Blue Garnet (ACiAR)

## Blue Garnet

**Artificial light:**

* Left: Orchid
* Right: Dodger Blue

**Blue Garnet** is the skirmisher of The Gem 16 and close friend to Almandine.

## Appearance

Blue Garnet is a medium-tall, lanky gem with deep blue skin and medium-length dark blue hair. His arms are almost as long as his legs, with long, sturdy hands and feet. His head is square-shaped with a strong jaw and prominent cheekbones. His eyes are hooded and angular, with heterochromic irises of varying shades of blue and purple, respectively, dependent on the light hitting his gemstone.

His gemstone is located under his pectorals, also known as the solar plexus. The gemstone changes color under different light sources, with many of his elements following suit. These color changes do not give Blue Garnet special abilities, but can help himself and others indicate the nature of certain light frequencies.

His outfit usually consists of a large, loose collar or "bib" necklace with large metallic beads, often with a centerpiece of a heart-shaped or three-pointed star decoration. He rarely wears a shirt, if doing so leaving his chest exposed in some way. He wears long, baggy pants with kneepads and ankle straps, under which are soft shoes with rubber soles.

Notably, his fashions will always have a blotched or tie-dye appearance, in a gradient between deep blue and bright pink, sometimes with dark purple or indigo between. These colors, too, will change with the difference in light source on his gemstone, with blues and pinks leading to magentas and reds under torchlight.

## Personality

Having lost his birthing crater in an attack on his kindergarten, Blue Garnet lost much of his history, leaving him both wistful for a past he lost and ever-open to the events of the now. Likewise, he focuses best on present events and planning for the future. He's reluctant to bond with others, especially humans, as he wonders whether, like his own past, he'll build a past with others only for that to be lost as well.

Regardless, he regards the Gem 16 as compatriots and close friends, even if his personal feelings do not always match the wacky antics of the group at times. He appreciates being able to make a personality for himself, rather than have one assigned to him by superiors. Ironically, he tends to take orders unquestioningly from Rhodolite and Almandine concerning his missions, as befitting his role as security, unless he considers another plan of action ahead of time.

He's well known around his jurisdiction for his stoicism and sagacity, with humans comparing him to martial arts masters of the movies and real life. However, he also has a playful, humorous side, with his jokes usually dry and dark; he often complements Almandine's dry wit and Rhodolite's existencial crises disguised as jokes. His old age accounts for some of these eccentricities, though he's far from the constantly crazed attitudes of Rhodolite or Triphane.

## Abilities

Blue Garnet possesses standard Gem abilities, including super strength and durability, shapeshifting, agelessness, regeneration, fusion, and bubbling.

### Fusions

#### Two-member

* Blue Garnet fuses with Rhodolite to form Royal Rhodolite
* Blue Garnet fuses with Almandine to form Rainbow Almandine
* Blue Garnet fuses with Triphane to form Augite
* Blue Garnet fuses with Bloodstone to form Pleochroic Tanzanite
* Blue Garnet fuses with Grossular to form Mint Hydrogrossular

#### Three-member

* Blue Garnet fuses with Rhodolite and Almandine to form Gadolinium Gallium Garnet
* Blue Garnet fuses with Triphane and Bloodstone to form Sonora Sunset

#### Four-member

* Blue Garnet fuses with Rhodolite, Almandine, and Grossular to form Yttrium Aluminum Garnet
* Blue Garnet fuses with Rhodolite, Almandine, and Triphane to form Ulexite
* Blue Garnet fuses with Rhodolite, Almandine, and Bloodstone to form Boulder Fire Opal

### Skillset

* **Sling mastery:** his weapon is a simple sling with elastic string and pouch, which he either spins to launch ammunition, or by using his fingers as a slingshot frame. He has the capacity to launch ammo at 200 Joules.
* **Ammunition generation:** Blue Garnet can generate near-infinite ammunition for his sling, as well as for hand-launching. The limit to his ammo is dependent on his energy reserves and concentration. His two main types of ammo are bombs and pellets. Bombs can either explode on contact, after a pre-set time, or by Blue's command; they cannot be defused or reprogrammed, only dissipated if in unsuitable conditions. Pellets are more inert, with simple "on/off" features, and an ability to dissipate on command.
	+ **Cling bomb:** this bomb, when launched at a target will extend spikes to cling tight to it until Blue triggers it to explode. These spikes vary in size and number from a single large spike extending 10 times the length of the main body, to thousands of microscopic spikes that cling to cloth, fur, or flesh.
	+ **Sting bomb:** this bomb emits light and/or sound frequencies when triggered, which can cause pain to Gems or humans until the bomb dissipates or explodes. The bomb can either "explode" with a non-incindiary payload of pure sound and light, or explode with destructive capacity. It can even create a destructive wave while masking its sound from outside ears, making it a "silent" bomb.
	+ **Hypno pellet:** this pellet, when attached to a Gem, can override their programming temporarily and force them to do Blue Garnet's bidding, lasting as long as Blue Garnet's concentration. This only works with weak-willed, less powerful Gems, as those of stronger will can resist reprogramming and destroy the pellet; it will also fail to work on humans due to their electrochemical neurology.
	+ **Blade pellet:** a simple retractable throwing-star-like pellet intended to wound enemies. They can keep their blades retracted into the main body until impact, where they spring open. Like the cling bomb, the blades of the blade pellet vary in size and number, some pellets (meant for hand-throwing) extending as long as 1 foot (30 cm).
	+ **Found ammo:** Blue Garnet can also use pebbles, spent bullets, and a variety of other unusual objects as ammunition. His most infamous found ammo is Gem shards, which he can use to debilitate Gems through force-fusion, or aim into objects to create shard possessed warriors to aid in battle.
* **Running:** though not as fast as Almandine, Blue Garnet's long legs allow him to cross great distances at high speed, for longer periods of time than fast-twitch Almandine. Besides running on two legs, Blue can use all fours to propel himself across the ground, which can also help in stealth operations as it keeps his body low to the ground.

## Relationships

### Rhodolite

Blue Garnet usually keeps his distance from Rhodolite's unhinged behavior, though will respect her forward tactics and indomitable unpredictability in battle. Most of the times they fight enemies, they tend to fuse into Royal Rhodolite.

### Almandine

Blue respects Almandine's tragic history and melancholy resolve, to the point where they tried to make a relationship work, but they only produced a practical-minded fusion of remarkable power and empty soul. Regardless, he only desires what's best for her, would go out of his way to defend her, and will often take her words to heart.

### Triphane

At first, Triphane's cowardice and unpredictable reactions annoyed Blue to have him on the team, but he began to pity the eccentric scientist, and soon grew to appreciate his high intellect and appreciation for life on Earth.

### Bloodstone

Like with Rhodolite, Blue Garnet would rather not cross the hot-tempered Bloodstone if he could help it, yet he appreciates her candor and determination, often aiding her by throwing her to her target with his sling.