Line #66 Fanfic/TheWorldIsYourOysterTheUniverseIsYourNamesake


1	--> “I feel like we’re isolating ourselves from humanity. Why do we do that?”
2	--> — Steven, asking the hard questions.
3
4	''The World is Your Oyster, The Universe is Your Namesake'' is a cancelled WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse fanfic by Tropers/{{MHD}}, of web-serial like proportions. It diverges from canon after the events of ''Reformed'' (S. 2 Ep. 05,) when Steven asks the Gems why they live segregated from humanity. The fic was deleted, but can be partially read on the Website/InternetArchive [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160412235720/http://archiveofourown.org/works/3808279/chapters/8485900 here]].
5
6	When the answer proves to be unsatisfactory, he and Connie Maheswaran take it upon themselves to use Gem magic to help make the world a better place.
7
8	Along the way, in no particular order, the following happens:
9
10	* Steven threatens to leave the Crystal Gems
11	* Connie kills herself sixty times
12	* Garnet splits up willingly
13	* Amethyst acts as a voice of reason
14	* Pearl comes to find humans interesting
15
16	Needless to say, the world is a complicated place, and there are several outstanding issues to be dealt with first, like the looming threat of alien invasion; and also a lot of questions that need answers, which Steven is more than happy to ask.
17
18	----------
19	!!''The World is Your Oyster, The Universe is Your Namesake'' provides examples of:
20
21	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Discussed. Understandably, the Crystal Gems do, but Steven wonders why Peridot and Jasper do.
22	* AlternateHistory: Henry Clay was president, and the Crystal Gems have done several notable things through history.
23	* AlternateUniverse: Just like in the show
24	** From [[RealLife our Earth]]: The United States are different. Florida, for one, does not exist, the Delmarva peninsula is one state, and the capital of the USA is ‘Washington City’.
25	** From WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse canon: Obviously, since it did diverge from canon at ''[[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E8Reformed Reformed]]''.
26	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Steven asks these regularly. See the page quote for one of the early examples.
27	* BerserkButton: Garnet reacts as well as you'd expect when the Maheswarans forbid Connie from Fusing ever again.
28	* CapitalLettersAreMagic: Gems (the magical space aliens) as opposed to gems (the precious stones.)
29	* ChekhovsGun: Frequent. The duplication wand makes an appearance early on, but gets utilized to full effect only many chapters later.
30	* ClarkesThirdLaw: Implied heavily when it comes the Gem "magic". It follows scientific principles and things like magic wands require the equivalent of microchips and programming to function.
31	** The medical scanning device showcased when proving to the Maheswarans that Connie hasn't been negatively affected by magic. It's initially buggy until it gets a software update.
32	* CombatClairvoyance: It is revealed that all Gems have this to some degree.
33	* ContinuityNod: Constantly. Even to pieces that are never mentioned in the show again.
34	* CreationMyth: A few versions of these show up in supplemental materials. [[spoiler: effectively The Gems precursors formed in the inner layers of a gas giant. Which really do have the pressures the create gems. These sapient crystal eventually gained the intelligence to know they needed to expand and fought up to the surface, through several layers of native fauna, and sent a colony spore to a rocky planet. These created the Wild gems that would eventually refine themselves into the caste based gems we know.]]
35	* DoppelgangerAttack: Chapter 38, ''Army of Me'', is a fight scene to this effect. [[spoiler: Chapter 74, ''Nightmare'', has this GoneHorriblyRight.]]
36	* {{Deuteragonist}}: Connie, many of the plans and ideas for how to deal with gem kind come from her as does the strategy for engaging with humanity. She even stands up to the gems when they step out of line. [[spoiler:Stevonnie starts taking steps, which interestingly involve throwing a few parties to influence the city.]]
37	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Rose couldn't live with what she had done during the wars for Earth. Borders on SuicideIsPainless, making it even more tragic.]]
38	* ExpendableClone: Taken to the logical extreme; Connie is able to make fully sophont copies that she throws away in various tactical maneuvers. They still get hurt, evening they poof after a certain point, and react in pain to said damage. She still uses them.
39	* FantasticRadiationShielding: Turns out tin foil hats are excellent shielding against the somebody else’s problem field that leftover gem technology creates.
40	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Hardly any subplot is abandoned from the original, including the idea that Steven would be a king something her firmly rejects in this fic as well as the original.
41	* HumanAliens: Discussed. All Gems look human, save for the odd color schemes. Steven wonders why.
42	** [[spoiler:Supplemental materials make clear that the Gem's creator foresaw Humanities descendants exploring space and effectively ''stole'' the form its own people.]]
43	* [[WroteTheBook I Invented X]]: Pearl, about fencing. Literally.
44	---> '''Pearl:''' Well, I don't like to brag, but I had a hand or two in the formulation of fencing as an athletic discipline.
45	** Expanded later to include all of 17th century france.
46	* InvisibleToNormals: [[spoiler: Turns out the Gems have a giant world-spanning ''Somebody Else's Problem'' field in place, keeping humanity at large ignorant of magical things.]]
47	* TheKlutz: {{Invoked}} and Subverted. [[spoiler:Steven has all the innate grace of a Gem, but acts clumsily because he mistakenly thinks all clumsiness is intentional comedy.]] Needless to say, the realization that he's wrong hits hard.
48	* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Defying this trope is the entire point of the story.
49	---> '''Steven:''' I think it's high time Steven gets in the know. I'm twelve years old already.
50	%%* MoodWhiplash: Chapter 39, ''Whoopsie-Daisy''.
51	* MundaneUtility: Numerous cases.
52	** Lion's teleportation power is used to travel back and forth between the beach house and Connie's home.
53	** Using duplicator wand-clones for housework.
54	** Duplicating furniture to host a party.
55	** Magic ice cubes that are always −40 °F (which is also −40 °C) used to keep regular ice cubes cool.
56	** Rose's Room, a veritable Star Trek-style holodeck, used as a spare shower.
57	** Gem clairvoyance means they don't have to memorize phone numbers; they can just see the numbers needed to call someone and put those in.
58	* NewYearHasCome: The last chapters is set on a new years eve party the highlight of which is Steven giving out some of Rose’s tear water to heal some friends and family.
59	* OriginalFlavour: Considerable care is taken to emulate the canon voices of the characters.
60	* ParentsAsPeople: The Maheswarans in particular are not happy about learning their daughter is [[GRatedSex fusing]] with Steven. But after the Gems prove that it's safe and even beneficial they give their consent.
61	* PrescienceIsPredictable: Much of Gen tactics cover messing with the other sides tactics as well. This was a major factor in the success of the rebellion.
62	* PseudocanonicalFic: Besides the above points on continuity it accurately characterizes the Maheswarans' reaction to Connie's activities several months before Nightmare Hospital.
63	* RelationshipUpgrade: Many, such as Steven and Connie, Lars and Sadie, and [[spoiler: Pearl and Amethyst]].
64	* Shoutout: The diamonds nicknames for each other recall the ''VideoGame/PacMan'' ghosts.
65	** a shout out to the show itself comes from steven watching a program which is essential an inverted concept from what he useually watches.
66	* SwordFight: Chapter 16, ''This is the Chapter with a Sword Fight, Guys''.
67	* TheTalk: Amethyst if all people gives this to steven and it's surprising comprehensive and all encompassing.
68	* TimeAbyss: Gems. Rose especially.
69	---> '''Priyanka:''' That's— how old are you supposed to be?
70	---> '''Pearl:''' Two hundred and eighty seven.
71	---> '''Doug:''' Years?
72	---> '''Pearl:''' Centuries.
73	* UndeadTaxExemption: Subverted; the Crystal Gems face bureaucratic hurdles in their quest to integrate with humanity.
74	** Double Subverted when it turns out the Gems have accidentally committed a CompoundInterestTimeTravelGambit (minus the TimeTravel, of course).
75	* UpgradeArtifact: Circlets that give the wearer a weaker version of the CombatClairvoyance native to Gems, and through that, LeParkour.
76	* WeaponOfMassDestruction: [[spoiler: Rose built one during the first war. It is the reason why corrupted Gems exist not the Diamonds retaliatiom.]]

Context Fanfic / TheWorldIsYourOysterTheUniverseIsYourNamesake