#THE CONNVERSE IS THE IMPLIED PART

[jackalop33]

Anxiety Time™ with Steven Universe!

[screwpinecaprice]

That time the whole town was looking at him funny.

Patreon request by Connversin!: Connie leaving hickeys on Steven and the latter forgetting to heal ‘em.

And final Patron shoutout of the month! My gratitude is immense! 🥰💕

[universallywriting]

Hey, I started reading Connie’s little universe when you posted about having written wedding Connverse, and then I got to your Spinel chapter and it fascinated me. I’d already read you say you’re not crazy about Spinel, but once again you channel Diogenes (I’m not that anon but they were spot on, holy shit) and make a really inspired take on her. Care to talk a bit about why you see her so childlike? She may be innately playful, silly, and immature, but most see her as an “adult” or “teen”. 1/2

Brace yourself for a long post! (1600 words)

I’ll start off with saying that I think Spinel is a really well written character. I really like her place in the movie, I love her design, and Sarah Stiles is phenomenal. She’s not a character who is relatable to me. Personally, the character I’ve always felt the most similar to is Steven, with Connie as a close second. Understandably, I was just as exhausted towards Spinel as Steven was throughout the movie, lol.

Why I Don’t See Spinel as a Teenager Forgive me, I’m not actively involved in Spinel discourse here, so I’m a bit blind towards people’s arguments as to why they think of Spinel as a teenager or an adult. I may be missing things or have gaps, but I would like to start with the fact that I in no way intend to argue that other interpretations of Spinel are invalid, or that I’m right.

I think my biggest argument hinges on one huge point, and it’s something I rarely see talked about outside of jokes. It’s Word of God and implied in the show that only Pearls can be bound to follow orders. This means that when Spinel was ordered to stay in the garden, she chooses to stay. I don’t say that to mitigate Pink’s cruelty, nor to call Spinel stupid or to blame her for what happened. I say it only because I think it’s a crucial part of her character. Without this piece, I feel like you ignore so much of what makes Spinel, well… Spinel.

Spinel is dependent on other people to a ridiculous degree. She defines herself by other people. Without them, she is nothing. She is unquestioningly obedient in the hopes of her affections being returned, no matter how absurd it becomes to follow those orders. At any point, Spinel could have stepped onto that teleport pad and tried to find somewhere in the universe to call home. This is not what she does. She waits. At a certain point, she must know that Pink is not coming back, but she waits. She hopes. This, to me, is not characteristic of teenagers. It’s characteristic of children.

Continuing here: She has control over her emotions. She has no barriers to them. Her default state is high energy, obsessed with joy and merriment and entertainment. When Spinel is reset, the trauma that has set in makes her emotions volatile, easily triggered and aggressive over the idea that she might not be the center of attention. While these are traits teenagers might have, I don’t think of them as teenager traits. I think of these as childish traits. When teenagers are this clingy, this cutesy, this bubbly, this emotionally unstable, I do not think “Ah, I typical teen”. I think “You need to grow up. You should be learning to be better than this.”

This does get a bit more complicated if you factor in trauma or other mental health issues, but despite people being very insistent about this idea, Spinel is in no way meant to reflect someone who is neuroatypical. You may read her as such, but to say that was authorial intent or to state that she objectively is a representation of BPD, or severe autism, just isn’t true. But, again, please feel free to headcanon her that way and have interesting discussions.

Pre-Abandonment Spinel is a Baby Pre-Abandonment Spinel appears to be a child in literally every way to me, and I really don’t see how you can see her as anything else. We see Spinel and Pink interacting in the garden during the song montage. Spinel plays hide and seek and juggles, she bounces around and clings to Pink. Pink’s behavior goes from amused to rapidly exhausted of her antics. The faces Pink makes, the way she interacts with Spinel, is very much an adult attempting to humor a child. And, in a way, this is one of the things Spinel intentionally represents. Spinel is a children’s show watching her audience move on. Quote from Rebecca: “[Spinel] is also about that pain of making cartoons, understanding that your audience might move on and leave you behind, and how ridiculous that can make you feel.”

I mean, as cruel as it is, people seem to miss exactly how Pink’s abandonment works here. She’s playing the quiet game with Spinel! “Let’s see who can be quiet the longest!” It’s an attempt from an adult or an older teenager to get a child to behave, incentivizing them through a game. This is absolutely something you do to a child, and Spinel responds in a childlike way by playing the game. I cannot see Spinel as anything other than a child pre-abandonment.

I also think it’s important to note that Spinel is given as a child’s toy, created to be a best friend in the same way you give a toddler a plastic steering wheel. This is an act of pure condescension of the other Diamonds towards Pink, a way to say “You do not want responsibility or respect or independence. You’re simply bored. You tricycle is just as good as car keys.” Spinel is intended to be a way to shut Pink up about her own colony. A child’s toy for a child who outgrows her nearly instantly.

Reset Spinel is a Baby Reset Spinel’s ideas of play are simple and childish. She wants to play tag and make silly faces and wrap Steven up in big hugs. Spinel talks to Steven the way Dora the Explorer talks to her audience. “Maybe, if we put the pieces together, we can solve this puzzle!” She’s silly, and wacky. She’s an outdated children’s cartoon, which makes her feel like a child.

I would argue this is the reason why Steven is so frustrated with Spinel and why Spinel is a villain for timeskip Steven specifically. Little baby feral gremlin S1 Steven would adore Spinel. What child wouldn’t like her? A best friend who plays silly games with whacky smiles who wants to put all her attention on you? Reset Spinel is a dream come true for a little kid.

Big Boy Neck Steven, however, becomes her babysitter throughout. Spinel is playing, joking, dancing around. I’ve seen some people argue that it wasn’t ever a game for Spinel, and I honestly don’t see it. Spinel before she was abandoned, and reset Spinel, are absolutely playing around nonstop. That’s what they’re made for. Just like Pearl exists to serve, and Ruby exists to guard, Spinel exists to play. Steven has to tend to her, has to be amused by her, lest he upset her. Steven is a teenager babysitting a child.

Eyeliner Spinel is a Child’s Tantrum So, here’s where I feel the biggest divergence will come from different people. I feel like people think of Spinel as an adult, or a teenager, because Spinel possesses power and speaks as an adult. She’s voiced by an adult who makes no effort to sound younger. But even here, even at what feels like her most adult moments, I truly cannot think of her as mature in the slightest.

When Spinel gets her memories back, she still expects Steven to be her emotional labor. She can’t control her emotions. She can’t control her actions. Steven must always be on guard to never upset her. This is, again, something I see as extremely childish - and that’s being charitable. If it’s not childish, this is abusive. This is toxic. A child can be excused from not being able to understand and lashing out at the people around them, because they are young and need to learn to behave better. As an adult, this is simply unacceptable.

It is not mature or adult to demand that others be perpetually on guard at risk of offending you. It is not normal for a teenager to try to physically harm others because they are feeling upset. It is not the behavior of anything but a child to demand that people become your friend, that they devote their time and energy to taking care of your emotional needs, that you become the center of their world.

Spinel may have power, and a cute accent, and the vocabulary and accent of a character out of Popeye, but there is not a single action she takes that I can read as anything other than childish, assuming that this is a character who is not dealing with a mental health disorder.

Spinel needs to be tended to. She needs to be coddled. She needs affirmation and help to become a better person. Help is not bending over backwards to her every desire. Help is not giving in to her tantrums. Help is not allowing her to cling to people like a useless sack of potatoes. Help is slowly guiding her away from her dependencies, to be more self-reliant and to care for herself so she does not demand all the emotional energy and attention of those around her.

I think she’s a child who needs to grow up. The chapter of CLU has Connie gently guiding Spinel’s attention away from the people she clings to, and she does so through the same childish games Spinel loves more than anything else in the world. That’s why I wrote it that way, and that’s how I see Spinel as she appears in the movie.

However, I love everyone’s different interpretations of her! So, you know, write and draw what you love! Multiple interpretations can and should exist!

[tiggyloo]

I posted a few paragraphs from this before, but now I’ll give you the first three pages of this long-ass connverse thing I’m going back to work on. Note that this is part of the rough first draft and some things will likely be changed to flow better etc later

~~~

It’d been many months since Spinel showed up, but at long last everything was cleaned up. All the grass had started to grow back on the hill to the lighthouse, and the fishermen were noticing an increase in their catches again. They hadn’t actually been keeping their catches for a while, and were really only doing it to keep track of the population of creatures in the waters of Beach City.

Steven, finally having some actual free time, had called Connie to see if she wanted to hang out. It’d been a little while since they had the chance. He was really excited to see her—Lion had left to go get her not long ago, and Steven was left to wait, sitting on the beach. The sun had started to go down, and it was nice to see a sunset on a clean ocean again.

He heard Lion’s portal open and jumped to his feet, hurrying over to it as Lion jumped out with Connie clinging onto his mane. Lion skid across the sand and crouched down to allow the girl to dismount, who ran over and happily jumped into Steven’s arms. They laughed and Steven spun her in a circle before letting her down.

“Steven! It’s so nice to see you again,” Connie said, a big smile on her face. “I’ve really hated having to be stuck talking over the phone. I mean, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the same, you know?”

“Yeah, definitely. Sorry I couldn’t find time to hang out earlier.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Couldn’t be helped.”

The two sat on one of the benches along the beach, with Lion sprawled out behind them in the sand. Steven had brought some snacks with him and a few cans of soda, which Connie accepted gratefully. They talked for a long time, a few hours past sundown. Eventually they both slowed down, preoccupied with watching the stars. Every few minutes one would point out a group of stars, and they’d make up a silly constellation.

After that they stopped talking altogether, simply listening to the waves and watching the stars shine. It was nice to just sit together like this again. Then Connie broke the silence with what Steven found to be a little bit of an odd question, and quite out of nowhere.

“Hey, Steven…have you ever kissed anyone?”

Steven gave her a funny look. “…Have you? Is there something I need to know about?”

“Wha—no!” Connie huffed. “Friends can talk about this stuff without there being a reason. It’s normal. And, I’m also just kinda…curious.”

Steven raised a brow and looked back to the sky. He supposed it wasn’t the strangest topic that she could have brought up. Did friends really just talk about stuff like that? Huh.

“So?” Connie prompted, interrupting Steven’s thoughts. He glanced at her and gave a shrug.

“Well, yeah. I guess? Technically?”

She sighed. “No, you know what I mean. A real kiss.”

“Um…I think you know the answer to that, don’t you? After all, the only people in town that are my age are you and Peedee. And I’m not going to kiss Peedee,” he said jokingly before taking a sip from his soda.

“Would you kiss me?”

Steven just about choked on his drink, subsequently throwing him into a coughing fit.

“Oh! My gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t—” Connie started to apologize, but was cut short when Steven held his index finger up. He coughed some more, hit his fist against his chest a couple times, cleared his throat, then—

“What?”

They stared at each other.

“What,” Connie said after a few seconds.

More staring.

“Connie, did you just ask me if I’d kiss you?”

“Huh? No, I—”

Wait.

Her eyes widened and a blush took over her cheeks.

“Oh, geez, that is what I asked isn’t it?” she groaned, covering her face. “I am so sorry, I-wasn’t thinking. Uh—”

Silence.

“I-okay I’ve made it weird,” Connie stammered. “I’m, um, s-sorry. I, er, I’m, really tired. S-sorry, I should probably go.” She was talking a lot faster now, and looked rather stiff as she stood up. Steven watched her, dumbfounded.

Connie walked around the bench to Lion, who had already gotten to his feet, and climbed onto his back.

She muttered a strained “good night” and before Steven could reply Lion had taken off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The door opened and in came Steven, looking quite out of it. He made a sound of acknowledgment when the Gems greeted him and walked over to the couch, which he just…fell face first onto and groaned into the cushion.

“Not really what I was expecting after spending time with Connie,” Pearl commented from the counter. Garnet hummed in response.

“Uhhh, you okay there bud?” Amethyst asked, plopping herself onto the couch next to Steven.

The boy mumbled something into the couch.

“Huh?”

“Is everything alright?” Pearl asked next, which got the same response as Amethyst.

Garnet sighed. “Steven-”

“Connie asked if I wanted to kiss her!” Steven said, a bit too loud, and finally sat up. “We were out for a while and we were starting to get tired and she just started talking and she said she wasn’t thinking and didn’t realize what she asked? And it just got awkward after that and she just left-”

He took a deep breath and dropped his head onto the back of the couch.

“Ugh, I’m so dumb. I couldn’t even say anything.”

“Hey, Steven,” Amethyst said, and he heard her shape shift, which probably wasn’t good but he still looked over at her against his better judgment.

“Gimme a kiss, big guy!”

“Gah-!”

And Steven was on the floor with a thud while Amethyst, who had shape shifted into Connie, was laughing hysterically from where Steven sat just a second ago.

“Oh, honestly, Amethyst! That wasn’t funny, stop being mean.”

“…It was a little funny.”

Pearl gave a disapproving look to Garnet, who shrugged, before walking over to the couch. She held her hand out for Steven, who did not take it, because apparently he liked lying on his back with his legs in the air, scowling at the ceiling.

“Suit yourself. So, do you have an answer for her?” Garnet asked, sitting down beside him. He didn’t reply.

Amethyst shifted back and crossed her arms behind her head. “Come on, Garnet, you know what his answer is already. At least, I sure do. I’ve heard how he talks to her over the phone at night.”

Steven’s scowl turned to the purple Gem.

“What are you implying?”

“Watch your mouth, Amethyst,” Garnet cut in and Amethyst held up her hands before hopping off the couch and walking over to the fridge, all the while being followed by Steven’s squinting glare.

“Don’t mind her. You know how she likes to tease you,” Garnet said, patting Steven’s arm. “Also, Steven…”

“Yeah.”

“Sit up. You’re going to hurt your back.”

He grumbled but sat up all the same, and now Pearl was coming over to sit on the couch.

“Um, Steven…do you think that, maybe, you should…talk to her about this?” she suggested. “It sounds like she really shook herself up. I imagine she’s quite embarrassed about all this, don’t you think?”

“I…guess,” Steven sighed. “I don’t think I should bring it up so soon though. Maybe tomorrow. She probably wouldn’t answer tonight anyway. Honestly she’s probably already asleep.”

“You should sleep too, Steven. It’s almost midnight, after all,” Pearl told him.

Oh.

Steven nodded and stood up, rubbing his neck. “Okay, so. I’ll talk to her tomorrow then. I guess. Uh, good night.”

The Gems said good night in return and Steven walked up to his room.

[shinneth]

SUF as a whole just left me with an empty feeling.

I feel you there, anon. In Dreams aside, I could take or leave the rest of this series (and in most cases, leaning well towards the latter sentiment). 

But I guess that’s to be expected when 90% of SUF focused squarely on Steven’s PTSD and need for therapy and the many, many red flags shown as early on as the beginning that signaled his eventual breakdown to where he ended up in the climax.

Especially with the fanbase itself constantly screeching that Steven needs therapy, Steven has PTSD, Steven’s gonna corrupt, et cetera… like, it was all laid on far too thick. So when we got to Growing Pains, it really didn’t move me like it did so many others because it came off as such a “No shit, Sherlock” moment for me when Priyanka finally addressed the underlying issues the show itself really didn’t even bother trying to be subtle about.

Don’t get me wrong; a lot of people who have suffered (or are presently suffering) from the same problems as Steven irl have been helped a lot by these kinds of episodes, and I do appreciate that.

But from my personal standpoint, yeah… I knew from the start that Steven’s underlying issues alone were not gonna be enough to sustain a full series, and sure enough, it wasn’t. We got to see some bits here and there with the other characters, but we also had a few choice characters be really shitty people in season 5 that never got properly addressed before it concluded, and with the timeskip in SUF, all of that just got handwaved off as “dealt with offscreen”, which is the laziest BS ever. 

And worst of all, at the end, they really didn’t stick the landing well at all. I’ll at least say SUF’s resolution wasn’t the mega levels of offensively terrible as Change Your Mind - but then again, it’s hard to out-do giving totalitarian space dictators with countless lives lost under their watch a fucking FACE-TURN out of nowhere. 

Like, really, the Diamonds’ presence (White especially) in SUF actively made my viewing experience even worse towards the end. Yes, I should be glad they’re establishing that the Diamonds are at least starting to use their powers for good and rebuild some of the lives they ruined.

But, y’know… doesn’t change the fact that they’re all responsible for multiple counts of global genocide. Like, any living creatures native to their colony planets? They’re still fucking gone. And the Diamonds themselves just come off VERY unnatural as “nice” guys - and in many cases, they’re even creepier now than they were as villains. Good god, White’s blubbering in the climax was fucking insufferable, though. 

Partially I think this comes from SU being a “kids show” so there’s this pressing need to end things as cleanly as possible. I’m more miffed that in the end, Steven still got pretty much everything he wanted.

They had some admittedly good set-ups to Steven’s growth, like having him accept that people grow up, change, and move on with their lives. We see the clear evidence that Steven’s got an unhealthy clinginess towards his human friends - and Connie’s no exception. 

And considering they took the time to establish that:

Connie has friends other than Steven. She gets along with them just fine, so it’s not like she’s totally lonely or isolated without him.

Connie is ambitious with many goals and aspirations when it comes to her education and potential career paths. She’s shown to have put a lot of thought into her options and at no point comes off as feeling pressured by her parents or friends into this.

Connie knows she has to work hard and often to achieve her dreams, and despite that rigid lifestyle, it doesn’t seem to bother her in the least. That would imply she really wants to reach these goals she set for herself, whether or not Steven’s in the picture at all.

Connie and Steven’s dynamic is a far cry from how it was when they started out in the original series. You can tell Steven has no clue what Connie’s talking about when it comes to her goals and just plays along, pretending he understands anything coming out of her mouth.

Connie, despite what her speech would lead you to believe, has been every bit as insufferably dense as the gems in SUF when it comes to Steven’s issues. In Bismuth Casual, Steven’s very specifically-worded concerns were misconstrued as a fear of skating (or his inability to, whatever) - and in the end, they just became Stevonnie rather than properly talked things through. You know, something PERIDOT 100% did in the prior episode.

Connie is very firm about wanting to live her life as herself. She’s not against being Stevonnie from time to time, but like hell does she want to be Stevonnie for the long term. 

Connie knows marrying in general at her age is a stupid-stupid-stupid idea, even if it is Steven. And considering her well-established commitment to her studies and reaching her lofty goals, Connie - at least at the time - seemed to know a relationship with anyone just wasn’t in the cards for her at this point in her life. There’s no need to rush that shit, and she won’t compromise her life just to give her needy friend this thing he wants that he doesn’t even fully understand truly is. 

Or, you know… just have Connie backpedal hard on a good chunk of that and date Steven so that he won’t become a monster again. I’m mostly kidding with that - but by kissing his monstrous self and that triggering his restoration, then soon later we see that even though Steven and Connie can only have a long-distance relationship at best, she’s dating him right now anyway even though this needlessly makes her life way more complicated than it needed to be - like seriously, how can I not take that as Canon Connverse being founded on the condition of “Okay, if it’ll keep you from losing your shit, going pink, and turning into a monster, I’ll date you”?!

And in the end it yet again gives Steven more-or-less exactly what he wants, even if it isn’t something he really needs. 

I’m glad Rebecca clarified that Steven would still visit Beach City often, because I had a very hard time buying him just traveling by himself on the road. And maybe it would have worked better if he was just doing it short-term to “find himself” or something along those lines, but nope! They’re basically saying this is what Steven wants to do.

And honestly, even that is dampened with his clearly-stated intention of visiting Connie way more than he intends to visit the gems. Even though Connie’s gonna be busy. With college.

This just… wasn’t a good ending. It had plenty of good moments - his goodbye to Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot especially was very well-executed and the closest this finale came to drawing out any real emotion out of me. I loved the scene of Steven giving Greg his room; that was adorable. The last meeting with Tsundere Jasper was amusing.

But everything else… ehhh.

I mean, what can we really take from this season that I haven’t already outlined? The biggest takeaways were the plot points everyone saw coming a mile away that weren’t even executed all that well. 

In Dreams, as great at is was, might as well have not even happened - because what really carried over from that episode through to the end? Even though Peridot was the only one who got through to Steven, legitimately comforted him and addressed his fears, and the episode for once ended with Steven being happy with no underlying concerns about his problems - immediately he’s back to being awkward and depressed and frustrated by Bismuth Casual.

And I get that shit like trauma shouldn’t be resolved so easily, but for what In Dreams accomplished, I expected there to at least be a semblance of progress. Steven’s known since that episode he can hang out with Peridot and talk to her about whatever without needing a reason to do it, but he never ever takes her up on that again. 

So again, what was the point? 

You really get the impression that the quality of writing took a backseat just to emphasize the symbolism of an issue people commonly have, but SUF’s execution stretched my suspension of disbelief far beyond its limits. 

And nothing stretched that farther than Connie’s insufferable fucking speech in I Am My Monster; that pretty much completely made In Dreams feel like it never really happened in SUF’s continuity. 

In some ways, I just prefer to believe In Dreams was just a dream itself. An AU offshoot in SUF itself. Considering it’s so ridiculously good compared to the other nineteen episodes and by far the most pure and wholesome, maybe that’s the best way to see it. 

In Dreams was too good for its own series. That’s literally the only thing I personally took from SUF as a whole (at least in terms of lasting impact). 

So yeah, I guess for only one episode of twenty to really hit me in the feels, “empty” is an apt way to describe the series, anon. 

Seriously, if I didn’t have my own massive SU-AU to mess around in and do things properly, this probably would have upset me more. 

Instead, I just chuckle at Rebecca’s Monster Steven and raise her to what I’m putting my version of Steven through in my current story. Where I’m pulling all the stops to make other characters matter even though the stars are undoubtedly Peridot and Steven. 

And I’m actually making actions yield serious, lasting consequences.

(yeah, part of me wishes Jasper wasn’t revived - or alternatively, have Steven accidentally shatter White Diamond instead of Jasper since he came awfully close in canon

or even better, shatter Jasper and revive her, then accidentally shatter White and not be able to revive her since Steven used up ALL that diamond essence on Jasper…

yeah I’m kind of a monster)

Your pain is mutually felt, anon. So I’ll prescribe you endless refills of better-written and better-executed SU fanon to heal the emptiness SUF left inside you.

[legal-graffiti]

This started as me writing my original ideas but as Connverse, but then it expanded into its own thing. Oops.

Also inspiration is from queenie steven on insta by peanchie (that one's fucked up, don't look at it if you're not into the edgy AUs) and His Highness by Echo and @universallywriting. But I tried not to Steal Ideas I fucking swear-

AU, but only the parts I feel like writing/ can write.

~~~

The breaking point, they called it- a weapon all too familiar with the gem in his navel. Steven shuddered and stepped back as he gazed at it in its bubble.

"The human had this?" he uttered to no one in particular. The corundum at his side immediately stood at attention.

"Indeed, my diamond," she said, "But I assure you, whatever traitor supplied that thing with such a weapon will be swiftly and easily taken care of by my jaspers, topazes, and aquamarine- unlike those useless amethysts who were supposed to be guarding you-"

Steven held up his hand to silence her. This was a problem he had to solve. And she would not be on his side about it.

"I want to see the human," he commanded.

"Yes. Of course."

~~~

"Are you here to mock me?" the human spat from inside the bubble above them. Steven only met her eyes briefly before he turned away again. "What?" He hoped his demeanor was solemn and serious, because the truth was he didn't have a clue what to do or say. He gestured for the corundum to leave him alone with the human. That would make things easier... hopefully. She left. The silence stretched on.

"Don't you speak?!" she shouted at him.

"Are you the human that tried to shatter me?" he asked.

"Are you a diamond!" Connie shot back. This wasn't good at all.

"Listen, I'm- I'm on your side, alright?" he implored. She kept up her cynicism.

"You?! You're the Diamond Authority!" Connie argued. Steven shook his head.

"No. The Crystal Gems? Amethyst? Pearl? Garnet? Bismuth? Lapis? Peridot?" He practically glowed when he spoke of them. "Garnet is Sapphire and Ruby, and they love each other more than anyone else in the universe. Amethyst's loud and fun, and she loves our home. Pearl is the most incredible swordfighter. They practically raised me. I can’t think of anyone who’s more of a Crystal Gem than Bismuth. Lapis has a tough shell, but once you get to know her, she's so chill. Peridot loves Camp Pining Hearts, and she's the cutest." Cynicism turned to suspicion, then disbelief.

"What?!" Steven took it as his cue to unbubble her. She gave a yelp as she fell. He caught her.

"Oh gosh, they didn't tell you!" he realized as he placed her onto the ground. "They always do this. Come on, I'm going to get you out of here!"

"No, no, no- Explain this right now!" Connie demanded.

"Listen, uh-"

"Connie."

"Connie, I can't protect the Earth from here like this if my authority is being undermined," he confided. "You can help me instead. You're an incredible sword fighter! Even if you did try to kill me... Connie, I don't want you in danger here, and..." Steven shuddered. "I don't want to send any more humans to the zoo." A knock came from outside. Connie and Steven shared a panicked look.

"My Diamond? Is everything alright in there?" Corundum said from outside.

"Later!" Steven promised.

"Rose Diamond!" Corundum called again. When there was no response, they walked in.

Connie and Steven were already gone.

~~~

Steven snuck her into his room. He held out a teal gem in his palm. Except it wasn't- it only resembled one. Upon closer inspection, it held the slightest imperfections. There was a matrix inside it, all thin veins of quartz. It was less obvious from the other side.

"I had a lapis make this," Steven explained, "A turquoise." Connie wasn't sure whether to be disturbed or impressed by it. It looked too real.

"Why?" She already knew why, guessing by the indignation on her face.

"Your disguise." He rolled the gem from his palm into his fingers, and reached to place it just below her collar. Both of them froze when his fingers brushed her skin. Steven quickly pulled his hand away, and Connie's dark skin made it hard to see her blush. Almost like nothing happened. "I-I mean that's not all of it." He looked about the room, then dropped his voice to a whisper. "Pebbles?" Who was he talking to? Connie gave him a strange look. "It's okay. She's our friend." The ground beneath them raised itself, and Connie tumbled a bit before Steven caught her. Miniature gems small enough to fit in her hand came spilling out from the crevice.

They jumped onto Steven, smiling and laughing, and he did too, holding one close to him. It was hard to give a hug to someone a hundredth of your size. One hitched a ride on his shoulder, and another popped out from the curls of his hair. Connie gazed in amazement. Steven spoke softly to them. She only thought that right now he looked so... innocent and sweet. He had a cute smile. He giggled at their words. But he was a diamond. One of the pebbles jumped onto Connie's arm, staring at her with curious eyes. Steven held out the one in his hand.

"This is our friend, Connie." They shared in a cacophony of questions and greetings. "She's going to be a Turquoise. Can you make her into one?" The pebble on her arm jumped off, only to return on her shoulder with a measuring tape. And then half a dozen more of them. They measured and cut and sewed fabric right over her.

"Rose Diamond?"

"Can you please call me Steven? And it's easier if you hold still." Connie held still, and a teal dress to match her gem slowly formed around her body, perfectly sized to her.

She was a little surprised, but still managed to say "Thank you." They smiled and waved at her, before jumping back off into the gap in the floor, or onto Steven instead. She gave a brief look at herself, and her new outfit.

"Rose Diamond."

"Don't call me that."

"Steven?"

"Yes?"

"What about that corundum that saw us?" Connie asked.

"I took care of it," Steven replied. He saw Connie shudder. "No, not like that! What do you take me for- A shatterer?!" She looked half apologetic, and half annoyed.

"For all I know, you're a Diamond!" she shouted, pointing at his gem, "What am I supposed to think?" Steven flinched, and Connie almost regretted it. He sighed.

"I told you I would explain later, right?"

"Later means right now!" Connie said. Steven nodded.

"When Pink Diamond ceased to exist..." Steven was pained to even mention her. "Pearl was freed from her commands. So she told them all the truth. I had her gem. I could play her part. They might listen to me. And maybe they would spare us. Maybe they would fix all those corrupted gems. But they were scared to send me here. I was just a kid, you know? So everything was normal, for a long, long time. And then Garnet- Garnet saw the best way to keep Earth safe. And it wasn't to continue leading a failed, corrupted rebellion anymore." He wouldn't meet her eyes. Connie gave him a curious look. And maybe a pitying one.

"And now you're here."

"Right." He shook his head. "But I don't have them here. They're still at home, holding down the fort. I don't know who I can trust, or who's on my side. I-I don't know the best way to do what Garnet told me to do." Connie caught on.

"So you want me to play Turquoise and be your spy?" Steven nodded. "Steven, I look like an off-color." He pouted.

"You're a pretty off-color! I'll say you work directly for me. I won't make it hard for you, I promise!" She frowned.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" she asked. Steven nodded.

"Garnet says this is the best way to protect the Earth, you want to help protect the Earth! We're going to do this together!" Steven was suddenly feeling like fireworks and sunrises at the idea of having someone by his side, and Connie found that she couldn't say no to his starry-eyed smile.

~~~

A Jasper barged into the court. And normally there would be shock and outrage, but this one was decorated- this one was the strongest, tallest, most honorable, most perfect soldier produced on Earth. She was the Ultimate Quartz. The other gems parted from their path with whispers.

Jasper stepped forward, with indignation written all over them.

"Rose Diamond. We've been on this planet for years," she complained, "Now a Turquoise comes and tells us you're postponing your colony on Earth- again." Connie shot Steven a worried look. He stood up in his palanquin, and stared down Jasper.

"I've taken dozens of other successful colonies," Steven replied. "I've handled them impeccably. If I say we postpone the colony, we postpone the colony." He did his best attempt at turning his face into a scowl. "Are you doubting a Turquoise who is above you?" he said, gesturing to Connie. "Or your Diamond?" The court watched with rapt attention. Jasper visibly tamped down on her fury. They gave a curt salute.

"Of course not. My Diamond."

"Return to your position, and don't dare to disrespect me again." The glare on her face was still evident, even as she turned and left to her post without another word. Connie let out a breath of relief, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last of that one. The gem next to her made an annoyed hmph.

"Jaspers these days!" said the Turquoise- a real one, Connie noted. "So presumptuous! They weren't like that back in my Era." She grumbled. "Well, it can't be helped. Some don't trust Pink's authority ever since she permanently formed into Rose Diamond." Connie scrutinized her.

"And you?" Connie asked.

"Don't even imply such a thing! Of course I have the utmost respect for my Diamond. No matter what form she takes." Connie watched her sneak a glance at Steven. "Rose Diamond is right, you know, she has many, many successful colonies. I'm sure there must be a good reason for postponing the colony on Earth." She looked around them before dropping her voice to a whisper. "You know, I've heard they're still cleaning up that mess with the Crystal Gems and Pink's fake shattering. That Jasper may be respected, but her problem with Rose Diamond is beyond me! She's become so mature since she took this form," she jabbered.

"I completely agree," Connie deadpanned. "Only took a shattering and six thousand years." Turquoise gasped and clutched her gem as if Connie had just shattered Pink herself. Connie just shrugged.

~~~

"I'm supposed to be a diamond. I'll have time to be human when this is all over."

"What if that's not until you've made a thousand more colonies? What if that's another decade? Another lifetime!" Steven only shook his head. Connie must've thought she was watching his life end before it started, because that's what she looked like. "Steven."

"Don't you mean 'Rose Diamond'?" he mumbled. She smiled at him.

"Of course I don't." Steven looked up at her. Something set this human apart from the other gems with which he spent his whole day. And it wasn't inferiority.

When she realized he was on their side, Connie chose to work with him. She fought that corrupted jasper. She didn't burst from the ground with courageousness or bravery, but she owned it all the same. Connie could only play the part of having a gem-like precision to her actions, but even without it, she carried a certain grace and elegance- in her speech, in her fighting, in her dancing that she wasn't programmed to do. Connie didn't have to fight for her Earth more than any other human, but she did anyway. Steven didn't realize when he stopped frowning.

"I know very little about being human anyway..." he said, resigned to his fate.

"Do you want me to show you?" she asked.

"Show me how?" Steven murmured. Connie did that incredible thing where she came up with ideas.

"I'll show you." She grinned and beckoned him to come closer. "Really show you." Steven could've sworn his heart stopped in his chest at the thought of it. And then he realized.

"Connie, humans can't fuse," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Try it," she shot back. "You're different, aren't you? You're half human." Steven raised a brow at her.

"So you're saying you want to dance with me?" Really, that's what fusing was if you couldn't fuse.

"Only if you don't stare," Connie said with a grin. "I don't do it in front of people."

"Okay." Steven covered his eyes with one hand and reached out with the other. He knew she was joking, right? "Come dance with me?"

Connie took his hand anyway. And for all the mature acting he did in front of his court, and Homeworld, and the Diamonds, he couldn't help peeking between his fingers at Connie. He made a worried noise when he saw Connie had caught him looking. She only smiled and held his hand tighter.

They did a simple back and forward step, and they grinned, because it was so simple. Steven gave her a twirl.

"Whoa!" It wasn't graceful at all, and they laughed. Steven did some silly moves, Connie waved her arms wildly. And when he saw her, he realized he hadn't felt like this in years. They jumped and shouted, and even if they couldn't fuse, they both remembered how much fun it was to dance, how much better it was with someone else-

They collided, and Steven almost hit the ground before Connie wrapped her arms around his back. They froze. This was fine. This was wonderful, even, and Steven held her too. He chuckled, and Connie leaned her head forward and joined in. Neither of them noticed how the room glowed, because everything between them was already so warm and bright and sweet.

And they were so happy.

They only noticed when the glow faded, and they were taller, for some reason, and their mind twice as loud.

"Why are you... I..." Stevonnie pressed their hands up against themselves, trailing up into their long, dark hair. It was definitely longer than Steven's. Their waist was definitely larger than Connie's.

“I’m a fusion!”

~~~

"She's here," Connie murmured to him. Steven took a deep breath. They called her here for a reason. Grasping at straws was as valid a reason as any. Why was he so nervous?

"This is fine," he said, more to himself than to Connie. "I trust you."

"My diamond." The sapphire stepped forward, and gave a cursory salute. Connie moved herself closer to Steven. He put on a mask of nonchalance and authority.

"Tell me what you see in my future," he said. The sapphire paused, as if something was hindering her usual ability. Connie couldn't help giving her a curious look. The court fell silent at the wait.

"A corrupted gem will catch your rubies and quartzes off guard. It will break into this throne room," the sapphire stated at last. The gasps and whispers of benitoites and chalcedonies passed through the room. Steven froze. Connie almost reached for her weapon before she stopped herself. The sapphire's voice rose to a feverish pitch. "It will rampage through here. A dozen gems will be shattered!" The gems started shoving and shouting. All of them were desperate to escape, and only causing more confusion.

"And you..." Steven leaned forward to hear the sapphire, but there was a sudden commotion outside the room. The door slammed onto the ground, and a corrupted jasper announced itself with a roar. A jasper that was too familiar.

The court gazed in astonishment as Connie grabbed the sword away from Steven's side and rushed forward at the corrupted jasper. She leaped off the steps with her sword poised to slash through it. Steven couldn't do anything to stop her. The corrupted gem struck her before she could land a blow with her sword, sending her flying back. Everyone scattered out of her way. She caught her footing just before her back hit the wall.

When she looked up, the corrupted jasper loomed over her.

"Connie!" Its arm crashed upon the shield Steven put up to protect her.

"I can do this!" she yelled. "Drop the shield!" He hesitated. He'd never seen her fight a real enemy- how delicate was a human being? Steven waited too long- Connie slipped under the shield and swept her sword at the corrupted gem. Gems were tough, but she landed a proper hit. It winded back with a cry of pain. Connie slashed and hacked at it while it was down, until she had it pinned under her foot.

In a final blaze of determined fury, she stabbed through its form, pushing harder until the tip of the sword pierced straight through and into the floor. It disappeared then, and the crisis ended. She gasped for breath, standing over the single gemstone beside her sword.

"Did that Turquoise just..." Her heart caught in her throat at the words. But to Steven's relief, no one had heard him call her name amidst the panic. She didn't have any human injuries that couldn't be hidden until they were away.

"I did it to protect my diamond," she murmured. It was a flimsy excuse. She had done the job Pearl had given her, to Steven’s surprise. But he knew; if that corrupted gem had struck her even once, she wouldn't have receded back into that gem on her chest, waiting to reform.

She would be bloody and lifeless on the floor.

"Turquoise!" Steven shouted over the commotion. The court went quiet at his voice. That was the voice he used as a Diamond. Connie looked up at him- and there was some worry that he couldn't hide, despite his best efforts. He wasn't a good actor. It made Connie wonder how he got this far. "Come here." Connie heard a child's play at being sinister, but to the gems in the court, it came from the authority of a diamond.

She stood before his throne. Steven leaned in. She blocked the court's view off his face- good, because he was on the verge of tears.

"Are you alright?" he asked, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

"I'm fine," Connie replied back in a whisper.

"Connie, I don't know how to get you out of this one!" She thought to herself.

"Okay, Steven, here's what we're going to do- You're going to have me escorted to your room, and then I'll go out kicking and screaming so it sounds like you're being a proper Diamond. Will that work?" Steven considered it for a moment. He must've come up with an addendum to the plan, because he lit up.

"Connie, you're a genius!" She smirked.

"I know. Sound angry at me now!"

"Amethysts! Send this Turquoise to my chamber." A pair of them went ahead and dragged her out, and Connie had to pretend she was fighting back with all her might. Steven had an apologetic look on his face, then wiped it off a moment later. "And have a rejuvenator sent as well." A rejuvenator?

Steven saw the question in her eyes, and even though he wasn't actually going to hurt her, he felt guilt crawling up his chest. Because last time, he used it for real.

~~~

Connie stared at the scythe sitting across the room.

"So I have to pretend I don't remember anything after this?" Connie repeated back to Steven, as he kissed a bruise off her cheek.

"That's what the rejuvenator does, but you're not actually a gem," he said against her jaw.

"And the other Diamonds and gems would use that? That's awful!" Connie looked away from him, wondering why he was taking so long to heal her. She felt fine already.

Steven tamped down that need to hold her closer than before. Connie was a rebel at heart! She took care of that corrupted gem like it was nothing. She knew how to fight. She didn't need to be protected. And she wouldn't let him. That was the part he hated.

"Please don't do that again."

"Why? I'm your knight," Connie insisted. "That's why Pearl sent me."

"I didn't ask you to be!"

"I want to protect you. If I didn't, I would walk right out of this room, command a ship as a Turquoise, and fly back to Earth!"

~~~

Either Connie was seeing things, or a real Turquoise was staring at her from across the room. She had been staring at her for a while. And when she thought Connie was looking back at her, she might pretend not to, but still steal a glance.

Either Connie was seeing things, or she had sidled her way right up to her side. It wasn't a Turquoise's place to condemn another, and she wasn't capable of hurting her, but it still made Connie nervous.

"Why?" she suddenly hissed. Connie pretended not to hear it, and looked straight ahead. "I've served this court since the beginning of Era 3, and I've never done a single thing wrong." Connie dared to peek at them for a split second, and they were angry. "You're an off-color! I don't know how, but you broke that Sapphire! You ruined her vision! Rose Diamond had you rejuvenated, and she still keeps you by her side! Why!?" Connie heard her voice become heavy with tears. "You're not better than me. You and I are the same! The same!"

Connie had no particular care for this Turquoise- not the same way Steven would, with his bleeding heart. But she knew pity. She was human, after all. And she knew what this Turquoise was about, even though she herself wouldn't understand it beyond the frame of being made to serve the Diamonds. Beyond simple jealousy, even.

She was angry and sad and frustrated at not being more than what she was made to be. Not capable of being better in any way, not since the day she came fully formed into existence. Were some gems like this? All of them, even, deep down? The Crystal Gems had come from somewhere. Ones who weren't happy with their lot. Ones who realized that they had a say in their own worth. But that meant first having the same despair that this Turquoise had. And Connie doubted that many of them ended up free or happy.

A stroke of insight. Connie, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Bismuth, Steven- they weren't just fighting for themselves, the Crystal Gems, and the Earth. They were doing this for the gems who spent ages suffering through their purpose in silence.

~~~

“Connie, I'm going to be honest with you." Finally. Finally, she thought, but she didn't say it aloud, because it was the kind of thing he was prone to change his mind about. She already knew about the Diamonds, about Rose, about the situation of his birth- surely this was the final level of confidence. He would reveal some secret greater than his role in the empire, his history, or his motivations.

"Yes?" Connie responded. She had gotten this far, after all. Steven slowly walked up to her, and Connie stood stiff as a topaz.

Then he held her. His body swayed, and he went limp against her. To her surprise, he wasn't as heavy as a gem. Steven was just a boy, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm so tired, Connie." He was clinging. "How am I going to do this? I'm supposed to be a diamond, and take over a thousand colonies, and now they're telling me to destroy the Earth, and then I'm supposed to be a human who wants to be good and save everyone and save my home."

"Steven-" Connie didn't know what to say. She put her arms around him.

"I thought if I made myself into a Diamond and talked with Blue and Yellow and White, it'd fix everything, but... I don't want to do this, Connie." He laughed. It didn't sound happy at all.

"I wish Pearl never said anything," he continued, "I wish I could live on Earth and be normal. Almost normal." Connie felt his arms go tighter around her. "I'd be with Dad and the Crystal Gems all the time. I'd live right next to the beach at the temple and play video games and go to the Big Donut. You and I could meet, and we'd do all those things together. We'd be friends. And we'd dance and sing and hang out. If we were ever scared, we could fuse together, and then we'd be able to take on anything." She felt teardrops fall on her dress.

"And you wouldn't hate me for being a Diamond." Connie grabbed his face and pulled him to look at her.

"Steven, I don't hate you. You're not Rose Diamond. You're just... You. Steven Universe." She leaned her head forward until they were touching. "I know why you're doing all this."

"Connie." Steven must've been shapeshifting, because suddenly his eyes appeared as if he was a normal boy. "You know what's messed up? You're stuck here, and it’s all my fault and- I'm glad you're here. All the Crystal Gems are still at home. I don't want to be alone. Isn't that awful?" Connie shook her head.

"No. It's not," she murmured, while her world turned blurry with tears. "I wanted to help save the Earth, and I don't have to do it alone." Steven pressed his hand over hers. She swallowed. "Are you scared, Steven?" He nodded.

"Yeah." Connie sighed.

"It's okay. I'm scared right now. But I'm here," she said.

"And you'll let me protect you too, right?" He had a big, stupid smile just for her, even while he cried. "We'll be a team. No matter what comes, we do this together."

"Yeah. You're right," she replied with a hopeful laugh. "I'd like that."

"Really?" Steven beamed at her. "Connie, I love you." She gasped, and before she could even say a word back, the room was flooded with pink light.

Stevonnie held themselves with their arms, crying and laughing with more sorrow and pain and joy and love than could possibly fit in a single fusion. They took a deep breath.

"Let's do this."

[ao3feed-lapidot]

Breaking the Chains

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2SAq8BW

by SilverScribe

Lapis finally has to confront a ghost from her past, literally, and Peridot gets caught in the crossfire. Or, Peridot and Lapis are adorable Paranormal Investigators together. A Halloween tale.

Words: 13111, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Lapis the Lecherous Ghost

Fandoms: Steven Universe (Cartoon)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F

Characters: Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Peridot (Steven Universe), Pumpkin (Steven Universe), Ronaldo Fryman, Connie Maheswaran, Steven Universe, Priyanka Maheswaran, Doug Maheswaran, Jasper (Steven Universe), Vidalia (Steven Universe), Amethyst (Steven Universe)

Relationships: Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe)

Additional Tags: Halloween, lapidot - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Human, Human AU, Ghosts, ghost au, Mentions of Suicide, mentions of abuse, Mentions of Death, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, background connverse - Freeform, past japis, implied future lapamedot?, lewd humor, Explicit Language

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2SAq8BW

[ao3feed-stevenuniverse]

Doubles on Saturday

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2rauJwR

by Agent66

"Something pretty serious must be going on for Garnet to split up." - Greg, Keystone Motel

Greg Universe delivers some advice on love to an unlikely friend.

OR how, when, and why Greg met Ruby and Sapphire.

Words: 7025, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of War of the Worlds

Fandoms: Steven Universe (Cartoon)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen

Characters: Connie Maheswaran, Steven Universe, Greg Universe, Garnet (Steven Universe), Sapphire (Steven Universe), Ruby (Steven Universe), Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Pearl (Steven Universe), Amethyst (Steven Universe)

Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Rose Quartz/Greg Universe, Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe)

Additional Tags: connverse - Freeform, Implied Rose Quartz/Greg Universe, rupphire, Family Feels, Romance, True Love, Declarations Of Love

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2rauJwR

[connverseficsfeed]

by br42, BurdenKing, CoreyWW, MjStudioArts and SilverScribe

[Fic Rec] [Chapter 4 - Creative Writing (for Connverse)]

Type: General / Mixed

Omakes and deleted scenes for the Connie Swap series. Canonical, loosely-canonical, or just for the heck of it, this is a collection of stand-alone works set in the Connie Swap AU. Includes fics written by the Connie Swap Team as well as works submitted by other wonderful authors.

Words: 9056 | Chapters: 4/? [Incomplete/Ongoing]

Published: April 19, 2017 | Updated: April 27, 2017

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M, Gen, F/F

Relationships: Crystal Gems & Connie Maheswaran, Lapis Lazuli & Peridot (Steven Universe), Jasper & Peridot (Steven Universe), Jasper & Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Jasper & Lapis Lazuli & Peridot (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Doug Maheswaran/Priyanka Maheswaran, Doug Maheswaran & Priyanka Maheswaran, Doug Maheswaran/Original Female Character, Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Lapis Lazuli & Connie Maheswaran

Characters: Connie Maheswaran, Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Peridot (Steven Universe), Jasper (Steven Universe), Original Gem Character(s), Doug Maheswaran, Priyanka Maheswaran, Steven Universe

Additional Tags: Omake, Pictures, Alternate Universe, Momswap, Steven Universe AU, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Father-Daughter Relationship, Memories, Romantic Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Romance, Fluff, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sad, Light-Hearted, Happy Ending, Holodeck Character, Slow Burn, Widowed, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Dating, Ambiguous Relationships, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Rejection, Implied Relationships, Art, Writing, Crushes, Secret Crush, Comedy, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Cute Ending, Cute, Embarrassment, Shyness

Series: Part 6 of the Connieswap series

[caro-something]

Chapters: 2/3 Fandom: Steven Universe (Cartoon) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Amethyst/Peridot (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe Characters: Peridot (Steven Universe), Steven Universe, Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran Additional Tags: Fun, Fanfic club, Fan theories, Mention of other stories, Implied Connverse, I think it's hilarious, Peridot being Peridot, Amedot only in final chapter Series: Part 2 of Fics & Stuffs Summary:

Peri had planned everything for that afternoon. She had summoned Lapis and Steven for their monthly fanfic reunion with enough time for them to come up with a story, or choose one of the many they’ve written in Steven’s case. She had, with a little help, prepared the perfect story. She had chosen the perfect moment of the afternoon, when the light is plenty enough in the barn and it’s neither too hot nor cold. She had considered every single detail so everything went perfect. But it never crossed her mind that Steven would bring a guest.

So this is the continuation of my previous fic Falling for You. I took my damn time to make this chapter right, but I think the final product is great.

[screwpinecaprice]

It couldn't be too bad if I indulge myself to love her.

---------

It's a distant future diamond connverse AU boiiiiiis

We're calling this as an AU because I'm 1000% sure this ain't happening in canon.

So, this takes place pleeeenty of years into the future, and follows the theory that the pink Steven will reappear as an independent entity once Steven dies without passing down his gem. (Although, I'm not actually partial with this theory. I have a different theory regarding that and this is just the product of an imagination of a connverse trash that entertained the idea.)

(Warning though, I’m not great at explaining stories but I tried, ok.)

So, setting takes many years in the future.

A year after Steven Maheswaran's* death, his gem revived itself, taking the likeness of his 25 year old human form, but pink and stoic to near emotionless. (Basically like the first time we saw him.) After some reflection he concluded that Steven's story has ended with his death, and declared that he is a different person; A new person who desired other ambitions. He soon left Earth to find his place in space. Although he seemed to have lost most of his empathy along with his human half, he valued the life he had prior so he brought a few souvenirs on his departure; trinkets, weapons, Connie's ashes, etc.

Maybe call it fate, because not long after this event, an intergalactic war broke out and Homeworld needed him to step in as a leader.

(Yes there is war in this story, ladies. --War. War never changes.-- )

--Not sure who the enemy is here though. Maybe a different species of aliens that wanted to stake claim on their part of the galaxy? Or a different colony of gems, with their own Diamond matriarchs, and they're much more advanced because they never had the Pink Diamond drama which catalyzed a series of stagnation and degradation of gem efficiency? Yeah. Maybe we'll be going with the latter. ---

The war had kept going for so many years, many gems had been shattered, the Sun and it's Solar System was eventually destroyed, friends and allies sacrificed their lives, and the only diamond left (on our side at least) was the pink Steven; now called (the new) Pink Diamond. His empire was losing the fight and their fate looked bleak. Suggestions were thrown here and there until a plan was agreed: They need to lay low for a while to replenish their own army --a stronger one than what they currently had. And in order to make these level of gems, they must revert back to the traditional way of producing them. They haven't done this since Era three when they had discovered different ways to create Gems, but the old way instantly made more physically stronger soldiers and they badly needed the leverage.

However this is just step two of the plan. To make progress faster, they need at least one more diamond. So they made a new Diamond.

---I don't know how to make them sentient Diamonds, man. I'm just assuming it's not easy, and they need, like, a very special star or something like that. If this gets debunked, I'm just going to say this is an alternate way.---

With Pink managing over their ridiculously costly and admittingly very risky project, they found a special bright star and said, yepp this is the one. And drained it and hollowed it's planets, I guess.

Maybe there's some ulterior motive behind Pink enthusiastically approving this course of action out of all the suggestions presented on the table. His confidants were having a suspicious feeling upon learning that he insisted they mainly use Connie's cremated ashes to make the gem itself, (Aside from the realization of actually having used 'enthusiastically' to describe him.) moreso when it was revealed that in doing so will not create a new person other than what the ashes used to be.

--- As Connie was Steven's lover/wife, (You know what I'm implying here.) her biological construct had gradually changed, altering every part of her to the bones. Now, Gems have gemstones as their core being, yeah? (duh) Everything they physically and mentally are are in their gem. But as a human being, the only hard mineral Connie has in her body is her bones. So, like, her bones basically dual-stored the information her brain and DNA has because her bones partially acted like the equivalent of a gem. But nobody knew of this until recently. ----

According to him, he wanted to make sure he can get along with the new diamond, and based on his memories as Steven, he was sure a very familiar character like Connie Maheswaran would do just fine. ( Also, Connie has BAMF DNA. We need that passed down if we're fighting in an intergalactic war. Just sayin'. )

So, yeah, they made a new diamond by bringing Connie Maheswaran back from the dead.

--------

Although Connie, renamed 'Bluebell Diamond', retained the character traits she had in her past life, her memories seemed lost. It was an uncertainty how much 'info' she has intact, and there was a possibility that memories were left out. But Pink is relieved in the meantime. He's falling in love with her and he's afraid that if her memories were kept, she won't like how different he is now to the man she loved and married.

(spoiler alert: Of course she eventually gains her memories back! And a lot of things are overwhelming. I mean, one day you are a working wife of a domestic home, then the next you're instantly a queen of an empire that you had to get through to a losing war, among other things.)

More about their relationship happens, drama stuff I guess. You bet your kidneys it affects the whole in a way. How, i dunnoh yet! Why have I created this setting???? I did dig my own grave?

I can already feel the plotholes dancing on the tip of my nose that unfortunately I can't see. But crossing my fingers that I could get around it. But there might be a few alterations if I couldn't.

---------

ANyway. This was not what I had originally planned to post. It was suppose to be a 3-4 paneled comic that kind of made more sense as an intro to this AU. And I were to post it before the year end. But I effed up on my scheduling (turns out, it was a seriously horrendously stupid idea for me, a slow drawer, to attempt drawing full painted comic pages under four days during the rush of a holiday), and to make it worse I also effed up with the fourth page and I got stuck on it until now. Plus, I have pending commissions to focus on. I couldn't post the other pages without the last so I made this simpler one instead.