History Fanfic / LearningToBreatheUnderwater

* {{Expy}}: [[spoiler: SILICA]] is pretty clearly a combined expy of ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'''s [=GLaDOS=] and ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' 's SHODAN with some [[spoiler: JLU-flavour Braniac thrown in for good measure.]]

* FlawedPrototype: [[spoiler:Jasper is part of a line of experimentally created Kindergarten Gems programmed to automatically regenerate even with cracked gemstones and be able to break out of bubbles. After she survived a mission that killed all her sisters, Yellow Diamond lied to her that she was strong and that every Kindergarten Gem would be modeled after her in, order to ensure her loyalty.]]

* FlawedPrototype: [[spoiler:Jasper is part of a line of experimentally created Kindergarten Gems programmed to automatically regenerate even with cracked gemstones and be able to break out of bubbles. After she survived a mission that killed all her sisters, Yellow Diamond lied to her that she was strong and that every Kindergarten Gem would be modeled after her in order to ensure her loyalty.]]

* InsultToRocks: Garnet says that Peridot is as immature as a child, then takes it back because that would be an insult to Steven and Connie.

* BilingualBonus: In Chapter 10, as Ronaldo is running from Jasper and talking to the Crystal Gems over the phone, he yells that he wants his funeral march to be the second “Go Go Koala Princess OAV” ending title, "Wagamama no Hi". ''Wagamama'' means selfish, and ''hi'' can mean a number of things including "day" and "fire".

* DoesNotLikeSpam: Amethyst doesn't like tea, and refers to it as "dead boiled leaves." Considering how much of an ExtremeOmnivore she is, that says something about her standards.

* DoesNotLikeSpam: Amethyst doesn't like tea. Considering how much of an ExtremeOmnivore she is, that says something about her standards.

** [[spoiler: At the very end, Lapis talks about visiting a museum and being entranced by what's clearly meant to be Van Gogh's "Starry Night". Garnet later gives her a lifetime pass to the Louvre.]]

* ShoutOut: At the end of the story, [[spoiler: when Lapis is preparing to go WalkingTheEarth to learn more about the world and humanity,]] Garnet gives her a lifetime pass to the Louvre, which Rose got when she questioned their acquisition of the famous "Mona Garnet". [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Her lips apparently follow you around the room.]]

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler: The Gem Buster's AI]] has decided that this is the best option for peace [[spoiler: on a universal scale, so that only it remains.]]

* CrapsackWorld: The story has the "Homeworld Is Horrible" tag on [=AO3=] for a dang good reason. [[spoiler:Among other things, Jasper's backstory involves her being the only survivor out of ''600'' Kindergarten Jaspers that were deliberately sent on missions that would get smashed to bits in order to find the inherent flaws in their programming.]]

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:In Jasper's pre-Rebellion flashbacks, Rose Quartz's position on the Homeworld chain of command is left up in the air. She is seen commanding many lower-ranking Gems and in one scene speaks to Yellow Diamond as if they are equals, yet Yellow is able to effortlessly override her request for the young Jasper to be assigned to her command, and speaks about the other Diamonds "allowing" Rose to take in Gems considered rejects and deviants, implying that she did not have the individual authority to do so. The author stated that they wanted to leave it ambiguous whether or not Rose was a Diamond, meaning she could be interpreted as a high-ranking Gem outranked by the Diamonds, a ''Diamond'' outranked by the other Diamonds, or something else altogether.]]