BELIEVE in STEVEN!!

I can show you how to be strong, in the real way! And I know that we can be strong, in the real way! Steven Universe | Citta-Alveare.

[witchyultramarine-deactivated20]

That wasn’t reassuring. “What do you mean by conditions?” It didn’t seem like he knew much about it, but pushing it a bit might at least offer some clarity. Her hair flickers a bit in agitation, but otherwise, she doesn’t especially acknowledge his approach. 

His brightly-worded encouragement is met with a lot more caution, Lapis’s head tilting downwards to bury her eyes under her bangs. One of her hands rubs at the other arm, thumb making small, uncomfortable circles.

“…You really don’t understand, do you.”

Is it an unnecessary invective? Perhaps- she’s not sure how long he’s been alive but recent is a fair guess, and the Crystal Gems seem to have told him very little.

“These people can just grab us from anywhere and take away our powers. They could destroy Homeworld with this. If I can’t-” she bites off her words, reconsiders. The motion on her arm picks up speed. “…Nothing’s going to stop them if they want to try taking the Diamonds. Whoever’s left, at least.”

[rosequartzly-blog]

Steven goes silent, his dogged grin fading as he ponders her words. Lapis does have a tendency to make him more...thoughtful, but he refuses to allow his optimism about this to be entirely washed away. He leans against her after a moment--just a friendly, companionable, reassuring sort of thing--wearing a softer smile this time when he answers.

“Y-Yeah, I know they could do that. It seems like these guys can do just about anything! But so long as we’re still here--as long as we’re still alive--there’s always gonna be hope. Even bringing the Homeworld Gems here wouldn’t be that awful...!” Maybe they’d learn to work together.

“You asked about the conditions, right? Since these scientist guys are all about observing us, you just have to talk with different people a lot! That’s all I did! That’s not so bad, right?”

She’s anxious, and not without reason, he knows.

[rosequartzly-blog]

Out of Context

[gemspectacled-blog]

Letting out a small laugh, she adjusts her clothes once he’s set her down, the smile still lingering. She missed this. Even though it was only a short while, it really felt like forever when the idea of it never happening crept into her mind, but she was glad it wasn’t the case.

“I’m so glad to see you too, Steven!” She exclaims as she fixed her glasses. They were more of a safety plblanket at this point, rather than for practical uses now. Even if she did tell her mother about it, she felt the need for them. Voice faltering, a few teardrops gather at the corners of her eyes. “I’m really glad to see you Steven.”

Her hand shakes gently in dismissal at his follow up question. “No, no, I’m okay. I’ve only been walking around the library. I just got here yesterday. How long have you been here?” Connie inquires, concern lacing her voice, laying it on thick.

[rosequartzly-blog]

His smile flickers for a moment as he notices the tears in her eyes. Steven’s pretty familiar with how she thinks, what she thinks--and vice versa, of course, considering they’ve been a Fusion before in the past. It’s weird to say, but he feels as though a bit of him has always been connected to Connie since. Or perhaps even before?

“Oh, that’s great! At least we didn’t lose each other for too long! From...your perspective, at least...” Steven maintains a grip on one of her hands, but the other rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I’ve been here, um...about two months?”

Incoming time shenanigans. 

[rosequartzly-blog]

Out of Context

[gemspectacled-blog]

Now that she’d situated herself in a library, the feeling of homesickness began digging deeper than she’d expect it to have, especially after scanning the isles at titles about long list worlds and returning home… Maybe they had And Unfamiliar Familiar here just as a sense of comfort.

She sweeped across section after section before seeing a spine colored and printed in a familiar fashion, finger catching at the top before pausing at the sound of an all too shocking voice. Steven? It couldn’t be.

But just as she began to doubt herself, the figure came bounding towards her as she gave a surprised gasp. “Steven!” She exclaimed, wide eyes paired with an excited smile. Her feet kicked up to run towards him despite him already heading her way, glasses bouncing up and down on the bridge of her nose.

“Steven!!!”

[rosequartzly-blog]

Is it too straightforward of him to--

He decides in that one single instant of seeing that delighted, maybe even teary smile on her face, that the answer is no.

It’s not too straightforward to hug her.

Steven crushes her in a truly enthusiastic embrace, laughing happily. The momentum nearly causes them both to fall over, but as they get their balance back, Steven grips her hands and bounces up and down with wild abandon.

“Connie, I’m so glad to see you! Are you okay?! You’ve not been hurt or anything, right? I had no idea you were here!”

[rosequartzly-blog]

Out of Context

gemspectacled

“Aaand...there! Whew, I wonder if I have enough yet...”

Steven’s quietly muttering to himself as he stacks a third pile of books onto the library table, stroking his chin with exaggerated thought. He’s decided to really commit himself to learning more about their situation, because Knowledge is Power!(tm) or something like that. Really, he thinks learning some of the lore the city has to offer might be a good idea...He’ll have to plunge into that underground District soon, the one with all the ruined books, and see what’s hidden down there too; he’ll have to get a Gem first though. Pearl made him promise not to go anywhere dangerous on his own.

Let’s check out this section! 

Plunging down a wide and empty aisle, he wanders a few steps before reaching for a book with a glossy cover. Once he pulls it loose, he drops it in an instant, the loud thumping heralding his surprise before he even gasps out anything.

There, through the new gap in the shelf, he sees an unmistakable face.

“C-Connie!” Steven shouts, and promptly earns a loud chorus of shh! from every person in the building. He drops his voice but keeps the same level of joy. “Connie!! You’re here!” Within a heartbeat, he’s scrambling around the shelf to get to her.

[rosequartzly-blog]

Ill Tides

[nosedquartz-blog]

Jasper felt her breath get sucked in against her teeth, a hollow sound that she released with an exhale that turned to a hiss.  She wasn’t interested in talking, wasn’t interested in mindless chatter.  Quartzes were built for battle, brawn and brutality over brains and brilliance.  Talking was for the weak and cheap, and so it hardly surprised her that this Fake-Rose Steven wanted to talk.  “About what?”  There was a color of surprise on those words, as though Jasper couldn’t believe she’d spoken them.  Perhaps she’d meant to tell him to piss off, she didn’t have time today for him (or time ever if things wanted to be more exact), but the words were corrupted the moment they left her mouth.  Corrupted like everything else in this horrible infestation.

This was all a waste, a gamble.  The thing had turned her attention with a fighting stance, had expected her to strike.  When she hadn’t, it’d relaxed and spoken.  Maybe she should just kick the Pale Copy into the wall while its defenses were done.  Not only would it solve the problem but she’d get a mild work out in the process.  Two Gems, one Leg.  Not bad.

To do that though, she needed to get its guard down more.  If this was really a bit of Rose, even a shred, she knew how to do it.  Trust. Kindness.  Things that were disgusting.  “What could you possibly have that I want to know about?”

[rosequartzly-blog]

Okay. Conversation is always a good sign. If Steven has learned anything by now, it’s that getting Gems to talk is the best way to figuring out how to get them to relax, how to get on their good side. Trust and friendship. Stuff like that.

It’s...going to take a lot to appease Jasper though, moreso than Peridot, but he thinks a similar angle may work here. Maybe play off of Gem superiority culture? He’s not lying when he says he wants to work together, but it’s all about the approach!

“Well, it seems like we’re all equally trapped here by these otherworldly scientists, right?”

“Isn’t there that saying...um...’the enemy of my enemy is my friend?’ Most people really don’t want to be here, and would it be fair to say you don’t either? Maybe if we all work together, we could find a way back to our homes! A-All of us fighting with each other just makes us weaker, right?”

Steven’s throat is clenching so hard that he can scarcely breathe, but he tries to speak anyway.

“I guess what I’m saying is...how about a truce, for now...?”

[guiitardad-deactivated20161016]

“Steven!”

His son was his first thought when he awoke in a strange environment. Greg was used to sleeping in the back of his van, so it was very unsettling to wake up on a bed.

His heart pounded as he looked frantically around for anything that could tell him what was going on. A small screen turned on and began to explain –something about an experiment. Beings from many other worlds were here, but that didn’t matter to him right now. There was only one being he cared about.

“I have to find my son!” Greg opened the door of what he hopes wouldn’t be his permanent home, and stepped out into the street.

@rosequartzly

[rosequartzly-blog]

Steven’s late this time when it comes to checking in on all the newcomers that pour in from the Core, and there’s a good reason for that!

...Mostly.

The truth is he’s crashed his bicycle like twice in an attempt to avoid all sorts of insanity that’s occurring in the next Sector over, because it seems as if somebody lit another fire--but it’s taken care of! And here he is!

Just in time to encounter his panicked dad who’s tearing down the streets like a bat out of heck, and Steven’s jaw drops.

“D-Dad?! Dad! You’re here too!” he cries out, somewhere between...well, elation and horror, in honesty. Oh no, how many of his friends and family have been pulled here by now?

[unituo-blog]

To: Steven Universe!! From: Jake

[ text ] : What kind of dreams? [ text ] : Wait. [ text ] : What do you *mean* maybe we’ve all dreamed of him but dont remember? [ text ]: Are you saying hes some kind of hellish visitor?  [ text ]: Because that would mean..hes actually real. [ text ]: And if you can communicate with people in dreams.. [ text ]: That might mean youve had a conversation with him.

[rosequartzly-blog]

To: Jake

From: steven universe!!

[text] oh

[text] well, i guess it does! 

[text] that’s pretty cool, maybe, right? he doesnt have to be a bad guy, even if we don’t remember him!

[text] .....

[text] i MIGHT have just freaked myself out..........

[text] okay, but maybe he’s like a dream traveler! fighting off nightmares and stuff!! and you dont even remember him doing it!

[text] though i guess it might depend on what you dream about a lot?

[witchyultramarine-deactivated20]

Didn’t remember? How long had he been here? That was one thing about sticking to the bottom of the ocean, her time perception had been more or less shot- especially given she’d already waited out thousands of years before in the past.

At his question, she hesitated- briefly, but meaningfully, avoiding his eyes. Steven- she wanted to like Steven. He’d shown her a kindness not many had in the last thousand years. But his… ‘friends’ were more of a problem, and he was just too trusting and honest for his own good. Telling him what was happening could be an avenue to that information reaching less kind ears. 

…But at the same time… his friends might not be here. Or if they were, they might not be all that better off than Lapis herself.

“I feel weak… I can’t feel the ocean any more. It’s like I’ve been cut off from my gem, but that’s impossible.” 

“What about you?” She can’t remotely claim to be an expert, but Steven’s tie to his gem is… well, unorthodox. It’s helped him before- it might’ve spared him from whatever affect this place has on Gems. She can only hope it has… she can’t guarantee that her prisoner hasn’t turned up here as well, and now that an enforcer of Homeworld has seen that shield attached to him, there can only be a massive target on his back.

[rosequartzly-blog]

Steven gives her a reassuring smile, sympathetic but encouraging, approaching her with only a slight hint of caution. Is he scared of Lapis? Of course not (mostly). But she’s a little difficult to read sometimes, so he really hopes she doesn’t mind the fact he wants to stand close to her--the fact that she’s here feels like another dream, more than anything else!

“Y-Yeah, that’s...normal, I hear? The same thing happened to me when I first woke up, but things’ll start working again over time! I couldn’t even summon my shield at first! I hear there’s conditions you have to meet, or something...?”

He’s actually not wholly sure. Pearl would know more than he would, or Amethyst, and he makes a note to get the precise info from them.

“Besides that, well...”

“I’m okay! You’ll be okay too, Lapis! We can figure out what’s going on together, right? S-So don’t look so worried!” 

[witchyultramarine-deactivated20]

@rosequartzly​

“…Steven?”

She’d caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye- a familiar shade of peach-colored shirt, but initially hadn’t thought much of it, until she looked closer. Now there was no mistaking it- why was he here? Did they- know? Could they know? How much did these Scientists understand about what was going on with Earth- if they’d taken interest in Steven…

There were too many unknowns. She tried to keep her face composed, but the agitated ripple of her hair was probably giving it away regardless. “What are you doing here?”

[rosequartzly-blog]

A familiar voice hits his ears and he stops fiddling with his phone--ignoring the musical clamor of the app’s game over theme--within an instant, his jaw dropping and eyes widening as if his entire face intended to outgrow his body.

“L-Lapis!”

Hastily shoving the device into his pocket, he scampers toward her, a relieved smile crossing his face. She’s okay! And not Malachite! Even being here might be better than being that!

“Well, I guess I was captured just like everybody else! I actually don’t really remember when it happened, come to think of it...B-But never mind me! What about you?! Are you all right?”

[unituo-blog]

To: Steven Universe!! From: Jake

[ text ] : I *guess* youre right on that. [ text ] : There are a lot of lads who do look creepy but are gentle and kind. [ text ] : Uhm. [text]: No i dont reckon that i have. [text]: But im not entirely sure actually. [text]: Have you? [text]: Dreamed of him i mean.

[rosequartzly-blog]

To: Jake

From: steven universe!!

[text] well...i dont THINK i have???

[text] i’ve had some pretty weird dreams before though, so maybe i just dont remember

[text] MAYBE...we’ve ALL dreamed of him before, but dont remember?

[text] i can communicate with people in dreams, but i dunno if it works here or not

[horsdevoured]

Happy endings. The stuff of fairy tales. The notion that no matter what hardships the characters went through, they would ultimately lead themselves towards a better future. Happily ever after, they call it. But for Rose, simply bringing her wonderful child into this world was enough. To know that she’d brought life into this world in a way that gem’s had never thought possible.. That was her happy ending. She’d desired nothing else beyond that.

Until this very moment. When a foreign voice reached her ears. A voice she’d never heard before, which could have been addressing any other person in this vast city. And yet, she turned. She turned because, despite never having heard it before, she felt as though she’d known that voice better than anyone. And despite never having seen the face of that boy before.. 

“Steven..? Is.. Is that you?”

She felt as though she’d known him her entire life.

[rosequartzly-blog]

What’s he supposed to do? 

Steven’s eyes go wide--the size of dinner plates--staring at his mom before he yanks up his shirt a bit just to check, and...! Yeah. There’s his Gemstone. And there’s his mom’s. And there’s his Mom!

His mom. His mother. He could--

Steven takes one hesitant step before breaking into a scrambling sprint, throwing himself at her and hugging her and basically rejoicing in the absolutely impossible joy of actually getting to embrace the mother that everybody else knew except for him.

“M-Mom...! N-No way, it’s really you! I never thought I’d actually be a-able to...”

Oh jeez, is he crying? He totally is. Huge tears that stream down his face and he thinks he probably looks like a mess because of it.

[shadowests]

                   「 ☠ 」—» Summons half a dozen skeletons and places them at the end of the slide.

[rosequartzly-blog]

“You could say that you’re bringing this to a dead stop...that you’re taking the life out of the party...! You’re so--pfft--skeledone with this!”

[rosequartzly-blog]

why is everyone sinning

[lunastriker]

“I think I could…Hmm.”

He poofed in his uke and began to strum at a few chords.

♪Bah bah bum dum. bah dah Peace in the city of Hive. Ok I think I got it Steven, something sweet but let it deepen.♪

[rosequartzly-blog]

Oh man, he’s got it! It’s a rolling, peaceful chorus that comes on the back of Zack’s song.

“Bah dah dah...Peace in the Hive~

Ohhhh...

Let there be, peace in the Hive~

Ohhhh...yeah!

Let there be peace in the Hive

For our improvised jive

Oh yeah, for peace in the Hive

We strive...!”

[lunastriker]

“Oh really now? I wouldn’t say I’m a master but I’m pretty good at it but hey if you got yours we should duet it. What’s a nice song to play I’m sure we can serenade Hive City with our soulful voices. Yah agree?”

[rosequartzly-blog]

“I actually got it back recently!” He whips his ukulele out from...somewhere. The void behind his back. Gem powers. Don’t question it. “If we’re gonna duet, we have to do it right! Maybe a song written just for Hive City? Hmm...I’m feelin’...somethin’...peaceful.”

[lunastriker]

“A few things, drums, guitar, ukulele. Do you play anything little bro?”

[rosequartzly-blog]

“Well, just between you and me...It’s possible that I may be a connoisseur of the most noble instrument there is...the ukulele.” Dramatic, exaggerated chin stroking, with two fingers. “It seems you are also a master of this fine acoustic, my good man!”

[lunastriker]

@rosequartzly

“Hey little dude come jam out with me.”

[rosequartzly-blog]

Cue huge gasp. “Really?! That’d be great! Oh, what kind of instruments do you play?”