#critical su

[sophieabigail2021]

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Still Salty About the Flanderization of Steven

Many SU fans have had to see these memes and are probably tired of them. I really hate the way people who have never even watched the show and probably just LO’s video flanderize Steven into a bumbling wimp or take scenes like him crying about wanting to be friends with Connie or trying to talk down Spinel out of context. People hate him for not killing his enemies on sight and act as if all he does is talk no jitsu. People act as if he’d die trying to redeem Big Jack Horner from Puss in Boots even though he’s met villains like Jack with Aquamarine and Eyeball and not only did he kick their asses but accepted that they were beyond help. Steven prefers to talk over fighting but isn’t stupid and knows when he has to get serious. Even during his “I can make a change” song that’s twisted out of context, he was still fighting defensively against Spinel. He just wasn’t fighting to kill. As for the meme above, did the creator watch Alien Force? The way Ben handled the Dragon, Reiny and the Highbreed would be pretty similar to how Steven would. The idealistic hero who teaches violence isn’t always the answer has already been done so why does Steven get the most hate for it?

I reblogged a post about this but I really am tired of how TOH is propped up as the anti SU when Dana is friends with Rebecca and praised the groundbreaking work Rupphire did. The Owl House crew doesn’t hate SU and wasn’t doing a “take that” by killing its villain or claiming not everyone can be talked down with a hug. They’re two different shows with different stories and themes. Steven would also know that some like Belos can’t be redeemed and he didn’t actually redeem the diamonds. He didn’t like them and acts uncomfortable around them in Future but he needed them to cure the corrupted gems. The point of the diamonds as well as Andy was not that you have to accept bigoted family members but a wish fulfillment where queer people could get their families to accept them. I saw this on Reddit but I think Steven gets so much hate because he teaches the idea that retributive violence isn’t always the solution and because he got a good life with a loving family, girlfriend and adoration of everyone without being a self centered sexist asshole. Internet Dudebros hate the character who showed healthy emotion, treats Connie as an equal and taught stuff like acceptance, boundaries and kindness, as they hate the idea that they don’t have any of that because of how bigoted, self absorbed or toxic they are.

[sjbattleangel]

Seriously, people! Can we STOP using The Owl House to tear down She-Ra and Steven Universe!!? Hearing others refer to The Owl House as "the anti-She-Ra", "the anti-Steven Universe" or "what She-Ra/Steven Universe should've been" makes my blood boil to no end! Do you realize that Dana Terrace, Rebecca Sugar and ND Stevenson are mutual friends who respect each other and their work? Not to mention how they helped paved the way for one another: For instance, without Rebecca Sugar fighting Cartoon Network for Steven Universe to be openly queer, there would be no She-Ra and without She-Ra, there would be no Owl House.

We need to stop tearing queer creators down just to put others on a pedestal. It no longer becomes about "wanting diversity and representation" but about turning "diversity and representation" into some elitist, gatekeeping competition. And that....that is just wrong.

For the record: I love all three series.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

if you want a mutually toxic and messed up relationship that isn't romanticized by the narrative:

if you want a relationship where both people make mistakes, but they actually work through their issues together:

if you want an actually good enemies to lovers sapphic ship (with actual fighting and almost killing each other and everything):

you don't have to settle for cat/radora :)

[saiscribbles]

Lily Orchard STILL Doesn't Understand Steven Universe

I decided to round out the year by ending Lily Orchard's whole career.

Fair warning: I swear. Alot. Alot alot.

About a month ago I decided to react to Lily's two most recent Steven Universe videos from 2023 on my weekly art stream. The reacts ended up going so well I have now edited them down into one comprehensive video with visual aids and gags along the way.

So if you ever wanted to hear me clown on an SU hater for 2 hours while giggling incessantly, making gremlin noises, explaining SU and info dumping all of my own headcanons... well now you have that!

Here's to me becoming more of an unleashed gremlin in the new year.

[annemarieyeretzian]

there,,, is,,, a,,, small,,, statue,,, of,,, vax,,, an inscription that says “the champion of the raven. in memory of friendship, sacrifice, and the day that he carries us all upon the threshold and beyond.”,,,

[lainalit]

artist: mftfernandez

[kiwisandpearls]

the statements “this piece of media was made for kids, it’s not that serious” and “a piece of media being made for kids does not exempt it from criticism” can and should coexist.

[hoaxghost]

Which SU defense videos were you watching? I could use some positivity tbh

Two videos made by Hiding in Private break down notorious SU-criticism videos

First one is taking down the arguments of EzPz and E;R, two really bigoted content creators that gained WAAY too much traction considering they're just repackaging racism/homophobia/misogyny as 'funny memes'

Next is critiquing the SU analysis by Lily Orchid whose video was full of bad-faith interpretations, misunderstanding of how cartoon plots work and poisoned the discourse on the show for a good while.

There are a few minor gripes I have with how HidinginPrivate handles some critiques in the latter video but they overall summarize a lot of my issues with SU-discourse. It's a good show!! I'm tired of pretending that it's cringe!!!

[newbtheveryawesomeandkindanewby]

[panphilosopher]

[chemtrailactivist]

my lily orchard crackpot theory is that she did try to shiny hunt a ralts at some point, but gave up less then 20 attempts in and got so pissed about not instantly getting it, that she wrote off anything to do with shiny pokemon out of jealousy and frustration

[sjbattleangel]

The Virgin Lily Orchard:

Sides with abusers

Lies about having Indigenous heritage

Is horrifically abusive to friends and family

Always sides with corporations

Writes awful revenge-fics out of spite

Fetishizes black women

Dismisses an entire cultural animation medium (anime) as "spankbait for perverts"

Wrote the worst writing advice ever

Has a pathetic vendetta against Rebecca Sugar for simply existing

Sends death threats to creators

Throws marginalized creators under the bus for not being "woke" enough

Lied about being a "highly sought-after writer" solely to spite Rebecca Sugar, ND Stevenson, Darron Nefcy, Dana Terrace and her sister

Hates Asians

Hates Jews

Holds nothing but contempt for animation

Wants all of animation to be nothing but slice-of-life romantic comedies

Wants the Hays code back

The Chad Rebecca Sugar:

One of the nicest people working in the industry

Has fought hard for diversity and representation in animation

Is incredibly talented

Is friends with Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls), Matt Braly (Amphibia) and many others

Paved the way for more diverse creators

Has won multiple awards

Wrote and sang songs for Adventure Time

A non-binary, bisexual Jewish woman whose background and experiences influence her work

Created one of the most groundbreaking, inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly shows of all time

Fought against higher-ups when they tried to censor the queerness of her work

Helped normalize discussions of kids' mental health

An uplifting inspiration to a generation of queer kids growing up

Influenced by both western animation and anime

Married to Ian Jones Quartey

[grayintogreen]

I realize the subs say "Hallis" not "Halas" and the names are pronounced slightly differently, but y'all it would be so fucking funny if they take this detour to save this kid and get him off Aeor before the crash and it's fucking Halas.

[su-talks-about-things]

I haven't even seen it yet because I'm late but after what we've learned, knowing that Sam came back during a live show, with thousands of people cheering for him! Knowing this feels heartwarming and amazing because he got to return like the absolute king that he is. This man has made people laugh and cry for years, so coming back to such an audience after winning his battle against cancer feels like... I don't know guys, that is just what he deserved and I hope he felt the love and support and everything else.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

idk when people decided that trying to make peace with villains or the power of friendship was a steven universe only “problem”.

first off, a LOT of protagonists, especially kid protagonists, are like this. kids shows are less likely to just say “yeah, let’s murder this guy”. just look at all the anime where each villain of the week gets redeemed and joins the heroes. this is such a common trope but for some reason, people decided that steven universe was the only show that does this and therefore should burn in hell.

secondly, steven isn’t even that forgiving. people seriously exaggerate shit and act like he went around pleading to everyone and trying to be their friend. he didn’t even forgive the diamonds, they were just too powerful for him to kill. and he has definitely thrown hands with other antagonists when he needed to.

also, he was a fucking child. do you really expect children to know how to handle largescale issues like war? y’all want the show to be realistic but you don’t take into consideration that it’s crazy to put so much pressure on a 14 year old.