Lapis Lazuli

"I'm Lapis Lazuli, and you can't keep me trapped here anymore!"

Lapis Lazuli is a former Homeworld Gem that made her debut in "Mirror Gem". She was imprisoned within a magical mirror for thousands of years until she eventually convinced Steven to free her. As of "Same Old World", she has chosen to reside on Earth and is currently living at the barn with Peridot.

Appearance
Before Steven healed her, she had grayish-blue skin and reflective eyes without pupils. After her gemstone had been healed by Steven, her color palette changed its tone. The color of her skin changed to a deep sky blue, her dress and hair became lighter, and Lapis was found to have navy blue eyes and a beautiful smile on her face.

Lapis Lazuli has a slim figure, cyan skin, and blue chin-length hair, arranged in almost the same as that of Pearl, although her bangs are slightly longer, with a fringe that covers her entire forehead. She wears a flowing, blue skirt, which is knee-length with a downward-facing navy triangle. She also wears a backless, blue halter crop top with an upward-facing navy triangle that ties into a blue sash ribbon on the back of her shoulders. She has a blue lapis lazuli gemstone embedded in her back, in the form of a water droplet, from which she is able to summon and remove wings created out of water at will.

Personality
While she is kind and friendly with Steven, Lapis Lazuli was initially bitter, vindictive, and mistrusting towards all the other Crystal Gems, believing they care more about the Earth than their own kind, due to their betrayal of Homeworld and idly leaving her trapped in the mirror after finding her. Along with resenting Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, Lapis initially had a strong dislike towards Peridot because Peridot had dragged her back to Earth during the events of The Return and Jail Break, and was irate to find out that Peridot was her roommate in Same Old World. In Barn Mates, Lapis was shown to be furious and unforgiving towards Peridot, not accepting her apologies or gifts, and still clung on to the fact that she was sent back to Earth because of her, showing that she is angered easily and cannot let things go, going as far as being grumpy the entire episode, and even rudely destroying Peridot's tape recorder. However, Lapis, after having a talk with Steven, eventually warms up to her and does a good deed by defending her and Steven from the Rubies, showing that she is slowly starting to forgive and be nicer with the Crystal Gems.

When confronted with an enemy stronger than herself, she displays a defeatist and worried approach. She believes that putting up a struggle can only make the situation worse. In "The Message", she delivers a frantic message to Steven about the approaching invasion, begging him to submit to the Homeworld should they cross paths. In "Jail Break", she gives similar advice when Steven stumbled across her, mentioning Homeworld might go easy on them if they follow orders. However, Lapis can change into an aggressive being if necessary.

She expresses an overwhelming desire to return home, going as far as to use one of the Earth's oceans to create a giant water construct for the purpose of using it as a lift to get closer. In doing so, she shows that she can be rather inconsiderate and indifferent, as she does not care about the human race nor the Earth, except Steven. Overall, Lapis is a passionate Gem, who does not hesitate to fight anyone who stands against her, but is grateful to Steven for releasing her and then healing her gemstone despite being pained at her hand. Lapis is also portrayed as being a martyr, loyal to Steven and willing to suffer if it means protecting him from Jasper or any danger in addition to Malachite.

One of Lapis' notable characteristics is her strong willpower. Even with a cracked gemstone, through sheer determination, Lapis managed to control an entire ocean and, once her gemstone was healed, fly an unimaginable distance to Homeworld. Lapis' strength of mind is so great that she suppressed the equally resolved Jasper for months on end. Detrimentally, however, she is also shown to be very stubborn and hesitant in cooperating or accepting help from others unless she has no other choice, seen in both "Jail Break", when she refuses to be set free by Steven, and "Chille Tid", where she doesn't want to tell the Crystal Gems her location for them to find her and aid in the situation.

Having gone through several traumatizing events, Lapis becomes gradually more dour and deadpan over time, especially after facing her interrogator, Peridot, again. As she continues to stay on Earth, this part of her personality becomes more prominent, as she remains dull most of the time after Barn Mates. However, she ranges from being deadpan to uber emotional throughout the show too, as seen in Alone at Sea, where she appears to be more lively and cheerful, but reverts back to her dull self in Beta. Whether this is a sign of her wounds healing or not is not made clear.

In "Alone at Sea" Lapis reveals a cynicism about herself which borders on self-hatred. She harbors a deep regret not just for her actions as Malachite but those in "Ocean Gem" as well, particularly her belligerence against Steven and Jasper. She briefly doubts whether she is different from Jasper, but with Steven's encouragement, she gathers the resolve to avoid reigniting their abusive relationship. It is a recurring theme for Lapis to be used by others, usually for her extraordinary power, and these experiences have cemented in her a general mistrust of others. In the same episode (Alone at Sea) she shows a profound fear of responsibility, immediately rebuffing Greg's offer for her to be captain of the boat before Steven reassures her by insisting that they all be first mates and share responsibility. The contradiction between her strong will and her self-doubt is not yet understood.

"Beta" shows that Lapis has acclimated to living in the barn. Although she is still dour to an extent, she has helped renovate the barn and become comfortable living with Peridot, watching Camp Pining Hearts together with her, and creating pieces of art they call "meepmorps". In "Back to the Moon ", her relationship toward the Crystal Gems seems to have improved.

Abilities
Lapis possesses standard Gem abilities, bubbling, shape-shifting, fusion, regeneration, agelessness, and superhuman strength/durability. She is mentally strong, as she is able to overtake Jasper when they are fused.

Fusions

 * When fused with Jasper, they formed Malachite.

Unique Abilities

 * Hydrokinesis: Lapis appears to have immense power over water and liquid material, demonstrated by her ability to divide a path through the sea and form the entire ocean into a space elevator, and when she juggled a glass of orange juice.
 * Flight: When Lapis' gemstone was healed, it was shown that Lapis can fly using water-wings that extend from her gemstone. These particular water constructs can propel her at high velocities as an evasive maneuver or as a method of transportation. Her wings have the capability to get Lapis all the way to Homeworld in less than a year, possibly even a month. She can't summon her wings with a cracked gem, unlike her other abilities.
 * Water Generation: In addition to manipulating existing liquid, Lapis can generate a certain amount of water from her gem. However, it is unknown whether the water is somehow stored within her gemstone, or if, as an extension of her hydrokinesis, she simply condensed the water molecules in the air into a liquid form.
 * Water Constructs: Lapis is capable of forming water into various constructs that she can control. She has shown to form hands out of water that she can use to smite enemies or use as a platform. She is also able to form chains to entangle or trap enemies with.
 * Water-Walking: Lapis can walk on water, an ability she shares with Pearl, Opal, and Lion.
 * Hydromimicry: Lapis can use her control over water to create flawless, powerful water clones of her enemies. The clones appear to possess the same fighting styles as the originals, as demonstrated by water Garnet's strength and water Amethyst's constant shape-shifting. They also have the ability to regenerate when damaged and even split to create new clones, making them effectively invincible against most attacks. The only thing that has been shown damaging them was a sound wave from Steven's shield.
 * Matter State Manipulation: Lapis is able to change the state of matter of water using her hydrokinetic abilities, causing it to turn into ice. This is first shown when her Crystal Gem water clones create matching weapons of ice.
 * Water Bubbles: Lapis is able to form water bubbles that can contain objects, similar to standard Gem Bubbles, but instead hold liquid and require her to pay attention to them or else they will pop.
 * Memory Projection: As shown in "Same Old World", Lapis is able to project any of her memories onto a mirror-like surface, an ability she was still able to use while trapped the mirror. While she uses this ability, her eyes lose their pupils and become silvery and reflective, similar to how they looked when her gemstone was cracked.

Steven
"Just let me do this for you!"

Lapis Lazuli became friends with Steven in "Mirror Gem", when he was given the mirror, which was supposed to inform Steven of Gem history. Soon after, Lapis began to talk to Steven via the recordings of the mirror, and they became good friends. She wanted to get out of the mirror, and she told Steven how to help her out. After she was free, she warned Steven not to trust the Crystal Gems. However, in "Ocean Gem", her actions were driven by desperation and thirst for revenge for the years locked in the mirror. This caused her to act violently towards Steven and his acquaintances, nearly drowning him. Steven is greatly upset by her unwillingness to have a civil conversation about her predicament, and summons his shield for the second time ever, something he only does in extreme emotion. This conflict is solved when the two are able to talk, and Steven gets to see Lapis' side of the story. After getting a clear understanding of Lapis' dilemma, he heals her gemstone with his saliva, therefore restoring her to her true form. She thanked Steven before she flew back to Homeworld.

In "The Message", Lapis was shown to care for Steven enough to warn him of impending danger from Homeworld and, due to their advanced technology, advised him to not put up a fight, as they don't stand a chance against the Homeworld Gems. In "The Return", she tried to convince Jasper that Steven was just a human and had no connection with the Crystal Gems. When Jasper discovered that Steven has Rose Quartz's power, Lapis begged her not to hurt him, showing that she greatly cares for Steven's well-being. In the episode "Jail Break" Lapis chose to be imprisoned despite the attempts made by Steven to help her. Later, she fuses with Jasper despite Steven trying to convince her but only to double-cross Jasper to protect Steven by putting herself in the bottom of the ocean as Malachite. In "Chille Tid", she somehow connects to Steven via dreams. She rejects Steven's multiple offers for help before scaring him as Malachite. In that same episode, she told Steven that the decision to imprison Jasper as Malachite was to keep him safe.

As soon as Lapis was free of Jasper and safely moved to the barn, Steven showed considerable concern for her well-being, frequently checking on her while she recovered. Shortly after awakening and preparing to leave again, Lapis explains that she feels she does not belong on Earth. Steven, though feeling dejected, understands and wishes Lapis good luck. A little while later Lapis returns to the barn, realizing that while she doesn't feel right on Earth, she cannot return to Homeworld since she deceived Jasper. Steven, discovering her in her depressed state, decides to show her that the Earth isn't a bad place to live, showing Lapis the serene country, dazzling Empire City, and the disillusioned Jersey. Ending at the Galaxy Warp, Lapis, re-experiencing the trauma of the last time she was there, decides to tell Steven about how she came to be trapped in the mirror. After releasing some tension Lapis returns Steven to the barn, deciding that though she can't go home, she is no longer trapped and chooses to live on Earth. In, "Barn Mates" Lapis shows that she only really responds to Steven, mostly talking only to him directly or coming when he calls and in "Hit the Diamond" participates in the baseball game because Steven asked her to despite saying the plan "sucks". Alone at Sea shows her laughing and happy as Steven leads her by the hand, and goes on the boat because he asks her too. She also blames herself for the trip being a disaster, wanting to enjoy it because Steven wanted her to.

Greg Universe
While the two never met face-to-face, until "Alone at Sea", Lapis left a deep impression on Greg. Being the first time he followed his son on a mission involving "magical Gem stuff", Greg was already apprehensive when they set out on their mission. When Lapis created water duplicates that attacked them - and wrecked his van - he became terrified of her. This is later reflected in "The Message", where he sings a short intro of a song he has written called "Water Witch". The song initially portrays Lapis in a negative light as a villain, until Steven objects, and explains that Lapis wasn't mean at all; she only wanted to go home. In "Alone at Sea", he is shown getting along with Lapis and even helps Steven surprise her with a trip on a boat he had rented. However, when introducing himself to her, carelessly reminds Lapis about how he injured his leg during their first encounter, though he seems to have for the most part put the past behind him and seems willing to give her a second chance. He even teaches Lapis how to fish. He is also shown to be amazed by Lapis' power when she uses her power over water in an attempt to catch fish, though Greg suggests they fish the old fashion way.

Crystal Gems
"You, you three knew I was in there and you didn't do anything. Did you even wonder who I used to be?!"

Lapis was initially shown to have a deep-seated distrust of the Crystal Gems, going so far as to warn Steven not to trust them, saying they only cared about Earth and not their own kind, referring to their part in the war, whereas she says "I never believed in this place".

Given that the mirror in which Lapis was imprisoned was known to the Crystal Gems (having most recently been stored in Pearl's gem), it wasn't clear how much about Lapis they knew. However, one of the sources of her anger was the likelihood that they didn't know about her, as she angrily shouted at them "You three knew I was in there. Did you even wonder who I used to be?" As shown in "Same Old World", while the Crystal Gems did not directly imprison Lapis inside the mirror, their rebellion led to her being "poofed" and turned into a tool by other Homeworld Gems, who mistook her for a Crystal Gem. Although her animosity is towards the Crystal Gems as a group, she did share negative feelings towards Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl specifically, as they did not help her after they had found her. She does seem to be warming up to them, as evident in "Hit the Diamond" where she happily returns Ruby's offer of a high-five and participates in gossip with Pearl and Amethyst about Ruby and Sapphire flirting.

Peridot
"What are you doing here?!"

Lapis was initially summoned to be Peridot's informant during her invasion to Earth and was held a prisoner in her spaceship. She seemed to be very scared of her, and/or the advanced technology at her disposal, in "The Message". In "Cry for Help", it is revealed that Lapis was her informant.

In "Same Old World", Lapis is surprised and upset to see Peridot and tells her that the barn is her home now. In "Barn Mates", Lapis is angry with Peridot for having interrogated her and using her. Peridot, with the help of Steven, tries to make it up to her with gifts and cards. However, Lapis still harbors resentment and does not accept. Peridot admits that she identifies with Lapis' loneliness and asks her what she wants. Lapis tells Peridot to leave, and Peridot does since she knows it is for the best. Steven asks why Lapis won't give Peridot a chance as she is really trying to which Lapis skeptically asked him of his trust in Peridot. A Homeworld tracking vessel then arrives chasing Peridot and soon is ready to shoot her. Lapis then steps in front of the Peridot using her hydrokinesis to protect her. Afterward, she asks if Peridot is okay, showing she is slowly learning to forgive Peridot's actions and give her a chance. In "Hit the Diamond", Lapis nonchalantly agrees to play baseball against the Rubies to get them to leave, proving that she somewhat cares about Peridot's safety. In "Beta", the two appear to be closer. They seem to have the same interests, like Camp Pining Hearts, making modern art (or "meep morp", as they call it), and they both participated in making music to impress their visitors, Steven and Amethyst. Peridot seems to be considerate of Lapis' feelings, like Jasper. Lapis is also more willing to respond to Peridot's calls, responding when Peridot tells her she's going out and asks whether she needs anything, and reaching out to try to catch Peridot's bow tie when she threw it, though it sailed over Lapis' head.

Jasper
"What we had wasn't healthy. I never want to feel like I felt with you. Never again! So just go!"

When Lapis returned to Homeworld, she was forced into helping to defeat/capture the Crystal Gems. Jasper was made her superior. Jasper does not seem to care much for her, having no problems with imprisoning her after finding out Lapis withheld information from her. Jasper also called Lapis a brat after she tried to escape from the destroyed Gem warship. Jasper coerces Lapis to fuse into Malachite in order to fight the Crystal Gems. However, she double-crossed Jasper by using her power to control the water and imprison both of them at the bottom of the ocean. Lapis shows a lot of mistrust, hatred, and fear towards Jasper, mostly due to Jasper's aggression towards Steven and her ill treatment of her, projecting all her indignation on being a constant prisoner on her. She has no problem with being fused with her if it means the protection of Steven, sacrificing her freedom, taking Jasper underwater and mentally tangling with her for even temporary control of their unstable fusion in order to keep him safe. Even after Jasper gains enough control over Malachite to break her chains, Lapis continues to struggle for control, causing Malachite to hesitate in her thoughts for a short time. In "Alone at Sea", Lapis is shown to be struggling to adjust to no longer being fused with Jasper, as she had been together with her for so long that she actually missed her, a common symptom of being within an abusive relationship, until meeting with Jasper again, despite the nature of their fusion and the antagonistic relationship they had while fused. Jasper is shown to be desperate to fuse back into Malachite, even attempting to persuade Lapis to fuse with her again and states she has changed. Lapis, however, refuses to fuse, as she comes to realize that what she missed about Jasper was not her company, but having a person she despised to take her anger out on. Understanding that their relationship is unhealthy, Jasper blames Steven and attempts to shatter him. Fortunately, Lapis punches her away.

Shorts

 * "We are the Crystal Gems" (cameo)

Trivia

 * Lapis Lazuli is shown to be exceptionally powerful, being able to control the entire ocean, making it into a giant tower-construct and creating water-duplicates of the Crystal Gems to fight them off, all while in the midst her gem being cracked. She was also able to become the dominant personality when she fused with Jasper, and imprisoned them both, once again, using the entire ocean to her advantage by weighing them down. She was even able to stabilize her fusion-form, despite the Gems' lack of synchronization, whereas any forms of mismatch would usually cancel the fusion.
 * Despite this, Jasper was able to push her around effectively, though this could have been purely psychological. Lapis was unsure and lacking hope in herself when Jasper imprisoned her aboard Peridot's ship, and while Lapis was hurt from the ship's destruction when Jasper caught her midflight.Lapis Lazuli GTTCG Page.png.]]
 * There was a lot of attention to detail to her design/change during her introductory episode. When her gemstone was cracked, she did not have irises nor pupils in her eyes with her eyes being blank. However, after being healed by Steven, she gained dark blue irises with no visible pupils in her eyes. Another example would be the way she moves; compared to other characters, who have human-like, but still slightly jerky movements, her animation is very smooth and fluid. The contrast is seen best when Steven talks to Lapis atop her tower.
 * Lapis Lazuli is the only Gem with a color scheme that consists of only four colors, making her the simplest colored Gem thus far.
 * When Lapis' gem is cracked, her color scheme is a darker shade of blue.
 * Ian Jones-Quartey revealed in response to a fan that Lapis' hydrokinesis is her weapon, making her the first Gem shown to summon something other than a tangible item.
 * Lapis and Steven demonstrate that Gems are adaptable in the vacuum of space.
 * Similar to other Homeworld Gems (Peridot/Jasper), Lapis has a diamond pattern on middle of her clothing.
 * Hers, however, is large and dark blue, instead of small and yellow.
 * The diamond is also split in the middle, due to the style of her outfit.
 * This shows that diamonds are a symbol of Homeworld, as shown by Jasper (Pre-corruption) and Peridot's outfits and their superior, Yellow Diamond.
 * Greg's drawing of Lapis Lazuli on the album cover for 'Water Witch' has a striking resemblance to Lapis' concept sketches.
 * According to Aivi & Surasshu, Lapis' instrument is the Celesta. Her secondary palette includes strings, piano, and timpani. Lapis' music is inspired by the Romantic era of classical music.
 * As shown in "Monster Reunion", had Lapis not been imprisoned in the mirror, she would have been corrupted by the attack of the Diamond Authority.
 * Lapis' imprisonment in the mirror may be a reference to the story of Echo and Narcissus from Book III of the Metamorphoses.
 * Echo was a nymph who was cursed so that she may only repeat what others say.
 * Echo was enamored with Narcissus, who had fallen in love with his own reflection.
 * A silhouette bearing a striking resemblance to Lapis appeared in "The Answer". However, it is not confirmed if it is really her or not.
 * After "Jailbreak", her gemstone has not been shown having the bottom round lighter blue color except for the flashback in "Same Old World". Whether this has been for simplicity or ease in the animation or some other reason is unknown.
 * In the episode "Same Old World", Lapis officially relinquishes her affiliation to the Gem Homeworld. However, she is not a Crystal Gem either, making her the only known non-corrupted Gem who has no alignment.
 * The episode "Beta" shows that Lapis and Peridot had developed a relationship similar to real life human roommates.
 * Lapis possessing a laid back attitude compared to Peridot's more uptight personality is similar to Oscar Madison from the show "The Odd Couple".
 * When Lapis blushes, it is blue, as seen in "Barn Mates".

Gemology


Gemstone Information


 * Lapis lazuli, often referred to as just "lapis", is a deep blue semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color.
 * Lapis lazuli is assigned to the planet Jupiter. Lapis may be given as a gem on the seventh and ninth wedding anniversary.
 * Today, lapis is common, carried out of the mines of Afghanistan in tin trunks from which it is exported all over the world. Lapis was much more expensive decades ago than it is now.
 * Smaller quantities are mined in Italy, Mongolia, the United States and Canada.
 * A soft stone, 5 -5.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness, lapis lazuli is one of the most valuable semi opaque stones.
 * Lapis usually forms in crystalline marble through the geological process of contact metamorphism and due to its composition, it is technically defined as a rock rather than a mineral.
 * It is primarily composed of Lazurite, while the remaining composition is made up of Sodalite, Calcite, Pyrite and other various minor constituents. The varying composition is what influences its exact coloring.
 * Lapis lazuli is normally associated with power and gods, even being found in statues of gods since Mesopotamian times nearly six thousand years ago. This matches with Lapis' overwhelming power as a single Gem who is able to fight three other Gems (one being a fusion) to a standstill even with her own gemstone cracked.
 * Lapis lazuli is said to stimulate the desire for knowledge, truth and understanding, and aids the process of learning. It is believed to strengthen total awareness, creativity, and helps to expand viewpoint.
 * A stone of truth, lapis encourages honesty of the spirit, and in the spoken and written word. It is also a stone of friendship and brings harmony in relationships.
 * The word, lapis-lazuli, comes from Latin. Lapis means stone; lazuli translates to blue. The Arabic word, l’azulaus means blue, heaven and sky.
 * When lapis lazuli is originally mined, it often has to be treated with water to reveal it's true brilliant colors.
 * The emperors of China wore a lapis lazuli ornament on their head as a symbol of power.

Gemstone
Lapis_Lazul