Gem Ascension Tropes (Chartreuse Diamond-specific: P - Y)
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Power Crystal: Like Peridot, her diamond rests on her forehead, centered within the peridot gemstone it emerged from. Both gemstones are essential to Chartreuse’s livelihood and is the source of the great power she wields.
Power Dyes Your Hair: Just slightly; the tips of her pigtails have a neon green gradient that fades into her traditional color.
Power Floats: Since she’s way smaller than her fellow Diamonds, Chartreuse can make better use of this ability to get around and doesn’t need a metal platform to do this anymore.
Power Makes Your Hair Grow: As large as her Mega Twintails are, this is definitely the case.
Power Makes Your Voice Deep: It’s noted in the narrative that her voice is similar to Peridot’s, but lower-pitched.
The Power of Hate: This originally stemmed from Peridot in Chapter 6 of Act III when she’s triggered by seeing (the presumed) White Diamond’s neck and has a raging desire to get back at her for how exactly she got Tricked to Death. While Peridot’s capable of summoning an energy blade similar to what White used on her, she’s not nearly strong enough to even make a scratch on White Diamond. Much to her disgust, she has to become Chartreuse in order to truly damage her foe. By adopting Peridot’s Ax-Crazy mentality, Chartreuse does quite a number on White’s neck.
Razor Wind: Already conjured by Peridot’s Heroic BSoD, shifting into Chartreuse during this only makes this a more lethal byproduct of her never-ending crying. This variant tears Homeworld’s atmosphere to shreds.
Reforged Into a Minion: She exists because Peridot had to be Left for Dead at the end of Act I, leaving her fully at White Diamond’s mercy. Granted, it took a long time for White to break her, but once she finally did, Chartreuse is the end result of this trope.
Regretful Traitor: Just as Chartreuse is starting to warm up to the idea of being a Diamond, the appearance of the Crystal Gems makes her regret the decision immediately. For a while, Chartreuse can’t bring herself to even admit to her friends that she’s Peridot, even if there wasn’t the constant threat of White Diamond hanging over them. Even though Peridot was heavily manipulated into becoming Chartreuse, it doesn’t make her any less ashamed that she submitted to White Diamond’s will at all.
Remember That You Trust Me: Reconstructed: A week of torture and mind manipulation has caused Peridot (and Chartreuse, by extension) to realize not only the full extent of her Dark and Troubled Past, but her origins when she’s revealed by White Diamond to be an Unwitting Test Subject. When the Crystal Gems come to her rescue after she had given up hope on them ever returning, Peridot has become Chartreuse and immediately feels conflicted about what to do. At first, she feels unworthy of reuniting with her friends; Chartreuse regards her very identity as a betrayal of the highest degree. The Crystal Gems’ unfriendly reactions towards her (none knowing she’s Peridot at this time) seem to reinforce Chartreuse’s paranoia that her friends would no longer trust her enough to take her back, even if she revealed her true identity on the spot. Thus, the perceived lack of faith of the Crystal Gems compel Chartreuse to actively become their adversary… until she critically wounds Garnet on accident. While she captures her friends on White Diamond’s orders regardless, Chartreuse is now uncertain of where she truly stands – especially when by this point, Steven has figured out who she truly is and didn’t actively shun her. Combined with White’s condescending attitude that finally makes Chartreuse realize the former never gave a damn about her, she’s compelled to return to the Crystal Gems regardless of what the rest of them might think of her perceived betrayal. Once she reunites with Steven alone, Chartreuse apologizes profusely. However, Steven doesn’t hesitate to help her out; he asks Chartreuse a poignant question that solidifies her alignment from that point forward.
Chartreuse Diamond: “I’ve been more afraid of everything, lately… I’m doubting myself at every turn. I don’t really feel like me, Steven. And I gave you and everyone else so much grief because I’m so stupid and insecure and I don’t know why! Steven, I’m so sorry!”
(Steven, already embracing Chartreuse, pulls her towards him to get her attention.)
Steven: “Shh, shh. It’s gonna be alright, Peridot. Just relax for a bit, okay? I think I can help you. You trust me, right?”
Chartreuse Diamond: (smiling tearfully) “More than anyone I’ve ever known.”
Required Secondary Powers: Not powers, per se, but in order to be able to will something to happen or for something to exist, Chartreuse (and Peridot) needs to know what it is and mentally visualize it. This is Who I Am best represents this, as while Peridot is capable of teleportation, she needs to have an idea of where her destination is and visualize it. Before teleporting her group to Egypt, Steven shows coordinates and pictures to Peridot so she can accurately and precisely teleport herself and others to said destination. If she just learns the name of an obscure location without any additional information, she won’t be able to teleport there, as she has no concept of what direction to even go – let alone having a clue what her destination looks like.
Semantic Superpower
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Downplayed when she’s introduced, as Chartreuse is going out of her way to not give her friends any hints that she’s really Peridot, and this trope one of her biggest identifiable traits. After giving up the charade, it starts to come back, although it’s still not quite as prevalent as it is when she’s Peridot.
Sexier Alter Ego: Peridot didn’t want to look like a scrawny brat anymore before she submitted to ascending, so it goes without saying she went out of her way to make sure her appearance as a Diamond would be a great departure from that.
Shadow Archetype: How Peridot perceives her Alter Ego before learning to accept her near the end of Act III.
She’s Got Legs: Didn’t have much to speak of as Peridot, which is probably why she made a point to have these when she ascended.
Showing Off the New Body: Before the Crystal Gems return, Chartreuse is relegated to guard duty. She quickly becomes bored and decides to indulge in her appearance that she had yet to fully see until now.
Something Only They Would Say: Very narrowly averts this regarding her default Catchphrase Insult…
Chartreuse Diamond: “Is anyone else inclined to try something stupid, or can we move on? You cl– clowns are really trying my patience, because I’m considering helping you!”
Starting a New Life: Before the Crystal Gems return, Chartreuse tries to cope with her new identity and being stuck on Homeworld for good this time by interpreting her situation like this. Especially now that she’s a Diamond, Peridot realizes she really can have a life on Homeworld that’s both distinct and better than her previous life. She even tries to use her powers to see if she can make fauna grow from the ground on Homeworld by making it rain for the first time ever.
Super Mode: Chartreuse Diamond is essentially this for Peridot.
Super-Powered Alter Ego: While Peridot has power, her limitations stemming from the low-caste, low-quality Era 2 gem she emerged as greatly limits her range of abilities. Chartreuse is only limited by her imagination and her comprehension of whatever she wants to will into existence. In other words, Chartreuse is superior to Peridot in absolutely every aspect.
Swiss Army Superpower: The nature of being a power charged by will means Chartreuse (and Peridot) has almost limitless possibilities for how to utilize it. So long as she knows what she’s trying to do with her power and can picture it in her mind, Chartreuse wields the most versatile power one could ever have.
Symbol Motif Clothing: While Chartreuse’s outfit is distinct from Peridot’s in many ways, it largely shares her color scheme and is only slightly more revealing than her base form’s ensemble. However, to represent Peridot’s resignation back to her original alignment by agreeing to become Chartreuse Diamond, the new outfit has a diamond motif with nary a star to be seen – a clear contrast to Peridot’s newly-earned stars that replaced her original diamond motif (which she thankfully retains post-ascension).
Teleportation: Chartreuse can do this with her willpower, so long as she knows about and can visualize the spot she wants to teleport herself (and/or others) to.
Mass Teleportation: Does this near the end of Act III with all of the Crystal Gems in the makeshift spacecraft made by Iridescent Diamond. One moment they’re hanging around just outside of Homeworld’s orbit (before it explodes, anyway); the next, they’re back on the beach on Earth in front of the temple.
Teleportation Rescue: In an inadvertent 2-step process, Chartreuse managed to free the other Crystal Gems who were imprisoned in White Diamond’s bubbles while White Diamond herself was preoccupied with Steven, replacing them with holograms while teleporting them in a hidden corner near the ceiling. Unbeknownst to her, Lion would soon arrive at that precise spot to relocate the Crystal Gems outside the palace and back to their spaceship.
Temporarily a Villain: Her base form is the Hero Protagonist; she acts as a direct enemy of the Crystal Gems for all of one chapter (Chapter 3, Act III), then her Heel Realization towards the end of said chapter turns her back to the side of good, regardless of whether she’s Peridot or Chartreuse.
Then Let Me Be Evil: Strongly considers this in Chapter 3 of Act III after enduring hateful (albeit mostly justified) anti-Diamond slander thrown at her by the Crystal Gems, as it further convinces her they’d never take her back even if she did reveal she was Peridot all along. However, after attacking Garnet brutally to shut her up (She Knew Too Much) and damaging her far beyond what she meant to inflict, she begins Cry Laughing over her actions (as well as her own stupidity for not realizing her Mismatched Eyes were a dead giveaway for her identity) and dispatches the rest of her friends in far less violent fashion, though still maintaining an antagonistic front. What shakes her out of this is the following report to White Diamond, where Chartreuse realizes despite her ascension that she’s still regarded the same way she was as Peridot, and White’s attitude towards her mirrors Yellow’s almost perfectly. When Chartreuse realizes nothing about her really changed, she fully defies the trope.
Thought-Controlled Power: The basic definition of Chartreuse and Peridot’s ascended powers. Unlike Peridot, Chartreuse’s potential is limited only by her own imagination and comprehension.
Trapped in Villainy: Genuinely believed even when the Crystal Gems returned that there was nothing she could do without being a traitor to somebody. Being properly paranoid that her friends wouldn’t take her back now that she was a Diamond, Chartreuse genuinely felt she had no choice but to be the Crystal Gems’ enemy.
Vapor Wear: How one can define Chartreuse’s skirt – it’s almost entirely translucent, so whatever its purpose is, it certainly isn’t to cover up what’s underneath (which thankfully just the bottom half of her leotard).
Walking Spoiler: The most prevalent one of the bunch, as Chartreuse has a much bigger role in GA than her fellow spoiler characters. Being the Hero Protagonist’s Alter Ego is sort of a big deal. Even her appearance is a giant spoiler, since her design is so heavily derived from Peridot’s (and shares the same gemstone, only with a diamond merged within it).
Who’s Laughing Now?: While it’s killing Chartreuse to hurt her friends, she has an easier time doing it to Lapis than anyone else. Lapis is the only one who evades her designated pitfall trap due to being able to fly. After mocking Chartreuse and calling her a clod (which Chartreuse herself nearly used before stopping herself moments earlier), it suddenly becomes much easier for Chartreuse to give Lapis a little torture by having Lapis forcibly sucked down into her prison. Chartreuse gladly watches Lapis fall into the abyss before delivering a parting line.
Chartreuse Diamond: “Who’s the clod, now?”
You Are What You Hate: Peridot has loathed the Diamonds since her Broken Pedestal moment with Yellow Diamond. Now she’s (partially) a Diamond herself as Chartreuse, and this is one of the leading causes of Peridot’s resentment of her Alter Ego.
You’re Insane!: Her reaction to White Diamond’s proposal to perform fusion with two Diamonds – something never done before that carries a high risk of wide-scale destruction should it fail.
Your Tradition is Not Mine: After White Diamond’s self-destruction, Chartreuse is adamant that she and Pink 2.0 will not found a new Diamond Authority for Era 3. They won’t be dictators, but rather teachers and guides to help all gems forge their own path. Which is fundamentally the opposite of what the Diamond Authority did.
Youthful Freckles: Gains these on her cheeks, despite not visibly having freckles as Peridot. Word of God gave her freckles deliberately to accentuate her youth despite her overall more mature appearance compared to Peridot’s.