#su0140

In people who have painful histories, they sometimes develop a survival strategy that treats any potential help or breakthrough as a serious threat to stability. Any interaction that might open up insight, empathy, respect, or compassion is so terrifying that it merits attack or avoidance. It’s the only way the person can protect the pieces of themselves they’re already struggling to hold together, because to reveal those pieces is to leave yourself too vulnerable. So they take refuge in assaulting the good will of others, which reinforces the internal belief that they are contaminated, bad and beyond salvation. If your world is in turmoil, then sometimes the only thing that can soothe you is knowing you’re in control of your own annihilation. 

Steven scrunches up his face when Pearl says “horrible place” and I’m not sure what to make of that - is this the moment he realises just what this is doing to Amethyst? Or is he just annoyed that Pearl accidentally revealed she never planned to tell him about this place at all?

It’s no wonder she has such a short fuse whenever Pearl goes off on her about other stuff if she feels like the very core of her identity is constantly under attack. How hard is it to come to terms with all the shit you’ve done if even your place of origin is a reason for this much bile in someone you’re close enough to fuse with? What chance do you have to atone when you can’t locate a single time when you felt like a good or innocent person? And damn, remember that whole Tiger Millionaire talk about how you can’t let other people make you feel like garbage? God, Amethyst is so interesting.

I’m curious about how much this will change things between them - Pearl and Amethyst seem to be in a cycle of pushing each other’s buttons, but Pearl’s stress seems motivated by a wider, more complicated external trauma that Steven can’t wag a finger at and prod in the right direction, whereas Amethyst’s trauma seems pretty firmly rooted in this specific emotional suffering.

Oh no, it may be even worse than I thought. She might be from Arizona.

Another tricky social interaction successfully defused by Pearl Universe. 

When you think about it, it’s obviously the most important skill young Steven needs to develop. He’s like Sherlock Holmes. Knowing useless things like maths and currency would only take valuable brain space from more important abilities. Like pretending your mom’s best friend being a boulder in the middle of Murderblood Canyon is totally fine. 

Honestly, the Gems having a habit of just picking Steven up and carrying him around like a cheap handbag you kinda like but not enough to care if it gets a bit scuffed is my favourite piece of characterisation.