#Bubble Buddies is still about Connie and Steven meeting her

[a-second-chance-su-au]

How did you decide which episodes would be impacted and had scenes that were significant enough to include? I’m working on a canon divergent fanfic for another series that’s pretty much just the story with one more character. I want to know how necessary these things would be.

That is an excellent question!

I am on mobile and don’t have a page splitter at the moment, so WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD.

When rewriting canon, I like to stick to 5 hard-and-fast rules, being: 1) know your character’s arc before going in, 2) know the episode’s overall message, 3) don’t take away from other characters, 4) adding original content must be done as-needed, and 5) DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE THE WHOLE STORY. This can either be exceedingly easy or extremely hard.

1) Know your character’s arc before going in. This one seems obvious, but it can be very easy to get distracted. What would happen if this character was present for this scene? What if she/he/they followed this character around? Stuff like that. The whole thing on this particular blog with Spinel being present for the climax of Maximum Capacity is certainly tempting, and fun to think about, but does it do anything for Spinel’s arc in this AU? In my case, no. So she will not be present. You want to make sure you have some kind of roadmap either on paper or in your head of when and where things should happen, keeping in mind that character’s relationships, mental space, and goals. If Spinel wanted to fuse with Amethyst, she’d have to do it when the two have a good relationship, and something like that takes time to develop. She cannot fuse with Ames in the beginning of the series, absolutely not, but she will later on. Knowing facts like that on when things can and/or SHOULD happen is essential. So episodes like “Giant Woman,” “Horror Club,” “Crack the Whip,” or “Keystone Motel” will not be included in the list.

2) Know the episode’s overall message, and who is in the spotlight. You’d think that on a show like SU, that’d be easy, but often, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly who we should be focusing on. Fun fact: it usually isn’t Steven, which is why when Steven lets us into his head a little, it’s always such a huge, emotional bomb drop. I will keep using Maximum Capacity as an example. That episode was focused on Greg’s and Amethyst’s relationship with each other, their past friendship, and how each of them handles the stress of the past differently. Amethyst wants to loose herself in “Little Butler,” but Greg wants to do other things, too, causing them to come to a crossroads. It’s a coming-to-terms story for the both of them, and with this AU, I don’t want to disturb that. “Giant Woman” was about Amethyst and Pearl. “Joyride” was about Steven. “Keystone Motel” was about Ruby and Sapphire. “Steven the Sword-Fighter” is an example that can be shifted, because the purpose of that ep was to teach the viewer about poofing. It was less about Pearl and more about Gems in general, making it okay to try and change a few things around (so long as the poofing of... a gem still happens). Knowing when an episode is about a character, a relationship, or world building is really important, and helps to try and decide which to alter.

3) Do not take away from the other characters. Know their arcs, too, and why certain choices were important. Example being “Crack the Whip,” where Amethyst hits her lowest low and her quest to be stronger begins. That one, if you want to change it, you can, but if it were me, I would leave in Amethyst getting poofed and Jasper getting defeated without her, as it begins a huge moment for her character. By changing up that scene, she doesn’t have the chance to confide in Steven, they don’t fight, she doesn’t hit her lowest low (which all or most characters need to hit at some point), and then Smokey Quartz cannot exist. They exist because she trusted Steven and the two of them felt equal to each other, and trusting, and loving. THAT allowed them to fuse, and if “Crack the Whip” never happened or was altered too much, that all that goes out the window. So I am not going to have Spinel grab Amethyst and pull her out of the way or anything, or have her fuse to beat Jasper, because that undermines the whole point. However, I CAN say that Amethyst’s arc affects Spinel’s. Not saying this is canon, as this is just an example, but maybe Spinel becomes more attached to Amethyst after that, trying to protect her from being poofed again because she feels guilty for not being there to stop it. Then that affects Amethyst, makes her feel like Spinel is her bodyguard, which Amethyst doesn’t want and feels she doesn’t need. It’d serve to make her angrier, and could lead to she and Spinel getting into an argument or a fight. In this scenario, would I replace “Steven vs Amethyst” with “Spinel vs Amethyst”? No. But something similar COULD happen. It’s all about where you want to go, and what works best for these characters.

4) Adding original content must be done as needed, not whenever you feel like it. Does this mean do it sparingly? Depends on the story you want to tell. For me and my AU, that means I need to pay attention to Spinel’s arc and when she needs to learn/do things. Take “Man of the Mountain” for example. It takes place directly after “Bubble Buddies,” and is the result of Spinel being jealous of Connie eating up Steven’s time and friendship. So, she seeks to strengthen their bond as reassurance to herself that Connie is an inconvenience at worst, and at best, she’ll fade away eventually. She and Steven are still best friends, and she’s gonna prove it, darn it! Then the events of that episode may or may not affect what happens next, or later down the line. For this AU, Season 1 is mostly going to build things that are yet to come, and the episodes don’t directly feed into each other, meaning I am using original content sparingly. 5 originals compared to 52 actual episodes? I think I did good on that front. xD But, don’t be afraid to add an episode for an information dump, or to come to a conclusion. That can’t be the only thing IN the episode, of course, but if that’s the pure reason the episode exists, then fine. Do it. Whatever makes your story flow and make sense. But by making every other episode about Spinel, suddenly it’s only about her and not the other characters. Might as well rename the show at that point. The other characters get the spotlight they need/deserve, with Spinel getting her time to shine as well.

5) DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE THE WHOLE STORY. This is one I’m struggling with, but I feel it worthy to mention anyway. If your character is psychic, then have them use their powers when it’s a good character choice and makes sense logically. If that throws off the entire tale, then roll with it. Get stuff back on track. Or maybe you need to take out that character for a bit. Formulate a way to do that. But if your character had a chance to shoot a blow dart at the main villain and take them out, perfect for capturing them and dismantling their army, wouldn’t they take it? If not, there had better be a good, in-character choice. Maybe the villain’s entire plan changes to account for the character’s psychic powers, creating a decoy or sending out a squad to trap/kill them specifically. If it’s in-character and it makes sense, heckin’ DO IT. Get creative! Get weird! Stories write themselves; you just need a beginning and a good grasp on the characters. Then the characters will take your story and run with it. Your job then becomes keeping up. I wish I was joking. I’ve had characters completely derail my stories before because they just couldn’t make that one character choice that was the lynchpin for the whole next scene, and it made me mad, and no I’m not mad about it two years later! You have the map, they steer the ship. You just gotta trust them.

This version of Spinel was left alone for 625 years, then cast away like a worthless toy. She’s been through war, lost almost all her friends, and had her #1 idol taken away and replaced with a smaller, weaker, half-human male version of her. She’s been through the ringer on emotions, and although she values herself as a friend first and foremost, that doesn’t mean I- and by extension, the other characters- can’t challenge that point of view. Make the character struggle. Know how they interact with others. How do certain events change them? Will they change every episode, or only some? Which are important to their arc? And most importantly, what is the point? By changing this thing here, what are you doing for that/those characters and/or the story? Is it a quick, harmless, funny moment, or is it to show a darker side to a character we’re familiar with, and to see them change now that there’s a new presence beside them? These are questions only you can answer as you chose which episodes to pick.

I hope any part of this was helpful. Feel free to ignore any of these points, or add your own. Again, every story is different, and each story should be treated as such. No creator is experienced equally, and we all have different interpretations of characters. Nothing is right or wrong, so long as you, the author, can justify it, even if it’s just “I thought it’d be cool.” It’s your AU. Go for it!

Thanks for listening to me ramble. Scene.

[faelapis]

so it seems some people measure what they like in a character arc in “time + number of steps involved in it”, ie the mere proximity effect, and i realized i haven’t put forth an alternative explaining what i like.

for me, the core thing is really whether i like the “realization moments”. the moment that drives someone’s feelings to release. the real meaning of catharsis. whether it feels natural to what the characters want, ie their motivations. if you do that right, that’s generally what matters most to me.

there are some shows, i think, that think long and elaborately talks about a character’s core conflict automatically makes it stronger. catra from she-ra makes the same speech i wanna say... 5 different times, and only 2 of them comes across as genuine to me. 

that doesn’t mean spending a lot of time on a character’s conflict is bad! it certainly isn’t. i enjoy a slow pace. i am very much a fan of characters who ‘spiral’ in their development, who go back and forth on what they “want” vs what they “need”... but at the end of the day, it still has to feel like their ‘moments of realization’ works.

that, i think, both spop and, for instance, the good place, are not the best at. both have long, elaborate focus on their main characters, with this implication that time spent on exploration = “they’ve come so far”... but a lot of the time, it definitely feels more like the characters are moving forward because the writing needs them to, than because the characters are genuinely realizing something or breaking down.

for this reason, while “promise” is one of my favorite spop episodes, “destiny part 2”, on catra’s side, is one of my least favorites. 

not because catra is still struggling in the same way - that’s fine - but because what gives her the push in the right direction is a speech from this aloof, disinterested character who seems to only be there to embody the “tough talk” the writers think makes characters realize stuff. it doesn’t feel specific to catra or her motivations. it just feels like it’s supposed to be “satisfying”, because it’s something a cynical viewer would want her to hear.

same with the good place - while tahani’s conflict with her sister is interesting, and i like the idea of them overcoming the competition their parents put them under... the bones of the thing, i am less fond of. because what gives tahani her realization is that the paintings all had 4 symbolic subjects. to paraphrase tahani later in the same season, that makes it feel like anything could’ve given her a realization. it doesn’t feel like it comes from any internal motivation to understand kamilah in that moment, it feels like it kinda just “had” to happen.

similarly, in “destiny part 2″, it feels like the writers are more married to the idea of catra being taken down a peg than they are to internal motivation on her part.

so, on the other end, is it possible to do a good “realization moment” with a character without that mere proximity effect? in my mind, yes. i’ve talked about white diamond along those lines before... but i understand that for a lot of people, her character is a bit difficult to "get”. i’m not writing this to be controversial, so i’ll do a different one - connie in “bubble buddies”. 

this is her first episode, we barely know anything about her. and that episode still makes me cry. easily. because it’s a very effective use of time - we know just enough about her that while we may find her interesting, you buy that SHE finds herself dull and ordinary. this keeps escalating in the episode until she breaks  down. 

her crying over living an essentially “pointless” life up until that point feels very real. i buy it. it feels like how she genuinely feels. her life is in danger, and she feels like she hasn’t done anything of note, meeting steven who seems magical and extraordinary only driving that point home. all of that culminating in realizing she’s “gonna die without making a single friend.” and i buy that she starts to believe steven, too, because of how she’s starting to idolize him.

so yes, you can absolutely do a character breaking down, feeling extreme emotions that makes them realize or “face” something about themselves without it feeling forced, just because that character has been recently introduced. 

it’s just that some writers seem to think this is on opposite ends of a spectrum, that time always equals a better character, or that the moment that provokes emotion doesn’t need to be natural as long as we’ve spent enough time with that character. for this reason, i think “spending more time” on a character may be a little bit overhyped, in some instances, because some writers kinda use that “mere proximity” effect as a shield.

[starchildsteven]

This was originally a response to someone saying they viewed Rose’s death as let’s say suicide adjacent (which is a totally valid take btw, it just made me think) but it got so long I decided to just make my own post.

Suicide doesn't feel like the right word for what happened with Rose. Rose is so accepting of not existing. Not saying that never happens with suicidal people just she so completely at peace with it. Usually when suicidal people come to accept their death as inevitable it isn't with the degree of happiness Rose seems to feel. Yes, she is creating Steven but that doesn't change anything in my mind because lots of people who kill themselves think they are doing a good thing, that they’re ridding the world of a burden, they’re giving something to someone. Even then they don’t feel good about it just content with their choice.

I tend to see it as Rose considering the only thing she could do was create Steven rather than there is nothing she could do to fix what she had done. It isn't about self-loathing (though I'm sure she felt that too). We've come to see the act through Steven's perspective which also has us paint it as selfish when I think Rose's intentions were actually selfless in nature. Rose's motivation to me always felt like her thinking removing herself from the situation would be best for everyone involved but she took pride in that. She did it because she loved the Earth, humans and the Crystal Gems and like she said in "A Single Pale Rose" she wants to give it too them. I think Rose was aware that the Diamonds never really took their eyes off the Earth. Pink's "shattering" was not the end of the war so she was wrong about how much Yellow and Blue cared the first time. I don’t think she was foolish enough to believe corruption ended their interest either.

It’s baffling to me how ready fans are to chalk Rose becoming Steven up as some type of cowardice or running away from her problems. Fans are so ready to believe her choice was made for her with no regard to others. They are so willing to believe she just gave up. Which is a little ridiculous considering everything we knew about her character. She pleaded with Blue and Yellow for the freedom of Earth, she started a rebellion to save innocents and help other gems like her who felt trapped, she became Rose Quartz not to hide but to make the other Diamonds see her. She always faced her problems head on. Why then are fans so ready to ascribe this one actions to selfishness and fear. Maybe that is how the Diamond who abandon Spinel would have seen it but Rose Quartz is a very different gem by the time Steven is born. She has learned a lot and grown a lot. Sure she was still dismissive and manipulative. She still lied and thought she knew what was best for everyone whether it was true or not. She never really lost her sense of superiority over others. As their leader she still expected blind obedience from the Crystal Gems. She was not perfect.

But she cared about others too. She loved the Crystal Gems in a way she didn’t love Spinel. She also knew that she was what the Diamonds really cared about. Or she believed that to be the case. I think as far as she believed if she were not in the equation then the Earth would be safe. Pink Diamond was gone already but all that did was make her as the shatterer their new point of interest. I think Rose knew that there was only one way to truly give the Earth to the humans and the Crystal Gems and it was to make sure there was to no longer anything the Diamonds cared about on the planet.

"Jungle Moon" really does show us an interesting parallel between Rose/Pink and Steven. Pink believed herself to important  because she was a Diamond and clearly asserted such "I'm just as important as you!" Steven likewise asserts his value often. Many episodes have moments where Steven insists that he is a Crystal Gem. I could name three now. “Laser Light Canon,” “Bubble Buddies” and “The Test.” That isn’t nearly a complete list either.

The key difference here in my opinion is that Steven's insistence is fueled by a feeling of inadequacy. Rose's is fueled by a feeling of superiority. However with that said Steven is not immune to this holier than thou mentality. Honestly I hate the way he talks to Connie in “Dewey Wins.” He sounds so self-important when he says, "It had to be done." From this we can infer at least that Pink probably had her moments of feeling like a failure. Especially considering she was most likely a defective gem given her size. (I actually always loved the theory she was meant to be red and was over-cooked.) Feeling both more important than others and like you can never atone for your sins isn’t a great combination.

I also think something the fandom overlooks a lot when considering the creation of Steven and by extension Rose's non-existence is Greg. In "Three Gems and a Baby" Garnet is wrong but also not wrong. Steven is in essence a fusion of Rose and Greg. That's basically what a baby is biologically speaking. Though even if it isn't, that is most definitely the way a gem would see it. The way Rose probably saw it.

Whether you trust the timeline I made or not. One thing in it is definitely canon. Greg was 22 when he met Rose and Sour Cream was born 9 months later when he was either still 22 or 23. Sour Cream is about 5 to 6 years older than his son so Greg was around 30 when Steven was born. That’s at most 8 years.

That is nothing to a Gem! That's maybe a few weeks in human terms or if we’re generous a few months. Yet Rose only knew Greg for 8 years and decided to have a baby with him! That has to be clear here. Rose wanted to have a baby with Greg. Not a human. Greg!

That is so often overlooked! Rose was not looking to have a human baby when she met Greg. She wasn't actively trying to find a perfect guy for her experiment. In fact the Gems were intentionally cut off from humans at that point. Rose even tells him to leave, even though she liked him and barely considered him more than a plaything until he forced her to. Rose was not considering giving up her form to make a human baby before meeting Greg! At least not seriously. Maybe it had crossed her mind but she wasn’t seeking it out. He was a factor in her choice. 

My guess? Fusion is the best and worst parts of both gems (which is again the way Rose would see having a baby) and Rose wanted to be like Greg! Not just wanted to be like a human but specifically like THIS human. And Steven would be both of them and since she would be Steven so in a way she would like him.

Greg is a good person. Do you know how many times I have heard a fan say that they hate Greg? Never! I'm sure some fans do but it's not a popular opinion by any stretch of the imagination. Hell, most PearlRose shippers still like Greg. It's hard to not like Greg. Because Greg is authentically a good person. Greg is kind and giving and empathetic. Greg has a lot of happiness and love to spread.  Rose/Pink was adored in a very superficial way that she didn't feel she earned. Obviously in reality Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl loved her but it was never going to feel deserved. She would always be their leader before their friend or at least in her mind she would. In contrast to that people like Greg for who he is as a unique individual. Something I'm sure Rose admired.

My point is Rose believed Greg’s good would outweigh her bad. That’s actually really sad. Rose knew that she was bringing more of Greg into the world and less of her and saw that as a good thing. I'm sure she had many motivations but I think we should see her death as her sacrificing herself for what she ultimately knew was right and being at peace with that.

[dogcopter]

Rose Quartz is Melon Mutt

and Lion (but only sometimes!) theory. I know this is an ancient one that is generally disregarded at this point, but please suspend your disbelief for a few minutes and entertain the thought, have some fun with me. After all, it’d be really funny if they revealed Rose a third time.

This stuff can probably be explained by some kind of magical connection to Steven’s gem. However, his actions can also be explained by Lion sometimes just being a lion and sometimes having Rose Quartz in his brain, no additional magic required. And I think that makes him the Melon Mutts too. 

Spoilers for all of Steven Universe and the movie!

In “Escapism”, the melon dog sees Steven off on his makeshift raft with a worried expression.

Lion shows up to save him after being battered on the open ocean, knowing he’s Steven, and brings him back to the Temple to relay his message.

Bear with me question: What if Lion knows where Steven is and is searching for him on the ocean right now, because whoever is in Lion was just in the dog that saw which way he was headed?

We know that Steven can astral project, and that he has occupied other organic bodies like the Watermelon Stevens. He even controlled Lars’s body before he’d ever magically revived him.

We know that there’s some kind of distinction between the “soul” or consciousness and the body, in Steven’s astral plane powers. 

We also know that the person can be represented by their projected body, organic body, and/or their gemstone (but the person doesn’t appear to be present if they’ve retreated into the gemstone to heal.) Could Rose be piloting another body without her gem or body? Maybe so.

We know Steven has the ability to leave his own body and communicate with other people this way through direct contact and across great distances in psychic ghost land and/or dreams, including both humans and gems. He even talked to Lapis in his dream while she was part of a fusion.

So we know that psychic ghost powers exist, and we know someone who has the Pink Diamond gem who can use them. We also know the manifestation of gems’ body can be altered through choice, or damaged through both physical trauma to the gemstone and mental trauma to the person. We know even shattered and corrupted gems retain some measure of their original personality and Clusters can be formed. 

There are things we don’t know about the real nature of the gemstone/personality relationship, but it’s clear a Gem is more than their gem. We know that Steven also, for example, doesn’t need a gemstone within Watermelon Steven’s body to continue to be “Steven”. 

This post doesn’t have an explanation for Steven’s Rose/PD dreams, but I don’t want to guess about Gem mechanics, this theory is strictly based on the hypothesis that Lion’s actions make the most sense if Lion is Rose.

And we know one other thing! A change in body is usually accompanied by a change in consciousness, at least for Steven. He needs to fall asleep to leave his body, and when it’s time to return, he wakes up. So piece 1: Steven’s Psychic Ghost Powers Are Real, Body Swapping Is Real. Lion being a body swap is in the Pink Diamond moveset.

- But why wouldn’t Rose have told him if she’s Lion by NOW?

Rose Quartz, the character defined by running away from her problems? I’m gonna say this is still plausible in the magical world where this theory is true. I actually think it’s more likely that RQ faked her death twice than that RQ trusted a lion and/or additional accomplices with some of her most closely guarded secrets. But don’t take my word for it, keep looking at the screencaps.

- But Steven we can’t both exist I’m going to become half of you?

Gems use “physical form” to mean their projected light body, but technically, their gem is their physical form. What if Rose gave up her physical form - her gemstone and body - but her psychic ghost (or part of it) is still dickin around somewhere? She also says in Nora’s version of the tape, “We can’t both exist but I won’t be gone”. The message of Lion 4 is that Steven is just supposed to be Steven, but imagine the speculation if that line had been in Steven’s video way back when.

This all establishes that astral projection is real, Rose would have had access to it during her time with Steven’s gem at a minimum, and it could explain the possibility of the same consciousness inhabiting both Lion around Steven and Melon Mutt around Watermelon Steven - particularly if the Rose ghost is linked to his gem or ghost in some way. 

And rule of Crewniverse And Emotional Torment: the thing that sounds really frustrating and narratively terrible has often ended up being executed in an awesome, Steven-appropriate way. We love a reveal that retroactively makes the entire series more upsetting. 

But back to the first question.

-What about all the other times Lion has found Steven on his own?

Well, what if they can also be explained either by Lion being Rose, or Lion having seen where Steven went?

In “Steven’s Lion”, Lion is first shown under Steven’s shirt. 

This is how he spots Steven and recognizes who he is, because his gem is exposed. (Rose’s gem is also under Steven’s shirt.) 

Hypothesis: Lion (Rose in Lion’s body) was also hunting the Desert Glass, and his meeting with Steven was by chance. Upon spotting the Pink Diamond gem, he came to Steven.

So question 1: Why did Lion know who Steven is? I think Rose recognized the gem, obviously, and would understand this is Steven.

This can be explained by magical connection as easily as by the Rose idea, even though we know now that Steven doesn’t have a magical destiny (Lion 4) and Lars doesn’t have a sixth sense for locating Steven in his moveset (Jungle Moon). Gems repeatedly recognize Steven as Rose or Pink based on his gem so it’s possible Lion knows to do the same.

We saw in Buddy’s Book that the lions were already pretty tame even when not-pink. We see Lion’s nose only, before the shot changes to Rose, but the other lions are gentle with Buddy. Lion’s tame behavior when acting as a normal lion is in-character for Rose’s lions.

Timeline recap: we know a couple of centuries ago, Rose had alive tame lions. At some point Lion died and was revived by her healing tears, but remained a secret from the other Gems, including Pearl, who is the only person we know of who knew about Pink Diamond. Rose later met Greg and was with him until they had Steven. At some point after meeting Greg, she put objects inside Lion’s mane. There is a VHS tape addressed to Steven in the mane dimension, while the Nora tape was abandoned in the desert, indicating that he was likely meant to find that stuff.

Remember what we just established about Steven’s body swaps being linked to a change in consciousness? What better character to mask body swapping sleep with regular sleep than a cat?

Lion finds Steven and his eyes are glowing. 

We know that Lion’s eyes and mane sometimes glow when using his powers, like making wormhole warps or summoning objects from his pocket dimension. Sometimes his eyes just seem to glow for no reason, but what if they can also indicate a body swap taking place?

As soon as he catches up to Steven, Lion immediately falls asleep. 

...and then acts like a totally normal very tame lion while Steven cuddles all over him.

Then when the Gems show up, Lion’s eyes are glowing again. 

After this, he watches Steven and the Gems leave, looking alert, and shows up at the Temple to break things. Lion doesn’t always appear to switch bodies onscreen, but another time this happens is in “It Could’ve Been Great” when Steven is begging for a ride to the moon.

“No more Earth, no more naps...” Lion is napping, then suddenly stands up and roars. His eyes glow, then he teleports them all to the Moon.

Back in Steven’s Lion, here’s the Second Finding Of Steven to support my point.

Lion shows up to find Steven and finish beating the Desert Glass.There’s about a five-hour time difference between the Delmarva area and the Sahara IRL, so it could be noon or early afternoon in the desert at the same time that it’s early morning in Beach City, and Lion seems to show up pretty quickly.

How did Lion know who the Gems were? How did he know where to go?

Here’s a rundown of things we know about Lion and the Crystal Gems and Rose, that explain this scene based on knowledge and not mysterious magic powers.

The Temple is where Rose used to live.

And where the Crystal Gems and Steven still live.

When they are hunting a corrupted gem like the Desert Glass, they return to put it in a bubble here, or bubble it and send remotely.

Lion can make wormholes to travel across great distances quickly.

If he goes too far it tires him out, even by endgame in the series.

He can run very far without growing tired, but has to travel in realtime.

Lion had to travel across continents to get to the Temple.

Lion did not use our warp pad to get to the Temple, because he arrives outside the door.

Lion is energetic enough for this and a battle, which could mean he warped straight there.

It’s unlikely Lion had met the Gems personally before because the Gems didn’t know Rose had a lion and didn’t know the Lion was Rose’s until Steven confirms it later, even if it was “kinda obvious” per Amethyst. (Connie is actually the team member who has seen the most of Lion, and she doesn’t have preexisting Gem knowledge)

By the same logic, it’s unlikely but not impossible that Lion had ever been to the Temple himself before, as well.

The Gems don’t have Rose’s gem, so Lion wouldn’t have recognized them the same way he recognized Steven if it’s a Rose-magic-connection thing.

Rose would know who the gems are, where they took the Desert Glass that Lion was hunting, and she’s one of the few people who would even know Amethyst, let alone well enough to predict her slacking off on the bubbling job! Warping straight there matches the available facts about Lion’s abilities.

Sidenote to Lion Finding Steven: Lion also found Pearl in Rose’s Scabbard, and kept pace with her as she headed to a place special to Rose and Pearl. We’ll come back to this episode in a sec.

Remember, this initial bit is to establish that there’s a logical explanation for Lion finding Steven at other times, therefore lending credence to the idea that the Watermelon rescue was based on knowledge shown onscreen (dog seeing Steven leave) and not a one-off magical GPS. 

Here are the other Lion Finds Stevens that I found:

In “So Many Birthdays”, Lion is shown dozing off at Steven’s party. The party location shown in the beginning is the cliff overlooking Beach City, from where Lion would be able to see Steven on the beach when he woke up.

Lion shows up later that evening to save old!Steven on the beach and drag him to the Gems. Then he stays by Steven’s side. 

In “The Return”, Lion comes to get Steven and bring him back to protect the Gems with his shield. 

Lion only shows up after Steven has popped out of the car in a bubble, and all his neighbors stop the evac caravan to check if he’s OK. If Lion were looking for Steven via non-magical means, he could easily locate the commotion from any Beach City vantage point as they’re in the valley right now.

After the events in Jailbreak when they crash back down, Lion comes running straight onto the beach searching for where Steven’s bubble landed and uncovers the gang. 

Lion fought during Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem, but doesn’t fight Jasper in The Return. Couldn’t there be a reason he stayed out of sight when Homeworld gems showed up but came out of hiding to find them after the events on the ship happened?

Interestingly, despite Lion having run beside Greg’s car during the Lapis episodes and being shown around Greg before, in Full Disclosure Lion hears Greg’s van coming and immediately peaces out. Maybe Lion feels bad about showing up to grab the kid and then almost getting him sent to jail on Homeworld?

(Ronaldo voice) Rose Quartz, running away from the consequences of your actions yet again I see????

Either way, this can be explained by Lion seeing things from an ordinary Beach City vantage point. So an explanation is present when Lion finds Steven. Which also explains the times Steven is lost/in danger and Lion doesn’t show up to save the day.

Next part: In Steven’s Lion a big part of my argument is that Lion returns to the Temple because he knows things only Rose would know, not just because he can follow where Steven warped.

When does Lion know things only Rose would know?

Exhibit A: “Lion 2: The Movie”

Connie shows off some overhand deathstrike and Lion, uncharacteristically chatty this episode, says, “You need a real sword, am I right?”

Lion talks to characters repeatedly. He behaves like a normal cat most of the time, but on a few occasions he actually tries to respond verbally to someone talking to him with a kind of meow. We saw it in Steven’s Lion as well. Lion is obviously sentient with a will of his own and the ability to understand language, even though he doesn’t always respond. I think the super catlike behavior can be explained by body swapping as well as Rose picking up instincts from her nothlit body.

In “Lion 2″ we see Lion responding to speech again. Steven says he and Lion are both untrained, so Lion brings the kids on a field trip to get weapons and training. 

Obvious belated notes: Heart shaped face, star shaped mane like Pink/Steven/Rose, color scheme, Rose had a sword, Rose loved humans and swords, Lion is Rose’s size, Lion’s themes involve Rose’s theme.

More talking. “Nyurry up”

“Come on Steven. Push the button.” 

Then he takes a nap! and the kids get beat up by the training program. When he wakes, Steven asks for help. Lion judges Steven for running after asking for this training, but assents.

...Only to conveniently leave the wormhole open long enough for the robot to show up and the kids to HAVE to finish their training.

This is when they receive Rose’s sword. Lion appears to be able to summon objects from his mane. (Later, Steven claims Lion can’t get to things stored in his mane, but he might just be wrong.)

Interesting that Lion summons the sword through his forehead in this Utenatastic shot, which mimics the position Rose would have drawn a sword out of Pearl.

Note that Lion does hang by and look out for them right up until it’s clear they’re going to win.

We find out in Rose’s Scabbard that Rose’s Armory was another secret that Pearl thought only she and Rose were in on. It’s also in a location far from the desert that Pearl had to freeclimb a million miles to get to. The movie theater is in Beach City. 

Lion can warp to these places, but unless he has Rose’s knowledge, would he know where to go? 

Exhibit B: Speaking of “Rose’s Scabbard”.

In this episode, Lion’s not happy about the battlefield. Garnet and Pearl are telling war stories, but he busies himself with digging up Rose’s scabbard after Pearl suggests Steven find something he like. 

Pearl and Lion are pretty antagonistic in this episode too. We know how Pearl feels. Under the assumption that Lion is Rose, I think Lion grouching at Pearl could be interpreted as friendly as well as “Please move on.” Notice also that Lion, who hardly interacts with the others and was surprised by a hug from Amethyst in “Ocean Gem”, watches Pearl intently in this episode and tries to talk to her twice. Despite the fakeout at the beginning while he searches for the scabbard, this his Lion’s least catlike episode by far.

The scene where Pearl knocks down the painting goes without saying. I think the Rose parallels are also echoed in the end when Steven and Lion chase her down, I think we’re supposed to read some of Steven’s dialogue as an echo of past times Pearl was upset and Rose handled it the same way.

Steven: Pearl! Did I... did I do something wrong? You got to tell me!

Steven: Pearl! Pearl, you have to tell me what's wrong. Pearl: Sometimes, you even sound like her... 

We even get a rare glimpse of Pearl’s pent up anger toward Rose as she holds her sword.

Here’s what we have seen onscreen: So far Pearl has treated Lion as a slightly annoying animal that she tolerates for Steven’s sake. They hadn’t met before Lion found Steven. Their interactions in this episode are antagonistic up to the point where Pearl runs off.

Lion contradicts or ignores Steven sometimes, but this time they both take action immediately. Steven asks if he knows where Pearl went, and Lion responds in the affirmative. This is another example of Lion Finding People Because He Knows Where To Look (Because He’s Rose.) 

Do you remember this place? Do you have any of her memories? We were right here, over 5,000 years ago.

They chase Pearl to the place where Rose and Pearl decided to stay on Earth and fight. Somewhere Pearl expects Rose to remember. The choice Lion and Steven both make to chase her down and demand answers reminds Pearl of Rose. 

If Lion is Rose, it explains his motivation for helping Steven/Pearl despite not seeming to know or like Pearl very well, his knowledge of where Pearl will be, and the fact that Lion and Steven both reacted the same way Pearl expected Rose to.

Lion Knows Rose Things Exhibit C: Lion 3: Straight to Video

Steven wants to know more about his mom and Lion keeps pushing him into his mane in response. We see some treasures in there.

Some stuff from the war, some Greg related stuff, THE CHEST!! and Steven’s tape.

Consider this seriously for a moment: How did Steven’s tape get here? 

We do see Lion manifest the sword for Steven and Connie, which we know is a physical object created by Bismuth and not a hard light construction, we see it here in the mane. We also see Lion cough up the key to Rose’s storage unit later, where Steven finds the Nora tape. In theory he would know how to put things in his mane, and we’ve seen him take things out. 

We also know these things, continuing from assumptions in Steven’s Lion:

The gems didn’t know about Lion.

Lion had to be dead before his mane could be accessed, so Rose would have stored these things elsewhere as early as ~200years ago per Buddy’s book.

Rose would have placed the Greg items in Lion after meeting Greg, chronologically.

Greg and Rose made two tapes because they didn’t know Steven’s sex.

Only Steven (Or more likely, Pink Diamond gem holder) can enter this dimension, although he can take others with him.

Steven’s sex wouldn’t have been apparent until after Rose was gone.

The other tape is in the desert in Rose’s landfill.

The lion is from the desert.

The landfill is framed by Pink’s ship.

Steven doesn’t recognize the ship in Lion 4 or “Legs From Here To Homeworld”, but to the gems it is immediate and obvious what’s buried there.

So who moved the Steven tape into the mane and left the Nora tape in the desert after Rose gave up her physical form?

If Lion can put things in his own mane, and Lion is Rose, we have an answer. An accomplice is unlikely, given that only Steven can open Lion’s mane, and any gem who saw her possessions at the landfill could put the pieces together that Rose and Pink Diamond are the same. The Landfill clearly belongs to Pink Diamond and the objects in Lion clearly belong to Rose Quartz.

Pearl is the only Gem we know of who knows about the secret, because she started it, and Rose wouldn’t even allow her to speak of it after they staged the shattering. Rose didn’t even tell Greg about her past (which he respected). She didn’t tell the Gems about Bismuth, and Bismuth is in the mane. Any Crystal Gem would know Bismuth and know one of Rose’s secrets, so the likelihood of a secret gem collaborator who both survived the war and helped Rose cover up Bismuth’s bubbling is basically nil. 

Given the timeline and Rose’s secrets, especially given her secrets from Pearl who otherwise knows the most Rose lore and spent the most time with her, it makes very little sense for someone else to be involved but a whole lot of sense for Rose to be Lion. Lion could have moved Steven’s tape into the mane after meeting Steven.

Sidebar: THE MOON

Isn’t it convenient that the being who can teleport them to the moon is so tired out by the trip that he’s then unconscious during the plotty Diamond reveals and we don’t see his reaction to anything?

Again, Lion didn’t know the Gems and wasn’t known to them pre Steven. But when he takes the gang to the moon, he heads straight for the moon base, which Rose would have been to before - another location previously visited only by Rose and Pearl that we know of. Amethyst has to open the door and check - “YUP, WE ON THE MOON!” 

But we do get a shot of him with the Pink Diamond portrait in “Can’t Go Back”; a shot of PD’s mural pans down to Lion facing away from the camera as Steven initiates a cliffhanger.

As we all know, after this, Steven slips into Pearl’s memories and sees everything.

Which leads me to:

The thing about Rose’s portrait and Lion. (and that one (1) pic of Pink Diamond)

I think I’ve made clear why Rose = Lion seems plasuible in terms of mechanics and Lion’s behavior. Now for a couple thematic notes.

I’m just gonna dump some more screencaps for this one. Basically, we never see Lion’s face and Rose’s in the same shot. The only exceptions are panning shots that still don’t have both in the frame. And sometimes this happens while Steven is talking about his mom, or other people are.

I remember people speculating about the meaning of hiding Rose’s face. I was looking for Lion things on this rewatch, so I didn’t look closely at the painting, focusing more on character, but I don’t think Rose’s face being covered has to exclusively mean one thing; there may be other instances where it’s symbolic to the scene and unrelated to Lion. However, Lion is the only character for which this seems to be a hard rule.

Sometimes Lion is just being a goofy cat while Rose’s portrait hovers in the background, static, serene, complete.

This one pans down from Steven looking at Rose, to Lion looking back at Steven, much like the PD shot on the moon base.

(Lion, Steven and Bismuth waiting to see how the CGs will react to Bismuth appearing)

Ok, that’s a thing, and we know the art and story go hand in hand in this show. Moving on, just a few last thoughts. 

Lion eavesdropping awake and asleep, & angst potential

The thing about a character that’s always napping in the background is, sometimes maybe they’re awake? And if a change in consciousness can trigger the body swap, which crucial conversations has Lion been present to overhear? Certainly not many of Steven’s complicated feelings about his mom? Wouldn’t that be a great long road to retroactively torture us all?

In “An Indirect Kiss”, Lion is dozing while Steven complains about not having the healing powers he already has - Lion’s annoyed with Steven’s moon in the beginning. While Steven tells his story, Lion’s tail is moving and at the end he opens an eye. 

It's just... I mean, I don't know how to feel about you, but everyone else does. I wish I could have met you then this place would make me sad, and I could cry healing tears, like you.

So Lion probably heard the part that made Connie cry, when Steven is laying in statue Rose’s lap and lamenting how little he knows about her. We also discover later that Lion was revived by healing tears.

In “Nightmare Hospital”, Lion is awake to witness Steven hugging his mom’s sword while Connie hugs her mom. I invoke rule of Crewniverse emotionally devastating everyone in Steven Universe.

In “Ocean Gem”, Lion’s there for Pearl’s explanation of corrupted gems to Steven.

He’s present for the convo at the beginning of “The Test” about Steven learning the Sea Spire mission was a setup.

He’s there when Steven and Amethyst catch Pearl tricking Garnet into fusion.

And when Peridot is learning to love the Earth and accept things that don’t make sense.

He’s also hanging out with Connie at Kevin’s party and is there to hear Steven and Connie talk through their conflict.

Lion could still just be a lion that happens to know things only Rose would know but I choose to believe there’s somethin’ going on. 

Finally, in the Tale of Steven intro to the movie, Lion is a Rose.

This brings us to the final question, which was also the first question:

Why why why would Rose not just come clean? 

The simplest explanation is yeah, Rose still hasn’t learned to stop running and hiding. I have a theory below because it seems to line up, but I am pretty convinced that Lion is Rose. I know we’ll enjoy Steven Universe: Future regardless of what they’ve done but I just think it makes sense.

TL;DR: We know there are psychic ghost abilities and astral projection can be triggered or ended by sleep and that someone can be in someone else’s body in a non-fusion way. Lion sleeps a lot and occasionally seems to know things only Rose could have known. If Lion isn’t Rose, it doesn’t track with Rose’s secretive behavior. Lion is Rose.

SPECULATION from here on.

I’m inclined to believe we’ll find out Pink was responsible for the damage to Pink Pearl’s eye, maybe due to giving an illogical order-

-Or lashing out in anger?

We would finally understand the first choice Rose made that changed her, like what A Single Pale Rose did for Pearl. And if she had a core trauma unresolved it could explain why she kept hiding from the past. We’ve seen something similar with Lapis.

And what do you know, before Steven Universe wrapped, Lion got an adorable little one-eyed companion!

Rose genuinely being gone forever is a choice I like also, but to me, there’s too much about Lion that’s explained this way that is more satisfying than just “he’s magic and knew rose offscreen”

To cite another conspiracy theory, maybe this could be how Steven emotionally self-corrupts, if that’s a thing. I’m not attached to that one but this could trigger it. What could possibly be more upsetting than this? What could force him to deal with his own problems?

RECAP

Lion’s actions make sense if he’s Rose more than another explanation because 

He has only warped to places Rose would know about

A number of which only Rose and Pearl know about, canonically

Rose’s big secret identity is compromised if anyone interacts with Lion. In fact Lion basically holds all of her secrets?

He gave a shit about Pearl’s feelings in Rose’s Scabbard despite Lion not knowing her

VHS tape conundrum

We know Steven can body swap without bringing his Gem along

Connie, a HUMAN from EARTH who has a SWORD and LOVES MAGIC and is Pearl’s FAVORITE STUDENT, is Lion’s favorite person*

Lion has a personality and sentience, why would he not have a character arc and motivations and knowledge that explain his behavior? Does it really make sense for him to be a handbag who takes Steven on quests? Isn’t that exactly what Pearl’s character arc was all about not being?

Offers the opportunity for Rose to face her problems

*this isn’t really evidence but I love Connie and so does Lion

(Lion is also Melon Mutt because)

There are 3 Melon Mutts but they all come to Steven immediately after body swapping

The Watermelon society episodes are clearly saying something about the story (Baby Melon = Pink Diamond and Steven Melon 1 = Rose), but my galaxy brain is too deep into Lion to actually understand the melons beyond that

Lion rescued Steven because he saw where he went

Why would we need Melon Mutt at all otherwise? What’s the point? We already have Pumpkin?

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe: The Fantastic Mutants Chapter 2: Right into the Danger Room (originally posted on April 17, 2020)

AN: Kept you waiting, huh? After originally deleting the Fantastic Four from the climax of last chapter due to not giving them any dialogue, this is where I now shall introduce the First Family to the story. Well then, let's finally hop to it!

--

"Here we are Steven, the X-Men's personal training room." Pearl announced as the group exited the elevator, went through the hallways, and stepped into the famous Danger Room of the X-Men. Aside from the small control room above it housing X-Men ally Moira MacTaggert & Gold Team member Doug Ramsey aka Cypher, the area was a large white room decorated with turrets, holograms, and various other traps designed to test whoever trains in there. "So, the legendary Steven Universe in the flesh." Reed Richards announced his presence by appearing behind Steven with Susan Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm behind him. "Wait, the Fantastic Four are here too?!" Steven exclaimed. "That's right little guy. The professor and Stretch here actually wanted to test you." the Thing stated patting a big orange hand on the stretchable scientist's shoulder. "We've already heard about how you helped those Chitauri and Thanos." "Charles is already sort of familiar with you Gems thanks to your mother." Sue added with a wink. "Which version of my mom are you talking about, Rose or Pink Diamond?" Steven asked, casually bringing up his mother's true identity to the four, which incited an awkward silence. "Okay then." Johnny muttered nervously. "Why don't we just get to fighting already to get our minds off that junk?" he asked. "Very glad you asked Johnny." Reed answered just as sheepish while gazing down at the Danger Room. "Eight Crystal Gems against twenty-four mutants, Johnny and Ben. Sounds like pretty bad odds for you." "We'll find a way around that." Garnet declared as she pounded her fists together. "Now then, shall we begin?" "Gladly." Wolverine smirked and he popped out his claws and the two teams of both eight & twenty-six were lowered down into the training room. Charles, Reed and Susan remained in the control room to monitor the Gems' abilities from afar. "Let the testing begin." Xavier declared. "Heads up X-Men!" Cyclops exclaimed firing his eye beams at Garnet, who swiftly blocked them with a cross of her arms. "Joke's on you, my future vision saw that coming." the fusion smirked before she went in for the kill, punching the mutant in the face. "So what can you do little one?" Colossus asked while towering over both Peridot and Lapis. "That depends. How heavy are you with that form?" Peridot replied with a grin as she lifted the metal man into the air with her ferrokinesis. "My word, I am floating!" Piotr cried in astonishment. "C'mon Lapis!" Peridot muttered to the water Gem. "Go and make him wet! He should rust, right?" "Oh uh, I don't think I can do that right now." Lapis said nervously before slowly shuffling away, inciting curiosity from the green Gem. "That's a little odd." Peridot observed while lowering Colossus to the ground. "Yes, you say she has water powers yet has not used them at all." Piotr added. "And by the way, I do not rust." Meanwhile, Pearl and Connie were clashing their blades with Wolverine and Laura's claws. "Likin' the new sword Connie." Logan complimented. "But what the hell happened to the old one?" "Oh, funny story actually." Connie stated while parrying Laura's foot claws. "Ruby and Sapphire had this wedding that we put together after we all learned Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond in disguise only for it to be crashed by the Diamonds and Blue Diamond broke the first one. Then we went to Homeworld where Bismuth eventually came to help us with a new one she made for me." "That's certainly a lot to take in." X-23 remarked while flipping backwards to avoid Connie's attacks before she locked the claws in her hands with Pearl's spear. "Yes, everything after that did take some getting used to." the white Gem stated. "Between repairing the beach house, making a place for all the Gems we uncorrupted to live in and still sort of recovering from becoming extensions of White Diamond, it's a lot to take in."

-- "At home base is our golden boy Sammy "The Cannonball" Guthrie, as he gets ready for perhaps the biggest hit of the season!" Cannonball narrated to himself like a sports commentator while aiming himself at Bismuth, who was duking it out with both Ben and Johnny. "To say he's been preparing for this moment the entire year wouldn't be saying much, but by God he plans on making this the hit that'll change the way everyone sees his team for centuries to come!" "Hey Cannie, quit stalling!" Magma jeered as she made small talk with Nephrite. "Not even his fans will break his concentration!" Sam continued and then, he began to ignite his feet. "HERE COMES THE PITCH!" he yelled, blazing towards the blacksmith, the Torch and the Thing with rapid speed & a big grin on his face and then, knocked them all down like bowling pins. "AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!" "Sam you nino." Amara tutted to herself. "Is your relationship normally like this?" Nephrite asked the lava mutant. "Yeah, he's kinda like an annoying little brother to me." Magma replied. "So anyway, what can you do?" "Oh, you mean you want to see my weapon?" the former Centipeetle mother inquired. "Well, here g-" Before she could demonstrate, Cannonball was sent flying into a wall by a single punch from Garnet, right next to the two. "I'M OKAY!" he exclaimed. "NAILED IT!" Far from the others, Steven was backed into a corner by Blink and Warpath. "Gotta say kid, you're not too shabby." Clarice Ferguson nodded while flinging her crystal javelins at Steven's shield. "You still got a little to learn, but that's what the professor is for." "Oh yeah? Well try this!" Steven exclaimed, now turning his shield into a bubble to roll around in and raced off, knocking down Clarice and James along the way. "There is so much about Gems that we must learn." Warpath muttered. "Don't you agree Clarice?" "Hey Connie, over here!" Steven called out to his human friend. "Let's show everyone something really cool!" he offered. "Oh, you mean-" Connie began when Logan cut her off. "I'm sorry, what?" Wolverine asked as the girl raced to the bubble and high-fived each other, glowing brightly inside the sphere before it dispersed, and out of it came Stevonnie. "TA-DA!" "What the hell just happened?!" Cypher exclaimed in wonder. "Anyone else seeing this?" Moira asked the others, who were already monitoring the current events. "It seems they have merged into a singular being!" Reed analyzed through video footage of the fusion before speaking into an intercom. "Excuse me new fighter. Can you please tell everyone in the room who you are?" "We already know Richards." Garnet stated. "Meet Stevonnie, a fusion of well, Steven and Connie." she introduced the kids' fusion before they cut her off. "Let me take over Garnet." Stevonnie suggested. "In case you couldn't tell, a fusion combines multiple aspects of its fusees, like appearances for example." they explained. "And abilities too. Like so." To demonstrate, they summoned Steven's shield following by swinging Connie's sword about. "So in short, you're basically two cute kids standin' on top of each other to form a non-binary lookin' person?" the Thing remarked. "Whatta strange development!" "Fusion? Interesting." Lapis muttered to herself with her back turned to Peridot. "Uh, why would you say that Lapis? You know you've had bad experiences with fusion!" the green Gem asked. "Do you mind little one?! I'm trying to think!" the taller Gem shouted harshly, giving Peridot a fright. "Something just isn't right! Who are you?!" "We shall focus on your friend later child." Colossus stated as he picked Peridot up and walked away with her, leaving Lapis alone. "I assume you are very close?" he asked. "Indeed we are." Peridot remarked. "We've had our conflicts in the past, but overall we're very good friends or maybe something more. But still, she never called me little one before and hasn't acted like that since we were first getting to know each other." "You are correct. Something must be wrong." Piotr agreed. "I suggest we keep our heads down and see what happens." -- As for Stevonnie, they had just finished going a few rounds with both Cyclops and Jean before finding themselves getting tired out. "Okay, let's take five for a bit. I'm beat." they announced, officially splitting back into Steven and Connie. "You two work very well together." Scott remarked as he helped the kids up. "Are there any more fusions we should know about?" "Well, there's Ruby and Sapphire for example." Wolverine stated, cuing Garnet to split up into the married Gems. Ruby's headband was now a shiny orange color, she now wore brown pants and the top part of her torso was the same color. Sapphire's dress was currently covered by a light blue vest with navy lining underneath a white top with much pointier sleeves than before. "AAAWWW! Aren't you two just the cutest?!" Cannonball squealed at the sight of the two. "You're right, these funky little lesbians are just so small!" Kitty exclaimed. "Oh you're too kind." Sapphire giggled and blushed. "Anything else we should show you?" "Yeah, you got any more fusions?" Laura asked. Without any hesitation, Ruby, Sapphire & Steven merged into a new fusion that looked like a giant sun wearing sunglasses. "Sunstone is in the house baby!" Sunstone proudly announced, following up by offering everyone a high five. "How has everyone been doing lately?!" "T-this can't be real, can it?" Cyclops gasped at the friendly fusion. "Don't be so alarmed buddy." Sunstone exclaimed. "It's always nice to meet new people. But if those new people do anything to make you uncomfortable, that's NO GOOD!" "Why are you talking to the wall?" Beast asked Sunstone after they had given an important life lesson to seemingly nothing in particular. "No matter. Could you perhaps show us your abilities?" "With pleasure sir." Sunstone accepted the offer and made a pair of suction cups appear, using them to climb up the wall. "And another thing, don't forget to respect your elders!" they added. "Oh god, this new one is just like Wade." Wolverine face-palmed. "Who's Wade?" Bismuth asked, to which she was met with a terse "You don't wanna know bub!" -- Meanwhile in the mansion above, classes had finally got out and the students of the X-Men were ready to call it a day. "How come none of us have ever heard of these Gem creatures before?" Hisako Ichiki asked her friends. "Which one do you think is your favorite? I think mine's the big one with the rainbow hair." Megan Gwynn also inquired. "I find the little green one very funny." Sooraya Qadir answered. "And so cute to-" Suddenly, a loud knock came from a nearby closet. "Anyone else hear that?" Dust exclaimed. The knocking sounded again. "It's coming from over there!" The three mutant girls proceeded to investigate, opening the closet to find a blue-skinned woman tied up and gagged. "Is that one of them?" Armor shouted as she freed the girl from her restraints, and she only had one question. "Where's Peridot?" "Are you talking about the tiny one Sooraya said was her favorite?" Pixie wondered. "Last I checked, she went with our teachers to the Danger Room." Faster than the three mutants could see, Lapis zoomed off to the training room. "Please tell Peridot I find her hilarious!" Dust called after the water Gem, but her words barely reached her. -- "Okay, I do believe we've seen enough!" Xavier called to Sunstone from the viewing box. "Don't want anyone to get crushed if you fall!" "You got any pyrotechnic abilities Sunstone?!" Johnny exclaimed. "If you do, then I think we might have a little competition!" Sunstone was quick to correct the Human Torch however. "I do believe I haven't tried that out yet." they remarked, then they made the suction cups disappear from their hands and landed on the floor with extreme bravado. "Thank you, thank you very much!" "Ugh, showboat. You kinda remind me of another fireman." the Lapis Lazuli that Peridot believed might not be the one she remembers snarked. "Am I the only one who's noticing how different Lapis is?!" Peridot exclaimed. "I haven't seen you act like this since we first moved in together! What gives?" "I'm just not impressed, that's all." Lapis growled. "Something tells me we got a spy around here." Mr. Fantastic announced as he, Susan, Xavier, Moira and Doug entered the Danger Room. "Tell me Ms. Lazuli, what can you tell us about the disappearance of the ocean a while back?" "Oh well, they just vanished. That's all." Lapis answered while fidgeting with her hands. "I know a liar when I see one!" Ben growled. "And by my great aunt Petunia, you definitely look like a liar!" "That's because she is!" another Lapis exclaimed racing into the Danger Room and scowling at her double. "So, what thinks you can snatch me out of that elevator and take my place?!" she argued. "Who are you talking about? I am the real deal!" the other Lapis stated flamboyantly. "Loyal member of the Crystal Gems and this little Peridot's dearly beloved!" "Oh yeah, well which one of you likes this?" Steven declared before he began making fart noises with his mouth, causing the first Lapis to laugh and the second to smack her face in embarrassment. "What an absolute child." she groaned. "AHA!" Peridot cried. "Now we know who the real one is!" "I AM!" the pair of Lapises exclaimed in unison. "Oh please Mystique, you can use your powers better than this." Xavier tutted disdainfully. "It's almost like you're passing yourself off as incompetent to annoy us." "Of course it had to be you to expose me." the second Lapis growled as she began to change form. Unlike Gem shapeshifting, she didn't glow as her eyes turned an empty yellow, her hair was dyed red, scales appeared on her face & arms and Lapis's clothing was replaced with a white leotard that came with matching boots, gloves and a shawl kept together with a skull. She was no longer Lapis Lazuli, but instead her true identity as the shapeshifter Mystique. "Frankly, we knew this part of our plan wouldn't end well." "We?" Steven asked, but the X-Men knew exactly who she was talking about. "The Brotherhood!" Iceman shouted when the alarms sounded. "Oh hey, speak of the devil." he muttered bemusedly. "No offense Kurt." "No time to talk, we must go now!" Nightcrawler commanded while Mystique made a break for it. "You are exactly right Wagner." Scott declared. "X-Men, let's move out!" -- Where the proud front doors to Xavier's school once stood, now there was only a hole created by a massive man dressed in red, most notably a large helmet covering his entire head. "Okay ya walkin' talkin' rock candy, where are you?!" Cain Marko, better known as the Juggernaut, roared. "It's a good thing Mystique planted that hearing bug on herself just in case." his amphibious partner Toad added. "I just can't wait to see those pebbles for real!" "Hello boys." Mystique greeted her fellow mutants as she stepped out of the shadows. "I suppose you may have already gotten the news." she said. "Well I got worse news: they're after me." And Raven was right. The Crystal Gems came charging after the mutant and took up arms against the two new mutants. "And you two are?" Garnet asked. "Pardon me for being so rude." Juggernaut stated. "You can call me the Juggernaut, bitch!" he roared. "And we're all from the Brotherhood of Mutants, here for that brat with the shield!" "Let me guess, is this about my mom?" Steven asked, exasperated how most of his enemies come after him because of Rose Quartz. "No, we don't care about her! The master only wants you!" Mortimer hissed. "Now just come quietly and none of your rainbow friends will get hurt." "No dice Kermit!" Amethyst shouted. "Steven, keep yourself away from these guys and get everyone to safety! The OG-3 got this handled!" she ordered the boy. "Right!" Steven accepted. "X-Men, I need you to help me find the students!" As Steven led the mutants and the Fantastic Four away; Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl charged at Juggernaut, Toad & Mystique with weapons ready. "Do you wish to know the qualities of the mighty toad?!" Mortimer bragged as his long tongue tangled with Amethyst's whip. "Wait wait, I think I got this!" Amethyst exclaimed. "This can happen to them." Suddenly, Amethyst tossed Toynbee around by her whip, still tangled with his tongue, and smashed him into the ground multiple times. "Okay!" Mortimer declared, getting more desperate with each pound. "I surrender! Same thing that happens to everyone else! Make it stop! I'm gonna be sick!" "What business do you have coming here following us and replacing Lapis?" Pearl asked as her spear clashed against Mystique's knife. "We are simply in league with someone who wants that child's gemstone." Mystique replied. "He desires it for experimental purposes." "If you think you can take Steven from us, then you got another thing coming!" Pearl howled protectively. -- "Okay, that should be all the students." Cyclops announced while doing a headcount of the school's student body. "I swear, we should really increase defenses at some point and maybe build a stronger building." "But I on the other hand believe the school being damaged builds character." Colossus responded. "So what can we do now guys?" Steven asked his fellow mutants. "I mean, is there any way we can just reason with these villains and make them leave the place?" "Don't you go thinking some cutie pie words will just make us surrender pink brat!" a new mutant declared emerging from the dust & rubble. He looked very similar to Wolverine, but looked more feral with blank white eyes, crazy blonde hair and a red & brown costume. Beside him was a pale Japanese woman dressed in tight black leather that had an Oriental style to it. Also like Logan, they both had metal claws emerging from their hands. "Creed. Oyama." Logan snarled at Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike. "Looks like we almost got the whole Brotherhood here." Emma Frost implied. And just as she said so, a morbidly obese man in a blue singlet came rolling in using his fat body. "HOWDY TRAITOR!" the Blob shrieked. "And lookie here, we got us a good one!" "Why don't you just hand over the boy and no one will have to get hurt?" a pyrokinetic mutant offered while standing alongside another member of the Brotherhood in steel blue armor who was causing the school to slowly fall apart. "Naw just kidding to be honest, someone is probably gonna get hurt no matter which side they're on!" "Don't get too cocky John." the Brotherhood's earth-moving tactician Avalanche coldly reminded Pyro. "Now where could Tom be?" "Right here gang! And guess who I found?" the plant controlling Black Tom Cassidy announced while having assisted Juggernaut, Toad & Mystique in detaining Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl with his vines. "Seriously, who are you crazy people?!" Lapis exclaimed in fright at just how one man was able to defeat three powerful Gems. "They're the Brotherhood of Mutants, a group of extremists dedicated to more violent ways of mutant peace." Jubilee exposited. "And by the way, what do you want now?!" "They want Steven! I don't know why exactly, but they're working for someone who wants him for science junk!" Amethyst cried out. "That's not untrue runt." the Brotherhood's leader Magneto concurred while descending from the sky in a sphere of purple energy. "I do apologize for making this much of a scene but I implore you all, give us the child and you'll go free." "You shall do no such thing Erik." Xavier boldly rebuked the master of magnetism. "Just who are you in alliance with?" "Well, it should be someone quite familiar to some other guests of yours." Magneto answered while looking at Reed and company, who knew exactly who he was talking about. "Doom." Richards muttered in shock. -- As the invasion of the mansion went on, a man dressed in green robes and silver armor watched everything play out through a holographic screen in his castle in the nation of Latveria. Its literally iron-fisted ruler Victor von Doom slouched in his throne as he watched the Brotherhood of Mutants contend with the Crystal Gems and their new allies before he got up and walked towards the screen. With a devilish grin that couldn't be seen through his emotionless mask, he traced a circle around Steven and let out a menacing laugh. "Soon child, your gemstone shall belong to Doom." -- At long last, chapter two is done! Yeah, tons of things got in the way of its creation like my bad habit of unintentional procrastinating along with a certain virus that's been ruining everyone's fun lately. But on the bright side, I've been able to get this out long after the grand conclusion of Steven Universe Future, so I'd have a lot to work with for future stories. But for now, stay safe out there in these trying times and stay tuned.

[lee-vc]

Meet Virika "Cutie-2" Maheswaran-Universe! What I imagine Steven and Connie's daughter to be like. Her design and bits of her personality were inspired by Mabel from Gravity Falls. At the time of the story, she would be about 7-8 years old, I'm thinking, still thinking about how the timeline would be set up. I'm just posting up pics and designs I thought up really. I'm gonna try and post up art like every Tues and Friday. So onto to some head-canons about her: Virika is a Hindi name meaning "Bravery." Her nickname is "Vivi." Her "middle name" was, of course, given to her by Garnet. Just as Steven was "Cutie Pie", his daughter would of course be "Cutie-2"! Legally, her last name is indeed "Maheswaran-Universe." Connie and Steven didn't really take each other last names when they married, just kept both of their names and they wanted their daughter to have both names too. Although Steven is no longer resentful of how his father raised him, he still wants Vivi to have all the things he didn't really experience as a child. Namely, normal human child things. So she goes to school, lives in a proper house, goes to the Doctor on a regular basis and all that jazz! But that doesn't mean she's completely sheltered from Gem stuff either! Since the time she was a baby, Steven and Connie bring Vivi down to Beach City for her summer Vacation from school! She plays Video Games with Amethyst, goes exploring Little Homeworld and learning about Gem culture with Pearl and even is apart of Ruby's scout trope! (She already has 5 merit badges!) On her 5 birthday, Pearl knitted a "Crystal Gem" sweater for Vivi (which she never takes off). Like Steven was in her early youth, she optimistic, friendly, extroverted and bubbly. Even more so since Steven and Connie make sure to shelter her from some of the more traumatic facts of Steven's life. That's not to say they'll never tell her but they're waiting until she's older. She's pretty much met all of the Crystal Gems, including the Diamonds and Spinel at one point. She finds the Diamonds to be a bit intimidating but she still loves them. They are her great aunts after all! She, of course, loves Spinel the best and absolutely considers Spinel to be her "Best Friend." She even tried styling her hair after hers so they could be "Hair buddies." And she absolutely adores her cousins! Being an only child, they're like her older brothers but she wishes she could see them more often. - Powers - Bubbles At first, Connie and Steven were sure that Vivi was fully human with the only hint her of her Gem heritage being the subtle Pink glow to her eyes that can only be seen in just the right light. But when she turned 1, she displayed her first bit of gem powers. That being, whenever she sneezed, a Pink bubble would involuntarily form around her (which Steven always had to pop.) This involuntary self-bubble sneeze still happens to this day. Healing She also inherited Steven's healing powers. It was first discovered it when drawing with Pearl and had gotten a paper cut. After putting her finger in her mouth, she pulled it out so Pearl could put a band-aid on it only to see the wound had healed. So far she's only used this to heal little cuts and scraps she's gotten from time to time. It's unknown if she inherited any other Gem powers from Steven but her parents aren't exactly rushing to discover that fact. If more powers do show up, they'll handle it. For now, they just want Vivi to enjoy her life as much as possible.

[gem-rewatch]

SU rewatch- S1E7- Bubble Buddies

Our first Connie episode!! I was super excited to get to this one, mainly because Connie is one of my favorite characters in this show. 

Her growth as an individual throughout the seasons is so, so good- and despite becoming an integral part of Steven’s busy chaotic life she never comes across as “just the love interest” or “entire life revolves around Steven” like female characters tend to do in plenty of other shows. This show- despite being told exclusively through Steven’s POV- still respects the fact that Connie has her own life separate from him and Gem stuff, giving glimpses into her relationship with her parents, her school life, and giving her plenty of hobbies, likes, and dislikes. I really appreciate that.

Okay, so first off I wanna talk about Steven and the glow stick. So, he saw this cute girl watching the parade drop her glow bracelet, and saves it in the freezer just in case he ever sees her again right? And it was a big Beach City boardwalk parade, likely with lots of tourists there watching, so there’s no guarantee that he’d ever see her again. Even with this, he still holds out a spark of hope that he’d be able to give it back. Which, is just who Steven is- he’s a hoper and a dreamer. 

And like the world’s best miracle, there she is. Right there. Sitting on the beach close to his house, reading a book.

(As an added note, Connie ran out to on obscure corner of the beach away from the boardwalk to go read a book in peace. She probably wanted to get away from her overbearing, overprotective parents for a bit to relax.)

Oh my- oh my lord, it looks like he’s doing the Bigfoot pose. I desperately hope this was intentional.

But Steven. Steeeeven. Honey. Are you really gonna have your first line be a tacky pick-up line??

Steven: “It’s a smooth ride.” (after absolutely digging his wheels through the sand. GAWD.)

Honestly it’s probably good that Connie’s first impression of Steven was him being a complete doofus like this rather than his bad attempts at flirting like a leather studded biker.

But gawddd even on first watch it’s made explicitly clear that this is someone Steven’s seen from a distance before and wants to get to know. This poor kid just doesn’t know how to... actually do it.

Steven: “It’ll mess up my funky flow!”

He doesn’t seem to need any so-called ‘funky flow’ talking to anyone else in town- in fact, he’s about as extroverted as they come. This kid would willingly converse with almost anyone. Almost. His awkwardness about this one person drives home the reality that Steven probably thinks she’s cute and doesn’t know how to deal with that sort of crush stuff yet. Because let’s be real- with anyone else, this wouldn’t be a problem. He’d just bound up to them in all his enthusiasm as if they were already friends. 

Garnet: "We won’t watch.”

She says, as she adjusts her glasses. 

She already can sense what’s going to happen anyways, she doesn’t need to watch. XD

He’s already eaten through the cookie cats, and he grabs the same little glow stick that’s been seen in the freezer in episode one. A nice continuity detail.

(Although I do wonder how much time has passed between Gem Glow and now.)

Steven: *testing out different vocal inflections* “Hi! My name is Steven. Hi! My name is Steven...”

Having to script out introductions to ease one’s nerves about talking to someone new is literally so relatable. The story of my life. It’s reassuring to see a traditionally extraverted character do this too.

Ah yes, the protective bubble overprotective Pearl’s always dreamed of enveloping Steven in. Thank god he can now summon one himself.

Assuming nothing else happened off screen, this is the third weird gem thing Steven’s ever been able to do in his life- after summoning his shield once and attempting to shapeshift. Thank god it’s a helpful one this time. 

Connie: “What... happened?” *Steven pauses for a short moment, considering.* Steven, casually: “I’m magic!”

Now, for Steven... Beach City has been his whole life. Here, the handful of locals have lived alongside Gem weirdness for long enough that they accept it without question by this point, with a sorta “it might as well happen” attitude. Because of this, I get the sense that he’s never actually had to explain anything before.

And so, as awkward as they come, he info dumps.

Steven: “Well, half-magic. [...] I’m a member of the Crystal Gems, we fight monsters and protect humanity and stuff-”

Connie, bless her heart, just sorta shrugs and goes “okay” to all of this. But hey, there’s no reason to deny the existence of magic when it’s all around you!

All of THIS scene is gold:

Steven: “That’s Lars. We’re basically BFFs.”

Lars: *making fun of the kid by slathering his tongue against the bubble’s surface like an utter loon, who as a result actually appears less grounded than Steven at the moment*

This is not the only time Steven tries to get his point across by playing pictionary and drawing an over-complex picture that literally no one gets the meaning of. It’s an ongoing habit, apparently.

Nice cameo of Obsidian’s sword! Makes you wonder how it got all the way out here. Also, is this an actual sword that Obsidian forged in their lava mouth, or is it a fake sword made exclusively to be a part of the fusion temple (before it was crumbled a bit)?

Connie: “Now we’re going to suffocate or starve at the bottom of the ocean, and only my parents will notice, because no one else cares about me! I’m gonna disappear without ever making a single friend!”

This scene makes me genuinely hurt. Connie is so lonely that one of her biggest fears/regrets at this point is dying without anyone caring what happened to her. 

What we know about her and her parents tells me that they’re just... so sheltering that she’s had barely had time to socialize with anyone. It’s left her timid, so anxious about meeting new people that it literally took Steven knocking right into her to save her life to get her to say hello. All she wants is one good friend, someone who will stick around, someone who will remember her-

And then comes along Steven. A boy who saw her drop a glow stick, and cared enough to save it in case he ever saw her again. A boy who remembered her, who wants to know her.

...a boy who’s. Apparently getting down on one knee to ‘propose’ friendship to her. XD

Hey, whatdya know? I guess diamonds really are a girl’s best friend.

Jokes aside, this is such a sweet moment- 

Steven: “We could be friends!”

It’s exactly what Connie needed to hear, and it’s exactly what he always wanted- to get to know the girl from the boardwalk parade more.

As a final note, Steven blushes so hard when Pearl and Amethyst are gently teasing him about Connie. Honestly I think the fact that Steven has a canonical crush on Connie is about as blatant as they can make it from episode one. 

That being said, most of all he just wants to be a friend. I’m thankful I’ve never sensed any sort of “possessive, jealousy” behavior from him when it comes to Connie which automatically sets Steven Universe as a show apart from like, pretty much every other kid’s show with a crush between guy and girl best friends. (I’m lookin’ at you, Star vs. the Forces of Evil.)

They’re friends first, and he respects that- and thus I respect him.

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 119: The New Crystal Gems

“We can be exactly like them, but better!”

It’s a time-honored tradition at this point to follow emotionally heavy arcs with Peridot being silly, and while Greg’s kidnapping might seem like small potatoes compared to the Peridemption or the conclusion to Act II, The New Crystal Gems is a welcome salve before we dive back into turmoil mode. Especially because this is our last fully goofy episode, without any forays into angst or the larger plot, until Letters to Lars. And even that one has Sad Dewey.

A staple of great sitcoms is developing a strong core roster and pairing characters together in interesting ways episode to episode. It’s something that Steven Universe (which to be fair is not a sitcom) unfortunately doesn’t get a chance to do very often, because we see the world through Steven’s eyes. By design he’s nearly always a part of the show that bears his name, and while I love the kid, it can be refreshing to see what it’s like for people in his world to hang out without him. I’d kill for an episode about Greg giving Buck guitar lessons, or a day in the life of Onion and Sour Cream’s family, or Garnet interacting with literally any human that isn’t a Universe for an extended period of time. But I’ll certainly settle for seeing Connie, Peridot, and Lapis do their own thing. (Oh and also Pumpkin.)

When Connie and the Barnmates are both tasked to protect Beach City by Steven and Garnet respectively in Adventures in Light Distortion, it seems irrelevant compared to the stakes at hand. But it cleverly fuels the story of three major but supporting characters getting a big promotion and not knowing what to do about it. This is high concept sitcom plot through and through (“Jerry and the gang wait to eat at a Chinese restaurant!” “A conman sells Springfield a monorail!” “April and Andy have a surprise wedding!” “Connie, Peridot, and Lapis take over as the substitute Crystal Gems!”), and I am here for it.

The New Crystal Gems is an answer of sorts to Gem Heist, an episode about the restrictive identities of Gems in their native society. Back on Earth, our heroes instead feel compelled to fill in the roles of the original Crystal Gems, and while the “be yourself” message couldn’t be more blatant, the execution is a delightful reminder that freedom from Homeworld rules allows for malleability and growth. This is a planet where not only a human but a sentient pumpkin dog can be honorary Gems.

While Connie and Peridot are a lot of fun as the Steven and the Garnet, and Pumpkin is obviously a dead ringer for Pearl, Jennifer Paz does the most impressive vocal mimicry as Lapis gets super into playing different members of the group. This is mostly wonderful for how fun it is to see her have fun, but I also love how it tracks with her former life trapped in a mirror, only able to communicate by copying who she saw and heard. Of course she’s good at imitation.

It’s also intriguing to get a glimpse at Lapis’s opinion of the Crystal Gems these days, because she hated them from the start and still has yet to warm up to any non-Steven member of the core group. When she asks which one Amethyst is, it’s everything I want in deadpan: impenetrable delivery from a deeply ambiguous character who’s so dry that even the act of explaining she’s kidding is funny (see also: EDI from Mass Effect). And it’s amplified by her genuinely not recognizing Connie, which itself is a hilarious interaction for both parties. Going full Teen Mode in the beginning of the episode makes her dive into silliness even better; she might be a snob when it comes to how many people she almost drowned, but she’s not too high and mighty to play make believe.

Connie does imitate Steven a bit, but as the most rational of the trio she still defaults to Connie and has to dip into Steven Mode when duty calls. Peridot’s Garnet is just throwing on sunglasses and giving a thumbs up, then acting like typical bossy Peridot, but it make sense that someone who already sees herself as a leader doesn’t think she needs to adjust to fit the role.

In a neat nod to the show’s production history, Jennifer Paz and Shelby Rabara play the Gems they originally auditioned for: we could be living in a world with Paz as Amethyst and Rabara as Garnet full-time. No word on whether Grace Rolek ever read for Steven, but if it wasn’t clear enough from the episode’s content, the crew seemed to have a lot of fun with The New Crystal Gems.

Subtlety isn’t what this episode is going for, but I still appreciate that the successful wash sequence only works because our heroes act like their best selves: Peridot and Lapis use their powers, and Connie towels off the car like the practical human she is. It’s only with a bigger crowd where Peridot and Lapis try too hard to enforce roles that don’t come naturally: Peridot would rather wrest control than lead, while Lapis’s idea of a “joke” is firehosing citizens. Connie’s speech fails because an imitation of Steven’s enthusiasm pales to the real thing, and her lack of an established relationship with these ornery Gems makes an appeal to love impossible. So yeah, shock of shocks, being themselves again is the answer. It’s visible from a mile away, but the appeal of The New Crystal Gems was never going to be its lesson.

The character work for Peridot, Lapis, and Connie is everything here, and I could spend an entire miniseries watching their continuing adventures as the Crystal Temps. Peridot and Lapis already have great chemistry, at each other’s throats when their egos get the better of them but otherwise getting along (either because they agree or because one is fine humoring the other). My favorite shared belief of theirs is that Pearl is the worst Crystal Gem; it’s such a specific and continuous joke that every iteration of it warms my mean-spirited heart, and Peridot’s similarities with Pearl are so obvious that it’s delightful when they’re verbalized.

Connie is the wildcard here, and while it bums me out that we never got to see her meeting Peridot for the first time, her intro scene with Lapis and her role as the adult in the room make her a critical addition. Steven may be more emotionally mature than Peridot, but Connie combines this maturity with the ability to operate on Peridot’s wavelength of logical pragmatism (and is way better at it than Peridot because she’s not, and I say this with love, a doofus). This leads to more of a clashing relationship than what we’re used to, especially because Connie is willing to call Peridot out in situations that Steven and Lapis would just let go. These three are friends, sort of, but most of the episode is Connie wrangling two ancient teens.

It’s amazing to watch Connie’s big speech after I Am My Monster, where she applies the same skills to both rebuke and rally Steven’s extended family in order to save him. Both here and there, she references Steven’s ability to bring people together without actually using his methods, because she’s not Steven and she doesn’t have to be. Steven is forgiving of the Gems’ flaws to a fault, but Connie has no patience for adults who can’t act like the guardians they should be, because she was raised by parents who (for all their flaws) were nothing if not responsible. Connie may have softened since her Bubble Buddies days, but her willingness to chastise friends when the situation calls for it remains one of her greatest strengths in a cast that’s often too kind to speak their minds. 

Connie’s narration separates The New Crystal Gems from most flashback episodes, but we otherwise follow the typical structure of beginning and ending in the present. To his credit, Steven apologizes to Connie for leaving her behind, and for now she’s understanding; her anger with him doing it again in I Am My Mom comes from him revealing that his apology was hollow, because he’s still willing to go on risky adventures without her. (Also, Pearl gets a nice moment beyond being the butt of an episode-long joke by nodding in approval at Connie doing the chores.)

This is one of the more satisfying endings to a flashback episodes, which usually peak at the end of the story being told rather than in the present. Greg’s wealth makes the destruction of his shop less serious than it would’ve been two seasons ago, but it’s still nice to see how chill and forgiving he is of the mistake. And Peridot and Lapis’s artistic side gets to shine as they make a new sign (new sitcom episode idea: Peridot, Lapis, and Buck open a morp exhibit in Beach City). Their victory pose is earned.

This is a shorter review than usual, thanks to the problem I tend to have with writing about Peridot antics: they’re great, but I have to avoid just transcribing my favorite jokes and helpfully telling y’all that they’re funny. Log Date 7 15 2 and Kindergarten Kid were made easier by respectively allowing me to write about Peridot’s redemption as a whole and Looney Tunes, while Beta restricts the best gags to its first half. The New Crystal Gems is an awesome episode, but it’s a bummer that I can’t write more about Connie’s relationship with Peridot and Lapis, because we don’t see them hang out in a meaningful way after this. I’m happy with what we got, but it’s almost cruel to give us a bite of cake without offering a full slice. More Crystal Temps, please!

Future Vision!

The end of Steven Universe Future doesn’t just see Connie call back to her role as the leader of the Crystal Temps, but Peridot replace her as the inheritor of Steven’s shirt.

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

Like Log Date 7 15 2 and Kindergarten Kid before it, The New Crystal Gems is a delight. Add Lapis and Connie to the mix and it gets even better. Not in my Top 20, but still a great one.

Top Twenty

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

When It Rains

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

No Thanks!

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

(I don’t know how an episode this fun didn’t have any crew members drawing official promo images, but Luckyjackpot is on the case.)

[kristinarambles]

Theme Song

Analysis One:

When I first started watching this show it was to find something my oldest daughter [who was three at the time] and I could watch together. We had been watching Gravity Falls but I knew it was coming to an end and I was pretty tired of Shimmer and Shine and Daniel Tiger and whatnot [not that there’s anything wrong with them and in fact I like them, just was over it lol]. Disney movies over and over I can do but I wanted something new that I could really get into. My sister loved it and I saw screenshots and stuff all over Tumblr so I was curious. I sought my sisters referral and she told me it was beautiful but might contain content that Andrea was too young to understand/comprehend, but even so it was made so it would still entertain her and contained a lot of themes that would reinforce the type of things I was trying to teach her as a mother. Now my youngest who was a babe-in-arms when we started has reached about the same age as Andrea was when we started watching and it's all of our big thing that we watch together and love so much. It met and exceeded all of my expectations in every way. The artwork and music is beautiful, I've added several of the songs to my "playlist" of lullaby's that the children request for me to sing to them. The girls adore the characters, Andrea even named "her” dog after Pearl [she’s even got the sharp nose true to form, but as a counterpoint likes to eat trash and roll in the mud]. They play games set to the story, talk about it all the time, cheer them on as we watch and even cry. It keeps us engaged and guessing and even my husband doesn't mind it and will occasionally watch the new episodes with us. We love how excited the kids get about them lol.

I was going to just jump into the first episode, but I thought I should do a little breakdown of the theme songs first,the old one from the first season and the one we've been using since the beginning of season two until presumably we'll get a new one at the start of season six. Also forgive me for not having pictures, but I don’t want to be stealing pictures even with references or tags and I have two children so I don’t have the time or patience to be going and getting my own screengrabs.

First I think it's interesting that in the old theme Pearl and Amethyst [Amethyst pulling out/down her shirt] both show off their glowing gems but you can only see one of Garnet’s as she adjusts her shades. Steven's can be seen glowing until he finishes his little somersault and his shirt settles. I like how the next few flashes show his youth [and immaturity] in comparison to the Gems as well. After seeing the theme we've had the last couple of years so many times I really love the parallels and changes. How when the warp pad goes off Steven just passively floats upside down, he makes a face when Garnet ruffles his hair [which is one of my favorite of their earlier interactions], running to catch up to them and then leaping to get in the lead. It gives us a real feel for their relationship but in an abstract way. Steven is the kid brother, to be protected and sheltered, maybe even a little annoying. They love him, but he isn't really a member of the team, he's just a tag-along. Then it evolves, they start in the temple but it appears that they're at the galaxy warp in the second theme. They focus on the Gems faces now and not their gems. He is now the one who activates the warp, with a hint of the Diamond Salute, everyone ruffles his hair while he smiles [with star eyes no less] because he knows how much they love him. Then the running with Steven trying to catch up turning to all of them just posing one by one with their weapons, but still as a team. We get a nice shot of Connie as the van drives through Beach City, she is front and foremost from our point of view. Lars and Sadie, Mr. Smiley, the Cool kids, Kiki and Nanefua are all there but Connie is the most important. Lots of people have pointed out the change in her appearance in the theme, and it's certainly the most obvious but I like how subtly everyone else changed too. Lars goes from throwing himself against the window to leaning comfortably, Sadie even looks more comfortable. The Cool Kids are now hanging out in front of The Big Donut instead of on the curb across the street. Onion is on top of it when originally it seemed that Mr. Smiley was about to toss him out. Looking back he was probably just handing him off to Sour Cream, but we didn't know he was his big brother back then. Jamie has been added, although off to the side sulking [of course]. Also added are Mayor Dewey, Kofi, and the Frymans. As funny as it is to see Ronaldo being flustered at the van driving by instead of Lars, my heart is warmed by PeeDee hanging out smiling on his father's shoulders and waving at Steven. It might be more symbolism that Ronaldo is trying to gather up his papers but pauses to watch the van go by. He has a tendency to let his theories run away with him, but Steven has consistently set him straight.

All that being said, Connie's transformation is arguably the most important other than Steven himself, although in light of Pink Lars and Rock Star Sadie not necessarily the most drastic in appearance. She is still on the outskirts, but it's no longer because she's an outsider as evidenced by her running after the van instead of just holding her hat in place due to the wind made by it passing her. I love the contrast in her traditionally feminine skirt to her more utilitarian shorts and clutching her book and holding onto her hat turning into still holding the book but loosely by her side instead of tightly to her chest and resting her sword comfortably on her shoulder. I really identified with early Connie and her escape into books. As a Navy brat I moved a lot, and being the oldest I had a lot of responsibility I didn't really want. When we first meet her in Bubble Buddies and she doesn't even notice Steven because she was so into her reading, I felt that on a very visceral level. I wish I could have found real magic like she did lol. Her books are still a part of her, but she’s grown so much, trained to be strong and skillful, earning her place on the team. I don’t think we ever actually see her wear a hat in show, and she loses her literal rose tinted lenses and adds in her glow bracelet showing off her and Steven’s friendship.

Greg is finally shown at the end, representing Steven's human needs with a grill haha, then in a final bit of symbolism in the first theme we see each of the Gems get their own frame with their name superimposed above them. They each get a slightly different time of day and a signature little move to show us who they are without saying a word. Garnet reclining in her lawn chair and only moving her foot at sunset. Amethyst flipping her hair at twilight with the moon behind her. Pearl adjusting her skirt as she sits in front of the fully night sky filled with diamond shaped stars. Steven eating a hot dog with the temple at sunrise behind him. In the new theme however they gather around Steven after a casual shot of the temple. Connie runs to join them, Greg relaxes up against a napping Lion. He strums his guitar as Connie turns smiling. Garnet lowers herself to sit behind Steven, Amethyst in her enthusiasm slides to be beside him, Pearl kneels down neatly They all belong there, as a team. They are all still individuals with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses, but they communicate and fit together so much better now. The title is over all four of them instead of just Steven.

Steven says his powers allow him to connect to people, and sure that's a big part of his gem powers but I think his human half has a really great power too. He has the ability to make people connect to each other. His empathy brings all the people he cares about together and over the course of the series he's been able to dissect and help them solve the issues keeping them apart as well as deal with their own self images and trauma.

There's been a lot of speculation about a new theme, and although initially I was unhappy with the idea and content with the current theme I am coming around. I was firmly against the idea of Rose being Pink and that turned out better than I ever could have hoped so I'm fully trusting in Rebecca Sugar now. Especially with those scenes at the very end of Change Your Mind. The pan over the Crystal Gems, Off Colors and the humans mingling on the beach with the Diamonds looking over them. The change in lyrics about peace instead of fighting while all of the newly uncorrupted gems reunite in the fountain, and the fact that Steven leaves out his own name to make sure he mentions that there's more of them. And then the Crystal Gems in front of the temple, all of them. Lapis and Peridot have officially joined all in, Bismuth is back for good, Connie, Lion and Greg still in their rightful places, even Pumpkin and Cat Steven. It's all just so wonderful, if we do get an updated theme I'm sure it will be just as lovely, I'm trying not to have expectations although the parallels seem to indicate that at least that last bit in front of the temple will be integrated.

[afterpinkdiamond]

Bubble Buddies S1E7

“Bubble Buddies” is our introduction to Connie Maheswaren! It opens with Steven taking out his bike for a ride- on the beach. The Gems question him and he heads out anyways. He struggles along until he sees a girl sitting by the cliff, reading a book. Steven tries to act cool and impressive, talking to himself about his bike, but the girl doesn’t notice until he literally falls over himself and runs away embarrassed. 

When he gets back to the temple, Amethyst and Pearl tease him about liking a girl and trying to set him up. Garnet just tells him to talk to her, likely seeing the obvious in her future vision that talking will work best in the long run. Steven grabs a glow stick bracelet out of the freezer and runs back out to introduce himself.  As Steven is nervously walking over, an unnatural sounding earthquake dislodges a stone from the cliff right above the girl. Panicking, Steven jumps on top of her and a rose-shape blossoms up into a bubble, protecting both of them from the falling rocks. 

This is the first time we see Steven’s protective bubble, and this new power is the inciting incident for the rest of the show. Connie introduces herself, Steven explains that he’s half magic on his mom’s side and they both try to pop the bubble they are now stuck inside. They roll over to the temple, only for Steven to realize that the Gems weren’t watching him. They roll over to the Big Donut to get Lars and Sadie to help. Lars is less than helpful, antagonizing Steven and telling him he’s in love, while Sadie tries whacking the bubble with a chair. Steven just calmly talks with Connie about the donut shop and his friends. When Sadie and Lars just start fighting, Steven takes Connie down to the docks. There we meet Onion for the first time. 

This little creepy guy is most notably non-verbal in this episode, communicating with blank stares, head nods, and thumbs up. However, he can read as Connie uses backward writing to ask for the harpoon gun Steven keeps trying to ask him to use on the bubble. Onion just casually shoots the gun at the bubble and approves as the trawler gets sunk. There have been so many theories about Onion and his generally interesting behavior, very few of which have been answered.  Next, Steven takes Connie to Funland because of all the terrible accidents that should make it easier to pop the bubble. She’s getting noticeably more disturbed by Steven’s lack of planning. When Steven plans to roll them down a roller coaster hill towards oncoming cars, she questions the plan. “What happens after the bubble pops?” “Then we’ll be free!” While this dialogue is played for laughs at Steven’s shortsightedness when it comes to the consequences of his actions, it also echoes what must have been a conversation between Pearl and Pink Diamond when planning the fake shattering.  “What happens when you’ve been shattered?” “Then we’ll be free!” Pink was so caught up in finding freedom, that she did not consider any of the consequences of faking her death for any of the gems she had rallied around Rose Quartz. 

Steven and Connie get chucked into the ocean, and Connie starts to actually panic, not knowing how they are going to get home, with Steven still reassuring her that everything is okay. They see the giant corrupted sea worm gem and notice it eating phosphorescent seaweed. when the sea worm tunnels underneath them and traps the bubble in a trench, Connie finally loses it. Much like Pearl would not have been able to do, Connie tells Steven off for not actually knowing what’s going on, for not having a concrete plan. She’s convinced she’s going to disappear at the bottom of the ocean, and she has no friends to miss her. This is where we see something interesting. When Connie is at her lowest point, fearing for her life and regretting the experiences she’s never had, Steven pulls out the glowstick bracelet and a pink glow fills the bubble. 

We’ve seen in “Reunited” that Steven can summon Pink Diamond’s Aura under great duress. It’s been theorized that he unknowingly used it in “Mr. Greg” while serenading Greg and Pearl to help them reconcile with each other. This aura seems like Blue Diamond’s ability to force others to feel what she’s feeling, as when she uses her power a blue cast covers the screen. The pink glow, while it has an obvious source, coincides with Steven actually emotionally connecting with Connie, offering to be her friend and talking about the first time he noticed her, almost a year earlier. She remembers seeing him in the parade and they both relax, to the point where the bubble pops as Steven’s fear dissipates. They swim to the surface, finally free.

Moments after the relief of breaking the bubble and surfacing from underwater, the sea worm attacks. Steven and Connie get smashed on the beach by a wave and they have to run from the worm that is now chasing Connie’s bracelet. Steven realizes this and takes it back from her to get the worm to chase him instead. He manages to tie it up around the supports of a pier and the gem monster poofs when the pier collapsed over it. The other Gems finally show up, Garnet bubbles the gem and Pearl and Amethyst go right back to messing with Steven. Garnet pulls them away and embarrasses him even more just as the credits roll. 

We see more of Steven’s emotionally triggered powers in this episode. The bubble forms because he’s scared of Connie getting hurt and doesn’t pop for anything until he’s no longer afraid of her rejecting his attempt at friendship. He acts happy-go-lucky, showing her around town, but subconsciously I don’t think he wants her to be able to walk away. Once he realizes how Connie is even more scared than he, Steven is able to reprioritize and empathize with her, calming his own fears in the process. That’s why the bubble pops when it does. This shows how Pink, always an empath, is starting to learn from others how to genuinely care more about others than her own interests. This episode is a fun introduction and “first date” trope for Stevonnie as a friendship and potential relationship. The potential for a romantic relationship also helps draw light towards Pink Diamond’s relationship with Pearl. We see another corrupted gem monster and get to watch Steven fight it on his own! A great episode to launch my favorite ship, Connie was literally starry-eyed over Steven! Wonderful color pallets help convey the passing day and darker their situation is getting. Bubble Buddies is just a beautiful episode all around.

Stevonnie <3

[a-second-chance-su-au]

A Second Chance AU: Everything You Need to Know (FAQ)

Overview

A Second Chance is a Crystal Gem Spinel AU, starting 625 years after Pink left her in the Garden. The Gem War rages on, and Pink has decided to come back for her old playmate. This story will follow the events of the main series but with Spinel present. Doesn’t sound like much, but I can guarantee original content, new fusions, different arcs for canon characters, comedy (hopefully), and drama!

To know more- to either read up on the AU or go to the FAQ- hit “Read More”!

The Outline

I made a post that gives all episode titles that will be involving Spinel, which can be found below. Not all episodes are listed, just the ones that Spinel affects, and therefore the ones I am going to draw. The rest of the show still happens (unless I explicitly say an episode gets skipped).

Click here to read through the episode list!

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q) When will the comic update next?

A) Fridays WHEN I CAN! Not guaranteed! I did this so that it gives myself some room to breathe, since in the past, as soon as I gave myself a due date, I lost motivation AND pushed myself way too hard to get it done. No solid due date = still fun to work on, and I don’t need to worry about making sure it’s done on time! The less stress, the better. :)

Q) Can we ask Spinel questions?

A) You sure can! I just started a new thing on here called "The Ask Chair," which can be followed @the-ask-chair-asc-au. Any character that is currently present in the comic is available for questions, and this will change as characters move in and out of the story.

Q) How much of the main story will change?

A) At first? Not a whole lot. As the story unfolds? You'll have to see. ;)

Q) Will you be remaking the Movie and Future?

A) Yes! Of course, because Spinel is a Crystal Gem, the movie is going to be COMPLETELY different, but it will still occur! As or writing this out, I have a few ideas, but nothing is set in stone yet for the movie. As for Future, Spinel will have her “goodbye” episode, as well as an impact on the plot, but I’m not sure what yet. But I am planning to do that!

Q) Will Spinel fuse with _____?

A) This varies case by case, but I can say as of right now that there are certain fusions confirmed. Spinel/Amethyst (Lavender Alexite), Spinel/Pearl (Lepidolite), Spinel/Steven (Pink “Rubellite” Tourmaline), Spinel/Lapis (Kyanite), Spinel/Alexandrite (Zoisite), and Spinel/Obsidian (Onyx) are all canon, confirmed fusions right now. There are also a few noncanon fusions, most notably Ametrine, who is a fusion between Spins and Bismuth.

Q) She fuses with Lapis? But Lapis hates fusion!

A) Yes, she does. I realized a while after I first saw the movie that she and Lapis (and Future Steven) have a LOT in common. Lapis is traumatized by fusion, but the other gems are traumatized by stuff, too, and they all got to move forward, or at least were put on that path, and I want the same thing for Lapis. I want her to be able to move on. And no; her fusion will NOT just solve all her problems, or make her trauma go away. It will prepare her for going down that path of recovery, to be part of a healthy fusion based on trust instead of hatred. I am going to handle the situation as best as I can.

Q) Can Spinel fuse with _____?

A) Sure, if you wanna draw that. ;) But in all seriousness, I’ll probably say yes unless we’re talking about Peridot. Peri doesn’t want to fuse, and I respect that. She’s the aroace rep. I mean, I’m not completely against the idea, but that fusion WILL NOT be canon in any sense.

Q) Why do Connie and Spinel not get along? Why do Amethyst and Spinel not get along? What’s her relationship with Pearl? Does she hate Greg too? Does she like Bismuth? How will she feel when she fuses? Why-

A) Spoilers. Ask if you feel brave, but if your question sounds anything like this, it’s more than likely spoilers. UNLESS it is currently being addressed, in which case, Spinel MIGHT answer you, depending. ;)

Q) What does Steven give Spinel before leaving for his road trip?

A) Oddly specific question I’ve gotten at least four times. Answer is spoilers!

Q) Hey, Spinel! Did you know that Rose and Pink were the same gem? Also Steven is going to corrupt if you don’t do anything to help him! And Connie isn’t so bad! Also Lars dies and comes back! Steven turns himself in! Amethyst-

A) She doesn’t know these asks exist, and will not respond. Please do not try and spoil her own story for her. :)

Q) Where is the comic?

A) Here, or in the archive, @a-second-chance-su-au-archive. You can also find it by going to the tag #/comic or #/the comic (but without slashes).

Q) Who is Dimond?

A) Me! The name’s @dimonds456 (yes I’m aware it’s spelled wrong, that’s a choice). Nice to meet cha! I'm a bean who doesn't know how to respond to people liking my stuff aha.

Q) May I dub your comic?

A) DUDE YES. Just send me the link when you’re done, and tag me! I would LOVE to see people dub A Second Chance! Oh, and maybe let me know you're going to do so beforehand. This is not a pressure to finish, but more for me so I don't have to worry about whether or not you stole art lol.

Q) Can I submit fanart/fanstories/ideas?

A) Yes! A lot of this blog was built on asks, and a lot of my ideas come from other people. If you have a suggestion, feel free to reach out to me. And I will NEVER say no to fanart! I may not be able to properly respond, but trust me, I adore every piece I get.

Q) [anything aimed at me that is not Spinel/AU related]

A) I will answer you privately. Or, if you’re an anon, I’ll tell you to ask my main blog, @Dimonds456. This is a Spinel AU. If we go on tangents, that’s fine, as long as it stems from something AU related.

If you want to ask Spinel anything, go ahead. Just keep it SFW, and remember that we’re all here to have fun!

Archive

Cover

Part 1

Part 2, Page 1

Episode 1: Bubble Buddies

Episode 2: Man of the Mountain

If any links are broken anywhere, let me know. :)

[illusioneddrawer64]

First Meeting AU

UF Chapter Three: First Meeting

PDJLF DQG PBVMHUB PHHW DJDLQ

A/N: Almost similar, but different headcannons-by using two readers' self-insert (available for anyone who wants to insert themselves to this amazing fandom; both male or female) as being Dipper and Mabel's cousins. Y/N means 'your name'. Additionally, the story is cut in conversations and statements. I do not own Gravity Falls or Steven Universe. UF belongs to MiniJen. Enjoy!

"Come on you guys!" Mabel called back to her brother, and their two cousins.

"Hurry up! I wanna meet those magical ladies that Soos was talking about!"

"H-Hold on!" Dipper exclaimed.

"I'm on my way!"

"Yeah, I am also out of breath too!" replied (male: y/n).

"Seriously? You guys are tired already?" asked Mabel teasingly.

"(Female: y/n) and I are a way ahead of you two"

"Heh-this is what happens if you two boys spend too much time with your noses in a dumb book instead of having fun like Mabel and I do!" exclaimed (female: y/n).

"We're not!" Dipper puffed.

"Exactly-this is wwaayy different from our P.E class; this hill is a lot steeper than it looks to be!" protested (male: y/n).

"Yeah, whatever you slowpokes say" Mabel deadpans with a good-natured laugh.

"I am guessing that cuz should give out her 'Mabel Approves Work-out Plan'!" (Female: y/n) cheerfully said.

"Yeah-only with ten packets of sugar each morning, it is guaranteed in pump you up with endless energy, or your money back!" added Mabel with a smile.

"You girls are spending too much time with Grunkle Stan" Dipper said as he laughed at their humor.

"Well-anyways we made it-whew! Do you think that there is a group of magical ladies up here?" (Male: y/n) questioned.

"I do sure hope so! That would be so cool! Way cooler than my boyfriend turning out to be a bunch of gnomes, at least." Mabel stated.

(Female: y/n) chuckled at the wild ride memory.

"And of-course hopefully less dangerous" Dipper puts in.

"Right on, Dip-but even if these ladies aren't real, we can try to find something else interesting up here" (Male: y/n) said.

"It only makes sense considering how this weird this town turning out to be" agreed Dipper.

"Heh-you boys are the weird ones out here, ya dorks" Mabel jokes.

"Not any weirder than you two are" Dipper retorted, gesturing Mabel's and (female: y/n)'s combined creative craft project, which (male: y/n) notes that it is very 'colorful' shish kabob.

"We all are weird!" Mabel proclaimed enthusiastically, swinging the supposed shish kabob.

"Yep, indeed we are-hold on, have you heard that?" (Male: y/n) said who suddenly brought his voice very low.

"What-you mean the wind?"

"No-wait…shhhhh. Can you hear that?"

"Maybe it's that squirrel again! I bet he wants another hug!"

"Well, not after you nearly suffocated him last time-I highly doubt that"

"It is neither that-besides the rusting is pretty loud to be the wind…"

(Male: y/n) approaches where the sound coming from. "Curious…very, very curious"

So…what? Do you think it is a scary monster or something, waiting in the woods to gobble up four random kids for dinner? Well to be honest, Dip and (male: y/n) would be dinner-I'd be desert 'cause like I said earlier I am full of ten packets of sugar per day!"

"Come on Mabel this is serious. What if there is something out there?"

"If it is-I would say: Take Me to Your Leader!" replied (female: y/n) humorlessly.

"I'm sure it is nothing, it's probably just-". Mabel was cut off by a loud shout.

"Lion Wait! Where are You going?"

Before all four can react, a giant pink blur came out of nowhere from the woods, frightening all four.

"Well, there is something-you know what I'll say: RUN!" exclaimed (male: y/n).

The supposed pink creature chased all four-until it pinned down both Dipper and (female: y/n) with both paws.

Both children grimaced at their certain situation and braced of what-yet-to-come. But only saved by last minute timely rescue.

"Lion, Stop that! What have I told you about attacking people it is rude!"

Dipper and (female: y/n) breathed out a sign of relief and both are pulled up by (male: y/n).

Mabel's eyes sparkled at the lion's pink fur.

"Hey you guys okay?"

All four kids see their new founded-friends: sitting at the front was a short stout boy with a red shirt with a star on it along with jeans, behind him was a girl who looked bit taller than the boy with framed glasses at her nose.

"Um…yeah, thanks?" Dipper said, disbelieving that a wild animal is under the young boy's care.

"You're welcome! Sorry about that though; 'Lion' can be kinda…overprotective sometimes…"

"This is your lion?" Mabel asked with an excitement. "You are so lucky! And he's so cute!"

"You do remember that how he nearly killed me and (female: y/n) just few seconds ago, right?" Dipper asked sharply.

"Aw…" Mabel gushed. "And he's soft too! Like a walking cotton candy, but with teeth!"

"I know, right? He makes a good pillow too! I'm Steven by the way. You already meet Lion, of course. And this is my friend Connie."

"Nice to meet you! Even though it was an accident."

"I'm Dipper and the girl who is losing herself inside your, uh…lion's mane is my sister, Mabel" Dipper grinned with sudden amusement. "And those are my peculiar cousins-(female: y/n) and (male: y/n)."

"Interesting-very, very interesting" (Male: y/n) states who had pulled out a pair of glasses to examine Lion.

"Likewise, it is nice to meet you too!" (Female: y/n) notes while petting Lion who gained an interest in her.

"So SOFT!" Mabel exclaims, which (male: y/n) chuckles at the amusement.

"So what you guys doing up here all by yourselves anyways?"

"Yeah, the only thing up around here is the temple, and if you wanted to go there, then there is much easier way than climbing up the hill, you know."

"Temple?" Dipper interest perked, along with (male: y/n) taking notice.

"Yeah, the temple! It's where me and the Crystal Gems live."

"The Crystal-what?" Dipper questioned, only to be interrupted by Mabel. "Too…Much…Softness…"

"Whoa! I love your sweater! It's kinda like my shirt! Well…kinda…"

"I guess it is!" Mabel agreed. "I'm glad you like it. All my sweaters are handmade by me and (female: y/n) truly!"

"You know, if you really wanted one, we can make one for you-with no extra charge!" (Female: y/n) joined in.

"Oh yeah! Maybe you two could even make matching pairs for three of us at the same time! Or me and Connie! Or all six of us!

"Oh my gosh!" Mabel squealed.

"That is a great idea!" (Female: y/n) exclaimed.

"This sounds awesome! We all can be sweater buddies!"

"Wait, wait, wait" Dipper proclaims. "A minute ago…you said something about…the Crystal Gems…who are they?"

"Oh, right! The Crystal Gems are Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and me! We use magic from our Gems to fight monsters and protect humanity and stuff."

"So… the rumors about magical guardians living up here are actually true?" Dipper asked a bit skeptically, unsure if Steven was actually being serious or not. (Male: y/n) took off his glasses and puts his hands behind his back.

"Believe it or not, they are. Steven is proof of that."

"Wow-Really?" stated (Female: y/n) who is equally amazed as Mabel.

"Aw, yeah, well…I'm only half magic. My dad's a human, but my mom was a Gem. See?"

To show the twins what he meant, Steven lifted his shirt up a bit to reveal the rose quartz gem upon his navel.

"Whoa…" both Dipper and Mabel with their astonished cousins said in equal awe upon examining the pink gem.

"Unbelievable…" Dipper muttered in amazement upon realizing that the gem was actually real and not just a decoration.

"Sparkly…" Mabel whispered with a stunned expression, her eyes reflecting the shine of Steven's gem as it glistened in the afternoon sun. "What does it do?"

"The Gems tell me that my mom used to use it to do lots of stuff. But… I'm still learning how to use it. So far I've used it to make a shield and a bubble. In fact, the bubble was how me and Connie met!"

"Uh… yeah…We got trapped in it for several hours and we nearly drowned at the bottom of the lake. Other than that, it was a pretty good day."

"No worries-every person has every good days, and even bad days" (Male: y/n) said.

"Plus, we beat a giant worm monster and saved the town!"

"Heh, yeah, this town has some weird stuff going on in it"

"Finally! Someone else notices how strange this place is!" Dipper exclaimed, excited that he was not alone in thinking that Gravity Falls was a noticeably odd little town.

"I've been saying that since we got here. We've been here less than a week and already we've faced off against a bunch of gnomes stacked together into a giant monster."

"Who knows, what other days bring ahead" (Male: y/n) gestures across the woods and the lake. "Indeed, who 'Nose'?" tapping a side of his nose humorlessly.

"I learned a valuable lesson there," Mabel said with a joking frown. "Never go out with gnomes in disguise."

"I second that notion" (Female: y/n) added.

"Oh, you guys met the gnomes? Yeah, they can get a little crazy when they don't get what they want… One time they stole my donut and I spent all day chasing them down to get it back! The weird thing was they didn't even want to eat it; they wanted to use it as a wheel for the little gnome car they were building. It was actually kinda cute, even if I never did get that donut back…*sign*…d'oh"

"So you two have only been in Gravity Falls for a few days? Did you just move here?"

"No, we're only here for the summer," Dipper clarified.

"We're staying with our Great Uncle Stan down at the Mystery Shack." Said (Male: y/n).

"Wait, Mr. Pines is your uncle? That's so cool! The Mystery Shack is one of my favorite places in Gravity Falls, along with the temple… and the lake… and the Big Donut… and Funland Arcade… and Greasy's Diner… and-"

"I think they get it, Steven," Connie interrupted with a giggle. "What a coincidence, though. We were just on our way down to the Mystery Shack before we ran into you guys."

"And we were on our way up here to check out the giant eight armed woman!" Mabel said, referring to what her and Dipper now to knew to be some sort of temple thanks to Steven.

"I have to agree, isn't that crazy? It's almost like… fate, or something!" stated (female: y/n).

"Or it was Lion just going through his rebellious stage-Aw, Lion!"

"Gross!" Steven stated. Lion had licked him in perfect, equal measure.

All six laughed together because of the funny moment. Little did they know-summer had started, and their meeting was only a beginning of their adventures.

A/N: All credits to you, MiniJen for this favorable chapter. By paying homage to Universe Falls Three Year Anniversary Extravaganza-thank you for this wonderful crossover. ;)

On the side-note: the self-insert characters of course have a place upon the Zodiac Wheel. Feel free to review to share (through tumblr or on this fanfiction story review) creative ideas and thoughts of what symbols they (you/readers as self-inserts) can represent.

[ventriloquistrose]

Earth and Space, Steven's Universe. Chapter 4

"And now to the weather."

"A big storm is heading to Beach City. Citizens of the small town has chose to call it 'The Big Wave', a name after the 1931 great storm called 'The wave'. Citizens of the affected areas are once again being asked to move to the designated shelter at Beach City Library, and wait out the storm until it passes.

For now we advise you to tie down everything which has high risk of blowing away and bring out the candles for there are high risk of power failure during the night. And back to other news, today-."

Greg turned off the radio before he closed the van-doors.

"Was that everything?" Pearl asked as she approached him on the beach.

"Yep. That's about it." Greg replied supporting his back with his hands.

"I still don't get why we can't stay at the temple. Where it's much safer." Amethyst pouted, crossing her arms.

"Steven and Greg wanted to give their supports to the people." Pearl explained. "And we are here to support their intentions."

"Besides! How often do we have the whole town at one place all at once!" Steven grinned as he joined them, putting his cheese burger bag-pack on his back. "It could be fun to meet someone I don't know yet!"

"Yes, quite fun, Steven." Pearl said and pat him on his head, clearly distracted. "I wonder if the washing-machine will hold up there." She hummed.

"I think Garnet already tied them." Amethyst said as she threw a big inside the front.

"Good, good." Pearl nodded, thinking. "I still can't help but think we've forgotten something..." She hummed.

Meanwhile back in the house in Steven's room, Steven laid on his stomach on his bed, holding his mirror

"Okay, okay! I got one!" He cheered. "Would you either always tell lies or always tell the truth?" He asked.

The mirror just showed a picture of what would only be described as a TV without reception.

"You don't know, huh? I think I would choose... to always tell the truth. Because that way you can just go around it all." Steven explained.

The mirror laughed.

Steven laughed too. "Oh, lil' buddy. You know so much about me. But I don't know anything about you." He sighed as stroke the mirror's side smoothly. "Who are you? Where do you come from?" He asked dreamily.

The mirror became quiet for a long time.

"Lil' buddy?" Steven asked. "You there?"

"Steven! We're leaving!" Pearl shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" Steven called back and sat up, grabbing his cheese-burger bag-pack. "You're coming with me!" He grabbed the mirror and put it in his bag-pack before zipping it close.

He then dashed down the stairs. ----------------- Back at Beach City library, the whole population of the city had gathered outside.

Cars were parked outside and they were all greeted by Pearl and Mayor Dewey.

"Welcome!" Mayor Dewey greeted them.

"Yes! Welcome earthlings! Here, a 'welcome to the shelter for nearly death by a storm' gift. I heard those are quite popular." And from her gem, she summoned some toilet paper and handed it to the dad of the family. "Don't use it all at once. It's so boring cleaning it off." She told them.

"Uhhh... thanks?" The dad muttered.

"Come on kids, let's go inside." Their mother quickly pushed the children inside and the dad followed.

"Happy 'storm' day!" Pearl sang, waving after them.

"Uhh, P. Welcoming people maybe isn't your thing." Amethyst muttered as she walked over to her.

"What? Vandalism is boring cleaning." Pearl replied in confusion.

Not long after, Mr. Fryman and his sons approached the entrance, holding their luggage and pillows. But Mr. Fryman quickly was put off by the gems's presence.

"Oh, it's you guys." He muttered bitterly. "Can't you ladies stop the storm with your 'magic' powers or 'objects' or what not?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, well. No. The Weather verifier, I'm afraid, has been lost under sea for approximately 896 years." Pearl answered politely. "We would offer you the temple-." Pearl began explaining.

"No we wouldn't." Garnet suddenly cut in as she walked by with a bag over her shoulder.

"Ehhh." Pearl sweated slightly, but then cleared her throat. "BUT we are afraid that it's too dangerous for humans like you."

"Protectors of earth, huh?" Lars muttered as he passed and walked inside the doors. "Yeah right."

"Can't even help the people in one city!" Kofi scoffed as he also passed by.

What they hadn't known was that Steven had stood by and listened. And he did not enjoy what they were saying.

When a hand rest against his shoulder

"Come on, Stu-Ball. We have to go in there before the others takes the best spots." Greg told him

The whole town, which meant not that many people really, had gathered inside the big halls of the library. The majority of all the shelves had been moved from their places to block the entrance doors in case water would pour inside.

In doors were the usual people we know: Fryman and his sons, Kofi with his daughters, Mr. Smiley, Sadie, Barb, and Lars, Mr. Dewey and his son, Vidalia and Yellowtail with their sons, Jane, Kevin, Jamie, the Maheswarans, the Barigas, suitcase guy and many other characters we never got to know.

Right now, everyone were preparing their current sleeping spots.

Some were still given their sleeping bags and pillows by the entrance, some had already started embedding their bedclothes and some were either eating or being given soup from the Mayor with voluntary citizens helping.

One of those who had started eating were the Pizza family sitting in a circle with some of the other citizens.

"Wow, it's really pouring down out there." Kiki said as she looked out the windows.

"They call this 'storm?' I've seen worse back in the fall of 83 when-." Kofi began.

"Yeah, yeah, daddy. We know the story." Jenny silenced him and Kiki gave his back a few supporting packs.

"Where are those stupid magic ladies anyway?! They are always telling us they're here to protect us but they're not here when we need them!"

"Don't be rude, Kofi." Nanefua scolded at him. "The gems might be different from the rest of us but they're only trying to help."

"Help?!" Kofi burst out, his anger starting to bubble up. "Do you see any magic ladies around here?" He gestured to the room surrounding them. "No! Neither do I! The only 'help' they have given us today is toilet-paper and taking what's left of the shelves!" He gestured towards a part of the library, where there stood a wall of three shelves.

"Kofi! No need to shout! There are children here!" Nanefua scolded at him in a hushed tone.

"I think I gotta agree with old fishy here." Mr. Fryman suddenly cut in, sitting down beside Kofi with a bowl of soup. "I mean- the gems haven't done anything towards us but... they're kind of the reason we always need protection."

Kofi nodded in stern agreement.

"All I'm saying is that." Mr. Fryman began, mixing his soup with a plastic spoon. "... I don't know anything about gems, not how they are or their society. I mean one of them could drown us in our sleep if we have bad luck. And they maybe have had it hard and made some enemies during their years. What I want to say is..." He took a deep breath. "... if beach city is going to survive...the magic ladies has to go."

What they hadn't known was that Amethyst had been sitting in the room beside them, leaned against the wall, listening to their words. Or, room wasn't quite the word. They had used the shelves of the library to make a small room against the wall, and the 'wall' she was leaning against, were one of the shelves.

She looked sad, if not more disappointed. But at last she stood up and walked over to the rest of her family, who were preparing for the night.

Or at least, they were preparing the night for Steven and Greg.

"And there, and here and... we're done!" Greg grinned in victory as he un-raveled a second seeping bag.

"Yay! The sleeping bag duo!" Steven cheered with his arms up in the air.

When suddenly, the light disappeared around them, leaving them in darkness.

Pearl sighed heavily, her gem glowing up to be used as a flashlight. "Well, we can say goodbye to those fuses."

As Garnet and Amethyst used their gems as flashlights too, Steven pulled out a flashlight of his own.

"Hey! Where did the light go?!" They heard Mr. Fryman shout.

"Oh, don't worry! Just make up a fire with some sticks! Like you always did before!" Pearl shouted.

Amethyst pulled the bow on Pearl's back. "P, that was thousands of years ago."

"So? Are humans really that forgetful?" Pearl asked confused.

"I'm gonna get some soup." Steven told them as he pulled on his back-pack, stood up and walked out of their 'room'.

He walked across the floor of people in the darkness, over to the food-station.

He grabbed a plate and was just about to pour some soup in his plate when someone suddenly pushed him from behind.

"Hey!" He gasped in surprise.

"Oh, sorry!" A familiar voice apologized.

"Connie!" Steven cheered.

"Steven!" Connie gasped and they went in for a hug.

"I thought you were out of town this week." Steven said in confusion.

"They cut off all trains because of the storm." Connie explained. She turned around and waved at someone.

As it turned out, it was her parents sitting in a corner further back.

Steven smiled and waved too. "Hi Mr. And Mrs. Maheswaran!" He shouted.

"Hello!" Connie's dad called back.

Connie turned back to Steven. "So, w-."

When suddenly, the windows crashed into pieces with a deafening sound. And soon, water from the outside started filling the inside of the library.

Everyone flew up to their feet with a gasp.

The gems rushed out from the shelves.

"I told you those windows wouldn't hold." Pearl hummed, crossing her arms.

"Who cares?! It's pouring water!" Amethyst shouted, alerting Pearl again. They looked down and backed away as water had started reaching their feet.

"Now now! There's no need to panic!" Mayor Dewey tried to calm them all, though he looked as scared as them. Even if he sat on the shoulders of one of his life-guards.

"We need to get to higher levels." Garnet stated and turned her head towards the small quartz. "Amethyst, turn yourselves to a ladder!" Garnet ordered.

"Ay ay, Garnet!" Amethyst gave her a thumbs up before shapeshifting into a ladder which reached the ceiling.

Garnet turned to Greg. "The upstairs won't hold for everyone. We need to find an exit. Fast." She commanded.

"Got it." Greg nodded.

Garnet nodded back before she and Pearl dashed for the latter and climber up-stairs.

"Amethyst!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." Amethyst muttered as she shape-shifted back to normal and followed them upstairs.

Not long after, the gems were standing at the top of the roof, watching the chaos in the pouring rain.

"We need to take the humans to a dry place, with shelter from the storm." Garnet stated.

"Maybe we can bring them to the school? We can give them shelter there in the gymnastic hall." Pearl suggested.

"What's the point? They don't even want us here." Amethyst suddenly muttered, leaning against the chimney beside her.

"What are you talking about?" Pearl asked her, she and Garnet looking at her confused.

"We can talk about that later! What the town's people says and don't say doesn't matter right now!" Garnet demanded.

The water had rose to a level where the cars were starting to move on their own.

"The cars won't get anywhere!" Pearl gasped. "They're trapped!"

"Unless someone carries them." Amethyst muttered.

And that's where the idea popped up.

"We'll need more arms." Pearl looked at Garnet.

"Amethyst, your shapeshifting." Garnet said as a question and they both looked at her worriedly.

"Hey! Dudes! I'll be fine! I'm not that tired!" Amethyst shrugged, though you could see her restrain herself.

"We need to inform the humans!" Garnet said and they nodded before rushing down-stairs again. ----------------- Steven stood up on a table, waving his arms.

"Everyone! Get inside your vehicles! Try to fit as many as you can!" He shouted. "If we just stay calm, we can carry you all to safety!"

Greg ran into the crowd, wearing a blue poncho.

"Everybody! Follow me!" He waved for them to follow him and they all followed him to the parking-lot. --------------- Outside, the gems had begun their synchronization.

Garnet tapped the rhythm on her visor as the others danced. They ended up holding hands and they all disappeared into a bright, white light. They were soon replaced by a giant with long, green hair, purple skin and six arms.

Meanwhile, Steven was led the people to the cars.

"Put your seatbelts on. And those who has no seatbelts, hold on tight. It's gonna be a bumpy ride." He told them as they sat down in the car.

Mr. Fryman nodded, holding Peedee in his lap. "Thank you Steven." He said as Steven walked outside and shut the door behind him.

"I found another one!" Greg called, standing by a tipped car.

Not long after, Greg and Yellowtail joined him in pushing the car back on it's wheels. It was quite heavy but they managed.

Greg sighed tiredly. "Yellowtail, get your family inside. I'll be fine." He told his friend.

"Muh muh muh muh muh!" Yellowtail shouted, waving his arms.

Soon, Vidalia with Onion in her arms and Sour Cream came running

Alexandrite went down to her knees beside Steven.

"Take them to the school. Me and dad will try to find more people." He smiled up at her. "How're you holding up?"

Alexandrite didn't seem that touched by the situation, but he could see the sweat on her forehead.

"Keep it together. One more round and we're done." Steven told her encouraging, patting her leg.

In the next scene he closed one last door before waving at Alexandrite.

Alexandrite huffed a cloud of smoke out of her mouth before standing up, holding one car is each hand.

The people in the cars all screamed a bit as they were lifted up.

And then, Alexandrite ran off, holding the cars close and making the whole ground shake.

Steven watched her run away, his yellow poncho almost blowing away.

"Steven!" A familiar voice called behind him.

"Huh?" He turned around and saw Connie, also dressed in a yellow poncho with the hood up, running towards him. "Connie?! What are you doing here?! You should be in one of the cars!"

"Steven! Was my mom in any of those cars?!" Connie blurted in panic.

"Uh... no! No, I don't think so!" Steven called back.

"Steven! I need to find her!" Connie shouted desperately.

"I'll help you! Hang on a sec-." He raised his hand and summoned his shield, which covered them both like an umbrella. He adjusted the bag-pack on his back and nodded. "Let's go!"

Five minutes later they had gone further into the town, searching.

"I don't see her anywhere!" Connie shouted through the tough wind.

"Maybe she's already at the school!" Steven shouted back.

When suddenly-

There were loud, thundering footsteps not far from them.

More precisely, behind them.

They turned around.

Something climbed up the building behind them. Something big. It climbed up to the roof.

It had a big upper body and just two muscular arms as legs. It had a long tail hanging behind it and a mouth with humongous teeth.

It stood on the roof, smelling the roof tiles.

"What is that?!" Connie exclaimed.

Steven squinted his eyes. And what he managed to see a was gem at the middle of the creature's chest.

"It's a gem!" He gasped.

"B-but what does it want?!" Connie asked in panic.

"Don't move!" Steven said, suddenly standing still. "Maybe if we're completely still it won't see us. I saw it in a movie once!" He whispered through gritted teeth. Connie stood still as well.

The creature saw them and cocked it's head to the side.

"I think it's working!" Connie whispered.

When suddenly, the creature opened it's mouth and let out a ROAR.

Steven and Connie screamed and ran away. "Stupid movie logic!" Steven shouted as they screamed.

The creature climbed up the roof and began chasing them.

"We need to lead it away from the people!" Steven shouted.

"But how?!"

Steven looked around. And that's when he noticed a hill with the town's water-tower standing on it at the edge of town.

"Wee need to get it to the water-tower!" He shouted.

"What?!" Connie blurted. "Steven! We're in the middle of a flood! I don't think we need more water right now!"

"Just trust me!" Steven shouted and changed direction.

They ran through the town.

The creature ran after, stumbling and falling into every building it came in touch with.

When suddenly, Connie's phone started ringing. She picked it up and held her phone to her ear.

"Hello? MOM! Where are you?! Yes, I'm okay. No. Mom-Mom-MOM! I can't talk right now! I'll explain later! Bye!" She shut her phone and put it in her pocket.

"My mom's okay! She's already by the school!" She announced.

Steven nodded and continued heading to their destination.

At long last, they had reached the water-tower.

"Now what?" Connie asked.

Steven summoned his shield and started cutting it into the pillar holding the water-tower up.

Connie saw how the creature approached quickly.

"Steven-."

"Now now!" Steven grunted, cutting the pillar.

It was even closer.

"Steven!" Connie shook his shoulder.

"Almost there..." Steven was getting tired and the cutting took alot of effort.

"STEVEN!" Connie ducked and pulled Steven with her as a big mouth with teeth flung itself down on them.

But to their surprise, something suddenly pulled the creature back.

"Huh?" They looked up to see the creature being held back by something big.

"Alexandrite!" Connie gasped.

Alexandrite held the creature hard in her grip before she gave it a punch to the jaw and the kick in the stomach.

The creature fell hard to the ground, just meters away from Connie and Steven.

"Steven run!" Alexandrite shouted with her raspy voice.

The creature was starting to get up on it's arms.

"Run! Run!" Steven grabbed Connie by the hand as ran away.

They ran for a while, until Steven's bag-pack suddenly accidentally slipped off his back.

"Oh no!" He gasped and ran back to pick it up. He grabbed it opened it and picked the mirror up. Which had a huge crack in the glass.

"Lil' buddy!" He gasped. "Lil' buddy! What are we going to do?!" He asked. "Please! We need help!"

When suddenly, the glass light up.

"-deal-." It spoke.

"Huh?" Steven gasped in confusion. "Deal?"

"-Lil' buddy- help!- Steven- let- me- OUT." The mirror spoke.

"I- I don't understand!" Steven stuttered. "Who are you?!"

"Away- from -home." The mirror repeated. "Let- me- OUT!"

"I- I don't know how!" Steven stuttered.

When suddenly, the mirror showed him a movie.

It was himself, grabbing a hold of the gem on the mirror's backside and pulling it off.

Steven turned the mirror around, watching the blue gem on the backside.

He nodded determined.

He put his hand on the gem and started pulling. But it was stuck.

What he didn't notice, was the raindrops around them seemed to stop pouring. They stopped mid-air.

Connie noticed this and stopped her running.

"Huh?" She turned around and saw Steven trying to pull the gem off the mirror. "Steven!" She shouted and began running back.

Steven continued pulling.

"Steven no!" Connie shouted.

He pulled the gem up and held it up. The glass of the mirror chattered into pieces and the gem flew away in his grip.

A silhouette appeared out of the gem of a gem wearing a two-piece dress and short hair and she dropped to her knees.

Steven gasped and rushed over. But as he was about to touch her, a pair of dark eyes stared back at him.

"Thank you." She stood up but almost immediately fell. But Steven was there to catch her. "I can't believe it. You helped me!" She stood up. "It's Steven, right?"

Steven nodded.

"Are you really a crystal gem?" The gem asked.

"I-." When suddenly, they heard a roar which made them turn around.

The gem tried to slam Alexandrite with it's tail, but Alexandrite grabbed it with six arms, pulled it towards her and kicked it in the stomach again.

The creature fell back and hit the water-tower behind her.

The water-tower pillars gave away to the hit and broke. The water-towel slowly started falling and fell right on the creature.

The creature didn't have time to react, and it all went so fast for her to do anything before she got poofed beneath the huge water-tower.

Alexandrite watched it all, believing it was over.

But it wasn't.

The head was starting to crack, quickly.

And soon, the water, among all the already raised water from the flood, created a wave which headed right towards-

"AHH! RUN!" Steven screamed as he and and Connie took off running.

But the blue gem remained where she was.

Steven stopped. "Huh?"

The blue gem raised her arms and shut her eyes. She took a deep breath.

And just like that, the water stopped. And the rain. Like a time stopped.

"Whoa..." Steven gasped in wonder.

Alexandrite noticed this too and looked in wonder. But she soon noticed-

That Steven and Connie hadn't gone that far away.

"Kids!" She roared and took off running their direction.

Her sudden roar startled the blue gem and she lost her concentration.

The rain dropped and the water did too and was raging towards them.

"Lil' buddy!" Steven shouted, reaching a hand out for her.

The gem turned around. "Steven. Come with me."

"W-where?!" Steven stuttered.

The gem saddened. "Home."

"B-b-but-." Steven stuttered.

The gem frowned. "Fine. Goodbye." The water slammed into her like if it hit a rock. And she was soon gone.

"Lil' buddy..." Steven sighed.

He and Connie had just noticed the ground shaking before Alexandrite hovered them up in her hands and continued running.

"Alexandrite! Are you okay?!" Connie shouted.

Alexandrite didn't answer. She did huff a cloud of smoke through her second mouth before she headed for Beach City school.

But Steven couldn't hell but look back after the gem.

But she was gone. ----------------------- Back at the school, Greg was trying to help the people the best way he could.

"Aren't they back yet?" Vidalia asked as Greg handed her another blanket.

"No." Greg shook his head. "But it's okay. They're gems. They always find a way."

When suddenly, loud, thunderous footsteps startled them all.

Alexandrite used her last big of strength to walk up to the school and let Steven and Connie down to the ground.

"Stu-Ball!" Greg ran over and hugged his son.

"Connie!" Mr and mrs. Maheswaran ran over and embraced their daughter. "Thank goodness, you're safe!

"Ugh.. ARRGH!" Alexandrite grunted as she started to glow bright and soon, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl fell to the ground.

"Guys!" Steven cried and rushed over to them.

Garnet and Pearl had already gotten to their knees and was there to receive his hugs.

"A-are you guys okay?" He asked worriedly.

Garnet smiled and put a hand to his cheek. "We're fine, Steven."

They turned their heads as they heard Amethyst groan.

Amethyst gave them a thumbs-up, face down in the ground. "I'm alive."

"Are you guys okay?!" Greg asked as he rushed over.

"We're fine." Garnet answered as she stood up. She was a bit unsteady at first, but she managed.

Steven smiled. But he couldn't help but look out over the place they just been. But all he saw was water.

The day after, the town was in complete chaos. Buildings were destroyed, cars laid everywhere, same for puddles of water.

"It's gonna take time to rebuild the whole time." Garnet confirmed as they watched over the town.

"We're gonna have to discuss that with the mayor. For now we-." Pearl suddenly gasped loudly and grasped her hair. "THE LAUNDRY MACHINE!" -------------------- The next thing they knew were that they were back at the beach, staring at the laundry-machine floating in the ocean.

"You said you tied them." Pearl glared up at Garnet.

"I never said that." Garnet protested, crossing her arms. "Amethyst." She looked down at the small gem.

"Okay, okay. I forgot to tie the laundry- machine and blamed it on Garnet. Happy?" Amethyst put her hands to her hips.

"Hey! You! Crystal gems!" A voice suddenly shouted bitterly.

The gems turned around to see a group of people, lead by mr. Fryman and mr. Pizza.

"Yes?" Pearl replied. "Can we help you?"

Kofi, Fryman and a few other people of the city had gathered in a group and gave the gems dead glares.

But Mr. Fryman just handed her an envelope.

"What's this?" Pearl asked as she looked at it in her hand.

"You've been served." Was the only thing Mr. Fryman said before they all turned around to leave.

Pearl looked at the envelope worriedly. And then gave the gems the same look.

She turned the envelope around and read the label:

"EVICTION ORDER" -------------------- Later in the beach house...

"They can't throw us out!" Amethyst yelled, waving with her arms. "We've been here WAY longer than those fry-heads!"

"The times have changed." Garnet tried to calm her down, leaning against the wall. "Earth belongs to the people now. Rose made sure of that." She said.

"So we're just gonna let them throw us out?!" Amethyst exclaimed.

"We aren't citizens, Amethyst. We are just visitors." Garnet reminded her. "And we have to follow their rules."

"But where are we going to stay? All the bubbles, our artifacts?" Pearl asked desperately.

"All my stuff!" Amethyst slammed her hands onto the table.

"We can discuss that another time. When we're alone." Garnet said, and just in time, Steven opened the front door and stepped inside.

"Hey you guys..." He muttered with a small wave.

"How does it look?" Pearl asked.

"Bad." Steven answered sadly. "It will take a long time to fix it all up. And the water-tower."

"Yes." Garnet nodded. "We need to get into action shortly."

"Hey, guys..." Steven squeaked nervously. "That gem..."

"Lapis Lazuli."

"Huh?"

Pearl nodded. "Her name is Lapis Lazuli." She projected a picture of the gem in question through her gem. "All we know about her is that she was an informant during the rebellion for gems we only can describe as 'bounty hunters'. We had only heard rumors about her. She must have been stuck in the war and gotten trapped within that mirror." She explained.

"There are no tracks of her so we believe she has already left earth's atmosphere." Garnet added. "That means she's not our problem anymore."

"But-." Steven tried.

"NOT our problem. Period." Garnet hissed, this time much more stricter.

Steven stepped back in defeat and looked down. --------------- At nighttime, Steven was standing by the window in his room, wearing his pajamas.

He was looking out in the distance.

"Steven! Good night!" Pearl called.

"Good night!" Steven called back but just kept on staring outside.

He rest a hand on the window.

"Be safe, Lapis Lazuli. Wherever you are." He then walked away and shut the lights.

What he didn't notice was that a shadow flew past his window.

She stood at the end of the roof, hearing every word.

She walked back from the edge and turned around.

Lapis Lazuli summoned a pair of beautiful water-wings from the gem on her back and took off.

Reaching for the stars.

[bunnymems]

lapis canon call! looking for everyone/anyone! 

this is a kin post, if that bothers u / doesnt apply to u please move on.

tw; self harm/suicide/canon things

im not looking to start romo relationships again, those are just notes on if they did happen! id prefer not to talk too much about romo relationships with people under 18

index;

The war

Lapis (the gems)

Me

Bismuth

Steven

Jasper

Peridot

Garnet

Amethyst

Pearl

Blue Pearl

The War

my job was to record important information that bd needed to keep track of, and i also was a line of communication between the diamonds. especially during the war, when there wasnt always a way to get a hold of a diamond without finding them directly

thats why i could project images; i was The source of information, and that was one way to get the information across. i could also, say, watch a meeting and then later project parts of the meeting that were important

during the war... there wasnt an official thing that said "dont hurt pearls or other uninvolved gems" because the diamonds themselves didnt listen. but for the most part the rebellion focused on active, problematic gems (rubies, jaspers, diamonds ofc) and for the most part nonfighting gems werent involved 

 this, however, was obviously one sided and Not Fair to those on the side of the rebellionthe rebels didnt,, like, even bismuth didnt think shattering nonfighting gems were fair, but there were situations in which it was,, necessary

I ended up cracked because i got too close to a rebel camp during a battle, then i was put in the mirror like in canon. 

Lapis

Lapis.. Lapises.. Lapi.. Lapi were special gems that were almost like Pearls. We were meant to be messengers, and we recorded almost everything we saw at all times.

Regular Lapi were blue with yellow flecks on them. I was a different Lapis, though, specially meant for blue diamond, and i didn’t have the yellow flecks (they were essentially like, bred out?)

Me

Constantly anxious, had flashbacks + dissociative episodes (most flashbacks were emotional instead of visual, so i would have times where i just started freaking out and didn’t always know why)

preferred ‘it’ pronouns (it wasn’t odd for gems to prefer certain pronouns over others, tho we were all still mostly agender beings. it was usually the ones on earth that liked switching pronouns)

Felt bad about not having the yellow flecks other Lapi had.

was SUPER close with steven and the crystal gems--though i wasn’t close with the CGs for a long time (immediately close to Steven though)

CANON DIVERGENCE STARTS HERE:

I did fuse with Jasper, but it was more because i was scared of her than anything

when we fused, though, our shared anger at the CGs made us fight them. we got our ass kicked, though, and were unfused. jasper got away, but i got poofed. Steven convinced the gems to take me home, and he kept me on a pillow on his bed until i healed.

suicide tw; self harm tw;

at some point i attempted to shatter my own gem. im not sure exactly when it happened, but i it was before garnet apologized to me (see Garnet below) i also know steven was the one to find me and talk me into coming home.

after that i had self harming tendencies that i hid from the others. garnet eventually found out and helped me get better, though.

Bismuth

i was terrified of her when i first saw her again; i was in steven’s room hiding on the other side of his bed when he brought her out

she was.. really nice, though. she immediately assumed i was someone she fought, and wanted to put that behind us. i agreed, but was still skittish

because of this, i was there when her and steven went back to the weapons thing. i ended up following them, and i was there for the whole fight with bismuth. i remember me and steven crying as he bubbled her again, and i carried him on my back until we got home. his feet were burned and we were both exhausted.

we brought her back eventually and i love + miss her a lot (possibly romo)

Steven

The ! Best ! Little ! Buddy !

When i told him i was a Special Lapis (a fact i hated) he and connie bought me this like body lotion with glitter in it? i loved it and wore it a lot.

called me and amethyst his sisters for a while (i think sometimes amethyst was Brother, too, but idr for sure)

At some point he told me i was like a mom to him and i ;-; i love him. our relationship was somewhere between parent/sibling

wore dresses and skirts a lot

sometimes he’d get really sad and we’d just sit in silence for a while. when peridot was around we lived in the barn like canon and he’s come over and just nap or something where it was quiet

he got grounded for helping me and when i found that out it made me spiral Bad all over again. the CGs felt bad about it (esp garnet and pearl) but it still hurt.

Jasper

ended up corrupted. steven saved her eventually. i wasn’t entirely against the idea, but he was okay with not bringing her up around me. we tolerated each other eventually, and may have been friends (over the course of like, several years, not the course of the show timeline)

Peridot

Small, but about the same size as steven. she was super clingy and would hug/cuddle/hold hands/etc a lot with me and amethyst. she would also ride on my back a lot if we were walking or flying somewhere

she had problems walking for some reason? i dont remember why but especially on sand she had a hard time

she was.. hit a lot. idk if she ever told me by who, but the way she acted made it obvious.

may have been romo with me and amethyst

Garnet

she actually apologized to me for the mirror thing. they thought that i was mindless/corrupted or a BD follower, which i kind of understood, but they were also kinda mean to me for a while (plus the whole steven being grounded thing..) so she eventually actually apologized for it

she was super affectionate; hugs, kisses, cuddles, etc. romo and platonic!! her and steven snuggled on the couch a lot, her and pearl would openly kiss sometimes, stuff like that

her and pearl had a falling out, but with all of our help pearl ended up getting a lot better and they made up.

Amethyst

i dont remember a lost specifically about her besides the things that overlap with peridot. i do remember sometimes she would shout or move too quickly and me and peri would both be uncomfortable, but she caught on pretty fast.

Pearl

definitely romo for pearl like, Way after things happened

she dated mystery girl for a while, but it wasnt really good for her. when they broke up her mental health got a lot better.

we had a loooong talk some time after garnet apologized to me. me and pearl previously would fight and bicker and say things we didn’t really mean, and after the talk we got a lot better about it.

Blue Pearl

I vaguely remember being friends with Blue before i was put in the mirror. She was shy and quiet, but also kind of snarky a lot (had to be, to put up with Yellow)

i remember meeting her again on earth, and being really happy about it

[annadesu]

Pearl & Amethyst - Season 1 Analysis (PART 1)

TLDR; At the start of the series, Pearl and Amethyst’s relationship was shown to be a bit rocky (pardon the pun). However, it was also implied that this was not always the case. Season 1, in many regards, was set-up for Pearl and Amethyst’s growth in the seasons to follow.

~~~~

Gem Glow

A lot of people have forgotten about this little nugget of info from the first episode! While attempting to teach Steven how to summon his weapon, Amethyst asks "Did Pearl tell you the petal thing?". This suggests that, in the past, Pearl attempted to train Amethyst after she was found in the Kindergarten. This subject doesn’t come up again until Season 3, in “Steven vs. Amethyst”, when Pearl is surprised that Amethyst wants to train. (This subject might be addressed again when we finally get the “Amethyst origin” episode).

Cheeseburger Backpack

This episode is full of moments where Amethyst convinces Pearl to do things a little "impulsive" for her. After bickering over an egg, Amethyst is the one to convince Pearl to allow Steven on a mission because it's "educational". She knows this is something that Pearl values. Pearl isn’t THRILLED with the plan, but she relents.

After Steven shows some ingenuity during the mission, Amethyst begins the chant of “CHEESEBURGER BACKPACK!”. Pearl joins in with the chant, after Amethyst nudges her into doing so.

At the end of the episode, Amethyst and Pearl begin to chant “Cheeseburger backpack!” again. This time, Pearl doesn’t need to be asked; she just does it!

It’s also worth noting that, near the climax of the episode, Amethyst grabs Pearl’s arm for second when Steven reveals he forgot the Goddess statue. Despite the bickering in this season, they do tend to stick together when things get hairy.

Together Breakfast

Pearl and Amethyst again bicker over something silly (Amethyst taking a sword, Pearl cleaning Amethyst’s “awful mess”). Season 1 is where this bickering happens the most. It’s worth noting this, since In later seasons, the bickering is almost non-existant. Season 1 is basically the set-up for their gradual character growth. (Pearl does agree with Amethyst to order a pizza at the end of this episode, though!)

Cat Fingers

In a now famous scene, Amethyst shape shifts into Pearl and proceeds to smack her butt, proclaiming "WOMP WOMP". This is the first, but certainly not last, instance of Amethyst imitating Pearl. It’s interesting to note that, out of anyone else in the show, Pearl is Amethyst’s most common person to imitate.

Amethyst impersonating Pearl in “Reformed”

Amethyst impersonating Pearl in “Crack the Whip”

Pearl gets angry, and tells Amethyst that she is "overdoing it" with the shapeshifting. Amethyst becomes annoyed in response. 

Many episodes later, in "Rocknaldo", Amethyst shapeshifts into Ronaldo, and makes fun of his blog. Instead of becoming annoyed like in Season 1, Pearl compliments Amethyst's on her shapeshifting, and Amethyst happily replies "Thanks!". This is in sharp contrast to Pearl’s opinion on shapeshifting in Season 1.

At the end of Cat Fingers, Pearl blames Amethyst for Steven's shapeshifting problems, and Amethyst replies "that's fair". Pearl also tells Steven to listen to her, and never to Amethyst. In the future episode "Know Your Fusion", the opposite happens. Pearl compliments Amethyst for being a "good influence" on Steven, and gives her a big hug, causing Amethyst to become a little bashful.

Bubble Buddies

In this episode, Pearl and Amethyst show equal excitement in the fact that Steven "likes" Connie. Both approach her at the end of the episode, asking Steven to introduce them. They also tell Connie that Steven was "very excited" to meet her, embarrassing him further. This is very much like real life parents, whenever you bring a boy/girlfriend home for the first time. I personally find their shared glee over Steven's love life to be adorable. If Steven and Connie ever become a couple, I hope this shared behavior continues.

Serious Steven

Pearl and Amethyst are shown riding the teacup ride together. Amethyst is bored, and Pearl realizes she missed the point of the ride. 

While trying to escape the upside down pyramid, Amethyst suggests taking Steven with her when they split up. Pearl takes Steven away from her, saying they are a "disaster waiting to happen". In the future episode "Know Your Fusion", Pearl has the opposite opinion, saying that Amethyst is a good influence on Steven (due to the introduction of Smoky Quartz).

A little later, while still trying to escape from the pyramid,  Amethyst is encased in ice. Pearl immediately attempts to chip her out, but with limited success.

Tiger Millionaire

At the start of the episode, Pearl is angry at Amethyst for acting foolish during a mission. When she later finds out that Steven and Amethyst have been wrestling together, she becomes even more angry. However, after Steven explains why they like to wrestle, and why Amethyst needs an outlet to be herself, Pearl (and Garnet) have a change of heart, and actually help them win their match.

Much later, in the episode “Back to the Barn”, Amethyst invites Pearl to go wrestling after she watches her fight with Peridot. Whether or not Pearl ever took Amethyst up on the offer is not clear.

Steven’s Lion

This episode, in my opinion, has a lot of foreshadowing for Opal (who will soon be making her first appearance!) At the start of the episode, Amethyst taunts Pearl for nagging her after flipping over Steven for fun. LAter, Amethyst is shown to have defeated the Desert Glass, which makes Pearl a little jealous. 

Once the Desert Glass reforms on the beach in front of Steven's house, and is defeated by Steven/Lion, Pearl again nags Amethyst for being careless. Amethyst states simply that she "forgot". This shows a major part of Amethyst and Pearl's strengths and weaknesses, and how they actually play off each other. Pearl is very “by the book”, and doesn't do things on the fly. Amethyst is the opposite. Being overly organized and paranoid means that Pearl has a hard time adjusting to new situations, and problems. Amethyst helps Pearl to be a little more spontaneous, and not panic as much. Amethyst, being very impulsive about things, sometimes gets herself into a corner. Pearl helps her out when this happens, and reminds her that sometimes you DO have to think ahead, not just charge in without thinking. Both ways have their pros and cons, and both characters help each other overcome these problems when they are willing to cooperate (as Opal, and as individuals!)

Arcade Mania

When the drill parasites attack Pearl and Amethyst on the beach, Amethyst grabs Pearl into an awkward hug so that she is not hit by the enemy.

Despite the bickering, they really do care about the well being of the other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

PART 2 OF THE SEASON 1 ANALYSIS IS HERE!

If you think I missed anything in the episodes above, let me know! Maybe I’ll add on!

[faelapis]

Not su critical, but I wish there was less human episodes and plot's loose ends weren't left forgotten for literal ages. I just, idk, feel like crewniverse wants us like lars or ronaldo too much

i mean, by definition it’s not forgotten if it’s brought up again. the show is just very long-term and demands you have a lot of patience sometimes (which makes it satisfying when it happens, but it can also be frustrating before that).

on the subject of humans: i’m not always super invested, but there’s always a rewarding or clever element. i like connie, kiki and sadie a lot. greg’s alright. the cool kids too. while onion’s not my favorite, his episodes tend to be solid and gives us interesting steven-characterization (onion gang was quite nice, they finally made me emotional about both onion and steven’s loneliness).

i have a buddy who loves lars with all his heart - i know he’s not the most popular character, but i like him alright, too. he’s the kind of teenager who can be a jerk without being a one-note bully. there’s a good post going around about you kinda need to see the humans to feel the payoff of them (spoilers) seemingly getting kidnapped in this next bomb, which will be another interesting mix of the human and magical elements of the show.  

the “slice of life” elements also has another important function, which i think is vitally important - in fantasy / sci-fi stories, there’s a lot of Othering. by which i mean, strictly good vs evil escapism where a lot of the time, the enemy is so inhuman they might as well be a natural disaster, not a person. good and evil is often decided by which magical species or alien race you belong to, not who you are as a person. 

slice of life is the complete opposite - you have your jerks, but they’re still human. those stories rarely end with anyone being murdered for their crimes and this being portrayed as a “victory”. it’s pretty common that while the main character’s perspective expands, we get to know even those characters who we assumed were just cruel or bullies. everyone has some struggle going on, and the punishments for their crimes are not that they’re irredeemable or die. rather, they’re allowed to actually develop and/or have nuances to them.

both sci-fi and fantasy also have an expectation of war in recent years - there’s the expectation of constant high stakes and people getting killed. the plot is expected to constantly be the focus - we need to find the Thing to fight the Dark Side. we need to get to Place before Evil gets there first. the Chosen One needs to collect all five Orbs, four of which symbolize the four friends, and the fifth one will awaken her own power. the Enemy needs to be Stopped, their reasons are (usually) irrelevant.

on the other side, slice of life is very personal: everything is character-driven, and their motivations is the main reason to watch it. i saw a lot of surprise that “yuri on ice” didn’t have a traditional villain - my response was basically “…well, yeah, it’s slice of life”. that’s kinda how it usually works. especially in anime - you may not get to know every character equally well, and some will be deeply flawed, but no one is sorted into a box labelled “inhuman” or “evil”. 

so what’s my point? well, steven universe continuously trains its audience to see slice-of-life elements in the ~magical space conflict. it tells you to see the characters through a ‘human’ lens, even the characters who aren’t human. part of how it does this is by adding surprising amounts of empathy and human solutions - not just to the beach city problems, but to the gem problems as well. 

the first time we see two diamonds together - the Intergalactic Tyrants™ who most fanart depict as the final boss overlords all the “less-awful” characters will unite against in a Final Battle? oh, they’re grieving the loss of their fellow diamond. blue diamond is crying. their pearls are there, standing as a reminder of the hierarchy they champion, but neither element ruins the other - they can be sympathetic and deeply flawed at the same time. when it’s towards the people they care about, they even seem well-intentioned. yellow diamond chastises blue for not being a good leader to her people.

part of the reason this seems natural is because the show has portrayed its human characters as flawed, not as a faceless mass of “good people” who must be saved from the evil alien race. so it makes sense it would work the other way around too - everyone’s got their own stuff to deal with, and everyone makes (sometimes massive) mistakes. 

we’re expected to see both gems and humans as people. part of this is because of the human side of steven’s upbringing - the old crystal gems are used to meeting allies and enemies, steven is mostly used to meeting people, even if he (like everyone) has his own biases between them, or thinks some of them are “mean”.

despite some people’s consistent insistence that any jerk we’re introduced to is just a villain, that’s it, end of story, steven universe continues to challenge those assumptions. time and time again. that’s part of why it’s so vital (to me) that no one are just killed off or bubbled forever, because the show has laid the groundwork that every life is unique, and suffering is never a good thing. 

it can be a trade-off, like how we’re exploring rose’s shattering of pink diamond, and yknow, there WAS a war in the style of sci-fi/fantasy, but the show is critical of that solution. pink’s shattering did not, in fact, end the conflict - her death left countless gems leaderless, mourning and FAR from ‘liberated’ (in fact, many of them hate the crystal gems), and earth was still under the slow threat of the cluster… and how was that cluster solved again? not by force, but by talking to a hostile and vicious little green alien. then getting her help to reach the huge, suffering eldritch abomination in the center of the earth… which was also stopped by communication, not by force.

the human side of the show helps steven cope with gem life, make connections that are important to him, develop his character and fuel his desire to help.

i know some will insist these are unrelated, but i think without steven’s human side, he would really “just” be another crystal gem. an empathetic one, who is curious about people, but not on this level. not one who opposes the idea of not just shattering, but wants to find a way to connect with everyone (as he is like no one and everyone), and has the kind of boundless optimism where he refuses to accept that this is just “the way things are”, or that suffering is ever necessary. everything is always changing on earth, and because of that, steven wants to believe everything can always change.