on a regular schedule now rather than a Steven Bomb, though! It makes it easier to focus on each episode individually.

[eldritchhat]

I was bored today, and while I was watching old episodes of MST3K on YouTube, I decided to sketch a mashup of both the F Plus and Steven Universe.

Now, I opted against drawing a subject of an episode, as I didn't want to ruin the sanctity of something as beautiful as SU. Thus, I decided to combine a gem with a ridiculist.

I may have ruined that sanctity anyway.

Either way, though, I introduce to you: Pearlemon.

[Amelia Blank]

Yaaay! A SU thread! For some reason I was hesitant to start one. ><

But I will say, Steven Universe might be the best show on TV that isn't Better Call Saul. It's cute, funny, engaging, dramatic and very very gay. I love it. As you can see I have a bit of a liking for Amethyst. I'm hoping we get a Amethyst development episode soon. She seems more happy and stable lately but I wanna know what's going on. And plus I can tell she's rubbing off on Peridot.

I could just ramble about these silly gay rocks all day. I might post a random bit of fan art I drew of SU. I've drawn a lot of space rocks since I got my digital art tablet. ><

[Ambious]

I have so much to say about this amazing piece of television.
Unfortunately (or rather fortunately for you) I'm currently in class and can't.

[Cleretic]

So what I'm getting is that this video's accurate?

[Amelia Blank]

So what I'm getting is that this video's accurate?

....poor armrest.....=/

[eldritchhat]

So what I'm getting is that this video's accurate?

....poor armrest.....=/

It's okay Ms.Blank, I like Armrest, she has a nice cup holder.

[GirlKisser420]

I've never actually watched the show but through osmosis I'm impressed that they have 3 main heroines and made 4 of them lesbians.

[cyclopeantrash]

This is a good show that makes me feel good.

[Lemon]

Yeah, I don't like this.

It looks nice, and it's weird, but after like 7 episodes I still don't understand what the premise is.

But more than that, I don't like how this show sounds. The music scores are aggressive and mismatched and  The voice acting really bugs me. Steven primarily but the others as well.

So of course my daughter thinks it's the fucking best and it's the only thing she wants to watch together. I miss Bob's Burgers so much right now.

[Amelia Blank]

It's about basically magic super heroes called the Crystal Gems and Steven is the kid of their old leader, Rose Quartz. She had to give up her physical form to create Steven, a half gem-half human. He's new to dealing with gem stuff and basically they go out and fight monster and solve gem stuff on Earth. Hilarity ensure.

P.S. it gets super goood around the eleven episode mark? That's also where the great songs start and the VAs find their stride. That's assuming the seven episodes you saw were the first seven and not random episodes, which might be the issue since there IS a serialized story going on and a lot of character development so you might be lost.

[Frank West]

If you're above 25 but you didn't  watch any anime in the 80s or 90s then I do not think you are the kind of person who would like this show.

I say that as someone who likes this show quite a bit.

[Ambious]

If you're above 25 but you didn't  watch any anime in the 80s or 90s then I do not think you are the kind of person who would like this show.

I say that as someone who likes this show quite a bit.

I'm 32 and never watched any anime and I'm ALL OVER THIS SHIT.
Here's a REALLY LONG post I wrote on another forum about it:

If you've seen any promos for Steven Universe, you probably assumed (as those promos seem to suggest) that it's your run-of-the-mill kids cartoon with doe-eyed children and animals and maybe some strange characters, but basically a kid's cartoon.
Oh boy are those promos deceiving.

Steven Universe's backstory is about a group of sentient genderless stone-based super-powered aliens (called Gems) who arrived on Earth thousands of years ago to mine it for resources, but when they discovered it was populated a group of them decided to defect in order to protect the indigenous humans, and started a long and bloody civil war - which they ended up winning, but they were stranded on the Earth and so remained to protect the humans from whatever may come (which ended up being a lot of remnants from the war). Those remaining Gems - who also happen to live on a geological time-scale (meaning millions of our years is one lifetime for them) settled in what seems to be east-coast USA.
Fast-forward to the 1980's where one of the Gems (and also their leader) called Rose Quartz fell in love with one of the local humans - Greg Universe, a washed up self-proclaimed rock-star.

It's at this point that it's worth mentioning that while the Gems are technically genderless, they're all represented as female and use female pronouns. This is where it starts getting really interesting.

See, after Rose and Greg fall in love Rose gives birth (and in the process gives up her physical form - meaning that she turns back into her 'gem' form) to Steven, who inherits her gem and her powers. After a few years with his father, Steven moves in with the rest of the Gems ("The Crystal Gems") to start learning to control his powers, and that's where the series actually begins.

But there's so much going on in this series from all characters, and they're all equally interesting.
The Crystal Gems are Garnet - the big (and later revealed to be very VERY special in ways I can hardly describe) leader of the group and also the muscle, Pearl - who's portrayed as more of an intellectual, dancer and sword-fighter, and Amethyst - a shape shifting teenager-ish omnivore (she literally eats everything).

But here's the catch, and what makes Steven Universe so different and interesting.
Pearl was Rose Quartz's right hand - and was MADLY in love with her. She believed that Rose loved her too, until Greg. After Rose died to give birth to Steven, Pearl never really recovered and still suffers from pretty intense PTSD.
Amethyst was created on Earth by the homeworld Gems as a fighter - she was basically a weapon - and though she was freed by the Crystal Gems and reclaimed her own identity she has serious self worth issues, bordering on nearly suicidal depression. She at one point flat out says that she hates herself and never asked to be made, and wish she wasn't.
Still think it's a fluffy kids show? (Fans refer to it as "The Singing and Crying Show").

But it's not all doom and gloom - the show has TONS of SUPER positive messages: firstly, the Gems are all technically genderless but presented as female, and they're badass. For one, it's empowering for girls, but also it fights gender-role stereotypes by completely removing gender-roles. For example, Steven befriends a smart nerdy human girl who later learns swordfighting and appoints herself "his knight".
It also completely normalizes same-sex and gender-fluid relationships, by not only making nearly all of the romantic relationships in the show between Gems (and thus all homosexual), but they also introduce another aspect which I'll touch on later - because it's kinda of a spoiler.
Additionally, it really touches the issue of body image in a really favorable light. Steven is chubby and loves food without shame, Amethyst is very full-bodied (despite being a shapeshifter who can take whatever form she wants) and eats EVERYTHING all the time and Rose Quartz was HUGE and GLORIOUS.
This show touches everything, without shame - body image, self worth, depression, love, heartbreak, war, death - even to some extent (albeit only implied) sex and even sexual assault.
Which is where Garnet comes in... (spoilers ahead - seriously, don't read if you wanna find out cool stuff yourself)

See, in the Gems' race there's something called "Fusion". It's not sex, it's not even 'lovemaking' - but it requires two Gems to be perfectly in sync with each other, and makes them both fuse into one being which is a combination of both of them. It is very intimate and frowned upon in the gem homeworld, but it allows gems to combine their powers in creative ways, in addition to just becoming bigger and stronger.
Late into the first season it is revealed (after being heavily implied throughout the series) the Garnet herself is not just one Gem, but the result of a nearly constant Fusion of two very much in love Gems called Ruby and Sapphire. Their relationship throughout the series, once revealed, is portrayed as a very mature and very healthy relationship - and while they do fight once or twice, they always make up by understanding each other and hearing and talking. Basically, they love each other so much that they can't stand NOT being one with each other. Which is what makes Garnet not just one person, and not two people but as she herself puts it - "an experience" and "a conversation".
It's important to point out that while very intimate, Fusion is NOT sex. But it's monster cockogous and presented in such a way that if one was to interpret it as sex - it's passing along all the important messages about intimacy: It HAS to be consensual! It's very personal - and while frowned upon by the 'old world', there's absolutely no shame in it whatsoever.

To sum up, Steven Universe IS a kids show, but it's the kind of kids show that's bound to create a better generation. It's also a show that many adults (including myself) completely lose their shit over, in a completely emotional and personal way, both because it touches so many universal and ageless subjects, and also because it just makes me so damn happy and proud to know that kids today have such a brilliant and diverse medium to look up to and be influenced by.

It's definitely not for every adult, it's more kid-oriented than more adult action/adventure cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender (in fact I'd say it's more of a cartoon than an animated series), but if you can stomach the more childish aspects once in a while, it's really something else - and something good.