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andrewmoocow · 2 years

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Little Homeworld Life chapter 5: But Wait, There’s More! (originally posted on September 12, 2022)

AN: At long last, Teal Zircon gets an episode to herself! In fact, she'll be getting two this season, because she's just so much fun to write. Yeah, she can be insensitive and act like an annoying little kid, but at the end of the day, she wouldn't hurt a fly! In fact, the fly would put up more of a fight. In short, get ready for a lot of laughs with Teal around, and maybe a few other surprises here and there too.

Synopsis: Teal Zircon is recruited to star in a commercial for Little Homeschool.

Cast:

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Atticus Shaffer as Peedee

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Rude Commercial Narrator

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Alex Newell as Monazite

"UP YOURS, DELMARVA!" a commercial loudly insulted the viewers as the Crystal Gems watched the taunting advertisement. "If you're dumb enough to buy some refrigerators this weekend, you're stupid enough to come on over to Big Kim's Appliances! Overly expensive products, absolute garbage, fees!" she bellowed while the commercial demonstrated how crummy the store's products were. "We don't care what you think; YOU NEED THESE REFRIGERATORS! We believe that you are so woefully idiotic that you'll buy any piece of trash we'll sell you, GUARANTEED! If you think we're ripping you off, THEN GET OUT YOU HOPELESS, LIFELESS MOTHERF-"

"Okay, I think that's enough of these commercials." Pearl interrupted the announcer by shutting off the TV. "Now, I presented this overly persuasive advertisement to you all today because Little Homeschool has been experiencing a bit of a slump lately." To demonstrate, Pearl then unveiled a graph revealing the growing lack of Gems attending the school, which was far lower than average. "Ever since Steven left us, the school hasn't seen much attendance lately, and it's starting to look very concerning."

"Good, the fewer thralls, the better!" Black Rutile jeered at her archenemies while passing them by with a crate full of machine parts.

"Nobody invited you to this meeting." Garnet coldly told the Rutile. "Now leave."

"I just felt like insulting you anyways." Black Rutile grumbled as she kept walking. "Got better things to do today."

"Anyways, it seems many Gems came here because they were attracted to Steven's kindness and charisma." Pearl continued her speech. "Without him around, we need to find a way to replicate that personality so we can attract more students. Any ideas?"

"We need big signs." Garnet coolly suggested. "Big signs always mean big crowds."

"But we need to attract Gems from all across the universe." Pearl proclaimed. "We need a sign that big for everyone to see!"

"I don't know, maybe an open house or something?" Lapis then added. "I can help make pamphlets, and we can pass them out."

"Hm, that would take a lot of time, though." Pearl pondered. "Any other ideas?"

"Ooh, let's make our own commercial!" Amethyst eagerly replied. "Just like that refrigerator one!"

"I agree with Amethyst here." Jasper concurred with her surrogate sister. "Plus, that lady in the ad sounded awfully familiar."

"But who do we make into our spokes-Gem?" Bismuth asked. "I mean, Lapis and Jasper sure ain't person people, and Peridot would just make the ad all about her."

"I'm standing right here, you know!" Peridot complained. "I think out of all of us, Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl would be the best for our advertisement since they are far more familiar with Earth than any of us could ever hope to be."

"You raise a good point, Peridot, but I have a different Gem in mind." Garnet proclaimed before she looked at White Topaz sitting next to her. "White Topaz, we need Teal Zircon. Have her brought to us ASAP!"

"Yes, ma'am!" White Topaz obediently saluted. "Uh, what for?"

"Ooh, I'm so excited you picked me for your ad!" Teal Zircon cheered gratefully as the Crystal Gems became a film crew with Peridot, White Topaz, and Amethyst on sound, Lapis and Jasper working the lights, Bismuth making props, Garnet holding the clapperboard, and Pearl in the director's seat. "I'll have you know; I was a real mean advertiser before the Rebellion because everyone says I have high energy and an eccentric personality."

"That's exactly what we need for this commercial, Teal!" Pearl replied before turning to the Gems' chosen cameraman. "Okay, Peedee, are you ready?"

"Hang on, Miss Pearl, just need to make sure the camera's just right." Peedee Fryman replied as he took off the lens cap on his video camera and made some final adjustments. "Okay, here goes nothing!"

"Understood." Garnet nodded before bringing out the clapperboard. "New Little Homeworld commercial starring Teal Zircon, take one!" she announced before clapping it shut. "Action!"

"They have brought down an entire regime with words instead of lethal force." Teal Zircon began narrating over a montage of the Crystal Gems in a goofy Spanish accent. "They saved all life, the universe, and everything more times than you can count on your fingers. They're some of the biggest celebrities in the known universe. These are the most interesting Gems in the world."

The scene then transitioned to Teal reclining on a bear skin rug in front of a fireplace while holding a bottle of wine in her hand. "I don't usually hang around on Earth, but when I do, it's learning how to live my life at Little Homeschool." She declared, still with the Spanish accent. "Stay fusing, my friends."

"And cut!" Garnet announced with another clap of the clapperboard, ending the commercial. "Good work there, Teal, though I have no idea where the fireplace came from."

"Yeah, and is that bear rug made from a real bear?" Pearl asked while picking up the rug. "And is that wine?!"

"Yeah, the wine is real. The bear isn't." Teal explained. "I have a knack for pulling out props when the situation calls for it."

"Yeah, but this is totally unlike the vibe we're going for!" Amethyst stated. "We're supposed to teach Gems to abandon their conquering ways, not encourage them to be swingers!"

"Ooh, that reminds me, I think we could use a swingset somewhere around here." Pearl sidetracked the discussion.

"Uh, Pearl, I don't think that's what Amethyst means." Lapis pointed out Pearl's error.

"Ew." Pearl reeled in disgust once she realized what she had just said. "Well, what else can we do?"

"I think I might have a few ideas." Teal declared before pulling a cricket bat out of her gem. "Cricket?"

"Cricket?!" Peridot complained about the idea. "Nobody understands cricket! You must know what a crumpet is to comprehend cricket!"

"Yeah, sounded a lot better in my head." Teal immediately agreed and threw the bat away. "Okay, I got a better idea!"

"New Little Homeworld commercial starring Teal Zircon, take two!" Garnet announced. "Action!"

"Hello, Gems." Teal greeted her audience in a heavy, baritone voice while standing in a bathroom and wearing a towel around her waist. "Look at yourself, now back to me. Now look back at yourself, back to me. The yourself you once knew is gone, and that can be helped at Little Homeschool." She declared. "Look down, back up. Where are you now?" Teal asked while changing her form into sailing attire as the setting changed into a maritime one.

"You're now on a boat with the Gem your gem could look like! Now look at your hand, and what do you see?" she asked again before presenting a box of donuts. "I have it now, and it's a box of donuts from the Big Donut! Now look again; the donuts are now solid gold!" After Teal revealed the golden donuts in the box, the scene then slowly changed to the Zircon riding on Jasper's back on the beach. "Anything is possible when you come on down to Little Homeworld, where you can learn not to be a genocidal conqueror! I'm riding on a Jasper."

"I don't know what just happened, but I hate this." Jasper said in a mix of confusion and quiet outrage as the shooting ended.

"How is she doing this?!" Pearl exclaimed as Teal got off Jasper's back. "One moment she was standing in a bathroom, the next she was on a boat with that box of gold donuts, and finally she was on Jasper's back! Can she warp reality to her whims, or is it all an illusion?!"

"I don't know either, but this is really entertaining." Garnet smiled. "But still not what we're looking for. Maybe we should do a little more wholesome."

"How wholesome are we talking here?" Peedee asked Garnet.

"Maybe loud and inviting, yet still super friendly." Bismuth answered. "What do you think, Teal?"

"I mean, I have good ideas, but I'm willing to try anything once." TZ reluctantly agreed with her fellow Crystal Gems.

"Hi, Teal Zircon for Little Homeschool!" Teal Zircon energetically introduced herself while wearing a blue polo shirt and khakis and having shapeshifted herself a thick beard. "The one-stop place for all Gems to let go of their problematic pasts and make a change for the better! Just look at all the activities we're offering!"

"Good thing Greg happened to have those clothes lying around." Pearl muttered behind the camera as Teal continued her explanation.

"We got all kinds of art classes, like painting and sculpturing!" Teal exclaimed boisterously. "There's also yoga, swimming, fashion, technology, self-defense, and so much more! Just look at all these satisfied Gems!"

"I was a constant threat to the Crystal Gems, but thanks to Little Homeschool, I now have a healthier way of expressing my anger." Jasper said flatly. "Thanks, Little Homeschool."

"For most of my life, I was but a humble servant who had no personality of my own." White Topaz added. "But after going to Little Homeschool, I finally found someone who loves me for me!"

"I was formerly a Peridot in service to the great Hessonite who antagonized the Crystal Gems in their quest for the Light Prism" Squaridot proclaimed. "But after some soul-searching, I became a vigilante sidekick before finding my one true place here!"

"I was forced to come here against my will." Black Rutile grumbled. "Wait, how did I even get in this commercial anyways?! I was just in my house!"

"Another satisfied customer!" Teal exclaimed while showing Black Rutile away from the camera. "If you ever feel like attending, come on down to your local Warp Pad and see all there is to see on this wonderful planet, guaranteed!"

"And that's a wrap!" Pearl exclaimed as Peedee finished recording. "Wonderful job, Teal, I think we finally have our commercial!"

"Aw, that's it?" Teal moaned in disappointment. "I got so much to show you! I got illusion powers, meaning I can create anything, which is why I did so many cool things for all the previous takes!" With a mere snap of her fingers, Teal took off the polo & khakis and reappeared in a bright flash of light dressed in a jester outfit. "Like this, for example, puddin'!"

"Okay, that certainly explains a lot." Amethyst realized. "What else can you make?"

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe!" Teal exclaimed before changing out of her jester getup and transforming the set into a disco club, complete with everyone dressed in appropriate attire. "Come on, everybody, shake your groove things!"

"Oh goody, the seventies." Pearl grimaced at her current attire as Peridot began cackling at the taller Gem.

"Oh my stars, did your hair seriously look like that during that time period?!" Peridot laughed and pointed at Pearl's big afro.

"I was going through a phase!" Pearl yelled at Amethyst as the setting changed to a sinking ship. "Now what?!"

"My friends, it's been an honor playing with you." Teal solemnly said before she pulled out a violin to play while the ship began sinking to the bottom.

"Can ya hold still for a sec?!" Bismuth yelled. "We're excellent as is; no need to keep throwing all this at us!"

"But I got so much more to show off!" Teal declared as she began flipping through even more illusory settings for the Gems to examine, though the speed at which she presented them proved to be very overwhelming very quickly. It wasn't until someone told her to stop that Teal slowed down.

"WE SAID CUT IT OUT!" Jasper roared in Teal's face, sending the Zircon falling over as everything returned to normal. "How about we take five for a bit?"

"Okay, guys, whatever you say." A stunned Teal agreed before picking herself up and walking away, her hair blown back by Jasper's yell before she straightened it back to normal.

"Don't you think you were a little harsh, honey bear?" White Topaz asked Jasper.

"I know. I gotta work on my anger issues." Jasper replied to her girlfriend. "But seriously, that Zircon really gets on my nerves! She's like an annoying little kid who never knows when to shut up!"

"Come on, Jasper, no need to be so callous." Peridot added. "Though you are kind of right, Teal Zircon possesses a rather prepubescent mindset and doesn't know how to read the room. She just needs to learn how to grow up a little."

"Think she'll be back?" Lapis wondered to the others.

"I'll go look for her." Peedee declared and walked away in search of the Zircon.

"I guess that's an actor's life for me." Teal Zircon mused to herself while lying down on a bench. "You think I'm coming off too strong, me? Yeah, me, maybe I should tone it down a bit."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Peedee asked Teal as he found her on the bench and sat beside her. "Don't want to be rude, but you're kinda weird."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Teal replied tonelessly. "I didn't have that many friends before joining the Crystal Gems because everyone thought I was too obnoxious, so I kept acting out, hoping that someone would find me funny."

"Well, did anyone find you funny?" Peedee asked again.

"Rose certainly did, which is how I joined the CGs." Teal answered. "Or was it Pink Diamond that found me funny? Man, learning that my former boss turned out to be a Diamond in disguise makes everything really confusing now." She then sat up next to Peedee. "But even now, I'm not sure if this kind of behavior is winning me any favors, especially with Jasper."

"Well, you tried taking it down a notch?" Peedee suggested. "I mean, I get you want to make yourself known, but maybe you should be a little more subdued in your advertising."

"Yeah, maybe you're right!" Teal declared in realization as she sprung up from the bench. "I should try to be more chill! Thanks, Peepee!"

"Um, it's Peedee!" Peedee corrected for Teal, but she was too busy running towards the film set to hear him. "Then again, I never did tell her my name. Eh, whatevs."

"Guys, I'm ready to start shooting again!" Teal exclaimed to the Crystal Gems as she returned to the set. "And this time, I think I got it!"

"Oh, that's wonderful, Teal!" Pearl cheered with a little clap. "Uh, what do you have anyways?"

"It!" Teal answered. "I just gotta be a little more subdued! You know, it!"

"If we knew what it was exactly, we'd understand what you were talking about." Jasper responded sourly before Lapis smacked her in the head.

"She's saying she wanted to take this in a different direction." Lapis stated. "Didn't she make that clear?"

"Okay, fine." Jasper answered. "But this better not get weird like all the last times!"

The new commercial opened on a wide aerial shot of Little Homeworld with a chintzy logo of Little Homeschool over it. Then it cut to Teal Zircon standing next to a leaking water tank while holding a piece of tape. "Hi, Teal Zircon here for Little Homeschool. The place where you could find inner peace and tape your life back together!" To emphasize her point, Teal slapped the tape onto the leaking tank in slow motion. "In just a few short months, you can become a new Gem, unlike the one you were before!"

The commercial then transitioned to the pasts of some of its students, like Jasper, White Topaz, the Lapis twins, Topaz, and Emerald. "Wow, take a look at all these Gems! Forced fusion, subservient to a sociopathic revolutionary, terraforming, capturing humans, subjugating planets, that's a lot of damage! But now, with Little Homeschool, they've all changed their lives for the better!"

After another montage of the Gems in their current states, it returned to Teal posing by the pool where Zuli was doing laps. "We got all sorts of activities you can do here. In fact, I'm right behind one of them right now!"

"When did you get here?" Zuli asked Teal while emerging from the pool.

"Unimportant!" Teal commented excitedly as Zuli threw a towel over her shoulder. "But what isn't unimportant is the lifelong connections you can make here! Who knows, maybe you could even become part of a fusion for life, like this big missy over here!" She then gestured over to a hologram of Fluorite. "Check this out, six Gems in one giant caterpillar! Isn't that amazing?!"

As the commercial concluded, Teal was then shown sawing a rowboat in half. "I just sawed a boat in half!" she happily declared. "Because it's evocative of the Gem you could become at Little Homeworld! Operators are standing by right now to enroll you today! Call now, and you'll get a free T-shirt with your new schedule!"

"We don't have an operator, or free T-shirts!" Amethyst called from offscreen before the cameras stopped rolling.

"Outstanding Teal, though, is this supposed to be your idea of subdued?" Peridot asked.

"Indeed, she was a little less high energy, but still very upbeat." Garnet added. "I thought you said you wanted to be more subdued."

"But I was being subdued!" Teal complained, offended that she wasn't being respected for trying the best she could. "What, was not doing what you wanted me to do not enough for you guys?!"

"Teal, you don't understand!" Pearl exclaimed before Teal began stomping away in a huff. "Please, come back!"

"You'll be hearing from my agent about this!" Teal bellowed without even turning around.

"You don't even have an agent!" Jasper yelled back. "Geez, she can be so irritating sometimes."

"Well, maybe it's because she wants attention, but doesn't know how to get it without making a scene a lot." Peedee deduced. "I mean, she did tell me that she acted that way because she didn't have many friends on Homeworld."

"Well, if you guys have apparently become friends, then why don't you talk to her?" Lapis suggested to the young Fryman son.

"I'll see what I can do." Peedee declared as he once again walked away in search of Teal.

"I swear, I'm doing what they wanted!" Teal muttered to herself. "Am I just not satisfying enough?"

"Hey, Teal, can I talk to you about what just happened?" Peedee asked the Zircon as she turned to notice him standing behind her. "You doing alright?"

"Oh no, I'm perfectly fine, Deedee!" Teal proclaimed before immediately correcting herself. "Okay, I'm actually lying because I still feel like I barely have any friends here."

"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from." Peedee replied. "Like, Steven was a pretty close friend of mine when he still lived in Beach City, but then we just pretty much drifted apart as he got wrapped up in more crazy adventures while I'm kinda left in the dust. So yeah, I kinda understand you being so lonely."

"Yeah, having to air out all of Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond's dirty laundry can really take up a lot of time." Teal concurred. "So what should I do now? Maybe learn to read the room better so I can make friends?"

"I'm pretty sure that has nothing to do with what I just said, but yeah, maybe you should." Peedee replied. "Let's bring you back so you can make up with them."

"Sure." Teal agreed. "You're a good kid, Deepee."

"You know what, I think I'll let it slide this time." Peedee laughed as the two began walking back to the set.

"So, there goes our lead actor." Pearl mused as the gang began packing up the set while Teal and Peedee were talking. "I suppose we can make do with what we still have, though the question remains which one to use?"

"I like the one where Teal had the beard!" Amethyst exclaimed. "That one made me laugh!"

"I personally found the one with the boat quite entertaining." Garnet provided her opinion on the finished commercials. "It's easy to be taken out of context."

"Hello, Gems." Black Rutile purred as she appeared from behind the camera. "If your leading Gem is out of the picture, then are you in the market for a replacement, perhaps?" she suggested. "I happen to possess many qualities for an ideal spokeswoman, like charisma, energy, a commanding presence, and a pretty face too."

"Are you going to turn this into a propaganda video?" Bismuth asked as Black Rutile began recording herself on Peedee's camera.

"Oh my, how could you possibly have guessed?" Black Rutile chuckled before clearing her throat. "Greetings, Gems of the universe, I am Black Rutile! Former pilot turned right-hand of White Diamond turned freedom fighter against the tyrannical Crystal Gems, and I am here to give you the offer of a lifetime!"

"Called it." Bismuth grumbled as the Gems dumbfoundedly watched Black Rutile's attempt at advertising.

"For too long now have we suffered under the iron-fisted rule of the monstrous Steven Universe and his Crystal Gems hive mind!" Black Rutile continued speaking. "However, I, a humble veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate, saw through the corruption these peace-loving beasts have infected our mighty society with and brainwashed trillions to their cause! Steven has vouchsafed us his twisted, possessive idea of love and tolerance at the expense of many hard-working Gems and every planet under the Diamonds' thumb. Now, it's time we come together right now to fight back against this crystalline threat and restore our species to order with me as your fearless leader!"

"Hey, are you making another commercial without me?!" Teal yelled from offscreen as she zoomed in front of the camera and knocked Black Rutile over. "I got another thing to say!"

"I was in the middle of something, you infernal advertiser!" Black Rutile yelled with a teal foot to her face. "Now get off of me!"

"What do you have to say now?" Pearl asked Teal.

"Well, I just wanna say I'm sorry for how I acted just now." Teal apologized for her behavior. "Thanks to Peedee here, I think I should know better to read the room and be more considerate of others. He's a good kid."

"Thanks, Teal." Peedee replied gratefully. "Now, are we ready to get this going again?!"

"You bet!" Teal proclaimed eagerly. "Make sure to get my good side!"

"Okay, let's do this one last time." Pearl accepted what was going on now. "Places, please!"

"Hi, it's Teal Zircon with Little Homeschool!" Teal introduced herself while wearing a headset and holding an absorbent towel. "Now Little Homeschool is a lot like this absorbent towel here, because they both can drain every drop of your bad side dry and leave nothing behind, like so!"

To demonstrate, Teal dipped the towel into a small bucket of water that seemed to empty the moment the towel went in instantly. "It's like a towel, a sponge, or maybe a school that'll help you get away from your bad self so you can truly make a change for the better!"

As Teal continued speaking, a montage began playing of some of Little Homeschool's various students. "This is for the Rubies, the Lapises, the Jaspers, the Emeralds, the fusions; Little Homeschool was established only a few years ago, but business has been booming since then, and we've been able to provide a home for all of its students too!" she declared. "So come on down to Earth today in the solar system and see how you too can become a student of the one and only Crystal Gems!"

"Or join the Rutile Rebels and fight for freedom for all Gems!" Black Rutile exclaimed as she freed her face from Teal Zircon's foot and hastily got up, but the commercial ended before she could finish.

Once filming had ended, the Gems decided to edit together every commercial they filmed starring Teal Zircon because nobody could choose which to use. Ultimately, business began speeding up again thanks to their new advertisement.

"Hello, Gems. Teal Zircon for Little Homeschool! The place where you could find inner peace and tape your life back together! We got all kinds of art classes, like painting and sculpturing! Little Homeschool was established only a few years ago, but business has been booming since then, and we've been able to provide a home for all of its students too! If you ever feel like attending, then come on down to your local Warp Pad and see all there is to see on this wonderful planet, guaranteed! Stay fusing, my friends."

"Well, guys, it looks like we finally got our commercial!" Pearl exclaimed as their completed ad aired on television across the country and the universe. "And it's all thanks to you, Teal!"

"Please, you're making me blush!" Teal replied nervously. "So, who do you suppose we'll bring in with this?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Garnet adjusted her glasses with a grin before the Crystal Gems all heard the Warp Pad hum. "A new student, come on, everyone!"

When the Gems raced to the Warp Pad, they were greeted by a little brown Gem who had her gem replacing her nose and wore brown overalls. "Hey, uh, my name's Monazite. Is this Little Homeschool?"

"Let me guess, did our ad send you here?" Teal Zircon asked. Monazite nodded. "Then welcome to the party!"

Thus brings an end to this chapter. Yet as the title implies, but wait, there's more! We got eight more chapters left til we can end the first season, and I can assure you that you're in for a real treat! As for the next chapter, well to give you a hint, you've seen the Amphibia episode Civil Wart, right? Well, this time, it's a shipping war related to Camp Pining Hearts, plus a reference to a certain incident in the SU fandom from years ago that I've been wanting to do for ages. See you later!

#steven universe #steven universe future #steven universe alternate future #fanfiction #little homeworld life #teal zircon #garnet #amethyst #pearl #peridot #lapis lazuli #jasper #bismuth #white topaz #peedee fryman

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hooves-of-hyrule · 8 months

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Hey, Zelda - Checked in on the Thundra Plateau Herd

“Hey, Zelda” is a documentation of my personal Tears of the Kingdom playthrough, told through the eyes of Link in a series of monologues.

In the brief intermission between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, Link and Zelda spent a lot of time together - and by that I mean, they lived together. They shared a house, shared meals, even shared a bed (though if you asked them, they would’ve told you it was for comfort and safety, and yes, they’d really believe what they were saying). Link, however, also shared stories. Old habits die hard, and after Zelda disappears, he talks as if she's there listening to him just to keep some semblance of normalcy in his life.

Note that these are incredibly self-indulgent and I fully expect no one but myself to actually care about any of these lmao.

~~~~~~~~

I had a busy day today. Discovered some sky islands where apparently Zonai youth would be challenged to freefall through a series of light rings. Not totally sure what the significance of that is, but I did get an incredibly cool outfit out of the deal. It has fabric that can attach to the arms and legs to create a sort of… wing-suit, and makes it so much easier to maneuver through the air without a paraglider. If you were here, you’d probably insist on taking it for yourself on occasion. …I bet it would look even better on you than it does on me. Which is saying a lot, by the way, because it does look very good on me. You’re missing out. Also managed to get all but two of Purah’s skyview towers activated. When you come back you’re definitely going to have to give one of them a try. It’s about the closest thing you’ll get to flying!

Second thing I did was check on the Zonai horse herd we’ve been keeping an eye on. Remember that one foal we’ve been watching especially closely? That beautiful silver bay with the dark face? She’s finally all grown up. Managed to get a hold of her and she definitely was worth the wait. I can’t wait for you to meet her, I think you’ll like her even more than Dauntless. The rest of the herd is doing well too. One of the bands has been forced to move up toward the mountain though. You know the one that stayed on that ledge? That one. Turns out the stone talus got replaced by a lynel. That was… a surprise to say the least. Anyways, when I got back to the New Serenne Stable to register Wick as my own, I noticed someone worrying over a broken wagon so… obviously I fixed it for her. Turned out she had only just gotten the wagon but somehow didn’t even know how to catch a horse. Since catching horses is pretty much my only pastime, I figured I’d grab a nice gentle one for her. Managed to find her a beautiful bay paint with a long mane… honestly I almost kept him for myself, but apparently I need to rack up more “pony points” before I can register another horse. …Rant about that later. Anyway - I gave her the horse and she hitched it up, and then she asked for my name, which I told her. Her name is… Zumi? Zuli? Something like that. Apparently the only reason she asked was because she wanted to name the wagon after the two of us. So now it’s called Zunk. I can tell she only did it because she thinks I’m attractive or something, which is… uncomfortable, but I can forgive it because Zunk is honestly the best name I’ve ever heard and I think if we ever get a dog someday it should be named Zunk. Or maybe Zenk, actually. Get it? Zenk? …no, that’s stupid. Maybe Lilda? …Lelda? Zink… Zelink… hm. That’s a work in progress.

Oh, I asked the stable owner about whatever happened to that golden horse the two of us have been working on training. Apparently she got transferred to the Hebra snowfield stable, which is just about the worst place she could’ve been transferred to. I hope she’s doing well. I’ll go check on her for you tomorrow.

~~~~~

Author's Note: Wick is one of the two-max-stat-one-almost-max-stat horses I was talking about in the notes of the prologue. Now she's a 100% max stat. She's also, really freaking pretty. And as my friend said, "omg it's discount store-brand Epona."

Also I wish the paints and appaloosas didn't have such bad stats :( Someday I'll actually keep one and just upgrade it. Today is not that day. I hope Zumi(?) likes her horse that she will literally never use.

#legend of zelda #tears of the kingdom #fanfic #zelink #hey zelda

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wild-moss-art · 3 years

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Quick meet the artist for anyone who wants to get to know me any better! My ask box is always open too (:

#not rwby #yes I know I look like zuli #she’s my self insert lol #hope u like

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i-dont-know-him-archived · 2 years

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Hello!! I wanted to start off by saying I love your art style, you make the Centaurworld characters look so adorable!! 🥺💖 Also, since you're taking art suggestions/opinion asks, I would like to suggest some Stripes on Stripes, aka the power couple™, and ask about some of your headcanons for them, please c:

Asjdjdtdhdc thank you!! I hope this pleases you, because I got a lot of happy chemicals from it haha

Headcanons:

They spontaneously break up and get back together. Their last breakup wasn't even because of the Be Best Competition like the rest of the herd assumes, Splendib just stole Zuli's lip gloss

That breakup only would have lasted a few days if Zulius hadn't jumped on Wammawink's helicopter after he stormed off (yes, his ex stealing his lip gloss was his backstory all along)

They watch reality TV together and shout at people when they do dumb stuff

Cuddles!!

They both rly like cuddles

Zulius uses Splendib as a pillow. He's super comfy

You know when cats want your attention and they just kinda climb on you? I don't have a cat but they do that right? Anyway Splendib does that

Zulius will be reading one of Momma Wamma's Mansplash magazines and Splendib just. climbs on his lap. Sometimes he purrs and it's the most adorable thing ever

I may have overdone it a bit, but I can't help it! I love these two with all my heart and soul

#centaurworld #centaurworld fanart #centaurworld theories/headcanons #zulius #splendib #stripes on stripes #my stuff #my art #my theories/headcanons #idea #<- cuz i eventually want to draw more of these headcanons

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astrolionking · 3 years

Text

I Don’t Cry (Short Zulius fanfic)

“I know you are NOT crying for that man!” Zulius yelled at his reflection in a small pond. “Look at you! You’re giving that wannabe what he wants!”

Zulius found himself in the middle of a grassy plain with nothing but messed up mascara, a ruined outfit and his will to live hanging by a single thin thread. He felt humiliated! He felt gross! He felt stupid for crying about this!

“It’s just a break up, stupid!! You can deal with it!” He yelled at himself through his sobbing. “B-But… to your credit… he DID just sabotage your performance and humiliated you in front of everyone resulting in him winning for some STUPID sparkly sash.”

Zulius sat there in silence for a second before yelling out in frustration. “That’s no excuse!! You’re giving him what he wants!! Stop it!!”

He then slapped his hand through the water, distorting his reflection into someone unrecognizable for a moment. When the water finally settled and all was silent again, Zulius looked at himself in the eyes.

“Wipe that stupid mascara off.”

And so he did.

“Take that stupid outfit off.”

And so he did.

“And show that you’re not going to be hurt by that JERK of a cat that never… cared…”

He never cared… and that was his biggest problem.

Splendib never really cared.

He never cared about making Zulius happy. He never cared about Zulius’ accomplishments. He never cared about when Zulius was upset. He never cared like how Zulius cared and goddammit Zulius felt so STUPID to believe that Splendib cared.

Maybe this is what he deserved? Maybe this was the universe telling him that he should’ve seen the signs sooner?

Yeah… maybe that’s it…

Maybe he was so stupid to realize no one really loved him.

No one loved him—

“Excuse me—“

“OH SH—“

“OH MY!! I’m so sorry!! My apologies! I did not mean to startle you!”

Right in front of him stood a pink llama-looking centaur. She was a deal shorter than him and her eyes where big and round. She had a chubby body, gentle smile and a comforting presence. Almost like a guardian angel.

“Are you alright, dear…?” The woman asked gently.

“Yeah? I’m fine! Can’t a guy just stare at his reflection in peace?”

The woman frowned and shook her head. “Those eyes say different.”

She was right. His eyes where bloodshot and puffy from the excessive and humiliating sobbing.

“You seem… heartbroken…”

Heartbroken.

That’s what he felt. He couldn’t put his finger on it before.

He couldn’t help but let out a sad chuckle. “How can you tell?”

“I just know these things, sweetheart.”

The zebra centaur sighed and rubbed his eyes stressfully. “You got me…”

“What is your name?” The llama said with a gentle smile as she sat down next to him. “My name is Wammawink.”

“Zulius.” He replied.

“What a beautiful name for such a beautiful centaur!”

Zulius felt himself blush at the compliment. He got those compliments a lot but after this particular incident, he really needed to hear that. “You think so…?”

“I know so! Look at you!”

He smiled and laughed, wiping access tears away.

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Yes and no. I say it mostly because it true.”

“Well, thank you…”

Wammawink nodded with a smile. “If it’s not too personal, may I ask what’s wrong?”

Zulius sighed. “What ISN’T wrong…? My boyfriend-now-ew-boyfriend sabotaged my performance, ruined my outfit, stole my backup dancers, dumped me on the spot and humiliated me in front of those stupid Cataurs! UGH! I’m so stupid to not realize what a SNAKE he is!”

“That’s awful! And I don’t think you’re stupid. Most people can’t see the red flags until it’s too late. That isn’t your fault.”

“But it was so obvious!”

“It’s only obvious NOW because he showed his true colors finally. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Zulius sighed, looked down at his reflection. “If it isn’t my fault… why do I feel guilty…?”

“I wish I knew… but these feels are normal and you’ll get through it… I promise…”

Zulius felt a wave of emotions wash over him. It felt like a brick to the head. He felt his crying start up once again. He knew Wammawink noticed and he felt embarrassed.

“Do you need a moment to cry…?” She asked softly, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He sniffled. “No! Nuh-uh! Nah! I do NOT cry! Especially because of some jerk! No, ma’am!”

After a long drawn out moment of silence, couldn’t hold it in anymore. He covered his face and sobbed into his hands as Wammawink pulled him into a tight hug. She stroked his mane gently, mumbling that it was good to let it out.

After a minute or two of ugly crying, he finally calmed down and took a big shaky deep breath then a relaxing and refreshing exhale. He suddenly felt like weight he didn’t know was there was lifted off of his shoulders. He never felt this calm and at ease in his life.

“Now what do I do…?” The zebra asked.

Wammawink thought for a moment before smiling. “Do you have a herd?”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Um… well, no.”

“You should join mine! I know it’s sudden but everyone is SO sweet!”

He stared at her in surprise. It WAS pretty sudden but she was a very sweet person. A stranger that came for help and seemed to want to continue to help. A small part of him was trying to manipulate him into thinking that she really didn’t care, that he should be 100% suspicious, and that after the whole Splendib incident he shouldn’t be around ANYONE.

But a bigger part of him told him to try again and that if something DID happen, maybe he’d be more prepared. That part of him told him to trust this woman.

That part of him won.

“Tell me more.” He finally said as she stood up and helped him up.

——————

“And that’s how I became part of this herd!” Zulius finished his story with a content smile on his face.

Horse smiled wide. “Awww! That’s was so sweet! Wammawink really does have a way with words.”

“You’re telling me,” Zulius sighed. “Without her, I think I’d be a huge mess.”

“Me too. I’m glad you’re in this herd, Zuli.”

“Awwww I’m glad you’re here too!”

Horse chuckled a bit. “Oh! Tell me how you and Durpleton got together!”

“Oh, now THAT is my favorite story.”

#Dizzy Writing (fanfiction)#centaurworld #Zulius #wammawink #Horse

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ultranos · 3 years

Note

Does Zuko or either of his kids ever get to meet Shan after Korra talks to them in the semi-bad ending?

(I think a bunch of people want something along these lines, judging from my inbox lol)

Zuko grips the ship’s railing as the island looms in front of them, the dark jungle getting closer and closer. He didn’t think he’d ever see these shores again. He didn’t know if he wanted to.

Now, if he were a younger man, he’d have already flung himself over the side to swim to shore. Nevermind that the ship is faster, he just feels the need to get there as almost a physical pull. (The last time he felt this kind of desperation was also on a ship, chasing a miracle so many years ago.)

At the same time, he’s terrified.

Would she remember? Would she be angry? She should probably be angry. But she agreed to let Korra bring them. So she can’t want him dead.

...well, yes, she can. It is his sister we’re talking about.

(It’d be fair. Zuko killed her first.)

A hand rests lightly on his shoulder. Zuko turns to look into the concerned face of his youngest daughter. (Zuli has always looked enough like Azula that it had hurt, sometimes, when she was younger. They had the same smile, the same spark of fire in their eyes, the things Azula lost when Ozai had sunk his claws into her and slowly torn her apart.

Zuli kept those things, Zuko made damn sure she kept those things, no matter what. He owed it to his sister, for not noticing, for not saving her, for not being sure, for not stopping Aang. For not letting her have the chance to grow up.

It was easier and harder as the girls grew up, grew older that Azula ever got the chance to be. He sometimes wondered which of them she would have resembled more.)

“Dad?”

Zuko manages to give Zuli a small smile. “I’m fine, dear. Just...nervous.”

He watches her eyes flick over his shoulder, which means Izumi isn’t too far behind him. He chuckles. Somethings never change. Zumi and Zuli’s protectiveness? Apparently one of them.

“I haven’t seen my sister since I was sixteen,” he says quietly. “And that it was her corpse. For her to have been alive all this time...”

“You didn’t know, Dad,” Izumi says quietly.

He just shakes his head. They’ve been having this argument of sorts for days, both of his daughters insisting it wasn’t his fault. That he hadn’t just stood by as his little sister was murdered. Almost murdered. Zumi and Zuli are good kids, good siblings. He knows they can’t imagine how strained things were between him and Azula, how distant and unknown. He wanted them to have the opposite of what he had and he succeeded.

He just wishes it didn’t cost so much for him to realize he needed to.

The slowing of the ship puts an end to the argument anyway. The three of them join Korra in the boat that will take them to shore. Zuko’s grip on the sides of the craft gets tighter as the Avatar bends them closer to the beach.

There’s a young man waiting for them when they disembark, dressed in the traditional outfit of the Sun Warriors. “Avatar,” he greets. “Welcome back.” His gaze turns to the three Fire Royals. “These are the ones you vouch for?”

Korra nods. “Thanks, Hide. Yes, they’re the three.”

Hide puts his fingers to his lips and lets out a piercing whistle. Before anyone can say a word, a large shadow appears overhead. Zuko stares as the shadow gets closer and closer. He hears one of the girls gasp behind him as a large, serpentine shape descends, wings arced and slicing through the air.

The dragon lands lightly on the beach, all precision and grace. Zuko takes in the scales that are the same shade of blue that haunts his nightmares. And the tawny gold eyes that he last saw close in anguish.

His tongue feels so dry in his mouth. “Azula?” he whispers.

The dragon, so much bigger, so much more alive than the body he saw, steps forward, snakes her neck closer to him. He can feel the heat from her skin, from her breath. I was Shan before I was Azula, and I have been Shan far longer. Her lips twitch upwards, showing teeth. Hello, Zuzu.

#nos answers things #atla #dragon au #semi-bad ending #zuko feels so much right now #Anonymous

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amor-immortalem · 3 years

Text

My Adoring Fan chapter 9

a/n: time to get back to this

“Alright I’ve got them...” Aurelius dumps his books in the center of the little group consisting of Zulima, Max and himself. “Where’s ‘Zay?”

“Your dad wanted to talk to her as we passed by your parents’ room.” Max offered. “About what happened at RAD.”

The white- and black-haired boy nodded. “Alright then. Let’s get started then.” He flipped open to a random page and checked with his cousin and the human to make sure they hadn’t already covered the material yet: Transfiguration.

With a negative answer they began.

------------------------------------------------------l

Arella was deciding on something to make for lunch, when Cyrus and Mahlon made it back home from their time out. As soon as the toddler could get his little shoes off, Mahlon was in the kitchen tugging on the hem of his mother’s shirt as he bounced like an excited puppy.

“Mama! Mama! Mama! ‘M hungry. When’s lunch?” He asks with wide green-to-blue-to gold gradient eyes. “Awso- Awso- Awso, me ‘n Cy... me ‘n Cy saw a weally pwetty kitty on da way home.”

“You did?” She asks with a soft chuckle. “Well, I’m not sure what I’m making for lunch just yet so why don’t you help me decide. Sound good?”

The toddler nods as Arella picks him up and places him on the counter. Cyrus enters the kitchen shortly thereafter.

“Sorry I couldn’t keep him occupied longer, Mum.” The half-demon reaches into the fridge to grab out a sportsdrink. “I know Dad’s not in the best of shape today so I tried to get Mahlon to stay out with me longer but he wouldn’t have it. Is he doing any better now, though?”

“A little bit...” Arella nodded. “He and your sister fell asleep together upstairs so I’ll wake them when lunch is finished.”

“’Zay’s home?!” Mahlon’s eyes lit up as he hopped down. “I wanna see ‘er.”

“Mahlon, honey, no. You’ll wake them right now.”

“But I wanna see ‘em!” The boy complains.

“They’re not going anywhere, Buddy.” Cyrus chuckled. “And I thought you said you were going to help Mum choose what’s for lunch?”

“Yeah.... Yeah but...”

“No buts, little one.” Arella smiled as she opened the fridge. “Your brother is up in his room with Zulima and Max. You can go see them if helping decide what’s for lunch doesn’t interest you anymore.”

Mahlon nodded taking off for the stairs as Arella turns back to the fridge to continue her task

------------------------------------------------------

“Auwelius!” Mahlon exclaims as he jumps on his older brother’s back. “Why’dyu come home eawly? Hi, Zuli!” His multicolored eyes narrowed when he noticed Max, “Human... go away.”

“Hm?” The older teen looks back, “Don’t worry about it just yet, bud.” He ruffles Mahlon’s fluffy black hair. “Also don’t talk to Max like that. You may be the baby of the family but that doesn’t mean you get to act like a brat.”

Mahlon on let out a hmph as he turned his attention to one of the spell books. “What’s that?”

“It’s a spell for transfiguration,” Zulima explained.

“Can I see how it's done?”

“Sure,” Max offers, “I can do it for you.”

“No!” The toddler growled as he glared at her. “I wasn’t asking you. I was asking Auwelius or Zuli. Not you, Stupid.”

“Whoa,” Both Aurelius and Zulima cut in.

“Cool your jets there, Mahlon.” Zulima started, “Max just offered to show you what you wanted to see. You don’t have to be mean.”

“If you can’t act nicely, then you can go. The door’s that way.” Aurelius points toward the door. “The three of us are trying to study.”

“No! I wanna stay! I wanna stay!” The nearly three-year-old shouts as Aurelius covers Mahlon’s mouth with his hand.

“Mahlon, stOP! You yellin’ at the top of your damn lungs like this is not a good thing. Dad’s probably sleeping right now. Do you really want to be the one that wakes him up?” Mahlon shakes his head as Aurelius removes his hand from his brother’s mouth. “That’s what I thought.”

“Too bad it already happened.” Mammon says as he leans against the doorframe. “Mahlon, apologize to Max and then go downstairs.”

“I’m not sayin’ sowwy. Not to ‘er,” Mahlon crossed his arms with a huff.

“It wasn’t optional, Mahlon. Say yer sorry. Right now.”

“No! You can’t make me!”

“I sure as hell can put ya in time out until yer ready to though. Downstairs, now- or do I gotta come over there and get ya myself?”

Mahlon only shook his head and marched out of Azalea’s room, headed downstairs for his punishment.

“Here’s yer phone back, Max. Send me that audio so I can get it to Lucifer and Lord Diavolo.” Mammon sighed, “There’s no excuse for the four of ya ta have had what was said ta ya said ta ya.”

The blue-eyed human only nodded as she put her phone away and the demon left.

------------------------------------------------------

As Mammon and Mahlon make their way downstairs, the demon flips on a 5-minute timer on his phone.

“When this timer goes off, I’ll come get ya and we’ll talk about why what ya did was wrong and why ya did it, ‘kay?” Mammon says as he puts Mahlon in a corner for his time out and the boy nodded. The white-haired demon flips on the time and heads into the kitchen to get something to drink.

“Hey, right behind ya,” he says as reaches over Arella to grab a water bottle from the fridge. “So... Mahlon’s in time out right now because he’s refusin’ to apologize to Max for callin’ her stupid.”

“What? really?” Arella looks up at him with wide eyes. “That’s the second time he’s done that while she’s been over...”

“Yeah ‘n it's gonna be the last too.” He hums, “I think he’s just jealous of her because ‘Zay gives Max the attention that he wants from her. Ya know how much he loves ‘er despite the way she treats him ‘n how possessive he gets over us or his siblings.”

“Yeah, I thought we’d managed to curb this behaviour from last time though...” She rubbed her temples. “How are you feeling though after you’ve had that nap? You ready for lunch, love?”

“I’m a lil’ better. Kinda nauseous from not eatin’ all morning so I’m more than ready for lunch. Maybe gettin’ some food in me’ll help kick the rest of this. I’m tired of just sittin’ around doin’ nothin’.

“Just take it easy, alright? Remember what the doctor said all those years ago? Rest is the quickest way to come out of this.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m just bored.” He sighed as the timer went off. “Welp, time to go talk to our son.” He took a swig out of his water bottle and went back out into the living room to talk to Mahlon.

“Alright, I’m going to wake Azalea and collect the others for lunch.” Arella says as she climbs the stairs.

------------------------------------------------------

“Azalea,” Arella calls softly as she’s tries to rouse her daughter from her nap for lunch. “Time to wake up, my little flower.”

“Don’t wannaaaaaa,” The teen only rolls further onto her side trying to bury her face in the pillow. “’m not hungry.”

“I know you don’t but you have to. You’ll never sleep tonight and then you’ll be tired for school the next day.”

“Noooo, I’ll be fine.”

Well, if her daughter was refusing to get up, Arella had other strategies to wake the girl. Her hands snuck to Azalea’s sides and she began to tickle the girl.

“Ah! Stop! Stop! I give!” The half-demon laughed as she tries to roll further away from Arella only for Arella to pull her back in when she was in danger of falling off the king-sized bed. “Mercy! Mercy!”

The human ceases the tickle attack as she holds her daughter close. “I’m glad you saw it my way,” She smiled. “Lunch is ready, Princess. Your brother and I made sandwiches.”

“Which one? I have two.”

“It was Cyrus and no- you have three brothers, Darling.”

“Does Mahlon really count?” She asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean he can’t do much in the way of helpin’ if he can’t even reach the bloody counter now, can he?”

“Oh, that’s what you meant,” She let out a relieved sigh as Azalea laughed softly.

------------------------------------------------------

“So, are ya ready to apologize to Max, now, Buddy.” Mammon asks as he sits with his youngest on the couch.

“No... I’m mad at her.” the black-haired boy puffs his cheeks out in a pout.

“You’re angry at her? Why? Did she do something to upset you?”

“She took ‘Zay away.”

“Whaddya mean by that, Mahlon?” The demon asks as he readjusts the boy on his lap. “Max didn’t take yer sister away from ya.”

“Yes, she did. ‘Zay don’t love me no more... She’s always with Max...”

“Mahlon, bud, that ain’t true,” The Avatar of Greed sighs. “Your Sis is just bad at showin’ those types of feelings sometimes but I promise you she does love ya... in her own way.”

“How do you know?” Mahlon’s multicolored eyes peer up at his father.

“Can I let ya in on a little secret?” He asks as Mahlon nods. “When you were a baby, Azalea hated ya. She didn’t want ya to be here- even still she’s not really yer biggest fan.”

“What? Why? Did I do someting wrong?”

“No, it's just that up until Mama and I had you, she didn’t have ta share our attention with anyone but Aurelius so she felt like you were taking us away from her and she felt like she was being replaced. Ya see, babies require a lot of work after their first born so we really didn’t have a lot of free time ta spend one on one with your brother and sister like we used to. She resented having ya around but as ya got older and ya started ta get more independent and not in need of constant supervision, she started ta calm down about it.”

“So she doesn’t like me?”

“She’s getting better about it. Ya just gotta give her time which leads me to my next point: You can’t be mean to Max. Not only is it wrong since she’s been nothing but nice to you, but do you really think your sister is going to like that you’re being rude and nasty to her friend?”

“... No...”

“So doncha think you should apologize?”

“Mhm...”

“That’s my good boy,” The demon ruffles his son’s hair. “It’s lunch time now so let’s go ahead and wash our hands and get to the table, ‘kay?”

“’Kay,” The toddler hops down from his father’s lap and heads off for the kitchen.

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Find more on my masterlist

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me! shall we date?#obey me next gen #obey me mammon #obey me oc #arella #azalea #aurelius #cyrus

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pianostarinwonderland · 4 years

Text

Reasons why I love Azul Ashengrotto because I’m a dirty rag once again 🤡

So........... part 2 of this?

OKAY LISTEN, I TOLD MYSELF I WAS GOING TO DO A PART 2 IF THE PREVIOUS ONE HITS 300 NOTES BUUUUUT NOOOOOOOO MY FRIEND IN MY FUCKING DISCORD REALLY WENT

“so....... Azul shoulders 👁👄👁”

And so here I am 😔 rotting......... immensely.............

OKAY SO I BROUGHT UP AZUL SHOULDERS SO NOW LET’S GET INTO IT

Listen listen, I don’t know what is with Azul’s shoulders

I don’t even know when I got so enamored with them ????

MANS WEARS LONG ASS SLEEVES ANYWAY

SO WHY

THE FUCK

AM I SO ATTRACTED TO HIS SHOULDERS???

LIKE???????

I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S THE WAY THEY’RE CURVED OR WHAT BUT IT’S JUST SO DAMN HOT LIKE??????????

WAYYYY BEFORE I FINALLY DECIDED I STAN AZUL, I DREW A FANART OF HIM AND HIS SHOULDER but haha you will never find it

MY FRIEND AND I WERE SCREAMING ABOUT THEM IN VC A WHILE AGO

AND THEN MY FRIEND PULLED THE TRIGGER

SHE PROPOSED TO ME THE IDEA THAT HAS CAUSED ME TO FALL INTO ROT HELL

“Imagine massaging Azul’s shoulders.”

HDJJSJFJSKFSPPFEKPDOWFKSJFKWPDPFJEIDDJFOWODSODPAKDJDKKDOD JESUS SAVE ME

I SWEAR, I RETURNED TO MY ROOTS AS AN APE WHEN THAT IDEA WAS SUGGESTED AND MELTED INTO A PUDDLE A SECOND LATER

LISTEN, I AM ALREADY THE ONE WHO MASSAGES MY FAMILY AND I ALWAYS MASSAGE THEIR SHOULDERS (and back)

SO LIKE, YES I WOULD LOVE TO MASSAGE AZUL’S SHOULDERS BUT ALSO I WOULD DIE BECAUSE HOLY FUCK

Idk, when someone proposes to me an idea with my fav that I already kinda do in real life, I die 10x harder

HIS OVERBLOT SUPER SHOWS HIS SHOULDERS THOUGH

Maybe that’s how I am attracted to them

It’s just HNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH

Ok speaking of his overblot

Ahem

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

LISTEN RIGHT HERE, AZUL’S OVERBLOT FORM IS SO GORGEOUS???????

Mmmmmm I’ll be very honest and say in his live 2d sprite, I’m not as crazy over it kdjjsjfjskkfjs

BUT IN HIS CHIBI????

HE LOOKS LIKE A QUEEN

A QUEEN I SAY

I LOVE THE WAY HIS TENTACLES LOOK LIKE A GOWN???? IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL

AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Okay but let me be real when I say this: why the fuck does he have abs in that form

I Do Not Perceive

He totally stole those abs when he went crazy taking other people’s magic and skills (I mean he did say “I’ll take your athleticism” on his rampage wwwwwwww)

Please Yana, let those be stolen abs

O okay but 👉👈💦 his arms are ,,,,,

Like okay, I like to joke that he’s a twig but

I love how toned his arms are in his overblot 😳

I Idk,,, I just feel something and I

Hhhhhhhhhhh

Okay, before this turns into all-out thirst, I just want to say there’s so much more to Azul than just how beautiful he is in terms of looks 😭

Like ok, I just wanna hug him too man,,,

Even in that image above, I know we’re supposed to fight him but,,,,,, my heart just feels a slight jolt of sadness every time I inflict damage on him,,,

PLEASE, I JUST WANT TO HOLD HIM GENTLE,,,,,,,,,,,,

I WANT TO TELL HIM THAT HE’S DONE SUCH AN AMAZING JOB, COMFORT HIM, HUG HIM, GIVE HIM ALL THE LOVE AND AFFECTION HE DESERVES

I just want to tell him that he’s more than enough as he is,,,,,,,

I’m not gonna lie, some days I wanna beat Azul’s ass glares at gacha and all elements test

But most of the time, I’m in protective mode when people joke about eating takoyaki or beating him up 😢😢😢 like I know it’s a joke but I still wanna hug Zuzu,,,,

YES I CALL HIM ZUZU IT’S A CUTE NICKNAME

Zul and Zuly are also cute but,,, Zuzu

I’d say Azuly but that’s the ship name the Discord server I’m part of gave me and no it ain’t a true ship

But anyway

Yeahhhh I go “noooo don’t eat himmmm” every time people joke about eating him

Tbh when school started, I found myself empathizing with Azul more and admiring him more???? Because holy fuck,,,,

How does he manage being a dorm leader, a student, and a restaurant manager all at once??? I could barely do 1/8 of that work and I easily burnt out at the beginning of the school year,,,

Often, I had to tell myself that Azul does all that work to push me to keep up with school and hey it works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But it also made me think “does Azul ever catch a break???” and God I just want to give Azul one (1) day of relaxation because man, he deserves a rest hh

Also I kinda relate to his problems with body image?? Like, it lowkey hurts when the people you live with comment about you gaining weight and it sounds like a bad thing

And I just think about how Azul is conscious about his body image and shit and it just makes me want to hug him even more because God, he’s beautiful in any shape and form,,,,

,,,,,,,,,,,

SO ANYWAY

ONE LAST THING

I DIDN’T REALIZE HOW LONG HIS LASHES ARE UNTIL I SAW THIS IMAGE OF HIM ANGRY???

LOOK AT HOW THICC THAT LINE IS LOOK AT HOW LONG HIS LASHES ARE

AND ALSO HIS ANGRY EXPRESSION IS LITERALLY MAKING ME GO 😳😳😳😳😳😳

HE’S SO BEAUTIFUL WHAT THE FUCK DISNEY

LONG LASHES ARE BIG SEXY MAN I SOB SO HARD

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEJFJDJFKDJFJEODPSKJFKEODJJDKJFDKDKDJJD

So yeah, that’s the end

Ending it here before I rot over his smirk once again

L listen MY PHONE IS LAGGING BECAUSE OF HIM I FUCKING—

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh fuck that smirk does a shit ton of things to me

I swear to God, I better not make a part 3 🗿

#twisted wonderland #twst #azul ashengrotto #simping hours #maybe I should make simping hours a tag on my blog #kdjjdjdknfkskfjd #hhhhhhhh

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freyfall · 4 years

Text

So @onebizarrekai just recently posted that corrupted Dream thing, and a bunch of y’all are wondering what the context is. Basically, Ky and I have a 66k-word roleplay on about 4 different google docs that’s a huge JMV/DINTIS/Dreamswap crossover, in which the main plot is the fact that somehow they keep getting shunted across multiverses and also DS Dream wants to eradicate all the corruption in both other multiverses now that he knows they exist (and then all the shenanigans that follow).

Currently within the storyline, DS Dream isn’t fully corrupted (yet), but he’s certainly on the way there, due to a rather nasty scenario in which Obsidian and Jet trick Dream into getting locked in a magic blocking cell - a cell in which Obsidian’s free to get his revenge by starting the corruption process on Dream himself.

Anyways, I’m going to include the excerpt from the roleplay itself below the cut here. Warning: there are blatant rape-y overtones in this scene, and while it’s not explicit/NSFW, please proceed with caution.

This scene is co-written by myself and @onebizarrekai.

---

It wasn’t long after Dream left Zuli and Jade before he received an incoming signal on the police radio he held clipped to his shirt. “Lord Dream! Lord Dream, come in!”

“What is it?” Dream asked as he walked down the hallway, making his way towards the prison wing again.

Finch’s voice drifted from the radio again. “You need to come to the max-security cell immediately. Something’s gone wrong with the system.”

A wave of urgency ran through Dream. “Get the soldiers over there! Let them know!” he responded. “I’ll be over as quickly as I possibly can!”

“Yes sir. I’ll get them immediately!” There was a small click of the radio, and then it was silent. Dream broke out into a run almost immediately. Something was wrong with the system? It must have been like what happened with the others–maybe there was someone tampering with everything after all. He couldn’t let Obsidian get out, not again. This was supposed to be safer.

He scrambled through hallways and doorways until he reached the outside of the chamber where Obsidian’s cell was. Oddly, there were no guards outside the room where they had been originally stationed, but his mind was clouded enough with worry that he didn’t pay it heed. He barged into the room, seeing Obsidian lying on the floor of the cell, completely unmoving, the door of the cell wide open.

Warily, Dream approached. He drew his sword from his belt, coming up to the glass. Obsidian seemed to be lying in a puddle of what looked like corruption, but for all Dream knew, it could have been blood, based on tests that they had done earlier. Dream was uncertain whether to check the calibrator and close the door, or check to see if Obsidian was dead.

He drew one step too close. Dream heard faint noise come from the calibrator. He whirled around, Jet’s eyes meeting his with a smile. Obsidian took hold of Dream’s ankle, pulling him into the cell with a delighted laugh. Dream grunted as he fell, landing fully in the cell. The door closed, and Obsidian rose to his feet. A moment passed before Dream realized that his wings were gone, and Obsidian was no longer reacting to his magic.

“W…What…” Dream stammered. “What… did you do?” He scrambled to his feet, moving towards the wall. His grip on his sword tightened.

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this,” Obsidian said, part of it through teeth clenched into a wide grin. “It was even worth getting burned by your - insufferable magic.” He held his palms out openly. The hand he had grabbed Dream’s ankle with had a dark burn on it, but Obsidian still moved it around freely despite how painful it must have been. “How does it feel to be powerless, Lord Dream? You scared yet? If you aren’t, well. You will be.”

Dream furrowed his brow. “Where are my soldiers?” he asked. “If you think this is all it takes to get through me, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Obsidian snorted. “You thought I was done? You thought I’d just trap you here and be done with it? Oh, no. No no no.” Obsidian stepped forward, clenching his burned fist tightly. Slowly, an indigo glow became visible behind him, and dark, writhing tentacles began to form. “Did I mention that it’s been a while since I stretched this magic, so to speak?” he said, extending the tentacles outwards and, indeed, stretching them. “I think it deserves a bit of use - and what better subject for it than the one that’s been pissing me off the most?”

In a brief instant, Dream grabbed hold of the radio clipped to his shirt. “Soldiers, this is a code–”

One of Obsidian’s tentacles immediately shot forward and grabbed the radio, crushing it in its grasp. “Nope. None of that,” Obsidian tutted, striding closer as he tossed away the broken pieces. “And we should probably get rid of that, as well.” The tentacle grabbed Dream’s sword, yanking it out of his hand and snapping it in half. Dream gasped as it happened, the fear in his eyes clouding the disappointment that his signature weapon had just been broken. “Now, where were we? Oh yeah. I was gonna fuck you up.”

“You’re insane to think that this will work out for you,” Dream told him. “Nobody is going to just sit by and let this happen.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got the physical strength of the hulk and the willpower of a petulant child. You constantly underestimate me, and look where that’s gotten you. Right. Under.” He stepped closer, putting his hand under Dream’s chin and pressing his thumb against Dream’s lower lip. “My thumb.”

Dream wanted to flinch away, but there was nowhere to go. He remained stiff, frozen, mind scrambling for a way out of this, an idea, anything–but nothing came to mind. “I’m… sure you only have so long,” he said.

“In that case, I’m fully prepared to enjoy every moment.” His tentacles started to snake forward, closing Dream in on both sides. Obsidian’s hand shifted to grip Dream’s chin in a more secure manner. It tightened slightly, almost to the point of bruising. “I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that my intention is to corrupt you. In that case, you were right. Good for you. Corruption likes to spread. So tell me, Lord Dream. How would you like this to go down?”

Maybe Dream could just stall for enough time, just until the soldiers arrived. “You… you can’t corrupt me,” he said. “Just because you blocked my magic doesn’t mean that it’s not still a part of me.”

“Sure, that might be a bit of a roadblock, but it’s not like your magic has any capability of fighting back now, does it? Also it doesn’t hurt to try.” Obsidian smiled smugly. “In any case, I’m sick of you talking.” The tentacles on either side of Dream wrapped around him, restraining him as tightly as possible, and Obsidian’s fingers dug into the space between Dream’s upper and lower jaw, attempting to force his mouth open. “Open wi-ide,” Obsidian said in a sing-song voice.

Dream clenched his fists. It didn’t look like he had any chance fighting this himself, even if the guards did come soon. He could infer what Obsidian was about to do, and he knew it wasn’t going to be fun.

Jet, meanwhile, was in the background, pursing his lips. He didn’t exactly feel like he wanted to watch this, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice, seeing as how he was in charge of operating the cell.

Gleefully, Obsidian pried Dream’s mouth open, and immediately took the chance to take one of his free tentacles and shove it down Dream’s throat. Obsidian practically purred in delight at the choked noise Dream made. He leaned in closer, pressing an ear to Dream’s chest. He took his free hand and settled it to rest on Dream’s waist with yet another firm grip. “Having fun yet?” he snarked, but naturally, Dream could provide no response with the exception to muffled choking. “Oh, silly me, I forgot, it’s so rude-” Obsidian punctuated that with a sharp shove of the tentacle further down Dream’s throat, “-to talk with your mouth full, isn’t it?”

“Jesus Christ, don’t kill him,” Jet said from the background.

“He can breathe through his nose,” Obsidian said. “Besides, if he passes out, I’ll just let him breathe again. Simple as that. I just think this is the most effective way to introduce his system to large amounts of corruption, don’t you think?” Obsidian paused, looking up at Dream, and then grinned. “Unless you’d like to watch me fuck him right here on the cell floor. That’d be entertaining, too.”

“Do you want me to leave you locked in there with him?” Jet asked.

“I don’t know, sounds tempting,” Obsidian replied, enjoying watching Dream squirm. “It’d give us some nice quality time together, don’t you think?” He pointed that last bit at Dream, who still couldn’t respond.

“Ah, of course,” Jet said, rolling his eyes. “Nice quality time until you realize that nobody is going to get you out of there and the plan goes to shit. Keep it tame.”

Obsidian pouted. “You wouldn’t come back in a few hours to free me? Oh dear, I thought we had a bit of a bond, Jet.”

“And if you want to maintain it, then don’t go overboard, all right?” Jet asked him. “You’ll just have to wait longer for me if you do.”

Obsidian rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun,” he said, then recoiled his hands and the tentacle in Dream’s throat. Instead, he reached for Dream’s shirt with one hand, clapping the other over his mouth as he coughed and gagged. “You better not hurl that back up,” Obsidian growled softly. “That’s an important dosage right there. I wouldn’t want to have to do it all over again.” After a moment, Obsidian took his other hand and grabbed the charm that hung around Dream’s neck, not bothering with the clasp and simply snapping the chain. He tossed it aside and tore at the button-up, pushing the fabric aside so he could see the area of skin over Dream’s heart. Already, faint dark vein marks were beginning to show. “Perfect,” Obsidian muttered. “Great start, I must say. Thanks for being so cooperative,” he cooed, and removed the hand from Dream’s mouth. Dream’s throat was burning, nausea causing his vision to reel. Nobody was coming for him. Was he really hopeless to this atrocity?

“Now, are you going to let me out?” Obsidian sighed, stepping away from Dream and towards the door. He crossed his arms. “I believe we have a castle to conquer.” Dream’s legs gave out as Obsidian moved away. He weakly shifted as the door opened for Obsidian, but everything was spinning and he felt like the faintest movement would have him vomiting everywhere. Was it over, though?

Even if Obsidian fully intended to corrupt him, and even succeeded, those two were obviously fools to believe that was the end of it all.

Obsidian stepped out of the cell and let the door close behind him. He tossed a glance over his shoulder, smirking at his handiwork, and then walked towards Jet, grinning. “Now. Off to conquer, shall we? I assume Koroit and Zircon are on their way to stand guard over him.” Obsidian jerked his head in the direction of the cell.

Jet shrugged. “I suppose,” he said. “We should go to the sound room to make an announcement. And by we, I mean you better let me make it. I’ve always wanted to do something like this.”

“Do what you want about the announcement, I don’t care. Just as long as you make it clear that we’re in charge now,” Obsidian said. “Knock yourself out.”

Jet extended his hand towards Obsidian. “Shall we go?” he asked, a smirk on his face.

Obsidian looked at Jet’s hand. For a split second, it seemed like he wasn’t going to take it, but then he carefully extended his own hand to grip it. “Do you even have to ask?”

Jet gave him something of an eyeroll. “Well, if I didn’t ask, I figured you would stare blankly at me until I explained it,” he said. “We can’t waste that kind of time, now can we?”

Obsidian glared at Jet. “Just go. If you’re so insistent about wasting time, then how about you don’t waste any more?”

In return, Jet swept them straight into the ground without any warning whatsoever.

#yay writing #polarity mv stuff #jmv #dintis #dreamswap #the giant crossover rp #aka the toasty cinematic universe

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unusual-ly · 4 years

Note

Explain all the last names of your background zombies. I've noticed they are tied with death or concepts such as that, but I can't pin them all down. For example, "Aso?" So, I ask you to enlighten me on the truth of them. Or make a new master post with the inspiration for last names, cause that would be amazing info!

... I’ve actually been kind of hoping someone would ask this thank you... I’ll skip over the obvious ones (unless I have something interesting to say about them)

Azim Akhirah - Arabic for “afterlife”

Mitzi and Cruz Asou (I’m on mobile and can’t add the accent (flat line on top of the O) so that’s an alternate spelling) - “sou” is Japanese for “burial/funeral”. I combined that with “Aso”, an actual Japanese last name

Zeke Blakeley - “fair/light-skinned”

Chaz Bucket - reference to “kick the bucket”. Also chose it for Chaz as a reference to Charlie Bucket, cuz Chaz and Charlie are both nicknames for Charles

Denzel De’Ath - obviously looks like “death”, pronounced “day-ath”. One day my mum mentioned that she went to school with a guy with this last name who apparently looked like a vampire. It inspired me

Ozzy De Kay - from “decay”. I was genuinely shocked that it took me so long to come up with this one

Suzanne and Zora Dolores - from “dolore”, Italian for “grief”

Zach Fairmourn - obviously from “mourn”, also a random reference to a joke from the Mighty Boosh live tour; one character says he wants to bring back the term “morn” (as in morning) then keeps repeating “this fair morn!”. Yes, that’s what I was thinking of when I named Zach

Mackenzie Galargher - from “galar”, Welsh for both “disease” and “grief/mourning”, combined with the last name “Gallargher”

Azure and Zuli Makaburi- Swahili for “cemetery” or “grave”

Alonzo Morgan - from “morgue”

Diaz Muertos - me making a dumb pun. This was only the second one I came up with. I was staring at my DVD shelf and saw Coco. And then I had to just lie down on the floor and hate myself. I still went with it tho cuz it makes sense

Zane Nao - Chinese for “brain”

Zavier Nexon - from “nex”, Latin for “slaughter” or “violent death”

Paizley Reilig - Irish for “cemetery”

Fritz Tod - German for “death”

Riza Undergang - from “verdens undergang”, Danish for “apocalypse” (literally “end of the world”) I have @kokinu09 to thank for finding that when I asked for suggestions of names based on the word “apocalypse”

If you do want me to explain any others, just let me know!

#bg zombies #z o m b i e s #Disney zombies #zombies dcom #ZOMBIES #Mitzi #Cruz #Zeke #Chaz #Denzel #Ozzy #Suzanne #Zora #Zach #Mackenzie #Azure #Zuli #Alonzo #Diaz #Zane #Zavier #Paizley #Fritz #Riza

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scatteredstarscomic · 6 years

Text

Prologue

Time: ??? Day: ??? Location: Unknown

Space was a vast, empty place. That was a truth Zuli has always been sure of. It didn’t matter how many things you filled it with. Those things would eventually decay and wear away, until once again, this place was filled with nothingness. She’d sneak glimpses at timelines when Arli wasn’t looking, and in the end, they all had the same conclusion.

Nothingness.

The woman heaved a sigh, turning her attention outward. Once again, she found herself lounging in the realm of the Gods. Many seem to feel inclined to believe it was a holy or grand place, but that’s nothing more than a child’s optimistic ideal. The In-Between was merely an intermediary; it links all known places and allows for ease of observation.

She knew one of the other gods, Maeli, liked to fill her corner of the In-Between with baubles and furniture and other items to make it feel more homey. The woman has had eternity to grow comfortable in her role and life. Zuli didn’t know how she did it. She couldn’t stomach being here for too long, convenient though it was for travel when she didn’t feel like using her own magics. It was too quiet.

“Zuli.”

The voice echoed in the vastness of the In-Between, brimming with that rare impatience and barely-contained rage. The goddess wished she could say she was surprised, but she wasn’t. She was rarely surprised by anything anymore, and being the deity of Space made her overly aware of the location and comings and goings of anything and everything. She’d felt him coming as soon as he’d deigned to move, and she knew all too well why he was here.

After all, her most recent bout of fun had been a message just for him. It was by no means her first, either.

Plastering the kind of insufferable grin she knew would piss him off most, she pivoted on her heel and faced Arli, the God of Time. His eyes---black sclera, white pupils, like all the other Gods---were burning with that oh-so-glorious anger.

“Oh, Arli! I’m so glad you could make it. I was worried you wouldn’t come,” she cooed in velvet-soft tones, as if he were near-late for a date. Her eyes twinkled with amusement, and she knew she’d succeeded as she saw that lovely caramel skin begin to bloom with crimson.

“Fix it,” was all he deigned to reply. She put on a pout.

“Fix what? I haven’t done anything.”

Oh, that expression. He was mad, alright. She counted herself lucky that she was the deity borne of fire; she had no doubt he’d roast her then and there if he’d had the ability to do so. In fact, if looks could kill, she might’ve died a few too many times already.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, you heathen,” he hissed, his hands balled into fists at his sides. He must’ve been trying his damnedest to keep from laying a finger on her. The poor fool.

Zuli pretended to think, tapping a finger on her chin lightly. Her cerulean flame-hair flickered, as if to accentuate her thoughtfulness. Arli drew in a sharp breath, as if preparing to argue with her on just what she’d done. She could barely contain her smile.

“Oh!” she gasped suddenly, playing at making a grand revelation. “You must mean that lovely planet I’d messed with.”

“Messed with?” he asked incredulously, his face flushed as he glared his hatred. “You ruined it! No, you more than ruined it. You damned it. And you screwed its timeline to hell, which you know you’re not supposed to do.”

Well, he certainly wasn’t wrong. What she’d done to that planet... Oh, she knew many, many governments in the universe would put her to death for that kind of destruction. Warping half of the wildlife into pure monstrosities, letting them devour the remainder and wreak havoc. Setting hellflame lose, letting chaos reign...

Some might’ve called it a Hell on Earth. She called it entertainment.

Again, that pout. “I was only trying to have some fun. Eternity is dreadfully boring.”

Briefly, Arli closed his eyes, this time inhaling deeply. Calming himself, presumably. When he looked at her again, it was filled with ice, his face stony.

“Fix it.”

She dropped the pout, eyeing him now with mischievous curiosity. “What? No great lecture? No tirade about how our godhood is a job, not meant for fun and frivolity?”

He only gritted his teeth. “I’ve lectured you enough. I don’t have time to indulge you anymore. Just get on with it.”

“Oh, that’s rich,” she laughed, throwing her head back. “The God of Time no longer has time for me! What glorious irony.”

“Zuli---”

“Yes, yes, I’ll fix it,” she interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. “You can stop making your silly demands now.”

He bristled at her tone, but said nothing, watching her expectantly. With a dramatic sigh, Zuli made a show of lifting her hand and snapping her fingers. She felt the magic answer her call eagerly, making off to deliver her demands with obedience and care.

“There,” she hummed, her smile placating. “All done.”

Without another word, Arli disappeared, apparently satisfied. She let the smile drop, indifference smoothing out her features once more. That hadn’t been as fun as she’d hoped. She was beginning to lose ways to keep herself interested.

As it stood, living just didn’t hold its appeal anymore.

She’d long since turned from do-good behavior to entropy as a means to keep herself from going insane. Perhaps she’d already gone insane, and simply failed to recognize it. She wasn’t sure.

All she knew was that she couldn’t keep going on like this. Immortality, ironically, was going to be the death of her. She was hanging on by a thread.

She needed to find an heir.

Soon.

#scatteredstars #rotoa #written

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andrewmoocow · 3 years

Text

Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 18: Growing Pains (originally published on July 12, 2021)

AN: Welcome back everyone. Now, this is going to be a pretty heavy chapter for me to write. Well, mostly the A-plot, the B-plot will be courtroom nonsense ala Phoenix Wright and Harvey Birdman. But I'm getting off track, as someone who have faced some very tough times before in my life, I hope I can be as respectful to both the original episode and everyone who watched it as possible. Now then, let's get rocking and rolling.

Synopsis: Steven goes to his first doctor's appointment and realizes how deep his problems run.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Volleyball, Yellow Pearl

Grace Rolek as Connie

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Priyanka

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Charlyne Yi as Navy

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Zuli

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Amy Sedaris as Yellow Zircon, Blue Zircon

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Featuring Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

The day after his failed date with Connie, Steven stayed in his bedroom for most of the morning where he was surrounded by ice cream and watching the preview for a new Dogcopter movie, which showed the titular canine standing on top of a black car chasing a blue car and a mail van while a pug gave him orders.

"I know you're eager to catch the mail truck Dogcopter, but it's really a decoy!" the other dog at the wheel named Drew ordered Dogcopter. "Chase the blue car instead! Good boys chase the blue car, and you're a good boy Dogcopter!"

With a fearless expression, Dogcopter leaped off the black car and used the propeller on his back to fly towards the black car, followed by using a pair of extendable hands to open up the trunk, revealing a bomb and a ring box inside.

"Nice work DC, now get the bomb outta the trunk and off the bridge!" Drew congratulated Dogcopter. "We're almost out of time!"

However, it was too late for Dogcopter. The bomb went off as he tossed it off the bridge, and the resulting explosion blew him away. As Dogcopter collapsed on the bridge, the ring box fell from his mechanical hands and onto the asphalt.

"Dogcopter, no!" Drew cried as he burst from the car to keep his friend alive. "I can't lose you Dogcopter!" Luckily, Dogcopter was unharmed and he woke up to pop open the ring box, which contained a ring shaped like a dog bone that he presented to Drew. "Is that?"

"DOGCOPTER 6: TILL DEATH DO WE BARK: I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU MAN AND WOOF!" the announcer read the film's title as it appeared on the screen, making Steven groan in agony at the irony of the trailer he was watching.

"Everyone's getting married except me!" Steven yelled as he sank into his bed and started turning pink. "Even Dogcopter succeeded in popping the question! I feel like poop." Steven then picked up his phone and tried calling one of the Crystal Gems, but he unfortunately got no answer. "Wish the Gems weren't doing a field trip to Homeworld today. I wonder if they got any reception?"

Meanwhile, on the Gem Homeworld, it was a rather tense time. Following the exposure of Black Rutile's revolution and attempted massacre of the Crystal Gems, the citizens were in fear of who among them could still be a supporter of her. And three followers, in particular, were about to be put on trial.

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth led their classes into the Diamonds' throne room, which was already set up like a courtroom with stands for the judge, jury, witnesses, attorneys, and the accused. Those accused were Holly Blue Agate, Morganite, and Navy, who sat down at the plaintiff's bench with varying expressions of irritation, resignation, and sadness.

"Now class, we want you all to be on your best behavior," Garnet advised the Gem students. "This is a serious time for our kind, and we want absolute silence for most of this trial. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Garnet." The Gems obliged before they retreated to the jury box while their teachers took their seats at the prosecutor's stand. That was when Garnet took notice of Pearl sticking her nose in the book by George Ikari that she had gotten at yesterday's signing.

"I see you're keeping yourself busy Pearl." Garnet remarked, forcing Pearl to look up from her book.

"Thanks for noticing Garnet." Pearl replied to the fusion. "I've just been a little enraptured by this little tome lately. George uses such flowery terms for such simple concepts, and the concepts in question could be very useful to Steven too."

"All y'all, shush!" Amethyst ordered her two seniors. "Here comes the judge!"

"All rise for the honorable Yellow Diamond!" Yellow Pearl announced, serving as the bailiff for this trial, before her former Diamond emerged from the curtained entrance and made her way to her throne.

"Good day to you Gems." Yellow Diamond greeted the other Gems in the makeshift courtroom with utmost seriousness. "In case you are wondering, Blue and White Diamond are out searching for more of Black Rutile's supporters, so I shall serve as sole judge for these proceedings." She informed. "Now without further ado, read the charges."

"Holly Blue Agate-12B, Morganite-8HK, and Ruby-EJ9, you stand here accused of your support of the intelligence officer turned terrorist Black Rutile." Yellow Pearl announced as she read off a hologram. "How do you all plead?"

"Not guilty!" Holly Blue declared, speaking on behalf of all three of them. "Black Rutile is no terrorist, she had big dreams for our kind! She simply wanted to restore us to our old ways because she believed Steven had made us weak, no doubt weak enough to be so easily conquered!"

"Liar. Kinda not surprised you would do this." Amethyst snarked in-between fake coughing, inciting a glare from the Agate before she continued her plea.

"If you can find it within yourself, your most grand clarity, to scrub this silly trial altogether and let us go, it would be most grand." Holly Blue continued.

"Request denied." Yellow declared coldly. "If you really insist on begging on your knees this whole time, then I guess your defense attorney might not be needed."

"Wait, attorney?" Amethyst wondered out loud just as a new Gem stepped into the room.

"Sorry for being so fashionably late, Yellow!" a tall, confident Gem apologized as she strode into the throne room. In addition to the honey yellow pantsuit with large diamond-shaped buttons she wore to match the gemstone above her upper lip that resembled a mole, a straight bob-cut, and a cat's tail emerging from her rear, this new Gem also wore a large sunhat, a neon fur coat, sunglasses, high heels, mustard yellow opera gloves, and a cigarette holder in her left hand. "Had to quell a few uprisings a few districts over. Hope you're not too mad."

"Oh goody." Bismuth shared the sentiments of her fellow Crystal Gems as they grimaced at the cat-like defense attorney, all except for Amethyst.

"Who's the new pussycat here?" Amethyst asked about the attorney.

"That's Cat's Eye, one of the most affluent uppercrusts on Homeworld." Bismuth informed the smaller Gem.

"And one of the most irritating." Lapis groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

"She's almost like an Earth cat in a way." Peridot added. "Incredibly smug, loves making others mad solely for her amusement, and that grin on her face just rubs me the wrong way."

"So Cat, how have you been lately?" Pearl asked the opposing attorney with a strained smile.

"Miserable, my darling Pearl. Perfectly wretched." Cat's Eye answered as she made her coat, hat and sunglasses disappear with a snap of her fingers, revealing a pair of cat ears atop her hair. "Now then, let us get down to business." With that, Cat's Eye took her place alongside the prosecuted trio and kicked her legs up on the table.

"Oh Cat's Eye, thank you so much for coming out today!" Holly Blue exclaimed gratefully. "These horrible traitors have framed us for a crime we clearly didn't commit, and now we could lose every-"

"Could you move approximately 30 centimeters away from me?" Cat's Eye raised a paw-like hand to Holly's face while filing her sharp nails. "You're invading my personal space." The Agate meekly complied and returned to her seat, causing Amethyst to laugh raucously.

"That cat may be trouble, but seeing Holly put in her place will always crack me up!" Amethyst cackled, but her chuckling was cut short when Cat's Eye turned her cigarette holder into a riding crop to whip Amethyst in the hands with. "MEOWCH! Bad kitty, what the H?!"

"Order in the court." Cat's Eye declared crossly as she returned her weapon to her gem and took a stand. "Now, without further ado, I'd like to make my case for these three Gems and call a witness."

"Go right ahead Cat's Eye." Yellow rolled her eyes before the cymophane made her plea.

"Your honor, Gems of the court, these three stand here wrongly accused by these band of ingrates for allying themselves with a known terrorist who once filled a high seat in White Diamond's court." Cat's Eye stated. "But, maybe they could've been spared this fate if the Crystal Gems had simply shown them a little kindness."

"OBJECTION!" Pearl yelled and pointed an accusing finger at Cat. "We tried to show Navy here kindness, but it was all a ploy to steal back her squadron's ship!"

"That is true." Navy agreed. "But I simply played nice because you left us all to drift forever in space, even after Steven said you'd get us all back!"

"I'll admit, she raises a good point." Garnet found herself agreeing with the Ruby. "We were in a rush to get back to Earth, so rescuing the Rubies just flew over our heads."

"I rest my case." Cat's Eye declared with a prideful smirk. "Now, if we have nothing else to discuss, I'd like to call Yellow Zircon to the stand."

The Gems in the gallery began muttering among themselves as Yellow Zircon sadly got up from her seat and marched to the witness's stand, while her blue counterpart gave her a cheeky grin. "Whatever you do," Yellow Zircon said to Blue Zircon. "don't make a fool out of me."

"Oh, I won't." Blue Zircon said innocently as Yellow Zircon made her way to the stands, where Cat's Eye sat down in front of her with a seductive gaze.

"Now my dearest Zircon, do try to not make a fool of yourself for me." Cat cooed, cupping the Zircon's face in her hand and squeezing her cheeks, making her usually arrogant witness blush.

"I-I won't." Yellow Zircon sheepishly obliged and sat down in the witness's box. "But how did you become an attorney? You don't know the first thing about law and order!"

"Well, I'm here because I'm smarter than you think I am!" Cat's Eye yelled at Yellow Zircon's face, a far cry from the smug seductress she presented herself as. "Not because I'm so gorgeous! Though I really am."

"This is going to take a while." Pearl groaned before picking up her book again. "I wonder how Steven is doing."

Back on Earth, Steven continued to scroll through all the numbers he had on his phone. Pretty much most of the people in his contacts had either already began to drift away from him, would probably be too busy to call, or simply didn't have time for him. All except for one.

"Hi, Steven!" Greg greeted his son on the other end after Steven decided to give him a call.

"Hi Dad, how's it going?" Steven asked his father.

"The tour's been going great!" Greg replied happily. "Which reminds me, how have you been doing? You been throwing any dope ragers while you got the house to yourself?"

"Yeah, you know me. Steven the party animal." Steven responded sarcastically. "I'm glad you're finally coming home tonight Dad. I wanna talk to you about something that's happened between me and Connie?"

"Oh, this isn't that whole situation after you came back from Homeworld the first time again, right?" Greg asked sympathetically. "By the way, Sadie and Shep wanna say hi while they're working on a new routine that they're excited to show off. And guess what? The tour got extended!"

"Wow, that's-that's great." Steven tried to sound happy for the musicians and their manager, but at the same time, he was sad that he'd have to wait a little while longer for his dad to come home.

"Yeah." Even if they were far apart, Greg could sense the disappointment in his half-alien son's voice before trying to turn things around. "I get that you want to see me again soon, but this manager job is working great for me! Takes me back to when I was touring as a lad. Anyways, we're gonna go through a tunnel. You wanna call me back about your Connie sitch?"

"I-it's not really important." Steven fibbed.

"You sure?" Greg asked Steven. "You know, I can make a quick stop when we pass through Delmarva."

"No, I'm totally fine. Have fun!" Steven reiterated before hanging up and letting out a deep sigh. "Maybe I should get some more ice cream."

Steven then walked down to the kitchen to fetch some more of that dairy goodness from the freezer, but when he opened the freezer door, he discovered Connie's glow bracelet left in there after last night. Taken by surprise, the depressed half-Gem once again turned pink, but this time was different.

This time, parts of Steven's body began swelling up like a balloon and tearing through his pajamas as he accidentally tore the freezer door off its hinges before slowly turning back to normal. As Steven was left aghast at this new development, he decided to take a breather on the couch. However, his body began swelling up for the second time in a row as Connie began calling him on his phone.

"I shouldn't worry her." Steven tried to hang up on Connie upon realizing her promise yesterday to call him at noon. "You know what, I'll let her go to voicemail!" Steven's body had other plans as his right arm began to inflate and took the call for him, allowing Connie to be seen on his screen while the arm returned to normal.

"Steven, are you there?" Connie asked through video call.

"Hey Connie, what's up?" Steven casually asked, trying to hide the strange new changes his body was going through.

"I've been worried about you Steven." Connie answered when she noticed how pink her best friend was. "Um, are you glowing?" she asked before Steven's face began to puff up. "Good grief, what's wrong with your face?!"

"Wait, my face?" Steven mumbled through his inflated head. "What's wrong with my face?"

"Uh…." Connie replied.

"Oh right, the swelling." Steven realized what his would've been-wife was talking about. "Parts of my body have been randomly growing for some reason. But I'm sure it doesn't hurt, I'm perfectly fine!"

"How long has this been happening?" Connie inquired.

"Since this morning." Steven meekly replied, causing his face to blow up some more.

"What do the Gems think?" Connie began pressing further.

"Can't reach them right now." Steven answered as his face returned to normal while the rest of his body kept growing. "Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were asked to serve as prosecutors for a trial on Homeworld, so they decided to make it into a Little Homeschool field trip." As Steven finished, his form returned to its normal size. "It's really nothing to worry about."

"You don't look well." Connie nervously observed. "I think you should see a doctor. I can ask my mom if she'd like to give you a checkup."

"I wouldn't want to bother her." Steven declared. "Besides, I already got a pretty okay idea of what doctors do when I went to see Lars in the hospital after his crash landing."

"Steven, you need to see a medical professional," Connie demanded. "Doesn't matter if my mom can see you or not, you need help."

"Okay, you're right." Steven accepted the opportunity while his face began to deform yet again. "Call me when she's ready."

Thankfully for Steven, Connie's mother had an opening and soon enough, Steven was sitting in her office with Connie by his side.

"You're lucky I had a cancellation today," Priyanka stated as she prepared for work. "Usually, I'm booked weeks in advance."

"Think you'll be able to help Steven out?" Connie asked her mother. "Even if this is some sort of Gem issue?"

"Gem issue or otherwise, he still has a human body, which means we can run tests." Priyanka remarked. "At the very least, we can see if you're suffering from a non-Gem condition, Steven."

"See? Everything will be fine." Connie assured Steven. "I'm sure everything will be fine." As Connie left the examination room, she began dialing on her phone and put it to her ear.

"Okay, give me all you got." Steven said reluctantly to the doctor.

"Alright, let's check for symptoms first." Priyanka said before putting a thermometer in Steven's ear to check his temperature. "Mild fever." She observed before walking away to pick up a stethoscope, returning to find that Steven is starting to once again glow pink. "Glowing pink color to the skin." Priyanka continued as she put the stethoscope to Steven's heart and then his gem. Next, she reached for a blood pressure device to check Steven's blood pressure, but it caused his arm to swell up and break the machine, causing his doctor to fall over in alarm.

However, Priyanka was quick to regain her composure as she looked over the notes she had taken. "Blood pressure is high!" she realized as she got up. "Well, these readings are quite interesting. Tell me, Steven, if you don't mind, who's your GP?"

"GP?" Steven wondered.

"Your general practitioner?" Priyanka explained to her patient. "As in, your regular doctor?"

"I guess you?" Steven answered confusedly. "I never have been to a doctor's appointment before, mostly because I have the Gems, my dad, or my healing spit to rely on whenever I get hurt."

"You're almost seventeen and you have never seen a doctor?!" a shocked Priyanka yelled, causing Steven to once again turn pink and inflate before she tried to calm him down. "I-it's okay, it's okay! I'll talk with your father later, but now we'll just need to run some more tests."

Steven looked nervously at Connie's mom as she walked over to a cupboard, opening it to fetch some hospital gowns. "Get undressed, then we'll help you into a gown." Priyanka ordered.

"Is that one of those blue things that don't cover your butt?" Steven asked embarrassedly before he was thrown a hospital gown.

"Yes, now let's get started." Priyanka declared before snapping on a rubber glove.

"Thank you for your testimony little Peridot." Cat's Eye thanked Squaridot, while licking the back of her hand, as the square-headed Peridot finished her testimony. "Tell us your designation so we may enter it into the records."

"Peridot, Facet-4E3M Cut-7ZY." Squaridot stated as she left the witness's stand and rejoined her classmates. "But everyone calls me Squaridot."

"Squaridot?" Cat's Eye repeated with utter disgust. "Who comes up with these abhorrent names?! I mean, Laz, Zuli, and now Squaridot?!"

"Would you care to get to the point?" Bismuth snarked to the catlike defendant.

"Gladly." Cat's Eye answered before clearing her throat. "Gems of this courtroom, the testimonies we have heard so far have given me enough to make my deduction." She announced to the courtroom. "These Crystal Gems are only kind to other Gems who treat them kindly in exchange. And that DOES, NOT, MAKE, SENSE!" She emphasized her declaration by slamming her fist into her open palm with each word. "If they say that they practice restorative justice, then why didn't they use that kind of justice on my clients here?"

"OBJECTION!" Amethyst yelled. "Girl, did you even see the Human Zoo back in the day?! Holly Blue was treating my quartz peeps like garbage!"

"That is because they were beneath her in the caste system!" Cat's Eye argued with Amethyst. "I swear you droll quartz, did you emerge yesterday or something?!"

"Actually, she was," Pearl answered for the purple Gem. "And you're just making stuff up in the hopes of sounding smart!"

"Do I have 'stupid' written on my gem, you no-good servant?!" Cat's Eye shouted at the white Gem, making sure to whip Pearl's hands for added emphasis. "Let's review what we have learned so far. Those two Lapis Lazulis retaliated violently when ordered to not terraform and their friend came close to poofing them both, yet 2F8D immediately forgot all that when coming to your silly little school!" she analyzed. "That does NOT, MAKE, SENSE!"

"Laz and I argued about going to Little Homeschool!" Zuli objected to Cat's Eye's observation. "An argument you obviously weren't there for-" Before Zuli could finish, she got a whip in the hands by Cat's Eye's riding crop.

"No backtalk!" Cat's Eye exclaimed as she returned to her statement. "Back on subject, then came Miss Squaridot here," she once again cringed at the name while gesturing to Squaridot. "who was given a second chance, yet was poofed without a second thought! That does NOT, MAKE, SENSE!"

"I tried to give Squari a second chance after I released her from her bubble," Peridot began. "but she then just ran off and got herself taken over by Hessonite's warship."

"Ah yes, the swashbuckling vigilante Hessonite." Cat's Eye said smugly. "Tell me, why isn't she here today to give a testimony?"

"Hessonite is off weeding out more of Black Rutile's supporters across many of our former colonies, alongside Citrine." Yellow Diamond answered.

"Speaking of Black Rutile, what if, and a very big if here." Cat's Eye stated. "What if Black Rutile wanted to do better than the Crystal Gems by offering these lost Gems a helping hand?"

"OBJECTION!" Pearl roared and once again pointed straight at Cat's Eye. "That no-good Rutile didn't care one bit for her subordinates! Not only did she let them all get defeated by us, but she abused her Topaz as well!"

"As I had stated earlier with Holly Blue, the Topaz was merely a subordinate to Black Rutile, especially since the Rutile had such a shockingly high status in White Diamond's court." Cat replied.

"Same with my Ruby and Pearl that fused into Rhodonite," Morganite spoke up. "It was only natural that we mistreated those beneath us."

"And on the topic of Pink Diamond's entourage," Cat declared. "allow me to call her former Pearl to the stand."

Rising from her seat, Volleyball separated from her Little Homeschool classmates to walk to the witness's stand, where Cat was awaiting her.

"My dear Pearl, you truly deserved a better Diamond than Pink." Cat cooed to Volleyball while stroking her broken eye, which was now showing the absolute faintest signs of a pupil following her fusion with her white-colored successor at the Reef. "Tell us all this court needs to know sweetie,

"Actually, you can call me Volleyball now." Volleyball corrected the defense attorney. "That's the name Steven gave me."

"VOLLEYBALL?!" Cat's Eye shrieked outrageously at the top of her lungs, quickly returning to her normal condescending tone. "I shouldn't have spoken too soon after complaining about that Peridot." She muttered while pointing a thumb over to Squaridot. "Now tell me, word on the street is that you may know a thing or two about this revolution. Is this true?"

"Yes, it's true." Volleyball revealed remorsefully, shocking the prosecutors and the jury. "Not too long after Era 3 began, I was left wondering what purpose I could still serve now that Pink Diamond was gone, until Black Rutile and Holly Blue Agate approached me with the chance to seek revenge by spying on their enemies."

"That is a bold-faced lie if I ever saw one!" Holly Blue fibbed while beginning to sweat profusely. "I never approached her in the slightest, the poor Pearl came crawling to me in tears, begging, no, pleading that she get some sort of payback for the abuse she suffered!"

"Really laying it on thick Holly." Morganite stoically muttered to the Agate.

"Yes, I can clearly see you lying." Pearl added before she walked over for Volleyball. "But as for you Volley, is it true? Did you really join Black Rutile and spy on us this whole time?"

"I'm truly sorry Pearl, they gave me no other choice." Volleyball apologized, now on the verge of tears. "I was so horrified by how they wanted to fight back against you, that I decided to back out after you and Steven offered to fix my eye." Volleyball then began to sob as she rushed out of the witness's stand and into Pearl's arms. "Please forgive me, I just didn't know any better!"

"It's okay VB, I'm here." Pearl comforted her crying fellow ex-servant. "Just let it all out."

"Wah wah wah, I betrayed your trust!" Cat's Eye mockingly cried. "Please forgive me even though I was allied with a proud sociopath! Oh brother, this era has lost all sense of justice. At least give her a week's punishment, anything."

"Big talk coming from the alleycat who doesn't have a single clue about justice." Pearl growled at Cat while Volleyball's tears started drying and she returned to the jury.

"Big talk coming from a Pearl who wanted to be free despite still essentially serving her Diamond." Cat snapped back at the Pearl. "And on that note, I feel we are ignoring the big Jasper in the room." Biggs Jasper raised her hand. "I wasn't talking to you!" Biggs lowered her hand while Cat kept a stiff upper lip. "But really, I wish to speak of a certain Jasper that has been housed on Earth lately."

"Here we go." Lapis rolled her eyes at whatever outlandish claims the defendant was going to make now.

"You see, the Jasper is just as much of a victim of Pink Diamond's faked death as pretty much everyone on this planet." Cat's Eye proclaimed. "And did the Crystal Gems ever try to extend a hand in friendship and sympathy? NO! They just let her get dragged to the bottom of the ocean in an unstable fusion, fall into an earthquake, rocketed sky-high by that Lapis, and later corrupted! That does-"

"Not make sense, we get it." Garnet interrupted what was essentially Cat's catchphrase at this point. "We tried so many times to help Jasper, but she just kept refusing out of her vendetta against Rose."

"And doesn't anyone find it ironic that Jasper has a burning hatred for a Gem that was her Diamond in disguise?" Cat shook her head with a cheeky smile. "Oh, how cruel fate can be."

"Good grief, how long can this puddytat keep yapping?" Amethyst whispered to Pearl, who just groaned and got back to her book.

As for Steven, Priyanka had gotten to work on examining her unusual patient. However, with each test she made him take, things just kept going wrong. Sticking a tongue depressor in Steven's mouth made him glow pink for the second time this appointment, taking his height stretched his neck up high, and testing his reflexes bubbled the hammer she was using. But it was taking Steven's X-rays that really clued Priyanka in on what was going on.

"So this is an average human skeleton." Priyanka demonstrated the X-ray image of exactly that to Steven before moving on to X-rays of the Crystal Gems. "By comparison, these are X-ray images that the Crystal Gems allowed me to take for research purposes. Their charts look like this."

Due to Gems having bodies of light, only their gemstones could be pictured. And in Amethyst's case, whatever she ate that day could be seen too. The doctor then showed off Steven's own skeleton, which was covered in cracks. "And this is your chart." Priyanka continued. "Definitely the skeleton of a human your age, albeit quite a large amount of fractures in the skull." She pointed out the various cracks that decorated Steven's skull. "Yet despite the injuries, everything is still perfectly aligned. Almost like the injuries healed just as fast as they were gained."

"That's good, right?" Steven nervously asked.

"Well, you've made miraculous recoveries," Priyanka replied. "but that doesn't change the fact that you've clearly been traumatized. You may have recovered physically, but what about mentally?"

"Are you saying there's something wrong with my brain?!" Steven cried as he glowed pink.

"Not wrong!" Priyanka assured Steven while kneeling to his gaze, turning his body back to its normal hue. "It's that adverse childhood experiences, or childhood trauma, can leave a lasting impact on how your body reacts to stress." She explained. "This can affect all kinds of development, social, emotional, and physical. When humans are in crisis, their brains release a hormone called cortisol. It can cause your heart to race, your muscles to tense, among other effects. I wonder if your body is perhaps reacting to the Gem equivalent of cortisol, if any. Steven, can you recall any childhood experiences that particularly stuck with you?"

"I can list so many." Steven stated before he began recounting some traumatic experiences. "It all started when I learned my favorite ice cream was discontinued around the same time I nearly got eaten by a bug monster. Then there were even more monsters that threatened my life, I got stuck in a bubble & nearly drowned, I made a new friend who nearly killed me; which is pretty often, I got turned into a giant pulsating blob of cat heads after an attempt at shapeshifting, got so old I nearly died, saw the Gems die multiple times, I woke up on a spaceship with a black eye, and more recently got tossed off a cliff."

"Steven, this is serious!" Priyanka yelled worriedly.

"That was only some of the earlier stuff!" Steven cried. "You really should've been there when I was tossed off the cliff. Black Rutile was a sociopath and proud of it!"

"I think all these experiences have subjected your body to an almost inhuman level of stress, and it's affected your ability to healthily react to new forms of stress." Priyanka deduced as Steven looked back on more harrowing experiences he's been through, from legitimately traumatizing moments to parts that would at first be seen as mere jokes or accidents. "You've been dealing with genuine threats to your life from such a young age, whether big or small, your body is responding to such minuscule threats like your life is always in danger!"

"But, why am I only swelling up now?!" Steven began fretting as he slowly felt his body change once more.

"Stress can be far less harmful when we have a circle of loved ones who can help you," Priyanka advised, causing Steven to flashback to yesterday evening's failed proposal. "Maybe if you've been drifting away from people who would've supported you, or if a recent experience had felt particularly off-"

Before Priyanka can finish, Steven began trembling in place while bolting from his chair before he began to swell up to possibly the biggest size he's ever been today, to the point of cracking the ceiling with a bash of his head.

"There are just some who don't want to be helped, and we try to respect that!" Pearl kept arguing with Cat's Eye while everyone else in the courtroom awkwardly spectating the event.

"And there are also some who you've forced to change without their consent!" Cat's Eye replied, baring her sharp teeth at the former servant. "Think of it, Black Rutile believed she could be a better ruler because she would take into account the feelings of everyone!"

"Are you sure you're not another one of her spies?!" Pearl asked, folding her arms and turning away from the defendant.

"I couldn't care less about what she's doing, I just think she raises many good points for a maniac!" Cat answered while her stuck-up image began cracking apart more and more, slowly revealing the petulant aristocrat underneath. "For example, in ending an oppressive empire, Steven created an even worse one where all who don't agree with him are deemed outcasts!"

"Steven is simply trying his best!" Pearl yelled back.

"You know, I am so glad that we invited our Homeschool classes, because this is way too much fun for just us three to get involved in." Amethyst whispered to the other Little Homeworld teachers.

"You're right, watching an uppercrust get humiliated puts a real big smile on my face." Bismuth grinned.

"They've been going on for too long." Morganite mumbled as her face was buried in the table. "Can't we just shut them up and reach a verdict already?"

"Well, if you're so loving towards Steven, then where is he now?" Cat's Eye asked one final question. "Did you actually care for him to begin with?"

"That is where you are absolutely wrong Cat." Pearl declared with a smug grin as she presented George Ikari's book to her opponent. "Steven is currently going through some tough times, and we're trying our best to help him thanks to this book from Earth. The author has a son much like Steven who lost his mother too, so he knows what he's talking about." With that, Pearl returned the book to her gem and took a bow. "Court adjourned."

It was here where Cat's Eye finally lost all control and lunged at Pearl with a mighty yowl. Gone was the smug and austere wannabe lawyer, and in with the furious predator going in for the kill.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" Cat's Eye shrieked as she wrestled with Pearl and kept trying to chomp at her face. "I AM CAT'S EYE, AND I WILL NOT BE TALKED DOWN TO BY A MERE PEARL!"

"Woo, catfight!" Amethyst cheered before Garnet put a stop to her revelry and prepared for a fight.

"Get ready Gems, we're in for a fight." Garnet declared while summoning her gauntlets, and the other Gems prepared for battle against the feral defendant. But fortunately for them, and unfortunately for Cat, the judge finally decided enough was enough.

"Okay, I've had enough sitting down and watching." Yellow declared fiercely before getting up from her throne and flicking a ball of electricity at Cat's Eye, making yellow lines course through her body and finally poofing her, leaving only her small gemstone to be collected by Yellow Pearl. "Now that that's settled, have we reached a verdict?"

"I believe so." Pearl responded after getting up and dusting herself off before turning to the other Gems. "What shall be decided?"

The Gems in the jury all rose up, their decision clear as day. "We, the jury, hereby declare Holly Blue Agate, Morganite, and Navy guilty as charged. In addition, Cat's Eye shall be tried for public assault of the prosecutors." Squaridot announced on the behalf of her classmates, to the horror of Holly Blue as she and her two compatriots were escorted away by Amethysts. While Morganite and Navy had resigned themselves to their fates, Holly was far less than pleased. In fact, she was furious.

"Get your hands off me, you no-good Kindergarten spawn!" Holly Blue shrieked at the Amethysts dragging her away by the arms before turning to the Crystal Gems with hatred in her eyes. "I hope you're happy Crystal Gems! Era 3 has destroyed this planet!" she yelled at the Gems. "Pretty soon, this planet is going to burn! We're all going to die! The Gem race shall be driven to extinction all because of you!"

As soon as Holly Blue was fully removed from the premises, all was finally quiet in the makeshift courtroom as the trial adjourned. Pearl let out a dramatic sigh as Garnet and Amethyst helped her back to her feet and walked her back to the prosecutor's table.

"Court is usually a lot more funny on TV." Amethyst remarked. "What Cat and Holly tried to do was just sad."

"Still, what if they're right?" Pearl moaned in exhaustion and grief. "What if we are soon to be our kind's downfall? Maybe we should've just ended colonization and left it at that."

"Don't get too down on yourself Miss Pearl." Blue Zircon lent some comforting words to Pearl. "You all tried the best you could, and that's all that should matter."

"Uh, can I go now?" Yellow Zircon shakily inquired to her fellow Gems, still reeling from being publically humiliated at the witness's stand.

"Yeah, you're dismissed." Blue Zircon told her fellow Zircon and turned back to Pearl.

"Yeah, we tried our best with Era 3, kinda like how we're trying our best with Steven." Lapis reiterated the other blue Gem's kind words. "Speaking of which, wonder how he's doing?"

"I'll go call him right now!" Pearl stated eagerly as she unsheathed her phone from her gem and began dialing Steven, but she got no answer. "Darn, no signal on Homeworld." She huffed in frustration. "Well, I hope he's doing fine."

Little did Pearl know, there was more than one reason why as to why Steven was unable to reach her, that reason being he was so stressed out, he was swelling up to a massive size.

As Dr. Laurie walked past the office Steven was in with a cup of coffee, he took one look at the giant pink boy, then back at his mug before dumping its contents into a nearby drinking fountain while Connie raced back to the office to aid her friend.

"Mom, what's happening?!" Connie asked her mother while they watched the inflating Steven fill up most of the doctor's office.

"I'm not sure dear, I just asked if he had any stressful experiences lately." Priyanka answered, trying to remain as calm in a crisis as possible while other doctors huddle around the window to watch what was happening, along with a man in sunglasses who seemed to blend in with the crowd.

"Steven, you don't think?" Connie then asked Steven.

"It's not you Connie, it's everything that's been going down lately!" Steven yelled as he grew larger and larger with every second.

"What is he talking about?" Priyanka asked, glaring at Connie.

"You haven't told your mom yet?!" Steven yelled.

"Told me what?!" Priyanka started yelling as well.

"It's not your fault Connie!" Steven tried to assure Connie amidst his growing stress. "But I still think you need to leave!"

"I refuse to leave your side!" Connie's mom fiercely declared. "This is a medical emergency!"

"Hey, you know one of us can take over!" one of the doctors watching Steven called from outside.

"No, he needs to be alone!" Connie stated. "I think anyone else being in here with him is making things worse!"

When Steven's height increased to the point of ripping his hospital gown, breaking the ceiling over him, and causing alarms to sound, the doctors took it as their cue to leave. "Point taken." That same doctor who suggested one of them take care of Steven realized before rushing away.

"Oh no!" Steven was in full-on panic mode now. If he grew any larger, the hospital would surely be destroyed. "Please, just go!"

"Steven!" Connie yelled sorrowfully.

"I just…" Steven began to cry before starting to get angry. "I CAN'T BE AROUND YOU RIGHT NOW!" The Maheswarans braced for impact as Steven's screaming broke the window behind them when suddenly, Greg came barging into the office.

"Steven!" Greg called his son's name while Connie and Priyanka turned to notice him.

"Dad?!" Steven exclaimed while finally beginning to settle down at the sight of his father.

"I'm here for you kiddo!" Greg declared as he ran up to his giant son, turning to the Maheswarans who took it as their cue to leave the area as well.

"Come on Mom, let's give them some space." Connie said to her mother as they abdicated the office.

"Alright." Priyanka agreed and took her daughter's hand while Greg took Steven's side.

"How did you know I was here?" Steven asked Greg.

"Connie called me an hour ago." Greg answered comfortingly. "Plus, I was the only one she could reach since she told me the Gems were off in space today."

"Connie?" Steven called for his friend when she and her mother were outside. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Connie beamed and spoke to him through the broken window. "I'll come when you're ready."

"I'm so sorry Steven." Greg apologized to Steven. "If I had known, I definitely would've been a big help."

"It's alright Dad," Steven sighed. "you were super busy and I didn't know what was going on."

"Come on Steven, talk to me," Greg suggested. "Just you and me, father to son."

"I, well, um," Steven stammered before tears began welling up in his eyes again. "I tried proposing to Connie!"

"You what?!" Greg yelped in alarm. "Steven, aren't you a little too young to think about marriage right now?"

"I know." Steven kept on crying. "That's one of the reasons why she said no."

"Oh, Steven." Greg sighed.

"My body, it keeps reacting like it's always the end of the world." Steven kept on complaining tearfully. "I think I've nearly witnessed the end of the world so many times now, that everything that goes wrong for me just feels that extreme! I should be feeling happy these days, Earth is at peace and it's Era 3, but Black Rutile is still out there saying I'm a bad person and I'm swelling up over all these third-era problems! What do I do now?! How do I move on after every horrible thing that's happened to me?! How can I still live my life when every day it feels like I'm going to die?!"

Despite Steven being overcome with trauma to the point of sobbing, Greg was there to lend a hand like he always did. "It's going to be alright Schtu-ball." He said while holding his son's giant finger. "I'm here for you till the end of the line."

At long last, Steven finally calmed down and began to regress to his normal size, and he only had one request for Greg. "I just want to go home."

"You bet." Greg obliged, and Steven began to fetch his clothes while Connie and Priyanka stepped back into the office. "So, what's up doc?"

"This has certainly been an eventful appointment," Priyanka stated shakily. "Real eye-opener. As I'm sure your son has already told you, he has been through more stress than is normal for a human. I suggest finding ways to monitor these breakdowns."

"I'll see what I can do." Greg nodded while Steven returned to his side fully dressed when Connie gave Steven a big hug.

Outside the office, the doctor in the sunglasses from earlier peeked from behind a corner and spoke into an earpiece. "Giant boy crisis averted." He spoke in a deep voice to someone on the other end. "Yes sir, retrieving copies of the Gems' X-ray scans as we speak." Looking around to see if anyone had caught him, the man then took off his doctor's coat to reveal a black suit underneath and walked away with no one the wiser.

That night, Steven had been returned home and taken to bed, where Greg had prepared him a warm cup of tea and a sympathetic ear to his son's plight.

"I guess I thought I could follow Connie to college." Steven explained to his dad while sipping the tea. "Like, if we got married, I'd know what to do with myself for once. But turns out I still gotta figure everything out on my own."

"Cut yourself some slack, kiddo." Greg smiled earnestly. "It's okay to be worried and make mistakes when figuring out what to do with life, nothing unusual. Okay, maybe turning pink and the swelling is kind of unusual, but I'm sure the Gems will know what to do. And if you want to be a giant boy, I can lend you the carwash to take a shower in."

"Yeah, that's the thing." Steven revealed calmly. "I haven't told the Gems everything yet because I don't want them to worry so much, just like the old days when I was just some little kid who was way over his head." That was when he made a realization and spat out his tea. "Wait Dad, your tour!"

"Don't worry about me." Greg assured his son. "Shep and Sadie will be fine on their own. Just get some rest Steven; you can't just solve every problem in one night. Speaking of the Gems, where are they?"

Just then, the father and son heard the Warp Pad activate from Steven's conservatory, and the Crystal Gems marched into his room utterly exhausted from the trial they had just returned from.

"If I meet another Gem like Cat's Eye ever again, I swear I'm going to freak!" Pearl yelled with her hands buried in her face when she noticed Steven and Greg in the same room. "Oh, good evening you two. How was your day?"

"Nothing really special you guys." Steven fibbed. "Nothing at all."

So ends Growing Pains. Have to say, this might be one of the longest chapters of Alternate Universe yet, probably because of the B-plot. How hateable did you think I made Cat's Eye? I specifically wrote her with Cruella de Vil and Franziska von Karma in mind. And speaking of despicable characters, next chapter has Steven facing quite possibly his greatest challenge yet: making Kevin a better person. Oh, this should be fun.

#steven universe #steven universe future #fanfiction #steven universe alternate future #steven quartz universe #garnet #amethyst #pearl #connie maheswaran #priyanka maheswaran #greg universe #lapis lazuli #peridot #bismuth #holly blue agate #morganite #navy #yellow diamond

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appleslicesandmustard · 6 years

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Tag Game!

I was tagged by @thexfoils (who, by the way, has an incredible blog—go take a look!) to post 10 of my current favorite songs in any order! Thanks, friend, and sorry for getting to this so late! Ps: Zuli is AWESOME—thanks for the recommendation!

1. “Suburban Knights” by Hard-FI

2. “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer

3. “Heroes” as covered by Peter Gabriel

4. “Just What I Needed” by The Cars

5. “Mess Is Mine” by Vance Joy

6. “Chloe” by Grouplove (yes I’m a bit narcissistic, but it’s also just a good song!)

7. “Funeral Dress” by William Fitzsimmons

8. “White Blank Page” by Mumford & Sons

9. “What Sarah Said” by Death Cab for Cutie

10. “Sweater Weather” as covered by Kina Grannis

And bonus bc I couldn’t choose:

11. “Underground” by David Bowie

12. “I Know Places” by Taylor Swift

13. “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash

14. “Africa” by Toto. Yes I am a walking meme why do you ask?

I always start these lists worried that I won’t have enough songs and end thinking about how many more I could add. Probably hundreds lol. Anyway, I’ll tag @justaprinceofthegalaxy @cosmicabundances @andrizzle2dope and @itsjustsubtext, and anyone else who wants to do it! As always, if I tagged you and you don’t feel like doing it, just ignore me lol; no pressure!

#hush chloe #tag game #thexfoils

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strawberry--sunrise · 7 years

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Shadow Girls

Alright, so here we go: Switching automatically from the shortest part, to the longest. But honestly, this is my favorite part. Half of it is cute and very satisfying to write, and the latter half is violent, dark, and wow, also so very satisfying to get to write. One more step until the girls come out of the woodwork, dragging the monsters out by their feet.

Part One: Roots // Part Two: Stamen // Part Three: Stem

Part Four: Pistil

I was far from diplomatic fashion, but I would have to do without my armor. I crawled over the fence, sprinting through the dewy grass. I nodded at Thomas, who lingered beneath a tree.

“Late night for a walk,” I said.

“You forgot, didn’t you?” he asked. I blinked, confused at his meaning. He saw it on my face, and smiled. “I said that I’d call for you on Monday. You mentioned that you liked evening strolls in the garden. I’m glad that our timing aligned, because if Poppy came back without you, I’d have had to knock on the door myself. And that’s not as romantic.”

“I’m…really not supposed to be out at the moment,” I confessed, scratching the side of my head. “I should get back. I just wanted to make sure Poppy was okay.”

Thomas knelt down and ruffled Poppy’s collar. “Hana? I have something I need to tell you. But I’m still nervous. It’s hard, now that you’re right in front of me.”

I stared at Thomas, watching the anxious curve of his spine. His fingers dug into Poppy’s fur in less of a playful gesture. He was scared.

People didn’t call someone to an abandoned park at midnight for flirting.

“Tell me,” I said, kneeling beside him.

“…You said you wanted me?” Thomas confirmed. “Well, it’s ironic, because I want you. I want your long, pretty hair. Your big eyes. Your figure, your grace, your bravery. I want to feel as beautiful as you look. I want to be beautiful.” Thomas blew out a breath. “I can’t kiss you again. Not until I’m honest with you. I’m not…a boy.”

My lips parted before I knew what I wanted to say. I hadn’t anticipated this kind of confession. Time ticked between us. “You’re…a girl?” I finally said. Thomas managed a small, frantic nod. “A girl. Okay.”

“Okay?” Thomas squeaked.

“Yeah,” I breathed. “It’s fine.”

“That’s–” Thomas dropped her shoulders. They were shaking. “I’m glad. It’s horrible of me to say, but I knew I could trust you. Even if you hated me; even if you told the town.”

My own words echoed back at me. “Because no one will believe a Liftgate.”

“And I figured–” Thomas shook her head, a trembling entering her voice. “This is terrible. But I know why you kissed me. Tried to butter me up. Not because you liked me–”

That part was still debatable.

“–but because you wanted to know what I knew. You’ve been sniffing me out? I’ve been looking at you, too.” Thomas laid a hand on Poppy’s head. “You think my father’s committed a crime. Your father actually has. And I think both are connected.”

That got my attention. “How so?” I asked.

“You didn’t come to school today,” Thomas said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “Got myself grounded.”

“So you haven’t heard about Sophia.”

I stared at Thomas, waiting for her to go on. She rubbed the back of her neck. “She’s… she’s missing. Since Thursday. Her parents thought she was staying with friends, but when she hadn’t come home…” Thomas sighed. “Hana, I need your help.”

“With what?” I asked, barely grasping the news. It was just as we’d feared. The perpetrator had bled through the county lines.

Thomas shook her head. “We shouldn’t talk anymore about this. Not here.”

“Hell of a cliffhanger,” I said, crossing my arms. I considered my options. “You said you trusted me just now?”

“With my biggest secret? Yeah.” Thomas’ eyes grew wet, a laugh escaping her chest. “I must be near insane, but I’m relieved I told you. So yes. I do.”

“Then come with me,” I said, taking Thomas by the hand. “Send Poppy home. And one more thing. If you’re a girl, do you have a better name for me to use?”

Thomas’ eyes lit up in the darkness, face splitting into a wide smile. “Promise you won’t make fun of me?”

“Never,” I said, pulling her to her feet.

“Zuli,” she said. “Call me Zuli.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” I assured her, leading her down the street.

I felt the question buzzing on Zuli’s lips as we stopped outside the darkened storefront. She likely had never been to Antigone before, or even heard of it. Her family had moved counties before it was built. I pressed the doorbell, listening as it rang through to the apartment above. A light switched on, and a darkened face gave us a quick glance from the window. I gave a wave. The figure turned and, not long after, emerged from the stairs to the main floor. I watched through the windows as Ruth approached, wrapped up in a warm robe.

She opened the door, face unmade and wig off. Her painted nails rubbed at some of the stubble on her chin, looking me over. “Good evening, Hana. I trust you’re well?”

“Hello Ruth,” I said, putting on a smile. “That I am.” Zuli glanced between me and Ruth so fast, I thought she might get whiplash. Ruth leaned against the doorjamb, deciding to play with me.

“A bit of late night for you youngsters, huh?”

“I prefer to think of it as getting an early start on the morning.”

“Then I should get some coffee going, like any good host.”

Ruth turned, and I motioned Zuli to follow. We went through the shop, taking the often-locked stairwell into Ruth’s personal living space. I had been here several times, but Zuli gaped at the posters of beautiful women, and the feather boas draped across mirrors. She blushed at the artwork of men embracing and women kissing.

Ruth lit a candle, the room filling with the sweet scent of roses. I might have objected, if not for Zuli’s look of wonder. She had found Ruth’s glamorous vanity, littered with make up, jewelry, and carefully brushed wigs. I led her to the kitchen table with a gentle hand, sitting her down. Her eyes went straight to the picture of Ruth on the wall, done up in gold and silver, surrounded by laughing faces.

“Can I get you anything special?” Ruth asked, drawing Zuli’s attention. The older woman set down a bowl of sugar, and looked straight at Zuli. Realization lit her eyes. “I haven’t even asked your name! What kind of host am I? I’m so sorry little miss, you are…”

Zuli flinched, eyes wide as saucers. She looked over to me, frantic and in disbelief. I just nodded, wondering if I shouldn’t have left this as a surprise. Poor Zuli looked ready to drop.

“Zuli? I–I’m…a girl!” Zuli tried.

“Well, of course you are,” Ruth said, bringing out the pot of coffee. “Hana knows the rules. Only women at my shop. This is a safe space for us.”

I watched for Zuli’s reaction, indulgent. To my horror, she started to cry. She hiccupped and sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Ruth, undeterred, patted Zuli’s shoulder and shushed her tears.

“Now, now, that’s quite alright,” Ruth said.

I fidgeted in my seat, wondering if I shouldn’t have interfered. If I had overstepped my boundaries, again. Then Zuli raised her face and, in spite of the tears, it had the biggest expression of relief on it.

“I’m not alone?” she mumbled, hopeful.

Ruth, in a rare moment, lost her whimsical, lighthearted nature. She gripped Zuli’s arm, demeanor turning serious and grave. “Never,” she promised. “Sometimes we’re hard to find, but your sisters are always somewhere waiting for you.” Zuli cried some more at that, but Ruth returned to her smile. She glanced at her room, then back at Zuli. “Would you like me to doll you up a bit?”

I poured myself a cup of coffee as Zuli practically ran to the vanity chair.

“Now, try not to cry again. It’d be a sin to ruin your make up.” Ruth bit her lip, standing back a bit. “Better yet, let’s not jinx it.” She whipped two sheets out of her closet, draping one over the vanity, then heading to the next room. Zuli got up from her chair and glanced at me, questioning.

I kept my face straight, refusing to give away the truth. Zuli’s handsome features had been morphed into something beautiful. Her eyes, wide and black-lined, blinked long, delicate lashes. Her lips, pink and glossy, twisted and pursed, anxious. I wished I could tell her how much I admired Ruth’s hand. She had pushed Zuli’s hair back from her high forehead, revealing lovely, shadowed temples.

“You’re a tad taller than me, but we should be able to make this work,” Ruth said, re-entering the room. She drew down clothes from the top shelf of the closet, shaking out the dust.

“Everyone is a tad taller than you,” I reminded Ruth.

She shot me a look before handing Zuli a pile of gauzy garments. “No peeking, now. We’ll have you looking like a regular black widow in no time.”

Zuli shifted, hugging the fabric closer with a dreamlike gaze. Eventually she turned where Ruth directed, shutting the bathroom door.

Ruth stood beside me as Zuli went to get changed. “Are you still doing your detective work?” she asked.

“Barely,” I said, sulking. “My parents threw out all my things. They know I’ve been ghost writing to area newspapers. They don’t have the highest opinion of reporters, at the moment. And truthfully, neither do I.”

“Do they know about the Lotus Division?”

I glanced over at Ruth’s wicked smile. “Even Sophia doesn’t know I write for them, and she’s the damn editor-in-chief.”

“You play so coy,” Ruth chuckled, “but you’re more invested than anyone else.” I didn’t say anything to that. Ruth changed the subject. “And how did the search go?”

“We didn’t find anything. I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” I confessed. “But I made it back home by the skin of my teeth.” The doorknob twisted open. “I don’t think my parents would be able to handle the thought of me becoming a detective, either. They want a model wife, for a model husband.”

“Well, I would wish them the best, if they weren’t trying to gain blood from a stone.”

Ruth was in fine form today.

I opened my mouth to reply, and lost my train of thought in an instant. Zuli stepped out in a bold, purple, floral print shirt. The neckline plunged dangerously low, her hips cinched with a silver belt. Tight, shiny, pants ended in a bootcut. Ruth let out a happy sound.

“You went with the most daring! A girl after my own heart. Let’s get some jewelry on you.”

Zuli, still bashful, stepped toward Ruth as she donned bracelets on her wrists. She slipped rings over her fingers, and strung a low-hanging silver chain around her neck. Ruth grinned as she added the final touch: A well-teased, brunette wig. The curly hair went down past Zuli’s shoulders, soft and sprayed with glitter. Zuli turned to me, made of starlight and magic.

“Am I…okay?” she asked, earnest.

I swallowed, unsure what to say. “You are–certainly more than that. Much more.”

A relieved smile broke over Zuli’s face. She looked back to Ruth. “Can I see now?”

Ruth ripped the sheet off of the mirror in a flourish, knocking over a bottle of perfume. “Voila!”

Zuli gasped, then went still. In a slow movement, she raised her hand, then flinched as the girl in the mirror did the same. Her eyes misted then, remembering Ruth’s orders, set her jaw.

“That’s me?” she confirmed.

“Tried and true, 100% you,” Ruth sang, rummaging in a drawer. “And one more thing. Hana, could you grab the pink bottle next to Zuli?”

I moved without wondering why Zuli couldn’t grab it. I wanted to be closer to her.

Ruth turned, and Zuli and I blinked at a sudden flash of light. Ruth smiled as, our attention caught, she unleashed another flash.

“Pictures are important,” Ruth said, the Polaroids slipping out of the camera. “Even when the make up wears off; even when you have to go home…” Ruth held out our pictures, one for each of us. “You can always remember just how beautiful you are. You are you. And someday, things will be okay.”

Zuli choked back a sob, accepting the slowly-materializing image with a shaky hand. “So far,” she said thickly, “today has been the most okay day ever.”

I took my own photo, staring at the women, their faces and bodies gradually coming out of the inky darkness. “Thank you, Ruth,” I said.

“My pleasure,” Ruth nodded. “Now, we can’t have you all done up, and nowhere to go. Hana, your emergency club outfit is still around here?”

“You know it,” I said, as Zuli cried: “What?”

“Then put on your thigh highs, and I’ll put on my cat eyes; let’s boogie!” Ruth crowed.

In a matter of half an hour, Ruth and I were covered in glitz and hairspray. My minidress provided little protection to my bare thighs, but I hadn’t felt so free in ages. I grinned at Zuli, tucked beside me in the backseat as Ruth raced down the highway. Music blasted from the radio, Ruth screaming along, and beating on the steering wheel. My hand crept across the leather seat, lacing my fingers through Zuli’s.

She flushed, looking down at our hands. She asked me a question, but I couldn’t hear it over the music. She raised her voice, overpowering the instrumental.

“You said you’re grounded.”

I rolled my eyes, then brushed my lips against Zuli’s ear, who stiffened. “The jig is up. I’m not a good daughter. I might as well start being myself, if I can’t force myself to be anyone else.”

Zuli stared at me so long that I thought, perhaps, she hadn’t heard me. Then her grip on my hand tightened, and she pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“You’re perfect the way you are. And I still want to be like you,” she assured me.

My chest swelled at the kind words, my throat stopped up by the emotion. It felt strange to be told I was enough. I looked in Zuli’s eyes, near invisible in the darkness, wondering if I could afford to believe it once the dawn hit.

Ruth pulled up a few blocks away from the club. We walked, the night air brisk, into a short line outside a booming building. The bouncer frowned as we approached, numbing the small talk.

“Ruth,” he greeted.

“Samuel,” she replied.

“I know you,” he said, shaking his head, “but I don’t know these kids.”

“You think I would take children to such a salacious venue?” Ruth gasped.

“In a heartbeat,” Samuel said, grave. He squinted at Zuli. “Maybe I believe she’s old enough–” Zuli beamed at the pronoun. He turned his face to me. “–but ah, I’m sure I know you now.” He stuck a finger at me. “She is trouble, accordin’ to the papers.”

“Trouble is the spice of life,” Ruth said, waving her hand in the air.

“Trouble doesn’t sign my paychecks,” Samuel grumbled.

“Well, would you rather I leave her in the car, where any old Boogey Man could grab her?” Ruth shot back. Her glare grew frosty. “If you’ve been reading the papers, you know we’ve got a bad one in these streets. Can you keep that on your conscience? Or is the money good enough for a slick therapist?”

“Call her a cab,” Samuel replied.

I rummaged through the purse I kept in Ruth’s closet, while the two adults argued. A minute later, I stepped forward, taking in Samuel’s face. He wasn’t much older than me, despite his concerns. I stuck out my hand and raised my chin.

“Hana Liftgate,” I said. He stared down at my waiting gesture, a question in his eyes. “You won’t even accept an introduction?” I asked.

“What’s your game?” he replied, wary.

“Take my hand,” I said, “and why don’t I tell you?”

His large hand delicately encased mine, rough and powerful. I clutched his grip, pulling him closer and rising to my toes. I brought my free hand to cup his ear, whispering my message only to him.

“If you let me in now, I’ll be delighted to show you how much of a bad girl I am later.”

I dropped down, pressing my chest against his and squeezing his arm. I looked at him through my eyelashes, smiling, reworking the same tactic I had used on Zuli. I spoke in an exaggerated fashion, drawing his eye to my red-painted lips.

“I could use a strong fellow to fend off a Boogey Man for me. As well as do a couple of…other things.”

I rescinded my grip, passing off a small piece of paper. He glanced down at his own hand, baffled, then nodded. “I–” He cleared his throat, deepening his voice. “I guess I can make an exception, then. You’re less of a shrew than the papers called you.”

“And I’m a lot more than anything anyone can even put into print,” I promised, winking. “See you later, Sammy.”

Pink-faced, he moved to let us through. Zuli clinged to my arm in an instant, as we entered the cool, people-clogged building.

“What did you do?” Zuli asked, voice tinged with worry.

“I gave him the number of public works,” I assured her.

Ruth danced in ahead of us, all glamor and bangles, the brightest star in the galaxy. She conquered her size with platform shoes, her brash personality drawing in the room. Zuli and I watched as she laid claim to the dance floor, twirling under the silver lights like that had been put there for her. The DJ raised a hand, and that was all we saw before the crowd swallowed her up, eager to be in the presence of a space goddess.

Zuli and I danced on the fringes, singing along to the songs we knew. We moved with strangers, bumped bodies with drunk patrons, and laughed at the unfamiliar. Zuli took in all the wild, lavishly dressed people, half of them not unlike herself. For the first time, I caught confidence on her face. She shone with pride, dotted by flashing lights and swells of smoke. She stood up straight, with her shoulders back, in command of herself.

In that moment, she was everything I wanted to be.

After an hour, Zuli excused herself to grab some water from the bar. The tide of the dance floor pushed me closer to the bathrooms, were people lingered for a smoke, or a quiet place to talk. I saw a familiar face, who did a good job of blending in. I turned my gaze, wondering how long he had been following me.

Another man stood out, less done up than his counterparts, and woefully drunk. His female companion turned from him in disinterest, walking towards the heart of the club.

He shrugged off the rejection, the poor bastard, and eyed the rest of the room.

His gaze landed on me and, through the ill-placed wig and fake glasses, I recognized him.

He was on me in what felt like an instant, stinking of cologne and smoke. Whiskey spiced the air between us as he introduced himself. I didn’t listen to the fake name, my nerves singing with fear.

Woole. Governor Woole.

And through the heady excitement of the night, the beginning came rushing back.

“You think my father’s committed a crime.”

“You haven’t heard about Sophia.”

“Hana, I need your help.”

His hands roamed my body, too hot and too fast. Sweet words rolled off his tongue, even as his eyes darkened. He was too strong, pulling me away, back towards the alley exit.

I stumbled forward, face blank. My brain was screaming, but my body wasn’t moving.

Should I stay; should I be safe?

Should I go; should I look for the truth?

How far could I go? How long could I court the monsters, before they wanted me to stay?

Still caught in the tide, I watched as twin fists appeared on either side of the governor’s neck. Pulled between them was a length of silver chain. In a firm tug, the governor went tumbling back, releasing me to grab at the metal. Zuli, her face resolute, cinched the necklace she had been wearing tighter.

“Hands off,” she growled, voice higher than usual. “Get your kicks somewhere else.”

“Let go, you bitch!” the governor spat, face red and sweating.

“Promise you’ll leave my friend alone?”

“Zuli!” I shouted, finding my voice.

The chain slipped from her grasp, freeing her victim. She put her hands on her hips, watching the governor press his hand to his neck and totter away. She glared, not taking her eyes off of him until he left the building.

“Zuli!” I gasped, grabbing her arm. She looked down at me, eyes bright and smile wide. “Are you insane? What if he recognizes you?”

“He’s so drunk, he thinks he just got attacked by three queens instead of one,” Zuli laughed, breathless. The mirth faded from her face as the high wore off. “Come here.” She brought me into the bathrooms, where the lighting made it easier for her to look me over. “Did he hurt you?” she asked, gentle.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Oh Hana, what were you thinking?” she asked, taking my face in her hands. “He’s a dangerous man. I should’ve told you.”

I pressed my hand over hers. “I know what you wanted to tell me,” I said, not breaking eye contact. “And I believe you. Will you let me prove it?”

Zuli searched my face, the pulsing music muffled around us, as a certain silence stretched between the girls in the mirror.

I didn’t tell Ruth what happened. She was on her way to the car, slightly tipsy, when I turned around to talk to Samuel.

“There’s a man who’s going to leave,” I told him, “in a plaid shirt and hat. Will you tell him that I saw him, and he’s on the right track?”

Samuel cocked his head, trying to make sense of the cryptic message. “That’s all?”

I rubbed my arm, lowering my head. “There was also a guy who… I’m sorry, I wanted to come get you, but I was so scared…” I took a big breath, gathering my courage. “He tried to hurt me. Red pants, kind of overweight, thick glasses, and smoking? He was really drunk, and if it wasn’t for my friend…”

“Yeah, I know him. He’s a regular.” Samuel’s eyes were steely. “But never. Again,” he spat, voice gravelly. He laid caring eyes on me. “Are you alright now?”

“Yes,” I said, excusing myself. “Thank you.”

I skipped back to the group, a twinge of regret in my heart. Samuel deserved a good girl.

I hoped he would find her soon.

Ruth dropped me off at my house at near four in the morning. I had changed back into my night clothes on the way over, Zuli respectfully turning her head. We scrubbed and sprayed the club away the best we could, even as Zuli drew her thumb across a cheek full of glitter.

“Don’t suppose they’ll believe their daughter is simply full of stardust?” I joked.

“I would,” Zuli said, shrugging.

“Maybe full of shit,” Ruth offered from the driver’s seat. I kicked the back of it.

“Good night, everyone,” I said, standing outside the vehicle. I bowed with a flourish. “May we meet another time.”

“I’ll see your dramatic ass tomorrow after school,” Ruth said. “Zuli, you’re sleeping over. Get the door?”

Zuli waved goodbye as she pulled the door shut. I watched the pair pull away, then padded across the lawn, to the back door. I opened it with the spare key, stepping into the mudroom with all the presence of a ghost, wondering if I could get an early breakfast.

Not quick enough, I saw my father’s silhouette in the corner.

“Hello, Hana.”

His hand was on my throat before I could react, squeezing with only enough force to silence me. I dropped the act I kept for him, shock coursing through my system as the air drained from my lungs. His face didn’t break expression, voice carrying on in the same tone.

“You’re going to start acting right. You think because of this little spat I’m having with the state, you can go and be a tramp? A start up? That you can go off and undo decades of a good reputation in this town?” His free hand cracked across my cheek, pain bursting across my senses. “You are a little girl, and you have no idea what’s going on. Stop trying to nose your way in.”

“Is this,” I gasped, clawing at his wrist, “how a girl keeps her good reputation?”

He threw me to the floor, my head knocking against the wood. He kicked the section of wall next to me, seething voice filling the closed space. “A girl like you lives off of the reputation of men like me. So wisen up and start serving your greater good, or you’ll never know anything better than this.”

I coughed, propping myself up on my elbow. My hair fell in front of my face, blocking the demon in front of me. “I guess you don’t care about not leaving marks anymore.”

He grabbed me by the scalp, hauling me to my feet. “You think you’re tough?” he screamed, spit flying. He punched my torso; my chest, my gut. I brought my arms up in defense, stomping my foot over his. I swung my knee up, catching him in the groin. He dropped me and I grabbed at his belt loop. I ran through the house, to the only door with a lock on it.

He stopped just outside his study, panting and cursing under his breath. I gripped the keys I’d picked tighter in my palm, the metal threatening to cut. When he realized my deception, he hit the wood with all his weight, making the frame shake.

“You can’t stay in there forever!” he shouted. “I’ll get the damn saw!”

I didn’t say anything to that. Mostly because I hadn’t considered the possibility. I glanced at the window. I wasn’t looking forward to escaping that way twice. Especially not with what felt like bruised ribs.

I laid down while my father ranted, eventually leaving to tear things apart in the house. Vases shattered. Knick knacks broke. The dog barked, while my mother screamed back and forth with her husband. I curled up and tried to ignore them.

I passed out on the carpet, to haphazard dreams of blood and dirt. A circle of girls pressed their foreheads to the forest floor, the mud and mushrooms swallowing their heads. The moon was a disco ball, lighting up a macabre ritual. They tilted themselves up, straight up, feet pointed to the clouds. They became the trees, branches erupting from the skin of their legs and thighs. Their trunks became mold-covered and grown over as the seasons raced by. They rotted and went to ruin, forgotten by the world. But as I laid my ear against the mossy roots, I heard women whispering to each other about the sky.

Then the dream shifted. The evening fell to smoke and fire. Screaming and silver. The sky was blood, and I was covered in it. I saw a face that I knew, decomposing and being replaced by wildflowers. And I watched my mother tend the garden it created as my father loomed, his hands covered in black powder.

Lightning cracked across the sky, startling me awake.

I sat up, the bright color of fall morning in full swing disconcerting. I stood, wobbling over to my father’s desk. I used the grey key to open the locked drawer, pulling out yellowed articles with our name on it. They were dated from a the end of a golden era, shifting from when we were revered, to pitied. Then, reviled.

My brother’s face, now removed from the house, stood out: Eternally youthful; the prime target of tragedy. An angry bulletin about work safety accompanied his obituary. His body had been crushed by rocks, on a midnight shift in the mines. They were never able to recover him for a proper burial. All they had for confirmation of his identity were fading cries for help, and his frantic father, who had called the accident in.

I was at home when it happened. I stayed in the living room while my mother fled, leaving the phone off the cradle, to go hear her son’s voice once more.

The newspaper said that the mines collapsed with such a boom that it echoed, like a gunshot.

The funny thing was, in my nightmares, the gunshot always came first.

You made it to the end!!! Wild ride, huh?

See you next week!

#shadow girls #1970s #mystery #writeblr #i'm starting to consider this prep for nano #sorry about the violence in this one #there's gonna be more #can't put a gun in the room and not use it #whoops was that a spoiler?#( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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andrewmoocow · 3 years

Text

Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 26: Everything’s Fine (originally posted on September 20, 2021)

AN: Welcome back to the jungle readers. When last we left Steven, his mind was going further down the toilet after shattering Jasper and the voice in his head continues trying to take control, which led to him lashing out against White Diamond & Spinel. Can he possibly keep his personal Nega-Scott under control while trying to tell the Gems that everything is totally okay? All this and more in this gripping chapter of Alternate Future!

Synopsis: Despite Steven constantly saying otherwise, everything isn't fine.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven, Topiary Stevens, Cactus Stevens

Estelle as Garnet

Micheala Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Yellow Pearl, Blue Pearl

Grace Rolek as Connie

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Ron Perlman as Steven's Inner Voice

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Cherry Quartz

Michelle Maryk as Larimar

Ian Jones-Quartey as Snowflake Obsidian, Bixbite

Tara Platt as Heaven and Earth Cubic Zirconias

Martha Higerada as Topaz

Auli'I Cravalho as Orange Spodumene

Aparna Nancherla as Nephrite

Kimiko Glenn as Blue Chalcedony

Phillipa Soo as Chrysocolla

Anika Noni Rose as Watermelon Tourmaline

Tara Strong as Grossular Diopside

Aimee Carrero as Moonstone

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Larissa Gallagher as Bluebird Azurite

Susan Egan as Rose Quartz

As soon as Steven returned to his earthly home via Warp Pad and checked up on the bathroom, he returned to his room to flop down on his bed. Steven thought the Diamonds would be of help to him, but instead, they didn't understand what he was going through, and his evil voice kept making things worse for him.

"Why did you make me do that?" Steven lugubriously asked his inner self. "Why did you make me nearly kill White Diamond, and punch Spinel?"

"They hurt you, so I thought it was about time you gave them their just desserts." The evil voice within Steven answered. "Yet the real you insisted that everything was fine. That's your biggest problem, you're way too forgiving of others no matter how much they want you dead."

"No, I know when others don't deserve to be accepted." Steven argued. "Like Black Rutile for example. If she's going to be proud of how irredeemable she is, I'll just let her do her thing."

"Ah yes, do her thing." The negative side of Steven mused. "Like threaten your life and make repeated attempts on your psyche. Yeah, if you could change that pervert, then maybe you can change the sociopath too."

Suddenly, Steven's phone began to ring. "One second Negative Me, I have to take this." Steven said while picking it up and hearing a relieving familiar voice on the other end. "Hey Connie, what's up?"

"Steven!" Connie cried in delight. "Good, you finally picked up. I can't believe we haven't talked to each other since the hospital visit, how are you?"

"I'm great!" Steven fibbed while gazing at how he was still pink. "Never been better!"

"Really?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you haven't had any more swelling or turning pink problems?"

"Uh, nope?" Steven replied. "Okay, maybe, but how are you doing? How's prepping for college going?"

"It's going fine Steven." Connie answered nervously. "But what you mean when you said maybe?"

"Look, there's nothing to worry about." Steven kept on lying. "Everything's fine."

"I doubt it." Steven's dark side interrupted.

"Look, I'll call you later," Steven said. "I don't wanna wake up the Gems."

"But they don't even sleep!" Connie exclaimed before Steven quickly hung up and gazed at his hands before the TV turned on.

"-it's because I'M A UNIVERSE!" Steven began seeing visions of the past on the TV, starting with his argument with Greg before it went to static. Then it began showing Steven holding the shattered remains of Jasper's gem in his hand. More static, followed by the near-death of White Diamond, then Steven punching Spinel for singing to him. Just as Steven got up to try and turn the TV off, he got one last devastating surprise.

"Steven, we can't both exist." Rose Quartz announced to Steven in the video she made before giving birth to him, the very sight of her warm face making him twitch angrily where he stood. "I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you."

"No, I never loved myself," Steven growled furiously. "I've always hated being you. Everything I've suffered, and everything you ever put everyone through," He balled up his fist and pointed it straight at the TV screen. "IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Before Rose could finish, Steven broke the screen with a single punch and prematurely ended the video. However, Steven then let out a gasp as he gazed into his reflection on the shattered remains of the screen, noticing that his irises were now diamond-shaped and realizing what he had become.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Steven trembled and dropped to the ground in horror. "Th-this can't be happening, I didn't think about shattering White, I didn't shatter Jasper, punch Spinel, or nearly kill Dad!" His panicking soon turned to mad chuckling as Steven tried to cheer himself up. "I'm Steven Universe!" Steven then turned to Vidalia's painting of him and Garnet. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" he loudly repeated to himself, causing the glass of his bedroom door to break. "I'm totally fine!"

"Steven, is that you?!" The loudness of Steven's fibbing caused Pearl to cry out as she, Amethyst, and Garnet raced upstairs to Steven's room and gasped at his current appearance.

"What happened?" Amethyst asked Steven. "When did you get so big?"

"Is everything alright?" Pearl added just as nervously.

"I'm fine." Steven smiled and waved at the Gems. "Going to the Diamonds was just a waste of time since they had no idea what I was going through. I thought I needed to figure myself out, but I already know who I am! I'm Steven Universe; and I help, not hurt!"

"Yeah, then I suppose you tried to help the TV there?" Amethyst said while pointing a thumb at the damaged TV. "Seriously, we have got to upgrade someday. But seriously dude, what's going on? You look way different!"

"Pfft, I'm still your lovable old Steven!" Steven denied in response.

"Steven, we're worried," Garnet stated, taking off her glasses to emphasize how concerned she was for her ward. "You haven't been acting like your usual self lately, and we think you should get some rest before this gets dangerous."

"I'm okay, really!" Steven continued lying to the Gems, who glanced concernedly at each other before turning back to him.

"We'll take your word for it." Garnet said resignedly.

"You know, everything's gone downhill ever since I quit Little Homeschool!" Steven declared cheerfully. "I should head on over and see if I can make myself useful there! See you guys later!"

With that, Steven used his newfound super speed to race out of the house to Little Homeworld. To the Gems, it was like he was gone in an instant.

"I get that Steven wants us to know he's fine, but that was a little unsettling." Pearl stated fearfully. "We should just follow him to Little Homeworld so we can keep an eye on him."

"Agreed." Garnet nodded while putting her glasses back on.

"Yeah, that boy ain't right!" Amethyst declared before the trio left Steven's bedroom. But what they or even Steven didn't know was that a black-colored drone was watching them carefully.

"Excellent, he's just about at his breaking point." Black Rutile declared triumphantly while examining the footage her drone has gathered with White Topaz by her side. "Oh, I haven't felt this much of a rush since the Strawberry Battlefields!"

"But will Steven get any better?" White Topaz asked nervously, inciting her master to give her a furious glare.

"No, that's my intention!" Black Rutile stated. "I broke him, I broke his spirit! If I physically harmed him, the damage would just go away. But mental torture, the wounds shall only grow and fester! I have officially broken Steven Universe, and all that's left is for everyone to reject that monster."

"Oh master, we're back from training." Bluebird Azurite declared as she flew back to the Rutile's cavern hideaway.

"Oh hey guys, how you getting along?" White Topaz asked the fusion cheerfully.

"We're getting along splendidly thanks to Steven's advice." Bluebird answered before un-fusing into Aquamarine and Eyeball.

"Now we're even stronger than ever!" Aquamarine exclaimed joyfully.

"Look what we can do now!" Eyeball added before pulling out her chisel and shaking it to turn the blade into a beam of fire while Aquamarine launched bubbles from her wings.

"Ah, so glad you two are reaching your full potential, potential that Steven has suppressed for too long." Black Rutile smiled warmly at the tiny twosome. "But know this, you may be afraid of what could be to come, but remember that fear is but the precursor to valor! And to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a warrior. Don't think, become."

"I fail to see how that could inspire us, but okay." Aquamarine muttered before peeking behind Black Rutile to see the drone footage. "Now what's all this?"

"It's video evidence that I've driven Steven to madness." Black Rutile answered with a proud grin before gesturing to each screen. "Here, we see Steven going ballistic on a human television when his mother appeared on the monitor." She said pointing to the first one. "On this one, the accursed Crystal Gems show concern for him for once, but he denies that anything is wrong with him." Then Black Rutile moved on to the third one. "And finally, Steven is just gone like a light."

"How can he do that?" White Topaz asked as she looked at the third viewscreen.

"Research shows that this comes from his Diamond heritage interfering with his human biology." Black Rutile analyzed the footage. "I should know, I was often tasked with watching over Pink Diamond whenever her usual caretakers were unavailable. And let me just say, it was unbelievably hectic."

"Yeah, like remember our attempted occupation of Zembilla?" White Topaz added. "Pink really grew attached to those little orange natives and didn't want them all dead."

"Don't remind me to the point of making me have a flashback." Black Rutile groaned while stroking her temples. "This shall be our time to rise up. We shall strike the first moment we get when Steven is at his lowest, so I suggest you better prepare." The Rutile then turned to her Topaz muscle. "Topaz, I need you to preside over Aquamarine and Ruby's training for the time being."

"Oh, of course, I'll do as you say!" White Topaz frantically declared. "That's me, White Topaz, always at your service!"

"Just…..go." Black Rutile's eye began to twitch at White Topaz's brownnosing. As soon as her three subordinates left, the mastermind turned back to her screens and paused the first one at Steven punching the TV screen. "Soon, my boy. Your god complex will finally crumble, just like your so-called happily ever after."

"Ah Little Homeworld, long time no see!" Steven declared happily as he reached Little Homeworld and landed on the Warp Pad. "Time to find someone who needs my help."

As Steven ran around the village in search of people to help, Gems and humans were taken a little aback by his new appearance and tried to stay away from him, though Steven didn't know why.

"Look, we're just saying Emerald, there are more ways reptiles are connected to birds than you think." Demantoid argued with Emerald as the two played chess together.

"Name one!" Emerald declared while moving her rook to knock out Demantoid's pawn. "Are there any lizards that have feathers, hm?!"

"Hey, guys, any arguments that need settling?" Steven butted into the green Gems' debate with a wide smile, taking the two by surprise. "Something about birds?"

"What is wrong with you?!" Emerald exclaimed. "This is why Black Rutile hates you, you think everything has to revolve around you and how you think you can fix everything! But even so, you look creepily happier than usual. Something is definitely up."

"Oh, everything's fine." Steven declared, his eye twitching ever so slightly at Emerald's accusation. "I think I'll just let you guys get back to your conversation." And so, Steven set off for someone else to try and help, leaving the green ex-subordinates of Black Rutile aghast before they decided to change the topic while getting back to their game.

"So, I've heard rumors that Steven is suffering from some problems lately." Demantoid said as her rook moved to take out the opposing knight. "Something about post-traumatic stress disorder?"

"Are you sure?" Emerald replied. "Because I've read about the symptoms, and something tells me he might have a borderline personality disorder."

"Maybe somewhere in the middle?" Demantoid deduced.

"Now the key to giving a plant proper sunlight is finding a spot that's just right." Peridot exposited to her class of Pyrope, Orange Spodumene, Blue Chalcedony, Cherry Quartz, and Squaridot while pointing to a chrysanthemum. "And it also varies on what kind of plant you're growing."

"I see." Squaridot muttered in awe.

Just then, Steven barged into the greenhouse and grinned at Peridot's class. "Hi Peridot, do any of you need some help?"

"No, I do believe we're perfectly fine." Pyrope answered dryly.

"So what brings you back here?" Peridot asked. "Didn't you leave a few months back?"

"Just your friendly neighborhood Crystal Gem just here to help!" Steven declared. "And I think your students have a few struggling saplings here. Let me give you a hand." Chuckling at his pun, Steven licked his hands and reached out to Pyrope's pot before Peridot stopped him.

"Not so fast!" Peridot scolded Steven. "Amethyst told me you're on a No Plant Friends policy after what happened with the Cactus Stevens."

"We're right here you know." A Cactus Steven said while helping a nearby Sapphire.

"Besides, I don't want your germs all over my prized flower!" Pyrope added, protectively hiding her pot from Steven.

"Oh come on you guys, I just want to give them a little nudge!" Steven laughed. To further prove his point, a leaf fell off Blue Chalcedony's plant.

"That has been bothering me lately." Blue Chalcedony stated, holding her pot out to Steven. "Go ahead, just a smidge though."

"I got a bad feeling about this." Cherry Quartz said warily.

"Oh don't worry, I got this!" Steven said as he licked his finger and tapped on the spot where the leaf fell off.

Moments later, the greenhouse began literally bursting with plant life, and not in a good way. Living topiaries in the shape of Steven broke through the greenhouse walls chanting "Steven's here to help!" while Peridot's class ran away screaming.

"Nice going Chal, now look what's happened!" Pyrope yelled at Blue Chalcedony.

"Hey, lay off her Pyrope!" Orange Spodumene exclaimed. "But still, something is not right with Steven!"

On the topic of Steven, he followed the class out of the greenhouse and seemed oblivious to the damage he had caused. "Look at that, life! It's everywhere, it always finds a way!"

"Much like how you find a way to drive people away." Steven's evil voice muttered sardonically, but Steven paid it no mind as he continued his search for people to help.

"Now, tell me how that makes you feel." Garnet said to a human couple she was giving counseling to when she heard Peridot scream, causing the humans to stand up as they gasped. "See you next week."

As soon as the couple ran away in fright, three Topiary Stevens surrounded Garnet, still chanting "Steven's here to help!" while the real Steven ran into the fusion.

"Oh Garnet, I see you're making some new friends!" Steven exclaimed joyfully, continuing to be unaware of his surroundings. "Then I guess this was a net win. Welp, gotta run and find someone else to help! It's what I do!"

"Then help me stop them!" Garnet yelled while the Topiary Stevens repeated "Steven's here to help!", which began to get on her nerves. "The others have to know about this."

"Being a lifeguard was far easier than I thought." Laz declared while relaxing in a lifeguard chair above the Gems in the now completed swimming pool. "Just gotta sit around and wait for something to happen. Besides, Gems can't drown anyways!"

"Yeah, but they still need to learn some basic rules." Lapis said to her old friend turned enemy turned friend again before blowing her whistle. "Hey, no running so fast! You might slip and fall!"

"Sorry, Lapis." Teal Zircon apologized before diving in and landing on top of Watermelon Tourmaline. "This is living, eh Melon?"

"You said it, Teal." Watermelon Tourmaline said as she floated around the pool with the Zircon relaxing on her stomach. "Ain't nothing could go wrong today."

Just then, Steven came a-knocking as he opened the gate to the pool to check out what was going on. "Hey Lapises, how's everything going?" he asked. "Anyone need any saving right now?"

"Actually, I think we're running a pretty tight ship as is," Lapis answered Steven while Zuli emerged from the pool after a swim. "Right guys?"

"Yeah, we don't need any extra help right now." Zuli stated. "But if you want, we could hold tryouts sometime."

"Oh no need, I'll just do it myself." Steven beamed before he began looking out for someone who might need his assistance when he spotted Teal Zircon resting on Watermelon Tourmaline's stomach. "Hey TZ, you could slip and fall!"

"What?" Teal asked before Steven grabbed her by the hand. "I'm doing pretty fine over here." Suddenly, as Steven tried to pull the Zircon from the pool, he accidentally pulled a little too hard and threw her up in the air. "OKAY, NOW I'M NOT DOING FINE!" TZ screamed as she flew away from the pool. "WITNESS ME!"

Teal Zircon didn't stay in the air for long, and soon dropped from the sky into another part of Little Homeworld. "I'm okay!"

"What's the big idea, Steven?" Watermelon Tourmaline asked. "We were all having fun before you came in and threw Teal Zircon to who knows where!"

"I'm sure TZ's fine, she said so herself." Steven laughed. "Well, gotta run! Have a nice day everybody!"

As soon as Steven ran off, more Topiary Stevens came bursting through the chain-link fence as they wrestled with the Cactus Stevens, prompting the other Gems present to slowly back away.

"Can this day get any weirder?" Laz scoffed. "I was trying to relax here!"

"Hey, did anyone else notice that Steven was all pink and such?" Lapis asked her fellow water-manipulating lifeguards.

"Yeah, it's kinda freaking me out." Zuli replied. "And are we sure he's totally fine?"

"I'm asking that question too." Lapis pondered while Peridot came charging through the broken fence to break up the battle of the plant Stevens.

When Steven left the pool, the first thing he saw was Bismuth's forge. "That's right, it must be shop o'clock!" he declared while skidding to a stop. "Bismuth's shop class, that is. Time to get my shop on."

"You good bud, you talking to yourself or something?" Amethyst, dressed in a coach uniform, asked Steven as he entered the forge.

"Now, the detailing requires a light touch." Bismuth explained to Blue Pearl, Bixbite & Snowflake Obsidian while standing between Pearl wearing a smithing apron and Yellow Pearl in a suit of armor. "Pay attention now everybody, cause this is critical to getting it right."

"Uh, hey howdy hey!" Steven greeted the shop class while leaning against the entrance.

"Oh, hey Steven!" Bixbite cheerfully greeted Steven.

"Did you get taller?" Blue Pearl asked with a tilt of her head and a finger to her lips.

"Whoa-ho-ho, lookin' good Steven!" Bismuth complimented Steven's change in appearance.

"I don't think that look is a positive change for him." Pearl whispered to Bismuth. "We think something might be wrong with him."

"Fancy seeing you drop by." Yellow Pearl grinned, unaware of what the teachers were conversing about. "How do you like my armor?"

"You look great Yellow Pearl!" Steven answered. "So Bismuth, in need of a teaching assistant?"

"Actually, Pearl's my TA today," Bismuth replied with a hand on Pearl's shoulder before presenting Yellow Pearl's armor-clad arm. "but I could use a wedding expert for my wedding armor demonstration. How 'bout it?"

"Of course, I'll help!" Steven declared. "That's what I love doing, just helping everyone!"

"Okay, let's get some materials warmed up for you." Bismuth then walked over to a pot of coals that she plucked a cooling steel bar from and flattened one end of it on the anvil with her hammer hand. "I think that's good enough." She stated. "Hey Steven, mind helping me with a pauldron or two?"

"I got this." Steven cheered as he walked over to the anvil and prepared to punch the metal.

"Hold up there boulder-brain." Bismuth stopped Steven before he could punch. "It's just some detail work, no need for a big mallet when you could use a little hammer." She handed a tiny hammer to Steven. "Plus, you could burn yourself that way."

"Oh, whoopsy-daisy, thanks Bismuth." Steven exclaimed and lightly tapped on the metal with the hammer. Instead of the detail work he thought he could do, Steven instead cracked the anvil into pieces with a single tap.

"Someone's stronger than we thought." Snowflake laughed nervously while Pearl & Bismuth gazed at the broken anvil.

"Look at that, now you have two anvils!" Steven laughed while Bismuth mourned the destruction of her anvil.

"NOOOOO!" Bismuth dropped to her knees in despair. "My anvil! My beautiful anvil!"

"Oh, grow up will you?" Steven's inner voice grumbled. "It's an anvil, you can make another."

"Seems like my work here is done." The real Steven laughed as he prepared to leave. "Well, toodles!"

"You see what I mean, Steven's not himself lately." Pearl said as she comforted Bismuth. "First he nearly got Greg killed, then Jasper started calling him her Diamond, and now this."

"Can I be the first to say that he needs help?" Yellow Pearl asked sardonically as more Topiary Stevens continued their rampage outside the forge.

As Steven exited the forge, he ran towards a baseball game that Amethyst was holding. Nephrite was on the Warp Pad throwing a ball to Doc, Amethyst stood by with Onion next to her, Topaz stood with a pair of humans on the bases, Larimar was in the outfield, and Chrysocolla, Grossular Diopside & Moonstone were waiting to play.

As soon as Amethyst noticed Steven, she blew her whistle and turned to talk to him. "Hey dude," she greeted him. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you needed any more players." Steven offered. "I'm ready to have a ball!"

"I think we could squeeze you in, we do need a new outfielder," Amethyst concluded and pointed to Larimar. "Oy, Larimar! Hit the showers, Steven's taking your place!"

"Good luck there Steven." Larimar said while she got up and left while Steven took her place on the playing field.

"Yeah, good hustle there Lil Larimar." Steven complimented the ice Gem. "I'm honored to be joining such a great game, I mean, everyone here has been outstanding!"

"You just got here, how do you know that?" Nephrite raised her brow.

"That's just me, I know what everyone is doing and feel the need to help all the time!" Steven declared, creeping everyone out.

"Enough chit-chat, batter up!" Amethyst cried out, cuing Onion to pick up a bat and walk up to home base, ready to play. Nephrite threw the ball towards the silent boy and he hit it with the bat, although unfortunately, it was heading straight for a nearby house.

"Oh no, in danger again?!" the Heaven Cubic Zirconia complained as the ball sailed towards the window of her and Earth Cubic Zirconia's house while they were having tea.

"I swear, is it because we're small?" Earth Cubic Zirconia wondered. Thankfully, Steven caught the ball just in time, much to their relief.

"I did it." Steven declared and the other players cheered.

"Three cheers for Steven!" Topaz declared.

"That's our boy." Chrysocolla smiled.

"I did it, and I didn't ruin anything!" Steven boomed happily. "YEAH!" However, the complete opposite of what he just said quickly happened. His excited yell caused a windstorm powerful enough to knock people off their feet, break glass everywhere, and cause the Zirconias' house to fall apart.

"Whoa, take it easy Steven!" Moonstone cried as she held onto a bench while the windstorm continued.

"Someone help me!" Grossular Diopside yelled while she got blown away with Larimar. Thankfully, the windstorm died down after a few seconds but still left a ton of destruction in its wake, and all eyes were on Steven.

"Oops, sorry everyone." Steven blushed at the chaos he caused. "T-t-that was an accident. But what are accidents and mistakes but opportunities to learn and improve, right?" He looked down at the Zirconias, who weren't very happy about the destruction of their home.

"It was a mistake for us to be put in danger again, especially because of you!" Earth yelled accusingly.

"Earthy, shush!" Heaven shushed her partner.

"I mean, we all make mistakes, and as long as we keep improving, everything will be fine!" Steven declared while picking up a log. "Alright, let's get to it!"

"It was a mistake for you to come here in this state." The voice in Steven's head declared. "Black Rutile and I were right, you will drive everyone away."

"Listen, I am done with you for today." Steven's own thoughts argued with the voice. "Just pipe down and don't ever think about feeding me bad thoughts ever again, got it?"

"How about never?" the voice said smarmily while the Topiary Stevens got to work on helping Steven by picking up Onion, Larimar, and Grossular Diopside.

"WE'RE HELPING!" one of the Plant Stevens yelled.

High above the destroyed makeshift baseball field, Black Rutile's satellite continued watching everything and sending footage back to its creator, who was all too happy to see what her hard work has amounted to.

"This is just priceless!" Black Rutile laughed joyously. "First, he makes plants come to life and fight those cactus beasts, then he throws that annoying Zircon into the air, broke an anvil, and caused a scene during one of those human games. I'm sure he's going to make such a scene about all these little accidents."

"All the more tools to humiliate the boy." Aquamarine added just as sneakily. "Soon, he will have nothing but himself and his thoughts controlling him."

"Unless his friends were to come out and tell him everything will be alright." White Topaz objected. "I'm just saying, those Gems will stick by his side through thick and thin."

"Hey, no more objections!" Eyeball yelled while pulling out her flame knife. "Want me to test this on you?!"

While Eyeball began chasing White Topaz around the woods with her knife, Black Rutile just groaned and turned back to her screens. "Tell me Aquamarine, why do all great geniuses surround themselves with idiots?"

"Your guess is as good as mine my Rutile." Aquamarine shook her head while watching the screens focused on the beach house with bated breath.

As soon as Steven was done helping fix what he had broke, he returned to the beach house with a dourer expression than the big smile he kept wearing throughout the day. On the other side of the room, Connie was in the living room while Greg and the Gems sat down on the couch.

"Steven!" Connie cried. "I was right all along, you're still swelling! I tried calling you all day, but I kept getting this weird meme." She held up her phone, which now depicted Steven bouncing up and down while chanting "Steven's here to help!" just like the Topiary Stevens. "Please, what is going on? We're all worried for you."

"Go on boy, play dumb." Steven's inner voice commanded.

"I sometimes broadcast my subconscious these days." Steven answered. "It's really no big deal."

"NOT THAT DUMB!" the voice groaned in irritation.

"I can tell something is bothering you." Connie continued. "There are even times where the meme sometimes turns into this."

"Steven's here to help, Steven's here to help!" Steven kept chanting on Connie's phone before it began to glitch. "Steven help, help Steven!"

"Ah, I don't know what you're talking about!" Steven declared, his stress continuing to unnerve others. "Besides, you all saw I was doing just fine this morning. I'm fine, awesome even!"

"Steven, if being as helpful as you always are, even if it's a bit obnoxious & creepy, is what you want, we'll support you 100%." Greg comforted. "But if you're not really happy, if something's wrong-"

"He's onto us!" the voice exclaimed. "Should've gone a little further with the crash, I say."

"Nothing's wrong!" Steven rebuked his father's worries. "Besides, you all don't have to worry."

"We ARE worried!" Connie replied worryingly. "Besides, Pink Diamond's Pearl told the Gems over the communicator in your greenhouse that you punched Spinel while you were at Homeworld."

"Listen, you can tell us anything." Greg added.

"Look at these worms, ganging up on us." The inner voice kept snarling. "Run, run while you still can! No one may help us now! Except, of course, for a certain Rutile."

"It's not that easy." Steven muttered as he hung his head in shame. "You know what? I don't want to deal with all this." However, when Steven tried to leave, Garnet blocked his way to the Warp Pad while the rest kept him from leaving through the door. "Seriously guys, I don't want to deal with this!"

"No, we don't wanna deal with all this." Amethyst put her foot down at Steven's behavior.

"Please, you have to stop running." Garnet begged in addition when suddenly, Steven's body began to swell yet again and his face stretched out.

"Maybe we should get you back to my mom at the hospital." Connie suggested.

"HOSPITAL?!" Amethyst shrieked.

"Is that what you were doing while we were at the trial?!" Pearl yelled.

"You mean you didn't tell them?!" Connie cried out in shock, while Steven's body kept on distorting and his breath quickened.

"It wasn't that important, just my first ever doctor's visit." Steven smiled awkwardly. "You're making a big deal out of nothing! Sure, I messed up the house and broke a few things, but what teenager hasn't?"

"You spent years forcing secrets out of the Gems, and now you're the one keeping secrets?" Steven's darker half growled at his other half's hypocrisy. "You truly have become your mother."

"And sure, Dad and I had a little fight, but it was practically a rite of passage!" Steven continued fibbing and shrugged.

Connie and the Gems turned their gaze to Greg, who just scratched his head and let out a nervous laugh.

"I mean, wouldn't it be weird if we didn't?!" Steven kept on ranting. "And sure, I've had Black Rutile feed me some not so nice thoughts while you were at Los Diego that took the form of an inner voice that forced me to punch Spinel, or try and shatter White Diamond, but it's not like I actually went through with it! I did really shatter Jasper after all!"

"WHAT?!" Amethyst screamed at the thought of Steven, this sweet young man who would rather hang out with a fly than hurt it, doing such a thing, especially to a Gem he had tried many times to help see the light.

Although barely anyone could hear, Jasper let out a light moan from the bathroom.

"You're-you're joking right?!" Connie gasped with Greg while Garnet's jaw dropped and Pearl's eyes widened.

"Oh don't worry, I fixed Jasper! I can fix anything!" Steven's temper began to reach its boiling point. "I can just keep fixing and fixing things forever, and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again!"

"Except worrying about how you're deliberately pushing people away while begging them to stay." Steven's inner voice concluded while metaphorically looking around at the shocked reactions of Steven's human & Gem loved ones. "Just look at them all, how do you think they'd ever forgive you for such a horrendous act?"

"Steven." Garnet tried to lend an assuring hand on the boy's shoulder, but she was quickly shoved away.

"How messed up is that?!" Steven gasped as he felt something change in his body. His teeth began getting sharper, his skin became pinker & leatherier, his hands slowly turned into claws, and his pupils started turning pink. "That I've gotten away with all this for so long, forcing my views down the throats of others, tearing apart Gem society to the point where they'll eventually be invaded, actually murdering someone! Black Rutile was right, I am just an awful person! A sociopath even!"

No one could comprehend what Steven was thinking right now. Greg began to tear up at all these horrible things Steven was saying about himself, Connie gripped the father's arm tightly, and Pearl & Amethyst began fearfully hugging Garnet, whose face was completely frozen in horror.

"You think I'm so great, I'm so mature, that I always know what to do, BUT I'M NOT!" Steven began roaring in a more beastly tone. "I haven't learned a thing from my problems, and I never will! They all kept making me worse, YOU all keep making me worse! Are you even sure any of you ever loved or cared about me?! If it weren't for Pink Diamond ruining everything for everyone, I could've been just a normal kid!"

"That's right, just let everything out." The inner voice purred comfortingly. "Me on the other hand, I think I shall take my leave and prepare something more normal for you." With that, the inner voice seemingly vanished from Steven's mind.

"You all think of me as a perfect angel who's too pure for this world, but I'm not a little kid anymore!" Steven boomed before he dropped to the ground with his head between his hands. "I'm just like my mom. A fraud." He began to tremble where he crouched as something began bubbling on his back. "I'm a monster!"

Suddenly, a massive pillar of light pink scales erupted from Steven's back like a volcano as everyone reacted quickly. Garnet stuck her arms out to protect Amethyst & Pearl and Connie jumped back, but Greg was just plain terrified.

"I'm a monster!" Steven's final words before his transformation were rewound by Black Rutile as she eagerly replayed the phrase again and again on more of her satellite footage. "I'm a monster! I'm a monster! I'm a monster!"

With an evil grin, Black Rutile paused the video and shut off her screens. "And I have finally won!" she declared triumphantly and let out a booming evil laugh that echoed throughout the cave and scared off the nearby animals. Aquamarine & Eyeball grinned in delight, while White Topaz turned away from her cohorts in shame of what she had participated in. As quickly as Black Rutile finished her victorious cackle, she had another wonderful, awful idea in mind. "Now, onto Phase 2."

….holy shit. Uh, see you all for I am My Monster, I guess. And by the way, I did repurpose Steven accidentally playing Rose's message for the Rose trio in Rose Buds for the opening.

8 notes · View notes