Tiger's Eye

## Tiger's Eye

* Current
* Homeworld

## Characteristics

### Weapon(s)

* Partisan
* Gem-powered sword (non-summoned)

## Professional Status

### Affiliation(s)

* Gem Homeworld (formerly)
	+ Yellow Diamond (former superior)
* Progressives
	+ Hessonite (Predecessor, former superior)

### Occupation(s)

* Soldier
* Commander
* Leader of the Progressives

## Personal Status

### Enemies

* Martian Loyalists
	+ Blue Goldstone
* Pink Zirconia

Tiger's Eye is a Progressive Gem currently living on Mars in The Fortress. She is the current leader of the faction.

## Appearance

Tiger's Eye is a tall, imposing Gem, being the same height as Jasper, with a stocky build. Her skin is primarily golden yellow, with thick orange and brown stripes across her entire body. She has full lips and large, fanglike canines. Her hair is brown and short, but slightly unkempt, and her eyes are scarlet. Her Gemstone is on the left side of her chest.

### Homeworld

When she first emerged, Tiger's Eye wore a red bodysuit with a low neck, burnt orange knee-high boots, and a reddish-orange V-necked vest bearing Yellow Diamond's insignia on the front.

### Current

Some time after the formation of the Progressives, Tiger's Eye regenerated in different attire. She now wears a bronze vest and thigh-high boots with dark bronze leggings. She is usually seen wearing a yellow cape with a red rectangle on the front.

## Personality

Tiger's Eye is a very serious Gem that is not unlike the Diamond she was made to serve. She prefers to hide her emotions rather than express them; she is almost never seen smiling, laughing, or crying as a result. When she does express her feelings, she tries to make sure it is only when she is alone. She also prefers to perform tasks herself rather than relegate them to a subordinate. Despite this, she recognizes the fact she can't do everything herself. She will (reluctantly) split her workload with others, and is unafraid of making allies.

Like many Quartz soldiers, Tiger's Eye thoroughly enjoys combat, and is at home on the battlefield. Despite this, her duties limit how often she gets to battle and leaves her frequently longing for combat. Consequently, when she finally gets the chance to fight, she will usually try to make the battle last as long as possible by limiting herself to just fighting alone, armed only with her partisan. This doesn't mean she is obsessed with fighting fair; in fact, she has been known to resort to fusion or Gem-powered weapons, especially if she can't afford to lose.

Tiger's Eye values Gems for usefulness over friendship; in fact, she refuses to bond with other Gems entirely. She even dislikes being addressed by "pet nicknames" and, with the exception of a certain nickname with certain Gems, will simply not respond to them. Tiger's Eye claims this desire for distance is because Gems can easily get shattered at a moment's notice, often citing Hessonite as an example.

Despite seeing the practical benefits of allowing cross-Gem fusions (she herself has fused with other Gems in the past, though only for combat purposes), Tiger's Eye denounces casual fusion in all forms, going so far as to claim that such a fusion is a sign of self-hatred. In fact, she will always refer to a fusion by the names of **their components**, rather than their preferred name, as if to remind them who they "really" are. This dislike even extends to and affects any fusion she takes part in. When she fuses, regardless of who she fuses with, the resulting fusion tends to be inherently unstable due to unconditional self-hatred.

Tiger's Eye firmly believes that personal authenticity is important, if not vital. She is known to denounce the Diamond Authority for pretending to be more serious and powerful than they truly are. However, many Progressives believe the Chalcedony herself is not authentic, hiding her true personality in favor of the soldier demeanor she had been forced to adopt since she first emerged.

## History

Tiger's Eye was one of countless Chalcedonies made for Yellow Diamond's armies, specifically being assigned to Hessonite. Her service was uneventful for thousands of years, until the Rebellion started. Her Hessonite was sent to Earth to fight the rebels, and, naturally, Tiger's Eye was sent to the front lines. Due to her seniority and loyalty, Tiger's Eye became her superior's de facto second in command, and would lead Hessonite's soldiers into battle.

Under her leadership, the soldiers were able to hold their own against the rebels, but as the war escalated, troubles began to emerge. The Chalcedony's soldiers began to defect and join the Crystal Gems, sometimes suddenly turning on their former allies mid-battle. This forced Hessonite to add defective soldiers from the Beta and Emergency Kindergartens to her ranks just to have a chance against the rebels. During the war, the Chalcedony took extra measures to improve her soldiers' chances of victory, such as educating the new troops on how to most easily kill the humans recruited by the Crystal Gems. Over time, Tiger's Eye became impressed with the off-colors' capabilities, to the point she would start to silently question the meaning of defectivity altogether.

Eventually, Pink Diamond's "shattering" would bring the beginning of the abrupt end of the Rebellion. Hessonite called for an emergency meeting of her highest-ranking Gems, Tiger's Eye included, within one of her drop ships to discuss a course of action and possible retaliation. They had all gathered when, suddenly, the vessel took off without warning. Someone had hijacked the drop ship, and proceeded to fly it directly to Mars and run it into the ground. Miraculously, nobody was shattered, though many Gems' physical forms were destroyed during the crash landing. The Gems that withstood the crash, including the durable Tiger's Eye, gathered their allies' inactive Gemstones and carried them to Yellow Diamond's outpost on the planet to call for help. However, these calls were completely ignored, and the only message they received was an emergency evacuation notice. Since there were so few usable ships, only a small handful of Gems, including the outpost's overseer, were able to leave. Hessonite and virtually all her subordinates were consequently left stranded on Mars permanently.

Immediately, Hessonite began to organize a reform of the outpost's functions, believing that a Homeworld-inspired government would not work on the now-anarchic Mars. Tiger's Eye stood by her superior throughout the changes, and personally pushed for reforms that would benefit the defective Gems she came to respect during the Rebellion. Over time, the ragtag group of former soldiers became a semi-organized faction known as the Progressives. They eventually began to seek expansion, just to find other factions taking up potential territory and drawing in potential members. This prevented them from expanding very far outside the original outpost, now dubbed "the Fortress."

At some point, Hessonite was shattered in combat, resulting in Tiger's Eye taking her place. She continues to manage the Progressives to this day, maintaining a system not unlike the original one set up by her former superior, with only one major change: the explicit banning of casual fusion.

## Abilities

As an Era 1 Gem, Tiger's Eye has standard Gem abilities, such as superhuman strength, bubbling, and agelessness.

### Natural Abilities

* **Exceptional Strength and Durability:** Tiger's Eye is a high-quality Quartz, making her physically stronger than most other Gems of her type. As a Chalcedony, she is also more durable than the average Quartz soldier.

### Skillset

* **Partisan Proficiency:** Tiger's Eye's Gem weapon is a partisan. As a Quartz, she can summon and use this weapon almost instinctively.
* **Sword Proficiency:** In addition to her partisan, Tiger's Eye is adept with using one-handed swords.
* **Keen Intellect and Memory:** Tiger's Eye is smarter than her Gem type would suggest, as shown by her willingness and ability to extensively study humans during the Rebellion.
* **Bartering:** Through thousands of years of experience, Tiger's Eye has extensive knowledge on her own faction's economics and the value of their currency, and has become an expert in trading and making deals with all sorts of Gems.

### Unique Abilities

* **Enhanced Speed:** Tiger's Eye displays incredible speed for her size, able to move in and out of combat before most opponents have a chance to react.

### Tools

* **Gem-Powered Sword:** Tiger's Eye owns a unique sword, designed and made by Chrome Tourmaline, with an unknown Topaz's full Gemstone embedded in the pommel. It is designed to force the trapped Gem to reform at the touch of a button, and in a very specific way, to create the sword's blade. This makes it incredibly powerful, more so than most summoned and material weapons, but also incredibly volatile. Thus, she prefers to use her more reliable partisan unless she needs the extra power. She stores the sword in her Gemstone when not using it.

## Relationships

### Blue Goldstone

Tiger's Eye has a strong, mutual animosity towards Blue Goldstone. They openly scoff at one another for being "backwards," and their infrequent conversations often devolve into bickering and name-calling due to their strong, conflicting opinions. In fact, the only thing they can agree on is that their arguments are counterproductive, so they avoid speaking to one another at all.

### The Great Diamond Authority

Tiger's Eye is dismissive towards the Diamonds she used to serve, aware of the false front that they rule through. However, the yellow diamond on her outfit suggests she still has a sense of fealty, or at least respect, towards Yellow Diamond.

### Hessonite

Tiger's Eye loyally served Hessonite before, during, and after the Rebellion, standing by her as she formed their faction. Despite this loyalty, she does not seem to grieve her demise, and states this detachment is because they had a strictly business relationship.

### Honey Opal

Tiger's Eye is aware of Honey Opal's existence and has interacted with her in the past, but pressures her to split when she isn't needed. She considers Honey Opal as an individual to be a "false identity," as she does with all fusions, and refers to her as "Yellow Sapphire and Pearl."

### Howlite

Tiger's Eye despises Howlite and everything she stands for. However, she also deeply fears the fellow faction leader, and is willing to carry out many of her requests. When asked about her behavior towards Howlite and especially the faction she leads, she always gives the same reason: that the Watchers have already captured and hypnotized numerous Progressive soldiers, and that she can't afford to lose more. However, while there is truth to this statement, many Progressives are convinced that there is a much more sinister reason for their leader's complacency.

### Mali Garnet

It has been hinted that Tiger's Eye hated Mali Garnet unconditionally. While it is possibly because Mali Garnet was a perma-fusion, Tiger's Eye's reaction to seeing Mali Garnet suggests there's another, deeper reason for the hatred.

### Melanite

Tiger's Eye expresses a strong and unexplained dislike towards Melanite; this dislike may be related to her hatred of Mali Garnet. Regardless, she allows Melanite to stay in the Fortress. When asked, she states that this is due to her connection with Hessonite; however, she is secretly afraid of what may happen if she attempts to exile, bubble, or harvest Melanite just to be rid of her.

### Pezzottaite and Chrome Tourmaline

Tiger's Eye respects the combined skill of Pezzottaite and Chrome Tourmaline, more than happy to pay them on commission and even responds when they call her "Big T"--though this is mostly because she hasn't been able to get them to stop. She is fully aware that they are mercenaries without true loyalty, however, and approaches them with caution as a result.

### Pink Zirconia

Tiger's Eye reacts to Pink Zirconia with hatred, bitterly calling her a "Fake Diamond."

### Progressives

Tiger's Eye has dedicated herself entirely to her faction, and aspires to extend its reach across the entire planet. She is convinced that only the Progressive form of government will work on Mars, and actively enforces their few rules within the Fortress.

### Rhodochrosite

Tiger's Eye tends to give Rhodochrosite preferential treatment (much to the frustration of the Progressives), as she is one of the only Gems that can make the Chalcedony smile. That is not to say she is unaware Rhodochrosite is acting. In fact, she knows Rhodochrosite is seeking favor, and is giving it to her so that she will continue the façade.

### Rose Quartz

Tiger's Eye is unaware of Rose Quartz's true identity, and, like most Gems, believes her to have been an actual Quartz soldier gone rogue. Despite her dismissal of Homeworld and the Diamond Authority, Tiger's Eye sees Rose Quartz as **the** worst Gem ever made, having seen much of the devastation caused by her Rebellion.

### Tiger Iron

Tiger's Eye was among the Gems that witnessed Tiger Iron's emergence, and was the only Gem to try and prevent their escape. However, despite her strength and millennia of experience, they overpowered her and destroyed her form. Thus, Tiger's Eye was not surprised to learn that Tiger Iron continues to exist. She respects their raw power, but, due to their status as a forced fusion, also pities and is disgusted by them.

### Vivianite

Tiger's Eye has granted Vivianite special protection for unknown reasons, allowing her to stay in the Fortress and not requesting work from her. She is willing to spend personal time with her and answer her questions, but still does not "open up" around her.

## Trivia

* Tiger's Eye is left-handed.
* In "How to Kill a Human," Tiger's Eye is shown to have studied humans during the Rebellion in an attempt to improve her army's chances of winning the war. Consequently, she has extensive knowledge of human anatomy, and basic knowledge of human behaviors.
	+ Tiger's Eye felt some level of guilt killing humans, possibly due to how much she knew about them. She used the common human belief in an afterlife to help ease this guilt, convincing herself that some part of them lived on even after their death.
	+ If introduced to it, Tiger's Eye would like coffee.
* In The Forgotten Planet, Tiger's Eye's speech bubbles are light orange.
* Tiger's Eye's voice would be similar to that of the canon Cherry Quartz.
* Tiger's Eye is one of several Mars AU Gems associated with a Major Arcana tarot card; specifically, "The Chariot."
	+ This is due to Tiger's Eye's strong will and occasionally aggressive nature.
* Tiger's Eye has some hypothetical named fusions that have not been, and may not be, seen.
	+ If she fused with Crazy Lace Agate, they would form an Eye Agate.
	+ If she fused with Hessonite, they would have formed an Enstatite.
	+ If she somehow fused with Vivianite, they would form a Labradorite.
	+ If she somehow fused with Melanite, they would form a Cat's Eye Diopside.
	+ If she somehow fused with Blue Goldstone, they would form a Cat's Eye.
	+ If she somehow fused with Howlite, they would form a Lake Superior Agate.
	+ If she somehow fused with Pink Zirconia, they would form a Cacoxenite.
	+ If she somehow fused with Blue Goldstone, Howlite, and Pink Zirconia, they would form an Ammolite.
	+ If she fused with a Hawk's Eye, they would form a Pietersite.
	+ If she fused with an Amethyst, they form an Onyx.
* All of Tiger's Eye's hypothetical fusions involving Garnets are based on types of pyroxene.
* Upon receiving Steven's Era 3 broadcasts, Tiger's Eye would be shocked to learn of Rose Quartz's identity and become even more critical of the Diamond Authority as a result. She would decide to keep the Progressives cut off from the Gem empire for a variety of reasons, knowing she would lose most of her power (and all her Gem-powered weaponry) if she implemented the new laws, and that she would need to lift her ban on casual fusion.
	+ Tiger's Eye would also see Steven himself as a dictator and an "even worse" version of his mother.

## Gemology

Gemstone Information

* Tiger's eye (proper name pseudocrocidolite) is a fibrous variety of quartz known for its chatoyancy, or "cat's eye" effect.
	+ The formation of tiger’s eye is disputed. Historically it has been believed to be a pseudomorph if quartz after riebeckite; more recently it was proposed that it is instead formed through the intergrowth of quartz and altered riebeckite.
* Tiger's eye is most commonly known for having a golden color; however, it can also be brown, blue, gray, or near-black. Blue, gray, or blackish tiger's eye is usually marketed as hawk's eye.
	+ Tiger's eye is sold in other colors; however, these stones are artificially colored. While natural tiger's eye can have a reddish tint, most red tiger's eye has been heat-treated to give it that color. Meanwhile, tiger's eye that is green, bright blue, purple, or some other "unnatural" color has been dyed.
* Tiger's eye's exact quartz type is disputed. While it is often commonly considered a type of chalcedony (as it is fibrous), some mineralogists will categorize it as a macrocrystalline quartz instead. The confusion can likely be owed to the fact that tiger's eye is a relatively unique type of quartz.
* While tiger's eye is not a traditional birthstone, it is a zodiacal stone for Gemini. It is also associated with the base, sacral, and solar plexus chakras.
* Tiger's eye was historically used to protect against curses, including the evil eye.
* Metaphysically, tiger's eye is associated with inner balance, confidence, heightened perception, and wealth.

## Gallery

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