dragonuva

[dragonuva]

YESSSSS! PAAAAAAIIIINNNN!!!

Final Glow Week day, Journey's End. It was good while it lasted. @glowweek

[dragonuva]

Just Out of Reach

Glow Week Day 1 Submission: Glow/Dark

@glowweek

#steven universe #steven universe future #su artwork #steven universe fanart #glowweek

[dragonuva]

Could you please post your Glow Week art submission as an independent post? I wanna be able to reblog it to the event account, but it'll clog up my followers' home pages as is haha.

Ah yes, sorry! Just did!

[dragonuva]

Just Out Of Reach

Day 1 art for Glow Week: Glow

A Connverse art week!? In the year of our Lord, 2024!?

Here's how this works: I've given you two prompts for every day of the week from March 17th to the 23rd, 2024. For each day, you choose one of the prompts—or both, who's counting?—and make an art piece with said prompt in mind. It's really that simple; you even have 3 whole weeks to prepare your pieces!

The best part? Any type of art can be entered! Whether it be traditional, digital, fanfiction, music, edits, animation, whatever! Just, uh, make sure entries stay PG-13, alright? And no plagiarism!

All submissions should be tagged with #GlowWeek and/or #Connverse for maximum visibility! I will reblog any entries I find, so make sure I can actually, y'know, find your entires.

Lastly: please spread the word! Reblog, share; show your friends, your neighbor, your dog, anyone who will listen! More eyes = more Connverse art, got it?

Any questions should be directed toward my ask box. Oh, and here's my personal blog.

Glow bracelet art is by @imaplatypus-art.

#steven universe #steven universe future

[dragonuva]

Some Themed Asks for your Gem OCs

I always enjoy these little ask games to help build up lore about my characters, but so many of them are too human in scope for my Gem OCs- thus, I decided to throw together a set of Steven Universe specific questions for all of your OC and gemsona desires.

Questions are sorted into "eras" thematically. Enjoy!

Era 1:

⚜️Which court does your Gem belong to, if any? 🎆What is your Gem’s planet of origin and given designation? (Ex: Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG… Facet-5, Cut 8XM… Facet-413, Cabochon-12…) 💎Describe your Gem’s gemstone. What color, shape, facet pattern, and placement does it have? 🛠️What is your Gem’s given role under the Diamond Authority? 📌Where does your Gem perform their duties? Do they travel a lot for their role, or mostly stay in one place? 🧦Does your Gem get along with others of the same cut? 🖇️Has your Gem ever partaken in fusion with someone of the same cut? 💼Does your Gem report to anyone below the Diamonds? What do they think about this authority figure? 💥Has your Gem ever been rejuvenated? If so, how many times? 🪦Does your Gem harbor any hidden desires they think might get them shattered?

Era 2:

🌸Was your Gem incubated before Pink Diamond’s shattering, or after? If after, does your Gem differ from others of their cut due to Homeworld’s Diamond essence shortage? 🔎Does your Gem like the role they were given, or is there another role in society they would rather have? 🪢Does your Gem have any friends outside their cut? 🪄Can your Gem summon any weapon or special item? 🌍Has your Gem ever heard of the rebellion on Earth? If so, do they have any opinions on it? 🪩Has your Gem ever partaken in fusion with someone of a different cut? If so, do they defy Homeworld’s fusion rules openly or keep it secret? 🏝️Your Gem has been reassigned to perform their duty on a planet or settlement of their choice. Where do they go? 🫧Has your Gem ever been poofed? How? 🙈Your Gem discovers that someone they work alongside is off-color in some fashion. Do they narc to a superior, or keep this secret? 🪓Does your Gem know anyone who’s been shattered?

Era 3:

👑In the wake of this brand new era, where does your Gem’s loyalty lie? (The Diamonds? Themself? Someone else?) 🎓Would your Gem ever consider attending Little Homeschool, why or why not? ⭐️What is your Gem’s honest opinion of Steven, if they are aware of his role in Gem history? 🪁Name three hobbies your Gem partakes in. 🌄Describe your Gem’s idea of a perfect day. ⚧️Imagine your Gem is presented with the concept of human gender. Do they have any preference in how they are perceived or addressed? 🐌Does your Gem have any non-Gem friends? 🌙Would your Gem ever consider living as a permafusion? 🍕Has your Gem ever tried ingesting food or liquid? If so, what is their opinion on this activity? 🎻Assign your Gem an instrument. What type of sound do you feel best captures their vibe?

[dragonuva]

IMPI

Intermission | DISCONTINUITY

Lotta cameos on this page! Big thanks to all the people who offered up characters to showcase <3

Imperfect Steven belongs to @dragonuva : linktr.ee/Dragonuva Naga belongs to Flare: twitter.com/wing_flare Floret belongs to Gaudess: twitter.com/LewdGaudess Nora belongs to Sabs: twitter.com/bcnasabrina Neo Pink belongs to @sharkman-jhones : @neopinkdiamond Cupid belongs to Jay: twitter.com/IdRatherBe__Me Von Von belongs to @artsycooky13 : artsycooky13.tumblr.com/ Nelle belongs to Snart: twitter.com/snartdonyx Honey belongs to @wendystarseed: twitter.com/wendystarseed Framed Steven belongs to me and the fic for it is here:  archiveofourown.org/works/51392110/chapters/129867592 Blog for it is here but it's basically dead: @frame-of-mind-au

[dragonuva]

NSFW part on Newgrounds or on this reblog.

_(:Ⅰ」∠)_ I completely lost interest in finishing this though.

Okay, so, supposedly what happened next is that Steven wanted to put back Connie's glow bracelet. Then he's going to say something romantic as he's slipping the bracelet back on. Then Connie's going to get emotional about it, while also breathing and blushing deeply. (I headcanon Steven getting all romantic or smaltzchy is a big turn on for her.); Pouncing and roughly riding him when he stopped talking (and kissed her wrist.) After both finishing, they cuddle up, Steven looking fondly at the bracelet on Connie's wrist. End comic.

This was from my Patreon in 2022. Just realized I posted it here.

It might not be noticeable but I could very much see a little shift in the last three panels as basically my attention ran out, coupled with how there were other things I would need to prioritize by the time I got there. 😓

[dragonuva]

Steven's Breakdown Was Inevitable From the Very Beginning

I feel like the thing that fucks me up the most about Steven Q. Universe and how well conceived he is as a character is that the fundamental building blocks of why he reached his breaking point in SU: Future were laid out as clear as day in the span of legit only the first four episodes of the original show. The writing was literally always on the wall that future him would struggle with matters of self worth and identity in relationship to the others around him.

Let's take a look:

Gem Glow

"Awesome! What are these things?"

Foundational Trauma #1: Steven's home is always either under threat or actively being wrecked by antagonistic forces/beings, and he constantly copes with this by pushing down his fear in favor of a curiosity and silver linings based mindset.

Look at his initial shock when he opens the door and gets tackled by one of these things, and then his response when one of them spits acid:

The kid's freaked the hell out about all this, and while I do think there's a part of Steven that genuinely IS curious about what these lil critters are, I think he's subconsciously using that curiosity as a way to distract himself from his own fears and anxieties. This is Steven actively learning how to ignore the deeper problems in favor of emoting a facade to the others in his life that he can totally handle himself in scary situations like these.

The underlying reason why is incredibly apparent, when you look at the example from the next episode-

Laser Light Canon

"I don't know what a magic lady like her ever saw in a plain old dope like me..."

Genuinely- from the bottom of my heart- I think the above quote from Greg is a moment where his own insecurities around the Gems actually rubbed off on Steven.

At this point in time, Steven may be living with the Gems... but he hasn't started to harness any of his powers at all, so in his own head he might as well be the same as his dad- another human, just one who happens to have a gem! But the way Greg talks about himself... given Steven was living with him in the van for years before moving in to the beach house, he had to have heard negative self-talk from his dad like this before.

And then there's the rest of the Crystal Gems... always speaking of Rose with such reverence as if she were an all-powerful goddess... and Steven can't help but look back at himself, and his gem that won't work... the gem that the others still identify as Rose's...

"Your gem-! You have Rose's gem!"

And maybe he starts to wonder if- without any working powers- he's just a plain ol' dope like his Dad, too.

"Please work... Unlock! Activate! Go! Please-!! Everyone's counting on you, you can't just be useless!"

Foundational Trauma #2: Steven has Rose's gem, and as such, is constantly living under the silent expectation to live up to a standard that he simply cannot ever hope to achieve, because he doesn't KNOW her and he never will.

I want to highlight one of Steven's expressions while his dad is talking about Rose- look at that sad look. My god, I just wanna hug him. This is the expression of a child who has already come to terms with the fact that his only relationship with his mom is through the rose tinted stories that other people tell him about her.

Cheeseburger Backpack

So. Steven has learned so far that he needs to push down his feelings and emote a false veneer of cheer and bravery even when he's afraid, because the rest of the people in his life have expectations and hopes for him due to the legacy of his parentage and he can't bear the thought of letting them down. (And in a sad way, at this point "letting them down" literally just means... being an ordinary human boy. I believe Steven at this stage of the show is flat out scared to be human, because to be human is to fail at being a Gem, and no amount of love and sacrifice in the name of humanity in the seasons to come could've ever saved him from the fundamental fact that the wedge between him and this whole half of his being was already drawn long before the events of season 1 even started. But I digress.)

Let's see where we go from there. Let's check out Steven's first "mission." Or as Pearl puts it about 35 episodes later, his first "test."

"Yeah... they can't all be winners."

This episode is tinted with a little bit of tragedy for me on rewatch, because I genuinely do think the Gems handled the situation as well as they could've. They were supportive of Steven's successful ploys, and (for the most part) responded with grace when he majorly blundered and left the Goddess Statue at home. The main problem, however, is that Steven has already developed a bit of a complex about impressing the three of them-

Foundational Trauma #3: Even when they claim otherwise, Steven has convinced himself that affection from the Gems is transactional, and that when he messes up he's not truly a part of the Crystal Gems.

Of course we the audience know this isn't true- I mean, hell, Amethyst even said as much in episode one after her slip-up ("and you're fun to have around, even if your gem IS useless!")... that the Crystal Gems wouldn't be the same without him. But Steven... the poor kid is a complicated little guy living a complicated life, and whether they intended it or not, the language used they've used around him thus far has not backed up their attempts at fully embracing him, human parentage and all.

Thus, Steven just spends the entire episode wracked with anxiety trying to find creative non-power using ways to make the mission easier so he can convince them he's useful to have around.

Look how nervous he gets even when all three of them are visibly and vocally supportive of his presence here:

This is the face of a boy who feels like he's under constant judgement and scrutiny from those around him.

Blessedly, viewing this episode in isolation, he experiences a brief moment of mental respite where he finally accepts the Gems' encouragement and agrees that his ideas 'can't all be winners,' but this lesson does not stick for him moving forward. A shame, really.

Together Breakfast

"What's the matter, Steven?" "I wanted us all to have breakfast together, so I made Together Breakfast! But everyone keeps leaving..." "Oh, that's nice..."

Taken in context with what we've learned already in the last three episodes, Steven's desperation to spend quality time with the Gems here and his sadness that they keep leaving him alone doesn't just exist within a vacuum. He spends the whole morning watching them shuffle in and out of the temple, or come back from missions he wasn't invited on, and with the disastrous result of the LAST mission he went on probably fresh in his mind it's not hard to understand why this bothers him.

Foundational Trauma #4: Steven internalizes that the price of "not being useful" is that the Gems actively ignore him, meaning that the only way to guarantee their attention is to work as hard as he can to become a stronger member of the team.

I know this screenshot is usually used as a lighthearted meme, but I wanted to include it because I think it's a good example of how Steven's intense desire to impress permeates every facet of his personality at times. Just LOOK at how desperate he is to make Garnet laugh at his joke, to be the one that's at very least "fun to have around," as Amethyst put it in episode one.

The Gems do eventually drop what they're doing to spend time with Steven by the conclusion of this episode, but this only comes after Steven shows his growing strength and "proves" himself by saving their butts from the breakfast monster.

If he successfully gained their attention in literally any other way he might've come away from this episode with a different lesson, but no. Instead, his fears were proven true- the Gems value strength and utility, and if he's not exhibiting that, then what use is he to them?

These fears of his can be seen weaving throughout the foundational fabric of the entire show, but I think Steven lays out what he sees as his "stakes" in the clearest way possible in the episode 'An Indirect Kiss.'

"But- if I don't have powers, then I can't hang out with Amethyst, or Garnet, o-or Pearl, and- I-I can't go on missions!"

And these same insecurities even rear their ugly head as late as the movie.

"I can't believe this... for the first time in years, everyone's in danger, everybody needs me, and- I'm useless!"

Powers = Utility = Worth = Other's love, for Steven. Everything is transactional to the end, which is a hilarious double standard he's set for himself when he's made his reputation as the kid who always listens and encourages and gives others a chance to change, no matter their messy history with him.

__

So let's recap and restate those foundational traumas from Steven's perspective.

One: The only way to cope when your life is constantly under threat is to bury the damage and pretend to be fine.

Two: Everyone expects you to live up to the standards of someone you're not.

Three: The Gems only love you when you're of use to them.

Four: If you ever stop being useful, the Gems won't want anything more to do with you.

In sum, Steven's habit of burying his feelings for the benefit of others was there from the very beginning, not just since 'The Test.'

Those unreachable standards he felt so daunted and intimidated by all his life were the ones set by Rose, at first... but over the course of the series, the dynamic of this shifted. As Rose's influence fell into the background, Steven's rose into the front. And so it's with great irony that- by the time of Steven Universe: Future, the expectations this exhausted, worn down teenager is fighting to once again achieve are the ones HE set for himself. Many of young Steven's selfless actions during the war are quite admirable when analyzed in isolation, but almost none of them are sustainable. He set himself on fire just to save the world, but teen Steven is genuinely unable to see this for what it is yet- as a tragic sacrifice of his own childhood. You can't burn your own ends for others forever, not at all. His breakdown was simply inevitable.

When it comes to the interconnected beliefs three and four, these are exactly why the ultimate confrontation at the end of I Am My Monster HAD to be one fueled by selfless love. Steven is at his absolute lowest at this point- he's everything he fears he's become, trapped in a form that's nearly incapable of reason. He's big and angry and spiky because that's a part of the facade- because a part of him WANTS to scare the Gems away, wants to be left alone forever, believing this the fate he deserves as price for his misdeeds.

In this form, by his own definitions he is NOT useful to the Crystal Gems at all.

But they don't care.

Because it never WAS about Steven's 'usefulness' to them, they simply love him for being Steven.

With this in mind, the conclusion of Steven Universe: Future wasn't just a salve to teen Steven's immediate struggles, it was a salve to the foundational insecurities that have been plaguing him his entire life.

And hopefully... from this point on... his family's shows of love and encouragement will be enough to finally convince Steven that he's more than worth their time...

No matter what path the future leads him on, and no matter what form he takes.

[dragonuva]

I've been seeing Toothless dancing on all my feeds this week so I decided to draw him!

Original meme dance created by Cas van de Pol (https://youtu.be/4dDUWRWqcIo?si=oXS6quL_5EgvsfXI)

[dragonuva]

i made a halloween shark plushie! he’s a candy corn shark! he’s weighted and 15.5 inches from snout to tail. i love him!! im planning on making more too, including a skeleton shark plushie!

[dragonuva]

https://twitter.com/Dragonuva_Draws/status/1735525166778593322?t=qY2QPqq5jtT07gwNHtTRDw&s=19

https://www.instagram.com/p/C03Ga5agMl4/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[dragonuva]

original post

[dragonuva]

I'm really in the need for xmas money rn so I'm officially opening comms again for a limited time at these low af prices until I revamp my prices. Get 'em while they last. DM me for more info or if interested.

Also my usernames have changed.

@ dragonuva_Draws for twitter and @ dragonuva_drags for insta

#artists on tumblr #commission

[dragonuva]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Czae18fgY-V/?igshid=b3RnejJ0Z2Rudmpn

https://twitter.com/Dragonuva_Draws/status/1722488739945959745?t=43fkQsYFNSrxK71nOAnPMQ&s=19

[dragonuva]

[dragonuva]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzDGzSsgCZQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://twitter.com/Dragonuva_Draws/status/1719198206850973768?t=lFGPBEYMu5kUzcxtgGWUfQ&s=19

[dragonuva]

https://twitter.com/Dragonuva_Draws/status/1718822032798879872?t=RhdlUNBVu47ONhKhJLjkog&s=19

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzAbCREtGbX/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==