Steven Universe Headcanons
I literally love Steven Universe so damn much... I wanna write gem tickle fics but I have no ideas, send me some please! I’m fully caught up so no need to worry about spoilers :)
Garnet: Often serious, but when that playful side emerges, watch out! She’ll pounce on whoever’s nearest, or whoever she feels needs a good tickling. She’s almost always the ler, since she’s so much bigger and stronger than the other gems, who had no idea she was even ticklish until Steven started poking at her to see if she was. Previously with the other gems she’d managed to control her reactions enough that they thought she wasn’t ticklish, but Steven’s tiny hands (her only weakness) and her unwillingness to shove him away as she would the other gems meant that her secret was revealed. Her laughter is mostly low giggles that force her eyes shut in mirth, transitioning to more boisterous laughter when the tickling is more intense. Her neck is her worst spot (Sapphire), and when someone gets her there she’ll fall over and not be able to get up until they stop. Her hips are also pretty bad, bad enough to make her kick to try and get away. Light tickles on her stomach are enough to bring out those fits of giggles, but not bad enough for much else.
Pearl: Too dignified to ever really begin a tickle fight with any of the other gems, but if they start something she isn’t going to let a slight like that go unanswered. With Amethyst, she’s able to tickle her back, but on the rare occasion Garnet decides to attack her, she’s pretty much done for. Her worst spot is her feet, which make her start kicking frantically and squealing when they’ve barely been touched, so it’s usually only Amethyst that tries to get her there. She’s also super ticklish on her knees and thighs, so squeezing and scratching her kneecaps and the backs of her legs will have her kicking reflexively and pleading a little. Her ribs are also a pretty bad spot, making her tense up and scrunch up her face. Her back and stomach aren’t so bad, but when someone runs fingertips up and down her back or sides, it sends her into these adorable fits of giggles and makes her squirm around in delight—she doesn’t try and escape from those, because they feel so nice and it feels more like the person is trying to make her laugh, make her happy, rather than beat her. Hard tickles on her torso will make her squeal, but she prefers light tickles because she finds them more enjoyable and comfortable; she can share a fun experience with another person instead of just trying to escape the entire time. She tries her best to make it seem like the tickling isn’t affecting her, so she’ll hold in her laughter as long as possible, squirming to no end just to avoid starting to laugh. Often she’ll try to cover her face or her mouth more than actually trying to fight back or protect herself from the ticking. When she finally gives, though, the muffled giggles quickly turn into cackling as she becomes overwhelmed. She’ll try to shout pleas out between laughs rather than laughing them out, but more often than not is unintelligible anyway.
Amethyst: Gem that starts most of the tickle fights, either because she’s bored or because someone needs cheering up. Garnet is super hard to sneak up on due to her future vision, so Amethyst takes it as a personal challenge to try and tickle her at any opportunity she gets. Garnet usually ‘sees’ her coming and turns the tables on her (which is fine by Amethyst), but she has to catch her early—if Amethyst gets to her neck then the game is won before it’s really begun. That’s rare though, and it’s only happened a handful of times—mostly Garnet already knows she’s coming or manages to grab her before she can do too much damage. With Pearl, whenever Pearl is feeling down and her and Amethyst are on friendly terms, Amethyst will grab her and tickle the snot out of her until she’s literally begging Amethyst to stop. Despite her usual ability to push things too far, Amethyst always stops when Pearl asks her to, not wanting to upset her by overstepping her limits. Conversely, when Amethyst is feeling down, Pearl will totally wreck her once they’ve talked it over, knowing that Amethyst loves being tickled. She loves all human things, so being tickled is just another aspect of living on earth that she relishes taking part in. It’s also a way for her to feel close to other gems—her fusions aren’t always the most stable, and she’s left alone for the most part, so being in intimate physical contact during tickling is like the next-best thing to fusion for her. She’s super ticklish on her stomach and sides, less so on her ribs but get under her arms and she might scream. Her laughter is canonically pretty loud and boisterous, interspersed with snorts and squeaks and words she tries to laugh out.
Peridot: more playful and mischievous, ready to rough-and-tumble as demonstrated when she tackles Steven just after reforming. She’s totally new to the sensation of tickling but finds that, as with most things on Earth, she secretly enjoys it. Her laughter is canonically chattery but gets pretty squeaky when she’s been laughing too hard. Despite how ready-to-fight she is, since she’s so tiny she usually ends up getting trapped and tickled whether she started the fight or not. Sometimes people will pick her up by her arms to move her, and the thumbs digging into her armpits make her squeal and kick to try and get away, or straight-up collapse onto the ground. Her lower stomach is also pretty ticklish, especially when someone (Lapis) holds her down and spiders slim fingers all across her belly or scritches fingertips down her sides.
Lapis Lazuli: Her laughter is silly and full of snorts, she’s difficult to amuse but when she laughs it lights up the whole room. She blushes a lot when she laughs, and is embarrassed that she’s ticklish but only a little. Her back around her gem is especially ticklish, making her squirm around if she’s lying facedown, or fall over if she’s standing up. More intense light tickles will make her squeal and snort, but lighter stroking (like when Peridot rubs her back when they’re cuddled up together) will make her giggle sleepily and snuggle deeper into the embrace of whoever’s holding her. She’s also super ticklish on her sides where they’re revealed by her outfit, and a certain someone (Peridot) will take full advantage of that fact when she’s not paying attention.