Fluff vs. Angst

In fan-fiction, writers use various tags to categorize their works. Two major categorizations include angst and fluff. Angst often refers to stories that have darker tones and mature motifs. This usually includes characters arguing, being harmed, and often being killed. Fluff, on the other hand, refers to stories that are light-hearted or romantic. Many of these focus on casual character moments that the source material lacks time to explore or non-canon alternate universes with interesting niches.

By viewing the amount of fluff or angst in an active fandom in a given time period, one can likely decipher whether a character is viewed more positively or negatively. Unusual pockets of angst paired with a spike of fan-fictions during certain time ranges could imply that a major negative character development has occurred while pockets of fluff could imply that a positive character development might have occurred.

Data Analysis

Rose Quartz "Fluff" and "Angst" Stories over All Time

In the above figure, one can see that throughout the release of Steven Universe, fan-fiction about Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond was tagged as angst more than fluff. Major plot events seem to directly correspond with quantity of fan-fiction. For example, the largest peaks occur at the releases of "The Answer", "Bubbled", "A Single Pale Rose", and Steven Universe: The Movie. All of these heavily feature Rose Quartz or Pink Diamond typically in a negative light.

In January 2016, "The Answer" aired, and the Great Diamond Authority was officially revealed. This episode portrays Rose Quartz in a positive light, affirming that Garnet's existence is based in love. Unusually, this episode marks a higher amount of angsty stories although there appears to be a severe lull in stories tagged as angst or fluff. While this does not support the idea that positive character moments lead to more fluff, it does show that major episode releases correlate with an increase in fan-fiction. Between January and May, there was a hiatus, during which most stories about Rose Quartz were fluff.

In August 2016, the Summer of Steven concluded with "Bismuth" and "Bubbled", revealing that she had hidden Bismuth in Lion's mane for thousands of years and that she had shattered Pink Diamond to end the rebellion. Both of these factors caused a major increase in stories about Rose Quartz. Further more, this marks one of the larger peaks of angst when compared to fluff.

In the beginning of 2018, "Jungle Moon" airs, showing Pink Diamond for the first time. Since the only portrayal of Pink Diamond at the time comprised of her throwing a tantrum, most stories about her would be tagged as angst rather than fluff. If "Pink Diamond" is removed from the filter, it is clear that almost all of the fan-fiction from that period refers to this limited characterization of Pink Diamond rather than Rose Quartz. Surprisingly, "Your Mother and Mine" doesn't make a significant dent in the graph despite prominently featuring a flashback of both Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz.

In May 2018, "A Single Pale Rose" finally reveals that Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond, marking the largest turning point in the series. The reveal portrays Rose Quartz as pressuring Pearl into committing a crime and forcing her to keep it secret for thousands of years. Unsurprisingly, as soon as this episode released, there was a significant spike in stories with the majority being tagged as angst.

July 2018 is the first time a major plot arc happens in which the majority of stories are not angst. This arc both affirms that Rose Quartz did not fake her shattering out of malicious intent and contains the wedding between Ruby and Sapphire, providing evidence that not all plot twists lead to an increase in stories tagged as angst. It is important to note, however, that there is the same amount of angst as there is fluff at that time.

Concluding Thoughts

Angst, fluff, and amount of fan-fiction written is an extremely effective method to gauge major plot points and character developments. While angst certainly dominates major negative plot points, the opposite is not necessarily true. Because Rose Quartz's reveals tend to be negative and "The Answer" and July 2018 provide differing results, the data is inconclusive on whether spikes in stories tagged as fluff dominant light-hearted major reveals. This method of determining fandom interpretations of major plot events can likely be extended to any other fandom or character.