#quartz fics

[ofburningskies]

Pleasing to Behold

Authors Note: Finally got enough time to write a bit more again, I've got a few fics in the drafts! Here's a little post-show josh fic for you guys. No preview its all hidden under the cut cause it gets right to it hehe enjoy - quartz

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, oral sex (m. receiving), slight dom/sub, language

Word Count: 1.9k

“Just like that, mama”

 

Tucked away backstage in his fitting room she palmed him through the thick textile of his jumpsuit adorned with gold. His hips gently bucked at the hint of sensation, his back up against the wall. With eyes fixed on her hand his lips parted gently in focus, his breaths shallowed as her other hand reached for the zipper on his chest. 

 

“What do you want, baby?” She asked gently as the zipper slowly moved down, moving down onto her knees before him. 

 

His eyes were fatigued and lust-ridden as he gazed down at her, “wanna fuck your pretty mouth,” he nearly panted out, shrugging the jumpsuit off his shoulders as the fabric fell to bunch around his hips. He huffed under his breath, struggling momentarily to push it down to his thighs, desperate to free himself. 

 

She hummed a satisfied response, sending him an amused smile before wrapping a hand around him, “good boy.”

 

A bitten back moan left his throat at the contact. Locking eyes with her she sent him a beckoning look of question. 

 

“Say it again,” he spoke breathlessly. 

 

“My sweet boy. You’re so good to me,” she dragged her grip along him once before laying a soft kiss to his tip. 

 

Another groan left him with a hint of a smile on his face as he softly thrusted his hips into her grasp. His gaze moved between her face and her hand as she pursed her lips, allowing for her spit to drip onto his tip. His breathing hitched at the sight, failing to suppress a breathy moan. Subtly tightening her grip she allowed him to easily slide through her fist at a slow pace. Every few strokes she drew her thumb over his tip, feeling him twitch into her grasp with bitten back whines accompanying. 

 

Glancing up at his face he was clearly exasperated, knowing he wasn’t receiving what he had asked for. Their eyes locked at once, prompting him to reach his hand to cup her face tenderly, guiding her towards him as his thumb dragged over her cheek. He wordlessly begged for her to replace her hand with her lips, the desperation on his flushed face evident as he groaned out a sigh. 

 

“Be patient, Josh,” she sent him a playful smile at how needy his behavior had become. 

 

He scoffed, his lips pulling into a knowing smirk back, “rich coming from you. Care to be reminded how you get with my face between your legs?” His thumb dragged along her bottom lip as he prodded it between her lips. 

 

She graciously sucked on his finger releasing it with a kiss, “let’s not turn this on me when we both know this is about you,” she brought her hand back to his erection, guiding his tip upon her tongue for a brisk lick. 

 

A broken sigh left him as his cock twitched in her fist. His mind fuzzed at her touch, unable to deliver his witty retorts as he simply focused all attention on what he needed. She chuckled at the change as his eyes narrowed and breathing quickened. She languidly lapped over the slit, receiving a throaty moan from him as she continued to bring him into her mouth, reveling in the familiar tang dripping from him. His hips bucked involuntarily as he suddenly filled her mouth with enough force to hit her throat. 

 

A muddled plea left her as she failed to suppress a gag, Josh’s brow raised at her as his hand found its place laced in her hair. His hold was momentarily soft, merely guiding as she struggled to collect herself from the sudden sensation. A ghost of a smirk took to his lips as his fingers curled against her hair, getting a proper hold on her. 

 

She could feel the energy in his movement before she instantly found herself blissfully surrendering any control, at his mercy as he set his own pace. Hints of tears formed in her eyes as she moaned around him. She brought her hand to rest upon his thigh, placing small taps to his skin to which his attention turned completely to her. He let out a shaky gasp, muttering a curse under his breath while instantly letting go of her, allowing her a moment. 

 

“Sorry,” he worked to catch his breath, demeanor suddenly softer than it was seconds before. 

 

She chuckled, wiping hints of tears from her eyes, “don’t be-“

 

“Was that too much?” He interrupted, voice suddenly light, maybe a touch frail as worry hit him. 

 

“No, no, I love when you’re like this,” she nearly purred, suppressing a chuckle at his concern. 

 

His hand moved to cup her face, thumb tracing soft lines along her jaw, “are you sure?” 

 

She simply nodded, watching him with eyes full of desire. She wordlessly grabbed his wrist and moved his hand behind her head as his fingers instinctively gripped down. Josh’s breathing hitched at the sight of her tousled hair, damp lips and watery eyes, allowing himself to settle back into the role he had assumed earlier. 

 

He shook the nerves from his mind as she wrapped her hand around his dick, giving his tip a brisk kiss of encouragement. Rarely would he find himself being demanding with her. Naturally, Josh had always been a gentle and careful lover. He had been learning to carefully lean into this side of himself with her encouragement, dabbling with the stronger presence she adored for him to adorn.  

 

“Maybe you should stop thinking about me onstage during solos,” she wore a playful smirk, continuing to work at him with a skilled hand. 

 

“Easier said than done, darling,” he rasped with a playful edge to his tone, “now, I think you were in the middle of something, no?”

 

She huffed in feigned frustration before licking a stripe up along his length, “Say that again and I’ll leave you like this,” she punctuated it lapping at his tip while her other hand moved to his balls. 

 

His voice came out ragged, hips moving to beg for more friction, “you fucking siren is that what you are? You want me dead then don’t you?” 

 

“Luring you in with my song,” she jeered back, an ache instantly settling between her legs as her pace quickened. 

 

“Not a bad way to go,” he spoke under his breath before throwing his head back in frustration, “for fucks sake give me some love, please.” His voice was almost airy, his desperation fizzling. He instantly gasped through his teeth, worry rising back once more that he had crossed a line. She couldn’t help but let out a delighted hum at his urgency, instantly easing his worry before bringing him back to her lips. Taking him onto her tongue again she put up a relentless pace with her hand taking what couldn’t fit. A string of whines left him, inappropriately loud for the environment they were in. 

 

“Do you want others to hear?! Keep it down,” she pulled away only to speak before giving him her attention again. 

 

“Does it look like I give a fuck?” He panted, chest shining with sweat as his eyes looked frantic and darker lacking the usual playful glint they held, “Take it. Finish your fucking job so you can shut me up.” 

 

She blinked in shock at his outburst, forcing her thighs together. In hopes of egging on his current state she relaxed her throat, slowly taking more of him deeper before slightly gagging. A long whine left him as she repeated this, swallowing down on him only to force more desperate sounds from his lips. 

 

“That’s it, take it deeper- fuck- good girl,” he faltered, his core tightening as he gazed down at her, his eyes fucked out and lust filled. 

 

She stroked him tight as she loved on his tip, lapping with intention. He pushed his weight back against the wall, hips desperately rutting forward. His teeth bore down into his bottom lip in a weak attempt to stifle his voice rising in pitch. 

 

Taking him more urgently his voice broke with a moan. He threw his head back, eyes shut as his jaw hung open to let out whines bordering on pathetic. With a hand in her hair he guided her while attempting to steady his hips. Feeling himself hit the back of her throat he bit his lip to suffocate a cry as he chased his high. She felt him shudder while her hand moved faster over him, sweet little moans falling from his pouty lips. 

 

Drawing herself from him completely she replaced her mouth with both her hands, jacking him off as she watched his brows tighten and eyes shut firmly. He let out a final moan, head pressed back against the wall, and bare chest tense as he painted her face in his cum. Languidly she milked his dick of every last drop, leaning in to lap at him as he hissed at the sensitivity. His eyes fluttered open, pupils blown and gaze distant as he leaned more heavily on the wall for stability. His eyes finally caught on the sight below him, the realization hitting him at once. 

 

“Oh fuck,” He gasped, cheeks flushing even further in embarrassment and a strong undercurrent of arousal, “I didn’t mean to-“ He turned to find something to help clean her up, settling on paper towel on the vanity beside him. He placed his other hand on her shoulder, urging her to sit up upon the vanity as he tended to her, his gaze much softer now. A string of urgent apologies left his lips as he carefully dabbed at her face while standing between her legs. 

 

“Relax,” she chuckled as he carefully wiped her cheek, “I can take care of this, go get dressed you haven’t even taken your jumpsuit off,” she playfully pushed at his chest, gesturing to the clothes still clinging to his legs. 

 

His face shone with embarrassment though a feeling stirred in his center every time he looked at the mess he made of her face, “right,” he stated simply, making his way towards his bag on a table in the center of the room to retrieve his usual outfit while removing his current one. 

 

She simply sent him a fucked out smile, heart swelling at the care in his actions and how tender his embarrassment felt, “Josh, baby, don’t worry,” she urged him to make momentary eye contact, “did you like that?”

 

“Yeah…” He hesitated momentarily as he got dressed, “did you?” He tilted his head, treading carefully as he zipped up his fly with his shirt in his hand while stepping back to his previous spot before her. 

 

“Yeah,” she smiled, “especially this,” she drew a thumb over the final spot she had not wiped yet before popping her finger into her mouth to lick off. His eyes grew at her action as he let out a gasp, swallowing down the faintest of moans at the sight. She leaned in to place a quick kiss to his lips yet as she pulled back he reached to grab her chin, keeping her face close as he spoke. 

 

“Is my pretty girl going to return the favor later?” His tongue darted over his lips at the mere thought of tasting her, a lazy smile upon his features. 

 

“Of course,” she moved his hand to rest upon her neck, exchanging another peck, “you’ll be all mine just like I’m all yours.” 

[artistmarchalius]

Ambulatory wheelchair user Floyd.

[almoonds]

some ballet teacher pearl x milf rose stuff from trying to hold the wind by @vanillabeanwrites !! they enter my head now and then and i suffer... this story still has a special hold on me :"")

[haphazardlyannotated]

Can you imagine if Rose could see suf Pearl?

She's a milf. She plays the bass. She's so good at flirting she has a whole collection of phone numbers. She once had to escape from the police in her quest for a date. She has tried human food. She socialises with humans in general and enjoys it. She's confident. She's independent. She's wholly and utterly comfortable being herself. She doesn't need anyone else to define her. And, of course, she's wearing jeans and a cool jacket.

Rose wouldn't stand a chance. Her soul has ascended to bisexual heaven. But she can't stay there. She must return to earth and immediately propose marriage to her wife. Pearl isn't dependent on her anymore and Rose has never found anything so attractive before in her life.

And then Pearl, who doesn't need Rose anymore, who knows about every single one of her mistakes, wants her anyway, and Rose's entire worldview has been turned upside down.

She does not have time to contemplate this because Pearl is currently showing her meticulously crafted flowcharts for their mathematically ideal wedding and Rose needs all of her self restraint in order not to initiate something incredibly inappropriate right in front of Steven's salad.

She has never been happier.

[screwpinecaprice]

She's on a hospital bed, amnesiac after an accident and she's having a crush on this man who is apparently her husband.

@dragonuva's part on an art trade with them from last year! 🥰 It's based on the first chapter of Chiptune by Newlense.

Guys. This fanfic is my favorite FAVORITE connverse fic and I love it so much I don't care if the last update was in 2020 nor if it's never going to be continued. It's so tender and the angst whalloped my guts in the right places. 😭💕

[birdinabowl]

the next person who portrays Pink/Rose as abusive is getting bitten

[fishymom-art]

EYYYYY SECOND CHAPTER!!!!!

Have fun reading it! It's much gayer >:)))

[smallest-turtle]

The puppet is getting a bad grade in its own open heart surgeries, something reasonable to have done to it and normal to be ashamed of.

[lotusthekat]

[ID: A digital, black and white sketch of a done Lars carrying a sleep-deprived, sixteen-year-old Steven, who's outraged by this. Lars wears an apron, which indicates they're home. The dialogue goes like this:

Steven: What the heck?!

Lars: You're going to bed.

Steven: I'm 16!!!

Lars: Not an excuse.

Steven is blushing in embarrassment amidst his dark eyebags. /End ID]

For some reason the older teenager looking after the younger teenager trope is my jam and I wish this was canon in SUF

DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION!

Don't tag as ship. P/roship DNI

Please don't comment about your past hatred of Lars or similar opinions in the notes, thank you!

[mandareeboo]

For the character writing meme, is it okay if I ask for two characters? If not, just choose whichever one is your favorite.

How about SU Future era Steven and Connie?

Pick a character I’ve written and I will explain the top ~three to five ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

At that stage in his life where shit that happened four years ago suddenly hits him and he spirals over it

So tired. All the time. He finally got old enough to grasp sarcasm and he uses it constantly. Movie Steven is still the most accurate Steven bc he's at the age where he's happy but hasn't hit the mental health bumps yet. The mental health is part of him too but when he's getting therapy and learning to cope that's exactly who he is

Has "I'm NOT my mother issues". Steven's spent his whole life denying he's Rose Quartz, and now that he has that proven he's suddenly realized he's not sure who STEVEN is.

Still a sweetie, he's just realized he deserves better than he sometimes got and is learning to accept and deal with that.

Connie's always been the "thinking mad" type and I think a lot of that is still with her as a teen. She has mental issues but because she's not said as much everyone assumes she's normal.

Is 100% using studying to cope. Listen I was That Kid I know what it looks like. The more she studies the less she has to remember shit she's been through and can focus instead on getting into college. She's going to crash and burn hard soon.

This isn't mine but I always recommend Hadithi's "Gap Year" as a bible for writing Teen Connie. Seriously if you have the time try it out, 10/10 good shit.

Connie is logical! That logic might not always make the best sense- like when she couldn't text Steven "I'm not talking to you" because it would be talking to him- but it is a form of logic. Connie is methodical. Connie is precise.

[diamond-in-the-rough-au]

"Our mothers fight and now Barlow is getting involved in those fights. My family is falling apart!"

[ofburningskies]

Just Making Sure I Was There

Authors note: Hey it's Quartz! I'll admit this is very self indulgent. I was in the need of some Josh fluff while on my period so of course that turned into me just writing about what he would be like while the reader is on her period. Lots of nice fluffy Josh here!

Content warnings: Just general period talk but otherwise none- just fluff!

Word count: 1.5k

With yet another month comes another batch of agonizing days. With those days come the bouts of mood swings, cravings and cramps that you would somehow have to brave through despite your plans. Today was one of those days in which plans had to be cancelled with that common reasoning being that you “didn’t feel well’ and would have to reschedule any happenings.

Luckily Josh had been off tour for a while and at home with you. He had let his brothers know the studio was not an option today as you needed to be taken care of. You had always insisted to him that you could fair on your own on your period but he refused to take your answer knowing how severe your cramps could get. He would never want to be the reason your day would end up being more difficult than it had to especially when given the opportunity to care for you and even baby you while he could.

You drowsily forced yourself to sit up, feeling that familiar spin in your head before you shook it off convincing yourself that it was nothing. A dull ache in your temple replaced it as you swung your feet over the bed to stand up. The moment you carried your weight over your legs a piercing pain settled in your centre as you winced, taking a sharp breath in. You shook the thought away as you slowly made your way towards the door of your room.

Josh had been in the kitchen going about errands while preparing anything that could possibly make you feel better. Bags of snacks had been open over the counter, dishes in need of being washed after your odd cravings, and hot water being boiled in the kettle were just some things he had to tend to. You smiled a groggy hello to him to which he reciprocated as you leaned upon the kitchen counter. While reaching to grab a bag by your side his hand lingered upon yours for a moment before getting what he had an eye on.

Your well loved record player was spinning Songs for Beginners by Graham Nash, a favourite of you two that you recently found at your local record store. Despite the fact it was a regular at any store you went to, you always wanted to find a used copy- one that went through the decades and was loved by whoever owned it before. Although you had been flipping through the section, Josh had never reached faster to grab a record than he did with that one knowing how badly you wanted it.

Now the needle sat in the grooves of the track Sleep Song as the sweet acoustic ballad accompanied the lazy air of your shared apartment. Your eyes struggled to remain open as you felt your mind haze slightly along with a slight blur of your vision. The faintest of shakes in your legs started as you leaned more firmly onto the counter.

“Feeling any better?” He smiled at you gently, your heating pad being warmed up as it had quickly cooled down for your liking earlier.

You nodded, frowning as another cramp pulsed through you. His eyes flashed wide as they scanned over you. He stopped what he was doing to run his fingers reassuringly over your arm. Letting go of the counter you stumbled slightly from exhaustion as he gasped, moving forward to catch you. Fully supporting you, you leaned back onto the counter as he let out a sigh of relief.

“You’ve been forgetting your iron, yeah?” He spoke low, his tone serious. Without waiting for a reply he brought his hand to the small of your back with the other firmly holding your wrist as he turned and guided you back to your room. Reluctantly you followed his sturdy hold as he guided you back into your bed and under the covers.

“Stay put and lay down. There’s no need for you to get up, I’ve got the day off to take care of you so just call me whenever you want something, alright love?” He leaned down to press a long kiss to your forehead. You simply leaned back into your pillow with a smile in return which prompted him to go continue his work in the kitchen.

Although he had just left you for a room neighbouring yours, you felt overcome by a longing for him. You simply credited your unstable hormones but they nonetheless made the momentary loneliness feel immense.

“Josh!” You whined out from your place firmly wrapped up in your bedsheets.

“Yeah?” Josh called back from the kitchen, the whistling of your electric kettle soundtracking his voice.

“C’mere,” you replied, voice weaker this time.

His footsteps followed instantly at the word as he bounded towards you, worry in his eyes with a glass in one hand, heating pad draped over his arm, and pills enclosed in his fist. He placed all the items upon your nightstand before directing his attention to you.

“Sit up for me, won’t you, love?” He spoke softly, sitting beside you at the edge of the bed as he held the pills out to you.

Reluctantly you heaved yourself up onto your elbows, hair a mess and eyes exhausted as they looked into his bright ones. His free hand was placed on your shoulder in attempt to help stabilize you although your back was supported by your pillow. You whimpered as you adjusted in your seat, eyes tight as you tried to collect your breathing.

“Easy. Breathe,” he whispered as he reached for the cup of water, “Take these, I’ll bring you some tea and then you can lay back down, can you do that for me? D’you want some cookies?” You mumbled your approval of the idea as you put the Advil on your tongue before eagerly drinking them down. He smiled warmly, placing his hand on your knee over the covers before getting up to make his way back to the kitchen.

Already feeling lonely in his moment away, you pouted to yourself before looking towards your nightstand. You lazily reached to grab the freshly warmed up heating pad before quickly placing it over your belly with a sigh of relief. The sound of water hitting a glass sounded from the kitchen and you only smiled in anticipation of receiving your tea as you sunk into the feeling of the heating pad.

“Doing alright?” Josh checked in from the other room.

“Yeah,” you replied simply, “miss you,” you drawled, genuinely missing him despite the fact he was under the same roof.

You heard him chuckle as he stirred some sugar into your tea, “I’m right here, baby, I haven’t gone anywhere.”

You groaned at how silly you sounded but relented with your request, “I know but come back and stay with me.”

“Alright let me finish your tea first.”

With your cramps promising to let up you eagerly awaited your partner’s company. Soon enough he joined you again with a warm cup of tea to place in your hands as you eagerly sipped from the glass.

“Anything else?” Josh asked.

“Massage,” you stated simply, putting the cup down and already moving to lay on your stomach for him.

“Anything for you,” he chuckled as he found his place on his side of the bed, kneeling comfortably beside you.

You pushed the covers off of you with your heating pad comfortably placed under you. His familiar hands moved to your lower back putting the perfect amount of pressure to ease your hurting. You let out a sigh at the almost instant lift of pain to which he softly smiled to. You adjusted yourself as another cramp jolted through you, burying your face in your arms in turn. He looked on with concern, determined to get your mind off the pain.

“Recording has been good, we’re almost finished with the album,” He started quietly.

You hummed a muffled reply, not lifting your face from its place in your arms. He continued with stories from the other day, recalling a rare moment in which Sam and Danny had gotten into an argument which you were amused by. The longer he spoke of songs and shoot concepts the more you seemed to forget about the current state of things, turning your face to reveal a look of curiosity on your face as his fingers worker through your tight back.

Josh leaned down to place a kiss to your forehead, “Is that alright?”

“Thanks,” you replied softly, concluding your need for a massage.

His hands lingered for a moment before patting the spot gently. He turned to heave himself off the bed and return to his work in the kitchen but the momentary silence was broken by you as you lifted yourself up slightly to catch his attention.

“Stay here?”

“Of course. I’ve got nowhere else to be, today is yours.”

“Then get in bed and keep me warm, it helps.”

He softly laughed to himself, seeing through your excuse to cuddle, “I bet it does.”

Josh joined you under the covers and shuffling closer to you until his chin found its place upon your shoulder. He peppered a few kisses just below your ear as his hands wrapped around you to hold your heating pad closer to you. You sighed at the comforting heat, smiling at the feeling of being surrounded by his safe presence while you found yourself lulled into a nap.

[femslashfictournament]

Femslash fic tournament: Round One

Marriage of Convenience Ship: Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein Media: Carmilla (webseries) Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4016743/chapters/9027772 Summary: Her scheduled weekly Thursday night video calls with her old college roommate are Carmilla's favourite part of the week. However this week's conversation veers off the rails when Carmilla tells Laura that if she doesn't get married soon, Carmilla's going to lose everything she's worked for.

Thankfully, her mother's provided a list of suitable candidates.

No propeganda submitted

trying to hold the wind Ship: Pearl/Rose Quartz Media: Steven Universe Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36227140/chapters/90307291 Summary: Pearl teaches ballet, and well, Rose is, by all regards, a mom she’d like to (redacted).

It's a Steven Universe human au. I think it manages to translate Rose's and Pearl's conflicts into a human setting amazingly well. It's such beautiful story but also it tears me to pieces. They're so cute and in love but also so complicated and unwell.

[deathsweetblossoms]

When scars turn from something abhorred and ugly (mostly in one’s own regard) into something beautiful and interesting just because someone had taken one look at them and decided so.

unconditional as quartz (part of the series sillage) by @thefangirlofhp

[ckret2]

@actuallyaltaria said: You could probably get away with something newer still like Steven Universe! They sing about their feelings!

This is gonna be a long post because every time I go "man it sucks I can't mention [some kids' cartoon] lmao" I get multiple people trying to suggest ways I can include some kids' cartoon, so I think I need to explain myself.

"Use Steven Universe instead" is a solution if you're assuming I'm coming from a position of "my ACTUAL GOAL is to reference a TV show, any TV show, that people know about, I'm just struggling to find one that's universally familiar." So let me clarify: my "alas, if only everybody knew the plot of Rainbow Brite" theatrics are me being funny for my own entertainment.

I want, very specifically, to NOT reference a real TV show, no matter how well-known it is.

I've mentioned before that I don't want any part of this fic to be dependent upon the audience knowing some other series. I'm extremely firm on this. It would be alienating to any readers who aren't familiar with the property, it would be alienating to readers who ARE familiar with the property but dislike it, it would be distracting to people who know the property TOO well—and it doesn't fit into the Gravity Falls universe.

Gravity Falls doesn't make references to real world pop culture! The hit rap song of the summer isn't attributed to a known rapper like Lil Jon or Snoop Dogg, it's Lil Bigg Dawggg. The biggest boy band isn't NSYNC, it's Sev'ral Timez. There's no Dungeons & Dragons; there's Dungeons, Dungeons, & More Dungeons. There's no Fun Dip, there's Smile Dip. The master of claymation isn't Ray Harryhausen, it's Harry Claymore. Hoo-Ha Owl substitutes for Chuck E. Cheese, Fight Fighters for Street Fighters, BABBA for ABBA... for Journal 3 they even made up a dimension named Exwhylia so that they could avoid canonically mentioning Flatland.

Almost every song, show, cartoon, band, movie, food product, chain business, or other brand name that gets mentioned in Gravity Falls is either a parody of a specific real-world equivalent or a broader parody of a whole category of pop culture.

In a universe where some of Mabel's favorite series are Believe in Yourself and Dream Boy High, it would be weird and jarring to throw in something real like Care Bears.

Honestly—putting my jokes about forcing all of tumblr to watch a cartoon aside—gun to my head if I was forced to include a reference to a real world cartoon, I'd probably be less likely to use Steven Universe than something like Care Bears or Rainbow Brite. Steven Universe would be even MORE jarring. Like, most of the people who are inclined to read Gravity Falls fanfics probably haven't seen Rainbow Brite, so—even though it still has the "this is a Real Thing so it feels like you're expected to know about it" stigma that adding ANY real thing to the fic would have—it's at least is on equal footing with Believe in Yourself and Dream Boy High in that it's still the name of something distant and unfamiliar to most readers, and therefore I could say anything I wanted about it and most people would be like "sure, okay."

On the other hand, Steven Universe? This is tumblr. SU and GF are plot-driven kids' sci-fi cartoons about kids caught in supernatural shenanigans and complicated family relationships that were airing at the same time. The audience overlap between Gravity Falls and Steven Universe is almost a circle. Anybody who sees Steven Universe get name dropped in a Gravity Falls fic is NOT going to see it as some distant unfamiliar story-within-a-story being introduced as a lighthearted narrative device for a goofy "Mabel thinks showing Bill children cartoons is a valid form of therapy" scene. It's going to be the heavy handed insertion of a MASSIVE fandom that a LOT of readers will already have EXTREMELY STRONG IN-DEPTH OPINIONS about—and any that DON'T have such strong opinions are probably the ones who are sick to death of seeing Steven Universe everywhere and are just gonna be irritated that now, apparently, knowledge of that show is necessary to read this Gravity Falls fanfic??

If I said "Bill thinks he's totally exactly like Rainbow Brite" a few readers would politely chuckle and the rest would wait for me to explain the metaphor and why it matters to the storyline. If I said "Bill thinks he's totally exactly like Rose Quartz" I'd have dropped one hell of a bomb of a hot take into a fic that isn't in the LEAST BIT about any alleged character parallels that might exist between Bill Cipher and Rose Quartz. Anyone who's seen the show will immediately start thinking VERY HARD about the comparison and anybody who HASN'T will assume that, because SU is so big, I'm expecting them to know enough to understand the comparison.

If I were to put either of those comparisons in the fic, the point I would be trying to make is "Mabel makes Bill watch a kid's show hoping it will teach him to be a better person, and is surprised that instead of taking away moral lessons from the viewing, he's concluded he's basically the same as the idealistic young hopeful rebel leader fighting against oppressive conformist forces and protecting the people of earth." My authorial intent would be at least partially drowned out by any reference to another show (especially for people who don't get it), but it would be SUPER drowned out by a reference to an extremely well-known show.

The only way to avoid distorting that authorial intent is to not hinge part of the story on some other show.

So am I melodramatically sighing and lamenting over how tragic it is that I can't directly reference The Last Unicorn or whatever in the fic because it would be so totally perfect and very funny and absolutely has valid narrative parallels to stuff that's gonna happen in the fic? Yeah. But my problem wouldn't be solved if TLU was universally watched, or if I substituted something that is universally watched for TLU, because the root of my problem is that TLU is a real cartoon in the real world.

I accept that the specific comedy that can ONLY come from saying "[character from Show A] is EXACTLY like [character from Show B that's jarringly incongruous with Show A]" is comedy that I'm not going to have in my fic, and I cope with this by comedically kvetching about it.

And I'm gonna make up an imaginary girly 80s cartoon for Mabel to force Bill to watch.

[true-blue-sonic]

Thinking about Espio proposing to Silver…… hngnghhhhh…… Imagine if Espio took Silver back to the place they met during Rivals 2 (which I think was Blue Coast?) and did his proposal there, almost like their past coming full circle and marking the beginning of a new life for them both

They did meet in Blue Coast Zone, but they really only teamed up in Neon Palace Zone. Still, they did see each other the first time in the former location ^-^ And Blue Coast Zone is fancy as hell too, with lots of lovely architecture and such. With a blue sky that Silver so adores, the proposal will be all but perfect!

Heh, in Guardian and my new Espilver fic where Silver is from a good future, Rivals 2 takes place on an island (which is canon, actually) that is also a large vacation resort (not canon, haha). So Espio could take Silver there under the guise of the two of them going on vacation, and then pop the question once they've settled there. Silver is going to be most endeared by it for sure! And he'll absolutely say yes, and enjoy the rest of the vacation even more <3 Plus, they can go visit the Chao Garden again too! Altogether I would say it's a very smart idea for Espio to go to the island once more and propose there; it's very fitting and closely aligns with many of Silver's interests.