we are introduced to her as this cold, towering dangerous villain who threatens the very planet the crystal gems have been fighting for for countless milennia. she moves with precision, purpose, and doesn't let anything stand in the eay of the job she was made for: her very reason of existence.

and then that starts to break down over time. her ship is hijacked. her mission is compromised. her informant and escort are nowhere to be seen and she is stranded on a planet that will (in a matter of weeks) be destroyed from the inside and kill her without contact with her superiors or any sort of understanding of the world she's on, with the hijackers and destroyers of her ship seeking her out wherever she goes. we see this calculating facade crumble in the face of realizing She Is In Danger.

and when she's poofed and captured, it completely breaks her down!!! she's literally terrified: captured by The Enemy, rendered completely helpless and still on the cruddy planet thats going to eat itself alive any moment!!!!!! only 4 steven to reach out with his endless patience and offer her things she has never even heard of before.

now i think this is where a lot of people have a gripe with her character, believing Removing her limb enhancers and redeeming her was flanderization... but i!! respectfully disagree!! all her life, three thousand years, she's known nothing but Work and Orders and Obedience. individuality, interests, Being Your Own Person was unheard of!! rebecca touched on this briefly in an interview that i can't be assed to find once i believe, particularly talking about the diamonds but bringing up peridot too: peridot's world view was so deeply ingrained in her entire existence, sure, but not her Identity. she didn't have an identity. i do understand why some people much prefer villainous peridot, but like... i feel like she would have become like the way she is regardless of who she spent time with if she was given the chance.

as for the people who say she got nerfed and woobified/infantilized... iiii! don't agree!!!

peridot is an anxious, curious individual with lots of internalized anger and a big ego. being stripped of all her safety nets and thrown into an unfamiliar situation is stressful! however, we see how she comes to her own!!!! she becomes enamoured by the life and culture on earth, growing to enjoy things like botany/farming, music and art(ie morps and when she performs music in the comics!) method acting, fandom shit etc.

and the reason i see most people arguing for is like, oh well it happened too fast. and like, well, duh doy! when your entire life is lived in endless unchanging monotony, a single ripple in that structure can make the whole thing come down.

ADDITIONALLY: she CAN recede into her old ways! freedom is obviously... well, FREEING, so she's able to live safely and happily with her friends without that lingering fear. when that is taken away from her, it all comes crumbling down. calculating, maybe not — but she Absolutely becomes cold again. losing a life she had built, a person she loved, she recedes into a cold and unfeeling persona (ie: her comments about amethyst, disregarding every attempt from s and a at cheering her up) and it seriously fucks her up!!!!!

what makes all this really special 2 me though is how we see she's changed in "in dreams."

ok, so. i could really get into steven and peridot's friendship but we'd be here even longer than we already have in So i won't beyond saying: i think steven and peridot have a similar dynamic to steven and amethyst. not as in "siblings," but as in seeing one another as equals to an extent but still having peridot recognize her position as the Older one, the Protector (i mean not physically but you get it)

we know peridot is socially inept. she tramples over other people, misinterprets Everything, is easily offended and can inadvertently come off as very egotistical (i mean, she IS, but that's besides the point.) we get a very good example of this from "in dreams."

steven very much wants to hang out with peridot. steven is desperate to keep his friends close to him. steven is afraid of losing the people he loves. steven is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the people he cares about around, even at his own detriment.

peridot wants to Watch a Show with her Buddy Steven ! :)

peridot does not recognize steven's anxiety at ALL. she seriously doesn't understand most aspects of socialization and emotions unless explicitly spelled out for her. she takes steven's insistence upon continuing their project as eagerness! he even takes initiative to eat spicy food before he goes to bed, LOL! she is reassured by the Facts expressed by Words and Actions in front of her, completely oblivious to steven's internalized turmoil because she is incapable of taking a hint.

what makes this episode special to me though, is that while this Seems like peridot is still inept and disregards the feelings of others, she does a complete 180 once the negative impact on steven is, well, LITERALLY put together for her in a little documentary on his tv screen. LOL.

peridot is literally. LITERALLY. the very first person in the entirety of future to say to steven i'm sorry, i won't make you do that again, are you okay? before his meltdown. and while this is a typical response for someone who is, like, normal... this is PERIDOT!! all we've seen of her until in dreams is a gem who struggles immensely to understand the feelings of others and own up for her own misgivings ("well how was i supposed to know that?" "who cares about how any of you feel?! you're all just rocks, ruddy muddy clumps beneath my gravity connectors!!!") so to see her immediately shift upon realizing she'd Fucked Up and earnestly apologizing and trying to comfort steven is like, WOW. way to go girl.

FACE & FEATURES

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature?

face: Describe your OC's face. What's their smile like? Are their orbs cerulean? What would someone notice first when looking at them?

stature: What's your OC's body type? How tall are they? Do they wear clothing to accentuate their look or do they try to mask it?

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

stillness: How does your OC act while still? Are they fidgety? Do they have any common gestures or tics? Does their clothing affect how they hold themselves while at rest?

canvas: Does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? Do they display or cover them up at all?

CUT & CLOTHES

night: What does your OC wear to sleep? Do they have a favorite pair of PJs, or are they more the birthday suit type?

day: What does your OC wear on a normal day? Why do they default to those clothes? Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up?

formal: What's your OC's formal look? Do they like dressing up? Do they have different looks for different occasions?

informal: What's your OC's lazy-day look? How do they like to dress when they're winding down?

outerwear: What's your OC's outerwear situation? Jacket, sweater, cloak? What sort of weather do they deal with most and how do they protect themselves?

footwear: What does your OC wear on their feet?

road: What does your OC wear while traveling? Do they have high-quality equipment, or are they making do? What does their gear look like?

armor: What kind of armor does your OC wear? Is it well kept? Bonus: where does it come from? Is there a story behind it?

arms: Does your OC have any weapons? What weapons do they carry, and how do they wear them when they're not fighting?

roots: Is your OC's look inspired by any specific style of clothing or fashion trend? What are the roots and/or inspiration for their look?

texture: Does your OC favor any specific kinds of cloth or textures? Is there anything they can't wear or don't like? What sort of fabrics do they prefer?

wardrobe: How big is your character's wardrobe? Do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often? Are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

ACCESSORIES & ACCENTS

bling: What jewelry does your OC wear? Does it have any meaning?

hair: How does your OC wear their hair? Does it have some kind of meaning?

makeup: Does your OC wear makeup? How often? What kind? Why do they wear makeup, and do they like it?

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

YES, I'm still working on this purple vampire nerd