SU Trauma Analysis

TRIGGER WARNING - Many sensitive topics, such as abuse, violence, and death are discussed! Read with caution :)

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Hello, I’m Blurri! Welcome to the blog!

Greetings! My name is Blurri, and I’m a huge Steven Universe/Steven Universe Future fan. I’ve decided to create this blog to explore the more mature/dark themes of the show(s) by taking an analytical approach to explain the darker themes of SU and how the show conveys them in ways suitable for all audiences. As a fan who’s been an avid watcher since the pilot episode, I know basically everything there is to know about the lore and story. My friends and I have always discussed these darker themes in passing, but I figured it was finally time to sit down and write what we all were thinking in a more synthesized manner. Since I’m going to be covering dark topics, there will be trigger warnings (TW) for the specific themes I’ll be going over at the top of every post! If you have any requests or recommendations for themes, characters, or events in the show that you would like me to explore, don’t hesitate to leave an ask!

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The Portrayal of Lapis Lazuli and Jasper's Toxic Relationship

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE EPISODES "JAIL BREAK", "CHILLE TID", "ALONE AT SEA"!!!

TRIGGER WARNING : Abusive/toxic relationship, discussion of physical and mental abuse, and manipulation.

Anyone who has viewed Lapis Lazuli for more than two minutes can conclude that she has trauma she is still working through. Her backstory is riddled with traumatic situations that she was trapped in for extended periods of time, and her behavior shows that it has chipped away at her mental stability. The most challenging of her experiences was undoubtedly fusing with Jasper to form Malachite and trap them both at the bottom of the ocean. This dynamic between Jasper and Lapis follows the formatting of an abusive and toxic relationship, and the show does an excellent job of portraying this for all age demographics to understand.

At the most basic level, younger audiences can understand from outward behavior that Jasper is physically abusive and controlling of Lapis. At this level of comprehension, their interactions in “Jail Break” best exemplify the base level conflict between the two.

For audiences a few years older, likely in the 10-14 age range, Lapis is clearly being physically and mentally abused by Jasper, who forced her into the Malachite fusion. This dynamic was best exemplified in “Chille Tid”, where Lapis is seen battling to stay in control of Malachite and constantly being challenged by Jasper´s strength.

A mature view of their relationship understands that while Jasper was intensely abusive towards Lapis, Lapis herself admits that she abused Jasper as well. This is best conveyed through their interaction in “Alone at Sea”, where Lapis admitted to missing being fused with Jasper even though she took out all of her hate and anger on Jasper. Jasper and Lapis each have their own twisted reasons to stay in the relationship that is Malachite, and Steven Universe uses enough physical and verbal proof to convey this to audiences of all ages.

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Analysis of Sadie and Lars' Relationship

SPOILER ALERT FOR STEVEN UNIVERSE FUTURE AND ALL OF SADIE AND LARS' CHARACTER ARCS!!!

TRIGGER WARNING: Slight manipulation mention

Sadie and Lars’ relationship has been one of the fan-favorite subplots of Steven Universe. A longstanding expectation that the two would eventually resolve the romantic tension between them and end up in a relationship. However, because of the past events that transpired between them, staying friends and moving on was likely the best option for them both rather than chasing a relationship whose window had already closed.

The biggest hindrance to Sadie and Lars’ hopes of a relationship was Lars’ past dismissive and manipulative view of Sadie and what she did for him. “Joking Victim” can best provide a window into their relationship history. When Sadie was at her most infatuated with Lars, he took advantage of her favoring him and used her to avoid his responsibilities. Lars blatantly uses her fond memories and view of him to push her into giving him time off at her personal expense. His dismissive attitude towards her only aided in making her feel ignored in her life, which is something made clear in “Sadie’s Song” when her mother doesn’t pay her any mind until she snaps.

Although “Island Adventure” proved that the chemistry and love were definitely there between them, Lars was still not mature enough and Sadie was still trying to find her self-confidence. This self-confidence is found once she forms “Sadie Killer and the Suspects”, as she finally has an outlet for her emotions as well as people paying attention to and validating her expression.

After the dust settled and Lars finally makes it to Earth with the Off Colors during the series finale, it is later revealed in “Little Graduation” that while Sadie and Lars did attempt to reconnect, there wasn’t enough common ground anymore for them to rekindle anything.

In the end, Lars and Sadie did their best to maturely handle the situation by moving on. Although “Little Graduation” makes it clear that Lars still has some feelings for Sadie, he’s still doing his best to be happy for her. Sadie finally found the confidence she needed, and communicated it beautifully in the song “Looking Forward”, which is entirely focused on her growing and moving on with her new partner Shep.

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The Abusive Treatment the Diamonds Showed Pink

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of neglect, emotional abuse, manipulation, child abuse

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE ENTIRE PLOT OF STEVEN UNIVERSE!!!

For the first leg of the series, Pink Diamond was painted to be a major antagonist. However once the Gems learned that Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond were one and the same, many fans began to resent Pink/Rose for her selfish actions. When looking back at the pain she has caused, it can make one wonder why she turned out to be so selfish in her decision-making. I propose that the answer lies in her upbringing by the other diamonds, primarily the two that had the most contact with her, Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond.

Yellow Diamond made it quite clear to Pink that she did not view her as an equal, but a child to be looked after. In Stevonnie’s shared dream/flashback sequence in “Jungle Moon”, Yellow Diamond directly attacks Pink’s maturity by snapping at her and telling her that she doesn’t behave how someone of her status should. When Yellow isn’t lecturing Pink, she neglects her needs entirely, seeing Pink as a hindrance that would distract her from her work running the empire.

Blue Diamond, instead of neglecting Pink, emotionally abused her by using her power of projecting her emotions onto others to make Pink feel just as upset (if not more) than her. She also guilt-tripped Pink for behaving immaturely and manipulated Pink into always feeling like the problem, which we see very clearly in Steven’s flashback/dream in the series finale, “Change Your Mind”. Steven makes this point of Blue’s abusive behavior best when he confronts her with the question; “How many times did you lock her in here? How many times did you make her cry?”

The most damning of all, and also illustrated clearly by “Change Your Mind”, they locked Pink away in a tower by herself when she misbehaved. This is just textbook child abuse, as it completely isolated Pink from the outside world. She would be kept in that tower for ages until the other diamonds felt she had been in there long enough to show improvement, like some twisted version of a time-out or grounding. While Pink Diamond did do many things I can’t agree with, I would argue that with the information as to why she is the way she is, it makes more sense that she tended to fend for her own happiness above all else.

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The Mahaswarens and Portraying Over-Controlling Parents

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR "SWORN TO THE SWORD", "NIGHTMARE HOSPITAL", AND SMALL SPOILERS FOR CONNIE'S CHARACTER ARC!!!

TRIGGER WARNING: Possible triggers with discussion of extremely restrictive parenting

Connie Mahaswaren is a studious, intellectual, and talented girl. Towards the beginning of the series, we see that her lifestyle of constant studying and practicing her extracurriculars has left her alone with no friends, but as the show progresses we see her grow into the independent and headstrong young woman that we love her as. The big turning point for her character arc takes place during “Nightmare Hospital”, where she finally must reveal to her mother her double-life that she has been leading with Steven and the Crystal Gems.

This episode not only marks the turning point in her character arc, but it also highlights an issue that many gifted kids and teens must deal with – strict parents and their overprotective and over-controlling nature. The episode not only discusses the issue itself but also how families can solve the problem with open and honest communication.

When trying to hide Rose's Sword from Dr. Mahaswaren, Connie is so comfortable with lying to her mother that she is completely calm and calculated the entire time she diverts her mother's attention away from the sword. This nonchalant behavior towards lying is a symptom of the rift between Connie and her parents. Connie makes it clear to Steven that she knows she'll be invalidated or punished for telling her parents about her adventures with him because it isn't a part of the rigid schedule they have set in place for her.

This schedule is the very thing that holds Connie back, yet gives her parents a feeling of ease because it allows them to feel that she is safe as long as they know exactly what she's doing. Doctor Mahaswaren proves this to be true when confronted by Steven about Connie's secret sword fighting lessons. "I know my daughter! I know what she's doing every second of the day!"

Connie and her mother finally resolve their issues once they have an open dialogue about what both of them need from the other. This sets an example for real families who struggle with trust and control between the child and parent(s), because having an honest discussion about how each party feels about the situation makes it easier for everyone to decide how to move forward together as a family unit. Parents like Doctor Mahaswaren eventually learn what she did, which is to be honest with why you parent the way you do. Connie's mom admitted to her that she felt like controlling Connie's schedule was a way of keeping her safe and protected, which was all she ever wanted for Connie. Once they opened the floor to an honest discussion, their relationship began to change for the better.

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How Steven’s Past Trauma Carries Over into SUF (Steven Universe Future)

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE ENTIRE PLOT OF STEVEN UNIVERSE!!!

TRIGGER WARNING FOR : Childhood trauma mention

A hallmark of Steven Universe is Steven’s amazing ability to bounce back from the wacky (and often life threatening) situations he and the Gems find themselves in. But once the original series came to a close, the epilogue miniseries Steven Universe Future finally addressed the ongoing trend of Steven making a full recovery after every adventure. 

It is only when Steven’s body starts overreacting to any slight threat to his emotional wellbeing does he finally get help from Connie’s mom, Dr. Mahaswaren. Dr. Mahaswaren brings to light the root of Steven’s problem; “You’ve been dealing with genuine threats from such a young age, your body now is responding to minor threats as if your life were in danger.” Evidence of Steven’s trauma has always been present, but with parallels in Steven Universe Future they are made more evident. 

Something Steven always struggled with was shapeshifting and stretching his body, largely due to him being made of organic matter instead of light like the Gems. In “Steven’s Birthday”, he overexerts his shapeshifting so much that he reverts all the way back to being a baby. This intense physical reaction was all due to him trying to maintain a physique that was only slightly taller than his original form. Yet his body in “Growing Pains” is capable of stretching to almost comical proportions whenever his subconscious anxiety flares and makes him glow. The fact that Steven’s subconscious can manipulate his body in ways that his conscious mind never could just to accommodate the anxiety he feels is a large sign of something going on beneath the surface.

The more striking comparison in my opinion is the continuation of Steven having a subconscious panic response of using his bubble powers. We see Steven come face to face with Holo-Pearl for the first time after the incident of Pearl being poofed in “Sworn to the Sword”. As soon as he realizes that Connie is about to combat the Holo-Pearl, he subconsciously activates his bubble to protect himself and Connie. Back then, he was responding to a real and credible threat by bubbling himself and Connie, but now that he is older and in Era 3, there isn’t any need for him to protect himself with his bubble in day-to-day situations. Yet when Dr. Mahaswaren attempts to check his reflexes in his knee, a small bubble forms around her hand and his knee. Because he has been overexposed to situations in which his bubble is needed for safety, his body and psyche don’t know how to react when the perceived threat is only the mental stress of remaining trauma.

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Analyzing Pearl's Obsessive Nature Towards Her Diamond

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE ENTIRE PLOT OF STEVEN UNIVERSE!!!

Pearl's reputation in the Steven Universe fandom is notorious for being the tragic lesbian follower of Rose Quartz. But examining her character closer reveals a key flaw of hers - the self destructive nature of her infatuation with Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond.

One of the first main instances of Pearl's obsessive nature towards Rose can be found in the episode "Sworn to the Sword". Her strong devotion to Rose shines through with one of the most important lines of the episode as Garnet recounts Pearl's attachment to Rose:

"[Pearl] put Rose Quartz over everything. Over logic, over consequence, over her own life."

Her long-standing behavior towards Rose/Pink had been one of complete devotion. Not only does Garnet's testimony support this, but so does her emotional outburst towards Steven and Connie in the same episode. This outburst clearly suggests that she has a history of tough conversations with Rose about Pearl putting herself in harm's way too often.

"Mr. Greg" expands more on the romantic aspect of Pearl's obsession. Her song "It's Over Isn't It" is just her lamenting the fact that Rose fell in love with Greg and not her, which she personally admits to Greg later in the episode. The pain of losing Rose's interest to a human she barely knew combined with the pain of knowing that Rose is gone forever became so much to bear, she clung to the memories of her beloved to make living without her easier.

The most important episode about this topic is "A Single Pale Rose". This episode confirms fan theories from years past and provides context for certain behaviors we see Pearl display later on in her life. Her devotion to her diamond is literally hardwired into her rationale, but by Pink treating her more like an equal than the servant she was created to be, it only fuels Pearl's adoration for her diamond. This adoration is what causes Pearl to help Pink Diamond fake her shattering, fight against Homeworld, and stay by her side after the war. Despite all of the trauma she has been put through because of Rose/Pink, she still laments the loss of her diamond, the first person who made her feel important.