Steven's Summer Reading List!

Don’t have much time to read? 

Well here’s a list of fanfics told in 100 words, or in 100 word chapters. 

Happy reading!

every face of beauty by BiblioMatsuri

Synopsis: We all live in an imperfect world. Sometimes it is dirty and ugly. Even so, look closely and you will see every face of beauty, hear every voice of love.

Airam’s Notes: a collection of drabbles exploring canon; highly recommended

Excerpt from “Recreational Strategic Battle Scenario” by Peridot, Facet Five by Lunate8

Synopsis: What kind of fanfic would Peridot write?

Airam’s Notes: 100 words of pure genius

Seeds of Rebellion by airamcg

Synopsis: Even the smallest things can send ripples throughout the cosmos and cause the Great Gem Rebellion.

–a collection of interconnected 100-word drabbles and poems about the gems before they were The Crystal Gems.

Airam’s Notes: an ongoing fic told in 100 word chapters; now canon divergent, since it’s based on headcanons and theories formed during the hiatus between Friend Ship and Nightmare Hospital

(full disclosure: I wrote this) 

Flashes of Lightning by airamcg

Synopsis:  a collection of 100-word drabbles and/or poems about different headcanons, relationship dynamics, and other gem-related things that don’t fit the canon of Seeds of Rebellion

Airam’s Notes: another one of mine; I like poems.

Just One of Those Things by airamcg

Synopsis: It’s supposed to be date night, but there’s always ‘just one of those things’ that keep getting in the way…

(It’s better when they’re all together.)

Airam’s Notes: I wrote this for Polygems Bomb 2016 a few weeks ago. Human!AU

She’s My Star by onethirdofimpossible

Synopsis:  A collection of 100-word stories about the love of Ruby and Sapphire.

Commission for @peridotcentral 

Hello, Tumblrites. Despite still having a jam-packed work schedule, I’m actually calmer and less stressed then I have been in quite a while. So, I’ve had more time to read fanfiction. And lucky you, I’ve got two rec for you today:

Love Is Alive by  EmayaShipper4eva Summary -  The gems have never celebrated Christmas, and Steven simply can’t accept that. So he decides to show them the holiday spirit, including kissing under the mistletoe, baking cookies, singing Christmas carols, and giving out presents. Even though he honestly has no idea why they’re actually traditions in the first place. Joel’s Notes - So, going into this fic, I didn’t really know what to expect. Judging by the last line of the summary, I thought maybe this was going to be a “Steven finds religion” type affair. But no, instead what you get is exactly on the tin. This is a feelsy oneshot where Steven introduces the Gems to Christmas. Well, I say that. And while Pearl and Amethyst do make appearances, most of the story concerns itself with Steven, Ruby, Sapphire, and Connie. Not that it’s a bad thing, mind. The whole thing is written pretty well, the play Ruby and Sapphire have off each other easily being the peak. And the way it ends is just pitch perfect. Overall, this is a great little oneshot. Worth the read when you got a spare moment. Words: 5750 Oneshot Ships in the Bay - Ruby/Sapphire

Ascent by LadyRavenEye Summary -  Still corrupted, Jasper reforms in the bubble room, and is visited by Lapis and Steven’s fusion. Joel’s Notes - Woof. This one… This was pretty heavy. Really heavy. A rare first-person fic, this whole story is basically about Jasper being unbubbled while still corrupted and Charoite, a fusion of Steven and Lapis comes in and… well honestly I can’t really say a whole lot more. The entire story is a character study of Jasper as we know her now after the events of “Earthling”, and it’s really good. LadyRavenEye hits Jasper’s character perfectly and… well, like I said, this is one of those character focused fics that you can’t really say too much about before you’re basically just retelling the story. So go check this one out. Whether you’re a Jasper fan or not, this is worth the read. Words: 2167 Oneshot

Why do you want to cry???  LOL but here are my fic recs.

1. Starwalker’s Birthday 2. We’re wrapped in light, in life, in love3. Peel Away The Bark4. Coming Undone5. I might need one more drink, baby, ’m just holding on for tonight6. On the bliss of sleep, she isn’t really yours7. Always hate the Monday to come8. Beach Side Reconciliation (THIS ONE HAS A HAPPY ENDING)9. Surrender10. Divine Comedy11. Moving On

That’s all I have.  All of these has made me cry, and I think just one or two of them have a happy ending lol 

I love sad s***, let’s get that out of the way right now. A lot of my personal favorite fics can be considered sad fics (you will notice a tiny bit of overlap with this and my favorites list, but don’t worry, it won’t all be repeats I recommend) and 90% of the stuff I write can be consider pretty sadness heavy (even the story that’s supposed to be a comedy has some heavy stuff, haha). As such, here is a list of my favorite Steven Universe fanfics.

Why sadfics?: HAVE YOU EVER EVEN SEEN THIS SHOW?! The show itself already has a ton of heavy moments and has some of the most emotionally complex characters on television. There’s a ton of intense emotions boiling under the surface over the course of this show, and while the show does an amazing job exploring it, often with an air of subtlety you don’t always seen on TV, the show gives you enough to think about with almost every characters emotion that it’s easy to imagine more about their emotional state … and infer a lot of feelings they might have if not stated explicitly. It’s good fuel for the imagination and for good fanfiction. Besides … when done well, sad stories are just good drama, you know?

So here we go, here are my favorite sadfics:

“I Know” by Swordtheguy Summary: It’s been so long since that mission. So long since the last day of their life. Stevonnie knows they’ll have to let go eventually. But… What comes next? Corey’s Notes: Based on this heavy as hell comic right here by @pinkadillydoo , @swordtheguy writes a story about Garnet trying to convince Stevonnie to unfuse after they have remained fused for an extended period of time because of … reasons. Stevonnie is written very well, as being neither fully Steven or Connie, and the internal conversation between Steven and Connie in this fic is done very well. Probably the most interesting this about this fic, however, is how both chapters of this story are actually two parallel versions of the same story. I won’t give away what makes each version different as I think it’s very clever, but lets just say it changes the motivations of the characters a little bit and explores it in a cool way (honestly I actually prefer the second chapter even more than the first for how it goes about the story). Good story, if you really like Stevonnie or are a Conniverse shipper, this story is designed to destroy you but it does it so damn good.

Geometric by hyenalab Summary: Steven has asked her not to watch him sleep. Pearl tries, she really does. Corey’s Notes: Proof you don’t need to write a long story to still get an emotional response. This story is 4 chapters long and all together clocks at less than 1000 words, but that’s only because that’s all it needs. Very masterfully says a LOT in each chapter about the Crystal Gems each chapter (each chapter focuses on a different Gem) without having to actually SAY it. While the summary is accurate, this story actually ends up being about grieving and coping with loss. Very quick read, but full of emotion done so well it doesn’t even have to explain it in detail. Very good story.

Incredible by FourFaces Summary: Set between “Winter Forecast” and the current canon. After a tragic car accident, Steven has a terrifying incident in Rose’s Room. After seeing that her young master is upset with her attempts to soothe him, Rose’s Room turns to ancient gem experiments from before the rebellion, with terrifying results. Corey’s Notes: Full disclosure: This is a story I liked enough to write a related work for on AO3. You know what else I love aside from sad stuff? Body horror. Guess what, this has both. Not only is it super sad since it STARTS with Connie and her dad dying in a car crash (leading to some really heartbreaking scenes from Steven) but it also goes into System Shock territory with the … preeeettty misguided lengths Rose’s Room goes to give Steven what it THINKS he wants. There are some technical elements to the writing that could be improved, but the story itself is strong enough for me to overlook. If you want some horror elements to your sadfic, this is worth a look.

Nerve to Doubt Her by CompletelyDifferent Summary: Bismuth is bubbled. Rose Quartz is gone. Homeworld is practically on their doorstep. Pearl and Garnet have a lot to talk about. Corey’s Notes: This literally came out two days ago but I loved it a whole lot so it makes the list. This story is a pretty emotional conversation between Pearl and Garnet about the fallout from the Bismuth episode, not just about Bismuth’s actions herself but about Rose’s as well. It has a lot of authentic emotions and is pretty sad, but it ends on a really sweet, heartwarming note as well. I’m a sucker for emotional, sometimes personally-uncomfortable conversations and this one is done very well. Also … come on, it’s CompletelyDifferent / @elexuscal , her SU work is consistently high-quality. If you haven’t read this one yet, especially if you enjoyed “Bismuth”, it’s highly recommended.

Broken Pencils by BarracudaHeart Summary: “I started getting mad that I couldn’t shake it off, and after a while, I was mad at everything, and I kept beating myself up over it. Just felt like everything just stopped working, and I couldn’t fix it.” [Trigger Warning: Attempted Suicide/Depression] Corey’s Notes: (x-post from the My Personal Favorites list) BarracudaHeart is one of my favorite SU fanfic authors and you had to twist my arm and make me pick a single favorite SU fanfic, it’s probably this one. At the very least, it’s the one I’ve read the most. In this story, Lars suffers from depression and attempts suicide, at which point the fic focuses on the effect it has on Steven, Sadie, and himself as they all deal with the fallout. The subject matter is initially dark, but it’s handled well and very maturely. Lars is written in-character but also in a very sympathetic light. This story, and the rest of BarracudaHeart’s stories, really made me like Lars’s character when I was originally just kinda “meh” about him. If you want to read a well handled story about dealing with depression and it affecting people around you, check it out.

Something to Live For by Pixiestick_cc Summary: Trying to live in denial sometimes makes things worse. Today Connie was thinking of Steven and she wouldn’t try to deny it. Corey’s Notes: (x-post from the My Personal Favorites list) This is a punch to the soul in written form. In this story, Steven died a long time ago and a teenaged Connie is still dealing with it. There have been other fics like this, but the exact way Connie is depicted as dealing with her grief in this story is especially heartbreaking … in that she basically convinces herself she’s totally fine and over it when she’s clearly not. This way of grieving is written pretty damn authentic and fits her character… which just makes reading such a sad story even harder. If you like sadfic, this is a very well-done one … also, it has good Connie and Pearl interaction too.

The Grieving Process by CoreyWW Summary: One week ago, Steven was born … and Rose died. Greg tries his best to care for the newborn Steven despite his grief but, honestly, he feels his pain is nothing compared to how the Gems are feeling in Rose’s absence. Garnet has defused, Pearl has disappeared, and Amethyst … well, nobody seems to even want to SAY what Amethyst is doing …Can they learn to carry on without Rose … or will they let their loss consume them? A sequel to Bad Girl Brushstrokes and Why Don’t You Hate Me? In the canon-divergent continuity of “I Want to Understand”. Is contradicted in canon by Mr. Greg. Corey’s Notes: Full disclosure, this is one I wrote. I’ve written a lot of sad stuff, but I’m only allowing myself to recommend one of my things here and I’m picking this one because I feel its by far my saddest work, and one of my favorites. It’s a sequel to two other stories I wrote starring Greg (Why Don’t You Hate Me? being the one it most closely connects with), but for the most part it stands on its own. It explores the grief Greg and all the Gems felt in the immediate fallout of Rose’s death. Each of them deal with their grief differently, the only similarity being that none of them deals with it especially WELL. Each of the three chapters up currently focuses on one of the Gems, intertwining with Greg’s story throughout, but I feel I want to give special attention to the Amethyst chapter, which I won’t spoil but um … okay, I write a ton of sad stuff, but that chapter of this story is to date the only thing I’ve written that affected me personally enough I was actually nervous about even continuing the story, heh. If you like stuff with Gems in the past or anything with the Gems directly dealing with Rose’s death, I’d love it if you take a look.

A Jaspearl reading list for the Summer of Steven Reading list event, going through August. Please share your recs if you haven’t already and tag it #ssrl

Thorns by Verdite. A little ficlet of Pearl and Jasper fighting back to back.

The Ballerina by DisasterMages. Jasper admires a certain ballerina from the ballet studio across from the gym.

So Steven’s Summer Reading List is kicking off this month. And since I just dusted off this blog, I figured I might as well contribute my own little list to the event. This list doesn’t have an particular theme (aside from being some of my favorites) and they are ordered in no meaningful way. So with that in mind, let us get started.

I Want to Understand by CoreyWW Summary - After stopping the Cluster, Peridot must face her next challenge: adjusting to life on her new planet and learning about humans that populate it. Knowing just how out of depth Peridot is, Steven enlists Connie’s help in getting Peridot used to humans and acclimated to Beach City. Considering Peridot has no social skills whatsoever, this goes about as well as you’d expect … Joel’s notes - CoreyWW is one of the most talented fanfic writers I’ve seen, but his true gift is being able to write compelling and believable interactions between characters who may never have properly met in canon. That’s basically this fic in a nutshell. Self described as “Log Date 7 15 2: The Series”, this fic focuses on Peridot as she tries to better understand Earth and the people on it, though it does occasionally shift it’s gaze over to Steven and Connie. While mostly light hearted, it does fall into the ever delightful sub-genre, the “dramedy”, so expect some heavier moments. Overall though, it’s fun, heartwarming, and just a really great character focused fic. Ships in the bay - Steven/Connie, Peridot/Amethyst

Opal, Sapphire, Ruby, and STEVEN! by iamconstantine Summary - Steven had a normal life. He lived in an ancient temple with a four-armed giant woman, a stoic blue future-seer, and a hotheaded warrior, and he had a pink Gemstone where his belly button would be. A walk in the park - that’s what he thought. But as of late, he’s being proven wrong. With Opal, Sapphire, and Ruby, Steven is determined to protect the planet Earth! Joel’s notes - First off, never have I read a fic that so perfectly captured the feel of Steven Universe. Not just all the characters acting as they should, and interacting in believable ways, but the entire fic is written in such a way that it really feels like you’re reading an extended episode from the series proper. Beyond that, this is an Opal AU, i.e. Pearl and Amethyst stay fused all the time as Opal as opposed to Ruby and Sapphire. That’s all there really is to it. From that major change, iamconstantine rebuilds the entire Steven Universe canon and we’re lucky enough to come along for the ride. The only thing I would note is that the story is still ongoing, having just reached “Mirror Gem”/“Ocean Gem”. Ships in the bay - Beyond just the story being tagged as “Not Pearlmethyst”, I’m not saying anything.

Little Rebellions by CompletelyDifferent Summary - Not all Pearls have the chance to run off to another planet and take up arms. Not all fights are grand and romantic. These are the little rebellions- little, but just as defiant. Joel’s notes - Ho… ly… crap. This wasn’t the first thing by CompletelyDifferent that I had read, but damn, it just might be the best. The premise is fairly simple. A collection of oneshots (intended to be 54 in total once finished) that each focus on a different pearl on Homeworld. This fic is beautifully tragic in all the best ways, being heavy on all the feels. None of the pearls live good lives and even the ones who find some form of contentment are often still overshadowed by the fact that their gem could be cracked at moments notice and for any reason whatsoever. Of the 29 chapters that have been posted (as of now) each one of them is like a piece of dark chocolate. Bittersweet, but fulfilling. And you just want one more. Ships in the bay - No real shipping here. Pearls are much to busy trying to survive day to day. Not that some don’t try to find companionship anyway…

Impermanence by hamm1babe Summary - When Steven and Connie were fifteen years old, they stopped unfusing. “What is the point?” Stevonnie asked themselves, “when we are practically dating, and always fusing for practice?” Joel’s notes - My favorite SU fic, bar none. As the exert explains, Steven and Connie are now teens and have come to the decision that their going to stay fused permanently. What could go wrong? Well… The powerful story can effectively be read two ways. It can be read either as an exploration of fusion and one of the metaphors behind it, namely that of cohabitation and independence. Or if you want to ignore that, it’s a story that touches on a feeling that most everyone has probably felt, being young, having your whole life stretched out before you, and wavering on whether you can handle it yourself. This fic is something special and I bemoan the fact that its author, hamm1babe, appears to have never written anything else. Check this out. You will not regret it. Ships in the bay - Steven/Connie

Stance by mandaree1 Summary - Priyanka knows her daughter. And now she’s learning about Connie; the girl who both is and isn’t the child she thought she knew. Joel’s notes - The entire story is about the development Connie had undergone since meeting Steven, but seen from Dr. Maheswaran’s perspective. This is a shorty, about 1,200 words, but it still manages to ring very powerfully as it fleshes out one of the most criminally underused characters in the SU canon and manages to make you sympathize with her as she tries her best to understand the person her daughter is becoming. Ships in the bay - Steven/Connie, though it’s pretty light.

For @stevenssummerreadinglist

Reading List for the notable gem pair: The Dorito and the Water Witch.

So here’s the first of at least a few themed lists I’ll be making for Steven’s Summer Reading List. And we’re gonna start by having a list of fanfics staring one of my favorite supporting characters: Vidalia.

Why Vidalia?: I’m a sucker for parents in fiction that actually have a personality and flaws but still are decent people. There are quite a few characters in Steven Universe that this falls under, but Vidalia kinda stuck out to me since her first appearance in the past and second appearance in the present are so different, but a believable progression. It implies she grew up a lot, even if we didn’t see it. Plus there’s enough we don’t know about her that it gives a lot of freedom to be creative with whats happened to her in the past and whats she’s like in fanfic. And I happen to have seen a few good fics of her to know that’s the case.

Quick note though: One some of these themed lists, I may mention fics I’ve written. In the interests of disclosure, I will clearly mark moments when I am mentioning my own work.

Without further ado, here are some great Vidalia fics:

The Bird and the Bees (and Metamorphism) by CompletelyDifferent Summary: Vidalia’s sitting on the beach with an unplanned pregnancy and a dead-beat dad, explaining human reproduction to a tiny purple alien. She wishes she knew how her life got to this point. Corey’s Notes: If you want Amethyst and Vidalia friendship feels, look no further than this fic. CompletelyDifferent / Dragon-elexus is one of the best, most prolific SU fanfic authors with works of consistently high quality, and this one is no exception (in fact it’s probably my second favorite of their work after Xenopology). Vidalia’s situation is very sympathetically written and her distress is very real and understandable. Amethyst is also written in top form as well, acting a bit like a little kid at this stage in her life while still making it obvious she has a lot going on beneath the surface. It touches on topics of sexuality and abortion, but it never says anything explicit and the material is handled very maturely. It’s a short, sweet friendship fic. Highly recommended, especially if you’re a fan of Amethyst also.

There For You by xRamona Summary: Vidalia finds out she’s pregnant. Greg Universe, well, he was dad of the year even before Steven. Even before Dadhood. Corey’s Notes: This is another sweet one, this time focusing on the relationship between Greg and Vidalia (which is one I really like to think about; more on that later…). It follows Vidalia throughout her whole pregnancy as Greg and the Crystal Gems provide emotional support for her over the entire period. This was written long before Greg the Babysitter, so Greg and Vidalia’s friendship is portrayed in a much sweeter, mature manner than in that episode, which is great. Plus seeing the Gems actually care about Vidalia as well is heartwarming as well. Short, sweet, nice feels all around.

Designated Driver by BarracudaHeart Summary: Priyanka takes this role during a ‘Girls’ Night Out’ with two women she doesn’t even know. She’s pretty sure she’s going to regret it. Corey’s Notes: Full disclosure, this fic actually resulted from a prompt that myself and good friend/amazing fanfic author BarracudaHeart decided to do, the prompt being “Priyanka, Vidalia, and Martha (Lars’s mom) go out drinking on a girls night out.” The story BarracudaHeart wrote came out pretty amazing, focusing specifically on Vidalia and Martha’s relationship. Both Vidalia and Martha are given some pretty interesting backstory with eachother and their relationship has a lot of history and is very sweet. The dialogue they have really comes across as two people who have known eachother for a very long time and who have each others back. I’m a big fan of Martha as well and I enjoy how she’s shown to be very nice, even she has insecurities and her past is rather complicated. It’s a nice exploration of how two characters who haven’t met in canon make sense being really good friends … oh, and also their night going out drinking ends with several minor crimes being committed so yeah, stuff happens in this one. Very good stuff.

Bad Girl Brushstrokes by CoreyWW Summary: Amethyst tells Greg that Vidalia has been acting strange lately and she’s worried. Even though he doesn’t know her that well, Greg tries to talk to Vidalia … and quickly finds out there’s a lot more to this “bad girl” than meets the eye …Takes place several weeks after the flashback in “We Need to Talk.” In-continuity with “I Want to Understand.” Corey’s Notes: Full disclosure, this is one I wrote. So this is pretty much the start of Vidalia showing up a lot in my fics (she appears in two other stories in this same continuity) and I’m recommending this one since this is also the one where she takes center stage. As I mentioned before, I really liked the idea of Greg and Vidalia being friends and this was my attempt to explore that. It was written a long time before Greg the Babysitter, so things are a bit different (most noticeably Greg being a lot more mature). Their conversation is one of the most realistic, slice-of-life-y things I’ve written so far and it was entertaining to show two characters who go from not having much to say to eachother to being friends over the course of a story. If it sounds interesting, I hope you decide to check it out.

For @stevenssummerreadinglist

From fusing to the life of each fusion, this reading list is the spot for fusion stories. 

I love the Crystal Gems so much, but it’s also fun to see how they are like as humans!

Here’s a list of some well written fics that do just that:

Staying with You Two Dorks by ShovelsForFeet 

After transferring to a new college, Pearl finds herself a little bit of a loner until her dorm neighbors drunkenly sing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” one night.

Airam’s Notes: ongoing; Gamethyst, eventual Polygems; College AU

Mathematics and Roller Derby by CaveDwellers 

“Because apparently we’re supposed to calculate when someone’s going to fall over before they actually do, for training,” Ruby says. She thinks she does a fairly good job of keeping her private exasperation out of it, for the most part. It’s not the rapidfire calculations that bother her—those might actually be fun—it’s Pearl’s ulterior motives that make her want to punch something. Ruby believes in honesty, you know?

Airam’s Notes: one-shot; Rupphire, where Ruby is a mathlete and Sapphire is an athlete

Clutching Your Pearls by MayaMistaken

Pearl was tired of her lace and ruffles and modesty and Rose constantly babysitting her.

Now she was in the city where crazy things are meant to happen and where anything can change.

God, was she going to change.

Airam’s Notes: ongoing; Pearlmethyst, set in the roaring 20’s

Taken For Your Word by yarnwithpictures

“She glanced down at her slippers and put them on out of habit, trying to stay calm before potentially whacking someone with a baseball bat. She wrung her hands around the grip and grabbed the doorknob.” ~ “She considered it again, frustratedly glancing at the ceiling. She noticed a pair of ballet flats hanging from a peg next to the door. This couldn’t turn out that bad, could it?”

Airam’s Notes: ongoing; Pearlmethyst, “I’m smashin’ drunk and accidentally crash in a stranger’s house” AU

The Dancing and the Dreaming by CompletelyDifferent

Pearl’s not entirely sure how she ended up there, mask on her face, twirling in the arms of a beautiful stranger- but she’s not going to let the opportunity go to waste.

Okay, Steven’s Summer Reading list is officially go now. I’m gonna be participating in this event A LOT in this because between reading a lot of fanfic, helping mod the Steven Universe Fanfic subreddit, running a weekly fanfiction recommendations thread on /r/stevenuniverse, and writing a ton of SU fanfic myself, it’s safe to say I kiiiiinda like SU fanfic. You know. Just a little bit. Maybe. :)

I actually plan on doing multiple themed list, but this one is gonna be a little bit more basic and just be a list of some of my personal favorites.

Now, this is not a list of EVERY fanfic I like, not by a longshot (that’s part of the reason there’s gonna be multiple lists). Mainly the criteria I’m going by is fanfics I have reread multiple times and still enjoy it. Also, for this list, I’m not going to list fanfics I’ve personally written (I am probably going to mention a few on some of the “themed” list but I feel mentioning my own stuff in this one kinda defeats the whole point of this being a list of my favorites). Without further ado, let’s get into it. Broken Pencils by BarracudaHeart Summary: “I started getting mad that I couldn’t shake it off, and after a while, I was mad at everything, and I kept beating myself up over it. Just felt like everything just stopped working, and I couldn’t fix it.” [Trigger Warning: Attempted Suicide/Depression] Corey’s Notes: BarracudaHeart is one of my favorite SU fanfic authors and you had to twist my arm and make me pick a single favorite SU fanfic, it’s probably this one. At the very least, it’s the one I’ve read the most. In this story, Lars suffers from depression and attempts suicide, at which point the fic focuses on the effect it has on Steven, Sadie, and himself as they all deal with the fallout. The subject matter is initially dark, but it’s handled well and very maturely. Lars is written in-character but also in a very sympathetic light. This story, and the rest of BarracudaHeart’s stories, really made me like Lars’s character when I was originally just kinda “meh” about him. If you want to read a well handled story about dealing with depression and it affecting people around you, check it out.

BEACH CITY’S UNIVERSE: A STEVEN RETROSPECTIVE by Bookman230 Summary: {Black. Silence, except for the sound of cars driving past. An artsy beginning. And then, as if someone had said ‘Let there be light’, large blocked letters, outlined with stars, burst out of the darkness. When they reach the front of the screen, light extends out of them, filling the screen with a purple tinged space. BEACH CITY’S UNIVERSE: A STEVEN RETROSPECTIVE Filmed and interviews by Connie Maheswaran Intro sequence by Sour Cream, Sadie, and Kiki Pizza} Corey’s Notes: Sometimes having a really interesting format adds a lot. This story is done in the style of a screenplay of a documentary Connie is making in-universe about Steven. Also probably the oldest fanfic on this list. It involves interviews with most of the main and secondary cast, most of which are very sweet. I’m gonna admit, not every interview portion is necessarily a hit (Dewey’s interview is admittedly kind of a low-point in the story) but part of the reason I love this fic so much is because of the ending, which never fails to give me a warm, feel-good feeling even after rereading multiple times. If you just want a warm fuzzy feeling, this is a great fic for that.

Something to Live For by Pixiestick_cc Summary: Trying to live in denial sometimes makes things worse. Today Connie was thinking of Steven and she wouldn’t try to deny it. Corey’s Notes: This is a punch to the soul in written form. In this story, Steven died a long time ago and a teenaged Connie is still dealing with it. There have been other fics like this, but the exact way Connie is depicted as dealing with her grief in this story is especially heartbreaking … in that she basically convinces herself she’s totally fine and over it when she’s clearly not. This way of grieving is written pretty damn authentic and fits her character… which just makes reading such a sad story even harder. If you like sadfic, this is a very well-done one … also, it has good Connie and Pearl interaction too.

Those Nights by GlassHawk Summary: On a night she assumed would be just like any other, Pearl overhears Steven in his room, quietly sobbing to himself. She doesn’t have any idea why… but could it have something to do with why he keeps looking at the painting of his mother? Corey’s Notes: Despite what the summary might lead you to believe, this ends up being a really sweet story. This recommendation requires less explanation: I’m a sucker for any fanwork that features Pearl being motherly to Steven and this is the best fanfic of that I’ve read so far. If you like Pearl being maternal, you’ll really like this one.

Home Shopping by Chellodello Summary: “Coming up next on the Gem Television Shopping Channel is our much anticipated 11.5 mm freshwater pearl and mastercut peridot sterling silver ring, a must have for any lover of either of these priceless gemstones!” Or; Peridot gets all hot and bothered watching gem home shopping TV, Pearl wants to do research, and Steven doesn’t get why anyone likes watching this boring channel. Corey’s Notes: This entire story is one long risque joke that you probably can already guess just from reading the summary … but I don’t even care. It’s hilarious. I laugh every time I read this one. It’s not the most mature joke in the world but funny is funny if you ask me. Also, hey, Pearlidot. You don’t see that every day, so that’s cool too.

Xenopology by CompletelyDifferent Summary: “Connie was used to not having any friends. Two years after getting trapped in a magic bubble, she has plenty- but whether it’s her own inexperience or the fact that most of them are literal aliens, it’s not always easy. All everyone can do is try their best to muddle through it.(Loosely connected one-shots centred around Connie’s interactions with each of the Crystal Gems).“ Corey’s Notes: One of two on-going stories I’m reading right now that will probably make me drop whatever I’m doing the second I see it updates just to read it. Connie is one of my favorite characters and this is probably my favorite fanfic that stars her currently. Each chapter is really a standalone story about her interacting with one of the Gems and they’re all written well. Connie is written dead on perfect, being a good person but still emotionally intense when she’s frustrated, anxious, or (in at least on instance in this story) has a legitimate reason to be pissed at someone. The Peridot chapter is especially well done and the chapter with Lion is freaking brilliant on its own, but all the stories are great. I love this story and I want the Amethyst chapter to be out now so much, ugh!

Three Dead, One Missing by Doc_Cairo Summary: Detective Zeke Strahm has been on many a crime scene. Even the clean cuts through the burglar’s bones don’t seem that unusual to him. What bothers him is the unexplained disappearance of the victims’ daughter.   And more so, the strange beings he encounters while searching for her. Corey’s Notes: Annnd here’s the other on-going story I read that will make me drop everything when it updates. It’s so unlike what I usually read … but it’s SO good at what it does. A detective investigates the murder of Connie’s parents (plus a presumed bugler), but Connie is nowhere to be seen. Though it becomes fairly obvious to the audience where she is early on, Zeke doesn’t know that, presumes she’s kidnapped under the info he has, and proceeds to Beach City to get to the bottom of what happened. For all intents and purposes, Zeke is a “real world” detective whose dialogue and narration reflects that he belongs in a modern noir movie or crime thriller, so seeing him meet SU characters and slowly realize how SU world actually works is delightful to watch. It’s a dark story, but the main character is engaging and funny enough that this never feels too bleak or grimdark. If you’re looking for something a little darker or … hell, if you just like noir and want to see a pretty well done, serious take on a noir story in Steven Universe, I highly recommend it.

So those are my personal favorites. Again, this is not a list of every fic I enjoy, just some of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoyed this list. I will be posting more themed lists (based around specific characters, genres, ships, etc.) over the month of August, so stay tuned for that.

If you want to look into more fanfics, please keep an eye on the #ssrl and #steven’s summer reading list tags for more in this vein. If you’d like to make your own list, please remember to use those tags as well.