Peridot: alien arbiter of Kindergarten quality, manipulator of metals, ardent Crystal Gem. She's come a long, long war from being the authoritarian she once was — and nothing symbolizes that transformation more than her love for Camp Pining Hearts. A Canadian teen soap, little is known about the show beyond the presence of the characters Percy, Pierre, and Paulette, the fact that it takes place at a summer camp, and Steven and Peridot's opinion that its fifth season is "trash."
This is amusing enough on its own, but all the more funny for adults who recognize Peridot's behavior as a deft parody of fandom dynamics. Peridot doesn't just ship, she constructs elaborate charts to deduce which pairing is, in her own words, "superior," then sets about converting all her friends to rooting for Percy and Pierre. A glance at her beloved tablet reveals every app necessary to an active fandom career, including Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram (plus...Tinder?). Peridot's Twitter account is, in fact, a very real thing, maintained by former crew member Jesse Zuke, wherein she discusses her fan theories about poutine, "maple syrup plot holes," and how much she loves playing the show at top volume when she's home alone. This isn't likely to be the happy ending anyone imagined for the one-time bureaucrat — but darn if it's not adorable. So long as she doesn't make those shipping wars literal.
