Garnet (Steven Universe)

"♫ I will fight for the place where I'm free to live together and exist as me! ♫" —Garnet

Garnet is the fusion of Ruby and Sapphire and the current de-facto leader of the Crystal Gems. Garnet is one of the last surviving Gems on Earth who joined the Crystal Gems in the rebellion against the Gem Homeworld, and afterwards assisted her friends in protecting the Earth over the next few millennia. After Rose Quartz gave up her physical form to give birth to her son, Steven Universe, Garnet took over as the leader of the group.

Why She Rocks

 * 1) Though she is often the most pragmatic and straightforward of the Crystal Gems, Garnet tends to act on intuition rather than seriously analyzing a situation, as often seen throughout the series.
 * 2) As the leader, Garnet is often the peacemaker of the Crystal Gems, especially when Pearl and Amethyst start arguing.
 * 3) Equable and mellow, Garnet is capable of remaining composed in most situations – this characteristic is derived from Sapphire. This is displayed in the episode, "The Return", where Amethyst and Pearl were at a loss for words when they tried to explain to Steven why he was forbidden from fighting alongside them at the Gem Warship's landing.
 * 4) She is able to remain strong and keep cool despite the dangers in most situations
 * 5) Garnet demonstrates a fierce, competitive spirit. This is best seen while she is playing volleyball in "Beach Party", "Steven Tag" in "Keep Beach City Weird", and arcade games in "Arcade Mania".
 * 6) Garnet also has a tendency to act in extremes, either maintaining her very reserved nature or lashing out with strong emotion. Both of these personalities come from her two constituent Gems, the conservative Sapphire and passionate Ruby.
 * 7) Garnet is also the most encouraging of the Crystal Gems and is usually the first to give Steven the chance to try out his ideas (particularly in "Marble Madness"). She prefers to emphasize when her show of trust causes a breakthrough, such as when Greg Universe helped in "The Message" and even considers someone's willingness to try something – whether or not they are capable of it – as a form of success on their part.
 * 8) Garnet clearly believes fusion to be sacred and personal, something that can be traced back to Ruby rather than Sapphire. Garnet tells Stevonnie in "Alone Together" that a fusion is considered neither one person nor two people, but rather an experience.
 * 9) She was open enough to answer Steven's personal questions regarding Ruby and Sapphire in "Keeping It Together". As such, any form of misuse of fusion greatly upsets Garnet and is one of the few things that breaks her otherwise calm and controlled demeanor; seeing Homeworld's experiments disturbed and frightened her so immensely that she nearly separated from the shock.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) She demands utmost respect from the other Crystal Gems and is not hesitant to berate team members should they refuse to follow an order.
 * 2) While mostly level-headed, Garnet can still lose her cool. When Steven began rapidly aging in "So Many Birthdays", Garnet started violently shaking him in her desperation, believing that violence might be the answer.
 * 3) However, when Garnet feels betrayed, such as in "Mirror Gem", "Cry for Help", "Now We're Only Falling Apart", she can lash out with a temper that is rarely seen. Except in "Now We're Only Falling Apart", she can't take the revelation that Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond.

Trivia

 * Garnet is rarely seen consuming food or drinking. This is probably not out of disgust, but simply because Gems have no practical reason to do so.