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Of course that being the Rutile Twins, which it DOES make sense since they were the least developed members of the crew, but it really sucks since they were one of my favs.

Is there anything in particular that you would like to see from them or what do you think their role is gonna be?

I personally see them as the groups moral compass (not that the rest are bad people or anything like that). They seem to be the most proactive when it comes to helping people in need like when they first helped Steven and Lars and later they were the first to refuse Lars offer to escape to Earh and leave him behind.

I've noticed they get left out when it comes to loving on the Off Colors Crew! But honestly, we spent so little time with all of them that each was boiled down to a specific trait that defined them. And what's interesting is each is summed up by a SPEECH PATTERN. Padparadscha speaks late. Fluorite speaks slowly. Rhodonite speaks through anxiety and fear. And the Rutile twins . . . repeat each other's phrases in slightly different voices.

Unlike the Fusions they hang out with, the Rutile twins are always together but aren't a Fusion. But we've never seen them in disagreement, EVER. I would love to see some of the dynamic I've sometimes seen in coverage of conjoined twins: what makes the twins different? ARE they two people? (I think they are, but it hasn't been expressly discussed.)

Do they have separate preferences sometimes? Do they fight? What happens if they disagree on something fundamental? Have they ever come up with individual names? Is one more positive, pessimistic, or brave than the other? Do they bargain? Is one more often the idea person? Does either twin ever have conversations with others without the participation of their twin? I would love some development to show how they are different. Or--is it more that they aren't different? They're described as having "one Gem" in the show. Could it be that--unlike with human conjoined twins--they're more like one Gem with two heads who DO think alike and in coordination? I think it's more likely that they're really supposed to be like two people with a conjoined body, but since Gems are defined identity-wise by their Gemstone and they technically have ONE, who knows?

The Rutile Twins are also pilots, which should mean they have good reflexes and spatial reasoning, and their defining personality characteristic is their fearlessness. They are badasses without being braggarts about it, which would make them very good for leadership if they weren't following someone who's more aggressive about it (Lars). They don't seem to be physically strong and their intelligence hasn't really been touched on, but it seems like they are dependable, quick-thinking, and very brave. They're compassionate and willing to take chances to protect and guide others. I'd love to see more of this in the show, as well as an expansion of how this manifests when the plot gives them more complex goals.

I'd also be interested to know whether the Off Colors have had any discussions as a group about what made them Off Color to begin with. The Rutile Twins and Padparadscha did not have any choice in the matter; they "came out wrong," essentially. Rhodonite and Fluorite, as Fusions, do not have any say over their existence, but a choice to live as a Fusion motivated their components, and I could see some divide being discussed between those whose decision to embody love made them Off Color and those whose bodies/minds don't match the ideal. Who one loves isn't a choice, of course, but what one does in terms of the relationship can be seen as a choice and an action.

And though I know this was rearranged for the show, but I'd be interested to know whether Flint and Chert were originally part of the group's past at any point. They were scrapped Off Color ideas when the Crew decided to slim the group down to the members we saw in the final, but these two were used in a brief scene in Future when Yellow was fixing their physical forms. I'd love to know if they ever lived with the present Off Colors only to later get shattered, or whether the canon is now written such that they never were part of the group. If they were ever around, I'd love to know how the rest of the group saw them. And whether any of the individual members of Fluorite's Fusion started off as individual Off Colors with their own relationships with the other members before they joined that polycule.

In the episode Gem Harvest, Uncle Andy comes face to face with the Gems for the first time ever. He has little to no knowledge of their typical abilities, their hardiness, nothing. It’s all new information to him.

This also extends to Steven. Beyond seeing him summon a shield out of thin air while cooking dinner, he has no idea what kind of powers this kid has. He has no idea he’s able to float when he’s in the right state of mind.

So, when he’s quickly plummeting from the sky, of course Andy literally thinks his new nephew is going to die.

Steven, on the other hand… has become the master of downplaying the reality of any danger he’s a part of. It seems to be something of a coping tactic for him? Perhaps it’s a method to assuage both himself and others of his “safety,” and that he’s “totally okay.” So when Andy pulls off a risky gambit and manages to rescue him from the sky, Steven is- habitually- all smiles and encouragement and cheer. (Can’t show the fear he felt to others, because that would be burdening them!)

Steven: “That was a close one, Uncle Andy! You sure are good at-”

Uncle Andy: “Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you?!”

Look at that. Those words immediately sober his enthusiasm. The mask falls. A little bit of hard realization sets in. And his uncle- he’s so upset at what could’ve happened that he’s literally crying a little right now.

Uncle Andy: “What good are you to me as family if you’re-”

If you’re dead.

What good is Steven as family if he’s dead?

Y’all, it’s so, so rare that anyone in Steven’s immediate sphere of influence actually bluntly points out the inherent danger of Steven’s life, actually points out the risks he entertains sometimes on a daily basis with the lifestyle he has, living with the Gems. It’s so rare because Steven has very few people who actually exist entirely separate from the small microcosm he’s built for himself in Beach City. Even the townies are super desensitized to the existence of all this Gem related danger by now. In many respects, even his dad is.

So when Uncle Andy cuts through Steven’s jovial downplaying of what just happened, it rattles the kid. He’s genuinely not used to people calling out what could’ve been a near-death experience.

Tawny frogmouths (Podargus strigoides) in Tasmania

An American black bear (Ursus americanus) preying on salmon in Canada

11 years since nationwide gay marriage in the US

23 years since sodomy was legalized

Hiiiii!!! Thank you so much that is always so lovely to hear <'3 Oooff I must say when it comes to muscles i also have very little cluesTM. But frankly, the few plates I have seen basically show them as they are; one long smooth muscle puppet (for the most part).

My one and only real go to for study is photos! lots and lots and lots of photos. or videos of course, they can be very helpful to see how their bodies move and reveal shapes through different angles and movements. i especially love photos that make you go WTF, and then ooooo never knew their head worked like that. they give you insight, help imprint shapes into your head and when you use them for studies, get you practicing that 3D shape from more unexpected angles.

Look at the gape on Bubbles, how her right lip flares out super far from her teeth! (Bubbles the Short-finned pilot whale, photo © Seaworld)

Look at the funky shape on this one in front view! How the cheeks poke out and the eyes sit on their own little mounds and there's an extra hump under the dorsal fin! You don't see that crap in side view (Spinner dolphin approaching diver, photo © Barry Fackler)

Or look at... whatever this is!! (female or juvenile Blainville's beaked whale, photo © Seth Conae)

Also - I know this does not apply to all people - but if you have the means to see cetaceans for real that can help a lot too. Either through reputable whale watching (take lots of photos to use as your own reference for later, wild cetaceans don't usually stick around and especially not close!) or visiting an accredited aquarium. i got a lot of extra feel for the little details of bottlenose anatomy through seeing them up close almost every day for a few months. also museums are cool for looking at skeletons and skulls! however i've always found their bones to be of little relevance when regarding their outside looks.