Spoiler I feel like the trembling wasn't really related to anything Sugilite may have done and more that she was upset with what was happening. Having Garnet get upset with her and shove her away and then fuse with Amethyst and use their Sugilite form to utterly destroy something she was using to cope, to feel better, to feel stronger hurt her a lot.
Spoiler: Garnet's role in the group I can totally see Pearl just being kind of unidirectionally terrified and shaken during the confrontation but I also felt her reaction to Garnet initially getting angry was extremely intense. Just. Coupled with how terrified Amethyst AND Pearl were at the idea of Garnet finding out about the gem shards a bucnh of episodes back and the way Sugilite is extremely volatile, while Sardonyx is still kind of delighted at destruction (though with much more of a finetuned approach, probably curtesy of Pearl) none of which are qualities showing up in Opal, who seemed fairly task-oriented and levelheaded, if kind of detached. So this kind of default to destruction seems to come from Garnet who we by now KNOW seems to favor the 'Punch Now Ask Questions Later' kind of approach. Honestly, as much fun as Garnet is sometimes she is also genuinely scary in how much she just wants to eliminate problems instead of solving them.
Spoiler: Keystone Motel So, that was an episode. Some thoughts: So Ruby has heat powers and Sapphire has ice - I don't think we've seen any Gems with abilities like that before! (Lapis doesn't generate water, other than her wings, and Ruby and Sapphire seemed to be just venting heat/cold instead of shaping it) Does Garnet have heat and cold powers? Ruby's voice sounds really weird to me, and it seemed like she was being animated oddly back in the room. Her torso didn't line up with her legs, I think. So, Ruby apparently has one gauntlet that looks a lot like Garnet's One-eyed Sapphire! Awww these two are SO ADORABLE. I wonder if we'll ever specifically see what Pearl and Amethyst were talking about.
Spoiler: Keystone Motel thoughts (warning this is alllll over the place lol) Sapphire was so cute! I always really liked the headcanon that she had one eye so I'm super excited that it's canon! Also, idk about ice powers, but Garnet /can/ swim in lava. I'd still really like to see sapphire's actual weapon- a few people have suggested basically a brass knuckle, because of the gems on garnet's gauntlets, but idk. It's a neat idea but I'd still like confirmation of it one way or the other. I'm pretty much just. So happy we got to see more of them, I was just waiting for them to split up at this point because it wasn't a matter of if anymore but when Ruby is such a cutie, but it didn't feel like we got a whole lot more about her that we didn't see/ couldn't have guessed from Jailbreak. Sapphire's over-use of future vision really interested me, though there's not really a lot to say about it I don't think. I just like how completely and utterly opposite she and ruby are in every way and that just another one. Ruby doesn't seem to ever really think ahead, and sapphire doesn't focus on the present Speaking of sapphire, did anyone else find it kind of hard to hear her at some points? I love her voice but it's so soft, and I'm definitely going to need to rewatch the episode to get all of what she said. To end this: *squeals forever about Ruby picking up Sapphire and kissing her*
Oh hey Spoiler: something weird So, Ruby calls Sapphire 'Saffy' this episode. And if I'm not mistaken, this was the FIRST time that a Gem has been referred to by a nickname! Other than Rose Quartz being called Rose and Lapis Lazuli being called Lapis, all other times the Gems have been referred to by their full names.
Spoiler: Something else weird anyone else notice that sapphire had a pupil? Struck me as weird since only fusions(and Jasper) have been shown to have pupils so far. Maybe it's because she has future vision? No idea tbh
Spoiler I don't think there is anything official that was said about pupils = fusion. It seems likely considering Sapphire and possibly also Jasper that it's just a design choice that has so far coincidentally only applied to fusion characters..
Feels like that kinda stuff might be more erratic than we'd initially assumed. What with Rainbow Quartz, and Pearls brief stint be-pupiled.
Spoiler: wrt garnet in cry for help I thought she just dropped her, not pushed. anyways, eeeeeeee about everything
Spoiler: fandom whinging Still only two Pearl posts in the Jasper tag! This one implies that the reason "everyone glorifies Jasper" whilst "condemn[ing] Pearl" is because Pearl is autistic. I might be biased here, but I have never seen anyone talking up Jasper with one mouth whist unhinging the other to swallow Pearl whole. I mostly just see people talking about how actively terrible Jasper is, but how they like that in a character and/or will tolerate it from a hottie hot hottie. Maybe if I ventured into the Pearl tag, but hell if I'm touching that mess. No thank you, I'll roll about in the homeworld trash heap, where there's enough distance between me and the characters worst traits that I can't take hate too personally.
'Talking up with one mouth whilst unhinging the other to swallow whole" is an AMAZING turn of phrase.
Spoiler: so first of all, keystone motel aww ruby and sapphire aww so cute When they aren't mad. Yeeps. Poor Steven, thinking it was all his fault. I really wanted everyone to just give the poor kid a hug.
Yeah I see so many posts of 'why do you all love (insert chara or shipA) but hate (insert chara or shipB)?' Like first of all half the time I've seen the second character or whatever getting more love, and second of all most of the people who don't like one of those won't shit on the other in part because they know the thing they like is considered ~problematic~ and they know what it's like to get hate for just liking a fictional thing. Also yes, seconding that that is an awesome turn of phrase!
I forgot that the whole "on the one and on the other" turn of phrase only really works for things a human has at least two of. The first draft was something like "one hand mouth singing Jasper's praises while the other talks shit."
Spoiler: YES I WAS RIGHT MY COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT HEADCANON ABOUT SAPPHIRE WAS RIGHT (sorry I'm very happy about one-eyed Sapphire)
Spoiler It really bothered me how Steven's outburst got swept aside so that Sapphire and Ruby could make up. That kid is so brave and so good and so strong, but he's got problems of his own, and he really needs to have some time where his issues are the focal point. He keeps having to handhold Pearl through her problems, but Garnet's always been so stable... My memory's all foggy, so I dunno if this is something worth making noise about, but dammit, that poor kid.