Lapis Lazuli

Voiced by: Jennifer Paz

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lapis_cym.png

"Maybe I'd find myself smiling on that distant shore.
Maybe I'm not alone."

^{Click here for her first outfit}

"I couldn't stay away. If they're gonna punish me like a Crystal Gem, I might as well be one, right? You got room for one more?"

A Gem formerly of Blue Diamond's court with water-manipulating powers that was once poofed by Bismuth, and trapped in a mirror after being mistaken with a Crystal Gem during the war, and used as a tool for around 5,000 years, but fortunately she was set free by Steven. Her release was the focus of "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem". She used to despise Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl for forgetting she was trapped in a mirror and for being the reason why Homeworld mistook her for a Crystal Gem, but after her liberation in "Super Watermelon Island", she has more or less put her resentment of them aside for the time being. She loves and respects Steven and has become fiercely protective of him after freeing her. While originally extremely fearful of the prospect of being caught up in another war, after forming bonds with the others and coming to see the Earth as her home, she officially joined the Crystal Gems.

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#-E

11th-Hour Ranger: Abruptly comes back in "Reunited", in the middle of the season's penultimate climactic battle.
Abandonment-Induced Animosity: One of her biggest sources of angst is the fact that she spent a thousand years trapped in a mirror. The Crystal Gems knew that a Gem had been harvested to power the mirror, but didn't attempt to free whoever was inside. Thus, at first, she despises the Crystal Gems. It takes Steven's friendship and the Gems saving her from Malachite before she finally starts to open up.
Lapis Lazuli: You three knew that I was in there. And you didn't do anything! Did you even wonder who I used to be?!?
Acknowledged Absolution: Steven quickly forgives Lapis despite the fact that she stole all the Earth's water, attacked the Crystal Gems, and tried to drown him and Connie and injured his father Greg in "Ocean Gem". He even defends her when Greg calls her "super mean", and excuses her actions by saying she 'wasn't mean' and 'just wanted to go home'.
Action Girl: True, most of her fighting is done in a hands-off manner because of her powers, but she's still quite strong.
Alien Arts Are Appreciated: Has become a fan of Camp Pining Hearts like Peridot.
Allegiance Affirmation: Initially a Homeworld Gem, she flip-flops on her exact alignment due to her tumultuous past of being a prisoner of both Homeworld and of the Crystal Gems. While close friends with Crystal Gems Steven and Peridot, she cares deeply for the Homeworld she remembers, and is absolutely terrified of being imprisoned again, culminating in her fleeing Earth in the belief the Diamonds are planning an attack. When the Diamonds actually do attack during Reunited, Lapis returns and attacks Blue Diamond, stating that if she's going to be treated like a rebel no matter what she does, she may as well embrace it, officially proclaiming herself to be a Crystal Gem.
Lapis Lazuli: I couldn't stay away. If they're gonna punish me like a Crystal Gem, I might as well be one.
Alliterative Name: Lapis Lazuli.
All Take and No Give: This is Lapis' main problem in regards to her relationships, even to the few who genuinely consider her a friend — she expects them to do what she wants without complaint, but refuses to offer equal effort. This backfired on her when the others didn't want to do what she wanted, leading her to leave in self-exile and grow increasingly lonely.
Aloof Ally: To the Crystal Gems sans Steven and, to a lesser extent, Peridot, although she's warming up. While she's now a firm ally of Steven at least and happy to make a life on Earth, she has yet to call herself a Crystal Gem (let alone an ally of theirs) like Peridot has. Although in "Adventures in Light Distortion", when Garnet tells her and Peridot to keep Beach City safe in the Crystal Gems' absence, she doesn't complain, giving a thumbs up (albeit with an uneasy look on her face), and in "The New Crystal Gems", she has little to no problems with proudly declaring herself a "Crystal Temp" (temporary stand-ins for the Crystal Gems while they are away), alongside Peridot, Connie, and Pumpkin. She officially joins the Crystal Gems in "Reunited", stating that, if Homeworld is going to punish her as a Crystal Gem, she might as well be one.
And I Must Scream: Trapped in a mirror for thousands of years, she was apparently conscious throughout that time, yet unable to communicate except through repeating others' speech. Her behavior upon release suggests the experience was not pleasant.
Arc Villainess: The main antagonist of "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem", but a sympathetic example, since she begged Steven to release her from the mirror and then used the Earth's oceans to attempt to reach her home.
Lapis: I just want to go home.
Badass Adorable: She's an ethereal-looking Gem, who's scarcely taller than Steven and looks like a human teenager in a pretty sundress. She can also manipulate and control the entire planet's ocean at once, with a huge crack in her gem. For comparison, Amethyst and Eyeball couldn't even maintain their physical forms or speak coherently with small cracks in their gems.
Badass Boast: Gives a chilling one to Jasper before dragging her into the ocean.
Lapis: I'm done being everyone's prisoner! Now you're MY prisoner, and I'm never letting you GO!
Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: By the events of the movie, she's the Beauty to Peridot's Brains and Bismuth's Brawn.
Be Careful What You Wish For: She manages to pull one of these on Jasper when she agrees to fuse with her. She then takes control of their combined form Malachite and drags them both into the ocean.
Because You Were Nice to Me: Steven was the one who freed her from the mirror and repaired her cracked gem. For this reason, he's initially the only character she was openly fond of.
Beware the Quiet Ones: Lapis is probably the most reserved and anti-social of the gems. If you leave her alone, she won't bother you. But if you provoke her, well, let's just say she has a lot of pent-up rage due to her thousands of years of imprisonment, and she doesn't need a good excuse to cut loose with her nigh-unstoppable hydrokinesis.
Big Damn Heroes: In "Reunited", she reappears out of nowhere and drops a barn on Blue Diamond's head.
Blue Is Heroic: Zigzagged. Lapis' main color scheme is blue and she cares a lot about Steven, but she starts off as quite antagonistic towards the Crystal Gems. She slowly warms up to them as she begins to live on Earth, and finally joins the team officially in "Reunited".
Bookworm: Lapis seems to have taken up reading as seen at the end of "Kindergarten Kid", the short "Video Chat", and the beginning of "Gem Harvest".
Bratty Teenage Daughter: Most of the time she displays an apathy and untrusting aloofness to nearly everyone but Steven, and she certainly looks like an older teen, similar to Young Pearl.
Brilliant, but Lazy: Is fully capable of tremendous power, but she's usually, as Rebecca Sugar describes her, "acting retired".
Broken Bird: She entered the show injured, imprisoned, desperate for freedom and wanting nothing more than to go home. Even when Steven set her free and healed her cracked gem so she could leave Earth, what she found when she got back to the Gem Homeworld scared her. When we next see her, she's imprisoned again and so spiritually broken that she begs Steven not to fight back against Jasper and Peridot so they can hope for some measure of mercy when they return to the Gem Homeworld. She's even more broken after she comes back from Malachite, unable to spend time with anybody else who's not Steven. Though "Beta" showed she was slowly getting better, only to relapse with the idea the Diamonds may be returning, causing her flee in terror, nearly go back, flee again due to a mistimed dream from Steven, then go back for good come time for "Reunited".
Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl:
- Gender-flipped with Steven — Lapis is the troubled, grumpy Brooding Girl to Steven's energetic, optimistic Gentle Boy.
- Played semi-gender-straight with her and Peridot, to a lesser extent; Peridot provides emotional comfort and friendship to the aloof, untrusting Lapis.
Brutal Honesty: She's very blunt to people in general, especially when she disagrees with them. She'll say "no" with a smile on her face because she has absolutely no idea how socializing works.
Buried Alive: Self-inflicted and beneath water instead of earth, but she describes how awful it is.
Lapis: You do realize that I spent the last few months trapped under the ocean, right? It was an endless, crushing darkness. Wet and bleak and suffocating. Water was the tomb I lived in for those months.
The Bus Came Back: Makes an appearance through a video message to warn Steven and the Gems about Peridot coming to Earth. She later returns to Earth as a prisoner of Peridot and Jasper in "The Return". And then she returns in Steven's dreams in "Chille Tid", and then returns to the screen for a while, and then... just see Commuting on a Bus.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Says that she's almost drowned a lot of people in "The New Crystal Gems", when Connie questions why Lapis doesn't remember her from "Ocean Gem".
Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Calls her and Peridot's junk art "meepmorps".
The Cameo: A Gem that appears to be her can be seen in Blue Diamond's court during "The Answer"; the fact that Blue Diamond later seems to recognize her (calling her by full name in "Reunited", without mentioning a cut or other clarification, and expressing anger at her defection) seems to confirm that this was her.
Changed My Mind, Kid: In "Can't Go Back" she appears to run off for good, telling Steven she's too scared to fight the Diamonds. In "Reunited", while everyone else is fighting Blue Diamond, Lapis suddenly appears out of nowhere and drops the barn on Blue's head.
Character Development: She is introduced to the show as a traumatized and weak-willed Gem who wants nothing to do with the Crystal Gems that had inadvertently kept her imprisoned for millennia, and is terrified of getting on the Diamonds' bad side. Thanks to Steven’s interactions with her, she gradually becomes more willing to stand up for herself and heal from her past trauma while willing to work with the Crystal Gems on occasion. After leaving Earth to avoid getting caught in the crossfire between the Crystal Gems and Homeworld again, Lapis comes back to aid the Crystal Gems during the Diamonds assault on Earth, officially joining the group in the process.
Chekhov's Gunman: After disappearing in "Ocean Gem", Lapis leaves with a cryptic sendoff. Later, she returns in a turning point of the finale arc of season 1, delivering a message of Peridot and Jasper's return.
Chekhov's Skill: Her love of sculpture actually makes her a more powerful and creative fighter thanks to her Imagination-Based Superpower.
Clip Its Wings: When her gem is cracked, she cannot fly.
The Comically Serious: She's the only one who doesn't take the baseball match against the Ruby team seriously.
Commuting on a Bus: Early in the third season, Lapis becomes a recurring character when she moves into the barn with Peridot. For that matter, Lapis leaves and comes back so many times that she might as well be Commuting On A Bus all the time. This would end in "Reunited", with her deciding to join the Crystal Gems officially and joining the fight against the Diamonds.
Conditioned to Accept Horror: All the misfortune she's had has done this to her. For instance, despite being imprisoned by her fellow Homeworld Gems for being mistaken for a Crystal Gem, her first wish is to return home when she gains her freedom, and she willingly re-imprisons herself underwater with Jasper to protect Steven.
Steven: I feel like I only get to see you when something horrible is going on.
Lapis: [smiles] That's just how it is with me.
Conscience Makes You Go Back: In Season 5 she leaves Earth when she learns the Diamonds might be returning, taking the barn with her. As the season progresses the story checks in on her revealing she couldn't bring herself to abandon them and was living at the Moon base, using the observation technology to keep track of Peridot and the others. Ultimately, Lapis decides to return in the finale to help them.
Costume Evolution: Like most of the other Gems, Lapis only permanently changes her outfit when regenerating her Hard Light physical form after being poofed; however, she (and Peridot) go the longest period of time on the show without doing so. When she finally does in the season 5 finale, she switches from what is more or less a dresskini to a high-necked halter top, harem pants with a ribbon-like belt, and lace-up sandals. Both of these are gold, a reference to lapis lazuli often being found with gold-colored pyrites running through it.
Cowardly Lion: Thanks to her past traumas, the first option she now always takes in the face of danger is to run away. But she only will come back to fight when someone she loves (Steven) is in grave danger.
Crippling Overspecialization: On Earth, a planet that's roughly 70% covered in water, her hydrokinesis powers make her practically godlike in the scope of powers... but with that taken away, she doesn't have much to rely on in terms of combat capability outside standard Gem abilities.
Culture Clash: Noted for its absence, Lapis is the fastest non-human learner of human terminology, language, and idioms; even faster than the Crystal Gems who have lived alongside human civilization in its entirety. It's just that unless you are Steven (and now Peridot), she doesn't care.
- She didn't know what a "Dad" was in "Alone at Sea", but used the term naturally later in the same episode. She calls art "meepmorps" in "Beta", but this might be sardonic humor.
Curtains Match the Windows: Lapis has blue hair and eyes.
Dark and Troubled Past: Her mysterious, tragic backstory was finally revealed in "Same Old World". She's a Gem civilian who was caught in the crossfire of the Crystal Gem war on Earth. She was mistaken for a Crystal Gem, poofed by Bismuth and trapped in a mirror, interrogated for eons by Homeworld Gems who were desperate to know the location of the Crystal Gem headquarters. She was then found by the Crystal Gems, who did not treat her any better.
Deadpan Snarker: Even in her debut episodes she shows a hint of this, such as when she replies "NO!" in Steven's voice when he tries to stop her from stealing the ocean. But it's not until "Hit the Diamond" we see this in full detail.
Lapis: [on the baseball plan] Heh... this plan sucks.
Death Glare: Can give a rather intimidating one when particularly angry.
Defrosting Ice Queen: To nearly everyone except Steven. Thanks to Steven's influence and her long-overdue freedom, she's slowly opening up to the other Gems and potentially, other people.
Depending on the Writer: Lapis was first depicted as a deadpan snarker in "Barn Mates" where writer and storyboarder Jesse Zuke gave Lapis her well-known deadpan attitude. Her personality varied in all her appearances since then.
Deus Exit Machina: Lapis' powers utterly dwarf every other Gem's seen thus far. If she had joined the Crystal Gems, it would have taken all of the challenges out of their subsequent battles some of the Gems might see, so she has to fuse with Jasper and go down to the bottom of the ocean just to be out of the picture. Of course, when she DOES come back, she's mostly away from the action.
- She doesn't seem to realize how strong she is; only resorting to her full powers at extreme stress. Besides that, even after she does come back she mostly hangs out with Steven and Peridot, another new addition to the group, living with her in a barn away from the other Gems. She probably still doesn't quite trust them and isn't eager to fight for their cause (or at all, after finally getting away from Jasper) yet.
- When she finally joins the group in the antepenultimate episode of Season 5, it's during the fight with the Diamonds. Her powers allow her to repeatedly restrain Blue Diamond while resisting her Emotion Bomb, giving the others multiple chances to strike her unabated. Though it becomes a Downplayed Trope in the process, as while her powers could handle lesser threats, they only let the Crystal Gems have a slightly better fighting chance against the Diamonds, she herself falling to Yellow Diamond's destabilizing shock soon after Peridot did.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Her ultimate CMOA, dropping a barn on Blue Diamonds head while officially joining the crystal gems, Didn't really stop her for long though.
Ditto Fighter: Creates water copies of Steven and the Gems to fight them. Amethyst and Steven are both overpowered by their copies, while Garnet and Pearl could at best fight them evenly.
The Dog Bites Back: After being imprisoned (once again) by Jasper, she gets fed up with it all and so she agreed to fuse with her in order to take control of Malachite, their combined form, and intentionally drag them both into the ocean in some twisted attempt to have control instead of being controlled herself.
"I am done being everyone's prisoner. Now you're my prisoner, AND I'M NEVER LETTING YOU GO!"
Dramatic Wind: To emphasize her powers over water, Lapis Lazuli's animation is more flowy, making it look like she has air blowing around her.
Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: They appear more often on her after she's defused from Malachite.
Dynamic Entry: Enters the fight in "Reunited" by throwing the Barn at Blue Diamond.
Establishing Character Moment: Lapis shows off a lot of her core character in her debut episodes: she might hate the Crystal Gems with a passion, but she's genuinely nice to Steven for helping her and any harm she does to those who she doesn't associate with her traumas is accidental. She's incredibly powerful, but despite that she's also lost and oddly powerless.
Elemental Baggage: Besides her wings, she is unable to manifest water out of thin air, making her a lot less combat effective when away from the ocean or other sources of water.
Emo Teen: She's a teenager appearance-wise, and at her most negative is an aloof, cynical Perpetual Frowner.
Evil Feels Good: Subverted. Lapis isn't evil or antagonistic, however, she did admit to enjoying torturing Jasper in their fusion as Malachite, but harbors some remorse over it.

F-L

Fatal Flaw:
- Wrath. Lapis is very slow to forgive those who have hurt her, even through inaction, or even open herself up to forgiving them. While it may be in many cases justified, the scope of her hatred leaves her with very few friends, and she fails to appreciate how antagonizing everyone plays against her goals.
- Fear. She is so desperate to not be hurt again that this leads her to try to take control and she winds up hurting people in the process, including her friends (especially Peridot), and as a result, it puts a strain on the little number of friends she has because she always puts herself first. It eventually turns out to not simply be self-preservation, but ultimately an overall cowardliness as by her own admission she's too afraid to return to Earth even though she loves and misses her friends.
- Control. Much of Lapis' baggage ties back to feeling controlled and used by others. She's done a lot of harm in order to feel like she was in control, and can go to catastrophic lengths to seize it when something panics her. At the same time, she herself is aware of this and frightened by her own capacity to do horrible things with the control she craves, which holds her back from making real decisions in her life or committing to anything. Basically, she's scared both of having it and of not having it, so she acts out the worst parts of both.
Fate Worse than Death: She's not only a prisoner again (though willingly this time), but she's now stuck together with Jasper — and by attacking Jasper, she's most likely no longer welcome in her home. Thankfully, she eventually escapes this too.
"Let's stay on this miserable planet... together!"
Finger Poke of Doom: She effortlessly destroys a Roaming Eye that came after Peridot by flicking it with a hand, made of water, then squashing it into the ground.
Fish out of Temporal Water: In "The Message", her transmission to the Earth reveals that her arrival home has been distressing with how much Gem technology has advanced since she was last there.
Flight: Can create water wings from her gem to fly. To note: up until the introduction of Aquamarine, she was the only character in the show capable of flying under her own power, neither needing to transform into something else nor requiring any enhancements.
Flight, Strength, Heart: Besides moving and creating structures out of water (including functional wings), Lapis can also use it to display her memories and play back sounds she heard (even outside of the mirror).
Foil:
- To Steven. Lapis is cynical and becomes sullen around others, particularly Peridot and the Crystal Gems, whom she carries grudges against. Steven is friendly, optimistic and forgiving. Since he is the only one she's been shown to be willing to open up around, this stark difference in personality is primarily what is driving Lapis to open up and accept others around her.
- To Connie. Both were lonely beings with a desire towards freedom and have a blue color motif (Connie's being specifically teal) and were able to get better thanks to Steven's kindness and emotional support. However, while Connie is a generally cheerful and friendly human who admires the Crystal Gems, Lapis is usually a grumpy and sour Gem who is aloof towards the same group.
- To Peridot. The former was forced into the gem conflict through bad luck, the latter was purposefully created just to be a part of it. The former started out innocent but becomes more cynical and dangerous due to everything that happens to her throughout the series, whereas the latter is extremely cynical and dangerous to begin with, but ends up losing those qualities and becoming a better person through the Crystal Gems, her former enemies. Also, Peridot comes to Yellow Diamond, her boss, and flat out rejects the idea of doing what she wants her to do, whilst Jasper comes to Lapis in an attempt to make her do what they were doing before, and Lapis isn't as strong in rejecting her.
- To Jasper. Both Jasper and Lapis turn out to have enjoyed some aspect of Malachite, the general Power High and Flight capability for Jasper and using Jasper as a living stress ball for Lapis, but Lapis has come to realize how unhealthy it was while Jasper is completely obsessed with regaining it.
Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Lapis has severe trust issues stemming from her misfortune and as a result, she still has a very hard time getting along with the Crystal Gems (bar Steven). Peridot has slowly earned Lapis' trust and friendship, despite Lapis' anger, although it took great effort on Peridot's part.
Forgotten First Meeting: The show's creator has confirmed Lapis was poofed by the same Bismuth the audience knows, but neither recognizes the other. Lapis simply didn't get a good look at her because she was hit from the back.
Freudian Trio: Of the Crystal Temps, she is the emotional Id to Connie's rational and mature Ego and Peridot's overly logical Superego.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Inverted. Lapis is Steven's friend and hates the Crystal Gems, but she is more or less their ally not by her own choice, and she merely tolerates their presence for Steven's sake, and vice-versa, the Crystal Gems tolerate Lapis in return but don't express a dislike or grudge towards her like she does to them.
Friend to All Living Things: Played With. When she steals the Earth's oceans she makes sure none of the marine life are harmed in any way, but she doesn't care about the rest of the inhabitants until Steven fixes her gem. Becomes more played straight overtime, as she develops a soft spot for the animated pumpkin named Pumpkin that she and Peridot adopt, and is shown lovingly petting some rather cute, plant-like creatures that she found very endearing. She even expresses remorse for her past as a terraformer and how she used to destroy planets and their inhabitants and is making up for it now after seeing how precious life is.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Was originally simply a Homeworld civilian that ended up caught in the middle of the rebellion, and it's implied she's actually considered very weak back home due to having water powers on a planet lacking in it. 5000 years later, she escapes the mirror and ends up being a major threat to the Crystal Gems during her first appearance, thanks to Earth having water in abundance and a big grudge against the Gems. Her second appearance has her drag Jasper underwater while fused into Malachite, both proving this trope by doing so and becoming an even bigger nightmare as Malachite.
Full-Contact Magic: While Lapis often remains stationary while using her water powers, she makes dramatic movements when the situation calls for it, such as making the upward punching motion that sends Jasper flying.
Gave Up Too Soon: Lapis fled Earth for fear of Homeworld's retaliation, but stopped at the Moon and began to think she overreacted. Then she discovered Steven was having dreams about the Diamonds, took it as a sign they were going to invade, and flew away even further. Within hours, Steven would conclusively know that was not the real reason for those dreams. Then the Diamonds invade Earth anyway within a few weeks.
Giant Hands of Doom: Her water-powers can manifest as giant arms out of the ocean, and she does so repeatedly.
Glass Cannon: Her offensive power is among the highest in the show: In her first appearance, she's able to hold her own against all the Crystal Gems, with no apparent effort, and even present a regional/planetary threat despite having a cracked gem; later, she's powerful enough to be decisive in forcing Blue Diamond to her knees. At the same time, she's nowhere near as durable as the others — in "Same Old World", all it took was one good hit from Bismuth to poof Lapis into Gem form.
Good Is Not Nice: Has what one might call a caustic personality, yet ultimately sides with the Crystal Gems. She mellows out over time, though.
Green-Skinned Space Babe: She's a beautiful, blue-skinned alien who's lost on Earth before partnering up with the Crystal Gems. She's also Ms. Fanservice to many viewers.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Considering her cynical personality, it's relatively easy to piss her off.
Handicapped Badass: Despite having her gem cracked, Lapis managed to take on the Crystal Gems and almost win.
Heel–Face Turn: Stopped being an antagonist at the end of her debut, but only comes around to the idea of making Earth her home much later and is now at least willing to help the Crystal Gems for Steven's sake if she needs to. As of "Reunited", she has completely pulled one, solidifying herself as a Crystal Gem.
Heroic Sacrifice: Inverted. After fusing with Jasper, she takes control and drags them both into the ocean with the intention of keeping her down there forever. At first, it seems like she had done it for Steven's sake, but then it's later revealed that she kept Jasper trapped in the fusion for the sake of taking all of her pent-up anger and frustration out on her.
Heroic Willpower: While she isn't exactly heroic, her feats of willpower and determination are undeniably impressive.
- Her gem is introduced as being badly damaged, compare it to Amethyst's cracked gem in "An Indirect Kiss", which causes her to speak backward while her body distorted itself uncontrollably. Lapis was indistinguishable from a whole gem beside her mirrored eyes and being unable to summon her weapon. She held herself together despite that extensive damage. Given Pearl's comment about the mirror only following orders, it's implied it took a similar feat of willpower for her to talk to Steven in the first place.
- She takes control of Malachite after fusing with Jasper, dragging the two of them to the bottom of the ocean and even preventing Jasper from ending the fusion. In "Chille Tid", set a fair bit later, she's still in control of the fusion, though it's taking all her concentration to do it.
Home Field Advantage: Inverted. On Homeworld, where there is no water, her offensive capabilities are reduced to almost nothing. On Earth (and other planets with water) she's powerful enough to singlehandedly fight Diamond-level entities, and is nigh-unstoppable if she keeps her distance and uses the entire ocean as ammunition. This becomes a straight example when she accepts Earth as her new home.
Hopeless Boss Fight: The Crystal Gems' first attempt to fight her turns out to be futile when she has literally all the oceans of the planet at her disposal. She only stops when Steven rides to the top of her water tower, notices that her gem is cracked and uses his healing powers to fix it, after which she peacefully departs.
Hostile Terraforming: A Lapis Lazuli's created purpose. Her immense power is meant to reshape whole planets to become Homeworld colonies.
Hypocrite: In "Raising the Barn", after Peridot admits that she holds her tongue and doesn't say certain things because she knows they would upset Lapis, the latter condemns the former for "lying" despite the fact that she herself has withheld information that she knew she couldn't say, such as Steven's powers connecting him to Rose Quartz, and also lied to Jasper by tricking her into being trapped into their fusion.
Ice Magic Is Water: Lapis can turn water into ice, but majorly sticks to her hydrokinesis.
I Choose to Stay: Played with. Lapis acknowledges that she can't return to Homeworld during "Same Old World", so she doesn't exactly have many options, so she decides to stay on Earth as it was no longer the place that kept her imprisoned. In "Raising the Barn", however, after discovering the Diamonds may end up returning to Earth for revenge, Lapis immediately decides to pack things up and get the heck off the planet, and not even Steven or Peridot's pleads for her to change her mind do anything to give her second thoughts about it. Then she comes back in "Reunited" actively fighting against the Diamonds, finally playing the trope straight.
I Just Want to Be Free: All she wants is to not be used or controlled by anyone.
Imagination-Based Superpower: Body parts, clones, wings for spaceflight, chains, there don't seem to be any limits to what she can do with her power. "Why So Blue" reveals that she is unusually creative with her powers, since the other Lapis Lazulis typically stick to creating water blades and consider the idea of forming other shapes novel.
Immortal Immaturity: Lapis Lazuli is millennia older than Amethyst, yet has the looks and much of the attitude of a Bratty Teenage Daughter.
The Informant: Peridot specifically refers to Lapis as an informant in "Cry for Help".
Informed Flaw: Lapis claims she's almost drowned a lot of people as her reasoning for failing to recognize Connie when they reunite in "The New Crystal Gems", but at no point is she seen to be doing this beyond the one incident.
Innocently Insensitive: While Peridot has come to figuratively (and sometimes literally) bend over backward to keep Lapis from spiraling into one of her moods, Lapis did not think to consider how this affected her and left her feelings ignored. When they hit a disagreement, they have no real means of communicating and Lapis wound up taking the barn (and everything within it) behind, leaving Peridot and Pumpkin homeless and distraught.
Insanity Immunity: Blue Diamond's aura of sorrow doesn't work on Lapis, as she states she has endured far worse than Blue Diamond losing Pink Diamond.
Insignificant Little Blue Planet: She doesn't know what the Crystal Gems see in Earth because she was imprisoned in a mirror and trapped in one small area for millennia, and the fact that she's a civilian of the Gem Homeworld probably skewed her perceptions further. It takes a flight with Steven to realize that there is more to the Earth than she thought.
Intergenerational Friendship: With Steven and Peridot, the former being 14 years old and the latter having not existed until after the war on Earth, which Lapis was alive for.
Interrogated for Nothing: Lapis was trapped in the mirror because the Homeworld mistook her for a Crystal Gem and wanted to interrogate her for enemy information. Lapis, however, didn't know anything about the Crystal Gems and couldn't tell Homeworld she wasn't one of them.
Ironic Fear: Though she's not outright afraid of it, Lapis wasn't exactly fond of water for a time thanks to having been trapped at the bottom of the ocean for several months. Steven helps her get over it for the most part in "Alone at Sea".
Ironic Name:
- Real lapis lazuli stones dissolve in water.
- In various cultures the stone is associated with inner peace, spiritual love, and protection from evil. Lapis has a very turbulent and damaged emotional state, has trouble letting go of her hatred for pretty much every Gem not named Steven, and her retreat to Homeworld ends up drawing Peridot and Jasper to Earth; even her attempt to hold part of that force away ends in Jasper taking control and going on the rampage as Malachite until Alexandrite stops them.
Irony:
- Being trapped in the mirror was a Fate Worse than Death for Lapis, but "Monster Reunion" reveals that it saved her from getting Corrupted.
- Despite being deathly afraid of the Diamonds, it turns out that Lapis' best friend Steven, the one who freed her from a five-thousand-year-long And I Must Scream situation, is a Diamond.
It's All About Me: Arguably her worst trait has shown to be her self-orientation. While one can hardly blame her given all the crap she's had to go through ever since getting accidentally caught up in the war and trapped in a mirror for 5,000 years, in the present a now freed Lapis has shown to be fairly self-preservative to the point of being mainly concerned with her own feelings on things rather than the feelings of others around her, including what few friends she has. She has increasingly grown out of this though, especially by the time of "Future" as she eagerly and selflessly works with her allies to protect the Earth, it's inhabitants and other innocent lifeforms from other planets.
- This might actually be a typical trait in Lapis Lazuli's in general. As shown in "Why So Blue?" Lapis and Steven have a hard time convincing two rogue Lapis's to stop destroying a planet because it's what they wanted to do and they enjoyed doing so, even though destruction of planets had been outlawed by Steven himself. Lapis herself wasn't thrilled to confront them because she seemed to understand that other Lapis's are as she used to be: haughty, stubborn and self-centered.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: When something terrible isn't happening to her, she gives off a cold and bitter demeanor to just about everyone, primarily only concerned about herself and those closest to her. However, she's still willing to choke her anger down for Steven's sake and began to learn some measure of forgiveness towards her former enemies. Even post-Heel–Face Turn, she can be a bit tactless toward people, though she's slowly getting better, forming a close friendship with Peridot, lessening her animosity with the Crystal Gem's, and finally confronting her fear of the Diamonds by officially joining the Crystal Gem's.
Kick the Dog:
- When Steven and Connie attack Lapis' water clone of Steven, their attacks do nothing, but Lapis still tries to drown them. This is especially cruel on Lapis' part since the former freed her and vocally stated he didn't want to fight her.
- After Peridot finally gives Lapis a sincere gift, her recorder, Lapis calls it garbage, breaks it, and tells her to get lost.
- As sympathetic as her plight is, it doesn't justify her taking away the barn that she made a home with Peridot and Pumpkin, showing how willing she is to abandon her few friends for her own needs. Lapis shortly after feels regret over doing so and can't help but remain on the moon and watch the others, too ashamed and afraid to go back.
Knight of Cerebus: The first confirmed sentient Gem enemy to appear on the show, and she changes the entire tone of the monster fights from then on. Steven even lampshades this, later on, pointing out that he only ever sees her when something terrible is happening.
Lack of Empathy: Downplayed. Lapis is capable of showing some remorse, as seen in "Alone at Sea" and "Can't Go Back". However, it's been shown that she does not immediately consider anyone else's feelings other than her own until after the fact, as she immediately (temporarily) turns on Steven in her debut episode upon finding out that he's with the Crystal Gems and doesn't seem to understand why he would side with them and not go with her. She also does not seem to get how much she has affected people with her power and fury, as she mainly focused on how she felt about the ordeals. This comes to a head in "Raising the Barn", where she's frantically trying to leave Earth with Peridot after finding out the Diamonds may wage another war, and is irritated and baffled at Peridot's insistence on staying and protecting the Earth, not taking the latter's feelings into consideration about leaving the planet she considers her new home, even yelling at her when she shows her hesitance. She proceeds to abandon Peridot, but shortly afterward can't handle the loneliness and guilt, leaving her to sit in the Moon base too ashamed to go back.
Lapis: I want to! But I can't, not after the way I left. What would Peridot say?
Leitmotif: "Mirror Gem", a slow, somber piece that is incorporated into several songs.
Lethal Harmless Powers: From the perspective of Homeworld. Careful examination of the Gem colony plans for Earth reveals exactly zero oceans remaining. Under "normal" circumstances Lapis' hydrokinesis would render her nearly powerless in a Gem colony, or at the very least able to control a substance for which Gems have very little practical use or desire. But on a planet with 2/3rds of its surface covered by water, she becomes a virtual demigoddess.
Lethal Joke Character: Her powers are Hydrokinesis. On Homeworld, where there's no water, she'd be a complete joke. On Earth, where most of the planet is water, she's practically a god in comparison.
Lifesaving Misfortune: Being trapped in a mirror for millennia was more than just unfortunate, but this saved Lapis from being Corrupted, which there is no known cure for.
Like a Duck Takes to Water: The picture of the intended Gem-terraformed Earth and Peridot not even knowing what rain is implies that the Homeworld has very little if any water, while Earth is mostly covered in it. As a result, while she's considered a weak Gem (at least by Jasper) by the Homeworld, on Earth she's virtually god-like.
Living Emotional Crutch: Deconstructed.
- "Alone at Sea" reveals, to her horror, that Jasper sees her as this due to the Power High from their fusion and her rough treatment of Jasper. However, this form of emotional stability turns out to be toxic for both Lapis and Jasper.
- It's revealed that between "Barn Mates" and "Raising the Barn", she indirectly and frequently used Peridot as a crutch as well, to the point that neither Gems' emotional issues were actually addressed at all, which comes to a head in the latter episode.
Logical Weakness: Is apparently unable to create/summon any water save her wings, and thus is much less powerful away from large sources of water. However, she's shown summoning water whenever she attacks in Unleash the Light, because she would be The Load to the team (and by extension, the player) otherwise.
Lord of the Ocean: Lapis Lazuli is a gem with a seemingly unlimited psychokinetic power over water. Even when weakened with a cracked gem, she had enough power to create a massive tower from the planet's oceans and creates water-based clones of the gems that the Gems themselves had no hope of stopping, Lapis Lazulis being made specifically for terraforming entire planets. Much like water-gods of most mythologies, Lapis Lazuli is hostile and prone to mood-swings, a product of being confused for a rebel by Homeworld forces, trapped in a mirror for thousands of years, being held prisoner and used as an informant by Peridot and Jasper and being stuck in an incredibly toxic partnership with Jasper in the form of an unstable fusion trapped in the bottom of the ocean. Even after being freed, she remained heavily emotionally unstable, causing her to switch back and forth on whether or not she'd stay on Earth before finally settling on staying and act erratically towards her closest friends.
Loss of Identity: If her That Woman Is Dead moment in "Chille Tid" is any indication, Malachite was starting to overcome her, just like what happened with Sugilite. Lapis seems to want this to happen because she has so little to live for besides holding Malachite down to protect Steven. She eventually returns as her old self, barring the emotional issues she got from it.

M-R

Magical Barefooter: She's a Gem with very powerful water-manipulating powers and she never wore any footwear until she got a new outfit with sandals.
Magic Mirror: Her gem was used to power one. Or rather, she was one. She also can have a similar effect with her water powers.
Magic Skirt: In full effect. She's a character who can fly, and no matter what angle she's shown at, her skirt protects her modesty. An ambiguous shot◊ in "Gem Harvest" might show her wearing bike shorts under it, or might just be a shadow. A couple of shots when moving the barn seem to remove the magic.
Making a Splash: She can form water arms to use in combat, generate water clones, and use the entire ocean to form a space elevator, and that's just what she can do with a broken gem, which also happens to be shaped like a teardrop. Word of God is that this power is her gem weapon. invoked
Mama Bear: Towards Steven. Lapis punches Jasper over the horizon when the latter threatens him.
Martyr Without a Cause: To cope with the Trauma Conga Line and hopelessness of never being free, Lapis trapped Jasper in Malachite, as the closest thing she could have to freedom was to imprison herself and act as the jailer. She does get better, though.
Meaningful Name: In gem mythology, lapis lazulis are associated with a great number of things: Gods, power, spirit, vision, royalty, honor, wisdom, and truth; they also help to overcome abuse issues, traumatic experiences, and depression and increase inner power which is reflected in Lapis' Broken Bird status, her homesickness, her preference in fighting with hydrokinetic magic over a weapon and how she honors her friendship with Steven despite all. Also, the Inner Power symbolism fits nicely with the Heroic Willpower needed for her to imprison Jasper by fusing with her. They are also associated with the heavens, which fits for a character who pines for another world.
Mental Picture Projector: Lapis can project her memories onto any reflective surface.
Messy Hair: One of the few characters whose hair changes from episode to episode, it morphs constantly from a perfectly controlled "space mullet" to "disheveled tangle" and many states in between. "Beta" probably featured it at its messiest.
Mirror Monster: What she was assumed to be by Garnet and Pearl.
Miscarriage of Justice: A victim of it. Homeworld mistook her for a Crystal Gem and imprisoned her in the mirror without even trying to confirm or deny it.
Mistaken Identity: Her imprisonment was the result of being mistaken for a Crystal Gem after being poofed in the crossfire of a battle by Bismuth, and Homeworld finding her and trying to interrogate her on information she didn't have.
Modesty Shorts: In "Gem Harvest", she might be wearing leggings under that skirt.◊
Ms. Fanservice: An extremely tame example, but Lapis' outfit is basically a backless two-piece dresskini (which often billows to show off her shapely legs), and her baseball outfit is a very form-fitting short-sleeved belly-jersey and cutoffs. She's the most human-looking Gem, complete with subtle curves, making her the most attractive Gem to many, accentuating her outfits' designs, and her exposed back is also given more detail than the other Gems'.
Mundane Utility: Uses her hydrokinesis to water the crops in "Gem Harvest".
- On a more dramatic scale it's implied, and eventually confirmed by Yellow Diamond's song in "That Will Be All", that the real purpose of her powers (and others of the Lapis Lazuli caste) is to terraform new planets for use by the Gem Empire, by removing all the water. Both Homeworld and projections of a post-colonization Earth are shown to have little to no water on them.
Mysterious Past: For the longest time, the circumstances of how she was trapped in the mirror and her seeming hatred of the Crystal Gems were unknown. In "Same Old World", this is rectified.
Mysterious Waif: She's got the looks (small and thin, wide-eyed, occasionally disheveled) and role in the story down; her introduction is when the show takes a serious turn for the protagonist, she's super-powerful, and her background was still mostly unknown.
NEET: When living in the barn, Peridot would at least go on missions with the other Crystal Gems, but Lapis preferred to lounge around while either watching Camp Pining Hearts, sleeping, or reading. Their species don't need to eat, so there's nothing pressuring her to work (the Crystal Gems don't bother with any income source either). Eventually, she started growing crops with Peridot, though it's not clear what they did with all the food they made. Lapis returns to an idle lifestyle when she leaves the Earth and takes the entire barn with her, but finally graduates to being an official Crystal Gem in "Reunited".
Neutral No Longer: Wanted nothing to do with the conflict between the Homeworld and the Crystal Gems, as she was a civilian five thousand years ago, and even though she attacked the Crystal Gems after being freed, she ultimately only wanted to go home. However, Homeworld's mistreatment of her and her friendship with Steven ultimately caused her to turn on the Homeworld and side with Steven and eventually Earth (though at best being an Aloof Ally to the Crystal Gems). She officially joins the Crystal Gems in "Reunited".
Never Be Hurt Again: Flees Earth in "Raising the Barn" rather than risk being caught up in another war, even leaving Peridot and Pumpkin behind.
New Powers as the Plot Demands: She only reveals that she has wings at the end of "Ocean Gem". Justified because she couldn't summon them previously while her gem was cracked.
Nice Mean And In Between: Of the Crystal Temps, she is the "Mean" to Connie's "Nice" and Peridot's "In-Between". Unlike the other two, she is the coldest to others and slow to open up (the sole exception being Steven), and upon meeting Connie again, Lapis is slightly more mean to her than Peridot. She and Peridot fulfill the same roles with the backup Crystal Gems, with Bismuth serving as the nice in that dynamic. She's more open and visibly happier, but she's still jaded in comparison to Peridot and Bismuth.
Nigh-Invulnerability: Not personally, but her water clones are pretty much impossible to stop, being able to simply reform or even duplicate when damaged. Since Lapis has pretty much all of Earth's seawater at her command, it's not like they're going to run out.
Nightmare Face: While begging and screaming at Steven to release her from the mirror, she starts producing a horrific combination of the faces of Beach City's residents and the Crystal Gems she recorded over the course of the day. It symbolizes her maddened panic, rage, and desperation to be free and, paired with the "Let Me Out" music sequence that plays during that part, is creepy as can be imagined.invoked
No Endor Holocaust: There is no stated damage to reefs or weather patterns to Lapis' pulling of the entire ocean into her tower.
The Not-Love Interest: Lapis' introduction and arc very much resembles that of a love interest for Steven; new girl he freed from imprisonment, saved with his powers and empathy, and showing the world to her to get her to open up. Despite how romantic some scenes would be between them in other works they simply remain friends.
Not Quite Back to Normal: Even after being freed, Lapis still seems to have been affected from her time in the mirror. Her eyes are blank and reflective when her gem is cracked, and "Same Old World" shows that she retained the ability to show memories/information on reflective surfaces -and her eyes even become mirror-like again when she does this.
Not So Above It All:
- Keep in mind that, before being released from the mirror, she "got a lot of mileage" out of helping Steven make fart jokes at Mayor Dewey. That's also what gives her away when he tries to introduce her to the Crystal Gems. Her circumstances afterward just aren't exactly conducive to her sense of humor. Later, it's shown she is usually like this when she's not feeling stressed and when she is with someone who makes her feel comfortable, like when she makes fart jokes with Steven again in "Same Old World".
- In "Hit the Diamond", she participated in a baseball game with the Crystal Gems as part of a plan to protect Peridot. Bear in mind that she's only participating because of her friendship with Steven and still hates the other Crystal Gems (especially Peridot), not to mention that she fully and freely comments on how dumb the plan is. At first, she only puts the barest minimum effort into the game, but as the game goes on she actually starts having fun.
- In "Beta", she's seen watching and snarking at Camp Pining Hearts, making junk art, and playing music with her barnmate, Peridot.
No-Sell: When hit with Blue Diamond's Emotion Bomb attack.
Lapis: I've felt worse.
Odd Friendship: With Peridot, after they got along more after becoming Roommates (well, Barnmates technically).
Odd Name Out: In "Hit the Diamond", when the Gems briefly take on human disguises, everyone's names are regular human names that sound close to the Gem they're based on, while Lapis is named "Bob".
One-Hit KO: Consistently and hilariously dishes this out to pretty much every foe that she deigns to confront. Her victims have included the Ruby Squad's Roving Eye (a house-sized spaceship capable of intergalactic travel), and Jasper (a perfectly formed super soldier).
One-Woman Army: She can fight off all the Crystal Gems, on her own, with her water constructs, and she has won every single one of her onscreen match-ups. She is also the first character in the series to successfully land a hit on a Diamond, although it did not definitively subdue her opponent. The only times she "lost" was when she was fused as Malachite (and that required a 4-Gem fusion and a literal army to take her down), when she got blindsided by Bismuth, and when Yellow Diamond poofed her with a One-Hit KO lightning blast. It says a lot that she's required to even make Blue Diamond fall to a knee, unlike how the combined might of every other Crystal Gem was useless. Similarly, she is the only one other than the Cluster who is able to restrain Corrupted Steven, even for a short amount of time. This is kind of explained in "That Will Be All", as Yellow Diamond notes that Lapises are meant for terraforming. This would require a lot of elemental skill and power. "Why So Blue?" shows that she is unusually powerful even by Lapis Lazuli standards⁠—when the rogue Lapises push her too far, she easily overpowers their hydrokinesis and terrifies them into submission.
Overly Long Gag: She seems fond of these. In "Mirror Gem", she mimics Steven's fart noises continuously for hours straight, in "Alone at Sea" she repeatedly sounds the ship's horn and laughs until Steven can barely hear, and her "meepmorp" has a looping clip of Percy saying "I just feel trapped."
Pay Evil unto Evil: To a degree, given that Jasper was only one of the few things that sent Lapis over the edge, but because Jasper was the one who had been many a number in a long line of people who imprisoned her and also the one person she cares about, she retaliates by imprisoning her. However, after all of that, Lapis wasn't proud of what she had done.
Perpetual Frowner: When not around Steven, Lapis is stuck with a bitter deadpan face.
Person of Mass Destruction: Possesses enough hydrokinetic power to shape an ocean into a giant tower, and was a match for all three Crystal Gems plus Steven, Connie, Lion, and Greg attacking her at the same time. This is when her gem was damaged.
Pet the Dog:
- While she doesn't see anything special about the Earth, she still keeps its aquatic animals safe inside her water tower.
  Connie: It's like a giant aquarium!
- In "Barn Mates", she rescues Peridot from a Roaming Eye, then asks her if she's okay.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Only about a head taller than Steven, with a slim, delicate build much like Pearl's, but in terms of pure power, she outperforms virtually the entire established cast. Admittedly this power is mostly in her formidable hydrokinetic abilities, and we haven't seen Lapis fight directly, but given Super-Strength is part and parcel for Gems, she's probably not nearly as vulnerable as she looks. She kept the weight of the entire ocean pressing down on top of herself and Jasper, just to keep Jasper from taking control of or breaking the fusion. While her condition deteriorated rapidly, the fact that she was even capable of this — and was maintaining it for so long — is impressive, something that Jasper herself (once she takes control of Malachite) notes with some respect and is the reason why Jasper wants to refuse with her. Lapis is also capable of carrying Steven on her back and Greg in her arms at the same time while flying in "Alone at Sea", as well as flying with the much larger Bismuth in "Change Your Mind". This is the reason why Jasper wants to fuse with her again so badly as stated.
Power Gives You Wings: Once the crack in her gem is healed, she sprouts a pair of liquid wings she can use to fly.
Power Trio: Among the Crystal Gems, she forms one with Peridot and Bismuth. The three serve as the reinforcements for Steven during the Diamond Days event, and she allows Bismuth to join her and Peridot in the sky by carrying her during attacks.
Powered by a Forsaken Child: Her gem was used to operate a mirror.
Powerful and Helpless: A recurring theme in her character arc is that despite being one of the most powerful characters in terms of her abilities, she repeatedly ends up in circumstances where she is physically or psychologically trapped.
Powers Do the Fighting: In contrast with the Crystal Gems' more hands-on and up-close weapon based style, Lapis stays stationary or makes motions while attacking with her water, often from a great distance. Justified due to her Glass Cannon status. This is downplayed later on, as she begins turning her wings into massive fists for close quarter fights.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: When facing Blue Diamond's Emotion Bomb attack in "Reunited": "I've felt worse."
Promotion to Opening Titles: She's prominently featured in the opening title as of Steven Universe: Future.
Properly Paranoid: Her worry about Navy in "Room for Ruby" turns out to be correct. And it also turns out she was right about the Diamonds attacking Earth.
Prophet Eyes: She had these in her first appearance due to her gem being damaged. Her pupils reappear once her gem is fixed. Her eyes revert to this when she is using her Mental Picture Projector powers.
Quote Mine: In the mirror, she acts as a recording device and communicates by taking and arranging parts of whatever she records. Although she is capable of creating original, silhouetted images.
Really Fond of Sleeping: "Room for Ruby" reveals that she loves sleeping (even though she doesn't need to). And apparently, she snores (much to her embarrassment).
Redemption Equals Affliction: Her decision to fight Jasper to protect Steven ended up as Sealed Evil in a Duel. She eventually escapes this, but the damage to her mental health remains.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue Oni to Peridot's Red Oni once they begin living together. She's a lot calmer and subdued in personality compared to Peridot's highly energetic and excitable personality. Peridot is also more open to new experiences and people (once she Took a Level in Kindness) while Lapis is more closed to new experiences and people.
Reflective Eyes: When her gem is broken, her eyes are mirror-like, reflecting back what's in front of her.

S-Y

Sadist: In "Alone at Sea", Lapis admits to enjoying taking out all her frustrations and anger on Jasper while holding her down, although she doesn't seem proud of it.
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: In "Raising the Barn", she abandons the Earth as soon as she finds out that the Diamonds know about Steven and might come back to Earth.
Sealed Evil in a Duel: She performs a Heroic Sacrifice to keep Jasper from hurting Steven after fusing with her into Malachite and dragging them underwater.
Sealed Good in a Can: She was sealed in a mirror, relegated to a recording device for Gem history. By the time Steven gets his hands on it, though, she is able to assert herself and convince him to free her.
Secretly Selfish: Her Heroic Sacrifice of forcing a fusion with Jasper turns out to be mainly for her own wants. Although she does care deeply for Steven, and claims in "Chille Tid" that she's doing it all for him (even saying the same Arc Words as Pearl), she is also very lost, desperate for something to live for and desires control, and clearly did it on impulse for revenge as well. In "Alone at Sea", she more or less implies that she didn't imprison Jasper for Steven's sake at all. She admits with horror that she actually wanted someone to take her anger out on. Though this time, she does get to save Steven from Jasper for real, who was threatening to shatter him.
Sentient Phlebotinum: Deconstructed pretty harshly. Her emotional state is what you'd expect from someone who's been trapped in a handheld object that only interacts with people when they want something.
Steven: What's it like being a mirror?
Lapis (in Steven's voice): YOU WORK!
Sexy Backless Outfit: Her dress has an open back so her gem (which is on her back) is visible.
Shapeshifter Weapon: "Change Your Mind" shows she can turn her water wings into a massive set of fists, though she doesn't actually use them until "Why So Blue?".
Shaping Your Attacks: The primary application of her water powers. She can make anything from chains to decoys to Giant Hands of Doom.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: As a civilian caught up in a Rebellion battle, poofed by Bismuth, imprisoned under the assumption she was another Crystal Gem, and interrogated for ages before being left behind and uncaringly stepped on (which cracked her gem), the war did a number on her psyche. Regular interaction with Steven and Peridot is helping, by the looks of it.
Silk Hiding Steel: Lapis' slender body and dress make her look less combatant compared to the Rubies' and Quartzes' stockier build. But her hydrokinesis is terrifyingly destructive, on Earth at least, and even discounting that, she still possesses enough mental fortitude to wrest control and imprison Jasper as Malachite.
Single Tear: Because of her various traumas, Blue Diamond's aura only affects her enough to do this to her.
Sixth Ranger: Once Malachite is defused. While she doesn't outright join the Crystal Gems, they're at least on good terms, and she doesn't have any qualms about being a part of the Crystal Temps. Then, she officially joins during the fight with the Diamonds.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: She is extremely bitter, apathetic and is always stuck with a very deadpan face. Being trapped in a mirror for thousands of years (among other things) does that to you. Her trauma is great enough to let her shrugs off Blue Diamond's Emotion Bomb, which is fueled by Blue's own grief over losing Pink, and has existed just as long as Lapis' own trauma.
Squishy Wizard: Her water constructs allowed her to fight the Crystal Gems and co. single-handedly, and she could build a tower made of solid water that reached low orbit, but Jasper managed to easily grab and restrain her. She was poofed with a single punch from behind during the Rebellion battle she got caught in, though, in fairness, that was Bismuth punching her gem. She turns out to be the Crystal Gem's MVP in the fight against the Diamonds, but is easily taken out with a single blast.
- In Future, she displays just how powerful she is when she is the only Gem other than the Cluster who can restrain Monster Steven, something even the Diamonds couldn't do.
Staring Down Cthulhu: She No Sells Blue Diamond's Emotion Bomb with a deadpan "I've felt worse", and proceeds to bind her.
Starter Villain: In "Mirror Gem"/"Ocean Gem", she's the first antagonist in the series with defined motives, as opposed to the Monsters of the Week the Crystal Gems had fought earlier.
Stealth Pun: She's associated with the name "Bob" on a few occasions (most notably as her human alias in "Hit the Diamond"), which serves as a subtle pun about her bob haircut.

Still Wearing the Old Colors: Until she reformed in "Change Your Mind", she still wore Blue Diamond's symbol on her dress.
Story-Breaker Power: When she was first introduced, she was able to manipulate the entire ocean, while her Gem was cracked, with the implication it took a lot of willpower to stay formed. With this in mind, this trope is probably why she rarely shows up in adventures or large-scale conflicts and why she was written out by "Raising the Barn" and "Can't Go Back", especially since she doesn't have to focus as much on staying formed. When she finally returns, its at a point when her powers aren't considered this anymore, as it's during the fight with two members of the Diamond Authority.
Strong and Skilled: Her hydrokinesis is not only more powerful than the other Lapis Lazulis in "Why So Blue?", she also knows how to use it in ways that they hadn't seen before. The rogue Lapises comment that they wouldn't have thought of forming sawblades and chains out of water constructs if she hadn't shown them that she could.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Lapis is generally an indifferent Deadpan Snarker at best, and outwardly hostile at worst, to everyone but Steven, to whom she's very warm and welcoming. This fades over time, but only after several doses of Character Development, culminating in her permanent return to Earth and joining of the Crystal Gems.
Surrounded by Idiots: If her facial expressions are anything to go by, she has this attitude when it comes to wacky hijinks.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Invoked in "The New Crystal Gems". In an attempt to protect Beach City while the Crystal Gems are away, she, Peridot, Pumpkin, and Connie decide to mimic them. In this team, Lapis becomes the "new" Amethyst and mimics Amethyst's Messy Hair.
Terraform: According to Yellow Diamond, this is what Lapis Lazulis are made to do.
That Woman Is Dead:
- "I'm not Lapis anymore. We're Malachite now." And "Alone at Sea" reveals that being split wasn't all she needed to recover from this.
- "The New Crystal Gems" has a much, much more humorous example, after Lapis decides that she's going to be Garnet: "There is no Amethyst, only Garnet!"
There Is Another: Her first appearance disproves what had previously been implied about Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl being the last remaining Gems, and soon afterward her desire to go "home" makes it clear that there's somewhere out in space where there's many more.
There's No Place Like Home: Her primary goal in her debut, one that she'll go to any length to accomplish. This makes her transmission in "The Message" all the more heartbreaking — she did manage to get home but found that the Homeworld she left was very different compared to the Homeworld she returned to, and she doesn't feel like she fits in there anymore.
Thought-Controlled Power: Though she often gestures while using her water powers, she doesn't have to. Some of her most impressive feats, like maintaining a tower made from the ocean in "Ocean Gem" and overpowering the other Lapises in "Why So Blue?", are seemingly accomplished by thought alone.
Thousand-Yard Stare: Her transmission◊ in "The Message".
Tired of Running: During "Reunited" she returns to help fight the Diamonds, stating that if she's going to be punished as a Crystal Gem, it's about time she actually becomes one.
Too Broken to Break: Lapis shows in "Reunited" that she is almost completely immune to Blue Diamond's despair aura. The aura incapacitates the other Gems, but all Lapis does is shed a single tear. The reason? Because she's felt worse. Blue Diamond's projected grief is nothing compared to what Lapis went through.
Took a Level in Badass:
- "Barn Mates" shows Lapis taking absolutely zero crap from a Roaming Eye, a Homeworld tracking vessel sent after Peridot. She doesn't say a single line during the entire encounter and shows almost no real reaction except for a scowl when she finally takes action and effortlessly punts it into the ground.
- After she reforms in "Change Your Mind", she is willing to go up against White Diamond herself, having figured out a few new combat tricks. And this after her return to Earth when she dropped the barn onto Blue Diamond's head.
Took a Level in Cheerfulness: In The Movie, she's a lot happier then most of her screen time on the show. She even spends most of it smiling.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Downplayed. Her backstory and circumstances are tragic, and while she was never a saint, to begin with, she at least had an understandable distrust towards the Crystal Gems, but after she is finally freed from the mirror and Malachite, Lapis acts very aloof, apathetic and bitter most of the time to just about everyone (the sole exception being Steven). She's also a bit rude to Connie at the start of "The New Crystal Gems" as she showed no remorse (or memory) after the latter reminded her of her nearly drowning her in "Ocean Gem". It's later implied in "Raising the Barn" that even her friend and roommate Peridot had to be careful to not say or do anything to upset her, for fear of her wrath; even their pet Pumpkin expressed fear of Lapis' anger. To make matters worse, at the end of the episode Lapis takes the entire barn (which was Peridot's home too) with her up to space to avoid getting caught up in another war with the Diamonds, even though this would mean abandoning both Steven and Peridot, the two people who looked out for her the most, she still left for her own sake. This may be a case of Truth in Television as people who suffer from Depression and PTSD (both of which Lapis is heavily implied to suffer from) often act distant and are rude and/or inconsiderate of others. While this may not entirely justify Lapis' attitude towards others, it would at least make it understandable and at the very least, Lapis is mature enough to regret her actions and acknowledges that her problems are her own.
Took a Level in Kindness: By "Why So Blue?" Lapis at the very least is more willing to settle problems without using violence.
- Additionally, Lapis has also become closer with her allies. This is especially evident by her friendship with Peridot and Bismuth in Steven Universe: Future. In the original Steven Universe, it took Lapis a long time to even consider Peridot a friend. And with Bismuth, Lapis normally wouldn't even attempt to interact with new gems, but by the time of Future, the two gems are clearly close.
Tragic Hero: In the end, Lapis is her own worst enemy. As much as she's been hurt by others; her cynicism, anger, and a combination of selfishness and self-hatred sabotage any of her attempts at getting better. This is especially prevalent with Malachite, a situation that could have been resolved in several easier ways but she threw herself into the fusion believing she was saving Steven but in actuality as a way to work through her own issues. This comes to a head in season 5 where her fear of the Diamonds causes her to abandon Earth, the life she tried to rebuild, and all the people she loved, ultimately stranding her in a lonely, depressing place of her own making. While she does return in "Reunited", it's made clear it's because she couldn't abandon the others and was tired of running, not because she got over any of her issues.
Trauma Button: When Lapis first found out about video chatting, she believed Steven was trapped in Peridot's tablet like she was in the mirror. She even attempted to smash the tablet to free him before Steven rushed in to stop her.
Trauma Conga Line: She goes through a lot, from being trapped in a magic mirror to holding back Jasper in Malachite to save Steven, however the last part is later revealed that she more or less fused with Jasper in Malachite just so she could use her as an emotional punching bag, but the guilt of her actions is something that weighs heavily on her already fragile psyche. She's actually been traumatized so much that not even Blue Diamond's Emotion Bomb could incapacitate her.
Troubled Abuser: According to Rebecca Sugar, Lapis is the one who had all the power and control in her fusion with Jasper as Malachite, and Lapis herself even told Jasper that she "liked taking everything" out on her. Though admittedly "everything" for Lapis means 5,000 years of isolation, emotional torment and anger at the people who caused her unfortunate situation of being trapped in the mirror and later returning to a home she no longer recognizes and being unable to return to that home while stuck on a planet she isn't used to nor cares for. Unfortunately, Lapis, despite knowing what it's like to be hurt by others, proves that she is just as capable of hurting people just as much as she had been hurt. This even extends to people she has grown to care for, such as her relationship with Peridot to a lesser degree, where she displays her controlling and uncaring tendencies towards the latter's feelings, particularly during "Raising the Barn". invoked
True Blue Femininity: Quite literally; her entire body is varying shades of blue. She also is one of the few Gems who wears a long, flowing skirt, alongside Rose Quartz. At a glance, Ruby even mistook her for Sapphire. Justified, as historically, the gemstone lapis lazuli was one of the main reasons for this trope. Lapis lazuli makes some of the purest and longest-lasting blue paint, but was very expensive — more expensive than gold. Painters began using it specifically on depictions of the Virgin Mary, leading to the association between blue and femininity.
Tsundere: Lapis Lazuli is bitter and rather harsh towards everybody but Steven. She eventually warmed up to Peridot many episodes later, though, even giving off a stereotypical Tsundere-ish Luminescent Blush when Peridot goofily smiled at her at the end of "Barn Mates".
The Unapologetic: While Lapis' attitude is not unjustified thanks to her several traumas, she never actually apologizes for being rude to other people, or for her actions that hurt them. She ''does'' apologize to Steven though in "Can't Go Back". She's not so much a callous example though, as Lapis is capable of feeling remorse for her actions, but she's not very good when it comes to making up for them.
Undying Loyalty: To Steven, who compassionately reached out to her while she was trapped, freed her from the mirror, and fixed her cracked gem. Lapis went behind the Homeworld Gems' backs to warn him about the invasion. When she was forced to help with the invasion, she specifically left out all the information she had about Steven. And when Steven's life was threatened by Jasper, Lapis dragged herself into the ocean after fusing with her. She let herself be imprisoned again to keep Steven safe from the other Gem until she is rescued.
Walking Spoiler: Knowing about her is quite difficult without learning that the monsters the Crystal Gems have been fighting are corrupted Gems and that the group isn't Last of Their Kind.
Water Is Womanly: Lapis Lazuli is a blue gem with water theming and powers and has a traditionally feminine appearance, with her flowing skirt and dainty build.
What the Hell, Hero?: When she's freed from the mirror, she's furious at the Crystal Gems sans Steven for only using her as a tool and never attempting to do anything to help her despite knowing she was trapped.
Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: When she's scared, angry, or irritated.
Wild Card: She's not on the Crystal Gems' side or Homeworld's side, as they both denied her freedom. She is, however, on Steven's side, since he saved her and is the only one who's been consistently nice to her. This is subverted later on, due to her forming bonds with the other Crystal Gems, and deciding she's tired of running and becomes a full-fledged member Crystal Gem herself.
Willfully Weak: Following the timeskip in Steven Universe Future, she seems to be actively restraining her powers for fear of the damage she is capable of causing. She holds back at first while fighting the rogue Lapises in "Why So Blue?", but eventually cuts loose and nearly impales them horrifically before she stops herself. This scares the rogue Lapises into listening to her, but she expresses disappointment in herself, considering her show of violence to have been a moment of weakness.
Winged Humanoid: Has the ability to manifest wings for herself made out of water, though she (apart from her blue skin) otherwise looks human. She lost this ability when her gem was cracked, and she immediately made a pair after Steven fixes her gem.
Wing Shield: In Unleash the Light, it is shown that she can actually use her water wings to block incoming attacks.
Witch Hunt: Was the victim of one; the Homeworld believed her to be a Crystal Gem and imprisoned her without knowing or caring that they were mistaken.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: She was trapped in a mirror for thousands of years (the exact number is unknown). And while her taking away Earth's ocean and attacking Steven and Connie was out of line, one can't help but feel sympathy for her desire to go home. Then, when she's finally able to go home, she's shocked to see how different her home is from her time... and is scared. She was fused at the bottom of the ocean in order to imprison Jasper; not only to protect Steven, but because she now had no home to go to, and had nothing to lose. When they eventually unfused, she still felt like she had nowhere to go. Even though this was resolved, she is still dealing with the trauma that being trapped in the mirror and being fused with Jasper as Malachite caused, which leads her to be reminded of her own evil actions during "Alone at Sea" where she reminds Steven that she was once his enemy.
The Worf Effect: Lapis, when she has access to a large supply of water, is one of the most powerful Gems in the show. Thus, it's pretty telling how not even she can do much to Blue Diamond. Even then, she still plays several pivotal roles in the Crystal Gems' fight against Blue... only for Yellow to join the fray and poof her in a single blast. Likewise Bismuth poofed her with one punch.
You Can't Go Home Again: In a way. While Homeworld is still around, and she has the power to reach it by herself, it's changed so much that she no longer recognizes it. She can't go home again because the home she remembers no longer exists. After defusing from Malachite, Lapis acknowledges that she can't go home again because of how she betrayed Jasper and kept her trapped.

Characters / Steven Universe — Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli

Voiced by: Jennifer Paz

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Characters / Steven Universe — Lapis Lazuli

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Lapis Lazuli

Voiced by: Jennifer Paz

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