GARNET'S ORIGIN STORY! *Steven Universe* Season 2 Episodes 21-23 FIRST TIME REACTION The Answer

[@wtimmins]

'How do you feel?' "... Big." Man, that line hits me.

[@Reverb-_-kvng]

Also, I just wanted to point out if you didn’t notice. The song, they were humming when ruby and sapphire fused, was the same song, sapphire was humming in the prison to let ruby know she was okay.

[@jennamurdock8716]

It's also part of the melody in the song "Stronger than You"

[@caitrose2198]

I may or may not have the notes of that melody tattooed on my rib cage That melody is the running musical theme for ruby and sapphire’s relationship and also just generally for love

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Cool! Stronger than you might be my favorite song on the show so far! And there's lots of great ones 😅

[@apolimeow]

@@caitrose2198holy shit that’s a good tattoo idea

[@nova-z9m]

@@caitrose2198if i ever get a tattoo id definitely get that

[@sequoiakawenga6064]

Amethyst didn't think about shape-shifting into how she was meant to look because like peridot said she came out late so she didn't see how she was meant to look, she didn't know that she wasn't meant to be small.. and just a side note the gems don't age they just are... plus when we saw Greg and rose's backstory the gems were already acouple hundred or even acouple thousand years old

[@caitrose2198]

Something I think never actually gets said but is implied throughout is that it puts a strain on a gem’s body when they shapeshift into something bigger and/or stronger than their natural form, but that it’s pretty much fine if they wanna hang out shapeshifted into something smaller/weaker than they normally are. Which would be why amethyst is mentioned as spending extended periods of time being objects/animals (namely a toilet and an alligator iirc) but suffers when artificially making her form bigger than normal, like in Reformed. Her emphasis on ‘stretching yourself out for too long’ being bad seems to confirm this, and settle that shapeshifting yourself bigger=stretching yourself out too thin=bad for your health, generally

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Wow, this makes so much sense!

[@TheMilkMan8008]

Gem color changes with fusions. Look at Malachite, Sugilite, Sardonyx, Opal or Alexandrite. I heard a good analogy somewhere. "When Ruby and Sapphire fuse, they aren't Rubphire. They are Garnet. They are their own gem, and that gem has its own color.

[@jouselioz3113]

There is just something so refreshing to watch an individual react to a show that is just so beautiful and has changed the animation world for all of us artist, and still finding new and different ways of viewing that content. It really means the world to me that S.U. is regaining the love all over again by new fans here in KZbin. Love ❤

[@SputnikSpyglass]

How I missed out on watching a show this amazing while it was premiering is still a mystery to me. But I'm glad I get to experience it for the first time with you guys 🫶🏾

[@ColinTedford]

@@SputnikSpyglass On the plus side, you missed out on Cartoon Network's scheduling shenanigans 🙂

[@jjrollins313]

​@@ColinTedfordYes, but it was also refreshing getting the "Steven Bombs" after the hiatuses

[@rafaelmatos5851]

I bet Zach got relieved that he got to use his normal voice for a change. Because Steven, despite being 14, still looks like a child, it forces him to make a higher-pitched voice, something that started happening after his voice changed.

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Yeah the older Steven voice took me off guard! His range and being able to make both sound natural really highlights how good of a voice after he is.

[@HaughtyToast]

I remember a statement from way back that basically said gems can only alter their height within a certain range that is comfortable for them otherwise it won't work. We actually do see this in S2 E5 Reformed where Amethyst tries making herself larger and ends up all wonky and lopsided.

[@tjopj]

Okay, so, while gems can shape shift, they still have a base form, and it's hard for them to stray from that form for long, as it's not sustainable. Amethyst can shapeshift into the purple puma, but her regular form is small. What Peridot is saying is that Amethyst's base form should be twice her size. Also, don't know if you noticed it, but Peridot also said it's cause Amethyst stayed on the ground for too long.

[@nonbinaryartist8661]

Amethyst wasn't a child, she was the exact same size she is now, just with shorter hair

[@starkid910]

44:20 we saw Ronaldo try and punch Pearl, which she blocked with a single hand, and hurt himself. Canonically, the gems are projections of “hard light”

[@thedingdongsunshinefuture]

Well have a gem but their bodies are made of light… yet somehow solid? I guess I picture them like a solid hologram, idk

[@nationwideris]

Gems don’t grow, Amethyst is the same size just wearing more mature clothing! :)

[@pollyphobia]

i know this was a couple months ago and a few people have already explained and im sure you understand, but there are a couple really short videos in a series called "the classroom gems" available on youtube about how this sort of gem stuff (aging, fusion) works! i think its cute.

[@ikirbeeburgr]

Amethyst is still the same size she was when she met Greg and when she emerged, and Amethyst had short hair in the past, it wasn’t until she met Greg and was like “I love your hair!” That she had long hair in the future so she possibly reformed with long hair one day because of him. the gems just look younger in the flashbacks mostly because of how tall Rose is, but they’re all Still the same height they were.

[@JoeSnoe126]

I think racism and colorism are both a function of classism so like all the metaphors work.

[@rebellibrarian]

I love seeing you two together - a wonderful team! "The Answer" is such an amzing episode.

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Thanks 😄 and agreed it's one of my top 3 favorites so far!

[@rebellibrarian]

​@SputnikSpyglass today I'm going back to watch your reactions to finding Garnet is a fusion and now The Answer. You two are the virtual kids I never had & I love your channel. 💓

[@padparadscha9921]

So some answers to questions or confusion you had. Gems don’t physically age, the heights n stuff you see now are what they have been since they were made. The change in height you see in the flashbacks we see are just due to how different storyboard artists draw them. Fusion on Homeworld is banned unless for a task such as fighting and cross gem type fusion can result in shattering of one or both gems, like when blue diamond said ruby would be shattered for cross fusing with sapphire Dems bodies are made out of light and given mass, pearl explains it a few times through the show including the early show. It’s why they glow when they reform, it’s pure light. The only true physical part is their gem why I’d why it’s so precious

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Interesting. So if they're made out of light and given mass do they get to choose the texture/density of their skin and other parts of their body then?

[@padparadscha9921]

@@SputnikSpyglass I don’t think that’s ever touched on but it would make sense especially for clothing and hair. I mean who doesn’t want a coat that feels like sand or pants that look like stone. It’s also likely part of why shapeshifitng is so hard to hold, they are stretching their light and set mass into unnatural shapes causing it to stretch too thin or become super dense

[@tabularasaconfirmed]

Y’all have some of the best reactions. You’re so attentive which makes your takes and theories great to listen to!

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Thank you! 😅

[@mezkennedy4106]

I'm sure others already mentioned this, but Amethyst was not a child when we saw her. Just had short hair and was more immature. It's implied that she was inspired by Greg to grow her hair out whenever she reformed.

[@tequilalong4345]

Fusion only had one purpose in Homeworld society, and that was to be used as weapons during times of war. If two or more gems of the same type but are not identical, they would still form a larger version of themselves, this only for gems that are made for combat. Other gems with different roles and not made for fighting, can not fuse!

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Wow I figured all gems would be able to fuse! Considering Steven is able to fuse with humans who were thought to be impossible to fused with, I don't know how that can be the case!

[@Sisqo49]

I’m so glad I found this channel, J love the reactions. And Indi always pops up for the best episodes, I love it ❤

[@SputnikSpyglass]

🫶🏾

[@Lil_isa]

I live for this series, love watching your reactions it's part of my routine now 😭

[@SputnikSpyglass]

🫶🏾

[@Kanamo4781]

If you want Rock people i know an anime which main cast are litteral gem people, it's called Land of the Lustrous, I think you should watch it! I don't think it has dubs tho, so i hope you don't mind subs! It has beautyful music, deep characters and character developement, kinda dark themes, and a beautiful art style! it only has one season tho, but the manga is coming to an end ( 103 chapters, the most probable outcome is that it ends at 108, but nothing's sure )

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Wow. I checked out the trailer and the lighting /animation of their hair looks amazing! We're cool with subs so we may very well check it out!

[@Kanamo4781]

@@SputnikSpyglass Great! i always love your reactions!

[@BrandonBarres51299]

Steven Universe is an amazing show! If you guys are taking requests, I have a one. How about the very first episode of Black Mirror? It’s called The National Anthem.

[@chuva_do_krlh]

Peridot on a leash is the best scene ever to exist

[@alejotassile6441]

I never saw peridot as autistic, just out of touch, I was very much like that as a kid when I moved out and didn't understood how friendships worked lol Looking back at this episodes makes me think of how much I've grown

[@arc7853]

I WAS WAITING FOR THE ANSWER OMGG

[@andreee123123]

can't wait for the season finale!!!

[@lollol6978]

He talks so much he missed the best joke : the neck joke

[@Fe0ryde]

Love the garnet ep definetly top 10

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Agreed 🥲

[@ShaftCommander]

My god….i know they’re wearing pros, so they’re not missing much, but my dude NEVER stops talking. I’ve never seen a man talk so damned much.

[@iunnoo]

40:36

[@caitrose2198]

I have a few cool things abt these episodes! First, we now have the actual explanations for how Jasper insulted each of the gems during The Return, calling them ‘a lost, defective pearl’, a ‘puny overcooked runt’, and a ‘shameless display.’ Amethyst’s.. idk, ingredients??,,, were put into the ground at the same time as all the other gems who came from the Kindergarten, but she was in the ground way too long, which is why she knows so little about Homeworld Gems, and why she’s so short. Second thing which is less lore but still interesting.. Rose says in Garnet’s flashback ‘No more questions. Don’t ever question this. You already are the answer.’ Neat thing about this is, Garnet *never asks questions.* Its one of the script writing rules, she never phrases anything as a question ever.

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Well I would have never noticed that garnish never asks questions. I Wonder if that's an element of her future vision or because of the confidence Rose instilled in her? Probably both!

[@monkeybusiness1039]

amethyst wasn't a child. her maturity level changed but not her body per se.

[@butters796]

I disagree a bit here, but that's what's fun about the show is that multiple interpretations can apply. I think she did look physically younger when Greg first met them, and yeah she seemed like a child to me. My headcanon has kinda been that when Greg met them in his 20s, the gems were also presenting around that age except Amethyst who looked around 10-12ish. Then Rose has Steven a few years later and all the remaining Gems reform up to Greg's age (30s) except Amethyst, who aged up to where Greg use to be (20s). But because they don't age, he continued into his 40s while they stayed in their 30s/20s.

[@SavannahMeercat]

I'm pretty sure Amethyst has been the same size the whole time, it's just that she has like 3x the amount of hair now and it makes her look bigger Also this show's not always the best about staying on model all the time. There are episodes where a lot of the short characters look, like, 2ft tall

[@butters796]

@carolynlinder3235 While she is the same height, I think it has more to do with her haircut, making her face seem rounder and younger (like she has babyfat almost). I know they didn't change her face shape, but the haircut gives a younger feeling imo. I also think her outfit is meant to make her look younger with how much it looks like something Pearl picked out for her. Meeting Greg and Vidalia really impacted Amethyst's personality, and you can see that in how she now has rips in her clothes and how it hangs off her in a baggy/casual/punk rock way. It could also just be that gems look how they feel that her acting younger makes me think she looks younger, especially seeing Steven drastically age. But that's the fun thing about fandom; these things can be open to interpretation 😁

[@TeeTop_]

@@butters796 Amethyst also crawls around in some flashbacks with young Greg, which makes her appear very childlike. That's probably aiding the perception of her being smaller before and growing up. Not much time has really passed in terms of the age of a rock/gem. We also have sort of an estimate of how old Amethyst is, and it might not be very much time compared to the other gems.

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Ah ok! Amethyst crawling around and her hair being shorter is definitely what made me mistake her as being smaller in the throwback episodes.

[@prequeteu]

28:03 Because they became a new gemstone, both are now garnet. This happens with every fusion, you just hadn't noticed.

[@rafaelmatos5851]

That's the reason why fusion between different gems is seen as an abomination. Every gem is made for one especific job, so become something else through fusion would disrupt all the cast system. Take Garnet as an example. Garnets are a class of rocks that, in the Gem society, are seen as commanders. In terms of hierarchy, they outrank not just Rubies, but Sapphires as well. So, if fusion was allowed, then they would have a higher status than the one they had. And maybe other gems would fuse just to also get a higher status.

[@SputnikSpyglass]

I definitely hadn't noticed but this makes sense! So when a fused a gem shatters do they just break into 2 gems?

[@prequeteu]

@@SputnikSpyglass No, they just die. But since the fusion has 2 gems, both would have to be shattered.

[@GreySeashell-j3m]

23:30 noo you missed her saying Ruby will be shattered for fusing with her

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Dang that is something significant to miss. So that's what made Sapphire make the choice to jump off!

[@jjrollins313]

He said "off color"...how fitting. He'll understand eventually. 🌚

[@rafaelmatos5851]

Amethyst never quite changed in terms of body. The reason why she looked like a child in the flashbacks of the past has to do with perspective. I mean, Steven is shorter than Amethyst, so of course she looks mature, but Greg is much taller than her, but shorter than Pearl, Garnet and (of course) Rose. So, in comparison, Amethyst would look like a child.

[@unsoundmethodology]

Yup - we're judging the Gems' sizes from the human they're standing next to. In the modern-day eps that's Steven, so everyone looks taller and more mature, but in the flashbacks, it's the much taller Greg. I think the hairstyle contributes too - early!Amethyst's shorter hair also makes her look younger. (And of course we're also judging by _emotional_ maturity; hanging out with Greg and Vidalia - and losing Rose - made Amethyst have to mature at close to human rates, after she'd been basically the baby of the Gem group for hundreds/thousands of years.) I think the staff said at some point that Amethyst was inspired by younger Greg's long hair and adopted that when she reformed after being poofed at some point in the past, though I'm unclear on the timing.

[@aleksabanjevic8316]

I saw several ppl who aren't up to date think amethyst was literally "youmg" in the Greg and rose flashbacks, and it's so odd, she was the same size (tho size consistency is a.... Not something this show is known for) and she just had shorter hair, and her behaviour honestly wasn't that different, shure it was less mature and maybe even a bit more animalistic, but that's more so due to her kinda being sheltered by the crystal gems, she only ever interacted with 3/4 members of her species and I doubt perl allowed her to actually make friends with humans, so she wasn't really well socialised. But she wasn't biologically younger, she just looked a tad different and wasn't as mature

[@aleksabanjevic8316]

Side note, I always loved the crystal gems in the Greg and rose flashbacks, they always made them look so mistical and otherworldly, with amethyst showing up as a talking owl, pearl treating that as normal, and garnet commenting on how it's odd for humans to be near their area, and rose floating and appearing out of a magical pink door. Heck, I'd argue that was one of the coolest introductions to the gems, I'd kinda rather show that scene as an introduction, rather than the actual first episode

[@ColinTedford]

"Her terrifying renegade pearl"

[@jjrollins313]

It wasn't a ship in "The Answer" it was the Sky Arena youve seen Pearl train Connie and where Pearl became poofed by her hologram. Notice all locations they go to are ruins.

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Oh nice! The different art style definitely threw me off

[@bmoak]

When Greg first met the Gems, Amethyst wasn't any shorter than she is now. She just acted/stylized herself like a kid (baby of the group) and was often hunched over.

[@kaylagaymon4873]

4:52 Amethyst: (points at her butt) This? Peridot: That's your butt! Me: That part cracked me up so hard 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@revangerang]

The gems have mentioned being a physical manifestation of light a few times, most recently was when Garnet was explaining fusion to Greg in Story For Steven.

[@sk8terGrlM]

I appreciate how you guys brought up Cast Systems. Cause this absolutely can be an alegory for racisim in some parts of the world, but it can also be an allegory for something else for wherever there's prejudice. A backwards version of homophobia, Cast Systems, classicism, etc. I think it's nice that you mentioned that.

[@STARS_SHIMMERS]

just woke up- this is perfect timing! ❤

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Nice😁 hope you have a great Friday!

[@kiwi113]

28:01 Blue light + Red light = Magenta 🩷

[@BrittanyWilson-ju4uh]

As an AuDHDer Peridot is one of my absolute favorite autistic head canons 🥰🥰🥰

[@coconutdreams1238]

Samee!

[@revangerang]

I think you can still consider the treatment of pearls to be racism. Or like a combination of racism + classism because the classes are designated by the type of gem one is born as and there's no changing it, whereas in the real world there are people of all races in each class. Maybe more similar to a caste system? Either way, it's a fictional world so you can draw parallels to many different things in our world (like my comment on the previous video comparing it a bit to our sexism). Edit: oop y'all ended up bringing up that point yourselves later in the video hahaha. But yeah, like you said yourselves, you can take the analogies in this show multiple ways. Lik efor the fusion thing, you can also kind of think of it as an analogy for homophobia, though in this case it's technically heterophobia lol

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Wow I didn't think about that but yet the homeworlds hatred towards fusion definitely has tinges of homophobia and transphobia!

[@revangerang]

@@SputnikSpyglass Definitely! And also kind of like sexual liberation? Homeworld thinks fusion should only be for a purpose (like some people think sex should only be for reproduction). Which of course all gets tied into racism and homophobia etc too

[@pugtie4695]

33:02 Yeah that never really made much sense to me either I think what he meant was is they don't age like us because amethyst is definitely aged because how the heck did she go from like toddler size to the size of a young husky

[@Kyss111]

If you want solid gem people then watch Houseki no Kuni!!!

[@mauricemusiic]

You cut your hair!! It looks good!

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Thanks 😃

[@Nkanyiso_K]

37:38 when said you wanted Steven to stay young Rebecca Sugar shouted, *"Is this your King!?"*

[@DevonPerry-nm9eq]

hi steven 🤑🥰😍🤩

[@gustavopereira_12]

Love youu

[@jjrollins313]

There are gemisodes mini episodes where Pearl explains things. Their bodies are projections of light literally hard light contructs like the things green lanterns make.

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Do you think we should react to the gemisodes?

[@jjrollins313]

@SputnikSpyglass Yes. I think it's a fun little cute thing to watch plus you're actually learning something. I think they're also known as Gem Shorts.

[@shipshow463]

Glad to see you're still watching SU and enjoying it so much. When the show was first airing, this is the point when I started watching and following it, so its a particularly special run of episodes to me. I think you'll enjoy them too. Edit: in regards to your headcanon about the Gems' bodies feeling like a gem/very dense, we actually have seen that they're pretty freaking solid. In "Keep Beach City Weird", Ronaldo kidnaps Steven after he pretends to be a Snake Person. The Gems come to the lighthouse to rescue Steven and Ronaldo confronts them. When he tries to punch Pearl, she just sticks her hand out and stops the punch without moving, seemingly smashing Ronaldo's hand in the process. And in "Cry For Help", we saw Amethyst (shapeshifted as buff Steven) punching chunks out of a pillar at the Communication Hub. It's not clear what they actually feel like, but at the very least, they're quite solid. Though we've seen that they can be soft too, like Garnet's hair was in "Garnet's Universe".

[@SputnikSpyglass]

Thanks for checking back in! I really enjoyed season 2 and love the introduction of Peridot to the group. Ronaldo punching Pearl is probably a big influence on me thinking that the gems are more solid than fleshy! I definitely think it's cool that it's left up to viewer interpretation though.

[@calebsoria1777]

34:27 switching to his normal voice

[@crushcannon2192]

berserk >:)