#and i always had her feel guilty for leaving her friends on homeworld even though it made now sense like at all for her to feel that way

[thatdistantconstellation]

currently spinning emerald around in my head like she’s in a microwave and now i’m cookin up some new ideas for her story 👀 

[fivefeetfear]

Chapter one

This takes place a year into the future.

......................................

"Spinel please be careful while you are down on Earth." White says worriedly as she kneels before the pink gem. Blue nods in agreement as she joins White on the floor.

"And don't forget to call us whenever you have the time." The cool colored diamond chimes in a soft smile gracing her features.

"And please bathe everyday so you don't get the stench of that disgusting planet onto your clothes." Yellow advise with a scowl on her face. She really hated the smell when they last visited, and she doubts much has changed. The two other diamonds roll their eyes at Yellow whom only shrugged. They knew she was right.

All three of the diamonds then shifted their attention back to the beloved gem before them wary for the journey ahead of her. Spinel smiles nervously at the over baring women as she rubs the back of her neck. Though she lived with them for a year, the pink gem was not the biggest fan of the diamonds overprotective nature. It could be quite exhausting and honestly a bit embarrassing. Most days she felt like their child when she was not being their best friend. Even so, Spinel loves them dearly, but this trip is necessary for the sake of her sanity. Just the thought of sleeping in without entertaining anyone sounded amazing to her. Spinel never knew she would miss having her own space, at least this time she gets to choose when she wants to be alone.

Spinel steps onto the warp padded preparing herself to leave the palace.

"Don't worry about me my diamonds; you won't even notice that I'm gone." She says teasingly trying to bring some light to the situation. Though the diamonds didn't find it amusing. Yellow's eyes sharpen as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Was that self-deprecation?" Yellow questions making Spinel straightening up her posture at her tone. Crap. Blue eyes widen as she lowers herself closer to Spinel with concerned in her hues. Blue gently strokes the top of Spinel's head as she spoke tenderly.

"Of course we will notice you are gone, we love you Spinel." Blue says softly making the small gem feel guilty at her poor choice of words. In her defense she didn't mean for it to come out as self deprecation, they just took it that way as usual. Yellow then glances over at White as she "mutters" to her.

"Do you think she is ready to be on her own? Should we send one of our pearls with her?" Yellow asks White, who seems to be considering the thought. Maybe she still needed more supervision.

Spinel felt panic swell in her chest as she gazed up at her diamonds with pleading magenta eyes.

"I'm ready! I promise no more self-deprecating jokes!" She says. Spinel appreciates that her diamonds had spent all their time helping her build up her confidence. It was not by much, a year barely made a dent to the damage of six thousand years caused, but it was a start. She was able to keep her abandonment issues under control since she literally spends every single day with them, but she had some minor setbacks. Spinel thanked the stars that Steven was able to convince them that she is ready to go back to Earth for a mini-vacation and to take a break from diamond duties. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity pass her by. Spinel clasped her hands together and enlarged them as she gave the diamonds her best doe eyes.

"Please." She mutters meekly instantly making White and Blue melt under her glossy eyes.

"Ok, ok, just be safe and you can come home whenever you like!" White concedes childishly, how could she say no to that face! Yellow scoffs as she rolls her eyes agitated at how easily she gave in. This is Pink all over again.

Spinel smiles widely as she nods her head. She quickly waves at her family as a bright light shined from beneath her.

"See you soon my diamonds, bye!" And just like that she had vanished from their sight. In a blink of an eye Spinel was in the middle of Little Homeworld. It was bustling with different types of gems and a few humans here and there. The building also varies in sizes and colors, her eyes shined at the beautifully crafted town. The atmosphere here felt warm and cheery, the sky is bright blue with birds flocking above. It was nothing like the dark cold space at Homeworld. Releasing a heavy breath her shoulders slouches low to the ground, her arms spiral to the floor feeling at ease.

"SPINEL!" Someone cried out making said gem whip around behind her. Her smile softens as she spotted the main Crystal Gems. Steven was waving animatedly as he rushes over to her with Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst behind him. Spinel nerves began to take over as they grew closer, she still felt a large amount of guilt for what she did to them. Even though they reassured her multiple times that all is forgiven during their visits to Homeworld. Nevertheless, she still felt a shred of doubt, but she pushed that aside as Steven yanks her into a hug giggling happily as always.

"It's so good to finally meet up again! This is going to be a fun summer with you around!" he says enthusiastically. The gems smirked at his upbeat energy, they were all grateful that even though Steven is getting older, he was still the go lucky kid they all love. Spinel hums contently as she pulled away, physical contact still made her anxious. Spinel waves at the rest of the Crystal Gems, each of them giving her their own unique warm welcome. The pink gem clears her throat as she looked around Little Homeworld, her orbs then looked over to the hilltop where her injector used to be planted. It was no longer a toxic cesspool, but a beautiful greenie that added to the scenery of this peaceful town. In addition, if she looked hard enough, the first crater her injector left was in the shape of a upside down heart much like her gem. It seems so long ago now, so much as changed but yet at the same time everything still feels the same. At least to her.

Spinel glances at her friends and their new outfits, then she looks down at herself. Maybe thats why she feels the same. Her appearance did not change much; she still has her spiky pigtails and the three lines running down her cheeks. The only differences are she exchanged her puffy shorts and her large pointy shoes for something more casual and comfortable. She also stretched herself a few inches taller, experimenting with her height. Her eyes sadden, as she looks back at Steven, who is now seventeen years old.

"Can't believe it's been a year since I've been here, this place is beautiful" She muses still remembering when the small town was only 83.7 percent complete. OR in her case 56.2 percent complete since she did destroy most of it trying to help Steven get Garnets memories back. She really did track disaster everywhere she went?

"Yeah remind me to dispose of the pizza cutter." Peridot voice chimes in as she, Lapis, and Bismuth approached the team. The three gems gave the pink gem either a small smile or a shy wave. She returned their greetings with a wave of her own. It will take some time for her to adjust being around them all at once again.

"Hey, guys ready for the show?" Steven asked the three breaking the awkward silence that fell upon them.

"Yeah, let's start heading over so we can get good seats." Bismuth suggested as she began to lead the way. The Crystal Gem's follow close behind as Spinel and Steven walked behind the pack.

Spinel stood close to Steven, still feeling a bit awkward with the rest of the gems.

"Show?" she asks him, Steven nods.

"Yeah, one of the gems created a Broadway theater so gems and humans can sing, dance, act and she is a really good friend of ours. I'm sure you'll like her!" Steven said positively, his smile never faltering. Spinel smiles ever so softly as she held her arms closed to her body.

"Ok sounds like fun." She mutters.

[novantinuum]

Contact (ch. 1/4)

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: T (TW: depiction of vomiting, this first chapter is pretty whump-esque)

Words: 3.0K~

Summary: The first (and with any luck, only) time it happens, he’s almost 16.

So this fic is Steven and Amethyst centric, set during the 2 year time skip. It’s also kinda in conversation with An Indirect Kiss, and explores the idea of what could happen to a hybrid with a cracked gem. Do note the warnings above. The first chapter is the only one that’s especially whumpy. It will be exactly 4 parts.

AO3 link can be found in the reblogs! Support there or here (via reblogs) is very much appreciated! <3

____

Chapter 1: The Mission

The first (and with any luck, only) time it happens, he’s almost 16.

His birthday’s only half a week out. Exciting as always, or at least it would be in other circumstances. Unfortunately, the Diamonds are breathing down his neck for him to celebrate his sweet sixteen (not that they understand what that is) on Homeworld. Even unfortunatelier, (is that a word?? He has a gut feeling Connie would tell him no, but oh well), the last time he saw Blue Diamond face-to-face, she mentioned wanting to personally throw a huge planet-wide ball in his honor.

And yeah, maybe he’s a little selfish for spurning their desire to spend more time with him, but truth be told, the center of attention is the last place he wants to be right now. He’s already spent so much time in their company over the past year, being carted around from planet to planet, formerly introduced in front of thousands of Gems on those outer colony worlds, tirelessly working to spread the news of the empire’s dissolution day in and day out. He’s tired. He misses his friends. He craves the privacy of his home, where he’s not constantly flanked by the volunteer guard when he so much as moves to fetch a midnight snack. More than anything, he needs familiarity. He wants to celebrate his birthday on Earth— like he always has— guilt-free.

Which is why it sucks that Blue didn’t take his gentle turn-down well.

“Seriously, and then she made you cry again?!” Amethyst spits out, kicking a rock as they tromp through the dense woods. “I thought you said she was getting better with that!”

“She is,” he says, and ducks to clear a low branch. “This is the first time she’s done it in like, five months. Growth isn’t always linear, y’know? And I get it, I do. They just wanna spend time with me, wanna learn more about all the human stuff that makes me who I am. That’s fine! I just...”

Steven sighs softly and pauses to lean against a sturdy tree trunk, puffy moss coating its entire diameter. The blistering summer heat coaxes droplets of sweat from his brow, which roll across cheekbones and towards his jaw. (And in the wake of this, he can’t help but be reminded of that bizarrely foreign feeling, of crying tears that aren’t his own, without consent, without resolve...)

“Wish it didn’t happen right before your birthday?” she tentatively completes, tone softer.

He shrugs, expression guarded.

Her lips purse as she regards him, and she goes silent. For a split second he wonders if maybe she heard something stalking around nearby— perhaps one of the straggling corrupted Gems they‘re trying to track down today? But no, more than likely, she’s probably lost in thought. That’s not uncommon for her, outside the heat of the moment. Even though she has the reputation of being the most impulsive of the four of them, there’s a clear deliberateness about her nature that often goes unstated. Her actions and words may be blunt, but when it really matters she does stack a lot of intent behind them.

Heh. She’s the mature one, alright.

“What did you tell her? Specifically?” she asks after a brief pause, peering at him with a careful eye.

He squints, grasping to remember the fine details of what he said. “Just... that I normally spend my birthday with all of you here on Earth, and after all the nonstop planet touring kinda, maybe wanted to take some time alone?”

Amethyst nods, giving a sharp bark of laughter at this.

“Hah! Then don’t worry about it, m’dude! Sounds to me like you stood your ground and spoke your mind. Don’t be guilty about that for even a second.”

“But- it’s not like her wanting me to spend time with them is wrong, so by turning her down, wasn’t I being kinda ru—“

His rapidly spiraling thoughts are cut off at the root by a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Okay, listen,” she says in that unmistakable ‘Serious Amethyst’ voice of hers, which of course means that she’s— well... that she‘s absolutely 100% being serious. “One thing ya’ gotta learn is that some people are just super tiring to deal with 24/7. It’s not wrong to set boundaries with them. All this junk? With Blue D? Far as I’m concerned, you handled it perfectly! And if she wants to cry about it, then that’s her problem.” Smiling, she reaches over to playfully muss his hair. “I’m super proud of you, ‘kay?”

He responds with a weak grin. Inwardly he still has his doubts, but he knows all too well that trying to argue against her when she’s in ‘Serious Amethyst’ mode is like standing on the shore trying to single handedly hold back the tides of the sea. Even a powerful terraforming Gem like Lapis would eventually be worn down by the ocean’s ceaseless tenacity. It’s best, then, to keep one’s objection silent.

So he’ll just stew in guilt quietly, no problem. Absolutely no problem here, no siree!

Before he can let that stew churn in the pot any longer however, a tree crashes to the forest floor with a colossal rumble nearby. A cluster of unsettled birds shoot into the sky from the boughs. Ground shaking under the unrest, the two of them dart to cling upon anything they can— bark covered trunks, each other— for balance. Thankfully it’s over in a few seconds, the local ecosystem quickly rebounding to its usual chittering atmosphere. But there’s now a lingering unease hanging like a curtain over this forest, a physical aura of dread, and despite his best efforts it’s one he can’t manage to ignore. He lets out a still breath. The back of his neck prickles. Geeze, just how big is this corrupted Gem they’re after?

Instinctively, he summons his shield, brings it in front of his torso. Pearl’s training echoing like a catchy earworm in his mind, he steps one foot back to widen his stance. Truth be told, with all of his political service on Homeworld it’s been a while (easily half a year!) since he’s actually used his shield in active combat— but he’s sure muscle memory will carry him through. It’s fine. He’ll be fine. It’s gotta be like riding a bicycle, right?

“You see something?” she whispers, lowering on her haunches. Her fingers twitch with anticipation at her side.

His brow furrows tight, eyes skittering through the visible tree line. “Not yet, but...”

Then, in a resolute answer to the question of the hairs raised at the nape of his neck, a skinny blur of steely blue and moss green suddenly swipes down from the branches at breakneck speed. He jerks his shield over his head in a flash.

Clang. Perfect timing.

(The force of the collision against reinforced hard light sends vibrations up his arms.)

Meanwhile, Amethyst yelps, only barely ducking from the spiked tail in time. She somersaults forward and immediately summons her whip as she regains her footing. In one fluid motion she snaps it at the rapidly moving blur. He grins at the sight.

Contact!

The corrupted Gem— her body long and willowy, able to skitter between limbs and leaves with zero effort whatsoever— screeches at the assault. All four of her beady eyes hone in on the pair of them.

They square up for battle, standing back to back.

“Here we go,” Amethyst says, flicking her wrist to switch the weapon’s tri-ended tip into its spiked counterpart. “Keep me covered. Whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off the trees.”

With a mighty yell, she moves to attack again. However, the creature anticipates it this time... and dodges.

Once. Twice. Thrice...

Every single lash she tries to land fares the same, with the Gem perfectly zig-zagging out of range at the last second. Even when Steven hurls his shield in coordination with her offensive strikes. Even when the quartz brings out a second whip to the party. It’s like trying to desperately keep hold of a wet bar of soap. The very moment you think you have it secure in your grasp, it slips away once more. Weird... he swears that thing is predicting their every move. What kind of Gem is she? A sapphire, maybe? Surely there had to have been a few other sapphires on Earth at the time of corruption. They’re a rare sort, but it’s certainly not impossible. Not at all.

They’ll know when they poof her, of course. No sense fixating on it in the heat of battle.

In the corner of his eye he catches that barbed tail swing from above, vying to surprise them from their blind spot, and summons his bubble around them. Its surface ripples upon impact, but holds strong. His fellow battle partner follows the creature’s erratic movements rapturously as she recovers.

“Tell me when,” he huffs for breath, watching the Gem circle around them and slash at the surrounding trees in a vain attempt at intimidation.

“Drop on three,” she says. “Your call.”

“Okay...”

Steven steels his nerves, inhaling deep, and focusing on the reliable hum of hard light running from his core outwards. Just relax. It’s all training. All stuff you’ve done a million times before. You’ve got this.

Working off the emerging rhythm of the creature’s strikes, he begins his count.

“One—“

Amethyst’s fists clench tighter.

“Two...”

The creature’s tail slams against the bubble and rebounds once again.

“Three!” he shouts, and throws his arms out, popping the bubble in a startling explosion of glittering pink.

The Gem howls. She’s thrown against a cluster of trees by the force of his magic’s kickback. Amethyst throws all of her energy into her spin-dash, and surges towards her with all the strength of a typhoon.

He summons two shields in turn, working light on his feet as he hurls them full force one after the other, desperately hoping to poof this poor creature as quickly and painlessly as he can manage. She’s strong, though. Incredibly strong— which gives more credence to his theory of this Gem being aristocratic in origin. Before Era 3, Homeworld used to endow the most ‘important’ Gems with greater durability. If she were a corrupted quartz or ruby, both easily poofed Gems, they’d have finished the fight by now.

“Hey!” Amethyst calls as she continues on the offensive, finally looping the Gem’s torso. “All this?” She gives a mighty battle cry, and swings her slender, scaly body over her head. Screeching, the corruption crashes headfirst into the dirt a good twenty feet away. “Is starting to get way too annoying. Ya’ wanna let Smoky take this one?”

Steven gives a playful laugh, averting his normally watchful gaze from the creature for a split second to face her. “You bet I do!”

And that’s when what should have been an incredibly straightforward mission goes very, very wrong.

All because he forgot to be careful. For one tiny, should’ve-been-insignificant moment.

He’s reaching out for a high five, fingers splayed outwards. His gem glows, the two of them so intrinsically in sync by now that he’s already anticipating their fusion.

But his hand never finds its match.

Instead, the end of the corrupted Gem’s mace-like tail swings back around and slams into his gut with the force of a freight train, knocking the wind clear out of him.

Contact.

Following momentum, his body spins a good hundred feet away from Amethyst before she can ever try to catch him with her whip... and he crashes headfirst into a startlingly solid tree trunk. He falls to the forest floor like nothing more than an abandoned rag doll.

“Steven!!” she shrieks from afar.

Ears ringing. Head pounding. Heart throbbing. Veins pumped full of static.

(Inhale.)

H-he- surely he‘s not—!

(Just inhale!)

Black feathers the edges of his vision, looming like a reaper. It’s wrong. It’s real, but it’s all so distant, so wrong. Stubbornly, he gasps for breath. Refusing to let himself go unconscious. Not here, not now. But it’s so tempting, gosh is it tempting. His whole body feels numb and battered, his whole body feels...

There’s a twisting in his gut. His eyes shoot wide.

Oh...

The sensation (again, wrong, sickly and wrong) rises in his throat faster than he can identify it by name, and it’s then that he’s thrown back into sobering reality. Arms quivering to hold up his weight, he pushes his upper body up off the dirt just before he retches. Once, twice, three times- all on quick succession. Ugh. So much for breakfast. His muscles ache as he desperately attempts to recover, attempts to shift his view away from the appalling sight of his own vomit. Everything is woozy, blurred, spinning around him. His- oh stars, his head is suddenly as heavy as lead...! Where’s Amethyst?? Why do his arms and legs feel all tingly and faint? Why can he only barely lift himself up? He gives a keening cry as a pulsing throb of static shoots in staccato bolts like lightning from his very core, his center, h-his— he can’t think, he can’t think, he can’t—

Breathing ragged, he collapses onto his side and rides through the spasms, his every muscle jerking against his command. His cheek sags against the ground once the fit reaches its end.

He lays there in a daze for a good long while, letting his vision grow unfocused and blurred in his exhaustion. From his creased brow, sweat drips in the sweltering August heat, staining the soil below. Conflict rages on in the distant background—  Amethyst running solo?— yet he can’t keep track of the action by sound alone. It’s... too much sensory input. More than he can handle, by a long shot. Every bit of his universe now is faint and weak and pain pain pain pain pain, but he manages to shift his arm just enough to slip his hand under his shirt, blindly grasping for his gem... working off a terrible, horrifying hunch.

Shaking fingers find their way to warm crystal, tracing the outer edges, and then—

He traces a deep gouge, running diagonal clear across the center facet.

Cracked.

And with that realization, any remnant of calm he had left flies straight out the window. Another spike of static rips through his body (fuzzy images of Amethyst, 100% hard light body glitching out and unable to hold its shape, pervade his mind) as he makes rapid shallow gasps for air and seizes, trying in vain not to think too hard about what’s physically happening to him.

(I’m cracked I’m cracked I’m cracked I’m—)

“Steven!” Amethyst shouts, diving to his side in an instant. “I’m here, I’m here, I’m so sorry, it wasn’t safe, an’ I knew I had to bubble her before I- ‘fore I could—“

His wide eyed fear silences her even faster than his words. “H- Amethyst,” he rasps, voice hoarse. He blinks as tears begin to slip from between his lashes.

Near indistinguishable blurs of purple and black are his only metric for her movement now. He’s rolled onto his back. A hand moves under his head, stabilizing it.

“Whoa, dude, you’re like, pale as milk! What’s wrong? Did you get hurt?? Can’t you heal it?”

He somehow manages to push coherent words through his warbling cries. “I, I- I dunno, I’m c- cracked, I’m—“

“Wait, wait, wait, you’re WHAT?”

Giving no thought to courtesy in light of the situation, she yanks his shirt up to see for herself.

He hears her inhale as her fingers delicately brush against the gouge marring the center facet of his gem. It’s sharp, sympathetic. The kind of reaction only a Gem who’s lived this horror could offer him. Ever so slight, her hand recoils upon the no-doubt triggering sight. He— stars, he doesn’t wanna... doesn’t want to have to make her remember that, remember that awful time she herself got cracked, but here he is, so clumsy, s-so useless, an—

His chest trembles with every pitiful, bubbling gasp as he succumbs to the terror of the situation and begins to openly sob. Hot, fat tears pour in rivulets down his cheeks, but he knows instinctively there‘s no magic within them. Not today. Not when h-he’s... when he’s like this.

What’s even gonna happen to him now? How’s he gonna— Deep breath. This time, he feels it coming. Every muscle in his body contracts on automatic as that awful, awful static tears through his nerves like an arc of electric current.

It hurts it hurts it hurts ithurtshurtshurtshurtshurtshurts—

Amethyst does her best to lightly hold him as he seizes, cradling his head to ensure no more damage is done. When he stills this time the fight’s practically draining from his body. The boughs of the trees above him pirouette like dancers. Oh stars, everything’s... so... woozy...

“Aw, geeze,” she mutters, and reaches to her gem to pull out an object, thin and rectangular, too blurry in his view for him to make out with much detail. “I, uh... listen. I’m gonna call up Pearl, and we’re gonna fix you up, okay?? We’re gonna take you to the fountain, an’ then...” Her words (reassurance, but for who?) grow thick as her glance flicks downward at his stomach again. “An’ then you’re gonna be fine...”

“B-b-but... I don’t think— I can’t walk,” he blubbers.

“Then I’ll carry you.”

“Am- hnng- Amethyst—“

“Shh-shh, don’t talk, bud. Save your energy.”

“I- I’m so scared,” he blurts.

And it’s so true. Because everything is becoming so blurry and indistinguishable, and the more his body seizes the more fractured he feels, and he’s so close to closing his eyes and drifting off now, he’s sure he is, he’s gotta be—

“Steven,” she says, voice firm yet soft. “Steven, common’, look at me.”

Serious Amethyst. He recognizes the tone. No arguing now.

So slowly but surely— knowing there’s no sense in fighting back oceans when he can barely stay afloat amidst the shallows of this river— his weary, tear stained eyes meet with hers. They’re blown wide with fear, with genuine concern, but between the swirls of black and indigo blue stirs a deeper courage: the unwavering gaze of someone who will have his back to the end of the line.

Amethyst clasps her palm against his shoulder, solid and reassuring.

“Whatever it takes, I promise you... I’m gonna get you there.”

[princessbunnyblossom]

First and Last of her kind Ch 4 Where am I

Spinel after warping away from the garden opened her eyes to realize she was in Pink Diamond’s armory. Spinel stared around in slight awe. She never thought that her own dAmond would have a spot to keep all her weapons, but now wasn’t the time for memories Spinel needed a weapon that would keep her safe. Spinel quickly looked around searching for anything and knew she was running out of time. So she immediately grabbed a small rod with a small button on the side of it.

Huh. What could this be?

The small pink gem didn’t have time to wonder as someone was already in the armory with her sending the small gem in a panic.

Oh no! Oh no! What was she to do?

Spinel sounds around and could see that the yellow Topaz was getting closer to her and Spinel began to panic. She must’ve panicked and accidentally pressed the button on the small rod and gasped softly as she watched as the rod began lifting up much taller before an electric buzz sound was heard along with the sight of a sharp looking scythe blade at the end of it. Spinel gasped at the sight,

“St-stay back!” Came a pained soft barely audible voice from the small gem.

The small spinel coughed painfully the whole process of talking felt so forgin to her. She had stayed so quiet in the garden that it was so weird hearing her own voice. Now Spinel subterfuge that the much bigger gem had even heard her speak. Spinel watched as the big topaz gem mainly used for guarding certain places stared at the scythe weapon in fear . The small pink gem didn’t understand why she was so frightened by such a weapon she was holding. Spinel was so tiny and the gem was so massive yet the weapon the little pink gem held in her hands was one not to be trifled with. However when the gem caught sight of how hesitant the young spinel looked the topaz moved closer but would soon learn or rather….forget that it would be a mistake she would pay dearly for. Spinel gasps and quickly brought down the weapon which sliced through the gem with ease. Spinel cried in fear when she saw the gem’s face how shocked they looked so much so that it unsettled Spinel a little.

Spinel watched with terror filled pink eyes as the thin cut from strike exposed light and the small pink gem watched as the top half of the topaz’s form began to droop which unsettled the small pink playmate even more and suddenly the massive gem poofed into a cloud of yellow smoke. Spinel stared at the gem that clattered onto the floor and listened as the noise bounced off the walls of Pink Diamond’s armory. For a moment all time seemed to stand still.

Had she? Had she defeated…a topaz guard?

Spinel stared at the gem and sucked in a breath, she looked around and could see that the amethyst guard was no longer there with her. She must’ve ran off when she saw what the small pink gem had done to the topaz and must’ve gone off to get back up. Well Spinel had another reason to leave Homeworld. The small gem made a beeline towards the warp pad and while putting the weapon that she grabbed in her gem for safe keeping. She needed to get out of here she just defeated a giant topaz guard, now as much as she was surprised that someone like herself a small playful spinel managed to take down a giant topaz guard made her so surprised she was also fearing the consequences .

Spinel had defected a high ranking guard, if they found her they would surely punish her. Spinel swallowed hard thinking of all the terrible things they could,possibly do to her making her shiver in fear. They could shatter her if found guilty . Which would obviously be the case since she had dissipated another gems form with a weapon which wasn’t technically hers. Would that make her a their? , The small pink gem shuttered of what the new pink diamond would do if he ever got his hands on her. The thought alone made Spinel scared, she couldn’t nor wouldn’t want to think of what could happen to her except a shattering of course. Spinel stepped onto the transportation device which wished her away from her diamonds weapon room and when she felt herself finding her destination Spinel promptly fell flat on her face. It had truly been a long time since she used a warp pad. So she was a little rusty, but there was no time for that Spinel needed a place to hide.

Homeworld may be a big planet but under the wasteful eyes of the diamonds it made the planet seem so small. Spinel never thought in all her existence she would defy a Diamond’s orders. Running away from the garden, dissipating a high ranking gem’s form and not only had she escaped….well sort of escaped the new Pink Diamond but now she could be taken to him and be kept as a trinket.

No way!

Spinel didn’t want that, she didn’t want that at all. Spinel could hear the amethyst guard and Pink Diamond’s new replacement, walk off the warp pad to which the small pink gem quickly hid behind a pillar. Spinel wasn’t going to allow them to catch her….not without a challenge. The small pink gem ran in the opposite direction and took a sharp left not caring how many odd looks she got from other gems passing by. Spinel was just happy to be away from both of them. However that feeling was shirt lived as she heard a few shouts from the amethyst guard who was hot on her trail.

“Hey! You! Stop right there!” The purple gem hollered.

Spinel’s body went rigid but she soon enough found herself running again. Nope, nope, nope she did not want any of that. She needed to try and hide somewhere, anywhere. Spinel hurried off making to try and lose them by hiding herself among the vast crowd of gems passing through, however in doing so she felt so many gems staring at her confused,. Spinel looked away not liking their unfriendly looks yet none of those gems stopped her. Perhaps they didn’t want to be involved in whatever it was she had done or didn’t want to get into trouble themselves.

Spinel hurried though taking another sharp left, there weren’t many gems in this area which wasn’t good since she could no longer hide amongst a big crowd. Now they would definitely see a small dirty disheveled pink gem running away from a high authority diamond and a quartz soldier. Spinel ran though, she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her and didn’t dare look back so when Spinel reached what looked to be a bridge she began to panic. Of course she could keep running but Spinel knew eventually there would be help on the way and she would be caught. Spinel as stupid as it sounded got onto the ledge of the bridge and watched as the amethyst guard came to a stop.

“Whoa,! Whoa! hey there’s no need to do that. Let’s just go back to the palace. I'm sure your diamond will understand what happened.” The amethyst said trying to coax the gem off the ledge of the bridge.

Spinel felt a sharp pang in her chest, a hot heat radiating from her gem. She wanted to scream at the purple gem and tell her off that who she saw wasn’t her diamond. Spinel shook her head and gritted her teeth. That new new diamond. He was the one who took her away from Spinel in the first place. Why should she ever bow down to him? Pink was her best friend and he took her away from Spinel. Conflicted feeling began bubbling up inside her head as she shut her eyes.

Was Pink ever her friend?

Did she not love Spinel anymore?

Spinel could feel, tears bubbling up in the corners of her eyes as memories began replaying in her head. The memories all of them were tainted by betrayal and sorrow and Spinel never thought her diamond would do something like this in all her lifetime. Without warning the small pink gem jumped off of the bridge and down into the darkness below.

She secretly hoped she’d die from this.

Oh how wonderful that would be, she would no longer have to feel those horrible negative feelings that made her feel worthless and unloved. Or hear those terrible thoughts that lingered in the back of her head. Instead of feeling a sharp pain and nothing more when falling the small gem felt her body hit the ground with a soft thud and when she groaned, opening her pink eyes and looking around she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she was still somehow alive. Which meant she would still feel those negative feels and emotions she had no clue how to deal with. It was unpleasant but Spinel slowly got up and winced almost falling during the process. Luckily the young gem managed to use a wall for support to lean her eight against and keep her upright. Her legs were so sore and her back and feet were hurting so much. At least she managed to get away from the supposed new diamond and amethyst guard.

Question was. Where on Homeworld was she? Spinel never seen anything like this. She was always brought to the palace and straight back to the garden and Spinel even inside the palace wasn’t allowed in certain places most of which were near the Diamond’s chambers. She was however allowed to enter Pink’s room and Spinel was so happy spending many happy hours playing together and before she knew it she was taken away back to the garden. Well it was fun while it lasted. With sad eyes the small pink spinel waved goodbye to her diamond and watched as her beloved friend disappeared into the bright blue light of the warp pad, but now Spinel had no clue where she was.

Well only one thing left to do now, find another way out of Homeworld. She couldn’t stay in Homeworld anymore, not after what she did. Escaping a diamond, going against diamond orders despite her diamond already being long gone and dissipating a high ranking gems form. Nope, she was no longer able to return now. There would only be a good shattering for her. Spinel shook with fear. No, no, no. She didn’t want that she didn’t want to be killed. The tiny pink gem looked around frantically. Where should she go? Were they gonna find her? Spinel swallowed thickly and proceeded to walk forward, or they might find her. The small gem hurried and kept walking for what seemed like forever. Her legs aches up once again and the small pink gem needed to stop for a small break. Her legs were killing her. Spinel sighed and looked around where she was before groaning softly rubbing her back where the pain spiked up. Spinel could see that in the rocks were small holes were gems must’ve emerged from.

Was this?....Was this once a kindergarten? That would make sense due to the holes she saw. Spinel continued to walk and stopped when she heard a strange noise. She stood still listening closely for the noise and then it came again. It sounded like a drone like device and the small pink gem caught sight of what she was hearing. It was a round metal sphere with a glowing red light in the center of it. There came a strange noise emitting from the metal sphere as it scanned an area with a red light and proceeded to fly over s different location. Spinel tilted her head.

How strange. Were they looking for something?

There was no time to think as Spinel turned and yelped seeing the same machine behind her and without fail scanned her until the bright red light reached her gem. Spinel didn’t even have a chance of understanding what was happening and watched in horror as the machine turned violent attempting to yank her gem out. Spinel gave out a shriek as she stumbled back away from the now deadly device narrowly escaping its grasp. She idiot understood why that machine wanted to do that but she decided it was best not to know. So the small gem took off running away and running as fast as her small pink legs could go and could see in the corner of her eye that the first machine that tried yanking her gem out was hot on her trail. Spinel gasped seeing another machine coming at her at full force. She was done for, there was two of them coming at her and nowhere for the small pink gem to run. Spinel froze in fear shutting and biting her lip as tears formed in her pink eyes. Was this how she goes out?

Spinel shook and shuttered fear freezing her in place and slicing right down her very core. Suddenly the small gem felt her hand being grabbed and pulled into a small secret cove and the small pink gem squealed as the two machines quickly flew past each other . Spinel watched with scared yet shocked eyes as the machine slowly flew off in an attempt to look for something else. Spinel painted softly she was so lucky if whoever this gem was hadn’t helped her she might have been good as shattered.

The small pink gem turned to face the gem who had saved her and was very grateful for their help. Spinel opened her mouth wanting to say thank you but stopped and stared at the gem or rather gems that saved her.

[fireopal-tash]

MY FAULT!

IT'S MY FAULT!!

When Steven run away from Homeworld he just wanted to be alone, he wanted to feel safe and far from people he could hurt. And that's when he arrived at the least expected place. The Garden. Forgotten and broken. Like Spinel... I don't want to think about it.

This place was far from where he would have wanted to be, but he knew no one would be able to find him. Ever.

And oh, he was feeling so horrible... He was taller, and bigger, reminding him of what he did to Jasper. He could notice the pink all over him. It was horrifying. It was painful. Steven took off his jacket, feeling trapped.

"I don't want it!" he screamed desperate while trying to control himself "I don't want this. I don't want this power or whatever diamond-thing this is..." he groaned in pain. But he could not control it. Didn't know how. He couldn't get rid of this awful feeling that haunted him.

pinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkpinkPINK

"Please..." the hybrid sobbed "just please, stop"

PINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINK

"STOP IT! I'M OKAY! EVERYTHING'S OKAY! I. JUST. NEED. TO STOP IT!!" Steven screamed again. And again. And again. Like a broken record. He needed to stop it and come back home. Everyone must be so worried, and so mad with him. Disappointed. Furious "No! They are not! They... They would never... The gems love me" A monster " No. No. No. Nonononono! I'm not!" But I am. I did that to her. I shattered Jasper. And I almost did the same to White "No!" I am a monster.

"Steven?"

Everything went silent.

Someone he knew was there. Here. With him. "Nononono I'm danger. I'm dangerous. Keep safe. Keep them safe" mumbled the young man, not quite aware of what was going on. Nor of who was there.

"Steven!" a pink little gem ran where Steven was. Not sure of what was happening to him. Not sure of what she could do to help "I should have told the Diamonds about this place. I should have made them come with me. Oh, what am I gonna do!?" Spinel was feeling anxious, her hands above Steven, not quiet touching him.

PINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINKPINK

"Steven, come one, tell me what's wrong. Tell me what to do" she said hastily "Let me help ya'!" the heart-shaped gem dropped feeling useless to the ground, her hands into fists, a flip flop in one of her hands held tightly. Shaking "I even got your foot thong thingy!" she replied smiling weakly at the incoherent mumbles of Steven "So please, talk to me" The murmurs stopped.

"...Spinel?" came the raspy voice. Steven was confuse. What was she doing there? She shouldn't be in the garden. It was dangerous. HE was dangerous. But the pain stopped, so it was okay. He was still pink though. Remain calm.

"Yes. Yes, Steven, it's me. Your best friend Spinel, remember?" her voice was still shaking, still with a big smile on her face and trying (failing) to cheer him up. She looked at Steven's face, or tried to. The hybrid looked away, not wanting to be seen like this. Like a mess. And Pink.

He didn't want to frighten her.

"I'm okay" he said, more to himself than her "Why are you here?"

"Why...? Steven, everyone's worried about ya'. When you... left Homeworld, the Diamonds and I went to Earth. We thought that you would be there. We wanted to know why you left so suddenly... But your friends, they said ya' never came back. So I'm here. I wasn't sure, really, but you are here" she explained giggling. Kinda nervous. Kinda glad she was right.

"Yes. I'm here, and now you should leave"

"W-what...!? Why?? If I did something bad just tell me!" Spinel had had a bad feeling since the start, and she ignored it. Never again.

"It's not... that. You didn't do anything" he tried to explain.

"I didn't... So that's why. You wanted our help, and I just" tears appeared in her eyes " meesed everything up. I was being stupid again. I should have tried to listen to ya'. I-I should have..."

"Stop! This is not YOUR FAULT. IT'S MINE!" the brunette exclaimed. He was losing control. And then he looked her in the face. His eyes were deep pink, his pupils withe diamond-shaped. Snarling.

Spinel screamed.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry Spinel" Steven apologised immediately. Nonono. He did it. He scared her. And now she won't even want to be here. I don't want to be alone... Steven held his own body, trying to hide himself. Trying to protect himself. His back hurt.

"Steven. I'm okay, see? It's alright. You just surprised me!" Spinel came closer, sitting next to him "I'm still here"

"You shouldn't..." he said, tired "But I don't want to be alone" his voice broke.

"I want to be here with you. You were there for me when I needed, so I will be here for you"

"No, you're wrong" Steven shacked his head "I don't need anyone. People need ME. I only need to help. To be... useful"

"You're so stubborn..." whispered Spinel without thinking.

"I'm n- Maybe I am" the hybrid hold himself even tighter "I'm stubborn. I'm useless. I'm a monster" he recited.

"Wha'?? Nooo. Of course not! You're... perfect, and kind!" replied the pink gem.

"No, I'm not. You don't even know the horrible things I did." he was getting angry. Control yourself.

"Then tell me!" Steven kept silent "Steven" nothing "Steven...?" still nothing "Steven!" she tried one last time.

"Ugh! Enough! You want to know? Okay, I'll tell you all the bad things I did. I tried to help the gems in little Homeworld and I failed. I tried gardening and I failed again. I decided to do some training with Jasper and I... shattered her!"

"Wh-"

"And I almost shattered White Diamond too! One of your friends now. So yeah, I am a monster! My fault! It's my fault!" he finished with a growl. He was feeling that same pain again. And for some reason it was even worse... It was too much. He needed to ger rid of that feeling somehow. So, he did what he thought was best. He hit the ground with all his might. Bad idea.

When Steven looked up again, Spinel was still there. Watching him. Not... scared, exactly, but worried. Her eyes wide open.

"I'm s-"

"Stop apologising" she pleaded "You're not okay. You feel bad. And you did bad things. As I did. I tried to kill you, and your planet. I rejuvenated your friends. All because of the pain I felt. You're not alone, Steven" Spinel was crying again. She, more than anyone, knew what it was like to feel like a monster. "So stop saying that. Because if you are a monster then what am I?"

"Spinel..." Steven felt guilty. He was supposed to be better... but Spinel made him realised something. Everyone he has ever met made mistakes. He was not perfect. Not even White was perfect. He was... just a kid. He felt like a kid. Even Spinel was a kid, in a way. She never had the time to grow up, like most gems he knew of. Always alone and trapped. Lapis experienced the same and she was okay. She was better now. She had him and Peridot. And he had a family, and friends. Spinel is also a friend now, he noticed "I need help" the hybrid confessed. His tears falling down on the ground "You're right. I'm not okay and I need help. So, will you help me? I... I think it's time to go home. I miss them..."

"Of course, Steven" the heart-shaped gem replied, relieved. Both stood up and hold each other. With a timid smile, Spinel looked at Steven "You know, now that we are friends I could visit you from time to time" she tried to joke.

"Spinel, you're always welcome to Earth" said the brunette with a small smile.

~TheEnd~

I wanted this two to talk with each other. They are so similar that I just... needed this. So here I am xD But also, I wanted to do this for the other fans who also wanted this to happen~ UwU <3

If this is a ship or not, it depends on the reader, so not hate please!

Hope you all like it! And sorry for any mistakes, I'm Spanish ^w^'

[lovixcore]

baby it’s cold outside.. (amedot one-shot)

One-Shot

Summary: Peridot and Amethyst end up getting snowed in together.

Word Count: 3792 words

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22366711

Monday, January 27 - First Kiss

@amedotweek

“Aww Periiiii,” The purple quartz whined, as she didn’t want Peridot to leave, all she wanted was for Peridot to stay here with her. She had deeply desired to continue spending time with the green gem, and the thought of Peridot leaving her behind was something Amethyst fretted over. She looked over at the technician; the purple gem’s eyes were now glossed over, with the corners of her mouth beginning to fall into some sort of a frown. “Do you HAVE to go?” The quartz continued to whimper, as she desperately didn’t want Peridot to leave.

  Peridot gazed back at the older gem, with a rather reluctant, hesitant look in her eyes. She abruptly looked away, now avoiding making eye contact with Amethyst. She then took a deep breath, “I’m sorry, but yes, I do have to leave now. I have to go prepare the greenhouse for Little Homeschool tomorrow. I am teaching a group of gems about gardening, and what it is.” A small but oddly saddened smile began to form on Peridot’s face, “I happen to be very excited about it, it’s a good opportunity for them.”

“But Periii,” The purple quartz continued to beg and plead. The tone of her voice began to sound rather squeaky, as she tugged at the rim of the olivine gem’s shirt. She truly didn’t know why she was being so weird, so clingy, all of the sudden - but, all she wanted was for Peridot to stay here, at the temple, with her…

   Peridot looked down at Amethyst, giving her a painful yet stern look, “Look, Amethyst… I’m very sorry but I have to go…,” She apologized to the other gem, now feeling somewhat guilty, like she was the one at fault. She really didn’t want to leave Amethyst like this, especially since she undoubtedly had no desire to leave at all. However, being an instructor at Little Homeworld, and helping those who were lost, trying to find themselves, was also very important to her. In an attempt to calm the desperate purple gem’s worries, she suggested, “Maybe another time?”

“Ugh whatever,” Amethyst sulked, like a toddler that had been told they couldn’t get the toy they wanted. She then crossed her arms and turned around so Peridot couldn’t see how upset she was. She almost felt bad for making such a scene, guilting Peridot into staying longer, but she just wanted Peridot to stay here. That was all she wished for. Was that too much to ask?  "See ya around Dot,“ She muttered. She began to walk away from Peridot, who just stood there with confusion and guilt written all over her face.

“Amethyst-”

This got Amethyst to suddenly spin around. She was now facing Peridot again, throwing her chubby arms out in a rather frustrated manner, "Look! I’m sorry too!” Amethyst abruptly shouted. She quickly paused, instantly realizing how overly worked up she had gotten. She then took a deep breath in somewhat of an attempt to calmly collect herself, “Look, I’m sorry. It’s just - I never really get to see you anymore, and I just really miss you. Okay?”

“What do you even mean by that?” Peridot asked, the tone of her voice now sounding relatively puzzled, while she raising an eyebrow to Amethyst’s apology. She really didn’t understand the purple quartz’s frustrations and where she was coming from. What was she even talking about? “I see you all the time!”

“I meant OTHER than Little Homeschool you big doof,” Amethyst quipped, trying her best not to get frustrated with how oblivious Peridot was. She sighed, “I just.. I never get to hang out with you anymore.”  All of the sudden, Amethyst paused, now starting to choke up a bit, “And I just… really really miss you, because… I love spending time with you. Y’know?.” She then looked away from the green technician, now blushing and shuffling her little feet, “…You’re my best friend Peridot.”

Peridot sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She wasn’t frustrated with Amethyst per se, she was just frustrated that Amethyst was right, that they barely got to see each other. It pained the green gem’s heart so much to know that Amethyst was right, “Listen… I love spending time with you too Amethyst. But, as I have stated multiple times before, helping those gems adjust to their new lives on Earth is very important to me, and to them! And introducing them to the Earth’s surroundings is an excellent opportunity for them!”

“I know, I know,” Amethyst paused, focusing her gaze on the wooden floor beneath her. She then looked around the living room as if she were trying to figure out what to say next. “…I mean, like I said, it just sucks that we don’t get to see each other that often anymore. Like – we went from seeing and spending time with each other every day to only seeing each other just for… Little Homeschool.”

“I know…,” Peridot said, unclasping the door knob as she sauntered over to Amethyst. She then embraced the bigger gem, wrapping her arms around Amethyst’s body. She rested her head on Amethyst’s shoulder, brushing against the purple quartz’s neck. Her breaths made strands of Amethyst’s long, messy hair dance and sent shivers down her nape. Peridot finally let go of Amethyst after one last tight squeeze, “We can hang out next weekend, okay?” The green gem softly whispered into the purple quartz’s ear.

Amethyst blinked, a sudden wave of sorrow overcoming her, “Okay…” she mumbled reluctantly.

Peridot let go of the purple quartz, giving her a soft, saddened smile. She then put her hand on the doorknob, trying to open the door, but for some odd reason, the door wouldn’t budge. She tried her hardest to open it, but no matter how hard she tried, it still wouldn’t open. She loudly groaned in frustration, “Why won’t this stupid thing open?” She again attempted to push the door open, putting all of her weight against it, but no matter how much of her weight she put into it, the door wouldn’t budge.

“–Uh? Dude? You good?” Amethyst asked from behind.

Peridot finally gave up, letting go of the handle, and stepping away from the old stubborn, rickety door.  An impatient look began to form on her face, her tiny hands bunching into fists while she threw her arms out into the air to express how upset she was, “AMETHYST, YOUR DOOR IS BROKEN!” The younger gem shouted of exasperation, her voice was now strained, internally praying that she wasn’t trapped in the temple. Even though she had loved Amethyst and had loved spending time with her, now was simply a terrible time for her to be snowed in, stuck, as she had so much planned for the next day.

“Uhhh..Peri..,” Amethyst faltered, tapping Peridot’s shoulder from behind, looking around the room without focus. She was thinking about how she could tell Peridot why the door wasn’t opening for her, without the green gem getting angry.  “…Look out the window,” The purple quartz insinuated, now pointing at the window with her stubby finger, “We’re… snowed in..”

“WHAT?!” The technician shouted, now alarmed, looking at Amethyst with pure frustration and horror in her eyes. She promptly buried her face into her tiny hands, completely and utterly upset by the fact that she was snowed in. “Well, this is just perfect!” Peridot grumbled in defeat, lifting her face out of her hands. She was now making frustrated hand gestures as she ranted, “I can’t believe we’re snowed in! Ugh, what are we supposed to do about classes tomorrow Amethyst?”

“Dude, no worries!” Amethyst consoled Peridot. She gently placed her hand on the olivine gem’s shoulder in order to reassure her that everything was going to be alright and there was really nothing to fret over. She continued to comfort the green gem’s anxious thoughts by saying, “We’ll cancel classes for tomorrow, and stay in. Okay?”

However, the purple quartz’s efforts to comfort her didn’t really work as the technician stood from her place and headed near the warp pad that sat in the temple. “Are you sure the warp pad won’t work? Can we at least try it?” She added while just staring at the bare, teal, crystalline teleporting device.

“Nah, I’m sorry dude, but I doubt it’s gonna work. Steven tried it the other day and it… was a mess,” She giggled, remembering Steven trying to use the warp pad the other day. “But hey, it’s okay dude! Like I said, we can always cancel classes if we need to and you can spend the night here! …Heh, we can have a shorty squad slumber party!”

Peridot’s eyes narrowed in confusion by the purple quartz’s remark. “What do you mean by a ‘shorty squad slumber party’ exactly?” Peridot asked, raising an eyebrow, slightly tilting her head. She started to head back to where Amethyst was standing, as it was clear as day the warp pad wouldn’t work.

“Y’know, we can have a sleepover, as in you spending the night here! I can set up the couch by getting some pillows and blankets from my room. And – I can set the fireplace! Ooo, I can also make hot chocolate, and it’ll be fun to just… Y’know.. hangout!” Amethyst rambled, making hand gestures as she was listing off what she needed to do to set up their “shorty squad slumber party”.

“…That does sound pretty nice actually.”

“Heck yeah, it does!” Amethyst exclaimed, the shape of her pupils turning into stars. “I’m gonna go get some blankets and pillows from my room real quick! Be right back!” She said as she hurried off into her room. After Amethyst came back and set up the living room for their “shorty squad slumber party”, she made hot chocolate for her and Peridot. Amethyst watched the younger gem push around the marshmallows in her hot chocolate with her finger., as she gave the drink an odd look. It’s not that Peridot didn’t like it, she did. It was just so… different.

“Yeah yeah, I know. I miss the fun bendy straws too. Steven said it was ‘better for the environment’ and basically banned them from the house. But hey, I’m not complaining,” She explained to Peridot, finishing her hot chocolate within one big gulp. “Huh, they always went down weird,” She chuckled.

Peridot looked over at the purple quartz, as a light blue blush had dusted her cheeks and her tiny nose. “Well, actually..” the gem smiled softly while she spoke. “We haven’t really hung out ever since..” She paused for a second, then quietly sighing, “I… actually quite miss trying the weird things that humans consume and.. talking with you.”

This got Amethyst to blush, giving the technician a soft, affectionate smile, “Aw dude… I missed you too.” She paused again, looking off to the side, the blush on her face growing even bigger by the minute. “Look, Dot, I’m… sorry for acting really weird and clingy earlier. Like I said, I just… really missed you. I.. really missed getting to spend time with my favorite nerd,“ She apologized, the soft smile on her face slowly disappearing. She set her hot cocoa down and then crossed her arms, a bashful look now slowly creeping onto her face.

“No no, it’s okay! …I mean, I get it, so don’t feel small over… missing me. Though I do want to apologize to you too.. I’m sorry for not making the effort to hang out with you more often, Amethyst,” Peridot apologized to her. The blush on her face began to grow, her face slowly turning from green to a light blue, “It’s not really fair to you… and I never wanted to make you feel like I didn’t want to hang out with you anymore.”

“No dude, ya don’t hafta apologize! I get it too… I mean everything HAS changed… ever since we made peace with the diamonds and healed those corrupted gems… I guess that’s why we’ve grown apart… It sucks but stuff like that happens, y’ know?” Amethyst explained to the younger gem that it was no one’s part that the two grew apart.  Amethyst knew that stuff like that happened in a friendship, people naturally grow apart, and it was really no one’s fault.

"Y-yeah..”

“But.. we should DEFINITELY hang out more often.. what d’ya say Dot?”

“O-Of course!” She blurted out excitedly, a little too over-enthusiastic. Peridot then blushed, burying her face into her hands again. She was incredibly embarrassed by her little outburst, as Amethyst sat across from her, with a rather surprised look on her face. “I-I didn’t mean to… to shout. I’m sorry!” The technician gem apologized again,as she lifted her face out of her hands, now visibly shaking.

Amethyst cracked a wide grin, with a tint of a dark purple dusting her chubby cheeks, “You really miss me that much, huh?”

“..Well, I wouldn’t lie about it.”

Silence had hit the two of them, as the two sat in complete and utter silence, with Peridot absentmindedly staring at the purple quartz. Peridot had found the purple quartz… stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, with her deep blue eyes, her little nose, her full, plum stained lips, her curves, her chub, her thick and pale messy lavender hair. She was so attractive to the olivine gem, at which Peridot couldn’t help but stare at Amethyst. Although she thought she was being subtle, Amethyst seemed to catch on, “Uhhh Peridot?”

Peridot looked into Amethyst’s eyes, “Yes?”

“….Why are you staring at me like that?” Amethyst asked Peridot. She was obviously confused by the olivine gem just staring at her, with a funny look in her eyes and her little round nose crinkling. She then slightly tilted her head, as she was going to ask, “What? Is there something on my face? Or in m’a teeth?”

The technician looked like she had frozen in time, with a rather embarrassed, almost repulsed look now on her face. She suddenly shook her head, like she was trying to snap out of the spell that had been cast on her, “No! No… uh… cold… I’m cold!” She then buried her face into her hands again, with her face burning with frustration and shame.

“Pft - what Dot? Ya want me to cuddle you to keep you warm or something like that?” The purple quartz not so subtly teased the other gem. The tone of her voice now sounded playful, rather than confused, puzzled. But at the same time, she sounded like she was trying to make things less awkward between the two. Amethyst was now giving the younger gem a silly, playful smile, instead of giving her an odd, funny look.

“Well…”

“Oh uh, I was just kidding but… sure,” Amethyst blushed, not exactly knowing how to react. She was so shocked that everything felt surreal to her all of the sudden. But, at the same time, she was also strangely happy that Peridot actually wanted to cuddle with her. Peridot had never been the affectionate type and she really really liked Peridot – and not just in the way, where a friend loved a friend, it was something way more than that. “C’mere Dot…” Peridot got up and moved across the couch, sitting right down next to the purple quartz. Amethyst then wrapped her arm around Peridot, pulling the green gem’s body into a warm, comforting embrace. Peridot rested her head on Amethyst’s chest, her face burning even more with a bright shade of baby blue. She buried her face into Amethyst’s chest out of embarrassment, she really didn’t want the older gem to see her so… flustered.

“… Thank you,” The younger gem quietly said, her face still buried in Amethyst’s chest. Being in Amethyst’s arms made her feel so safe and so calm but at the same time, it made her feel so embarrassed and flustered. It felt incredibly strange to Peridot that being in the quartz’s arms made her feel so many differing feelings.

“….It’s really no problem.”

“But.. you didn’t have to do this Amethyst,” Peridot argued back with her, now feeling kind of guilty and even more embarrassed than she already was before. She hoped that she hadn’t pressured Amethyst into cuddling with her, because she didn’t want to make Amethyst feel uncomfortable or weirded out at all.

Amethyst took a deep breath, “…But… to be honest with you, I actually kinda wanted to. Y’know?”

In response to Amethyst’s confessions, Peridot gave the purple quartz a soft little smile. She took off her bright yellow visors, which revealed a pair of big and soft blue eyes. Amethyst blushed for what felt like the millionth time that night, as she had found Peridot’s eyes to be so incredibly beautiful and part of what made Peridot beautiful as a whole. Peridot nuzzled her face into Amethyst’s neck, which got the other gem to purr softly. This lead to more silence, as the two held each other in a loving embrace and Peridot listened to the other gem purr.

After a few minutes of just pure complete silence, Peridot slowly sat up. She had now broken from Amethyst’s hold, unintentionally pushing her away. She then broke the silence by speaking up, “Amethyst…?” She hesitantly asked. She was now nervously twiddling her fingers. And although she was avoiding making eye contact with the other gem, Amethyst could still see that the technician looked like she had butterflies swirling in her stomach.

“Huh?” Amethyst asked, with a perplexed tone in her voice, the smile on her face and the darker tone of purple that had dusted her cheeks now disappearing. She looked extremely confused, with her eyes narrowed and her nose crinkled, as Peridot was acting rather strange all of the sudden.

Peridot gulped, as she was now about to tell Amethyst one of her deepest darkest secrets. A secret she had kept to herself for years now. She looked down at the palms of her hands, now clammy and sweaty with nervousness, she then looked back up at the purple quartz, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. “…I really like you, Amethyst. A-And it’s not just in the way where it’s exactly… friendly. It is incredibly more complicated than that. I like you in the way where I want to hold your hand, hug you, cuddle, and kiss you… I-I believe earthlings call it romantic.”

Peridot then closed her eyes, now looking away from the other gem in complete shame and embarrassment. The damage had already been done, she had already accepted that she ruined her own friendship with Amethyst. And all Amethyst could do was just stare at the gem who had just confessed to having a crush on her. She was now bewildered, swirling with so many confusing emotions. So many thoughts were running through her head now. The gem she had been pining for years now had liked her back? Peridot had felt the same exact way about her? It was all so… strange. Reality hit, as she had zoned out trying to collect her scattered thoughts. She finally responded to Peridot’s confessions after what felt like hours of complete silence, “And what are you gonna do about it?”

Peridot’s blue eyes fluttered open. She ended up looking back at Amethyst to find the older gem giving her a huge dorky smile with a darker purple color now burning her cheeks. This caused Peridot to perk up, now blushing and smiling back at the other gem. Amethyst could be too adorable for Peridot from time to time. “Oh. I don’t know… kiss you?” The technician asked, the tone of her voice now sounding flirty, rather than shy, anxious.

“Then kiss me.”

“O-ok..”

Amethyst looked at Peridot, wearing the softest but also most flirtatious smile Peridot had ever seen from the purple quartz. Peridot then pushed Amethyst’s long bangs out of her wide blue eyes and started to slowly lean in, closer to the purple quartz. Closing her eyes and slowly tilting her head. Even though she had seen kissing for what felt like hundreds of times before, kissing was almost entirely new to her. It was almost quite terrifying actually, and it felt completely surreal to her that she was about to share her very first kiss with Amethyst. And with one swift movement, Amethyst was the one to close the distance between them by softly but firmly pressing her lips against Peridot’s. Peridot pushed forward, letting out a pleased sigh, now melting into the kiss. She moved one of her small hands to the side of Amethyst’s round face, gently cupping it. After a few moments, Amethyst ended up being the one to pull away, giving Peridot the most loving, adoring smile. But then, their lips met again, and again, and again, as kissing each other became simply addictive.

After minutes of just kissing each other, the two felt it was time to pull away from each other. Amethyst leaned in again, but this time, she gave Peridot a tender small kiss on the gem placed on her forehead. She then gently rested her forehead against Peridot’s. “I guess I really like you too… heh,” The purple quartz joked, giving Peridot a weak but also soft and adoring smile. Her voice now sounded hoarse, like she was in some sort of a haze. “So… how are ya feeling now, Peri?”

Peridot took a deep breath, in order to collect her scattered thoughts, “A lot… I feel a lot… actually. Nothing bad of course!! But… right now, I am sure of the fact that being here with you has made me so happy and… I am so glad that you feel the same. I am so incredibly glad that I could have this with.. you.”

Amethyst smiled at the younger gem softly, and couldn’t help it but lean in and kiss her on the lips again, “Me too Dot… me too..” Next, she snuck in another kiss at Peridot’s jawline. She then pulled away from her, “But… not gonna lie… I’m actually getting pretty tired… do you mind if I rest my head in your lap? Or..?”

“Of course not,” The technician responded with a content, peaceful smile across her face, inviting Amethyst onto her lap. And at last, Amethyst gently rested her head in Peridot’s lap, as the olivine gem caressed it. She ran her tiny fingers through Amethyst’s lavender mane, twirling her loose lavender curls, at which Amethyst gazed back up at her, lovingly. Soon, she fell asleep in Peridot’s arms, with Peridot gazing back down at her with a soft smile across her face and a warm, gentle look in her eyes.

[nexstage]

Starless  Steven: New places, new opportunities (?) AKA Now what?

Obsolete.

According to a dictionary, it is anything not in use anymore, having been replaced by something newer and better or more fashionable.

According to a certain young man who was traveling in his Dondai, because he is close to 18 which is equal to adulthood despite the fact that he is still a kid in the law's eyes which wouldn’t benefit him because the police might stop and ask him for his car license and ID, but anyway, according to a certain young man, it meant that no, there is no one else to help because everyone knows what they're doing.

And by everyone, he meant all the world, universe, etc., except for himself.

And he was happy for them! Don't take him wrong!

Steven couldn't be more proud of how much his friends and family had grown and how far they had come since he had a memory.

Pearl was her own gem, Garnet was happily married, Amethyst loved herself and was really confident, his Dad and Pearl got along pretty well. Many people dear to him were doing such great things, Lars was exploring space with his crew, Little Homeschool was accepting new students, Saddie and Shep were happy with each other, the Cool Kids have found their own calling and they liked it.

So yeah! The future was smiling at them, all shiny and dandy!

And what was left for him?

Just too much time to spare and feeling utterly suffocated with nothing which was weird because nothing couldn't do you anything.

But as always with him, Steven Universe, things tended to be the other way.

His mind was divided into multiple places. Emotional ones. He was enraged and exhausted, for his charming touch to help people was declining too much. He was lost and numb, after the Cactus Incident it was a miracle that leaving Beach City hadn't ended horribly because sometimes his skin turned neon pink, his ears were overwhelmed with a constant buzz and his teeth were gritted with such force that the muscles of his jaw at the end hurt like hell.

There was also the confusion and despair that were worse than physical pain. If everyone knew what they were doing with their lives, what would be of him? What kind of purpose he could have if no one needed him anymore?

Was he going to just stay in the house forever figuring what to do and waste people's time with his problems?

All of them had dreams and aspirations to fulfill. He could even recall Connie telling him which university sounded more appropriate for her. The career and expectations to get there which he didn’t understand that well, but he was happy for Connie to be so excited about it.

And that was the point, wasn't it?

All the people he knew were doing fine he wasn't. They have plans and were confidente about it his plans were just a mess, their hobbies and dreams paid them off he felt totally miserable after trying gardening!

His teeth clutched at his lower lip in a vicious grip while his knuckles went white for holding the steering wheel so strongly.

Again, the sickening neon Pink spread from his cheeks to his whole body.

He tried to calm himself down and stopped himself from thinking about how the other might be doing now that he was gone. They may be freaking out and trying to find him.

Steven scoffed. Well, good luck with that, guys. If I left it was for no one to find me.

His thoughts got more troublesome and conflicting with that mental sentence.

He despised that his mom ran away from her problems, lied to everyone, abandoned the people who cared about her, and made a bigger mess from another big mess.

But this, no no, this wasn't running away.

Everything was fine after all.

Homeworld and Earth were at peace, gems and humans were getting along nicely, the Diamonds had Spinel to pamper and spend their time with, the gempire was dismantled and all the corrupted gems were healed and living better lives.

This was everything and more than what his mom could have done if she hadn't run away and lied, but she didn't make it true.

HE did.

He and the Crystal Gems worked hard and succeed, so all the unresolved issues his mom left behind were just a bad dream from the past.

Everyone was happy, learning new things, making plans for their futures, feeling excited.

No one needed him anymore.

He was just...obsolete.

And the only fate that awaited the antiquated like him was a loft or a trunk.

Though a tiny part of him told him that his family and friends weren't like his mom. They wouldn't throw him away so flippantly as mom did to Spinel, Pearl, and anyone else who bored her out.

But even if that was true, it didn't mean he was going to back down.

Steven had seen how much his loved ones had progressed these years, so they would be fine. And it's not like wasting away and worry them was going to fix anything.

A bitter taste came to his mouth at the mention of that little word, fix.

He grimaced but tried to ignore it.

This was the right thing. This was the BEST OPTION!

His mind repeated those sentences like a mantra to not feel horrible and guilty about doing this, but was there anything else to do?

Steven wasn't going to hold anyone back from their dreams. He almost squashed Lars, the Off-colors, Saddie, Shep, and the Cool Kids because of that.

A change was needed.

THIS was the change.

Besides, it's not that talking with the Gems was going to help anyway.

Pearl would spiral into self-blame, Garnet's advice was too focused on her future vision, Amethyst acted as if her maturity was the solution of all the problems.

And he knew they meant well and loved him, but sometimes it was him the one taking initiative despite how uncomfortable it was.

He could still remember how he had to deal with the Roses Quartzes on his own because the others, even his Dad, didn't want anything to do with more unpleasant reminders of mom. And honestly, he didn’t want to either but he wasn't going to be impolite and cold towards people who suffered because of his mom's mistakes.

Apart from that, it shouldn't be that concerning that he was gone, right?

He was still alive, he was fine, he was just driving and nothing bad had happened yet!

Besides, if everyone was ok without him much before he was born, that would be the same now. They would move on and keep with their futures and lives.

There was no space for the obsolete after all.

His family and friends were upgrading, changing, they had their own places in Beach City or wherever they wanted to be...

Except for him.

But Steven wasn't going to let that ruin the others' journey!

It was time to let the new take the place of the old and keep going.

His eyes, bloodshot from the many hours of driving and with heavy bags on them, stung due to oncoming tears. Steven rid of them quickly before they got out of control.

Dammit, the road was still very long and he had no idea where he would stay for the night. It was mere luck that he had enough money for tons of gas to drive that long.

And for real, since when all those pines appeared?

If there was some kind of signal, anything, to tell him where he was right now, he would really appreciate it.

Then he saw it.

At some meters from him was a big, rusty signboard that said in capital letters: 'WELCOME TO GRAVITY FALLS'.

Gravity Falls? Uh, well, he wasn't going to judge a book for his cover, and hey, he finally knew there was a town near to find a motel, so it wasn't that bad anyway.

Maybe that place might be his new start.

[starscheme]

With All My Heart

Chapter Twenty-One: The Last Obstacle?

A few hours had passed since Sodalite was healed. Once Garnet had reformed, the blue Gem spent nearly half an hour apologizing. It seemed even without taking in a Gems negative feeling, she was a rather anxious Gem.  Since she had come here looking for Pink, Steven had to explain what happened to his mother. It took little while, but eventually Sodalite understood and told them how she had gotten to earth.

Sodalite explained that she had escaped Homeworld before she was supposed to be shattered. When she heard about Pinks Colony, she tried to make her way to Earth, certain that Pink would protect her from Blue. Or at the very least, let her hide on Earth. Unfortunately, her ship malfunctioned and exploded somewhere in space. She floated aimlessly among the stars, her Gem broken from the explosion, until she met a girl that promised to help her. The girl pointed the way to Earth and vanished.

“So…this girl just happened to show up and help you before completely disappearing?” asked Garnet.

Sodalite nodded her head, “Yes. …At times I wondered if I had imagined her. I can’t even recall what she looked like. I just remember that she called herself Mara.”

“Mara…” Garnet repeated. “…well, we can look into that later. For now, we can get you a place to stay here on Earth.”

“I…I can’t stay with him?” Sodalite asked meekly as she pointed to Lars. Since he was the first person that didn’t frighten her, she had grown attached rather quickly.

Lars flinched a bit, “Ah, well I’m sure you’d feel more comfortable in your own home, right?”

“Come on. We can figure this all out on the way to Little Homeworld.” Garnet stated as she gently shooed Lars and Sodalite towards the door. “I’m sure you two have something to talk about. See you later,” added Garnet before she left the house with the other two.

Alone in the house again, Steven and Spinel stood in the middle of the living room, still reeling a bit from everything that had happened. It all started and ended so quickly and it was because of Sodalite that they all had been emotional and irrational. Spinel couldn’t help but worry that Steven might regret some of the choices he made while affected by Sodalite.

“…I guess…things should be calming down now, right?” Spinel asked, trying to break the silence.

“I hope so, but our lives are never that calm anyway,” Steven replied with a smile. He felt much more like himself now that all those awful feelings had been lifted from the air. “Garnet was right though, you and I need to have a talk before the others get back.”

Spinel didn’t like the sound of that. That’s usually what Pearl said when she had bad news or was about to scold her. Still, it’s not like she could run away from whatever he wanted to tell her. “O…Okay…” she mumbled sheepishly as she braced herself.

“We need to decide how to tell the others about us…” Steven began with a blush.

Spinel’s breathe hitched a bit, surprised by what he said. Tell the others? “…you mean…?”

“Well…I mean…I know we never really talked about making anything official,” Steven continued awkwardly. “…I wanted to wait and talk about it after we spoke to Pearl and the others…and I still need to speak with Connie. Just to clear the air you know? …and when my Dad gets back I’m sure he’ll be surprised…”

“S-So, you still want to be with me?! Like—like regular humans do?” Spinel asked with a hopeful smile.

Steven stared at Spinel with a blank expression for a moment. “Y…yeah. Did you think--? Seriously? After all this, you still think I’m gonna just change my mind and decide I don’t want you?”

Spinel shrunk a little, “…I was just…worried…” she admitted. “I still feel like I’m gonna wake up and find out I dreamed all this…”

Steven stepped  up to her and took Spinel’s hands before he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Well, if it does turn out to be dream, I’m pretty happy that you’re in it with me.”

Her cheeks burned terribly, “that’s so cheesy,” Spinel giggled.

“Well, you know me,” Steven laughed lightly. “…I hope Pearl won’t be too against this. I’m sure she will have something to say about it when we talk to her.”

“…She said she was worried I would get hurt,” began Spinel, “but I wonder if that’s really all it is.”

“It doesn’t matter if she disapproves or not. It will certainly make things awkward, but I’m sure in time she will come around. I just want to make things clear with them so that they all know exactly how our relationship will change. …and I…still want you to sleep in my bed, but I’m sure they won’t be too keen on that.”

“Why not? I’ve slept in your bed a lot of times.”

“Well…just because we’ll be alone in bed…and I might have trouble controlling myself—you know we can talk about all that stuff later on!” Steven backtracked quickly. They had a lot of stuff they needed to discuss, but most of it could wait until later. For now, just clearing the air with a few people was going to be difficult enough.

“I’m sure Lars will be happy that everything will be settled. We’ve troubled him a lot the past few days.” Spinel commented, still feeling guilty for putting their friend through so much because of her rash actions.

“You know…” began Steven irately, grabbing her waist and pulling her forward to hold her flush against his chest. “This is the second time you’ve mentioned his name when we’re close like this. Are you doing this on purpose?”

The moment he pulled her close, Spinel felt her heart skip a beat. “N-no. I just…thought he might be angry and I felt guilty.”

“I’m sure he’s not mad. He was trying to help, but if it makes you feel better, we can apologize to him again later on.” Steven smiled. Spinel often seemed irresponsible, but she cared so much about people. “In the meantime, do you want to rest a bit? It’s been such a long couple of days.”

As usual, Spinel wasn’t tired, but she was sure that Steven needed a nap after everything that happened. Nodding her head, she allowed Steven to lead her by the hand up to his bedroom. Steven really must have been tired, it wasn’t long after they laid down on the bed that he fell asleep while hugging Spinel close. She smiled while she looked at his sleeping face. All of this must have really worn him out. It was easy to forget how drained his human half could get. Still, she wasn’t lying to Steven before. There was a big part of her that worried this was all some dream. Even so, Spinel closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, finding it hard to stay awake when she was so comfortable.

While Steven and Spinel slept, the other Crystal Gems finally made their way home. Pearl took part in finding Sodalite a place to stay after tearing her away from Lars with some difficulty. Garnet and Amethyst healed the broken Gems and explained to them what had happened. Peridot was over the moon to have Lapis back to normal, though equally annoyed that her robonoids hadn’t found Garnet before this all got out of hand. As they were about to enter the house, Garnet stopped Pearl to speak with her.

“Now, remember what I told you,” Garnet began quietly.

“I know…” Pearl sighed, “…I’ll…keep an open mind, but—“

“—Just let them talk,” continued Garnet, “it might be difficult for you, but let them say their piece before you voice your concerns. Steven is growing fast and this is all new to Spinel. It’s going to be confusing enough for them, we shouldn’t pile on.”

Pearl knew Garnet was right, but this was hard for her. Spinel was like her little sister and Steven like a son. She always assumed he would fall in love with a Human and live a relatively normal human life with her. Also, what if one of them hurt the other? Two people that were very important to her would be upset. She didn’t like those odds at all. “I’ll do my best,” replied Pearl.

With that, they stepped inside the house. Pearl had expected for Spinel and Steven to be waiting for them, but when she didn’t see either of them, she couldn’t help feeling anxious. Had they gone to Rose’s room in the temple again? Just to make sure, Pearl walked up the stairs to Steven’s bedroom, and was surprised to find Spinel and Steven in bed asleep. Though she walked up to the bed with the intent of waking Spinel to make her leave, when she looked down at the two, Pearl lost her will to interfere. Steven looked so content while he held Spinel close and as she slept, Spinel’s gem was glowing lightly. Sighing in defeat, Pearl grabbed an extra blanket and placed it gently over the two. She still had her concerns about this, but for now, she would let them sleep and hope that their dreams were pleasant ones.

 When morning finally came, Spinel woke up in bed alone, a little disappointed that Steven had left with without waking her. Without Steven here, there wasn’t much point staying in his room. Ascending the stairs, she found herself a little confused to see the others Gems sitting at attention on the couch while Steven stood in front of them.

“Ah, I was just about to wake you,” Steven remarked before holding out his hand for her.

It was then that Spinel knew what was going on. They were going to talk about this so soon? She wasn’t so worried about Garnet or Amethyst, but she already knew that Pearl didn’t like this. With a deep breath, Spinel stepped over and took his hand, facing the others along with him. This was terribly awkward. It felt a lot like she was asking their permission to be with Steven and wasn’t sure what to do if they refused.

“…Well, um…I’m sure this isn’t a big surprise to you guys…” began Steven as he cleared his throat. After all, Pearl had caught them a couple of times in an intimate situation, Garnet could see the future, and Amethyst just seemed like she had expected this to happen. “…but um, I wanted to make it clear that...I…have feelings for Spinel and we—“

“—I LOVE STEVEN!” Spinel shouted nervously, finding herself panicking more than she thought she would.

Steven flinched a bit, surprised by her outburst. Perhaps they should have gone over what to say. “…y-yes…and I…love Spinel too,” he added, hoping Spinel would be less anxious about this as they went on. “Just to be clear, we’re not asking permission to be together or anything. …I wanted to tell you all because you’re important to me and…obviously since it’s Spinel and she’s been with you all for a long time…and we all live together…it just seemed like the right thing to do. …so…that’s…what we wanted to say.” He finished awkwardly. He’d played this out in his head, but facing them and talking about Spinel like this felt like strange. Surely telling his Dad would be a lot easier.

Amethyst smiled and shrugged her shoulders, “well, whatever you guys want to do, I’m cool with it.”

“Have you two really thought about this?” asked Pearl, her expression revealing that she was holding a lot back.

“What’s there to think about?” replied Steven, preparing himself for an argument. He knew how attached to Pearl Spinel was and she really took her words to heart. He didn’t want anything Pearl said to make Spinel doubt this or feel guilty.

“Lots of things,” insisted Pearl as she stood from her seat. “Spinel, you were MADE to care and love for your best friend, are you sure you’re not just confusing those feelings because you’ve never been in love before? And Steven, human feelings are meant to change, what if you fall for someone else? Or find you would rather be with a human girl? If you’re with a Gem, you surely won’t have a normal relationship like other humans. Not to mention, even if you won’t age as fast humans, you are still aging and Spinel won’t age at all. What if--?”

Garnet had stood and placed her hand on Pearls shoulder to stop her. Even with her warning not to pile too much stress on them, Pearl couldn’t seem to help it.

Steven glanced at Spinel and frowned when he saw her troubled expression. Sure enough, she looked like she was being berated by her older sister. “No, we haven’t talked about those things, because they are all just negative ‘what ifs.’ Starting a relationship…why would anyone constantly bring up the things that might go wrong? Spinel and I can’t see the future, but I’m not planning on any of that to happen. I don’t doubt that Spinel is being honest about her feelings and I’m certainly not planning on leaving Spinel on a whim, I’d like to think my feelings are stronger than that.”

“…B-but you two are so young, do you even really know what it means to devote yourself to someone? Saying you are in love…this could just be a crush or—“

“It’s not just some crush,” Steven insisted, gripping Spinel’s hand gently. “I’d know if it were. …I’ve known Spinel all my life, but I’m not a little kid anymore. Growing up…she’s been my best friend and I think…now that I’m older and understand what it means to love someone…romantically, my feelings for her started to change without me really knowing it.”

“Me too…” Spinel began finally. “…Steven’s always been my friend. It’s true that I...was made to be Pinks best friend and I was sure that meant I was made to be Steven’s friend too, but…this feeling is so big…I can’t be confusing it for something else. …and if I was confusing this feeling…wouldn’t I have been confused with Pink too? It’s not like this feeling happened overnight. In the last year or so…this feeling has just been building and getting stronger. So much so…it almost hurts.”

Steven blushed as Spinel spoke, mostly glad that she hadn’t let Pearls words question her feelings. Pearl appeared as if she had more to say, but Garnet stepped in front of her with a calm smile. “Pearl isn’t wrong. Because of how different you two are, there is a lot to consider, but that doesn’t mean this is doomed to fail or that your feelings aren’t real. Ultimately, the most important thing is that you two are happy.”

“O-of course we want you two to be happy,” added Pearl with a nervous smile. She didn’t want them to think she was trying to pry them apart; she was just concerned and honestly a little scared. Though she would prefer this never happened, Pearl didn’t want them to hate her if she was too against it. “…I’m just worried about you both…”  

After a little while of Spinel and Steven trying to reassure Pearl that everything would be okay, she seemed to finally concede defeat, at least for now. Still, it was clear that this was going to be an uphill battle with her. Even when the talk was over and Steven said they were going to take a walk, they were lucky Garnet was there to keep Pearl from tagging along. She seemed horribly reluctant to leave them alone together.

Once he and Spinel were outside walking along the sand, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. He figured Pearl would be difficult, but the talk was more exhausting than he anticipated. “…that…took longer than I thought.” He said finally.

“It would have been really short if it were just Amethyst and Garnet. …Pearl really seems like she doesn’t want us together…” replied Spinel, her pigtails drooping lightly.

“It doesn’t matter,” he added quickly, “like I said, we weren’t asking for permission. No matter what they ended up saying…I was prepared to stand my ground.”

Spinel nodded. Though initially she had been afraid that Pearl would disapprove, when it felt like she was about to, Spinel only felt more determined. “I don’t want Pearl to be upset with me, but...I nearly shattered at the thought of being without you. …so I know for sure that these feelings are real.”

Being forced to recall that incident, Steven felt a pit form in his stomach. She didn’t want to be without him and when he thought she was going to shatter, he couldn’t imagine a life without her either. He was just glad he didn’t have to lose her to realize how he felt about her. After all that happened, he wasn’t about to let a few disapprovals make him miss out on being happy with his best friend. Of course he didn’t know how the future would play out, but he wasn’t planning on making Spinel unhappy. He had the opportunity to make her happier than she had ever been and he wouldn’t let that pass him by. “I’m sure Pearl will come around. In the meantime, you and I will be together…and that’s all I need.”

Spinel blushed, unable to hide her joy as her Gem began to glow softly. “…that’s all I need too.”

Steven stopped walking, glad to see Spinel’s sweet smile. He truly loved her smile. Taking her hand, he leaned forward to kiss her lips, but was interrupted when they heard Pearl calling for them frantically from the house. With an irritated sigh, Steven pulled back and looked back at the house. “…I’m going to talk to Pearl about some…boundaries. Let’s head back before she comes after us.” He relented, turning to walk back, already prepared to argue with Pearl about some privacy issues that were already frustrating him.

Spinel laughed softly as she watched him walk off, but before she was able to take a step forward and follow after him, she was distracted by a strange flash of bright light that forced her to cover her eyes for a moment.

“Spinel? Are you coming?” Steven called back, waiting for her just a little up ahead.

Though she felt lightheaded at first, with a quick shake of her head, everything was back to normal. She was sure the sun had just gotten in her eyes and thought nothing more of it as she ran over to join Steven. No matter what obstacles they faced now, none of that would matter so long as she could be with him. Together with him, they could handle anything that came their way, couldn’t they?

 A/N: As of this Chapter, With All My Heart has ended. I’m so grateful for everyone’s support and interest in this story. Thank you all for sticking with Steven and Spinel while they sorted out their feelings. The Sequel, “Only You,” will be out tomorrow with its first Chapter and I hope you will all like that story just as much, if not more. :)

Short Summary of Only You:

It’s been a few months since Spinel and Steven made everything official and Steven is planning a big surprise for his Gem Girlfriend on their anniversary. However, when Steven notices a troubling change in Spinel, he goes to the other Gems for help. What they discover will change their futures and threaten to destroy Steven and Spinel’s relationship forever. What should have been a day to celebrate their love becomes a race against the clock. What’s happened to Spinel? Will Steven be able to help her before everything falls apart?

[wangjiplayingwangji]

Ok, question, have you considered a Steven Universe AU for JoJo? If so I would love to know your take on it!

Don’t get me started on SU AU’s I had a whole blog dedicated to me and my friends gemsona’s and how they fit into the SU world called “The Imperfects”

BUT since you ASKED (and these are based more off personalities rather than appearance/color)

( Also, these are those depicted on my blog! I will attempt to go into more detail if anyone interested but this is all for now and it is L O N G )

Jonathan - Topaz

From what we’ve seen of them they were big hulking gems used more for defense and guarding than offense attack but would also be nothing to scoff at in a battle. Not to mention the ones we did see really didn’t want to hurt anyone. 

Speedwagon - zircon

The persecuting and defensive gems in the diamond court case, I feel like Speedwagon would be a good one. He’s smart, a good judge of character and has a good heart. The zircon on stevens side wanted to do her best to help him even though he was technically an enemy, just like SW wasn’t originally on Jonathan's side but had a change of heart when he really spoke with him and heard of his noble quest to save his father. They also seem to have a bit of an anxious streak and that suites our beloved SW as well.

I imagine they’d escape to the off-color caves after Jonathan refuses to hurt someone and is put on trial only for SW to not agree with the results and choose to save his life putting them both on the lamb with their only option to be to retreat underground.  

Joseph - Tigers Eye

Although we don’t see one in the show it just seems like something that would fit Joseph’s colorful and unique personality as well as it retains some color quality of a Topaz with a twist of it’s own. It’s also said to be a stone meant for clearing out anxiety and fear to bring peace, balance and stimulate action and decision making which I think sums up Josephs character pretty well. 

Caesar - Aquamarine

The aquamarines we met were callous and prideful in their gemstones as well as obviously high-class gems. They’re efficient, ruthless and skilled, just like our favorite bubble blowing baby. Their snotty attitudes seem to match him well, as well as when they decide to go easy on their partner rather than report them to the diamonds which means they do have some reluctant compassion. 

They’d probably end up a Romeo and Juliet situation where they both operate under a different diamond but something draws them together, with Joseph being a little too impulsive and Caesar a little too strict and always lecturing him but never reporting or stopping his behavior. However one of Josephs pranks goes too far and he’s sentenced to be shattered on one of the earth’s spires. Caesar tries to use his status to beg for his life but it proves useless, leaving him no choice, he takes him and jumps. The fall and extra weight damage his wings leaving him with only the ability to conjure water bubbles. Joseph feels guilty be Caesar sees it as a start to their new life. 

Jotaro - Garnet

Cold and calculating but with a surprisingly sweet side and unexpected sense of humor. Garnet seems to suit Jotaro to a T, not to mention being incredibly powerful (however he is not two lesbians in a trenchcoat) He always seems to have a plan and know what’s going to happen next. The rock that everyone relies on, Jotaro as a garnet is both the sword and the shield.

Kakyoin - Pearl

Originally made to bend to everyone’s will but his own Kakyoin is a pearl that fights back. He’s polite, intellectual, and respected among the ranks of the crystal gems. Having escaped from the clutches of homeworld he was originally made on earth, but on a raid to clear a village to make room for a new kindergarten he found himself appalled at homeworlds methods and rebelled from his general and master.

They meet on the battlefield. Jotaro fighting for homeworld and Kakyoin for the earth and crystal gems. Their weapons clash as their fight takes on an unbelievable intensity and at one point Jotaro tears the scarf kakyoin wraps around himself to hide his gem. In that moment of confusion upon seeing it’s a pearl he’s fighting Kakyoin gets the upper hand and Jotaro is poofed. Later he reforms in a destabilization chamber on a broken ship with Kakyoin waiting for him.  The pearl demands why he held back during their fight and Jotaro counters with asking what a pearl is doing on the front lines, if he had some kind of death wish. Their conversation goes back and forth for some time before Kakyoin sits on the floor opposite his captive and end’s up regaling his tale of servitude, horror at the destruction of the diamonds and how he decided to change because he wanted to be something more. For the first time, Jotaro questions his purpose, and wonders if there’s more to life than being a made to order soldier. 

Josuke - Rose Quartz

A made to order soldier, as is any quartz. But they don’t lack for personality. They are smart, compassionate and even a bit naive. However, they are more of a backline soldier that in the meantime gather resources and help in the creation of more kindergartens. They are stil respected and powerful gems that enjoy games and the company of others, with the ability to hurt and heal they make a fearsome enemy and kind ally. A bit childish at times but powerful and sweet Josuke would make a perfect rose quartz.

Okuyasu - Amythest

Similar to the rose quartzes amethysts are also made to order soldier type gems however they are a stronger more durable gemstone made moreso for the frontlines and guard work. They tend to be on the goofier and denser side of the quartz spectrum with them being the most expendable and easiest to control as for the others made to be more general types such as jaspers. However, what they may lack in strategery they make up for in power. Amythests are formidable opponents and can be darkly serious when it matters, a stack contrast to their typical fun-loving and silly nature.  

Josuke and Oku meet on earth in their respective kindergarten. Although they both popped out knowing what they were, what their purpose was everything seemed to stop when they met. A connection of some kind, a feeling of fate or some kind of magnetism. They met in the middle as the rest of their gems march on around them. Josuke cracks a small smile and says ‘nice gemstone’ Okuyasu lets out a laugh and says ‘thanks i like yours too’. After they get so lost in conversation they don’t notice their agates watching them and suddenly they've pulled apart and directed to opposite sides of the kindergarten to stand in formation. Reluctantly they return but keep their eyes on each other. The pair is soon known as a couple of troublemakers, constantly getting distracted from their work and stopping to talk much to the annoyance of their authoritative gems and needing to be ordered back to their work. It all came to a head one day however when Josuke’s agate, sick of watching them disobey orders, she forcibly got between them, destabilizer in hand. Her intention to poof the rose quartz and send him to the opposite side of the galaxy where they would never see each other again. It took Okuyasu everything he had to fight off the gems holding him down but in a fit of rage, he managed to fight them off and throw himself into Josuke before the destabilizer hit him and there was a burst of white light. When he next came too he and Josuke were in a forest, apparently safe for now. 

Giorno - Agate

Giorno is a yellow agate in charge of the human zoo. It was a place off-color gems with no real place on homeworld were sent for a chance to have a purpose. Misshapen amethysts and disproportional jaspers were his crew, not that he minded. Despite being overcooked himself, he was a bit too short, he took his role seriously and commanded the respect of the other gems despite his imperfections. A natural leader and commanding presence Giorno is respected everywhere he goes and has amassed quite the following.

Mista - Ruby

A ruby in the elite guard in charge of protecting the agate in charge of the human zoo, Mista isn’t quite like the average ruby. Undercooked, he stands taller over most and towers over his charge, a yellow agate. He’s a bit of a dunce at times and can be spacey during boring conversations or events but he takes his duty seriously and speaks casually, even to his superior, however, the agate does not seem to mind his friendliness. Mista is a great ruby, a quick thinker and he throws himself into his job, but off hours he’s fun lovable and ditsy, making him a favorite among his peers. 

Mista and Giorno because of their roles spend a decent amount of time together, and often times Mista ends up making empty one-sided conversations as they wander the halls of the ship, uncomfortable with silence. He’d gotten used to the silence that it was a surprise when the agate indulged him by responding one day. After that, they talked fairly regularly as they checked the status of the ship and its inhabitants. They established a comfort, so much so Giorno ended up letting it slip one night that he’d love to visit the planet the humans' hail from and see the organic life he’d grown to adore inside the zoo. The plants, the water, the animals, it was a rare wild beauty within the sterile walls of the diamond authority. Mista on an impulse suggested the go to earth, much to the surprise of the agate. But Mista explained nothing ever changes, its the same in and out, he was sure anyone would be able to handle it, like holly blue agate. A ruthless commander and Giornos second in command, if anyone would be able to handle it, it would be her. And so for a night, they planned to escape and see the earth, but, suppose a night turned into a few thousand.

[ghost1643]

Seven deadly gems part 6

Meliodas fakes a smile around everyone now. He acts happy all the time. He’s just giggling and joking like always. Heck he is even laughing with Elizabeth’s dad all the time.

Yet, at night, when everyone is happilyplanning howethers wedding or sleeping, wellhe locks himself in his room and sobs. He just sits there sobbing as memories flood back to him. Not even ones about Elizabeth’s. Yet, the pain her rejection caused is having him remember Walmart every bad thing about his past. He doesn’t even know why but he refuses to let anyone knows. Especially Elizabeth. She doesn’t need to feel guilty about rejecting him because it’s a normal part of life.

When Gowther’s wedding roles around everyone is excited. They dress up in nice cute outfits with a bit of a warm under coat since it’s gonna be snowing today plus the wedding is outside towards the end of fall. Elizabeth’s dad Is sitying with Nadja’s dad and a few others they know. They’re all sitting on logs outside. Plus there’s also also Lillie’s in flower pots around the light Eren carpet leading to the arch they’re to be married under. The arch is covered in green and red ribbon. Plus there’s also a few flowers (which are covering the arch as well) makinthe arch pop out. Especially since every flower there are Lillie’s which surpingly Gowther’s pick. Gowther’s groomsmen are Ban, Meliodas and King.

Gowther seems calm about everything honestly. Everyone else is more stressed then He is. That is until the music starts and Nadja isn’t walking down the isle. A few minutes pass and she still isn’t there. Only then does he panic. Yet, soon she comes being basically carried by her parents seeing as her legs felt weak.

Yet, her legs are hardly seen under her huge puffy dress. There’s so much fluff that o looks like she’s a huge marshmallow. Her veil is dragging behind her since it’s so long but, it’s connected to a crown. It looks like she’s a princess of sorts.

Gowther breaks down in a smile looking at his women. Nadja soon is standing her legs shaking holding his hands with a big smile. Gowther offers to have someone grab her a chair but she refuses. She stands though the entire wedding holding his hand. Yet, one of her old friends is holding her up through a lot of the ceremony.

Elizabeth sobs over the romance as the preacher spoke. During the thing Gowther and Nadja looked into each other’s eyes. Everyone thought it was sweet. Especially at the end of the wedding when they were to kiss. Gowther never took his eyes off of her and just kissed him tighter.

The entire after party is outside to with speaker in a car. And there was a few tables around to sit at. Plus there was a cake which had a light green piece of ribbon covering the cake. There was lilies everywhere and on the top was a tiny little Gowther and Nadja.

Nadja loved the cake. Gowther thought it was cute

The music starts playing in a speaker in the back of Margrets car. Margret is dancing with Gil and it looks pretty good. As for Gowther, he’s almost always dancing with Nadja. After all she used to take dance and all she ever wanted to do was dance at her wedding. Diane shape shifts to a norma size and is dancing with king a lot. Veronica is dancing with Howzer.

Meliodas walks over asking Elizabeth to dance. Elizabeth just sits there before denying his request. She knew if they danced they would fuse and well...her father would assume he’s lost her and he just couldn’t handle losing a daughter or anybody. And he was already losing Margret once she makes enough money to get out. And Veronica is going to a university in the spring. It will just be her and him. And if she randomly turned into a bigger person with someone else, he would think she somehow left him. She just can’t do it anymore. It just wasn’t fair to him.

Meliodas jus stayed happy nodding. Yet, he found it a bit harder to breath when he saw Nadja’s mom was giving him a pity look. He sat down and found it harder and harder to breath as everyone was looked over atleast once. His hands shook and heclosed his eyes world spinning when Ban went to check on him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Yeah I-“ just as he opens his eyes he sees it and screams. Ban looks up and sees it too.

It’s a homeworld scout ship.

Every gem starts getting all humans into their cars. Gowther hide Nadja in her parents car as the ship lands on the dance floor crushing a few rocks and a table. Elizabeth however runs out of her father’s carto find her sister. Yet, just as she leaves her sisters are in the car. Then all the humans are off as the ship’s entrance opens. Slowly out steps a jasper and a blue agate.

“My clarity, such a pitiful sight to see how the earth has ended up isn’t it Hendrickson?”

“I do agree Dreyfus...Dreyfus Who are those other gems?” The agate asks pointing at the sins. Dreyfus, the jasper, slowly head off the ship taking step after step. As he does each gem summons their weapons. Diane switches aback to her normal size.

“My word such a large off coloured gem....I’ve only ever seen one in era one before we left the earth. Yet, is it possible that these gems could be the seven deadly gems? The ones that worked for Rose Quartz?” Hendrickson asks looking st Diane.

Meliodas yells that they are. Plus some dramaticness by adding that they are going to beat them senseless and shatter them if they do not leave now. Hendrickson and Dreyfus just laugh before digging out the same light form disturber Jasper uses in the episode Jail break.

They charge at the gems. Meliodas dodged but King doesn’t. He ends up getting poofed and having his pshycical form carved into tiny pieces. Diane swarmed before kicking at the gems who attacked. Hendrickson dodges and starts climbing uphee body like a bug. She starts trying to swat him off.

Meanwhile Meliodas and Ban are fighting Dreyfus who is trying to use the weapon to poof them. Each gem is just an inch away with their attacks from lifting each other. Yet,they’re keep refusing to touch each other.

Elizabeth meanwhile is hiding behind a tree in a panic. She soon looks over and sees to her shock there’s a third gem. One she’s never seen before. All sshe can make out is that they are purple. And the gem is trying to get Kings gem.

She races out of her hiding spot and grabs king’s gem. Just as she does Jericho, a amethyst glares dangers at her before summoning her weapon and going after Elizabeth.

In the end Elizabeth climbs up a tree and grabs a stick. She starts to try and fend Jericho off with a stick as she tries to climb the tree. Surprisingly works well. Jericho falls down on the ground, impairing herself through an latge rock. Yet she refuses to poof.

As for the two other gems, wellthey abadoned her.

The seven deadly gems find her and Meliodas gets his words ready to be ran through her. She freezes up before speaking up.

“No, no wait you can’t poof me. I’m the only one who knows about the-“And with that Meliodas runs herthrough with a sword, impailing her making her poof.

She’s bubbled and sent home. The gems head home while Elizabeth is just wondering one thing. Surpsingky just one. Which is,

What did that gems know that she wasn’t telling them?

[pupcrimes]

*gentle gasp* oc meme for Sev!?

( from this thing ) 

Ah, yes, Sev, my favorite asshole…

Full Name: Sev Kilvaer, born Sevaarin Raltí Kilvaer

Gender and Sexuality: Still in that place where he’s questioning stuff. Gender is null. Sexuality is very firmly in the Not Het category but other than that… not a fucking clue. Personally doesn’t think it important enough to label. He just.. doesn’t think about it. @sunsetofdoom puts it best: Everyone Is Bi In Space.

Pronouns: He/him. See also this post. 

Ethnicity/Species: Zabrak from my made up world of Jiroo, though he grew up mostly homeless in the slums of Nar Shaddaa, trying to scrape by with his brother Basile. Eventually they wound up working for the Exchange, running drugs and tech through difficult checkpoints.

Birthplace and Birthdate: Sev was born on Jiroo, in the Bajon region. He’s 39 by 3632 BBY.

Guilty Pleasures: Bubblegum pop. His life is a fucking nightmare so sometimes he just needs to put on his headphones, kick back, and let some teeny bopper pop band soothe his soul.

Phobias: Being abandoned is a big one for him. Being forced to kill the people he loves. He also… really cannot stand lightning, especially Force lightning. Freaks him out.

What They Would Be Famous For: He is actually already famous on his homeworld, for being the living vessel of the Bajoni deity Ras as well as ending the oppressive reign of Comtois. He is also the son of a king, but that’s not nearly as impressive as being the first Ralzaar in over 1000 years. Outside Jiroo, uhhh, probably all the shit he’s done when he was still with the Exchange, which he would absolutely detest. Sure, he ran a good crew, smuggled guns and drugs to some of the hardest to reach places in the Republic, but he is not proud of that shit At All.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Intimidation, aggravated assault, bribery, unpaid parking fines, take your pick. He has been arrested… so many times. Now that he’s sober, arrests for public intoxication have gone waaaaay down, but he fights just about the same. Self-destructive dumbass.

OC You Ship Them With: Zhadi and Andronikos! It starts off just as a way for him to blow off steam and be taken out of his head for a little while, but then he begins developing getting capital f Feelings…

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Probably Hataria… She would be very fascinated in Sev’s connection to Ras, would want to pick at his brain and run experiments on him. He’d probably die on the table like most of her other subjects.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Sev loves comic books, especially the ones where the underdog protagonist saves the day. Basile used to give them to him, as a way to keep him occupied when Basile was out Taking Care of Business.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Romance plots, especially ones that don’t add to whatever he’s looking at. He finds them boring and unnecessary. He especially hates it when people kiss on-screen and you can hear the noises. Who thought that was a good thing to put in a movie?

Talents and/or Powers: Sev’s very birth foretold a bad omen, that the deity Ras had glimpsed something in Jiroo’s future and came in this vessel to later exact vengeance when the time was right. Sharing his body with a literal god of prophecy and vengeance, Sev has extremely vivid and violent dreams (and visions, later on when he learns how to harness his connection to Ras) that nearly always come true. Also thanks to Ras, Sev is able to manipulate the Force so as to make himself jump farther, run faster, and hit harder than the average being. There is also a bit of.. physical transformation, but that’s mostly when Ras decides he wants a turn controlling the body.

Non-Ras things: Sev is a proficient boxer with a remarkable endurance - dude can take a beating. He knows all the best ways to smuggle various drugs through security checkpoints. He is able to resist Force mind tricks.

Why Someone Might Love Them: Extremely loyal to the ones he loves. Can be rather open-minded, moreso especially post-Jiroo. Awkward as hell when receiving affection, which can be rather endearing.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: Snarky bastard asshole, blunt and cynical and sarcastic as fuck. Resting Dick Face. Gets in a lot of fights over stupid things, and might not apologize for it ever.

How They Change: Sobers up, escapes the Exchange with Dego, lives as close to a life on the “straight and narrow” as he can get, what with collecting bounties and all. Doesn’t really live, though, not until he reconnects with his birth culture and learns of his role within it. Learns what his dreams mean, who it is that whispers in his brain. Learns to open himself to communicate with Ras and how to shield himself when he needs it, and just this one thing changes so much… He leaves Jiroo feeling like a different person, lighter, more himself than he has ever been in his life.

Why You Love Them: He started out pretty much as a way for me to talk about my depression and some of the ways it manifests (which is actually why I don’t… post about him a whole lot honestly), but he has become so much more than that over the past couple of months. He gives me hope for the future, that things won’t always be the way they are and that it’s never too late to discover something new about yourself. Reminds me that it does no good to numb yourself to the lows of life because, ultimately, you’ll numb yourself to the joys too.

Ahhhh, other than all that Personal Shit™…. Despite being an asshole, he cares for his friends and his people very deeply, is willing to go to the ends of the galaxy for them and he always, always comes back. Even when he feels he’s fucked things up beyond repair, even when it would be easier to run, Sev comes back. He’s stubborn like that.

[viduregia-blog]

-- Prompt 01: Questionnaire

(content warning for: disordered eating, maybe substance abuse?) 

01. Tell us about your character’s name. Was it given to them or chosen? Does it hold any special meaning? If your character has aliases or nicknames, how did they get them and what do they mean?

Her birth name was largely picked because one of her moms thought it sounded pretty-- it’s not much deeper than that from an in-fiction perspective. 

And Uria Grata, the primary alias that she uses, is the name of a girl whose identity she stole... So it was picked for that reason LOL. Her second most used alias, Violet Waxbi, was designed to help her blend in among various different groups while on the job. 

Out of fiction, I’m a giant fucking nerd and adapted her birth name from that of a brood parasite (aka bird that puts its eggs in the nests of other birds), and her aliases are both plays on the name of the bird that this specific brood parasite takes advantage of. 

Also when she was a kid some of the other gang members called her Songbird (because i said so), and she still occasionally uses it as a call sign or whatever. 

02. What is your character’s relationship to their homeworld? Do they hold fond memories of it, or do they hate it? Are they still here, and if not, do they miss it?

i mean............... she’s definitely not still there! kinda sucks when ur planet goes boom but she’s coping ! sort of !! sure wish more of her family and friends had gotten off planet with her !! 

So mostly she tries to avoid thinking about Taris. But. There aren’t many positive memories of the planet itself, it was dirty and and oppressive and, later, war torn. Most days she didn’t see the sun, and good food was hard to find at the best of times. Memories of the people there are much more favorable, though, and sometimes she misses that. Sometimes she even misses the smell and everything just because it was so familiar. 

Getting off Taris was one of the best things she ever did, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt sometimes. 

Getting her family off Taris was just as important, even if it took a lot of convincing-- but with the Exchange taking over, even they could see that things weren’t likely to get better. A good quarter of the Hidden Beks had managed to find refuge elsewhere before the quarantine and Taris’ eventual destruction, Vidu’s family included. 

03. Describe your character’s relationship with those who raised them. Was it positive? Negative? Neutral? What sorts of ideologies were they raised with, and do they still stand by them now?

She loves her moms!!! and the other older swoop gang members that helped them raise her! Loves them so much she almost didn’t leave for Coruscant when she got the chance but they weren’t gonna stand for that... It was a very tearful mushy goodbye. 

Growing up, there was a lot of emphasis on loyalty and working for the good of the group, and she still carries that with her, though she’s expanded her gang to include the whole of the Republic at this point. Just one huge family. Also, a healthy dose of distrust for strangers. 

04. What is your character’s relationship with the Force? Is your character Force-sensitive? Whether or not they are, do they believe in it? Do they lean more towards the dark or the light or are they somewhere in between?

I mean maybe if you squint real hard there might be a hint of force around her but like....... Not enough to do anything with. Once in a blue moon she has a gut feeling abt something and it turns out right, but like, it’s probably just intuition? She does believe in it well enough, though-- like, she’s seen a few Jedi at work. They do fancy stuff that seems to support the whole force thing. She doesn’t think about it very much, but she knows it’s out there. 

If she had more sensitivity she would rest somewhere in the middle, though. She’s all about shades of gray. 

05. What three word would you use to describe your character? What three words would your character use to describe themself? What three words would someone close to them use?

me: determined, resourceful, scattered

vidu: i don’t have time for this (yes she knows that’s more than three words) 

del, sis agent: stubborn, protective, hot

06. Describe your character’s aesthetic. Do they tend towards fashion or function? Do they like to accessorize? How does this extend into their own personal spaces, such as their home or their workspace?

god she misses the days when aesthetic didn’t matter as much..... she spent her whole youth running around in whatever fabric she could throw on at the last second.... although occasionally she made the whole gang attend her “fashion shows” but even then, it was mostly her making her brothers and anyone else nearby dress up silly...... 

now, though, she has to dress up and accessorize properly as a matter of survival. if she doesn’t look the part, who knows what’ll happen? this applies to her apartment, too-- it very much looks the part. although, it and her desk are also Always some level of a total mess. there’s lots of shoving dirty clothes under the bed when someone comes to visit. 

07. What are your character’s vices? Guilty pleasures? Bad habits? Weak spots?

in her down time, she’s a real sucker for anything that feels luxurious. vidu almost never takes a day off, but u can bet when she does she spends the whole day in the bath!! u can also bet she spent most of at least one paycheck on super fancy soft sheets, and has more nice alcohol in her apartment than she does food.

she does have the unfortunate habit of substituting drink (alcohol, caf, experimental energy drinks, protein shakes, etc) for food, though, and most days she only eats once because she forgets so easily. she’s just not used to food being that easily accessible!! she probably never will be!! and if she’s not in polite company, chances are high she’ll scarf her food so fast it gives her a stomach ache... 

other bad habits: having zero relationships outside of work, and finding dares almost impossible to resist

08. Tell us about your character’s relationship with food. What are their favorites? Do they enjoy cooking? Are they adventurous? Will they eat absolutely anything or are they hard to please?

Oops i guess I talked about it a little in the last question, BUT.... yeah, she’s not great about food. As a kid it wasn’t always easy to come by, and now that it is she doesn’t know what to do with it. How do manage eating schedule?? How do GROCERY SHOP?? ???? ? No. If she doesn’t snag something at work then she’s either not eating or she’s ordering out. 

Pretty sure Vidu has never cooked-- that was more her brother’s thing. She’s not like, burn water bad, but.... She does avoid it like the plague. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t occasionally hoard food when she does remember to go shopping, though. There’s a lot of shit in her cabinets that never sees the light of day. 

In terms of what she will eat, though.... I mean she’s eaten things a lot grosser than anything you’ll find for sale on Coruscant. She can and will eat bugs off the ground on a dare. Let’s leave it at that. 

09. How does your character feel about engaging in relationships—romantic and / or sexual—with others? What is their history like? Do they fall in love easily? Are they constantly in and out of relationships?

Vidu’s never really been in an official relationship yet, and she’s dead set on keeping it that way until her single status stops being a career asset. At the moment, being able to flirt around without worrying about someone getting hurt is too important to risk a relationship. 

She will occasionally have a one night stand, though, when she’s not too busy. It’s just nice to indulge in the fantasy, sometimes. She's developed a number of crushes throughout her life, but has yet to follow anything through. 

Also it’s kind of a given, in her mind, that she’ll end up sleeping with someone for career favors someday, but it hasn’t come to that yet. 

10. What is your character’s pain tolerance like? Can they hold their own in a fight, despite injury? If someone hurts them with the aim of gaining information, how much can they take before they cave?

I mean she certainly doesn’t like pain !!! She’s also incredibly stubborn, though. So it ends up like this: she’ll whine for an hour about a stubbed toe, but she’ll keep working on a sprained ankle without saying anything to anybody (limping pathetically around the office and then straightening up whenever anyone comes into view..... Faster limping when they turn away). 

Also if she ever gets tortured, she’s already worked out that she’s going to take as much as seems plausible and then immediately start lying her ass off. Come up with a story and stick to it. Last just long enough that it would seem like she’d broken for real, and then start giving false information out the wazoo. With this method, she hopes to never actually find the limits of her pain tolerance cause she doesn’t know what they are and she doesn’t want to. 

11. What is your character’s weapon of choice? Are they more skilled as a melee fighter or do they have more skill with ranged weapons? What’s their fighting style like? What sort of training do they have behind them?

Vidu tries to avoid combat as much as possible-- even when things got bad on Taris she made herself useful by transporting supplies and doing basic first aid, rather than being involved with the fighting too much. 

That being said, she also has stupidly good aim. She’s been handling blasters for most of her life, and has spent a lot of time doing target practice, but has more limited practice with moving targets. It’s been more than enough to keep her alive in any combat situations that have come up, regardless. 

12. Does your character have any words or catchphrases that they say frequently? Tell us about how they picked them up.

When she took on her new identity, Vidu did a whole overhaul of her vocabulary. There was just too much that was indicative of where she came from-- now that it’s been a few years, she rarely makes slip-ups anymore. Also, given that 90% of her interactions are work related, she’s in customer service voice (and the stock phrases that go with that) like... Most of the time.

13. Tell us about a negative experience your character has had with either the Jedi or the Sith, and how this has affected their standing. Whether currently aligned or unaligned with either faction, if forced to choose, how would they side?

i mean the sith blew up..... her whole planet and a good number of people she considered like family. there’s no coming back from that, she’s gonna be down with sith till she dies. Outside of that, though, she’s pretty forgiving. See: going to work for the republic after they royally fucked up defending her planet. She hasn’t had many experiences with the Jedi outside of bureaucratic nonsense, but she would still pick them over the sith any day. 

14. How would your character react to seeing a relative or friend on the opposing side of a battle or mission?

I mean she’d certainly try to avoid fighting them until they had a chance to explain themselves. If it came down to it, her aim is good enough that she can generally fake missing people by inches, if she needed to uphold a cover but still wanted to let them get away. 

It would certainly warrant a good talking to later though!! 

15. Describe a memory that your character finds embarrassing.

That time her older brother talked her into sneaking out in the middle of the night to try out a swoop bike for the first time. It turned out it was broken and minorly exploded when she turned it on, naturally alerting all adults in the area. Her brother was gone by the time they got to the scene, but Vidu had tripped getting off and was dealing with a busted nose for too long to escape. 

It’s mostly embarrassing because she should have known better, her brother was always pulling shit like that. 

16. What goals does your character hold for themself and what steps have they taken towards achieving them? How far are they willing to go to reach them? What is their be-all and end-all?

Destroy the Empire. Not really. I mean yes, really, in the moments when she lets herself go really hog wild with the daydreaming, but. She doesn’t imagine that will happen in her lifetime. In the meantime, she’s content to aim for running the Strategic Information Service and getting it really set up to start crippling the Empire’s operations. 

Her steps have been pretty good so far, she’s already in a position of some mild authority within the organization, and she’s slowly building a network of powerful people that value her opinion. She’ll get there someday. The ends justify the means, in this case, so...... She probably wouldn’t stoop to murder but even that is a tiny bit questionable depending on who it is.

17. What is the one thing your character would change about their life if they were given the chance? What other lives could they have lived as a result?

Taris not being blown up would be..... nice..... Most of the things she would change are so far outside of her control that it’s not even really worth dreaming about, honestly. If Taris hadn’t been blown up, if the Mandalorian Wars hadn’t fucked them, if Taris hadn’t been a shithole in the first place-- it’s not worth thinking about. 

There’s a small, secret part of her that thinks maybe a nice calm life with her family would be okay, living under the radar on Bogden with them, setting up a chill lil smuggling operation. Would be great, even, but honestly even in her daydreams she knows that she would get bored of that really quick. She doesn’t know who she is without some kind of crusade. 

18. Living in such a high-conflict time, how does your character feel about doing what they must to survive? Will they hurt or kill others—either directly or indirectly—to protect themself and / or those close to them? If so, do they regret it when all is said and done?

As mentioned previously, she’s a big proponent of the ends justifying the means. If it’s to protect herself or others, she has no qualms about killing or maiming, and she’s done it before. For reasons less vital than defense there would be... Hesitation. She hasn’t been put in a position to find out, yet, whether or not she’d be willing to kill someone who’s not a direct threat in order to guarantee the success of a bigger picture goal. If she did, though, she would be torn up about it for a while. 

19. What is the biggest problem your character is currently dealing with?

Vidu’s job is consuming her every waking moment, right now. It’s a good distraction, honestly, from having to think about everything that’s been lost in the fighting. Her biggest problem right at this particular moment is that one of her agents didn’t return from a mission recently, and she hasn’t been able to re-establish contact for a good while, so she probably has to recruit someone knew to re-establish coverage in their sectors. 

20. Give us 3+ headcanons of any length or subject matter.

okay here we go again: 

1. Agents: Vidu’s first recruit was a smuggler named Del Kos, and her suspiciously well trained travelling companion, Scorpio, though he’s technically not on the payroll. Anyway, Vidu and Del get along really well and it’s actually terrible when they end up on the same planet cause Del inevitably gets Vidu drunk, and Vidu is both a lightweight and a really rowdy drunk, so Scorpio always has to step in and manage things or it ends with Del starting a bar brawl while Vidu goes full wrestling announcer voice and takes bets from her perch atop the bar. 

At the moment, Vidu also manages two other official agents, but I want to leave those open for later development so I’m not gonna go too much into them. 

2. Bike Skills: Vidu’s actually really good at swoop bike racing but she can’t tell anyone!! It would blow her cover!! But she is, at all times, dying inside that she doesn’t get to flaunt one of her biggest pride points. This only really becomes a problem when she sees someone watching a swoop race and can’t contain it anymore and becomes the most obnoxious sports fan right in their ear. 

3. Sexuality: The girl is a big ol’ gay, zero interest in guys, but flirts with them all the time to get what she wants. She can’t help it if they’re easily manipulated!! 

bonus. Give us a list of any length telling us why our “fave is problematic.”

is she tho...? i mean.... is she?

jk of course she is: 

she stole a whole ass identity and is living a lie she drinks more wine and caffa than she eats food she probably lets her agents get away with more than she should she’s working really hard to get everyone she works for wrapped around her finger doesn’t have any friends outside of work  crosses professional boundaries with the work friends she does have her apartment looks like a whirlwind went through it at all times so does her desk someone save her poor coworkers and the janitor

[jynappreciationsquad]

liminal (chapter two)

Summary: Between death and dying, Jyn learns about herself and her family.

Author’s Note: A massive thanks to my wonderful beta, @rapidashpatronus, who was her usual mix of supportive and providing awesome suggestions for improvement. In case anyone is looking for the first chapter, it can be found here on tumblr or here on AO3! Yavemiel

This chapter can also be read here on AO3.

Jyn both loved and dreaded the times Cassian came to visit.

She missed him like a physical ache that never went away, dulled while he was sat in the room, but so sharp when he left that she was always surprised her heart didn’t skip a beat.

He looked, to her eyes, wearier than ever. There was never a hint of it in his voice as he sat and gently told her about his day, but particularly when he was alone in the room, he let his guard down, shoulders slumped and his eyes fixed on her face telling her exactly how guilty he felt that it was her and not him in the pod.

She oscillated between the desire to comfort him and the desire to rail at him, tell him he had no right to feel guilty when he would (has) done the same for her.

Despite the mixed emotions, she looked forward to his visits most: when he was there, he barely left the room, not even to eat or shower, and Jyn felt the comfort of company for days at a time.

The downside was that as Rebel Intelligence’s most sought after asset, he couldn’t just...not go on missions because one of his team was out of action. The war went on after all.

In his absences (often overlapping with Kay’s), the members of the team left behind would tell Jyn every time he made contact, a courtesy she was profoundly grateful for.

He always came back from his missions slightly gaunt, eyes a little haunted and Jyn cursed the invisible barrier between them. The first few hours after he came back were always the hardest. His voice rough, he seemed incapable of keeping up the gentle chatter which usually accompanied his visits.

Instead, he read to her.

Jyn had never been much for reading. When she was younger, she had always wanted to be out playing and doing and then Saw had little patience for frivolities such as education (that was unrelated to war) or downtime, so she had never picked up the habit.

Cassian, it turned out, was an avid reader, who had thousands of stories tucked away on his datapad and Jyn was enchanted by this previously unseen facet of him.

He read her what he called ‘The Classics’, stories about a man stranded on a planet far from home after a war and his trials travelling to his homeworld. He read her lighter stories, fairytales about true love and ridiculous murder mysteries in which she became ridiculously engaged.

Once, he read her poetry in his native language. She could only pick out a few words here and there, beginner that she was, but she loved the way his voice lilted and curled around the words that were clearly so dear to him. She vowed that when she woke up, she would put more effort into learning Festian, just to see Cassian’s eyes light up.

So it went for months. Jyn watched her lifesigns grow almost imperceptibly stronger, watched medics come in and take readings and tell her team ‘Not yet...soon’, watched Cassian come and go and come and go.

And then he didn’t come back.

He had told her about the mission before he left, a ‘standard job, in and out, I’ll only be a week...ten days at most.’

But a week came and went, and then another and her team’s faces were more pinched as they came to her and said ‘No word from Cassian yet...soon, I’m sure he’ll get in contact soon’, and Jyn raged at her weak body, lying there and preventing her from doing something. Anything.

And then finally, finally it came. Bodhi came dashing in to her room, limbs flailing and speech even more stilted and stutter-filled than usual, but Jyn got the jist: Cassian was back, not unhurt, but alive. She was so caught up in her relief she missed the slight blip on her heart monitor.

**

It was almost two days before Cassian came to see her, much longer than he usually delayed after a mission, but she knew from the frequent updates from the rest of her team that it wasn’t for lack of trying, the medics utterly forbade it and he was too weak for a jailbreak.

On the evening of the second day, the door to Jyn’s room opened and her heart soared to see Cassian there, even as it ached for the pain she could see etched on his face as Kay helped him into the chair beside Jyn’s medpod.

There was silence broken only by Cassian’s laboured breathing before Kay straightened abruptly and said “I shall leave the two of you alone”, and clanked out of the room.

Then there was silence for so long that Jyn might have thought Cassian was asleep if she hadn’t been able to see his eyes, fixed on her face inside the pod. Eventually he stretched out a hand and put it on the pod near her hand. He took a deep, hitching breath and blew it out in a sigh before speaking.

“This was a bad one, Jyn.”

She knew instinctively that he wasn’t talking about his physical injuries. He was quiet for another while, visibly gathering his thoughts before he opened his mouth and began to tell her a tale of a mission gone wrong: vanishing contacts who turned out to be colluding with tempire, imaginary supplies used a lure to bait a trap for a spy.

He told her about the troopers waiting for him at the end of an alley, his gut instinct the only thing that saved him as he dived under a blaster bolt meant for his head. He told her about the firefight that followed, how he felt a gaping absence at his back (and she could almost feel her truncheons slide into her hands), and his voice hitched again as he told her about the collateral damage in his escape: civilians hurt (killed) by a grenade he threw at the troopers, a freighter blasted out of the sky by TIE fighters as he frantically piloted to his freedom.

She could see the torment the innocent lives lost caused him and she longed as never before to wrap him in her arms, press kisses to his hairline and murmur words of love and scant comfort.

He moved closer to her and rested his forehead against her medpod, eyes closed, and if she hadn’t been in the air around him she wouldn’t have heard his soft murmur. “Ay, cómo te extraño, mi luz.”

He opened his eyes and she could see the sheen of tears, though she wasn’t sure he’d ever let them fall.

“My world is so dark without you, Jyn. You’re so bright, you light up everything, but without you, everything is grey, almost back to the way it was before we met, but I’ve seen the light now, and I can’t go back. The team, they help, but we’re missing the thing that keeps us held together, and…”

He trailed off and blew out his breath, tapping his forehead gently against the glass. “Jyn, if you can hear me, please, please come back. You have to come back.”

‘I’m trying’, she thought desperately.

**

The next week was excruciatingly long.

In some ways, it was positive. Not long after Cassian’s plea, the medteam in charge of her treatment announced that she was stable enough to be taken off life support and be brought out of the induced coma.

She watched in fascination as the upper cover of the pod was removed and various wires and tubes which had been discreetly connected to her body were gradually taken away too.

And then...she waited.

The trembling hope she’d seen on Cassian’s face as he took her hand for the first time in months gave way to worried frustration for both of them as her breathing remained even and her eyes remained stubbornly closed day after day. The medteam assured him (them) that it was all normal, that Jyn had moved from the induced coma to natural sleep and would wake up when she was ready, and all the while Jyn chafed impatiently at the invisible bonds keeping her away from her body.

She was never left alone, her team afraid that she would wake disoriented with no-one close by. Cassian was a near-constant presence, alone or accompanied, unless his own medteam came and commandeered him for tests and treatments of his own.

Almost ten days after she had officially been taken off life support, Cassian briefly absent, it was just her and Chirrut, the latter sitting in uncharacteristic silence by her bedside, head bowed and his hands clenched tight on his staff.

He looked up suddenly and Jyn recoiled in shock: it seemed as though he was looking directly at her.

“Don’t give up hope, little sister.”

She stared at him in disbelief. He had never given any previous indication that he could sense her presence.

‘Chirrut...can you hear me?’

He didn’t respond, and her heart sank, only to rise as he started speaking again.

“I know you must be frustrated, with a wait as long as this, eager to get back to your friends and family.” He gave a wry smile. “Patience never was your strong suit.”

Jyn barely heard the playful insult, so focused was she on his first words. Friends and family?

Chirrut grew serious again. “Hope though...I have never before met someone with your hope, Jyn. It is a shining light for anyone who cares to see, a beacon,” he gestured almost mockingly at his own eyes, “even for the blind.”

Jyn was overwhelmed. Months she had been stuck in that pod, plenty of time for her team - no, her family, they had earned that - to abandon her, to drift from her side as life carried them onwards, or to take her passive state as a chance to unburden their frustrations and anger on her, but instead, instead they had remained the one constant in her half-life, a constant source of company and support and love, even when they didn’t know she was there to appreciate it.

Chirrut smiled gently as he leaned back in his chair.

“You’re so close now, little sister. I can feel your presence so strongly, where before it was faint, almost like an aftertaste. It won’t be long now until you’re back with us. You’ll see.”

He fell silent again, and Jyn felt tired suddenly, the room seeming faded and far away for the first time in months, and finally, finally...she fell asleep, content.

**

Jyn opened her eyes and smiled. Her family smiled back.

                                                            fin

[conducting-cardassia]

Character Development                                                        

BASICS

Full Name: Ekor Laset Nicknames: none Sex/Gender: Male/male

Sexuality: Ekor is bisexual, although he leans towards men a little more than towards women. He has had relationships with people of either sex, both purely physical and emotional.

Right or Left: He’s ambidextrous, though not by birth but rather through training.

Age: tending towards middle age (in his main timeframe, which takes part during the culmination of the Dominion War)

Height: tall-ish.

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Black

Distinguishing Marks: There are multiple small marks visible on his hands from using them to play instruments: calluses that would not occur from normal, everyday use, the odd scar from a cut handling repair tools, etc.

Paragraph Of Physical Traits: Perhaps his most distinguishing physical trait is Ekor’s hearing: it’s very astute for Cardassians, although it doesn’t rival Vulcan, and much less Ferengi hearing. Other than that: Ekor is on the lean side of Cardassian male beauty, owing perhaps to the fact that when his workload is high, he tends to forget to eat or sleep. He keeps fit, although not excessively so. When he wants to challenge himself, he likes to run barefoot in the desert. His build is lithe and wiry rather than heavily muscled.

FAMILY/RELIGION

Parents: Ekor was his parents’ only child. Ekor’s parents were unable to conceive more children after his birth due to complications. It’s perhaps for this reason that his parents are especially dedicated to his welfare, if strict. (I don’t know what their names are yet)

Siblings: None.

Marital Status: Ekor is bonded, though not in the exact modern sense, to Elim Garak. They share a somewhat obscure traditional bond that isn’t widely in practice throughout the Union anymore, but that uniquely suits their needs.

Significant Other/s: Current: Elim Garak. Past: several, including a Vulcan woman he was apprenticed to after finishing his studies at the Cardassian State Conservatoire for Music.

Children: None.

Other Relatives: Ekor has cousins on both his mother’s and his father’s side. Due to the fact that his musical hearing was discovered when he was very young, Ekor started his education at an exceptionally young age and barely remembers some of his cousins -- a state of affairs that he is ashamed of and hopes to remedy some day, once the War is over.

Pets: He was too young when he started school, and the Conservatoire doesn’t allow pets. There’s one other, but mentioning that here would be playing rather fast and loose with the definition of pet.

Friends: Ekor is friends with (and deeply indebted to) a Cardassian woman named Orma Kovok; she became his sponsor for the Conservatoire, and during his time there, remained one of his few allies. During Ekor’s stay, she became instrumental in him finding his true purpose, although at the time, he was very hurt by her action. Later, hindsight being what it is, Ekor asked her forgiveness for shunning her in the wake of her wake-up call. She is now an old woman and long since retired from her duties as an Instructor of Hebitian counterpoint at the Conservatoire.

Ekor often meets new people due to his professional duties as conductor of the Cardassian State Orchestra; sometimes, friendships evolve from such opportunities, but he mostly keeps a tight circle of friends, a somewhat wider circle of appreciated acquaintances, and a great many political alliances.

Enemies: He certainly has competitors, but actual enemies are rather rare. At one point during his years at the Conservatoire, an instructor almost got him expelled from the school for reasons he still does not fully comprehend. Ekor was allowed to finish his studies, but has been wary of that man ever since.

Ethnicity: Cardassian.

Religion: None, although he is educated about the Hebitian religions, since most ancient music used to be religiously informed.

Beliefs: Ekor believes that loyalty to the homeworld is one of the most important services a person can render. He does not necessarily agree with all the State decisions, but he isn’t radical enough to become subversive. Not until Cardassian policies become such that he cannot in good conscience serve the State while still serving Cardassia. The discovery of the fact that he does not equate the two, and that there is a part of him that overrules State sanction in favour of a more idealistic view of Cardassia came at a time of great turmoil and forced Ekor to reexamine a lot of the tenets he has held.

Superstitions: None.

Diction/Accent: None. In fact due to his musical hearing, learning the melody and diction of languages in general is easy for Ekor to achieve. Grammar is a different matter altogether.

SCHOOL/WORK/HOME

Education: Cardassian State Conservatoire for Music

Degree(s): Conducting, Vulcan Ka’athyra, History of music

Occupation: Conductor of the Cardassian State Orchestra; when the Union formed the alliance with the Dominion under Dukat, the Orchestra was disbanded and its people reallocated to more essential duties. When that happened, Ekor was outside of Cardassian space, giving a series of solo concerts on the Ka’athyra. He did not return to Cardassia upon hearing the news, but rather looked to find ways of serving her from outside her bounds.

Own or Rent: Ekor owns a small house with a garden in Lakarian’or. Due to his often being absent, the garden tends to become overgrown, which gives Ekor a guilty conscience, but there’s nothing he can do about it, living alone.

Living Space: Varying: while on tour, Ekor stays in State guest housing facilities, spare rooms available from musical institutions, or even mobile homes. His house in Lakarian is modest but tasteful, not excessive and ultimately very practical

Work Space: Varying. Concerts usually take place in concert halls or Council facilities, although they do take Ekor off-world and often even out of Cardassian space. Other than that, Ekor often works in musical archives to revive ancient musical practices, travels a lot to review instrument makers’ progress on recreating forgotten sounds, and of course there is a lot of political work that must also be done.

Main Mode of Transport: whatever gets him where he needs to be. Cardassians are an eminently practically oriented people, and Ekor is no exception to that rule.

PSYCHOLOGY

Fears: To have to choose between Cardassia and another love. To harm Cardassia under the best intentions.

Secrets: He has them. Every Cardassian has them.

IQ: Ekor’s is an analytic mind with a love for music underlaying it all. He’s intelligent and it usually shows, for instance by the way he speaks.

Eating Habits: Ekor comes from poverty, and sometimes this shows in his eating habits. He never wastes food, even sometimes consuming it when it has already gone off. Replicators of course take care of that, but it’s a habit one doesn’t easily leave behind. Other than that, Ekor often tends to forget to eat, especially when he’s engrossed in something work related. That’s why he loses weight when there’s much work on his plate.

Food Preferences: He likes typical Cardassian foods, although he did once overeat on yamok sauce as a kid, when he came to the Conservatoire. That experience made him lose his taste for that somewhat. Ekor does have a bit of a sweet tooth though, something his classmates used to tease him mercilessly about.

Sleeping Habits: Nothing particularly peculiar, except that he tends to forget to sleep when there’s much work to do. It’s only lately that he has occasionally had trouble sleeping at all, with some nightmares disturbing his sleep. He never quite remembers them the next day, but he always wakes up feeling guilty.

Book Preferences: I don’t actually know. He’s well-read in the classics, though; the Cardassian school system is very thorough.

Music Preferences: ... where do I even begin. Since Ekor is a musician by profession, his tastes are, in a word, refined. He does not simply prefer some music over other kinds, but actually understands what makes music good. Of course that is in part a matter of personal taste, but there are objective measures that distinguish interesting music from the mundane, the ever-same and the trivial. He tends to come across as a bit of a snob about it sometimes, at least where his own musical taste is concerned -- but he honestly loves seeing people enjoy music; even music he doesn’t like himself. In that, he’s very indiscriminate. If pressed, Ekor would state that he is particularly fond of Hebitian music; this preference was formed early in his years at the Conservatoire, as his sponsor and instructor of Hebitian counterpoint, Orma Kovok encouraged him to study it.

Groups or Alone: Alone.

Leader or Follower: Due to his profession, Ekor has very rarely been a follower -- the closest he came to that was his apprenticeship, but even then, he was learning from a better, more experienced leader. One of the most formative experiences for Ekor was when he first instructed a fellow student on how to play a the piece he was practicing at the time. Ekor’s style developed from there, became more exact and distinctly his; and it informs his leadership as well. Being a conductor -- that is, essentially, leading a bunch of often complicated, head-strong musicians to become a whole, Ekor is used to mastering challenging situations as a leader.

Planner or Spontaneous: He tends to be a planner, but sometimes can be ridiculously impulsive; this has recently led to getting to know Elim Garak, which Ekor considers one of the very best things to have happened to him.

Journal: None, but he writes letters.

Hobbies: Sauna, and running in order to keep fit.

How Do They Relax: A good hot stone and or hot bath, massages, being served a nice meal, being sexually pleasured.

What Excites Them: Creating an engaging musical interpretation, studying musical scores, a submissive partner.

What Stresses Them: Being unable to return home for prolonged periods of time, the process of applying for licence to perform, being uncertain how to be of use to Cardassia.

Pet Peeves: Indecisiveness, unreliableness.

Prejudices: Ekor subconsciously shares the belief that Cardassians are superior to most other species, although he wouldn’t claim that as a rule; it’s just something of a doctrine, and while Ekor appreciates foreign musics a lot -- one of his degrees is in Vulcan music -- and has learned that other species are just as able to contribute to the universe, it is still something that he wasn’t able to rid himself of entirely.

Attitudes: dominant, sometimes domineering, ambitious, hard-working, kind, flirtatious, sensitive, irritable, analytic, understanding, unforgiving (this rarely happens, but when it does it’s final), exacting, caring, protective, assertive, meticulous, committed, domestic.

Obsessions: None that I’m aware of

Addictions: None.

Ambitions: Have Cardassia’s music recognised more widely throughout the alpha quadrant, reviving as much of her forgotten musical history as possible, constantly improving his own skill, taking care of those he holds dear; also has a deep seated wish to have a good home.

ASTROLOGY/PHISIOLOGY

Birth Date: I don’t know... the vri’keth of mapoc, Stardate... no, honestly, I really don’t know. I’m skipping most of this whole section. Western Astrological Sign: n/a. Traits Associated with Western Sign: n/a Chinese Zodiac Sign: n/a Traits Associated with Chinese Sign: n/a. Handwriting: n/a

Sexual History: Ekor has had several partners of either sex, althoug there are a couple more men than women among them. He prefers to be dominant in his sexual encounters, but occasionally he likes to switch. When he was younger and still learning the ropes (so to speak), especially during his apprenticeship on Vulcan, he used to be submissive to his partner, a middle aged Vulcan woman named T’Paran (she was nearing 90 years at the time, which counts as middle aged, as Vulcans get much older than Cardassians). He doesn’t see dominance and submission as strictly confined to sex and/or play, however, but rather as a general mindset to adhere to. This has caused conflict with some partners in the past. Ekor has a lot of sexual appetite, in general. He’s adventurous, likes to try out things and push limits, including his own.

General Health: I think it’s unremarkable, I guess? Healthy, Cardassian male.

Allergies: scattle fish.

OTHER

Halloween Costumes: wouldn’t be caught dead in one. Especially not one of the “sexy something specific to Terra” ones. He’d have to lose more than a bet to be put into one of those. Such as, his mind.

Talents: Listening. No seriously, I mean it. Ekor has very fine hearing that enables him to discern nuances that others simply miss. Through that, he often knows a lot more about people than they want to let on. That fact has not gone unnoticed lately, either.

Politics: Ekor has some sympathy for the neo Hebitian movement -- although he isn’t part of it, having been under public scrutiny for most of his life. Generally speaking, Ekor is rather on the progressive side, but not extremely so. As an artist, he is generally allowed a little more political leeway than most Cardassian citizens, as the government has acknowledged that some limited form of freedom can be good for creativity. Ekor walks that line very closely. Furthermore, during the Dominion War, he is very critical, though not openly so, of Dukat’s decision. Ekor believes that it was perhaps the greatest mistake in recent Cardassian history.

Flaws: Keeps a lot to himself, to the point of being closed off, extreme competitiveness and ambition, territoriality, jealousy, tends to streamline his more daring thoughts, sentiment, underlying Cardassian supremacist mindset.

Strengths: Extremely loyal to those dear to him, dependability, protectiveness (will make sacrifices to protect others), emotional stability, self knowledge, owns up to mistakes, hard-working, openness to other perspectives.

Drugs/Alcohol: not important enough to him to write about. He does have a fondness for liveta oil, which is a regulated substance on Cardassia, but non-addictive.

Passwords: he uses them, but I won’t tell where he keeps them.

Prized Possessions: As his parents were quite poor, Ekor prizes all his possessions, to the point of appearing obsessive. There is one in particular that he holds dearer than anything else he owns, but this is not the place to name that special one.

Time and Place:

Time: Mostly during the end/culmination of the Dominion War so far, although some stuff takes place in the past (e.g., meeting Corat Damar after a concert at the Akleen Concert Hall in the Tarlak sector of Cardassia City).

Places:

Deep Space 9 (although he sometimes thinks of it as Terok Nor still) for periods of a couple of hours up to several days

Lakarian -- Ekor’s home is there (and I know what happens to Lakarian, and I’m truly sorry because that’s going to be a very hard blow)

Undisclosed location in the alpha quadrant -- that’s where he is working during the Cardassian/Dominion alliance

East Torr -- He was born there, and his parents still live there.

Special Places: Cardassia. Simple as that.

Special Memories: Being discovered as a talent, learning the Ka’athyra, the first time he has conducted a musician through a piece, the first time he fell in love, Vulcan, creating his bond with Elim Garak. (nicked from @guldamargotdabooty without permission)

[twxntrash]

Homeworld Police Department Ch. 1

There was something divergent in Peridot’s way of thinking and living that had always set her apart from other Gems of her kind. Her ego liked to say it was her being much more intelligent and far more driven than all the other Peridots. But, in truth, it was her ambition that set her apart, or rather, what her ambition had her aim to be. On Homeworld, though they had made tremendous steps (one may even say leaps)in integrating diversity and equality among the Gems and have torn down the class barriers that set Gems apart from one another, opting for a more democratic ruling rather than a dictatorial one, if one could call it democratic, there were still aspects that Gems clung to from the old world. Along with the stigma that went along with it. What a Gem did for a living was one of those old traditions that many clung to.

They went where the strengths they were made with would have them most useful at.

Quartz Gems still more often than not chose paths primarily for warriors, such as soldiers and officers. Many Sapphires went into the stock industry, some even in the gambling and betting side of the market, their future vision proving quite useful in knowing where to put their chips in. Most Gems with healing powers chose to be doctors and nurses. So on, and so on. You can get the picture.

Peridot Gems primarily went into tech work. Building machinery, acting as tech support, mechanics, the such.

Except, Peridot, this little Peridot had no intention of just being another mechanic for the small colony she was made in. Even when she was fresh out of her kindergarten and going through basic education with other Gems that came out around the same time as her, Peridot knew she wasn’t going to be a technician. Sure, she was good at it; she was a Peridot after all. That information was ingrained in her very core. But, she had her sights set on a different career path.

Peridot was determined to enter the police force. To be the very first Peridot officer. And she was going to be a damn good one too if she had any say in it.

When the Gems she shared a dorm with heard, she got quite a few mixed replies. After all, a Peridot standing alongside all the other, much, much larger officers? That was just ridiculous. Many just laughed at her for that dream. But, a few whom she considered her friends had actually been, tedious it may have been supportive of her goal.

Homeworlds Police Department was made up primarily of Quartzes. There was also a number of Bismuths as well. Perhaps the only Gem who, like Peridot, was made to make things. But unlike Peridot, a Bismuth had the size and muscle to back her up on a police force. The only other common Gem on the force who were as small as her were Rubies, but even they were built for combat, unlike a Peridot who was made for machinery. But, this was Homeworld, where any Gem could be what they wanted to be, as the slogan went. And Peridot was determined to be a police officer.

By the time she had finished her primary education and graduated, she had already applied and been accepted into the HPD police academy to start her training. Today was the day she’d be leaving for it.

“Everything you need is in here, I’ve packed plenty of clothes and a few instructions on how to remove stains or repair the stitching if they get damaged. Your toothbrush and paste are in here, oh! And polish for your gem, so you can keep it clean and shining” Pearl rattled off as she held onto the large green suitcase that had all of the belongings that Peridot was taking with her to the academy. The lithe Gem was fidgeting where she stood as the small group waited for the bus to arrive, “I’ve also packed a couple of books you might be interested in reading on the way or if you have some downtime.  Oh, and plenty of envelopes and stamps so you can mail us if your phone breaks! There’s a first aid kit in there too, for any injuries you get; you know how much of a brute Jaspers can be.”

“Wow, thanks,” Peridot said as she held out her hands to take the bag from her friend, “I still don’t think you really needed to repack for me this morning. I had everything I’d need.” Peridot had finished packing last night, but this morning Pearl had just taken her bag and threw everything out of it and began packing it herself. Peridot was sure she went a bit overboard, but, she did appreciate the gesture.

The pale Gem bit her lip as she looked down the mostly barren road, still no sign of the bus. “You know, you don’t have to go,” she tried again, worry in her blue eyes, “I could get you a job easily at my shop; we could always use another mechanic, and you’re one of the best I’ve seen when it comes to repairing anything with metal and wires.”

Though the compliment did stroke her ego, she wanted to correct Pearl that she had no intention to be a mechanic. But, before Peridot could argue, a hand was placed on Pearls shoulders and both looked up at the taller Gem who had been silent for most of the wait, “Let her be, Pearl,” Garnet said softly, “She wants to do this, it’s not our place to stop her.”

Pearl looked away and nodded quietly.

Peridot honestly really appreciated the concern Pearl had for her, and she did feel a bit guilty about leaving them to follow her dream. But, as Garnet said, this was what she wanted. Besides, she had already made many promises to visit and call often.

The three of them, well, they went way back. Garnet and Pearl were quite a bit older than Peridot, but they were her closest friends, practically family. She’d met them during her first year of education after emerging from the Kindergarten; she was being harassed by some a Gem from her dorm and it had gotten physical. She thought for sure that the Jasper was going to poof her, but then, out of nowhere a cerise colored Gem had dashed over and her fist colliding with the orange, streaked Gems face and knocking her to the ground, standing between Peridot and the Quartz as another Gem had helped the girl up. Pearl and Garnet had been out running errands for their shop when they heard the commotion and rushed to help. Pearl had taken Peridot back to the garage and patched her up while Garnet had a stern talking to with the Jasper.

Ever since Peridot had stopped by daily to hang out and talk to the Gems, eventually she even left the dorms to live with the two in their house after Pearl invited her to do so. She loved them, that much was true and would always be true. They had been there for her when things got bad, and she had been there for them as well when they had issues of their own.

They’d promised to see her off when she headed to the police academy, and, here they were waiting with her for the bus.

“I just worry is all,” Pearl wrung her hands nervously together as she took a seat on the bench. “I know you’re durable, we’ve seen how hard it can be to poof you first hand, what with all those boulders you took,” at that Peridot cracked a small smile remembering the trip the two had taken last year that had resulted in the entire canyon trying to kill Peridot, “But. These are going to be Gems, really big and strong Gems you’ll be with, and you’ll be doing dangerous work with an unpleasant company. I just, I’m worried if you’ll be okay or not.”

Peridot rested a hand on her thin arm and tried to give her an assuring smile, “I’ll be fine,” she promised her, “You said it yourself; I’m tougher than I look. I can take whatever they throw at me and dish out twice as much.”

From beside them, Garnet nodded her head, “She’s right. She’s going to do great,” it was hard to tell if she was saying it out of faith for her friend, or from her future vision, but, either way, it still meant a lot.

Pearl wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at Peridot as the bus finally came into view. “Alright,” she conceded, tears were prickling at the corner of her eyes but she was smiling sadly, still not the happiest to see Peridot go even if it was just for a few months, “Okay, I trust you. You guys are right, you’re going to do excellent at the academy and as a cop,” she stood up from her seat while the bus rolled to a stop beside them, “You better not slack off any, this isn’t going to be all lectures. There’s going to be a lot of physical training to it, and you have to pull your weight to pass. You understand that, right?”

The small green Gem scoffed, “I’m well aware, did you think I was going into this vastly underprepared for the extensive work that I would have to put into it?” her expression softened soon after, however, “But, thank you for worrying so much. It’s completely unnecessary, but, thank you.”

She would have just grabbed her bag and head onto the bus right then after saying her thanks, but Pearl had other plans. The lithe Gem dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Peridot, pulling her close into a hug, “Just be safe, you annoying gremlin, okay?” she muttered as she buried her face into Peridots hair.

“I can assure you that I will,” Peridot replied a bit awkwardly as she gave Pearl a tentative pat on the back.

It ended up with Garnet having to pry Pearl off of Peridot, who was at this point declaring that she was taking back her consent to let Peridot leave like this. That Peridot was staying with them where it was safe and where they wouldn’t have to worry about big, bulky Quartz Gems crushing her. It was a bit funny with how protective Pearl was, truly living up to the name of the Bird Mom. At least, it would have been funny if it wasn’t Peridot who was the target of this maternal instinct. For her, it was nothing but embarrassing, especially when she had future classmates on the bus watching.

“I promise I’ll call, but, I have to go,” Peridot quickly picked her bag up and backed up to the bus, “Bye you guys, I’ll call as soon as I get there, and I’ll call later tonight, too.”

“You better,” Garnet said with a thumbs up, “Pearl might go nuts if you don’t.” Peridot laughed a little at that while the taller Gem just smiled, though the Gem in question just crossed her arms and looked away, a blue blush across her otherwise pale skin.

Boarding the bus, Peridot found herself an empty seat near the back, and as it drove off, she waved to Pearl and Garnet before getting herself fully settled into her bus seat.

Looking at the others on the bus, a wave of trepidation washed over her as she took in their appearances. They were all vastly taller and bigger than Peridot, and she noted that she barely went up to their waist in terms of height for a good number of them. She wished for a moment that she had Garnets Future Vision, so she could know for sure what was in store for her. But, just as quickly as the apprehension came, it faded away. Replaced by a strong sense of determination.

Sure, she was tiny compared to all these other cops-in-training, sure she wasn’t built for anything that police work would have in store for her, but, that was the point. Peridot was going to show the world that even a Peridot could do something meant for a Quartz and Ruby.

[thatguyplaton]

Stevidot Shipping Meme 2

Guess who was working for the entire weekend and decided to make this at 12 AM?

** **

1-Who is the most affectionate? 

Steven by a country mile. Peridot isn’t unaffectionate, to say, it just takes some schmoozing from Steven to get her into it.

2-Big spoon/Little spoon? 

Steven big spoons habitually. Peridot didn’t like it at first but now can’t sleep without it.

3-Most common argument? 

They don’t argue much (or at all really), but they once had a big fight over something Peridot said about Rose. She hadn’t realized Steven was still sensitive about it.

4-Favorite non-sexual activity? 

Watching tv before bed. They snuggle in Steven’s bed, continuing from the binge session from the night before.

5-Who is most likely to carry the other? 

Steven out of necessity. Peridot couldn’t if she tried. Speaking of which, she doesn’t like it when Steven picks her up, but puts up with it to see him happy.

6-What is their favorite feature of their partner’s? 

Steven loves how Peridot can make anything sound interesting, even if he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Peridot loves how kind he is, and how he supports her.

7-What’s the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other? 

They became a bit more intimate with one another, acting a little flirty. Steven started entering the bathroom without knocking.

8-Nicknames? & if so, how did they originate? 

Steven will occasionally refer to Peridot as Peri or ‘Dot. No origin, just simple pet names.

9-Who worries the most? 

Peridot certainly worries more often, but when Steven worries, he panics. 

10-Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant? 

Steven, he always knows she doesn’t order anything.

11-Who tops? 

Oh, uh, they’re a bit young for that. Not thinking about it yet. Give it some time.

12-Who initiates kisses? 

Between them, it’s something spontaneous, no one initiates it. It just happens.

13-Who reaches for the other’s hand first?

 Definitely Steven, at first it was when he was trying to comfort her, now it’s for a little bit more.

14-Who kisses the hardest? 

Peridot, just out a lack of experience. She really doesn’t know how hard to push.

15-Who wakes up first? 

When Peridot does sleep, she’ll often stay asleep to well past noon. Otherwise, she’s awake to greet Steven every morning.

16-Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer? 

Peridot is like that old law of students. One who goes to sleep will stay asleep until acted upon by a greater force. That greater force is the entirety of Steven.

17-Who says I love you first? 

Steven, he said it first and he continued to say it first. Peridot doesn’t mind.

18-Who leaves little notes in the other’s one lunch? (Bonus: what does it usually say?) 

While not in her lunch, Steven once slipped a letter into a tool box she took to the drill. It said he hoped she had a good day.

19-Who tells their family/friends about their relationship first?

 Peridot didn’t have anyone to tell, so Steven spilled the beans to the Gems first.

20-What do their family/friends think of their relationship? 

Amethyst was rooting for them. Garnet is happy with anyone Steven chooses. Pearl and Greg were both apprehensive but equally supportive. They laugh about that occasionally.

21-Who is more likely to start dancing with the other? 

Definitely Steven, he’d usually do it to get her out of a funk.

22-Who cooks more/who is better at cooking? 

Steven, no contest. Peridot could burn water given the chance. Doesn’t stop her from helping him in the kitchen though.

23-Who comes up with cheesy pickup lines? 

Steven, he’s the cheese master.

24-Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear during inappropriate times?

 Once again, they’re young for that. Unless by inappropriate you mean silly things to make the other laugh when they’re not supposed to. If so, then Steven.

25-Who needs more assurance? 

Peridot, she’s still dealing with memories of Homeworld. Though lately Steven’s been needing it.

26-What would be their theme song? 

History Maker from Yuri!!! On Ice

27-Who would sing to their child back to sleep? 

Ignoring how that’d even work, Peridot would certainly try, but Steven would step in to handle it.

28-What do they do when they’re away from each other? 

Peridot tries to be as efficient as possible, doing what she needs to do for the day. But always nagging at her mind is her desire to see Steven. Secretly she’d like to ditch whatever she’s working on and go see him. Steven, meanwhile, finds his work dragging to stop if he tries thinking about her while working. So he’ll try putting her to the back of his mind. By the end of the day, he feels really guilty about it.

29-one headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart.

It’ll never be canon :(