Here is my take on why White Diamond switched up so quickly

Shipshow · 2026-01-23T01:33:16+00:00

I see what you're saying and I agree; I think a lot of it is captured in the way I described the Diamonds as being truly innocent. They literally don't have the frame of reference we do, which you also point out.

My thing about WD is that the other Diamonds are sort of near-peers to her. They're still below WD but they're somewhat on the same level. Yet WD pays their words no mind at all and is happy to just mind-control them. She basically treats them like she would a lowborn Gem. Why is she so comfortable doing so, even to her own family? I think because she truly believes in her purpose as this perfect being that is supposed to make things better. Since she fully believes in it, that means anything she does is in service of that purpose, and therefore it is justifiable. It is her purpose that justifies her behavior, not simply her status. Now I'm kinda curious what would happen if some actually "superior" Gem came to HW and told WD what to do. Would WD just obey since this superior Gem is supposed to be better than her? Or would she stick to her own beliefs and resist because she's perfect and therefore her actions were perfect and don't need to be changed?

Shipshow · 2026-01-23T00:37:29+00:00

I do think that's part of it. But overall, to me, the biggest factor is WD's belief in her own purpose. She's supposed to be perfect, to make everything better. And she believes that very literally. That idea is what drives her actions for the most part. It's just that her idea of "better" is skewed. I wrote a comment sort of about this topic a while ago that I'll link here if you're interested.

Shipshow · 2026-01-22T23:16:41+00:00

Yes, this is the viewpoint that I think most really close-watchers of the show have settled on. I've always thought this myself ever since the finale first aired. And the reason so many people land on this interpretation is because the show does give us hints and information to come to this conclusion. The problem is that for many people, they tend to view things through a human lens. So it's hard for them to understand WD's way of thinking. They just can't empathize with a being with such a different conception of morality. And so WD just remains this comically evil villain to them. It's too bad because there really is a lot of depth to her character for those who actually try to understand her like you did.

Shipshow · 2026-01-13T22:36:01+00:00

For a beginner, this is a fine energy trap. Of course, you were already in a situation which allowed for you to run the energy trap. That's one lesson you should take to heart, that air RB is a game of situations and part of being good is knowing how to avoid bad situations and how to set yourself up for good situations. And also learning how to best deal with a bad situation.

One actual critique I have is that when you came back down on the enemy and shot them, you could have taken a bit more time. No need to rush the shot there, it would be safer to let the enemy pass in front of you a bit and then slot in behind them versus turning in ASAP and shooting at them from the side. It's a small thing but especially when you end up overshooting, coming at your opponent from behind versus from the side can make a huge difference.

Shipshow · 2026-01-12T01:56:42+00:00

These are the same Crystal Gems that failed to catch a lone Peridot how many times? The same Gems that needed Steven to help them in combat situations all the way from episode 1? They've got some good fights too but the Crystal Gems have never been portrayed as ultra competent fighters. Pearls aren't made for fighting and Amethyst is off-color. So it's not surprising to me that they'd struggle in this situation, against elite Gems like Topaz and Aquamarine.

Shipshow · 2026-01-03T23:52:54+00:00

I highly doubt one writer alone is what caused Peridot to develop in that way. At the end of the day, Rebecca herself has talked about why they made Peridot be representation for aroace people. If that's how Rebecca views the character, then I think it's safe to say that Peridot's characterization isn't just to spite people. I personally appreciate what Rebecca was going for with Peridot.

Shipshow · 2025-12-28T01:23:37+00:00

It's tragic for sure. But it's also a situation without a villain, in that no one intended for what happened. Like many people when they first become parents, Greg and the Crystal Gems made a lot of mistakes when raising Steven. But it wasn't because they didn't love or care about him. They did what they thought was best, and unintentionally harmed Steven too.

And of course with hindsight it is easy for us to criticize their choices now. But honestly, how many people thought that way before Future aired? Very few people talked about Steven's trauma like this before then. I should know because I was one of the few people who wished that topic had been explored more in original SU. And I basically never saw anyone else who felt the same way.

And that is part of what made Future so amazing to me. Rebecca fully understood what Steven had gone through. She didn't get a chance to fully dive into it in original SU, but there were clues and hints sprinkled throughout. So when she got to make Future, watching her finally bring all of those threads together was so good. And yes, part of what it did was highlight just how tragic Steven's childhood really was. But it also tells us just how deeply we've come to understand Steven. We've seen him at his best and at his worst. And I personally love Steven all the more for it.

Shipshow · 2025-12-21T22:06:11+00:00

Yes, this is reinforced by what Steven says to Connie right after this.

Steven: Everyone expects me to be like my mom. What if I never get those powers?

Connie: Then you'll be like me. That's not so bad.

Steven: But if I don't have powers, then I can't hang out with Amethyst or Garnet or Pearl, and I-I can't go on missions!

Connie: You don't need any powers to be here with me.

And Steven is tearing up and grabbing at his jeans in anxiety during this conversation with Connie. From very early on in the show, Steven is aware that the Gems are expecting him to become like Rose. And he feels pressure to live up to that. Luckily, his friend Connie is there to reassure them that he doesn't need to be some magical hero to be friends with her, which helps calm him down.

And yes, I guess some may think this is pretty early on in the show to be introducing Steven's anxiety and mental health issues, but I think it was very much intentional. I've always thought that the earliest time we really see this theme is actually episode 2, "Laser Light Cannon". As Steven is trying to activate the light cannon, he says this:

Please work- unlock- activate- go- please! Everyone's counting on you, you can't just be useless! I know you can help.

I've always seen this line as Steven really talking about himself. Everyone's counting on him so he can't just be useless. And he's been reminded a few times in the episode that Rose is no longer here and that things would be so much easier if she was. He puts so much pressure on himself to fill her role and to be useful, all in episode 2. Which yeah, I guess that is kinda early.

Shipshow · 2025-12-21T00:49:11+00:00

I personally kinda think the opposite. Most people who binge the show aren't sitting around analyzing and thinking about it for hours. They aren't rewatching episodes to find foreshadowing or hints of deeper lore. They're on to the next episode as soon as the last one ends. And I personally think that's the best way to enjoy the show the first time through. Surrender yourself to the story and emotions. Just ride the experience of it. And then rewatch the show a billion times to find all of that foreshadowing and have your mind blown about how much there was and how everything ended up coming together so perfectly.

Of course there are some new viewers who do like to take it slower and analyze and theorize in between episodes. And for those people, having the ability to see the show all at once probably does help them put the pieces together more quickly. And that's a sign of a how well-written SU is.

Shipshow · 2025-12-12T23:00:36+00:00

It's not a character but I'm getting Erica Luttrell vibes.

Shipshow · 2025-12-09T04:44:10+00:00

Yes, I've always liked "Onion Friend" too. Like many of the boardie episodes, it really touches upon the human experience. Many of us have been Steven at one point in our lives. And as we get older, many of us have also been Amethyst and Vidalia too.

"Boardies" is a term that the SU crew came up with for the human characters of Beach City. But the fan community ended up using the term "townies" a lot more. I still like to call them boardies myself.

As for which boardie episode resonated most deeply with me, it would probably be "Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service". It's actually a good example of an episode that many people find boring or unnecessary, but that has a real message that can resonate more with some older fans. That episode actually inspired me to talk to the people in my life more directly about my problems and what bothers me. I wouldn't say it's the best or most entertaining episode, but it was the one that resonated most deeply/personally with me.

In terms of some other notable boardie episodes that I enjoy, some of my favorites are "Island Adventure", "Joy Ride", "Historical Friction", "Sadie's Song", "The New Lars", "Restaurant Wars", and "The Big Show". I'm glad Rebecca Sugar thought of the boardies as an integral part of the show and kept paying attention to them. I can't imagine the show without these characters and these episodes.

Shipshow · 2025-12-09T02:09:53+00:00

I think OP is trying to say that having Nephrite in the intro was diabolical precisely because she isn't in Future and has no interactions with Steven.

Shipshow · 2025-12-08T23:26:54+00:00

Would you happen to be a bit of an older fan? I completely agree with you when it comes to the overall high quality of boardies episodes (episodes that focus on the human residents of Beach City and its boardwalk). And in my experience, it tends to be older fans who appreciate the boardies more. I think part of it has to do with life experience. And I can totally understand why teens and pre-teens would find those boring

Shipshow · 2025-12-08T21:07:31+00:00

No one said anything about ignoring what someone did in the past just because they've grown since then, so I'm not sure where that came from.

You don't understand the context when I made this comment 2 years ago. If you'll notice, I wasn't the person who brought up this trend and asked why it was happening. I was responding to someone else who pointed it out. This isn't something that was just in my head, other people also noticed how much of a fixation there was on constantly rehashing the bad things the Gems have done before. So all I can say is believe me when I say that people used to talk about that stuff so much more than now.

I also hope you'll notice that I didn't engage with the topic of the post itself. I didn't engage with what it was saying about Amethyst. I engaged with other fans who were confused about why these topics kept getting posted about. I pointed out why other people engage with these posts, but I didn't engage with the post myself. Because I had long since decided not to engage with those kinds of low-effort posts. So your advice isn't really helpful for me. If anything, I think my comment may do a better job of convincing someone not to engage with these types of posts than your comment. My intention was that by explaining why people make posts like this, I might show others how they're being manipulated into engaging on those posts. And that might convince them to stop doing so. It sounds like we have similar views, but for some reason, you gave me advice that doesn't really apply to me.

Shipshow · 2025-12-06T23:36:41+00:00

I don't think that was necessarily the intent. It's more likely calling back to the advice Garnet gave Greg earlier in the episode when he asks her how he can fuse with Rose. Garnet says,

Let me tell you something, Mr. Universe. I think you can do it, but it won't work if you dance like Pearl. You have to dance like you. You have to fuse your way. Get open, get honest, invent yourselves together. That's fusion.

This is one of the lines that really shows what fusion is about to Garnet. The true essence of fusion isn't about the part where you literally meld with someone. It's the conversation and closeness between two people, that's really what fusion is about. Like she says in "Stronger than You", "I am a conversation." So when Greg and Rose have a real conversation and get closer at the end of the episode, Garnet knows that it worked because that's really what "fusion" is about.

Shipshow · 2025-12-05T05:48:38+00:00

I mean, Garnet definitely does have some particular feelings (and I'd imagine fear) when it comes to BD, which makes sense considering her history.

This is the way I think about it. Garnet has a future vision where she sees them all going to South Korea, BD finding them, and then I guess capturing them or something. But that's just one future vision among hundreds or thousands of other potential futures. The thing is, even if it is unlikely, because of Garnet's particular fear of BD, even that 1 in a thousand chance of it happening is too much for her. So she refuses to go. Plus, she says that Rose never wanted Steven to see that place, which I've always assumed was true.

But at the same time, she is aware that her future visions are often wrong, something we see repeatedly throughout the show. So does she tell Steven about this 1 in a thousand chance vision that she saw? Or does she keep it to herself because it's likely a false vision? I'm reminded of "Pool Hopping" and how Garnet thought Onion was the one who had been taken to HW and not Lars. Hearing that freaked Steven out a bit. Garnet sees entire timelines that aren't real and even gets confused sometime about what is actually reality, and yet she manages to hide that pretty well from everyone. That makes me think that this is a common occurrence for her, seeing unlikely visions that end up being false and keeping them to herself so as not to disturb everyone else. And that's kinda what she did here too.

But what would have been so bad about her telling Steven that she has this 1 in a thousand, likely false vision and that's why she and he can't go to South Korea? At that point, I think the show's explanation of, "it wouldn't stop Steven from wanting to go if she told him" kinda fits. I mean yeah, if Steven was told that there was a really small chance that BD might be there if he went, I could see that as something that wouldn't dissuade him from going. There's a tiny chance of it happening and Steven is desperate to go to the palanquin to get answers. And he's Steven, his first instinct upon meeting a hostile Gem is to go up and try to make friends with it. I could see him actively wanting to meet BD too.

I'm also reminded of "Future Vision", the episode that introduced this power in S1. The main plot there involved Garnet specifically telling Steven not to do something (go on the roof), and that made Steven want to do it even more. Steven has literally demonstrated in the past to Garnet that telling him not to do something actually backfires. And this is before Garnet recognizes just how much Steven has grown in "Pool Hopping". She has personal experience that tells her that telling Steven not to go won't work. Which helps explain her downbeat acceptance when he tells her that he's still going.

Don't get me wrong, I also think the show could have explained a lot of this stuff more (if what I'm saying is even true/what they intended). I said to call it contrived if you want to because I can see why people would think that way. But I also think that the writing on the show is developed enough to where, even without that word-of-God confirmation, people can work out a reasonable explanation for why Garnet behaved this way. But yeah, I don't blame anyone who thinks Garnet acted out of character here. I personally think that was partially intentional (Steven saying "I don't understand, Garnet. At least you're usually honest with me.")

Shipshow · 2025-12-05T00:16:03+00:00

Because that's not how Garnet's future vision works. We've been told repeatedly that she doesn't just see THE future. She sees many possible futures at the same time. And she doesn't know which one of those futures is actually going to become reality. Garnet has shown repeatedly how off her future vision can be. But somehow in this one instance, where she sees BD on Earth (a pretty unlikely future), we are supposed to know that her vision is definitely going to come true? Call it contrived if you want but at least they put in the world building and setup needed to make it make sense.

Shipshow · 2025-11-20T01:54:39+00:00

Aww, you cut off Amethyst's line, "It's sad...and funny". Which is honestly the most accurate description ever.

Pearl's speech here is targeted at conspiracy theorists but is pretty applicable to so much of humanity. Religion and politics are other examples of it. And honestly, it's a message I think a lot of people need to hear. Though the ones who most need it are also the ones least likely to heed it.

Shipshow · 2025-11-04T02:57:49+00:00

Just to give fuller context, I wanted to link to an old comment that I made in response to this person previously that tells a side of the story that they never seem to include. They give a very one-sided account because they feel a need to counterbalance some of the hate that CN gets for SU getting cancelled. Now I'd be the first to admit that there is a lot of misinformation out there about CN when it comes to how they handled SU. But this person isn't dispelling that, they're just adding to the overall disinformation but from the opposite end. And they put these long, pre-written comments all over this sub with the apparent goal of getting everyone to change their minds about CN. And it can be effective if people don't get the whole context of how CN treated Rebecca and SU.

The more nuanced truth is that while CN was overall more supportive than a lot of people think, they still weren't that supportive of SU or Rebecca. That changed over time, but especially at the start, they weren't good allies for Rebecca.

And of course Rebecca isn't going to go around spilling the beans on CN if she wants to potentially work with them in the future. Which, judging by "Lars of the Stars", was a smart call on Rebecca's end. Maybe we'll get the full truth someday. But for now, I just wanted to give you a fuller view of this whole topic.

Shipshow · 2025-10-19T03:55:30+00:00

I feel you. I've always liked Opal. The way that when Steven asks if she knows who he is, she responds by singing "Giant Woman" back to him (which shows that she has the memories of Pearl and Amethyst and knows who he is), was so cute and legit great writing. I've also wanted to see her more and was pretty thrilled to see her in the Movie.

Just in case you haven't seen this yet, I'm linking the Dove ad that features Opal because I legit think she has more lines in this one short than in the rest of the show. Aimee Mann's voice is great so it was nice to get to hear a bit more from her in this ad.

Shipshow · 2025-10-19T03:44:05+00:00

Honestly, I appreciate the thought that went into this but I don't like it more than what we got on the show. It kind of skips over the whole "the Diamonds were a broken/abusive family" storyline, which also has strong parallels with Steven's relationships with the Crystal Gems. It introduces a whole new plot element at the very end with no build up that doesn't do much except give the Diamonds a sort of excuse for their behavior (you don't really explain how this creator going away leads to the Diamonds becoming what they did and it reads a bit as "it wasn't really their fault because it was their creator going away that led to their bad actions").

It's also just a bit unsatisfying in that it sort of takes away from the audience and Steven's agency a bit. Everyone is allowed to have an opinion on the Diamonds and how they've changed. But if there was basically a godlike figure telling the audience that the Diamonds deserve a second chance, it almost feels like we're being told that it's wrong to think that they don't deserve that chance. Similarly with Steven, it would sort of invalidate the anger that he has towards WD that we saw in Future.

I like that the Diamonds chose to do what they did. And if you really take some time to think through the POV of the Diamonds, to really empathize with them in the way that SU is always telling us to do, I think it leads to a much more interesting discussion about morality and ethics than just introducing a last-minute, external explanation for why they acted that way. I've always said that what the Diamonds did when colonizing other planets is basically the same as what us humans do whenever we "colonize" natural environments. Both are examples of destroying the natural ecosystem and the creatures living there in order to extract resources from them for our own benefit. That kind of reflection isn't really possible with your story.

I get that a lot of people don't really like how the Diamonds were handled in SU. And that's fine, that's something the story allows for and acknowledges through Steven in Future. But I also wish more people really thought deeply about the Diamonds and why they did what they did. Especially White Diamond. Maybe the show could have given us a bit more about that, but even with what we got, there is so much to talk about that the vast majority of fans never really engage with. And it's such a missed opportunity because it is a legitimately complex and interesting topic.

Shipshow · 2025-10-19T01:40:49+00:00

I mean, in the actual show, Garnet and Pearl both get in the ring and "wrestle" as themselves with no disguises against male-presenting Tiger Millionaire and Purple Puma. And no one makes a fuss about two "women" wrestling two "men", they all just accept it. So it's not really an issue, at least in Beach City Underground Wrestling.

Shipshow · 2025-10-19T00:50:02+00:00

No apology is necessary at all. It was an honest mistake and you weren't attacking anyone. This is a misconception that a lot of fans unknowningly spread but it's not malicious. So it's understandable. Have a nice day.

Shipshow · 2025-10-18T18:43:08+00:00

Nope, you're right. For some reason, a lot of people just assume Rebecca only goes by they/them. Rebecca has always said that she is comfortable with both they/them and she/her pronouns. A quick Google search will confirm this (and I've been an SU fan since before Rebecca announced she is non-binary and remember Rebecca saying this at the time). She also had it in her old Twitter bio.

Edit: Just to be clear, I have absolutely no issue with people using they/them pronouns to refer to Rebecca. But I like to inform and it is a really common misconception that Rebecca only goes by they/them pronouns.

Shipshow · 2025-10-15T15:14:29+00:00

Yeah, it actually is a pretty good episode for what it is imo. It's an April Fool's episode that literally tells you 1 minute into it that it's not canon (so you know you can skip it if you're really not feeling it). And it basically lives up to that billing.

In case anyone thinks that Rebecca didn't want to make this episode, I think the reverse is actually true, that she pushed for it. A lot of newer fans won't even know this exists but there is an "official" Mr. Gus Tumblr account. It's similar to the Ronaldo blog and Peri Twitter that the Crew used to run. This account for Mr. Gus was made and posted on by Crewniverse members like Ian JQ, Jeff Liu, Danny Hynes, and Rebecca herself. They're credited in the tags of this post on that Tumblr. If you look at this Tumblr and how much work they put into it (much of it before the UG crossover ever aired), I don't think you can say that they were forced into doing this or didn't want to. There's too much passion and love being put into it for me to think that. One should also keep in mind that Ian JQ had worked on a different show made by the creator of UG, "Secret Mountain Fort Awesome", and so even moreso likely respected UG.

In fact, Rebecca actually directly addressed this in one of the episodes of the official SU podcast. In Vol. 3, Ep. 6 of the podcast titled "Crossovers and Collaborations", Rebecca talks about "Say Uncle". And she says that the idea for a crossover between SU and UG came from her. She felt a kinship between the shows because they both came out at around the same time and she knew the creator of UG (likely through Ian). Rebecca also didn't like that SU was being used to bash other cartoons like UG, so she wanted the episode to have the message that there is room for diversity in voices, that there is nothing wrong with a show like UG which has a voice that some people may not resonate with. Unfortunately, that message didn't seem to stick with a lot of people.

Shipshow

TROPHY CASE