The Cluster & Their Symbolism Explained | Steven Universe

One thing about the cluster that I really want to point out: It is a collective. And it represents something specific in relation to Steven. There are 8 different types of love that are represented in Steven and everyone present when he was being healed. The cluster is Agape, which is self-less love or the love we naturally feel towards all other beings. This is emphasized by the idea that the Cluster is many as one, the cooperative effort of humanity for identity and progress and collective unconsciousness. Agape is also considered the most powerful form of love as it is love given without expecting a reward or return. Steven caring for the Cluster and vice versa is the epitome of that idea in my opinion (though technically either or saves the other from suffering, both act on instinct to care and do what they can).

i find it kinda creepy that the cluster looks like human muscles

[The Cluster still scares me to this day... even though they're bubbled]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one that thinks The Cluster looks like a titan arm lol

Personally I think it would be kind of cool for the cluster to have accepted its situation, and developed a personality that is made of the fragments of its form. It would be the largest gem in existence. It would also be a sort of guardian of earth.

Ok so it’s basically accepted Yellow Diamond had an arm wrestling match with the Cluster. But imagine what they look like while driving the ship, lmao. Since Steven used his legs to control PD’s part of the mech I would assume Yellow and Blue would have to use their arms.

Sometimes I think of the Cluster like gems that were forced into acts against their will like war criminals and abuse victims, and the cluster in the form of an arm could be either of those two working together against their common enemy that forced them into the situation, like their own rebellion

I don’t think it’s too off base to compare the cluster to a bio-weapon. Steven called the diamonds dictators on a couple of occasions. It’s fair to assume there are some WW2 allusions in there.

I'm curious how Yellow Diamond thinks she's gonna reconstruct the gems in the cluster? Each gem has specific parts that go to it that makes it a whole, unique being. Unless she's just throwing random gem shards of the same type of gem together, I don't see that working.

Please do some of these next! : MORE HOMEWORLD GEMS: - The other jades - The pebbles MENTIONED GEMS: - Mica (by yellow Diamond) - Kyanite (by blue diamond) OTHERS: - Pumpkin - Watermelon steven (Like or comment if you want them to talk about any of these gems)

since rebecca sugar said they were going to give the characters a break if the show ever comes back in any way i wonder if there would be a time skip again and things like the cluster and the shattered gems would be healed

[The Cluster was really strong! Especially it really helped us holding off Steven which he was a monster buying us some time to think a way to calm him down]

I cried when the cluster came to help comfort Steven! It really did come full circle!

I love how the Cluster battles Yellow Diamond's ship, by arm wrestling!

Did anyone else think the Cluster became a sort of protector of the earth? Also always thought the muscle arm was because at the core without our skin our muscles all look the same, They are a collective so if they want a form to be compatible with all of them, then it has to be true to all of them

I feel like the cluster was more about PTSD of all people who suffer through war. Many pretend that everything was fine, but they suffer in much greater ways for what they’ve been through, silently waiting feeling alone (unformed), just wishing things were back to normal (forming), letting all their feelings build up in dangerous self-destructive ways that can harm everyone around them and all they need is someone to show they care and be there for them (Steven) and also showing they are still people who can be there for you and help you, but they will only be for people who helped them, not for the ones who caused them so much pain

i dont even watch steven universe but i like how your breakdowns

Nice idea. It makes a lot of sense. The cluster was helped by Steven. Now the cluster helps Steven.

Peridot's Cluster-drill is shown to be tremendously destructive to earth and individual gems, but it cannot shatter the Cluster. If that is the case, the it represents the Cluster being a collection of crystal that does not fracture easily--like a quartz--which makes sense since the majority of the shards leftover from Earth's rebellion were quartzes.

That must be awful. To want nothing more to be whole, to find yourself amongst the chaos and other screaming voices, of knowing what you were without knowing how to get back to it. To just cry out, yet not make a sound while your cries just get lost on the endless screaming that is your new body. No wonder they felt the need to form. They were in pain, they were confused, they felt alone despite being surrounded by others like them. Steven was so kind in giving her closure, she really deserved it after everything. I hope Yellow really follows through with her promise to fix all shattered gems, one shard piece at a time