Peridot and Autism | Steven Universe analysis
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
- A deep-dive Steven Universe character analysis all about our favorite green Dorito, with a particular emphasis on Autism Spectrum Disorder and how Peridot can be read as a character with a lot of Autistic traits (and why that matters!)
Special thanks:
OyasumiEve
@ForeverLorn (Unmasking Autism / Dr. Devon Price narration voice)
TIMESTAMPS:
Intro 00:00
Thoughts 8:23
Behavior 26:09
OyasumiEve and Conclusion 45:04
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sound. Link to all tracks used: docs.google.com/document/d/1v... 
Развлечения
EDIT: There's been a few comments about the term "latinx" in the video, so I hope I can clarify that a bit. That's the term Dr. Devon Price used in the book I was citing, so when referring to his research, I used his word choice. I'm not personally saying it's a good or bad term, and no offense was intended at all.
TIMESTAMPS:
Intro 00:00
Thoughts 8:23
Behavior 26:09
OyasumiEve and Conclusion 45:04
All songs used:
docs.google.com/document/d/1vMffN4twXCF5nPPyOmfGJfRRA6cSSNauCrHXkIiQAW8/edit?usp=sharing
If he used a slur would u use it? Just clarify that in the video
@@mrpickles-hb6zx it is clarified in the video
It is fine don't worry
@@mrpickles-hb6zxDude, Latinx is not a slur, if some Latino wants to use it, (It's a term literally made by genderless Latinos who prefer to use something not as masculine) then let them, you ain't oppressed comadre
@@mrpickles-hb6zxas a latino, it’s not a slur???
I was so happy when you were talking about autism and said "we". More autistic people need to speak up and discuss our representation. Steven Universe is a comfort show for me and what seems like a lot of other autistics, so I'm so happy about this video.
The creator of SU said that she likes the idea of Peridot being autistic and that people relate to her
@@thevarietychannelofyoutube4769she’s relatable to autistic people ah that’s why paradot is my favorite character
I’m autistic
See on the one hand it is good if people understand us but on the other hand I have a reason why I personally don't really speak up about it unless I feel like I absolutely have to. That reason being that I don't want to be defined by it I don't want to be known as the guy with Autism it isn't my entire life after all and I don't want other people to treat me like it is or should be.
@@nathanielweller25 I can understand your point of view, but from mine, since autism effects every aspect of my life, it is a core part of my identity and the more I mention it and accept it, the more I accept myself as I am. I can see how that ideology doesn't help everyone, but it definitely helps me.
30:40 What I always found the most interesting about Peridots "wow thanks" to gifts is where she picked up the phrase from. And it adds to the autistic reading but I never see anyone talk about it. When Steven firsts gives her a gift, he explains what a gift is, and includes that the typical reaction is "wow thanks", and from that point on /every time/ someone gives a gift of some kind to Peridot, she says "wow thanks" in that same tone. She full on mimics Steven in this social expectation, and it never occured to her that she could say something different. I do not know how this slips past peoples radars but its something I noticed rather quickly on my recent rewatch of the series.
I realized later on she started just saying “Thanks” and I think that’s pretty cool, in any way you interpret her is cool because it can mean that she has learned more of earth and you can really feel like she belongs in earth after everything she went through, or perhaps I’m just overthinking it
wow thanks
This and the way she first (mis)understood humor were desd giveaways to the way she was coded
So is this kinda like, when an autistic person didn't know how to react in a situation, so they just copy the reaction they saw from someone else? If that's what it is, then it's relatable af...
@@AlyxTheProtogen thats what it comes off to me as
as someone who's both autistic and asexual, I kind of think her reluctance to fuse could be contributed to either. For me personally, I think my asexuality more or less stems from sex causing me sensory issues and being overstimulating. I would imaging the fusing process could cause sensory issues. Not saying my experience is the same as everyone who's ace or autistic, but that's my perspective
Yeah
As an aromantic I also clung onto the smol clod after the one shot where she touched the rain for the first time and literally sobbed over having a new favorite gem. Woo shootouts to acearo lapidot rep !!!♡🎉
aroace autistic here, can confirm
nice night in the woods pfp
Fusion isn’t sex tho
I love peridot, though I was diagnosed as autistic and adhd early as possible (my father was nerodivergent and so made sure I had gotten an early diagnosed) I never really understood my autism as a kid. I felt far more comfortable with my adhd label than my autistic label. But in steven universe, I saw my autistic traits in her, and saw people describe her as autistic and also relate to her online. I saw peridot grow and be a loved Character, autistic traits in her being loved. Peridot helped elementary and middle school me learn to love myself, and all my traits.
off topic but i thought u were me n i was so confused 😭😭
@@thereza3 profile pic twin lol🍳🍳
@@fanaticalistic yes queen
I have the same thing I got diagnosed with autism and adhd (I don't use medication) and I just accepted it but now I have been diagnosed with dyslexia. PS my dad has autism and my mom has ADHD and dyslexia so that's were I got it from
I messed up spelling at first so I edited it
Another autistic trait that resonated with me and she showed as well!
Because of all the unspoken social rules, we tend to literally mimic the first thing we assume others view as the right behavior, sometimes imitating phrases, behaviors, and looks from the media we interact with too.
Peridot's "wow thanks" is a clear example. She first got it from Steven after he told her how people react to getting gifts, which she added verbatim to her vocabulary.
Her new form adapting all the crystal gems' looks also counts, as she sees the best way to be friends with them is to be like them.
I'll be honest the autism is very confuse for me, i'm goin to therapy to know if i have autism but the "spectrum" is very confuse for me because i've seen some representations about it and/or experiencies but sometimes i'm like oh wait that's me, but sometines i'm like that's not me which confuses me a lot even knowing about "spectrum" and i'm not sure of what i have but i just realized that during my second appointment the psychologist gave me a test about being PAS and i don remember how much ago from my research i found out that sometines they might think it's PAS but it's actually autism (i'm not sur e) it's hard to explain bc i.. idk i just can't explain how i feel, it's been hard to feel somtin lately exept for the fact that somtimes i will smile and maybe blush bc yes, but again i'm not sure, i don't think i have autism i mean, i know i have somtin.. but idk what somtin yet, but from my research i felt represented with what seems to be "autistic burnout" which might make sense because i just realized i've had a lot of experiencies similar to autistic people, even doing the same and somtimes i'm shy but sometines i just go isane with a lot of energy (hard to explain, maybe bc i'm 14 and sometimes im VERY TALKATIVE but sometimes... I just can't talk, i want to say something but i can't and i start to do a smal movement) and i had some problems with the school, everything has changed rn bc my teacher helped me to get help (i've always been energetic and positive at the school, triying to know how to make frends or what is a frend but sometimes being confused, like i've been kind, talkative and energetic but some people didn't want to be my frends, they thought i was *weird* which confused me, bc i've always seen kind characters being gud and i was confused, maybe something is wrong with me? Maybe they don't really like the kind peopl¿
@@Lunaption I guess ye the confusingness is part of what also makes it a spectrum. And if one single label doesn't feel right, that's what the neurodivergent label can be used for too, as a catch-all for mental conditions, since so many like autism and ADHD and OCD have overlapping traits too.
@@DragonitaPurple ty purpl, have a nice day or nidht and don't forget to drink water:D
@@Lunaption you too! ^^
Just something i wanted to share about Peridot pushing Greg:
She actually came to the conclusion that Earth beings had "flight capabilities" (i believe are her exact words, doing this off memory) after seeing a ladybug take off, and pushed Greg off the roof to see what would happen. Not because she thought he would be fine, but because she had no stake in his well being. To her, he and the ladybug were the same. Lesser lifeforms of Earth she could test her hypothesis on. That was just part of her logic back then
Honestly glad they didn't make her kind or (completely) harmless at the beginning, I feel like there wouldn't be much to grow from other than traits that made her more autism coded.
She was able to outgrow her classism and learned not to look down on earthlings and to care about their wellbeing, as well as caring about others feelings in general. She even ended up being lapis' primary form of emotional support after a while, although I think that development occurred offscreen mostly.
As someone who's autistic, the second point in 3:14 is very real. If I'm put into a dangerous situation that isn't initially apparent to me and no one comes up and basically says "hey that situation you're in was dangerous" then it usually takes me a few hours at least and almost a week at most to realize how much danger I was potentially in
Same... :/
Real
Felt that. I was helping my grandpa fix a screen porch once and he slipped off some scaffolding we put up and shattered his ankle. Needed several screws and plates put in and everything. But i never really panicked. I just kinda got him up and sat him on the steps. Got a bucket of ice water to help with the swelling. Then once he was ready i walked him to his car and drove him to the ER. I didnt even process that i probably should have panicked or freaked out until several hours after and was like "Damn. That was like, a really bad situation huh"
SAAAAME
That's very true.
People talk about more people sharing their autistic experience like it's a bad thing. Up until people started doing that, I thought I was alone. I used to cry myself to sleep every night because I wished I was "normal." I was bordering on suicidal because I thought there was nobody else like me
I had that problem for so long... from the age of six until the age of 33 (I'm 35 now) and before I found out I was autistic... I decided I wasn't the problem, the world was the problem. I liked myself and loved my interests and had all these hobbies and things that made me happy... and if the world didn't like it, they were the broken ones. I think I was lucky to discover that feeling first because upon learning I was neurodivergent... Everything clicked and made sense, and instead of thinking "oh, I'm different, I'm broken, I'm wrong..." I realized that I was more than the description and definitions of what that meant.
I hope you're well, and I hope you realize you're not alone.
Well I hope now you think your not alone ❤️ your a star and don’t forget that⭐️
My motto is "Weird is just another word for special" normal is boring anyways.
One of the managers at my work thanked me for talking so openly about my history with struggles and the problems that come from my autism and adhd because hes got both and he said he just hadnt heard anyone talk about it as freely as I do since it wasnt an open topic when he was younger (hes like 10-15 years older than me) but he said a lot of the things hes experienced overlap with mine and just listening to my process of “diagnosis” and “treatment” (not for autism or adhd but of specific problems like sensory issues diagnosis meaning identification and treatment meaning acceptance, mitigation, or avoidance) has helped him make a lot of progress on being more comfortable in his head. It probably helps that im a little odd and tend to romanticize things in my head like pre diagnosis my thoughts were “im less human and therefore less valuable” and now post diagnosis its “im inhuman and therefore cooler and more interesting” i like to joke about seeing myself as an eldritch god because my difficulty with time and how quickly everything around me seems to move in relation to me progress wise. I think even given the chance I wouldn’t want to permanently become neurotypical because I like myself now and that would be very different if I didnt process things the way I do. I would very much like to temporarily become neurotypical because I think having a control group for “human information processing” for my personality modules that I try to run situations through when I find a disconnect in my processing and the world around me
On similarities between Lapis and Peridot: CPTSD/PTSD and Autism have a lot of traits which may appear similar from the outside. The difference is of course, that one is a disorder and a wound, while the other is a way the person is. An autistic person guarding their needs and a person in a trauma response being avoidant of triggers as their brain and body are trying to protect themselves may loo very similar from the outside.
I think it's probably this connection which brings Lapis and Peridot together in some way (though of course their relationship has loads of other reasons to exist and they have lots of other connections) but also leads to relationship struggles between them.
For example, the scenes where Peridot is trying very very hard to gain Lapis' trust, but keeps triggering her and not understanding why Lapis doesn't really repsond to her genuine attempts to connect even when she is aware of her triggers and trying to avoid hurting her. Peridot has a hard time not internalizing Lapis' responses, and tends to blame herself or thinking it's because of something about herself rather than the wounds Lapis is healing from. Which is a very common thing to happen with neurotypicals and neurodivergents alike, but interacts with Peridot's neurotype here I feel.
Also note that autism and trauma disorders can and often do co-occur and I certainly don't mean to imply they don't. Autistic folks are actually more vulnerable to them or have trauma from masking or other issues being neurodivergent in a neurtypical world.
Anyway, this is all my interpretation, but thanks for the vid describing all of your thoughts. I think it's awesome using fiction to explore and process stuff like this. For autists like us this is definitely even more true imo.
I've had the great fortune of not experiencing trauma growing up, but sooo many times I'd hear people asking me "who hurt you?" and it really messed with my head. I suppose that's why I have a deep sense of empathy for people who HAVE gone through trauma, because in the eyes of others, I'm the same as them.
peridot's redemption arc started just a month or two after i got my autism diagnosis and as someone who had never seen an autistic or autistic-coded character in media, (aside from maybe that guy in the big bang theory,) peridot made me feel kinda seen.
i'm not a woman, but i was raised female and was therefore diagnosed relatively late compared to autistic people who were born male, and seeing a fem-presenting autistic-coded character felt special.
There’s an Australian show called Heartbreak High and they also have a fem-presenting autistic character named Quinni.
Nah 😂 yall trippin as a goth she obviously is just a 80s goth. She has thr cure haircut an everything
Her semi intellectual way of speaking us how they do it
An tthey hate everything often coming off as a bully
Might be a self insert of someone the maker of the show knew
We done good
Overall, great video. I am autistic too and I definitely related to and loved Peridot back when I watched the show. Hopefully, we will get even more good autistic representation in the future. For any Steven Universe fans who are looking for some good autistic rep, I would highly recommend the show Dead End: Paranormal Park. One of the main characters, Norma, is canonically autistic and overall I think the show is a good spiritual successor to Steven Universe. The guy who created the comic that the show is based off of is even autistic himself, if I remember correctly.
Personally, I would also recommend The Owl House, Amphibia and She-ra and the Princesses of Power. All three had neurodivergent or autistic-coded characters that I think were excellent.
What character in the owl house is autistic? Hunter?
Edit: nvm, I just read it said neurodivergent, I’m guessing you mean Luz having adhd canon
@@theoneandonlyspider Yes. As far as I know, Luz is the only canon neurodivergent character although a lot people as interpret Hunter, Gus and Camila (Luz's mom) as also being neurodivergent.
*Spoilers*
There is even a subplot in season 3 about Camila being a "secret nerd" that some people interpret as being about masking. Camila was viewed as weird and possibly bullied when she was younger so she felt pressured to raise Luz to be more "normal". Thats why she tried to send Luz to that "think in the box" summer camp. It was a misguided attempt to protect her daughter.
@@radicalpasta7040 Luz honestly was the worst representation for adhd lol.
What is the fashion for autism? What exactly is in the west
fire video bro 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
🥛
Woah, the milkers.
Mmmmmmmmmm milk
It’s the guy
“I hope I don’t spill the milk”
*spills milk*
“Dang it”
I'm not autistic (I think.) But the end of the video made me cry. I am as childish as they come. I have been told I was loud (I can get excited, and need to be remedied that not everyone in the coffee shop wants to hear my rundown on Smoky's best quotes). I have been told (literally) that normal people wouldn't do what I just did. So someone saying it was okay to be different is a huge thing.
And who I relate to is Smoky quartz. Or Chidi from the Good place. Thanks for this video (again I don't think I'm autistic I just share some traits)
The best part of spectrum
Same
Honestly, I think you should try to look more into autism (and maybe even an adhd) diagnosis, or even just learn more about it through communities of people who themselves are neurodivergent and sharing their experiences, since this gives a much more nuanced look into how people deviate from the stereotypes and how autism as a different way your brain is wired can look like, since the most visible ways of being when you are autistic are as different as neurotypical people are. I am autistic and adhd myself, and I have a special interest in psychology, especially neurodivergencies, even since years before I could've gotten any diagnosis I was already learning so much about every detail of neurodivergencies, until some time ago now I got diagnosed after years of suspecting it myself. It has helped me so much more than I could've ever imagined. Not specifically because a diagnosis will magically make your life better, but because that gave myself an understanding and acceptance of how I am I didn't know could bring me so much joy and help me deconstruct so many ableist and bad things we tragically learn and internalize just by living in this society. You don't need to get a diagnosis, or even identify yourself as anything you aren't comfortable with, but since your comment deeply resonated with me and how I used to perceive myself, I recommend you look deeper into this, as it may help you so much aswell.
Also, when learning what special interests actually were and accepting them in myself, I learned how much I absolutely loved seeing other autistic people finally understand themselves and not judge themselves for the way we naturally enjoy things, and to unlearn the shame of being "too much", "too loud", "too fast or slow", etc
@@emiaugacha9614 this comment came at the worst, best possible time. Worst because I hate crying but best because once again, I feel seen and understood (after someone telling me I should grow up today. Still not planning on it.)
I did some research, mostly on adhd and bpd but also on autism. I did realize my sister's probably autistic, (she agrees and is now doing her own research). However I do have (well most likely, I'm not diagnosed. I only recently started seeing a therapist.) cPTSD. Some of the things I do I now think (or know) are because of that. I was considered for a diagnosis of adhd as a child but my parents decided against it.
I stopped the research because after my family showed disinterest in my findings (they have since started to want to hear about it, but it's kinda late in terms of how I'm effected) and I moved away from home and started to have more issues than before, researching mental health became... almost an obsession. I couldn't not for a while, because not looking up a behavior and what mental illness it could be gave me anxiety, but when I did look it up, I became even more anxious. Because it didn't give me answers, or because the answer I got was (in my eyes) bad. That was mostly bpd. So I stopped (which proved to be a somewhat working strategy).
I'm now rambling. What I wanted to say is:
Thank you. This means the world to me, especially after being perceived as childish today (though my coworker was really nice and only said she didn't understand me.) All I want in this life is to be understood. So thanks for taking the time to write this.
I did do some research and I came to the conclusion that I do see some of the autistic traits in myself, but they could very well be because of something else (adhd, cptsd) and I have more in common with those traits.
I know a diagnosis could help but... it involves not only going to a doctor (psychologist but in my eyes it's the same) but making an appointment. Which, of course, I can't do online. I have to make a phone call. So until it becomes life threatening or someone sets it up for me it's not going to happen. (I am seeing a therapist but the point of that is to deal with my triggers and bad learned behaviors from trauma. Also, I only had to write an introduction and my mom knew so I couldn't just back out. She set it up for me.)
Sorry for the random oversharing. I might delete this comment in the next few days when it's not 11 pm and I realize I shared too much. Until then, thanks for listening (sort of). And thank you again. I will try to get back into research because it is actually interesting. It just became... too stressful without a release.
I love both you guys.
Happy Thanksgiving. 🙂
Me watching you explain autism while being autistic: W E L L T H E N T H A T M A K E S S E N S E
meanwhile me with my bitchy sarcasm: COULDN’T TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT THAT BUDDY
@@renataaristimuno5269 nuh uh
"Some autistic people really thrive within the routine and order of a school system" this is why I'm getting a PhD. The real world is scary so I'm staying in my comfy academia bubble for as long as possible.
SAME
Lol I dont know how to explain it but I have like extreme authority problems and also need routine but cant usually enforce it on my own courtesy of adhd. I think Ideally I need to broaden my understanding of reality so I can give myself broader rules. Like instead of workout because you feel nice daily same thing every time. I can go exercise 3 times a week in some way because the specific thing itself is less useful for getting that enjoyment than just moving around. The authority problems im referring to is that I cannot process a demand without my brain going “fuck you I dont want to anymore” even if im the source of the command. The only person ive found is an exception to this are people I perceive treat me as “human” like for instance my boss and I speak very deeply with each other (she actually pushed me to get diagnosed and I love her id take a bullet for her for that cause I lost motivation like 6 times during that process) and close friends that I would consider to sufficiently understand my processing. Like my friend while our understanding of each other isnt absolute she is one of the first people I have witnessed assuming good intent from me and then explaining the problem to me instead of not saying anything then taking it out on me hoping id notice or just assumed I meant harm then stopped speaking to me altogether. We have a little joke where well talk about how some thing are true but unhelpful (its less a joke and more just something we find funny and like to talk about) because when helping my sister with relationship things shell say like “thats definitely true but its probably unhelpful right now” and then I can find a way to discredit what I had previously said without fully lying. Like my sisters boyfriend was still talking (friends) to someone he hooked up with and she said she wanted him to stop talking to the hookup because he wanted to not because she wanted him to and I told her that if he didnt want to talk to her he wouldnt be and that him asking her displays he values his relationship with her over his friendship with the other person so I dont understand the problem or need for a roundabout communication method. And my friend told me that its definitely true but my sisters in highschool and will likely only process the first half of what I said and rake it to mean he wants to talk to the girl he hooked up with so I then backtracked and said but maybe he didnt process it and just spoke to her because she spoke to him. And then gave personal anecdotes of times ive spoken to someone I was indifferent to because they spoke to me
Really great episode! I’m always hesitant to have autism headcanons because I worry about being too stereotypical. It’s really nice to hear about the subject from someone within the community. It helps to give me a much better understanding of the situation. Thank you for the video.
At my school my high functioning autism made me the "problem child" at my first school. So I was treated pretty poorly to the point where I have severe trust issues. Sometimes I think people only tolerate me and not actually like me as a friend. I've worked past a lot of this and typically feel pride in being autistic as weird as that seems. I was surrounded by a family that gave me the care I needed and Ive grown so much. So screw people who say Im weird or crazy. Because at least to me I'm just different and thats amazing in my opinion.
Glad ur doing well 😊👍
As someone on the spectrum I know how hard the self acceptance journey can be
I love to see a video being made about this. When I was younger and I watched SU, me and some of my friends really related to Peridot. We also all realized we were autistic later... I also personally head canon Pearl as being autistic, I relate to her so much it scares me. I like that no one is ever mean to her about it either, that's just the specific way Pearl is. I used to try to mask the fuck out of my autism to the point it caused me physical long term damage, so I'm really happy SU characters get to be themselves.
Glad to see other people in the comments headcanon Pearl as autistic!
HELLO FELLOW KIRB
i first watched steven universe when i was younger and felt like peridot was just a cooler version of me-- and i happened to rewatch it after being diagnosed with ADHD, and i realized that she _is_ neurodivergent, whether intentional or not. she gave me so much hope in hard times, and she's probably my personal favorite representation of neurodivergence in media. no matter if she was meant to be, or she wasn'tz
Attorney Woo mentioned!
On another note, I have Autism myself and often fear interactions with others and doubt myself because I don’t know how others will interpret me. I often feel I hold myself back from my full potential because the way I mask (and I do it often) is by being quiet. If I’m quiet, I can’t ‘mess up’ and no one will think I’m weird. But I want to show people what I’m really like because I think I’m freaking awesome!
Peridot is one of my favorite characters and a great rep to me. I love how free she seems and unapologetically herself. It just really makes me happy.
Same here it's so good to see a character that I relate too.
I'm autistic and I identify with Pearl a lot too! She's pretty similar to Peridot, it's just that she's been living on Earth longer and has thus grown more accustomed to it. Her OCD, her fixation on Rose, her emotional reactions when she's wrong about something, and her reluctance to eat because it feels weird are a few of the traits that I can relate to autism!
Here are also some of the stuff I noticed:
-Refers to things with different names when she can’t figure out the name of something “get your touch-stuffs off me!”
-Focused on directive, feels anxious when things don’t go right “the whole point of coming here was to check on the cluster!”
-Can’t think of other insults to use, so she just repeats the same one and expects it to have the same effect time after time “CLODS!”
-Can’t function when routine/norm is broken “I don’t know anything without my screen.” “WHERE are my limb enhancers?!”
-Stims by chewing!!!! (Her fingers)
-Childish tendencies (curling into a ball, whining, etc)
-Doesn’t understand when she’s being rude/when her conversations don’t go as expected “Uh, that will be all…? /How do you get her to leave?!/”
-Doesn’t understand when things don’t go in her favor “BUT I WON!!!”
-Repeats others’ behavior (pulling her eyelid down at Steven, “what’s your shirt”, etc)
-When she runs on all fours, it’s motor skill difficulty
-Has autistic meltdowns in several points during the show
-’that isn’t the correct response’
-special interests! obsessive behaviour over these! (camp pining hearts!!!)
-doesnt understand things in general/ grasp the idea of them easily without comparing them to metaphors shes familliar with.
-literally cannot read social cues at all, like not understanding why everyone was mad when she insulted their recently dead loved one and leader and close friend and mother, and her legacy in it could’ve been great
-laughing at jokes even if she doesn’t understand them
-trying really hard to understand them tho!!
-infodumping (percy and pierre)
-scripts! (in the episode ‘too far’ with the funky names for things)
-stimming by repeatedly typing “CLODS” on her tablet during a scene with amethys.
-Avoiding eye contact.
-Hisses at steven at some point i forgot when.
-Has a monotone voice during unfitting situations (when steven gifts her the tablet and she says "wow, thanks")
-uses a tape recorder to record things she wants to say instead of just saying them to amethyst during the scene when shes trying to apologise.
-and in one of the earlier episodes when she leaves the bathroom she locked herself in, she is surpriesed when steven knows things she doesnt and calls him a "more intelligent life form than i thought" (another example of being unintentionally rude)+ she paces back and fourth while thinking out loud in the same scene (a form of stimming)
All in all, the people that say "she only acts like this because she is an alien" wont make sense because none of the other gems take this long to learn social skills and are this foreign to human communication, and even if you dont want to conclude that shes autistic you cant deny that she is *atleast* akin to autism in some way.
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Peridot is my favorite character as well, the same as i relate to her as someone asexual, aromantic AND autistic! seeing her interact with everything made me feel seen, she just makes me so happy. Because of my autism i misread many signs from people over the years to realize they didnt value me or accept me. This lead me to a complete isolation from society on top of my struggles to understand and interact with people, especially without a clear direction and topic the interaction is going for and the way how easy it is for me to be exhausted mentally. Because of that i often dont realize i leave people, because of the lack of topic i can tackle with them or my reaction to something being not what shouldve been. Most of the time its perfectly fine for me, i enjoy me time more than anything, but other times it feels increadibly lonely, alongside my family dismaying my identity.
I hope i can eventually move past my trauma and grow like she did, surrounded by people that want her around
This video made me feel heard. I was diagnosed with autism pretty early in my life. Because of that, I was a difficult kid to deal with both at school and home. Steven Universe was my escape. I’ve always found Peridot relatable and as her character progressed, I related to her even more.
Also you mentioned Lain so I instantly liked the vid lol
Same here it's so good to be heard
I love this as someone late diagnosed autistic and a love for Steven universe I resonate so much with this vid
I am both autistic and aroace. I have not yet been diagnosed as autistic, but that is becuase my mother did not want to deal with my condition, even though she stated multiple times she thinks I'm autistic, and I clearly have very obvious traits of it. Extreme meltdowns, adverse reactions to textures, smells, sounds. Struggling to regulate emotions. Struggling to communicate with others. As a kid, I saw myself as very shy, but over time it worsened into social anxiety (it's pretty bad atm). But becuase my mom also liked to call me "autistic" as a way to make me feel bad when I was misbehaving, for a while I tried to deny that I could possibly be autistic. Only just this year have I opened up about this, and realized that being autistic does not equal being a bad person or being lesser in some way. A ton of memories from when I was younger and had meltdowns or struggled to understand others came back to me, reminding me that the only reason I am not diagnosed is simply becuase my mom never told anyone about my problems.
Also, something I want to mention I think is that, the kids at my school never (as far as I know) saw me as weird, and becuase I was talkative, not quite shy either (though like I said, I saw myself as shy, becuase I was nervous about talking to people at first). Though, I am a girl (actually i don't feel gender, i'm agender, but it's whatever idc about what i'm called), so maybe i just masked better? But i also had a small class, with a relative teaching at the school as well. I enjoyed my school, for the most part. However, my mom still pulled me out to homeschool after 3rd grade. (this was partly becuase she planned on moving, and when I moved schools during 2nd grade I HATED the new school for lots of little small reasons, that were very big to me. one night I had a meltdown, lied on the floor and said I would not go back to that school the next day. after that i moved back to the school i enjoyed for my last year during 3rd grade.)
I did not like homeschooling becuase my mom did not have any sort of routine whatsoever, plus I needed to be in an entirely different place to do my work or else i would not be in the right headspace for working (I struggled with homework in public school for this reason!! if they had just let me have time to do it at school, that struggle would be avoided possibly entirely). So, I had meltdowns and refused to do my work. This went on until I started highschool online, to which I am currently still doing, and I still struggle (tho less than homeschool was) becuase there is no clear routine, and I am unable to form one myself becuase I do not know when we will run out of wifi data, when my mom will want me to go to town with her, ect... plus I still do not have a separate space for doing my work. the conditions my autism calls for is just all wrong.... and on top of all this, I didn't have any irl friends outside of school and after moving, I had nobody, aside from my sibling. so i was quite lonely and sad. (actually, I still don't have irl friends, but I at least made a best friend online last year and hope to meet them irl someday)
anyways... I kind of went off on a tangent there. onto me being aroace,
I realized I was asexual before this year, closer to around 4 or 5 years ago. And I realized I was aromantic last year. I don't think me being aroace is tied to my autism, becuase rather than it being an issue with sensory related things (though those are still there as well), I genuinely just don't feel attraction in those ways, I don't get those feelings. Yet, I've seen a LOT of autistic people who do feel these things but don't express them in the same way as others. However, I've also HEARD that being aroace is more common among autistic people, but I'm not sure how true this is.
... I'm not sure where I was going with this tbh I just wanted to say I see a ton of myself in peridot, with being both autistic AND aroace, so I love that a lot.
ik this was long so if u read the whole thing.... here have a cookie for congrats 🍪
Peridot and Lapis clearly have a Intended story arc about overcoming their individual issues with fusion. Dropping this clear direction was probably why they did not have much of anything to do later on.
Another fictional character who I tend to headcanon as autistic is Entrapta in She-Ra. She has a lot of the same quirks as Peridot. I'm not autistic (or at least I've never been diagnosed as such) but my best friend is and a lot of what was outlined in this definitely fits to what I've learned about him over the years we've been friends. I value my friendship with him a lot and I'm glad that there are people making content with the goal of normalizing the quirks that autistic people have.
I think the creator said she was
@@nv3363 I think her voice actress said she head canoned her as autistic, not the creator. Not sure on that
@@765craven4 the show runner ND Stevenson confirmed that she was written as autistic
This video essay is an outstanding piece. Thank you for enlightening us on the topic of autism. I saw the traits of Peridot as autistic and I'm glad I found this video to help me understand better and well, also kind of relate. Steven Universe will always hold a special place in my heart and you're right, it does feel like home. Thank you again, and you've earned yourself a new subscriber. ;)
honestly ive always hated when people say "autistic people have a hard time socializing" because what they mean is, autistic people and neurotypical people both have deficits when it comes to talking to eachother
ik, when talking to other autistic pepole, i can communicate just fine, they know what im talking about
autisic pepole just have diffrent commucation settings then non autistic pepole
repeating things from media like singing or just phrazes is sort of a stim and we saw peridot doing that with a song from her favorit tv show
Peridot was how I realized I was autistic.
See, I'd read the DSM-5 autism criteria a few times before, but for some reason, it never clicked with me.
That was, until I saw a post on tumblr about Peridot's autistic traits. And I immediately had a breakthrough. "Wait... THAT'S what autism is!?!? Oh my god. That's... That's me."
IMMEDIATELY I checked the DSM-5 criteria again, and it was like a veil had been lifted. I realized what each meant, and I realized that I actually fit most if not all of the criteria.
I joined online autistic communities and interacted with tons of other autistic people, and after a while I started self-dxing as autistic. It was... Pretty damn obvious, honestly.
The more time passed, the more certain I and everyone around me was. I spoke to my parents about how I was as a kid, and they said they considered getting me diagnosed because my teacher suggested it, but back then there was so much stigma against autistic folk that they worried it'd lead me to being bullied and discriminated against. On one hand, it sucks that they didn't do it back then and save me so much trauma and trouble growing up. But on the other hand, when I was a kid, autism was way more stigmatized than it is now. Don't get me wrong, it's still stigmatized, but back then there wasn't much ND awareness at all, and I can understand why they worried about getting me officially diagnosed. But I do wish they'd have told me that they'd considered it once I grew old enough to understand. But, they didn't understand themself, so they never thought to test me when I was a teen either.
My own internalized ableism and the misinformation I'd heard about autistic people my entire life had led me to think "nah, that couldn't be me"... Until that post about Peridot.
I owe that post the world.
neurodivergent meaning we think differently, this is awesome I'm actually so happy I found this channel very excited to binge your content now
This video was amazing. Sending it to several people to help them understand me. Thank you
I know that this wasn't your intention with this essay, pero you still accomplished something very helpfull.
Fantastic video!!! Peridot will forever be my favourite character
Ah, this was lovely. As an afab adult who's been told to be in the spectrum, but has never gotten an official diagnosis (due to specialists choosing against it for the time being, sadly), neurodivergent characters are very important to me. Every time I resonate with them it feels like someone is reaching out and saying "you're not alone", even from before I started to think of myself as within the spectrum. Conversations about autism and developmental disabilities weren't as widespread or common as they are today, a few years ago, but as time goes on it gets easier to talk about it with others, and sooner than later I might be able to truly come through and get an actual diagnosis like I so much desire to. It's wonderful to hear from your experience, as it is to hear from many others every now and then, and reinforce the notion that there's other people that understand me, and that there's an explanation for the way that I am, and why I struggle with things and situations that a lot of people would simply look past. Why I always felt incredibly drained after interacting in social gatherings, for years referring to myself as a "social chameleon", picking apart conversations and reactions so I could adapt to every single person I met, and avoid making them uncomfortable... which demands an awful ton of energy, and at the end of the day I felt so incredibly exhausted and burnt out. I prefered to stay home whenever possible, as I began to subconsciously dread putting myself in that sort of position.
Talking is a nightmare, sometimes. I can't fully trust that I'll be able to control what comes out of my mouth, and oftentimes it's hard to even communicate what I really have in mind, because words escape me or I get stuck. My speech pattern, at best nowadays, has turned into something a little bit awkward, paused, with brief silences in between phrases so I don't forget to breathe and have a chance to collect my thoughts. I don't remember struggling this much in school, thinking I had mastered social interaction and I was some sort of social butterfly; adapting to everyone gave me a boost of confidence to talk with anyone and to start potential friendships. It also helped me stand up for some friends that struggled way more with social interaction, and I was happy to help them out. Always accommodating and facilitating for others, which I've come to learn is another tendency I have to grow out of for my own sake, even if it's endlessly difficult to do so, because I can't unlearn the impulse to be kind and respectful, and balancing those concepts seems impossible.... ah, I went on on a tangent. Well, thing is, interacting with other people in person wasn't particularly hard until after lockdown, when I realised all those world-traversing tools I had produced through the course of my entire life had gone unused for a couple of years and a half, and my "social skills" became rusty beyond repair. It's like my mask cracked, and it felt like a nightmare. Suddenly, I wasn't so confident at all when having to present in front of others, whereas before I actually volunteered because I had teached myself how to do it effectively. I froze, and stuttered, and my hands and voice trembled and my face grew warm with embarrasement, etc. I was so certain that this wasn't a problem for me, but I've had to work into building up honest courage in the last year or so of getting back to college.
Mostly because, and due to other psychological health issues, I went back to talking to a therapist, and at the same time, started to seriously look into my condition. That the almost-diagnosis I couldn't get years prior (due to me dropping sessions) may have held an awful lot of ground and could explain so many things. My obsession with specific pieces of media, and their characters, and me growing genuinely interested in topics that related to them and their enviroment, that also enhanced my own hobbies and helped me gain new skills, was another important point as well.... Hell, it is what I love the most about whatever it is I have, why hide it now, here? I admit I still feel super sheepish to bring it up with my therapists, out of a foolish fear that it'll be weird, when in reality I couldn't go on with my life or can't imagine what it'd be like without my special interests. They mean everything to me, they are a huge part of who I am, they serve as support every single day and help me navigate all sorts of circumstances better due to association, and because tying certain things to what I like helps me gain focus. My favorite characters feel like actual friends, sometimes. I admit I talk to them out loud, or even just to myself, when I'm on my own. It's fun and liberating, and it kinda hurts having to fight the urge to do it when I'm around others who just wouldn't understand. I even avoid expressing so much with my family, because I don't want to be loud, or odd, or embarrasing, but little by little I'm starting to believe that these anxieties are just holding me back from being truly happy and authentic, every step of the way.
And wouldn't you know? representation in media helps *immensely* . When I look back in time, I can now identify so many characters I grew incredibly fond of for various reasons, and who share many traits that qualify for a neurodivergent reading. Peridot was a huge fave of mine, when she was starting to become more prominent in Steven Universe (I watched the show because of her, and because she reminded me of Zim, another favorite from my early childhood and preteen years). Today, a month or so ago, I got to finally sit down and watch an anime series that had been on my to-watch-list since it released in 2020: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, and now I low-key berate myself for taking so long to indulge in it, because it instantly became one of my favorite things, ever. My favorite character is Asakusa Midori, and I would sincerely and wholeheartedly recommend anyone looks her up and the series if you haven't heard of them, even moreso if you're neurodivergent. Midori is like Peridot, in the sense that she succesfully depicts a positive and so brilliantly authentic image of an neurodivergent person, while being undoubtedly endearing and entertaining. Not only her, however, but her two other friends (or how she refers to them, "comrades", since they don't truly believe in the obligation to call each other friends just because, in order to coexist [and that is also something I absolutely adore and value about their relationship]) also present different traits of a neurodiverence experience, showcasing how different and diverse people can be, even if they share a condition. It made me even more happy when I found out about the creator, who himself is autistic and also has ADHD, talking about how he wrote his characters based on his own experiences growing up. I could honestly cry thinking about these girls, they mean the world to me right now, specially Midori. She is simply fantastic and I love her to the moon and back. Every episode of the show had me feeling in the verge of tears at one or more occasions, and that only on top of being a beautiful love letter to animation as an artform, makes this series remarkably precious to me.
I don't know why I feel so scared about getting a diagnosis, even when I'm so so certain it would be benefitial in the long run, because, like you said at one point in the video, I fear people will mentally slap that label on me and it'll filter the way they perceive me. I have so many conflicting feelings towards that, and I don't know how to adress them. I want to feel happy with who I am, and proud of who I am regardless of anything people misjudge about me, or the assumptions they could draw... I don't know why I'm struggling so much with this. But it *is* getting better, and videos like this truly do help. Thank you so much 💛✨🌼 greetings from Chile!
You are definitely on the spectrum my nigga
@@PlorkStar I can't exactly figure out what it is about this response that makes me feel so much better out of nowhere, but it does. Thank you 💕
I was actually never properly diagnosed with autism. My dad didn't want me to be "labeled." But its always been very obvious that I'm autistic. I never really masked or even knew what that meant until recently. In fact there's been a lot of things that I didn't know about my autism until recently. For example I had no idea what stiming was. Now I know that I have a lot of things that I do to stim. I've always been very sensitive to sound, and things like bugs flying in my airspace. I'm very blunt and sometimes someone gets angry at me and I don't always understand what I said to piss them off. Despite all the problems it causes me from time to time. I don't think I'd ever change it. It's a part of who I am and by excepting it I've come to understand myself in a way that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
as a latino, i almost had a heart attack hearing latinx said unironically on a book
i heard it while playing minecraft and instantly paused xD i was like "i swear thats considered basically a slur"
Yeah, ew.
No wonder I’ve always related to her
I watched this show as a child and I always loved peridot, now I’m in the middle of my autism diagnosis. It’s so funny to look back at my childhood I start to notice more and more things that were just me being autistic. Also I felt so targeted when you started naming autistic traits cus it just felt like someone describing me lol
The point you made about Camp Pining Hearts is what officially sold me on this headcanon haha. Her obsession with it is exactly the same as how I interact with media that I enjoy-including this show!
Twyla from the modern monster high is also great autistic representation as she straight out says it and her VA is also has autism
A lot of videos have popped up in the past few year talking about autism and peoples experiences being it and that good but they never had an experience I could relate to with one exception. This video however has spoken to me more than any else. I wish that videos like this were around when I was in highschool because I really needed to hear this back then.
So proud of how much you've improved! Great job! ❤
So, I'm not autistic, I have ADHD. I want to include my voice in this comment section, not to step on the toes of actual autistic people watching this, but because in my experience I've found that those with autism and us with ADHD, actually share a lot of the same struggles and experiences. Particularly when it simply comes to trying to navigate life in a neurotypical society. My first proper dive into autism and what is fully entails, was through my best friend from University, who happened to be autistic. We quickly became friends after talking, and after a short while we opened up about our respective "conditions" and started talking about the struggles we experienced with them. What we found as we told each other of the different difficulties we faced, we kept finding ourselves relating to those experiences and inherently understanding them. Which we both ended up finding really nice, as we could feel seen in each other and also easily understand each other in ways that would have been a lot harder had either of us been neurotypical.
If anyone had the though, I will get ahead of the question and say that "Yes, I am sure I do not have Autism as well". I did think for a time that perhaps I did, given just how much I could relate to --Let me use a stand-in name actually so that I don't have to keep calling her "my autistic friend", so let's say "Julie". But despite all the ways I could relate to Julie, the more I learned about Autism and ADHD, the more I realised that despite the similarities, the relatable experiences did not come from the same core causes, instead it was different "struggles" that caused the same result. For example, Julie might be very uncomfortable and become exhausted from loud spaces with many impressions due to an over sensitivity to those impressions, meanwhile I would be equally uncomfortable and exhausted in the same space due to being unable to filter out any of the impressions and thus being overwhelmed.
The whole "point" I am getting at I suppose, if I even really needed to have one, is that: When we talk about pushing for progress towards a society that is more flexible to "non-typical" brains, it is not just a fight for Autism, or for ADHD, for people with depression or anxiety, or any individual "disorder". We are all a lot more similar than it may appear on the surface, and our "fight" has always been the same. This video is a video about Autism, and I genuinely do not want to make it about anything else. But I think the fact that I as someone with ADHD can feel just as seen by a video like this, and about the types of character representation it is about, really speaks even further to how important these kinds of videos are. It is scary to speak out into the world that we live in, as the "other" that we become in it, but making our voices heard really is the most important thing we can do.
“I don’t know if any other characters have a favourite phrase like that!”
BINGO.
*BONGO.*
Based video, common Peridot W
The way that lapis and peridot have similar behaviors can also read like the real life shared traits in autism and CPTSD/trauma related mental illness.
Peridot has been and still is one of the characters I most relate to, only tied with Entrapta from She-Ra and Akko from Little Witch Academia.
5:31
This is soo relatable. I don't have autism I have ADHD, but I always thought the same thing about my symptoms and kids judged me for it and thought I was weird. But my therapist had asked me if I wanted to take an ADHD test after I went to her for awhile and when I took it and it came back positive I was really happy to finally know I'm not so weird.
I didn't diagnosed until I was 18, I was considered "normal" because my brother is artistic, but since I didn't show the same traits or symptoms as my brother, I got overlooked. Through out my childhood my family was always there for my brother, and I was always alone. Because of that im struggling now as a adult.
I loved Steven Universe because it helped me with social things. I haven't been formally diagnosed because, well I'm poor as shit lol, but I know someone who's getting a psych degree and works with autistic youth mainly, and they said that yeah, I almost certainly have autism. Steven Universe helped me figure things out that I couldn't on my own, and it made me feel so heard. I loved the show for what it did for me and others, and it helped lead me to my best friends in the whole world, who are also mainly all neurodivergent in some degree, if not diagnosed with autism or any other such thing that does similar. Because of that, I have people who truly get me, and I have Steven Universe to thank for that. The best way I've been able to describe myself is actually with Peridot, because I can be an absolute feral gremlin, but still I can love others, just in my own way.
Serial Experiments Lain! That clicks so hard now. In fact, I'm starting if I ever had any favorite characters that weren't neurodivergent.
I have not been diagnosed with autism officially,however i strongly believe i am somewhere on the spectrum. I can relate to your definision of autism at the beggining and throughout the video. I get frustrated when i cant do things the way i know works and it gets me a lot to try something new,i have difficulty understanding what people feel or what their intentions are and so forth. I will not list everything but i just wanted to say that i feel very happy with representations of autism and everything else that i am. Peridot,Donnie (from rottmnt),Sheldon...and so on. Thank you for everything you do,thank the people who represent us and thank the specialists for making information more accesable.
As someone who have autism as well this video have helper me a ton understanding it and I have just asked my parents to buy the book unmaksing autism for me so I can understand more thank you for helping me
The byakuya poster in the background is awesome
37:06 I don't think she ever needed to, where she grew up, on Homeworld. She was born a technician, and what little growing up was involved there (probably simply gaining worldly experience doing her assigned task) didn't involve any stigma around... thinking logically, labeling things in a literal way, building machines, lacking understanding of complex social dynamics... "The technicians are a little weird, but that's just how they are". She was just fine being her silly little autistic self around the machines she built, and (although to a slightly lesser degree) the gems she took orders from. You could call it "luck", perhaps. (If she hyperfixated on things outside of her task, she would've had to learn how to mask it very quickly, or be discarded to make way for the Homeworld war machine)
So, ahwm. She found her niche on Homeworld, and never needed to learn how to hide her autistic traita from other gems, because they coincidentally weren't getting in the way of her work. This leads to her not knowing how to mask at all.
Honestly, you shocked me with this video, she really seems like an autistic icon in cartoons. I love peridot even more now 🥰
gosh, the limb enhancers theory is such a good metaphor. i cant say for sure that it was intentional but the fact that she was thrust into a new environment (earth), had her one sense of security/piece of home at the time snatched away from her (her limb enhancers getting broken), and had to navigate the world without a means to prop herself up, i think thats such a good metaphor for how masking can be draining and when in new enviornments the mask can be dropped out of being overwhelmed.
As an autistic person, I related more to Pearl, but I can also see how peridot represents a lot of autistic traits.
I was diagnosed at 16, mostly due to me researching autism and being like oh wait… and then eventually I got assessed and here I am.
The one thing that pissed me off was that the show didn't address how horrible it was for Amethyst to throw Peridot's tablet into the ocean. That was her comfort object!!!
Amethyst was never reprimanded for it, and that made me really sad.
I love Peridot so much, and I really enjoyed this video! I watched it two times in a row immediately.
One thing I really appreciated, that's not even strictly related to the topic of autism, was the mention of Peridot in the rain and the relevancy to gardening. I can't believe I hadn't made that connection before! That's the first moment she's introduced to something on Earth not as something dangerous or beneath her, but as something beautiful, new, and interesting. And it happens to be vital to the thing she ends up doing on Earth, gardening! It's like bookends or something, aaah I love that!
This video just made me realize why I always get mad with a friend of mine when he does something I don't consider logic or efficient, and I've only watched 10 minutes! Thank you so much for all the information
Amazing video and research! I appreciate your bravery to share about your experiences, thank you for your contribution to this discussion!!
Before I knew I was autistic I have always loved Peridot. I've always felt so connected to her and her willingness to learn and change helped me a lot in understanding myself and allowing myself to grow too. I absolutely agree with the sentiment of feeling like an alien as an autistic person. It feels like everyone knows what to do and how to do it right except for me. It's very isolating and seeing a character experiencing that and learning how to live in a world not made for them was always very comforting to me.
Perido5 thought Greg would be fine if he fell from that height because she thought he could fly
i like the byakuya please keep him
As a kid, I've related heavily to Peridot. I got diagnosed with autism almost a year ago and haven't watched Steven Universe for a while, but your video reminded me of how much I love this series and how it makes me feel seen as a queer autistic person. Thank you for making it.
15:56 I may or may not have memorized several common layouts to deduce the locations of things in unfamiliar restaurants. The first thing I do when I walk in the door is look for a sign indicating 'please wait to be seated' if there's no greeter podium.
I’m not autistic, but I have adhd. They are similar in ways, but when i watched steven universe, peridot became my favorite (mainly based off my favorite color being green)
But at the end when asked who I relate to, I’d say Steven himself
Steven spent his time helping so many people, just to realize he himself needed that help that he always gave to others. For years I usually put others first before myself, but there was around two weeks of where I got majorly stressed because I wanted to help two people who were my friends but were going through a toxic breakup.
I was so stressed that I didn’t want to do anything and I ended up crying a lot that week, and after it all was settling down, I realized I relate to Steven in the future. And I acknowledged I should be putting myself first a little more often than I was at the time. (Mainly because I also realized with the help of a friend that people would take advantage of my kindness)
But overall, I loved seeing the more serious things in cartoons thats shown for kids
When I watched Steven universe as a child it was on season 1 bc Netflix only had season 1. Therefor I didn’t really relate to peridot as much but in 2020 when I got HBO as a teen I DEFINITELY related to her. I wish child me had all the other seasons so I could see someone like me :)
2 things
I kind of like that peridot isn't outright labeled as autistic in the show, it normalizes they're actions and teaches to the audience that people can just be like that, where if peridot was told to be autistic it would take away from the normalness of their presence in the show
also great video you did a wonderful job in making it and I always love to see different perspectives and take aways from the shows I love
I remember watching the show during its original run back in middle school and falling in LOVE with peridot’s character. She reminded me so much of myself and i thought she was SO NEAT.
And then i was diagnosed with autism in 2020.
This video is really insightful as a person who adores Steven Universe, i really appreciate this thoughtful analysis and you talking about your experience with autism. There are people in my life that fall on the spectrum, its broaden my perspective aon austim and its representation so much more, thank you for your contribution.
As an autistic person, thank you for your description of autism. I am a very over empathetic autistic person. I feel very heavily for others and this show taught me healthy empathy. To put myself first the way Steven did in future. I love this show, the movie and the second series so much. It is a special interest of mine, I know everything about this show and I know most fan theories. I follow a lot of fan comics as well. Thank you for this amazing video I love it so mich
Thank you for making this video man 🙏🙏💛💛💛
I've recently been binging the series for the first time after missing out 10 years ago. I've always been orbiting the series and its fandom, especially post-movie, but I've finally taken the plunge. Like a lot of people, Peridot is one of my favorite characters and is one who I relate to more and more as the show goes on. This video, which is incredibly well done by the way, made me reevaluate the many traits that I have in common with Peridot and has me genuinely wondering if I am autistic as well!
Thank you for making this video it’s making me realize why I do or don’t do certain things and why I act in certain ways. I knew I had autism but I didn’t know that it was the cause of so many things such as me not wanting to eat out because of all the unspoken rules.
I'm glad that this is the video that I found your channel with. As a fellow autist, thank you for making this.
Peridot reminds me a lot of how I behaved around other people when I was little, before I was forced into masking. I was very rigid in my thinking, I was extremely eager to share my knowledge with others, I had no idea how to navigate social interactions and I used what I saw on tv as a reference. I was definitely blunt and I had a hard time with thing that existed outside of how I thought they were supposed to be. Her character has revealed to me that how I behaved I wasn’t exactly “wrong” like I was taught. It caused conflict, but it’s also completely possible to have healthy, fulfilling relationships with others without completely altering who I am to make others more comfortable.
12:13 two of the things you said here instantly had my brain thinkin on a Peridot fansong idea. Expect it in either 11 hrs or 11 months; somewhere within that timerame, depends on how my AuDHD decides, but its def hyperfocused for now
The two main things here were these quotes, and they hit home extra hard cuz i felt the same way in my own journey towards self discovery after comin out of a very rigid upbringin;
"That a gem could actually rise above their perceived socially imposed limits" and "The very idea that she could be more than just another peridot; never really seemed possible, until now"
Like legit, that second quote alrdy feels songy to me, i can feel the song rising to an uplifting crescendo at the end of that sentence alrdy
Im so glad youtube finally reminded me i had this in my watch later for like 7 months or so xD (I love to collect vids to watch; a lot more than i watch them usually 😅)
I’m like 99% sure im autistic.
Adhd/cptsd/bpd diagnosed, symptoms include sensitivity to stimuli, flat affect, difficulty regulating emotions, stimming, self slapping in distress, intense interests, strong sense of justice.
I was told when I was little how dogmatic and literal I was. Bruh im autistic af
growing up, i didnt rlly know how to interact with unmasked autistic people and i do still have issues with it sometimes, but peridot definitely helped me learn how to do that and made me come to terms with my own autism!!
Hearing about your journey has been really helpful - like you i was always seen as being a bit odd and nothing more was done. Earlier this year (im 31 now) i was referred to a group that supports neurodivergent peope and had one of the autism tests done. Im now on a waiting list for an assessment and possible diagnosis of autism / ASD and starting to put things together from my past that didnt make sense that do with it being due to potential autism / ASD. Also love the Byakuya Togami behind you
I think a lot of ppl in the fandom were super hard on Lapis, not taking into account what depression can do to a person. Meanwhile, ppl in the fandom were SUPER accepting of Peridot because of her autistic traits.
She was trapped in a mirror, the merest of tools for thousands of years. It destroyed her, wore her down year after year after year... She was literally physically broken (though that's more narrative, I think it was because the mirror was dropped? But it mirrors her mental damage.)
I empathized with her at least. Trauma and lack of social adaptation (from simple lack of interaction, not necessarily autism), resulting in a cold gem who, deep down, like everyone else, hungers for the social contact they've been deprived of for literally thousands of years, but paradoxically also clings to the loneliness that had grown morbidly familiar- people are nice, but they are also mean and scary.
this was a beatiful essay. you explained things clearly and in an excellent way imo, and you also helped me a lot (wooho life story incoming)
i've always been considered weird and awkward as a kid and i too thought i had some sort of social anxiety. when i started watching steven universe (although i was not a hardcore fan, i watched it occasionally when it aired), i always made sure to watch the bits where there was peridot: she always felt compelling and i related to her on basically every aspect (all my friends, when i asked them what gems they thought i was, replied with peridot). later on i got access to more information about what i was "experiencing" and found out i might have been autistic: i had tried telling my parents, but they didnt think it was my case and everyone had my same issue; and even tho i didnt feel like what they said was right at all, i just sucked it up. later on i was also diagnosed (finally) with depression and i was able to talk to a therapist, but i always felt like i couldn't tell her about things like my sexual identity or neurodivergence either, because i was scared she was gonna say the same things my parents told me.
this video gave me the confidence to ask my therapist if i can get a professional diagnosis for autism. next time im going to speak about this with her, so thank you so much :3
i have major sensory issues, like, if a pencil i'm writing with "feels" weird as i write, i get shivers and drop my pencil, which is why i only use pens. also, i often go stiff or twitch if i hear a marker writing on paper. i'm glad i found this video, it helped me realize that i'm not "inhuman" because of my Autism.
and something i wanna add is that me and my 3 sidlings have autism, but, i'm the only high-funtioning one. again, i really enjoyed this video.
peridot just like me frfr
If you’re curious, coming from a non-autistic (with a laundry list of mental illnesses) social norms, like what you said about the challenges eating out presents, are not really something that we intrinsically know, we just don’t feel the need to know… at least I hope 😅. Whenever I go to parties for example the least of my worries is knowing the layout of the venue/house, most of the people going, or really exactly what the energy is, part of the fun is figuring that out.
42:15 i can't believe that one anime girl i have been wonder who she is for years suddenly pops up in a peridot autism analysis...
Great video man & also
THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME WHERE THAT ANIME GIRL IS FROM!!
Thank you for this. I feel like this could teach people a lot. And I’m glad that representation came in one of my past hyperfixations that my parents told me to stop at. Gonna get back into Steven universe now. And thank you
Peridot is my all time favorite character in Steven Universe, maybe even ever. I identify with her to the extent that I have her face tattooed on my arm. Like a lot of folks I always head cannoned her as neurodivergent.
Peridot is the only example of an "autism-coded alien character" that doesn't immediately put me off.
To me, peridot and lapis similarities solidify the autistic headcanon even more with the overlap autism has with cPTSD and the frequent overlapping or misdiagnoses of the 2. They were really the perfect gems for eachother once they were able to reconcile their history as captor and detainee
Peridot definitely stills at least vocally, she does her little giggle thing you know what I’m talking about, maybe I’m reading it wrong but that feels like stimming 28:41
There's a scene at the end of Little Witch Academia that I kind of felt really represented by to the point that it stuck in my head (though it's been a few years since I've watched it hence any distortions in details). Having saved the world and gone back to life as usual, Akko and her friends are having a picnic outside. Throughout the series we've seen Akko struggle with magic due to having had most of her natural magic drained out accidentally as a kid. Here we see Constanze attach a little sail to the front of a broom and Akko uses the modification to scoot the broom along a few inches off the ground. Akko's never been able to fly through the series and this is not an impressive feat compared to what non-disabled witches can do, but it's not treated as not-valid or as a step to becoming normal, the series just lets Akko be happy and lets her friends be happy about it.
As someone whose mildly disabled, it gave me the same vibe as when I managed to touch my toes after deciding to try and become able to, or when I went and taxied around at a swimming pool when I was relearning to walk after my operations. A lot of shows want to set up disability to only be a sometimes thing so they can tell a 'heartwarming' story about a character fully recovering and becoming 'normal' and this was one of the few series I've seen that actually gets that it's okay to be happy with where you are and the progress you make on your own terms, rather than measuring them against some pre-defined norm. Looking back in that light a fair bit of the series is Akko finding a way to make magic work on her terms (for example using the fact her transfiguration spells always misfires and transforms her as a way to escape danger by turning herself into a mouse) rather than aiming for success by the terms of the people around her.
As an autistic man, I can relate to the following characters: Peridot from Steven Universe, Fred Jones from Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorperated, Starfire from Teen Titans, and Ratchet from Transformers Prime.
Thanks for the long content pls keep it up.
Thank you for making this video. It helped me a lot. I too am autistic, late life diagnosed, and have struggled in the past. I often tend to "hot the books" when looking for answers and had yet to find a book covering autism that spoke to me. Many I found were geared solely for children or if I found one regarding adult autism it was about how it can effect romantic relationships. I am also Ace and my mate passed away, so I am not in a romantic relationship. This Unmasking Autism sounds like it is a good book, so I ordered it right away. Again, thank you for making this video!
This is actually my first video of yours, I appreciate the deep dive into the character, I'm autistic myself and I prefer to try to be outspoken about it, though I will admit, a lot of the time it does in fact feel like people don't treat me as seriously as if I weren't or they just didn't know, which is annoying, because I like helping people with IT problems, but I can get hesitant to help people out or so anything at all with it to be honest, you try to keep your head up, but when 9/10 you tell someone something and you get a look like you just tried to explain every particle in the universe to them, even when I've done all that I can to make it as simple to understand as possible...