Steven Universe - Now a Griefing Thread

[starborn427614]

Ok, now that someone pointed out Steven being three persons in one but not really, it does open the door for the christian intepretation of the series:
-Steven is three persons in one, but no really.
-He is born of a miraculous conception.
-He defeats his enemies through words and is prone to putting the other cheek.
-He offers forgivness to even his worst enemies.
-He dislikes sleazy merchants.
-He rejected temptetion when he refused to become part of the crystal authority.
-He spends a good chunk of his time giving homeworld gems new rules ro live by.
-He preaches that everyone has the same worth.
-He gets 3 apostoles (the crystal gems) to pass down his knowledge and them leaves them withbthe promise to return. 12/=3. Coincidence? I dont think so.
Steven Universe is a christian tale, confirmed. Nah, its stretching it too much, but I bet someone with better knowledve of christianity could give a compelling argument.
At the end, what cracks me up, is for all its progessivnes, what saves the day and the gem empire, isnt even the crystal gems, but the down to earth wisdom of man (something, something hotdogs and porkchops).

Wouldn't be the first time I've seen an analysis along those lines, the classic one is the /co/ post about the antichrist. The progressive thing is true, but thankfully Rebecca is more of a hippy than a radical leftist so instead of, say, banishing the "racist" uncle after he goes on a tirade he's shown to just be a lonely guy who can't handle his whole life changing and Steven ends up helping him and welcoming him into the family instead. It's one of the things that I think helps the show reach a large amount of people.

 

[Private Pyle]

The progressive thing is true, but thankfully Rebecca is more of a hippy than a radical leftist

Hmmmm....

Lighthearted jabs aside, I feel it’s time to switch gears to SU Critical cringe. Here’s Flawed Crystals or “If Undertale had nothing but contempt for the audience and everything around it.” It’s a text based RPG/fanfiction hybrid about, to quote the author: “This is a character study delving into issues I felt remained unresolved after the ending of the series, particularly what I saw as incredible cruelty and callousness in the way every character’s traumas were dismissed, invalidated, or outright mocked in favor of focusing on Steven.”

Relevant links:

Flawed Crystals (Video Game) - TV Tropes

Flawed Crystals is a Steven Universe text-based RPG fangame made by A Friendly Irin and Farla in Twine. Set in an Alternate Universe where Rose Quartz actually shattered Pink Diamond, the Gems leave Steven behind to fight the Diamonds themselves …

tvtropes.org

https://a-friendly-irin.itch.io/flawed-crystals

Flawed Crystals

Flawed Crystal is a Steven Universe fangame made by our very own member of the hivemind, Guest Reviewer Roarke Mini-Farla St. Elmo’s Fire. You can find it here. I finally got around to playin…

www.dragon-quill.net

Now a fan game created out of butthurt isn’t really too out there and I can see people curious enough to try this out. The real meat and potatoes is the manifesto the author laid out pertaining to the game and her frustrations with the show:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16029737/chapters/37413149

There is a rabbit hole of autism and “lol, calm down” in here, complete with conspiracy theories.

 

[starborn427614]

Hmmmm....

Lighthearted jabs aside, I feel it’s time to switch gears to SU Critical cringe. Here’s Flawed Crystals or “If Undertale had nothing but contempt for the audience and everything around it.” It’s a text based RPG/fanfiction hybrid about, to quote the author: “This is a character study delving into issues I felt remained unresolved after the ending of the series, particularly what I saw as incredible cruelty and callousness in the way every character’s traumas were dismissed, invalidated, or outright mocked in favor of focusing on Steven.”

Relevant links:

Flawed Crystals (Video Game) - TV Tropes

Flawed Crystals is a Steven Universe text-based RPG fangame made by A Friendly Irin and Farla in Twine. Set in an Alternate Universe where Rose Quartz actually shattered Pink Diamond, the Gems leave Steven behind to fight the Diamonds themselves …

tvtropes.org

https://a-friendly-irin.itch.io/flawed-crystals

Flawed Crystals

Flawed Crystal is a Steven Universe fangame made by our very own member of the hivemind, Guest Reviewer Roarke Mini-Farla St. Elmo’s Fire. You can find it here. I finally got around to playin…

www.dragon-quill.net

Now a fan game created out of butthurt isn’t really too out there and I can see people curious enough to try this out. The real meat and potatoes is the manifesto the author laid out pertaining to the game and her frustrations with the show:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16029737/chapters/37413149

There is a rabbit hole of autism and “lol, calm down” in here, complete with conspiracy theories.

Can't say I've seen a redo of something done in video game format before. Points for originality I suppose.

 

[Krystal]

Ok, now that someone pointed out Steven being three persons in one but not really, it does open the door for the christian intepretation of the series:
-Steven is three persons in one, but no really.
-He is born of a miraculous conception.
-He defeats his enemies through words and is prone to putting the other cheek.
-He offers forgivness to even his worst enemies.
-He dislikes sleazy merchants.
-He rejected temptetion when he refused to become part of the crystal authority.
-He spends a good chunk of his time giving homeworld gems new rules ro live by.
-He preaches that everyone has the same worth.
-He gets 3 apostoles (the crystal gems) to pass down his knowledge and them leaves them withbthe promise to return. 12/4=3. Coincidence? I dont think so.
Steven Universe is a christian tale, confirmed. Nah, its stretching it too much, but I bet someone with better knowledve of christianity could give a compelling argument.
At the end, what cracks me up, is for all its progessivnes, what saves the day and the gem empire, isnt even the crystal gems, but the down to earth wisdom of man (something, something hotdogs and porkchops).

4chan says otherwise.

 

[Revo]

4chan says otherwise.
View attachment 1886736

 

[GhostButt]

I wonder if anyone has put together a wiki of vintage anime "references" for sugar's concepts? I'm gonna assume this was blue diamond's "inspiration"

哀しみのベラドンナ, Kanashimi no Belladonna (Belladonna of Sadness) Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973

 

[starborn427614]

I wonder if anyone has put together a wiki of vintage anime "references" for sugar's concepts? I'm gonna assume this was blue diamond's "inspiration"

哀しみのベラドンナ, Kanashimi no Belladonna (Belladonna of Sadness) Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973

I think Blue Diamond is based on a piece of classical art, though I'm not cultured enough to tell you which one.

Edit:
Via the wiki:

• Rebecca stated that Blue Diamond's character design is meant to look "ghostly" to get the feeling of her mourning, and draws much influence from Martha Graham's Lamentation ballet dance, along with Fruma Sarah from Fiddler on the Roof. Her face and hair designs are also inspired by Leiji Matsumoto's art, to make her come across as a "strange presence".

 

[GhostButt]

Her face and hair designs are also inspired by Leiji Matsumoto's art

Oh yeah for sure thats an obvious one

 

[starborn427614]

Oh yeah for sure thats an obvious one

She's a pretty huge fucking weeb, though her cartoon knowledge is nothing to sniff at either. The art books go into detail about most of her influences, but the one that's always confused me is that old anime character that looks almost 1:1 to Lapis. Rebecca's never shied away from showcasing her influences but Ian addressed this a while back and said it was just a coincidence. I'll admit I've not seen many coincidences like that happen in the past, but I also don't really have much reason to think she'd lie about something so small so whatever.

 

[keyboredsm4shthe2nd]

She's a pretty huge fucking weeb, though her cartoon knowledge is nothing to sniff at either. The art books go into detail about most of her influences, but the one that's always confused me is that old anime character that looks almost 1:1 to Lapis. Rebecca's never shied away from showcasing her influences but Ian addressed this a while back and said it was just a coincidence. I'll admit I've not seen many coincidences like that happen in the past, but I also don't really have much reason to think she'd lie about something so small so whatever.

Yeah, no, she's definitely lying about it being a coincidence. As far as why she wouldn't admit it, people do tend to lie about the dumbest shit.

 

[starborn427614]

View attachment 1905281View attachment 1905283
Yeah, no, she's definitely lying about it being a coincidence. As far as why she wouldn't admit it, people do tend to lie about the dumbest shit.

That was Ian saying it, to be fair. I don't think she's ever mentioned it personally. Otherwise I can see where you're coming from.

 

[An Account]

SU would've been a lot better if it took more inspiration from the greatest anime of them all: Chargeman Ken

 

[BroccoliBrain]

Sugar's powerlevel and knowledge of anime/cartoons doesn't stop the show she made from frankly being quite ugly. Blue Diamond is one of the gems I like more and even then I don't how inconsistent she looks like everyone else in this cartoon, or how her classic SU sausage lips deliberately knock a peg off her design for no real reason other than to stop her from being conventionally attractive.

 

[An Account]

Sugar's powerlevel and knowledge of anime/cartoons doesn't stop the show she made from frankly being quite ugly. Blue Diamond is one of the gems I like more and even then I don't how inconsistent she looks like everyone else in this cartoon, or how her classic SU sausage lips deliberately knock a peg off her design for no real reason other than to stop her from being conventionally attractive.

 

[One Man Bland]

Sugar's powerlevel and knowledge of anime/cartoons doesn't stop the show she made from frankly being quite ugly. Blue Diamond is one of the gems I like more and even then I don't how inconsistent she looks like everyone else in this cartoon, or how her classic SU sausage lips deliberately knock a peg off her design for no real reason other than to stop her from being conventionally attractive.

I think a lot of this phenomenon has to do with how a lot of the anime SU rips off- sorry pays homage - were art styles that benefitted from more detail and softer, more flow-y line work that just wasn’t within the range of the storyboard artists’ skill level or the show’s established art direction.

Which probably why the Diamonds always ended up looking better in either the mire stylized flashbacks and background art depictions and that 1 second appearance in a promo than they did when they actually showed up. I remember thinking that it was a clear marker that SU had royally fucked up with the Diamond designs specifically because of how detailed fanart depicting them as intimidating yet ethereal immediately dried up in favor of shitposts and memes.

 

[starborn427614]

Sugar's powerlevel and knowledge of anime/cartoons doesn't stop the show she made from frankly being quite ugly. Blue Diamond is one of the gems I like more and even then I don't how inconsistent she looks like everyone else in this cartoon, or how her classic SU sausage lips deliberately knock a peg off her design for no real reason other than to stop her from being conventionally attractive.

Being conventionally attractive is overrated. I'd put BD way at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to waifu-tier characters and I've seen similar comments everywhere from /co/ to reddit and tumblr beyond. Yellow and White have their charms too, but Blue is something else.

 

[keyboredsm4shthe2nd]

Sugar's powerlevel and knowledge of anime/cartoons doesn't stop the show she made from frankly being quite ugly. Blue Diamond is one of the gems I like more and even then I don't how inconsistent she looks like everyone else in this cartoon, or how her classic SU sausage lips deliberately knock a peg off her design for no real reason other than to stop her from being conventionally attractive.

That's the other beef I have, how BD goes from being skinny to thicc thighs within her two appearances. But sure, Sugar, "I want everyone to be able to express their own style" "you can't have an off-model if there is no model!"

 

[AnOminous]

That's the other beef I have, how BD goes from being skinny to thicc thighs within her two appearances. But sure, Sugar, "I want everyone to be able to express their own style" "you can't have an off-model if there is no model!"

Animation just seems lazy as shit when there is no model, shit is just completely random, and there isn't anything resembling a show bible.

 

[starborn427614]

Animation just seems lazy as shit when there is no model, shit is just completely random, and there isn't anything resembling a show bible.

There are model sheets, the animation department is simply instructed to follow the boards more closely.

That's the other beef I have, how BD goes from being skinny to thicc thighs within her two appearances. But sure, Sugar, "I want everyone to be able to express their own style" "you can't have an off-model if there is no model!"

If you're referring to The Answer, Blue's design wasn't finalized at that point IIRC. She didn't even have her hair loop thingy.

 

[One Man Bland]

There are model sheets, the animation department is simply instructed to follow the boards more closely.

If you’re talking about those fully colored sheets and turnarounds from the first season that get passed around occasionally as a gotcha, those aren’t actually model sheets. Or at least not the kind that would actually be helpful for in-betweeners that people are usually talking about when referring to model sheets.

Sugar’s entire philosophy about model sheets seems to stem entirely from her misunderstanding what a model sheet is and what it’s supposed to do in the first place. Model sheets are not this rigid set of design proportions that need to be followed to the letter with no deviation, they’re a set of guidelines that breakdown the underlying structure of how the stylistic choices of the show’s art direction works. A great example of these are pretty much the art bibles of any show by Craig McCracken; particularly WoY where most of the model sheets are breaking down the general motif the entire show follows of emulating the symmetrical push-pull flow of a lava lamp - and the results speak for themselves with how it sports some incredibly vibrant character animation.

Steven Universe didn’t even have head measurements for any of its characters, can you imagine working on a show and never knowing if the main character is supposed to be three or four heads tall? The fact that this actively hurt the animation quality because the Korean sweatshop in-betweeners had to constantly adapt to the individual storyboard artist’s “style” with no reference to fall back on alone should be enough to indicate Sugar’s methods were an abject failure.