Peridscha

Peridscha is a Pseudomorph brought to Mars via the Injector. She is currently being used to power the Retro-Specs.

## Appearance

Like other Pseudomorphs, Peridscha looks like a hybrid of her original and new Gem types. She is a small Gem, being roughly the same height as Ruby or Sapphire, with a build more typical of a Sapphire than of a Peridot. Peridscha's face is narrow, with no nose or lips and one eye without a pupil. Her hair is done in an onion-shaped beehive, and her Gemstone is on the back of her head.

Peridscha wears a gold and vermillion dress with orange sleeves and salmon pink gloves. She is barefoot, but her feet are usually covered by her skirt.

## Personality

Peridscha's personality is not unlike that of Lapis Lazuli's following her imprisonment. She is timid and submissive, but also distrustful of anyone she meets. Despite her vulnerable state, she is indifferent to the idea of release, as she feels safer in her prison.

## History

An Era 2 Peridot, Peridscha was assigned to work under Chrysolite. Like many of the Era 1 Peridot's subordinates, she developed a friendly bond with Chrysolite and eventually agreed to take part in the Pseudomorphing experiments. When she emerged as a "defective" Sapphire Pseudomorph, Chrysolite decided she was useless, destabilizing her. However, she toyed with the idea of somehow using the Pseudomorph, and designed a device specifically to use Peridscha's Gemstone as a power source, taking full advantage of her new powers. Her ongoing project ultimately distracted Chrysolite from testing out her creation, and Peridscha was abandoned and forgotten for centuries. After the Pseudomorphs' arrival on Mars, the Retro-Specs were stolen and taken off the ship. Its whereabouts (and, by extension, Peridscha) are currently unknown.

## Abilities

Peridscha, as an Era 2 Gem, presumably has very few abilities typical of Era 1 Gems, such as superhuman strength and shapeshifting.

### Skillsets

* **Keen Intellect:** As a former Peridot, Peridscha displays a sharp mind. She is able to draw conclusions that are often accurate, especially when taking her retrocognition into account.

### Unique Abilities

* **Retrocognition:** Unlike typical Sapphires, who can see future events, Peridscha can view events that have occurred in the past. Curiously, she does not need to have been present in order to witness a past event; she only needs to be in the area in which it happened. Peridscha is entirely aware that she is viewing events that *have* happened, and will react to them accordingly.
* **Levitation:** An ability typical of Sapphires, Peridscha can hover above the ground. However, she requires some level of concentration to remain afloat, and will fall immediately upon her concentration being broken.

### Former Abilities and Tools

* **Limb Enhancers:** Before her Pseudomorphing, Peridscha was never seen without Era 2 limb enhancers. They presumably had all standard features, such as holographic screen and tractor beam creation. They were taken from her prior to her Pseudomorphing.

## Relationships

### Chameleon Diamond

Peridscha is unwilling to personally trust Chameleon Diamond, much less pledge loyalty to her, due to her past experience with Chrysolite on top of the Diamond's decision to keep her imprisoned.

### Chrysolite

Prior to her modifications, Peridscha had heard of Chrysolite's heroic deeds and idolized her. Consequently, she was overjoyed not only to be assigned to work alongside the famous Peridot, but to be noticed and respected by her. Despite previously having a friendly bond with Chrysolite, Peridscha's opinions on her have changed to be more jaded. She considers her Pseudomorphing to be Chrysolite abusing her trust.

## Trivia

* Peridscha originally had a variety of future vision rather than retrocognition.
	+ This was changed to implement the Retro-Specs in the Mars AU without adding another Sapphire, and to help give Peridscha a place within the AU.

## Gemology

### Peridot

* Peridot is a gem-quality variety of olivine that is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color, an olive-green.
	+ Olivine is a very common mineral, technically considered a mineral group, or a hybrid, with forsterite and fayalite being "parents" called end members.
* The name "Peridot" is believed to have originated from the Arabic word faridat, meaning "gem", or, as the Oxford English Dictionary suggests, it came from classical Latin pæderot - a kind of opal.
	+ The ancient Romans called it 'evening emerald' since its color did not darken at night, but could still be appreciated by candlelight and the light of a campfire.
* Peridot is the official birthstone for the month of August as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the stone for the Zodiac sign of Libra. Peridot is assigned to the planet Saturn. It may be given as a gem on the sixteenth wedding anniversary.
* Peridot is a healing gemstone often associated with peace, compassion, and harmony of relationships. Its powers are thought to promote growth and renewal while alleviating negative emotions such as guilt, resentment, and apathy.
* Even though peridots existed in ancient history, at one point they vanished until some were found 30 years ago in Pakistan.

### Padparadscha

* Sapphire is a gem-quality variety of corundum. They share this characteristic with rubies.
	+ In fact, the only difference between a ruby and a sapphire is color: rubies are always a red color, while sapphires can be any color aside from red.

* Padparadscha sapphires are among the rarest types of sapphires, and they range from salmon pink to peachy orange.
* Most padparadschas are under two carats in size. Despite this, a decent padparadscha can sell for just as much as, or even more than, a high-quality blue sapphire.
* Padparadschas derive their name from the Sinhalese word for "lotus flower," referencing their unique color.
* Because of how rare they are and how small the average padparadscha is, padparadschas are often heat-treated to enhance their color.
* Corundum has the formula Al2O3 and a hardness of 9 on the Mohs hardness scale.
* Sapphires are less valuable than rubies, but they are still among the most popular colored gemstones available. They are even used occasionally as substitutes for the even more expensive diamond.
	+ Blue sapphires are the most popular sapphires, while yellow sapphires are the second most popular.
* Sapphire, especially of the blue variety, is the official birthstone of September and a zodiacal birthstone for Virgo.
* Regarding metaphysical properties, padparadschas are associated with joy and foresight.