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Kind of random, but there isn't much to talk about (aside from the rad new episode titles, but I can't say anything that hasn't already been said)…

I'm really curious to see more of how the world was affected by the presence of Gems. We already know there are two states named Delmarva and Keystone, but what really gets me going is one of Steven's lines in So Many Birthdays: "The piñata is an artifact from ancient Aquamexico."

We know that Aqua-Mexican is a restaurant, since that's where Amethyst got the tuna burrito. ("That place closed down, like, five years ago" etc.) but when describing the piñata, Steven clearly says "Aquamexico." We've seen in screenshots that Florida, well, isn't there. Could it have sunken into the water as a result of the Gem Wars? Is our "Florida" SU's "Aqua-Mexico/Aquamexico/Aguamexico"?

On a slightly related note, the word "Mexico" is theorized to be a portmanteau of the Nahuatl words mētztli (moon) and xīctli (navel). Navel? Navel. (See where I'm going with this?)

The navel thing is definitely reading too deeply into things, but it's a cool little factoid that supports my headcanon that Gems and fusion influenced early world religion (Hinduism, Mayan/Olmec/Aztec mythology, etc.)

Anyway, there's my first-ever Steven Universe theory. :P

Yeah, but still. It's leading up to some big season climax at the very least.

I laugh a little every time I see art of Pearl stabbing herself with Rose's Sword. It wouldn't even kill her, she would just come back.

Recently got into Steven Universe at the constant suggestion of the Super Best Friendcast, and so far, haven't complained. I've been told that it wasn't great until Tiger Millionaire, and I wholeheartedly agree. Been loving the plot so far, and I honestly feel like its only gonna get better from here.

The thing that really irks me is the fact that the plot is burried under the comedy "ha-ha" episodes. I get that it has to follow the Cartoon Network sort of kids show, but at some points I get really angry at the hiding of the plot. Like, that quip at the end of Jail Break after Malachite gets dragged down.

I was honestly really taken aback by the disturbing nature of that scene, and how desperate Jasper seemed to escape the fusion. I admired Lapis's sacrifice to essentially imprison herself again, alongside someone who will always hate her and basically want to kill her if they ever seperate. Then they have to give the ending that quip.

Besides the hijinks and the occasional Dawn of a Miserable Day episode (un-plot related), I've been loving it. Hope people could suggest me to a few fan-sites I can bookmark to stay updated.

Nononifier:

Beach City Bugle is a good place to start

There's also The World of Steven Universe

And several of the crew members have active tumblr/twitter accounts that you can follow to stay updated on the happenings of the show.

For your viewing pleasure, there is now a high quality version of the extended SU theme from SDCC

INB4 that gets taken down for spoilers.

Considering the video has already been reposted several times by other channels and you can still find videos of direct recordings from SDCC, I doubt it'll really be a problem.

I'm not sure how much this video could be considered "spoilers" anyway. This isn't leaked information, this is a video that staff gladly showed to the audience of the SDCC panel and they don't seem to really be making a stink over people reposting recordings from said panel (unlike certain other cough studios). Not to mention the only part of this that even counts as a spoiler is the silhouette of Yellow Diamond. If this video were taken down, it would be because it showed copyrighted content, not because of "spoilers"

HOLY SHIIIIIIIIII-

Thank you very much.

Anyone else.. kinda hate the extended theme?
Every time I see a clip or gif of it I cringe because to me its so out of character or too pessimistic.
"The homeworld gems are our enemies" part really confused me because to be honest, they were never confirmed "enemies" of the gems. Sure they fought against each other, but that was more for escape purposes. The fusion experiments weren't really to spite the gems, more to see what shit they could still do on the earth. Also the shot they show:

Lapis isn't really an enemy, so that makes no sense. Also Peridot isn't particularly "evil", shes more of a psychopath.
Another part of the intro I hated was this part

"I will fight to be everything, that everyone wants me to be when I’m grown"
Isn't that what Steven hated awhile back? That everyone wanted him to be his mom but he clearly isn't? It weirds me out that the intro acts as if he is basically a clone of rose and nothing else and has no identity outside of Rose which is most definitely dumb, hes himself not Rose, and just becoming Rose like everyone tells him to is an awful moral.

I think that he doesn't mean that he wants to be exactly like Rose when he grows up, but everyone expects him to be a powerful Gem and a great leader like Rose when he grows up. So he wants to be that, while he'll still be himself.

Well, considering Peridot has tried on multiple occasions to kill the Crystal Gems, I'd call her their enemy. I think grouping the Home World gems together was meant to show the CG's antagonists all at once. They all have different motives, but they're all pretty much against them. "The odds are against us" etc. (Lapis really does dislike the Crystal Gems, aside from Steven. Either way, you can see that Jasper is gripping her by the arm against her will).

I don't think Steven's line is implying that he's fighting to be like Rose. Heck, when the image of Rose appeared, the first thing I thought of was her line in Lion 3: Straight to Video, "You're going to something extraordinary. You're going to be a human being." Rose, Greg, and the CGs all have high hopes for Steven, but to me the show has made it abundantly clear that none of them really expect him to be Rose incarnate.

Peridot isn't a particularly evil, she's just a psychopath? As if there's a difference there? And what exactly do you call shooting at the gems yelling "diediediediedie!!!"?

"Chaotic neutral" I call it. With no consent for anyone but herself, all she literally is trying to do is get the hell away from the gems by any means.If she has to, she will try to kill them to get them out of her way. Not evil intentions, not good intentions, just crazy/psychotic intentions..

What do you call wanting to exterminate the human race?

Evil, if that was anyone intentions in this show. Funny thing is that is no ones intentions in the show ever, never once is that implied. I don't get what you're getting at.

When steven first meets peridot, she is surprised and asks if there are any other "stevens" in the area. Then proceeds to ask if stevens overtook humans as the dominant species. When steven informs her no and asks what shes doing, she replies "just finishing what we left off" before moving to crush steven beneath the master hands she was using. It seems clear enough to me, homeworlds "unfinished business" is humanities survival. Combine with the fact that the homeworld gems kintergarden was designed to drain the life out of the planet and kill it, and everything on it, it seems pretty clear that the homeworld gems really, really, do not like and would like to kill humanity.

To add, Humanity's extinction is a side effect of the Mass-produced Gem Factory everyone dubs the "Kintergarten", note the desolate wastelands, the lack of life except the Gems (Steven included), the bacteriophage-like machines, and Oh yeah the Crystal Gems desire to not have this place running (It's how Peridot even know Steven and the Crystals even exist)

Make of that what you will. Humanity's extinction being a side effect of a plot to create an army would go either way. The only concrete thing we know of their stance is that they could care less about Puny Earthlings on an Insignificant Little Blue Planet orbiting at the sun. At best they would see earth like the Life Fibers of Kill la Kill, a means to an end with the end being the use of all the planet's relevant resources to create more of their kind, with the lack of life that isn;t them being a side effect…

Wow, and I thought the Madoka Paraellels are strong, I just managed to draw Parallels with Kill la Kill's antagonists as well

That time Steven used Living Clothes to fight a Sentient Costume. :P

Imagine how jealous Pearl would be if Amethyst fused with Steven before she did.

Makes you wonder why she's not jelly as hell about Connie.

Well, Connie isn't a Gem.

Who do you all think the first gem that Steven will fuse with is? I'm guessing either Amethyst or Lapis.

Neither, why would he ever do that?
Sure, the idea is appealing for Steven to start actually doing gem things with the gems, but the writers have more than implied that fusion is essentially sex. Like it or not "I can feel what its like to be part of you, so strong and passionate" doesn't really equate to "just being very good friends.". And to be honest its fine for him to only fuse with Connie, he actually has a relationship with her. It would be weird for him to out of nowhere fuse with other gems. They've tried and so far it only works with Connie.

I thought one of the writers said something like Steven'd fuse with a gem eventually once. Could be thinking of something else, though.

There is a lot of sexual/romantic implications andsymbolism behind fusion, but fusion can represent a whole variety of relationships beyond sexual. Garnet is literally the embodiment of a romantic relationship, but she is still just fine with fusing with other gems even though she said herself in regard to Jamie's romantic advances that "three's a crowd". And Grord is right, I believe it was Matt Burnett that said in response to a fan question over twitter that Steven fusing with the other gems is "inevitable". Just because it only works with Connie doesn't mean it will never work with anyone else. Keep in mind a huge part of the series is Steven's abilities developing and uswatching him fail at his first attempts to invoke his powers. When he failed to summon his shield in the first episode, the gems didn't go "Welp, guess he can't do it. Better drop him off at Greg's van cus he's no help to us". They were patient and tried to show him their own methods of invoking their power. Right now I imagine Steven has trouble fusing with the gems because while he does have a close relationship with them, he is also intimidated by them and feels out of his league. Just looking at how stiff and uncomfortable he is trying to dance with them tells us that. But he feels more comfortable with Connie, and when he's around her his dancing becomes much more fluid and natural. Even when he messes up and trips he's able to laugh it off with her instead of feeling humiliated. The point I'm getting at with this analytical rant is that Steven's inability to fuse with the gems is all in his head, and he needs more time before he can get it.

I never really bought the whole "fusion=sex" thing or at the very least "fusion symbolizes sex". There's definitely some similarities, but needless to say, there's a whole ton of differences too. Fusion is seen as a lot of things by the different characters. One thing for sure is that it's seen as a defensive measure or a powerful force to be reckoned with, and I don't mean this in the cliche "power of love and friendship" kind of thing. The show presents how formidable fusion is quite concretely.

Garnet definitely sees Fusion as something "sacred" and is the most vocal gem when it comes to fusion being an experience that could be enjoyed for intimate purposes, kinda like sex. But Garnet is also willing to fuse with Amethyst and Pearl when the situation arises. If Garnet considered fusing=sex, then she probably would have never agreed to making Alexandrite or even Sardonyx, because they're relationship just isn't that intimate.

Pearl and Amethyst like fusing with Garnet so they can feel what it's like to be strong… Sex doesn't really do that. It's an intimate experience, but you'd never "feel what it's like to be another individual." Curiously, turning into Opal doesn't seem to satisfy this for both Pearl and Amethyst.

Rose doesn't think it's as sacred as what Garnet thinks. If she did, she wouldn't have fused with Pearl for no reason; she doesn't feel that way for Pearl.

Homeworld Gems find it disgusting, and would rather find a way to use fusion to their advantage as a weapon. Sex is not a weapon.

Lastly, Steven and Connie…

I'm sure the whole audience is smitten with the idea of Steven and Connie being together and yes, they might as well be, but they haven't really explicitly stated this in the show. They're so damn innocent they probably just view each other as their bestest favorite friend. Also Greg knowns a great deal of fusion for a human and it's true that he's surprised when he saw Stevonnie, he was quick to accept it. Needless to say, that's not how things would have went if it really was sex.

So in short, Fusion can be a lot of things. from a self-esteem boost, to a fun experience, to a weapon, to yes, maybe even something equivalent of sex, but Fusion is NOT equal to sex alone. It's a whole different thing from a different intergalactic culture.

Fusions a relationship, tbe way its talked about makes it pretty clear sex is the least biggest part of it compared to the actual emotions that would go behind it, and any relationship. Jaspers description of it as a cheap tactic to make weak gems stronger is a view on emotional connections in general, thwt friendship, love, empathy, etc, are for the weak, and the strong don't need it. Social Darwinism taken to an emotional analysis.

All the fusions show a different style of relationship, Garnets being the most stable due to how compatible they are, and ones like Malachite and Alexandrite showing whst happens when you get people who don't cooperate well together to work towards a common goal, it'll either be barely stable or completely toxic and doomed. Even Opal shows two people who don't normally gel working together towards a common goal, putting aside their differences tor a common goal.

If it was just supposed to be sex, gems wouldn't need to ask for permission to fuse. They could force others to fuse and have 1 clearly in control at the sacrifice of the other, see Malachite turning against herself. But remember, even Malachite required willing cooperation to form. The amalgam hand would not be do screwed up if it was about sex, even as a rape analogy it'd fall flat given it protrays the amalgam as the victim, IE all parties involved including the rapist. Instead it shows the worst form of relationship, a forced one where the people desperately want to ger away from it but can't.

So yeah. To me fusion is all about relationships instead of a single piece of relationship, and every component that a social interaction can take.

Yeah, Joe Johnston said "that seems like something that would happen naturally at some point" when he was asked about it.

I've been saying this ever since We Need To Talk came out, but I'm still betting on him fusing with Pearl first. We have already seen her and Rose fuse, so naturally we'd see her and Steven fuse soon, right?

I think Steven is most likely to fuse with Amethyst first. Their relationship is more brother-sister than son-mother in my eyes. He'd probably feel more comfortable performing something so complicated with her. Second most likely is Garnet. Her understanding of fusion is obviously beyond anyone else's understanding of it, and it could possibly help Steven fuse himself.

I do love the idea of Steven fusing with Lapis, though. Like when the gems find Malachite it'll probably be in the same moment that the fusion finally breaks apart and splits. Lapis will finally accept Steven's help and through fusion they will be able to stop Jasper

So some dude on 4chan made a tumblr blog where he posts shitty edits in which the SU characters are white, blonde and blue – eyed. Unfortunately the people on Tumblr is swallowing the bait.

I actually saw some tumblr posts floating around informing tumblr (social extremist) SU fans about how it's bait. Despite knowing this they still implore sending hate to the blog.

Could you please explain what you mean with the social extremist part?

Probably the ones who spout legitimately racist, sexist, or gender discriminatory stuff, but do it against the folks who you don't normally expect to be targeted.

It's sad to say those people do exist, and they exist in the SU fandom in a rather big number on tumblr.

Oh right, those motherfuckers with their double-standard of "It's okay to hang a person's race as long as they're white!". God I hate them.

And I'm being reminded of a human AU of Rose that I saw. She was latino/Mexican with a huge nose, big lips, and tattoos on both arms. I posted it on /sugen/ and 8co's /sueg/ and I'm not shitting you when I'm saying that some Latinos from there got offended/triggered by it.

Well, what do you expect, it sounds pretty much like a racist caricature of a Latino (ironicallly made in an effort to not be racist), although I don't think I would have been outright offended by it (I am a latino). Do you have a link to the picture handy?

…I'm more confused about the tattoos. Like, why?

It's a big trend in fanart in general to give characters tattoos that they canonically don't have, with varying degrees of success.

I'm afraid that I don't. Sorry.

Scratch that, I found the image but not the source. But really, if you made some dude look at this without context they'd probably say that it is racist.

Ugh, that's so ugly. You could argue that all bodies are beautiful, But I definitely think that a wrinkly cellulite belly isn't.

It certainly is one of the ugliest Roses (pun not intended) I've ever seen.

I actually don't really like human AUs because they are mostly not only based on stereotypes, but also reinforce those stereotypes. That, and it's like explaining magic, it removes all the fun from the series.

MGSV is out, and I thought it was a good idea to make this my emblem.

Good news Everybody!

We finally know when this Steven Universe drought ends.

I just noticed that the boxes are even more Sea Pals.

Usually I like fat chicks but yeah something about this one bugs me. Maybe it's the "stretch mark" looking things on her abdomen (maybe the most shallow I usually get regarding my fat fetish is I do generally prefer there to not be an excess amount of cellulite [a little's okay since hey it happens, but I dunno… this is kinda hard to explain since I know some might think "well if you like fatties then what, are you turned on by the fat mom from Honey Boo Boo?" and my answer to that is "no" because… just because I have a liking for "big bodies" doesn't mean I completely lack some admittedly kinda shallow standards… want an example of a real life BBW I find attractive? Here's the most SFW but still don't open this at work pic I could find to illustrate what I mean ]).

And with that needlessly long "mostly in parenthesis and brackets" paragraph out of the way, awesome to know the show is coming back next week!

I mean, there's a flattering way to depict big girls and there's a not-so-flattering way to depict big girls. That Rose fanart is beyond unflattering. One could argue that stretch marks are cute/attractive (we all have them, especially us girls), but these stretch marks look like they were drawn for the sake of making Rose's stomach look as sad and misshapen as possible. The fact that her stomach is hanging out of her jeans as if she were wearing a pair two sizes too small does not help. There's also such a thing as wearing clothes that are flattering to your body. Your example of a beautiful giant woman shows her in a leotard that shows off her breasts and shapes her curves to look very round and appealing. If you were to shove her into the outfit Rose is wearing in this fanart it would look just as unflattering and generally displeasing to look at.

So there's my rant on what not to do when depicting various body types.

I don't understand this SU controversy regarding the whole "white washing" photoshop thing. Can anyone explain how this all started? I just think that it's stupid that humans on the planet Earth are bitching about how fictional characters from Outer Space should be represented. Let people do what they want and stop using the show as some sort of weapon to fuel your political agenda.