LONG DUMB RANT ABOUT STEVEN UNIVERSE

I DOUBT ANYONE CARES ABOUT BEING SPOILED FOR A SHOW THAT EVERYONE STOPPED THINKING WAS COOL IN LIKE 2016, BUT WHATEVER. SPOILER WARNING FOR PROBABLY LITERALLY EVERYTHING, INCLUDING FUTURE.

THIS WAS JUST TRIGGERED BY A SILLY POST INCLUDING STEVEN UNIVERSE, AND I STARTED THINKING ABOUT IT. LAST TIME I CONSUMED ANY OF THE MEDIA WAS IN LIKE 2020 MAYBE WHERE I WATCHED THE SECOND HALF OF FUTURE. SO I MAY GET SOME DETAILS WRONG, BUT I HOPE MY GENERAL POINT STANDS.

SO STEVEN UNIVERSE WAS MY SPECIAL INTEREST WHEN I WAS AROUND 10 YEARS OLD, AND I LOVED IT A TON. I WATCHED VIDEOS ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME, TALKED ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY, ID DRAW THE CHARACTERS, ALL THAT. I DREW THE CHARACTERS AS CATS AND THATS ACTUALLY WHEN I STARTED REALLY DEVELOPING MY ARTSTYLE, SO ILL GIVE IT PROPS FOR THAT. IT HELPED ME REALIZE AND ACCEPT MYSELF AS A LESBIAN, AND I GENERALLY HAVE A LOT OF GOOD MEMORIES AND FONDNESS FOR THE SERIES IN GENERAL.

THAT BEING SAID, I ALSO THINK IT KIND OF SUCKS IN HINDSIGHT.

THE MAIN SERIES WAS... MIXED. I NEVER PERSONALLY THOUGHT THE PLOT WAS TOO CONVOLUTED BUT I THINK ITS PROBABLY SUPER CONFUSING AND INTIMIDATING TO AN OUTSIDER, ESPECIALLY FOR A SERIES WHERE THE FIRST SEASON WAS JUST A KID GOING ON FUN ADVENTURES WITH WEIRD SPACE CREATURES. IT HAD A HELL OF A SWTICH UP.

DESPITE THAT, THERES STILL A LOT I ENJOYED AND THINK THEY DID RIGHT! MY FAVORITE CHARACTER WAS ALWAYS PERIDOT, AND LATER REALIZING SHE WAS AUTISTIC CODED (AND ALSO LATER REALIZING I MYSELF WAS AUTISTIC), IT MADE SENSE. SURE SOME PEOPLE MAY THINK ITS NOT THE BEST AUTISTIC REP FOR AN ALIEN CHARACTER TO BE AUTISTIC, BUT FOR A SERIES WHERE MOST OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE ALIENS TOO, I THINK IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SETTING ITS NOT SUPER CONTROVERSIAL.

I LIKE HOW PERIDOT WAS A SUPER ANALYTICAL CHARACTER AND HAD TROUBLE INTERACTING WITH OTHERS. IN UNIVERSE SURE IT WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS IN SPACE AND SHE WAS SUDDENLY BROUGHT TO EARTH AND IN A COMPLETELY NEW SETTING SO SHE WAS GETTING ADJUSTED, BUT TO AN AUTISTIC KID SHE REALLY RESONATED WITH ME.

ALSO THE EPISODE WHERE SHE GOT A TABLET AND IT QUITE LITERALLY BECAME HER COMFORT OBJECT, AND SHE GOT EXTREMELY UPSET WHEN AMETHYST TRIED TO THROW IT INTO THE OCEAN, THATS GENUINELY KINDA UPSETTING FOR ME TO WATCH BECAUSE I CAN ACTUALLY EMPATHIZE WITH THE CHARACTER. AND I FEEL LITERALLY NO EMPATHY FOR OTHER PEOPLE AT ALL EVER, SO THATS IMPRESSIVE. WHILE TALKING TO ONE OF MY FRIENDS (WHO IS ALSO AUTISTIC) A WHILE AGO HE BROUGHT UP THAT SCENE AS WELL AND SAID IT MADE HIM UPSET AS A KID.

I DO WISH THEY PORTRAYED AMETHYST AS MORE IN THE WRONG IN THAT SCENE. SURE TO ME AND OTHER AUTISTIC PEOPLE SHES OBVIOUSLY THE BAD GUY IN THE SITUATION, BUT VIEWING THE SCENE WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO RELATE TO THE CONCEPT OF A COMFORT OBJECT AND SEEING PERIDOT OBSESS OVER A TABLET AND BEING COMPLETELY CONSUMED BY IT, OTHERS WOULD PROBABLY SEE AMETHYST AS DOING WHATS BEST FOR HER.

IN THE SCENE PERIDOT SAVES THE TABLET BY IN THAT EXACT MOMENT HARNESSING THE ABILITY TO CONTROL METAL (I FORGET THE SPECIFIC WORD OR IF THERE IS ONE), AND AFTER THAT THEYRE ALL DISTRACTED BY HER NEW ABILITY SO ITS SEEN AS IRRELEVANT.

BUT I DIGRESS, THIS RANT ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE JUST ABOUT PERIDOT. LETS GET INTO THE REAL JUICY STUFF: THE ENDING OF STEVEN UNIVERSE FUTURE.

HOLY SHIT, OKAY. I HATE THIS ENDING. AS A LONG TIME FAN IT FEELS LIKE THE WRITERS JUST SHOT MY DOG IN FRONT OF ME AND SPIT IN MY FACE IMMEDIATELY AFTER.

SO STEVENS 18, DEALING WITH THE TRAUMA FROM EVERYTHING HE HAD TO ENDURE FOR YEARS WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER. MAKES SENSE. I LOVED THE PREMISE OF THE SHOW AND A TON OF MOMENTS AND HOW IT STARTED OFF.

HE STARTS HAVING EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS COMBINED WITH WEIRD GEM POWERS (CUZ YKNOW, ITS STEVEN UNIVERSE) AND HE STARTS ACTING ERRATIC AND SOMETIMES VIOLENT.

HE STARTS SEEING HIMSELF AS A MONSTER, AND PHYSICALLY TURNS INTO ONE AND STARTS DESTROYING THE CITY. NOW THIS SCENE STARTED OUT GOOD. SURE THE SYMBOLISM IS REALLY ON THE NOSE, BUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS DOESNT HAVE TO BE HIDDEN BEHIND LAYERS OF METAPHORS I DONT THINK. HAVING STEVEN LITERALLY BECOME A MONSTER BECAUSE HE THINKS HE IS AS A SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY WAS A GOOD IDEA. AND THE GEMS TRYING TO HELP HIM AND FEELING BAD FOR FAILING AND NEEDING CONNIE TO BRING THEM BACK TO REALITY TO MAKE THEM REMEMBER THE SITUATION IS ABOUT STEVEN AND NOT THEM WAS A REALLY AMAZING MOMENT I THINK.

SO EVERYONE GETS TOGETHER. ALL THE FRIENDS HES MADE OVER THE YEARS. HIS FAMILY, HIS EARTH AND GEM FRIENDS, THE DIAMONDS, EVEN THE CLUSTER (WHICH ILL ADMIT IS A MOMENT THAT HAD ME SUPER HYPED WHICH STEVEN UNIVERSE HASNT MADE ME FEEL IN YEARS) CAME OUT TO HELP AS ONE COLLECTIVE MIND.

AND THEY GIVE HIM A GROUP HUG. AND THEY TELL HIM THEYRE THERE FOR HIM. AND THATS IT. HE TURNS BACK INTO REGULAR STEVEN AND ITS CLEAR THAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BIG CLIMACTIC PART OF THE WHOLE FUTURE SERIES AND THE VIEWER IS MEANT TO BE FILLED WITH SO MANY EMOTIONS BUT... SERIOUSLY? IT WAS THAT EASY?

I MEAN SURE IT TOOK A LOT OF EFFORT AND A LOT OF PEOPLE TO RESTRAIN HIM AND FOR HIM TO COME BACK TO HIS CONSCIOUSNESS, BUT AFTER THIS HE GOES BACK TO REGULAR OLD STEVEN AND ITS LIKE THIS WHOLE CHARACTER ARC WAS MEANINGLESS. HE IMMEDIATELY MOVES OUT OF BEACH CITY ANYWAYS, SO WE DONT ACTUALLY SEE ANY OF HIS FRIENDS HELPING HIM IN HIS TIME OF NEED LIKE THEY SAID THEY WOULD. ITS SO SUPERFICIAL.

NOW, HOW DO WE FIX THIS DUMPSTERFIRE? HOW WOULD I, PERSONALLY, WRITE THE ENDING OF FUTURE? WELL IM GLAD YOU DIDNT ASK BECAUSE HERES MY HYPOTHETICAL ANSWER.

FIRST OF ALL: MAKE IT LONGER. WAY LONGER. FORGET ALL THE "THE SERIES ENDED BUT THE CHARACTERS ARE STILL LIVING THEIR OWN STORIES BLAH BLAH" CUT THE SHIT. IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO PORTRAY A CHARACTER SERIOUSLY ON THE ROAD OF RECOVERING FROM CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, THE SERIES SHOULD BE WAY LONGER.

RECOVERY ISNT LINEAR. THERE IS NO "YOU GET WORSE AND WORSE AND THEN A GOOD THING HAPPENS AND EVERYTHING IS FINE." YOU HAVE GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS. AND GOOD WEEKS AND BAD WEEKS. AND GOOD MONTHS AND BAD MONTHS. AND MAYBE A BAD DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF A GOOD MONTH. OR A GOOD DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF A BAD WEEK. THIS APPLIES TO RECOVERING FROM ANY SORT OF EVENT THAT CAUSES SEVERE PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE. EVEN RECOVERING FROM AN ILLNESS OR AN INJURY ISNT LINEAR.

SO MAKE STEVEN AN INCONSISTENT CHARACTER. BECAUSE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS KIND OF TURMOIL, ARE INCONSISTENT. THEY MIGHT HAVE DAYS WHERE IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHINGS FINE, THEY MIGHT HAVE DAYS WHERE THEYRE BACK AT SQUARE ONE. AND THERE IS NO TRUE CONCLUSION TO THIS. YOU CAN BEAT THE VILLAIN OR MOVE TO A NEW CITY AND END THE SERIES ONCE AND FOR ALL, BUT STEVEN WILL ALWAYS LIVE WITH THIS PERMANENT SCAR IN HIS MIND THATS GOING TO ACHE EVERY SO OFTEN.

THE TRACK THEY WERE GOING AT BEFORE THE CLIMAX OF THE SERIES WAS GREAT. HE WOULD HAVE OUTBURSTS, HE WOULD FEEL GUILT, HE WOULD ISOLATE FROM EVERYONE THEN TURN AROUND AND INSERT HIMSELF INTO EVERY PROBLEM HE CAN FIND AND TRY TO FIX IT BECAUSE THATS JUST WHAT HE LEARNED HES SUPPOSED TO DO (WHICH IS A REALLY GOOD WAY OF SHOWING A TRAUMA RESPONSE CLEARLY ON SCREEN). HE SHATTERS JASPER IN A FIT OF RAGE, AND BRINGS HER BACK AND CAN BARELY LIVE WITH HIMSELF AFTERWARDS. HES SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX THAN HE EVER WAS IN THE MAIN SERIES BECAUSE NOW HES AN ADULT AND AFTER YEARS OF LIVING A RELATIVELY PEACEFUL LIFE, HIS BRAIN HAS FINALLY LET THE WEIGHT OF EVERYTHING THATS HAPPENED SET IN.

SO MAKE THAT KEEP HAPPENING. KEEP MAKING HIM BURST OUT IN FITS OF ANGER. KEEP MAKING HIM ISOLATE. KEEP MAKING HIM A HABITUAL PEOPLE PLEASER. KEEP SHOWING HOW HIS GUILT AFFECTS HIM. HE CAN PROGRESS, BUT HE CAN ALSO TAKE STEPS BACKWARDS SOMETIMES, BECAUSE THATS JUST PART OF THE PROCESS.

"BUT JACK!" NONEXISTENT READER SAYS. "THAT WOULD BE BORING! PLUS THIS SERIES IS INTENDED TO BE SHORT SO MAKING IT DRAG ON LONG ENOUGH TO PORTRAY THE HEALING PROCESS ACCURATELY AND RESPECTFULLY WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE!"

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. HERES MY MORE REALISTIC (AS IN WHAT THEY COULD HAVE ACTUALLY MADE), SIMPLER OPTION TO FIXING THE ENDING.

KEEP EVERYTHING MOSTLY THE SAME. ACTUALLY EXACTLY THE SAME, EVERYTHING IS FINE AS IS. BUT FOR THE CLIMAX, DONT LET STEVEN GO BACK TO NORMAL RIGHT AWAY. KEEP SOME OF HIS MONSTROUS FEATURES WITH HIM. HES NOT PERMANENTLY LIKE THIS, MAYBE IMPLY THAT THE FEATURES CAN DISAPPEAR OR GET SMALLER (POTENTIALLY DURING SOME OVERLY SAPPY HEARTFELT SCENE).

WITH THIS IM NOT TRYING TO IMPLY TRAUMATIZED PEOPLE ARE MONSTERS OR ANYTHING, IM JUST TRYING TO TAKE THIS METAPHOR THEY USED AND EXPAND ON IT. IT COULD HELP IMPLY A LONGER, ROUGH HEALING JOURNEY WITHOUT HAVING TO EXTEND THE SERIES FOR 5 MORE SEASONS OF STEVEN JUST TRAUMADUMPING (THEN AGAIN, HALF OF THE SHOW WAS THE GEMS TRAUMADUMPING TO A 14 YEAR OLD).

NOW, THIS COULD GO TWO WAYS. MY MEDIA LITERACY WAS PRETTY BAD IN 2020, AND I DONT KNOW HOW MUCH I IMPROVED OVER TIME, BUT I REALLY DONT FEEL LIKE GOING BACK AND REWATCHING THE WHOLE SERIES. BUT ITS PRETTY UNCLEAR WHAT STEVEN WANTS OR NEEDS. IT MAKES SENSE, ITS HARD TO KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO GET CLOSURE. BUT ITS CLEAR HE NEEDS HELP IN SOME WAY.

EITHER A: HE STAYS IN BEACH CITY, TALKS TO HIS FRIENDS AND RECIEVES THE COMFORT AND CLOSURE HE WANTED, AND THE SERIES ENDS THERE.

OR B: HE LEAVES BEACH CITY LIKE HE DID IN THE ORIGINAL SERIES. HE NEEDS TO LEAVE HIS CURRENT SITUATION BEHIND, AT LEAST FOR NOW, AND PURSUE A NEW LIFE AND HEAL ON HIS OWN.

A WOULD BE A SUPER BORING ENDING, SO IDEALLY B WOULD BE THE BEST STORYWISE. NOT MUCH WOULD EVEN HAVE TO CHANGE. WOULDNT HAVE TO MAKE ANY NEW EPISODES, JUST A FEW WRITING CHANGES TO THE LATER ONES. SO ITS DISAPPOINTING THAT THIS POTENTIAL OTHER ENDING, WHILE NOT THE BEST AND THOUGHT UP BY SOME TEENAGER WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN LESS DISAPPOINTING BY A SERIES CLIMAX THAT CENTERS AROUND A GROUP HUG MAGICALLY SOLVING EVERYONES PROBLEMS.

BUT THATS ALL I REALLY WANTED TO SAY. THERES SO MUCH MORE ABOUT STEVEN UNIVERSE IN GENERAL, FROM SPECIFIC EPISODES TO CHARACTERS TO PLOT POINTS THAT FRUSTRATE ME, BUT IVE BEEN WRITING THIS FOR SO LONG I HAD TO TAKE A BREAK BECAUSE MY EYES HURT, SO IM FRANKLY KIND OF BORED OF THIS TOPIC BY NOW. EVEN WITH THE HELP OF MEDICATION MY ATTENTION SPAN IS PAINFULLY SHORT. BUT YEAH.

NOBODY IS READING ALL OF THIS. BUT I JUST WANTED TO YELL ABOUT HOW MUCH I HATE THIS SERIES THAT I USED TO LOVE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND WAS A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF MY DEVELOPMENT.