#for the record they did this to steven universe too

[cardentist]

oh we really can't make anything queer without people tearing it to shreds huh

can't make a story about gay people, can't make a story about queer characters that either don't use or don't "look like" the gay label (otherwise it's "not gay enough"), and if you do it right you can be hated for being both at the same time

it's a double edged sword where nothing can ever be good enough

Context: [Link]

[intotheelliwoods]

Alright gang, heres Avocado Toast! :) The Steven Universe style fusion between Sprout and Poptart!

All assorted art and asks and posts related to them will be under the tag #freshavocado <- <-

Here is a bunch of notes, some have links to related art:

-First and foremost, the fusion is the literal embodiment of self love. It is going to be super hard to catch them without a smile!

-The initial fusion happened by complete accident! Poptart joined Sprout for the night for insomnia mixed with feeling cuddly reasons. In the morning they woke up fused haha!

-Sprout didnt tell anything to poptart about his fusion with Big Leo and that it was possible for them to do the same, it was after their initial first accidental fusion that he opened up more about the concept and his experience

-You can often find Toast hugging themselves and fidgeting with their hands! A related thing to note is that it takes the fusion a while to learn how to use two arms on the same side without bonking them into eachother, and also takes a while to learn how to not fall off balance with so much arm weight on one side without being on the other!

-Clothes are not part of the fusion, when they unfuse the result is either Poptart or Sprout in some VERY oversized clothes haha

-The fusion between Big Leo and Sprout is the same fusion! Same personality! But minus the 'Toast' part of the name, back then the fusion was just named Avocado!

-Related to what is above, there is a thought in the back of the fusions mind thinking that they would never get to exist again, up until Poptart showed up that is allowing them to exist once more, and they cannot thank Poptart enough for that

-The first time Big Leo and Sprout fused (Avocado) was different than Sprout and Poptarts (Toast) first time fused. With Avocado, they fused the same way Poptart and Sprout did (cuddles) but this never happened before, the fusion panicked instead. However the fusion was too strong and stable to unfuse. Big Leo and Sprout didnt know how to even unfuse after all! Anyways they spend the whole day fused and trying to hide themselves from the family while also figuring out how to move with the new body haha

-Toast is, hilariously enough obsessed with Sprout and Poptart and loves to see pictures and hear stories of them, some part of the fusion wishes it was possible for them to meet the Leos they are composed of

-Sometimes when Sprout is having a really bad chronic pain day, Poptart offers to fuse with him as a way to 'share the pain' since Toast has twice the amount of pain tolerance, and can handle the pain way better than Sprout can

-Similar to whats above, at some point both Sprout and Poptart become reliant on Toast to fight for them in physical battles. Sprout doesnt want to fight, it hurts, and he hurts even after the fight, but Toast can fight for him pain free. Poptart is tired of trying to learn a new fighting technique and is often upset he is not as strong as he used to be, but Toast is strong and knows how to fight.

-lmao they also become reliant on Toast to do chores

-What Sprout and Poptart remember doing fused depends on how emotional and stable the fusion was

-An amazing idea thanks to @dianagj-art that I am in love with is that Poptart/Sprout and Toast often pre record videos and write notes to eachother to say hello in the only way they really can. Toast loves to see and understand who they are composed of and whos love they represent. While Sprout and Poptart love to see who they can become

Crossover notes with @dianagj-art:

-The initial time they fuse and form Toast, Sprout is so happy he gets to feel what it is like again. He missed the feeling. The fusion is super fun and cheerful at first, but with time Poptart gets tired and wants to stop. While Sprout insists they keep staying together because he doesnt want to lose the feeling again. Due to this the fusion slowly becomes more and more loopy and unresponsive throughout the day and zones out frequently. Eventually Oneion asks whats wrong before realizing what is going on inside their head, and is the outside trigger to get Sprout to finally let go.

-Out of everyone else, Toast has the best chance of getting on One-Ones good side out of the excitement of another Leo fusion like them. Unfortunately in Toasts attempts to befriend One-One through some sparring, it does not go well....

-Toast is a perch for One and Oneion... do you understand.....

[in3rci4]

maybe you could do TBP boys x GN reader who is always serious and calm and doesn't have the habit of smiling, smiling for the first time

Thank you for the request and for giving an idea too 😊🥹 ! I appreciate it , hope it's not too bad ❤️‍🩹

" And then they smiled , that's what i'm after . A smile on their eyes , the sound of their laugher"

The title comes from a small piece of the lyrics of the song " Drift away" from Steven Universe

Prompt : The Black Phone boys reaction at the reader who's always serious and calm , smile and laugh for the first time

Characters included: Vance Hopper , Bruce Yamada , Billy Showalter , Robin Arellano , Griffin Stagg , Finney Blake

WARNINGS !! : Character x reader content , no use of y/n , idk what else to say , Gn ! Reader , Reader might have some backstory I guess ¿? maybe a mix of Fluff and Angst ¿? Some gonna be shorter than others , spelling mistakes

Vance Hopper

You two knew each other for some time now , you were home schooled not so long ago so you didn't had an idea of Pin Ball Vance Hopper reputation . The moment the teacher assigned the both of you for a project , you weren't walking on eggshells like everybody else did with him while talking , you didn't expect anything from him , for you , Vance was just ... Vance . That's the exact reason why you befriend him in no time , your non judgmental personality , and you were completely unaware he wasn't like this with anyone , anyone but you . Even if your words were nice and honest he noticed how cautious you were with your movements and expressions , he thought it was weird at first , your voice didn't matched with the look in your face in his opinion , but Vance got used to it pretty quick , he's not a smiley guy either , he was ... A little more grumpy person than you . Just like usual , in the weekend you would stay by his side watching him play his Pin Ball game , and also making sure he didn't beat anyone if anything went wrong with it , but those are details . You got hungry and decided to buy Mrs Ellen a small snack bag , when you went back to the side of the machine ( not too close to possibly bump it though ) he started to get close to beating his high score . You gasped in excitement and then he heard the sound of the machine saving his new record on the top of it . Vance let go of the arcade game machine and started to shake you excited as well by your arms , you doing the exact same thing with the snack bag still in your hands

" You did it Vance , you finally beat your high score !"

You said with a smile while laughing of enjoyment

" See !? Told ya , told ya I would fucking beat that shit , didn't I !? "

You kept laughing and smiling from the happiness of had seen it happening after so long , so many failed tries were worth for this day to happen . Vance in the other hand stopped moving your body to stare at you instead .

You were smiling , smiling in a genuine , happy and .... He would say in a beautiful way too . Is this how you look like when you're happy ? The real you ?

Maybe he should try to get you to smile more often .

Confused about the sudden change of attitude you asked him with a small giggle

" Vance , are you ok ? "

Yes , he would be ok , as long as you are with him for a little longer like this .

Bruce Yamada

He was a popular and loved guy , he didn't had trouble hanging with almost everybody in school, and Bruce didn't have to do any effort in finding someone to date either . And yet , a particular classmate of his , you , was the one that had all his attention . A person that minded their own business and never had smile in front of anybody before , and still looks like a magazine model .

Bruce wanted to get close to you for years , but he never had the opportunity , ironically , he never had the courage to go straight at you and tell how good looking you are , you look so serious that you kinda scared him , but not enough to stop liking you .

The biology teacher didn't had a clue how happy he made Bruce the day he paired you and him in a project for the science , finally he could have his opportunity , his chance with you . Dying of anxiety inside like his first baseball game , he asked you

" Hey , I know we never talked before and stuff , but would you like to stop at my house tomorrow to speed up things ? For the project , you know ? Maybe we could go out somewhere in the weekend if everything goes well "

Looking into his eyes and with suspicion in yours you asked as well

" As a date ?"

He wasn't expecting you to be straightforward as well , so he fidget with his fingers a little and with a nervous yet bright smile he said

" Yeah , I mean , if you want to of course "

The recess bell rang and everybody stood up to be free again , you grabbed your book and walked towards the door , but before you leave you said looking at him

" it's a date then "

With a smile that could've killed Bruce if he didn't want to stay alive to see you tomorrow , God bless the biology teachers man .

Billy Showalter

His dog Harper was Billy's loyal companion , a very well behaved girl too , never biting things that she shouldn't , no barking unless there's danger or she's commanded to , not jumping into people in excitement , in general , a really good girl . The mornings delivering News Papers are much better with her by his side , at that hour people are still processing their awakening and there's little people on the street , but the ones that are outside never got a complain about her , in fact , they usually want to ask for permission to pet her instead . Lately someone that he seen outside at early morning was you , sometimes with groceries in your hand , sometimes only walking by yourself . You were one of Billy's classmate , but he doesn't talk with anybody in it , at least not anymore , and you were no exception . Sometimes he founds himself staring at you and then snapping out of it , trying to ignore whatever feeling he had to do such thing , but something about you , that mysterious unexpressive charm , the stern look in your eyes , is something that he can't quite describe with words and is afraid of digging for a definition in his mind . Unfortunately for this boy one of those mornings you decided to walk your rescued male dog and Harper for the first time ran away towards the dog to meet him , both with waggy happy tails sniffing each other . Billy stops his bike at a mailbox and runs towards her , to you

" Harper ! Harper ! I'm Sorry , she's never like that , I don't know what's up with her "

The female dog comes close to you waiting to be petted , and you were more than happy to give her what she wanted

" it's ok , she's a really good girl , she just wanted to meet the new handsome boy here "

Billy knew you were referring about your dog , but his stupid brain still made his cheeks burn from the blush , why's he's being like this ?

Harper licks your hand and you giggle from the tickle feeling in your palm , you smile , and he smiles too . More pleased about the morning you said

" You want me to walk with you while you deliver your papers ? Then we can both take the dogs for a walk "

Something more mysterious about you was how quickly you made Billy accepted the fact once for all about his crush about you , maybe the moment your face light up with your smile had enchanted him

" Yeah , I don't mind , Harper hasn't seen that many dogs around anyway "

Harper always helping him in the simple things , she's for sure getting a special treat today after you're gone .

Robin Arellano

He may not seem like that , but he's a person with a good memory and remembers a bunch of people even they don't remember him ( Difficult to say since almost everybody in school knows his name ) . He remembers you from elementary school , Robin thought you were the cute one of the class , although his classmates prefer to call you the " quiet " one . He noticed how you never changed , always focusing on your studies and never smiling , not even for the photos , not even for politeness , always keeping your expressions neutral and seriousness in your way of acting .

Life crossed your paths the day a bully that didn't find his victim who didn't showed up in school decided to go after you instead , poor choice of decision , because Robin did , he showed up , and beat him up .

After he was done , he walked on his way to the boy's bathroom , but you stopped him , and Robin was deep down afraid he messed up things instead of making them better between both of you

" Robin ! "

Trying to keep his cool when he hears your voice behind him , he turns around and responds

" yeah ?"

Without finding more words to describe your gratitude , you kept it simple and said with a gentle smile

" Thank you "

Yes ! He did impressed you ! It was all damn worth it !

" No problem "

Robin walked again feeling like the main character of an action movie , and you smiled at him too ? You ? The good looking and serious you ? Nah he ain't forgetting this day for nothing !

Finney Blake

This year he wasn't sitting alone on the back on the class , well , he was still on the back on the class , but he was sharing his desk this time , with you . Finney had to admit it was hella awkward , I mean , he can't complain that much since it could be worse or Finney himself is too much of a shy guy to start a conversation or keep it on with a stranger . You , his desk mate , never talked to him , not even once , and your cold serious personality didn't make things easier , the two of you introverts , teachers never had to complain about the noise that you guys could make in class . A regular day in math class the teacher talked about the possibility of numbers being negative and being under the 0 , this got the interest of the students because it was something relatively new so far .

Finney murmured to himself casually

" Damn , not even numbers can't stay positive "

It was a bad joke ? Yes , but it was so unexpected he stole a snort and giggle from you , you had to shut yourself up with your hand or else more laughing would be heard by the teacher .

In Finney's opinion it was a terrible one , he's not even that funny , he was surprised yet amused at your sudden change of expression . Maybe he could push his luck a little further ?

" I guess we can't be negative if we just started "

You stopped from escaping a laugh from your mouth once again , maybe Finney couldn't see your complete smile , but your half closed happy eyes got his ego fly over the roof .

They say " stay with the one that makes you laugh "

So don't worry , laugh all you want from now on , he's good at math anyway , he can always teach you if you got too distracted for him .

Not like Finney minds your company at all .

Griffin Stagg

The day he saw you smile after 2 years of watching you keeping your face as unexpressed as possible , was the day a older group of bullies bumped into him , and God , he was so fine with being invisible for other students and not dealing with being a punch bag , that he tried to run away as fast as he could before they could do anything . But stronger and experts on making kid's lives hell , they quickly grabbed his shirt and started to mock him and test him in front of everybody in the cafeteria . Griffin didn't say anything , he couldn't , or else it would be worse , he knows that like the back of his hand . 3 tall dudes , 1 grabbing his shirt , 2 grabbing each of the boy's arms , it seemed like everything was lost , but you pulled up the one in front of Griffin by the shirt and tucked him to the ground . The two boys left pushed Griffin to the ground as well , and went straight to attack you .

But you dodge all of them easily .

After giving the whole cafeteria a show to watch , the boys got up and swore that it wasn't over , but you couldn't care less . You walked towards Griffin and offered him your hand , he stays still without knowing what to say or do more than stare in confusion , until he spoke

" Thank you ... For helping me "

With a big bright smile that didn't fit someone like you , so serious and capable of defeating 3 guys , you responded

" It's nothing , now get up Griff "

Griff ? No one has called him like that before . But , it doesn't sound bad , right ? He kinda likes the nickname .

[artbyblastweave]

Any ideas to connect SU Diamonds and Worm Entities for a crossover?

For the past three years and change, I've been kicking around the idea of the Gempire as the residual result of an entity that botched its own cycle so badly that the central Zion-style figurehead holding the entire operation together is a hundred-thousand-year-gone memory. The result amounts to an entity with serious brain damage; The gems retain elements of the original programming for the cycle- namely, the ability to create anthromorphized avatars reflective of the local culture, and the drive to reproduce and consume planets to perpetuate themselves- but they've completely lost the plot on other important elements, namely the importance of hybridizing with local host species, their historical record, the full extent of their dimensional manipulation capabilities, best practices for resource extraction, and, most crucially, mutation, change and innovation as a desirable outcome.

Rather than an avatar, White Diamond is an intelligence analogous to a Endbringer or Titan who slid into the vacant role as the next-most-powerful autonomous portion of the network, holding the consolidated, stretched-thin remains of the original Network together by her fingernails while also deleteriously superimposing her own residual instinct from her original role onto the entire network- namely, to pacify, homogenize and sterilize host planets if and when a cycle is beginning to get out of control. This hybridized with residual data from previous host species that caused the gempire to organize in a fascimile of imperial structures encountered back when their cycle was still functional; essentially "Playing House" at the societal level, aping the culture of a host species without really remembering why.

The result of this is a "cycle" that's bad at everything it's supposed to do but effective enough that it limps on regardless- supremely energy inefficient, stripping planets bare rather than experimenting, and utterly developmentally stagnant. In the unlikely event that an entity were to cross paths with the Gempire, they'd have an uncanny-valley reaction to it and likely attempt to euthanize it, but compared to most entities the Gempire is tiny- while Shards canonically deploy in the hundreds of millions, the gems tend to reproduce only a few tens of thousands of themselves each time they claim a planet, and they usually only strip mine the handful of "active" worlds that would feature in a normal cycle rather than obliterating all dimensional iterations of it.

Yellow, Blue and eventually Pink are similar constructs to White, brought online to assist her in the project after the "imperial" territorial holdings grew too vast to micromanage. Unfortunately (for the cycle) another one of the things that got lost in translation were the controls meant to keep individual shards from developing autonomy or attachment-to-hosts. When the Gempire hit Earth, Pink Diamond and a significant contingent of the network, after patterning themselves after humans and spending a significant amount of time on the ground, pulled a fragile-one and went native, leading to a localized civil war that ended under unclear circumstances when the other the diamonds glassed the planet from orbit and pulled back their operations to prevent whatever affected the rebels from spreading.

All of this happened about 8000 years before the events of Worm, in a universe about 43 dimensions down the line from anything seen in the Earth Bet Cluster; due to the Gempire having mutated so much as to no longer be immediately recognizable as fellow Entities, and with so few active gems left on the planet in the aftermath of the rebellion, Zion ignored the crystal gems and folded them away into the inaccessible dimensional space, where the events of the show played out much as they did in SU canon. Ironically, Steven is the first ever example of this cycle successfully empowering a host, in the most roundabout way possible.

In my notes, and in keeping with the religious-theme-naming of the canon entities, I usually refer to this whole situation as Nirvana (what else would you call it when they break the cycle?)

[onyichii]

The only time I didn't like Yugo 👇

I REALLY wanted them to have a talk about this in season 4. I guess Ankama couldn't fit it in or didn't think it was important.

This occurs after he kisses her and calls it a mistake which hurts her feelings. As she is upset, Yugo tries to talk about it but she gives him a hard time (she does act like a butt). They don’t talk about it but instead sit together in silence. After a while, they kind of have a nonverbal “we’re good” moment.

How do we know this? We see that she is playful with him and still values what he thinks in this moment.

[Click this link to watch the clip]- I can't add more than 1 video per post. So here are screenshots from the “we’re good” scene.]

You're not playful with someone you're mad at. I think she thought about it and understood his dilemma and set it aside for the time being. She loves him and she can’t stay mad at him not now at least. After this playful interaction—HE STILL SAID THAT to Ruel-sipho)!! It’s fair that he’s still a little mad but damn.

Many audiences agreed with Yugo that Amalia was being obnoxious but to me that little playful scene defused their little quarrel. They were good at least from her perspective. From his reaction to her little playfulness it seemed like he agreed…but I guess not.

For the audience agreeing with Yugo…I blame misogyny tbh. It’s easy to hate female characters for the tiniest things. We see it time and time again.

I too agree that she was being bratty when he wanted to talk about it. But…i think she needed a little more time to collect herself. When they got that time to just sit in it we get that playful interaction.

Amalia literally left the side of her sick dying father to help him. He didn’t see her pain?

Then when she comes back (in s4) her father is dead. Missing her opportunity to say goodbye. At least they showed he felt guilty about that.

So then after all of this, when did he realize it was “romantic love.” Or did he always know but try to lie to himself to not give himself hope? I need answers because what they gave is not enough.

But yeah, that was the only time I didn’t like Yugo.

If Wakfu had the proper funding, I wonder if they would have spent a little more time on the interpersonal dynamics. We see time and time that they have a good nonverbal communication dynamic.

This is my interpretation. My perspective of that situation. If your interpretation is different that’s fine. I would love to ask one of the writers about this. Imma try to find one.

I keep comparing it to shows like Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, Avatar, and The Owl House who make time to show their characters have these tough talks. But those shows had the funding to do it. Wakfu did not. They had to use what they had to focus on the most important plot points and sum up the others.

Either way, the animated series is over. And they're married now…so that’s a win. I still wish we got more tough-talk scenes though. (But it's an action show with a male target audience so of course)

(I figured out how to screen record! 😆)

[ideas-4-stories]

Inspired by the "buggy gets stabbed with a seastone knife but defeats the assassin" anon and subsequent post.

Buggy really would have had SO MANY SCARS. He's immune to cuts and chops and slices. Not blunt force trauma, burns, bullets, whips, etc. Also he was a pirate apprentice on GOL D. ROGER'S SHIP!! He ate that devil fruit young, sure, but he was still a pirate before then and I highly doubt that that, nor whatever his early life was, would lead to pristine, unblemished skin.

Also - freckles. Give Buggy Freckles 2024.

Anyway, yeah, Buggy would have a MOSAIC of scars and tattoos - many of which have meanings the likes of which are lost to most. Also projection, but Buggy has a medusa tattoo somewhere on his person. Yes the one who did the tattoo for him was on the crew, and still is. Yes they are also the defacto therapist on the island. It's good pay and they get to add Names to the I'll Kill Them One Day list ((it's a whole book. With five volumes. It's on going.))

I have... an angry idea. For Buggy shrugging off seastone wounds and using his own injury as an opening. Roger would have wanted the boys STRONG but happy and safe. He saw so much of himself in Shanks that the attention was perceived as preferential treatment. Shanks was the heavy hitter with potential and skill and charisma -

Buggy was the supporting cast.

Rayleigh, unable to help Roger through the illness, through so many things, projected that onto Buggy ((Very Pearl + Connie, if you know Steven Universe, before Steven stepped in to set that record straight)). Ray would make sure Buggy was strong enough for Shanks. He put that kid through the WRINGER, and it was arguably hell. Buggy came out stronger but also far more terrified - so much so that he struggled to even utilize that strength in any true way. Rayleigh declared it a failure. Apologized to Buggy for 'failing to make him good enough'.

This did a number on him.

One thing that lasted was his frankly unsettling tolerance to water and seastone. He still works on it, and he never quite dropped it. He always has at least one seastone earring in because it's both smth he HAS to do and also it slows down his brain a little, dulling the edge of his normal panic. Like a crystal girlie but far more literal.

This isn't his first rodeo with seastone weapons either - he may have been in the East, but he was still a decently renowned criminal with a hefty bounty. He's an old hand at this!

Still hurts like a bitch though.

He'd absolutely make the dumbest puns too. "Don't worry, I'm in STABle condition! :oD"

"You need stitches, you utter buffoon."

"That wasn't very- hnn- knife of you."

"Please pass out from bloodloss."

"You cut me so deep, Hawkyyy- OW?!"

"Seas save me"

Crocodile is fighting between yelling louder, committing three felonies, laughing, and shutting the clown up. Be it by choking him or kissing him is up for debate. The doctor, used to Buggy's antics, just hands him a fidget toy. "Don't touch the wound, my supplies or try to move yet. Solve the rubix cube before you even consider getting up."

"Boring-"

"I'll tell the kitchen to make hotdogs if you do."

Buggy is now very focused on the pretty color cube.

Oh, referring to this post gotcha!

Yeah, Buggy totally would because he’s a chemist, working with all those bombs and the guy looks like he would trip sometimes while working. Buggy has to have burn scars (I’m pretty sure somewhere, someone said that Buggy has star-shaped, firework burns on his hands. Part of the reason he hides his hands away, I like that idea even that means Buggy got hurt) Now it an idea that I got when I was half-asleep, that I read in the morning with confusion… a cannonball… I don’t why my sleepy brain decided that, but now thinking about it would have to be a ricochet cannonball that he survived from (to be honest Buggy seems like a person who would survive a cannonball to the head, like some Monkey family we know) Then with probably the logical route of bullets, whips, etc… are from being hunted by marines and enemies of the Roger Pirates before he somehow blends into the background and people forgot about him.

I would say Buggy would have eaten his devil fruit around nine years old, for the AU I’m trying to writ… Also freckles… HELL FUCK YEAH!!! I love that idea; it would be so cute on him!!! Scattered all around his body, totally seen him connecting them into shapes and patterns when he’s bored and has nothing else to do.

Definably, he’s a pirate, of course he has many scars, and Buggy having at least 10 tattoos ranging from large too small. I don’t think Buggy ever has sat someone down to explain them, or maybe he has and stopped because people not understanding. Ooooooo, I look up what the Medusa tattoo means, I like to think it’s for survival and strength. With my idea for two long tattoos, I think they would be a mixture of different flowers with hidden things between them - like hidden treasure to find, those tattoos have meanings as well as some funny ones around his body as well. Because it’s Buggy, of course, he will at least have one fucking funny one.

I love an idea their defacto therapist, I think I’ve already have a OC for the job and yes, love the book called I'll Kill Them One Day list. Love that it has five volumes, you know some of those names are crossed off and it continues to grow.

This is an angry idea indeed, poor Buggy… as we see that Buggy is not supporting cast, with his followers (they are like cult followers in a way) and his crew. Basically pushed to the side for Shanks to be the one in the spotlight as the “leader” of the two (I definitely doubt that Shanks didn’t look up to Buggy during sometimes when they were cabin boys)

Oh fuck, no wonder why Buggy hasn’t talk to Rayleigh and makes my idea of them meeting as cold and awkward. Like Rayleigh would greet with nicknames from long ago, expecting the same as what he remembered last of Buggy, only to have Buggy to greet him coldy. Either, with Dark King Rayeleigh or Slivers Rayleigh instead of nicknames that he use to call Rayleigh.

Why…why projected his problems onto Buggy! Like of course that did a number on Buggy, ecspeaily after Ray apologized to Buggy for ‘failing to make him good enough’... You can’t say that to a fucking child, you know they will think it’s all their fault! I mean look at Buggy, he already has enough problems with his self-esteem, he doesn’t need anymore!!!

Poor Buggy, going thtough hell because Rayleigh wants him strong like him to keep Shanks safe because he’s being as stupid as Roger. It makes sense that Buggy can’t use his strength because of being afraid and worrying so much (Buggy is definitely a worry-wort)

I agree with Buggy has an high tolerance to water and seastone, I mean Buggy seemed to of been a really good swimmer from how angry he is from Shanks scaring him and making him swallow the Bara Bara fruit (if not, then it’s a headcanon for me that he’s a really good swimmer before he swallowed the devil fruit) You think he would just stop going into the water? I mean I can see Buggy finding those small pools of water on a beach… I forgot what they are called, anyway you think he wouldn’t go in them to feel the sea? I think Buggy would.

Oooooo a seastone earring or some other type of seastone jewelry on his body. That’s interesting, I’ve never thought about it. The seastone helps him corrals his chop chop powers from doing all the time as well. Calming his brain, dulling the edge of his normal panic is a clever way, bro probably found how much seastone he needs to do so. From this post, Buggy has to have some edibles mixed into brownies or some other type of pastry (it’s now a headcanon for me) Dude has to have some drugs to calm down with the stress that Crocodile and Mihawk have put him through.

Yeah, it's definitely not Buggy’s first rodeo with seastone weapons, I can see Buggy being hunted by people during the time after Roger was killed and I see that’s the time where most of his seastone wounds came from. I wonder now if Buggy hordes the seastone weapons that people attacked him with?… I’ve decided yes, Buggy would keep them.

I stand for Buggy making the dumbest and baddest puns when he is hurt, especially when he gets attacked by seastone weapons. It takes his mind off of the pain they give him (Also the banter between Buggy and Mihawk you made is chefs’ kiss)

Both Crocodile and Mihawk just being done with Buggy and quite disturbed by how Buggy handles his pain. Mihawk wants him to shut up and sit still, while Crocodile is fighting between screaming, committing felonies (like he hasn’t committed felonies more than enough), laughing his ass off, then wanting to either choke Buggy or kiss him to shut the clown up. That’s so them, and Buggy is getting a little shit like always.

This doctor is just like the doctor OC; Kuo-Lee, I’ve created to be the Buggy Pirates medic. Really, being done with what Buggy does and uses things to keep him still. This is so right, handing him a fidget toy, saying that if he is good than he’ll tell the kitchens to give their captain is favorite food. Yeah, that will make Buggy sit as still as he can, to be honest, Buggy isn’t one to sit still.

[withacapitalp]

Countdown Pt 2

Follow up to this thing I wrote yesterday

People always acted funny when they saw his timer. They usually reacted in two ways- either they tried to pretend that they didn’t see it, or they said how sorry they were. 

That’s not enough time. 

Oh I wish you had more time. 

Only a few days? I’m sorry honey. 

But Steve had never been upset about it. Sure, he only had less than a week with his soulmate, but that only meant that their time was more treasured. They understood that they had to make every second count. 

Wasn’t that a good thing? 

“You’ll understand someday, Steven,” His mother had said quietly into her wine glass one night when it was just the two of them at home. She was sitting on the couch, flipping through their photo album idly, holding Steve hostage with stories about how good things used to be. How in love his parents were, once upon a time. How happy they used to be before the job, before the promotion, before the big house in Loch Nora. 

(They really mean before they had him. Not that either of his parents will ever admit that) 

“You’ll understand,” She repeated in a whisper, taking another long sip. 

“What will I understand?” Steve replied. Usually he tried to stay as still and silent as possible on nights like these, did his best to pretend like he didn’t exist, waiting for her to finally wave a hand and release him to his room. But this time he didn’t get it. 

“You’ll understand that this? This is a curse,” She spat out, holding up her right arm and showing him her timer. All zeroes. His mother’s soulmate had died when he was ten, but her timer had counted down. She had met him at some point in her life though. She knew him, but she hadn’t lived a life with him. Whoever he was, he had died alone.  

Steve had always wondered about that, always wanted to ask. If she knew who her soulmate was, why not be with them? If she had found that person, why not make every second count? 

“It’s a curse,” His mother had said, continuing when Steve didn’t say anything in response, finishing what was left in her glass, “Especially yours. I remember the first time I saw your timer. It was right after you were born. I was holding you against me, you were so little then, so sweet, and I looked down, and I saw it. Five days. What kind of God would only give my baby five days? Not a good one,”

Steve wasn’t exactly sure what kind of God was out there. If he was being fully honest, he wasn’t sure he believed in God at all. 

He believed….in the universe. He believed in something linking them all, something that knew them and wanted them to find the person that completed their lives. The Universe knew that Steve and his soulmate were strong enough to handle five days, four hours, and twenty two minutes. That unnamed unexplained universe knew that they would know what to do with that time. 

Steve had plans for his five days, four hours, and twenty two minutes. 

When he found that person, the first thing he was going to do was hold them for at least five of those minutes. Steve loved hugs, and his parents hated them, but his soulmate would love them too. He knew that for sure. 

So a five minute hug, and then he’d ask where they wanted to go. The two of them would travel to wherever his soulmate wanted. Steve had the money, he’d been saving every single birthday and Christmas check he had gotten since he was nine. By now, it was more than enough for two tickets to anywhere in the world. 

They would spend the whole plane ride talking and getting to know each other. They would laugh, probably a little too loudly, and annoy everyone else around them with how infatuated they were with each other. 

Maybe they’d go to Paris. Stroll through the city, eat pastries, stuff like that. Maybe they would end up in some remote part of the world where it felt like they were the only two people on the planet.

Maybe they’d just stay in Hawkins. Hole up in his house, listen to records, swim in the pool, or lie in bed all day. 

A hug, possibly a trip, and after that it was up to his soulmate. Steve wasn’t going to monopolize their five days with just his ideas. He had a bunch of suggestions if they didn’t know what they wanted, but those were the only two things he really cared about. 

He didn’t hug his soulmate when they finally laid eyes on each other. Steve didn’t even realize his timer had started counting down. 

He was too busy thinking about the broken bottle being held against his neck. 

By the time he and Eddie both realized that their timers had started, they were already in the thick of things. Steve had seen it while Nancy was wrapping her sweater around his waist to try and stem some of the blood coming gushing out of him from the bat bites. He had put both hands in his hair just to try and give himself some other pain to ground with, and his timer caught his eye. 

It was already on three days. 

He had only met one new person in the last two days. One new person who always hid his timer under a leather cuff around his wrist. 

Steve did go through with his plans, but it was a funhouse mirror version of them, twisted and wrong. 

They did hug, but it wasn’t something soft or intimate. Eddie had woken Steve up from a nightmare on their second to last day, and Steve had laid in his arms shaking for two of their final forty eight hours. 

They did go on a trip of sorts, if stopping the apocalypse in an alternate dimension counted as a trip. They went, but they didn’t stay together. 

God, if Steve had a chance to do it all over again, he never would have let Eddie out of his sight. 

There was no avoiding fate, no changing what The Universe had planned. Steve has always been aware of that. He’s known that as fact his entire life. But still. Maybe things would have gone the way they were supposed to if they had been together. 

Because it was supposed to be him that died. 

His entire life he had known it was going to be him. 

Steve has imagined it a thousand different ways. A random heart attack, or a freak accident, maybe even saving his soulmate’s life somehow. He had never even thought to consider it might be his soulmate saving him instead. 

It was perfect. Dustin and Eddie would be far away from the danger, and Robin and Nancy were going to be just fine. Steve had no idea when it was coming, but it was going to happen in this final fight. They would win and he would have to do something stupid to make sure they did. Something off plan that would end up killing him. 

Except, he didn’t do anything that wasn’t in the plan. 

It went off without a hitch. Well, there was a pretty scary moment where there had been vines around his neck choking him, but the rest had gone exactly as they wanted it too. He and Robin had torched the monster, and then Nancy shot him in the head. 

Vecna was dead, burning to ash on the floor in front of them. They did it. They actually fucking did it. 

The elation of that was unlike anything Steve had ever experienced. The bone deep relief of knowing everyone he loved was finally safe, that this was finally over. That he had somehow lived to get to see it all. 

He had lived. 

He…..he was still alive. 

Steve hadn’t even thought to look down at his timer. He had been so busy just reacting, being in the moment of the fight. The fight was over. They had won. Everyone was safe now. 

Steve was still alive. 

He looked at his timer. All zeroes. 

How long had it been all zeroes? 

Steve took an experimental breath, and then another. Still breathing. Still alive. He looked down at his wrist. Still all zeroes. It was like he was looking at a puzzle with only one piece left, holding that last piece in his hand, but unable to make it fit for some reason. There was just something that was so wrong. 

There were two options when it came to Timers. You died, and your timer vanished, or your timer hit zero, and your soulmate died. There were two options. 

Steve had just never considered the other one. 

And by the time he ran out of the Creel House, it was already too late. Steve knew that. He was running anyway. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw Eddie for himself. His mother’s voice filled his ears the entire time. 

“You’ll understand that this? This is a curse,” 

Steve had promised himself he would never think about his timer that way. Promised that he would never be like his mother. 

But she might have been right about this. 

[qprsmackdown]

Lapis Lazuli and Peridot (Steven Universe) vs The Fellowship Of The Ring (LOTR)

Negative comments about either qpr in the notes will be blocked. This includes saying that either party is not a qpr. We are here to have fun. It does not matter whether a qpr is "canonically" platonic, romantic, or otherwise. I do not want to hear about why you think a relationship isn't a qpr.

Propaganda (under the cut)

Lapis and Peridot

I would like to apologize for any spelling errors/run on sentences here. I’m rambling out of excitement :]

Peridot and Lapis have the most QPP energy I’ve ever seen and I’m not too sure how to describe it. Peridot is canonically aroace and Peridot and Lapis become very close after becoming roommates (they lived in a barn) and Peridot was absolutely relieved to see Lapis return from space.

When they both had to live together Peridot did everything she could to try to make Lapis comfortable (did she fail? Yeah, but she still tried her best) and Peridot even gave Lapis a tape recorder similar to the one she had received as a gift from Steven when she was trying to get used to being on Earth.

They respect each other and make inside jokes about how they used to be villains! They made a bunch of art and put it in their barn and called it “meep morps”! They have a sentient pumpkin dog (named “Pumpkin”)! Lapis and Peridot aren’t canonically QPPs, but if someone told me that they were I’d believe it without proof.

The Fellowship

look i didnt think abt this until i saw the ask but ur sosososo right. they just. they support each other through everything and they learn together and grow together and even when they have to split up they remember each other always. theyre from such different places but they sill stick together and love each other and they arent afraid to show it.

THEY ARE SO QUEERPLATONICALLY IN LOVE YOU DONT UNDERSTAND . MY LIL GUYS MY SILLIES theyre friends who kiss each other and i think thats great. they stick together to the end and they form such strong bonds that it transcends even the powers of Sauron and dwarf-elf hatred and they all love one another and THYERE SO AUGHGHGHGHGH eats drywall. Please. -🦊

[moosegbt]

What did you use to convert the digital video to analog for your OTGW tape? I'm a former video tape archivist and I've only ever gone the opposite direction :x

I essentially tricked my PC into thinking a VCR was a monitor, so it would send its video out into the VCR. I fine tuned the video output settings with the Nvidia drivers to make it a little crisper (this is also paired with the project being rendered at 480i to fit the format). I added a little time at the beginning and end of the video to allow time for me to stick in a blank tape and hit record.

For the orange tape, I did all that, THEN I took apart the tape I was recording on (black) and switched out the inner reels with a copy of the Rugrats Movie (orange). I’m not too big of a fan of the orange one, considering orange is reserved specifically for Nickelodeon stuff, but it looked really good when viewed in the Halloween mindset.

For my future projects, I would love to do:

- Scott Pilgrim on a red VHS

- ITSV with a black tape and a red latch

- Steven Universe Season 1 across 4 tapes (due to its length) in Yellow, Blue, White, and Pink.

- Steven Universe the Movie in Pink

- The FNAF movie on a white VHS (white was usually reserved for very young children’s media like Barney and Little Einstein, so I think it would really fit the Chuck E Cheese aesthetic)

I have a HUGE respect for physical media archivists, that’s an awesome line of work. I have an old really long VHS recording of when they aired They Might be Giants on the series finale of Blues Clues on Nick Jr, and I’ve been meaning to teach myself how to digitize it correctly. I’ve made digital recordings of it using my VCR, but I want to make a higher quality scan.

[omniglitch-au]

[Camera-81GG-D1K - 8:34 PM - 2/16/XX]

[Camera shows the living room with the TV]

[Chromastone Present - Recognized]

Chromastone: ...

(Chromastone holds up a remote and turns the volume of the TV on.)

[Audio recognized: Here Comes a Thought - Steven Universe]

[Lyrics Copied and Pasted in Subtitles]

Chromastone:

Take a moment to think of just

Flexibility, love, and trust

Take a moment to think of just

Flexibility, love, and trust

Here comes a thought

That might alarm you

What someone said

(Chromastone approaches a portrait of Tetrax and Diamondhead, his reflection appearing briefly before turning away)

And how it harmed you

Something you did

That failed to be charming

Things that you said are

Suddenly swarming..

(Chromastone looks down at his hands, as if looking at what he is. He grips one of his wrists and turns away, looking at the ceiling light like it's the sun)

And oh, you're losing sight, you're losing touch

All these little things seem to matter so much

That they confuse you

That I might lose you

(He looks down, then turns to the TV as the song continues)

Take a moment, remind yourself to

Take a moment and find yourself

Take a moment to ask yourself if

This is how we fall apart

(He then walks away from the TV, looking at the pictures of him, his family, and his friends)

But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay

You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear

I'm here, I'm here, I'm here

(As he sang that part, Chromastone hovers over the picture of Ben and the aliens and lean his head against it, content and calm.)

[Another Presence - Audio Recognized: Ghostfreak.]

(Ghostfreak starts to sing)

Ghostfreak: Here comes a thought

That might alarm me

What someone said

And how it harmed me

Something I did

That failed to be charming

Things that I said are

Suddenly swarming

(He unveils a few of his tendrils and looks at them, then he immediately retracts them as if staring for too long leads to bad memories. He flies up high and reaches for the ceiling light, as if he's trying to reach for a hand. To bring him out of his chains)

And oh, I'm losing sight, I'm losing touch

All these little things seem to matter so much

That they confuse me

That I might lose me

(Ghostfreak sinks down, landing on the couch briefly before his eye stare down)

(Chromastone comes towards him and sings along)

Chroma & Ghost:

Take a moment, remind yourself to

Take a moment and find yourself

Take a moment and ask yourself if

This is how we fall apart

But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay

I've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear

I'm here, I'm here, I'm here

(Ghostfreak begins to fly again and swirl around Chromastone, continuing their song)

And it was just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay

We can watch, we can watch, we can watch, we can watch them go by

From here, from here, from here

Take a moment to think of just

Flexibility, love, and trust

[Faint Audio Recognized from Hallway 7-HY: Ben Tennyson]

Ben: Take a moment to think of just

Flexibility, love, and trust

[Recording Ends]

[space-owl]

Honestly probs to Vivzie and the team for when they couldn't get a voice actor back, they just recast them!

Im still traumatised from Steven Universe who refused finding new voice actors for the fusions so we could only see the fusions being silent IF they showed up for 10 seconds or in the comics or video games without any voices.

Which is so sad cuz the fusions were amazing and I wished to see them more often. There is no shame in re casting voice actors if the original ones aren't aviable or too expensive (since well they were huge pop stars)

Helluva Boss so far had amazing roles but some original voices didn't have time to record anymore because of their schedule. Yes Loona was silent the last episodes but that has mostly to do with her voice actress still grieving and she is planning coming back. With her it's clear.

Imagine we didn't get any more of Striker at all! Only because the actor isn't available anymore. The crew said "fuck it" and found a sound a like.

Of course it can be disrespectful to replace an actor just like that. But in the cases of Helluva Boss it's very understandable!

And I would've wished Steven Universe did the same thing!

[syntia13treeman]

Case files 08.01

what I think happened in:

Case 08.01,

the case of "Time of the Hungry Architecture" or "There are no missing persons in Forton Service Station."

Ok, I've had twinges of suspicion in some earlier episodes, but now it's a certainty. There are some Time Shenanigans afoot! Not time travel per se, but time asynchronicity for sure.

But let us start at the beginning, with Terrance Stevens (51) who recently went through a messy divorce, lost most of his friends in the process, and rather than going down the rabbit hole of workaholism/alcoholism/etc, decided to practice some self-care. He ditched his high-stress job in finances and became a janitor (less money but also less stress), and for a bit of intellectual challenge he enrolled in a university course. Good for you, my dude!

Downside of this – I imagine there are not many opportunities to bond with co-workers at a service station, and most if not all his fellow students are bound to be half his age, so he likely didn't make any new friends to replace the old ones. This is important, because I believe that lack of connections made him extra vulnerable to the spookies.

As Terrance later explained in his paper, his new place of employment, Forton Services, can be considered a site of brutal liminalism (TM). It's a cold and uninviting place, where there is a constant stream of people who want to be somewhere else, and where time has little to no meaning (open 24/7 and not a clock in sight).

In a place like this, reality might start to wear a little bit thin. Time and space might get a little bit warped. A little bit distorted. And not a little bit hungry.

And Terrance, lonely, sad and isolated Terrance, looked like a perfect meal.

It crept up on him over the course of few days. Without ever realising, he was being pulled somewhere else for increasingly long periods of time. (From his point of view, it seemed like there were less people around. There weren't. Terrance just didn't see most of them, because he wasn't there). It kept happening, until the fateful night, when Terrance phased out of reality for good. (For awhile).

Where did he go? Someplace almost here but not quite, where time was just a little bit out of sync with ours. Not by much. Just enough that the people and cars moving around started looking to him like a colourful blur. (Like stepping into a time-lapse picture).

Spooked by the (seeming) absence of people and strange visuals, Terrance ran right into the waiting trap elevator (defunct here, but working there). He was greeted by a too thin woman with name-tag that wasn't actually name-tag (it read You Are Here). She took him up to the (not)functioning restaurant at the top of the Pennine Tower (20m high).

There, in what seemed to be a 60s themed restaurant, he saw a crowd of people* who looked like they were AI generated (with key prompt words being thin&malnourished) sitting at the tables, not-eating and not-chatting. The chef, wearing another 'you are here' name-tag greeted him with a cheerful "You are here! Stay awhile!"

As first reaction, Terrance moved to sit at a nearby table.** (Everyone turned to watch).

As second reaction, Terrance showed admirable self-preservation instinct and tried to get the hell out of there. Sadly the door he'd entered through weren't there any more, the windows, he just noticed, were empty holes leading into black nothingness, and all the 'guests' moved to grab him, repeating after the chef: "Stay awhile!" (It was not a greeting this time. Nor was it a request).

After this, things escalated quickly. The hungry crowd closed in on Terrance and started biting him (the chef munched one of his fingers whole). Not quite ready to become dinner, Terrance punched and kicked his way free and with no hesitation jumped out the not-window.

Somewhere between the window-hole and hitting the ground, he re-entered the normal timestream, and some kind soul called in paramedics to treat his injuries. Which, for the record, were classified as fall damage by said paramedics and I find it either sus or hilarious. Sirs, these are bite-marks. How many teeth does your average building/pavement have? (To be fair, maybe the hungry crowd didn't master the teeth just yet. Maybe they need to take an anatomy course or something).

It is unclear how much time passed here while Terrance was NOT-here. It wasn't the Rip Van Winkle's 'one nap = 20 years', since he managed to submit his paper the same year it was assigned, but it was apparently long enough that he felt that someone should have reported him as missing. The fact that no-one did can have two explanations:

Very mundane if sad 'no-one cares about you enough to notice your extended absence, buddy'.

Part of the Pennine Tower's whole thing is that people who were pulled in-there are not remembered out-here, at least for as long as they remain in-there. A good hunting strategy, actually. If you were an immobile ambush predator, you wouldn't want potential pray to realize that fellow humans die here, would you.

To finish the story - Terrance immediately quit his janitor job, rationalized his experience as psychotic episode brought about by bad influence of hostile architecture, wrote a paper about it (submitted 12 July 2023 - late; failed) and, hopefully, moved on with his life.

Things of note:

*This is the second time we were introduced to a group of nameless, copy-pasted not-quite-people, prone to repeating cheerful, positive phrases. Colour me intrigued.

**I wonder what would have happened if Terrance took his place at the table. Maybe even tried some food he was offered. Was he always going to end up as the main course, or would he be assimilated, turned into one more thin, hungry guest, forever waiting for a new meal to walk in the door?

I keep going back and forth between 'the tower is a predator that creates human-facsimiles as part of its digestive system' and 'the not-people made the tower their home because they liked the brutalism vibe (or it was just a convenient spot)'.

I rather hope we'll see the Pennine Tower again. It's such a distinctive landmark. And the land is definitely marked.

There sure are a lot of mentions of hunger and food in this podcast, eh? Wonder what could it mean.

[caddeter]

Nitpick November #1

For the record, I haven't watched RWBY past Volume 3, nor do I ever intend to. But I have heard quite a bit about it from the grapevine, and ever since the end of Volume 9, I've had one burning question:

Why did Summer Rose lie about her mission?

I can understand lying to Yang, Ruby, and maybe Taiyang (More on that in a later post), but why didn't Summer tell anyone else, like Qrow or Ozpin? It's implied that the mission involved Salem (Or at least we can assume so with context clues) and she was willing to trust Raven with it.

The only explanations I can think of are that she thought they would try to stop her or that it was too dangerous to involve them. But that just raises the question of what she was planning to do? Especially if the former theory is true.

And I checked the transcript for the episodes because I thought I might be missing important information here, but it didn't offer me anything I didn't already know. In fact, they actually raise the same question I have just to brush it aside.

I get that it was supposed to help Ruby understand that she didn't need to be perfect and that she's supposed to accept herself and all that. But the logistics of the whole thing just bog it down. It's like if Steven Universe never established why Pink Diamond decided to oppose the Diamonds as Rose Quarts.

[beardedmrbean]

Oh that to bash my generation

AT LEAST BOOMERS HAD THE HIPPIES

https://x.com/southernkeeks/status/1784576489003856008?s=46

….Do you have ANY idea how many times our elders hammer down how shitty life was for them 40-50 years ago growing up?

How it was hammer down our throats? Did I mention that insulating time traveling cartoon movie of MLK where they stated his Martydom was NEEDED to change the world?

How the fuck did the king family-wait I heard they been a mess since his death. Nvm

But people wondering why zoomer college kids are so unhinged….okay story good Steven universe fans. I just wanted to show how long this mess was

But since you know I been in the asylum that’s is tumblr…um not surprising. For some goddamn reasons, late boomers and gen x (not all but you know) decided to like social media and tv will raised their kids

And given how over a decade misandrists and racist af non whites was go unchecked….

I think a lot of people forget that my generation grew up when people with untreated mental illness, unresolved parental issues, and it was socially acceptable to treat white people and men the same way the Nazis viewed the Jews because oppressed vs the oppressors. You end up with this

A lot of people don’t realize the crazy sjw/tumblr crowd PREYED kids. So when you have mentally stunted people who think like Star Wars (oh let leave out the character we talked about in the DMs. They are a landmine) preferring the galactic emperor/first order over the rebellion/resistance means your a Nazi apologist

Your shit out of luck, but funny enough me liking a certain villain lead me NOT calling the sons and daughters of David colonizer

Okay a lot of other things, but Jesus fucking Christ why do I have more empathy than people who entire personality is based off superhero comics and kids cartoons?

But seriously how the fuck I realize I had better moral compass at 13? Keep in mind I just got away from the bitch [stepmom] and still coping with my autism and adhd I was diagnosed with at 11.

Oh shit gen-z you are totally unique nobody has ever had to deal with this before since before the dawn of recorded history, what a brand new burden you carry.

Dunces that think they're the first generation to ever care about the environment are also totally a new thing and we've never had any kind of concern for the environment before, thank you gen-z for showing the rest of us the light.

How it was hammer down our throats? Did I mention that insulating time traveling cartoon movie of MLK where they stated his Martydom was NEEDED to change the world?

Saw people saying that about george floyd too, sad honestly.

But people wondering why zoomer college kids are so unhinged….okay story good Steven universe fans. I just wanted to show how long this mess was

There's a reason I've let my brother know to never let his kids watch that show, nothing to do with the show and everything to do with not wanting them to look online and encounter the cesspit that is in the fandom

But since you know I been in the asylum that’s is tumblr…um not surprising. For some goddamn reasons, late boomers and gen x (not all but you know) decided to like social media and tv will raised their kids And given how over a decade misandrists and racist af non whites was go unchecked….

late gen-x early millennial is closer, zucc is a millennial, dorsey and myspace tom are gen-x,but in our defense we in gen-x were so chill we'd thought that all that would just keep on going and folks would be chill online with each other, not zucc he wanted to get laid but the other two ya.

I think a lot of people forget that my generation grew up when people with untreated mental illness, unresolved parental issues, and it was socially acceptable to treat white people and men the same way the Nazis viewed the Jews because oppressed vs the oppressors. You end up with this

they're getting better ant the mental illness thing, we've gone over that before so not going much further into it, still say it's a miracle my ADHD and Dyslexia were diagnosed as a kid, still mostly abnormal then, but you can thank Gen-X for pushing to bust the stigma around mental illness and treatments and stuff, even if it did land us inside the "prozac nation"

We and some before us suffered so y'all could suffer less

A lot of people don’t realize the crazy sjw/tumblr crowd PREYED kids. So when you have mentally stunted people who think like Star Wars (oh let leave out the character we talked about in the DMs. They are a landmine) preferring the galactic emperor/first order over the rebellion/resistance means your a Nazi apologist

That's all not new, just worse than it used to be is all.

But seriously how the fuck I realize I had better moral compass at 13? Keep in mind I just got away from the bitch [stepmom] and still coping with my autism and adhd I was diagnosed with at 11.

You got lucky I'd say.

[lotusthewriter]

Take her to the moon for me, okay?

Fandom: Steven Universe Rating: G Relationship: Lars & Steven (PLATONIC!) Characters: Lars Barriga, Steven Quartz Universe; other characters are only mentioned Summary: Steven and Lars watch a movie. Word count: 2.066 AO3

A/N: I actually forgot I'd finished this story, so I'm finally posting it. It was based on a drawing I made nearly a year ago, except I made the idea a lot sadder here, lmao. But don't worry, it ends on a happy note.

TRIGGER WARNINGS - past canonical death and trauma.

Once again, do NOT ship Steven and Lars. P/roship DNI.

--

“Sooo, I was thinking we could watch this one?”

Steven reveals a tape that he recorded himself.

“It’s called Inside Out! It was released a few years ago and I never got to see it, but I thought it looked cool. But uh, maybe you have a better suggestion and you want to watch something that isn’t for kids, haha…”

“Oh no, I actually like Inside Out,” Lars says, rather securely. Steven guesses he would probably never admit that if this conversation happened a couple years before.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I, er… saw it in theaters with the Cool Kids. I didn’t think I’d like it but wow, it was incredible. I wanted to cry so badly.”

“Aw, that’s awesome! But you don’t mind watching it again, right?”

“No, no. It’s been years since I saw it and I honestly want to see your reaction. I’m not giving you any spoilers, though.”

“Okay!”

Since everything else – popcorn, drinks and snacks – is ready, Steven simply puts the tape inside the VHS player. Lars is sitting on Steven’s bed while the latter stays on the floor. Lars offers to switch places but Steven doesn’t mind it. He’s so excited for the movie that he doesn’t mind where he stays.

--

“... I’ll try, Bing Bong. I promise.”

Oh man. That part still stings.

When Lars first saw it in the theater, he managed not to shed any tears in front of the Cool Kids, even though they were openly crying and hugging each other. Lars wasn’t much of a crier around Sadie, either.

Now, Lars knows it’s okay for him to cry. He’s allowed to be vulnerable. Although he might not bawl and crash, the tears come out more naturally. It feels good, even if painful.

And of course, he’s not surprised to hear Steven sniffing.

However, he notices that Steven is very affected. The boy even muttered, “no, no, no, no,” when he realized what was going to happen. Though maybe Lars is just reading too much into it. He knows Steven is a very sensitive person, so this is to be expected.

Until Steven wraps Lars in a tight hug and he’s straight up sobbing in the latter’s chest. Lars is a little taken aback by how intense the crying is at first, but he smiles sadly and rubs the boy’s back up and down.

“Hey, it’s okay, buddy,” Lars reassures him.

“Why did he have to dieeee?” Steven whines, his voice tiny as if he’s fourteen again. “It’s not fair!”

“Yeah… I know, pal,” Lars sighs, patting his back in support.

“Joy didn’t even notice him jumping out of the cart?!”

“Maybe it was the adrenaline, I dunno.”

“She should’ve noticed!”

Lars doesn’t want to say that the lesson there was that Riley was growing up and her childhood was going away. He feels like that’s probably going to upset Steven further.

“I mean,” Steven pulls away, revealing his mess of snot. Lars searches for the tissues in the room, without standing up, but he can’t find it, “Joy is supposed to make everything better, so she should’ve known! She should’ve saved him!”

“Steven, he was going to disappear anyway,” Lars says patiently. He hopes that doesn’t make things worse.

“But he didn’t deserve to die! He just wanted to be remembered!”

“She said she would take Riley to the moon for him.”

“That’s not the same thing! He was just forgotten in that dark pit! Do they even talk about Bing Bong? Or does Joy just ignore it altogether?!” Steven raises his voice. Lars starts feeling more concerned. “He didn’t deserve it! If Joy was good enough, she wouldn’t let that happen!”

Much to Lars’ surprise, Steven starts glowing pink and crying angry tears.

“If I were good enough, Bing Bong wouldn’t be DEAD!”

The shock on Steven’s face is quick to replace the grief.

Mostly because Lars is staring at him, completely speechless. Only now realizing what they’re actually talking about.

The film is not even on; the TV makes a loud, static noise.

And Lars knows that no controller could’ve done that.

Steven sees his glowing hands and gasps, shaking himself so he represses the angry pink, and Lars knows that’s awful. Steven doesn’t want Lars to see him like this. Steven doesn’t want to be vulnerable. And this is the kid who helped Lars of all people to open up to others.

The moment the older teen opens his mouth, Steven abruptly stands on his feet, dropping the juice can he was drinking and spilling it all over the floor.

“I-I’m- I’m gonna get more popcorn!” Steven blurts out and runs away, almost falling. Lars tries to reach him but his hand is not close enough.

Lars is alone in Steven’s room, the static TV his only company. The noise is too much for his ears, so he turns it off before it drives him crazy.

Still, the static is in Lars’ head. He feels so stupid for not realizing things sooner. He feels stupid for never bothering to talk to Steven about, well, his death. Lars doesn’t even like saying the word around anyone, not even himself. Which is very unlike him, Lars will admit it. Everyone else avoids mentioning the word “death”, too, like Sadie, his parents, and the Cool Kids. The Off Colors don’t even get what it means to die in the human way.

Things are okay, sure. Everyone has accepted Lars. But they just don’t touch on it. Least of all Steven, who’s trying so hard to make everyone feel better… he does everything so Lars feels accepted, pink and all.

But if Lars is admittedly not over his death, still dealing with panic attacks and nightmares even if they’re less frequent nowadays… What about Steven? What about a kid who watched his friend die? Who had no idea he could even save Lars?

Has Steven ever talked about this with anyone else?

He knows the kid, though.

Lars can’t be quiet about this anymore.

The pink-skinned teenager finally goes downstairs, yet not rushedly. Lars doesn’t want to scare Steven, who’s in the kitchen, not even near the popcorn. Steven is seen from his back, shrunk, apparently hugging himself to keep his sobs inside of him.

“Why? Why am I like this?” Steven asks himself. “Why do I just ruin everything? I’m so stupid! Urgh!”

Lars genuinely wants to cry hearing those words. But he needs to help Steven first.

Finally, he reaches the balcony, much to Steven’s surprise.

“Oh! Lars!” The half-gem dries his eyes with his sleeves. He suddenly pretends he was getting the popcorn, as well as more drinks in the fridge. “Sorry, I-I was just- y-you can go back upstairs, I’ve got this!”

Lars finally joins him, offering a hand to take some of the cans. Steven is very unwilling to hand them over, but Lars just waits and eventually the kid gives them to him. Lars just places them back in the fridge so they don’t get warm, and he closes it. Steven doesn’t protest.

The younger boy just leans on the balcony with his whole body, making a miserable noise. Lars steps closer and puts a hand on his back again. Steven doesn’t want to be seen, but it seems that he secretly wants affection.

That way, Lars is placing both hands on Steven’s shoulders, sort of massaging them. Sadie does that for Lars when the latter is tense or about to have an emotional breakdown. It looks like it’s helping.

Steven, for once, looks at his friend, his face still a mess, eyes and nose reddened. Lars has not said a word.

“I-I’m sorry I ruined–”

“Shh… don’t worry.” Lars sighs. “I should’ve talked to you sooner.”

“No, you didn’t have to!”

“Except I should’ve. You’re always helping people, but who’s helping you? Who knows what’s going inside your head?”

Steven releases more tears, unable to deny his words.

“I never bothered to ask how you’ve been. Like, actually ask. I can’t keep pretending everything is fine. I’m sorry, Steven.”

“Lars…”

“Like, seriously. You didn’t deserve to see that.”

Steven finally stands on his feet, but his head is lowered and he’s not looking at Lars.

“But you… y-you died because of me. Because I was too stupid and- and I gave out a list of everyone to Peridot, if I knew what was going to happen next I would’ve never–”

“Hey, hey, listen to yourself; you didn’t know. You couldn’t have known, Steven. It wasn’t your fault.”

Steven doesn’t believe him.

Even though Lars is not that much taller than him nowadays, he still kneels down to look at Steven properly.

“Look at me,” Lars whispers, “I don’t hate you.”

“Y-You should.”

“But I don't. Because it’s not your fault.”

Steven sobs quietly.

“I-I just… wanted to s-save everyone…”

Lars squeezes one of his shoulders.

“You did.”

Steven, eventually, grows quieter again, but still avoids eye contact.

“Maybe…” Lars thinks over his next words. “Maybe Bing Bong couldn’t make it… but I’m here, aren’t I?”

The half-gem contemplates.

“And it’s because of you. I could never be more grateful to be here.”

Steven looks genuinely shocked. Lars is smiling. Then he’s drying some of the boy’s tears.

“I should’ve told you that sooner, huh?” The older teen asks. “Well, I’ll make sure to tell you that more often now.”

The sixteen-year-old breaks, in a good way. Lars is now the one pulling him in a hug and Steven allows it this time. He’s finally opening the cracks and letting them be seen. Lars stays and lets the kid mourn the times no one ever said those things to him. He’s there to make sure Steven understands he’s not hated, he’s not expected to answer everything there is to know of the universe. Lars just wants him to be a kid. The kid he never got to be.

Steven doesn’t need to be happy all the time.

He can be sad. He can be angry. He can be afraid.

It’s okay.

--

After cleaning the room, Lars says they don’t have to finish the movie. Steven, however, is willing to see the rest. They’re both sitting on the bed now.

The part where Riley comes home…

Steven cries but this time he relies on Lars, who catches him with one of his arms.

Inside Out still ends on a good note. They hint at a sequel, but overall it reassures them that things will be okay no matter the obstacles in life.

As the credits roll, Steven hasn’t left Lars’ support just yet.

“Did you like it?” Lars wonders.

“Y-Yeah, I loved it.”

While it’s a genuine answer, it sounds like Steven is thinking of something else.

“I’m…” He gulps. “I’m glad you’re here, Lars.”

It can mean many things.

Lars grins.

“Yeah, buddy. Me too.”

Steven smiles back.

“Do you, uh, want to go home or… maybe watch something else…?”

Lars hums. “Yeah, I’d love to stay longer.”

“I dunno if I have more movies here…”

“We could just watch whatever’s on TV.”

Steven is analyzing all the tapes he keeps.

“Do you… know Camp Pining Hearts?”

Lars blinks. “You have that?”

“Yeah. I mean, what’s left of them. Peridot took all my tapes. I also heard they’re making a reboot, so maybe I could get in on the hype. But I dunno if you’re into that kind of stuff.”

Lars sighs. “Alright, Steven, hear me out. I was… the biggest CPH fan back in the day.”

“Whoa, really?”

“Yeah. Not even Sadie knew about that until recently.”

“Wow, I think you and Peridot and Lapis would get along well, then.”

“Maybe.”

“She ships Percy and Pierre.”

Lars hums, content. “Excellent taste.”

Steven laughs. “I still don’t get it, but okay.”

Regardless, the two boys get the tapes that are very out of order – and it turns out they’re the bad episodes of CPH since Peridot apparently got all the good ones – but they have a good time either way. The series is… worse than Lars remembered. But it’s fun and intriguing, honestly.

But most importantly, he likes to watch it with someone that gets it. Sadie was never into CPH even after Lars told her about it.

Steven is having a good blast with it.

Lars is having even more of a good time.

To see the kid being a kid.

[larkawolfgirl]

Why Did I Lose (Pearl and Greg)

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M

Fandom: Steven Universe (Cartoon)

Relationships: Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Rose Quartz/Greg Universe, Pearl/Greg Universe

Additional Tags: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Grief/Mourning, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Reconciliation, Crying, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Baggage, Pre-Canon

Summary: Consumed with grief, Pearl sneaks into Greg's van.

Read on ao3

Her room in the temple was a mausoleum of memories, each one a sharp reminder of what Pearl had lost. The uncomfortable, hard surface of the stool she sat on was a failed distraction. Her hands clasped tightly in her lap, eyes fixed on a photograph of Rose Quartz. The image, once a source of joy, now taunted her with its permanence. The holograms danced around her — projections of past laughter and shared glances — but they fizzled out as her sorrow bore down on them.

“Why, Rose?” Pearl murmured to herself, a whisper lost amidst the silent relics of their life together. Her gaze fell on a simple human trinket Rose had left behind, a vinyl record with Greg’s name etched into it, and her heart tightened. There it was again, that crippling inadequacy, the gnawing thought that she, a gem of precision and grace, had been deemed lesser than the disheveled musician with his foolish optimism and human vulnerabilities.

“Of all the things you could have done...Why leave me for... this?” Sorrow bled into resentment, the latter an easier emotion to grasp, something to direct her aimless anger toward. She hated feeling weak, purposeless, and most of all, inferior to Greg Universe.

Pearl fled her room, but the memories followed. Rose had existed in every crevice of the temple, had stepped over every grain of sand on the beach. Was there anywhere that would cease to remind her of vibrant pink light?

Night descended on the Earth, the stars offering nothing but a painful longing. That’s when the impulse struck, sudden and fierce. “I need answers,” she declared to the shore. And like that, she was moving, actions driven by an urgency that overrode her usual cautious nature. She rushed through the moonlight of Beach City until she reached Greg’s eyesore of a van—a poor excuse for a home constructed of metal and rubber.

Pearl hesitated at the threshold, her hand hovering over the door handle. Inside, Greg’s gentle snores pierced the quiet, a sound so human, so painfully ordinary. They served as a bitter reminder of the life continuing around her while her world stood still. With a steadying breath, she slid the door open with a silence that only a gem’s touch could achieve. The interior was cluttered with objects and oddities from a life she could never fully understand.

Her eyes stopped on the baby seated in the front. He was so small, so fragile. Nothing like the Rose she knew—and yet the resemblance remained. The shimmer of light visible from his gem, the compassion felt through his aura, the way love swelled inside her gem in his presence.

It was nearly too much. Her hands came up to her mouth. Nausea overwhelmed her.

She reached behind herself, clutching the door handle. But then her eyes shifted to Greg’s slumbering form. He looked dirty, unkempt, and had unshaven stubble along his jaw. But he also looked exhausted. Dark circles colored his eyes and the rise and fall of his chest was uneven suggesting that his sleep was troubled.

He was grieving as well. She couldn’t tell if that made her feel better or worse.

Pearl started to turn the door handle to leave, but she stopped when she heard Greg’s voice cut through the air.

“Rose.”

The sound was a sword plunging straight into the core of her gem.

She had to know. She needed more than that, but this was the one thing she could take.

Pearl’s fingers trembled as she reached for the hem of Greg’s shirt, her movements hesitant yet driven by an aching need to unravel the enigma of Rose’s affection for this human. The coarse fabric slid upwards, revealing a landscape of skin. What Rose saw in this meaty flesh, Pearl couldn’t fathom.

“Rose saw beauty here,” she whispered to herself, her voice a mix of wonder and disdain.

As she fumbled with the button of his jeans, her hands shook violently—her desperation clawing at her insides like a relentless storm. She needed to understand, to dissect the bond between Rose and this man to extract some semblance of reasoning.

Planting herself on his bare thighs, she whispered, her voice thick with emotions she refused to name, “Why did she choose you?”

He stirred, a mumble escaping his lips as he shifted in his makeshift bed. Even asleep, there was a sense of openness about him, a willingness to embrace whatever came his way — a trait that Rose must have admired.

Pearl’s hands trembled as she perched on Greg’s thighs. She could feel the heat of his body through the thin fabric of his shirt, a stark reminder of his humanity—his morality—and the unfathomable reason why Rose had chosen him.

Perhaps, Pearl could see some appeal, but objectively, Greg was flawed. What did he have that Pearl lacked?

“Why? Why you?” Pearl’s voice cracked, the words laced with anger and frustration. Her fists clenched the material of his shirt, a futile attempt to draw out answers from the fabric.

Greg’s eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding his gaze as he focused on the pale figure before him. “Pearl?” His voice was hoarse, laced with sleep. “What...what are you doing?”

“Trying to see what she saw in you,” Pearl replied, her words spilling out raw and unfiltered. The vulnerability of her confession stung, leaving her feeling exposed, more naked than the man whose personal boundaries she was violating.

“Why wasn’t I good enough?” she demanded, her hands clenching the fabric of his shirt, seeking purchase in a world that had slipped from her control.

“Hey, hey, breathe, Pearl,” Greg said softly, his initial shock melting into concern. “I don’t have all the answers. I wish I did,” he admitted, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. He moved cautiously, keenly aware of her fragile state, his hands hovering before tentatively resting on her shaking shoulders. “Rose had her reasons…But she loved you, Pearl. She loved all of us, in ways we’re still trying to understand.” Greg’s eyes held a solemn depth, shadows of lost love swirling within them. “I miss her too, more than I can say.”

Pearl’s breath hitched, a silent sob caught in her throat. Her eyes flickered with the shadows cast by the dim light of the dashboard as her mask of disdain wavered.

“I just... I don’t understand her,” Pearl whispered, her gaze distant, as if she were speaking more to herself than to Greg. “Rose found something in you, and I couldn’t see it. I still can’t.” Her words hung between them.

“Rose saw a lot of things we didn’t,” Greg replied, his thumb brushing against her knuckles in a soothing rhythm. “She loved us both, in ways we might never fully get. If you think that... being closer, being... intimate will help us understand, then—then okay.” He swallowed hard. “I’ll do it if it helps you find some peace.”

The still night air was filled with the gentle hum of the universe outside the van. The world seemed to shrink to just the two of them. Pearl’s hands, usually so sure and precise, trembled like leaves in a storm as she reached out, her pale fingers brushing against Greg’s bare skin.

“Are you sure you want this?” Greg’s voice broke through the thick silence, laced with concern and something akin to pain.

“Rose found solace in this,” Pearl said, her voice barely a whisper, “I need to understand.”

As she moved closer, the fabric of her clothing phased from her slender form, there was a momentary connection, an almost electric charge that filled the space between them. But as soon as their bodies met, reality came crashing down like a wave of cold ocean water. Pearl recoiled, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and disgust, her breath hitching in her throat.

“I... I can’t do this,” she admitted, instantly phasing her clothes back on. She stumbled backward, her body sagging as if she’d been hollowed out from the inside.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Pearl.” Greg sat up, reaching out to steady her.

“No, it’s not.” Pearl collapsed beside him, her body folding into itself as she wrapped her arms around her knees. Tears formed trails on her cheeks. I don’t believe it will ever be again. I don’t know what to do without her here!”

Slowly, Greg wrapped his arms around her trembling frame. She didn’t pull away, instead allowing herself to collapse against his chest, her sobs muffled by his simple t-shirt. She hated herself for seeking solace in the warmth of his embrace, for the way her hostility ebbed in the face of his unwavering kindness.

“Shhh, it’s okay, Pearl. It’s okay to be lost,” Greg murmured, his own eyes misting as he held her.

Through her tears, Pearl glimpsed the innocence of Steven sleeping nearby, and a pang of guilt lanced through her. She was not the only one grieving, not the only one left behind. Perhaps in their shared loss, they could find a path forward, together.

“I’ve been unfair to you,” she breathed, her voice a fragile thread in the fabric of the night. “I despised the idea of you, of what you represented. It was easier than admitting that I’m scared... scared of being alone, scared of not knowing who I am without her.”

 “It’s okay to be scared.” His voice was a low rumble of empathy. “It means you care, you love.” His hand, His hand, calloused from years of strumming his guitar, tentatively found hers, offering a silent promise of support. “I’m scared too.”

Pearl’s eyes met his, and in them, she saw a reflection of her pain—a shared heartache that transcended their differences. It was a connection she had fought against, fearing it would invalidate her feelings, and make her lesser somehow. But as they sat there, two souls stripped bare by grief, Pearl began to realize their similarities.

“Rose loved so many things.” Her voice cracked under the weight of her vulnerability. “She loved the Earth, humans. She loved this intimacy. Why couldn’t it be enough for her to stay? It feels like I’ve lost everything.” Pearl’s voice was raw, her body shaking with the enormity of her loss. “Why does it feel like I’m nothing without her?”

“Because she meant everything to us,” he replied softly, a note of his own sorrow threading his words. “But, we’re not nothing. We’re here, together, trying to make sense of it all. Pearl, we don’t have to do this alone. We’ve got each other, and we’ve got Steven. I see her in him. Maybe...maybe that’s part of why she did it. So, we could still have a piece of her, even after...”

“Even after she chose you.” The accusation lingered between them, heavy and unwelcome. But as she looked into Greg’s eyes—red-rimmed and earnest—she knew her resentment was misplaced. It wasn’t hatred she felt for Greg; it was envy, it was fear. He had been chosen to share something with Rose that she never could, and now he was connected to the new life that had replaced her.

“Chose me?” Greg exhaled, a humorless chuckle escaping him. “Pearl, I don’t think Rose ‘chose’ anyone. She just wanted to experience everything about this world. And that included...this,” he gestured to Steven, a shared ache in his movement.

“Experience,” Pearl echoed hollowly. The concept was foreign, nonsensical—why choose the path of humanity, with its brevity and its mistakes, over millennia of certainty? These thoughts swirled within her, a tempest that threatened to uproot her from the inside out.  “We don’t have to figure it out right now. Let’s just take it one day at a time,” Greg suggested, the lines of his face etched with a weariness that mirrored her own. “For him. For her.”

Pearl’s chest heaved, each breath a struggle against the weight of sorrow that pressed upon her. The stark reality of Greg’s words encircled her, and within their confines, she found an unexpected solace. Her eyes, luminous in the dim light of the van, traced the lines of worry that creased his forehead, etched by years of laughter and heartache.

“Greg,” she began, her voice a mere whisper, fragile as a soap bubble on the verge of bursting. “I don’t know how to—”

“Shhh.” Greg’s voice was gentle, a soothing balm. “You don’t have to know. Not right now.”

Pearl’s gaze shifted from the vinyl interior of Greg’s van—walls that felt too close, air tinged with the scent of motor oil and fast-food wrappers—to the innocent cause of so much upheaval.  The swaddled baby’s soft breaths were rhythmic, a lullaby muddied by the arrhythmic drumming of her own heart. Pearl’s fingers twitched, longing for the familiar weight of a sword hilt or the cool touch of Rose’s hand. Tentatively, she reached out, her fingers grazing the soft tuft of hair on his head.

“Steven...” Pearl tested the name like a new language on her tongue. There was love there, buried beneath the pain, a flickering hope that maybe he would help bridge the gap between past and future.

“Let’s start there,” Greg suggested, his voice warm and steady. His hand, calloused from years of strumming his guitar, held hers with a tenderness that felt like an anchor in a sea of chaos.

Pearl nodded, allowing herself to feel the weight of his hand in hers, the tentative promise of understanding, of healing. She didn’t have to let go of her love for Rose, but perhaps she could learn to share it with the person Rose had chosen to entrust with her most precious gift: Steven.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Greg said, offering her a small, hopeful smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

One step at a time, Pearl repeated internally, allowing the phrase to settle over her chaotic thoughts like a blanket.

Pearl’s defenses, once as formidable as the armor of a knight, crumbled. She allowed herself to lean into Greg, her body trembling with the effort of releasing years of pent-up resentment and fear. His arms encircled her again in a hesitant embrace, as if afraid she might shatter at the slightest pressure.

Pearl closed her eyes, allowing his warmth to envelop her. At that moment, she felt a glimmer of understanding.

“Okay,” she breathed out, finally allowing herself to lean into the comfort offered.

Greg’s hold tightened ever so slightly—an affirmation, a promise.

A fragile truce formed in the quiet of the night.  They sat there, two souls adrift, anchored only by the tiny breathing figure in front of them and the fragile hope that perhaps beyond the shadow of Rose Quartz, this root of healing would grow stronger with the promise of dawn.