Rutile

* Current
* Previous

Rutile is a former Crystal Gem and a member of the Watchers currently residing in The Palace on Mars.

## Appearance

Physically, Rutile isn't very different from other Gems of her type. She has a slim body, neat hair, and no nose. Her eyes are black, and her Gemstone is on her lower left arm.

### Previous

Prior to her capture, Rutile had a light red complexion with crimson hair. She wore a bright red vest and dark red leggings with irregular stripes along them, an angular, crimson belt, and scarlet boots. She has a star-shaped barrette on either temple, and a deep red, transparent visor.

### Current

Rutile's appearance has hardly changed at all since her capture. In fact, the only difference (aside from color) is her visor: while previously transparent, it is now reflective and appears opaque. Due to Howlite's hypnosis, her colors are now much duller shades of red.

## Personality

Even before becoming a Crystal Gem, Rutile was somewhat notorious for her relative lack of self-control, being informal or even playful with her superiors. This trait made it easier for her to defect, betraying her superiors and joining the Crystal Gems very suddenly. As a rebel, she was generally well-liked by the other Crystal Gems.

Rutile's personality is now dictated by Howlite's hypnosis, turning her into a prototypical Rutile. She always does what is asked of her without question, and with a smile on her face. When not following orders, she wanders the Palace alongside Kunzite and arbitrarily performs with her.

## History

Rutile's life before Earth's colonization, if she existed at all, is unknown. About 6,000 years ago, she was given to Pink Diamond's Moissanite as part of her entourage. However, shortly after the Rebellion began, she became one of the many Gems who joined the Crystal Gems to fight for Earth's freedom. She befriended many of the original Crystal Gems and learned to fight alongside them, but she would not stand with them to the end of the war.

At some point, Rutile was captured and, despite her expendability, sent to Mars for trial. Her lawyer was unable to disprove her guilt, but still managed to save her from being shattered. Instead, she was sent to Howlite for rehabilitation. Rutile stubbornly resisted for a while, but eventually was weakened enough to be thoroughly hypnotized. Despite the brainwashing, Pink Moissanite gave her to Howlite, having long replaced her and not trusting her to remain submissive. Consequently, she got stranded on Mars when the Rebellion ended, and is now considered a member of Howlite's Watchers.

## Abilities

As an Era 1 Gem, Rutile has standard Gem abilities.

### Skillset

* **Flute Proficiency:** Rutile's weapon is a flute, and she can play it perfectly. While intended to improve morale above all else, she can play in certain styles to have certain effects on other Gems.
	+ **Combat Boost:** By playing an aggressive, vigorous tune, Rutile can target Gems around her and strengthen them in the heat of battle. This ability even has the potential to give a singular Gem an edge when fighting a powerful fusion.
	+ **Hypnotic Tune:** Possibly a clandestine ability inherited from Howlite, Rutile can perform a slow, soothing tune to lull Gems into a trance. These Gems are then vulnerable to suggestion. This can be resisted, but its subtlety means that many affected Gems don't even realize they're being hypnotized until it's too late. This is often paired with Kunzite's hypnotic voice to maximize the effects of both.

## Relationships

### The Crystal Gems

Prior to her capture, Rutile was close with many of the Crystal Gems, including Rose Quartz herself. However, thanks to Howlite's hypnosis, she no longer has any interest in them or their well-being, having virtually forgotten the rebels even existed.

### Howlite

Despite contempt and fear towards the Gem prior to her hypnosis, Rutile is now blindly loyal to Howlite, and would do literally anything she asked of her—even if it would mean her own death.

### Kunzite

Rutile was assigned to Kunzite after the latter's brainwashing. She stays close to her new superior at all times, and provides accompaniment whenever she sings. While she is loyal to Kunzite, it is due to Howlite's assignment rather than any actual feelings she may have.

### Pink Moissanite

Rutile was willing to carry out her superiors orders, but thought little of her, especially after abandoning her entourage to join the Crystal Gems. After being brainwashed by Howlite, she seems to have completely forgotten about Pink Moissanite.

## Trivia

* Rutile has worn a visor since the Rebellion, as a subtle nod to Garnet.

## Gemology

* Rutile is a titanium oxide mineral with chemical composition TiO2. It has a hardness of 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, and is found in varieties of rocks, as well as inclusions in other minerals.
	+ Most gemstones that display asterism (a "star" effect) or chatoyancy (a "cat's eye" effect) get the effect from microscopic rutile needles embedded in the crystal.
* Rutile is usually red, black, or golden in color.
* As an industrial mineral, rutile is primarily used to create a bright white titanium-based pigment.
* The name "rutile" was first introduced by German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner in the early 1800s. The name is drawn from "rutilus," the Latin word for "reddish."
	+ However, the earliest description of rutile comes from a mineralogy catalog in 1772, where it was falsely named "red schorl."
* Rutile itself is not a common gemstone, because it doesn't typically form large gem-quality crystals.
	+ Synthetic rutile was once used as a diamond simulant, but did not gain popularity due to how relatively soft rutile is, which made the simulant lose its beauty quickly compared to true diamond.
* Metaphysically, rutile is said to promote forgiveness and calmness.

## Gallery

Rutile's original concept artRutile’s first design (Saturated)Rutile’s first design (Faded)