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deuteragonist Since: Dec, 2013
#60526: Mar 21st 2020 at 9:12:33 AM

I don't think he's necessarily blaming Greg for everything that's happened to him, but that doesn't mean that Greg is not somewhat responsible. Steven's adolescent life was dangerous. And Greg didn't really step in as much as he could have. It's more than just structure and order, it's about how his life was not always safe and Greg never provided that safety.

Steven's biggest problem seems to be that Greg doesn't really see his side on this. In Greg's mind, Steven's freedom was the best thing for him and the best form of parenting he could muster, even going as far as to barely disciplining him. Greg got really lucky with Steven. He could have had a much more reckless, selfish, angry, and self-destructive child. Steven's inherent goodness -which was probably due to the fact that he was so loved by all of his guardians- is partly coincidental. Also, Greg just never really got himself together. I mean, he's a middle-aged man who by sheer luck became a millionaire but still technically lives in the back of a van while his son is on dangerous missions and nearly getting himself killed everyday.

It's a little odd that SU:F recontextualizes everything in this way but it was pretty apparent in the OG series. Again, there were plenty of opportunities for Greg to really step in. For a lot of parents, "Space Race" would have been the final straw and that was back in Season One. This episode explains a lot about Greg as a person and a dad, but it also really shows that he was kind of ill-prepared for parenthood.

So yeah, Greg is a great guy and a really loving dad, but he was not the best at being a father.

Edited by deuteragonist on Mar 21st 2020 at 9:13:40 AM

BlackYakuzu94 CHADhan Player. from Easy Coast/NY Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
CHADhan Player.
#60527: Mar 21st 2020 at 9:51:04 AM

Ironically, Steven's repressed anger, and recklessness is starting to manifest with his diamond powers.

And honestly, to be entirely fair to Greg, he was in way over his head. He got involved with a space alien princess who was at war with her homeworld, and then when their child was born, she vanishes and Greg is forced to raise their son and deal with his deceased wife's subordinates who don't really relate to him at all, and one of them was actively hostile and dismissive of him. Sure, he was way too hands off, but he had no idea the type of shit Steven would have had to gone through due to the nature of his heritage, and actively sheltering him from that might have made Steven turn out worse when Gems eventually made their way to earth to look for him.

The Crystal Gems, god bless their souls, but they were in no shape to raise him either since it took them awhile for them to even connect with him as a person, and not as simply an avatar of their former commander. Amethyst wasn't mature enough and was mostly his Cool Big Sis, Pearl had her own emotional hang ups about Rose to connect him properly, and Garnet was always pretty distant despite caring a lot about him.

So Steven had no real parental figures in his life to really guide him through the shit he was going through, and none of his contemporary peers could really relate to him because of his Diamond powers.

Steven has helped a lot of people, but the sad part is that nobody could help Steven. It really says something that his training with Jasper was the first time he was able to vent...albeit in a very destructive and not very healthy manner. At this point, Steven's only hope are probably the Diamonds, but they see him too much as just Rose and not as..well...Steven.

A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.
thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#60528: Mar 21st 2020 at 12:42:05 PM

It's curious how Steven reverted from Pink form after shattering Jasper. Was it because he was concerned for someone else and not his own stress?

Steven's adolescent life was dangerous. And Greg didn't really step in as much as he could have.
Greg didn't step in much because Steven was meaningfully contributing to genuinely important work—the whole town would have been destroyed by the second episode if not for Steven. Greg put his foot down in "Space Race" (as much as he could) because Pearl was endangering Steven without any good reason.

The gem stuff isn't something Steven blames Greg (or anyone) for.

actively sheltering him from that might have made Steven turn out worse when Gems eventually made their way to earth to look for him.
They still did shelter Steven partially, not mentioning how (in Greg's words) gems are "aliens who invaded Earth" who wouldn't see Steven as a person separate from his mother.

BlackYakuzu94 CHADhan Player. from Easy Coast/NY Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
CHADhan Player.
#60529: Mar 21st 2020 at 3:00:52 PM

I don't think Steven really comprehended that given his apparent (and probably mental) age at the start of the series. Like, as far as he was concerned, he was just going on cool adventures with his friends to save people as any child would think.

It's only later when he starts to realize the shit that has been happening to him was pretty wrong.

This is a pretty funny case of having Rose/Pink Diamond around would have made things so much easier, because she could have been much better at walking Steven through all of this. Honestly, one of my biggest hopes for the finale is, maybe in Steven's own mindscape or something, him and his Mom can actually speak and talk for the first time.

Edited by BlackYakuzu94 on Mar 21st 2020 at 6:02:44 AM

A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.
Wispy Since: Feb, 2017
#60530: Mar 21st 2020 at 3:11:19 PM

That would be quite nice to see yeah.

WillKeaton from Alberta, Canada Since: Jun, 2010
#60531: Mar 21st 2020 at 3:34:16 PM

Are we not counting the events of "Storm in the Room" as Steven talking with Rose? It's a projection of his mind, but so would anything else he could talk to, since Rose is dead.

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#60532: Mar 21st 2020 at 3:42:03 PM

As touching as it would be, I think it would demish what Steven is living with if his mom could actually be communicated with in same way.

Blueace Surrounded by weirdoes from The End Of the World Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Surrounded by weirdoes
#60533: Mar 21st 2020 at 3:45:52 PM

Given how big an anomaly Steven is to pretty much everyone...

Wake me up at your own risk.
BlackYakuzu94 CHADhan Player. from Easy Coast/NY Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
CHADhan Player.
#60534: Mar 21st 2020 at 3:49:19 PM

[up][up] desmish?

Anyway, I can't see anyone else tbh; Steven feels too disconnected from literally the closest people in his life right now.

It might be a copout, but I think Rose is the only one who can relate to what Steven us going through right now.

A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.
TargetmasterJoe from Velocitron Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
#60535: Mar 21st 2020 at 4:56:38 PM

So.

I'm still crazy behind, but Twitter has been seeing some really bad things have been happening to Steven as of late...

I just want to say the last last episode better be an hour-long venture because damn it, Steven doesn't deserve this kind of hell! >__<

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#60536: Mar 21st 2020 at 5:35:38 PM

steven is going to D I E

horribly,painfully and in pieces!

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#60537: Mar 21st 2020 at 6:30:51 PM

I finally got around to watching Steven Universe Future. Can I just say I did not expect it to be this dark and depressing?

VengefulBale Bishie Gijinka Meta Knight from Nowhere Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: It's complicated
randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#60539: Mar 21st 2020 at 7:21:11 PM

It's da future...

Future is always dark and depression.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
BlackYakuzu94 CHADhan Player. from Easy Coast/NY Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
CHADhan Player.
#60540: Mar 21st 2020 at 7:21:40 PM

I do like how the series kind of flipped it's own premise on its head. Every threat to Steven before was an external one, and he mostly was helping everyone else deal with their personal problems.

Now there is no external threat, and Steven has nobody to help him with his personal problems.

A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#60541: Mar 21st 2020 at 7:27:33 PM

Honestly, that's arguably makes it even more terrifying - Steven's very good at helping others work through their trauma, but his own...that's another animal altogether, and none of the Gems are really equipped to deal with that themselves.

Edited by KarkatTheDalek on Mar 21st 2020 at 10:28:10 AM

Oh God! Natural light!
BlackYakuzu94 CHADhan Player. from Easy Coast/NY Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
CHADhan Player.
#60542: Mar 21st 2020 at 7:32:49 PM

I almost welcome a Deus ex Machina, because I'm deeply afraid of what Steven might do to himself if he doesn't get help. He feels like nobody needs him anymore, and now that he's actually killed someone, he might feel he's too dangerous to be around too...

Edited by BlackYakuzu94 on Mar 21st 2020 at 10:33:00 AM

A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#60543: Mar 21st 2020 at 7:43:53 PM

Future is almost akin to a Deconstruction of the original show TBH.

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Mar 21st 2020 at 7:44:05 AM

BlackYakuzu94 CHADhan Player. from Easy Coast/NY Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
CHADhan Player.
#60544: Mar 21st 2020 at 7:50:19 PM

"Steven Universe Future is about all of the characters growing to a new tomorrow without having to deal with the issues of the past"

"yay"

"And now watch as we take everything you loved about the show and make it look like a bad and terrible thing as our main character has to deal with his own trauma"

"Noooo"

A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.
thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#60545: Mar 21st 2020 at 8:17:05 PM

I see Future as the ultimate expression of the franchise being focused on its characters' lives rather than an overarching conflict.

Instead of Steven's character arc concluding with his biggest accomplishment for other people, it will come down to what he does for himself. Dredging up previously-unaddressed potential complications of his life is a means to really show everything Steven could be up against.


Maya Petersen explains the apparent discrepancy of whether Steven is supposed to currently be sixteen or seventeen

Basically, the movie being set in May wasn't something anyone paid attention to. Petersen was drawing the poster and arbitrarily wrote the then-current date.

(The actual point is "They weren't paying that close attention to the timeline, so it's not important." Let's just say the movie and Future take place over something like half a year.)

Wispy Since: Feb, 2017
#60546: Mar 21st 2020 at 8:25:38 PM

I have been seeing some people condemning Future because Steven killed Jasper but come on.

You have to admit it was a powerful moment because nobody expected that and it shows just how bad Steven's mental state has gotten.

thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#60547: Mar 21st 2020 at 8:58:46 PM

It wasn’t even that crazy for Steven because he honestly trusted Jasper's insistence that she could take everything.

Honestly, I'm glad Jasper survived even from a writing standpoint (so it feels right for the story to stay focused on Steven instead of her), but you don't get more "dying as you lived" than that.

Edited by thatother1dude on Mar 21st 2020 at 12:36:08 PM

Snicka Since: Jun, 2011
#60548: Mar 22nd 2020 at 2:51:32 AM

[up][up][up]Let's assume that instead of May, the movie takes place in August, shortly after Steven's birthday. That would match with all the references to Steven's age.

I'm not sure where the info that the movie takes place in May comes from, but if it's written out as "05", then we can assume it's actually a "09". ;)

EDIT: I checked the tweet and the "Sadie Killer" poster and it's spelled out as "MAY", so no, it's not a 09. But yes, it's a minor goof.

Edited by Snicka on Mar 22nd 2020 at 10:55:27 AM

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#60549: Mar 22nd 2020 at 4:47:15 AM

There's this one reply on the tweet that I find pretty amusing and honestly sort of valid (in a joking kind of way):

listen if Florida can be an island then May can be after August

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
CountofBleck Starting to believe in himself from New Wirral (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Starting to believe in himself
#60550: Mar 22nd 2020 at 8:01:20 AM

So no one is gonna mention that Steven has a higher kill count than Rose did or...


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