#look at the what u did to bismuth

[starlooove]

“They need to drop a show about the toxic sketches” y’all couldnt handle that rose quartz wasnt a good person

[crossbackpoke-check]

Dysprosium, Mary Soon Lee

dysprosium, AN 66, is a silvery-white rare earth metal. its name is derived from the greek dysprositos, meaning “hard to get at”, owing to the difficulty in separating and isolating this rare earth element. dysprosium is used to measure neutron flux, to fuel reactors, and to activate phosphors. terfenol-d is a magnetorestrictive alloy, meaning that it changes shape when a magnetic field is applied, and is used to manufacture underwater acoustic systems.

jason “robo” robertson, dallas stars #21 for @simmyfrobby’s nhl periodic table poems <3

[m3char0b0l0v3r]

this is how I probably look like when I’m fixating on Bismuth and Snowflake Obsidian

so I did what I had to and made the gal onto Gacha life 2. What do u guys think of Aunt Snowflake…

Bismuth + Snowflake interacting with my Steven Universe oc :heart: (SNOWFLAKE IS LITERALLY BIGGER THAN BISMUTH JESUS…???)

doodles AND THIS.

so just u know when I made my oc I did not know the existence of Snowflake. I’m serious I’m very very serious I didn’t know they’ll have some things in common help😭😭

I DIDNT EVEN KNOW THAT THEIR GEM PLACEMENT ARE ON THE SAME HAND UHHHH….!!!

[a-second-chance-su-au]

An idea for the obsidian equivalent "all-fusion", Fordite. Fordite is a rainbow colored Artificial "Gem"stone that is created from multiple layers of car paint that gets scrapped off of the painting surface after a few weeks of build up. It shows that we're REALLY showing the limits of what the CG's will do (in the same way Fordite stretches the limit of the term "gemstone").

As pretty as these are, I don’t think this counts as a “gem” my dude

[dimonds456]

Gem Steven’s gem is flipped upside-down. (Theory/Speculation time!)

SPOILERS FOR @spudinacup’s SU AU “Gone Wrong”!

Also WARNING: long post!

So recently, someone pointed out that Steven has a scar on his torso going across his gem’s location, which I found interesting in and of itself. Makes sense, since he wasn’t able to heal it since he DIED and his gem was shoved out of his body before it got the chance to heal him. That slash mark is there now. Wow, neat! Nice detai-

Wait.

Hold on a sec.

Is his gem... flipped upside-down? Well, it’s been like this for a while, maybe it’s just a creative choi-

...oh.

This is VERY intentional.

So I did some digging, and found much more symbolism and possible foreshadowing, and now I want to throw out my theory about Gem Steven here, including his potential arc and character development. I’ll try to keep everything brief while still blowing your minds, and I’ll try to get across what my jumbled mind has come up with.

Spud please notice me.

I will not be uploading photos to go with everything I say (go reread the comic after this and verify for yourself what all I’ve said), but I’ll show visuals when they’re necessary. I do not claim ANY of this art as mine (I wish my art was this good ;u; ), all of it belongs to Spudinacup and their SU AU, which has all kinds of hidden symbolism, foreshadowing, and visual cues we haven’t picked up on yet, as I’ve just learned while researching this theory. This ain’t your run-of-the-mill AU, everything in here is intentional. Scott Spud doesn’t do coincidences. So I’ll point out that stuff in screenshots.

Okay let’s go.

SO! To begin with, let’s talk about why his gem may have flipped, and to realize that, we have to know when. We don’t see the gem much, but we do see it constantly through Chapter 1, where it is normal. The pentagon is pointed upward. However, in Chapter 2, this is where we see it flipped upside down. When did that happen? We didn’t see it. I believe it happened in that first scene in the bathroom, right after we left. The butterflies were swarming angrily, and Steven was very lost in thought.

Notice whenever those butterflies appear. They seem to show up every time he thinks about who he is. Is he still Steven, or is he someone else now? Steven is dead. Everyone is mourning him, trying to heal him, but Gem is still here. So if Steven is dead, but Gem is still alive, that must mean he isn’t Steven then, right? But then that undoes everything we learned in “Change Your Mind.” He IS Steven. He’s always been Steven. But that’s when they were together...

...And so the butterflies swarm.

Notice how the first one shows up when he looks at himself in the mirror. When you look in a mirror, you should see yourself, right? But who IS he? In the show, butterflies represent thoughts and ideas, mostly dark ones, disturbing ones, or ones you don’t want to think about. Well, he already spent WAY too long proving who he was, so now to do it again sucks.

But he isn’t Steven anymore. He’s on the couch being mourned. But he’s already proved he IS Steven before, and it’s this uncertainty that is making his mind swirl. I believe this is why he flipped his gem. Just upside-down, so it’s a small thing no one will notice, while he tries to figure it out. In doing so, he’s separated himself from “Steven”, as they’re not one and the same anymore, and the flipped gem shows this. He’s someone else right now. Maybe. He’s not sure.

So what do we call you for right now? Steven. He already proved he was Steven, so until he’s proved otherwise, Steven it is. Now he just has to figure out what exactly that name means and wether or not he still fits that quota.

Flipped gem/Pink Diamond imagery is EVERYWHERE, mostly hidden in drastic shadows or in panels. It’s things you don’t notice at first, until they’re staring you in the face. See if you can spot them from the 3 screenshots below.

There’s probably more hidden throughout the comic, these are just the ones I’ve found that I feel confident enough to show as hard evidence.

So, what does it all mean? We’ll talk about the screenshots in order, left to right.

First, the Diamond is hidden as the panel in the center. In it, Human Steven lies upside down while the gem-panel is technically upside right. This can be interpreted in a few ways, but what that means to me is that something isn’t right here. If you flip Steven back around so he’s upside right, the gem is now upside down. Notice Gem Steven looking towards his human half on the bottom panel there, clutching his shirt over his gem. It’s a motion we’ve seen Steven do a TON throughout the show, anytime he’s thinking about Rose/Pink, who he is, or complicated gem stuff as a whole. Because early on, his identity was always shrouded in shadow. THAT is Steven, on the couch, without his gem. So for Gem Steven to call himself Steven is inaccurate, but also not at the same time. It’s all swarming in his head, and thus, the gem is flipped.

Next, he’s just broken the rejuvenator. This was probably the hardest to spot of the three, but if you look at the panel where Bismuth asks “feel better?” you will see, in the background, a white line cut through the soft pink hues. Look closer. It’s the outline of the gem, but it’s flipped correctly this time. This is because Bismuth seems to be the only person NOT saying Steven is dead, and treating his gem half one and the same. Is she unnerved? Yeah, but who WOULDN’T be? This is still Steven we’re talking about, as emotionally blocked as he is. He’s aware of why everyone is being weird around him, so to see Bismuth trying her best to treat him with familiarity instead of a completely different, new, dangerous stranger is really calming and helps to calm the storm a bit.

Notice the gem is flipped correctly. This is because he feels like Steven right now. Bismuth has been constant confirmation that he is still Steven, no matter the circumstances. Notice how his eyes dialate back to a larger size. They do that a lot in the comic, articulating his emotions without changing the rest of his face. It’s a clever detail to keep track of. His eyes grow more relaxed, dialating bigger when she pats his shoulder, asking if he feels better after destroying the weapon that killed him. It’s a huge relief for him to hear. So, the gem is correct.

Finally, we see Bismuth telling Greg that his son is dead, which is very contradictory to what Bis was saying earlier (in Steven’s eyes). Where is the gem on that frame? Look at Steven’s shadow. There it is, facets and all. To us, the gem is correct, but think about it this way: if Steven were actually replaced with the gem in that frame, what would it look like, Pink’s or White’s? That’s right. The point is coming from his feet, meaning it would look more like White’s, meaning it is back to being flipped upside down. Again, Bismuth just said Steven is dead, meaning he’s back to questioning his whole entire identity. So it’s back to being flipped upside-down.

It seems that the orientation of the symbolic gems hidden throughout panels show quite clearly where his head is at in terms of who he is. If it’s upside down, he’s separating himself from the cold meatball on the couch, whereas when it’s normal/upside right, he is associating himself WITH the cold meatball on the couch.

Notice he’s been grabbing at his gem a lot recently, too, all things he does while in turmoil over who- or WHAT- he is. He cannot heal right now. He can’t use his powers. Some powers are new and unfamiliar (see the more recent pages where Lapis struck out with water and he blocked with those hexagonal shields/walls). “Steven HEALS people.” He can’t, so who is he?

This is something he’ll need to have an answer to by the time the comic is done, and this is a mission for Gem Steven and Gem Steven alone. If his human half were alive (and content without his gem), he’d probably call himself “Steven” no questions asked, since he GOT his answer already, two years ago. But Gem can’t do that, not when everyone keeps drawing all these lines between the two. He needs to learn what being “Steven” means, and know that he is a part of a greater whole, but on his own, he is STILL Steven. Everyone else needs to realize this, too, and stop separating the two. It’s gonna be rough, since it may feel like replacing what they lost, but is it really? It’s going to be a tough road to trek, and I don’t know what anyone’s answer is gonna be (that’s the big mystery here, after all), but I’m here for it.

Remember, all of this has been speculation on what may happen based on facts and clues Spud has presented us with. I’m not claiming to know how Gem Steven’s arc will end, but I am throwing my hat into the ring on where I THINK it will go. Either way, the foreshadowing, symbolism, and unspoken characterizations here have been excellent, and I’m looking forward to seeing everything play out. Spud, your mind is incredible, and whatever you’ve got planned over there, I’m confident the answer will be satisfactory.

I’ll shut up now. Thank you for reading this huge meta post, and go read Spud’s comic. You can find it at @suaugonewrong or on Spud’s Tumblr, which was linked above. If you think I’m wrong or have a counter argument, bring it. Let’s talk, cause this is genuinely interesting and fun to dissect. I wanna talk about it OwO

Thank you. You may now continue scrolling.

[thequeendesi]

Pride

Title: Pride

Alt Title: Air Itself

Warnings: N/A

Pairings: Steven Universe x Reader

AU: N/A

Disclaimer: i dont own you or the Steven Universe franchise, i do own the writing.

Rating: PG

Request: Steven x Bi Female Reader Reader recently came out as bi but has a rough time with it due to her family. Steven, after seeing Reader so broken over her family rejecting her, invites her to join him and the gems in going to Pride in Empire City. To show her that she’s not alone, that he loves her so much and her sexuality is a beautiful part of her that makes her unique. Inspiration for this was This Is Me from the Greatest Showman.

A/N: hi! Ik this prolly isn't what u expected but i thought this was cute! And ive never seen The Greatest Showman lmao.

….

You sighed, your head on Steven's shoulder as you watched the pride parade on the TV, humming along to the music on the TV.

Steven couldn't help but feel as upset for you, if not more. He knew how much coming out to your family meant to you and it had broken you when they denied your true self, and made him quite mad when they kicked you out. When Steven came out the gems, and Greg, immediately accepted him and made sure to check in on how he felt about certain people.

"I have an idea." He said, making you sit up to look at him. "Let's go. The Parade goes on for a whole week and this is only the first day." He grinned at you. "Are you sure? I don't have any 'gear' for it." You looked over at the TV.

"Simple. We buy some, I have an extra flag in my closet somewhere." He stood up, walking over his closet.

"Who's all gonna be going, because I'm sure the Gems wouldn't let us go alone." You looked over at him, fixing your hair.

"Well, the Gems would come. Garnet and Pearl go every year and can see if Jasper would." Steven said, pulling out a pink jacket, that looked like his, but the rainbow inside. "Here, you could have this it you want." Steven said, holding the jacket out to you.

"So it'd be me, you, Garnet, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot, Amethyst, Bismuth and Jasper going?" You tapped your chin. "This should make one hell of a parade."

…

The week came and gone, and everyone had fun, especially you. You ended up making friends there who went through the same struggles as you, and you ended up trading numbers with them all.

"Did you enjoy your visit?" Steven asked, hugging you from behind, placing his chin on your shoulder.

You smiled. "Yea, it's nice being surrounded by people like me. Thank you Steven." You grinned, turning around to face him.

"Anything for my girl."

"Anything?" You asked, leaning in close to raise an eyebrow.

"Of course, I love you more than air itself." He hummed, hugging you close to him.

"I love you too Stevie."

[krisseycrystal]

bathing together + bispearl :) your last five made me want more! i can’t stop reading them!

AHHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH ALKJSDFLKJSDF that’s so sweet of you to say!! ;A; an Anon requested this too so I just HAD to do it

Anon also thought a lava bath would be fun for the “bathing together” prompt and u’kno...anon was right (did u know pearls actually probably do have higher melting points than bismuths??? alskdjaf  s c i e n c e)

anyway enjoy <3

“Bathing Together” (Fluff Bingo!) + BisPearl | Read on AO3 |

Because touch and sensation have always been two separate things to gems, Pearl is not sure how Bismuth came up with the idea that the temple’s lava bath is “soothing.”

Pearl dips the tip of her foot into the boiling liquid and marvels at the way it sluggishly laps at her light. She can’t bring herself to classify this as experiential. Steven’s ukulele is soothing. Playing the bass is soothing. Winning a sparring match is soothing. When the two have never coincided and can never coincide for gems’ light-composed forms, how could something as tangible as a lava bath provide a modifiable experience?

Bismuth takes her hand.

“You don’t gotta jump in all at once,” Bismuth murmurs, a small smile on her face. The glow from the lava illuminates her hue into a soft, rosy grey. It warms her cool tones. “Take it slow.”

“I’ll have you know my boiling point is higher than yours.”

“Is it?”

Pearl smiles. She sits on the rim of the stone well, her eyes falling down to watch the way her thin legs kick back and forth in the lava. If she holds them up, it almost looks like her legs are floating. “Well, it depends on the pearl, but yes, I think it is.”

“Huh.”

Bismuth dips her chin to her chest. Her two broad arms rest along the curve of the well. Her left forearm settles comfortably behind Pearl. Pearl doesn’t know why her face is doing that funny ice-thing at the contact.

I don’t have nerve endings.

Why does she feel funny at Bismuth’s touch?

“I’m sorry?” Bismuth’s hesitant laugh interrupts Pearl’s train of thought, unless maybe it wasn’t so much that as a train of speech.

Pearl’s hands flutter to her mouth. “Oh. I’m--”

“--didn’t mean to say that out loud?”

“N-no.”

There’s another strange thing: the sensation in Pearl’s gut that swoops when Bismuth raises her brow. Or maybe it’s the downright sultry turn of Bismuth’s lips that does it. Whatever it is, these things are nonsensical: the reactions Bismuth manages to get out of her entirely composed of light being.

“How are you doing that?” Pearl asks. She fists her hands against her thighs.

“Doing what?”

The invisible question mark Pearl can practically see floating above Bismuth’s head is adorable. Does Bismuth really have no idea the effect she has on her?

Huh.

Pearl slips further into the lava pool. The burning red and yellow is supposed to be up to her collar, now; she knows that it is. She may not derive pleasure or pain from her light form but the liquid pressure of the lava surrounding her is satisfying, nonetheless. Or perhaps the fact that it is around her. Perhaps there is security in its closeness as it envelops her.

Pearl leans into Bismuth, pressing her shoulder against the side of Bismuth’s chest.

Just as she thought it would, Bismuth’s cheeks darken. “Pearl…”

“You’re right,” Pearl hums and smiles, pleased. “But it’s not the lava that is soothing.”

Bismuth laughs.

And though she doesn’t have lungs, her chest shakes with it.

Pearl leans her head on Bismuth’s shoulder and listens to the sound, letting the motions run through her. She thinks maybe she ought to admit that puzzling over the tangibility and intangibility of pleasure is pointless when pleasure-causing things aren’t necessarily physical.

Maybe it’s the simple joy of being that makes her feel so wonderfully happy.

Or maybe she owes it to someone who makes being happy so damn wonderful.

[suearthboundau]

a summary of the plot points would be appreciated!

alright so here’s the whole story:

the end of the current bit would’ve been that yellow n steven just get some time to interact

skip to a day or two later. blue is still mopey and depressed, peridot is getting frustrated w her and then lapis steps in like “i’ll talk to her”. she gives her a speech like “i know what it’s like getting stuck here and never being able to go home, it sucks and it’s miserable, but you have to snap out of it. earth can actually be pretty cool if you give it a chance.”

she takes her out on a walk in the countryside where she shows her the sights of earth, animals and nature and stuff. at first blue is really apprehensive and nervous but she slowly warms up to things and has a good time. her and lapis become friends.

blue comes out of her shell more. she gets really interested in animals and starts observing/studying them, she basically wants to keep anything she sees as a pet. her and lapis get tadpoles from a pond to keep as pets and they all have names and stuff. blue also gets interested in earth fashion since it’s nothing like the uniforms theyre all stuck with on homeworld.

yellow mainly grows close to steven since everyone else ignores her and blue tries to avoid her. she acts pleasant but is secretly trying to figure out how to escape. she never gets anywhere but comes to like steven bc hes genuinely nice and tries to make sure she’s happy and stuff. he brings books to educate her on earth, which she finds interesting, and they also play boardgames together.

lapis leaves about a week after the zircons arrive. pretty much the same as in the show, except blue tries to debate her into staying. when lapis says they can take the barn into space, she points out that 1) the tadpoles will die and 2) the barn is obviously an earth structure and stands out so homeworlders will easily spot them. but instead of convincing lapis to stay, she just flies off without the barn. so everyone remaining continues to live in the barn.

more character development and stuff yada yada. smaller fillery arcs. then one day a homeworld ship arrives at the barn, filled with quartz soldiers. they spot yellow, and yellow’s terrified they’ve come to arrest her but then they reveal they’re trying to rescue her. some of them free her from her cell, while the other quartzes find and bubble peridot and blue. yellow realises from what they’re saying that she was never a wanted criminal and that sapphire must’ve lied to her.

she pretends to play along with the quartzes and act nice. they ask if she knows where the other rebels are and she says yes. something wouldve happened previously so she knows where the crystal gems house is, she leads them to it. however when they arrive and the quartzes disembark, ready to fight the cgs, yellow stabs them in the back by destabilising their leader. the other quartzes are so shocked that they let their guard down, giving the cgs time to form alexandrite and effortlessly defeat them. they bubble all the quartzes and free peridot and blue.

garnet congratulates yellow and tells her she can be free now bc they know they can trust her. but yellow still doesn’t trust them, and only really likes steven. peridot and blue reform (new outfits yayy), and it’s decided that they should all stay at the temple instead of the barn because homeworld knows the barn is a base.

the plot kinda chills out after that big event. it’s mainly just character development stuff and characters growing closer to each other. all the peridot and steven episodes from canon happen off-screen or in the background bc the zircons have nothing to do with them. this is the maybe month or so before ASPR, where there’s no more major canon plot.

yellow gets a new outfit, whether it’s from having to reform or just deciding to change for fun. also the zircons move into the lighthouse, maybe with peridot. generally all i had planned for this was smaller, humour-based storylines. blue becomes more outgoing, yellow develops interests if her own and joins jamie’s acting club. the zircons still argue constantly but start to agree on a few things. like, they both like the same tv shows, they’re both crazy competitive rules lawyers with board games, and they both hate ronaldo, who comes up to their house to play lookout and constantly bothers them about “totally seeing aliens” in his telescope.

eventually they finally just talk things out, apologise to each other for all their grievances, and yellow admits that she’s actually happy living on earth with blue, and it feels more like home than homeworld did. and then they hug it out and fuse. we would’ve had a few comics here where i might’ve taken questions for green zircon. then she’d hear ronaldo coming up the hill to do lookout, panic, and unfuse.

they’d both go inside, do some stuff, then hear ronaldo freaking out outside about spotting a “real moon alien”. they’d just roll their eyes about it but he’d insist they come look. and then they’d see lapis on the moon. ronaldo runs off to get steven, while blue gets really excited that she might see her friend again. when steven goes up to the moon, she tags along. lapis still leaves again, and steven tells blue about his dream, causing her to go into Theorising Mode.

blue obsessively goes over the evidence while yellow teases her for being a crazy conspiracy theorist, and she figures out that pink diamond was rose quartz and cracks the whole mystery. then like 2 seconds later steven knocks on the door and sits them down to explain the whole story. he doesn’t even get to start saying anything before blue’s like “in a second, can i explain my thing first?” and basically explains to him everything he was about to tell them. and then stevens like “uh yeah u got it.” and blue gloats at yellow that she was right while yellow pretends not to care.

garnet has her wedding and the zircs go, yellow doesn’t really hate the cgs anymore but she doesn’t feel hella welcome around them but yeah she goes anyway everyone has a good time. the diamonds show up, pretty much the same as in canon, i hadn’t really figured any way the zircons might impact stuff as i couldn’t see them fighting. they’d probably just hide tbh.

when everyone goes to homeworld, yellow goes with them so she can visit her friends and tell them how she’s been. blue decides to stay on earth so she can catch up with lapis, and also bc there’s not really anything for her up there. pretty much the same as in canon, yellow is not invited to the ball and she doesn’t want to go bc it’s not her place, she splits from the squad and goes to the zircon quarters to chat with her friends. she would’ve changed back into her uniform.

so we’d basically just be following yellow and seeing what life on homeworld is like for a zircon, the living quarters etc etc. as well as the kind of friends she had and her old life and stuff. i had an idea that gems like zircons that access databases can basically connect to the homeworld internet, and yellow would’ve known when they were almost at homeworld bc she would’ve suddenly got three trillion notifications from all the texts people had been sending her trying to find out where she is.

we’d also go back to blue on earth. she’d chat with lapis and they’d reconnect, i’d also have lapis and peridot talk things out bc they left on a sour note. also bismuth would get to know blue bc they never met. then they’d get the steven message and go up into space to help. while everyone else is going to the diamond fight, blue would go to find yellow and make sure she’s safe. they’d meet up in the zircon quarters, check everything’s alright, and the other zircons would be like “um yellow why r u hanging out w that loser lol”. then the chapter would end with all the zircons noticing white diamond’s ship blushing and being like “wtf”.

there’d be an epilogue thing set at the little party that ended the season. i didn’t plan to go into the movie or SUF (the whole plot of the movie would just be the zircons hiding in their house going “wtf” at the giant injector planted right in front of it lol). i guess in SUF they’d just be living their best lives.

[remember-the-fanfics]

Don’t know if u have seen latest ep: will try not to be spoiler but wanted to put down idea for imagine before I forget. I’ve adored your Bismuth x Reader works and after Bismuth casual thought of soft angst. Gem!Reader arrives at rink to check in on Bismuth, sees everything that happens and decides that maybe, to make the gem she loved happy she needs to let her go instead of confessing (as she had planned to do soon). (Almost gives me Pearl Rose/Greg vibes but different as well). Thank you 😊

Another Love (Bismuth x Gem!Reader)

You noticed Bismuth growing crush on Pearl as time went on. But You always noticed things to late.

You had arrived at the skating rink, finally have the courage to tell her your feelings about her. She was with Pearl as that commercial, you knew that look in Bismuth's eyes. The ones that you would give her everytime she wasn't looking.

You sighed, decided it was better to leave things as is. Knowing it was for the best to stay and friends.

Since she loved another.

-

"You okay? Did you do what you wanted?" Asked Peridot, not knowing what you were up to.

"It didn't actually work out how I thought it would." You told her.

"You wanna hang out with us as we rewatch Camp Pining Hearts?" Asked Lapis.

"Of course." You said joining them, where they sat.

This wasn't the end, it was just the beginning.

[gronjon44]

SO I WATCHED THE STEVEN UNIVERSW FINALE

And since it's over, I'd like to give my final thoughts on most of the series, even Jasper now that I've seen how they ended her "arc".

I'm gonna list this in order of main characters, so this is concise.

Jasper-

I'm gonna get this out of the way now. Jasper was treated like actual shit and even I can see it. She got some redemption at the end I liked how they turned her into this trainer to help Steven deal with his anger. BUT I was hoping it would evolve and help Steven get through to her and make her open up. But instead she was shattered, turned into a Diamonds herald again, and then dismisses right at the end. I will respect Rebrccas decisions, but Jasper deserved much more then to be an emotional pin cushion for her poke into and never fix.

Garnet-

Garnet went though significant changes. She was very guarded in the begining, showing trust only between the gems really. But when she was split by Jasper she was forced to open up when Steven realized who she was. This opened the door to have her be more vulnerable, and strengthen her bond with Steven. And this went on throughout the series and I like how she was the first to initiate the hug that fixed Steven-Zilla (that's what I call him)

Amythest/Pearl-

I'm gonna lump these two together cause they kinda parallel each other, and you could fit Garnet with them you wanted to. Both Pearl and Amethyst were still caught up in the idea of Rose, and Amethyst never really knew Rose before so she always associated Rose as she was when she was born, Crystal Gem and a friend. She was also extremely immature, and I think that fed into Steven's immaturity, so she had to progressively get more adult and accept things were changing.

And Pearl was honestly a parallel of that, while also being an opposite. She did not relax, she was strict, she was secretive, and she had known Rose longest, as well as when she was still Pink. So she was caught up the most in the Gem Wars History. She had to open up the most and to learn to "live and let die" essentially. Or at least that's how I see it.

Peridot-

Peridot went through some of the most drastic changes. She was basically Spock from Star Trek, all logic and science, but more evil sociopath. But when Jasper was defeated, Peridot was left to her own devices and became a sort of Skeletor, plotting what she could do to defeat Steven and please Yellow. And it took her losing the status she wss given to figure out herself and be her own person (in her case litterally when her arms and legs were destroyed) She was able to separate herself from homeworld, and it took a long while for her to really become her own person.

Bismuth-

Bismuth wss someone I originally didnt care for at first glance. I understood her importance and wss ok with it. But when she first showed up I was fine with it. But when she was revealed to basically be a radical gem and Rose had to bubble her, I was hooked. And while her acceptance of Steven not only being Rose but also being Pink just seemed to quickly solved for me, I'll let it be.

Lapis-

Lapis is an anti hero who should not have just been accepted as fast as she was. I used to love Lapis and Lapidot, still kinda do.l, but looking at it now and what they did to Jasper as part of that, I cant ignore it. Yeah she grew as a person but it wasnt done properly. She almost killed Steven 3 times, broke Jasper emotionally with being a fusion for so long, and she never actually owned up to her faults I think. And her sudden reintroduction in the final battle of Homeworld and how she just, magically decided to be a better person felt forced. Just my own thoughts.

Diamonds-

Yellow remind me of the Dictator from the actual film Dictator , wanting to be better but treating it as face value. She is doing good but at litteral face value with changing a gems physical form. Blue to me is the same way, only trying to fix their in the moment emotional state. Honestly I think White was doing the most she could to help fix everything, since she was most at fault. She was letting herself become vulnerable to other gems to help them go through their problems and see themselves as they are, hopefully becoming better people. White in such a short time was doing more to help other gems then Yellow or blue.

Spinel-

Spinel got done dirty frankly. I love her inclusion in the end and I love her character, flaws and all, but they felt abandoned in the end. I'm assuming that Steven Universe Future takes place some months after the events of the film. MONTHS. The type of trauma and abandonment issues Spinel dealt with dont go away in sheer months, especially when it comes to 600 years worth of abandonment. And when she was with the diamonds she just seemed fine, devoid of any issues. She was hesitant to go with the Diamonds hell she openly denied Steven's immediate friendship offer and said "I need time to figure this out, and I cant do it here." I can't just accept that Spinel got through that as fast as she did, not without some underlying issues left over from her past. You cant change my mind on that sorry.

Greg-

Omg Greg my boi, I wanna give him a hug and hot chocolate. The idea he had a ruff childhood and felt he needed to leave how he did, and how his parents never actually responded to his letters, its heartbreaking and it shows why he raised Steven how he did. He had too many lmits and he wanted Steven to have none of those limits. And him being half Gem complicated it, making Greg unsure about hospitals, about traditional schools, it's why he just let the Gems take over as his "mother(s)" because he knew they could help. Of course that caused issues that cant be ignored. But it just shows you why he is the way he is. And it hurts it really does.

Everyone else-

No real comment on anyone else, Lars and Ssdie are both league's ahead of who they started as. The Off Colors are still a delight I wouldve loved more inclusion of them though, Onion and his family eh never cared much for them accept the mom cause she was awesome, no real thoughts.

Connie-

Connie is, a whole new person from who she once was. I think she, without Steven, wouldve become what Greg could've been. But Steven helped her, out of everyone, become something even better then who she was. And it even helped her parents become more open to both Steven as a person, and Connie as a growing person. I have no beef with her character development, she was done amazingly well.

And finally,

Steven -

Steven is... how should I put this, a mixed bag for me. While he most certainly grew as a person, mastered his powers and most of his responsibilities, I cannot say I like how he was treated this final season. Yes Steven Universe: Future was focused him moving on from the past, inevitable change, and learning things he never knew about before. Things felt too fast for him in that season, even if time was passing longer for him, it felt too short. His downfall from grace felt to sudden, his progression to becoming a sort of "Surogate Pink" was too jarring (still fun to watch I love the idea of it)

His training with Jasper even, yeah they played it out like he changed so fast, but THREE DAYS? In one episode? No I wouldve preferred he spend a month or so with Jasper, they show they're relationship, Jasper gets actual time to develop and become a character that we wanted her to become. Hell you could've still shattered her, and it wouldve made her becoming a diamonds herald again more heart breaking, and they could've spent time on helping her get over that mindset.

All in all, Steven's character development was fun, but left much to be desired.

All in all, while the series as a whole was enjoyable, it was by no means perfect. It had many ups, plenty of downs, and I think it's a good example what to do and what not to do when writing an growing narrative. Rebecca Sugar rushed Steven Universe: Future too fast, she left many ends open ended and unanswered, and I give the final season a 6 out of 10.

This is all personal preference so hey let me know if you disagree.

[change-your-mind-au]

Ch 15: The Explanation 

It was about 3am. Dr. Maheswaran was in a station area filling out some paperwork for a patient. She sighed as she finished it before straightening them up. She put them in a folder before looking at the time. 2:49am. Perhaps she should go check on Steven to see how he's doing.

"Dr. Maheswaran!" a voice called behind her.

She turned around to see Dr. Randy walked down the hallway to meet her.

"Oh, Dr. Randy hello."

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Well I just finished paperwork for Mr. Franklin. Now I'm going to go check on Mr. Universe."

"Isn't that the kid who was stabbed in the stomach?"

"Yea...he is."

Dr. Randy sighs. "It still baffles me who would do such a thing to a young boy."

"It's...complicated. Anyway, I should head to his room."

"Of course," Dr. Randy nods.

Dr. Maheswaran continued her way into Steven's room. She walked in to see Steven still lying unconscious in his bed. She sighed as she walked up to him to take some of his vitals before going to check on some of his paperwork. She couldn't help but think about what happened after Steven had his panic attack. Also how her daughter fled out of the room and how she had to comfort her afterwards.

Dr. Maheswaran walked out of the room to find her daughter. She wanted to see if her daughter was ok before going back to her work. As she walked down the hall, she found Connie in a small and empty waiting room. She was still shaking and continuing to cry, not aware of her mother in the room yet.

"Connie?"

Connie flinched slightly as she looked up at her mom, tear filled eyes widening in shock.

Mom! I...I-I'm really sorry I ran out like that! I...I just...I couldn't! I couldn't s-see him like that again!"

Dr. Maheswaran walked over and sat next to her daughter.

"Hey, it's ok. It's natural to be scared like that. Especially…" she stops and sighs. "Steven's father wasn't better off either. He was crying hysterically. I think Bismuth...her name was I think...had to hold him back and also comfort him. I couldn't help but empathize with him."

"What?" 

"Just...having to see your child like that. I couldn't imagine what would've happened if you were in Steven's position."

"But...I…"

"Don't get me wrong, Steven doesn't deserve to be in this position either. When you came to the hospital, I was relieved to see you were ok...well, physically. But I could tell mentally…" she sighs. "Let's just say I can empathize with Greg in terms of being a parent."

"Oh…" Connie looks back down. "I-I'm sorry…!

"Connie, none of this was your fault. You couldn't have known this would happen."

"Yea...but-."

Suddenly, Dr. Maheswaran pulled Connie into a hug.

"I...may not know exactly what you're going through or what you saw, but your father and I will be here for you."

Connie only stared in shock for a few seconds before giving in and crying her eyes out shaking and hugging her mother back. Dr. Maheswaran hugged her all the time Connie needed. She only wanted both Connie and Steven to get through this together.

Dr. Maheswaran was continuing to check some of Steven's paperwork. She was looking over and writing down on some of them. The only thing that was keeping the room from being quiet, was the sound of the heart monitor going off every 2 or 3 seconds. 

A little bit later, she finished writing the paperwork and went towards Steven to check on his vitals again. As she went to do so, Steven suddenly began to stir. She pulled her hand back a little as she witnessed this. Steven groaned and stirred for a few seconds before opening his eyes a little. 

He stared at the ceiling with glazed over drooped eyes. He looked exhausted and completely out of it as he stared at the ceiling. She looked at her watch for the time. 3:10am. She wasn't expecting him to wake up until at least later this morning. But that didn't matter.

"Steven?"

Steven's head tilted slightly towards her with his eyes half open. He only stared at her. Dr. Maheswaran sighs as her voice went more gentle.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

Steven only blinked at her as if he didn't hear her.

"Steven?" 

He once again blinked and stared at her for a few moments. After those few moments he spoke.

"C-Con'ie's...m-mooommmmm?" his voice was weak and slurred.

"Yes it's me," Dr. Maheswaran still spoke gently. "How are you feeling?"

Steven looked around for a moment before back at her.

"Ti'rrrrrdddd," he says back.

"I figured as much. Steven, do you remember anything from earlier?"

"Mmmm...r-remembbberrr n-not be'ng able t-to br'eaaatthhhhhh…"

"That's right."

Steven stares for a few seconds before his eyes widen slightly and starts trying to sit up.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Dr. Maheswaran was quick to grab his shoulders and gently lay him back down. "Don't sit up. You're still injured. You're under several sedatives so you would be more calm, but you could still get stressed." 

Steven glances down and lets out a sigh.

"I-I'm...s-sorrrryyyy...I d-d-didn't m-meaaannn to…"

Dr. Maheswaran shakes her head. "No it wasn't your fault. It was clear you weren't ready to hear information like that."

Steven looked down for a moment before looking back up at her.

"W-what...ha'ened to m-meeee? Y-you s'id I w-was in a...c-c-commmmaaa b-but...no'hing elssseee."

Dr. Maheswaran frowned as if debating rather to tell him everything that happened. She knew she couldn't wait too long to tell him, but she knew what his reaction would be. 

Then again, Steven was under a lot of medications that would keep him calm down...so if anything, Steven would less likely to have another panic attack once she told him what happened. She took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Ok, you deserve to know what happened. So...first off, do you remember anything that happened to you in the time of the incident?"

"U-ummm...th-the on'y thing I re-re-rememmmbbberrr, i-is the p'in sl-slightly a-annnnddd C-C-Conn'e...h-her f-face…"

Dr. Maheswaran looked at Steven and sighed.

"Yea...she was worried about you. Well, this isn't really an easy thing to say, but...your heart stopped on the way to the hospital."

Steven's eyes widened as his heart monitor spiked up slightly.

"W-wha?!"

"Hey hey, try and calm down, " she laid a hand on his shoulder, which thanks to the sedative, calmed him down almost immediately. "Bismuth and Connie helped restart your heart. It was stopped for a few minutes so there wasn't any lasting damage to your brain. However, your heart...did stop two more times during a 10 hour surgery…"

Steven's eyes widen again looking a little freaked out, but the sedative didn't allow him to freak out too much.

"H-how...h-h-how l'nngggg was I o-o-ooouuutttt?"

She sighs. "3 months."

"W-what?! But….but…"

"That's everything you need to know in terms of your state. Your father has been by your side mainly everyday since he was allowed to see you."

"I-I'm s'rry…I didn't me'n toooooo-."

"Don't be. This isn't your fault. What's important now is that you're awake and now you can properly recover."

"I c-c-can heaaalllll m'self…"

"I don't think your healing powers can fully heal this. The damage was pretty severe. Besides, the wound was pretty close to your wound, so your gem might've taken some damage even though it wasn't damaged physically."

"B-but I-."

"Steven…" Dr. Maheswaran sighs. "I just don't want you rushing this recovery even if your...gem powers somehow managed to heal your wound. Your body has been through a lot of trauma already as it is."

"B-but…"

Steven's eyes began to droop again as it looked like he was fighting to stay awake. Dr. Maheswaran noticed this and frowned.

"You can use more rest through."

"...'m…'m f'ne…"

"Steven, please just get some more rest. We can talk more about this later. Your father isn't the only one who's worried about you, you know."

Steven only stared at Dr. Maheswaran for a few seconds before his body gave out on him and forced him to fall back asleep. Dr. Maheswaran sighed as she rubbed Steven's forehead.

"You may not be my son, but I care about you like you are. Just please try to take time with this recovery alright?"

She sighs as she finishes her paperwork and leaves the room. She knew when she gets back for her next shift, she'll have a lot more to do with Steven.

[captainillogical]

Devil’s Ballroom Ch.4

A year after the events from the earth’s final attack, Little Homeworld is finally complete, and there’s a new jazz bar where gems and humans mingle and drink. - As you’re typing back a reply, someone pulls the stool out next to you and takes a seat. You see a sliver of pink out of the corner of your eye as you try not to actually Look. Oh god. It’s her. God can’t help us now.

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants

    The man turns to look at you. “The fuck? Why’re you in the men’s room?” He says, slurring his words a bit, and putting up a hand to brace his weight against the nearest wall. He fucking reeks of liquor that you can smell from here, and his hair is slightly disheveled.

“I’m not in the men's room. You're in the ladies' room," You say, boldly. You feel the alcohol you’ve consumed making its way to your head, and the words flow out of your mouth freely. "And if you don't mind, I'll be leaving." You move to step past him and towards the door. As soon as your fingertips brush the door handle though, a hand shoots out and grabs you by the wrist, stopping you. You freeze.

"You are such a rude bitch, you know that?" He says, pushing himself away from the wall and facing his body towards you. You try and pull your arm away from him, but his grip is tight. What the fuck? You're going to snap this bastard's neck.

"Let go of my arm." You say, livid. You can see his eyes boring into you. He looks down at your collarbone and breasts, his eyes moving all over any patch of bare skin you just happen to be showing tonight. You feel exposed in the worst way possible. Trying to move your arm out of his grip again, you feel his fingers tighten ever so slightly.

"Girls like you, you think you can just get whatever you want by dressing like that and going to a bar," He says, spitting a little and glaring at you. 

"I'm not TRYING to do anything, let my arm go you bastard-" you get cut off as he tugs you forward, he's now only inches from your face and the smell of musty cigarettes and shitty vodka hits your senses. It's utterly revolting, and you hold back gagging visibly. You hear noise coming from outside the bathroom.

"You are taking an awwwfully long time in there, Y/N.” You hear Spinel say from behind you as she’s opening the door. She audibly stops. “What the fuck is going on here?” 

    Before you can even attempt to comprehend what is going on, you hear an extremely loud THUD on the opposite side of the bathroom and you feel as though you are launched several feet forward. You feel yourself squished against something and open your eyes to see something shiny. Spinel is holding you against herself, a single arm wrapped around you. Her other arm is comically stretched out and her fist is huge, holding your harasser against the now damaged wall. 

"You think you can just waltz right into the ladies room? Here? In this bar? You're stupider than ya’ look." She says, and tightens her grip around you. Ohhh my god, you’re such a useless lesbian, because you can feel her breast pressed against your arm and you’re trying SO HARD to not have an internal meltdown right now. You steel your face and try your best to dull your heart beats, because they’re currently Very Loud. Fuck. You hear the man whimper. “I thought I told ya to Leave. My. Friend. Alone.” She enunciates each word clearly, and angrily.

“Look, I don’t want no trouble..” You can hear him say, barely.

“You don’t want ‘no’ trouble?” She says, openly mocking him. “Shoulda thought about that before you came in here!” You hear the door slam open again, and can make out two pairs of feet running in.

“Spinel! We heard a loud noise! You guys okay??” Bismuth rushes over to the two of you, looking very concerned. She notices you in Spinel’s arms, and then the man Spinel is currently holding against the wall. “What happened!?” Lapis is standing next to Bismuth with her hands on her hips, and she looks pissed about the wall damage. Oops.

“This guy here,” Spinel shakes him a bit, and some of the wall crumbles around him onto the floor. You are trying and failing at not looking at Spinel’s gem. It glimmers every time she moves, and it sits perfectly right in between-. You look away before anyone catches you. “Came into the ladies room to harass a girl alone. I stopped him.” 

“Y/N? You okay?” Bismuth asks.

“Yeah. Was just surprised.” You say, like you’re not a complete disaster. 

“I’m just glad no one got hurt.” Bismuth says, and starts walking over to the trapped man. She nods to Spinel, who then slowly lets the man drop into Bismuth’s hold. She lifts him up by his armpits.. kind of like a child. You hold back a laugh. Bismuth holds him out in front of her, and squints at him. “And you.. You sir, broke like, 4 house rules. I’m gonna have to make you leave.” She makes her way over to the door with the man in tow, flopping him over her shoulder. Lapis turns to glare at the wall (and all of its damage), and then at Spinel, and turns to leave.

"We'll talk about this later." Is all she says, as the door closes behind her. 

    It is now so quiet in here that you could hear a pin drop. Spinel is still holding you, and you can hear her breathing ever so softly. “U-um,” You attempt to find your voice.

“Oh! Whoops,” She quickly drops her arm from holding you, and visibly deflates a little in relief. “I was so caught up that I..” She trails off, and her gaze makes its way over to your face. Her pink irises find yours. “I’m just glad you’re actually okay.”

“Me too.” You say, rubbing the side of your arm absentmindedly, still feeling a bit warm where she was touching you. Spinel notices your arm movement.

“Did I hurt you just then? I’m so sorry, I-”

“No, I’m fine.” You cut her off. “Still trying to wrap my mind around all of that. It just happened all so quickly.” You lie. You’ve dealt with worse men, in worse situations. This wasn’t something you couldn’t have handled yourself, if it got to that. She just didn’t need to know that you were having an internal gay crisis over being manhandled by a pretty girl. Alien. Whatever. “And thank you. For saving me, I mean. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come in, just then. Seriously, his breath smelled so bad.” You give her a warm, earnest smile. “I would have done that for anyone, and besides,” You watch her cheeks turn pink as she shrugs. “Someone else was trying to talk to me while you were gone, and I wasn’t really feeling it, and you were taking forever..” She crosses her arms over her chest, angling her face away from you. Is she trying to hide the fact that she’s blushing? Holy shit she’s so cute. You find yourself embarrassed to admit that you’re completely enthralled with this pink alien. In a bathroom.

    Story of your life really.

“So.. you came in here because you missed me?” You say, grinning, and wink at her.

“No! Not at all.” She denies a little too quickly. You suddenly want to make a hobby out of teasing her. “A-anyway, let’s just go back out if you’re finished in here?” You take a moment to look around at the bathroom. It’s destroyed. They will have to re-tile that entire wall.

“Yeah, I’m done here anyway.” You say as you move past Spinel towards the door. You grab the brass handle and pull open the door, holding it for Spinel to come out of the bathroom as well. 

    Outside, the entirety of the bar is still pretty lively. A few people have left as it’s nearing 11, but there’s a good 40-50 people still around. You see a rowdy group of young women laughing and swatting each other playfully while they watch a handsome blond man play a ballad. There’s quite a few spaces open up now at the counter. You don’t see Bismuth there, though. You look around and spot her at the entrance, talking to Lapis and the bouncer. Probably making sure that guy never comes in again, you think. You make your way back over to your previous spot, and Spinel follows you. Once the both of you sit down, you pull out your phone, and open up the right application.

“I hope your beer is still cold.” Spinel says to you as you swipe past a couple messages, getting to the bottom of the group chat.

“It better still be.” You take a swig, and make a face. It’s.. drinkable, you guess. “Also, it’s cider, not beer. I can’t for the life of me stand the taste of beer, it always tastes like shit. Don’t even get me started on IPAs.” You reply to your friends without reading half of the stupid shit they must’ve said while you weren’t paying them any attention.

    Y/N: I was attacked in the bathroom. Wild day, I know.

    Alex: it fucking serves him right to be honest

    Alex: lil bastard had it coming

    Alex: so now my brother cant look at sonic the same ever again

    Alex: w

    Alex: awrfawefaffasdfa

    Alex: WHAT

    Harper: What!? Are you okay????

    Alex: the fucking alien!!!!!!!! i knew it!!!!!

    Alex: she fucking attacked u in the bathroom when u were alone!!

    Alex: she saw her window of opportunity

    Alex: and POUNCED

    Alex: im sorry that ur dead now

    Y/N: I’m fine. The “alien” was actually the one that saved me.

    Y/N: And her name’s Spinel, you shitlord. Have some class.

    Alex: no

    Alex: and make me

    Harper: can’t tell him to have what he’ll never grasp. ;)

    Harper: i’m glad you’re okay though. <3

    Harper: what exactly happened?

    Alex: fuck you

    Harper: no thanks. i know im bi, but even i have standards.

    Y/N: There was this guy that harassed me over drinks earlier, right?

    Y/N: Spinel actually told him off after he wouldn’t leave me alone the first time.

    Y/N: And then, when I went to the bathroom, he came IN.

    Y/N: He literally fucking grabbed my arm ya’ll I was mad af. The audacity.

    Y/N: So then Spinel comes in and punches him against the wall??

    Y/N: Like she killed the wall. Guy was fine. They kicked him out.

    Alex: damn

    Harper: i’m glad she was there to save your ass since i couldn’t be.

    Harper: and what did we learn today Y/N???

    Harper: you go out with US and not ALONE.

    Y/N: Bitch you left me to be across the country for summer. I have new friends now.

    Alex: oh so im chopped liver now huh

    Alex: one sexy murderous alien saves u and now ur too good for us

    Alex: im telling ur fuckin dad

    Y/N: NO.

    Y/N: YOU WOULDN’T.

    Alex: tee hee

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve only ever had whisky.” She replies, taking a drink. You set your phone down for a second.

“I’d offer for you to try mine, but this isn’t in ideal shape.” She raises one of her eyebrows. “It’s a bit warm.” You look at the bottle with slight disdain. “And this isn’t even a great one, regardless. There’s a few better tasting, actually.. you should try those sometime.” “With you?” She says with a questioning look on her face.

“I, um.” You look at her. “I was going to give you a list of suggestions, but if you wanted to drink with me again, we could do that too.” You say as you wiggle your eyebrows at her. She flushes red immediately.

“I wasn’t trying to impose, I just thought-”

“I’m just teasing. But.. if you do want a friend to drink with, I’m all yours.” You say, leaning on your left hand that's on the counter. “It’s not like I’m busy aside from work, anyway.” She’s staring at you with an expression you’re unfamiliar with, which is either longing, or concern. 

“I might take you up on that offer. I don’t have any human friends aside from Steven, and he’s only half.”

“And upon your general pool of human specimens, I’m your best choice?” You say and laugh. She gives you an exhausted look, which makes you laugh even more. “You got a phone?” You ask her, and take another sip. She reaches behind herself and pulls her phone out of her back pocket. 

“Steven gave me his old one a few weeks ago, I just don’t use it much.” You nod and take the phone from her hand. She doesn’t notice that you make sure your hand touches hers on purpose. You tap her phone open, and go to her contacts. And maybe, just MAYBE, you add a heart next to your name cheekily when you add it to her contacts. You text yourself a quick :).

“I added myself to your contacts. You should text me sometime. I also have your number now, too.” You hand her phone back to her. You grab your phone off the counter and the words “her smexy alien” are displayed on the lockscreen. You swiftly turn the screen back off, and down the rest of your nasty ass drink. Fucking christ, why are your friends like this.

“Hey. Spinel.” You turn to the voice in front of you. It’s Lapis. Her full attention was on the gem next to you.

“Yes?” Spinel says. She also downs the rest of her drink.

“You gonna pay for that wall, or what?” Lapis asks, leaning on the counter. She seems tired.

“I did do the damage, so I will, but I seriously think you should try to make that guy pay for this.” Spinel sighs. Lapis considers her for a second.

“We’ll see.” She says, and shrugs. She looks at you. “You want another one of those?” “Yes please.” You say. This will be your last, you think. It’s late. She opens the bottle for you, and swaps it with the empty one in front of you. 

“Yes, I will also take another one.” Spinel says to Lapis.

“I wasn’t going to ask you,” Lapis replies, and Spinel gives her a comically grave expression. “But since you insist, I guess I just might.” She smiles a little. She grabs a new glass, sets it on the counter, and plunks an ice cube into it. Then she grabs a brown bottle behind her, and pours Spinel another drink. She winks at Spinel as she grabs for the used glass. She walks away to a further sink, and starts helping a couple of other patrons who look like they’re about to head out.

“Sometimes, I don’t get her, but for the most part I like her. We both have problems.” Spinel says while watching Lapis from across the bar. She takes a long drink. You think fuck it, and do the same. 

“She reminds me of my cat, if I’m going to be honest.” You say, “Kind of moody, but still wants you to know that it’s there, and it exists.” 

“What’s a cat?” Spinel asks innocently. Your jaw drops.

"You don’t know what a cat is!?” You say, almost offended. You unlock your phone and go to your gallery, searching for your cat pics. You find one of the more recent ones of Jellybean, enlarge it, and show it to the gem. “This is Jellybean. She’s fluffy, stupid, and almost set herself on fire last week, true story.” Spinel eyes your phone screen.

“Oh, those things! I’ve seen them a few times, but they never let me near them.” She says, maybe a bit mournfully. “They look soft.” 

“They are.” You grin. “I should let you meet her sometime. She loves people. She’ll drool on your shoes though, so be careful. She’s a total weirdo.” Spinel looks at you like she’d actually love that. You feel like maybe you underestimated how alcohol would hit you tonight, because you feel it coming to you very quickly.

“I’d love to meet her. I don’t get out much, honestly. I’m still trying to find a balance in my daily life. Steven’s worried that I’ll.. I don’t know.” She shrugs, swirling the drink in her glass. Bismuth walks over to the two of you, grabbing several used glasses on the way and dropping them into a nearby sink.

“Y/N, I’m sorry about what happened to you earlier. Stuff like that never really happens here.” She says to you while making herself busy wiping down the counter. “And Spinel, seriously. Thanks for stepping in.” Spinel gives a noncommittal grunt in reply.

“Bis, if I were even as half as beefy as you are, that wouldn’t have been a problem. I’d dare him, actually.” You say, and finish your drink. You regret it a little, but Papa didn’t raise no quitter and you’ll learn your life lessons eventually. In the meantime, you just feel pleasantly drunk.

“Aw, shucks, Y/N. You’re so kind.” She chuckles and flexes a little. “I have enough muscle for the both of us.” She wipes down Spinel’s side of the counter, and takes the cash handed to her by the couple next to the two of you as they get up to leave.

“Ughhhhh.” Spinel says, slouching on her stool. “I need to walk home soon.. ‘gotta long day tomorrow.”

“You live close?” You ask her.

“Kind of. It’s on the opposite side of little homeworld, and a nearly 30 minute walk.”

“Are you sure you’re sober enough to make it all the way home by yourself?” You grin, teasing her. “You’re not gonna get like, 10 minutes into the walk home and pass out in a bush somewhere?” “No, I’m fine. I should be good enough for the walk.” She says while giving you a half-baked glare, and attempts to get up from her stool, albeit very wobbly. She stumbles a bit.

“Well, I was going to head out soon too.” You say, nodding at Bismuth that you’re ready to pay your tab. She makes her way over to you once she hands back the couple’s change to them.

“You guys good?” She asks. You nod in response.

“Yeah, gonna call it a night though,” you grab your card out of your wallet, and feel a little generous. Maybe a bit ballsy, too. You hand it over to Bismuth, who takes it. “For both tabs, please.” Spinel looks absolutely admonished and is about to argue, so you cut her off. “It’s thanks for earlier. Don’t argue with me.” She shuts her mouth promptly, and Bismuth laughs.

“I like that you two get along well. Warms my heart.” She says, looking at the two of you while working the register. She hands you back your card and the receipt slip.

“Oh, shut up.” Spinel glares. Bismuth just laughs at her and walks away. You put your things back into your bag, and regard Spinel. “Well, I’m off. You should message me soon, and we could hang out.” You say, and turn to move when Spinel takes a single step forward, and slips onto the floor with a loud crash. You look at her, and cannot help laughing.

“OW.” She exasperatedly sighs. You lean down and give her your hand, which she stares at for a second longer than necessary, and then grabs to pull herself up with. 

“Drunker than you thought, huh.” You say, giving her a smug look. You’re drunk yourself, but at least you know what you’re all about.

“Maybe,” She says, dusting off her pants and straightening herself back out. “Maybe I shouldn’t have ordered that last drink.” You still feel ballsy, and maybe a little courageous when you have a particular thought that you verbalize before actually considering in your mind. “Wanna come home with me?” You blurt out. She stares at you blankly for a second, and then her entire face flushes. “Not like that,” You quickly backpedal. “My place is about 10 from here. You can crash on my couch? And meet my cat.”

“I’d love to meet your cat.” She’s smiling, and she looks eager. Or drunk.

“Alright, let’s go then.” You say before you can think any better of it. If your father or friends knew.. Oh my god, your father and friends CAN’T know. Your friends would laugh forever, and what would your dad think!? ‘Chill dad, it’s no biggie, just gonna show this ex-bloodthirsty gem our cat. except she’s cute and cool and nice now’ You give silent thanks to whatever gods are out there that your dad didn’t come home tonight.

    You both meander your way outside of the bar, where the air is still thick with heat and humidity. A slight breeze rolls by, but it isn’t enough to cool your skin where you have already started to feel yourself sweating. You like summer, but hate nights like this. You’re both walking side by side, passing by houses and businesses alike, when she stumbles on a sidewalk crack and nearly topples you over. You catch her by both arms to steady her, impressing even yourself.

“Thanks,” She says and pushes some of her fringe out of her eyes to look at you. “You know.. you’ve been really nice this entire night. Humans haven’t been particularly cruel to me, all things considered.. but I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.” You keep walking with her.

“Well, you didn’t murder me like my friends thought you would, so tonight’s not a total bust.” At that, she laughs very loudly and openly. It’s a nice sound.

    Maybe it’s the warm night, or the alcohol in the both of your systems, but the flush on her cheeks makes your heart feel as bright as the gem on her chest, sparkling in the streetlights.

[i-lost-my-heart-in-republic-city]

answer all the questions in that ask thing, or go through it and just answer all the ones u rlly rlly want to

Sorry this took so long, but you asked for all of them and Iam very emotional.

1.  What episode of Steven Universe got you hooked on the show?

I started watching shortly after Jailbreak came out so I’m not sure if I can pinpoint exactly where I got hooked, but I think it was around Coach Steven of Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem when it really got me. Although, I will say when Sworn to the Sword came out, that’s really when I knew this was it for me. 

2. Are you the type to watch episodes as they air, or do you just get your fill of Steven Universe online?

I tried to live watch episode premieres as much as I could, or watch them the day they were posted online by CN. I really tried to make an event out of them, and I’m glad I did. 

3. What’s your favorite quote out of the entire show?

It’s really hard to pick just one. Maybe “You have to be honest about how bad it feels, so that you can move on.” - Connie in Mindful Education. Really feeling that one right now. 

4.In what ways has Steven Universe inspired you? 

I really feel like it has inspired me to live. I havestruggled with depression and anxiety since a young age, so it can be hard todo that. Steven Universe gave me something to look forward to, made the world abetter place. When I was hurting it provided me with comfort and happiness. Thereisn’t another show out there that’s like it for me.

5. Has Steven Universe actually taught you lessons?

Yes, oh god yes. It has helped me to be more honest withmyself and with others. I don’t think I would’ve come out to my family if itweren’t for this show. Over the years, it has really helped me to learn to letgo of shame, and guilt, and self-hatred I had carried around for so long. I wouldn’tbe the person I am today without this show.

6. Favorite character design and why?

I really liked Garnet’s wedding outfit, mixing both the gownand tux. I’m a big Garnet/Rupphire stan and it was just great to see them embracethe queerness of the whole situation, and that it was love, something to becelebrated.

7. Has the show ever gotten an intense emotional reactionout of you? (ex - crying, fear, anger)

I’m crying right now about it, does that answer yourquestion?

8. Do you associate any songs with any characters in StevenUniverse?

I associate Can’t Hold Me by Emily King with Stevonnie becauseit was used in that episode, and I love Stevonnie.

9. Gush about your all-time favorite episode real quick.Just go on a long, rambling tangent about how much you love it. Do it. We’relistening.

For the series proper, it’s Reunited. I love that episode somuch and it makes me cry every time I watch it. Growing up I fell into the ‘notlike other girls’ phase because I was not interested in love and romance likeall my friends seemed to be, and I had no desire to go on dates with guys. Irealize now that I rejected these things because they didn’t fit me. I didn’t wantto be with a guy, and never saw myself in any of the traditional media. Ireally am a bit of a hopeless romantic though. Now that I am more confident inmyself, and understand my feelings better, I’ve really gotten to enjoy thispart of myself.

Ruby and Sapphire are the first couple I really got to experiencethis with, seeing them being cute and together and in love, and the wedding isthe accumulation of all of that. Getting to see these two women in love witheach other celebrate that love as the beautiful thing it truly is means theworld to me. After years of watching this show and growing with it, this episodewas the moment were I finally let go of all my self-hatred for being queer. I justknew in my soul that every hateful thing I had heard or been told about beingqueer was wrong, and that this was the truth, love was the truth. It wasn’tsomething instantaneous, it was something I had been working towards for years,but this episode marked the turning point for me.

10. Gush about your all-time favorite SU character realquick. Just go on a long, rambling tangent about how much you love them. Do it.We’re listening.

I already gushed about Ruby/Sapphire/Garnet a little, solets do Pearl. I just love how even after all she’s been through, she is stillsuch an independent spirit. I know her whole past with Pink/Rose wascomplicated but she still isn’t here to let anyone tell her what to do. She’ssmart, and creative, and resourceful, and goofy and she knows these things butshe also has a lot of self-doubt and seeks validation from others. I relate.But she worked through those things and is in a better state now. Even thoughshe still hurts and is still dealing with the trauma, she is so much better.

I also really relate to how she feels about loving someoneand them not feeling the same way/it not working out. As much as I love Rubyand Sapphire’s relationship, I also think I need Pearl. She defined herself forso long by her relationship but she is her own amazing person. Growing up, Isaw many messages about not letting a relationship with a boy define you. Butwhat about a relationship with a girl? I think there can be so much pressure toprove that you’re really gay by always being in that kind of relationship. ThatI’m not truly queer because of my lack of experiences with women. But that isn’ttrue. Being queer is a part of who I am and that doesn’t change just because Iam or am not in a relationship. My feelings can still be an important part ofme without having to define me by my relationship status, just like Pearl.

11. What fusions do you want to see in the show, and whowould you like them to be voiced by?

I would probably most like to see a fusion of Steven andLapis. Her only experience with fusion was her toxic relationship with Jasper.So I would really like her to have a positive experience with fusion, based ofthe friendship and love she and Steven have for each other. I have no idea whowould voice them though.

12. Which episode do you think has the best aesthetics?

I mean Steven’s fusion dance in Change Your Mind isabsolutely gorgeous. James Baxter ain’t a legend for nothing, and I’m gladRebecca held on to that favor from him. Just everything, Connie’s little walkback, the way White Diamonds eyes open, its all wonderful.

13. List any headcanons you have about any characters.

Pearl is in a happy polyamorous relationship with Bismuth,Volleyball, and Amethyst.

14. Favorite arc out of the show? Why?

The Wedding Arc for reasons I’ve already talked about above,but also Diamond Days because it was everything the whole series was buildingtowards. Just the whole message about how systems hurt people who are deemed ‘different’but that there is hope for a better future with compassion and love, and notbeing afraid to share your feelings is something I really needed.

15. Have you ever made any jokes based on the show? Whichones were the funniest?

So many. One of my most popular was this post from way backwhen in early 2016. 

Want a joke for the final? Maybe the real treasure insideRose’s chest was the friends we made along the way.

16. Most misleading episode summary of all time?

I know people freaked out about Rocknaldo because cartoonnetwork promoted it by advertising the appearance of a new gem. I mean, youcould argue technically it was true because Ronaldo made a gemsona, but that isdefinitely not what people took it to mean. I wasn’t really buying it though,cause the title was Rocknaldo. People hate on that episode and I think it’sbecause of the false advertising. It’s really funny though and has one of thebest jokes. “Rock people. They’re putting fluoride in the water supply- Whatthe-They hate men?!”

17. Has Steven Universe inspired any creative ideas ofyours?

I rewrote sleeping beauty but with lesbians because of thisshow. Does that count?

18. If you are a fanartist, which SU character is theeasiest for you to draw?

Not a fanartist, but Amethyst is the easiest for me to drawbecause she’s basically just circles.

19. If you are a fanartist, which SU character is thehardest for you to draw?

Maybe White Diamond, because she’s so detailed. Also, I strugglewith Pearl’s nose lol.

20. If you are a fanfic writer, which SU character is theeasiest for you to write?

Not really a fanfic writer, but Ruby and Sapphire maybebecause I’m gushy like that.

21. If you are a fanfic writer, which SU character is thehardest for you to write?

Jasper. I have a complicated relationship with her, but Iloved her in Future.

22. Have ever practiced voice acting using SU characters? Ifso, which character can you do the most successful impression of?

I don’t practice voice acting, but I do mimic lines from theshow. I think I sound most like White Diamond, hoo boy.

23. Have you ever sang along to SU songs? Which one is theeasiest for you to sing along to?

All the time, in the car, in the shower, around my house. Myfavorite is Here Comes a Thought, because it just helps me so much with myanxiety. The Tale of Steven and Let Us Adore You are definitely in the sweetspot of my vocal range though.

24. Have you ever imagined any of the human characters asgems?

Not really, I’ve more so imagined the gems as humans.

25. Are you big on AUs? Have you created anyyourself?

I like human gem AUs and college AUs.

[saltwatersweets]

What I Want from SUF

Another Lars/Sadie kiss. Please I'll give you my firstborn Rebecca I beg of you

On a similar note, Connverse fluff (I feel like Steven going over to her house for a playdate and hanging out with the Mahaesharens would be amazing)

L a p i d o t f u s i o n 

Eyeball/Jasper redemption arc. They're both interesting characters that I want to see turn good. I especially hope that the Eyeball/Aquamarine fusion would have something similar to Peridot in s2, where they don't necessarily like each other but have to work together for a common goal and eventually begin to at least tolerate each other

A reason why Jasper still hates Steven? He's technically her Diamond, maybe she's angry at him because she thinks he took Pink away?  That could lead to some interesting parallels between Jasper and Pearl (I'm pretty sure that Rose’s Scabbard showed that s1 Pearl had some deeply hidden resentment towards Steven because she thought it was his fault Rose was gone, and while she doesn't feel that way anymore, it was still an issue she had for thirteen years)

PINK PEARL BACKSTORY PINK PEARL BACKSTORY PINK PEARL BACKSTORY PINK PEARL BA

M o r e S p i n e l

Plea se in love my pink spaghetti noodle I need to see her be ha p py 

Whatever happened to that Jade fusion from Together Alone? The two Zircons? The rest of the forced Gem shard fusions? Please I need to know

WHAT DOES BEING HARVESTED MEAN I’VE HAD THIS QUESTION FOR YEARS

Rose Quartz Gems Rose Quartz Gems Rose Quartz Ge

Give Steeb a Nap

Please Crewniverse it's what he Deserves

How are Lapis and Peridot reacting to Pumpkin being gone? And as a matter of fact, I'm sure Bismuth (who has likely been hanging around the two for at least a year) and Steven (who was really sad when a Watermelon Steven he'd known for one day died) are pretty sad about this too. How did all of them feel? Maybe this'll be answered in the snowed in episode

More Greg and Steven moments. The two have such an amazing relationship and I think that's beautiful 

No really Greg is the father everyone both needs and deserves

As a matter of fact, I genuinely want Steven, Connie, Amethyst, Peridot, and Spinel to be pals. The five have probably the most childlike personalities; you CANNOT tell me they wouldn't recreate vines or get into shenanigans. You absolutely cannot

I high-key want the corrupted Steven theory to be true but like,,, I will prepare myself to be disappointed 

Still a great way to explain corruption a bit more and to tie things together 

Like actually how amazing would it be if everyone Steven’s bent over backwards to help helped him in the end,,, I just

Please

The last scene of the second to last episode is them all by a campfire like in the intro, paralleling Change Your Mind

And finally the most important thing…

TIMESKIP CONNVERSE WEDDING

LAPIS CREATES A REALLY COOL ICE SCULPTURE AND BISMTUH CREATES A REALLY COOL NORMAL SCULPTURE (maybe a sword and shield with a heart in between it? Please? Please please please please)

Literally the entire universe and all of Beach City shows up; almost every single Gem is crying (not from Blue’s aura, although she's crying too)

I headcanon that Pearl is a really good cook even though she doesn't like eating, so she and Lars would make a really neat looking cake with pink and blue frosting

Amethyst winds up eating half of it and the table it's on. No one questions it anymore. Steven and Connie absolutely stuff cake in the other's faces. It's canon I said so

Onion hasn't aged at all. Goodness knows what he is at this point

There's a lot of dancing, and Steven asks Garnet if it was as great as hers. She says it's better, considering it wasn't crashed by a huge fight with two god-like beings, with a glare and Yellow and Blue. They have the decency to look sheepish, at the very least

Sadie Killer and the Suspects would absolutely sing at this wedding (probably Let Me Drive My Van into Your Heart letsbe honest), no I will not accept constructive criticism because it is not needed

The episode ends with them taking a picture in front of the ocean with everyone in it. Spinel uses her stretchy limb ability to snap a photo, and it pans out and the screen fades to black.

“Thank you for watching Steven Universe Future” shows up at the end of the credits, and a softer version of “We Are the Crystal Gems” plays

The sounds of pretty much every fan sobbing because it's over (isn't it) fills the Earth

Okay this last episode really got into fanfiction territory, so much so that I kinda wanna write about it

[echotunes]

I’m watching the Steven Universe movie

Here’s my thoughts as I go along!!

singing!! pretty!! AND THOSE VISUALS!! stunning

i don’t care if she’s been reformed white diamond still looks terrifying

STEVEN!! AGED!!

hIS VOICE!!

sorry diamonds but this is actually super creepy?? don’t do that??

s p a ce. pretty.

CONNIE!!

cool warp lab?? can i have this behind my house??

i love connie’s outfit h

I FORGOT ABOUT SADIE’S BAND!!

jlkfsljdkskj steven’s so t a l l

chEEK KISS??

s O N G!!

“nothing to fear, no one to fight” yeah no that’s not how this works

*casually floats onto bed* JSJLFJS I WANNA DO THAT

“happily ever after” again, no

smol steven flashbacks!!

LION!!

PEARL!! SINGING!! HELL YEAH!!

look at past pearl being gay. yeah. do that twirl. hell yea.

I FORGOT ABOUT LARS’S HAIR BEING A PORTAL NOW JKSJLKFLSK

G ARNET!!

I HEARD THOSE STRONGER THAN YOU NOTES IN THE BACKGROUND

excuse me did she just say “little homeworld”?? i love it

BISMUTH

PERIDOT!! AND LAPIS!!

yeah that’s what you wish steven. but nope, this is a movie, so y’all are gonna get into more trouble

INTRO PARALLELS??

harmonisation babey!!

what did he just do to that flo-- oh that’s nice!! please just go around spitting on tree stumps from now on

oh shit here we go

i’m sorry but that silhouette looks like a mr mime

gUYS DON’T JUST STAND THERE R U N

exactly

i’m sorry but who the hell uses “gee” and “swell”

also this song is a 🅱️op

hey binch leave them alone??

pearl stop being cryptic just tell us who the hell she is

UM/?? BITCH WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?? YOU CAN’T JUST SLICE THEM IN HALF LIKE THAT?? B I N C H??

she’s really just doing a sonic neutral-B now

let greg say shit 2019

“well son, now you know how i feel almost all the time :)” GREG THAT’S CONCERNING BUT ALSO A MOOD

nope pearl is gonna come back all weird i can tell

“please identify yourself” oH NO DOES THIS MEAN SHE WAS RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS OR SOMETHING

OH NO SHE W A S

oh no oh no oh no ruby’s gonna be back to factory set-- SO IS SAPPHIRE THIS IS SO BAD G A R N E T

“i know you will” jksdfkskj please tell me sapphire remembers?

“that’s why i predict you won’t last more than a day” n O

“except an amethyst is big and strong” JKSKFKLSK PEARL THAT’S NOT AN OK THING TO SAY

“something is clearly wrong :)” YOU FUCKIN THINK

oh god oh no oh fuck here she comes

ok i know this is probably supposed to be good but i do not like her

please tell me those binoculars are ronaldo with his kEeP bEaCH cItY wEiRD thing

oh it’s peridot that’s also good

them all discussing how long it took to stop wanting to kill steven jskfklsjklsjkl reminds me of that tumblr post that says “you either befriend steven or you die”

“i could’ve lost all my character development!” JLSLJFKLSK P E R I D O T

hOLD UP!! there’s too much liquid in that injector thing on the hill!! earlier when they were looking through the binoculars there was a lot less!! and the liquid was actually adhering to the laws of gravity and having a horizontal surface!! now the entire thing is full and there’s no horizontal thing!! S M H

STRONGER THAN YOU!! AGAIN!! I AM SAD!!

hey spinel? can you fuck off for a second?

reprise??

“just a second ago, we were singing this song” you’re not allowed to acknowledge that you were singing or you’ll have to explain why you keep randomly breaking out into song steven jskfkskj

“happily ever after, there we were” :(((

wait is bismuth singing now?

BISMUTH IS SINGING NOW

“look at them, they’re not even singing along” JSJLFSJKS

“hijinks will ensue” wHAT DOES THAT INVOLVE EXACTLY

klsjklflkjs THEY’RE BLUSHING

JKLSJDKLF DON’T BE CUTE WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE JUST GET OUT FROM UNDER THE FUCKING ANVIL

JKLSDFJKLSLK SAPPHIRE YES THANK YOU

yES FUSE

THAT’S GARNET’S VOICE SINGING JKSDFJKLS

YES IT’S LOVE

GARNET

jskfslkfjkl pearl stop being so extra

ok i really don’t like spinel

i am so confused about this liquid. is that even horizontal? it looks like the surface is pointing towards beach city but that makes absolutely no sense?? also the thing is no longer full

wHY WOULD IT BE NECESSARY TO LOOK FOR AMETHYST ON THE ROLLERCOASTER

is steven tap-dancing in fucking flip-flops

IS AMETHYST BACK??

SHE IS

,,,and now the thing’s full again

also what the fuck??

aND NOW IT’S GOT THE WEIRD TILTED SURFACE AGAIN MAKE UP YOUR MIND MOVIE

steven you don’t have super steven strength get away from that thing jkskjfljsk

dID THEY JUST FUCKING FUSE??

OH MY FUCKING GOD THEY DID

yes pearl come back remember kjsdjkflsjkl

OH MY G O D?? THOSE VISUALS?? I AM IN LOVE??

wait actually. what’s steven and greg’s fusion’s name? greven? steg?

yES THEY’RE FUSING!! OPAL’S GONNA BE BACK!!

OPAL IT’S BEEN SO LONG JSDJFKSJKL

oh fuck please don’t tell me spinel’s gonna go on a murder rampage

please don’t say pink made them play hide and seek and then just left while spinel was hiding

or she just does that jesus ok pink that’s even worse

listen you can give this character all the sad backstory you want i still don’t like her

wow even more singing? this movie is just constant songs

is the “befriend steven or die” phenomenon happening now?

jesus christ greg you have to wash your hands

wHERE?? DID THAT LIQUID COME FROM?? THE THING WAS ALMOST EMPTY TWO SECONDS AGO?? I GIVE UP

oh for fuck’s sake spinel can you please just listen to steven explain

g ARNET!!

THE WEDDING RINGS!!

spinel’s eyes being reflected in garnet’s goggles-glasses thing is an,,,interesting visual

this is very chill music for the world ending

alexandrite!! hi!!

am i imagining things or was that a few stronger than you notes when connie slashed that car?

i refuse to believe that steven held onto a vertical glass surface for that long

and NOW HE’S CLIMBING UP IT?? THIS IS NOT HOW STUFF WORKS

actually what’s gonna happen to greg’s arm now? is he gonna be ok?

please tell me the missing piece is cookie cats or something dumb

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

is he using bubbles as boxing gloves? lmao i love it

gravity who

ok so. they can fix this. steven just spits on the ground. a lot.

oh ok steven can just reverse greg’s arm that’s also an option

but also please stop ignoring spinel or she’s gonna go on another murder rampage and this entire movie will repeat itself

i mean or you can kiss the ground but my version was more hygenic

“staying hydrated is very important when it comes to smooching” sjkflkskjl garnet you’d know

THE FUCKING DIAMONDS?? NOW??

“what are y’all doing here?” Y’ALL

STEVEN SAID Y’ALL

KJSDFLSKJL

oh i thought the diamonds were gonna fix the earth or something?? guess not??

oh it just cleared itself up?

oh that was it!! oh that was cute.

Ok so overall, I don’t think it was 100% necessary to make a movie but that was still pretty nice

[froodyie]

Can you do a story with Steven and Spinel dressing up as different animals with a nose mask with each of their animal costumes?

AN: Thank you so much for sending this request! I actually had fun doing it! I had to make it Halloween bc tbh I couldn’t imagine them dressing up in animal costumes any other occasion. I hope you like it ^^

“A week! We gave you a whole week! I can’t believe you couldn’t last a week! No, scratch that! I do believe it!”

Spinel rolled her eyes and continued walking towards the Warp Room, tuning out Yellow Pearl’s useless rambling as said gem followed closely behind her with Blue Pearl and Pink Pearl in tow.

“Aw leave her alone, Yellow!” Pink Pearl said, stepping in to defend Spinel as usual. “What’s wrong with wanting to visit a friend?”

“What’s wrong?! What’s wrong!!! I’ll tell you what’s wrong!!! She does this every single day!! ‘Oh where are you going, Spinel?’ ‘I’m going to visit Steven.’ ‘Oh! Has anyone seen Spinel?’ ‘She’s with Steven, my Diamond.’ With that track record, she’s better off living on Earth with him then staying here in Homeworld.”, Yellow Pearl retaliated, very defensively and with her arms crossed.

“Well...uhm..but Spinel,” Pink Pearl began, searching for what to say. After a few more attempts, she gave up, giving Spinel an apologetic look that told her: ‘She does have a point.’

Yellow Pearl beamed upon seeing this and raised her head up in a very haughty manner. She focused her attention on Blue Pearl. “What do you think, Blue?”

“To be quite honest, it really doesn’t bother me at all. It’s cute that she likes visiting him a lot,” she calmly responded with a small smile on her face, “Besides, Yellow, I thought you were happy about Spinel’s daily trips to Earth. You were talking about it the other day.”

Spinel bit down on her lip, stifling a giggle. Behind her, she heard Pink Pearl try to do the same, but she failed and snorted loudly.

An offended look passed through Yellow Pearl’s face and she crossed her arms, huffing. “At first,” she began to defend herself, “But it gets tiring and frustrating when all your Diamond asks you is: ‘Where’s Spinel? Has anyone seen Spinel?’ I was hoping for a week or more of not having to hear that, but our dear Spinel just couldn’t wait at all! Oh, but 6,000 years? She can definitely wait for that long! That’s nothing for her!”

A thick blanket of silence fell upon everyone the moment those words came out of her mouth.

Pink Pearl stood aside with her hand over her mouth. Blue Pearl’s mouth hung slightly open and with her hands, she pushed back her bangs to reveal her eyes, pupils wide in shock.

It took Yellow Pearl only a matter seconds before she realized what she had just said. She began to stutter, desperately looking for an apology.

“Sp-Spinel! I didn’t m-m-mean it—oh my s-stars!”

It was too late. Before she knew it, she was backed up against a tight corner. Spinel loomed over her, tall and intimidating with her hands balled up into giant fists, ready to take aim. Yellow Pearl gulped and instantly shielded her gem with both her hands.

“S-Spinel! Don’t! She didn’t mean it!” Pink Pearl begged, hands outstretched as if she was about to grab Spinel to stop her, but she didn’t. She held back, only hopeful that her words would get to the gem.

They didn’t. Made obvious by Spinel raising her right hand high over her head.

Yellow Pearl shut her eyes tightly and turned her face away, expecting a very painful blow that never came. Instead, she felt a finger flick her nose, making a loud, audible ‘whack!’ sound.

“H-Huh?” She opened her eyes. Spinel’s large, spiraling, magenta-colored eyes, filled to the brim with dark amusement, were the first thing that greeted her.

“Heh,” the gem chuckled and shook her head softly, “Ya really have a big mouth...For a Pearl. Don’t cha?”

Yellow Pearl remained silent and so did everybody else.

Spinel backed up a few steps. With her arms crossed, she shook her head and clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Gee! With that mouth, I’m very much surprised you’ve been able to hold this position of yours as Yellow Diamond’s Pearl for millions of years. You’re darn lucky things have changed now.”

“I-Spinel…”

She didn’t listen to her. Her eyes roamed around until they landed on the giant Warp Pad in the middle of the room and widened as if she just remembered why she came here in the first place. With a hop, she stretched her way on top of said Pad and warped away without saying anything.

Whatever fear Yellow Pearl had shivering within her disappeared the moment Spinel left and she rolled her eyes, letting out a tremendous sigh. “‘You’re darn lucky things have changed now!’ Bleh!” She mocked, sticking out her tongue.

It went back in the moment Pink Pearl jabbed her elbow into her side.

—-

“Ta-da!! Our last pumpkin for tonight! What do you guys think?” Steven exclaimed with a wide, joyful smile on his face. In his arms, he cradled a large Jack-O-Lantern with a pair of monster eyes and sharp teeth.

“It looks great!” Connie complimented as she walked over and grabbed it from him. She settled it inside the red wagon, alongside the many other Jack-O-Lanterns they made.

“A little bit different than all the others you guys made, don’t you think?” Amethyst said, hopping off from the table to inspect the Jack-O-Lanterns.

She had a point. The majority were decorated with drawings of their closest family and friends: Garnet, Pearl, Bismuth, Lapis, Peridot, the Diamonds, and so on. The only one that actually seemed to be showing the terrifying spirit of Halloween was the one Steven had just finished making.

“That’s actually why I made it,” Steven admitted, chuckling softly, “Now thinking about it though, it kinda sticks out like a sore thumb. Maybe it wasn’t a very good idea…”

The growing sound of squeaky shoes approaching quickly caught their attention. They turn around just in time to see Spinel hop down the stairs and run her way towards Steven. Before he could do anything, he found Spinel’s arms wrapping around him and pulling him in for a hug.

“Steven! My good pal!!” Spinel cheered, smiling widely.

“Spinel! It’s nice to see you!” Steven laughed. He gave her a hug and a pat in the back the moment she let him go.

“Hey Spinny!” Amethyst greeted with a wave. “Where you’ve been? We missed you the last three days.”

“Oh, the Pearls needed me for something that was supposedly important at first,” Spinel said, rolling her eyes. Her eyes then fell upon the wagon full of Jack-O-Lanterns and then the bucket full of candy on the table and then the Halloween decorations hanging on the ceiling. “Hey, wait a darn minute! What’s all this stuff?”

“It’s all of our decorations for Halloween!” Connie explained. The young girl grabbed the candy bucket from the table and walked over to Spinel. She held it out to the gem, offering some. “Here. Take one.”

Spinel looked at it, confused at first, but then she pulled out a round, red lollipop.

“Uhm...what’s Halloween??”

“Oh!” Steven exclaimed. “I completely forgot! This is your first Halloween!”

Amethyst scoffed playfully. “Pfft! This is the first Halloween for nearly every gem at Little Homeworld. Spinel, you should’ve seen the presentation Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth put up a few days ago! Halloween 101. It was a huge riot!” The small gem’s eyes widened. An idea had popped into her head. “HEEYYY! What if we recreate that! Right now!”

Connie nervously laughed as she remembered the disaster that had been the presentation. “How about we not?” She clapped her hands together before grabbing a hold of the wagon’s handle. “People are going to start trick-or-treating soon, so we should start putting these guys up. Steven will tell Spinel everything there is to know about Halloween. Won’t you, Steven?”

He nodded with a small smile. “I’ll see you guys later! If my dad shows up a little bit early, tell him I’m here with Spinel.”

After the others left, Spinel pulled the wrapper off her lollipop and popped it into her mouth. “Now,” she began, crossing her arms together, “What’s this whole Halloween biz?”

“You remember how I told you about the Fourth of July a few months back, right?”

She nodded.

“Halloween is a holiday just like that one. Minus the fireworks and American flags everywhere and also the barbecue. For Halloween, everyone dresses up in costumes, be it scary, funny, or cute, and go around at people’s houses to get candy.

“Oh,” she took out her lollipop and looked at it, “That’s nice.”

“I know, right!? Free candy for a night!”

“Is there a reason ya guys celebrate it?”

“Well...it’s mostly to have fun and it’s the one night you can go around wearing any costume you want.”

“You can’t wear a costume outside of that?”

Steven shook his head, sadly. “Not unless you work at Freddy Fazbear’s or Duck-Fil-A or any other company that has a mascot that requires a costume. Hey, speaking about costumes, it’s a good thing you came here tonight! I have something to show you

She gave him a quizzical look.

Before she could say or do anything, he grabbed her hand and led her to his room. When they got there, the first thing that caught Spinel’s eyes were the two outfits lying neatly on his bed.

“I was having a hard time picking a costume for this year,” he began to explain as he grabbed both of the outfits and showed them off, “But then I decided to ask Lion to decide for me and—guess which one he picked.”

Spinel thought for a second before pointing at the costume at the right.

“Yes! Who would’ve guessed he could be like that, huh? That’s Lion for you.”

The costume was literally a lion costume that Steven had painted pink to make it look exactly like Lion. The other costume...well, she wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

“What about the other one?” She asked.

“That one’s a Cookie Cat costume!”

“Oh...uhm what’s a cookie cat?”

“Oh, Cookie Cat’s an alien cat that left both his family and home behind when he came down here to Earth to escape an interstellar war. He was the mascot of these delicious ice cream sandwiches by the same name. Unfortunately they stopped selling two years ago probably because of competition. Curse you Lion Lickers. I would’ve definitely have bought you some if they still sold them. I’m pretty sure you would’ve liked them.”

Spinel looked at the costume he still held in his hand. Her eyes were focused on Cookie Cat’s two different colored eyes.One white and one pink.

“Yeah, I would have,” She said and then reached out for the costume, taking it out of his hand, “Hey, Steven. C-Can I ask ya somethin’?”

“Hm? Yeah sure.”

“Y-Ya wouldn’t—I-I mean you guys wouldn’t mind if I joined ya for this, would you? I-I think I like the idea of this whole ‘treat-or-trick’ thing.”

Steven smiled at her. It was another one of those types of smiles, so filled with warmth and love, which left Spinel feeling kinda weak every time it happened (and let me tell ya, it was happening quite a lot recently as she came to notice). It took so much of her power to prevent herself from falling victim to her buckling knees or to let her heart-shaped gem fly out of its place in a ‘bumpidity-bump!’ mess.

“I wouldn’t mind and I’m pretty sure the others won't either. I was actually about to ask you if you wanted to,” he said and then he walked over to his clothes cabinet, where he began to look through all his garments, “I have a ton of costumes here. Which one would you like? I have this sneople costume and oh—I still have this Pink Diamond outfit from two years ago…”

“Actually,” Spinel began, holding out the Cookie Cat costume in front of her, “I’d like to wear this.”

He smiled again. “Sure! Go ahead.”

She wasted no time in pulling the costume over her and in such a cartoonish manner that Steven had only blinked once when she already had the full costume on.

“How do I look?”

“Great! It’s a perfect fit!” Steven complimented. Just after he said that, the sound of rock music entered through the open window of his room. “Ah, Dad’s here! You can go down with the others. Tell them I’m getting ready.”

“Sure thing!” She said and watched as he quickly walked to the bathroom. Once the door close behind him, she walked down the stairs.

“Spooky scary skeletons,” she sang to herself, happily imagining the fun night that awaited them, “Send shivers down your spine…”