J.K Rowling can suck a fuck

Lars and Steven's hug seems so desperate if you're watching Steven. Maybe it's just me personally connecting to Steven (because big oof) but there's something so sad and miserable about seeing this kid so torn up when he used to be so optimistic and happy.

He's trying so hard, but he's so young and so lost. He spent so much time righting all these wrongs that he's missed his friends' lives, his life, moving on. He claims the first thing he did to grow was change, but change you're not ready for or not ready to accept can be so terrifying.

Steven doesn't want to be needy, and he hates that he is. Except he's become so dependent on being needed for something that it's become a part of his identity. Without the gems needing him and him coming to the idea that he isn't suitable to run Little Home School, Steven has to come to terms with the fact that he's having an identity crisis, or lack of identity.

He knows he has issues, and he's trying in his own way to fix them. But he's so stuck in his own head that he can't see how much he's actually struggling, even though other people can.

This is just a cartoon but it's so realistic it hurts, because this is something that happens all the time.

anyone else

-little graduation is bookended by steven driving in his car, a symbol of maturity and freedom, but also a symbol of aimlessness. at the beginning of the episode, he has someplace to go, people to see. at the end, he’s alone, in a scene that feels reminiscent of the very wistful end credits, staring into the stars at what could represent lars, infinite possibility, his own baggage, and more.

-steven’s floating was screwed up when he saw shep, foreshadowing his lack of emotional control. sans the movie, boy hasn’t screwed up using one of his non-pink mode powers in ages…and now we get a pair of episodes when his powers are running wild.

-steven keeps assuming he knows how people feel. his eq has always been off the charts, but he’s not clear-headed, anymore, and that’s throwing his barometer off a lot. no wonder he thinks he’s losing his touch.

-and we see the cool kid’s futures. steven’s only a couple years younger than all of these people. it’s putting a lot of subconscious pressure on him, how together everyone is–and i think the whole point is that they’ve grown in ways that have made them able to face the future. like greg said, growing up is a choice.

-”who here loves sadie killer and the suspects? well, our band tonight has only one of them.”

and lars this entire ep is just like, “this is my penance for being an asshole when i was a teenager. true friends put up with friends even when they’re being tools.”

-not “lars, PLEASE STOP!” it was “lars, STOP!” yeah, that feels important.

-steven’s pink mode powers seem to be manifesting in more and more unformed, basic geometrical shapes, similar to pink!steven.

-steven’s dome itself was made entirely out of pink diamonds. this is in no way, shape, or form paranoia provoking.

-nope nothing concerning here

-sadie’s dating someone and experimenting with a new sound, lars and sadie are now able to have healthy conversations about their relationship, lars is able to talk about uncomfortable and personal topics in front of a crowd of people without panicking and lashing out, and he can hug his friends openly? yep, this? this is Growth.

-and seriously having steven being an asshole and lars being the reasonable one feels *strange*. haven’t seen this since the good lars, another episode where steven was overly controlling. HUH. almost like this is the boy’s big character flaw.

-”wouldn’t be the first time.” that’s some good pastel gallows humor right there.

-”you’re trying to figure stuff out right now, and you want your friends around to help you through it.” this feels important, too. they kind of skim over this, but i think it’s the heart of the matter–steven wants help. boy’s crying out for it. but he doesn’t know how to ask for it.

 -we see a partially eaten pizza next to steven at the end of the episode, continuing future having the kid who used to start out every other episode making some of snack barely eat on screen. (only time i can think of is rose buds. UMMMM.) not to mention Mr. Big Eater seems to have had a couple of slices and tapped out, not to mention pizza’s been used to symbolize togetherness several times and he’s eating it by himself.

Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 3