Perfect Porkchops

[TedBelmont]

THIS MEME REMOVED FOR INSUFFICIENT CONTEXT

[Mothra]

Fast catching up. Just finished the one where Pearl trains Connie, and now somehow I love Pearl even more.

I really like how they did the ironic hipster fad episode.

Also is it just me or does Buck Dewey sound exactly like Baby Cakes?

[Blossom]

cartoon network: no rebecca, marceline and bubblegum aren't lesbians
rebecca sugar: ...fine
rebecca sugar: then ill just make my own show
rebecca sugar: and they'll ALL be lesbians

[Mothra]

This is pretty dang tumblr but it got a manly hetero ha ha outta ol' Kab Kab.

Also I'm now fully caught up. I think the dreamscape episode with Lapis is one of my all-time favs.

[Classic]

Apparently, I really love training montage.

[Mothra]

I adore montages. They're like little ADD music videos that gloss over all the boring stuff.

[Newbie]

This is pretty dang tumblr but it got a manly hetero ha ha outta ol' Kab Kab.

You'll never be able to reach everyone, I guess.

Meanwhile, I've listened to this YouTube playlist like 40 times, now.

[beatbandito]

By far my favorite thing about the fanbase is all these people that are so serious about gender roles and sexuality and what-not describe an agendered species with relationships clearly outside the scope of anything human as "lesbians".

[Newbie]

It's complicated. Yes, the Gems are an asexual, functionally immortal species who reproduce in a manner completely unlike anything mammals do: they aren't going to have anything comparable to sexual attraction, so trying to parse their love through that vocabulary is necessarily imprecise. You wouldn't say Ruby & Sapphire are gay, because that word connotes a history of condemnation due to the violation of social norms caused by a romantic relationship despite the incompatibility of their genitalia, and Ruby & Sapphire are condemned by Jasper due to the violation of Homeworld's norms caused by their romantic relationship in spite of their not having genitalia. What a subtle distinction!

But also: despite this species being asexual, they're all depicted as female & use female pronouns. Remember:

Representation is important to Sugar, so even if the details are off, I'm pretty sure the fact that the Gems' relationships superficially resemble human ones is deliberate.

That reminds me: I've heard it claimed that the color palettes used for the gems were selected for... specific reasons, so I made up a graphic put that hypothesis to the test.

I'm not 100% convinced, personally: the human brain excels at finding patterns and parallels where none necessarily exist—and while it's certainly possible that some of these palettes were chosen as a jumping-off point for the character designs, that doesn't necessarily say anything about the character. Besides which, Garnet's original design doesn't map to any of these flags, as far as I can tell.

(With that disclaimer out of the way, I actually do think pride flags may have been an early source for character design inspiration. Steven's colors match up with pansexual pride, and he likes everyone. Amethyst uses the colors of Asexual Pride, and despite her dedication to sensory experiences, she's also shown no interest in romance. Pearl's original design resembles the transgender pride flag, and she identifies as a warrior despite having been "born" into the body of a personal assistant. Alexandrite contains four distinct gems with very differing preferences, so her resemblance to the polysexual pride flag is merited. "Bears" exhibit male proportions and an excess of hair: that's definitely Jasper—and the closest match I could find for Lapis is the Leather Pride flag, which is curious since her whole story to this point has been about imprisonment, both as the perpetrator and the victim, and the Leather Pride flag is also associated with the bondage community.)

All of which is to say that this show can convey a lot of subtext and symbolism thanks to the way it's designed, but that those things only work if they're allowed to underlay real characters doing real things, which is where Steven Universe knocks it out of the park. Whether or not Pearl is a transgender symbol is only fun to debate if Pearl actually feels like a person. The symbolism never stands in the way of the characters acting and reacting to each other.

[Classic]

I'm not even sure gems have "hair" that grows like human hair does.

[beatbandito]

That much we know to be true. Since Amethyst chose to mimic Greg's (younger) hair style in a later incarnation.

Actually, come to think of it, the form Amethyst has had in the 'Steven Era' is a lot like Greg in more, and more subtle, ways than the hair. Which makes sense, since we know Amethyst really liked / likes Greg.

Oh man, and the way she got jealous of Rose when they were watching Lil' Butler, and the fact that she seems to be forming her own self image in Greg's way while not showing outright affection towards him or feeling for him along with how we know she, very literally, hates the way she was born.

Okay 'the way' here means the way she was created not how she turned out but still, there's something there that could translate as transsexualism (at least as well as any gem sexuality translates to a human term).

[Classic]

I agree her "hair" is modeled after Greg's, but I'm not so sure she grew it the way human hair grows. It might be more like (urgh) saiyan hair.
It kind of seems like all of the gems reformed sometime between Greg flashbacks and "the present". Whether that's from actually being poofed or a different kind of stressful event, we don't know, but it doesn't seem like they can "comfortably" hold a new "default form" without reforming

[beatbandito]

yes, that is basically exactly what I was saying. You just assumed I meant obviously the wrong thing, even though it was also clear to you what the answer was.

[Classic]

I don't think we're quibbling about the same things beatito.
That or we follow different syntax rules.

I'm not even sure gems have "hair" that grows like human hair does.

That much we know to be true. Since Amethyst chose to mimic Greg's (younger) hair style in a later incarnation.

For me, the referent "that much," is the affirmative statement "have 'hair' that grows like human hair does." And I can't currently see any other way to parse those sentences together.

Like, maybe I'm supposed to read that you believe their hair is inhuman and does not grow because you mention the "later incarnation" part, but that the gems have all seemed to reform at least once since the events of the flashbacks is still compatible with the idea that they have hair that grows.

Also, I noticed a typo. Gonna erase its existence now.

[beatbandito]

I'm not even sure gems have "hair" that grows like human hair does.

implies that you think it doesn't grow like a human's. I agreed with your implication.

Hell, it's easier to get that I think the fact that you aren't sure is true if you want to talk about reading it purely by syntax. There was fr srs no reason to assume I was disagreeing with you by saying your statement was true.

[Lottel]

I actually read it as you disagreeing with Classic too.

[Mothra]

So, the flashback ep where Greg wanted to fuse with Rose was adorable.

Am I the only one that noticed the uhh

Something tells me those two've been fusing for quite some time ;) ;) ;)

[Newbie]

So, the flashback ep where Greg wanted to fuse with Rose was adorable.

Am I the only one that noticed the uhh

Something tells me those two've been fusing for quite some time ;) ;) ;)

I LIKE THE WAY
HUMAN BEINGS PLAY
I LIKE PLAYING ALONG

[Classic]

Of all of the gems... Rose's hair seems like the only one that would grow. She's the one whose form incorporates a lot more minute, human-like details. She and Lapis are the only gems whose default forms have feet with toes, for example. Humans are special to Rose. In a way that's kinda fetish-y.

[LaserBeing]

a show this good doesn't deserve a thread this bad

pull up your damn socks and get your shit together, people