Steven Bomb 4: Brief Notes

This post is here in lieu of a series of reaction posts for the individual episodes in Steven’s Birthday Week. I’m planning on using it for reference when working on new theory posts for Steven Universe.

• Ruby and Sapphire
•    Sapphire was a member of nobility, and her future vision was valued by her diamond, Blue Diamond
•  Before meeting Ruby, Sapphire was even more resigned to fate
•    Sapphire’s future vision before fusing with Ruby only showed one path. It’s not clear if fusing with Ruby or reflecting on Ruby’s actions when confronted by Pearl caused this change
•   Rubies are common gems that serve as bodyguards and possibly foot soldiers
•    Rubies seem to have a uniform
• Garnet
• Her appearance was a lot more mixed between Ruby and Sapphire's traits when she first formed
• Ruby and Sapphire’s fusing has always been quick and simple. The dances seem to be for show or perhaps to help meditate on the fusion form
• Ruby and Sapphire spend so much time fused that between the flashbacks in “The Answer” and now that they and Garnet know what Garnet is supposed to look like
• Garnet connected surprisingly well with Peridot and may be the Crystal Gem that Peridot is closest to
•  Garnet may have been the first fusing of two different gem types
• Steven
•   Because of his relationship with Connie, Steven is interested in both a human life and gem life
•  Steven’s status as a new creation seems to cause some discomfort for him because of the unknowns
• Steven’s really emotionally invested in trusting people
•  He views fun as something necessary to make life living
•  Music comes fairly naturally to him
• Peridot
• Very much indoctrinated in Homeworld ideas, which is going to make being a Crystal Gem hurt for a while
• Highly values logic and completion
• Really needs to work on her social skills (why doesn’t she just ask Greg if he can fly?)
•  Learning really motivates her to interact with people
• She wants to be viewed as funny by Amethyst and seems to want Pearl to view her as fancy
• Pearl
•  At the start of the rebellion, she dual-wielded swords instead of using her spear, so she may not have learned how to summon a spear until later
• Viewed as very ferocious by Homeworld during the rebellion, probably because a warrior Pearl was such an unusual concept
• Seems to be the least attached to Peridot because she wasn't as upset about Peridot's betrayal as Amethyst and Steven did
• Amethyst
• No one seems to fully grasp her insecurities about the Kindergarten
•  Really enjoys joking around with Peridot and views her as a friend
• Lion
• Has the disposition of an overgrown house cat
•  His Lion Warps seem to be influenced by physical distance
• The Diamonds
• Yellow Diamond really hates Earth. Maybe she took Rose’s rebellion personally
•  Peridot’s indoctrination to Yellow Diamond involved her viewing Yellow Diamond as the paradigm of traits that she valued the most
• Sapphire and most likely Lapis Lazuli were part of Blue Diamond’s court. Both are the two gems most resigned two their fate
• Blue Diamond’s Pearl seems a lot more passive than the Crystal Gem Pearl and Yellow Diamond’s Pearl
• Blue Diamond herself may be relatively passive and prone to leaving things up to fate
• Gems in General
• Shapeshifting and stretching require a lot of energy
•  Gem’s bodies automatically adjust to changes in gravity
• Gems don’t use fabric
• All Pearls and Rubies shown have the same shape/cut for their gem, but different placements

Steven Universe: Steven Bomb 4

I just got into Steven Universe this summer. It is amazing. The story is kid friendly, but also has a lot of depth and explores moral gray areas better than several shows aimed at older audiences. The plot is engaging, the world building is interesting, and the cast is large, well-developed, and diverse. It’s wonderful. Watch it if you haven’t.

This makes January’s upcoming Steven Bomb my first Steven Bomb. One week of new episodes. According to longtime fans, the first Steven Bomb was what really helped the fandom expand. Usually the episodes in Steven Bombs are linked together. The first one included the build up to and confrontation with the Homeworld Gems. Another was the week of Sardonyx which revealed Pearl and Garnet’s fusion and included the aftermath of Pearl’s desperation to fuse with Garnet as much as possible. I’m going to celebrate by reopening my blog with predictions for Steven Bomb 4.

According to iO9, the episodes are “The Answer,” where Garnet tells Steven the story of how she became a Crystal Gem; “Steven’s Birthday,” where during his birthday he decides to mature; “It Could’ve Been Great,” where the Gems take a trip to the moon; “Message Received,” where Steven begins to doubt believing everyone; and “Log Date 7 15 2,” where Steven listens to an audio diary, presumably Peridot’s. Personally, I’m the most excited for “The Answer” and “Message Received.” “The Answer” will probably include a ton of great backstory, world building, and maybe some information about Ruby and Sapphire, the Crystal Gems we know the least about. “Message Received” will probably force Steven to negotiate one of his greatest traits, his willingness to trust and give second chances to people, with the moral ambiguity of the world around him.

My first prediction is the focus of the Steven Bomb. This will be about Steven’s future, Garnet’s past, and how the past affects the future. With Steven choosing to experiment with growing up and losing some of his faith in others, Steven will be redefining Steven, and I think Garnet’s past choices and/or Peridots current choices may affect that.

I love Garnet, but sometimes her reaction to other gems is aggressive. She is willing to intimidate Steven to get the mirror back when Steven communicates with Lapis Lazuli, who is terrified of Garnet when trapped in the mirror. In “Monster Buddies,” she’s hostile towards the Centipeedle gem, who in turn is terrified of Garnet and panics when seeing Garnet’s gauntlets. There’s a few possible reasons for this aggression that comes to mind: these Gems were very anti-fusion and tormented Garnet, it was part of a secret request that Rose gave to Garnet, or Garnet/Sapphire’s future sight associates them with some disaster. I think there is a darker part of Garnet that will come to the forefront.

The battle between Peridot in her mech and the Crystal Gems means that something happens that makes Peridot decide to abandon the truce. The only thing I can think of is that Yellow Diamond responds to Peridot’s distress call with news of a rescue ship. Peridot may be attacking the Crystal Gems to redeem herself to Homeworld. Peridot is Steven’s newest friend, and the relationship exists because Steven was willing to ignore her allegiance to Homeworld and abrasive personality. This definitely means that the changes in Steven will be long lasting and drastic.

The promo also includes a trio of Rubys. One with a gem on her shoulder, one with a gem on the back of her hand, and a third whose gem isn’t shown, so she is most likely the Ruby that forms Garnet. The trio form a pyramid, which could be part of a fusion to form a bigger Ruby. It doesn’t have as much character as the fusions used in the rest of the series. Perhaps, the personalized dance moves that Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl use when fusing are a form of self-expression that is key to the Crystal Gem fusions.

The preview for “The Answer” features Garnet telling Steven about how Ruby and Sapphire met. The story begins by talking about a rebellion that diplomats are sent to. Sapphire as a diplomat makes sense. She’s very calm and is able to focus on the bigger picture, partially because of her future vision. Also, her clothes are pretty formal, and the ability to create cold could help her stay comfortable in harsher environments. Real world rubies and sapphires are both types of the mineral Corundum. Since all kinds of quartzes are part of a warrior class in Homeworld society, Rubys are probably linked to Sapphires. Perhaps the Rubys are guards. The question is, is the rebellion that they’re looking at Rose Quartz’s, something related to fusions, or something else entirely. I really like the second. Ruby, Sapphire, and Garnet view fusion primarily as a way of showing romantic feelings and fusion is important to them, so to have their first meeting be tied to a change in fusion (perhaps fusing gems that aren’t the same type).

Those are my thoughts. I plan on being back with an update schedule later this month. I'll probably have after episode reactions to this, RWBY, and maybe other shows.