#why yes I can and will talk at length about something as mundane as Steven's fashion choices

[screenshotsofsteven]

What’s funny about Steven always wearing the same outfit is that it isn’t like the gems never bought him other clothes, at some point he had various other things to wear and just didn’t. And it’s not like he never changes what his outfit is, he just doesn’t change it very often. The times he wears something else temporarily is mainly just when it’s required by the weather, or when he’s dressing up for some specific activity or role that he feels he needs more of a ‘costume’ for. Even then, he only wears the same few outfits for relevant weather situations, and the activity based clothes are pretty rare. The only notable exception to this is his pajamas, but we’ll get back to that later.

There’s no explanation given for this in the show, and the reason for it is almost certainly the same as the reason most cartoon characters wear the same outfit all the time, but the fact that the series does indirectly lampshade this by showing us he just has a bunch of copies of the exact same shirt and pants, and the fact that other characters are shown changing clothes occasionally or even regularly (or they have an excuse like usually being seen at work), means I’m gonna over-analyze it anyways because I can.

So, is this due to him being used to living with gems and he just imitates them? Well, in the extended intro he’s shown wearing the same shirt as a toddler, when he was still living with Greg, so I don’t think that’s the case. And interestingly, while I’m sure some people might be thinking “well Greg always wore the same clothes too”, what you might not remember, is that in the first season at least Greg is shown wearing a slightly different outfit from the last one he wore in the first several episodes he’s in, so it’s established pretty early on that he doesn’t just have one outfit all the time. He doesn’t change his shirt, but he does change between sweat pants, ripped shorts, and regular shorts. Plus we see his wardrobe that he keeps with him in his van and it’s pretty eclectic, so all signs point to Greg not being the kind of guy who wears the exact same clothes every single day, even if he has a type of outfit he defaults to most of the time.

Is it because Greg couldn’t afford other clothes and just relied on his old merch to provide clothes for Steven? Well I don’t think that’s the case either, because Greg could afford to provide the gems and Steven with enough money to get a few luxuries like video games, toys, etc, so I’m sure he could afford to go to a thrift store or the SU equivalent of walmart to get stuff cheap. And even if that wasn’t the case, he had a whole-ass storage shed full of stuff including a bunch of clothes, and since the shirt he gave Steven didn’t fit to start with, it apparently wasn’t a big deal if the clothes were too big. So Greg could have just given Steven a bunch of hand-me-downs. Also, the fact that Steven later wears different colour versions of the shirt, and we’ve seen that Greg owned merch with other colours or designs in the past, means that even if merch was the only option, Steven still could have at least worn different colours from day to day if he wanted. Which means that it seems like it doesn’t just stem from his living situation.

Which leads to my final question: is it a conscious choice, or is it unconscious? It could be that even from a young age, and before he moved in, Steven wanted to be like the gems and thus started copying them by always wearing the same stuff for long periods of time. But Steven has always shown equal interest in gem stuff and human stuff, and there are a lot of lifestyle aspects where he doesn’t imitate the gems and that doesn’t seem to bother him. He actually often invites them to engage with him in more human activities. So, I’m not so sure this is the case. But for gems, choosing their form naturally involves looking a specific way for an extended time period. Not putting in any thought into their choice and trying to change it on a whim would require poofing themselves regularly, and it’s shown having negative consequences when it happens, even potentially making the gem less stable. They’re predisposed to making a semi-permanent commitment to how they’re going to look for a while. So it’s possible that Steven instinctively does the same thing, putting a lot of thought into what he wears, and then committing to that choice for a long period of time, because that’s what feels natural. And it could tie back in to what I said about the only exception being his pajamas, which change regularly. Pajamas are something you wear while sleeping, and gems don’t naturally sleep. Steven might have more human instincts related to that sort of thing, which may be why he doesn’t feel compelled to have a specific outfit for that aspect of his life like he does almost everywhere else.

Anyways obviously this is only speculation, but thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[yrpspiritsintheshadows]

A Matter of Business

A Matter of Business

The school day was winding down. Eiji's class was going over Unwind once more. The man paced the room, glasses on as he read aloud.

The class was quiet, listening with rapt attention, eyes wide. Eiji glanced up once, grinning, noting no one was on their phone.

His grin faltered as he noted something else though. One of his students, Hideki, was sitting by the window, his eyes on the schoolyard instead of ahead and focusing. His eyes were a bit glazed over, clearly in his own head.

Oh boy… C'mon kiddo, you can do this. Focus.

He wasn't going to call him out though. He hated it when his teachers did it to him as a kid and in college. It wasn't like the kid was on his phone.

Instead, he cleared his throat to get his attention as the teen looked at him confused. He blinked before shaking his head.

Eiji didn't say anything and just continued on with the lesson, soon finishing up.

"Once more, I want you guys to read the next three chapters and this time, I got a bit of a fun challenge for ya."

The students groaned as Eiji crossed his arms, giving a smirk.

"Now, now, c'mon, I'm not that bad, am I?"

The class nodded, sighing.

"What I want, is for you guys to write me a paper on some of the themes you've seen in Unwind. Do research about medical advances that sound like they belong in the Unwind World and then bring those to me on Friday. Okay?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright, that concludes class for today. As always, remember my open door policy. If you guys need to talk about anything, I'm here. Be safe now."

The class started to file out, one of the last to leave being Hideki. The boy looked back, starting to approach him.

"Something I can help you with?"

Hideki looked down.

"Um…" He froze up, shaking his head. "I-It's nothing. Nevermind." He ran out before Eiji could get a word in.

"H-Hey wait! Hideki-"

He was gone before he could try to stop him.

I really hope he's okay. He frowned, sighing.

"Eiji!"

He looked behind him to see Chase hurrying over.

"Hey, Chase. Class go alright?"

"Thankfully, no trouble this time." He grinned, before it faltered, seeing how tense Eiji appeared. "What's wrong?"

"Just concerned about one of my students." He explained before grabbing up his things. "Kid keeps trying to talk and then seems to change his mind at the last minute."

"Oh boy… That's never a good sign."

"I'm really hoping I'm not missing something huge."

"I'm sure he'll be okay. Just keep the same policy you've always had."

Eiji nodded, taking off his glasses.

"Alright, so I'm assuming you want a ride?"

"Please? Lucian won't let me in his car after last time."

"Dude, spilling your mio over the white seats was NOT your smartest move."

"Like your kid didn't do worse."

Eiji grinned, elbowing him.

"Ken was two, you were twenty two."

"Hey!"

oooooo

"Okay, so we're dealing with a family under siege." Eiji read out as he had the letter displayed on the wall behind him via a small projector made for his phone. "Shadow figures, voices calling out, a child who might be seeing the entity and sleep walking. Any suggestions, team?"

"First, as always, we should do an interview with each member of the family." Chase spoke up. "As well as do a baseline EMF sweep of the property. To make sure it's not something mundane. Right, Skylar?"

The woman beside him tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder, giving a small grin.

"Of course. I think Lucian and Chase should do the parameter sweep since last time they got some pretty good readings." She spoke up, her hazel eyes having excitement in them. "Then we'll come in with the rest of our equipment after we do the interview. She did say she had cats, so we'll have to make sure those figures she's seeing aren't kitty-cats. Right, Lucy?"

"Don't call me Lucy." Lucian retorted, giving her a look. "Lucian… or… Emperor of the Underworld, if you really wanna go there."

Skyler elbowed him.

"Aww you don't mean that." She smirked.

Lucian rolled his eyes, giving a smirk.

"Alright "The Greatest Doctor" it is." He replied.

Skyler was about to say something in response when the door to their office opened. Ken peered in, his eyes wide in wonder.

"You guys are goin' already?"

Eiji gave a gentle look, motioning for him to come closer. The door flew open as Ken ran in, hugging his father around the leg.

"I want you to be good for your mom while we're gone, Ken. Can ya do that?" Eiji chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"Ahuh."

The others snickered.

"As if he's capable of being anything but." Skyler laughed. "He's an angel!"

"Or a hobbit." Chase smirked, his gaze warm.

"Or just our nephew."

Ken giggled, giving a confidant grin.

"Or… The Awesome Paranormal Investigator!" He cheered before taking a running leap, doing a few cartwheels across the floor, trying to land on his feet but winding up doing a roll instead. He quickly jumped up, giving an expectant look.

"Now THAT'S what I'm talkin about!" Chase cheered. "That's my prodigy!" He clapped, a proud look in his eyes.

"You mean our prodigy? He got it from us!" Lucian laughed, shaking his head. "Nice go kid, but try to focus on just rolling into the landing regardless. Minimize the bruises."

Skyler squealed, clapping.

"Oh, before we know it he'll be doing the big jumps!"

Eiji chuckled before motioning for Ken to get out of the way.

"The office" AKA Eiji's very heavily renovated garage, was modified in such a way there was quite a bit of floor room and some hurdles through out to act as a makeshift practice area. Some things were newer, some older and some that definitely needed to be replaced eventually.

But it was theirs.

Ken scurried out of the way, climbing onto Skyler's lap as she hugged him.

"C'mon, Eiji, show us how it's done!"

"Go Daddy!"

Eiji took a deep breath before taking a running leap, lunging into the air, grabbing onto the footholds on the wall before kicking off to one of the hurdles. His arms flew out to balance him as the toes of his shoes connected, leaving him a bit off balanced. He took another breath before doing a front flip off onto the floor. He had to stop to catch his breath, giving a bow.

"Well?"

Chase made to give him a thumbs down.

"I will key your car."

He did it anyways with a cheeky look.

"I mean, it was good, don't get me wrong, but c'mon, that's your go to. Where's all the flair?"

"You mean the stuff I don't want this one picking up quite yet?" EIji asked, going back over, ruffling up Ken's hair.

"I can learn it!"

"Oh no!" All four chorused at once.

"Over Eiji's dead body!" The other three retorted.

Eiji crossed his arms, giving them a look.

"What?"

"That is EXACTLY what Carmen said."

"... I'm not shocked. Alright team, ready?"

"As ready as we can be."

Ken pouted.

"No more showing off?"

Skyler hugged him tightly.

"Maybe next time we come over just to have fun. We could show ya some of the safer stuff."

Ken's eyes lit up, giving Eiji a hopeful look. He nodded, giving him a warm look in return.

"Of course."

Ken leapt out of Skyler's arms as Eiji spun him around with a laugh.

"I'll be super, super good!"

"That's what I wanna hear. Love you, kiddo."

"Love you too!"

With that, the paranormal team packed up their gear, heading out to their van and getting all they would need for the investigation.

Eiji started to pull out of the driveway, seeing his family waving to him from the porch.

"Bye, Daddy!"

"Good luck, mi amor! Be safe!"

Eiji gave a thumbs up before driving off.

Alright, let's get this night started.

oooooo

The client met them at the doorway, a woman with long pale blonde hair and blue eyes. Her eyes were full of worry as she ushered the team inside.

"You're Mrs. Carly Stevens?"

"Yes." She murmured, leading them to the living room. Eiji took a look around, noting the large cat tree in the corner of the room. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No thanks." He held out a hand. "My name is Eiji. I'm the lead investigator." He introduced himself, a gentle smile coming to his face.

Carly shook his hand. He noted how tense her grip was before she let go.

"It's a pleasure and thank you for coming out on such short notice."

"You're very welcome. These are my associates, Lucian, Skyler and Chase." His gaze turned serious. "Now, why don't you tell me what's happened?"

Carly lowered her head.

"We… We moved here from Los Angeles a few years ago. All was quiet, until… until the activity started."

"When was that?"

"About six months ago." Carly ran a hand through her hair. "I woke up one night to these… scratches, all over my arm. It was the oddest thing."

Eiji jotted it down in a notebook. He glanced back to the cat tree.

"You have two cats, correct? Are you sure these weren't obtained by them?"

"Yes." She narrowed her eyes, pulling her phone out. "I took pictures when it happened."

The team exchanged a look. Pictures, right at the start of activity seemed suspicious.

We've had a few hoaxes started with that.

Skyler took the phone, wincing. The pictures showed three large slashes across the woman's arm, identical in length.

Lucian looked over her shoulder.

"... Yeah, no, those are not cat scratches. Those would've needed to be closed by stitches."

"And the worst part? They disappeared in a few hours." Carly sighed.

"Oh, that is weird."

"Alright, so, scratches. What else?"

She sighed.

"Well… When I was home with my son, I was doing the dishes and he was sitting at the table drawing…" she said, remembering the event vividly.

"Hm, hm…" She hummed softly under her breath, glancing up every now and then to be sure her child was keeping busy still.

He had his back to her, head down as he drew, keeping silent. She turned away, going back to her task.

"No. That's mean." Her son spoke up suddenly as she jumped.

She watched him as his head lifted, focusing on the area in front of him… They were completely alone, however.

"I don't wanna push Mommy. She'll hurt her hand on the knife!"

Carly's eyes fell to the item in her hand, the kitchen knife she had been cleaning. She dropped it, going over to him.

"Hey, what's this talk about pushing me? You know that's wro-"

He looked up at her with an innocent look… the drawing before him clear as day.

"He said the… dark man made him draw it." She sniffled. "It's only getting worse from this point on." She slid a sketchbook over to them. The one her son had used.

Eiji lifted it up, flipping through it… The images before him, all too familiar.

Strange creatures, stretching their spindly limbs skyward, red eyes glaring at the viewer. Gooey animals that were all black in appearance.

A tall man, swathed in black, hunched over on all fours, crawling on the ground.

Even with a child's skill set, it was clear.

Me and Naomi used to draw stuff like this all the time. Those things wouldn't let us stop. Least till our parents stepped in.

This kid isn't under a coven though.

"Ma'am? I'd like to split the team up and have two of my associates start a baseline investigation while myself and another member interview your son as well." Eiji looked up from the drawings, a serious look in his eyes. "Is he here currently?"

Carly fiddled with her hands.

"He's in his room right now. My husband is at my mother in law's."

"That takes down the interview list. I take it he's not a fan of this?"

"Quite frankly, I don't think he believes us. It's mainly myself and Tim, my son, who've been targeted. Hearing voices, the scratches…"

"I see."

Eiji got up, keeping the sketchbook close to him.

"Well, let's begin."