The Story of Black Pearl is a Steven Universe Webcomic by Revolver-D
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The story takes place in an Alternate Universe where Pink Diamond was given two Pearls after her first was taken away.
After Pink Diamond's shattering, this new Pink Pearl is taken by Yellow Diamond as a test subject for "Project Black", an experiment to make Gems stronger by combining them with an alien substance known as "the Stain".
Though Pink Pearl comes out a success, the amount of torture and torment she endured whittled away at her emotions and sanity, turning her into the sadistic, insane being known as Black Pearl, who only has one goal in mind; find Rose Quartz, the Gem responsible for her Diamond's demise, and make her pay.
The comic is available for free on Revolder-D's Tumblr and on Tapas.
The Story of Black Pearl provides examples of:
- Alas, Poor Villain: Pink Pearl was a polite, kind Gem utterly devoted to Pink Diamond, who did anything to make her happy. After Pink Diamond was shattered (a revelation she took very hard), Yellow threw Pink Pearl into Project Black, where she was tortured until all she felt was pain, and all she wanted to do was put others in pain, especially Rose Quartz.
- Almighty Janitor: Despite the generally low standing of her type of Gem, Pink Pearl was able to pull enough strings and manipulate things so that her Diamond would be given her first colony.
- Alternate Universe Fic: Pink Diamond was given two replacement Pearls instead of one after her first one was taken away. After Pink's shattering left Pink Pearl without an owner, Yellow Diamond subjected her to horrifying experiments out of misdirected anger and grief over Pink Diamond's demise, turning her into an Ax-Crazy Blood Knight in the process.
- Appropriated Appellation: Black Pearl was originally Pink Pearl. After going through Project Black, she was mostly just referred to as "Subject 27" or "27". She chose the name "Black Pearl" after hearing some of the rebels use it to describe her and taking a liking to it.
- Berserk Button: Mentioning Pink Diamond where Black Pearl can hear it is a sure-fire way to get on her bad side.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: When sent to fight a Gem rebel force, Black Pearl effortlessly wipes the floor with them, shattering over half and poofing the remaining ones.
- Dark Is Evil:
- Pearl gets turned into a merciless monster through Chrysoberyl's experiments. Her gem also turns black, earning her her new moniker.
- The Stain inside Black Pearl is represented through a black rash-like marking on her body that extends whenever Black Pearl gets mad.
- Deal with the Devil: In order to save her comrades, Moonstone agrees to work with Black Pearl and lies to Yellow Diamond, claiming that their base of operations is hidden on Earth rather than its real location.
- Death Glare: When Jade interrupts Black Pearl during her introduction, she gives her the stink-eye for a split-second.
- Delayed Reaction: Steven does this when Black Pearl admits that his friends were right about not trusting her.
- Deliberately Monochrome: As a reflection of how Black Pearl's senses have been dulled, scenes from her point of view are cast in grayscale, while her memories of happier times are either tinted heavily pink or filled with color.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Black Pearl doesn't need the consent of other Gems in order to fuse, and when she forces a fusion, her unwilling partners are subjected to extreme pain and left utterly destroyed both mentally and physically. Since the show depicts fusion as a symbolic demonstration for love, this can be read as the Gem equivalent of rape.
- Dramatic Irony: Black Pearl wants to get revenge on Rose Quartz for shattering Pink Diamond. Those caught up with the series the comic is based on (later confirmed to still be the case by
Word of God) would know that Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond were the same Gem, who faked her own shattering to get Homeworld to leave Earth. - Dwindling Party: Black Pearl inflicts this upon her targets in Proposition, taking out first their escape pods, then their forces, until only poor Moonstone is left.
- Electric Torture: Part of the experiments Chrysoberyl and her fellow researchers ran on Pink Pearl and the other subjects of Project Black was electrically engraving the Stain into their gemstones. They used a similar method to "jumpstart" their reformation whenever they poofed.
- Eye Scream: In supplementary material it's revealed that the Stain cost Black Pearl an eye. It's never seen in the comic since her bangs covering up the empty eye-socket, but as Moonstone's reaction shows, it isn't a pretty sight under there.
- Failure-to-Save Murder: When Yellow Diamond informs Pink Pearl of Pink Diamond's shattering, she blames her for not being there when it happened, claiming that she should have been present to give up her life in order to protect her.
- Fantastic Racism: Implied. Nearly all of the Homeworld Gems shown have nothing but utter contempt for Black Pearl, often referring to her as a thing, rather than a fellow Gem. Many even question if she can still be called a Gem.
- Fusion Dance: As with the series it's based on, Gems can combine into one being with consent from all parties. Thanks to the Stain, however, Black Pearl doesn't need consent; she can forcibly fuse herself with others whenever she pleases. Victims of this are subjected to incredible pain while fusing, and come out empty, shattered shells of their former selves that not even Steven/Rose's healing powers can fix.
- Glamour Failure: Whenever Black Pearl gets especially angry about something, the alien substance injected into her slowly starts to cover her body and face, revealing that she's not just a simple Gem anymore.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Upon reading in some reports that Pink Diamond's Pearl was supposedly present to witness her shattering, Black Pearl becomes enraged, claiming that whoever wrote the report was clearly lying and threatening Chrysoberyl when she inquires how she would know that.
- Happiness in Slavery: When she was still Pink Pearl, Black Pearl saw her position as Pink Diamond's servant as an honor and a privilege. Granted, Pink Diamond treated her with a lot more respect than the other Diamonds did their Pearls. After Pink Diamond's "shattering", Black Pearl becomes depressed and aimless with even her current goal of avenging her former mistresses' death being more of a last attempt to honor her than anything else.
- Happy Flashback: As Yellow Diamond bluntly informs Pink Pearl of Pink Diamond's death, her Breaking Speech is paired with images of Pink's memories, forming shards of a crumbling diamond.
- Hated by All: It's made abundantly clear in the comic that nobody, not even the Homeworld troops working alongside her, likes Black Pearl. Homeworld gems are either disgusted by her demeanor, see her as an abomination, or both. Rebels, meanwhile, view her as a merciless monster.
- Hourglass Plot: Chrysoberyl and her research team subjected the Gems they were given as test subjects for Project Black to all manner of horrible, torturous experiments, ignoring the pain and suffering they were inflicting in favor of chasing results. Black Pearl, their sole success, wiped out half their team, and as she cheerfully points out to Chrysoberyl, their Diamond doesn't care what happens to her or any of her remaining colleagues:Black Pearl: She was always one who overlooks some risks if it promises her the results she wants. Now I am the result she wants, so she doesn't care.
- Internal Reveal: Black Pearl spends much of the plot unaware that Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond are one and the same. It's not until the events of Episode 15: Blooming, where she finally learns the Awful Truth. She...doesn't take it well. At all.
- La Résistance: A group of rebel Gems wind up being one of Black Pearl's targets. Sadly, they don't stand too much of a chance against her and all of them get eviscerated in the blink of an eye once she tracks them down.
- Mask of Sanity: Black Pearl can put up a convincing one to Steven and Connie. Though sometimes it slips, making Connie realize that there's something seriously wrong with the Gem. After she's found out, she drops the mask entirely.
- Master Swordsman: Both the Crystal Gem's Pearl and Black Pearl are shown as this, having learned bladework under Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz. However, their battle shows that the Crystal Gem's Pearl is the superior swordswoman, just managing to edge out against Black Pearl, who acknowledges her better prowess.
- Pet the Dog: In episode 13, Black Pearl left a tracking device at the rebel base, right next to where she left Jade, and gave Moonstone a tracker keyed to it, giving the rebels a shot at rescuing Moonstone. Granted, it was done to give herself something to offer Moonstone in exchange for a vision, but it's still more than would be expected from an Ax-Crazy Blood Knight, especially one who could've easily slaughtered every single rebel instead.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Chrysoberyl has a pair of these...until Black Pearl removes them while taunting her with the notion that Yellow Diamond wouldn't care if she shattered her. After she returns them, Chrysoberyl's eyes remain visible more often than not, exposing her fear.
- Sense Loss Sadness: Several of Black Pearl's senses have been dulled by the Stain, making it harder for her to appreciate the natural beauty of the world.
- Sole Survivor: Black Pearl is the lone success of Project Black, being the only one relatively stable and functional. The others either literally broke down from the strain or were shattered for being a security risk.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Black Pearl and the Pyrite Squad don't see eye-to-eye, to put it mildly. The Pyrites, like most Homeworld gems, are disgusted by Black Pearl's demeanor, sadism and nature as a Stain-hybrid, while Black Pearl views them as nuisances at best.
- Villainous BSoD: Black Pearl has this when she realizes that Steven was telling the truth about Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz being one in the same.
- Villains Want Mercy: As Black Pearl cheerfully points out to her, Chrysoberyl ignored all her pleading for mercy while experimenting on her, only to beg for it herself once her former test subject gained power over her.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Episode 13 is one to when Black Pearl was summoned to and tested on by White Diamond, who in turn, revealed that she knows the truth about what happened to Pink Diamond.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: After arriving on Earth, Black Pearl pretends to be just a scared runaway to gain Steven's trust. She uses the same technique to get him to keep her existence a secret from the rest of the Crystal Gems, claiming she's scared of what they'll do to a Homeworld Gem.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Unlike the visions of a Sapphire, which can be changed with enough spontaneity, Moonstone's visions are of the one "true" future and can't be changed - if one tries to change that future, Moonstone's powers will simply show that their actions either caused or were a part of what they were trying to change.
