BISMUTH WAS RIGHT AND STEVEN ADMITTED IT I CAN DIE HAPPY NOW
i would say steven empathizes with bismuth, but not necessarily her tactics.
1. one thing he found solace in about the pink diamond reveal was that his mom didn’t shatter anyone. that matters to him. he wasn’t okay with that.
2. when he said that rose’s strategy seemingly didn’t make sense, he was talking about the contradiction between bubbling bismuth for wanting to shatter gems, and then shattering a gem herself. this is also something he stressed during “storm in the room”.
“you locked bismuth away because she wanted to shatter gems – but then you shattered pink diamond! i know what you are, you’re a liar!”
3. this episode, bismuth had to realize that shattering a diamond wouldn’tautomatically have fixed everything. she admitted that herself, just as steven admitted she was right about rose’s flaws. that’s kinda what happens when characters talk to each other about their conflict.
4. steven knows it wouldn’t have been that easy, even if it was morally okay. he’s seen how desperately gems love their diamonds – the prime example being jasper, who would rather corrupt than betray her. homeworld gems aren’t just gonna accept their own liberation. they’re indoctrinated and need help. that’s where we see bismuth’s true character flaw – she lacked that insight, or didn’t care enough about homeworld gems to put their roles into context, despite her liberation mantra of fixing everything.
that’s part of why this shot is given so much emphasis. what she’s faced with isn’t just a corrupted friend, it’s symbolic of the consequences of shattering. they didn’t truly win. they were almost obliterated. because they “shattered” pink, the other diamonds retaliated. they can’t fight themselves out of that one merely on principle.
does that mean bismuth was totally wrong? of course not. her position makes sense and is morally consistent. she is a fierce friend, and truly wanted to help her allies. she was even willing to accept when she wasn’t wanted, as much as it hurt her personally. steven knows that. he empathizes with her, and he wants her to be okay. she deserved to be at the wedding.
I thought some folks who won’t be listening to the interview might appreciate an outline, so here is an overview and highlights. Please note that there are some descriptions of racism and violence, and other potentially disturbing situations for some folks.
Highlights:
The show is something Rebecca thinks of as “reverse escapism.”
Beach City is based on a blend of Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach, with an east-coast beach feel.
The Gems are explicitly described as nonbinary and as not thinking of themselves as “women” whatsoever, but do not mind that humans interpret them as such.
Rebecca Sugar is a nonbinary woman herself, and likes that she can express being so through these characters.
She considers her show a “gender expansive” show that is in part a reaction to the unnecessary gendering of shows during her childhood, which was alienating for her.
Doing this show and bumping up against expectations laid by other successful shows has made Rebecca determined to bring many important and historically ignored messages to kids.
Being compassionate is heroic.
The theory behind Fusions on the show was a desire to show how a healthy relationship can also be something cool and exciting.
Rebecca loves having an opportunity to have her characters express really intense, complex emotions that are so challenging to draw and so unusual to see on a cartoon character.
In response to mocking and sneering comments about how the show advocates “feminizing men,” Rebecca says it’s deeply sad that someone would feel that femininity is negative or that being able to communicate about emotions is weak. She wants kids to learn that it’s good to be honest about feelings, and that many of the symbols we associate with power or weakness are arbitrary.
Garnet represents Rebecca’s relationship with Ian Jones-Quartey, how they ran the show together like a pillar of strength even though separately they’re more like Ruby and Sapphire. They wanted her to have natural hair, and to represent their own interracial relationship.
Rebecca and Ian were once physically attacked by racists who disapproved of their interracial relationship. That incident was influential in her desire to normalize the kind of interracial, gender-expansive relationship that’s part of her own everyday life. “Stronger Than You” is about surviving those kinds of awful incidents.
In a way, making Garnet’s relationship so cool is one thing Rebecca is doing for people who might otherwise grow up to think like those men. If she provides an opportunity to make relationships like hers seem cool and beautiful, maybe fewer adults will be motivated to attack them in disgust without even thinking about it.
Rebecca Sugar identifies as bisexual and learned to be more confident in talking about it openly through her work on the show and meeting people through it.
Rebecca worried that she couldn’t talk about being bi because she’d be thought less trustworthy or as looking for attention. These are worries she thinks she picked up through media.
In response to a question about whether the show really is for everyone even though some identifying as conservative are put off by it, Rebecca claims that her show is honest and that’s for everyone; that said, you can’t make someone listen if they refuse to hear.
Rebecca mentions growing up on Disney weddings and wanting to show that a relationship like Garnet’s could be just as wonderful.
We as a society focus too much on what victims of bullying should do and not enough on how to process feelings associated with hurting someone else. Bullies can be created out of people who make mistakes and don’t know how to handle anger or poor decisions.
“Here Comes a Thought” is sort of a sequel to “Stronger Than You”–not just an affirmation of strength, but a peek into how Garnet became and stays strong.
Rebecca originally wanted “Mindful Education” to just be Steven giving kids a mindfulness meditation exercise because it’s so vital to have these tools. She and her writers figured out how to instead show a resolution that used the tool.
My favorite Steven Universe game to play is “Watch Rebecca Sugar get increasingly frustrated with the censors.” This last episode was basically “Oh, you want to remove the gay? Fine, but this episode isn’t going to make any goddamn sense. You want to just not show this episode? Then you’ll miss the Diamonds coming to earth and the epic fight this entire show has been leading up to. Guess you’ll just have watch these two girls who love one another get married. What a hardship. Fuck you.”
Before Steven was born Amethyst used to say ‘fuck’ all the time & so when he was a baby Greg had to sit her down and explain that she has to stop swearing around Steven because he’s young & impressionable
So Amethyst is like “but that’s my favourite word, when will be stop being young & impressionable so I can say it again??”
And Greg is like “uhh I don’t know, 15 I guess? 15 is probably old enough”
“Got it”
flash forward to Steven’s fifteenth birthday and he is woken at dawn by Amethyst yelling “wake the FUCK up Steven it’s FUCKING TIME”
& he spends the entire day losing his mind
Steven: w-what’s happening
Garnet: *deadpan* Amethyst just got her favourite word back
Amethyst: *running around the house* FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
Greg: what’s going on
Amethyst: you said once Steven was 15 I could say fuck again
Greg, who only hazily recalls the conversation in question: ……i DID?
Amethyst: *runs outside* FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK *distant sounds of spooked birds*
Pearl: Steven the *whispering* F-word is a bad word that Amethyst USED to say before-
Steven: I know what fuck means Pearl
Amethyst: *stopping dead in her tracks* WHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATT??
Pearl: who taught you that word mister!!
Steven: um… Lars and Sadie… *mumbling* five years ago…
Amethyst: I’ve been denying myself my favourite word for FIVE YEARS for NOTHING??
Greg: uh even if he knows what it means it’s still not really appropriate for you t-
bullshit central 