History NightmareFuel / FlawedCrystals

Flawed Crystals may be a text only RPG but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most horrifying WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse fanworks out there. This is a story that in spite of it's funny and heartwarming moments and it's attempts to fix what the authors saw as wrong with the canon direction of the series, really doesn't pull it's punches when it comes to the dark aspects of the original show and the various questions left unanswered.

* If you try and lie to Jasper by telling her [[MindRape she was always a Crystal Gem]], Connie will [[WhatTheHellHero become disgusted with you and tell her the truth.]] After this, Jasper [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness leaves in terror]] and Steven orders everyone to go after her. When Connie defies him, Steven bubbles Connie before he corrupts with him describing it as lovely despite the BodyHorror mentioned. He then tries to order the Crystal Gems to go after her only for them to turn against him, realizing that he's been corrupted.

** Steven's version of Peridot is the least disturbing, referencing her defeat in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E23Reunited "Reunited"]] and lack of presence in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E24LegsFromHereToHomeworld "Legs From Here to Homeworld"]]. Peridot is a bit annoyed that Rose thinks she's stupid enough to get poofed by Yellow Diamond but doesn't see it as a big deal. Rose corrects Peridot, telling her that the green gem had to be swept under the carpet because all of the [[JustFollowingOrders horrible things she did under the Diamonds' orders.]] Rose couldn't forgive, that so she didn't. She knew she couldn't forgive the Diamonds for their actions and couldn't give herself a happy ending [[JustIgnoreIt unless she ignored their evil actions.]] Peridot would've reminded her of that, and when she apologizes, Rose flips out, and points out that [[ItsAllAboutMe she's apologizing here.]]

* Once all the puppet versions of the Crystal Gems have been defeated, the final battle takes place. The scene that plays is a reference to [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind "Change Your Mind"]] before revealing that it was how Steven actually felt, with White Diamond representing Steven's want to control the other Crystal Gems and make them what he wants them to be. Pearl, Bismuth, and Peridot tell Steven they forgive him, much to his despair. Lapis tells him no, and Steven's eyes light up before Lapis tells him that he's done nothing that needs forgiveness, much to his frustration. You can tell Rose-Steven that you forgive him or don't. Either way, Steven defuses with Connie which sets the scene for the final boss.

* [[{{Superboss}} The Perfect Crystal.]] A shard fusion of The Great Diamond Authority's rulers ([[ItsAllAboutMe White Diamond]], [[TheEeyore Blue Diamond]], [[TheHeavy Yellow Diamond]], and [[SacrificialLamb Pink Diamond]]) found in a bubble and is the embodiment of Steven's guilt for the deaths of the four Diamonds. Whereas the Room Rose is upfront about her idealized versions of the Crystal Gems, the Perfect Crystal is hidden and bubbled away. The build-up to the fight makes effective use of minimal horror, with the short build-up to the fight being more than enough to convince the player of it's power.

* [[{{Superboss}} The Perfect Crystal.]] A shard fusion of The Great Diamond Authority's rulers ([[ItsAllAboutMe White Diamond]], [[TheEeyore Blue Diamond]], [[TheHeavy Yellow Diamond]], and [[SacrificialLamb Pink Diamond]]) found in a bubble and is the embodiment of Steven's guilt for the deaths of the four Diamonds. It says a lot that the Room Rose is willing to show you her idealized versions of the Crystal Gems but will tell you not to touch it. The build-up, though brief is enough to clue you in on how powerful it is.

[[/spoiler]]

* The Alpha Kindergarten is as dark and bleak as it was in the main series, with the background music being a dark ambience -- namely, the eerie "Alien Signal" from ''VideoGame/JimmyAndThePulsatingMass''. The enemies are a representation of Amethyst's issues and their overall hardiness also adds to the atmosphere. The fight with Amethyst has her corrupted form experience some BodyHorror whenever she uses her shapeshifting to represent her body dysmorphia.

* The Alpha Kindergarten is as dark and bleak as it was in the main series, with the background music being a dark ambience. The enemies being a representation of Amethyst's issues and their overall hardiness also adds to the atmosphere. The fight with Amethyst has her corrupted form experience some BodyHorror whenever she uses her shapeshifting to represent her body dysmorphia.

** If the player gets themselves corrupted after enough failures, Steven [[spoiler:becomes corrupted early and you end up having to fight him]].

-->'''Corrupted Steven''': You know, I was thinking. [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis Why do we NEED to heal the gems at all?]] Aren't they already [[AndIMustScream happy in their bubbles?]] So we don't have to worry about them. [[DissonantSerenity Everything's already perfect!]]
* If you kill [[spoiler:Steven]] during the final boss fight, Connie survives and goes to check on him. The description is quite horrifying to say the least, with the main take away [[spoiler:being that without his gem, Steven is reduced to a fleshy blob. Not even Rose's Tears are able to resurrect him.]]

* Steven's version of Garnet references [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E21TheQuestion "The Question"]]. Rose admits she never loved Garnet for who she was and only loved the idea of her. She wanted to be better than Garnet, so she tore her down and invented problems in their relationship so she could have Ruby and Sapphire's relationship the way she wants: drama, forgiveness, and a wedding. All of this so she could "fix" their relationship on her own terms. To Garnet's credit, she has such confidence in her relationship that even this couldn't break her apart, causing the phantom Rose to leave in a petulant huff.
-->'''The Bound's description''': Dependent.
* Steven's version of Bismuth references [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E22MadeOfHonor "Made of Honor"]] by having Bismuth believe that Pink Diamond shattering herself makes sense. It's implied that Steven never got over the trauma of Bismuth nearly killing him because he paints her as hateful while [[AllLovingHero he heals, loves, and forgives people and also solves problems.]] Bismuth is merely boggled, and assumes that Steven believed that Pink shattered herself because she was afraid of facing consequences, despite being untouchable. Rose then backpedals and tries to make it about her hatred, and when calmly responded to, screams that Bismuth should hate her back.
-->'''The Shattered's description''': Hateful.
* Steven's version of Peridot is the least disturbing, referencing her defeat in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E23Reunited "Reunited"]] and lack of presence in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E24LegsFromHereToHomeworld "Legs From Here to Homeworld"]]. Peridot is a bit annoyed that Rose thinks she's stupid enough to get poofed by Yellow Diamond but doesn't see it as a big deal. Rose corrects Peridot, telling her that the green gem had to be swept under the carpet because all of the [[JustFollowingOrders horrible things she did under the Diamonds' orders.]] Rose couldn't forgive, that so she didn't. She knew she couldn't forgive the Diamonds for their actions and couldn't give herself a happy ending [[JustIgnoreIt unless she ignored their evil actions.]] Peridot would've reminded her of that, and when she apologizes, Rose flips out, and points out that [[ItsAllAboutMe she's apologizing here.]]
-->'''The Derelict's description''': Insensitive.
* Steven's version of Lapis references her role in "Reunited", where she ambushes Blue Diamond before fighting alongside the Crystal Gems. Peridot thinks she's cool, but Lapis points out that she wouldn't have actually said and done such a thing. Rose makes Lapis's trauma about her and blames Lapis for not wanting to get over her depression and PTSD; to this version of Rose, Lapis's value as a person is what she can do for her and what she should be. Out of all the fantasy versions of the Gems, Lapis is disturbing due to how subtle Rose is about how she views Lapis compared to the other gems.
-->'''The Drowned's description''': Pathetic.
* Steven's version of Pearl references [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E25Familiar "Familiar"]] and is [[HappinessInSlavery happy in slavery]], with has no wants or desires other than Rose-Steven's approval. Because Pearl having feelings about everything, caring about everything, and freaking out all the time is too tiring to deal with. She admits she should've wanted Pearl to be free, but actually wanted her to stop caring about anything except what she wants, even saying she wanted Pearl to be her Pearl, with a horrified Pearl cutting her off and telling Steven to stop looking like Rose.
-->'''The Lost's description''': Obsessive.
* Steven's version of Amethyst references [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E26TogetherAlone "Together Alone"]], in which Amethyst couldn't care less about gems like her being murdered by the Diamonds when she can care about the Diamonds' fancy party instead. The Room Rose tells Amethyst that she didn't care about the others as long as Amethyst was safe; in contrast, Amethyst admits that she wouldn't be happy until they were all safe.
-->'''The Wretched's description''': Insecure.
* During all this, Steven for his part feels utterly horrible that he'd create such a fantasy and begs the gems not to leave him. After defeating each puppet version of the rooms, Stevonnie ends up in pain due to the corruption and starts losing abilities. The worst part is to them, it feels like their stomach is rotting from the inside out.

-->'''Corrupted Steven''': "You know I was thinking. [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis Why do we NEED to heal the gems at all?]] Aren't they already [[AndIMustScream happy in their bubbles?]] So we don't have to worry about them. [[DissonantSerenity Everything's already perfect!]]"

->The Bound. Dependent.
-->— Corrupted Garnet's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

->The Shattered. Hateful.
-->— Corrupted Bismuth's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

->The Derelict. Insensitive.
-->— Corrupted Peridot's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

->The Drowned. Pathetic.
-->— Corrupted Lapis Lazuli's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

->The Lost. Obsessive.
-->— Corrupted Pearl's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

->The Wretched. Insecure.
-->— Corrupted Amethyst's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

-->The singing stops. You didn't realize the specters were singing until this point, but they were. A constant hum of sound and motion, so simple it faded into the background almost immediately. Now, for the first time, you hear silence. And then you come to realize it's not just them. The silence is everywhere. You can't even hear your own breathing. You feel faint, lost, undefined, like ink dissolving into water, the whole of your being unspooling to try in vain to fill this terrible void. You want to cry, but no sound comes out.

->The singing stops. You didn't realize the specters were singing until this point, but they were. A constant hum of sound and motion, so simple it faded into the background almost immediately. Now, for the first time, you hear silence. And then you come to realize it's not just them. The silence is everywhere. You can't even hear your own breathing. You feel faint, lost, undefined, like ink dissolving into water, the whole of your being unspooling to try in vain to fill this terrible void. You want to cry, but no sound comes out.
->Perfect Crystal. Guilt.
-->— The Perfect Crystal's name and description during its fight in Rose's Room.

* Once all the puppet versions of the Crystal Gems have been defeated, the final battle takes place. The scene that plays is a reference to Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind before revealing that it was how Steven actually felt, with White Diamond representing Steven's want to control the other Crystal Gems and make them what he wants them to be. Pearl, Bismuth, and Peridot tell Steven they forgive him, much to his despair. Lapis tells him no, and Steven's eyes light up before Lapis tells him that he's done nothing that needs forgiveness, much to his frustration. You can tell Rose-Steven that you forgive him or don't. Either way, Steven defuses with Connie which sets the scene for the final boss.

** Unfortunately, it doesn't completely take. Stevonnie starts seeing a copy of Rose (a part of his mind) who reveals what happened after Pearl showed Steven her memories of Pink Diamond's shattering. It turns out he created a fantasy which is the events of Recap/StevenUniverseS5E18ASinglePaleRose, with Steven admitting that he wished Pearl told him that's what happened instead. Bismuth points out how little sense it makes, Amethyst considers it dumb, and Jasper considers it a betrayal of the worst kind.

* Steven's version of Garnet references Recap/StevenUniverseS5E21TheQuestion. Rose admits she never loved Garnet for who she was and only loved the idea of her. She wanted to be better than Garnet, so she tore her down and invented problems in their relationship so she could have Ruby and Sapphire's relationship the way she wants: drama, forgiveness, and a wedding. All of this so she could "fix" their relationship on her own terms. To Garnet's credit, she has such confidence in her relationship that even this couldn't break her apart, causing the phantom Rose to leave in a petulant huff.

* Steven's version of Bismuth references Recap/StevenUniverseS5E22MadeOfHonor by having Bismuth believe that Pink Diamond shattering herself makes sense. It's implied that Steven never got over the trauma of Bismuth nearly killing him because he paints her as hateful while [[AllLovingHero he heals, loves, and forgives people and also solves problems.]] Bismuth is merely boggled, and assumes that Steven believed that Pink shattered herself because she was afraid of facing consequences, despite being untouchable. Rose then backpedals and tries to make it about her hatred, and when calmly responded to, screams that Bismuth should hate her back.

* Steven's version of Peridot is the least disturbing, referencing her defeat in Recap/StevenUniverseS5E23Reunited and lack of presence in Recap/StevenUniverseS5E24LegsFromHereToHomeworld. Peridot is a bit annoyed that Rose thinks she's stupid enough to get poofed by Yellow Diamond but doesn't see it as a big deal. Rose corrects Peridot, telling her that the green gem had to be swept under the carpet because all of the [[JustFollowingOrders horrible things she did under the Diamonds' orders.]] Rose couldn't forgive, that so she didn't. She knew she couldn't forgive the Diamonds for their actions and couldn't give herself a happy ending [[JustIgnoreIt unless she ignored their evil actions.]] Peridot would've reminded her of that, and when she apologizes, Rose flips out, and points out that [[ItsAllAboutMe she's apologizing here.]]

* Steven's version of Lapis references her role in Recap/StevenUniverseS5E23Reunited, where she ambushes Blue Diamond before fighting alongside the Crystal Gems. Peridot thinks she's cool, but Lapis points out that she wouldn't have actually said and done such a thing. Rose makes Lapis's trauma about her and blames Lapis for not wanting to get over her depression and PTSD; to this version of Rose, Lapis's value as a person is what she can do for her and what she should be. Out of all the fantasy versions of the Gems, Lapis is disturbing due to how subtle Rose is about how she views Lapis compared to the other gems.

* Steven's version of Pearl references Recap/StevenUniverseS5E25Familiar and is [[HappinessInSlavery happy in slavery]], with has no wants or desires other than Rose-Steven's approval. Because Pearl having feelings about everything, caring about everything, and freaking out all the time is too tiring to deal with. She admits she should've wanted Pearl to be free, but actually wanted her to stop caring about anything except what she wants, even saying she wanted Pearl to be her Pearl, with a horrified Pearl cutting her off and telling Steven to stop looking like Rose.

* Steven's version of Amethyst references Recap/StevenUniverseS5E26TogetherAlone, in which Amethyst couldn't care less about gems like her being murdered by the Diamonds when she can care about the Diamonds' fancy party instead. The Room Rose tells Amethyst that she didn't care about the others as long as Amethyst was safe; in contrast, Amethyst admits that she wouldn't be happy until they were all safe.

* Once all the puppet versions of the Crystal Gems have been defeated, the final battle takes place. The scene that plays is a reference to Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind before revealing that it was how Steven actually felt, with White Diamond representing Steven's want to control the other Crystal Gems and make them what he wants them to be. Pearl, Bismuth, and Peridot tell Steven they forgive him, much to his despair. Lapis tells him no, and Steven's eyes light up before Lapis tells him that he's done nothing that needs forgiveness, much to his frustration. You can tell Rose-Steven that you forgive hhim or don't. Either way, Steven defuses with Connie which sets the scene for the final boss.

[[folder: Bad Endings]]

->'''Corrupted Steven''': "You know I was thinking. [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis Why do we NEED to heal the gems at all?]] Aren't they already [[AndIMustScream happy in their bubbles?]] So we don't have to worry about them. [[DissonantSerenity Everything's already perfect!]]"

[[folder: The Endgame + Rose's Room]]

-->— Corrupted Lapis Lazuli's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

* Steven's version of Peridot is the least disturbing, referencing her defeat in Recap/StevenUniverseS5E23Reunited and lack of prescience in Recap/StevenUniverseS5E24LegsFromHereToHomeworld. Peridot is a bit annoyed that Rose thinks she's stupid enough to get poofed by Yellow Diamond but doesn't see it as a big deal. Rose corrects Peridot, telling her that the green gem had to be swept under the carpet because all of the [[JustFollowingOrders horrible things she did under the Diamonds' orders.]] Rose couldn't forgive, that so she didn't. She knew she couldn't forgive the Diamonds for their actions and couldn't give herself a happy ending [[JustIgnoreIt unless she ignored their evil actions.]] Peridot would've reminded her of that, and when she apologizes, Rose flips out, and points out that [[ItsAllAboutMe she's apologizing here.]]

->The Bound. Dependent.
-->— Corrupted Garnet's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.

* Once all the puppet versions of the Crystal Gems have been defeated, the final battle takes place. The scene that plays is a reference to Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind before revealing that it was how Steven actually felt, with White Diamond representing Steven's want to control the other Crystal Gems and make them what he wants them to be. Pearl, Bismuth, and Peridot tell Steven they forgive him, much to his despair. Lapis tells him no, and Steven's eyes light up before Lapis tells him that he's done nothing that needs forgiveness, much to her frustration. You can tell Rose that you forgive her or don't. Either way, Steven defuses with Connie which sets the scene for the final boss.

** Furthermore, their appearance invokes BodyHorror with the narration describing colour sprouting from the shard fusion, each representing the Diamonds and being unable to tell if their form is heads or hands due to them shifting everytime you look at them, akin to a magic eye picture.

* [[{{Superboss}} The Perfect Crystal.]] A shard fusion of The Great Diamond Authority's rulers ([[ItsAllAboutMe White Diamond]], [[TheEeyore Blue Diamond]], [[TheHeavy Yellow Diamond]], and [[SacrificialLamb Pink Diamond]]) found in a bubble and is the embodiment of Steven's guilt for the deaths of the four Diamonds. It says a lot that the Room Rose is willing to show you her idealized versions of the Crystal Gems, but will tell you not to touch it. The build-up, though brief is enough to clue you in on how powerful it is.
%%** Furthermore, their appearance invokes BodyHorror with them being described as a kaidelioscope of

* Steven's version of Lapis references her role in Recap/StevenUniverseS5E23Reunited, where she ambushes Blue Diamond before fighting alongside the Crystal Gems. Peridot thinks she's cool, but Lapis points out that she wouldn't have actually said and done such a thing. Rose makes Lapis's trauma about her and blames Lapis for not wanting to get over her depression and PTSD; to this version of Rose, Lapis's value as a person is what she can do for her and what she should be. Out of all the fantasy versions of the Gems, Lapis is disturbing due to how subtle Rose is about how she views Lapis compared to the other gems.
->The Drowned. Pathetic.

* Steven's version of Bismuth references Recap/StevenUniverseS5E22MadeOfHonor by having Bismuth believe that Pink Diamond shattering herself makes sense. It's implied that Steven never got over the trauma of Bismuth nearly killing him because he paints her as hateful while [[AllLovingHero he heals, loves, and forgives people and also solves problems.]] Bismuth is merely boggled, and assumes that Steven believed that Pink shattered herself because she was afraid of facing consequences, despite being untouchable. Rose then backpedals and tries to make it about her hatred, and when calmly responded to, screams that Bismuth should hate her back.
->The Shattered. Hateful.
-->— Corrupted Bismuth's name and description during the rematch in Rose's Room.
* Steven's version of Garnet references Recap/StevenUniverseS5E21TheQuestion. Rose admits she never loved Garnet for who she was and only loved the idea of her. She wanted to be better than Garnet, so she tore her down and invented problems in their relationship so she could have Ruby and Sapphire's relationship the way she wants: drama, forgiveness, and a wedding. All of this so she could "fix" their relationship on her own terms. To Garnet's credit, she has such confidence in her relationship that even this couldn't break her apart, causing the phantom Rose to leave in a petulant huff.

* The Alpha Kindergarten is as dark and bleak as it was in the main series, with the background music being a dark ambience. The enemies being a representation of Amethyst's issues and their overall hardiness also adds to the atmosphere.

->'''Corrupted Steven''': "You know I was thinking. Why do we NEED to heal the gems at all? Aren't they already [[AndIMustScream happy in their bubbles?]] So we don't have to worry about them. [[DissonantSerenity Everything's already perfect!]]"

** Jasper's un-corrupting sequence has Steven buried alive with Jasper. The change in music really shows how bleak things are for Jasper, though depending on how you treated Jasper throughout the game, it's either the easiest sequence in the game or one of the hardest.
** After Jasper is uncorrupted, it's shown that Steven is now suffering corruption. Having fused with the gems' minds to free them from their corruption, Stevonnie ended up absorbing their corruption into their own gem. The game's description states that their flesh is disfigured and in some parts suffering from necrosis. It takes Jasper (if you did her sequence properly) to snap them out of it.

* Once all the puppet versions of the Crystal Gems have been defeated, the final battle takes place. The scene that plays is a reference to Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind before revealing that it was how Steven actually felt, with White Diamond representing Steven's want to control the other Crystal Gems and make them what he wants them to be. Pearl, Bismuth, and Peridot tell Steven they forgive him, much to his despair. Lapis tells him no, and Steven's eyes light up before Lapis tells him that he's done nothing that needs forgiveness, much to her frustration. You can tell Rose that you forgive her or don't. Either way, Stevonnie defuses and they decide to go to Rose's Fountain to cure Steven.

->T'''Corrupted Steven''': "You know I was thinking. Why do we NEED to heal the gems at all? Aren't they already [[AndIMustScream happy in their bubbles?]] So we don't have to worry about them. [[DissonantSerenity Everything's already perfect!]]"