SU Fanfic Recommendations List #1: My Personal Favorites
Okay, Stevenâs Summer Reading list is officially go now. Iâm 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, itâs 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 (thatâs part of the reason thereâs gonna be multiple lists). Mainly the criteria Iâm going by is fanfics I have reread multiple times and still enjoy it. Also, for this list, Iâm not going to list fanfics Iâve personally written (I am probably going to mention a few on some of the âthemedâ 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, letâs get into it.
Broken Pencils by BarracudaHeart
Summary: âI started getting mad that I couldnât 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 couldnât fix it.â [Trigger Warning: Attempted Suicide/Depression]
Coreyâs 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, itâs probably this one. At the very least, itâs the one Iâve 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 itâs handled well and very maturely. Lars is written in-character but also in a very sympathetic light. This story, and the rest of BarracudaHeartâs stories, really made me like Larsâs character when I was originally just kinda âmehâ 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 CITYâS 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 âLet there be lightâ, 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 CITYâS UNIVERSE: A STEVEN RETROSPECTIVE
Filmed and interviews by Connie Maheswaran
Intro sequence by Sour Cream, Sadie, and Kiki Pizza}
Coreyâs 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. Iâm gonna admit, not every interview portion is necessarily a hit (Deweyâs 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 wouldnât try to deny it.
Coreyâs 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 sheâs totally fine and over it when sheâs 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 doesnât have any idea why⌠but could it have something to do with why he keeps looking at the painting of his mother?
Coreyâs Notes: Despite what the summary might lead you to believe, this ends up being a really sweet story. This recommendation requires less explanation: Iâm a sucker for any fanwork that features Pearl being motherly to Steven and this is the best fanfic of that Iâve read so far. If you like Pearl being maternal, youâll really like this one.
Home Shopping by Chellodello
Summary: âComing 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!â
Or; Peridot gets all hot and bothered watching gem home shopping TV, Pearl wants to do research, and Steven doesnât get why anyone likes watching this boring channel.
Coreyâs Notes: This entire story is one long risque joke that you probably can already guess just from reading the summary ⌠but I donât even care. Itâs hilarious. I laugh every time I read this one. Itâs not the most mature joke in the world but funny is funny if you ask me. Also, hey, Pearlidot. You donât see that every day, so thatâs cool too.
Xenopology by CompletelyDifferent
Summary: âConnie was used to not having any friends. Two years after getting trapped in a magic bubble, she has plenty- but whether itâs her own inexperience or the fact that most of them are literal aliens, itâs not always easy. All everyone can do is try their best to muddle through it.(Loosely connected one-shots centred around Connieâs interactions with each of the Crystal Gems).â
Coreyâs Notes: One of two on-going stories Iâm reading right now that will probably make me drop whatever Iâm 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 theyâre all written well. Connie is written dead on perfect, being a good person but still emotionally intense when sheâs 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 burglarâs bones donât seem that unusual to him. What bothers him is the unexplained disappearance of the victimsâ daughter. Â And more so, the strange beings he encounters while searching for her.
Coreyâs Notes: Annnd hereâs the other on-going story I read that will make me drop everything when it updates. Itâs so unlike what I usually read ⌠but itâs SO good at what it does. A detective investigates the murder of Connieâs 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 doesnât know that, presumes sheâs 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 âreal worldâ 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. Itâs a dark story, but the main character is engaging and funny enough that this never feels too bleak or grimdark. If youâre 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 #stevenâs summer reading list tags for more in this vein. If youâd like to make your own list, please remember to use those tags as well.
Until next time, happy reading guys.