#SU Theory

[faelapis]

sometimes i worry that *i'm* wrong and SU is bad/rushed/blah blah. then i remember whites fragile need to be perfect and ego defense of thinking she's fixing things. i remember how its perfectly mirrored by stevens need to fix others. how its both beautifully symbolic in CYM an made more explicit and heart-rending in future.

yeah that shit rules. white being reformed is great. its the ultimate rebuttal to the ideology that only good/useful/perfect people deserve to live- which is exactly the standard white held herself and everyone else to. it mirrors stevens arc of selfless heroism. it mirrors the toxic, insecure selflessness thats plagued everyone from pearl to jasper to rose about what it means to "deserve" to live it ties into "love like you" of how learning self-love is intertwined with loving others. it ties into how steven can't let go of his hero role until he's confronted by *literally* having his own mind in white's body, hating the idea of being like her yet ironically reacting exactly how she would - "this is someone bad for society, they should be shattered, this is what's best for everyone." trying to hurt her only hurting him. trying to help her helping all of gemkind - from the corrupted gems to dismantling a system that was held up by those exact ideals.

yeah no SU is fantastic. i'm so sad that its reputation is "oh well it wasn't that good, but it had some lgbt+ rep :)" which is just about the most condescending crap ever. i would gladly flip it. i think most cartoons that have come after SU haven't been that interesting, they've just been mostly generic stories with some lgbt+ rep.

[maxiemumdamage]

Hmmm…this may be too much of a reach, but…did Steven Universe mean to imply that the flawed or decayed structures on Earth were out there by Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz deliberately?

I think the Beta Kindergarten is the biggest potential example. Peridot mentions that while the Prime Kindergarten was super well-planned and organized, the Beta Kindergarten was a messy rush job. Something that had the potential to work, but was told small and poorly run to ever generate worthwhile Peridot says that’s because the Beta Kindergarten was built in a hurry to generate extra forces for Homeworld during the rebellion, but…

…what if instead it was meant to generate extra forces for the Rebellion? What if it was flawed and messy and churned out countless off-colors and just one perfect Jasper not by accident, but by design?

If Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz was strong-armed by the other Diamonds into creating another Kindergarten to crush the Rebellion, then it being defective and poorly planned could’ve been a choice made by Pink deliberately.

If Pink planned Beta and planned it poorly on purpose, then the location makes sense. Small, situated in the middle of a desert, poor growth conditions, and terrible organization all make sense from the perspective of a rebel leader trying not to make her cause have to fight any harder.

Plus, where the Prime Kindergarten tore up a beautiful pasture, the Beta one kinda blends into the desert. Obviously deserts are still full of life, but…if Pink/Rose didn’t yet appreciate all of Earth’s biomes, she might not have realized that. She might not have been as worried about destroying an ecosystem by building a Kindergarten there.

Plus...if the gems from Beta came out off-color, they’d have an incentive to join the Rebellion. They’d never fit in or be accepted on Homeworld, so instead of Pink they might swear loyalty to Rose right out the gate.

Maybe I’m attributing too much intent and deliberation and ruthlessness to Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz. Maybe she wouldn’t deliberately create a situation where Gems would be born already hated and endangered on Homeworld. But I do wonder.

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

AND NOW FOR SOME META THATS NOT KH

i was looking through promotional art on the su wiki, and i came across the SDCC 2016 signing card

and i noticed that only four people in the pic have flowers

steven, greg, and pearl have roses, which of course represent rose quartz

while jasper has a hibiscus for some reason?

so i was thinking about why jasper would have that particular flower, esp when almost everyone else in the pic doesnt have one at all

and then i realized

... oh

2016 comic con, huh

[moth-cosplays]

Ok, this is not my normal content, but iv been watching Steven Universe and I watched the episode - Now we are only falling apart - S5 Ep19

During which Garnet separates after learning about the truth of Pink/Rose. Sapphire in particular reacting negatively, the episode goes to Pearl and Steven help Sapphire and they go to return to Ruby who has run off and left this note-

I wanted to scream when I saw this, because this was one of the first times in 14 years - Ruby for 14 years has had Garnet, had Sapphire to plan out anytime they wrote something, she would know where to start writing to fit everything because she could see every option. This is Ruby not knowing how to write without Garnet - this is a small sign of the co dependency we see Ruby deal with in the next episodes as we see them outside of Garnet.

Its such a small detail, literally on screen for all of 5 seconds. And yet it speaks volumes of who they are.

Anyway! I love lesbian rocks. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

[blueshity]

No fucking way that was on the SU Wiki all this time. I didn't even know that symbol existed! Rebecca, have boundaries please, it's a children's cartoon, we don't need to go that far

She just turned it upside down

Words translated from the image: Flammability, Health Hazards, Reactivity and Specific Hazards

And the best part, besides the name of the symbol also being diamond, is that what each color represents in the symbol has a bit to do with the corresponding colored diamond, at least I think I managed to find a parallel

Red: Informs about the risk of fire, which reminded me of how unstable and "explosive" Pink was, "catching fire" at times

Blue: Blue could cause damage to your health as she deals directly with your emotional state

Yellow: Yellow is not a very patient person and we can see that at the slightest sign of being contradicted, she goes into attack mode. A reactive person

White: Here I couldn't connect it very well to White, but in this part is the information about whether the substance is radioactive, corrosive and etc, so I think it would be the most dangerous part of the whole symbol, which matches the most dangerous Diamond of all

[le-sapphic-artist]

so pearl was made for white diamond, right?

I know the show ended a while ago and I started watching after it came out, but it’s still popular so I’m talking about it. Pearl was made for white, right? I thought it was at least implied. Yellow and her pearl both have their gems in the same spot. Blue and her pearl also match. We know that Pink had another pearl, Volleyball. Volleyball matches Pink. Pearl’s gem matches white diamond’s gem. Also pearl has an iridescent look to the outfit she had on homeworld, which matches white’s whole thing of being literal light.

I always thought White Diamond needed a new pearl around the same time Pink hurt Volleyball, so she switched with Pink.

[renthesilliestbeing]

This theory might not make any sense but uhhh

What if most of the seasons in the OG steven universe is just Steven replaying his memories in his head and thats why he seems to never age character design wise in the show, because he probably can't remember what he actually looked like at the time of specific events in his childhood.

What supports my theory, you may ask? Season 1 , Episode 14 of Steven Universe Future.

[badperidot]

I think its starting to dawn on me why Peridot ran into the wall like that in this scene. Before she could run UP the walls… perhaps thats what she was trying to do here? forgetting that she can no longer do it

[bostrichidae]

attention steven universe tumblr, i had a thought

took a shower and now my head is occupied with this concept.

so we know that pearls are personalized for one specific gem and they typically conform to that gem when they first form. this also applies to when they're rejuvenated (keep that in mind!). but i noticed something about the diamond's pearls.

notice the similarities in posing, appearance, and presentation, but most importantly, in gem placement.

this particularly drew my attention because. the diamonds' pearls are seemingly made to be very similar to their "owners". it only makes sense that this would apply to their gem placement as well.

this also applies to pink diamond and volleyball (og pink pearl) as seen below

they both have naval gems and upbeat personalities. but of course, volleyball became white diamond's pearl after that whole incident slash debacle slash problem slash whatever you like to call it. but.

did white diamond have a pearl previously?

and if so, what happened to her?

well,

what pearl with a white gem do we know very well? one with her pearl on her forehead? one who was given to pink after her original pearl was taken by white?

that's right.

the main pearl, the pearl we all know and love, was white diamond's pearl before volleyball.

just think about it for a second. we know that homeworld prefers to avoid wasting pearls, and well, rejuvenation and the reef exist for a reason. when volleyball was injured and could not be healed by any means, white diamond decided it would be best if she and pink traded pearls. white ensured that either due to rejuvenation or her mind control powers that pearl would not remember ever working under her as to ensure her loyalty to pink diamond.

but since she already existed, her gem placement could not be altered. and that is what really happened with the diamond pearls. yellow and blue pearl are just vibin this whole time tbh they're just watching this go down

to add on, there was also that one side comment from peridot where she said "you're a pearl. and a rather fancy one too" (or something along those lines) implying that pearls had varying quality with the highest quality being given to the diamonds. yet another reason why they couldn't just give pink an entirely new pearl.

this theory might seem a bit outlandish, but is there really anything to prove it false?

there probably is something that i'm missing that proves me wrong but I WILL STAND BY THIS THEORY.

edit: i see people pointing out that this is a common theory and that it is accepted as canon, and i would just like to state that i had no fucking clue because i've never seen anyone discuss it (then again, i'm not very deep into the world of su theories). just wanted to say that (and i'm not mad or anything)

[atinytrashcan]

STEVEN SHOULD’VE DIED ON THE MOON

Ok hear me out because this has been bugging me all day.

Also, this is a long post, so the info is below the cut.

So, there’s an episode of Steven Universe where Steven and the gems go to the moon to get some coordinates in order to find the Cluster. While on the moon base, Steven begins jumping around and floating. Normal, right? His body is human, so he reacts to the atmosphere (or lack thereof) he’s in. That should apply to the oxygen levels as well, right?

WRONG. He can breathe perfectly fine while on the moon base. Even after Amethyst opens the hatch to the rest of the moon, Steven can breathe. Logically, this should’ve sucked all the oxygen out of the base. If there were any.

 Now, there are two theories I came up with as to how Steven survived on the moon base. But the more I thought about it, the more the theories were wrong.

The moon base has an artificial atmosphere, which provides oxygen as needed.

My first theory was that the moon base created an artificial atmosphere of its own. Except, that theory was quickly disproved. First off, Amethyst tries jumping immediately after Steven does; only to fall right back down. Peridot explains, and I quote:

“We’re gems. We’re a space-faring race designed to conquer other worlds. Our physical forms automatically adjust to whatever planet we’re on.”

So, if that applies to gravity, that applies to breathing air, right? Yes; Lapis was able to survive on the moon without air, Eyeball Ruby was able to survive in space no problem.

Given that information, the gems would have no need for any sort of atmosphere. Plus, why would anyone else be on the moon base? The space was specifically designed for gems. Humans were not meant to be on the moon.

Also, even if there was an artificial atmosphere, that would have meant that Steven shouldn’t have been able to jump like he did. If there were an atmosphere, Steven should’ve fallen down like he were on Earth. Except he didn’t.

Steven’s gem half stopped him from dying from asphyxiation.

My second theory was that Steven’s gem half provided some sort of protection that prevented him from not being able to breathe. I mean, we saw how weak he was without his gem half during the White Diamond confrontation. So, his gem must provide some sort of protection when his life is in danger?

Except it doesn’t.

During the episode where Steven and Eyeball Ruby end up in space, Steven has to stay in his little bubble to survive. The vacuum of space would’ve prevented him from breathing. He had to draw in a quick breath before sending Eyeball flying away.

Also, there are other spaces where Steven cannot physically breathe. For instance, the realm between Lars and Lion with the trees. Steven cannot breathe there. Now, one could argue that this realm has no explanation and we don’t understand the extent of its existence.

But, if there are other spaces where there is no oxygen, then Steven’s gem half should’ve allowed him to breathe, right? Wrong. Not once, does Steven’s gem half allow him to breathe in low to zero oxygen environments.

So, that begs the question: Why was Steven able to breathe on the moon base? There couldn’t have been an artificial atmosphere, and his gem half clearly did not allow him to adjust to the atmosphere of the moon. Steven should’ve died on the moon.

My only plausible theory is Main Character Syndrome kept him from dying.

If y'all have any theories, please share. And yeah, maybe I'm overthinking this. But I don't care.

edit: someone on Reddit pointed out that Steven was able to breathe on Homeworld, so whatever atmosphere gems had there must have been replicated on the moon base.

[lifedaiiry]

Did White Diamond create the other diamonds?

I've watched bits and pieces of the show. But I can't get a straight answer for this... And where did White Diamond come from? Is she a Goddess?

[faelapis]

as far as i'm concerned, the SU q&a didnt tell me anything surprising. i already thought (and i think it was even in an interview) that pink presumed she wasn't that important to spinel - because that was her general presumption about people. that mindset informed a lot of her worst decisions. so spinel would be no exception. a lot of pink's carelessness is rooted in thinking she didn't have that much of an effect on people, at least not in a way that made them care about her.

[kazulmehto]

I just realized that the diamonds are the rulers of Gem Homeworld because they are immortal even by Gem standards. The only thing that can hurt them, as a species, is an attack to their gem, not their body. And the only thing that can hurt a diamond is a diamond. So. They essentially can't be shattered.

[ragsistired]

I just thought of a question about steven universe and fusions. Ok so Rebecca sugar has said that all fusions have a single gem equivalent, I don’t remember where she has said this though, and this is something we see in the show (kind of). We see the gems fuse into obsidian and in Steven universes future we snowflake obsidian. Plus when blue diamond is talking to Steven about the party and Steven mentions Garnet blue says “does that call herself a garnet? What would you have her do enter with the Demantoids? The Hessonites, the Pyropes?” All of which are types of garnet.

So my question is could their be a fusion that’s a diamond? I don’t mean a fusion between 2 of the diamonds but a fusion between non diamonds that ends up being a diamond.

[gemdsona]

sorry its still stuck with me how pearls in the gem universe are maids and servants, a highly sought after but completely disregarded object, they are personal pleasears meant to dance and sing and be subservient but its really other gems reaction to them that reveals their class as both bellow and above them, they signify power and recognition of their masters but are ultimately mocked and dismissed by every gem even ones that look forward to owning a pearl some day, and what "reinvention" means in Pearl's song Its Over Isnt It, like she is such a tragic character to me, a servant freed of her shackles that is ordered never to talk about it or her master, as she continues to fight alongside her master who she now has to view as a lover but she keeps serving her as a master none the less and what it means for her to tackle her programming as a pearl after she dies, an object that is free with no one to serve, the way she holds Rose's sword as if its going to get taken away from her again, as if its supposed to give her new orders, insane insane insane

[cugzarui]

ok i've been letting this one bounce around in my brain for a while and i don't know if someone else already thought of it or not (i rarely have original ideas) but here's my theory on pink diamonds true power:

every diamond has a power that lets them control other gems. yellow diamond controls their bodies - even to an extent that the gem being controlled is unable to match. likewise for blue and a gems emotions. white diamond is a bit trickier to pin down but i think her power could be reasonably be boiled down to "identity". she is able to turn other gems into extensions of herself, or turn herself into an extension of other gems, because she can change a gems identity. also, when centipedel was being healed, yellow, blue, and steven together managed to fix her completely, but not keep her in that state without constant contact with them. white is needed to somehow solidify the transformation. i think this is because centipedel still identified and thought of herself as a corrupted gem, so no matter how much help she got she would revert back as soon as that help disappeared.

so we got: body, emotion, and identity. but what about pink diamond? at first it looks like her power is to heal gems; but that still breaks the pattern because it's not a form of control, and because it also works on organics. she also seems to have a whole bunch of other powers that the other diamonds lack. so what's going on here? well, i think a pink diamond has power over a gems abilities.

basically: anything a gem can do, a pink diamond can change their ability to do it. make it easier or harder. make them more skilled or less. even derive new abilities from it. this fits well with another theory that stevens powers (creating a bubble, floating) are just modified versions of normal gem abilities (bubbling, maintaining consistent personal gravity). in fact for most of his powers it's easy to see how they can be derived from a normal gem ability. there is only one exception; his most iconic power: healing.

it's been theorized (but from what i know only from pretty shaky evidence, and never confirmed) that the liquid inside the injectors that make gems - the liquid that turns into gems - comes from the diamonds. if this is the case, then the healing liquid of a pink diamond could be a modified version of this ability. applying that liquid to a gem that already exists could - much like putting an irl gem in the right mineral solution in the right concentration - cause new material to grow on the old gem, possibly ceiling cracks or healing other issues. but what about healing organics? and giving life and superpowers to plants? steven can even heal inanimate objects (one of his toy bears).

this i think is what happens when you have that concentrated mineral solution, but no gem for it to crystallize on top of. it forms new crystals (probably microscopic ones, that can grow super fast, and maybe get removed by biological processes). these micro gems would probably be too small to have much of a consciousness (i hope) but would still view the object they formed in as their body, and use their gem powers to fix and maintain it. possibly to give it gem powers and gem behavior too. but they'll take on the objects identity as their own. of course if the object isn't alive, they won't be able to use its biological processes to help maintain it (cuz it won't have any) so they'll make it fully gem instead. this is probably what happened to lars and lion. this also means that yes

lars is a zombie