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scarystrasse · 7 months

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Chapter 5

Council of the Mages

After Brady was securely shackled with the power of air. He was sat down beneath the bows of a tall oak tree. He glowered at the three dou-jin masters. If he hadn’t been cut off from the son of Luciferous he would have done a lot of damage to the party of masters and children just so he could get to Argathous.

J.D. went over to Argathous and sat down next to him. He had a worried gaze upon his face. “Whet do yuh thenk you was doen?

“Helping.” Argathous said a bit sheepishly. “But my stick caught on fire, so I threw it at him so it wouldn’t burn my hands. I don’t know how it happened, but that stick just burst into a type of flame! I’m surprised I didn’t get burnt by it!” He said more excitedly as he talked on.

“You coulda ‘ave gotten yerself killed.” J.D. Grumble as most dwarves grumbled. “’e’s uh seasoned roda-ki uh fallen dou-jin turned, really bad. ‘e now follows th’ dark magic’s uf th’ roda-ki instead uf th’ Daughter or the Spirit uf th’ dou-jin. ‘e follows th’ Son uf th’ Father uf Lies, Mephistopheles.”

“I hit him.” Argathous said with a slight awkward grin that was forced as he shrugged. “That’s something isn’t it? It allowed you guys to capture him. Now you have a prisoner.”

“Well ‘s fer thet, yer lucky.” J.D. rumbled his brows furrowed not sure what to make of Argathous. “Now git some sleep laddie.”

J.D. went over to Michale and Ronaldo with a bit of fire in his step. “Did yuh see thet? ‘e ‘as th’ violet powers uf uh full dou-jin. ‘e ‘asn’t efen bin trained yet!”

“He’s more powerful than we had first thought.” Michale whispered as he tried to make sure that Argathous didn’t overhear him talking to J.D. and Ronaldo. “The boy doesn’t know what he wields and that’s dangerous. If he doesn’t stay humble, he could become roda-ki and we’ll have to kill him.”

“’e’s jest a wee lad.” J.D. said, turning a sympathetic glance towards Argathous who was getting back down to go to sleep. “’e has plenty uf time tuh train ‘nd tuh learn our ways. Th’ prophets say ‘e ‘as a good ‘eart. Let’s jest ‘ope thet ‘e stays thet way. Let’s jest ‘ope they’re right.”

“Yes, let’s pray that the Creator stays in his heart and mind.” Michale agreed with his partner. “I would hate us to have to kill such a young promising apprentice. He's like an untapped volcano just getting ready to explode. We have to tread cautiously with him or were going to make a grievous error and send him down the wrong path.”

"You guys talking about Gath?" Came the voice of Jessup. He was a tall skinny zephyr boy that was opposite Argathous’s huge frame. He was six inches shorter than Argathous. He had black hair, a warm smile, and crooked teeth.

The men had forgotten about the cousins. "You don't tell Gath about any of this. You hear me mister." Michale said to the young lad. Michale tried to be as intimidating as possible, but Jessup just shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t take Michale’s threat to heart since he was nearly as big as the dark dou-jin, but Jessup hadn’t quite caught the powers of the dou-jin yet, so he was quite naïve about how powerful Michale, and the other two dou-jin were.

"Yeah, but he should know that you guys might have to kill him." Jessup said. "How would you guys like it if someone was talking about killing you and you didn't know about it? Not so fun when you think about it that way. Besides, Gath's one of my favorite cousins. He's always honest, he always listens to my problems, and he always does the right thing. He's not going to betray you. So, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about killing him."

With that Jessup walked, made his bedroll next to Argathous's bedroll, started talking to him, and the trio wondered if he was telling him that they might have to kill him. That’s all they needed was a paranoid Argathous. If Jessup informed Argathous about what they had been talking about, the boy would never trust them.

"Wouldn't dat make for a lovely chat?" Ronaldo said to the others. "Aye mon we might have to be killen you if it looks like you might turn roda-ki any time soon."

"’e's jest starten out." J.D. said. "’e's not goen tuh turn roda-ki, not yet anyway."

Argathous lay quietly not quite sure what to do except gaze into the fire while he lounged on his side. “How’d that stick catch on fire?” He deliberated to himself. “I could’ve burned my hands. There’s something wrong with me. Sticks don’t just light themselves on fire for no reason. Maybe J.D. is right, I’m too dangerous to be around people. Maybe I should run away in the middle of the night and solve everyone’s problems. I can’t hurt anyone if I’m not around anyone.”

“I’m gonna kill you kid.” Brady snarled through gritted teeth in a murmur so as not to attract attention while J.D., Ronaldo, and Michale were talking secretively. “I’m going to gut you like some trout. I’ll cut you from your throat to your privates and let your insides spill out onto the ground and you’ll still be able to watch because you won’t be dead yet. That’s how quick it will happen. Yuh catch my meanin. If yuh don’t turn roda-ki I’ll feed yuh tuh the wild animals.”

"You had better shut up or I'll tell J.D. to come kick you in the head." Marie verbalized, showing that she wasn’t scared of Brady.

Argathous swallowed a firm swelling in his throat and tried to glance away hoping that Brady would disappear, but he could still hear Brady’s grating voice as he threatened him more and more. He felt as though he were going to wet his pants or soil them in another minute, he was so frightened.

“And kid you might even live long enough fer the coyotes, buzzards, and ravens to come around and feed on yer flesh. Just think of them tearing at yer flesh with their claws, teeth, and beaks. All the while you’ll be screamin. I’ll…”

THUMP!

Brady was knocked sideways. His roda-ki abilities hadn’t warned him about J.D.’s boot kicking him in the side. Brady groaned at the solid blow and air was expelled from his lungs. The roda-ki was seeing dancing sparkling lights from the wallop and he could barely breathe. His ribs ached from the clout as well. J.D. had kicked him exceedingly hard. There was no air to be expelled from his lungs and it was incredibly difficult to inhale to get fresh air back into his body.

"I told you I'd tell J.D." Marie said. As she stuck her tongue out at Brady. “You shouldn’t talk that way to any of us you overgrown swine. Argathous is a powerful dou-jin and he’ll kill you one day and then you’ll wish you’d never threatened him.”

Brady glared dagger at the young girl. Maybe he would gut her first instead of Argathous. Argathous could wait a few seconds before be split like a hog on a feast day. Marie he would take pleasure in slicing up.

“Sorry ‘bout thet lad.” J.D. said apologetically rubbing his hands together. “Fergot tuh gag the cow licking shade friend. ‘e wona be given yuh anymore trouble th’ rest uf thes trip. Dona yuh pay no never mind tuh his threats either. ‘e’s headed tuh uh dou-jin prison ‘nd nobody escapes those.” He ended with pride. “Nobody’s e’er escaped th’ dou-jin prison in th’ temple!”

Argathous took little comfort in that fact as he swallowed an apple sized bulge in his throat again. J.D. didn’t just have his life threatened by having his innards exposed to be eaten by animals. Brady terrified Argathous to no end. He was going to sleep as far away from Brady, if he slept at all. He didn’t think that Ronaldo, Michale, or J.D. could keep an eye on Brady all the time and the time they took their eyes off him would be the time Brady would gut him!

Argathous stood gazing at a horrid scene. His family had been attacked by half a dozen villains that appeared exactly like Brady. They were laughing as they put nooses around his mother’s, sister’s and brothers’ necks and hung them from the porch of their house. They were standing on wobbly stools. The menfolk kicked the stools out from under his family. He had to watch them dangle as they were trying to breathe. Their legs kicked and their bodies squirmed trying to breathe and get a foot hold on something, but there was nothing but air to grab onto. One by one they all suffocated from the ropes around their necks. The young lad had just lost his entire family to six Brady’s.

He didn’t want to get his family killed. He didn’t think Yo could fight off six Brady’s at once no matter how good she was. She had failed the dou-jin trials but was still working for the dou-jin. If she failed the trials for the dou-jin how could she protect his family?

“Yer family will die while yer away.” Came a deep man’s voice. “You must join the roda-ki and then and only then will yer family be safe. I have brought yuh this vision just to show yuh what I’ll be doing if yuh don’t join us, boy.”

Argathous’s house caught on fire and his family was trapped inside. They couldn’t open the door as they were barred from the outside. The half dozen Brady’s stood outside laughing refusing to help the young man’s family.

He jerked awake and it was daylight and Brady wore a sinister grin upon his face and Ronaldo kicked it off his face. The royal elf picked Brady up with air and flopped him over the horses back like a sack of potatoes.

Brady rode the rest of the day with his hands and feet tied with air. He was slung over the back of the horse like a rug. He had his mouth gagged with the power of air as well so that he couldn't say anything to tall young boy. Whenever he had the chance, he glared in Argathous’s direction, but the boy was never gazing at him. In fact, the young lad made it a point not to stare in Brady’s direction at all. He didn’t want to chance that Brady would threaten him again with some other sort of violence.

Monroe, a tall thin black-haired girl, talked to Brady the entire way about playing dolls and how it had become boring now that she was fourteen. Tea parties had lost their luster as well. She was growing up so fast and she couldn't believe that she was going to become a dou-jin just like her cousins. She talked with Brady the entire ride and Brady was going crazy with the ramblings of the young teenager. He wished he could have gagged her, but his magic had been bound as well so he couldn't do anything but listen to her ramblings.

The party broke for camp and made a fire and put on a pot of beans with a little bit of rabbit, some turnips, carrots, and something that looked like potatoes, but they were all dried vegetables.

“Now lesten ‘ere Brady.” J.D. said in an irritated tone that bore no nonsense. His fiery orange eyes seemed to glow with heat as he spoke to the infamous roda-ki in a deep gravelly mountain dwarven voice. “I’m goen tuh ungag yuh, but ifen yuh go ‘nd act up ‘nd taunt th’ boy you won’t git nothen tuh eat, and you’ll ride th’ same way tomorrow.”

Brady just glowered death at the dwarf, but he kept quiet. The roda-ki wanted to stab the stout dwarf in the face several times. Brady didn’t want the indignity of having to ride the way he had that day. In fact, he wanted to stab the Monroe girl in the face as well.

Argathous was amazed at how well-behaved Brady was. The man’s hands weren’t even tied up and he didn’t even try to make a break for it. What the boy didn’t know was that Ronaldo, Michale, and J.D. had bound Brady with the element of air and there was nothing that Brady could do but sit there and eat his meal or sleep where they told him too.

Argathous didn’t like it that Brady was loose and had a fit trying to get to sleep, but he eventually drifted off to sleep, but woke up an hour later and glanced about the camp.

Argathous saw that J.D. wasn’t watching him and he sneaked out of his bed roll and started to make his way out of the camp. He was hoping to get as far away from the camp as he possibly could before he hurt someone or himself. He didn’t want to burn someone to death by accident.

A gentle hand grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. It was Michale. The tall black man’s soft brown eyes penetrated Argathous’s deep amethyst eyes with concern and care for the young boy.

“Where do you think you’re going so late in the evening?” He asked in an even gentler voice.

Michale had Monroe with him. She was wondering why Argathous was running away as well.

Argathous was startled to have been caught so quickly. He had been an excellent hunter. When you tracked animals, you had to be quiet and stealthy in following your prey. He thought he had been, so how had Michale heard him?

Argathous swallowed hard and began explaining to Michale.

“I wanted to leave before I hurt someone.” He said honestly. “That stick caught on fire. What happens if I touch you, Ron, J.D., my cousins, and you catch on fire or maybe even one of the animals while I’m riding or getting them ready for traveling?”

The young boy’s eyes began swelling with tears at the thought of hurting anyone or anything. Tears commenced streaming down his cheeks at the thought of people and animals burning to ashes before his horrified eyes.

“Calm down.” Michale said serenely to Argathous. “You’re not going to burn anyone with that fire, no one that’s good anyway.”

“Why?” Argathous asked in a whimpering voice that belied his stature.

“Because that was that power of the Daughter or the Spirit.” Michale answered. “Her power would never hurt anyone good. Sure, it would have hurt Brady, but it wouldn’t have caught him on fire.”

“Running away from your problems isn’t going to solve anything. I know Brady has you frightened, but he's tied up with the Daughter’s power and She’s so much stronger than the power of the Son of Darkness. Brady’s not going anywhere.”

“Brady makes me have horrifying dreams.” Argathous instructed Michale. “He might be tied up, but he still plays with my mind.”

“I can’t stand it! I don’t know how he’s doing it, but he does.” He said in pain. He wished Brady would leave him alone.

“They’re just dreams.” Michale tried to console the boy. “You must learn to take control of them so that you don’t have them anymore. Brady can’t control your dreams. He can plant suggestions, but he doesn’t control your dreams. Only you do.”

“How do I do that?” Argathous ask doubting that he could control his dreams.

“When the dream starts you have to tell it to stop.” Michale instructed. “It takes practice. Brady won’t be with us much longer, so you can get some practice controlling your nightmares. Remember they’re just dreams.”

“I’ll try.” Argathous said with reservations.

“Now get to bed and get some sleep.” Michale instructed the young boy. “We still have a little way to travel before we get to the Dou-Jin Temple.”

Lilith was scanning through her cookbook she examined details through the leaves carefully searching for the perfect recipe. She had a dire appetite for an imperial raised goat. She hadn't had one in an extremely long time. She just had to have one. She thought that she was well over do for a treat. She knew all too well that she couldn’t get the kid herself. She called for one of her shadow elves to come to her room.

A shadow elf woman gracefully glided into the chamber. She was a lovely creature. She was of average height for a shadow elf female. She had long beautiful eyelashes, perfect thin lips, and there wasn’t a blemish on her young face. The young servants name was Narna. Her hair hung down to her bottom and was well groomed. Her slippered feet made no noise as she entered Lilith’s apartment.

She knelt before Lilith in humility knowing that if Lilith was angry enough that Lilith could just rip her head off and not give it a second thought. However, Lilith wasn’t in that kind of mood today, luckily for the dutiful servant.

“How may I serve you, my Mistress?” Narna asked prostrating herself before the demon goddess in sheer humility. She was enamored with her goddess and would have done anything for her even dispatched herself if Lilith had asked, she was just that dedicated. She gazed upon Lilith with pure love and devotion. She had always carried out Lilith’s request and disciplined herself if she had failed to accomplish the task to her own satisfaction.

"I'm craving an imperial raised goat in a blackberry sauce glaze." Lilith instructed her in her demonic accent. Lilith's mouth salivated at just the thought of a succulent kid. Imperial baby goat was her favorite, next to human babies. Tiny horns to nibble on and little hooves to snack on at her leisure it was just a feeling of power over the people of Theara.

"Yesss, my Mistressss." The shadow elf woman said in her shadow elf accent in obedience with her eyes focused upon the floor. "We ssshall have it for you ssshortly." She bowed and left the chambers to do her Mistresses bidding.

Lilith's stewardess went out and instructed the harvesters and scavengers what Lilith wanted. They were about their duties to get her a fine baby goat indeed. The scouts went out to find her an imperial goat to satisfy Lilith's unique appetite.

Lilith had a particular hunger for imperial kids. Those were special treats. They seemed to have a sweeter taste to them than regular goats. Lilith thought it was because the royals took better care of their goats, although she did come across a rotten one occasionally. Imperial kids had a slightly more tenderness to their meat and if prepared right their youthful skin would come out extra crispy. Imperial kid cravings was nearly as ravenous as she had for royal infants of less than two weeks old.

The spider goddess couldn't wait for her servants to come back with her precious order. She was going to have it bake with sheer perfection the thin second layer of skin would be crunchy and the meat so tender and there would be a salty seasoning to the thin layer of mucus that covered the muscle. She couldn’t wait to have the platter of the goat before her. She would have all the trimmings before her as well. Cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, virgin olives, candied yams, sweet potato pie, the finest wines, and several carbonated drinks. It would be a feast to remember as were all her imperial goat meals.

She didn’t know that if they couldn’t find an imperial goat, they just dressed up a regular kid and passed it off as an imperial. If Narna had known what they were doing she would have informed Lilith of their subterfuge. Lilith couldn’t tell the difference. She said she could, but one regular goat was the same as any other. Lilith was none the wiser. In fact, ninety percent of Lilith’s imperial goats were just regular generic baby goats.

If Lilith ever found out about this machination, she would have the heads of all involved in the process, so everyone kept their mouths shut about the deceit of the goats. They knew that a happy Lilith meant that there were no random deaths in the shadow elf’s goddess’ kingdom.

Christar, the aged mage, sat upon his well cushioned chair. He glanced through his spell books to make a small number of scrolls to enchant to create a few magical items for his shadow elven hosts. He had made them several bewitched objects that could withstand the sunlight. Most of the shadow elf weapons would disintegrate or lose the supernatural properties if left in the sunlight too long. Christar and his arch mages had made armor, weapons, wands, scrolls, and other bits and pieces for the shadow elves.

Christar had constructed several items for himself to fight against the shadow elves if he had to. They were known as sun arsenal or his anti-shadow armory. No one ever knew about the military hardware except Christar himself. Christar had special weapons magically hidden in his chambers that would fire upon anyone that came into his rooms while he was sleeping.

Christar saw a weapon that might be of use against the shadow elves. It was a ring of extreme power. It was a tricky ring to make but he thought he could make it. It had a staff of tremendous force that went with it as well, a scepter of persuasion, and a crown of intense might.

He had to get the materials to create this ring, but he was sure he could construct the ring of supremacy to dominate the shadow elves. He would rule these dark elves and it would put him one step closer to becoming a god. Christar knew that once he had control of the shadow elves, he would send them through a gateway portal and send them against Lilith’s armies, but what Christar didn’t know is that Lilith had an almost endless supply of a demonic host at her disposal.

Christar thought that she only had the shadow elves to worry about. He had never opened a gateway to spy on her unholy host of demons that she had serving her. The demon that was possessing Christar had never apprised him of the unconsecrated multitudes that was at Lilith’s disposal. Christar was blind to what Lilith had as an army and nobody was going to tell him otherwise, until it was too late.

Christar was certain that he could take Lilith down if he had the right army, magical items, and a host of powerful spells. Christar was quite narcissistic that way. Even though he wasn’t the most powerful mage, he sure thought he was. In the shadow elf city of Talcoma’De’Shore he was the most powerful magic-user and that flamed his ambitions.

Christar didn’t care what Lilith had at her disposal, because he thought he was the most dominant force on all theara. Nobody could beat him. Once he slew Laurinda Lindaura, he knew he was ready to take on the demon goddess with the utmost assurance.

Now though he had to work on magic item projects and spells. He had a lengthy road ahead of himself before he took on Lilith. He wanted to be more than prepared for her. He would be kind to her face, but he always had a dagger ready to stab her in the back when she wasn’t observing him through her smoky glass mirror.

He just had to shine her on and give her a false sense of security. He would strike at her. She’d never see it coming. He would make sure to silence her first so that she couldn’t summon demons to come to her rescue. He had to make sure that she was alone. He would have his hands full with her, let alone hundreds of demons. He had so much planning to do before he took her on, but he was sure that he could do it. Just as long as he carefully thought out the process. He had no room for error.

He wanted Lilith so bad he could taste it!

Zartan watched as the marokes were on the obstacle course with the extra ten-pound vests on and he was totally disgusted with what he saw. He was so repulsed that he had to do something about their performances, and he knew just what he had to do. These roda-ki were nothing to brag about no one stood out and there were no leaders among them. No wonder the dou-jin were beating them at everything. These apprentices needed more discipline. Zartan rushed down to the training ground and had all the marokes gather around along with their roda-ki masters.

He was where the roda-ki were running drills and waited for the last one to finish the course. They gathered around the commander in utter fear. They knew that when the commander came out of his office it wasn’t a good sign. He started yelling and cursing at them he was so irate with them.

“I look at your pathetic bloody training out here! It makes me want to become a fargan dou-jin! You runt goblins make me wish I had never joined the blasted roda-ki. You are sorry excuses for the blasted goat licking pit fiends of the roda-ki what in the deep are you doing here?!” He started raging. "This isn't fargan playtime you pit dwellers! You bastages make me want to vomit! So now you get twenty-pound vest weights! You will be run through your blasted training course twice as hard and your worthless roda-ki master’s will run them with you! I will run it with you, but I will be working out with twice as much weight as you, and I will still run the course better than you, and you’ll see how a real roda-ki is to do the job!”

“I’m tired of watching blasted crappy sluggish training! You should be ashamed of yourselves. You call yourselves maroke and roda-ki, when really, you’re nothing but blasted feral female dogs! I want to see you doing your bloody best out here! I don’t want to see any half-arse attempts on this training ground! You had better hope that I see you doing your best out here, or there will be hell to pay!” He finished his speech with stern emphasis to get his point across.

The commander went in and changed his clothes into his heavy training gear, which was forty pounds, twice that of everyone else. He was dressed in a weighted vest, arm weights, leg weights and he was ready to go. He was going to show these worthless sons of dogs that they were as worthless as puke on the latrine floor.

"You sons of feral goats are going to know what it means to be roda-ki!" He bellowed. "When you see how easy it is for me, you'll be embarrassed at your bloody performances! You goat licking excuses for maroke and roda-ki will see just how blasted pathetic you are when you witness how easily I do the course and gauntlet! You pit dwellers disgust me. I thought you were men and women, but what I see is whipped puppies!"

He was going to run the course faster and more efficient than the roda-ki masters and their maroke were going to run it. He wouldn’t have been surprised if some of the maroke ran the course and track faster than their roda-ki masters.

“Get ready let’s go!” He ran them ragged! He wasn’t even affected by the work out. Some kept up with him for a while, but soon they were all lagging. He screamed at them to get their butts moving of he would get the whip out and give them each several lashes until they picked up their pace. Everyone else was sitting or lying on the ground trying to catch their breath. They were wheezing, coughing, they had stitches in their chests and sides, and a few even vomited from the harsh work out.

“Now you’ve seen me do it! Now you’ll do it until you can do it as well as I can!” Zartan wasn’t even breathing hard. "I’ll do this training with you every day until you can all do it without all the symptoms of exhaustion. You fargan greasy sheep kissing swine herder maggots disgust me! I see you out here working out and you remind me of toddlers in a play pen! I am going to work you so hard that you’ll will puke your guts out after each training session! You hear me!?"

"Yes sir.' They all answered unenthusiastically.

"What was that!?" He screamed back at them. He couldn’t believe their lack of discipline. That was a pathetic answer. Are you a bunch of little fargan girls?”

"YES SIR! HAIL LUCIFEROUS!" They all yelled.

“I want to hear a hail Luciferous at the end of yes sir every time you salute me. I want those right arms sticking out at a forty-five-degree angle and all of you all into saluting Luciferous!” Zartan yelled. “You’ll learn your place in this army and you’ll learn it fast. I don’t want any pathetic whining out of any of you or you’ll get a strapping like you’ve never had!”

“YES SIR! HAIL LUCIFEROUS!” They yelled and saluted. They still appeared pitiful and Zartan was about to jump out of his skin. “I can’t believe the lack of discipline in my roda-ki and maroke! I want you standing up straight and at attention, your arms and hands out at a crisp forty-five-degree angle and I don’t want to hear you whining out your yes sir hail Luciferous! Is that understood?”

They all jumped up and stood at attention and brought their arms up and scream “YES SIR! HAIL LUCIFEROUS!

"Now get going and run the courses again!" He shouted in the weakest marokes face as the marokes had barely acrossed the line. “You will run this course until you can beat the maroke across this line is that understood! Otherwise, you can expect a blanket party!”

“If you don’t know what a blanket party is!” Zartan screamed in their faces. “It’s when a group of men and women tie you up in your blanket in the middle of the night when you’re sleeping, and they beat the crap out of you until you’re no longer a disgrace to the group! Is that understood?!”

“YES SIR! HAIL LUCIFEROUS!!” They all shouted. With their arms and hands at a forty-five-degree angle in the air.

“Now get going, you blasted sons of goats!” Zartan screamed for emphases.

“I don’t want to see any of you lollygagging around the course or you’ll run the course until you can’t run it anymore! We here at the roda-ki school don’t accept losers in our midst! You will run this course until you get it right or die trying!”

“Is that understood?” Zartan said yelling at them in each of their faces.

“YES SIR! HAIL LUCIFEROUS!!” They tried to yell back.

“Now get going until dinner and then it’s off to bed!” Commander Xander shouted.

“The last ten people across the finish line will have kitchen duty, latrine duty, and whatever tasks I can think of after that!” Zartan was going to have them doing useless tasks until they could get their performances up to par. He was going to have them dig holes and then refill them with spoons, he was going to have them clean the bath houses with toothbrushes and then he would walk across them with muddy boots and make them start over, and he would find other meaningless tasks for the final ten, and if the group couldn’t get their performances up then the entire group would be performing worthless everyday jobs.

Zartan smiled a sinister grin. He knew that the bastages wouldn’t be able to get their performances up. He was going to think up other punishments for his students and masters. He was most disappointed in the roda-ki masters. They should have performed above and beyond his expectations.

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maximumjinx · 3 years

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Steven Universe Gravity Falls AU

~Yknow what they say, if you run out of content, ya gotta make it yourself. This is a ? shot (I might continue or not who knows not me) please don’t ask for more I have 18 unfinished fanfics on this site.~

California was nice, Steven had to admit. The people were nice, the food was fantastic, and the weather was splendid. It reminded him a lot of Beach City. Though there were just so many people, and traveling north, Steven was beginning to long for something small and simple again.

Oregon was the perfect place for that, right?

“Ronaldo wants pictures of Bigfoot, and if anyone can find him, its you Steven.” Petey’s voice was faint on Steven’s phone speaker, tossed into the passenger seat as Steven blindly picked a highway exit.

“Sure Petey, but couldn’t Ronaldo just go to a circus?”

“Not big feet Steven,” Petey emphasized, “Bigfoot.”

“Saying it twice isn’t helping buddy.” Steven was half paying attention. He was focusing on the winding roads and the looming trees surrounding him. Deep, in the pit of Steven’s stomach, he felt something start to tug him toward one direction farther away from the highway. He wasn’t quite sure if it was a good or bad feeling yet.

“Forget it, I’m going to take a blurry photo of that mean Gem in the woods and say its Bigfoot.”

“Just don’t let Jasper catch you, she’s no joke when she’s angry.”

“I saw her ripping grass out of the ground I think I’ll be fine. Later dude.”

Steven heard a small click and smiled to himself. He’s happy to see how far the people of Beach City have come and how they’ve taken to the gems. He remembers when the Crystal Gems were once the outcasts of town that locals warned you to stay away from.

He looked up to see a welcome sign.

“Gravity falls. Well, that’s a funny name.”

—

Steven wanted small and simple but he feels he may have overshot it.

This small town had exactly three attractions. A town museum that mentioned marrying woodpeckers (Steven couldn’t figure out if that was a normal human thing, like taxes and velcro), a small diner, and as one local described it ‘some tourist trap’ deep in the woods. It was a sticky summer day and the former two attractions didn’t have airconditioning. Steven gambled on the last stop in hopes of stretching his legs and maybe finding a source to the strange feeling in his gut. It had become much stronger since he entered this small town. Alluring, but nothing related to Gems as far as Steven could tell.

He parked in the nearly empty lot and stepped out. Jacket wrapped loosely around his hips, Steven made his way inside.

A girl that looked about 13 was petting a pig on the front porch. She was incredibly reflective, and depsite the heat wore a knitted bedazzled sweater that made her glow like a disco ball in the sun.

She looked Steven up and down as he approached, a wide smile taking up her face and Steven saw bright braces with colored bands.

“Hi!” She launched upwards, startling the pig away, “I’m Mabel, but you can call me anytime.” The girl winked and stuck out her hand, palm facing the floor.

Steven blinked.

“Mabel, stop scaring away the customers!” A gruff voice yelled through the screen door, and soon an older man stepped out in a suit, wearing a fez and eyepatch.

Immediately the old man squinted at Steven, sizing him up.

Stanley Pines knew this teen wasn’t local, but he wasn’t sure if he had any money. For all he knew he was another boy trying to hit on his giftshop cashier, Wendy.

Oh well, a customer is a customer.

“Come in, come in, and see our mystical and magical wonders!”

“Magical?” This could be it, Steven could figure out why this town has felt off. Maybe it was gem related after all.

Quickly this older man who had introduced himself as Mr. Mystery gave Steven a tour of what looked like failed taxidermy projects. Now Steven may have a lived a sheltered childhood, but he felt pretty confident there was no such thing as a Sashcrotch. And so far, nothing had felt magical or mysterious.

“That concludes our tour! Here is our mistifying giftshop and it’s purchasable wonders!”

“Right...” Well, at the very least he was able to spend some time in airconditioning.

There was a girl behind the desk in plaid that looked about Steven’s age, and just a half inch shorter than him. She looked bored, flipping through a magazine as a young boy that looked a lot like Mabel made googly eyes as he swept by the door.

Steven guessed there was no harm in asking around.

“Hi, I’m Steven.” He smiled easily, walking up to the register.

“No refunds, even if an exhibit bit you.” She sighed, peeking up before turning back to her magazine.

“Oh no, nothing bit me, I just wanted to know something.”

She looked up to get a better look at Steven and gave a small smirk.

“Sure, but only because I like your shirt. Mr. Universe merch, now that’s a deep cut.”

Unbeknownst to Steven, Dipper Pines would had been watching the exchange felt a twinge of uneasiness as this out of towner talked with Wendy.

“Have you ever seen anything strange or weird actually happen in this town?”

Wendy’s smile dropped.

“Why do you ask?” Her eyes flickered to Dipper, just for a moment, and that was all he needed to rush over.

“Excuse me sir, please buy something or exit the store.” Dipper spoke in the deepest voice he could muster.

Steven looked over with a questioning expression.

“Oh sure uh-“ He blindly reached for the wad of bills that his dad had given to him before he left. Steven pulled out a hundred dollar bill and put it on the counter. Wendy looked up baffled as Steven stuffed the other cash back in his wallet.

“Boy was I wrong about you kid!” Mr. Mystery, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, now bounded over. He had loosened his tie and lost the eyepatch which turned out he never needed.

“Whaddya wanna know? I’ll tell you everything. There’s gnomes in the woods you know-“

“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper protested loudly, dragging his Stan away and harshly whispering at him.

“Did you steal that money?” Wendy asked as Steven watched the pair whisper fight in the corner. He turned back to the girl and gave a sheepish smile.

“Uh no, my dad gave it to me before this roadtrip. He’s actually Mr. Universe.”

Wendy lit up.

“No freaking way! Your dad is Mr. Universe? I only got into him since he managed Sadie Killer and the Suspects and they always perform covers of his songs on tour, I can’t believe he’s your dad!” She rambled, stars in her eyes. Steven beamed, he loved when people praised his dad’s music. Greg really deserved it.

Steven learned Wendy’s name and they swapped stories back and forth, only interrupted as the girl from outside slowly rose from the behind the counter beaming.

“A cute musician that loves weird stuff, take me now.” She swooned. Steven blushed profusely, not used to the attention.

“Sorry, my girlfriend Connie probably wouldn’t like that very much.” He said gently. Mabel looked him up and down and pouted.

“I can wait, but not forever.” She warned, and winked, bounding to break apart her grunkle and Dipper, who are now whisper screaming with arms flailing.

“I wasn’t going to mention that Dorito shaped jerk! Just the normal stuff!”

“It’s dangerous! He could be a spy, or government, or another stack of gnomes!”

Steven raised an eyebrow and looked at Wendy. She chuckled and shrugged. Steven carefully approached them.

“He can hear everything you’re saying anyways so might as well tell him!” Mabel interrupted, nodding towards Steven as he came up.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m definitely not government.” Steven technically didn’t exist at all. He never had a social security card and didn’t have a birth certificate.

Dipper only glared. Rich strangers with an interest in the paranormal didn’t come through gravity falls without some kind of agenda.

Steven hated the conflict he was starting. No information was worth this family fighting.

“Okay,” he surrendered, hands up, “I’ll just go. I’ll stick around town until tomorrow if you change your minds”

“Wait Steven-”

“Let him go Wendy,” Dipper glared as the boy in pink walked out, “We can’t trust him.”

“But I was going to ask for Sadie tickets...” Wendy groaned, defeated.

“There’s something weird about him.”

“Great!” Mabel beamed, “He’ll fit right in.”

~.~

Steven wasn’t crazy about sleeping in his car, but was seriously considering it after seeing the state of his motel room. It looked like it hadn’t been used in decades, a thin line of dust covering every surface. He was also pretty sure they didn’t even have free ice.

“Wish Pearl were here..” He mumbled, exhausted. He curled up on top of the covers, fully clothed, and let sleep take him.

Being Steven Universe however, meant rest was sure to allude the half alien.

Steven found himself in a dark space, fog all around him. Before a word could come out of his mouth he heard a fast, repetitive muttering.

“Stranger...Wendy looked pretty today..Can’t trust...Tell no one...Ford isn’t here..”

“What, the-” Steven quietly walked toward the source of dialogue, and saw the faded silhouette of the boy from the Mystery Shack. His back was turned to him, but Steven recognized the blue vest and mosquito bitten legs.

“I thought I was over the dream hopping.” Steven spoke a tad too loudly, starting the young boy - Dipper.

“What-” Dipper’s eyes grew wide in panic, and the boy fell back harshly.

“No, no, you can’t be in my head!”

“Wait, I’m not-” Steven tried to reassure him, stepping carefully towards the boy but Dipper let out a screech of terror, sweat gathering around his temples.

“Bill sent you didn’t he?! He’s not really gone- he’s going to hurt Mable again-” Dipper began to hyperventilate.

“Dipper please,” Steven took a step back, arms in the air in surrender.

“I-”

“I’m not going to hurt you I swear on the gems.” He placed a hand over his heart. “This is a total invasion of privacy but it’s something that happens when someone’s emotions are out of control-”

“How are you here?” Dipper demanded, scrambling to his feet. “Tell me what you are and what you want.”

“I’m just passing through!” Steven insisted, then lowered his tone to calm the younger boy. “I’m kinda of magnet for weird stuff. I just wanted to help in case anything was going on.”

“We deal with things just fine around here.” Dipper spat, then watched as Steven deflated. He seemed tired, like he hasn't slept well in a while.

“So what are you anyways? How can you be here?”

Steven winced, and laughed nervously. “It’s kind of a long story..”

Dipper raised and eyebrow and swept his arm around the void dramatically.

“You have until dawn.”

“I thought that was a conspiracy theory, it wasn’t even covered by major news outlets.” Dipper look exhausted, cross legged on the unseen floor as he ran his hands through his hair.

“I think Garnet is pretty persuasive when it comes to government and reporters. They all kinda fall in love with her.”

“She’s the one that’s really two aliens?”

Steven shook his head with a small smile. “It’s hard to explain but yes, I guess that comes close.”

“That’s actually insane. I’m insane, aren’t I?” Dipper stood up, leaving Steven on sitting next to an empty space. “It’s been too quiet around here and now I’m so desperate for weird, that I’m making it all up in my head.”

“I get that feeling.” Steven smiled without humor, “but no, this is real. I’ll prove it when you wake up.” Steven felt a shift, the fog in the void getting denser.

“Sooner than I thought, you’re an early riser huh?”

Dipper looked back at Steven, panicked. “You’ll come to the Shack again right? In just a bit?”

Steven smiled. “Promise.”

Dipper woke up to his sister braiding his hair. Mabel still had her pjs on, and a make up kit next to the bed. Dipper frowned, tasting strawberry shortcake.

“Stop testing party looks on me, Mabel.”

“Stop having my face structure and maybe I will.” She grinned, covered in blue glitter.

Dipper quickly washed up and got dressed for the day, feeling like he was anxiously waiting for something but not quite remembering what.

He felt like he had a strange dream last night...

He quickly remembered, choking on cereal as Steven walked into the shack right as it opened. Hair slightly frizzy from the heat and eyes strangely tired. Maybe dream hopping took energy that he anticipated.

“Steven!”

“Meal ticket!”

“Grunkle Stan.” Mabel chastised as Dipper rushed over to the older boy.

“Good morning everyone.”

Dipper stopped short, slightly hoping that everything he experienced wasn’t just his imagination. That everything exciting and weird and interesting wasn’t always trying to kill him, ruin his life, or steal his candy.

Steven looked tired, like he had been doing this much longer than Dipper, but he had still come out with enough energy to smile.

“Not insane?” Dipper asked hopefully, quietly. Steven snapped his attention from his Grunkle and Mable bickering down to the Dipper. He gave a reassuring smile, eyes quite serious.

“Not insane.”

#I feel like I made up a strange tension but please don't ship them THEYRE FOUND FAMILY #Steven universe #gravity falls #universe falls #???#what's the tag?#dipper pines #Mabel pines #grunkle stan #stan pines #bill cipher #this is something or maybe nothing idk people need to give me plot ideas #probably no plot just one shot series

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miedemamadness · 3 years

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Vivianne Miedema: Dissecting the best strikers at Euro 2020 - The Athletic

There is an incredible variety among Europe’s top strikers at the moment, and that is reflected at Euro 2020. If you take the top goalscorers from the major European leagues, and then compare them to each other, they’re completely different players. It’s Harry Kane in England, Robert Lewandowski in Germany, Kylian Mbappe in France, and Cristiano Ronaldo in Italy. They’re all big names, but stylistically there is huge diversity.

I’ve always studied attacking players to try to improve myself. Growing up, I wasn’t really exposed to much women’s football, so I watched a lot of forwards from the men’s game. When you’re young, you have your idols. Mine was Robin van Persie. To this day, I try to examine players to understand what they do — movement-wise, technique-wise, tactics-wise.

Ronaldo’s record speaks for itself. He is now the top goalscorer in men’s European Championship history. After his two penalties against France last night, he has matched Ali Daei as the highest ever goalscorer in international football. Any footballer, at any level, can benefit from watching him.

I don’t think he gets enough credit for how he’s adapted his game over the years. I went back and did some research on his career — it feels like in every single season he made little tweaks to his game.

We all remember him at Manchester United. I was young then, but I still remember that excitable right winger taking people on, dribbling with the ball and shooting from outside the box. After a couple of years in Madrid, he converted himself into almost a second nine, just to the left of Karim Benzema.

Look back at his goals then: his striking ability and the power he generates is so good. He doesn’t need to put disguise on his shots, because he connects so well. Even if the goalkeeper knows where it’s going, he can’t get there.

But Ronaldo didn’t stop there. He continued evolving. When he went to Juventus, he started playing out on the left wing. He began dribbling again, and having a wider influence on the game. He was playing off a target man in Mario Mandzukic or Alvaro Marata, and then you saw something else happening to his game. It wasn’t just about goalscoring anymore, it was about creating too. To still be developing and changing at his age is pretty unique.

You can see that evolution in his physique too. He’s gone through such different stages. Once he got to Madrid, he really bulked up. He looked very strong, but his top speed was probably lower than it is right now. This summer he looks a little leaner, and he is flying.

We all saw his blistering run to score against Germany, covering 97 metres at 32 km per hour. To do that at 36 is incredible, but it wasn’t a surprise to me — I noticed that in one of the warm-up friendlies against Spain, he sprinted 60 metres in just seven seconds. That’s 32 km per hour. He’s doing this consistently.

He’s taken his game to a new level by making little physical adaptations. He’s worked out what he needs to do to make the difference on the pitch.

I try to do that myself. When we went into lockdown, I had four months training away from the Arsenal squad, trying to keep myself fit. I decided to work on running in-behind, to add a different dimension to my game. I was locked down with Lisa Evans, who is naturally super-quick and has always had that ability. We worked on it together so I could begin to introduce it to my play. Two years ago, I couldn’t have run behind 10 times in a match because I would have torn my hamstring! But now, when I see the opportunity, I can do it.

Of course, you need to have the stamina. Against Hungary, Ronaldo scored two goals in the last five minutes. That shows how mentally and physically sharp he still is.

His second goal against Hungary was not one of his most spectacular. Going through one-on-one, just a few yards out, he shaped to shoot before dummying past the Hungarian goalkeeper, Peter Gulacsi. It looked easy. It looked simple.

For a fellow forward, however, it was beautiful in its efficiency. The little touch he took to go around the keeper — how many other strikers would even try that? People say moments like that come from practising on the training ground, but that’s not right. This isn’t something you can learn in training, it’s something you pick up during your career. It’s something you earn through experience. It’s a sixth sense of knowing what to do in front of goal.

Ronaldo doesn’t panic. He knows that by taking it around the keeper, he turns a 50-50 chance into a 100 per cent goal. His instincts are perfectly attuned, his mind in perfect connection with his body. People say he is robotic. That’s not right either: you can only produce a piece of skill like that if you truly feel football.

When you’re analysing strikers, you can almost separate the tactical, technical and physical qualities of each player. Take Lewandowski and Romelu Lukaku, for example — there is a huge difference in style, but they’re both so effective.

I’ve watched a lot of Bundesliga this season, and Lewandowski — who scored two outstanding, and very different, goals against Sweden last night to keep his country in with a chance of getting out of the group — has such an instinctive understanding of where to be in the box. He scored 41 goals in 29 games — crazy numbers.

Yes, part of that is about knowing where the ball will drop, but it’s also about reacting to what other players do. That’s the difficult bit: you have to know your team-mates, and know your opponent — that’s what enables you to anticipate quicker than anybody else.

When I was at Bayern, Lewandowski was there too. I watched him train. He plays fully focused, all of the time. His concentration is unbelievable: even in the four-on-fours and seven-a-sides, you can see him looking at where the ball could end up. When a team-mate has a shot, his eyes aren’t on that player — they’re already looking at the goal, and anticipating where the ball might ricochet. It gives him a split-second before anyone else moves. The goals look simple, but when you break down all the work that goes into them, they’re far from it.

He does it so naturally. Personally, I don’t think of myself as a pure goalscorer in that way, I’m more of a creator. I’m always telling people I’m not a “nine” — but I score a lot of goals, so no-one believes me. Ciro Immobile is another predator who has shone in this tournament. He scored from outside the box against Switzerland, but it’s his goal against Turkey that sums him up: inside the area, first to react, first to the ball.

Lukaku is a different type entirely. His physique is something else. He’s got the body; he’s got the speed. The moment he faces forward and he runs at you, you’ve got absolutely no chance. He achieves such separation, so easily.

I love how he’s proven people wrong. When he was at United, people took the mick out of his first touch — but look at the way he’s played this season. His recent record for Belgium is absolutely ridiculous: 23 goals in his last 21 games.

Again, he deserves credit for the way he has evolved physically. I’m not saying he was overweight at Manchester United, but he didn’t have the same physique he has right now. For such a big guy, he’s now able to turn very quickly. You see that in his dribbling — he has such flexibility. He’s adding things to his game, and is a completely different player these days.

His athleticism means you can play him upfront alone, and he can run in behind time after time for the whole 90 minutes. You need that in this tournament — especially with so many teams playing a back five. When you’re up against three centre-backs, there’s obviously a lot less space for the striker. Personally, I hate playing against five at the back. To thrive, you need to engage your tactical brain.

There are different ways you can combat a back five: if they play a high block, like Russia tried to do against Belgium, you need the No 9 to make diagonal runs across the lateral centre-backs. It pulls them deeper and disrupts the line. Look at Lukaku’s two goals in that game — they both come from that very run.

If the defence sit in deeper, like Scotland did against England, then sometimes the striker really needs to pull one of the three centre-backs out. That can mean the No 9 coming back into midfield to drag his marker with him, enabling a No 10 or wide forward to run in behind. Kane has been criticised for playing deep, but tactically it’s the right move. His quality is on the ball, he needs to be involved — the issue is that, with England, he doesn’t have the same understanding he does with someone like Son Heung-min at Spurs. When he drops in, there isn’t the same movement in-behind. England are still a developing team, and those relationships aren’t there yet.

France are still trying to find the right balance too. For pure talent, few countries can match the trio of Mbappe, Benzema and Antoine Griezmann. The question is whether they can develop the relationships on the field quickly enough. Benzema joined the group late — though there are signs it may be clicking.

If it does, I’ll be watching. I’m still only 24. There’s still a lot to learn, and I believe I can still get better. Studying your contemporaries can only help you do that. At 36, Ronaldo is proof that the process never stops: keep observing, keep evolving, keep improving.

#vivianne miedema #arsenal women #arsenal wfc #womens football #football #euro 2020 #dutch #oranje leeuwinnen #arsenal #harry kane #romelu lukaku #ronaldo #robert lewandowski

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madampianoo · 3 years

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Hey guys 💖 Here's Zlatans latest FULL interview with France Football. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did. This was such tasty appetiser before tomorrows main course meal match and start of his new season.

P.S. Please excuse english, it was google translated

Have you ever found your stolen Fido Dido ?

"Not. They stole it and I never saw it again. But maybe it was cosmic justice for all the bikes I stole. It's a pity, it was my favorite bike ... "

If you could find the one who stole it from you now, what would you do to it?

"I would buy him a new one and take mine back."

You devoted a lot of space to that story in your autobiography. Was it a turning point in your life to move from the role of victim to the other side?

"No. I was young and stupid. I did all sorts of things to survive. I needed a bike to ride here and there. When they stole my bike, I started stealing them from others. I did it solely for the reason that I could not afford to buy others. I know it's not a positive story ... But things like that are done to move forward in life, right? ”

What would you steal from football today if you could and give it to little Zlatan ?

"Nothing. I would just tell him to be more patient. And that his hard work will return one day. I worked hard, but I didn’t have the patience. I wanted everything now. "

How did you learn to be patient?

"It's very difficult when you're young. But when you have the experience I have now, learn what patience is. But when you are young and wild, full of various ideas and energy, when you want to discover the whole world and learn everything at once, then it is not easy to be patient. You need to be surrounded by people who have experience, who will calm you down and who will tell you the truth. "

What will be left behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he finishes his career?

"I do not know. Something will remain ... If something remains, it means I did a good job. Maybe some of my ideas and thoughts will remain from everything. That you should believe in yourself, that you should have your own personality and that you should not refrain from saying something you think. "

Did you make mistakes?

"I make mistakes every day. I am making a mistake now that I am talking about your newspaper. "

Maybe we're making a mistake talking to you too ...

"I'm kidding ... Mistakes are normal, we make them every day and they help us to be better people. "No one is perfect."

What are you most proud of?

"Everything I did. I come from a place where everyone condemned me and told me that something was impossible. I was constantly told that I was not good enough. And I'm still here. I stand still in my football boots. At 39 years old. And I'm proud of that. "

Could you have done more than this?

"It can always be more and better. It's a question of mentality. "

Even you?

"Every person can do better and more. In my head I always aim for the maximum and I am always convinced that I have given the maximum. Could I have done better, that can be discussed ... "

Do you ever get tired of the attention of the public, journalists, fans, everyone's opinions?

"It's all part of my job. I didn't choose it that way. When you are as good as me, that is inevitable and must be accepted. "

How do you comment on the claims of some that you are a great player in small games?

"Everyone has the right to an opinion and to express it."

Did that bother you when you were younger?

"Not. I used it as a propellant to be as good as possible. I was motivated by such stories. I went forward and looked to never be satisfied. I received all these criticisms in such a way as to ignite the fire in my heart and to extract additional energy from them. "

What do you regret?

"It simply came to our notice then. Do you really think that I would be a better football player if I won all the trophies? "

Not. Even the Brazilian Ronaldo did not win everything ...

"Exactly. Of course, it would be wonderful if I won everything. But that doesn't make me a weaker or better footballer. I like guys who say to me: 'Zlatan, you didn't win the World Cup, you're not a good player'. Okay ... But it's easier to win the World Cup when you're French than when you're Swedish. Let's go back to the Champions League. The longer you wait for it, the sweeter it is. I still have a goal to win it. I won everything but her in club football. But I won't quack even if I don't win it because I've already done a lot more than most footballers. I'm a happy man. "

You didn't even win the Golden Ball. Does Zlatan miss the Golden Ball or does the Golden Ball miss Zlatan ?

"I think they miss me there on that list of conquerors."

You finished in fourth place in terms of the number of votes in 2013, and that is your best ranking. Is it weird that you didn't win it?

"You see, every player wants a trophy that tells him he is the best in the world. Deep down, I think I'm the best in the world. It would be prestigious if I won it, but it is the voters who decide. You journalists are voting and you know why I didn't win it! Ha-ha-ha ... ”

Well, it's not just us from France, there are also journalists from all over the world ...

"A-ha-ha!"

Messi and Ronaldo have won it several times. What do they have that you don't have?

"If you talk about essential qualities, I have nothing less than them. If you look at the trophies, I didn't win the Champions League like them ... But I really don't know how you measure and calculate that. Nor am I obsessed with it. You see, when you do good collective things, then individual rewards are a consequence of that. An individual cannot be good if the collective is weak. "

Where do you see yourself in the history of football? If there was a table, where would you put yourself?

"What do you want me to answer you?"

Who would be next to you on that table?

"It is not relevant to compare players from different eras. Everyone played in their generation, with different teammates. These are difficult things to compare. Everyone has their own story, and mine is full of problems. "

Does your personality set you apart in the world of football?

"I am just what I am. People try hard to be ideal to others. I always say ‘Be what you are and that is perfection’. I will not change because of success. For no reason will I change. Whatever happens, I will be what I am. I just want to play my game and have my team win. The rest will come of its own accord. I didn't choose to be famous. It's just a consequence of the work I do. "

We thought about jumping out of the pattern and what you're doing on the field.

"But it's all connected to the field. People talk a lot off the field today. But if you're not good on the field, and you talk a lot, then you're just a clown. "

Are there many clowns in the world of football?

"As much as you want ... A bunch!"

You consider yourself ideal in your head because you are what you are. How do you know this is right?

"I don't want to be perfect to someone else by force and talk about how I don't make mistakes. Maybe all this is a mistake. But I will remain what I am. I don't want you to send me questions before the interview, I don't want to know what you're going to ask me, I don't care. Readers will judge us whether the interview is good or not. "

When you left Paris Saint-Germain, you said, 'I came like a lion, I leave like a king . ' Do you really care so much about being remembered?

"I wrote my story in Paris and left my motto. Now let someone else write it and leave your motto. I don’t try to make people remember me by what I say. He will remember me on the field and what I did there. "

Are you arrogant or pretentious?

"I'm just a man full of confidence."

Does it matter to you that they recognize you as special?

"I am not special. I am a normal guy and a professional. I don’t want to share my whole life with the rest of the world. I'm not an instagram clown who wakes up in the morning and thinks what is the most beautiful photo for him to post. I share my professional challenges with the rest of the world. Privacy must exist. I don't want to share it either. But I want to share some parts of my professional life because it's part of my job. "

Do you deliberately block the fragility and insecurity from your childhood with your behavior, when the fierce guys in your Rosengard called you "lukewarm"?

"No. And I have a part of the personality that is fragile. I have emotions and weaknesses. There are things that hurt me. It's all natural. I'm not the Hulk, I'm not Superman, nor have I ever wanted to play them. I had difficult moments that hardened me, but I stepped forward. Today, I am no longer a guy of 20 or 25, but a family man with two children. I think differently, but my character has remained the same. "

Are you still a fierce guy at 40?

"People, is it possible that you still consider me a football gangster?" I know you had that title and some picture ... I'm no gangster. Of course I'm still a strong guy. I am almost two meters tall and I train hard and work on myself every day. I'm not someone who lies on the beach and shows muscles. I was born like this and I try to adapt the game to my constitution. I'm not as fast as I was at the age of 25, but now I have some other qualities. "

Does that mean you're a good guy?

"Yes I am. When you meet me, you will see how much heart I have. When they don't know me, people hate me. "

Do you want to be loved by everyone?

"No. I just want to be respected when I do something good. In fact, what is the love of all? There can be no love from someone I don't even know. Love is something reserved for those closest to you. Take Inter fans for example. When I was with them, they loved me. Now they hate me. This means that love has never been as real as with loved ones. Love cannot arise and disappear so quickly. I'm not one of those guys who will organize humanitarian actions just for someone to tell them: 'Wow, he's a good guy!'. It's a 'fake'. I'm going to do something because I want to do it. And not because someone would like me. I do it with my heart, some do it with my brain. If I send money to hospitals, it doesn't have to be known. I'm doing this because they really need that money with this damn crown. And I will not brag publicly. "

Is that one of the worst things in football today?

"It's simply part of football. People want to have perfect images. But in the end, they will meet reality. Everything will be known. Look at Tiger Woods. It seemed to be the most perfect character in the world ... People, just be what you are and don't try to be someone else. Don’t manipulate because it will all come back to you. No filters! ”

When you learned the Swedish national anthem, did you do it from the heart, not to be loved in your own country?

"When I was little, I didn't feel like a Swede. My parents are from Bosnia and Croatia. They influenced me to feel different, to look at me differently, to judge me differently and to treat me differently. That's why I didn't feel 100 percent Swedish. But today I am 100 percent Swedish. Even in France today, many talk about some old France and old times. The world today is full of various mixes and contrasts. And it doesn’t mean you’re not 100 percent Swedish or French if you accept that world. When you are young, you do not understand some things. It is mentally difficult when you are treated differently as a child. People think that it will pass quickly, and they do not know that the consequences remain for years. I was always in favor of getting the strongest blow at once because the pain lasts less than being constantly harassed with small and vile blows. Constant harassment leaves longer traumas. But those people who are harassing do not know that they are backward and live in the old world while we pass in front of them with the new world. It is a world of open minds in which I am Swedish and in which my children are Swedes. "

Do you still think differently from LeBron James, with whom you used to be friends?

"I do not want to enter politics because it divides people. Football unites people. I was lucky to meet people I would never have met without football. From all over the world. "Sport and politics are two different worlds and I am glad to be in the former."

But it happens that you express an attitude that has to do with politics.

"We athletes spread love and joy. I'm good at it and I know how to do it. You will not bring politics into my world. "

What are your fears and anxieties?

"With this corona situation, the world has changed completely. The situation is improving a bit, but ... The other day I went out to a restaurant with my family. It was weird. Then cam video audience in stadiums. And that was weird to me. I got used to it and I only wanted one thing: To go home ?! I'm used to the house, the masks ... It won't be easy to come back mentally. I hope that everything will be the same as before, but I am afraid that this will leave consequences on people. "

When you became a parent, did your children bring fears?

"There is no room for fear when we talk about children. We can talk about weaknesses. When you have children, they become your weakness. Then your life is no longer in your hands but in theirs. They become the most important ... Guys, we missed the interview date! I won't give you any more! I'm too expensive to tell you so much, ha-ha-ha ... "

How expensive are you?

"A lot ... Ask PSG!"

Can I have another five, ten minutes?

"Come on."

We would like to ask you about retirement. Are you afraid to stop playing football?

"A little bit. It is difficult for every football player when he has to retire. You have been programmed throughout your career. It is known when you get up, have breakfast, train, have lunch, rest, have dinner ... Someone else takes care of everything, it's just yours to press the 'repeat' button every day. The first day you wake up at the end of your playing career, you ask yourself, 'What the hell am I going to do today?' You are no longer programmed and you do not know what to do. That scares me a little. But what should I do? Luckily, I don’t think about it yet. I'm not for retirement. "

We in France call it the ‘little death’.

"That's it! Absolutely! After a lot depends on what kind of person you are. How will you cope and how will you fight. It's not easy".

But isn't that some kind of relief? You can eat and drink whatever you want

"After my playing career, I want to disappear. When you are in this world like me for so long and you know what you have been through physically and mentally, you just need to disappear and enjoy life

#ibrahimovic #ac milan #zlatan ibrahimovic

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novantinuum · 3 years

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incomplete list of Personal Comfort SU episodes that i love to watch to have a giggle and feel better about life:

Bubble Buddies

Steven and Connie are precious and adorable, send tweet.

Serious Steven

I just really dig the “baby’s first dangerous Gem mission” vibe of this, it feels so Classic SU and nostalgic.

An Indirect Kiss

Steven and Connie are precious and adorable Pt. 2, plus it’s just like? Really well framed, narratively.

Space Race

Steven, Greg, and Pearl build a rocket ship and bond. What more could anyone want?

Fusion Cuisine

I feel like half the fandom hates this one, but to me there’s so many gut punchers of jokes, and I can never get through this one without audibly laughing.

Future Vision

The ragtime music when Steven’s thinking about potential gruesome deaths kills me every single time. The juxtaposition between the two is a scream.

Say Uncle

Bold take. Say Uncle is hilarious, actually. It’s just absolutely absurd and I can appreciate it for that.

Story For Steven

Greg, Rose, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst... I could honestly watch an entire season of just these five losers hanging out and doing nothing. Absolutely fantastic.

Rising Tides, Crashing Skies

Ronaldo’s funniest episode, in my mind. The interview/poorly edited footage gimmicks of it make me lose my sanity it’s just too good dukhsnfhjg

Onion Friend

Onion is a terrifying small child and it both spooks and delights me. The reactions Steven has to everything kill me.

Back to the Barn

“Noo! Giant robots shouldn’t fight!” “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!”

Log Date 7 15 2

Peridot being feral for 11 minutes. ‘Nuff said.

Hit the Diamond

One of the ultimate feel-good episodes of this whole damn show, IMO. They’re just. Vibing. And playing baseball. On the whole, very low stakes. The rubies are so friggin daft it’s funny. Everyone’s just having a good time out there. Very gay.

Steven Floats

Another one of the episodes that just hits me over and over and over with well timed jokes. Garnet breaking into a car off-screen and coming back with Kofi’s phone... oh my god.

Beach City Drift

Stevonnie races a binch and- even if they can’t rub a win in his face- decides to enjoy the scenery have a good night. Sometimes the sweetest victories are the most mundane ones.

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

The cheese jokes always get me good.

The Kindergarten Kid

SU meets Looney Tunes. Zany. An absolute scream.

Gem Harvest

I really dig the quieter family moments in this show, and this gives me some good, soft, found-family bonding. Everyone’s together! Enjoying life! Blessed.

Gem Heist

Ruby and Sapphire’s Antics are just so dumb and I love them. Sapphire YELLING to VERY DISCRETELY LET THEM KNOW SHE’S COMING BACK, especially.

The Good Lars

Ultimate feel-good slice of life, here. Love me some Steven and Lars bonding moments.

Back to the Kindergarten

This episode is like a big mug of hot cocoa. It’s a friend taking my hand when I’m depressed and dragging me to do something fun. So sweet.

The Big Show

I adore found footage stuff. It’s just so cozy and slice of life, and has such good character moments.

Pool Hopping

Steven and Garnet being random for 8 minutes until they find a bunch of feral kittens in the woods. Literally exactly what I always wanted.

Guidance

The sheer chaos Beach City devolves into makes me giggle every time. Steven, what the hell did you DO? XD

A Very Special Episode

This has little to NO relevance to the actual plot of Steven Universe Future but it gets a prize for literally making me lose my mind on first watch.

Snow Day

Slice of life tag game in the snow. For a whole episode. No danger. No worries. Just tag. Y E S.

In Dreams

Steven. And Peridot. Writing dream self-insert fix-it fanfiction.

Bismuth Casual

Another one of those slice-of-life, no danger, feel-good episodes where everyone grows closer and you’re left feeling really fuzzy inside after it ;w;

#su #su future #jen rambles #these aren't The Best Episodes but the ones that are the ones i go to when i'm sad and want something fairly light and cozy to me personally #edited with explanations

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agerefandom · 4 years

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Safe and Sound

Fandom: Steven Universe

Characters: Regressor!Steven, featuring Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet as caregivers.

Words: 2,000

Summary: Steven decides to give up regression when he becomes part of the Crystal Gems, but one morning he finds himself physically stuck as a young child until he’s willing to accept the help he needs.

Warnings: ‘Little’ terminology used. Rose is mentioned in this fanfiction, Steven regresses from stress, and there is a mention of panic attacks, as well as a fair amount of described anxiety. Also, Steven physically regresses as well as mentally, because it’s canon that his body shifts to fit the age that he feels like? Cartoons are odd.

Note: This is set somewhere in season two, I think, but it’s a bit ambiguous. I haven’t seen Steven Universe Future yet, so excuse any contradictions, and the canon fact that the Gems are absolute disaster caregivers.

Steven loved the beach house that he shared with the Gems. He loved the constant sound of the waves, and the calm glow of the warp pad at night. He loved the short and familiar walk to town, his comfortable bed, and the bathtub deep enough that he could submerge his whole body.

The only thing that Steven hated about his home was the lack of privacy.

Even when the Gems were away on a mission, they could warp back in at any given moment. At night, Amethyst often wandered in to get a midnight snack, and Steven was sure that Pearl still watched him sleep, even if he hadn’t caught her recently.

So when Steven wanted to regress, he had to plan ahead.

At first, he had retreated into his mother’s room, knowing that no one could access it while he was inside. But as soon as he stopped being careful about what he wished for, Rose was always there, stepping off a nearby cloud to collect her son into her arms. Steven was happy to see his mother when he was little, playing and laughing and sharing his favourite stories. But at some point, he always aged up, and Rose would change into a figure who was silent, and looming, and distant. Steven would retreat from the room feeling more exhausted than before, promising himself that he wouldn’t go in again.

Lion became Steven’s source of escape. He would pack a bag, hop on Lion’s back, and tell the Gems that he was spending the afternoon with Connie, or Ronaldo, or even Sadie. He had enough friends that the Gems never checked first, and then he had a whole day to spend in a field in Alberta, or Texas, or even France.

Lion would pace around the area while Steven played, rumbling warnings at anyone who tried to approach. Steven would run, and explore, and eventually sit down and cry until his throat hurt too much to continue. Often, Lion would come and curl against him while he cried, turning his head away to feign indifference as his tail wrapped around Steven’s wrist.

Regression was only fun for a while, for Steven. Eventually, reality came crashing back in, harsher and bleaker in contrast to the bright innocent world he had inhabited for a few too-brief minutes.

Yet he came back to it again and again, not knowing a better way to escape the constant anxiety of his everyday life. He needed to forget about the most current threat to planet Earth, needed to forget about Pearl and Amethyst’s most recent fight. Needed to forget the guilt of walking in on his father crying over a picture of Rose.

Regression was a safe space like nothing else in his life was, ruled by uncertainty and continual attacks from outside and inside his family.

Eventually, it fell apart.

As Steven was expected on more missions, the Gems might need him at any moment. If Steven wasn’t where he said he’d be, then all hell would break loose as the Gems searched for him. He was scared that if it happened too many times, then the Gems would stop letting him leave with Lion at all.

So there was only one thing to do. Steven had to give up regression. There was no time or space for it in his life, he always needed to be available for Crystal Gem missions. It was alright that the others forgot he needed to sleep, needed to eat, needed to rest between missions spent running after corrupted gems.

Steven was a Crystal Gem now, and he needed to act like it. That meant no more running away to be a kid every so often.

Steven was going cold-turkey.

But of course, things didn’t really work out like that. Steven managed to hang on for two full months, hiding his panic attacks in the bathroom and trying not to fall asleep on the couch whenever he sat down.

At the start of the second month, he woke up to the morning sun with tears already running down his face. His clothes were too big on him, and his arms felt weak when he tried to move them.

Trying not to panic, Steven looked down at himself and saw a young child’s body, twisted in the sheets and teenage-sized clothes that he’d slept in. He needed to shift back to normal-Steven before the Gems came out to see him!

But Steven couldn’t stop sobbing, and however hard he concentrated, he couldn’t calm down enough to shift back to his usual size. His failed attempts made him cry harder. What was he going to do? No one could see him like this!

Just as he was getting ready to truly panic, he heard the warp pad activate. Hurriedly throwing the covers over himself, Steven tried to cry as quietly as possible.

The Gem’s voices were bright as they spread out across the house, Amethyst’s voice drifting towards the fridge as the others settled on the couch. Their mission must have gone well. Pearl sounded especially enthused, but Steven couldn’t make out the words through the pounding panic in his head. Any minute they would notice him, unless he kept absolutely still. He had to keep absolutely quiet, despite the way that his chest was spasming, and he couldn’t breathe, and he just wanted his paci-

“Steven.” Garnet’s voice drifted up from below him, low and calm. “We’re home.”

Steven twisted his fists into the blankets, making a renewed effort to calm his breathing. If Garnet thought something was wrong, she would know everything as soon as she thought to look. Steven tried to make his voice sound normal, even though his body wasn’t cooperating.

“Oh, cool. I’m just having a n-nap.” His voice hitched on the last word, and he froze under the covers. There was silence for a beat, and then Pearl’s voice murmured a question to Garnet, too quiet for Steven to hear.

“What’s wrong, dude?” Amethyst broke right to the point, and Steven could hear her coming towards the stairs. He curled tighter into the blankets, prepared to wrestle them away from Amethyst’s grasping hands. But she stopped at the bottom and called up to him again. “Steven? Are you sick? If you’re gonna throw up, I wanna see!”

“Amethyst!” Pearl’s voice was sharp until she turned her attention to Steven. “Steven, are you alright? Do you need some food?” Steven had snapped at her about needing to eat breakfast a few weeks ago, and she had taken to offering snacks at the first sign of Steven’s distress.

“Steven is fine,” Garnet said calmly, and the other two made questioning noises at her. Steven curled tighter into the blanket, confused. He wasn’t fine! What was Garnet saying? Was she lying, or did she somehow not know what was happening? “Steven, you can come out and see us. No one will be mad.” Steven whimpered. Garnet was definitely lying. She wanted him to come out so that they could fix him.

“Mad? Why would we be mad?” Pearl was saying.

“Come on, Steven.” Garnet’s voice was familiar, soft and certain. She always knew what was best, didn’t she? “You know we love to play with you. We always want to be with you, and spend time with you.”

“Of course we do!” Pearl’s voice was shrill. “We love Steven, he knows that!”

“Yeah, duh!” Amethyst added. “Steven is the best.”

Steven couldn’t stifle the tears as they spoke. They didn’t know who he was, didn’t know what he was hiding. They would see that he was just a stupid kid, that he couldn’t handle being a Crystal Gem. Why did they have to love him? It wasn’t fair. They would have just left him alone if they cared less, and then it wouldn’t hurt so much.

“Steven?” Pearl was the one to climb the stairs, her voice alarmed. “Steven, what’s wrong? Don’t cry.” She scooped Steven off the bed, blankets and all, to hold him tight. “Come on, Steven, stop crying. We’re all here.” She started to unwrap the blankets from around him, and Steven panicked.

“No!” he shouted, trying to push her away. “No, no, no!” Pearl gasped, and then Steven was on the floor. The blankets were in his face, wrapped around his neck, and all of a sudden Steven felt trapped. He pushed at them, rolling on the floor, kicking arms and legs that were too small and too weak. He couldn’t breathe, but then the next second the blankets were gone and he was drawing in a breath to cry out again, the wailing cry of an overwhelmed toddler. “Leave me alone!” Steven shouted, slamming his hands into the wood of the floor. “Leave me alone!”

Hands wrapped around him and he was lifted off the floor. Steven wriggled against them, but they held strong, and suddenly he was cradled against the side of Garnet’s hip, held stable and safe against her. Garnet bounced Steven lightly, practised and easy.

“Hush, little one,” Garnet murmured. “We carried you for years, you know that.” Steven hid his face in her shoulder, sniffling. He was exposed, yet protected. He was vulnerable, yet safe. He didn’t know how to feel or what he should do. He was starting to calm down now, so surely he should shift back to normal as soon as possible? Being big-Steven seemed so far away and impossible, even as the tears and panic subsided. Garnet’s arms were so nice, so familiar.

“Do humans do that?” Pearl asked from somewhere over Garnet’s shoulder. “I thought they were linear time-beings and rather bitter about it.”

“Steven’s only half-human,” Garnet reminded her. “He’s special.”

“Can I hold him? Can I hold him?” Amethyst’s voice was as excited as ever. “Is he young enough for a bottle? I still have some of them in my room!”

“Nothing from your room is going into Steven’s mouth without a good wash first,” Pearl said sharply. “But I do have a clean bottle or two stored in my gem, if it would help,” she added to Garnet.

“Steven gets to make the decision,” Garnet said simply, shifting her hold on Steven so that he was sitting on her lap, on the edge of his bed, looking outwards. Once his hands were free, Steven put his fingers into his mouth and bit down anxiously, trying not to meet the eyes of the three Gems watching him.

“Oh, those are filthy,” Pearl admonished, and the next second Steven felt his fingers being pulled away, replaced smoothly by a pacifier. The familiar pressure on his tongue made him relax, and he finally looked up. Pearl was smiling at him, her gem still sparkling from when she had summoned the pacifier. Was she not angry?

“What’d’you say, Steven?” Amethyst’s face was suddenly right in front of him, her eyes big and hopeful. “Do you want a bottle from your big sis Amethyst?”

“Amethyst,” Steven tried to say, but around the pacifier it sounded like babbling. He felt himself go red, and bobbed his head in a nod.

Amethyst pumped a fist in the air and said something enthusiastically, but Steven didn’t hear it because Garnet had put her hands over his ears. Pearl looked angry about Amethyst’s outburst, wagging her finger and pointing to Steven. Steven could feel Garnet laughing against his back.

“You have a silly family, Steven,” Garnet murmured when she took her hands back. “But they all love you very much.”

“Sorry, Steven,” said Amethyst, looking contrite. “I forgot you were little for a second.”

“Baba!” Steven managed around his paci, making grabby hands. Wasn’t Amethyst going to feed him?

“Coming right up!” Pearl sing-songed, dropping a kiss on Steven’s forehead before summoning a shiny bottle out of her gem with a wave of her hand. She passed the bottle to Amethyst, who did a front-flip off the bed, landed on the couch, and bounced all the way to the kitchen with one more jump.

“Oooh!” Steven clapped for her, laughing.

“Amethyst, use the stairs!” Pearl sighed, before kneeling down in front of Steven. “Hello, Steven,” she said gently. “Do you remember me?”

“Pearl!” Steven tried around his paci, and Pearl beamed at him.

“That’s right!” She tapped the end of his nose, and Steven giggled. “Now, what did you eat for breakfast yesterday?”

Steven let the paci fall from his mouth, barely noticing Garnet catch it. “Donuts!” he told Pearl proudly. “Walk all the way!”

“You do eat a lot of donuts! Who gives you the donuts?”

“Sadie!” Steven was bouncing on Garnet’s lap, giggling. “And Lars!”

“Good job!” Pearl produced a star sticker from what seemed like nowhere and pressed it to the front of Steven’s too-big shirt. “You’re a very smart little human.”

“Uh-huh!” Steven looked around for his paci, but Garnet was already putting it back in his mouth. He settled back against her chest, humming happily. He had the best Gems ever.

“I told you he was fine,” Garnet said without reproach. Her fingers scratched gently at Steven’s scalp, making him melt even further. “You remember his last birthday, he was even younger then.”

“We don’t know how a Rejuvenator would affect a half-human,” Pearl murmured. Her words washed over Steven as he hummed, wriggling closer to Garnet’s wonderful hands. “You know I like to be careful. You know who he is.”

“Yes.” Garnet sighed, trailing one hand down to tickle under Steven’s chin, making him giggle. “I understand. But I think this is part of our wonderful Steven. A little bit of the past, every now and then.”

“I got the bottle!” Amethyst burst back into the conversation, stomping up the stairs two at a time. “Where’s the Steven?”

“Baba!” Steven reached out for his food-bringer, grinning so wide that his paci slipped out again. He frowned, reaching for it, but Garnet had it in one hand.

“You’ll get it back after your bottle,” she told him, and handed him over to Amethyst.

Amethyst hoisted him up in the air, and Steven sniffled, feeling unsafe with all the air under his feet. “Oh, sorry.” Amethyst put Steven down before he started to cry again, sitting down with him on her lap. She cradled him like a baby, which Steven wasn’t, but he was pretty comfy so he relaxed into her arms. “Okay, little dude, open wide!” Amethyst made lots of funny faces and noses while Steven drank the warm milk inside the bottle, making him giggle and spill milk down the front of his chin. That made Amethyst laugh out loud, jostling Steven in her lap. Garnet and Pearl sat on the end of the bed, watching them both with fond smiles.

By the end of the bottle, Steven’s eyelids were as heavy as big huge rocks. He was trying to stay awake, but he was yawning to much to even keep in his paci.

“We’ll still be here when you wake up,” Garnet said, laying Steven carefully on a pillow as Pearl untangled the sheet from the ground and laid it over him, tucking it in carefully on all sides.

“Yeah! We can play little Steven tag!” Amethyst said, shape-shifting into the same size as Steven was.

“Lil’ Steven tag,” Steven yawned. That sounded like lots of fun, he wanted to play now but his eyelids were so heavy…

“We love you,” Garnet murmured, and that was the last thing Steven heard as he fell asleep.

#steven universe agere #su agere #agere fanfiction #agere fic #agere fics #sfw agere #cglre #fandom agere #cglre terminology #steven universe #my fics

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sharethisgemwithme · 5 years

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Zach and Grace Friday panel at Connecticon 2019

Some highlights and notes from the "Growing Up with Steven Universe" panel featuring Zach Callison and Grace Rolek, Friday afternoon at Connecticon 2019. There are some promo spoilers. Most quotes are approximate from the notes I took on my phone. There may be a recording of the panel, but the camera was blocked by the audience question line for a while and when I got to the front of the line, I saw it wasn't even pointed at Zach and Grace.

Sorted into broad categories:

Movie hype / spoilery talk

Host asked about the poster. Zach said he's kinda looked at it, but not studied it closely. Grace: "Spoiler alert, someone has a neck." Zach: "That's all anyone can talk about."

What's the hardest scene to record that you've done. Zach: "I hate to do this but the hardest scene I've done I did a few weeks ago and I can't talk about it for quite a while." [audience groans]

Audience member: "I have a question about the movie." Zach makes police siren noises, "Oh no the Cartoon Network spoiler police!"

Attempts to get even small details were denied. "So we saw you have a neck. Is your voice going to change?" [pause] Zach: "A week from today (Friday), there's a big panel and there's gonna be a bunch of stuff. I recommend you watch."

This was earlier in the day, when I met Zach in the autograph line. Me: "I'm really looking forward to all the stuff that's gonna come out next week in San Diego." Zach: "There's so much. I'm not going to be there, after six years of going, I need a vacation."

Zach makes ABUNDANTLY clear how excited he is for what's coming up, "I am thrilled with what they've done after CYM."

Reaction to the new gems from CYM. Zach: "Sunstone is one of my favorites now. Like an after-school camp counselor." Grace: "Obsidian is one of the hardest secrets I've ever had to keep on this show." They finished recording CYM in 2017!

Have you ever cried in the recording booth? Zach: "Over a dozen times. One time really badly... with something that hasn't come out yet."

What's the biggest theme you've taken from the show? Zach: "I'm really sorry to do this, but I'm gonna skip this question because the theme I take away is something that hasn't come up in the show yet." He says the show has become intensely personal to him and his experiences, both intentionally and unintentionally, and says if he accidentally gave hints as to upcoming themes, it wouldn't be fair to the crew. (This probably ties in with some of the stuff below under “Outside of SU”)

Favorites and funniest

What's the hardest scene to record that you've done. Among stuff that's aired, Zach: Storm in the Room. Connie: "Either Nightmare Hospital or Full Disclosure when Connie is like 'Stop ghosting me, Steven!' "

What are some funny moments from recording? The opening scene from "Winter Forecast", the directors INSISTED on real marshmallows, "nothing else would do". Grace: "And these were not small. There's jumbo and then there's novelty size." Zach: "They got novelty size." Grace: "I could barely fit one inside my mouth."

Favorite episode (this question might've had a "besides the Big Plot episodes" caveat).

Zach: "Onion Gang. Any of the weird Onion episodes."

Grace: "I realize this is an unpopular opinion but I love the Ronaldo episodes. I have a Keep Beach City Weird sticker on my laptop. I don't like having stuff that's too overtly Steven Universe because I don't like to toot my own horn, but KBCW is great because it's 'if you know, you know'." Zach: "It's a lifestyle."

That segued into talk about "Rocknaldo", which Zach thought was hilarious, especially the way CN trolled everyone with the Bloodstone promo. Grace "Was that the one where Ronaldo tried to kill someone in the basement?" Discussion brings up that's "Horror Club". Grace continues, "That was a great one, like what are we DOING? No one went to jail for this?"

Favorite songs:

First, ones that they did.

Zach said "Let's Only Think About Love". I think he added a second one, but my notes say “or” and then stop there so I think I moved on to the next bit and forgot what else he said.

Grace says "Of course 'Do it for Her'" but also that she loved providing background harmonies for "Escapism". "Aly and AJ was the first concert I ever went to, so to do back-up vocals for AJ was the greatest fangirl moment." (There’s been some confusion as to whether Zach and Grace had vocals on that song, it’s now clear that they did)

Then, overall. Zach immediately sings "It's over, isn't it? Isn't it over?" Grace grumbles that she can't take the same answer, so she throws out "Stronger Than You".

"Back in the start of the show, it was a lot more lighthearted. What's the funniest or weirdest line you had to record?" Zach IMMEDIATELY goes into voice: "A boy on the cusp of manhood can't spend the whole day wackering." Grace enjoyed her line from "Open Book": "Of course you like the ending, you LOVE schmultz."

Pivoting into the weirdness of early episodes, Zach says "Frybo and Cat Fingers were back to back, 5 and 6. I don't know how anyone stuck with the show after that."

What's the biggest theme you've taken from the show? Grace: "I think about Mindful Education all the time. Here Comes a Thought is such a great song but also an important mantra."

Other than Uncle Grandpa, what crossover would you like to do? Zach: "I wanna be the very best!" Audience cheers. Grace says she would've loved to do "Adventure Time".

This segues into a joke that people confuse Zach for Jeremy Shada (Finn), in some cases even when Zach is standing in front of a poster that says ZACH CALLISON. Grace says that her boyfriend loves the joke so much that Zach is listed in his phone as "Jeremy Shada".

Behind the scenes

What was it like seeing the show blow up the way it did? Grace: "I used to go on Tumblr and read all the posts, all the reactions people had, but after Jail Break... couldn't do that anymore." Zach: "I poke my head into a reddit every once in a while."

What's it like in the booth with the rest of the cast? Grace: "Deedee and Michaela always get to do the funniest things."

Discussion of how voice acting lends them a little more anonymity than live-action, and there's still a spectrum of how recognizable people are.

Grace recounts a story from earlier in the day, possibly on the way to that very panel. "The elevator was pretty crowded and I was able to get on but Zach wasn't. And as soon as it closed, one of the other people in the elevator was like 'Oh my god, Zach Callison almost got on the elevator with us!' And I was like 'Oh my god, that would've been so cool!'"

Both Zach and Grace recounted times when they've greeted stranger wearing SU apparel and gotten blank stares in response, like, "Uh, yeah, what's your point?"

Zach: "As of Sunday, I'm leaving the country to be a hobo for a bit." He's flying to Siberia, then taking a 62-hour train ride to get on a boat to Korea, where he plans to visit the Korean animation studio where SU is drawn (as seen in "Steven's Dream"), something almost no actors do (apparently Michaela was more or less the first to do so, for any show at all).

Sometimes Grace will have a lot of "catching up" to do with the plot. "One time Rebecca was like 'oh by the way Lars is pink now." Zach jokes, "Lars is pink, Ronaldo and Pearl are married, oh and Steven is dead."

Have you ever cried in the recording booth? Zach: "Over a dozen times." Grace says she has, sometimes in group records.

More joking around: "Yes, I'm Zach Callison, the voice of Onion. I'll be in my booth." "You should have a print that's just Onion." "With the flames behind him."

What were your auditions like? Grace: "I was reading the sides from 'Bubble Buddies', and Connie is worried she's gonna die with no friends and I was like 'This is a kids show? This is a show for children and I'm supposed to say these words?!'" She saw Rebecca Sugar's name attached to the show, which she recognized as a fan of Adventure Time, particularly Marceline "I'm edgy like her!"

Audience member starts her question: "Ohmygod, my heart is in my ass. Wait, can I say ass?" Grace: "You can say whatever you want, you're not under the thumb of Time Warner." Zach: "Technically, I've never signed any NDA. Oh hell, I'm leaving the country in three days. ACT ONE!" [laughter, and he does not continue with joke spoilers]

Outside of Steven Universe

Tell us about yourself outside of Steven Universe. Zach: "I'm a dirty rowdy hippie." He goes to music festivals barefoot (but not urban ones).

Zach talked about some of the over-the-top scenes he's been in or seen on "The Goldbergs", where he plays a minor recurring character, including one where the actual rain they were filming in wasn't enough, so the producers dumped thousands of gallons of additional rainwater on the cast.

Zach said he hasn't auditioned for anything new in a while (I think he said at least a year) because of burnout. Whenever SU may end, he's ready for a break. Following on with that, discussion of what a shitty industry Hollywood is, especially for kids.

Zach: "A lotta people (in this industry), their big break is a show they hate, and that kills me to think that. And it couldn't be further from the truth for anyone in SU. If I had booked a live-action sitcom that ran six seasons, I wouldn't be here. I'd be in a much darker place."

What would you be doing if not this?

Zach: "I enrolled in college, signed up for things, never went to class, and eventually dropped out. I never had any other plan." Ties into further discussion of what an absolute nightmare Hollywood is for kids, that some of his friends from high school are no longer around.

Grace: "I went to college for two years (she would've graduated this spring), trying to make sure I had a plan B lined up. But flying back and forth from San Francisco to Los Angeles was getting ridiculous and I realized I wasn't being fair to my plan A."

#connecticon #steven universe #zach callison #grace rolek

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jyanadavega · 4 years

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Now is your time. You knew mine and @artigas-am73's preferences. Could you rank the current grid from your favourite driver to your least favourite? You can mention other riders if you feel it.

1. Maverick Vinales : which could also be named "why I love to suffer". I litteraly started to support him because I was frustrated to see him always in third place at the end of last season. And without much sign this simple frustration became a bit of an obsession. The incident with Luca Marini did help but it's probably more a compilation of reason.

2. Iker Lecuona : he's cute and hard working. He's a little bit of what I thought of Fabio last year.

3. Takaaki Nagakami : same as Iker, seems like a really hard working guy. I'm happy that he starts to finally get the recognition he deserves.

4. Andrea Dovisiozo : I probably could have ranked him third in place of Nagakami but I think I have already started to make my mourning so I try to detach myself from him. Apart that I love the vibes he send, the fact that he has his head on his shoulders and that he does what he can to don't get involved in riders drama. And he's the only one which I would be as happy if he gets the championship than Maverick.

5. Alex Marquez : is my secret twin ❤️ he's the only one born the same year as me and we both have a brother named Marc. I have a bit of hard time at the beginning with him because I started watching Moto2 when he was winning and with the domination of his brother, it was a bit too much for me. But he's a lovely guy and he deserves way more than being in his brother shadow.

6. Joan Mir/Fabio Quartararo

This is complicated. Or my feeling with this two are complicated. If we start with Fabio, if you had ask me the question last year he would have been way higher. All I wanted was for him to win. And when he won... It was great but for some reason, it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I think that if Marc had been there this season, Fabio would have stay higher in my esteem. But now than Marc is not there anymore, it kind of make Fabio the direct rival of Maverick and like you there is a lot of position which can change in this ranking, but in my heart Mav is the absolute first. Also the fact that he is french and thus that the commentator are biased toward him doesn't help his case. And Joan has the opposite way in my heart as Fabio. Like I clearly mistrust him at the beginning, and I never really saw him as cute the same way I see Fabio and Iker. Like there really something in him which make me say this guy is really intelligent. But yeah he's starting to grown in my heart and I don't really know why.

8. Franco Morbidelli : he's a lovely guy, really smart as well, but yeah that's all for me.

9. Alex Rins : Kind of the same as Franco. Lost some point because Franco is also a bit engaged.

10. Miguel Oliveira : I would have ranked him higher before but I discovers recently that he has supported Ronaldo against the rape accusations just because he is also Portuguese and it make him lose sone place. But otherwise really smart guy, nice riding style, the dentist part is quite fascinating as well and I love the drama part of him that we saw at the beginning of the documentary on him.

11. Marc Marquez : if it was a list of who I was the most attracted to, he would be first. But this isn't this list. As talented and beautiful that Marc is, I tends to get bored when someone is too dominant in his sport. I love drama and suspense and the 2019 Marc was the opposite of that. I would probably love him better, had I started to watch him since his beginning but I didn't so here we are.

12. Pecco Bagnaia : he's okay. I feel sorry for all the trouble that he had this year. And I'm happy for him and the Ducati seat.

13. Danilo Petrucci : he just looks like a teddy bear and I want to be friends with him but that's all.

14. Valentino Rossi : he is a hypnotiser, when it's obvious that Marc is actively flirting with the audience, Vale just shines. He's overflowing with charisma. It's hard to not be fascinated by him and I would be really happy when he will end up winning a race. But also it makes it hard to trust him really.

15. Jack Miller : I generally found him funny and if have to compared to another Australian in Motorsport less exhausting than Daniel Ricciardo. I love the taxi mission it shows his friendship toward Rins and Mav (where everywhere else you mostly see Mav love and pride for him). His last comment did disappoint me so, and that's why he so low (also because I really like almost everyone so it quite tight between each position)

16. Brad Binder I like him better than in moto2. His beginning with KTM was quite exciting and I love the fact that his and Miguel fate seems to be linked.

17. Aleix Espargaro : he extremely frank and sometimes it is great and other time a bit less

18. Tito Rabat : I really don't know him enough. But the small stuff that I saw of him seems to go toward and really nice and funny guys.

19. Pol Espargaro : I find him less honest than Aleix and where I'm excited to see what he can do with an Honda, I don't like him much

20. Johan Zarco : I don't hate him, I see he mostly suck at communications and he probably suffers more from a past reputation than what he actually is today but yeah. Also I really don't liked the way he manage his time as KTM, sure enough the Moto wasn't as good as what he thought but still, you have to be a little bit professional and don't give up on the first day.

21. Cal Crutchlow : what I learn with the Asian fan really bumps me. Racism isn't a small matter.

I didn't put Bradley Smith because I forgot he exists most of the time, so it makes it hard for me to have any kind of judgement about him.

#ask game #motogp ranking #i hope it's not too long

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i-lost-my-heart-in-republic-city · 4 years

Note

answer all the questions in that ask thing, or go through it and just answer all the ones u rlly rlly want to

Sorry this took so long, but you asked for all of them and Iam very emotional.

1. What episode of Steven Universe got you hooked on the show?

I started watching shortly after Jailbreak came out so I’m not sure if I can pinpoint exactly where I got hooked, but I think it was around Coach Steven of Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem when it really got me. Although, I will say when Sworn to the Sword came out, that’s really when I knew this was it for me.

2. Are you the type to watch episodes as they air, or do you just get your fill of Steven Universe online?

I tried to live watch episode premieres as much as I could, or watch them the day they were posted online by CN. I really tried to make an event out of them, and I’m glad I did.

3. What’s your favorite quote out of the entire show?

It’s really hard to pick just one. Maybe “You have to be honest about how bad it feels, so that you can move on.” - Connie in Mindful Education. Really feeling that one right now.

4.In what ways has Steven Universe inspired you?

I really feel like it has inspired me to live. I havestruggled with depression and anxiety since a young age, so it can be hard todo that. Steven Universe gave me something to look forward to, made the world abetter place. When I was hurting it provided me with comfort and happiness. Thereisn’t another show out there that’s like it for me.

5. Has Steven Universe actually taught you lessons?

Yes, oh god yes. It has helped me to be more honest withmyself and with others. I don’t think I would’ve come out to my family if itweren’t for this show. Over the years, it has really helped me to learn to letgo of shame, and guilt, and self-hatred I had carried around for so long. I wouldn’tbe the person I am today without this show.

6. Favorite character design and why?

I really liked Garnet’s wedding outfit, mixing both the gownand tux. I’m a big Garnet/Rupphire stan and it was just great to see them embracethe queerness of the whole situation, and that it was love, something to becelebrated.

7. Has the show ever gotten an intense emotional reactionout of you? (ex - crying, fear, anger)

I’m crying right now about it, does that answer yourquestion?

8. Do you associate any songs with any characters in StevenUniverse?

I associate Can’t Hold Me by Emily King with Stevonnie becauseit was used in that episode, and I love Stevonnie.

9. Gush about your all-time favorite episode real quick.Just go on a long, rambling tangent about how much you love it. Do it. We’relistening.

For the series proper, it’s Reunited. I love that episode somuch and it makes me cry every time I watch it. Growing up I fell into the ‘notlike other girls’ phase because I was not interested in love and romance likeall my friends seemed to be, and I had no desire to go on dates with guys. Irealize now that I rejected these things because they didn’t fit me. I didn’t wantto be with a guy, and never saw myself in any of the traditional media. Ireally am a bit of a hopeless romantic though. Now that I am more confident inmyself, and understand my feelings better, I’ve really gotten to enjoy thispart of myself.

Ruby and Sapphire are the first couple I really got to experiencethis with, seeing them being cute and together and in love, and the wedding isthe accumulation of all of that. Getting to see these two women in love witheach other celebrate that love as the beautiful thing it truly is means theworld to me. After years of watching this show and growing with it, this episodewas the moment were I finally let go of all my self-hatred for being queer. I justknew in my soul that every hateful thing I had heard or been told about beingqueer was wrong, and that this was the truth, love was the truth. It wasn’tsomething instantaneous, it was something I had been working towards for years,but this episode marked the turning point for me.

10. Gush about your all-time favorite SU character realquick. Just go on a long, rambling tangent about how much you love them. Do it.We’re listening.

I already gushed about Ruby/Sapphire/Garnet a little, solets do Pearl. I just love how even after all she’s been through, she is stillsuch an independent spirit. I know her whole past with Pink/Rose wascomplicated but she still isn’t here to let anyone tell her what to do. She’ssmart, and creative, and resourceful, and goofy and she knows these things butshe also has a lot of self-doubt and seeks validation from others. I relate.But she worked through those things and is in a better state now. Even thoughshe still hurts and is still dealing with the trauma, she is so much better.

I also really relate to how she feels about loving someoneand them not feeling the same way/it not working out. As much as I love Rubyand Sapphire’s relationship, I also think I need Pearl. She defined herself forso long by her relationship but she is her own amazing person. Growing up, Isaw many messages about not letting a relationship with a boy define you. Butwhat about a relationship with a girl? I think there can be so much pressure toprove that you’re really gay by always being in that kind of relationship. ThatI’m not truly queer because of my lack of experiences with women. But that isn’ttrue. Being queer is a part of who I am and that doesn’t change just because Iam or am not in a relationship. My feelings can still be an important part ofme without having to define me by my relationship status, just like Pearl.

11. What fusions do you want to see in the show, and whowould you like them to be voiced by?

I would probably most like to see a fusion of Steven andLapis. Her only experience with fusion was her toxic relationship with Jasper.So I would really like her to have a positive experience with fusion, based ofthe friendship and love she and Steven have for each other. I have no idea whowould voice them though.

12. Which episode do you think has the best aesthetics?

I mean Steven’s fusion dance in Change Your Mind isabsolutely gorgeous. James Baxter ain’t a legend for nothing, and I’m gladRebecca held on to that favor from him. Just everything, Connie’s little walkback, the way White Diamonds eyes open, its all wonderful.

13. List any headcanons you have about any characters.

Pearl is in a happy polyamorous relationship with Bismuth,Volleyball, and Amethyst.

14. Favorite arc out of the show? Why?

The Wedding Arc for reasons I’ve already talked about above,but also Diamond Days because it was everything the whole series was buildingtowards. Just the whole message about how systems hurt people who are deemed ‘different’but that there is hope for a better future with compassion and love, and notbeing afraid to share your feelings is something I really needed.

15. Have you ever made any jokes based on the show? Whichones were the funniest?

So many. One of my most popular was this post from way backwhen in early 2016.

Want a joke for the final? Maybe the real treasure insideRose’s chest was the friends we made along the way.

16. Most misleading episode summary of all time?

I know people freaked out about Rocknaldo because cartoonnetwork promoted it by advertising the appearance of a new gem. I mean, youcould argue technically it was true because Ronaldo made a gemsona, but that isdefinitely not what people took it to mean. I wasn’t really buying it though,cause the title was Rocknaldo. People hate on that episode and I think it’sbecause of the false advertising. It’s really funny though and has one of thebest jokes. “Rock people. They’re putting fluoride in the water supply- Whatthe-They hate men?!”

17. Has Steven Universe inspired any creative ideas ofyours?

I rewrote sleeping beauty but with lesbians because of thisshow. Does that count?

18. If you are a fanartist, which SU character is theeasiest for you to draw?

Not a fanartist, but Amethyst is the easiest for me to drawbecause she’s basically just circles.

19. If you are a fanartist, which SU character is thehardest for you to draw?

Maybe White Diamond, because she’s so detailed. Also, I strugglewith Pearl’s nose lol.

20. If you are a fanfic writer, which SU character is theeasiest for you to write?

Not really a fanfic writer, but Ruby and Sapphire maybebecause I’m gushy like that.

21. If you are a fanfic writer, which SU character is thehardest for you to write?

Jasper. I have a complicated relationship with her, but Iloved her in Future.

22. Have ever practiced voice acting using SU characters? Ifso, which character can you do the most successful impression of?

I don’t practice voice acting, but I do mimic lines from theshow. I think I sound most like White Diamond, hoo boy.

23. Have you ever sang along to SU songs? Which one is theeasiest for you to sing along to?

All the time, in the car, in the shower, around my house. Myfavorite is Here Comes a Thought, because it just helps me so much with myanxiety. The Tale of Steven and Let Us Adore You are definitely in the sweetspot of my vocal range though.

24. Have you ever imagined any of the human characters asgems?

Not really, I’ve more so imagined the gems as humans.

25. Are you big on AUs? Have you created anyyourself?

I like human gem AUs and college AUs.

#Steven Universe #Steven Universe Future #Pearl #Ruby and Sapphire #su spoilers #Reunited #Change Your Mind #teakayblog #this some person shit for me to me talking about tho #for real

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tiggyloo · 4 years

Text

Bad Movies & Late Nights

alright here’s the whole thing shglshgls

also posted to AO3

~~~~

Connie gets tired of watching this absolutely terrible movie and decides to do something a bit more interesting.

~~~~

Steven had invited Connie over for the weekend since she finally had some free time. They'd talked for a while, played some games, etcetera, etcetera, and now it was rather late in the evening. The two were up in Steven's room with the lights off, watching some random movie Connie pulled out of Steven's collection. He didn't remember where or when he got this one, or if he'd ever even watched it. Connie had definitely never heard of it.

They certainly weren't very impressed with what they'd seen so far.

Connie groaned from beside Steven on the bed. She was on her stomach while Steven was resting against the pillows and Connie moved her leg to gently hit Steven on the head.

"This movie sucks," she said, looking back at him. He shrugged.

"I told you we should have looked up reviews first," he responded, pushing her foot away.

Connie snorted and got up so that she could properly sit next to Steven. She then huffed and crossed her arms. "The writing in this is so.. awkward," she started. "It's just so unnatural, you know? And everything is so obvious! The whole story is spelled out for you within the first twenty minutes. There's no mystery to it. Nothing surprises you. And what are those costumes?"

Steven laughed and put his arms behind his head. "Wow, you have a lot to say about this. We can just switch to a different movie if you want."

Connie let out a long sigh. "I mean, we might as well finish it at this point. It's probably almost over anyway."

"I guess so. But, I'm really not sure I can put up with much more of this," Steven said, rolling his eyes. "I think I'm going to get rid of this one. Ronaldo might like it."

Connie chuckled and their attention went back to the movie.

Maybe thirty minutes went by before Connie made another disapproving sound.

"It's really hard to tell where this is in terms of conclusions," she stated. She muttered something and leaned against Steven. "It feels like it's trying to end? But it's like the writers couldn't figure it out. There's been at least seven places where it could have wrapped everything up but then something unnecessary happens and it just keeps going."

"I wonder if these people ever made another movie? If so, I bet it'd be even worse than this," Steven said before taking out his phone. "I'm actually going to look that up."

Connie watched the movie drag on as Steven searched around. Eventually he hummed and put his phone back in his pocket.

"Nothing?" Connie asked.

"Nothing," came the answer. "I found out the production company went out of business, though. I guess they didn't make anymore movies because of that."

Connie snickered and leaned against Steven a bit more.

"I don't think I can survive the rest of this. We should do something else."

"Like what?" Steven asked, and Connie seemed to think for a moment before a smirk appeared on her lips.

Oh, he didn't like that. That look was never good.

"I think we should..."

She turned and rested her head in one hand while the other played with the bottom hem of Steven's t-shirt. Steven already felt the blush on his face.

"I think we should stop watching the movie," Connie said as she slipped her hand under Steven's shirt. He recoiled as her fingers touched his stomach.

"Your hand's cold!" he squeaked and Connie stifled a laugh, but she kept her hand where it was. Steven scowled at her, which of course only made her laugh more. Then she lifted herself up and leaned over him--not by much, but enough to make his face turn more red.

He really hated when she got like this. She enjoyed teasing him a lot, because it was always easy to get him all embarrassed, much to his dismay.

Connie's hand had moved over to Steven's gem, subsequently pushing his shirt up, which brought his attention back and he rustled his hair, still avoiding Connie's gaze.

"Aw, you never play along," Connie said with a pout. "You're just too shy...It's cute, though."

Steven turned to her, just to stick his tongue out at her. She laughed in response before moving again.

She was sitting between Steven's legs now, both hands on his stomach, encircling his gem. She leaned a little closer to him, and her hands slid upwards by a few inches.

"H-hey, knock it off!" Steven said while trying to hold back his laughing, and gently pushed Connie back. "You know I'm ticklish."

Connie let out an amused sigh and took her hands away. "Alright, fine. I'll put them somewhere else."

And now they were planted on the wall on either side of his head. Steven's eyes widened just a bit when she did this, which she seemed to find funny. Then she moved in close. Steven felt her arms now resting on his shoulders and saw her face just a few inches from his own.

"Still not gunna play along?" Connie asked, her voice quieter than before.

"Um...what exactly am I playing along to?"

"You know what."

Connie slowly slid her arms back so that her hands were on Steven's shoulders and she hooked a thumb under the edge of his jacket before pulling it down a few inches. Steven awkwardly cleared his throat and Connie moved away.

"Is...this too much?" she asked. "You know you can tell me to stop."

"Oh! Uh-no, no, it's okay," Steven stammered. "You're fine. Um. If it...does get to be a bit much I'll tell you, okay?"

Connie contemplated that for a few seconds then gave a nod. He did sound kind of unsure still, but he would tell her to stop if he had to. She did know that.

So she continued, leaning back in to leave a soft kiss where she'd exposed Steven's neck. He made a quiet noise of embarrassment and Connie smiled against him. He really was so adorably shy with her.

She sat up and her hands were back under his shirt. She noticed him nervously curl his fingers around the bed sheet.

"...You're sure this is okay?"

"It's okay."

"...Alright."

She came in to gingerly kiss his cheek. Then she felt hands on her waist and she lifted her head to see Steven looking away with a sheepish expression as he held her. Connie giggled softly and kissed his cheek again, which he returned before she moved too far away.

She gave him a sweet smile and for a time just laid against him with her arms around his back. She looked so tiny with his arms wrapped around her.

A little while later Steven realized the movie had finally ended and the TV was sitting on a blue "stop" screen, the light emanating from it washing over the room. How long had they stayed up watching this thing? He sat up a little to look at his clock; displayed on the screen was "11:32 PM".

"Oh, geez, it's kinda late," he said, laying back down as Connie mumbled something into his chest. "We should maybe get ready for bed," Steven added as Connie looked up at him. It was just bright enough to allow him to see a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh boy, now what?"

Connie lifted herself up and brought her face close to Steven's. "There's no reason why we can't stay up a little longer, right?" she asked in a soft voice. "There's nothing to do tomorrow."

"Oh, I-I...guess that's true."

"Mhmm," Connie hummed before she closed the small gap between them. Her lips were warm and soft, but were only present for a few short seconds. Steven felt her breath as she looked at him from just a few inches away.

"Is this okay?" she asked in an almost whisper. "I'm not...making you uncomfortable or anything, am I?"

"It's fine. If it's not, I'll tell you."

"You sound nervous."

"Oh...sorry...it's just that I'm kind of still getting used to this kinda thing," Steven explained. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her a little closer. "You can keep going. I mean, how else will I get used to it, right?"

Connie sighed a very quiet acknowledgement and Steven closed his eyes as she kissed him again. He felt her fingers tangle in his hair and her small frame pressed against him as she deepened the kiss. It was slight and lasted only for a moment before she broke it again.

He noticed her eyes glance at the doorway.

"It's okay, the Gems won't come up," he told her. "Not without saying something first."

Connie nodded and played with Steven's hair. She had a look of consideration on her face. Something had crossed her mind, it seemed. At least, that was Steven's guess.

She finally came to a decision and gave him yet another kiss. However, this time it was a little different.

Steven felt the blush creeping back as Connie's mouth opened slightly. After a moment he followed along, which prompted Connie to push against him. Immediately the blush took over as he felt something very unexpected.

Connie's tongue had entered his open mouth, which was a sensation he was definitely not prepared for. His hands pulled at her shirt as she explored, and the blush on his face only got brighter when her tongue pushed against his own.

At this point he was almost over the initial surprise of the situation, though, and his curiosity took over, so he began to move with her, and he felt her gently pull his hair in response. She made a low, quiet sound that caused a rush of heat to creep up Steven's body.

He couldn't hold out for much longer after that. He made a noise and pushed against Connie's sides and a moment later she was sitting up with a gasp.

Steven stared at her, eyes wide, as they both caught their breath. After several deep inhales Connie looked down at the boy beneath her. She then cleared her throat and decided that the wall was a much more interesting thing to look at as she wiped an embarrassing amount of spit away from her mouth.

"Um...s-sorry, I, uh, don't...don't know where that came from," she mumbled, looking anywhere but at Steven.

"Uh..." was all Steven managed to respond with. He was a bit dazed after that whole thing, and words were...very hard right now.

Connie glanced down at him to see that he was still blankly staring at her. That made her feel self conscious and she groaned quietly and hid her face behind her hands.

"Ahhh I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," she mumbled. She uncovered her face a few seconds later when she felt Steven sitting up. She was about to apologise again, but didn't quite get the chance before he put his arms around her and pulled her in.

One hand was placed firmly between her shoulders while the other one weaved into her hair and pressed against her head, bringing her close.

Connie instinctively followed suit, wrapping her arms around him, holding him tight. Their kiss was long and deep and passionate and messy as their tongues passed over each other once again.

They held that kiss for as long as possible, but eventually it had to be released. They were both gasping again, gazing at each other in the faint blue light from the TV.

Then Steven laughed and said, "Yeah, that is weird," before he wiped his mouth off. Connie puffed up her cheeks and pushed Steven back down onto the mattress.

"Shut up!" she huffed, a blush completely covering her face. Steven burst into giggles and Connie shoved a pillow over his head.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop, I'll stop!" came Steven's muffled cry as he fought the pillow off. He was still stifling his laughs when Connie removed the pillow and she smacked him with it before putting it down.

"Um, you got something..." Steven said, tapping his chin. "There."

Connie blinked, then quickly cleaned herself off before groaning and flopping down beside Steven. "What time is it."

"About midnight."

"...We should sleep."

"Probably."

Twenty minutes later they were both back in Steven's bed. It was totally dark now as they rested in each other's arms, nice and warm under the blankets. Connie stretched and nuzzled against Steven's neck.

"...Hey, Steven?"

"Yeah?"

"Um..."

Steven felt her face heat up against his skin.

"Can we...do that again?"

"...Yeah."

#connverse #connie maheswaran #steven quartz universe #steven universe #steven universe future #phoebe fictions

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