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serendipitous-posts · 5 years ago

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Pearl’s Place in the Wayfarer Au

I have actually gone mad with imaginary power, I am the make believe God of this world, and I am fixing some things.

I always hated the Rose was Pink Diamond Reveal; not only because it was really only for shock value and destroyed Rose Quartz’s character, but, more importantly, it destroyed Pearls.

So, some changes have been made for this Au

Pearl was born as Facet-4P3L Cut-2XX, and was specifically made for White Diamond after her last Pearl was shattered due to incompetence

Pearl was slightly unusual due to her colouring-usually a Diamond’s Pearl matches up with their colours exactly- like how Blue Pearl has blue skin and hair, and Yellow Pearl has yellow skin, hair and eyes. But our Pearl has white skin, blue eyes and a peachy pink hair. It wasn’t a defect; it was just odd since Pearl’s aren’t usually this colourful

White Diamond was less than pleased that Pearl didn’t look exactly like her; in the whiteness that was her court, Pearl stood out. But, as Pearl did her job well, there wasn’t really a reason to shatter her as long as she stayed out of the way

Working under White Diamond was awful. Absolute perfection was expected at all times, and punishments were common in her court for misconduct. Pearl was constantly on edge, constantly stressed and while her fellow Pearls tried to help her out, there was only so much they could do from different courts

Pearl developed an anxiety disorder from the constant, neverending paranoia, and some pretty severe OCD

Pearls who work for Diamonds are the highest rankest Pearls out there, but that’s not saying much. All that really means is that nobody will shatter or poof them for screwing up. They had no rights, no possessions, nothing, and if they ever made a mistake in a Diamonds presence . . well

Let’s just say Pearl has a very good reason to be obsessed with perfection and cleaning in the present day. There’s a reason why Pearl has so little self esteem

And then Pink Diamond broke her Pearl, and asked White if they could switch out

Pink Pearl, who was so used to the childish Pink Diamond, was clearly out of place in White’s Court. One day, she makes a joke, or screws something up, and White decides to brainwash her. An extra pair of eyes and ears, how useful! And no more annoying Pearl, chattering and flitting about her Court, a win-win really

Our Pearl, though is over the moon! Pink Diamonds Court is naturally a lot more relaxed, and though she does find that annoying at times, she can get away with a lot more now. She can finally relax a bit

She sees Spinel a couple of times, though they’re not really friends. Spinel usually stays in the garden and rarely visits Homeworld, while Pearl never really visits the garden save for a couple of rare occasions

Spinel is the only one of her kind, however, and was created after the Pearl’s swap, so to Pearl she is very memorable as she remembers the day she was first brought in

When she discovers what happened with Pink Pearl, she is horrified, but a small part of her is guiltily grateful. After all, White now has a different Pearl, she has no use for her . . . .

Unless Pink asks to swap back again

To say she panics is an understatement. She doesn’t want what happened to Pink Pearl to happen to her, so she does everything she can to make Pink Diamond happy, anything to stop her from sending her back to White Diamond. This dynamic, of Pearl giving and giving, and Pink Diamond taking it all, is incredibly toxic, but Pink Diamond doesn’t realise this, thinking Pearl just wants to be her friend

She falls back into her old ways, walking on eggshells around everyone, with panic attacks start becoming more and more common. The very real threat that Pink may send her back if she gets bored of her is very real

And a part of her tries to justify it, says that maybe Pink Pearl deserved it somehow- White had never punished her like that, after all, and she was a massive screw up, so Pink Pearl must of have done something seriously bad to get that

What she doesn’t yet realise is that the realisation that what White Diamond did to Pink Pearl was horrifying, that was the first step to freedom; the subconscious acknowledgement that what the most perfect Diamond had done was wrong, and she didn’t want it to happen to her

Before I go on, I should say the one big thing I’m changing between this AU and canon, besides the Pink Pearl and Spinel thing

In this AU, Pearl didn’t know Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond

When Pink got her colony, she was overjoyed, and visited often, but it was around this time that dissent was starting to rise up through the ranks

Pearl ignored them, of course. Her job was to serve her Diamond, not take part in a stupid war. . . . .. but she still exchanges information with Yellow and Blue Pearl, because they’re friends and she’s curious

But she doesn’t have an interest in the rebellion. She’s a Pearl, and a fairly high ranking one too. Pink Diamond has treated her very well, as well as anyone can treat a Pearl, and her diamond has never mistreated anyone

Then she finds out how Pink Pearl became cracked

It was accidental, to be honest; the simple fact that there had been another Pearl in the room when Pink Diamond slammed Pink Pearl into a wall, screaming awful things at her. It wasn’t like anyone was going to believe the word of a Pearl over a Diamond, but she wanted to warn Pearl, to let her know of the dangers of Pink Diamonds temper

And now, now Pearl is conflicted. Her Diamond slammed a Pearl into a wall. Who cares? But why would she do it? Pinkie was just standing there, she didn’t do anything! Diamond’s are perfect, I’m sure she had her reasons. I know her reasons, she got into a fight with White! Oh, so you think it’s White’s fault?

Had it been any other situation, had it been any other Pearl, things may of have gone differently. But Pearl had been coded to serve White Diamond, and then given to Pink.

Had Pink Diamond gotten into a fight with, say, Yellow, and then hurt Pink Pearl, then Pearl would of have jumped to blame Yellow Diamond. While Pearl’s are bred to adore all Diamonds, they are usually loyal to the Diamond they serve. But Pearl served both, leaving her confused

Pearl’s protect each other. They’re all they have, and the idea of Pinkie, her friend, getting attacked for no reason-

And, for the very first time, doubt solidifies in Pearl’s stomach. Were the Diamond’s flawless? Because this didn’t seem perfect

A part of her starts to . . not resent but begin to begin to resent Pink Diamond. She’s starting to realise that Pink Diamond isn’t some perfect matriarch, she’s more like a gemling, wanting to be entertained, and as long as Pearl does this, she is useful

Every Pearl is created for a specific purpose to suit their master and Pearl was created as a sort of super computer for White, to process data. She was never meant to entertain, and was never supposed to be expected to. The idea that she could be shattered because of something outside of her coding is galling- she always imagined that when she would be shattered, it would be because of her own incompetence

The doubt grows and grows and grows like a tumour, and she finally realises: none of this is her fault. Not hers or Pink Pearl’s. It’s not even arrogance, it’s simple data and facts, the very core of her being. Pinkie was created to entertain, not process and organise. The fact that she failed would be like if we humans judged a fish for not being able to climb, it’s not in their coding.

But if it’s not their fault. . . . . then aren’t the Diamond’s the one to blame?

She asks Blue and Yellow Pearl to find her a dissenter, and asks to join the rebellion

She spread information through the courts, becoming a messenger between them, all the while ignoring the blank gaze of what had once been Pink Pearl

Stories came in, describing Earth’s beauty, and the creatures living on it. But, more than that, stories of shatterings, of experiments on gems, of backstabbing, of cruelty, all of them circulating Homeworld and beyond

The idea of rebellion had been on the rise long before Rose Quartz ever showed up, but when she did, they had a figurehead, and everyone flocked to her

Rose Quartz was very surprised to see Pearl there, and tried asking about why she was here, and Pearl told her everything she had learned and seen and experienced

I think, to Pink Diamond, this would of have been an eye opening experience. She had seen Pearl, like Pink Pearl, as a friend. Sure, she was slightly awkward about it all, but she seemed so eager to help and do things for her that she just assumed-

But hearing this, this hatred in Pearl’s voice, when describing what she had done to her former Pearl- and a part of her cringed at how awful it sounded when Pearl described it to her

So, the rebellion happens as per normal, and Pearl falls for Rose, as per usual, and the rest of the show happens

Rose Quartz fakes her own death either by using a projection or just leaving some “diamond shards” and shapeshifting while sprinting away

Sometimes she wonders what happened to her fellow Pearls, and are they alright. If Blue and Yellow Diamond ever found out that their Pearls had been passing along information, if Pink Pearl was ever released-

She feels a lot of guilt over what happened with Pink Pearl, and feels even guiltier that she was relieved that it was Pink instead of her that was brainwashed. She tries to make up for it in other ways, throwing herself into battle to save others, being reckless, working herself into the ground to help others-

It’s really not healthy

Centuries later, Pearl discovers that Pink Pearl and Spinel have been on Earth since the end of the Gem War, travelling all over

The reunion is probably filled with a lot of crying, shouting and “where have you been, you clod”’s

The other gems are very confused

So there we go. Pearl was always one of my favourite characters- besides Peridot, and the brutal annihilation of her character was always really annoying to me. I’ll probably go into detail into how Pearl reacted when she discovered who Rose really was (hint; badly) but at a later date.

The Rose and Pearl ship has always had the potential to be super toxic- with how quickly Rose shifted her attention onto Greg, completely ignoring Pearl’s feelings, how Rose basically decided to die and leave the gems to figure out the corrupted gems and the threat of Homeworld and raise Steven.

In show, Pearl and Garnet episodes are usually centered around Rose or fusion/future vision respectively, so I think in this Au, we’re going to have some changes, maybe a couple actually focusing on the implications of Pearl being a slave, or Garnet refiguring out her place in the team.

And I’m really tempted to make this Au VolleySpinEarl (though her nickname will not be Volleyball)

#steven universe au #wayfarer au #pink pearl #pearl steven universe #white diamond pearl #pearl belonged to white diamond first #spinearl #volleypearl #volleyspinearl

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undertheinktree · 5 years ago

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Trust Fall (1/2)

In the midst of that storm he suddenly found Crowley’s hand softly pressing his arm. Gentle, patient, familiar. He used that touch to anchor himself to the ground, focusing on what he knew for certain was true and what he realized he needed to say in that moment, if things were actually going to change.

*****

When asked what the best spot in London to have a picnic is, many people will suggest the top of the hill in Greenwich park, which is described on the Royal Museums website as offering “the very best natural view of the city”.

These people are wrong.

This opinion is in fact so common that the top of the hill is constantly crammed with tourists specifically in search of the best spot in London to have a picnic, making it impossible for anybody to actually enjoy the time spent there.

When you are an angel, however, you often have the miraculous luck of finding the place almost entirely deserted. If a demon is with you, you may wonder for a moment what happened to the people who were supposed to be there. But then again, the view really is beautiful from up there, so you wonder just for a second and then forget about it.

Bathed in the afternoon sun, Aziraphale took another sip from his glass of red wine and let his gaze wander over the skyline: the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Canary Wharf, the unmistakable Gherkin.

He loved London. In 6000 years he had seen a great deal of Earth (not all of it, though, and that still amazed him): endless blue seas, welcoming small villages in the middle of the desert, mountains so high he thought a jump was enough to get back to Heaven. None of them, however, had ever felt like home, apart from London. He had seen that city rise, grow, prosper, burn, change again and again and again but somehow always staying the same even after centuries.

His lips curled slightly into a smile as he looked down at Crowley, the one constant among the infinite crowds that had walked those streets through the centuries.

The demon was lying on the grass with his head in Aziraphale’s lap, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. Aziraphale focused on the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. Even after six thousand years every now and then he found himself enthralled by the human bodies they were inhabiting: so limited, so simple and yet so incredibly complicated. How many muscles were working just to make him breathe?

He ran his fingers through Crowley’s dark red hair as gently as he could, trying not to wake him.

It had been almost a year since Adam had averted the Apocalypse and they had successfully tricked Heaven and Hell and cut ties with them, completely diving into life on Earth without putting much thought into what was Right and what was Wrong.

A year generally means nothing for immortal beings. However, Aziraphale felt as if that short period of time had been the most important of his existence, as if the millennia that had preceded it had been just a dream. Maybe being that close to losing everything he cared about had put the whole immortality thing under a new perspective and made him realize that taking things for granted was extremely dangerous. Maybe he had just started to really understand humans. Or maybe it was because of Crowley and the new, odd, bond they shared.

It had happened spontaneously, as if per the laws of physics: as soon as they had escaped the force field of Heaven and Hell, they had simply gravitated towards each other and comfortably settled into each other’s orbit. It had happened with slow, hesitant steps: finally discarding the whole “hereditary enemies” rhetoric, spending time together just for the sake of it, finding comfort in holding the other’s hand or leaning on his shoulder, being able to open up about anything was going through their minds at any given moment.

That is, almost everything.

They had never actually talked about the gradual but impossible to ignore shift in their dynamics. There was no need, Aziraphale kept telling himself. It was ineffable.

Angels really appreciate the word “ineffable” because it shields them from the reality of whatever is in front of them, which is very convenient when you need to keep blind Faith in a system you don’t really trust. Aziraphale in particular wallowed in the idea that it was impossible putting into words those feelings he had finally learnt to accept. This allowed him not to face the hundreds of ways openly discussing the subject could go wrong.

A waft of fresh air distracted Aziraphale from his introspection, caressing his face flushed by the summer heat.

A moment later Crowley’s hand was on his shoulder, closed in a firm grip.

The demon bolted upright and snapped his head left and right, eyes wide open and burning yellow.

Danger.

“What? What is it?” Aziraphale looked around for what could have triggered his senses.

Crowley’s gaze kept shifting from side to side, then it settled on the angel’s alarmed expression and softened.

“It’s just you. Of course.”

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a dry chuckle.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

Crowley groaned, “That’s what it felt like. I remembered.” He rested his elbows on his knees and hid his face in his arms. He was silent for a while, to the point that Aziraphale wondered if he had somehow fallen asleep again.

“Heaven,” he finally added.

“Oh.”

Was that a good thing or a bad thing? In doubt, Aziraphale simply didn’t inquire further.

Silence had never been a problem for them, they could spend hours without talking and still get to enjoy each other’s company. In that moment, however, the silence felt thick and tense. Distress began to grow in Aziraphale��s chest. He was about to nonchalantly comment on the butterfly that had just landed on the handle of the wicker basket when Crowley spoke again.

“Angel. Do you ever miss it?”

“Miss it? You mean Heaven?”

“Mh.”

“Oh my, no. Do you think I miss being bossed around by Gabriel? Or being able to physically feel Michael’s enormous ego? Sure, I definitely yearn for that.” Aziraphale himself was surprised by the amount of scorn and sarcasm in his own voice. Not receiving the amused reaction he expected from Crowley, he sighed.

“I mean, you know what it’s like, don’t you? It’s boring. Cold, aseptic, empty. Order, strict rules and nothing else.”

“But that’s what it’s like now. It wasn’t like that once!” Crowley barked, “In the beginning. It was different, right? It felt good. You were there and you just felt…right. Of course, wrong didn’t exist yet. You just felt right and peaceful and…” he gestured as if words were dry leaves he was trying to catch with his bare hands “You just felt like you belonged and you were protected and…like…”

“Loved?” Aziraphale suggested, with a wisp of voice.

Crowley clenched his jaw “That.” He grabbed his sunglasses he had abandoned on the grass and put them on. “That’s what it’s supposed to feel like.”

“My friend, I believe I haven’t felt like that about Heaven in a very, very long time.” Aziraphale admitted, trying to ignore the sting of guilt in the pit of his stomach.

“See, it changed! Heaven shouldn’t change, right? That’s their fault if they push people away, isn’t it?”

“I guess, but-”

Crowley sprung to his feet “Fuck it, who am I kidding? I shouldn’t be here. I’m selfish, okay? I wanted it to end on a good note, but of course that’s just making everything worse and-”

“Crowley, could you for once please slow down and tell me what is troubling you?”

One of the things Aziraphale had always found charming about the human body was the way it unintentionally reacted to whatever he was feeling in any given moment: he had learnt to expect a rush of heat to his cheeks whenever something was annoying him, and he had often realized he loved something based on the fluttery sensation in his stomach even before he was able to rationally conceive it.

Fear, he had learnt, brought along sweaty palms, shortness of breath and a feeling of tightness in his throat that made his voice sound hoarse.

He knew Crowley was staring at him from behind his sunglasses, chasing in his mind a trail of thoughts he alone was able to follow, jumping from one question to the next in a way that made sense only to him and his fascinating, unique mind.

Why that scared him in that moment, Aziraphale couldn’t tell.

Crowley sighed in defeat and sat back down, in front of him. When he spoke, his voice was soft and his words clearly carefully chosen.

“I talked to Eric yesterday.”

“Eric?”

“Demon. Fun guy, cool lashes.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No, no, not at all. It’s not that. Apparently, I’m not that much in trouble anymore down there.”

“So,” Aziraphale tilted his head, perplexed “Are you reporting again? You didn’t tell me.”

“I’m not. He came to me. He thought…He wanted to congratulate me, he said.”

“For…? My dear boy, I’m begging you to stop dancing around and just tell me. You are scaring me.”

Crowley grimaced, then took a sharp breath.

“Rumour has it they haven’t seen an angel so close to Falling in centuries. They say it’s thanks to me. My fault, I mean.”

His words dug slowly their way into Aziraphale’s mind.

It took him a few seconds to fully understand what they meant.

Fear tightened its grip on his throat.

“Oh.” he managed to say.

“It’s you. I’m sorry, Aziraphale.”

A low buzzing sound filled his ears, mixing up his thoughts and Crowley’s voice.

He was going to Fall.

“I should have known. I didn’t think it would get to this point, I didn’t think-”

How much longer would it take?

“I know a demon’s word isn’t worth much, but I swear I never wanted this, it was never my intention, I just-”

What was he supposed to do?

“I really shouldn’t be here. I should speak to Beelzebub. Would it help? They might intercede or whatever, I don’t know-”

Would it hurt?

“I should be banging on Heaven’s door threatening to burn the whole place down if they even try to-”

How much would it change him?

“For Hell’s sake, I should have never talked to you in the first place, it would have been better. How was I supposed to know that-”

“Crowley, will you stop making this about yourself, please?” Aziraphale snapped.

Crowley froze for a moment. He frowned, incredulous.

“I-what- How is not wanting you to Fall ‘making it about me’?” he hissed.

“I just mean…give me a moment, alright?”

His voice was quavering. He had forgotten how to breathe. Of course, angels don’t really need to breathe, but in that moment he had forgotten that too. For the second time that day Aziraphale wondered what were the muscles responsible for that automatic and yet apparently arduous act, and why he couldn’t seem to make his own work.

“You are talking as if you’re responsible for this. Let me tell you, you might be an amazing tempter, but I believe in this case you are giving yourself too much credit.”

“Listen, I’m just saying-”

Aziraphale raised a finger, asking for silence. He closed his eyes, trying to quiet the noises in his head and disentangle the skein of conflicting thoughts, emotions and unanswerable questions that kept hitting him like ocean waves.

He was finally able to take a deep breath.

“I love you, Crowley. You know that, right?”

Crowley audibly gasped. He straightened his back as if an ice cube had just slid down his spine. Aziraphale wished he hadn’t put his sunglasses on, so that he could at least guess what he was feeling behind the blank expression that had appeared on his face.

“Of course, you’re an angel, that’s what you do.”

“It’s not just that. I just… I love you,” he reiterated, realizing that saying it out loud made it sound obvious. He should have said it ages before.

Crowley inhaled deeply and balled his hand into a fist, pressing his lips on his knuckles.

“Don’t. Why would- Don’t do this to me. We’re not having this conversation right now,” he said in a brittle voice.

Aziraphale bit his tongue, aware of having bigger problems at hand than the disappointment he felt rising in his chest.

“What I mean is that when you say that you shouldn’t be with me now or that it would have been better if we’d never met, well, you can’t say that lightly. It’s me we are talking about here. I suppose it’s up to me to decide what is or isn’t worth losing, am I right?”

Crowley hummed in agreement.

“And if indeed I Fall, it will be because of the decisions I’ve made. Can’t argue with free will, can you?” he took the half-empty bottle of wine from the basket and took a gulp. “Besides, it will still be better than when they tried to kill us, right?”

“Aziraphale, I don’t think you understand how serious the situation is.”

“Oh, believe me, I do. I’m just trying to stay positive. The show must go on.”

“Don’t quote Queen against me,” Crowley groaned, “Angel, we must do something. I’m trying to help you. Falling? You don’t know what it’s like.”

“Then tell me about it,” he replied. A moment later he realized what he had said and brought a hand to his mouth “Oh no, I’m sorry. There really is no need. I’m sorry.”

The demon sighed. His Fall had been a sort of taboo between them for six thousand years but, given the circumstances, talking about it was inevitable. He snatched the bottle of wine from Aziraphale’s hand and swigged from it before talking.

“It’s hard to describe, to be honest. Let’s just say that it… It rewrites your entire existence. Everything you have been up to that point doesn’t matter anymore. You are an angel, you are light, you are love, you are joy… a moment later you are Falling. That’s all you are in that moment. Nothing else. Stuck in a limbo.”

He looked up at the London skyline. They had been there for hours, the sun was beginning to set, colouring the sky in pink and orange hues.

“It burns. Yes, physically, your wings are literally on fire,” he chuckled bitterly, “but it’s mostly something you feel deep within you. You can try and miracle it away, but it just keeps resurfacing. I guess that’s Grace leaving your soul. Or maybe whatever goodness is left in you by this time just rejects what you are becoming and tries to kill it while there’s still time.”

Crowley’s voice was so low and guttural Aziraphale could barely hear. He slowly moved closer, right to his side, bewitched by the trance-like state the other seemed to be in.

“The Fall feels like it lasts a century. Then, as you’re bracing for the impact thinking ‘there we are, let’s get this over’, just then you find out that not even the ground wants to touch such an unworthy being and so it opens under you and you just keep Falling, deeper and deeper. And just when you start to believe that’s what your existence is going to be like, that you will just keep Falling for the rest of Eternity, that’s when you finally crash. And that’s literally the worst Goddamn pain you can ever feel. It’s like the whole weight of Heaven and Earth was dropped on your chest.” He took off his glasses and slowly rubbed his eyes.

Aziraphale brushed his arm tentatively, expecting him to flinch. Instead, Crowley leaned his head on his shoulder.

“From that point it’s just Hell. Loneliness, disgust, fury. Hatred for what you were and hatred for what you’ve become. It takes centuries to learn to feel anything else again. If you ever do. I was one of the lucky few.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost contemplating different versions of Hell. Aziraphale almost believed to see a flaming trail crossing the London sky.

“You can’t Fall.” Crowley’s voice at that point wasn’t much more than a whisper “Not you. You’re too good. Nothing good ever came out of that.”

“You did,” Aziraphale stated, matter-of-factly. Crowley didn’t answer.

“I wish I had been there to help you. At the time. But I will be all right, Crowley. I’m certain of that.”

“I will catch you.”

Aziraphale felt a sincere smile forming on his lips. There it was, among terror, pain and grief: Crowley’s optimism. The idea that, if he wanted it hard enough, he could just catch a Fallen angel, simply pick him up and carry him out of Hell.

Aziraphale doubted that was possible. However, he took what little Faith was still left in his soul and put it in those words.

“I know you will”.

part 2

#good omens #good omens fic #i'm crying i actually did it #you can't understand what a huge deal finishing something like this is for me #it's half-assed in some parts but who cares #ineffable husbands #fallen aziraphale #if i'm able to write part 2 too i'll be the happiest blob in the world #to noise making philosophy actually works #hhhh it's so long nobody will read this but at least i did iiiiit #i write stuff

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 8 years ago

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Sharna Burgess Reveals 16 'Dancing With the Stars' Secrets: Hidden Cameras, Val's Dating Advice & More!

brightcove

With the season 24 premiere of Dancing with the Stars just hours away, ET turned to one of the show's fan-favorite pro dancers, Sharna Burgess, to spill some secrets. The fiery dancer joined ET's Lauren Zima for a candid Facebook Live chat last week, and dished all about her new partner, her dating life and her tricks to DWTS success. Here are the 16 things we learned!

1. Sharna thinks the ladies are the ones to beat this season.

"I have to say that the talent we have in this cast, especially on the female side, I think it's the strongest that we've ever seen on Dancing with the Stars," Burgess predicted, citing Glee star Heather Morris, Fifth Harmony's Normani Kordei, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne as ones to watch this season.

Burgess is a big fan of Jayne, whom she called "incredibly talented." "She's so wonderful and so down to Earth. [She] and Gleb already have some fun chemistry between the two of them," Burgess said of the reality star and singer.

Ultimately, Burgess believes the female celebs "are going to dominate a lot this season," adding that "the male celebs [and their partners], we've got our work cut out for us." Aside from her own partner, Bonner Bolton, Burgess is keeping an eye on Rashad Jennings (partnered with Emma Slater) and Bachelor Nick Viall.

2. But she doesn't think Heather Morris (or anyone) has an "unfair advantage."

When the conversation turned to the controversy that Morris has faced over her casting, with some saying her dance experience (including performing backup for Beyoncé) gives her an unfair advantage on the show, Burgess disagreed with the detractors, asking, "Where is the rule that says [the contestants] can't have dance experience? Does it make my job harder? Absolutely. Is it intimidating? Yes. The girl danced with Beyoncé."

EXCLUSIVE: Heather Morris Defends Professional Dance Experience Ahead of 'Dancing With the Stars' Debut

Burgess went on to explain that "everyone in the entertainment industry has had some sort of dance training at some point." She pointed out that while there are some contestants that are coming on the show with absolutely no dance experience, there are gymnasts with ballet training and pop stars with jazz training participating.

Talking about Morris specifically, Burgess says "she's actually an incredible woman. She's a mom and, yeah, she can dance. So we're going to be able to see some incredible choreography and some incredible pieces from her and [Maksim Chmerkovskiy]. And I think that's going to be entertaining."

3. Sharna is the last single girl on DWTS... and she loves it, except for the actual dating part!

"I'm actually having the time of my life being single," Burgess gushed to ET while also admitting that "dating is impossible." The gorgeous redhead has been single for about a year, after breaking up with her long-term boyfriend. Burgess told ET that she's taken this year to find herself again after years of being a "serial monogamist".

While she acknowledges that her busy Dancing schedule does get in the way of her dating life, Burgess does know what she's looking for in a man -- someone strong and confident, who can handle her life in the public eye.

"It's so hard to meet great people and to know if they're genuine or not. And it's a genuine concern," Burgess explained. "Do you want the redhead from DWTS or do you want Sharna Burgess, who I am inside?" She doesn't dwell on it too much though, saying that she's a pretty good judge of character and quick to tell if someone is dating her for the wrong reasons.

Burgess also joked that her single status may have played in her favor when producers were casting this season. "At the moment, I am the only single girl in the cast, so I get put with the hot, single guy," she laughed. "Such a shame!"

4. ...And she got some great dating advice from Val Chmerkovskiy.

It looks like Val Chmerkovskiy might want to consider becoming a relationship guru when he hangs up his dancing shoes. Burgess dished about a recent conversation she had with the 30-year-old dancer when she was looking to get another outlook on why she's still single.

"I was like, 'Babe, I have no game,'" Burgess told us. "And [Val] said, 'You don't need to have game. You're a good-looking, beautiful, strong woman. You'll be fine. Men are supposed to have game.'"

Chmerkovskiy's advice changed Burgess' perspective on the situation, leading her to conclude, "maybe I haven't found the guy with the right game yet."

When we asked her to return the favor for Chmerkovskiy, she admitted that "the right one hasn't come along yet [for Val], but I think he'll get swept off his feet at some point."

"I think it's going to be a very special woman that eventually catches Val's eye in that way. And I think she's going to have to be a very strong woman. He likes strong women -- strong, passionate, driven and intelligent," she continued. "He's got such a big heart." Aww!

WATCH: Val Chmerkovskiy Addresses Amber Rose Split for the First Time: 'I'll Always Have Her Back'

5. She's got "big time" baby fever!

"I mean, yes, let's be real. I'm 31. I want babies," Burgess declared, adding that it feels like everyone in her life is having babies right now.

"It doesn't make me envious in any way, and it doesn't make me wish it was right now," she said. "I know that my life will have it happen when it's meant to."

Burgess has been fully focused on her career to this point, putting a lot of love and passion into her work. She also reminded ET that she now has a "very, very scrumptious little nephew that [she] can play with."

Burgess absolutely gushed over her baby "nephew," Shai Chmerkovskiy, saying, "He is perfection! He is the most perfect little man. He's the most beautiful blend of the two of them [Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy]. He has Peta's gorgeous lips. He's going to break some hearts when he's older."

When it comes to Shai's parents, Burgess has nothing but praise for the way Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy are balancing raising their newborn with their work on the show. "I love being around them and around them as a family," she said. "That little boy has really come into a lot of love and a lot of people that are going to be there for him and support him no matter what."

EXCLUSIVE: Maksim Chmerkovskiy Praises Peta Murgatroyd for Returning to 'DWTS' 2 Months After Giving Birth

6. She's going to be a bridesmaid in Peta & Maks' wedding.

Speaking of Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd, Burgess revealed that she will be a bridesmaid in their upcoming wedding! She couldn't share more details about the big day because she didn't want to get in trouble with her friends, but teased that the event "will be absolutely stunning and magical and the most perfect day. From everything [I've heard], it's just going to be unbelievable."

Burgess is most excited to share the big day with Murgatroyd, who has been a close friend of hers for 10 years, saying that it's "phenomenal" to watch her pal grow into a mother and bride-to-be. The dancer admitted that she'll be emotional on the big day, saying, "I will cry enough for everybody!"

7. How do the minds behind DWTS choose the partnerships? Think drama!

Burgess confirmed that the pro dancers have no say about who they're going to dance with each season. "The producers like to create storylines," she explained. "[Audiences] like the couple that maybe might fight a little bit, the couple that's going to flirt a little bit, the brother/sister love, and the couple that's going to do amazing choreography."

As far as the process of pairing the couples, Burgess speculated that "[the producers] put all of our photos on a big board somewhere, and talk about us as people, and probably psychoanalyze us, and figure out how they can get stories out of us. It's really interesting. We never know how they do it." While Burgess admits that it sometimes seems like the producers don't get the pairings quite right, she's been lucky with their choices for her.

"They always have a 'grand idea,'" she explained. "You want different dynamics throughout the show and you want there to be controversy. You want there to be story and ups and downs."

8. Which partner Burgess had the most "ups & downs" with:

Burgess describes her season 22 partnership with "incredibly talented" Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown as a "roller coaster." Burgess and Brown are now wonderful friends and talk all the time. However, while the two were partners on the show, Burgess says, "it took us a minute to find our chemistry and our vibe and understand each other and be able to work well with each other." The pair made the semifinals and finished the competition in fifth place, but Burgess believes their awkward relationship hurt their chances.

"I fully believe that he could have made it to the final and gone all the way. He was so, so talented and lovable," she explains. "But our chemistry and our balance was so off in the very beginning that none of our best traits were coming off on camera. It sort of, just came off a little bit awkward. We found our groove by like, week five, but by then people had already picked their favorites, so it was too late."

9. Which dance partners she still keeps in touch with:

"Nick [Carter], Noah [Galloway] and James [Hinchcliffe] honestly are all family to me," Burgess said of the trio of her former partners. She keeps in touch with all three, still texting and catching up on FaceTime calls occasionally. Burgess hopes that Hinchcliffe will make it to Los Angeles for a show this season, telling us that she would love for him to connect with Bolton and give him some pointers. Burgess and Galloway, her season 20 partner, recently reunited onstage during this year's DWTS: Live! tour.

After finishing the tour, Burgess reteamed with Carter, going to work choreographing numbers for the Backstreet Boys' residency in Las Vegas. According to Burgess, her former partner was the fastest in the group to pick up the new moves and the other members told her that they attribute his newfound confidence on the dance floor to her. Burgess explained, "[Nick] wanted to feel like he was a better dancer, because he always felt like he got pushed to the back because he wasn't [a good dancer]. Now he's right up there in the front."

10. The key to a great partnership is to involve the significant others.

The dancer said it's really important as the pro to become friends with both your partner and their significant other. Using her partnership with Hinchcliffe and his girlfriend, actress Becky Dalton, as an example, Burgess explained that she would have conversations with Dalton to make sure that she was comfortable. "When we had rumba for [week six], I said, 'James, you need to talk to Becky,'" she recalled. "'Because this dance is about to be very, very intimate and our noses are going to touch and we're going to have to tell a love story. And I think you should just give her a little heads up on that.'"

Burgess commiserates with the celebrities' significant others because the partnerships do become very close, agreeing that it would be difficult for anyone to "sit on the outside." of." In Burgess' mind, that's why "it's so important to bring that person in. You go to dinner after the show. You talk about it; they're part of the whole experience. And I think that's when it can be smooth sailing."

11. There are "hidden cameras everywhere" at DWTS.

Burgess always warns her partners early on that there are cameras everywhere (in rehearsals, backstage, all over the studio) and that anything those cameras or microphones catch might end up in the segments that run on the show before the couples dance. She advised, "You have to realize that every single word that we say is on camera. And it can be daunting. It can be a really hard thing for people to get used to." Because the celebrities (and their professional partners) are dealing with a lot of pressure on the show, Burgess suggests one rule --"Try not to blow up on camera if you're having a really bad day. Just go to the bathroom and take a little five minutes to yourself."

Burgess has forgotten her own advice at moments, admitting "I've been caught in the mirror -- the hidden camera in the mirror -- fixing my eyelashes, or you know fixing my makeup, not realizing there [are] now hidden cameras everywhere on Dancing With the Stars."

12. Double-sided tape is a dancer's best friend.

Burgess told ET the fashion tape is the key to making those tiny costumes look so perfect -- and stay on. "It's like that industrial-strength double-sided tape. It takes the tan off when you take the costume off, it's so intense," Burgess laughed. "But I had that (LINK) notorious nip slip about a year ago, and so I am covered head to toe with double-sided tape."

WATCH: 'DWTS' Pro Sharna Burgess Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction During Sexy Tango With Antonio Brown

But Burgess doesn't just rely on the tape for protection against wardrobe malfunctions, saying "now I get triple-checked every show, [so] that I am in nice and tight and nothing is going to fall out anywhere... When we're getting dressed, the wardrobe team has lined my costume with double-sided tape. And they put it on and then I get checked by a female producer just to make sure that everything is taped in and then we're good to go."

13. Her dream partners are very hot!

When ET asked Burgess who her dream partner on DWTS would be, she answered "Hugh Jackman" almost faster than we could get the question out. But on further consideration, Burgess says she would also want to dance with Charlie Hunnam.

"I've had a little bit of a crush on him since Sons of Anarchy," Burgess admitted. "I would love to see him on the show. I've never necessarily had the biggest celebrity [on the show], but I've had people with incredible stories and I love that. And I wouldn't want to change that."

14. Her biggest regret from last season:

Burgess calls season 23 a "perfect season" for her, but if she could do anything differently, she would've "tried to have not fallen over and injured my knee." After having to sit out of the competition for two weeks, Burgess says that her knee has been "amazing" since. Between seasons 23 and 24, Burgess participated in the 43-city winter tour and says that she didn't have a single problem with her knee and that it feels stronger than ever, crediting stem cell treatments for saving her season.

15. What coming in second place last season taught her:

"As sad as it was, as much as I wanted that for James [Hinchcliffe] last season, it wasn't meant to be," she says about coming in second place with the IndyCar driver in season 23. Burgess called Hinchcliffe her "muse", crediting him with helping her create some of her favorite choreography in her career. She says he also taught her to push through any adversity or challenge. Burgess hopes to apply what she learned to working with Bolton this season, saying "The greatest thing I could take away from my experience with James was to remember to laugh every day".

16. Where she'll put that mirror ball trophy when she finally wins!

With the upcoming season being her ninth as a professional dancer on the show and making the finals three times (finishing in second place with partners James Hinchcliffe and Nick Carter, and third place with Noah Galloway), Burgess is ready to bring the mirror ball trophy home. But where will she put it?

"I might just carry it for a long time," she laughed, "[I might] double-sided tape it just to my shoulder so everyone knows I finally did it." Burgess doesn't see herself taking a break from Dancing anytime soon, saying "I think I'll be around for a while. I at least need to win one."

Will ET finally get #JusticeForSharna in the form of a win for the dancer? We'll find out when Dancing With the Stars kicks off its 24th season tonight, airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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