Garnet: The Manifestation of Love in Steven Universe

The series Steven Universe stands out among many others for representing emotions in a very accurate way; through characters, situations, songs and plots that are spun together to bring us a great message: feelings are a fundamental part of human life, and the manifestation of these feelings is what allows us to be free.

Garnet, one of the main characters, is presented to us as a balanced, hardened gem and leader of the Crystal Gems. Everyone sees her as an example to follow and she is the one they turn to during difficult times. Garnet is calm, but passionate. Strong, but sensitive. Of the three gems that care for Steven and each fulfill a maternal figure with different qualities, Garnet is the most loving among them.

As the series progresses, we are told that Garnet is not just a gem: it is a fusion between two different gems. Ruby and Sapphire. Both have very different personalities, Ruby is irritable and impulsive, while Sapphire is calmer and often represses her emotions. As for their skills, Ruby can control fire and Sapphire can control ice; Ruby is a gem that is used to fight, while Sapphire's role is to predict the future.

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When the Earth was colonized by Pink Diamond, Blue Diamond tried to get rid of the Crystal Gems by using Sapphire's skills to foresee the future: according to her prediction, Rose Quartz and Pearl would attack, defeat the court rubies, and herself, and the Crystal Gems would later be captured. However, the future changed because one of the rubies realized that Sapphire was in danger and jumped to her. At that moment, Garnet took form before the incredulous gaze of Homeworld's purist gems, and the amazement of Rose Quartz and Pearl.

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Garnet was immediately accused of being an aberration, something that should not exist. For Homeworld gems, a fusion between two different gems is pointless, without purpose. Blue Diamond condemns them to be shattered, so Sapphire, being impulsive for the first time in her life, takes Ruby and escapes with her, leaving them in exile on Earth.

Both begin to interact in a situation and place that is totally new to them, and in time they begin to see the beauties of the Earth and enjoy accompanying each other. Despite (or perhaps because of) their differences, they complement each other perfectly.

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When the two fuse again, they meet Rose Quartz, and Garnet fearfully asks Rose to not hurt her and that she will unfuse immediately. Rose tells her that she must not separate, for there is nothing wrong with her and that she must never question her existence. She is "the answer"... and the answer is "love."

Since then, Garnet has been a part of the Crystal Gems and has always stood together.

However, in some episodes we can see that Sapphire and Ruby must be separated by various circumstances, and do not know how to behave individually; they have been together so long that they do not know how to be without each other. And we begin to notice that this is not a positive aspect of their relationship, as they are very dependent.

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After learning that Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond are the same person, Garnet crumbles and, in a whirlwind of emotions, separates. Strangely enough, in this situation it is Ruby who takes things easy while Sapphire is unable to control her emotions due to the outrage. She runs away on her own, and Steven and Pearl find her. They talk to her about Rose Quartz, about Garnet, and Sapphire is confused, because she says they've been united because of Rose, and if she was a lie, what's left for Garnet? Finally they reassure her by telling her a little more about Rose's past, and when she comes back, it's Ruby who's gone.

Then Amethyst and Steven find Ruby, who decides to have adventures on her own and enjoy her "solitude." She feels she can finally be herself, regardless of another person she is attached to. Ruby plays the role of a "lone ranger" as she realizes that although she has enjoyed her adventures alone, she thinks of Sapphire all the time and wants to share those experiences with her, so with Steven's help, she decides to propose to her.

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"This way, we can stay together even if we're apart. This time, being Garnet will be our decision," says Ruby to Sapphire, who accepts the proposal with great joy.

So Ruby and Sapphire make the decision to spend the rest of their lives together on their own terms. Their time apart allowed them to reaffirm their feelings for each other, to value themselves as individuals, and to realize that their fusion does not depend on someone else's expectations or validation, but solely on the two of them.

Steven Universe made history for the LGBT community with the "Reunited" episode by showing, in a children's series, a marriage between same-sex characters (despite the fact that the creator of the series, Rebecca Sugar, once claimed that the gems had no gender, but it has always been established that they are referred to with female pronouns and can be identified as female).

Garnet's union shows us that love is that: love. Ruby tells Sapphire she feels free with her, with her she can be who she really is without any ties. And Sapphire answers that her life was always predictable until she met Ruby and created infinite possibilities in her future, changing her life completely.

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As individuals, Ruby and Sapphire are exceptional gems, with characteristics, virtues and defects. But together they are the manifestation of that feeling between them; they are an experience, a conversation. They're love, they're Garnet.

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