#Estelle got them matching signs <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[crestfallencrest]

The Flynn Scifo Experience TM

[chasingpj]

HONEYYYYY I JUST READ THE MOST DISGUSTING (IN AN ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE WAY) PERCABETH COLLEGE AU ONE-SHOT and now I'm JEALOUS and in desperate need for just some short headcanons of going to new rome with Percy 😭 pretty pls?

LMFAO OH NO SJFJDJD BYE CAUSE THIS IS SO ME. but don't worry, I got you, babe, <333

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

paring: percy jackson x gn reader

warning: drinking, partying

category: headcanons, college au

a/n: i was gonna answer this when i got it last night but i went a little overboard 😭 i hope you like it!

first off, the road trip you guys took to get there was so chaotic

a part of you isn't sure how you, Percy, and Grover made it to California alive

the number of times where you've swerved off a lane while singing your favorite songs with Percy was too many

this usually made him paranoid, and it's the reason why he insisted on driving most of the way (you definitely didn't mind that)

you guys stopped at every state sign you came across and took a cute group picture

you and Percy had mapped out all the tourist stuff and the good places to eat in each state, so you guys stopped a lot

there were lots of sleepy nights at hotel rooms where you guys crashed the moment you guys got comfortable in each other's arms

the road trip was so memorable, and it set the tone for the next four years of your lives 🥺

those polaroids you took with Percy and Grover would be on the walls of your apartment for so long

for the first few months in new rome, you and Percy were just in a honeymoon bubble

you guys went out every weekend to restaurants and spent mornings studying in the cafes and libraries

living with Percy was just how you imagined it, and even better, you didn't even mind that he is a little messy 😭

you guys found out in your first year that morning classes were not the best choice because Percy was way too good at convincing you to skip your lectures to cuddle with him

it's the reason why most of your classes are in the afternoon because the two of you love to sleep in and get breakfast together before starting your days

but yeah, the first few months was a lot of exploring places and the things to do and establishing newfound independence and routine together <3

Percy, I know, is an introvert, but he's popular regardless because, you know, being a hero and all

I'd like to think that Percy is elected, to his dismay, as the official greek representative now that there will be more greeks attending New Rome and stuff

you find it hilarious cause 1) he wears a toga and 2) he knows all the tea of the council and will spill everything to you like teenage girls in a locker room 3) he complains about it all the time 😭

because he has a title and is popular, he gets invited to parties a lot, and every other weekend, you guys will stop by

one of your favorite memories is Percy accidentally drinking the jungle juice, thinking it's regular juice, and getting plastered 😭

I'd like to think Percy is indifferent about drinking like personally, he's not interested, but he wouldn't judge you for it

but yeah, Percy gets plastered, and you had to get him back home

his arm was wrapped around your shoulders, and the entire time he's just slurring things like, "you're so beautiful. why are you so beautiful?" "I love you. do you love me?" "you're like the best thing that's ever happened to me."

there's no way Percy isn't an affectionate drunk! he'd ask for a lot of kisses, will get offended if you deny one kiss

even if you've given him 10 kisses right before your rejection

the entire time you couldn't stop laughing cause you'd never seen him like this

it was a sticky summer night, and he's heavy, so your face was a little shiny from sweat

he proceeded to call you "his little glazed donut" 😭😭and tell you how cute you looked

you were laughing too hard to even be offended

the following day you had to nurse him through his hangover, but the best part was showing him the videos of him and hearing his groans of embarrassment

he got his chance to make fun of you though

you have a very faint memory of Pollux teaching you how to shotgun a beer

and then you swore you blacked out

Percy literally had to carry you on his back to get home

you were like a big giggly baby; he had to change your clothes and wipe off your makeup for you

Percy was so amused as your hands were a little too grabby that night

it took a while for you to settle down, but when you did, you cuddled into his side and told him "i love you" for the 100th time before you were out like a light

Annabeth and Grover are literally at your place all the time

you and Percy have woken up to them making breakfast in the kitchen or sitting on your couch and eating all the snacks in the house

they barge into your apartment so often that Percy lowkey regrets giving them the spare keys LMFAO

it's not just Annabeth and Grover either

Percy's place is where all your friends and his friends go to hang out, so you and Percy have had a lot of practice being the hosts of small get-togethers

you, Annabeth, and Piper would have sleepovers sometimes and kick Percy out, LMFAO

he had to sleep in Grover's dorm on those nights because you three demanded that there were no s/o's allowed 😤

every December, you guys throw a secret Santa party for you and your friends

you have the cutest picture of you, Percy, and your friends all squished up on your couch on new years eve, and all of you guys wore silly hats and glasses

Leo was laid across everyone's lap with big glasses, pointing a finger gun at the camera. The Stoll brothers were standing behind the couch. Connor puts two fingers behind Annabeth's head, giving her bunny ears, while Travis does the same to Piper, who's still on her right. On Annabeth's left are Rachel and Nico. Nico's face is all scrunched as Rachel pinches his cheeks; the boy has a look on his face as if he's trying to hide his smile. Hazel and Frank are sitting on the floor side by side, smiling into the camera. you and Percy are huddled in the corner, you on his lap as you guys squish your cheeks together with happy smiles while Grover is standing behind you guys, halfway biting into a can of soda

it's your favorite picture of all time, and it's always in a frame on display

sometimes Percy gets homesick, so, often for the holidays and the summers, you two head out to new york to see his family for a little

sometimes Estelle heads back with you guys to Cali to spend a couple weeks with her big brother

that's always fun because everyone adores Estelle, and you guys are always going out and making sure she has fun

it's always so cute when they part, Percy promising and comforting a whining Estelle that she can come back next summer or in the spring

for graduation, you guys make matching caps 🥺

graduation was really sentimental for you guys because it was another chapter in your lives that was coming to end

you and Percy have been through so much together, and everything from stressing about finals together to the crazy nights of adventure was so much fun

it felt like for the first time, it sunk in how long you've been together and how sure it was that you'd be in each other's futures :(((

and the two of you were so looking forward to the rest of your lives together, especially since Percy proposed to you at your graduation party <333

[melancholic-pigeon]

Too Short For Ao3 Fic #3? 4?

SO this is the extended edition of the bonus wip I did with Sally's birthday. The overall fic it belongs to is Extremely Smutty, so I went in and revised out the brief references and I'm posting the family-centric g-rated stuff for anyone who wants that but not the smut! Cough.

Also, I felt bad about missing WIP Wednesday again. Lolsob.

Percy rouses at around eleven PM to a sketch of himself on Jason's pillow. There's a note on the other side. 

I wanted to wake you up to say goodbye, but you looked so comfy I didn't have the heart to. your mom's presents are in the bag by my desk. say hi to everyone for me. I'll call tomorrow anyway.

love you to the moon and back.

-J. ❤

Complete with a little red heart. He doesn't even care that the doodle of him next to it, burritoed in a pile of blankets, includes a little spot of drool— he can tell by the rest of his cartoony, ballpoint features that Jason put it in because he thinks it's cute.

(And by the fact that he's said so, several times.)

Percy gathers up his junk. The cornflower blue sweatshirt he steals goes halfway down his fingers. He's come to accept that at six foot three and counting, Jason is the taller of them and always will be— barring some sort of horrible wood-chipper accident or curse from a grumpy deity. 

Fortunately, there's something about looking up to meet someone's eyes that Percy finds incredibly attractive. He has since Annabeth outgrew him for the first time in eighth grade. 

He heads out in his own jeans and the boxers he packed and the sweatshirt that smells like cinnamon. Once he boards the train, he stands with his arm around a pole and the other holding the bag against his chest, and tries to stay casual and keep the grin off his face.

It's almost midnight when he gets home. His mom, of course, is still awake, so he heads into the living room to greet her.

"My other half says hello."

There's a pile of presents on the coffee table. He puts the bag with the rest of them and sits down, kissing her cheek.

"He didn't have to get me anything." She closes her book and eyes the bag with a fond sigh. "How is he?" 

Percy's the same way she is, always happy to do favors and give gifts, but feeling pretty awkward about receiving them. Jason's even worse, the three of them in an ongoing and circular competition to never let any of it go reciprocated. 

"Working too hard, as always. Pulling As and winning games and barely sleeping to do it. His stepmother's up his ass and his father's a bully, so, you know, news at eleven." He leans his head onto her shoulder. "That's why he gives you stuff. He's trying to show you how much he appreciates you." 

She sighs, and Percy knows it's because she's just as frustrated by the whole thing as he is. 

"He knows I appreciate him too, I hope." 

"Without a doubt." Percy smiles at her, watching as she goes a little pink and smiles back. "You have a talent for making him feel appreciated." 

"He treats my baby like a prince," she says softly. "That's why I appreciate him so much in the first place. How could I do anything else?"

Percy turns his face into her shirt collar, another futile attempt to hide his goofy expression, 

"He really does, doesn't he?"

Holding doors, pulling out chairs, offering an arm on unsteady streets. Jason's never laid his coat over a puddle, but Percy's pretty sure he would, if the option presented itself. 

His mom starts playing with his hair, her fingers light and familiar.

"I'm just happy you're happy, sweetheart."

He knows that feeling too. 

Half asleep from the petting, Percy lets himself be a little babyish. It's after midnight now, which means it's her birthday, and he knows that sometimes she misses when he was Estelle's age and little enough to curl up in her lap. He's way too big for that now, obviously, but he can still slide down the couch and rest his head there. 

"You too, Mama." 

She looks at him, her eyes misty with emotion and almost green in the light.

She's smiling, too. 

She smiles a lot, these days.

—

In the morning, Paul makes coffee while Estelle helps unwrap the avalanche of presents. She's at the age where ripping paper makes her squeal with hysterical laughter, which worms its way into Percy's heart and melts it into pudding. 

Several of them are from Percy's friends, including a handbound book of original recipes from Leo, a lovely silver bracelet inset with mother-of-pearl that Beckendorf made himself, and a huge sheathed knife with a matching decorative handle from Clarisse. The last one makes his mom snort as she gets up to put it on the bookshelf, out of reach of curious toddler hands. 

"Decorative. Sure." 

"I bet she'd teach you how to use it if you asked." 

"I know how to use a bowie knife, dear. Your father and I used to catch and cook our own fish when we went camping."

"Which reminds me, he still hasn't taken me out," Paul cuts in, frowning. "I've been saving up dad jokes and embarrassing stories for four years."

"I'll bug him about it the next time we talk," Percy promises. "It's probably the ADHD." 

"Do you want me to bug you about bugging him?" 

"If you haven't set something up by blueback season, yeah." 

Percy and Paul went in on a pound of jasmine tea, which his mom reaches for next. She immediately asks for a cup— it's one of two days out of the entire year where she lets other people wait on her, for a change, and even that took a lot of cajoling. 

Paul makes the tea, since Percy usually scalds the leaves and it turns out tasting like grass. She probably wouldn't complain anyway, but it's her birthday, and she deserves to have the best tea that can be made in their kitchen. 

"Is the last bag from Jason?" Paul sets the mug on a coaster in the middle of the coffee table, and Percy scoops the baby into his lap so she doesn't try to grab it. She mashes her tiny hand against his cheek.

"And Thalia. I'm not sure if they went in on stuff or he just packed them both in one bag to make it easy." 

Either is a possibility. He watches as his mom reaches in and pulls out a large wrapped frame, Thalia's spiky handwriting answering the question. 

Whatever's inside, it makes her shut her eyes and exhale deeply through her nose. 

"Please pass on that I am absolutely furious."

She turns the frame around. An autographed vinyl EP of Sign O' the Times by Prince— one of the albums Percy grew up on, though she skipped a number of the songs when he was little. Thalia must have spent a fortune on it. 

"That woman is incredible," Paul breathes, lightly touching the glass. "How does she get this stuff?" 

"See!"

"She has friends in high places." Percy grins as Estelle reaches for the album, and holds her over the glass so she can touch it too. "She's also really good at barter chains."

His mother shakes her head, but he can tell how delighted she is— the two of them have spent hours animatedly talking about music, Thalia hanging on every word and groaning with jealousy over the concerts his mom went to in the eighties. 

"I know exactly where I'm going to put it." 

Thalia got her a turntable for her fortieth birthday last year, as well as a full set of replacements for every worn-out record in their collection— and had the originals framed too, since they had sentimental value. They're currently occupying the better part of two walls of his mom's study. 

There's a blank spot by her bookshelf, right underneath the first copy, that the autographed album will fit into perfectly. Percy grins. 

"I'll hang it up for you later."

She doesn't argue. There's only Jason's left, his careful print written out across the same paper Thalia used. The crinkling draws Estelle's attention, and she gleefully reaches over to help tear it off.

Their mom gasps at what's inside and puts a hand to her mouth, her eyes going bright.

It's a watercolor portrait of Percy and Estelle, laughing by the shoreline. She's dressed in a little bucket hat, a ruffled swimsuit patterned to look like a clownfish and the coolest shades in the world— sparkly blue frames shaped like seashells that he kind of wishes he could get in his size. He's in a wetsuit, having spent the morning surfing, and he's holding onto her hands so she can jump at the waves. In the distant background is the Montauk lighthouse.

It's beautifully done, like everything else Jason's ever put to paper, but Percy's never choked up like this over one of them.

"You remember that, Beluga? That was on my birthday, when you came and visited me and Jason at the beach."

"Beach?" she asks, expectant. Paul bursts into laughter, sounding as rough-voiced as Percy feels.

"You're your mother's daughter, sweet pea."

"Beach!" Estelle insists. Percy noses her pudgy cheek.

"It's too cold to swim, baby." His mom's eyes are sparkling, still a little teary. He can see Estelle in the smile on her face. "But we could go for a walk and visit." 

"Brunch first." Paul kisses her— Percy averts his eyes, wrinkling his nose at his sister to make her giggle again— and gets up, heading back into the kitchen. 

It's a lovely way to spend a late morning. Pale blue araucana eggs courtesy of Grover's new hens, a blueberry coffee cake from Nico by a fantastic hole in the wall in Hell's Kitchen, Paul's signature home fries made with blue potatoes and seasoned to perfection; all of it delicious.

Jason calls while Percy's doing the dishes. After his deep, resonant performance of the happy birthday song, the five of them chat on speakerphone for a little while, though he has to excuse himself pretty quickly to keep banging through his reading. 

"Maybe next year," Percy sighs. His mom puts her hand on his hip, then crouches down to help Estelle with her light-up sneakers. 

"He's always welcome for a rain check."

"He's always welcome, period," Paul adds. For the second time, Percy gets dangerously close to sniffling. 

Montauk is a little far for a day trip, so they head to Brighton Beach instead. Estelle's shrimpy legs get tuckered out more quickly than the grownups' do, so Percy ends up carrying her on his hip, snuggled into his jacket to block the chilly breeze. She points at seagulls, shouting triumphantly every time. 

"More bird!"

"That's right. A whole flock of 'em."

They watch for a while as the gulls fight over a discarded pizza crust. Then Percy feels an arm around his back and a head against his shoulder.

"I don't know how I got so lucky," his mother murmurs, barely audible over the rushing of the waves.

Percy's eyes sting. 

For most of his life, her birthdays had been spent without fanfare. He was rarely actually there for them anyway, and Gabe complained so much it was easier to just ignore the day and focus on survival instead. 

She'd been triaging like that since before she even met his dad, keeping herself afloat when nobody seemed to care if she drowned. It would have been easy to lie down and give up. Percy's pretty sure he would have, in her place. 

He turns to hug her with the obligatory proclamation of a Stella Sandwich. He catches Paul's eye over her shoulder, and gets a wide, sentimental grin in response. 

"Luck's got nothing to do with it," Percy tells her, leaning his cheek against the top of her head while his sister wriggles with delight between them. 

"Listen to our son," Paul adds. "He's very wise, as you raised him to be. This is all on you, honey." 

Within moments, she's surrounded by her whole family on all sides, and Percy has another arm around his back, and he's getting a little choked up over it all. 

When she first started dating Paul, back when Percy was still in middle school, she'd spent weeks all aflutter. It was the happiest he'd ever seen her at the time. They'd sit outside and work on her car together, and she'd slip into song like a grease-stained fairytale princess without even thinking about it. 

Seeing them interact is like cool water on a burn, Paul's devoted kindness soothing a lifetime of sitting back and watching people treat her like dirt. He worships her, just like she deserves and long overdue.

"I love you," she says, tearful and muffled in someone's shoulder. "All of you, more than anything." 

"Love Mama," Estelle replies, and that's it— Percy's blubbering.

It'll never undo the damage, but it's about time she got a chance to heal and thrive. 

-here in our bed, chapter 7, ~6200 words

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 107: Mindful Education

“But it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not.”

Here Comes a Thought is anything but a bad song. I can’t think of any songs I dislike from this show, but if I did, Here Comes a Thought wouldn’t be one of them. It’s a simple and moving ode to calming down, and Estelle and AJ Michalka elevate its message through their otherworldly voices.

But I do think it’s the most technically flawed song on Steven Universe. Which is a real bummer of a way to start this review, but I’m about to heap a ton of praise on this episode, and I don’t think the lyrical flaws ruin the song, let alone the overall story, so let’s just get my issues out of the way. If Mindful Education is about anything, it’s about confronting problems head-on!

Here Comes a Thought is a general song about a general problem, which I appreciate. I don’t need it to be specific to Connie’s dilemma, and in fact I think specificity would hurt the message. But my biggest gripe is that even though it speaks in broad strokes, none of the scenarios listed apply to Connie. “What someone said, and how it harmed you”? Connie wasn’t hurt by words. “Something you did that failed to be charming”? Connie wasn’t attempting to be charming. “Things that you said are suddenly swarming”? Connie didn’t say anything. We’re all the way to the refrain, and Garnet has yet to address the actual situation Connie is dealing with.

The closest we’ve got is “failed to be charming,” which again, implies that Connie was trying to impress someone rather than just going about her business and hurting someone by instinct. The phrasing is clumsy in a way Rebecca Sugar’s songs virtually never are: what I love about her lyrics is how natural and effortless they seem, which I’m certain comes from quite a bit of effort on her part. The sentence structure of “Something you did that failed to be charming” feels strained and unnatural, but the words must be said in this order for the rhyme and meter to work.

Which is doubly frustrating because the alarm/harm/charm series ends with swarm, which does not rhyme with the former three words in any dialect of English I know of. I’m not even a stickler for rhymes: for instance, “alarm me” and “charming” technically don’t rhyme either, but they sound similar enough that the pattern holds. But swarm uses an entirely different vowel than most other English words ending in -arm. I majored in linguistics and can get into serious weeds here with the International Phonetic Alphabet, but to make a long ramble shorter, the ‘w’ preceding the vowel alters it, which is why wart doesn’t rhyme with art and war doesn’t rhyme with bar and warn doesn’t rhyme with yarn and so on.

(This obviously doesn’t make Sugar a bad songwriter, any more than William Blake was a bad poet because he rhymed eye with symmetry in The Tyger. Nobody’s perfect, but that doesn’t mean nobody’s incredible.)

Anyway, I might be fine with this imperfect rhyme it if it was absolutely essential for the song, but the structure is so forced already to fit with this poor fourth rhyme that it sorta falls apart for me, especially because swarming comes at the moment it becomes clear that this song has said nothing about the issue Connie is personally dealing with.

Ugh. I’m losing sight. I’m losing touch. All these little things seem to matter so much that they confuse me. This song might lose me!

So yeah, I’m not insane enough to think that Here Comes a Thought was engineered to irk me just so the beautiful refrain can be a self-demonstrating affair in not letting small things like rhyme schemes get to me, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t work. The song builds and builds and builds the stress by presenting bad situation after bad situation, and right when everything seems like it will fall apart, Garnet has the answer.

This is a highly quotable song and episode, so I had a lot of great lines to choose from for the header, but I don’t think anything matches the sheer relief that ironically comes from Garnet’s repeating a negative phrase. She usurps the power of “no” away from anxiety by chanting that no, nothing bad is going to happen. Her knowing smile on the last “but it’s not” seals the deal. She’s not just a teacher here, she’s a sage.

This is Estelle’s first full song on the show since Stronger Than You, and she pulls off subdued chill just as well as glorious anthem without losing an ounce of her commanding presence. But now she's fully matched by AJ Michalka, another professional singer that doubles as a voice actor. Unlike Estelle, I hadn’t listened to any of Michalka’s music before watching Steven Universe, so despite knowing she wa a singer, the sheer power of her pipes came out of nowhere for me.

I honestly don’t know what it is about Michalka’s voice, but I’m lousy at crying even when I really want to because it would make me feel better, and that voice doesn’t just choke me up. It makes me weep. The quavering vulnerability in “I’m losing touch” destroys me no matter how many times I listen to this song. Just writing about it makes me emotional. Michalka tells a story not just with her words, but the tone and levels of confidence of her voice, and the lesson is learned by harmonizing with the master herself. On the one hand, I’m glad her voice’s heartbreaking purity isn’t diluted by constant performances, but on the other, I’m not sure it’s possible for something so intense to be diluted. Add in the prominent harp, a fusion of the plucking from Steven’s ukulele and the gravitas from Connie’s violin, and I’m done for.

(My tendency to cry whenever Michalka sings might have to do with how well she’s primed on both occasions in the series: Estelle is a hell of a lead-in, while Escapism is introduced by a stirring callback to Greg’s guitar from Lion 3. But it’d be stupid not to credit the source, considering she’s the one that gets the waterworks going and she’s been spectacular at voicing Stevonnie from the start. It’s a damn shame Catra doesn’t get a song in She-Ra, but at least Michalka does a cover of the theme song.)

I haven’t even talked about the animation from Takafumi Hori, who gives a unique but familiar flair to the mindscape of Garnet and Stevonnie and their components. The facial animations and body language are given extra room to breathe, and the use of butterflies as symbols of fluttering stresses (butterflies in your brain are so much worse than butterflies in your stomach) pays off huge when we see them explode from Connie’s backpack. The unspoken story of Ruby focusing too hard on a single problem while Sapphire is overwhelmed by possibilities works wonders, and the fact that Connie’s problems are initially hidden hints at Steven also hiding problems, seeing as the kids are mirroring the Gems. Colin Howard and Jeff Liu would’ve been more than capable of crafting such a sequence, but bringing in a guest animator makes us pay special attention to this pivotal song.

Because yeah, this is an important song for Connie, but this is still Steven’s show, and it’s a huge song for Steven. In a brilliant development, it turns out his strangely normal behavior after the salvo of traumas at the end of Act II was intentionally strange, and Here Comes a Thought drags him kicking and screaming towards the true path to inner peace. You can’t, as he advises Connie right before Garnet steps in, “just try not to think about it.” The only way out is through, and it’s not gonna be easy.

Every fantastic aspect of Mindful Education benefits from fantastic pacing. Connie’s bad mood is established immediately, but so is Steven’s straining to be fun and upbeat. A series of questions pull us along: “What is Connie upset about?” becomes “How is Garnet going to help?” becomes “What is Steven upset about?” becomes “How is Connie going to help?” without missing a step. Both kids make us so worried, because Connie’s bad mood is out of nowhere, and Steven’s acceptance of his suffering is long overdue. Both sensations are heightened by the preceding episodes, as Steven has been acting way too okay with his mom being a killer, and we know Connie was enthusiastic about school in Buddy’s Book. So it’s such a relief to not only see their worries addressed, but to have an entire episode about addressing worries.

After three goofy episodes, Mindful Education transitions us into a more serious mood with a similarly goofy opening. Sure, Connie’s attitude is cause for concern, but we still get Garnet’s enthusiasm and sign-making skills, Stevonnie’s newfound ability to do a Yoshi-style flutter kick hover, and the most glorious fusion dance ever depicted on screen.

Here Comes a Thought is a showstopper about calm meditation, and while it obviously soothes Connie’s anxieties, it also quiets down the silliness without making a big deal of it: there isn’t a single gag in the episode during or after the song. This is a show that can and has pulled off humor during dramatic moments, but we go full sincerity mode for Connie and Steven working through their emotional turmoil, and considering how big of a turning point this is for Steven’s arc in particular, I appreciate the restraint.

It’s perfect for Steven to only realize he has a problem when Connie is so open about hers, because Connie has always been a catalyst for change, and Steven is more concerned about others than himself. It also serves for a checkpoint for their mutual character growth: we’re a long way from the open-to-a-fault Steven and pragmatic-to-a-fault Connie of Bubble Buddies, and their series-long balancing act continues to bring their attitudes closer together. This isn’t the last we’ll see of Sullen Connie, and it’s nice to see that Steven isn’t the only kid on the block who’s becoming more of a teen. 

Another sign of their growth is shown in the fluid action of Stevonnie’s training; even when they’re not on the top of their game, Steven and Connie’s developing physical skill is on full display as their fusion weaves about the battlefield. Stevonnie’s ambidexterity functions well as a signifier of which kid is in a healthier state: Steven’s shield is in their right hand in the first training session, while Connie’s sword takes its place in the second.

(Oh, and on the subject of subtle visual storytelling, don’t think we didn’t notice the damaged pink diamond floating above the Sky Arena.)

The first two acts of Mindful Education tell such a complete story about Connie that the appearance of a butterfly for Steven almost comes across as a twist: again, his terrible advice about bottling up emotions upon accidentally hurting people is a pretty big hint that he’s pushing down his feelings, but this is such a satisfactory episode already that its conclusion feels like a bonus. 

It’s harrowing for Steven to start working through how much horrible stuff has happened in such a short amount of time, but it’s oh so satisfying for us to finally see him process it. The transformation of Holo Pearl into Jeff (who I’m sure is named for Mr. Liu) was a neat way to show Connie’s guilt, but it’s complemented by a punch to the gut as Stevonnie impales an image of Bismuth instead of just getting thrown off by the illusion. And because Steven has let his problems pile up, the rest of his ghosts flood in. I love the inclusion of Eyeball, the foe that Steven logically should feel the least amount of guilt about (Bismuth was a friend, and Jasper refused help while blaming him, but Eyeball was an enemy actively trying to kill him). It shows that he really does care about everyone, and that the compounding problems only make the guilt worse: Bismuth and Jasper begin in their normal sizes, but Eyeball is massive in Stevonnie’s imagination. And then, as a horrible distortion of her theme heralds her arrival, we get the most important ghost in the series.

Obviously Steven isn’t able to deal with the Rose factor right now, but acknowledging that there’s a problem is the first and hardest step. And despite how talented Aivi and Surasshu are at enhancing the mood with music, there’s nothing like the stark silence that follows Rose’s theme to bring the impact home.

AJ Michalka once again shows off her talent for voicing Steven and Connie separately as Stevonnie has an internal conversation; it’s such a seamless interaction that it’s easy to forget that this scene shifts from one actor voicing these two characters to two different actors voicing the same two characters as Steven and Connie plummet to the ground. I mentioned in The Answer that my favorite Miyazaki movie is Castle in the Sky, so I’m thrilled to see another reference to two heroes falling hand in hand before slowing to a safe landing.

Our conclusion isn’t about Steven coming to terms with three failures in a row and a life-changing revelation. It’s about him realizing that it’s okay to admit that everything isn’t okay, and that he doesn’t have to put on a bald cap and be a ham to make everyone else more comfortable. This is something that friends can help with, but that he ultimately has to figure out for himself. Still, it’s beautiful that by working together, he and his best friend become strong in the real way.

But of course, they had help. I mentioned in Back to the Moon that our Big Three Crystal Gems each get an episode that acts as an epilogue to their Act II arcs, and it’s Garnet’s turn. Garnet begins Act II as a leader who’s quiet about being a fusion and who has a hard time understanding the anxieties of her less confident teammates. By the end, she transforms into a leader who’s more open and willing to share her own vulnerabilities, and a loud and proud fusion no matter whom she’s interacting with. Mindful Education leans in hard on her expertise in fusion, but just as importantly shows that she’s willing to coach others by revealing how Ruby and Sapphire work through struggles. Her growth is less overt than Amethyst and Pearl overcoming more obvious hurdles, but it’s still hard to imagine Garnet being this capable of helping Connie and Steven fifty episodes ago.

Garnet is also the source of two intriguing callbacks in the form of quoting past lines. The first is the wonderful “Hold the phone. Now give the phone to me,” which Steven tells Greg in The Message as a means of interrupting his song about Lapis Lazuli being a super mean riptide queen (sidenote: I’m sure Lapis would be flattered by Greg’s assessment). Garnet repeats this phrase right after Steven suggests that you can get used to not thinking about your guilt, and it’s a brilliant way of gently putting a stop to this bad idea.

The second is a pointed “that is to say” as she explains the importance of harmony within fusion. This is a common enough phrase, but it was so prominent in fellow sparring episode Sworn to the Sword that I can’t imagine it’s a coincidence. It connects Garnet to Pearl’s role as a teacher to both Steven and Connie; fortunately, this time the teacher is instilling a message of self-reflection instead of self-sacrifice.

I call these callbacks intriguing because Garnet herself wasn’t present for either scene containing the lines she’s quoting. And sure, this could just be standard screenplay magic without an in-universe explanation. But to me, it enhances the sense of Garnet as an all-knowing mentor, at least as far as this episode is concerned. Her wisdom is absolute, and it might be pretentious for a show to claim such certainty with its message, but Mindful Education has an outstanding message, so I’m all in.

But back to that ending for a second. It, like Here Comes a Thought, provides a calming answer to a scene of turmoil. It’s obviously a quicker moment of relief: just a glimpse of Stevonnie laughing, catching their breath, and reassuring Steven and Connie. However, like Here Comes a Thought, the episode keeps going. This time, in the form of the end credits. 

Since Bubbled, we’ve heard nothing but ambient waves as the credits roll, bereft of the comfort Love Like You has provided after nearly every prior episode. But now we begin the reprise, and this first segment is such an eerie departure from the norm that serenity once again takes a backseat.

With time, it’s revealed that this song is just more Love Like You. But in this period of uncertainty in Steven’s life, I deeply admire the decision to keep us lost in the woods for a while before figuring out that it’s something we’ve known all along. Just a thought.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Remember my gripes with Here Comes a Thought, way up there at the beginning of the review? Yeah, they don’t keep this out of my top ten.

Top Twenty

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

When It Rains

Catch and Release

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

No Thanks!

     5. Horror Club      4. Fusion Cuisine      3. House Guest      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

[love-takes-work]

Steven Universe Podcast Volume 3: Episode 10: Garnet: The Leader of the Crystal Gems with Estelle

This is Volume 3, Episode 10 of the official Steven Universe podcast, with special guest Estelle talking about her work as Garnet on the show.

The official description:

Estelle joins the Steven Universe Podcast to talk about Garnet! Hear about her audition process (and the other character she auditioned for), her relationship with Rebecca Sugar, and what it's like recording with the rest of the amazing cast. Estelle also speaks to Garnet and Steven's special bond, filming the video for "Stronger Than You," and singing "Here Comes A Thought" as a duet with AJ Michalka! Plus, Estelle answers your questions, including her gem weapon of choice, her favorite moment in the show so far, and where Ruby and Sapphire might go on their honeymoon.

This is bit long, as always so I’ll do my bullet points of interest, with longer descriptions after the jump.

Highlights:

Estelle's leap into voice acting was coincidentally at a time when she was actively looking to try a cartoon role and Rebecca Sugar was approaching her to audition for one of her characters.

Estelle resonates with Garnet's role as a role model and "big sister/mother."

Estelle also auditioned for Amethyst, but thinks that role would have been a poor match for her for several reasons.

Sometimes she gets compliments on her Steven Universe voice work at completely unrelated events.

Voice acting isn't as rigid as she initially expected--there's room for creativity.

She would love to get Rebecca to do an album, help her with it, or even tour together. She likes Rebecca's simple, straightforward songwriting technique.

Estelle gave Rebecca musical influence suggestions for writing "Stronger Than You" and "Here Comes a Thought."

The day she recorded the video for "Stronger Than You" in association with Comic Con was very hot, and she wore a black cape after saying she hadn't wanted to wear anything that resembled Garnet cosplay because it seemed silly to her for her to cosplay the character she plays.

Recording "Here Comes a Thought" with AJ Michalka was easy and chill. They did it in the studio together.

Estelle's "favorite Garnet moment" might be when Garnet told Greg to water her cat while she was in space.

Estelle is an ally to the LGBT community, and while she is glad Ruby and Sapphire's wedding made people so happy, she's ready for it to move past the point where such things are noteworthy. She just wants it to be standard.

She participated with the Black Women Animate project and was super inspired to see so many women of color being encouraged to create in this context.

She agrees that the Dove Self-Esteem Project is a great fit with the messages of the show.

Estelle loudly avoided answering questions about what fans should get excited for in the upcoming “Diamond Days” episodes.

Estelle's just released an album, and her future will involve working on her record label and its artists, maybe recording a Christmas album, and doing more TV acting.

In answering fan questions, Estelle thinks she would like bubbling as a power, thinks Ruby and Sapphire would honeymoon in Iceland, loves making funny noises in the booth but felt recording Garnet unfusing was difficult, really likes "Pool Hopping" as a recent episode, loves recording with Deedee Magno Hall because she's so funny acting out her lines, thinks recording for a video game is more rigid than for the cartoon, and thinks it would be funny to have an impossible episode about Garnet dealing with a bunch of smaller Garnet Fusion children who she would have to advise on growing up.

The detailed summary is below!

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

McKenzie introduces Estelle and first asks her to talk about why she got into voice acting. Estelle says she was just told by lots of people that she had such a distinct voice and that she should try it. She wanted to look into cartoons, and asked her team if they could get her on "like The Incredibles or something." Meanwhile, Rebecca Sugar was looking for people to voice her characters on her pilot, and since she was an Estelle fan, she reached out. It all worked together to put Estelle in the right spot to voice Garnet. She really just wanted her young relatives to hear her voice on cartoons. Estelle says her five-year-old niece's first major interaction with her besides Internet conferencing was getting to hear her on Steven Universe, and she knows it's her auntie.

Next, McKenzie asks what really resonated with Estelle about the show, and she said the pitch drew Garnet up as a big sister/mother type, which she related to because she's from a big family and she's the oldest girl. 

She auditioned for the role and got it, but apparently also auditioned for Amethyst, which she knows now would not have worked for her personally or vocally. As for voice acting itself, it's about what she expected except she did learn to make some new noises that she hadn't really known she could make before.

When McKenzie asks Estelle to discuss how much of Garnet she relates to personally, she says the story is now letting Garnet be more vulnerable. She feels like she's a pretty chill and calm person like Garnet usually is, and as a believer in star signs, Estelle's Aquarius tendencies sometimes come out like that. (She's a Capricorn with an Aquarius moon, Cancer rising.) McKenzie liked that Garnet was willing to open up to Steven and be real with him, and Estelle mentions liking that attempt to share her future vision with him to teach him a lesson about determining one's own future.

McKenzie asks her to talk about whether any of her friends have any perspectives on her work as Garnet, and she says she sometimes gets people mentioning it to her in unexpected places, like when she's out late or doing something completely unrelated to animation--she'll randomly get a compliment on it or someone will tell her they didn't know that was her.

The next question is about what Estelle was most impressed by working on the show. She says she was surprised it wasn't as rigid as she expected. She loved the creativity too. Music usually isn't like that. The creative process for voice over is very different. McKenzie wonders if Rebecca's influenced Estelle's music at all, and Estelle says she would love to work with Rebecca to make an album because her songwriting is so great. She describes it as simple and to the point. She thinks simple songs that are easily sung along to are where it's at. She wants an album to happen, and a tour, with Rebecca.

On recording Garnet's big songs, "Stronger Than You" and "Here Comes a Thought," Estelle says "Stronger Than You" was written by Rebecca without specific songwriting help from her, but Rebecca did ask for some advice on musical influences. Then she brought the song to her (with its initial rap!) and let Estelle have freedom when it came to delivery. Estelle loves that Rebecca respects her as a musician and doesn't just expect her to perform it without any creative input. McKenzie asks for more thoughts on the rap, and Estelle says she wouldn't have recorded it if she didn't like it.

McKenzie points out that the recording happens at the storyboard stage, and asks how that's different from making her own stuff. Estelle says she has an outline and the boards when she sings for the show, but when she makes her own stuff, the story is in her head. She agrees that her own way of performing music is visual, too. Estelle then talks about the experience of doing the song at Comic Con and doing the video. That was the first time she'd done such a thing. The audience was gathered through callouts on social media. Estelle mentions it was super hot and everyone was sweating. They'd floated the idea of Estelle wearing a purple suit or something that would invoke the look of Garnet, but she thought that was silly to cosplay her own character, and went with this black cape. McKenzie thought it was iconic, and Estelle agreed that it's better to do something that isn't obvious.

On "Here Comes a Thought," Estelle says the process was similar to "Stronger Than You." Estelle recommended Emily King as inspiration for calming music, and she thinks it turned out to be a great choice for the song. She believes the song is "like a lightning rod of water." She recorded it in the studio with AJ Michalka, and was surprised it would be a duet. She doesn't like to go in over-rehearsed and build up a lot of expectations of what it should sound like, so she goes in pretty fresh, without listening to the records too much. She thinks AJ has a lovely voice, and the process for recording the song was pretty similar to the other work she does but "less excitable." AJ is very professional because of her background, and they were able to really knock it out easily.

Next, McKenzie asks for Estelle's favorite Garnet moments. Estelle likes when Garnet asks Greg to water her cat while she's in space. McKenzie asks if she has a hard time keeping a straight face when she's delivering deadpan Garnet lines, and she says usually no unless others are in the room and she gets more context.

On giving back, Estelle does like doing cons and enjoys going above and beyond with the fans, bringing refreshments and doing dances and stuff. She thinks the experience is way more important than just a piece of paper with a signature. She likes to shout out to fans on social media asking them to send her Garnet-related stuff and she'll share her favorites. She loves when people of all races and genders do Garnet costumes on Halloween. She gets a lot of "crazy" tweets and she retweets or likes or responds to whatever she can.

On "Reunited," McKenzie points out that the Ruby and Sapphire wedding was so important to LGBT fans, and she wants to know how Estelle felt about it all. She loved seeing positive reactions, but she's disappointed in humans in general that such things still need to be celebrated as unusual. Why isn't it just the standard? She doesn't understand. It's a little bittersweet. Estelle likes doing Pride events as an ally and supports the community. She thinks it's silly for people to treat LGBT people with disrespect. She agrees that the wedding was such a step forward, but wants it to stop being considered noteworthy and different--it should just be standard. She loves seeing the Ruby and Sapphire cosplayers in wedding clothes (especially admiring their dedication with that body paint!).

McKenzie then asks Estelle about her participation in the Black Women Animate Boot Camp program. She says she was asked to participate because her character is "essentially black" even though she's purple, and as a black woman playing her as well, she was inspired to see so many women of color in that room feeling empowered in an animation space, being seen, thinking of this as a possible career. She was so inspired and loved seeing it.

They also touch on Estelle's participation with the Dove Self-Esteem Project. She loves that a big brand wants to emphasize body positivity. The fight to be okay with one's body is always up and down, and the show is about inclusivity and positivity too, so it's a good brand fit.

About “Diamond Days,” McKenzie asks Estelle for non-spoilery hints on what to get excited about. She replies, "This juice is lovely" and sips it loudly, then says she didn't hear the question, then sips the juice loudly again and says, "Next question."

McKenzie amends her question to "SHOULD fans be excited?"

And Estelle just says "WHAT?" and we just hear mic noise.

They agree to skip that one.

McKenzie points out that Estelle's Album Lovers Rock has been released, and she wants to know what's next for Estelle's music career. She's just been promoting the album, and then she's going to work on some stuff for her record label with some artists who are on it, and she's also done an acting role on a TV movie. She's going to work on music for TV too. She might do a Christmas album.

Fan questions:

Q: "If you were in the Steven Universe world, what do you think your Gem weapon would be?"

A: Estelle likes the idea of bubbling people and floating them away.

Q: "Where would Ruby and Sapphire go on their honeymoon if they got a chance to have one?"

A: She's thought about it before and thinks they would go to Iceland, because of the hot springs. They could be hot and cold at the same time.

Q: "What's the most fun part of your job?"

A: Estelle says she loves playing different sounds out of her mouth in the recording booth. Trying stuff out is really fun.

Q: "What is the hardest scene you had to voice act for?"

A: Estelle mentions Garnet unfusing and that she had to make weird noises while that happened, thinking she sounded like Sméagol or like she was crazy, and then having to do it multiple times. She always thought they'd call her back to do it again another time.

Q: "What would you say has been your top favorite episode to be a part of?"

A: Estelle has a hard time choosing, but she loved "Pool Hopping." She liked seeing Steven leading HER around and Garnet having to be vulnerable.

Q: "Do you remember any particular funny moments from when you were recording?"

A: Estelle thinks the funniest person is Deedee--she's such a parent, and she's in histrionics over whatever acting like the world is caving in, so Estelle thinks it's so hilarious to watch Deedee act with her whole body, standing up, while she herself is sitting down being calm like Garnet. She figures Deedee knows they're all waiting to watch her do her crazy thing.

Q: "For the cast, how is recording for a video game different from recording for the show, for when you guys recorded for Save the Light?"

A: Estelle thinks the lines are shorter, like having to yell "jump!" and then hearing it back later being annoyed they didn't use a different recording of it. There's not a lot of room for creativity in how they want the actors to say the lines, either.

Q: "If you could write your own episode, what would it be about and what would your character be doing?"

A: Estelle acknowledges this wouldn't make sense, but she would explore Garnet having distant sisters and brothers or kids that came out of nowhere. They would be other mini Fusions that didn't grow up--they'd be kids--so they'd be looking to her for how to become adults. She wants to see mini Garnets running around.

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

[clubdolan]

Meet the King | Pt. 3

“I’m just worried, because there’s going to be so much going on.” Lo explained, closing her book and putting it on the end table by the couch. “I haven’t even gone over the etiquette that Beth will be testing you on.”

“Like no elbows on the table?” Ethan asked, “Don’t we have to bow to you?”

“Preferably no elbows on the table, yes you do a slight neck bow to anyone royal or diplomatic. Also, you can’t touch a royal unless they insinuate it or you are escorting them, you have to walk at least two foot behind a royal unless escorting them, take cues from the highest ranking, so my Grandmother, if she stands, we all stand, if she eats, we all eat, etc. Zoey picked up on it all quick.... aside from calling me Penelope inside the palace.”

“Is there a book for this? A workshop?” Grayson joked, “I will not remember this. Do I get banned if I get one wrong?”

“I mean, I can banish you and so can my Grandmother and Dad but I highly doubt that will happen. I prefer to not follow typical rules and I do kind of whatever I want because the world is so different than when my Grandmother was born.” She sighed, “Zoey said she will run you guys through things on the flight, if that’s okay? I have to talk with Beth for a few hours and she has a little notebook she made from her first visit.”

“Like a cheat sheet? Sweet.”

“The first day we do have fittings for a while, you’ll have to pick suit fittings that match our dresses and then casual attire for the other days. Modest items, no logos, there’s a really cool stylist that brings us stuff in to pick from, it’s actually really cool.”

“You don’t need to be worried, if anything, we do.” Grayson said, “You do your thing, we’ll just follow, two feet behind, and do what Zoey says.”

Zoey pulled her book out right as the small, private, plane took off. Lo had already been taken to an office in the back with Beth and a few other people.

“So I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I have pictures, names, rules, titles, etc. all in this book. Just pay attention, when you’re there it’s really easy to catch on, I promise.”

Zoey opened the book, a page titled ‘Etiquette’ was the first thing. “As a girl, I have to sit a certain way and curtsy a certain way. As a boy you have a slight head bow and only shake hands when a royal sticks their hand out. Don’t grab their hand, rest it on yours and shake slightly before waiting for them to pull back.” She looked up and they already looked confused, “I promise, it’s not that hard.”

Zoey went on to explain the modesty of dressing, the ‘no touch’ rule when standing next to royalty, how to take cues from the highest ranked royal in the room, what to refer to people as.

“When referring to Lo in a public palace setting, she is Your Majesty, Penelope or Miss. Her full title would be said, dramatically, Penelope Estelle Victoria, by the Grace of God, Princess of Edinburgh and Lady of Cupar. Or some people would say Her Majesty Princess Penelope of Edinburgh. The Queen is always Her Majesty or Her Royal Highness before you can call her Ma’am. Her Dad is Your Majesty, King Ericson Theodore Rupert or Sir; but he will tell you to call him Eric when you’re in private.”

“Should I be taking notes?”

“No, you’re fine. Her family is totally chill if you get anything wrong, but Beth will correct you in case you are in public and need to mention someone.” Zoey shrugged, “Lo and her guests are not allowed to give autographs or selfies, but Lo breaks the rule and allows selfies but no hand signals or funny faces, just smiling, I’m sure you’ll get noticed by a few people.”

“No peace sign, no tongue out selfies, noted.” Ethan laughed.

“Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, the strongest economy in the UK outside of London, a good thing to know since her family runs the economy there. There are almost half a million people in Edinburgh, a few hundred people will be at the actual coronation, but tons will be outside of the building just to get a glimpse of Lo or her Grandmother.”

“Not her Dad? I mean, King Ericson.. Theodore ........Rupert?” Grayson corrected himself, taking a while to think of the last name.

“No, her Dad does a lot around their town. He’s seen in coffee shops and other places daily. People love him.” Zoey flipped the page and continued, “Lo’s palace is titled The House of Marchmont, it is only referred to as a palace, not a castle.....

.....But she lives in a smaller house, well mansion, called The Oliver House...

...Marchmont is just visited for events and spent the night at before events. But the palace is an awesome place and I will for sure give you a tour of it.”

“She has her own palace?”

“Technically it’s her families but you refer to it as the person’s you are talking about.” She flipped another page, “History! A great time, right? Her family took reign of Edinburgh in 1732 with her ancestor, Lord Lyon, King of Arms. She has houses in Germany, France, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, and a few smaller places, as those countries and leaders have contracts with Edinburgh. So if we want a day trip to France, let her know.” Zoey laughed, “Worth it for the food.”

“France for a day? How casual.” Ethan laughed, “Are there palaces there or just houses?”

“Just houses, or cottages.” Zoey said, “We went to Germany when I was here last. Events covering the time we’re there are theater, rugby matches, cricket, museum events, grand openings, visits to hospitals, garden parties, tea parties, luncheons, dinners with foreign dignitaries trying to remain on Lo’s good side for the fact that she make take over one day. Also,” She looked at Grayson, “No public PDA aside from her holding your arm as an escort. No hugs, no hand holding, no--

He seemed offended, “Because we do that now? Name one ti--

“She’s my best friend, I know what goes on behind closed doors.” Zoey smirked, “Inside the castle, when no public is near, fine. Public does not include butlers, maids, assistants, chefs, beauty team, family, etc. Most of the help is to be ignored unless they are needed. Don’t feel bad, I used to, but they’re all really cool with it, I promise. The rooms you need....”

Four hours into the flight and everyone was asleep, aside from Zoey who was intensely studying for her upcoming quiz in the front of the cabin. Everyone else had gone to the back to watch a movie while Beth stayed in the office to handle her never ending pile of paper work.

Six hours into the flight Lo woke up and went to find Zoey, asking how the short lesson went. “They’re nervous, but it’s a lot to take in.” She said, “I was practically shitting my pants the moment we got on the plane, I had flash cards and notes on my phone and I ended up not using any of them.”

“Beth tried to tell me what hotel they were staying at and said my Grandmother does not want them staying at Oliver with us. It’s literally five bedrooms, you always stay in my room, I don’t understand why they can’t stay in a guest room? So I canceled their hotel room without telling her.” Lo smiled, “Also, they were able to get Drew, Aslyn, and Jamie to come style us and do hair and makeup.”

“You’re joking!” Zoey screamed, “You’re joking!” Lo shook her head no, knowing this would be her reaction. “Aslyn, THE Aslyn will be doing my makeup? THE Drew Lach will be doing MY hair and JAMIE is STYLING IS?!”

Lo nodded again, checking the in flight TV for how much time was left. “While you, think about that.. I just came to get a drink, I’m going back to sleep so my schedule isn’t as wrecked as usual when we get there. We land at three in the afternoon and only have fittings tonight.”

“Jamie will be at Oliver tonight, oh my god.” Zoey started pacing, while of course, flipping through her flash cards to study.

Lo grabbed a water and made her way back. The main part of the plane was dimly lit, their bags were tossed all over, Ethan had taken claim of the long couch and Grayson had taken over his chair and her chair now that she had gotten up.

She stuck her water in the mini fridge next to her seat and peeked out the window, nothing but clouds.

“What are you doing up? Are we almost there?” Grayson mumbled, rubbing his eyes as the sun came through the small window.

“No, I just went to get a drink and see what Zoey was doing. Go back to sleep.” She looked down and pushed a stray chunk of hair from his forehead. His head rest in his hand and scrunched his cheek up, “We’ve got about five hours left.”

“C’mere” He grabbed her arm and sat up more in the seats, opening his arms as an invitation to join him.

“It’s fine, I’ll--

“Nooooo.” He groaned, pouting his lip.

He did look comfortable in his sweatpants and hoodie, he looked extra cuddly, he looked even more cuddly when he pulled her fuzzy blanket on top of him.

“As long as I get the blanket.”

Grayson smiled, lifting up the blanket as she sat next to him, throwing her legs over his that extended to the table in front of them.

She was right, his outfit was super cuddly. He also smelled delicious; a mix of his woodsy cologne, his sea salt spray he used in his hair, and like boy. Her favorite scent.

Within minutes Grayson’s fingers stopped rubbing on her back and she giggled as his mouth slightly fell open. His stubbly face was a result of packing his razor and being too lazy to get it out; not that she hated it, she actually loved it. His hoodie was pulled up, little pieces of hair falling from the front of it. She dug her hand into his hoodie pocket, squeezing herself against him.

As much as she hated her Grandmother for inviting them, she also loved it. More time with Grayson, an actual escort down the stairs, but also having to introduce him to the whole new world of royalty was still terrifying.

“Penelope....Penelope....” Beth whispered, pushing on her shoulder, “Zoey needs you in the office, we have, an issue.”

Lo stretched her neck out and rubbed her eyes before slipping from under Grayson’s arm. “What’s the issue?” She whispered, walking past Ethan to grab a drink from a mini fridge.

“Zoey... she said that...”

The door opened quickly and Zoey pulled Lo in, “Kappa knows something is up, Mal said people won’t stop questioning her, your last snap chat was at the airport and you can hear Grayson in the background, I turned my phone on wifi and it blew up.”

“We have to tell them.” Lo stated, digging through her bag to start her phone before it started vibrating uncontrollably and her lock screen froze up. “It’s the Kappa group text, Mal, and... someone has linked me to Grayson and Ethan, great.”

Lo called their head of the Kappa house who then called for an emergency meeting where Lo Skyped in, alone, to reveal to her house sisters what her vacation was actually for. She told them how it had been kept a secret, how now, her being named Princess would make it more public, how she didn’t want it to change how they treated her the rest of her Junior and Senior years, and of course, promised they could all stay at her place if they ever wanted to visit.

“Okay, so it’s cool that you’re a Princess and you have like a castle and a private plane but I really want to know if you really took that hot guy Grayson that’s been hanging here a lot. His followers are blowing up your instagram asking questions.” One girl spoke up, the others agreeing that they also were wondering.

“Grayson and Ethan are on the plane, my Grandmother invited them because she said I needed an escort. And since Zoey is here” she waved her in screen, “Ethan came too.”

“Hi guys, I know that Lo is too afraid to tell you this but I’m her best friend and I’m not afraid. But please, please, please help us keep her private life, private. We trust in you, our sisters, to dispel rumors, keep prying eyes away, and not to reply to their fans on social media. They want your attention to try and get to Lo, it’s already happening to me and it’s been like two hours of a rumor.”

The room of girls nodded in agreement, “Also, please don’t be mad at Zoey and Mal for knowing, I made them keep it a secret.”

“Everyone understands.” Their house mom said, getting closer to the camera. “It’s almost chapter time, so we’ve got to go. I’ll tell the rest of the girls when we meet, if that’s okay.”

“The first one I have of you and I is the one going nuts, I mean I already had a decent amount of likes but now it’s just stupid.” Zoey said, showing her phone to Lo.

@ zoeylew: kappa FUNdraiser dinners #amiright

“They have also recognized my plane selfie and Ethan’s tweet about a plane are at the same time.”

@ zoeylew  : I love when my gf @lo_bradford takes me on vacation. I don’t like when that vacation means a long flight. #supportteleporting

“I just want to get to my settings to turn off my notifications but my phone keeps freezing.” Lo groaned, “Beth, how much longer?”

“Thirty-five minutes till descent.”

“Dude, Ethan, Ethan, get up.” Grayson lightly smacked him a few times before he did it harder.

“What the hell? Are we there?”

“Almost. I turned my phone on to take a picture of the clouds because I thought it would be cool but then it automatically connected to the wifi on the plane and I went to upload the picture--

“Does this story have a point?” Ethan sighed, pulling his hoodie over his eyes.

“Yes, I got notifications, like a lot. A lot more than normal they just kept popping up and I clicked on it and Lo, they found her, they found Zoey, you tweeted we were on a plane, it’s like they’re detectives!”

He switched to twitter where his fan-followed timeline was filled with gossip.

@DolanUpd8s: This is the girl that Grayson has been seen with on campus at USC. Her best friend (mentioned in her bio) posted a selfie on a plane earlier & E tweeted that him & G were on a plane. It could all be coincidence but my mentions are FLOODED with people asking so here you go:

“Gray, I’m fine. I told my sorority sisters. They think my name is Lauren Bradford so they won’t find anything.... until fans from Europe catch on and might recognize me....I haven’t been in the media for a while so there are no recent pictures of me as Duchess but..... I mean.... they found me so they can probably put it together at some point.”

“You had 6k followers and now you have 12k.” Zoey laughed, “I’ve gained almost 1,000.”

“Thanks for the free promo.” Lo laughed, “Grayson, seriously, it doesn’t matter.”

“I just don’t want them to be rude.”

“When a girl of any sort gets associated with us, our fans become very protective of us...” Ethan explained, “Very, intense.”

“I plan to just post a picture of us all at The Oliver House or at dinner tonight so I can just get it all over with, tell everyone my secret, let people know you’re here, whatever people want to know.” Lo typed away on her phone, “I mean, if that’s okay with you two.”

@ lo_bradford: Let me keep this post simple, so everyone can get out of the tizzy that is currently happening. Yes, I am in Edinburgh. Why? In a few days I will be crowned Princess of Edinburgh as my Father is reigning King and I have been Duchess since I was born. Who is with me? My BFF, coolest person on the planet, 100% superstar, @ zoeylew & somehow my Grandmother, The Queen, invited @ graysondolan & @ ethandolan. Yes, via facetime, she personally invited them because she requires me & Zoey to have escorts this time. I met them at party my friend was having, there is no insane story; I’m not a model, Zoey isn’t a secret rap superstar, and neither of them attend USC. I haven’t been lying, I’ve been on the down low so I could attend high school & college normally in the United States (I have dual-citizenship as my mom was from IL). I’m still a Junior at USC and will finish up my degree there. I hope this clears everything up for everyone. Now I can post in peace. Signing Off. --Lo (aka: Penelope Estelle Victoria ‘Bradford’, Your Majesty, Duchess of Edinburgh & Lady of Cupar) (Don’t worry, the whole title makes me roll my eyes too, just call me Lo!)

@ zoeylew: I can finally just tell you all MY BFF IS (almost) A PRINCESS. To me, she’s always been a Princess but I was one of the lucky few that was told over a year ago. On the other hand, Ethan & Grayson are not Princesses nor will they ever be Princesses I just think that The Queen has a crush on them. (Either that or she was tired of everyone thinking that Lo & I were dating.) I gave my self the title of Duchess Jr. last year so this year I am now Princess Jr., my rap name YOzoYO or Assistant Princess, whatever you prefer.

@ EthanDolan : I told our mom we were going to Europe to watch our friend lo_bradford be crowned Princess and she didn’t believe me. But here we are on a plane with a fancy bathroom headed to Edinburgh! If we get kicked out for not having manners it’s all @ zoeylew ‘s fault because she gave us ‘Royalty’ class this morning. (New merch came out last week, click the link in my bio to get a cool GRETHAN hat like mine.) PEACE.

“Oh good, GrayLo and Zethan has already started invading my comments.” Zoey laughed, “Zethan sounds like a medicine.”

“I’m just getting Grethan.” Lo laughed, “And texts from my dad who is waiting at the airport.” She rolled her eyes, I told him we would see him tomorrow but he just had--

“He hasn’t seen you in months, let him have his dad moment.” Zoey said, “He will probably also take us to dinner somewhere nice and I am hunggggry.”

“Reservations for six people at the sushi restaurant in town. I hope everyone is down for sushi.”

“What’s Zolo?” Ethan asked, tipping his phone over to Lo to show her.

She laughed out loud, “That’s Mal being stupid, ZoLo is what they call us at Kappa.”

“She’s been texting me screenshots of comments. It’s hilarious.”

“Please fasten your selt belts as we make descent to EDI, the Edinburgh Airport. The time is currently half three in the afternoon and it is just a bit breezy outside. Your escort service will walk you through the terminal and to the car service that is waiting. Thank you for requesting my services again.”

“Penelope, the head of security at the airport has alerted the family that there are people there waiting for you all, mostly for the boys.” Beth read from a text on her phone, “You will still use the same exit but you don’t have to stop--

“They can stop for their fans if they want, it’s totally fine.” Lo let her know, “Zo and I will just head to the car, two security need to stay with them though.” Beth nodded, “I personally don’t think I’ll be stopping for anyone, should I? I never have before when I was Duchess so I don’t think--

“Let’s just go to the car and let their fans meet them. For a few minutes. Because again, I’m starving and I need to eat.”

“Should fifteen minutes be okay?” Beth asked Grayson, texting back someone on her phone, “They will allow fifteen unless it get unruly which you will then be escorted out.”

“That sounds fine, I’ll let them all know before we walk out.”

He slowly wrote a tweet, telling them to be in a single file line and to be polite to the airport staff that are helping. Zoey and Lo held hands and kept their heads down as they walked in behind the twins, trying to stay undercover but being noticed.

@DolanEU111: JUST MET THE BOYS AT THE AIRPORT I AM SHAKINGG SO BAD I HUGGED ETHAN AND GOT A PIC WITH THEM BOTH AND OMFG

@DolanEU111: Zoey and Lo didn’t stop for anyone! They went to the car! We yelled for them but they were quickly outside! The boys wouldn’t answer any questions about them.

@DolanEU111: But in my video you can see Grayson making sure they got outside before he poses for a picture with my friend. I also think his background on his phone is him and Lo but there were notifications in front of it so I couldn’t see well!!!

@DolanEU111: Apparently Grayson smiled really big when someone told him that Lo was the prettiest girl they’ve ever seen and he just smiled big and didn’t disagree! Ethan said he’s happy to be back in Europe and excited for the week!

@DolanEU111: We’re going to try and go to the Princesses events this week in hopes that the boys are there too! Follow me and I’ll keep you updated!!! xx