Rebecca Sugar for the Trevor Project - Fundraiser concert

This is a writeup detailing the Trevor Project charity concert on June 12, put on by Rebecca Sugar, Jeff Liu, and Ben Levin. I'm posting this to share the songs performed, anecdotes, a few images, and anything of interest! This concert, in honor of Pride month, is to raise money for the LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization the Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention organization which supports the lives of queer youth--an issue super important to the hearts of these creators and their fans. They posted a promise that they would play a new original song never before heard in public if the fundraising goal of $20K is met!

Rebecca opens by introducing the group (Jeff Liu, Ben Levin, and Ian Jones-Quartey working as "the man in the chair" monitoring the donations and chat). The three of them were "the band" doing the demos throughout Steven Universe and they're really enjoying being together doing this again. Rebecca notes that they became a board member of the Trevor Project last year and they feel super honored to do this fundraiser for them. Throughout the concert, they mention the following resources that the Trevor Project makes available:

A 24/7 crisis line is available: 866 488 7386 to call and speak with a volunteer
The Trevor Text program can allow you to text with a counselor: text the word START to 678 678
The Trevor Chat is available for online chat with a counselor at trevorchat.org
The Trevor Space site is available for LGBTQ+ networking for people ages 13 to 24 at trevorspace.org
Donations are always accepted at thetrevorproject.org
You can train to become a volunteer at thetrevorproject.org/volunteer
You can learn about initiatives in all 50 states where you can get involved to take action against oppressive laws at trvr.org/advocacy
And there are tons of LGBTQ+ resources at trevorproject.org/resources

Rebecca personally referenced the Trevor Project's resources when trying to argue for the need for LGBTQ+ elements in cartoons. These links, numbers, and informative bits are shared throughout the concert periodically along with the opportunities to donate and support this wonderful organization.

After this, they get started with the first song--an abbreviated version of "Happily Ever After" from the Steven Universe movie. (They note that it's usually referred to as "Here We Are in the Future" internally because they were torn on the song name until the last minute.)

"On the Run" is next--written by Jeff Liu (who boarded on that episode as well). Jeff sings Steven's part in the song and Rebecca provides Amethyst's lyrics and the whistling!

Rebecca then introduces a song that was personally relevant when they were first getting started trying to put personal thoughts referencing their bisexual experience into cartoon music: "I'm Just Your Problem," in the Adventure Time episode "What Was Missing." Rebecca tells a cute anecdote about writing the song, making Ian leave the apartment they were living in so they could knock the song out, but then right after they figured the song out, they thought they forgot it and had to record it as soon as possible.

Rebecca then discusses their VERY FIRST song written for TV on their VERY FIRST boarded episode of Adventure Time--"It Came From the Nightosphere"--which is of course the "Fry Song," which they wrote with some help from Pendleton Ward. They told the anecdote about Ian trying to encourage them to sing it louder while playing ukulele on the roof. They sing a version of it that's longer than the version that got into the TV show!

Rebecca then says Jeff Liu was super into ska and so they were really excited to start including some ska tunes in Steven Universe--which they finally got to do with Sadie's band. The next song is "The Working Dead."

After some discussion of the donation status and the set list, they introduce a "Mr. Greg" suite, beginning with "Don't Cost Nothin'," and then Rebecca switches from guitar to ukulele to play a solo early arrangement of "It's Over (Isn't It)."

The next song is a slightly expanded version of "Peace and Love (On Planet Earth)," which Rebecca describes as "kind of a duet" but they do all the lyrics alone. There are some fun extra instrumentals in the middle and a more robust intro!

Rebecca says they're getting nervous about playing the new original song because at this point the stream isn't half over but they're halfway through their goal. They really want to share the song but they haven't practiced it much. Ian assures everyone it's good but Rebecca says he's biased. :)

They continue to discuss everything Trevor Project is doing to fight awful laws and help LGBTQ+ individuals. Rebecca reminds everyone that Ben is now a co-creator of Craig of the Creek and they want to do a Craig song. They do an expanded version of "Fireworks," which is the end theme written by Jeff Rosenstock.

Next, Rebecca says Jeff Liu's band, The Birds I Heard, has a great song called "Kindest Sound" off the album Finally (available on Bandcamp). Jeff sings and Rebecca does harmony with him.

Going back to cartoon songs, "Giant Woman" is next on the agenda. They note it's one of Jeff's earliest boarded episodes and have a good old time jamming on it before intermission.

After the intermission, Rebecca says they are now going to share a song that they wrote when they felt trapped and needed something therapeutic. Up comes an acoustic guitar and electric guitar duet version of "Escapism."

Next, an Adventure Time song is up--dedicated to Adam Muto, it's Rebecca's song that they wrote for the finale of the show, long after they'd left the show to work on Steven. They play a lovely ukulele solo version "Time Adventure." They said they almost called that song "See You in Reruns."

In discussing what helps and harms LGBTQ youth, the Trevor Project applies this research to help explain what laws and unsupportive environments have a negative effect on young people. But they also focus on what really helps us, and self-expression is really high on the list of what helps. Rebecca talks about the mental health resources they ended up accessing when they were facing huge amounts of pushback and censorship on Steven Universe, and they share a ukulele version of "Here Comes a Thought," a song they wrote during the thick of all of that.

Next comes a short lullaby from Adventure Time: "Sleepy Puppies." Jeff Liu is back joining Rebecca, both on guitar. Next up is another Adventure Time song, "On a Tropical Island/As a Tropical Island," which Rebecca mentions was so fun to write for Jake the Dog. Following is another Adventure Time song: of course they had to bring us "Everything Stays."

And finally, one more Adventure Time song: "Bacon Pancakes," described as the shortest song they wrote for the show and how they suspected it wouldn't be accepted because it's short. Rebecca says that song was dedicated to their dad because he would make gourmet breakfasts, and they gave a shoutout to their parents who might be on the chat.

Ben Levin comes back at this point and Rebecca tells a story about how Ben left Steven Universe before the movie but still "moonlighted" to help with the writing despite being on Craig of the Creek by that point. (New episodes of Craig in July, they say! Get excited.) From here they slide into songs from the Steven Universe Movie, and we get a cool guitar version of "Other Friends" with all three of them.

Next, with a shoutout to aivi and surasshu (aivi's got a new record label for gentle digital fusion, called Infloresce Records, album Floral Folklore is out; and surasshu's got a new EP called 24, digital ringtones for every hour of the day, on bandcamp), they go into playing "Drift Away," which was co-written with Aimee Mann, one of Rebecca's heroes.

Continuing with "the Spinel portion of the concert, dedicated to Spinel," Rebecca and Jeff begin to play "Found," with Rebecca sharing the anecdote about needing to write this song but not having it yet, then hearing the song in a dream and waking up to write it down. Ian pipes up that it's true, he was there.

And the final song in the "Spinel Suite" is a version of "Change" with Rebecca singing and playing acoustic guitar, and Jeff Liu on electric guitar. Rebecca describes this as very challenging. They really rock out.

Rebecca takes a moment to thank Ian for being "the man in the chair," for running the light show behind them, for being OK KO's creator, and for being their husband. :) From here, the concert goes into a solo with Rebecca and the guitar to play "Change Your Mind," which is a personal song that got worked into the show. Rebecca plays the full version.

The next song is "Love Like You," which aivi and surasshu wrote and Rebecca provided the lyrics. According to Rebecca, the duo insisted that they do the singing even though they're very shy. It is, of course, the end credits song for Steven Universe.

At this point, Rebecca was told that the $20K goal was just reached.

With the promise of a new personal song to be played dangling over the chat for most of the concert, it was exciting to finally get here. So "Good Morning Afternoon" is the title of the promised original song. Lyrics (transcribed, not necessarily official):

Good morning afternoon Good morning afternoon I didn't think that I would be seeing you so soon Wasn't it just eleven half a minute ago? I thought the day was moving slow, I thought the day was moving, Wasn't it it just eleven half a minute ago? I thought the day was moving slow.

Because they're so excited about meeting the goal, they decide to give us a SECOND original song. They don't state the title. Lyrics (transcribed, not necessarily official):

Something, something's up ahead Just around the bend I remember when I felt just a little bit younger than our friends But they've gone on ahead And I've been left behind It's fine, I'll just find my own way to the end

To take us out of the concert, Rebecca closes with the song they got to write for OK KO: "It's Only Magic."

Everyone thanks the audience for watching THIS show as well and after one more glowing review of the Trevor Project's incredible resources and support for LGBTQ youth, the concert closes with about $21,000 raised.

#rebecca sugar #the trevor project #lgbtq+#steven universe #adventure time #craig of the creek #ben levin #jeff liu #ian jones-quartey #fundraiser #myblog

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Live on Instagram, Rebecca Sugar and Ben Levin (with help from Ian Jones-Quartey) have given us a two-hour fundraiser to benefit the Trevor Project, in honor of Bi+ Awareness Week.

It was a lovely evening hanging out with them. Please see below for a little breakdown of what songs they played and what was discussed during the stream in terms of bi+ youth resources, Rebecca’s experiences, and the importance of having support for bi+ people.

Please go to The Trevor Project and learn more about what they do and how you can help. Their Resources for Bi+ Youth packet is available on the site! You can also donate through Rebecca’s specific fundraiser.

More below:

#rebecca sugar #steven universe #adventure time #the trevor project #ben levin #craig of the creek #myblog

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Steven Universe Podcast: The Fantasy of Steven Universe

This is an outline of the Steven Universe Podcast regarding “The Fantasy of Steven Universe”: an issue of the podcast in which the creators and writers discuss a multitude of deep issues, along with some Q&A from both fans and insiders. No volume number or episode number was given for this one. The official description:

It's the last new podcast episode of the season and we asked the cast and Cartoon Network Executive team to submit questions to Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar and former Executive Producer Ian Jones-Quartey! They tackle everything from design to wormholes to escapism to advice to your younger self and dreaming big. Then former writers Matt Burnett and Ben Levin sit down with Rebecca to discuss lessons learned, achieving goals, and what they hope people take away from the show. And finally, Kat Morris and Joe Johnston return to answer a last batch of Fan Q&A!

This is a long podcast with a long summary, so as usual I will give you a bulleted list of highlights, followed by a detailed summary.

Highlights:

Many of the show’s themes and important elements were there right from the beginning--all the way back to the pilot.
Rebecca Sugar comments that she didn’t really learn how to have fun until 2016.
Figuring out how to pace the show out and reveal each piece of information at the right time so it could support another later revelation was very exciting to the writers. They had the pieces laid out like a puzzle on their table.

Mostly self-contained episodes still gave the audience a piece of information or represented growth for a character. The less “plotty” episodes helped keep the energy up.
The Crewniverse knew that their titles were sometimes trollish, but Ben was honestly surprised that people expected apocalyptic happenings for “Last One Out of Beach City.” It was just a Less Than Jake reference.
Rebecca really enjoyed getting the chance to “damsel” Greg for the Zoo arc; she really wanted to use a lot of princess tropes, even that one.
Viewers should take away from the show messages of compassion, self-love leading to ability to connect with others, ability to understand and listen to others, and opportunities to see themselves as well as to see others.
Rebecca has drawn all of Fluorite’s component Gems, but all she’ll say is “they’re fun.”
Lars and Lion are not immortal, but they will live for a very long time and have slowed-down lifespans. Kat Morris says Lars may have no sense of taste; that if he eats it’s just for sustenance.
Lars has all the same powers as Lion. He can indeed do a sonic blast and make portals and walk on water. They weren’t able to work this into an episode we’ve seen, but Rebecca assures us that Lars will discover his abilities and it will be “really funny.”

The Crew had specific voice actors they wanted for the Diamonds. They got who they wanted cast by writing excited letters. Susan Egan’s was particularly weird because she had to play Tiny Floating Whale first.
Blue Diamond was the most difficult Diamond to design because her hair was hard to decide on. Rebecca’s influences for her were Martha Graham’s “Lamentation” dance and Fruma Sarah’s ghost from Fiddler on the Roof.
Yellow Diamond was mostly directly inspired by Patti LuPone’s performance as Evita.
White Diamond was influenced by many old-timey vibes, including Hedy Lamarr in Ziegfeld Girl and the artistry of Nell Brinkley. She had heavy eyelashes and fingernails--lots of design elements they did not incorporate into other characters, so she could adhere to old, “stifling” beauty standards.

Rebecca was disappointed that reveals of Pink’s full jester-like outfit got out before we saw it in the show. Her hair was originally higher in early designs, which contributed to her mural having spikier hair.
Greg is based almost entirely on Tom Scharpling; Rebecca was comforted by his voice when she had upheavals in her life. There’s also a little bit of inspiration from various Crewniverse dads in him.
Another Gem could have a hybrid child like Steven only if they had enough power to do it and the complete commitment to the idea that Pink had.
Steven and his “Gem self” are not really separable and can’t exist independently of each other. His Gem half will not remain if his organic half dies. They are one being. He will likely have a very long life because of his Gem powers, but (though the Crew agrees this is grim), he will probably die before the Gems do.

The Jade Fusion won’t be in trouble anymore once the Jades come out of their bubbles; in Era 3, the act they were punished for is no longer disallowed. However, the trauma of being isolated and then punished as soon as they felt it was safe to fuse may require some healing. Rebecca assures us they should be able to have the opportunity to heal and be okay.
Obsidian definitely has future vision powers. In fact, they’re expanded to the point that the noise is difficult to interpret; very powerful, but difficult to get anything useful with them.
Pearl became a more maternal character because of her voice actor, Deedee Magno Hall, being “such a mom.”
Zach Callison as Steven was so genuine and professional to work with, and the vibe in the booth with regard to him was closely mirrored in the show.
Sometimes Deedee’s or Michaela’s ways of interacting with Zach would influence how Pearl or Amethyst would interact with Steven.
People would give lots of space and reverence to Estelle when she was reading her lines, which parallels how the other characters treat Garnet.

Only Steven can take anyone or anything through the pink space connected to Lars’s hair and Lion’s mane, but yes, Steven could take Lars through Lion’s mane, and if he stuck his head out, there’d be infinite Larses sticking out of infinite Lars’s hair until he pulled his head back in.
Designing new characters requires lots of back and forth and hundreds of drawings. Rebecca asks “why,” not “what”--why are you including something in a character’s design? If it doesn’t contribute to who they are, why is it there?
Influences on the show that may have been missed by some fans include G.I. Joe the animated series, Future Boy Conan, and Mr. Bug Goes to Town.
In response to Deedee requesting a fusion between Pearl and any of Rebecca’s childhood favorite cartoons, she suggests maybe either Bart or Detective Conan, then says she’ll have to think about it and get back to Deedee.
Advice Rebecca Sugar might have given her younger self was that it would be okay and she’d get to tell the story she wanted to tell--but also that she should eat, drink water, and exercise.
One profound thing Rebecca learned while working on the show was that she can be out and bisexual regardless of who she’s with, and that it DOES matter.
One profound thing Ian learned while working on the show was that the story you want to tell doesn’t have to be constrained by the medium--and your fantasy story isn’t necessarily someone else’s fantasy. You can tell your story.

The detailed summary is below!

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

#steven universe #steven universe podcast #long post #mckenzie atwood #rebecca sugar #ian jones-quartey #kat morris #ben levin #matt burnett #joe johnston #myblog

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Steven Universe Podcast Volume 3: Episode 9: "Rebecca Sugar" with Adam Muto, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Ben Levin & Matt Burnett

If you wanted to know why your usually dependable podcast-summarizing chick didn't do it last week, it has to do with literal death and taxes and you don't wanna know. I did manage to get a comic review out but even that was the morning of a freaking funeral. I hate being an adult, please let me watch cartoons.

This is Volume 3, Episode 9 of the official Steven Universe podcast, focusing on what it's like to work with Rebecca Sugar. McKenzie Atwood couldn't host this week due to a scheduling conflict, so Charles stepped in to handle hosting duties. ~~I'm afraid I don't know how to spell Charles's last name, perhaps someone could enlighten me?~~ Anyway.

The official description:

There would be no Steven Universe without Rebecca Sugar. Her incredible creative talent and vision gave rise to the beloved characters, worlds, and stories, and with the help of some other wildly gifted animators and storytellers, she was able to share Steven Universe with the masses. And in this special episode, some of the artists who helped develop and shape Steven Universe share their experiences working alongside Rebecca, the lessons they learned, and what they hope to carry forward in their own respective shows. Former Steven Universe writers Ben Levin and Matt Burnett, former Executive Producer Ian Jones-Quartey, and Rebecca's very first storyboard partner, Adam Muto, chronicle Rebecca's animation journey and pay tribute to her well-deserved success.

This, as usual, is bit long so I’ll do my bullet points of interest, with longer descriptions after the jump.

Highlights:

Adam Muto:

Adam Muto was Rebecca Sugar’s first storyboarding partner on Adventure Time after she moved into boarding from her revisionist position.
Adam felt that Rebecca’s drawings were more dynamic, fluid, and emotionally evocative than his; he felt kind of “basic” next to her.
Rebecca related to Marceline emotionally in the episode “It Came from the Nightosphere,” and Adam was able to support that even though he did not feel he related much to how the character was feeling.
Rebecca later started boarding on Adventure Time with Cole Sanchez (when Adam moved into a supervisory role), and Adam thought Cole was one of the funniest boarders they had--matching well with Rebecca’s different strengths of being funny but emotional and soulful.
Adam jokes that he felt betrayed when Rebecca was leaving for her own show, but realistically, yes, everyone expects their boarders who distinguish themselves through their work on a show to be offered a chance to pitch their own show.
Adam didn’t get to be involved in Rebecca’s Steven Universe pilot besides seeing early doodles of the characters, but when he saw the pilot, he thought it looked a lot like her comics, and was “very Rebecca.”
It is Adam’s perception that Rebecca always had strong convictions about what her show should be thematically, and that some of her work on Adventure Time tried to go there in ways it couldn’t really achieve. He thinks it was a matter of Cartoon Network catching up with HER, and he thinks they probably tried to talk her out of things that they talked them out of doing on Adventure Time as well.
When Adam would approach Rebecca for song contributions after she left the show, he describes devoting considerable time to getting past being ashamed of putting more work on her plate. But her songs always shaped episodes in such an important way that he thinks it was vital to include her work where he did.
Adam will contribute boards to a future episode of Steven Universe. He felt a little lost since he doesn’t really know the characters well, and everything’s so established, but his work is not part of a lore-heavy episode.

Ian Jones-Quartey:

Ian got his start in the animation industry by spending a lot of time as a youngster making his own comics, making his own work, and eventually cold-calling animation studios to try to get in and take tests.
An internship on Venture Bros. eventually turned into his position as animation director on the show.
Rebecca Sugar got her position as revisionist on Adventure Time and notified Ian that they were still looking for others to fill slots. He took a test and eventually after some back-and-forth got the green light to move to LA and work on the show.
Rebecca and Ian met in college (when she was a freshman and he was a senior and teaching assistant), but they didn’t start building on their connection until after Ian saw her work online and they reconnected at a housewarming party years later.
OK KO and Steven Universe were being developed for pilot pitches at the same time. Sometimes in the same room.
Ian helped Rebecca’s pilot by writing some jokes and helping with the action scene at the end. Rebecca helped Ian’s pilot by encouraging a positive relationship between KO and his mom and emphasizing how KO should rely on his friends.
Ian and Rebecca had a sort of pact that if one of them got a show, the other would work on it, and they’d cultivate their creativity and navigate the showrunning together.
Steven Universe was greenlit first and Ian was very dedicated to it, but the network kept developing his pilot too, eventually resulting in a game and a show. He worked on SU for as long as he could before having to move over to OK KO.
Ian’s strengths are in broad concepts and setting working down to character, while Rebecca does the opposite, working with characters and relationships first and then building out to larger contexts. They often have the same taste but approach it from different directions.
Rose Quartz’s history as Pink Diamond is based on Ian’s personal understanding of immigrants reinventing themselves in a new country. They had her background worked out within the first month of doing the show.
Ian thinks he’s learned from Rebecca about the importance of having a very clear idea of what feeling an episode should be about, and also that he thinks it’s important to give artists on your show the opportunity to do their own thing.
Ian and Rebecca were both kind of sad that Rebecca couldn’t contribute to OK KO in the same amount and capacity that Ian got to contribute to Steven, but her doing the end theme of his show is a reminder that her influence is still there. The end theme also reminds viewers that it’s a fun show for pure entertainment, and not to take it too seriously.

Matt Burnett and Ben Levin:

Ben Levin connected with Rebecca Sugar when he saw her amazing comic “Don’t Cry for Me, I’m Already Dead” online. He sent her an e-mail and she replied saying she was also familiar with one of his short films. Somehow years later, Ben and Matt ended up on the shortlist of people to approach for writing on Steven Universe.
Matt Burnett remembers seeing the Steven Universe pilot on a laptop in a café and being super excited at the idea of working on the show.
Matt and Ben really loved that Rebecca’s characters were so well written that they could discuss how they would act in detail; they weren’t so much deciding as realizing based on established character traits.
Working on Steven Universe prepared Matt and Ben for their own show, Craig of the Creek, in that they learned what moves an audience, what delights the viewers in terms of representation and references, how to guide the action through characters’ emotional motivation, and how to structure an 11-minute episode.
Ben and Matt were able to leave for their own show after they’d completed “everything that had been ordered up to that point,” which includes the episodes of the “Diamond Days” arc. They more or less got to see the culmination of everything they’d planned back in the beginning.
Now working as showrunners, Ben and Matt are applying lessons they learned on Steven, including how valuable it is to let everyone bring in childhood experiences, give the spotlight to people writing about their special interests, and encourage collaboration and input at every stage.

And finally, on the next podcast episode, McKenzie will be back with a podcast featuring Estelle!

Believe it or not, that was just the bullet points. Sorry for long post. The detailed summary is below!

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

#steven universe #long post #steven universe podcast #adam muto #ian jones-quartey #matt burnett #ben levin #sorry #rebecca sugar #adventure time #ok ko #craig of the creek #myblog

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Steven Universe Podcast MiniRecaps: Kevin Party (Episode 6)

This is the sixth episode of MiniRecaps, short behind-the-scenes peeks into episodes of the show. This episode covers “Kevin Party” and includes special guest writers Ben Levin and Matt Burnett.

The official description:

Steven Universe writers Ben Levin and Matt Burnett share the inside scoop on Kevin, Lion, and Clarence! They also provide some background info on the Blackberry, and how they both ended up in the episode!

McKenzie's first point is that Kevin uses a BlackBerry phone, and asks Matt and Ben if they decided to put that in. They say he's always had a BlackBerry and likes the tactile click, and he's not a conformist so he's got to stand out. McKenzie thinks of BlackBerries as business e-mail type phones, and the writers agree, saying Kevin's got a bunch of business to get up to, with a different phone every time, maybe just burner phones that are lying around his house.

McKenzie also brings up the Clarence reference--where Kevin has no idea what Steven's name is. They point out that the worst way to dismiss a person is that you don't even know who they are after you've met before, and they're bringing attention to the fact that Steven and Kevin have actually never really been introduced. (The name they were going to use was Louis at first, but it was changed to Clarence.)

The next thing McKenzie points out is that Lion was mad at Steven just like Connie was. She asks the writers to talk about why that is, and they say yeah, Lion's got feelings, and as Matt says, Lion's been "busting his furry butt" to keep Steven safe and then Steven goes and jumps on a ship? Come on. Of course he's mad.

And then they talk about Sabina, and McKenzie asks about backstory. They point out that you never know with Kevin--could be another long con, like the gag about how he has a sick little brother from "Beach City Drift," but then they admit yeah, Sabina's real, and Kevin’s attitude's got to come from somewhere. They like to show really cocky characters revealing a little crack in their armor sometimes. They even say they've gotten some "bonkers" pitches for Kevin-related stuff that will never, ever happen. But even though Kevin is always rude to Steven, and bad with Stevonnie, maybe he'd be polite if you brought him around your parents. Theoretically he knows how to act? Sabina probably saw through his act and broke his heart; apparently it's a reference to the 80s movie Say Anything, where a party-dude character loved a girl once and won't ever do it again because of the pain it caused.

McKenzie asks about whether the dudes bobbing their heads at Kevin's party were supposed to be Matt and Ben, and they confirm that yes, Hilary put them in the episode. The other background characters are of course based on Crewniverse folks, and Hilary was adding more of them in this episode. Matt joked that they wanted to get themselves in the episode because it was a COOL party, and that they had to pay money to get the cameo.

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

#steven universe #steven universe podcast #kevin party #ben levin #matt burnett #mckenzie atwood #myblog

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Steven Universe Podcast MiniRecaps: Back to the Kindergarten (Episode 4)

This is the fourth episode of MiniRecaps, short behind-the-scenes peeks into episodes of the show. This episode covers “Back to the Kindergarten” and includes special guest writer Ben Levin.

The official description:

Writer Ben Levin takes us behind-the-scenes for a quick look at the making of "Back To The Kindergarten." He sheds some light on the origins of the flower monster, Peridot hitting rock bottom, and what's going on with Connie and Steven!

McKenzie asks for Ben's thoughts overall, and he says he didn't realize until watching it back how there were so many similarities between this and "Gemcation." Everyone's still dealing with various types of aftermath. Steven faces a deep need to help Peridot . . . so he can use the bathroom again. Hah. McKenzie also mentions how similar it is to "On the Run."

Ben says that "cool ideas" float around the writer board for the show, and sometimes they'll pull a few of them and throw them into the same episode, getting to do several of their planned concepts at the same time. Ben thinks he remembers that they had the intention to have Amethyst return to the Kindergarten--it was a good follow-up for her finally meeting her kin in space--and perhaps do some gardening there herself, but they blended that idea with this episode.

Of course, then the sunflowers they planted die immediately and they have to deal with that disappointing lack of resolution while taking comfort in supportive company, just like "Gemcation."

Ben also agrees with McKenzie that Amethyst's personality in this episode is refreshingly confident. Following "Tiger Philanthropist," Amethyst just seems to have come into her own and can actually be comfortable in the Kindergarten, versus that terrible fight she had there with Pearl in "On the Run."

McKenzie asks Ben to talk about the flower monster. Rebecca apparently originally had an idea of a cute monster with a flower on its head, and in the hands of storyboard artist Paul Villeco the monster got less cute--it turned into a mole monster with digging teeth. Ben mentions having really wanted the monster to eat Peridot right after she has her rock bottom moment, too, like things just can't get any worse and then she gets eaten. Her friends then are able to lift her out of it.

Then they discuss a bit that was present at the outline stage which didn't make it to the episode; while preparing the Kindergarten for the sunflowers, Amethyst originally moved various rocks out of the way whom she had named back when she lived there, and some she was really polite to as she called them by their names, but one (referred to as "Lucy") she was really rude to, so Ben imagines they must have had some disagreements. That rock had a bad attitude.

Ben also says that Paul Villeco was responsible for drawing those morose faces on Peridot and coming up with her listening to sad country music in the bathroom. Originally there were lyrics about a guy down on his luck, but it was too intense for kids' TV apparently. It's canon that Peridot likes country music now, and Ben agrees that all the pieces fit--she was living at the barn, and probably saw on her Camp Pining Hearts DVDs that people in the country listen to country music, so she thinks that's what she's supposed to do.

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

#steven universe #steven universe podcast #back to the kindergarten #ben levin #mckenzie atwood #myblog

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Steven Universe Podcast MiniRecaps: Gemcation (Episode 3)

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]This is the third episode of MiniRecaps, short behind-the-scenes peeks into episodes of the show. This episode covers “Gemcation” and includes special guest writer Ben Levin.

The official description:

Steven Universe writer Ben Levin is talking about "Gemcation!" Find out where the Beach House was originally going to be, what made Greg the driving force in this particular episode, and why the bit with Garnet is Ben's favorite scene.

McKenzie introduces Ben Levin and asks for his general thoughts on the episode. Ben says there was an original plan to have the vacation house in the desert, and then it ended up being more out in the plains, so when he saw the final he thought "Oh yeah, that's what we decided!" McKenzie asks about where the original desert idea was, and Ben says even though they kinda wanted to do some different scenery for this, logistically it made more sense for them to not end up in a desert if they're going from Delmarva (essentially Maryland/Delaware area).

It was a very different episode for Steven because there's a conflict in the episode that doesn't get resolved, which is a challenge to write. McKenzie asks if it's hard to leave things unresolved and if it's tempting to put in some kind of resolution, and Ben says yes, there has to be SOME kind of resolution (especially since sometimes people watch TV to escape the lack of justice in the world--you might want to see things that are NOT like the stuff you have to put up with in real life, and not want to sit through experiences that are closer to mirroring your own dissatisfaction). But sometimes it's nice to show not getting what you want, and finding a way to move forward anyway. Steven's able to lean on his family and trust them in his disappointment.

Ben says they go through a lot of arcs with lots of action and then pull back to a smaller story. The writers don't want the audience to become numb with so much action, getting hit with that all the time. So, with the kind of show this is, they have to check in with how the characters are handling this emotionally. Not just Steven, but seeing how the Gems and Greg are concerned about Steven, with Greg as the driving force in the episode. Action won't mean anything if you don't know the characters and spend some time with them.

McKenzie asks Ben to speak about each of the other characters' reactions to how Steven is handling things. Amethyst and Steven have a special connection (they're the Shorty Squad, and both "feel like orphans in a way"), so that's why Amethyst tries to connect with him first. But the heart-to-heart doesn't work since Steven's not ready to open up. Then Garnet tries with her flashback in the silhouette style of "The Answer," with her big knowledge of everything, but Steven cuts that off. And then Pearl tries to open up to Steven but before she gets through what she's holding back, Steven blurts out what's really bothering him. Ben says the Garnet bit was his favorite, because you know everyone just really wants Steven to stop staring at his phone and let Garnet talk. ;)

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