|
Please be careful if you haven't yet read the manga! |
Antarcticite (アンタークチサイト, Antākuchisaito), also called 'Antarc', is a Gem in charge of work during the winter. Due to the gem's unique composition, they spend much of the year asleep in liquid form, re-crystallizing when the temperature drops. The colder the temperature, the stronger they become.
They usually patrol with Kongō, while the rest of the Gems enter hibernation though they were paired up with Phosphophyllite for a short period of time when the latter refused to hibernate. During this time, they were taken by the Lunarians at the Shore of Nascency.
Appearance[]
Antarcticite has a white color scheme, they wear a white version of the winter uniform, which includes white shorts and a vest over a short-sleeved shirt along with a black tie. They wear black curved top-line ankle boots with stiletto heels and short black gloves. They have narrow eyes.
Their hair is styled very short, with their bangs being made of longer strands with one long prominent one being in their face generally. Their hair is parted to their right with side swept bangs.
Unlike the other gems who use an ordinary sword, Antarc's blade is saw-like with sharp teeth for cutting into ice. They also have stiletto heels on their boots to help in this endeavor. They also use the sword as a snowboard during fighting.
After becoming a lunarian, Antarcticite uses a body suit starting from their chest down, and ballerina flats, but they are also seen naked wearing only a crown of flowers with transluscent fabric in Party at the End.
As of Chapter 95, Antarcticite has become a Lunarian and therefore has lost their unique translucent physique.
Personality[]
Antarcticite is a perfectionist who acts like a soldier, marching and speaking with extreme formality, giving them a cold, almost apathetic aura. They are used to working alone, as all the other Gems hibernate during the winter when there is not enough sunlight to feed them and keep them active. Though they become partnered with Phos, they have difficulty working with another Gem and often end up doing most of the work. They are similar to Bort in being very blunt and judgmental, but deep down they are soft and kind. They point out the flaws in Phos, stating that the latter should do more than they can do in order to improve.
They are very fond of Kongō to the point of breaking their usually formal appearance in order to embrace him in a hug. They do not like to openly show this softer side though, blushing when they requested a hug in the first place, and being extremely embarrassed when caught in the act afterwards.
Character Profiles[]
Vol. 3:
- In charge during the winter. Behaves like a soldier and an only child.
Vol. 4:
- All but the Gem's left foot is on the moon.
Vol. 6:
- Mostly on the moon now. Might look like this; we can't deny the possibility.
Story[]
Winter Arc[]
Antarcticite crystallizing
Antarcticite is first seen crystallizing inside a rectangular box next to a pile of clothes. After fully crystallizing and wearing the winter uniform, Antarc goes to greet to Kongō and reports they are in perfect condition. Kongō apologizes for how Antarc must spend every winter alone, but Antarc refutes that, telling Kongō that they don't feel lonely. Antarc starts to blush a bit, and asks Kongō for "the yearly custom", which is just a simple hug. While Antarc embraced Kongō, they notice Phosphophyllite hiding behind a pillar. Antarc screams at Phos, wondering why they're awake. Phos tells Kongō that it was hard to sleep, and if it was possible to stay awake this winter. Kongō agrees, telling Phos that they will pair up with Antarc. Antarc instantly refuses, calling Phos useless, but quickly shuts up once Phos asks about the "yearly custom".
Antarc starts insulting Phos inside the school, wondering why, the last gem that wakes up every year, is not hibernating with the rest of them gems. Phos, looking tired from all the insults, quickly dashes forward with their agate legs to show Antarc their speed. Antarc correctly guesses the mineral the legs are made out of, and asks if they've been in battle. Phos tells Antarc that they've been in battle, but when it mattered the most, they were unable to run. Phos continues, saying that they hated the fact nobody yelled at them. Since they heard that just staying awake in winter is tough, they wanted to push themself a bit further. Antarc, pitying Phos, decides to have Phos help Antarc on the job, but warns it will be tough. Phos reluctantly agrees, wanting to push themself even further.
Antarcticite destroying a ice floe
Antarc and Phos are then seen walking through the snow, with the later barely able to stand up, crawling through the thick snow. Once Antarc and Phos reach their destination, Phos sees the strange ice formations and instantly screams Lunarians, but Antarc corrects Phos, calling the "Lunarians" ice floes. Antarc continues on, explaining that ice floes form when the sea freezes and the microflora from the seafloor harden into shapes similar to Lunarian vessels, but recalls one time when Kongō called the ice floe "sinners". Antarc tells Phos to ready themself as a loud shriek suddenly resounds, high pitched enough that Phos visibly cracks. Antarc explains that that unpleasant sound is what happens when the ice floes scrape against each other, which disturbs the gems' sleep, and so must be smashed. Antarc unsheathes their sword, and goes ahead and effortlessly smashes one of the ice floes, then tells Phos to do the same, to which Phos replies that they can't possibly do that.
Antarc and Phos return to the school at night, where Phos is seen leaning into a bowl of jellyfish to attempt some light absorption, and Antarc is checking the supplies on the shelves. Phos starts making excuses, saying that all they have is their legs, but Antarc refutes that by mentioning that they themself are not complete, and would easily get crushed by the ice floes if they fall into the ocean. Phos doubts Antarc, saying that Antarc just wants to get rid of them to have Kongō all to themself. Antarc tells Phos (after a half-hearted threat to break them) that the only thing low hardness gems have is their courage, and without that they're nothing. Phos says that they can only do things they can do, to which Antarc controverts saying that they only "try" the things that they can do. Phos says if they can do it, they will do their very best. Antarc rebuts that, saying they'll never be able to do anything else, to which Phos sits in silence.
Phos ends up being useless at helping Antarc, ending up sawing a small piece of an ice floe while Antarc effortlessly smashes multiple ice floes, that is until the ice floes suddenly asks Phos if they're okay. Phos is quickly startle, and shouts to Antarc that they can't take it anymore and that the ice floe talked. Antarc brushes it off as something normal, explaining that because ice floes are minerals just like the gems, they can hear faint whispers, or sounds that resemble words, but Phos rebuts, giving multiple examples of ice floes speaking in clear sentences.
Phos and Antarc then go to Kongō. Kongō states that albeit they can "talk", it doesn't mean that the ice floes are sentient. The ice floes will, however, amplify the anxieties to those who listen, Kongō describing them as the "dregs" of ancient lifeforms. Antarc then starts reporting about Phos, mentioning that while they're doing better than expected, they wish for Phos' arms to match the strength of their legs.
While smashing ice floes, Antarc notices Phos slipping into the ocean. Antarc quickly rushes to pull Phos out, only to realize that Phos has lost both their arms. Antarc quickly dives into the water to try and retrieve them, nearly losing one of their own hands in the process, but are unable to find Phos' arms, even at the bottom of the ocean.
Antarc and Phos go back to Kongō, who, once hearing about the loss of Phos' arms, is visibly distressed by the news. Antarc blames themself for the incident, and despite looking everywhere, wants to go back and try harder, but is quickly stopped by Kongō, who tries to comfort Antarc. Phos, feeling deeply responsible for the ordeal, tries to tell Antarc not to worry about it, but Antarc is already angry at themself, hugging Kongō harder. Kongō then suggests for Phos and Antarc to search the Shore of Nascency for viable replacements.
The process of getting there is hindered by Phos' lack of arms to support them, and the journey is made uncomfortably awkward by Antarc's silence. (Anime only, as they simply have them already there in the manga)
At the Shore, Antarc gives a brief rundown of how the gems are born from the giant cliffside, pointing out how rare it is for gems like themselves to be born when an incomplete ruby falls from the cliff and into the snowy sand below. The two search the Shore, but only find heavy and malleable gold and platinum Antarc deems useless. But falling for Phos's own empathy for the weak metals' plight, they attempt to attach it to Phos' stumps. The clouds begin to dissipate, so Antarc tells Phos to remove the metal so they can return to the school, but the alloy begins to grow and envelop Phos, causing Phos to panic as a sunspot materializes in the sky. Antarc loses their composer temporarily as Phos pleads with them to do something, but they regain it once more as they notice a glint and dodge a Lunarian arrow.
Antarc then starts to fight the sunspot and is able to slice the Halo, only to discover that its one of the new types, armed with hooked grenades made from imitation Pink Fluorite. Antarc takes it down, but not without massive damage. Antarc then attempts to free Phos from a "box" made from the alloy they have been encased in, only for Antarc to be suddenly pierced from behind by a second sunspot.
Before being completely shattered, Antarc asks Phos to be silent, and to "make sure Sensei isn't lonely this winter". Another Lunarian vessel drops down to collect the pieces of Antarc, while Phos stuck and unable to help. At the last moment, Phos is able to gain some control over their alloy arms and gives chase to the Lunarian vessel. They are unfortunately too late, and are only able to collect a few pieces of Antarc, before the rest of them are taken to the Moon.
Spring Arc[]
Following the loss of Antarc, Phos has several hallucinations of them. Some seem to be random occurrences, while others appear as a guide for Phos. Either to make certain decisions, or to warn them.
Invasion Arc[]
Following Phos' return to the Moon from their 220 year imprisonment on Earth, they have a dream where all the Gems torment and belittle Phos for being weak, concluding with Antarc wishing Phos had never existed.
Antarctictite is restored like all the other Gems and is changed into a Lunarian to maintain their memories. They are reunited with Kongō, who briefly informs Antarc of what happened after Antarc asks where Phos is. They dislike Phos for stating that it would be better if Kongō wasn't there but later forgives them.
Relationships[]
Due to the fact that Antarcticite is usually the only Gem active during the winter other than Kongō, it is likely that they don't have many interactions with the other Gems. One of their duties is to ensure that the other Gems sleep peacefully, and that includes putting sleep-walking Gems back to rest. Phos managed to stay awake during winter to help out Antarc, so it could be assumed that at some point in the past, other Gems may have done so as well. The Gems are also known to fall into hibernation later or wake up earlier than each other, which may also imply that some of them have interacted with Antarc during that small window of time.
Nonetheless, Antarc seems to be fairly familiar with the other Gems. They knew enough about Phos to agree with the others that Phos never did anything useful. Antarc initially did not want to partner with Phos, preferring to work alone. But after partnering with Phos, they started advising them and teaching them many things in order to get Phos to improve. When Phos fell into the water and lost their arms, Antarc showed grievous concern and immediately jumped into the sea to look for them.
Kongō[]
Antarcticite's affection for Kongō is one of their defining attributes. When a new type of Lunarians attacked and managed to break off their hand, Antarc became enraged, unwilling to part with any of their memories of Kongō. Before they were abducted by a second vessel of Lunarians, their last words to Phos is to keep Kongō company so that he wouldn't be lonely during the winter.
Quotes[]
"We low-hardness Gems have nothing if not our courage." - Antarcticite, after repairing Phos.
"Make sure Sensei isn't lonely, take care of the Winter."- Antarcticite, after being shattered by the Lunarians.
Gem Info[]
- Mineral: Halide
- Chemistry: CaCl2·6H2O
- Color: Colorless
Antarcticite is an uncommon calcium chloride hexahydrate mineral. It forms colorless acicular trigonal crystals. It is hygroscopic and has a low specific gravity of 1.715. As its name implies, it was first described in 1965 for an occurrence in Antarctica where it occurs as crystalline precipitate from a highly saline brine in Don Juan Pond, in the west end of Wright Valley, Victoria Land.
Antarcticite is temperature-sensitive, very deliquescent and the specimen is displayed in a sealed vial. At temperatures above room-temperature, antarcticite begins to dissolve in its own liquid and re-crystallizes when the temperature drops to room temperature or below.
Source: Oso's Mineral Co.
Gallery[]
.png "Scan005(2).png (3.41 MB)")
Trivia[]
- At the end of the episode in which Antarc is taken by the Lunarians, a special ending theme is played instead of the usual one: "Liquescimus" (meaning "melt" in latin) by Tomoyo Kurosawa. Rather than the usual ending video, a still of Antarc's now-empty tub is shown as the season slowly turns to early spring.
- Antarc is the only known casualty from a confirmed new-type Lunarian vessel.
- It is possible that the mineral Antarc is mildly misexplained. Antarcticite only 'melts' in presence of moisture in the air and can be only found in extremely arid locations near brine pools such as Antarctica and California. Its possible that during cold conditions, the air cannot hold moisture, allowing Antarc to reform without issues.
| Characters |
|---|
| Gems |
| Kongo • Phosphophyllite • Morganite • Goshenite • Rutile • Red Beryl • Benitoite • Cinnabar • Jade • Diamond • Bort • Euclase • Neptunite • Yellow Diamond • Zircon • Obsidian • Amethyst 84 • Amethyst 33 • Alexandrite • Antarcticite • Padparadscha • Ghost Quartz • Cairngorm • Watermelon Tourmaline • Sphene • Hemimorphite • Peridot • Unknown 28th Gem/s |
| Morganite (New) • Goshenite (New) |
| Heliodor • Green Diamond • Ruby • Sapphire • Pink Topaz • Pink Fluorite • Lapis Lazuli • Topaz • Chrysoberyl • Blue Zoisite • Aquamarine • Apophyllite • Red Diamond • Fluorite • Sphalerite • Emerald |
| Lunarians |
| Aechmea • Barbata • Cicada • Quieta • Kima • Shiro • Ladra • Bee |
| Admirabilis |
| Ventricosus • Aculeatus • Variegatus • Convallarius |
| Others |
| Pebble • Kongo's Brother |