Shadow Diamond

Shadow Diamond is a character roleplayed by Xinko/ JeffthePotato🌹#2360 on Discord. 
== Appearance ==
A gargantuan and formless mist surrounds them. Despite this, there is a clear and distinguishable silhouette which permeates throughout the thick mist- a large, yet thin, downright malnourished creation. Upon their head there are clear indentations that give notion to the view of a nose, eyes, a mouth and even ears. Even with these features, they do not change or move when Shadow Diamond is speaking or communicating, as if their change of position has to be a conscious act in and out of itself. Their limbs are long and thin, seemingly stretched out to fit their frame. Along with this, their forearms and calves are covered in a purple, swirling pattern which makes them a bit easier to notice. Their physique is generally weak looking- almost pathetically so for a Diamond. When walking around they commonly carry around a black and silver etched cane.
Their unfinished appearance is unavoidable in whatever acts they engage in. No matter what they do, it is clear that something is missing from them. The only thing that gives them a sense of life is the bright, quivering, and burning purple that shines out from their eyes.
However, while this is their original and “base” form, they often use shapeshifting to hide their appearance and to fit in with the general crowd of gems.
== Personality ==
Shadow Diamond is an enigma of a being. They are a being which seeks control and power, not only over others but also over themself. In their quest for this they are open to any means to make themself whole and finally gaining this control, even if it would mean the destruction of the few things they do hold dear.
They define themself by their power and strength, a measure they assess most individuals and creations by. But in spite of this, they find it all meaningless in their obsession of achieving their true potential. Strength and power are, to them, mere words and stepping stones for them to achieve their ultimate goal.
Their obsession is built on the faith of becoming whole, or one, with themself. Something they have pursued for hundreds of thousands of years. They are utterly, and completely, unfinished. A lumberly mass which merely strives towards its next attempt to form and evolve further until they may yet achieve their true potential.
Little of their personality is apparent on an initial viewing. A great sense of self hatred fills their every action and interaction with another being due to their inherent guilt and obsession over not being their own individual. But nevertheless, a clear hatred permeates throughout their existence. A hatred for gem-kind and their failed, later abandoned creation, perhaps a disdain for the concept of life itself. A certain wish to have never existed at all. 
They see other gems and beings as nothing more than creations in a perpetual cycle which they too are locked into. In terms of usefulness, they see little more than assistants, never in the terms of friendship or thought-out relationships.
In spite of this, when they attempt to communicate with another being or an individual, they always do their utmost to appear sophisticated and strong. They rarely let their guard down, nor do they choose their words frivolously. Their main goal when pursuing an individual is always persuasion, to lure them towards their side. In general, regardless of their personal views and ideas, they appear stoic to the outside world and those they attempt to persuade.
They find beauty and purpose in evolution. Not necessarily natural evolution or nature itself, though the concept does lend itself to their idea of superiority and power. The beauty of evolution comes with the beauty of annihilation, the destruction of oneself to grow stronger and rise above their apparent inferiority.
While rarely growing connected to individuals and people, they can find themself respecting those who are steadfast in their resolve and those who further their potential. They deem anything that improves upon itself to be a part of evolution, just to a lesser and more individual scale.
With these rules in place, they find themself superior to every other creation due to one fact they hold onto- this fact being that they deem themself a pinnacle of evolution, a creation that in one lifetime grew past insentience and began pursuing their own goals and desires, in turn leading to their exponential growth in strength.
These qualities are a constant in their existence. A feeling of superiority, yet self hatred. An appreciation of evolution, yet a hatred for life. Despite these qualities, they do feel hope. A tangible hope of becoming whole and growing stronger, despite the derelict horror they currently are. 
During their time travelling across the universe to discover a path to heal themself and make themself whole, they’ve taken to writing a journal to document their discoveries, thoughts, and feelings about the life they’ve led thus far. Their journal is the sole object capable of bringing out their true thoughts and emotions.
== History ==
The creation of Shadow Diamond begins hundreds of thousands of years before the current time and age. It all started with a desire for a fourth Diamond within the Diamond Authority, a wish which was quickly mobilized and acted upon. Many planets and moons were scouted for this endeavor, many failures and re-trials to achieve this ultimate goal of adding yet another member to the Diamond Authority.
While eventual fruition was reached in the form of Pink Diamond, there were many before who were not quite as successful. One in particular was the failed experiment which led to the creation of Shadow Diamond, a process that went perfectly just up until the final stages of creation. Flaws in the mechanism and design of the injectors in addition to planning led to the eventual dismissal of this project, leaving little more than gunk assimilated in the crust of the moon. 
And like so, the project was put under. All traces of it were to be erased and removed from the archives- officially, it had never happened. Just like so many projects and failures before it.
Yet, despite these ideas there had been “life” in the horrific sludge. A few leftover organisms which began their exponential growth throughout the millennia and generations in their limited habitat. Slowly but surely, this growth did lead to the sludge expanding, taking shape and growing within its harsh environment. 
And as it grew, the crust and nutrients around it began to be sucked into this new lifeform. All the organisms molecules binding together to form one unified lifeform within its sediment. And together, it all managed to unify into a single, cohesive and animalistic thought: Survival. 
What was once stale, lifeless and morbidly frozen had now begun to move- narrowly navigating through its crust and habitat to consume the small fragments of life around it. And so it continued for what felt like an eternity- in the perpetual cycle of consumption, survival and filth of their dark environment.
But so- it happened. This narrow thought and desire of survival, it too evolved and became several. No longer was this creature focused on a single minded, powerless idea of survival. It had wished, no, craved to go further. To ascend. To escape its crusty hell and break from it. And so- the crust shattered. This creature breaks forth from its habitat and finds light. 
Time went on. Further and further, more of the planet's surface becoming apparent to the being. And as it did, so did the creatures thought process. No longer were there mere thoughts of survival or consumption. In the hundreds of thousands of years of development, they had achieved what they deemed to be sentience. 
They continued their travel of this desolate, once life-bearing moon. The life they had removed and annihilated for its own sake, for the sake of evolution. Small patches of life yet remained, orange plains surrounded by the charred destruction from the generations before it. 
They carried on. The landscapes blended together. But the further they went, the more they thought- the more they learned and realized. The most peculiar part were the structures- the larger than life pillars and abandoned facilities, with the text which would be unreadable to most, but came to them as if it were second nature. Amongst the rubble and destruction, they found one relic worth gathering: A scientists journal, which they now hold onto dearly. They ripped out the old pages that were written on- they had no use for them.
And so, they found it. The ancient facilities, almost primitive in appearance. Their place of creation, and the place they were deemed an utter failure. It all came flooding back. The ground, a deep shadow burned into it from the large injector placed above it. 
They realized what they had been intended to be- ruler, monarch, part of an empire. A destiny which had long since been robbed from them. These feelings of abandonment, despair and hatred all flew into them at an instant. These feelings, which germinated for an eternity stayed with them even to this present moment. Even after they escaped their area of creation, even after they left the moon. 
Currently, Shadow Diamond has realized their identity and is travelling across the galaxy to find a way to become whole and finish their personal evolution. While they rarely find other gems to interact with, when they do they often assume an alternative persona, so as to pull as little attention to themself as possible.
They have found a deep interest in the history of ancient civilisation, including the culture and history of gems. Even the knowledge and history of human civilisation has deeply interested them. Interestingly enough they have found a deep respect for philosophy and poetry, those who can explain and put words to emotions are simply incredible to them.
== Black Hiddenite ==
Currently on Earth and Homeworld, Shadow Diamond is hiding under the identity of a defective Black Hiddenite.
Hiddenite has few physical differences with Shadow Diamond, except for being an average height of around 6'2", mostly appearing the same but with completely different mannerisms. Usually coming off as a polite, levelheaded gem with large ambitions of documenting the gem empire and it's history, they are quick to jump on any opportunity to investigate ruins, sites and generally engage with other gems.
== Abilities & skills ==
Like all gems, Shadow Diamond has the ability to shapeshift and regenerate when they are severely injured. Unlike most gems, Shadow Diamond’s powers are inherently chaotic due to their unfinished state, giving them immense power but also immense unpredictability due to their lack of control. 
Despite being a Diamond they are noticeably physically weaker than the other Diamonds. While still stronger than the average gem, this weakness is apparent when compared to other gems of a similar status. They do however have several unique abilities to make up for this lack of physical strength.
* Mist: Shadow Diamond can intimately control the mist surrounding them, forming it into defensive barriers or offensive weaponry, or even both at the same time. This is their main means of defence and offence, leading them to prioritize staying away from targets which may be physically stronger or larger than them. 
* Evolutionary control: They have a mild ability to influence the evolution of creatures. They cannot affect themself with this, although they can speed up the evolution of other creatures near them and change their main purpose. This can include changing the creatures to follow them and become subservient. The subject can however resist this influence, making it an unreliable ability in combat. 
Items of note
* Journal: As mentioned above, Shadow Diamond carries a journal they found in an old Homeworld base, something they often write and put their personal musings in. It’s the sole object where they put their true thoughts and emotions. 
* Silver etched cane: Shadow Diamond currently carries around a black and silver cane, something they occasionally incorporate in both combat and walking around on Earth. The grip of the cane is extended to fit the entire palm of their hand, as well as being thoroughly engraved in both gem scripture and a silver. The collar beneath is coated in a bronze pigment, while the shaft is made out of a hard wood and gently etched into with a spiralling pattern. The bottom of the cane is sharpened into a steel spike, which can puncture into the ground. 
== Trivia ==
* Shadow Diamond's gem is not a black diamond, but due to being incomplete their gemstone has been clouded by lots of torched, foreign particles; This interferes with the refraction of light, as well as providing surface area for light to absorb. This causes it to appear black.
Category:RP Gems
Category:Diamonds
Category:Gemsonas