Black Female Nerd

a lot of the criticism I’ve seen for Steven universe surrounds the character Lapis Lazuli. Critics call her toxic, manipulative, unhealthy…..and she is unhealthy, but they don’t seem to realize she’s meant to be?

It’s so rare to see a character who went through trauma and doesn’t bounce right back, especially in a kid’s show — I’m glad to have a character like Lapis. Showing the uglier sides of trauma, how a lot of survivors aren’t “good” victims/survivors — how what they went through negatively affects their relationships with others so that they have to fight to keep from hurting others the way they were hurt.

“I’ve done so much because I was afraid: I left Peridot behind, i took the barn, and her morps…I was so sure the diamonds would destroy my new home that I did it myself. It’s like I’m back inside the mirror, but I put myself here.” She’s aware of what’s going on with her, in hindsight; but it’s still so hard to fight that fear! She knows loved ones are getting hurt in the process, so she distances herself, hides out on the moon. But Steven assures her that they want her back, that they want to help — that she doesn’t have to be alone.

When so much fiction these days puts characters through truly horrific things in one ep only to have them behaving as if nothing happened in the next, Lapis struggles to recover. Lapis relapses into self-destructive fear, lashing out at others, seizing control of the situation before it can seize control of her. It’s not pretty, but it’s real.

I think kids deserve a character like that: who struggles, but still is loved. Who keeps lashing out against and pulling away from people she loves — and then, when she comes back genuinely contrite, finding the door open to reconciliation.

Y'all: he’s a villain ?

Me:

happy bisexual visibility day 💖💜💙

She is a 23 year old girl who is blaming herself for the deaths and injuries of dozens right now. The bomb was detonated at a key time when there would be as many victims as possible. It was packed with nails so that the maximum amount of damage could be achieved. Among the victims were young girls, children, an off-duty police officer and parents who were waiting to pick their children up. A man who ran to the scene to help reported helping to pull nails out of a child’s face. There are people still missing, still in critical condition, still being treated for injuries.