'Steven Universe' season 4 air date news & update: Rebecca Sugar on Lapis Lazuli's toxic relationship

Cartoon Network's "Steven Universe" is no ordinary children's show.

Far from serving up the tired old narratives that play out in most programs for young people, the award-winning animated series bravely tackles topics such as gender and sexuality, healthy and toxic relationships, equality, loss, and hope in ways that children can relate to.

Former "Adventure Time" writer Rebecca Sugar, the show's creator, constantly peppers the series with characters and stories that have long been neglected and portrays these in diverse, positive and inclusive ways.

iDigitalTimes caught up with Sugar at the recently held New York Comic Con (NYCC), where the "Steven Universe" creator talked about the song "Here Comes A Thought." The song was featured in the season 4 episode "Mindful Education" and she shared why it has resonated with so many fans of all genders and ages.

"'Here Comes A Thought' was a really personal one, I was going through a very difficult time and I needed that song for myself," she said. According to Sugar, the song, which takes on the grown-up topics of loss and getting back up again, was meant to convey the message that everything will be fine.

Jennifer Paz, who voices Lapis Lazuli, was also at the NYCC, where she talked about her character. Lapis, a Gem imprisoned by her race for thousands of years, has undergone a major transformation in "Steven Universe." From being a mistrustful and miserable character, Lapis has emerged to become a more self-assured and lighthearted woman.

"I love the irony of her," Paz said. "She has really great one-liners, she's really dry," she added.

In the animated series, Lapis had what Sugar describes as an "extremely toxic" relationship with Jasper, a villainous Gem. "They are bringing out the absolute worst in each other," she said.

"[A]s I was reading the script, I was like, 'Wow, she's really going there,'" Paz said about Lapis. "[A]nd I think it's important to teach kids that this is an unhealthy thing and it's wrong," she continued.

Meanwhile, a new trailer for "Gem Harvest," an upcoming "Steven Universe" season 4 episode, has dropped.

In the episode, Lapis and Peridot have taken to growing vegetables. One of their pumpkins develops a personality and takes a liking to Steven, disappointing the pair. To make the two feel better, Steven takes another pumpkin — an inanimate one — and carves a face into it, which ends up scaring the first pumpkin. The latter then seeks comfort with Lapis and Peridot and this makes them happy at last.

"Steven Universe" is currently on a break.