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OOC Info
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Info
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Sample Posts
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★
The waves seem quieter these days, Steven thought, staring out at the water. The Atlantic sparkled with moonlight, a picturesque view with the silver coin of the moon high above, but the waves rolling in felt heavier, slower somehow.
Maybe it's just my imagination.
He tore his eyes away from the horizon, trying not to imagine the stillness that lay out there beyond the barrier. The wind ruffled through his dark curls, and he breathed a deep sigh. In, out.
They aren't gone, he had been told. Just... taken over.
There was a chance to come back from this. To get them back. He held onto that thought.
His bare feet hushed against the sand, and then grass as he stepped over the divide between the beach and the beginnings of the big hill that made Lighthouse Park. He had abandoned his sandals somewhere in the grass. He'd trip over them again sooner or later, he figured, pink plastic glinting accusingly at him from green shadows.
For now, Steven sat, folding himself gently into the grass without minding at all that cool dew soaked through the seat of his jeans to the skin beneath. His silhouette was a broad shape against the lights of the city behind him as he leaned back onto his hands, staring up at the inky darkness above.
"We'll meet again... don't know where, don't know when..."★
Steven hadn't been entirely sure about the whole teaching classes thing. He'd taught other kinds of classes before, of course. He was always in and out of Little Homeworld, even these days. Driving, gardening, human culture-- stuff like that. Fighting... fighting was different, though. Connie was better at that kind of stuff. Not that Steven couldn't fight. That wasn't it at all. He could hold his own just fine, more than fine.
But sometimes people got hurt, sometimes they needed to be pushed. Sometimes 'good job' wasn't enough to get them through. Connie always said he was too soft on people, which, yeah, she was right, but Steven liked that about himself. He liked being soft. He liked making people feel safe.
But right now, if he wanted the people around them to be safe and not just feel it, he needed to step up. The AotM didn't have as many teachers as they needed, and Steven had skills that could help save lives. It might not be comfortable, and they'd both be learning new things, teacher and student alike, but he knew he had to get involved or sit with the knowledge that he could have helped and hadn't.
So he had bitten the bullet. Just one class for now, quietly posted up on the Omphalos's Commnet without any fanfare. Steven had half been hoping no one would show. At least, he had been when he had first gotten into the atrium. But about thirty minutes had passed, and he had begun to loosen up with a few practice shots against the targets on the far side of the gym. It was all starting to come back to him, bit by bit. Connie and Lars hadn't had much time for sparring since the Corruption had shown up and turned all of their lives upside down. Neither had the Crystal Gems. They were all just... so busy, all of the time. Including Steven.
But it felt good to be moving his body again, and Steven let it fall into old familiar rhythms. He flowed forward with the grace of long practice, one shoulder twisting forward. The muscles in his back and shoulder bunched, and he let all that momentum carry into his shield. The glowing disk thrummed through the air, a blur of gossamer pink, as it left his hand. It slammed into one of the higher up targets with a satisfying, metallic THUNK before bouncing into another lower down and ricocheting home. Steven caught it with ease, like it was part of him, then let it fly again.
I hope I don't scare them too much, he thought, watching the shield sail in a wide arc over the target range. It clipped one of the dummies in the back of the head, sending it bouncing over, and Steven lifted his hand almost absently to catch it. I know I'm kind of a big guy... An understatement. He was 6'11" and a mountain of heavy frame and soft strength, having apparently taken after his mother in more than just her alien heritage. I wish Lars wasn't out hunting down supplies for Spacetries. He's so good at lightening up the mood, even when he's being sarcastic.
Steven smiled, and threw the shield again.
Especially when he's being sarcastic.
But Lars hated playing teacher. He didn't have the patience for it. At least not without lasers blasting in the background. And Spacetries was important too. Both of their businesses had been struggling since the Corruption had hit. It was hard to get basic ingredients sometimes, nevermind the rarer delicacies that Lars favored for some of his more Filipino forward desserts. But they were managing. Lars practically thrived in environments like Harbor, after all, as much as the AotM frowned upon his visits.★Steven didn't know what he had been thinking when he had brought up going to, 'The Gravity Well'. It was a new place just outside of Beach City limits, star themed and full of kitschy cocktails and space themed appetizers. Maybe he figured Lars liked that kind of thing-- or barring that, like making fun of it.
If anyone could pass judgement on a menu that called their small eats, 'Nebulatizers', it would be the Undead Pirate King of the Sun Incinerator.
Though... lately Steven had noticed that space seemed to be wearing thin on Lars. There were more trips to Earth, and longer goodbyes when Connie or Steven came to see him. Steven supposed the fact that it was getting harder and harder for him to fit through Lion's mane, nevermind poor Lars's hair might have had something to do with that. Steven had his mom to thank for his early twenty's growth spurt.
But it felt like more than just logistics too, and Steven's gut kept insisting that something was up.
So he had invited Lars to the new bar while they were both visiting home. Lars from the great unknown, and Steven from yet another city that didn't feel like it had fit. He had been staying in Connie's old room while he was between apartments. Connie was still away at school, and the Gem's hadn't gotten around to hammering out a guest room in the Temple yet (which was just as well). He hadn't wanted to displace his dad either. The Maheswaran's had been happy to put him up for a few days.
Coming back to Beach City had felt good, familiar. It had felt awful too, though... the ghost of a kid who carried too much waiting for him around every corner. Lingering at the edges of it all felt safer. Steven still hadn't made it back to the Temple yet this trip. He wasn't ready yet.
Inside the bar, the technicolor light from a pendant lamp shaped like a UFO painted Steven and Lars in splotches of dappled rainbows. Steven let Lars drink while he pretended to nurse his own glass. It was something neon colored and sugar blasted. His third. Steven wasn't sure what flavor it was supposed to be, honestly. It was mostly just sweet with a capital 'S'.
Lars had had a lot more than that. He got bad like this when he was holding in something that he didn't want to talk about, and Steven knew that whatever it was, Lars wouldn't tell him unless he was sloshed. Usually, it was something stupid that Steven wouldn't have even cared about anyway, but tonight felt bigger.
Meanwhile-- Steven hadn't gotten so much as a tingle from his drinks. He hadn't ever, courtesy of his healing gifts. Another gift from mom.
Lars didn't know that, though. Steven hadn't told him when he had turned twenty-one and had his first drink(s). At the time it was because he was afraid Lars would poke fun at him (and he absolutely would have), now...
Stars, I'm the world's biggest creep... Steven thought, frowning miserably into the electric blue concoction in front of him. Pretending to get drunk, letting Lars actually get drunk, while I...
He just wanted to help. That was fine, right? Lars was so bad at talking about what was bugging him, and he'd never open up without help. He'd just been so miserable lately... Steven could feel it...
He'd pay the bill for it all later, confess to Connie maybe, let her chew him out for it. Steven knew he'd deserve it too. The ethics here were obvious, but--
"How's the Incinerator?" Steven asked. There was a little glow in the dark moon sticker that someone had stuck to the glittery black bar top next to them. Steven picked at it with his thumbnail-- something to do instead of looking at Lars.
He kept listening though, with his ears, with his gem, hoping his friend would give him some clue as to what was going on with him, some small breadcrumb to follow. Steven was worried about him.
"Noticed you've been down here a lot more. Spaceship food's that bad, huh?" -
Connections
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Character Limits
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Plots & Tropes
Stars Apart - Garnet
Steven is having relationship problems. His space pirate boyfriend won't pick up the phone, and his last message home was, 'Don't look for me'. Now Steven finds he can't even use his connection to reach him, and he's been hearing reports that Lars has been attacking peaceful colonies.
With Connie away on a delicate diplomatic mission and all but unreachable, Steven turns to the mom who is a literal walking relationship expert in the hopes that he can untangle this mystery and bring Lars home before it's too late.
When the Future Calls the Past - Garnet
Garnet begins to get disturbing visions of her components in futures that can't possibly come to pass. It's as if they never existed. Through her visions, she manages to glean that an old enemy is attempting to recreate the technology of the Glass of Time in order to prevent Sapphire and Ruby from ever meeting.
They haven't succeeded yet, but she and Steven must track them down and stop them before they do.
Gems in Wonderland - Garnet (or anyone, really)
Not all the corrupted Gems became ravening beasts. Some adapted to their trauma in other ways, as Garnet and Steven discover after following Cat Steven down a mysterious hole in the woods and discovering a pocket of corrupted Gems that were missed by previous search parties.
Roadtrip to the Stars - Pearl
After his breakdown, Steven spent a long time trying to discover himself out on the open road. While Connie was in college, he even rented a few apartments across the country, trying out towns and cities of every flavor on for size, but eventually that winding road led him back home to Beach City where he settled in a little cabin a little ways inland-- close enough to home, but far enough from heavy memories.
Now that he's back though, and things have quieted down, Pearl finally has the chance to show him the stars she never got to. It's time for a road trip of a different kind!
Cage Match - Amethyst
It's come to light that a potentially dangerous gem artifact has been fixated to the championship belt of a nearby wrestling tournament. Amethyst and Steven set out to win the tournament and the artifact, but they're far from the only interested party...
Boxes in the Attic - Greg
News reaches Greg that his parents have gone missing. He and Steven set out to find what happen to them, and maybe get to unpack some old family baggage along the way.
A Matter of Personal Bismuth - Bismuth
The war may be over, but Bismuth has a personal weapon she wants to retrieve from an old forgotten Gem prison, partially out of sentiment, but also because it's incredibly dangerous and may destabilize if to deteriorate too long. Steven decides to tag along because he's worried, but also because he hasn't gotten to spend too much one on one time with Bismuth lately.
Small Town Mysteries
When Lars tries to open up a second location for Spacetries in a neighboring town, he finds himself experiencing push back over his employees being Gems, and himself being well, an undead pink space pirate. At first it seems like just the usual small town bigotry, but then someone throws a brick through the window of his storefront, and the note attached suggests that the truth may be far stranger than he might have guessed.
"Beware the Sneople," it warns.
Trouble in Paradise - Connie
Therapy has helped, but Steven has a bad habit still of trying to take on far too many of other people's problems. Part of it's trauma, yes, but a large part of him is also just like that. So when his partner catches him in the act, she decides it's time to take a mandatory vacation. Can these two workaholics manage to keep each other out of trouble?
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