Crystal Gems

The Crystal Gems, also referred to as the Rebels, are a group of Gems established by Pink Diamond under the guise of Rose Quartz. Unlike the rest of their kind, seek to protect Earth instead of exploiting it and are the self-proclaimed guardians of humanity. Their title distinguishes them from the Homeworld Gems.
== Members ==
* Garnet
** Ruby
** Sapphire
* Pearl
* Amethyst
* Steven Universe
* Peridot
* Lion
* Turquoise
* Spinel
* Connie Maheswaran
* Lapis Lazuli
* Rose Quartz (formerly)
=== Allies/Companions ===
* Greg Universe
* Pebbles
* Yellow Diamond
* Blue Diamond
* White Diamond
* Centipeetle Mother
* Yellow Pearl
* Blue Pearl
== History ==
=== Over 6,000 Years Ago ===
Pink Diamond had begged the other Diamonds for a colony of her own until she was finally allowed to have one. Pink chose Earth to be her colony, and like any other Diamond, she sent her Gems to the planet to begin building structures and Kindergarten. The Prime Kindergarten and other structures were successfully established, but Pink soon discovered the life that lived on Earth. She grew fascinated by humans and other lifeforms and knew that if the colony was completed, the Kindergartens would drain all of the life force from the Earth and destroy all life that lived there. Pink attempted to reason with the other Diamonds as to why they could not complete the colony, but when they did not listen, Pink created an alter-ego named Rose Quartz through shape-shifting. Rose Quartz would be used to start a rebellion in an attempt to save the Earth, and nobody would know that it was Pink Diamond behind it all. Pink Diamond (as Rose Quartz) and her Pearl rebelled, founding the Crystal Gems.
=== Over 5,750 Years Ago ===
Rose explained to Pearl that by joining her, they could never go home, and if they were caught, they would be killed, which Pearl accepted. At the Ancient Sky Arena, Pearl familiarized herself with the human concept of being a knight and using swords. Later on, Blue Diamond established her court on Earth with the goal of shattering Rose and Pearl for their rebellion. Ruby and Sapphire assisted Blue Diamond and fought against the rebels, but in an effort to save Sapphire from Pearl, Ruby accidentally fused with her, an act that is disgusting to Homeworld Gems. Because of this, Ruby was to be shattered for fusing with the high ranking Sapphire, but the two manage to get away. After spending a lot of time together and developing romantic feelings for each other, Ruby and Sapphire fuse again, and Garnet is accepted into the Crystal Gems. Over time, Rose amassed an army and was able to connect with many Gems who shared her same ideals, such as Bismuth.
At the Prime Kindergarten, Rose gave a speech to the other Quartzes, asking if them if what they wanted was to inject Gems and build structures. She also asks if they will destroy the life that's already on Earth or join it. Rose's message got around and resonated with many Gems. Pink Diamond's empathy towards the Earth and beliefs about the Kindergarten's injustice instigated her to defect from her fellow Gems; she truly cared for every form of life on the planet. Another reason that Pink formed the Crystal Gems was that she disagreed with how Homeworld's society ran; she believed that Gems shouldn't have to do what the Diamonds wanted them to do, but instead choose their own lives and fate.
When the Crystal Gems began to make themselves known, Pink Diamond told Yellow and Blue at the Moon Base that the colony couldn't be completed because of them, but they still would not listen. Because of this, Pink Diamond decided to wage war against Homeworld in order to save the Earth.
=== Over 5,500 Years Ago ===
The Rebellion officially begins against the Gem Homeworld. Little is known about the ensuing war. Many battles were fought and took place in different locations all over Earth, such as the Ancient Sky Arena, the Cloud Arena, and the Strawberry Battlefield. According to Eyeball, Rose was able to keep her army in contention with Homeworld's superior army because of her healing abilities. Bismuth mentions how she and Garnet took on a battalion of Quartz soldiers together, and how she and Pearl stopped a drop ship when Pearl threw the Nephrite pilot out of the ship. Bismuth supplied the Crystal Gems with weapons that she created in her forge, and Rose kept most of them in her armory. Around this time, Rose and Bismuth had a fall out due to conflicting ideas, leading Rose to bubble Bismuth and tell the Crystal Gems that she was lost at the "Battle of the Ziggurat". It is believed that humans also fought alongside the Crystal Gems.
=== Over 5,000 Years Ago ===
Around this time, Pink Diamond no longer wanted anything to do with Homeworld or her duties as a Diamond. With Pearl, Pink Diamond crushed up dirt and turned it into pink shards. Pink ate the shards and then had Pearl shapeshift into Rose and pretend to shatter her in front of other Gems. From that point on, Pink Diamond was now able to live freely as Rose and Pearl belonged to nobody.
=== Over 4,500 Years Ago ===
At this point, Earth is no longer seen as a viable colony to Homeworld. With one final effort to wipe out the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds unleashed the Corrupting Light, corrupting any Gems exposed to the blast. Rose was able to protect herself, Garnet, and Pearl from becoming corrupted with her shield.
=== Post Rebellion ===
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The remaining Crystal Gems used their abilities to defend Earth from countless threats. As Rose wished, the Crystal Gems contained the Corrupted Gems in bubbles. Rose made it the Crystal Gems' mission to one day figure out how to cure Corrupted Gems. The Crystal Gems also met and recruited Amethyst, who popped out of the Prime Kindergarten too late to fight in the Rebellion. After falling in love with Greg Universe, Rose, a great admirer of humanity, gave up her physical form to give birth to a half-human child, Steven Universe. The other remaining Crystal Gems (Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl) have taken it upon themselves to raise him alongside Greg and teach him how to use his powers.
With Homeworld gaining new interest in Earth, Steven and the Crystal Gems continue to protect humanity and contain Corrupted Gems. In "I Am My Mom" and the Steven Universe Podcast, is shown that the Diamonds know that the Crystal Gems are still active but have apparently decided to just leave them alone and they aren't imagining the Crystal Gems will be an intelligent adversary, as all lifeforms Gems have encountered up to this point weren't difficult to overcome.
== Manifesto of Rose Quartz ==
The following is the Manifesto of Rose Quartz, revealed by Pearl in The Guide to the Crystal Gems:
"Fight for life on the planet Earth,
Defend all human beings, even the ones that you don't understand,
Believe in love that is out of anyone's control,
And then risk everything for it!"
== Property ==
=== Living Space ===
The Crystal Gems evidently own a section of Beach City's shoreline, on which the Crystal Temple and Steven's Beach House are located. The Barn belongs to Greg and his cousin Andy, but the Gems have effectively taken ownership, using it as a house for new members and to build any required machinery such as The Universe Mach 3 and the Gem Drill. Lapis Lazuli and Peridot formerly lived in the Barn which used to reside on a hill outside of Beach City. In "Raising the Barn", fearing the threat of a diamond attack, Lapis took the barn with her to the moon where it stayed until "Can't Go Back". The barn is currently a wreckage on the beach as of "Reunited". Steven and the Crystal Gems temporary lives in his mother's old room in her palace where Pink Diamond's old little friends the Pebbles lived at Gem Homeworld.
=== Transport ===
Lion occasionally acts as transportation for the Crystal Gems to places they cannot warp to, such as the Moon Base. As of "Bubbled", they owned a Roaming Eye ship that the Rubies left behind, but it was stolen back by Navy in "Room for Ruby". They have also used the Gem Sloop for traveling at sea, though it hasn't been seen since "Cat Fingers". As of "Legs From Here to Homeworld", Steven has gained access to his mother's personal ship and palanquin.
=== Physical Weaponry ===
Unbeknownst to all members of the Crystal Gems except Steven, Pearl, Connie, and Lion, the team has access to an Armory containing more Laser Light Cannons and other various weaponry. They also have a Forge which can be used by their blacksmith, Bismuth.
== Trivia ==
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* Instead of stars on their clothing similar to the current Crystal Gems, the Pilot versions have little gold stars pinned to themselves (Garnet's torso, Pearl's earrings, and Amethyst's hair barrette).
* Rose Quartz seems to have been an outlier in the Gem Homeworld, as her compassion for other life forms does not seem to be shared by her fellow Gems; her fascination and love of humans was considered unorthodox.
* The process for each Gem to summon their weapons depends on a different state of mind for each of them.
** Amethyst places little effort or concentration, claiming that it "just happens" when she needs to summon her weapon.
** Pearl claims her process as being perfect and calculated, using the "dance" of a flower petal in the wind to describe how hard work and dedication can help master the properties of one's own gem and "perform their own dance".
** Garnet claims that she summons her gauntlets by linking her mind with the energy of all existing matter, channeling the collective power of the universe through her gems, matching her calm and meditative temperament.
** Steven's means of summoning his shield rely on his feelings of passion or desire to protect other people/Gems, although in "Gem Glow", the joy associated with eating Cookie Cat ice cream was what summoned it. In both his "Ocean Gem" and "The Return" appearances, he summoned it when it was needed to protect those he loved from a large threat, much like his bubble in "Bubble Buddies".
* All Crystal Gems, except for Peridot, Spinel, Ruby, and Sapphire, have stars located somewhere on their outfits. It should also be noted that in the flashback in "Story for Steven", from before Rose is gone, none of them had stars except for Rose herself. This may mean the Crystal Gems adopted the star in memory of Rose Quartz. The placement of the Crystal Gems' stars are as follows:
** Steven: on his T-shirt.
** Garnet: on the chest area of her body suit and on her gauntlets.
** Amethyst: dark lavender star-shaped patterns on her leggings.
** Pearl: on her top.
** Turquoise: inverted pattern on her skirt.
** Bismuth: star-shaped belt and a tattoo-like marking on her right arm.
** Opal: on the draping section of her shirt.
** Rose Quartz: star-shaped cut out on the torso of her dress, showing her gem.
** Sugilite: black and purple star-shaped patterns on her leggings and painted on her nails.
** Alexandrite: special four-pointed star-shaped cutouts on her leggings and star-shaped hair.
** Sardonyx: black star on the white part of her top.
** Smoky Quartz: on their T-shirt and leggings.
** Rainbow Quartz: four-pointed star cutout on her navel.
** Lavender Tourmaline: four pointed star cutouts around her navel and solar plexus.
** Indicolite: on her boots and inverted pattern on her leggings.
* Rebecca Sugar also confirmed that the Crystal Gems are somewhat like her, especially Pearl.
* Amethyst is loosely based off Rebecca Sugar's friend Valerie Ang from college.
* Rebecca Sugar confirmed that each of the Crystal Gems is based on one of the stages of the human emotional development spectrum.
** Steven is codependent.http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw29kohttp://andrew-tha.tumblr.com/post/83707300786/theory-of-emotional-development-most-recent
*** Common in most children, as children are dependent on their parents or any adult figures on practically anything and everything, as they are expected to be.
** Amethyst is counterdependent; the explorer and rebel, fighting authority and ignoring the consequences of doing so.
*** Common in teens and young adults. People here know that they have free will; they usually distrust and challenge their superiors. This is also known as the rebellious stage.
** Pearl is group-dependent; the responsible manager, legalistic to a fault.
*** Group-dependent people are ready on taking on responsibilities and expects others to be group-dependent as well. They tend to be obsessed with the notions of obligation and duty.
** Garnet is independent; free to take on the burdens of others, can be a bit reckless, and is understanding of the growth that risk-taking can give as well as its limitations.
*** Tend to be merciful, and kind, and generous. They will help people because they want to, and they will not help people because they do not want to.
** One can also argue that Rose Quartz is transcendent; kind and loving to a fault. She uses everything in her power to help those in need.
*** Master of empathy: Understanding in all situations and acts accordingly to the given situation. Merely acts to the best of their ability, understanding the limitations of their own understanding. However, in being emotionally mature, their actions tend to flow out in proper response to most any situation, expressing sympathy, anger, and forgiveness when they should.
* All the Gems' fighting styles are based on different dances: Pearl (ballet), Garnet (waacking), and Amethyst (dancehall and club dancing). This might also have something to do with how they synchronize before fusing.http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw0k1z
* The rule that the Crystal Gems won't use their powers on humans was broken in "Keep Beach City Weird" when they attacked Ronaldo, but in that case an exception was probably made, since they were trying to save Steven.
* In "Winter Forecast", it is revealed that Garnet can pass her future vision onto other Crystal Gems temporarily by giving them a kiss to the forehead. It is currently unknown whether or not if this ability is exclusive to Garnet herself, or is shared throughout the Gem race and if Gems can pass it on in different ways.
thumb|The Crystal Gems together in a photo.
* Each Gem has their own instrument associated with them, and these respective instruments are used in their theme music.http://surasshu.com/post/113487868840/http://waltzforluma.tumblr.com/post/113147569746/http://waltzforluma.tumblr.com/post/113654834141/
** Pearl's is a piano.
** Garnet's is a synth bass.
** Amethyst's is a electric drum kit.
** Rose Quartz's is an acoustic guitar, as heard in "Rose's Theme".
** Steven's is a chiptune and strings whenever he uses Rose's powers.
*** They can be heard in the instrumentals "Steven's Shield", "The Hill", "Overgrown Brambles", "Rose's Fountain", and "Lion's Mane".
** Bismuth is an electric guitar.
***This can be heard in "Bismuth's Forge".
* In "Story for Steven", before Steven was born, the Crystal Gems were particularly asocial towards the humans of Beach City; on their half of the beach, a metal fence was up to keep humans out of that area.
** Rose Quartz would be a considerable exception to this, as she visited other parts of the beach and saw Greg's concert, but became nervous when he insisted on following her.
*** Pearl was confused (not knowing how to make him go away) and mildly bewildered by his presence, simply referring to him as "human" or "it".
*** Amethyst asked him various questions.
*** Garnet intended to evict him from the temple as soon as she saw him, treating him as an intruder and threatening him with violence. (This was put to a halt when Rose Quartz appeared.)
* Peridot has stated that Earth was in the Crystal System, likely where the Crystal Gems derived their name from.
* Peridot is so far the only one to join after Steven was born.
* With the exception of Steven, each of the current Crystal Gems are named after a different birthstone.
* According to Bismuth, it was a ritual for the Crystal Gems to spar before battle.
* All known Crystal Gems (except for Amethyst and Bismuth) have demonstrated elemental powers:
** Garnet, as seen in "The Message", has Electricity Manipulation|Electrokinesis, she used this ability to power the battery in Greg's Van.
*** Ruby, as seen in "Keystone Motel", has Fire Manipulation|Pyrokinesis, she can hotten whatever she steps on depending on her emotions.
*** Sapphire, as seen in "Keystone Motel", has Cryokinesis, she froze the entire motel room, including the toilet.
** Pearl, as seen in "Giant Woman", has Psammokinesis, she used this ability to create sand figurines of herself, Amethyst and Opal, in order to show Steven how fusion works.
** Rose Quartz, as well as Steven, has Phytokinesis, which allows them to grow sentient flora that does what their creators say, this ability was first demonstrated in "An Indirect Kiss".
** Peridot, as first demonstrated in "Too Short to Ride", has Ferrokinesis, this ability allows her to control metal objects without needing to touch them.
** Lapis Lazuli has Hydrokinesis (the power to control water) as her main power.
=== Birthstone ===
* Garnet is the birthstone for January, while Ruby and Sapphire are the birthstones for July and September respectively.
** Lapis Lazuli is another birthstone for September.
*Opal is the birthstone for October while Amethyst and Pearl are the birthstones for February and June respectively.
** Alexandrite is another birthstone for June.
* Peridot is the birthstone for August.
**Sardonyx is another birthstone for August.
* Steven's and his mother's gemstone, Pink Diamond or Diamond, is the birthstone for April.
== References ==