Chapter Text
Original Crystal Gem Spinel
- Au where Spinel went with Pink to Earth and stayed by her side through the entire rebellion.
- When Pink was given the colony, she was excited, but she also held a bit of a subconscious fear you get when something new in your life happens. To help herself, she brings something familiar, Spinel.
- Spinel is an immense help as entertainment at first. While the new responsibilities were exciting at first, Pink gets bored quickly. She tries and fails to make conversation with Pearl, so Spinel eagerly steps up. Pearl feels discouraged that she can’t provide her diamond with the back and forth she wants and tries to remedy this quicker by thinking more on her own, seeing Spinel as competition for keeping her diamond’s needs met. Spinel doesn’t understand the situation, and just keeps looking out for things to help lighten up the mood.
- Going more in depth with Spinel and Pearl’s relationship at first, Pearl logically knows that it’s Spinel’s job to entertain Pink, so she SHOULDN’T be feeling bad about it, but she does. She’s free thinking for the first time and not realizing it, by feeling competitive towards Spinel in keeping her Diamond’s needs met. Spinel meanwhile doesn’t think much on Pearl or how she changes to try to fit into conversations more with inputs and data. She just sees her as a new friend who’s trying to get in on the fun too.
- It’s because of the competitiveness Pearl feels that she quickly jumps in with the “disguising Pink as a Rose Quartz” idea. She’s very proud of having beat Spinel in finally letting Pink have a way to get what she wants (visit Earth), but Spinel is just impressed with Pearl for being smart enough to come up with it, and is equally excited to finally get to Earth and play there.
- Everything goes the same. They explore Earth. Pink is enamored by it, Spinel also finds herself being entranced by the wildlife reminding her of her garden, but being more wild, free and full of life, and Pearl is just holding on to the happiness and pride of being the one who came up with the idea that’s making her Diamond so happy right now.
- Pink tries to get the colonization to stop but is refuted. She decides to lead a rebellion, and Pearl and Spinel follow. To avoid being recognized, Spinel’s disguise is like that of the film(? Tbh not sure on this. Why would she look that sad? Maybe it’s her attempt to look as opposite to herself as possible).
- Everything follows suit. I can’t help but compare Spinel to Pearl. Both were created for Pink, but Pearl obsesses over her in this not just because she’s her Diamond, but because her first feelings and thoughts were on how to beat Spinel to please Pink more. It led to her just being addicted to Pink’s approval overall, and even to still hold that bit of a smug attitude towards Spinel over being “Pink’s favorite.” Spinel on the other hand, continues to fail to see their trio as anything other than an equal friendship. She still feels her Diamond’s impact like Pearl does in wanting to please her, but she also feels genuinely close to Pearl and appreciates her as a smart individual. She just likes being a part of it all.
- She’s quick to befriend every new Crystal Gem that joins, and is a chief motivator for everyone.
- As the war rages on and casualties roll in, it’s hard for Spinel to stay as upbeat and happy as she’s supposed to be. Losing friends hits her the hardest of the three, but she feels like if she cries in front of anyone, she’s failing her role as an entertainer/motivator, so she does her best to hide it and keep smiling. A Crystal Gem outside the trio, let’s say Garnet, finds her crying alone one day, and talks with her about it. Once Spinel finally confesses the reason why she hides it, Garnet makes a good point that sticks to her. “We are the Crystal Gems. We are fighting the roles that were given to us, including yours of always being a happy gem. You’re allowed to be sad. You’re allowed to show it. Stop trying to hide it, we would never think less of you for it.” A good hug ensues.
- Speaking of Garnet, when she’s discovered by the trio, Spinel reacts to it by being as amazed as Rose. Pearl moves first to try to fuse, picking up Rose, but Spinel joins in immediately, trying to lift Pearl, making them all tumble. Pearl is exasperated with Spinel for interfering, Spinel says she just wanted to try it with them, but Rose interjects and asks Pearl seriously what it was she was thinking. Pearl goes on her rant, explaining how she’s starting to think on her own, how its silly, how she should be replaced. Rose stops her and tells her to never stop thinking for her own. Spinel watches on, and for the first time, for whatever reason, she feels a little left out.
- As time goes on and everything continues as is, she keeps willfully ignoring how their dynamic has changed. How it’s actually always been. With the new realization that Pearl is having feelings for Rose, Rose also starts actively favoring her more. The things Pearl does and the way she acts around Spinel is the same, but Spinel is seeing it all with new eyes and noticing the smugness and annoyance that underlines everything she does. She just smiles through it all and distracts herself with the others. Rose left camp to go on some mission with only Pearl again? That’s alright, Spinel had to go with Bismuth and help her store some new weapons anyways.
- It keeps building, though, and lately, it feels like she’s been left at camp more and more as Rose and Pearl alone continue their secret double life to keep appearances. Wasn’t it supposed to be the three of them? Isn’t Spinel in on the secret too? Spinel tries to bring it up to Rose one day. “Hey, are the other Diamonds asking about me? Maybe I should pop in today during a call and say hi?” “Oh there’s no need. I told them you fell while trying to balance on a line for me, and shattered. Now you can stay in camp!” Spinel is shocked by how much it hurts that she was so quickly killed off. But she keeps sucking it up. This is nothing. This is all worth it. For the Earth. For her Diamond. She will do what is needed and comply. Including sealing herself from ever revealing the secret of Rose’s identity.
- Pink is “shattered”, the corruption happens, Spinel is spared along with Garnet and Pearl. With all but them gone, they start to rely on each other more. Spinel is included more by Rose, and even Pearl steps off her attitude and makes a sort of peace with her. Spinel misses her comrades dearly, but she guiltily is glad to be back in the fold with those two again.
- Amethyst appears. While Spinel did start being included more, there’s still a fraction of a gap, as Pearl and Rose are still closest, and Garnet stays together in harmony. Amethyst brings much needed relief; Spinel is all over her, becoming her sort of big sister and main friend.
- Greg appears. After years of going from human to human, this one is sticking around, and Pearl is growing JEALOUS. While Garnet and Amethyst laugh about it, Spinel can’t help feeling concerned for her. She feels left out, yeah, but she still cares for Pearl, and knows how hard it is to be ignored. While Rose goes on dates with Greg, Spinel tries distracting Pearl but fails every time. It always ends in Pearl ranting about how Greg is stupid and wont last much longer. Spinel is sick of this. She personally feels that Greg is okay, and can’t help but feel jealous herself that even with Rose gone, Pearl can’t seem to have a good time with just her.
- Rose is pregnant. Everyone is trying to come to terms with the news. Spinel is as much of a mess as everyone else. Spinel has always made it a priority to help Rose do what she wants to keep her happy, but seeing how her decision to have a baby impacts everyone, Spinel can’t help feel like she cant get behind this. How can she place so much value on Rose’s happiness if it makes her other important friends and her so miserable?
- Rose is dead. The baby’s name is Steven. They all look at the squirming baby, not knowing what to do. Pearl goes to remove his gem. Spinel watches on and does nothing, but Rose’s smile flashes in her mind, and her hand moves on top of Pearl’s. They look at each other. Pearl cries more. “She wanted this. This is what made her happiest.”
- Greg is taking care of the baby. The Crystal Gems are still feeling lost and unprepared for the future. Garnet is trying to figure out how to be a good leader, PEarl is the most destroyed and withdrawn, Amethyst goes off by herself to avoide the heavy emotions in the temple. Spinel can’t take it anymore. She hates being alone. She tries hard to cheer up everyone, to bring them all together but nothing is working. She gets frustrated and finally snaps. She forces them all together in a room, she makes them all talk it out. She’s gentle, but forceful for once. They come to an agreement. They need to work together. They’ve all suffered a loss, but they still have one another. She hugs them all and they cry.
- She becomes their emotional glue. She’s heavy with emotional baggage as well, but that can all wait. She needs to help Garnet lead her first mission to poof corrupted gems. She goes with Pearl to visit Pink’s palanquin in memorium. She becomes Purple Puma’s biggest fan. She’s helping them become a more stable unit, ready for when Steven finally moves in, but along the way, goes back to her unhealthy way of dealing with her emotions. She pushes all her sadness, all her tears. She can’t focus on that. The other’s feelings are more important. She can always cry alone.
- Steven is growing up. Garnet is the cool mother. Pearl is the overprotective one. Amethyst is the big sister. Spinel is the fun mom.
- As a child, Spinel and Amethyst take on the roles of playmates for him, Spinel enjoying playing all the games that remind her of her times with Rose when she was Pink. She’s a big reason as to why Steven is so childish in the first few seasons.
- As time goes on and more is revealed to him, Steven doesn’t have to feel like the only emotional support in the group. Spinel knows what everyone is like. She is there to give him advice. The first few times the Crystal Gems explode, she’s there with him to pick up the pieces. Steven is dependent on this at first, he’s learning a lot from Spinel on empathy and how to diffuse situations, but all her own anger, all her own pain, all her own resentment one day just snaps.
- Spinel has her own breakdown, and runs to hide in her room. The other gems are busy with other things, and Steven goes to check up on her, somehow getting through the door. He sees her at her weakest, sobbing while clutching something that reminds her of Rose, and something clicks in his brain. Of course Spinel has moments like the others. He needs to help.
- This is his first time helping someone without help. Steven steps in and Spinel immediately stops crying, instead feeling horrified at being caught. She adamantly insists that she’s fine, and refuses to talk about it, kicking Steven out of her room. Steven doesn’t take it as an answer. He keeps persisting her on it, eventually letting it slip in front of everybody that she was crying alone in her room. Everyone looks at her, dumbfounded, Garnet stepping in and asking why she’s doing it again. Spinel breaks down again and lets out some hurtful words directed at Rose. Directed at Pearl. In her tirade, she almost lets Rose’s secret slip. “Why was it always just you two? I was in on it too. I was with her for it too. But I was always forgotten.”
- That’s it. That’s all im writing for now. Its been hours. I cant anymore, im drained. But here’s an endnote of sorts.
- In short, Spinel becomes a character defined by friendship. Her abandonment issues are still there, but not as grave. Instead of being abandoned, she was left out, and now she does everything she can to stay relevant, and keep in everyone’s business. Because she realized that putting Rose’s happiness above others was wrong at the last second, she tries making up for the misery Rose left behind by keeping everyone together and making it her priority to keep THEM happy. Her beef with Rose in why she was never as good as Pearl is also there, but she keeps ignoring it. Her anger over this slips a few times when she argues with Pearl over how she always lorded it over her. She has very complicated feelings for Pearl. She still sees her as a close friend, and she craves for Pearl to feel the same for her, but she also holds resentment for her hogging Rose’s attention. At the same time, she can’t help feel jealous of Rose for taking all of Pearl’s attention too.