#i am in my pearl era and i will destroy anyone who gets in my way

[we-dragons]

I'm from a different dimension actually Chapter 7 Damian x reader

"Ira! I need my emergency kit!" Molly is pulling at my hair with a brush, I grimace at my reflection, she had put pearls and violet gems in my hair. Seeing as it already wasn't long bearly pushing past my ears, even though there aren't many of them in there it ways down in some places. I had already allowed her to put me in a ball gown, which I'm sure costs much more than my apartment building. It reminds me of peacock feathers, purples, greens, blues fill the cloth they blend seamlessly dark purple at the top and ending with blue at the bottom. I look at the matching marbled shoes and guilt climbs through me.

"Molly I don't need makeup, I'm already in a peacock dress, and there are gems in my hair. Besides the mascara is enough I don't want to spend an hour rubbing anything else off." Molly gasps, a hand gripping at her heart.

"Why-how could you say such a thing!" Ira hands Molly her phone, she screams. "We're going to be late! Ira put the bag back!" I'm yanked from my chair and raced down the hall within minutes I'm thrown into a limo with Molly's parents. Molly jumps in starting to yell at the driver shocking her parents who kept telling her to calm down. It doesn't take long to get to Wayne Manor, the courtyard is crowded filled with flashing lights from cameras reporters, and newscasts. They surrounded every inch with an exception of a semi-circle right at the front of the building where the car pulled up. Once more I'm pulled roughly out of the vehicle by molly, I nearly trip going up the stairs.

"Molly dear, we need to go in together!" My friend's mother pants from behind her husband seems to be in a similar position as me. Like mother like daughter.

I pull my arm away from Molly gently and smooth out my peacock dress, I sigh internally finding relief that I had personally told Molly to make the dress so it covered without it being tight. If I didn't then I would be pulling up the fabric like Molly who went not so modest. Not only had she blinged out she full-on black and high heels that pushed out her height. She looked good, and she made her parents match. When her mother finally catches up she puts a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

What happens after the incident leaves me at a table sitting behind a card with my name on it. Molly was seated somewhere else because I had used my own invitation instead of being a plus one. My eyes cast over the room soaking in again the decor of the newly decorated main floor. My energy seems to drain while I watch the people chat dance and laugh. No one was seated at my table and I was slightly relieved but I still felt odd. I had gone to parties with my mom in the past, ones that were held in her honor about her findings. I feel myself relishing in those memories I had looking back at the times she would pull a silly face at me while I was bored at said parties, or told a joke in some of her speeches. My mother was the expert in The Islamic Golden Era, despite not being a Muslim herself. She prided herself on giving credit to those who deserved more but had their work stolen by Europeans. But then, when she went on that Egypt and Greece dig she had found something that unnerved her. I knew what it was, and I wish I hadn't either. My happy thoughts turn sour, and I can feel myself grimace. I am tired...so tired.

"You made it, It's good to see you here." my head whips around falling on emerald eyes.

"Yeah, I had already told Molly that she could take me to the next party she goes to. However, I didn't know that if you came with an invite and not a plus one that you had to sit at a separate table." He snorts and sits down to my right.

"You were originally sat by her but father assumed I needed a friend," He shows me a card with his name on it. "so he changed Grayson out for you."

"Do you not have friends?"

"None close by."

"When have I accepted you as a friend?" He smiles

"That is a good question, but the same goes for me, you more someone I tolerate."

"Same here, Besides your a bad influence."

"tsk,...touche." his gaze looks me up and down and I have the sudden urge to say 'eyes up here'.

"You look tired, would you like to go to the library?"

"Usually libraries and tired people don't mix."

"How about a tour then, we have several artifacts my father has purchased that you might find interesting." He pushes harder.

"You want an excuse to leave, don't you? I thought my main purpose for being here was to talk to Mr.Wayne, not venture into the mansion." He sighs with his own body, visibly exaggerating the movements.

"My father is deeply preoccupied already in another engagement, he won't even be here for hours. Would you prefer to stay here doing nothing or would you like to leave?" He sounds rather annoyed while looking off to his left and scowling more. I follow my eyes to a group of three who I recognize from the cafe, all of them are pointing and smirking. I being to feel more drained at the thought of them coming here and stand. "Your home, where to first?" He shoots up, grabbing my hand dragging me through the dense crowd of people.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Amazing, this would date back to the early years of feudal Japan, this is Greek! Oh! There's a Khopesh and a Canaan Sickel sword on this wall!"

Damian scoffs sounding more like a laugh than a mocking tone. "You can tell the difference." I give him a look, feeling offended.

"Of course I can, you mostly can tell by the markings on the blade." I turn my head back to the wall slowly pointing to the distinguishable pieces of evidence. "This one is older Hebrew, and here you can see small hieroglyphics depicting the sun. Plus the metals on each blade are very different." I tilt my head back to him, his face stays indifferent. "You knew that already didn't you?" He nods and walks again.

"You must really like history, seems like you could talk about it none stop." He calls back.

"Did you forget who my mother was?"

"I thought she specialized in the Islamic golden era."

"It didn't mean she didn't know the history of other peoples. My mother developed research of anything she could get her hands on." I pause for a minute. "What about you, where did you learn."

"I was taught by some of the best in the world, my mother made sure of it."

"I see." We talk more while examining the objects displayed, I had fun just listening to him explain how his father got some of them. Though the collection wasn't huge it still made me a bit happy to see the objects. My phone buzzes, and I quickly take it out of my pocket.

Molly: Hey where are you we need to get going!

Molly: Dad got too drunk and now he's crying about the world.

Molly: We will be outside, Be there.

"Sorry, I have to get going, I'll see you at school later!" I run through the hall and snag as many macarons as I can on the way out. Molly waves from the car opening the door so I slide in faster.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Sorcerer found. Name: Doctor Fate, Subject: host"

"Anyone else?"

"Database shows,... John Constantine, and Zatanna. All other information is unavailable."

"Gather what they have on the crows send probes if you must."

"Proceeding."

Nightmare stands by the window waiting for his queue. I pull a scale out from the box and open the window. I hand him the scale and he chews effectively destroying the small miracle. "Remember stay out of sight if someone spots you wipe it from their memory and if you see a crow take the fight to the in-between and go for the kill. You have a little bit of my power with you only use it when needed." He purrs, rubbing his head on my hand, then jumps. He vanishes. I sigh putting the device in the box marked with an X just in case and push it under my bed. I head out into my living room putting some things away and cleaning here and there. Proud of my work I turn on the TV and sprawl on my sofa with a bowl of popcorn. Reruns of Highlander play on one of my favorite channels, I smile at my luck and sing to the theme song.

*Thunk thunk thunk*

I jump at the sound, I hear the noise again and follow it to my kitchen bat in hand. I flip on the light and smack my face, a very wet robin scowls at me through the glass. Only then did I notice the rain, and I pray that Nightmare is staying safe. I open the door and let him in, he mutters a thank you while walking in dipping water on my floor.

"Not to be rude, but is there something you need?" He ignores me and continues dragging water on the floor to the living room.

"Robin?" I catch up to him, he pulls something out from his ear and stuffs it in his pocket.

"I would like to stay here for a little while"

"How long is a little while, will I need to pull out the bed in the couch?" He gives me a look.

"There's a bed in your couch?"

"Sometimes I want to watch TV while I do my homework, laying down here makes it easier." I go to the bathroom to pull out some towels.

"Where was this when I was heavily injured?"

"I'm sorry, but the fact that you were bleeding was more concerning. I also put new sheets on the bed and you broke a perfectly good window. There is still blood on my cushions, and you wanted me to place you on the bed?" grabbing the biggest fluffiest towel in the bunch walking back out to the living room.

"You still on about that?"

"It was expensive!" I hold out the towel, he takes it and places his yellow cape in my hand. I frown but head to the coat rack hanging the heavy fabric on the highest rung. I feel short noticing its length, I turn back to Robin who's sat down on the couch the large towel engulfing him completely minus his hair. The black strands stuck oddly to his face and drooped sadly, I almost laugh because he looks like a sad cat. Like Nightmare whenever I give him a bath, I think I have a picture of that somewhere. "Did you want something to drink or eat?"

"Why is it that every time I come here you offer something?"

"It's a hospitality thing I got living in Minnesota, it's just being nice. Besides, you work to protect people, don't you? It only makes sense that I offer you something, I doubt you get paid to do your job. I bet you have countless scars from just doing so, I can do my part and help you feel comfortable. Call it a form of respect."

"Tsk."

I stroll into the kitchen, "Well, I suppose I could give some soda, tea, or water after all you left plenty on the floor."

"What happened to respect?"

"Well, I have feelings to sir! Tossing my words aside like that, I shouldn't even feed you." I poke my head back out, I smile at his scowl while he in turn glares at me. "Now for once, I am out of tea but I have several cans of cherry coke and some popcorn and macarons from a party I went to earlier. How about that?"

"That's fine." I hum grabbing what I needed and plopped back down in my seat handing him the coke. I place the brightly colored macarons and some chips I found between us along with the popcorn. I let myself get absorbed into the Highlander again just as MacLeod beheads another immortal and gains his Quickening.

"What is this?" My Jaw drops while I look at him concerned.

"Just how uncultured are you." His face flushes and his face twists he opens his mouth but i stop him. "Say no more, I will be right back." I come out with my computer and pull up VUDU opening season one of the show. "Sit back buckaroo, now your in for the long haul. Now right now all you need to know is 'There can only be one." His face contorts in confusion, but gives in and moves closer.

"I'm not going to get in trouble with Batman am I." He smirks.

"Most likely."

"Dammit."

[simplicity1511]

Yashahime EPISODE 1 Review

I just finished the first episode of Yashahime and OMFG!!!!!!!

There are so many emotions running through me right now as someone who watched the original series on YTV Bionix. I remember being like 5 and 6 and staying up late to watch it, sometimes even falling asleep before it aired. It’s original air time was 11pm but by the time I was around 8-9 years old, the show started airing at 9pm. 

I remember asking my aunt to wait up until I finished my favorite show before I went to bed because we were going to the airport that night to visit my cousin who had recently given birth to her second kid and I was tagging along. I remember it being the episode Kohoku regains his memories. Good thing I didn’t miss it but I sure do remember being disappointed that I wasn’t seeing InuYasha and the gang that episode.

Speaking of our boy Kohoku, it looks like he has a new weapon (that is correct, ladies and gents, our boy appears in the first episode!!) However, not adult Kohaku, our itty bitty boy from the original series.

For those that didn’t get a chance to read the manga, there's an epilogue chapter that deals with the root demon that our gang ends up fighting in the first episode and it appears to have maybe merged with the Tree of Ages. I suspect this because it shows a hole in the tree in the same location as Kikyo’s arrow had been when she shot InuYasha to it. I’m curious to see what shit this root ends up stirring.

However, the most interesting thing I discovered was not from the episode itself but  from the opening sequence as well as the next episode preview. From the looks of it, it appears as if all three girls have a pearl, Towa’s is Silver, Setsuna’s is Gold and Moroha is Red. Now given the fact that in the original series pearls played a role not once but twice in the series, both in the beginning and end, and they appear multiple times in the opening and ending sequences of the show, we know they're going to play an important role. 

The first time they appear in the original series is when our sexy Sesshomaru was trying to look for Tessaiga. In this case, the pearl was located in InuYasha’s eye and led to the land of the dead which is where we come across the bones of Inu-Pops.

The second time is when they looked for one of the last shards of the jewel which just happened to have been in the possession of the demon who created the pearl who was also located at the grave of our beloved Inu-Pops.

We also know that this demon had a son who was continuing his work at creating pearls as this is how we learn that his father, who had created InuYasha’s pearl, had already died. The most logical conclusion is the son most likely created the pearls for our three ladies. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that in the opening song, you will notice that at some point Towa’s eye starts glowing, and it has a similar appearance as InuYasha’s did when we see the pearl first appear. We know these pearls have strange abilities and for whatever reason each girl was given one. Given the fact that the girls have no knowledge of their parents, it appears that this was most likely hatched by our boys to help their daughters in whatever way possible. Much in the same way Inu-Pops gave his two swords, Tessaiga and Tenseiga to his two sons to protect them and teach them something even if he wasn’t around to do it.

Now speaking of our boys, Sesshomaru is still as sexy as ever and it appears as if he tries to stay close to the village in order to reach Rin as swiftly as possible. That or he has some teleportation ability we don’t know about but with how fast he moves, he might as well have it.

For those of us who grew up with InuYasha being torn between Kagome and Kikyo and the constant conflict that it caused throughout the series, it was kinda refreshing to see it again and see how they both behaved as adults regarding those emotions

I found Kagome’s handling of it really fascinating because by this point she’s already sorted out her feelings for Kikyo, yet InuYasha still thinks that Kikyo causes Kagome pain which in the beginning she did but Kagome has moved past that pain and she knows who she is as a person beyond just being her reincarnation. 

I think it’s further indicated when we first see Kagome and she shows the twins a kikyo root which is supposed to be good for coughs and fevers. When it panels to Sango we can see the surprise on her face as to hearing Kagome mention Kikyo’s name (you know it was an intentional  reference especially if you’ve read the manga and know what kind of demon Miroku and InuYasha  are fighting). Knowing this, still didn’t keep me from being surprised. I feel like just like the plant, Kagome has come to admire Kikyo’s strength as a priestess, something she’s trying to achieve herself as a Priestess in Training.

The original series dealt with a lot of Kagome’s identity being referenced as Kikyo and other characters trying to erase her individuality as just another copy of Kikyo. Something that Naruku did pretty frequently especially using the feelings Kagome had towards InuYasha against them on multiple occasions using Kikyo.

Just like how in the first episode of the original series where InuYasha kept calling Kagome, Kikyo when they first met, Kagome has to tell off the root demon and clarify that she is Ka-go-me, NOT Kikyo. 

I really liked all the symbolism this episode had and the references to the original series especially given that Towa ends up encountering a broken seat from a bike in the Feudal Era and as we know Kagome has had her bike destroyed and replaced, many a times throughout the series. 

The fact that Towa is someone whose been raised in the future by the brother of the woman who travels to the past is very interesting given the fact that she is the daughter of Seshomaru whose InuYasha’s older brother who besides Kagome was the only other person to be able to travel in time.

I’m wondering what makes InuYasha/Sesshomaru’s blood special as it appears as if all three girls were able to travel to the future so if Seshomaru himself had tried going through the bone eaters well, could he too have travelled to the future like InuYasha? 

Kagome was able to travel due to the Jewel of Four Souls and once that was destroyed her connection to the past was severed so I’m curious to see how the past and future end up connecting the three girls together because it was Kagome and InuYasha’s love in the end that reopened the well three years later. However, we know in the current timeline that the well is closed which makes me wonder what kind of fate these three girls share as the Half Demon Princesses (also Princesses of what may I ask?)

On a final note, in both series there are demon birds, the first a carrion crow demon who likes shiny things like the jewel, another an owl who is wise and has knowledge of the past. I suspect that this demon will play a key role in how this story ends up progressing, much in the same way the crow did.

Being a long time fan of the show, I remember being really sad when the series ended and frustrated when they didn’t defeat Naraku by the end of the original anime run. My head would constantly have ideas of what their future would have been like once the pesky fellow was dead and once I had gotten a computer (at age 11) and I discovered manga sites, I finally got an answer to my question.

Then a few years later, teenage me finally got those last chapters animated. I was finally blessed with my ending so I’ll be real frank with you when I say I was not happy this show was coming. While everyone else was freaking out that Seshomaru fucked someone, I was wondering, what could have caused Kagome and InuYasha to abandon their daughter which would be totally out of character for the both of them especially given InuYasha’s childhood. I doubt he would have abandoned his daughter given having lost his mother at such a young age himself and never knowing who his dad was until much later in his life. He would never want his own daughter to experience the loneliness and struggle he did before he met Kagome, Sango and Miroku.

Now having watched the first episode I can’t say my fears are dissipated for this unwanted sequel series as we have yet to know what happened so the possibility that its a shitty reason for why Moroha is alone is still high meaning the possibly my favorite characters are shit on is still there.

This series means a lot given the time I watched InuYasha my family had recently immigrated to Canada and while most people were into Pokemon at my age, which don’t get me wrong, I was too. 

I was far more fascinated by a girl who travelled through time in a fantasy world where she meets a cute dog demon boy and develops strong friendships, a budding romance and never loses herself. To a little girl who was also in a strange new country of her own, she was my role model. 

She’s the reason I wanna learn archery at some point in my life and helped me to grow to be the strong independent woman I am today.

Even at 24 years of age, this is still my favorite series and I love all the symbolism and references to the old series while also having its own fresh perspective that Yashahime provides. It doesn’t mean that my skepticism has been cured.

When I watched InuYasha, I got Kagome, Sango, Kikyo, Kaede and Kagura (her death is still so beautifully tragic) and now a whole new generation of girls are going to get Towa our leader, the calm and cool collected Setsuna and our charge first and ask questions later Moroha (just like her dad :’). I can’t wait to see how they grow and hopefully how their beloved parents grew.

InuYasha for me was my first conceptual understanding of anime and where my love for it came from. I’m looking forward to seeing how this story progresses. But I won’t be afraid of criticizing it regardless of the good first impression I got.

Also, does anyone else get reminded of Miroku’s wind tunnel when they see InuYasha’s Meido Zangetsuha? Just me?

Now time to listen to that opening and ending on repeat.

See You Next Week!

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Da Vinci Magazine December 2020 Edition

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

“Hanyou No Yashahime” Tripartite Cast Talk

Matsumoto Sara X Komatsu Mikako X Tadokoro Azusa

Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter and Sesshomaru’s two daughters play an active role in “Hanyou No Yashahime”. As an original anime with no original work (translator’s note: As in not an adaptation of something like a manga or light novel), the subject is the next generation of “Inuyasha” done in the same style. Being “Inuyasha” fans themselves, we had the three lead voice actresses talk about the charm of the series.

The main character design was done by Takahashi Rumiko!

Towa

A 14-year-old middle school girl. 10 years ago, she time traveled from the Feudal Era to the Modern Era and became the adopted daughter of Kagome’s little brother, Souta. Upon reuniting with her younger twin sister, Setsuna, after she time travels to the Modern Era with Moroha, Towa decides to return to the Feudal Era. She is Sesshomaru’s daughter.

Setsuna

14 years old. Towa’s younger twin sister. A member of the demon slayers led by Kohaku. She has lost her memories of her childhood and is unable to fall asleep. She has the gold rainbow pearl in her left eye. While she does not believe Towa is her older twin sister, she travels with her as she tries to take back Setsuna’s memories and sleep.

The 3 of you reacted shocked with “What you mean daughters?!”

Moroha

Commonly known as “Monster Killer Moroha”. A 14-year-old bounty hunter. When she puts on rouge stored in a shell with the red rainbow pearl on it, she becomes “The Country Destroying Beniyasha” and goes on a rampage. While she is Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, she does not know her parents and has lived mostly on her own apparently.

Komatsu: When the work was announced, the world was shocked like “Sesshomaru has a daughter?!” and we were the same. When I opened the audition documents, it was written that the setting takes place over 10 years after the conclusion of the original work and that Setsuna, who I was auditioning for, is Sesshomaru’s daughter. I thought “What does this mean?” and reflexively grabbed the last volume of the manga.

Matsumoto: I was handed Takahashi Rumiko-sensei’s character design and a simple correlation diagram. In regards to Towa, who I auditioned for, it was also written that all that was known was that she is Sesshomaru’s daughter. I was given lines without knowing the context or anything so I wondered what to do. However, at the same time, I was so happy to the point that I was like “The “Inuyasha” world is coming back!”

Tadokoro: I completely freaked out (laughs). Also, my manager knew I was big fan of “Inuyasha” and calmly told me before I looked at the audition documents “Azusa, you absolutely can’t miss out on this. This a huge opportunity.”

Komatsu: A lot of pressure!

Tadokoro: Then when I looked at the documents, I saw that Moroha, who I was auditioning for, was the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome. After getting excited like “They had a child~!”, I saw Towa and Setsuna and screamed “I will be upset if they’re not XX’s children!” (translator’s note: they’re referring to the mother)

Komatsu and Matsumoto: I know!

Tadokoro: As a fan, I worried endlessly but as a voice actress, I thought I couldn’t miss out on this. However, when I went to the studio audition, I was told “Keep the base but try to say these lines a little more like a middle-aged man”. I became flustered like “Even though she’s a 14-year-old girl?” … I felt like I didn’t respond properly and was really down going home.

Komatsu: Me too. Maybe it was because I was pulling too strongly from Sesshomaru’s image but I was told “Not only coolness but we would also like for you to show the cuteness of a 14-year-old” and I couldn’t make the switch the very well. I didn’t get the reaction that I got the part at all.

Matsumoto: I over considered the setting of (Towa) wearing a boy’s uniform and I was told “Don’t make her a boy”. After that no matter how many retries I did, the direction I took didn’t match up… I cried a lot when I got home like “I totally bombed it”. That moment, I realized that I had really wanted the part and was surprised. “Inuyasha” was a work that was more special to me than I thought.

Overcoming different boundaries, their feelings melt together

Komatsu: For me, “Inuyasha” was also a textbook on love. Especially the relationship between Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kikyou. It’s a little hard for kids to understand and I thought, “Why does Kikyou always get in the way?” and “Inuyasha too, make up your mind” but in a certain scene, Kagome asks Inuyasha “I… What exactly am I to you?”. In between the feelings of it can’t be helped that he overlaps her face with Kikyou’s and this has nothing to do with her, she properly checked what her existence meant to him. Seeing that, I realized. Not only in love but that’s important in life in general as well.

Tadokoro: It’s so cool isn’t it? She acknowledged all her feelings of jealousy and hate towards Kikyou and still saved her on top of that. She showed us her resolve to properly face her heart and Kikyou and accept them. It was so cool that I cried. Then when I became an adult, I came to understand Kikyou’s feelings and it hurt.

Matsumoto: Well she was also a victim… I think when you read “Inuyasha”, you become emotionally attached to each individual character because depictions that give you a sense that they’re “alive” are inlaid in all sorts of places. For example, the scene in volume 1 where Kagome offers food to Inuyasha whom she had just met. While Inuyasha makes his wariness known, he takes a bite of the radish in the next frame. I always laugh like “Even though you say it’s annoying, you’re still eating it!” but at the same time I feel that it’s really “like” him. From those ordinary depictions, over time we accept “something” without realizing it. That accumulation turns into a big emotion that overflows when you get to the important scenes.

Komatsu: At times when those complexly wrapped emotions sublimate, even sad endings become beautiful. For example, Kagura. Even though she was born from Naraku, she was guided to good through Inuyasha and the others who were supposed to be her enemy. Kagome and Kikyou’s relationship too but ally or enemy, good or evil, all sorts of borders are crossed and seeing drawings of humans and demons coming together I think is the charm of “Inuyasha”.

We haven’t been told the answers to the mysteries

Matsumoto: Continuing onward to “Hanyou no Yashahime”, the character I play, Towa, passed through space-time and got sent to the Modern Era at age 4. However, possibly because she was raised by Kagome’s little brother, Souta, even though she is Sesshomaru’s daughter, I feel like she’s also similar to Kagome.

Komatsu: While blood inheritance is important, the person who raised you has a big influence as well. Also, what environment you were raised in. Setsuna lost her childhood memories due to certain circumstances. So of course, she doesn’t remember her older twin sister, Towa, whom she got separated from at 4 years old. Due to that hole and being raised in an environment where you could be killed by anyone at any time, she gives off an air of not allowing others to get close to her. But just when you think that, there are times where you can feel that she’s actually kind and that makes it heartrending.

Matsumoto: Feeling she (Towa) needs to fill in the 10-year void with Setsuna who became like that, the highlight is seeing their relationship change as Towa closes the gap between them. Add Moroha in and there’s a lot of chattering.

Tadokoro: Moroha speaks in a vulgar manner (translator’s note: it actually translates to abusive language but abusive didn’t sound right to me) but in reality, I have a feeling that she truly enjoys traveling with the two of them. To her, those two are probably the first friends she has ever had. That form is so precious and I feel lonely when I wonder what sort of environment she grew up in. I wonder why she’s desperately earning money by slaying demons. We were only told who she was raised by but at this time, we have not been told things like happened to Inuyasha and Kagome.

Matsumoto: This includes who Towa and Setsuna’s mother is. This is something fans have been wondering the most but the answers will be revealed eventually and I have faith that this work will properly continue on what was drawn in “Inuyasha”.

Tadokoro: That’s why we would like everyone to watch over them until the very end and love the 3 Yashahimes as they survive with each of their individual strengths.

Komatsu: While there are a lot of cheerful episodes, there will be times when the inlaid depictions within those episodes will be collected in an instant which I think people will enjoy. For that, we will give it our all!

We Asked Takahashi-sensei!

Q: What did you especially focus on when doing the character design?

A: Series composition writer Sumisawa (Katsuyuki) requested me to draw the image of Towa as a white Sesshomaru and Setsuna as a black Sesshomaru. Upon reading the scenario, I designed them incorporating their father’s facial look. Moroha was the same, being Inuyasha and Kagome’s child. As such, I made it so that Inuyasha’s mischievousness came through.

[anythingstevenuniverse]

*SUF Spoilers* Anyone Can Suffer from Trauma

As the series ends, “Steven Universe: Future” gives us a reminder and portrayal that anyone can suffer from trauma. “Steven Universe” and “Steven Universe: The Movie” have showed trauma many times. However, the epilogue series gives us the one person who is suffering the most right now: Steven. Steven has been through a lot but is usually positive and is able to deal with the situation or does not see it and pushes it off. However, two years after saving the universe, he is starting to fall deeper in depression and isolating himself from loved ones due to trauma from his past. In the beginning of the series, some fans saw this as a surprise because his character is to be kind, empathetic, and positive no matter the situation. But even a positive character like Steven will struggle with a situation he cannot deal with due to his past trauma. “Steven Universe: Future” bring the subject of trauma the show has dealt with before using Steven, the main character, to emphasize that trauma can affect anyone.

The franchise has portrayed trauma in many different characters. The Crystal Gems have had their share of traumas related to the Gem War, Gem society of Era 2, and before and after Steven was born. Pearl was obsessed with Rose Quartz and was deeply traumatized by her passing. She projected her obsession to Steven and questioned her worth as an individual without Rose. Garnet is a mixed gem fusion and was frowned upon by Era 2 Gem society. She did not exhibit much trauma until we see “Keep It Together” where she felt guilt and anger over forced fusion Gems which can be viewed as survivors guilt and she puts pressure on herself to be a calm and collected leader. Amethyst was not affected by the war due to emerging from the ground later then the other Gems. However, she developed insecurities about herself not only because she is a defective Amethyst but also because the Crystal Gems associated the Kindergarten as a bad place therefore making internalizing her existence as a mistake. She struggled to love herself and it later created an unhealthy obsession to beat Jasper in season 3. The Crystal Gems have had their fair share of trauma but are not the only Gems who have suffered some type of trauma. Lapis Lazuli was a war prisoner trapped inside a mirror for thousands of years and trapped herself in an abusive relationship/fusion with Jasper. She was very untrusting of others and when the Diamonds were involved, she ran away out of fear despite hurting others in the process (this is not to blame or negatively criticize anything on Lapis, these are just my observations and opinions). The corrupted Gems during the series are war victims who lost their minds and forms from the Diamond’s blast. Bismuth suffered betrayal from the Gem she idolized because of her radical ideals without anyone ever knowing, leaving her to lash out at Steven and hurt that no one know the true story. After Lapis left with the barn, Peridot fell into a deep depression and lost any form of joy in her life. Spinel suffered abandonment from Pink Diamond that lead to her lashing out at Steven, who did not deserve it, and caused her to loath herself and act out irrationally. Even the Diamonds suffered trauma when they lost Pink Diamond. Yellow Diamond buried herself in her work, Blue Diamond never moved on from mourning, and White Diamond isolated herself from others to maintain a perfect image (does not excuse their genocidal actions in the past, again just my observations). Lots of the Gems suffered some form of trauma in “Steven Universe” and “Steven Universe: The Movie” and were able to move on from it with the help of Steven.

This time it is Steven’s turn to face his trauma in “Steven Universe: Future”. Steven is known as the problem solver and using empathy and kindness to help others. In “Steven Universe” he can handle tough situations and help Gems to move on or/and cope with their trauma. However, this is due to the problems his mother has caused and was a target of Homeworld. He has faced attempted assassinations, identity crises, family drama, and adult situations which can be so much for a child. With the support of his family and friends and his empathetic and kind nature, he either brushes off these problems off to save everyone or deals with these terrible situations with a support system. However, with Era 3 peace time and losing his purpose to save others in “Steven Universe: Future”, he is now dealing with his past and the trauma is manifesting into his behavior.

“Steven Universe: Future” is not the only time he has faced traumatic experiences. There are many episodes in “Steven Universe” where Steven had to face serious situations. “We Need to Talk” Steven clutched his Gem after witnessing Connie and Greg fist bump over shared experience with Gem related knowledge. Steven is a hybrid of a Gem and human and feels alone because he is one of a kind. “Mindful Education” he bottled up his feelings of failure to save others and it started to appear as hallucinations when fused as Stevonnie. He was only able to confront those feelings when talking to Connie and her reassurance to Steven that it is okay to feel bad made him feel better. “Storm in the Room” he confronts his mother (more of a hologram AI) about questioning her motives and damage she caused. The room reassures Steven that his existence was purely out of love to bring life not to fix problems unrelated to him. In “Lion 4: Alternative Ending”, he is frantically trying to find his magical destiny or purpose. After watching a second version of the Rose video, Greg tells Steven there is no destiny for him and Steven realizes his mother just wants Steven to live his own life how he wants it. “So Many Birthdays” he aged rapidly because he felt silly liking childish things and starts aging rapidly. It was not until the Gems started bickering, did he realize he can still like things deemed childish. There are episodes I am missing where he dealt with adult situations and Steven starts to have recollections of his past in “Growing Pains”, but the main purpose is Steven has faced traumatic events affecting him but is able to deal with them because he talked it out or it never bothered him.

When the movie came out, he accomplished restructuring Gem society and creating Little Homeworld for Gems, uncorrupted and Homeworld, to help integrate into Earth society. Everything seemed like the usual happily ever after until Spinel comes in injecting bio-poison into the Earth and rejuvenating the Crystal Gems and Steven. He and the Crystal Gems had to restart, literally, and figure out everything with limited use of his powers. Spinel was a tough character to help, especially when she spiraled downward when Steven left her for a few seconds, and she became angry and started fighting. After fighting Spinel, tiring her out and resolving the conflict, destroying the injector, having the Diamonds take Spinel back to Homeworld, and fixing the damage, it seemed like everything is at peace again.

“Steven Universe: Future” shows how Steven and everyone else is after times of peace. However, something is different with Steven in this mini epilogue series. Once he realizes people are doing fine without him, he is losing his purpose and feels like is friends and family are drifting away. There have been some incidents where Steven had to save the day, but it was solved quickly and he is used to life-threatening situations. The recurring theme or problem of the series is Steven feeling disconnected with everyone because they do not need his help and does not know what to do with his future. We also see trauma resurfacing from this past and he is unwilling to share or get help for it. Steven is dealing with trauma from the past, closing himself off from friends and family, having self-doubt and feelings of being left behind, and suffering from the over-bearing responsibilities and facing life-threatening situations from having a savior complex. He has devoted himself to helping others and is used to chaos surrounding Gem related conflict. There is no other way for him to communicate without helping someone and with no conflict outside his own, he can’t talk to other people normally anymore. In the recent episode “Growing Pains” Dr. Maheswaran explains Steven about childhood trauma is starting to affect his body in dealing with stress. Because he has been in so many life-threatening situations in the past, Steven’s body is reacting to mild stress as life-threatening and activating his powers in extreme ways. It did not seem to have been a problem until Connie’s rejection in “Together Forever” is triggering his body to act as if his life is in danger very much like PTSD. With Dr. Maheswaran’s honest and factual explanation on trauma to Steven and his father as a support maybe he can try to recover. Depending on how the Crewniverse decides to end, it will resolve in Steven figuring himself out and learning to heal himself from the trauma to start moving forward and to the future.

The epilogue series portrays a very important concept of trauma: everyone can suffer from trauma. Are there people affected from severe trauma far worse than others? Yes. Does that make it okay to invalidate mild or moderate trauma depending on person’s background, personality and resources? No. Coming from personal experience and the few reactions I have seen on Steven’s behavior from the series, trauma affects anyone regardless of the person. There are people who can better themselves with more resources then others such as a support system, therapy, self-care, awareness, and coping mechanisms. Some have access to these resources and others may not, but it still does not change the fact anyone can suffer from trauma. There were a few times I saw posts remarking the change in Steven’s character. In “Steven Universe”, Steven was an optimistic and empathetic kid who solved other’s problems through communication. When “Steven Universe: Future” aired, some fans commented negatively on Steven’s inability to communicate well with others anymore and isolating himself due to fear of his friend and family drifting away. His savior complex, especially the need to save others, is causing him to not talk with others about his own problems because he has needs validation from fixing other’s problems. Steven is starting to develop depression and PTSD from his past and the trauma is manifesting and showing. It is not surprising he would go from a happy-go-lucky kid to a teenager suffering from trauma and not talking to others about his problem. He has been through so much as a child; learning about his mother’s identity and past, resolving conflict from his mother’s mistakes, fixing the Crystal Gem’s issues, heal corruption, almost killed multiple times, and restructuring Gem society. It would be shocking if he was still happy with his life, especially after the fight scene with Spinel. Despite being positive during conflicts, he usually pushes aside his own problems to fix others and it is starting to take a toll on him when there are no more problems to fix and he questions his worth. The Crystal Gems are trying to help him, but he cannot open to them because he must be Steven, savior of the galaxy, not Steven, a teen suffering from trauma and unwillingness to confront his past. Steven does have a support system and still has some of his positive traits but even so, he is denying his trauma and not looking for the help he needs. “Steven Universe: Future” shows that no matter one’s background, severity of trauma, personality, and resources, anyone can suffer from trauma. Trauma does not have to define who you are but how you deal with it does. Many suffer from guilt or shame of trauma due to stigma of specific people suffering trauma, comparisons of trauma, and personality traits determining who trauma affects. No one’s trauma should be invalidated but should be supported and treated as real. It’s okay to talk about it and to get help but the only way to do that is if the person suffering wants to get help. Rebecca Sugar and the Crewniverse have demonstrated the importance of recognizing that anyone can suffer from trauma and the best way to heal is self-awareness and accepting help from others.

This post was both difficult and exhausting to write. I was getting anxious a lot and had to take breaks writing this. It took a few days to write and get my thoughts in order before suddenly feeling uncomfortable and taking breaks. Below is a story/reason as to why I wanted to write this post. I cut it because it is really personal to share but I feel comfortable sharing it now. You don’t have to read it which is another reason why it is hidden. Just wanted to tell my story related to this post.

The reason I wrote this post was from the negative backlash from some fans expressed about Steven in “Steven Universe: Future” because of his behavior. Steven is dealing with trauma and an identity crisis and does not talk about it to the Crystal Gems or anyone else. Some fans critic this change in behavior because in “Steven Universe” he was always so positive and used communication to solve his problems. I was getting a bit distraught by this until one of my favorite theorists/reviewer/editor (will not name), tweeted about how Steven has been through a lot as kid, someone as positive as Steven can still suffer from trauma, and his current behavior is related to how he is dealing with losing his purpose and trauma. I cannot find the tweet as it was long ago, but it inspired me to make a post about how anyone can suffer from trauma. Even if the person is positive and has dealt with issues/situations in the past, trauma can change a person, especially ones who help others more then they help themselves and how to deal with certain situations.

I relate to Steven a lot throughout the series. Although Peridot is my favorite character, Steven from the original series, the movie, and the epilogue series, is the character I see myself. With “Steven Universe: Future” I can see myself in Steven even more, especially during my college years. Throughout my childhood I was always the positive child/teen who was able to make friends easily and not afraid to show who I am. I was not popular but lots of people liked me for some reason and I just rolled with it. I always liked helping others with their problems and it did not bother me as I liked being the friend who helped. My sophomore year, I started dating a girl online (I saw her on webcam before to see if she was real) and we clicked and started talking a lot. Things started to go well and my life seemed pretty good despite the stress of school.

About 5 years ago, something happened. I had a friend, let’s call him X, who I started reconnecting with. He was in the Marines and stationed in Japan so we mostly face timed when we could. X told me he was diagnosed with mild schizophrenia and was being discharged from the military. I knew he seemed a bit upset and I thought hanging out would cheer him up. At first, it seemed he was happy, and we mostly just stayed at my place and watched anime. However, X started to drink and exhibit weird behavior. The first time he drank in my apartment, he was yelling, clinging to me, and throwing stuff. A friend of mine came over and X threw a can at him which triggered my friend’s PTSD. The day after, I apologized to my friend and told X to not drink in front of me. About a week later he came over and started drinking again. His excuse was it was hard liquor this time and it makes him act different. Instead of being physically aggressive, he was emotionally aggressive. He talked about his troubles, thoughts, and feelings which shouldn’t be a bad thing. But it was a bit too much for me to where I started crying and he held me and said sorry. The next day I told him to seriously not drink the next time we meet. Around a couple months later, I get sick with a nasty head cold, but was going to an anime movie with X and two other friends. He came to my place a couple hours before the movie to prep but saw I was sick and took care of me. Everything seemed fine and we went to dinner and talked. Then he stepped outside for a long time and when he came back, he said he was talking to someone from the VA which is why it took so long. We get our seats for the movie and enjoying ourselves. Half way through the movie X starts spitting at random, questioning the logics of the movie in a rude manner, and being extremely clingy. We didn’t know why until we smelled alcohol from his breath and saw an opened lemonade bottle. Once we exited the theatre, X started yelling at my friend who was shielding me and throwing soda cans at random. My friend took me to her place, and I called his parents to pick him up before I called the police. The next day I texted him I could not be friends with him anymore because he broke my trust and he needed professional help. X texted back saying I did not want to deal with his problem making me a bad friend and just listening to my friend’s opinions instead of my own. He told me he was getting help but I was hurt by his words and decided to end our friendship because of his toxic behavior. I have not spoken to him for over 5 years now.

I was around 20 when this happened. I was comfortable telling my story about what happened, and that the decision was the right one and necessary. The truth was I felt guilty about what happened. I am the one who helps others before helping myself and cutting one of my good friends off and not helping him when he needed it most was making me depressed. I started going to bars with my friends less and had a strict role that there was no drinking in my place. But I suffered more from it. My apartment started to become a complete mess which attracted cockroaches and a smell so foul my neighbors in the whole complex could smell it. My diet consisted of take out and junk food which may be one of the main causes of gastritis a couple years ago. I stopped drinking and became the prude and boring of the friend group and I started isolating myself because I was no fun. I became distant with my partner and started having negative thoughts I never had before. I never told anyone about my problems because people would compare theirs to mine. I do have a privileged life and at a young age learned that other’s problems were far worse than I am, and my problems are nothing compared to theirs because I have it better. That comparison led me to keep my problems private and divert my feelings in a forced positive way. It was not until my fear of eviction and losing my cats did I start to ask for help. My friend helped me clean my entire apartment before inspection and lots of people reassured me that my problems mattered because they are my problems no matter the severity. I am a bit more open about my problems, but I can hide my emotions or brush it off. I am still working on that.

“Steven Universe” the franchise has helped me through a lot. The original series helped me connect with others and deal with my own problems. I was able to relate to the characters and some of my positivity came back. It even inspired me to both pursue psychological research and start drawing and poetry. However, I still felt guilty for cutting off my friend. Until “Steven Universe: The Movie” came out. After watching the movie and reading interviews, I felt a sense of relief. Seeing Steven trying to help Spinel multiple times despite her toxic behavior made me see the same incident that happened with X. Spinel realizing she is hurting the wrong person and deciding to heal on her own gave me something X never did: it was not my fault and sometimes the person has to heal themselves without you. I finally had closure on my guilt and was able to move forward. “Steven Universe: Future” I can relate to Steven more than anybody on the show right now. When hearing some negative backlash in the beginning of the series, it reminded me of people who thought my problems did not matter because of my privileged life and positive personality. Steven is bottling up his emotions and trauma like I did and it is affecting him. It is not until later in the series, do we see that his childhood was more traumatic then we realized and his affecting his actions and emotions in the present. Even Rebecca Sugar in an interview opened up about her trauma in the past that affected her in the present that inspired “Growing Pains”. I did the same and hardly opened up about my real feelings. I am even trying to get therapy for my issues and turning to my partner and friends for support. With people seeing Steven suffering from his trauma, I am hopeful it will let people know anybody can suffer from trauma and it can affect people despite background and personality. If you read my story thank you for reading and this is just my opinion on the show and story on a part of my life.

[shinneth]

Gem Ascension Tropes (General: A - B)

Full, Superior Alternative on Google Docs.

So, I’ve been on the fence as to whether or not to publicly share this. In the end, it’s really nothing more than a project of self-indulgence. However, it is 100k+ words of self-indulgence and it does involve a story at least a decent number of my followers have read and liked. I also talk about a lot about Stevidot and all the characters in general for this project. Considering I haven’t written anything since the end of August (and real life interference is finally affecting my ability to reliably produce anything of substance since then), I figured it was only fair to offer something. I do still have the itch to write; I just really don’t feel comfortable doing it if I myself am not in a good state mentally or emotionally.

Why did I make this? Well, I’ve mentioned in the past that my other super-huge, much-more-popular story Travels of the Trifecta! eventually gained enough notoriety to not only make it to the Fanfic Rec list on TV Tropes, but a few readers were even gracious enough to make an actual trope page for the story itself. However, despite great temptations, I never once contributed to the page myself, for fear I’d never get the story done because of how addictive and time-consuming that site is. 

I was naively hoping Gem Ascension (or at least Bottled Up, which is easily my most popular story outside the main GA series) might get the same honors. But back then, I was also new to the fanbase and didn’t realize just how badly Stevidot as a ship was wrongfully considered an immoral ship... and still is. So that’ll probably never happen for real. 

That said, so long as I completed my initial 3-act series for GA, I considered it fair game to play around with tropes that I could associate with it. And I finished that sucker in record time. So, since the early months of Summer, I’ve slowly compiled a list of tropes for my GA continuity - so far for general coverage and character-specifics only. 

They’re similar to my GA Reference Tour posts in that aspect. Like I said, though, the entire document is over 100k in length, so no way is that all going up at once. The general listing is big enough to make me think it won’t fit in one post, either (especially as I continue to waste space rambling here). As the length alone proves, I was right to avoid doing this for Trifecta.

I wouldn’t consider it a complete (or even entirely accurate) listing; the character sections are very lop-sided in terms of content, but that’s a little justified, at least. Anyway, I did make some new art for certain character sections in future posts, so I figured this would at least be a neat way to share them. I’ve linked said tropes and everything. It’s really only worth a read if you’re that interested in getting some more in-depth details to the GAverse that I haven’t really covered here properly yet. But it does technically count as Stevidot content, so there’s the grab.

Beyond the spoiler cut, there are no marked spoilers. I’m not savvy enough to go THAT far with the style... plus, the main series has been complete since early March and it’s now October. Just... if you recently found the story, haven’t finished it, but actually intend to do so, look on at your own risk, I guess. 

Well, let’s see how much I can actually fit in here. And whether or not it’ll format properly. 

Edit: Turns out, only up to the K Tropes. Loooooovely~. Looks like I’m gonna play it safe and cut this after the Bs.

Edit II: As a bonus, I see the links being retained when I edit this post, but they won’t appear on the post itself. Just. Awesome. I may just put this up on Google Docs as an alternative if anyone cares that much about having the hyperlink access. That link is up. I’ll need to neuter these things something fierce so the hyperlinks will appear again.

GEM ASCENSION CONTINUITY TROPES

 GENERAL

 A Day in the Limelight: Act II as a whole functions somewhat like this; Hero Protagonist Peridot, save for the short final scene at the end of the act, is completely absent. She is frequently talked about and is featured in prerecorded Video Wills, but the 8 chapters Act II is comprised of are dedicated to the 8 remaining members of the main cast. Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Connie, and Steven – characters who had much less time to feature in Act I due to being captured during the first half – all have chapters entirely dedicated to them. Greg, despite being part of GA from the start, also had limited time to feature in Act I past Chapter 3 due to being a Non-Action Guy. His chapter is one of the longest; Greg is also involved in a subplot with Bismuth and Lapis, and as of Chapter 7, he receives a Rank Up and officially becomes a legit member of the Crystal Gems.

A Fate Worse than Death: Pallification. Not only worse than a gem’s shattering, but even corruption. It’s similar to corruption in that a gem is technically still alive, but their consciousnesses are greatly compromised. While a corrupted gem is more akin to a mutated rabid animal until a cure is found, a pallified gem’s body – while usually maintaining the integrity of its physical form – has been rendered soulless. Once White Diamond supplants their conscious minds with her own, she boots them out to parts unknown (she doesn’t even care enough for her own subjects to figure out what exactly she’s doing to their conscious minds) with no way for them to find their way back to their original body. It’s not even made clear whether or not a gem’s consciousness is killed off outright the moment White infects them. So, a pallified gem is basically condemned to eternal purgatory. Naturally, even after the events of GA, there are still millions of gems afflicted with this condition with no known cure to ail them. With White Diamond herself shattered at this point, these victims are little more than vegetables at best.

A Friend in Need: It must be stressed that the objective from the start of Gem Ascension was not to overthrow the Diamond Authority (and certainly not to destroy Homeworld itself): it was to rescue friends who were in trouble. Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Connie were all imprisoned on Homeworld with no means to truly escape, so Steven resorted to sending an SOS to the Crystal Gems on standby on Earth. After taking charge of this mission, Peridot greatly emphasized their objective being a quick in-and-out after rescuing their friends as quietly as possible. Then the mission escalated with much higher stakes, but the objective remained the same. Act I concluded with all of the Crystal Gems safely escaping Homeworld and returning to Earth… save for Peridot. The follow-up mission, consequently, had the same objective: rescue Peridot, then escape. It was later amended to rescue all of Homeworld’s native gems once it was discovered that Homeworld itself was going to fall apart very soon. The revolution that came about with Homeworld’s destruction and the fall of the Diamonds were merely byproducts of the rescue mission. Only Pearl seemed to anticipate this kind of result, but none of the Crystal Gems were prepared to be responsible for keeping Era 3 going on Earth in Homeworld’s absence (as well as the Diamonds’). 

Acceptable Targets: In-Universe, the lower you are in the caste system on Homeworld, the more you’re expected to take abuse of any kind from any gem of a higher class. This is Who I Am goes further into depth on this topic; it’s revealed Peridots have no rights when it comes to being mistreated by gems above their class. Even worse, it’s illegal for a Peridot to antagonize a gem of a higher caste for any reason – yet it’s perfectly legal for elite gems, such as quartzes, to do whatever they wish to a Peridot so long as it doesn’t permanently damage them or compromise whatever mission they’re assigned together on. Yes, even if a low-caste gem is raped (like Peridot almost was), it’s legal and the victimized gem is fully expected to suck it up and deal with it.

Adaptation Expansion: Not only does the GA series serve as an alternative to Change Your Mind, but it frequently brings up events from past canon episodes. This isn’t done for nostalgia’s sake, but rather to expand on said scenes and observe them with a different lens. Through this, scenes in the show readers have seen multiple times can yield some new discoveries with the additional details and questions posed within the GA narrative.

Adaptational Alternate Ending: Takes place shortly after Escapism in the show. The first few minutes of Change Your Mind are canon to the fic (mainly Blue Diamond’s Heel-Face Turn), but it’s completely off the rails from there on out. So, it’s basically an alternative ending to Season 5.

After-Action Healing Drama: In Chapter 5 of Act I, after Peridot got caught in a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown with 9FC and sustained severe injuries in the previous chapter, the recently-rescued Steven uses Lion to take himself and Peridot somewhere private so he can heal her many injuries.

All For Nothing: The battle with White Diamond in Chapter 6 of Act III is this, as that wasn’t the real White Diamond to begin with. The Crystal Gems just wasted a load of time and energy on a proxy, and it’s the realization of this trope that causes said battle to abruptly turn in White’s favor, ending in a Curb-Stomp Battle with the Crystal Gems on the losing end.

Due to this aspect of the battle, it means Rainbow Quartz 2.0’s scheme to siphon off some of White Diamond’s essence (to later use for a cure for corruption and pallification when they return to Earth, knowing White’s never going to help willfully) was also a waste, and what Pearl and Steven gained was just the essence of a bunch of dead gems. Pearl has a bit of a minor Heroic BSoD in Chapter 7 over this, but Garnet pulls her out of it and encourages her to not give up on the endeavor.

All Up to You: The premise of Gem Ascension: Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, and Greg step up to rescue their A-Team friends against all odds. 

Alternate Continuity: This story takes place shortly after Escapism. Beyond the first few minutes of Change Your Mind, it becomes canon divergent from there.

Anachronic Order: After Gem Ascension’s completion, a set of stories was released throughout the month of May that all took place in Gem Asension’s continuity (save for one, technically, which took place a while before GA starts and has no connections to said continuity outside of being referenced in a few of the other stories) for Stevidot Month. Justified, somewhat, as they were only released out of order due to representing at least one of three prompts assigned for the five weeks of Stevidot Month, and Word of God planned much of this on the fly. A couple of stories were pre-prepared (Plans Change and This is Who I Am’s first chapter), but didn’t fit any prompts other than the ones assigned to the final two weeks. Since May’s conclusion, all stories (in their AO3 incarnations) have been put in a collection and are arranged in chronological order.

Bottled Up is the only story that averts this, as it chronologically occurs before all the others listed here and was also the first one released in May. However, since it does take place a good amount of time before GA’s starting point, it can easily be read as a standalone. The same cannot be said for the stories following it.

My Time is Now, which properly introduces Sphalerite (who only got an unnamed, featureless cameo in Act III and spoke the very last lines of the story), takes place no more than half an hour after Act III’s conclusion, but it was also the last story released in May. 

Second-to-last was Plans Change, which took place only a few hours after the aforementioned story. 

This is Who I Am chronologically falls roughly half a week after that, but its first chapter was released in the middle of the month.

Peri-dise: The Capitalist Anarchy takes place about 1-2 months after GA Act III, making it currently second-to-last in GA’s overall continuity, but was the third story released overall during May’s second week.

It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is takes place in late August, making it the furthest-removed from GA’s timeline by 3-4 months (until the release of Our Tomorrow – a direct sequel to this story taking place exactly one year later, but won’t be listed here as it was made long after Stevidot Month ended). It was the second story released for Stevidot Month. 

Anyone Can Die: The moment White Pearl and Blue Diamond die (relatively close to the same time) by Chapter 6 of Act I makes it apparent no punches will be pulled in this story; especially after it’s made clear how much of a Complete Monster White Diamond is in this continuity. Yellow Diamond falls two chapters later, and at least for a short while it’s presumed Peridot met a similar fate. There’s also the concept of pallification, which renders several hundred gems functionally dead in Act I alone. The majority of the gems left on the planet end up pallified by the time the Crystal Gems return to Homeworld in Act III. By the climax of said act, White Diamond self-destructs. On a smaller scale, almost every original character introduced in GA either dies or is already dead upon introduction. 5XF is the only one so far who averts this.

Astral Projection: An aspect of Steven’s developing powers in Act III. During Chapter 4, an all-pink astral projection of Steven travels into Peridot’s subconscious to find out what White Diamond did to fragment her mind. A bit later in Chapter 8, astral projections of Steven and Peridot are seen superimposed over the corporeal forms of Pink Diamond 2.0 and Chartreuse Diamond to signify both coming to terms with their Alter Egos becoming part of them and becoming whole.

Autodoc: The restoration machines that are abundant and scattered across Homeworld, which the Crystal Gems use to speed up the recovery process for Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl at the end of Chapter 6 of Act I.

Badasses in Distress: All of the imperiled Crystal Gems at the start of the story qualify. After Act I, Peridot takes their place.\

The Big Damn Kiss: Steven gives Peridot a pretty significant one in Act I’s final chapter right in the middle of a large and busy battlefield before they split ways to help their friends. Punctuated with a deliberate Shout-Out to Gem Drill.

Big Damn Reunion: Chapters 6 and 7 of Act I is this, as is Chapter 5 of Act III for the follow-up rescue mission.

Birthday Episode: It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is serves as one for Peridot. It also loosely applies to Steven, as his birthday is less than two weeks before hers and is frequently referenced (the pair’s chronological ages are 14 and 15 respectively by this point). Our Tomorrow is a direct sequel to the aforementioned story taking place exactly a year later, making Peridot 15 and Steven 16.

Bittersweet Ending: GA’s conclusion in a nutshell. The Diamond Authority is no longer a threat to anyone, but Homeworld is destroyed, meaning the Crystal Gems have to directly deal with the fallout of this particular revolution while ensuring Earth’s safety. Now they have thousands, if not millions of gems to help adapt to life on Earth and teach the concept of independence and free thought. Homeworld’s colony planets are doomed to civil disorder and collapse unless the heroes directly help, but that also presents a risk if they don’t play their cards right. Peridot and Steven’s lives are irrevocably shaken in their own right, and they’re the ones who’ll have to be the most involved in helping the Homeworld refugees. And there’s still the matter of curing not only the corrupted gems, but now the pallids as well. While GA ended the best way it possibly could, given the circumstances, there’s still a lot of work ahead for the Crystal Gems… and a lot of it will be unpleasant/awkward at best and outright life-threatening at worst. 

Blank White Void: The nature of the Pocket Dimensions featured in Act III, save for the one Steven is initially imprisoned in at the end of Chapter 3.

[isakthedragon]

Super Sonic Thieves Chapter 3

Chapter 3- The Case of Thieves and ‘Killers’

Intro Cutscene:

Sly: “Another look into the Thievius Raccoonus led us to visit England during the Victorian Era. Our family had an ancestor during that time, Thaddeus WInslow Cooper III, that was known as one of the richest families at the time. Besides being known as a wondrous mechanic, building one of the earliest flying machines, he was also a well-known detective from Scotland Yard as well.  There was something very worrisome about it though; not only is that information missing, but it seems he was arrested for committing attempted murder he was investigating! Looks like we’ll have to put on our thinking caps and grab the magnifying glasses to solve what has happened to my ancestor.”

Sly Cooper and the Gang in…

*An old timey book opens up to an empty page and a raccoon hand comes in with a red-inked quill and writes: ‘ The Case Of Thieves and ‘Killers’ ’. The ink slides down off the letters a bit, looking like blood.*

-----

Hub Layout:

The gang has their hideout just outside of London to the West in an abandoned farm (so they can hide the van since they don’t exist yet) during the winter, so not many people are outside as well, along with a covering of snow everywhere. The police department, and the jail as well, are in the center of the city, just West of the River Thames. Nearby is Big Ben, chiming on the hours. Since this is the 1800s, the city is much smaller, and is more filled with houses. The map ends on the River Thames though, so you can’t go any farther. The north side of London is the home of a huge manor and in the air is one of Eggman’s airships floating about, creating all the badniks.

Enemies

Crows: Black crows that flutter about the roofs in search of thieves, or anyone breaking the law for that matter. They will caw for other guards if provoked. Carries/drops 5-7 coins to pickpocket has 10% chance of treasure.

‘Werewolves’: Wolves that walk around, patrolling the streets with their heightened sense of smell for blood (Wolves in Sly’s world are anthropomorphic already, but they are ‘werewolves’ for being more fluffy and having longer claws, seemingly being transformed by the London moon.) They will counterattack with their claws with a nasty claw swipe that is almost unavoidable. Carries/drops 7-9 coins to pickpocket has 25% chance of treasure.

Horses: Brown-colored stallions that search the streets with their flashlights for anyone where they aren’t. Attacking these guys will make them retaliate with a hoof kick, but it does take them a bit to charge up. Despite what you’d think, it’s best to stay real close in front of their face if there is no alert about as they can’t see in front of their own head for a few feet. Carries/drops 7-12 coins to pickpocket has 50% chance of treasure.

Bobbie Pawns: Egg Pawns acting as the actual police force of London, but will club at anyone with their oversized clubs and will whistle for other enemies if left alone. Don’t attack their head as their have a spike on their cap that is NOT for show and WILL hurt. Drops 6 rings when smashed.

Egg Fighter Knights: Also wearing a police uniform, these guys opt for a sword and shield instead (But forgot their spike caps). Either hit them from the top or from the back to destroy them. Drops 8 rings when smashed.

Egg Gunners: Eggman’s blatant disregard for time has had him send his futuristic (And humanoid looking) badniks to fight Sonic and co. They can float in the air and fire at you with their vulcan cannons. Sonic and the others can handle them, but the Sly characters may need to get creative to smash these things. Drops 10 rings when smashed.

Nebula: Helicopter like badniks that drop spike balls on you if you pass underneath them. Better destroy them before that happens. Drops 4 rings.

Balkiry: Fast bird baniks that jet towards you. Better smash them when you see them. Drops 5 rings.

Turtloid: A small turtle badnik that controls a bigger turtle badnik that fires small missiles at you. Destroy the smaller one to make the bigger one useless. Drops 6 rings.

Treasures:

From Guards:

Bronze Quill: Worth 40 coins and 20 rings.

Silver Quill: Worth 60 coins and 30 rings.

Gold Quill: Worth 80 coins and 40 rings.

From Pedestals:

Pearl Necklace: No bobby trap. Worth 400 coins and 200 rings. Found around Annis Fox's home. 

Gold Crown: Bomb booby trap, with 2:00 timer. Worth 450 coins and 225 rings. Found near the courthouse.

Silver Clock Hands: Bomb bobby trap, with 1:00 timer. Worth 500 coins and 250 rings. Found on Big Ben’s roof.

Golden Magnifying Glass: Fall Damage Sensor booby trap. Worth 600 coins and 300 rings. Found near Thaddeus’s home

The coins here have an old Victorian England Coat of Arms on them.

Secret Sighting of Clockwerk: Acting as a gargoyle statue in a park. Maybe he’s a Weeping Angel? :P

-----Jobs-----

Another London ‘Murder’ Mystery

Find a disguise for Sly

Go talk to Thaddeus

Steal the case info

Head off to the manor and take recon.

Sly: “It feels weird that I am going to a police station voluntary again.”

Carmelita, through the radio: “Giving you bad memories? Preferably in shocks!” *She chuckles.*

Sly: “Huh, so that’s why my tail has a tingling sensation near you.” *He chuckles back.*

Bentley: “GUYS! PAY ATTENTION!!”

Sly: “Buzzkill.”

Carmelita: “Indeed.”

Bentley: “We don’t got time! We need to hurry in and find Thaddeus! His trial is tomorrow, and we need to figure out to save him before then, but first we need to talk to him!”

Sly: “Alright, Bentley, don’t get your shell cracked. We’ll talk to him, although I wonder if they might arrest me for looking like him…”

Espio: “Don’t worry, I’ll distract them, but perhaps you might need a disguise…”

Bentley: “I would guess the evidence locker for clothes might have something you can use. Now come on!”

*Sly and Espio head into the Police Station. The player has them sneak around, avoiding and distracting police officers with various things to get their attention as they make their way to the evidence locker where they store clothes. There are waypoints in the room for things to collect.*

Sly: “Alright.” *He puts them on.* “Heh, should fool them enough. Now to find Thaddeus.”

*The player continues sneaking on, making their way to Thaddeus’ cell. Once there…*

Thaddeus was sitting, looking away from the bars. “Huh? Who goes there? Another annoying bobby making fun of a ‘lost’ detective?”

Sly: “Quite the opposite really. I want to help restore your reputation.”

It peaked Thaddeus’s interest, with his ears twitching and tilting his head a bit. “Oh, really? And who might you be?”

Sly: “Well, it’s a long story, but I am an ancestor of yours. My name is Sly Cooper.”

Thaddeus turns and walks up to the bars to look at Sly. “Hmmm… it appears you are a Cooper alright. But what are you doing here?”

Sly: “Well, it seems obvious you aren’t meant to be in prison. I know you are a great detective, but someone has altered history to put you in here.

Thaddeus: “Is that so? How? And why? You didn’t have something to do with this, did you?”

Sly: No! ...Well, I hope. Anyway, I’m afraid I can’t explain right now. Can’t risk overstaying my welcome here. But what can you tell about what’s going on. How’d you get arrested?

Thaddeus: “Ah, it is the most infuriating thing! I was framed for attempting to murder Lady Fox, a fox of extraordinary wealth.”

Sly: “WHAT?!”

Thaddeus: “Yes! Even though I’ve never been nor had any reason to ever visit her place, the law found my items in her living room where she laid comatose, and her own valuables were missing! Being from a family of master thieves, I was of course accused of the crime despite none of those valuables being in my possession.”

Sly: Blamed for a thieving you didn’t even commit. Unbelievable…

Thaddeus: Oh, I shudder to think of how tarnished my legacy has become with this unfortunate event...

Sly: Hey, don’t worry! Me and my gang are going to do everything we can to clear your name! I’m not going to let one of my favorite ancestors go down like this!

Thaddeus: A thousand thank yous, my dear descendant. I bet if you want to know anymore of the case, they probably have the information handy, since my trial, which is gonna be more of a death sentence than anything, is soon.”

Sly: “We’ll figure out some way-”

Espio interjects quickly. “Someone’s coming! And we can’t hide you!”

Sly: “Don’t worry, I got this.”

Police Officer: “Hey?! Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Sly (In his favorite accent, Italian :P ): “Oh? A-me? I’m-a the defense lawyer sent to defend Thaddeus. It’s-a my first case.”

Police Officer: “Hah! I see they found a sucker to defend Thaddeus! No one wants to touch that! Good luck, buddy, his case is a lock! Better be prepared to lose!” *The thought was apparently funny enough that the officer leaves.*

Espio: “That was close.”

Sly: “Guess I’m gonna defend you then, Thaddeus.”

Thaddeus: “Knowing you’re doing it, I feel relieved. I wish you luck.”

Sly: “Thanks.”

*The player now makes their way back out, taking the case info someone left out along the way.*

*Outside…*

Bentley: “So you had to tangle yourself with the case huh?”

Sly: “Well, someone has to defend Thaddeus! Besides, it might help with whatever plan we come up with later.”

Bentley: “True. Well, I guess you should make your way to the manor then. See what the crime scene suggests.”

*The player heads off to the manor and in disguise, enters it. They make their way to the master bedroom, where the crime occurred.*

Sly: “Hmmm… quite a mess in here…”

*The player takes recon photos of the broken window, hole in the wall, the neat bed, and the trail of loot leading out of the open empty safe.*

Bentley, on the broken window. “It seems to be where the criminal entered, considering the glass on the inside floor.”

Bentley, on the hole in the wall. “That shape seems quite odd. Maybe we need to ask Sonic and his friends on that.”

Bentley, on the neat bed. “Hmmm, for the mess in the room, the bed looks oddly neat. This Ms. Fox must have been put to sleep before she could even react.”

Bentley, on the trail of loot. “Whoever did this seems to have dropped a money trail, literally. I think we should check where it goes.”

Sly: “That seems to be everything interesting we can find here.”

Bentley: “Alright, come back to the hideout so we can read the case info and we’ll go on from there.”

JOB COMPLETE

-----

Bentley: “Alright. Here seems to be their case for the prosecution: Yesterday morning, nearby neighbors awoke to the sound of glass breaking from the manor. Worried for Ms. Fox, they immediately went to get the police. They came quick and found her comatose on the bed and her safe open and completely empty of money and valuables. Finding what was a calling card for Thaddeus, they immediately arrested him and took his cane along with them. Oddly, the cane is missing from the evidence log, so it can be assumed it was lost on the way to the station. They threw him in jail, and now it’s just waiting for the case to finish to kill him.”

Vector: “Seems like they have a really good case against him, especially with the calling card.”

Charmy: ♪ “Heh, maybe we should take it back so they have no case!” ♫

Bentley: “That’s what we were thinking. We need to steal it so they will have a harder time prosecuting him. And it might also free Thaddeus for the time being.”

Charmy: ♪ “Sweet! So who gets to go?” ♫

Bentley: “We’re gonna have Espio and Carmelita go in to find the evidence. It’s too dangerous for anyone else.”

Charmy: ♪ “AW! I wanted a mission!” ♫

Bentley: “Don’t worry, you got a mission with Vector. You guys will follow the money trail to see where it ends.”

Charmy: ♪ “YAY!” ♫

Vector: “We won’t let you down!”

-----

Follow the Green

Follow the trail of money to its end

Vector: “Alright, we’re under the broken window that the trail of cash leads to, but it seems the snow is covering more it.”

Bentley: “Darn, I see the snowfall has been heavy recently. How are we going to find it?”

Charmy: ♪ “OH! Oh! Vector can find it! He can find the trail, no problem!” ♫

Bentley: “Really? How?”

Vector: “Heh, well, I have somewhat of a sense of money. I can smell it from a distance.”

Bentley: “Great! Go on, then! Follow the trail!”

Vector: “Got it.”

*The player has to hold down a certain button to make Vector sniff the ground, which makes green clouds float above the ground, showing the money trail. The player has Vector and Charmy follow it among the streets, alleys, and roofs throughout town, until they reach Big Ben.*

Charmy notices them stop. “What is it?”

Vector: “For some reason, the trail stops here in front of Big Ben. It might continue, but we can’t get up there.”

Bentley: “It’s alright, guys. Come back to the safehouse. We’ll find a way up there.”

JOB COMPLETE

-----

Freeing the Innocent

Enter the evidence locker and steal back the evidence leading to Thaddeus

Save Carmelita from the police officers.

Carmelita, wearing a period accurate police uniform stolen earlier by Sly. “I wonder if they will believe me in this get-up.”

Espio: “Well, I just need you to convince them long enough so I can get through the evidence locker for Thaddeus’ stuff.”

Carmelita: “Hmmm, if they are like present day evidence holding rooms, it should be alphabetized. So look under ‘C’ .”

Espio: “Got it.”

*The player enters and takes control of Espio as Carmelita grabs the attention of the police around. The player makes their way to the evidence locker and enters it.*

Espio: “Oh my!”

Bentley: “What is it?”

Espio: “For being the 1800s, the place sure has modern-day lasers.”

Bentley: “Hmmm… I wonder if Eggman has messed around in here?”

Espio: “Well, it’s not going to stop me. I got this.”

*The player makes their way through the evidence locker, avoiding the lasers and other modern-day traps to reach Thaddeus’ evidence, which Espio grabs.*

Espio: “Alright. Time to get out of here.”

Bentley: “You better hurry. Carmelita seems to be having trouble keeping up out there. She sounds mad.”

Espio: “Got it.”

*The player now has to make their way out, noticing Carmelita is overwhelmed. The player has Espio make some noises and distractions to help Carmelita escape. Once it works, they leave to finish the mission.*

JOB COMPLETE

-----

Bentley: “Alright. I got good news and bad news.”

Sly: “I’m guessing the good news is Thaddeus is now free from jail?”

Bentley: “Yes.”

Sonic: “That seemed too easy.”

Bentley: “Well, that’s the bad news.”

Thaddeus: “Apparently, someone claims they saw me putting Ms. Fox to sleep and stealing her money, and they are testifying in court tomorrow. I’m free to move around the city, but I can’t leave.”

Charmy: ♪ “Darn! All that for nothing!” ♫

Thaddeus: “Well, I’m here now, and I want to help you find the real criminal!”

Sly: “So what are our plans on doing that?”

Bentley: “Well, Silver and I will be entering Big Ben to continue on the trail of the money. I have a feeling it will lead us to who did all this. Also during this time, Murray and Vector will check on Ms. Fox.”

Vector: “I think what has made her comatose is an Egg Flapper badnik. The hole in the wall matches up to one.”

Bentley: “Besides, she could be useful in solving the case. Finally, Thaddeus, Sly, and Sonic are going to take Thaddeus’ plane into the air. I think that airship is producing all the badniks down here and it might make our plan harder if we don’t take it down.”

Sonic: “Sweet! Some air time!”

Sly: “Huh, flying with my ancestor. Never thought I’d see the day.”

-----

Going Cuckoo

Make your way through Big Ben

Steal the cane back from Bark the Polar Bear

Tails: “I can see you guys are at Big Ben. Now how to help you guys get up on the roofs.”

Bentley: “Hmmm… nothing seems obvious…”

Silver: “Can I try something?”

*The player has Silver telekinetically grab Bentley…*

Bentley: “WHOA!”

*... And place him on the roof nearby before telekinetically floating Silver there too.*

Tails: “Well, that worked.”

Bentley: “I flew! But please warn me next time you do that!”

Silver: “Heh, sorry, and alright.”

*The player makes their way across the roofs of Big Ben tower, following the money trail as it takes them into the belfry's. It’s a bit of a dangerous trek, avoiding various swinging parts and for some reason, lasers again and being spun around on gears and destroying junk and walls with Bentley’s bombs. The money trail ends at an ajar door that they enter. Inside they find the vault contents and something more…*

Silver: “Look! The money!”

Bentley: “Shhh… that’s not all.”

*We pan to see Bark the Polar Bear sitting in a lounge chair, talking to Eggman.*

Bark: “Well, it’s a bit unconventional, but I’m going to be testifying to get Thaddeus executed.”

Eggman: “I can only guess that pesky hedgehog is the reason why you have to.”

Bark: “Sorry.”

Eggman:”It’s fine. I’m used to failure. Just make sure your case is solid!”

Bark: “It is, I promise! It can’t be disproven otherwise!”

Eggman: “You better hope so!”

Bark: “Well, if it’s any consolation, I have the info for Thaddeus’ cane and moves and stuff.”

Eggman: “Good. Send it over.”

Silver: “I think I can grab the cane, but we need to distract Bark first.”

Bentley: “I think if I hit the various bells and stuff above him, it should annoy him enough! I’ll use my darts to work them.”

*The player has Bentley shoot darts at various gears and bells, making them work to make a big cacophony that makes Bark cover his ears.*

Bark: “AH!!! The noise! So deafening!”

*The player has Silver take the distraction and telekinetically get the cane over to Silver.*

SIlver grabs them once they are close. “YES! I got them!”

Bentley: “Let’s get out of here before he notices.”

JOB COMPLETE

-----

Grey’s Robo-Anatomy

Defeat the enemies in the hospital

Save Carmelita’s ancestor from the Egg Flapper

Vector: “Alright, Tails. We have made it to the hospital… although it looks quiet.”

Murray: “Too quiet. The hospital looks dark.”

Tails: “That doesn’t sound good. You guys better check it out and find out what’s happening.”

*They enter and find the place swarming with badniks and guards chasing the hospital staff.*

Tails: “Oh my! They seems to be attacking the staff and patients! You guys better stop them before anyone gets hurt!”

*The player goes on a protection mission, finding hospital staff and protecting them from the badniks and guards.*

*Once everyone is saved:*

Vector “Alrighty, we saved everyone.”

Murray: “But still no sign of Ms Fox.”

Tails: “Hmmm… I’m seeing a strange mechanical reading from one of the rooms that’s covering up someone’s signature. I’ll put a waypoint. See what’s in there.”

*The player goes to find the waypoint and enters the room to find…*

Murray: “ *GASP* Sly’s not going to believe this, but it appears Ms. Fox is actually Carmelita’s ancestor!”

Vector points out the badnik next to her. “Looks like she’s being held asleep by that Egg Flapper!”

*The robot wises up and flies out of the room.*

Vector: “After that badnik!”

*The player know has to chase after the Egg Flapper, throwing things at it to make it crash onto the ground so it can be attacked. Once destroyed, the player returns to Ms. Fox’s room to find her slowly awaking.*

Ms. Fox: “Oooh… what happened… feels like I’m drunk…”

Vector: “Hello, Ms. Fox. You were in a comatose state, but we found a way to wake you again.”

Annis Fox: “Mmm… please, call me Annis. And thanks. But why was I in one, and why am I in a hospital.”

Murray: “We can explain, but it might be safer to do it someplace else.”

Vector: “Is that alright, Ms?”

Annis: “Mmm, anything better than this hospital seems good at the moment.”

JOB COMPLETE

-----

Robots in the Sky with Coopers

Survive the flying badniks

Take down the airship

Thaddeus: “Ah, home sweet home. I was worried I wouldn’t make it back.”

Sonic: “Why have you taken us here again?”

Thaddeus: “I’m your way of getting into the sky!” *The doors to the shed open, revealing a plane belonging to Thaddeus.*

Sly: “Wow! I saw it in the Cooper Vault, but seeing it here makes it look that much more awesome!”

Thaddeus: “It should work, but this will be my first time flying it, so I’d like apologize if things go south.”

Sonic: “Heh, it wouldn’t be my first crash landing.”

Sly: “Mine neither.”

Thaddeus: “Good. Your friend Bentley seemed adamant on taking out those robots flying up there. I guess you guys can balance on the wings to attack them. I’ll do my best to keep steady.”

*The trio get on the plane and Thaddeus takes off. The camera goes to 2D as a level like Sky Chase Zone starts.*

*The player is zoomed on forward, attacking badniks as they pass by. Sly is useful for close combat while Sonic can hit the more distant (floaty) badniks more safely.*

*Once that is all done, the airship closes in on them and cannon shells whiz by.*

Sly: “WHOA! What was that?”

Sonic: “Cannon shells. Eggman always outfits his airships with cannons. We better get off and destroy that airship as we are still close.”

Thaddeus: “I’ll distract them, but please hurry and destroy them first! I can’t save you guys otherwise!”

*Sly and Sonic jump off. The player now has them destroy the cannons on top of the ship then go into the interior and destroy the computers and other guidance systems to force the airship to crash. The player must then get out and get onto Thaddeus’ plane.*

*Getting on will let a cutscene play of the airship crashing into the River Thames.*

Sonic: “You keep building them and we keep knocking them down, Eggman!”

Sly: “Guess I can check that off on things our gang has destroyed. Let’s go return to Bentley with the news.”

JOB COMPLETE

-----

Bentley: “Alright, Thaddeus’ trial is today and we need to get him found innocent. I got… no plan.” *He sounded sad.*

Sly: “Well, I am acting as Thaddeus’ defense attorney. (In his Italian accent.) “I shall-a find-a my client not-a guilty!”

Bentley can be heard slapping his face. “We’re doomed.”

Sly: “The only thing I need to do is just convince the judge Thaddeus didn’t do it by countering Bark’s testimony. Is there evidence I can use?”

Charmy: ♪ “Well, we do have the money trail leading out of the manor and to Bark and the valuables!” ♫

Sly: “That’s a good start, but I worry they might think I planted it then.”

Vector: “Well then, how about Ms. Fox’s testimony.”

Sly: “Sure, that would- wait, what?!” *He notices Annis.* “Carmelita?!”

Annis: “No, I’m Annis. I was told already and she knows about me being her ancestor around this time.”

Sly: “I… I see.”

Carmelita: “Don’t get any ideas, Cooper!”

Sly: “I’m not! I’m still surprised to see an ancestor of yours.”

Bentley: “I’ve made some calculations. Using her will most certainly free Thaddeus and implicate Bark! But we have to make sure she can survive a trip to the courthouse.”

Carmelita: “Blaze and I will do it. We’ll get her there safe. Just don’t mess it up Sly.”

Sly: “Heh, knowing I’m at the end of that barrel will keep me from messing up.”

-----

Operation Turnabout

Get Sly and Thaddeus to the courtroom

Protect Annis Fox

Stall the Courtroom

Defeat Bark

*The player controls Sly and Thaddeus, helping them make their way to the courthouse. But thanks to a heavy guard presence along the ground since the airship crashed, the duo have to stay among the rooftops to avoid being shot at.*

Sly: “We need to make it to the courthouse in one piece.”

Thaddeus: “Being eviscerated is for court.”

*Once they get there, the camera returns to the safehouse, everyone leaving ahead save for Carmelita, Annis, and Blaze*

Bentley: “We’ll scout ahead to make a path, but you guys will have to deal with any stragglers.”

Carmelita: “I’ll make sure they don’t lay a hand on my ancestor at all.”

Blaze: “I’ll make sure of that.”

*The player now has to escort Annis to the courtroom, taking down any guards and badniks along the way. Annis is not much of a fighter, but can dodge somewhat. Just make sure to not let any enemy get close to her and you’ll be fine. Once at the courthouse, they immediately enter...*

*The Judge snaps his gavel to quiet the gallery.*

Judge (He’s an owl): “Order, people! The attempted murder trial of Ms. Annis Fox is to begin now. Is the defense ready?”

Sly: “As-a ready as we can-a be, ‘Udgy!”

Judge: “And the prosecution, Mr ‘Wolf?”

Prosecutor Edge-Were-Wolf: “Despite some setbacks, yes.”

Judge: “Setbacks?”

Prosecution: “Someone… stole some evidence…”

Judge: “But that means there’s no case from what I read.”

Sly: “Then-a my client should-a go free!”

Prosecution: “HOLD IT! We may not have evidence, but we have the next best thing! Testimony from someone who witnessed the crime and certainly put Thaddeus as the killer!”

*The gallery murmurs.*

Judge: “Then bring him out! We got executions and cases to get to!”

Prosecution: “The prosecution calls Bark the Polar Bear to the stand.”

Sly whispers to Thaddeus: “Alright, you ready?”

Thaddeus: “I am used to this, but are you?”

Sly: “Yeah, if it means I save you.”

--

*Bark takes the stand*

Judge: “Please state your name and occupation for the court. Not that it matters.”

Bark (Having a British accent): “My name’s Bark and I’m Annis’ butler. I know what I saw when I walked in! Thaddeus was there!”

-WItness Testimony-

Bark: “I had finished my work for the day and left, but I forgot something and went back in. There, I saw Annis’ bedroom in ruin and Lady Fox on the bed motionless. And I saw Thaddeus, that very raccoon, pilfering her most treasured items with an evil grin!”

--

Judge: “Well, that seems to wrap this case up quite nicely! Be the quickest conviction ever! I find Thaddeus-”

Sly interrupted: “OB-JECTION, ‘Udgy, but did-a you forget I’m here to counter?!”

Judge: “Why should you?! Seems pretty open and shut, honestly.”

Sly: “I can find some-a holes, trust-a me.”

Judge: “Fine, but don’t waste our time.”

-Counter Argument (The player decides if Sly presses, objects, moves on, or moves back a statement with dialogue trees from Sly 3. Wrong objections empty the penalty bar, doing it twice gets a guilty verdict and must start over from the beginning.)-

Bark: “I had finished my work for the day and left, but I forgot something and went back in.”

Sly- Do I press him for more info, object to the statement with evidence, or move on to a new statement?

-*If Press is chosen: (CORRECT OPTION)*

Sly: “HOLD IT! What is it you forgot-a to do that required returning back to the manor bedroom?”

Prosecutor: “OBJECTION! Does it really matter?”

Sly: “I-a think so! It might be-a important!”

Judge: “I’ll allow it. Witness?”

Bark laughs nervously: “I… uh… forgot to lock the safe.”

Prosecutor: “WHAT?! You didn’t tell me that?!”

Bark: “It didn’t seem relevant… you’d have to be a part of her staff to even know if the safe was locked.”

Sly: “See! I-a told you it was important!”

Prosecutor: “Ob… Objection! As he said, it’s not relevant totally”

Sly: “Is it? The crime occurred-a when the safe was-a unlocked! Smells of an inside job if you ask-a me!””

Judge: “I have to side with the Defense. Witness, amend your testimony.”

Bark: “I had stupidly forgotten to lock the safe.”

Sly: “Do I press him for more info, object to the statement with evidence, move on, or go back a statement?

*If Sly presses*

Sly: “Hold it! Why did you forget to lock the safe?”

Bark: “I was… busy… Annis had pushed me around a lot that day. It slipped my mind.”

Prosecutor: “I don’t see a problem here, honestly.”

Sly: *Is there?*

YES (Incorrect)-

Sly: “I… I think?”

Judge: “Allow me to decide: No!”

Sly: “D’oh!”

NO (Correct)-

Sly: *Mmm, he is right… if I was busy, I could forget something important.* “Fine, move on.”

Bark: “There, I saw Annis’ bedroom in ruin and Lady Fox on the bed motionless”

*If pressed*

Sly: “Hold it! How did you know the bedroom was in ruin?!”

Bark: “Well, the safe was ajar and the bed was a mess, like with a struggle!”

Prosecutor: “Is there a point?”

YES (Correct)

Sly: “Yes! I took a photo of the scene and found the bed to be neat and tidy, as though she never got out of bed in the first place!” *Shows a period accurate picture of the bedroom for the court.*

Bark: “Oh… darn...”

Prosecution: “Damn it…”

Judge: “The witness will refrain from lying on the stand.”

Bark: “Sorry… I just forgot…”

NO (Incorrect, but just does nothing, as it requires a revisit)

Sly: “No… not that I can see…”

Judge: “Please continue.”

Bark: “And I saw Thaddeus, that very raccoon, pilfering her most treasured items with an evil grin!””

*If pressed.*

Sly: “Hold it! How do you know it was Thaddeus?”

Bark: “It was him for sure! I saw his cane!”

*The prosecutor slaps his face.* “Damn it!”

Judge: “HUH?! Why the outburst, Prosecution?”

The prosecution seethes. “That… was the missing evidence.”

Sly: “Perhaps we can-a help?”

Prosecutor and Judge: “What?!”

Sly: “We found the cane.” *He shows it to the court.*

Judge accepts it as evidence. “Where was it?”

Sly: “Well, it might-a not help the prosecution. But we found it in Bark’s possession. He-a dropped it.”

Bark starts to look worried.

Sly: “And while we are-a on the subject, I think the police should-a visit Big Ben! We did some detective work and found a money trail leading for Annis’ home to his secret hideout in Big Ben. And we found the lost valuables!”

Bark now looks angry.

The judge is surprised. “You found the money and valuables?!”

Sly: “Yeah, and Bark’s testimony seems to neglect the hole in the manor wall and the glass on the inside of the window on top of the hole!”

Judge: “How about you tell us your theory, Defense.”

Sly: “I-a think Bark doesn’t work-a for Annis, and was actually planning on-a robbing her! He-a knocked her out beforehand with one of-a those weird things flying around outside, creating the hole and making her comatose!”

Judge: “So weird things outside belong to him?”

Sly: “Yes! Then he crashed in-a through the window and then robbed her of-a her stuff, leaving a trail to-a his place! Thaddeus is wrongly implicated here!”

The prosecutor smiles: “And can you prove this?”

*A voice can be heard in Sly’s ear at this time.*

Bentley: “Sly! We’re here! We can hear you! Finish it off!”

Sly: “Yes!”

The prosecutor loses his smile fast. “Wait, what?”

Sly: “Why-a don’t you ask Annis Fox yourself?!”

Judge: “But she’s comatose!”

Sly: “We-a found a way to revive her! Just ask her! I call Annis Fox to the stand!”

*The court doors open and Annis walks in.*

The prosecutor: “A-a-a-a ANNIS FOX?!”

Bark: “Damn it…”

Annis: “I heard the defense, and he is right! I believe I saw a bear outside a few times beforehand, and Bark looks just like him! I feel confident that he robbed me!”

The prosecution is speechless.

Judge: “I guess that wraps this up nicely. I find Thaddeus -”

Bark: “NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!”

-*If Object is chosen at a wrong time.*

Sly: “I-a Ob-ject!”

Prosecutor: “On what grounds? Even a fool could tell nothing is wrong there!”

Judge: “Sorry, but I’m with the prosecution. Penalty for the defence”

Sly: “D’oh!”

-*If penalty bar is empty*

Judge: “I’m sorry, but I must stop the defense from making a fool of himself. I find Thaddeus: G U I L T Y.”

Sly: “Sorry Thaddeus…”

--

*In a fit of anger from losing, Bark pulls out a button switch*

Sly: “What’s that?”

Bark: “I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU FOOLS!!! DIE!!!!”

*He presses the button, and sounds can be heard outside…*

Sly: “Everyone! Get out now!”

*One of the crashed airship’s last cannons, still operational apparently, aims itself at the courthouse and fires a powerful shot. Everyone scrambles to get out of the courtroom before the shot collides. Once the shot hits, the roof collapses and the debris wreck the courtroom with only Carmelita and Knuckles remaining inside, the rest of the team unable to get back in due to the debris blocking them.*

Knuckles: “Ugh… Oh thank the heavens, we’re alive.”

Carmelita: “Urk, yeah… Unfortunately, we’re alone with him now.”

Bark: “Dammit! How did that not kill anyone?! No matter! I’ll take you both down and then kill that brood like I was supposed to!”

Carmelita: “HA! Good luck with that! I’ll have you know I’m Interpol’s top detective and I’ve taken down criminals far stronger than you! And if you think I’ll let you kill my ancestor this easily, you’re very mistaken!”

Knuckles: “Yeah! And my strength easily outmatches yours! You have no chance, Polar Bear!”

Bark: “We’ll see about that, you echidna lastling!”

*Carmelita fires an electric blast from her Shock Pistol at Bark. Right when the shot was about to hit Bark, it disappears and the polar bear is not affected*

Carmelita: “What the-?!”

Bark: “Hehehe, my boss prepared for your arrival and gave me a device to activate an Electric Shield! It protects me from electricity and gives me a shocking punch!”

*Carmelita growls and jumps at Bark, intending to deliver a powerful kick to his head, but he catches her foot and tosses her into one of the rubble*

*And so the boss fight against Bark begins. Thanks to his Electric Shield, Bark is completely invulnerable to Carmelita’s shots. Thankfully the Electric Shield will disappear should Bark suffer a powerful enough hit but he is tough as bricks, so only Knuckles can do anything about this. The first part of the fight has Knuckles and Bark duking it out like boxers. In other words, this part of the fight plays like a simplified fighting game; the controls have you punch, block, dodge, and move, with the objective being to deplete the Electric Shield’s “HP” to zero. Once it’s gone, you can switch to Carmelita and start unloading her Shock Pistol at Bark and whittle away at his health. Once his health goes down 25%, Bark will bring up another Electric Shield and the process begins again. While fighting against Knuckles, he’ll start off with just punching, then jabbing quickly (75%), throwing uppercuts (50%), and finally fake-outs (25%). And while fighting against Carmelita, he hide more often and throw stuff at you the more health he loses.

*Once Bark is defeated*

Bark: “I may have lost… but Eggman is still winning…”

-----

Outro Cutscene:

Sly: “After knocking out Bark, the court deemed Thaddeus as not guilty for the crime and arrested that polar bear on the spot. For both the crime and destroying the courthouse, Bark was to be sentenced to death! But we couldn’t let that happen, both to keep the timestream stable and because we can’t allow anyone from Sonic’s universe to die in our world, so we managed to convince the law to let us apprehend Bark and then toss him back into Sonic’s world. After having to solve that whole mystery, we all decided to stick around with Thaddeus for a bit and get some downtime. With the way Eggman and his goons operated so far, we need all the energy we can get. Besides, with time travel, it’s never too late to do anything.

Sly: “Heh, Thaddius sure is spending quite a bit of time with Annis, talking about cases and the like. Guess he must of convinced the Fox family to go into law enforcement.”

Next Time: Sly and Sonic batten down the hatches in the 17th Century Caribbean.

[ilgaksu]

@badacts is an enabler, @crumplelush is also an enabler, and I’m a loser for history. Here’s part of the ridiculous overblown gay Regency-era aftg AU literally no one asked for, set in Bath, England for the full Regency Experience. For reference: Neil is the son of a Hatford and a Wesninski and orphaned heir to the fire-destroyed Hatford estate. Andrew is an illegitimate boy from the London slums who fled to Germany with his long-lost twin brother after a childhood of abusive orphanages/the death of their mother, then moved back to England, now comfortably middle-class and having erased all evidence of their earlier lives, and works training horses for the gentry. Neil and Andrew now live together in Andrew’s townhouse as housemates (which would have been seen as common for bachelors), and Aaron has moved across town after marrying Katelyn against his brother’s wishes. There’s some historical notes at the end because I’m that kind of person. 

 (cw for period accurate classism, whorephobia, homophobia and riko moriyama, who deserves his own special warning) 

“Good evening, Neil,” Riko says, eyes shining under the light like the opaque buttons of his waistcoat; slippery and miniscule, the black mother-of-pearl of them winking like dead men’s eyes. “I’m surprised you’re showing your face around so soon.”

“I finished my observance in July,” Neil says tightly. In the summer of the city, peeling himself out of the layers of mourning clothes - the blackened shell of them on the floor like snakeskin - had held with it all the relief of rebirth. Neil Josten, his skin singed, his hair catching the light, and Andrew’s eyes watching him careful in the mirror’s reflection, the cool of them like the glass of the same  mirror under Neil’s fingertips. The smudge of them against the silver silent affirmation: I am not Nathaniel. I am not my father’s son. I am still alive.   

“Yes,” Riko says, syllables cut. “That wasn’t what I meant.” His eyes are light on Neil’s face when he says, “After all, we do have ladies present. Their constitutions might be upset by -”

“You know, it’s true,” Neil replies. “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here. Speaking of which, I thought I saw your father about the town earlier this week. Is he still alive, then?”

Riko’s jaw tightens, almost imperceptible but for the blaze of the candlelight nearby and Neil waiting for the scent of a single drop of blood in the water. He says, “My father was visiting, yes. It must be difficult to imagine, what with your own circumstances, but -”

“You’re right, I never needed to crawl to my father so he could bail me out,” Neil retorts, “I was raised to live with my own mistakes.”

“It shows,” Riko spits back. By now, they’re attracting glances. Neil can almost sense Matt standing from the other side of the ballroom. When he risks a look away from Riko’s eyes to check, Matt is sure enough heading their way, making slow but determined progress through the dancers.

Neil breathes in, and then out. He remembers everything Matt has ever said about picking your battles and everything Renee has ever said about graceful retreat, and he especially remembers Andrew stood, cold-eyed and remote, in the corner of their room, saying I need to know if you’re going to keep living like it’s something to throw away. Andrew hadn’t said I can’t live like that or I can’t watch you live like that or I’d rather walk now than have you set yourself on fire, than not make it to you in time to put it out - but he hadn’t had to. So Neil breathes in, and then out, and then closes his eyes, and then turns around and takes a step away.

“Take care,” Neil says, “I’d hate for something to happen to you before the Devil gets his day.”

Riko steps after him. In the reflection of the ballroom’s wide windows, dappled and blurred by candlelight, he’s a shadow spreading over Neil’s back.

“Strange,” he murmurs, voice low but unmistakably clear. “I heard Minyard had gotten his teeth into you, but I didn’t realise you’d walked into the leash.”

In the beat between each word and the next, the shadow becomes a weight, pressing invisibly down on the back of Neil’s neck until he can’t breathe. There’s a word for it: collared. Neil almost has to laugh.

“Don’t say his name,” Neil snaps, which isn’t what he meant to say: he meant to say I’m not his dog or I don’t know what you’re talking about or I’m going to rip your fucking throat out. His voice is a violin string, torn taut and slowly being ripped away from the body of the instrument.

He should’ve expected this. Riko Moriyama made a study of weak spots, and Andrew was less of a weak spot and more of a mortal wound. The hook of him always leaving Neil’s whole life spilling out copper over his own hands. Collared, helpless: it’s the same thing, isn’t it?

“Can you even imagine,” Riko says, keeping his voice pitched low and pleasant. He’s amused, Neil realises. “Nathan must be rolling in his grave.”

“I’m counting on it,” Neil grits out. I am not Nathaniel. I am not my father’s son.

He needs to walk away. He needs to keep walking away. He needs to wait for Matt to come and get him. He needs to find -

“Don’t let me keep you,” Riko tells him now, “Go on, I imagine your friends are beside themselves seeing us so close together. Not to mention your new master.” Riko puts a hand on Neil’s upper arm. It barely grazes him before Neil shrugs him off violently. “It’s a shame. Living on your knees, and you’re still not learning your place.” Neil turns to glare at him. Riko laughs.

“Call me a whore to my face,” Neil says, slowly, “Unless you’re scared I’ll make you answer for it.”

“Oh, Neil,” Riko says, “A century of careful breeding, and then they came up with you. Nobility can’t be whores. It’s not in your blood, though I’m sure you’re trying.” He pauses. “Bastards, though? They’re born to it.”   

It takes Neil a second to hear him, and then a second to properly hear it, through the sudden gutting absence in his head. It’s the second his mother stood there, poised in escape, before she fell through the smoke and down the stairs until she was dead at his feet. It’s Andrew sitting alone in a field from daybreak, the day circling around him, waiting for another stray to come eat out of his hands, the silent admittance in the stillness: I have been scared too. It’s Aaron’s voice in Neil’s memory, Andrew killed our mother, and Neil realising that on some level he had already known, had known all along.

Neil breathes in, then out. And then punches Riko in the stomach. Then he pushes Riko into the side-table with all his weight, sending glasses shattering around him, a splay of broken crystal as Riko crashes to the floor. Someone screams. Riko is on his feet again, whiplash fast; his fist crashes into Neil’s jaw so hard the bone aches, a dull throb, under his heartbeat. Neil, who spent two months in a men’s boxing ring after closing watching Andrew and Renee swap jabs, as perfectly matching as two parentheses, gets in another hit of his own before he feels someone grab his arms and pin them behind his back. The ease of it should be suggestive - wild and out of mind as he is, the arms could be anyone’s. Neil bites them, hard.

“Christ Alive, Neil,” Matt swears, dropping his hold. Neil wrenches away, stumbles free, swings for Riko once more. “Neil, have you gone mad?”

Neil doesn’t pay him any mind, too busy fighting with the buttons of his glove. The leather is a little slippery, damp with a smear of blood. He’s not sure where it’s from. In the end, he yanks it from his hand. Matt, a beat too late, grabs for his arm.

“Neil, don’t you dare -”

Neil throws the glove at Riko. It hits him in the chest, then falls to the ground. Around them, Neil realises, it’s gone entirely silent, a kind of awful, bated-breath silence.

“Pick it up,” Neil snarls, then again, louder. “Pick it up.”

“You’ve never had any manners,” Riko hisses. “You’re a waste of your family.”

“You’re a waste of a body,” Neil tells him. “Maybe if they cut you up, they’d get some use out of you. Pick it up.”

Slowly, Riko bends down. The second he takes hold of the glove, Neil feels all the air leave his chest, almost like relief. Matt goes, “No. No, Neil, you surely can’t -”

“Tomorrow,” Neil says, “I’ll send you the place.” He takes a breath. “I’ll give you the night to find someone to be your second. Start in the gutter. I’m sure you can buy a man.”

Riko smiles, all teeth. Neil keeps his eyes on him as Matt drags Neil away, backwards and through the crowd, anxiety roiling off him like a storm.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve consented to?” Matt asks, all horror.

“I always know what I’m consenting to,” Neil replies. Matt gives him a bleak look.

“This isn’t funny, Neil. Did he hit your head?”

“Scared I won’t make it till dawn?”

“No,” Matt says, “I’m sure you won’t. Renee’s already gone and told Andrew.” The twist of his mouth is telling. “Good luck living through the night.”

*

Historical notes:

The mourning period (or observance) for the death of a parent was typically 6 months to a year, and required wearing particular clothing. 

Hell is empty and all the devils are here is a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. 

Duelling in Regency Era England

Body parts for medical study and dissection were in high demand during this era, especially fresh corpses, which led to body snatching - which is what Neil’s referencing towards the end where he insults Riko (’You’re a waste of a body...’). 

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

Taking a little break from writing efforts and while my tea is steeping my hurt/comfort loving butt is pondering the Faves and what rare-ish stuff I’d always love to see more of:

Pearl/Rose with Rose being on the receiving end of the comfort and Pearl fussing over her and letting loose on allll the overprotective knight stuff. As much as “cry healing tears over your tiny gf who has developed a severe lack of a sense of self-preservation in battle” is the obvious (and canon) setup and I do love it, I have, as they say, a mighty need (and we keep learning about Rose’s issues, too, so we’re not exactly lacking material). Also, not strictly related, but anarchist makeouts.

Polygems/Gamethyst/Pearlnet/Bisnet/Rosenet with Garnet as the one being comforted and reassured and taken care of - because the pillar needs support, too. She’s got a pretty literally built-in internal support system and it’s served her pretty well, which is great, but ultimately leads to people (in and out of universe) tending to assume she’ll be ok no matter what. Also I am still not even slightly over Keeping It Together. Or “there are times when I look up to you for strength”. Or the horrifying places it’s so very easy to go to with future vision. Let Garnet Cling To Her Girlfriends. (Not to mention the Rebellion era is overflowing with existence/identity validating opportunities.)

Bismuth/anyone with Bismuth being comforted. I mean. Yeah, she spends a lot of her time being loudly and aggressively supportive and affirmative and encouraging and really great team glue and making cool swords and terrible puns but. Have you seen her, she is so overwhelmingly full of Feelings. Especially if you’re doing present-time stuff, just... she broke my heart with her level of heartbreak there at the end. She was literally begging for death, holy crap. Please. Love her and get her out of those Bad places and help her destroy the Diamonds.

Literally anyone caring for and being nice and considerate and respectful towards Yellow Pearl (and Blue as well! and every pearl ever! It’s just that I do see that around). My bar is very low here, honestly. And here’s all my old beef about how her having “an attitude” or a personality people find unpleasant doesn’t make her undeserving of, like... basic personhood. Protect Her.

[golicit]

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

The D&O Diary is on assignment overseas this week with a lengthy itinerary including multiple stops. The first stop on my schedule was in Israel, where I had business meetings in Tel Aviv. My timetable while I was in Israel also allowed an opportunity for a first-time ever visit to Jerusalem. As reflected in the pictures below, the Jerusalem stopover was a truly extraordinary experience.

  The primary purpose for my visit to Israel was to participate as the keynote speaker at an event organized by Howden Israel, in collaboration with the Pearl Cohen law firm. The event was well-organized and very well-attended. The audience was lively and attentive – and asked a lot of questions. It was a pleasure to meet so many industry professionals and attorneys who read The D&O Diary. It was also interesting to learn about how much is going on in Israel both as far as economic activity and business development, and in terms of directors’ and officers’ liability and insurance issues, as well. I would like to thank Izik Malik of Howden Israel and Piers Davies and Lianne Gras of RKH Specialty for inviting me to be a part of this terrific event, and for being such excellent hosts while I was in Tel Aviv.

  There was a great audience for the Tel Aviv event. It was so well-attended, they had to bring in extra chairs.

  With Izik Malik of Howden Israel and Michel Ohayon of the Pearl Cohen law firm. The event was held in Pearl Cohen’s offices, which afford really spectacular view of the city and of the Mediterranean Sea.

  Enjoying the Tel Aviv evening: from right to left, Lianne Gras of RKH Specialty, London; Ran Weinstock of Howden Israel; Ran Subara of RKH Specialty, London; Izik Malik, of Howden Israel; me; and Ella Levine of Teva Pharmaceuticals.

  A very enjoyable visit to the Clos du Gat winery, in the foothills of the Judean Mountains, with Lianne Gras, Izik Malik, and Ran Subara.

  Before my visit to Tel Aviv, I spent the weekend  in Jerusalem. I have to admit that I had very high expectations for my Jerusalem visit. Seeing Jerusalem is something that I have basically wanted to do my entire life. Though my expectations were high, the visit to the Holy City far exceeded my expectations. Jerusalem is an amazing place.

  To get a perspective on the Old City of Jerusalem, the best thing to do is to climb the Mount of Olives, to the east of the city. In this view, you can see the Dome of the Rock in the center of the picture and the New City beyond. Looking at this view, I reflected on Benjamin Disraeli’s words that “The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more; it is the history of heaven and earth.”

  In this picture, I am standing before the Western Wall (also sometimes called the Wailing Wall). It is the last remnant of the Second Temple, which was otherwise completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It was very special being there. The wall’s stones were warm in the afternoon sunshine. I placed my forehead on the warm stones and thought about all of the history surrounding this one place and all it has meant for so many people.

    I also walked the Via Dolorosa, traditionally the path that Jesus followed on his way to Calvary. (I suspect there were fewer souvenir shops along the way then.)

  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains both the tomb of Jesus and the site of the Crucifixion. The building itself has a very long and very complicated history, as a result of which visiting it is a less than satisfying experience. The competition of a large number of Christian sects for exclusive possession of this special place — or even for just a larger share of this special place — has left only a divided building,  a diminished, dark, and disappointing vestige of the sites’ sacred significance.

  The narrow, atmospheric streets within the Old City are lined with shops selling fabric, rugs, ceramics, spices, jewelry, as well as religious items.

  Known as the Tower of David since the Byzantine era, this bastion was first built during the time of King Herod the Great, 1,000 years after David and largely restored in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent. The minaret was added by the Ottomans in the 17th Century.

  The Golden Gate in the walls of the Old City. The gate has been sealed since the Medieval era. According to Jewish tradition, this is the gate through which the Anointed One (the Messiah) will enter Jerusalem. According to Christian tradition, this is the gate through which Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

  The Garden of Gethsemane. According to tradition, Judas kissed Jesus by the olive tree on the right. (Though the olive trees are old, they are not actually that old.)

  The Mount of Olives viewed from the walls of the Old City. The Mount has been a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years. There are over 150,000 graves. According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin there.

  The remnants of the Roman-era Pool of Bethesda. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus healed a paralytic here. The Gospel doesn’t mention it, but the Pool is located next to the site that according to tradition was the home of Joachim and Anne, the Virgin Mary’s parents. Perhaps Jesus went to the Pool while visiting his maternal grandparents?

  The Pater Noster Cloister. According to Christian tradition, this is where Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

  The Chapel of the Ascension, on the top of the Mount of Olives. According to Christian tradition, this is the spot from which Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after the resurrection. Tradition also holds that this is the place to which Jesus will return when He comes again. And when He returns in all of His glory, first thing that will happen is some guy will come up to Him and say, “Hello, Sir! You need taxi?”

  In some really important ways, the weekend is absolutely the wrong time to visit Jerusalem. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Jewish and Muslim sites are closed.  Of greatest significance, Temple Mount is closed to non-Muslims on Fridays and Saturdays. I was not able to visit Temple Mount until Sunday morning, the last day of my stay in Jerusalem. The hours in which non-Muslims may visit Temple Mount are short, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. The guide books warn that due to security controls the lines to enter can be very long, so I got there early to be in line when it opened at 8:30. As it turned out, the gates had opened at 7:30, so there was no line at all when I arrived. I did face a one question interrogation (in English): “Where you from?” When I said I was from the United States, the security guard waived me through impatiently. These are not the Droids that you are looking for.

  The centerpiece of Temple Mount is the Dome of the Rock, one of the oldest extant works of Islamic architecture. It was completed under the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik in 692 A.D. The building is a shrine to the Foundation Stone. According to the traditions of the Abrahamic religions, the Stone marks the place where God created the World and Adam, and the Stone is also the place where Abraham set about to sacrifice Issac. According to Jewish tradition it is the place where God’s presence is more manifest than any other. Muslim tradition holds that the Rock is the place from which the Prophet Mohammad began his Night Journey to heaven.

  The time scales in Jerusalem are mind-boggling. Between the time the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD and the time of the Dome of the Rock’s completion was 622 years. By way of comparison, it has only been 527 years since Columbus’s First Voyage until today. And yet the Dome of the Rock has been there for 1,325 years (that is, more than twice the time since Columbus). Many of the decorative tiles have been replaced and the Dome itself was recently re-gilded, but the basis structure is essentially as it was originally built.

  The Al-Aqsa Mosque, which according to Islamic tradition represents the site of “the Farthest Mosque” to which Mohammed traveled from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca during his Night Journey. The current structure has been there since the 11th century.

  The distinctive walls off the Old City date to the 16th century and were built by the Ottomans under Suleiman the Magnificent. However, as this picture shows, the walls are built on the remnants of much more ancient walls, dating back to the Romans — or even earlier.

  After the wonder and amazement of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv required a little mental adjustment. Tel Aviv is a prosperous, crowded, busy place traffic-clogged streets — and a great beach and great night life. Fortunately, I had time while I was in Tel Aviv to enjoy the beach.

  A view of the Tel Aviv beach from the roof-top pool deck of my hotel, looking South toward Jaffa.

    On the afternoon of my last day in Tel Aviv, I walked from my hotel to the ancient port city of Jaffa (about two hours round trip). A great walk along the seashore.

  In the old port of Jaffa (Yafo, in Hebrew)

  Sunset over the Mediterranean

  A final note. For anyone planning a visit to Jerusalem (or for anyone who wishes to visit but who can’t travel there now), I strongly recommend Simon Sebag Montefieore’s excellent book “Jerusalem: The Biography.” The book covers the city’s complicated and multi-layered history thoroughly yet entertainingly. Montefiore reviews the city’s history from the time of King David through the Six-Days War. Reading this book substantially enhanced my enjoyment of visiting Jerusalem. It was also extraordinarily helpful in explaining the current situation in the city, as well.

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[simonconsultancypage]

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

The D&O Diary is on assignment overseas this week with a lengthy itinerary including multiple stops. The first stop on my schedule was in Israel, where I had business meetings in Tel Aviv. My timetable while I was in Israel also allowed an opportunity for a first-time ever visit to Jerusalem. As reflected in the pictures below, the Jerusalem stopover was a truly extraordinary experience.

  The primary purpose for my visit to Israel was to participate as the keynote speaker at an event organized by Howden Israel, in collaboration with the Pearl Cohen law firm. The event was well-organized and very well-attended. The audience was lively and attentive – and asked a lot of questions. It was a pleasure to meet so many industry professionals and attorneys who read The D&O Diary. It was also interesting to learn about how much is going on in Israel both as far as economic activity and business development, and in terms of directors’ and officers’ liability and insurance issues, as well. I would like to thank Izik Malik of Howden Israel and Piers Davies and Lianne Gras of RKH Specialty for inviting me to be a part of this terrific event, and for being such excellent hosts while I was in Tel Aviv.

  There was a great audience for the Tel Aviv event. It was so well-attended, they had to bring in extra chairs.

  With Izik Malik of Howden Israel and Michel Ohayon of the Pearl Cohen law firm. The event was held in Pearl Cohen’s offices, which afford really spectacular view of the city and of the Mediterranean Sea.

  Enjoying the Tel Aviv evening: from right to left, Lianne Gras of RKH Specialty, London; Ran Weinstock of Howden Israel; Ran Subara of RKH Specialty, London; Izik Malik, of Howden Israel; me; and Ella Levine of Teva Pharmaceuticals.

  A very enjoyable visit to the Clos du Gat winery, in the foothills of the Judean Mountains, with Lianne Gras, Izik Malik, and Ran Subara.

  Before my visit to Tel Aviv, I spent the weekend  in Jerusalem. I have to admit that I had very high expectations for my Jerusalem visit. Seeing Jerusalem is something that I have basically wanted to do my entire life. Though my expectations were high, the visit to the Holy City far exceeded my expectations. Jerusalem is an amazing place.

  To get a perspective on the Old City of Jerusalem, the best thing to do is to climb the Mount of Olives, to the east of the city. In this view, you can see the Dome of the Rock in the center of the picture and the New City beyond. Looking at this view, I reflected on Benjamin Disraeli’s words that “The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more; it is the history of heaven and earth.”

  In this picture, I am standing before the Western Wall (also sometimes called the Wailing Wall). It is the last remnant of the Second Temple, which was otherwise completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It was very special being there. The wall’s stones were warm in the afternoon sunshine. I placed my forehead on the warm stones and thought about all of the history surrounding this one place and all it has meant for so many people.

    I also walked the Via Dolorosa, traditionally the path that Jesus followed on his way to Calvary. (I suspect there were fewer souvenir shops along the way then.)

  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains both the tomb of Jesus and the site of the Crucifixion. The building itself has a very long and very complicated history, as a result of which visiting it is a less than satisfying experience. The competition of a large number of Christian sects for exclusive possession of this special place — or even for just a larger share of this special place — has left only a divided building,  a diminished, dark, and disappointing vestige of the sites’ sacred significance.

  The narrow, atmospheric streets within the Old City are lined with shops selling fabric, rugs, ceramics, spices, jewelry, as well as religious items.

  Known as the Tower of David since the Byzantine era, this bastion was first built during the time of King Herod the Great, 1,000 years after David and largely restored in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent. The minaret was added by the Ottomans in the 17th Century.

  The Golden Gate in the walls of the Old City. The gate has been sealed since the Medieval era. According to Jewish tradition, this is the gate through which the Anointed One (the Messiah) will enter Jerusalem. According to Christian tradition, this is the gate through which Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

  The Garden of Gethsemane. According to tradition, Judas kissed Jesus by the olive tree on the right. (Though the olive trees are old, they are not actually that old.)

  The Mount of Olives viewed from the walls of the Old City. The Mount has been a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years. There are over 150,000 graves. According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin there.

  The remnants of the Roman-era Pool of Bethesda. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus healed a paralytic here. The Gospel doesn’t mention it, but the Pool is located next to the site that according to tradition was the home of Joachim and Anne, the Virgin Mary’s parents. Perhaps Jesus went to the Pool while visiting his maternal grandparents?

  The Pater Noster Cloister. According to Christian tradition, this is where Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

  The Chapel of the Ascension, on the top of the Mount of Olives. According to Christian tradition, this is the spot from which Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after the resurrection. Tradition also holds that this is the place to which Jesus will return when He comes again. And when He returns in all of His glory, first thing that will happen is some guy will come up to Him and say, “Hello, Sir! You need taxi?”

  In some really important ways, the weekend is absolutely the wrong time to visit Jerusalem. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Jewish and Muslim sites are closed.  Of greatest significance, Temple Mount is closed to non-Muslims on Fridays and Saturdays. I was not able to visit Temple Mount until Sunday morning, the last day of my stay in Jerusalem. The hours in which non-Muslims may visit Temple Mount are short, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. The guide books warn that due to security controls the lines to enter can be very long, so I got there early to be in line when it opened at 8:30. As it turned out, the gates had opened at 7:30, so there was no line at all when I arrived. I did face a one question interrogation (in English): “Where you from?” When I said I was from the United States, the security guard waived me through impatiently. These are not the Droids that you are looking for.

  The centerpiece of Temple Mount is the Dome of the Rock, one of the oldest extant works of Islamic architecture. It was completed under the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik in 692 A.D. The building is a shrine to the Foundation Stone. According to the traditions of the Abrahamic religions, the Stone marks the place where God created the World and Adam, and the Stone is also the place where Abraham set about to sacrifice Issac. According to Jewish tradition it is the place where God’s presence is more manifest than any other. Muslim tradition holds that the Rock is the place from which the Prophet Mohammad began his Night Journey to heaven.

  The time scales in Jerusalem are mind-boggling. Between the time the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD and the time of the Dome of the Rock’s completion was 622 years. By way of comparison, it has only been 527 years since Columbus’s First Voyage until today. And yet the Dome of the Rock has been there for 1,325 years (that is, more than twice the time since Columbus). Many of the decorative tiles have been replaced and the Dome itself was recently re-gilded, but the basis structure is essentially as it was originally built.

  The Al-Aqsa Mosque, which according to Islamic tradition represents the site of “the Farthest Mosque” to which Mohammed traveled from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca during his Night Journey. The current structure has been there since the 11th century.

  The distinctive walls off the Old City date to the 16th century and were built by the Ottomans under Suleiman the Magnificent. However, as this picture shows, the walls are built on the remnants of much more ancient walls, dating back to the Romans — or even earlier.

  After the wonder and amazement of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv required a little mental adjustment. Tel Aviv is a prosperous, crowded, busy place traffic-clogged streets — and a great beach and great night life. Fortunately, I had time while I was in Tel Aviv to enjoy the beach.

  A view of the Tel Aviv beach from the roof-top pool deck of my hotel, looking South toward Jaffa.

    On the afternoon of my last day in Tel Aviv, I walked from my hotel to the ancient port city of Jaffa (about two hours round trip). A great walk along the seashore.

  In the old port of Jaffa (Yafo, in Hebrew)

  Sunset over the Mediterranean

  A final note. For anyone planning a visit to Jerusalem (or for anyone who wishes to visit but who can’t travel there now), I strongly recommend Simon Sebag Montefieore’s excellent book “Jerusalem: The Biography.” The book covers the city’s complicated and multi-layered history thoroughly yet entertainingly. Montefiore reviews the city’s history from the time of King David through the Six-Days War. Reading this book substantially enhanced my enjoyment of visiting Jerusalem. It was also extraordinarily helpful in explaining the current situation in the city, as well.

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[lawfultruth]

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

The D&O Diary is on assignment overseas this week with a lengthy itinerary including multiple stops. The first stop on my schedule was in Israel, where I had business meetings in Tel Aviv. My timetable while I was in Israel also allowed an opportunity for a first-time ever visit to Jerusalem. As reflected in the pictures below, the Jerusalem stopover was a truly extraordinary experience.

  The primary purpose for my visit to Israel was to participate as the keynote speaker at an event organized by Howden Israel, in collaboration with the Pearl Cohen law firm. The event was well-organized and very well-attended. The audience was lively and attentive – and asked a lot of questions. It was a pleasure to meet so many industry professionals and attorneys who read The D&O Diary. It was also interesting to learn about how much is going on in Israel both as far as economic activity and business development, and in terms of directors’ and officers’ liability and insurance issues, as well. I would like to thank Izik Malik of Howden Israel and Piers Davies and Lianne Gras of RKH Specialty for inviting me to be a part of this terrific event, and for being such excellent hosts while I was in Tel Aviv.

  There was a great audience for the Tel Aviv event. It was so well-attended, they had to bring in extra chairs.

  With Izik Malik of Howden Israel and Michel Ohayon of the Pearl Cohen law firm. The event was held in Pearl Cohen’s offices, which afford really spectacular view of the city and of the Mediterranean Sea.

  Enjoying the Tel Aviv evening: from right to left, Lianne Gras of RKH Specialty, London; Ran Weinstock of Howden Israel; Ran Subara of RKH Specialty, London; Izik Malik, of Howden Israel; me; and Ella Levine of Teva Pharmaceuticals.

  A very enjoyable visit to the Clos du Gat winery, in the foothills of the Judean Mountains, with Lianne Gras, Izik Malik, and Ran Subara.

  Before my visit to Tel Aviv, I spent the weekend  in Jerusalem. I have to admit that I had very high expectations for my Jerusalem visit. Seeing Jerusalem is something that I have basically wanted to do my entire life. Though my expectations were high, the visit to the Holy City far exceeded my expectations. Jerusalem is an amazing place.

  To get a perspective on the Old City of Jerusalem, the best thing to do is to climb the Mount of Olives, to the east of the city. In this view, you can see the Dome of the Rock in the center of the picture and the New City beyond. Looking at this view, I reflected on Benjamin Disraeli’s words that “The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more; it is the history of heaven and earth.”

  In this picture, I am standing before the Western Wall (also sometimes called the Wailing Wall). It is the last remnant of the Second Temple, which was otherwise completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It was very special being there. The wall’s stones were warm in the afternoon sunshine. I placed my forehead on the warm stones and thought about all of the history surrounding this one place and all it has meant for so many people.

    I also walked the Via Dolorosa, traditionally the path that Jesus followed on his way to Calvary. (I suspect there were fewer souvenir shops along the way then.)

  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains both the tomb of Jesus and the site of the Crucifixion. The building itself has a very long and very complicated history, as a result of which visiting it is a less than satisfying experience. The competition of a large number of Christian sects for exclusive possession of this special place — or even for just a larger share of this special place — has left only a divided building,  a diminished, dark, and disappointing vestige of the sites’ sacred significance.

  The narrow, atmospheric streets within the Old City are lined with shops selling fabric, rugs, ceramics, spices, jewelry, as well as religious items.

  Known as the Tower of David since the Byzantine era, this bastion was first built during the time of King Herod the Great, 1,000 years after David and largely restored in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent. The minaret was added by the Ottomans in the 17th Century.

  The Golden Gate in the walls of the Old City. The gate has been sealed since the Medieval era. According to Jewish tradition, this is the gate through which the Anointed One (the Messiah) will enter Jerusalem. According to Christian tradition, this is the gate through which Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

  The Garden of Gethsemane. According to tradition, Judas kissed Jesus by the olive tree on the right. (Though the olive trees are old, they are not actually that old.)

  The Mount of Olives viewed from the walls of the Old City. The Mount has been a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years. There are over 150,000 graves. According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin there.

  The remnants of the Roman-era Pool of Bethesda. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus healed a paralytic here. The Gospel doesn’t mention it, but the Pool is located next to the site that according to tradition was the home of Joachim and Anne, the Virgin Mary’s parents. Perhaps Jesus went to the Pool while visiting his maternal grandparents?

  The Pater Noster Cloister. According to Christian tradition, this is where Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

  The Chapel of the Ascension, on the top of the Mount of Olives. According to Christian tradition, this is the spot from which Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after the resurrection. Tradition also holds that this is the place to which Jesus will return when He comes again. And when He returns in all of His glory, first thing that will happen is some guy will come up to Him and say, “Hello, Sir! You need taxi?”

  In some really important ways, the weekend is absolutely the wrong time to visit Jerusalem. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Jewish and Muslim sites are closed.  Of greatest significance, Temple Mount is closed to non-Muslims on Fridays and Saturdays. I was not able to visit Temple Mount until Sunday morning, the last day of my stay in Jerusalem. The hours in which non-Muslims may visit Temple Mount are short, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. The guide books warn that due to security controls the lines to enter can be very long, so I got there early to be in line when it opened at 8:30. As it turned out, the gates had opened at 7:30, so there was no line at all when I arrived. I did face a one question interrogation (in English): “Where you from?” When I said I was from the United States, the security guard waived me through impatiently. These are not the Droids that you are looking for.

  The centerpiece of Temple Mount is the Dome of the Rock, one of the oldest extant works of Islamic architecture. It was completed under the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik in 692 A.D. The building is a shrine to the Foundation Stone. According to the traditions of the Abrahamic religions, the Stone marks the place where God created the World and Adam, and the Stone is also the place where Abraham set about to sacrifice Issac. According to Jewish tradition it is the place where God’s presence is more manifest than any other. Muslim tradition holds that the Rock is the place from which the Prophet Mohammad began his Night Journey to heaven.

  The time scales in Jerusalem are mind-boggling. Between the time the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD and the time of the Dome of the Rock’s completion was 622 years. By way of comparison, it has only been 527 years since Columbus’s First Voyage until today. And yet the Dome of the Rock has been there for 1,325 years (that is, more than twice the time since Columbus). Many of the decorative tiles have been replaced and the Dome itself was recently re-gilded, but the basis structure is essentially as it was originally built.

  The Al-Aqsa Mosque, which according to Islamic tradition represents the site of “the Farthest Mosque” to which Mohammed traveled from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca during his Night Journey. The current structure has been there since the 11th century.

  The distinctive walls off the Old City date to the 16th century and were built by the Ottomans under Suleiman the Magnificent. However, as this picture shows, the walls are built on the remnants of much more ancient walls, dating back to the Romans — or even earlier.

  After the wonder and amazement of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv required a little mental adjustment. Tel Aviv is a prosperous, crowded, busy place traffic-clogged streets — and a great beach and great night life. Fortunately, I had time while I was in Tel Aviv to enjoy the beach.

  A view of the Tel Aviv beach from the roof-top pool deck of my hotel, looking South toward Jaffa.

    On the afternoon of my last day in Tel Aviv, I walked from my hotel to the ancient port city of Jaffa (about two hours round trip). A great walk along the seashore.

  In the old port of Jaffa (Yafo, in Hebrew)

  Sunset over the Mediterranean

  A final note. For anyone planning a visit to Jerusalem (or for anyone who wishes to visit but who can’t travel there now), I strongly recommend Simon Sebag Montefieore’s excellent book “Jerusalem: The Biography.” The book covers the city’s complicated and multi-layered history thoroughly yet entertainingly. Montefiore reviews the city’s history from the time of King David through the Six-Days War. Reading this book substantially enhanced my enjoyment of visiting Jerusalem. It was also extraordinarily helpful in explaining the current situation in the city, as well.

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Jerusalem and Tel Aviv syndicated from https://ronenkurzfeldweb.wordpress.com/

[murderv]

Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond.....

I am not happy with the recent Steven universe reveal. Now before I get into this let me make it clear that I am not shaming or criticizing Rebecca Sugar or the Crewniverse in any way. They have wanted to do this for a while and they have dedicated several years and lots of hard work into this show and they deserve respect for that in itself. So I will not go out of my way to say their decisions towards the show and twist were wrong. I simply don't like them very much. This is my honest opinion. Rose Quartz being Pink diamond has so many things wrong with it. Let's start with the characters shall we? Let's explore the deeper meaning behind the things the characters of the show have done and how they have been affected, if not directly, by Pinks decision and actions during the Rebellion.

Jasper. Jasper was a loyal and steadfast soldier. She was dedicated to her commander and she loved her diamond, as many other gems did during Era 1 in Pinks court. When Pink was “shattered” it killed Jasper. She was hell bent on destroying Rose Quartz for her murderous actions. Even thousands of years later she was still holding onto all that anger and grief. All that pain had been affecting her well into Era 2. Her whole character's arc revolved around this twisted obsession she had that formed from the trauma of losing her diamond. It led her to become fusion crazy, creating a physiological aspect of fear of not being strong enough and desperately seeking out the strength she desired through fusing with corrupted gems after Lapis rejected her, and she was eventually corrupted herself, because of this. Her redemption arc (If she will ever have one) would be a long and hard road to come back from all the anger and pain she went through. And to repair the fabric ion her mind that was torn from these emotions and bring her back from corruption, a feat that has to be even proven possible. All of this development means very little now seeing as her diamond was never shattered, she was cowardly and faked her own death and her fearful action led Jasper (as well as most likely many other similar ems) down this heartbreaking road and put her in this terrible state. While not directly responsible for JaSpers actions, Pink/Rose was the original instigator for them, as Jasper would not have been led down this turn of events if PInk was never “Shattered” Jasper was one of many characters affected by Pinks decision. Let's look at Lapis Lazuli.

Lapis was originally created with the purpose of creating the earth the way the diamonds wanted it be, a factory for harvesting natural resources and life and Lapis was programmed to do this and score away rock and earth with water to create it to be this way. became caught in the war that PInk started. She became caught in the middle of a battle while visiting the earth and was trapped in a mirror and subjugated to years of torture and interrogation for things she knew nothing about. This was carried out by Homeworld gems on grounds of suspicions of being in alliance with the rebellion. In the desperate scatter her mirror was dropped and broken and eventually found by Pearl who had no knowledge that an actual coherent gem was trapped inside and was used as a tool for centuries to come. Rose/Pink knew she was in this mirror and LEFT her there for thousands of years. Forced into a seemingly endless cycle of isolation and solitude until she was discovered by Steven millenia later. She lost her home, her purpose and everything she thought she knew because of the gem war and Pinks refusal to help her, because of her status on homeworld, I assume. Rose/Pink never appeared to have mentioned that Lapis was in the mirror and never explored any possible idea of setting her free or healing her gem, which takes her loving and giving nature into question. Now what about the Crystal Gems?

Pearl. Oh my god Pearl had it worst of all. The show has been pushing and establishing that Pearl was originally a servant on homeworld as that was what pearls were created for. She rose above the diamond authority and gained her independence and fought bravely to secure this freedom. All of this strong emotional development for Pearl mean NOTHING now. Because she belonged to Pink diamond. And even after when she was supposedly free, she wasn't. She was still a loyal and brave soldier/slave to her diamond as she was programmed to be. All the way up until Pink Diamond “died” and Steven was born. All of the grief and pain Pearl went through when she developed feelings for Rose, and was rejected for Greg, could very well be for naught now that we know it all originally stemmed from her continuing to be loyal to her diamond. And as it seems, Rose got around a LOT with the humans and seemed to not respect Pearls obvious feelings. Leading me to believe she saw Pearl as more of a side piece, rather than acknowledging her romantic feelings and respectfully rejecting her. I love Pearl and would like to think she rose above this and moved on after Stephen was born and actually obtained the freedom she sought that was a fabricated lie told to her by Pink/Rose. Not to mention, the trauma and PTSD she went through and all the terrible fights she overcame in the war. And to be manipulated and involuntarily silenced by Pink/Rose to the point where she would physically have to hold herself back from telling her closest friends and allies about Pink being rose. Let alone Steven as well. Pink/Rose own son who Pearl had wanted to tell about his Mothers true nature since the beginning.

Garnet/Amethyst. Garnet looked up to Rose. She saw her as a symbol of hope and strength. A leader of a rebellion worth justifying. Someone who approved of her being herself. All of this devotion and this near unbreakable bond between allies was shattered when Garnet learned of Rose being Pink. Garnet has stated that she believes Pink to be a true monopolistic sociopathic villain and murderer. As we have been told by the episode “Your Mother and Mine” And lets not forget about the thousands of crystal gem shards that were forced to fuse together and how Garnet reacted to this. The person she detested and saw as a true monster and the person she looked up to as a mother figure are the SAME person. It split her in two. Sapphire being furious and Ruby baffled. I am not surprised she is so shook up and I feel so much sympathy for her right now. Amethyst was never part of the war but all the admiration for the person who rescued her and gave her love and purpose...all out the window now. She was told her whole life of Pinks crimes and cowardly sociopathic behavior and I can imagine how this will affect her. And other secondary characters are affected by this as well.

The Diamonds. So we don't really know that much about White diamond but we do know Blue and Yellow. And although Yellow probably wanted Pink out of the way, I think this was more of Yellow thinking that Pink was not ready for a responsibility as a colony of her own, and simply wished Pink out of a position of such power, not destroyed as was insinuated in “The Trial” This attitude of Yellows was resented by Pink Diamond as seen in “JUngle Moon” When Pink even stated that she was just as important as Yellow and had her own authority and power. Yellow did still care deeply about Pink and she felt the pain of her loss. And Blue Diamond. I personally don't like her that much but her introduction was her literally sobbing her eyes out THOUSANDS of years after Pinks death because of all the grief she still felt. This leader was at the end of her rope. And the emotional broadcast of her grief made even YELLOW start shedding tears. All of that grief was wasted because Pink never died. To put Blue through something like that...I just….I can't even….

Rose Quartz. Remember all those other Rose quartz gems bubbled in the human Zoo? Ya know who put em there? Pink diamond. Ya know why? Because it was a rose quartz who started the rebellion and Pink bubbled all these gems to prevent any other uprisings. But she WAS the leader of the rebellion and thus all those gems were forced into and underserved captivity much like Lapis was. I am assuming that this was because Pink did not want anyone to notice the differences between her facade of Rose and the ACTUAL Rose Quartz gems. I wouldn't be surprised that if unbubbled, those gems were now corrupted because of all the isolation.

And don't even get me started on the war. The whole gem war was battled between homeworld and the rebels and Pinks own court. Pink fell in love with the planet she was supposed to destroy and rather than standing up to the diamonds and using the authority she strived so much for and having her soldiers and followers fight with her for the earth and assert her authority to preserve the planet she loved...she hid from her problems. She created the face of Rose Quartz and rebelled against her own authority and court so that she would not have to face the consequences of starting a rebellion against her fellow diamonds herself. It would be so much easier to blame a rogue soldier right? And that's exactly what she did.  A war actually may have been avoided. The other diamonds may have simply seen Pinks love for Earth as a phase, a toy for her to play with. Much like the Human Zoo and left it be. And even if it wasn't, all the above cases of trauma and anger and grief and isolation would not have happened. And the war would be a hell of a lot more justified. Pink would have been standing up for herself and the place she fell in love with. I mean the diamonds literally combined all their powers to corrupt almost every crystal gem on earth to get back at Rose for shattering Pink. All of those gems were broken and corrupted because Pink started this war and faked her own death. The cluster, a geo weapon that could have destroyed everything and was created from the tattered and broken remnant of crystal gems minds was created by the diamonds to destroy the earth as a form of revenge for Pinks death.Pink didn't do anything about it She lived her life after the war in bliss and kept the other gems blissfully ignorant of this fact. Pink diamond was a coward and instead of fighting for the planet she loved she fabricated a fake face and out so many other lives in jeopardy or lost or put through hell and back because she was too fearful to stand up to the other diamonds. She hid and ran from all her problems until she forgot about them and settled with Greg and left all her problems and crimes on her SON'S head.  Lapis, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, Jasper, Blue and Yellow, ALL of the other Rose Quartz gems, STEVEN. All have been hurt because of Pink Diamond’s actions and now we find out that she is actually the person that gave all these abused characters some form of hope for a better future.

I am very unhappy with this turn of event. I feel like they are actually a whole bunch of other inconsistencies with Rose being Pink, not just in story writing but also physical differences and plot holes. Which I won't get too heavily into. But this reveal feel like a cheap plot twist tactic to me. Pink Diamond is most obviously programmed as a child. Her smaller stature and appearance are proof enough for this. And it makes sense. All of her actions thus far are something that a child believably could have done. She ran and hid and acted out. I disagree with the plot twist for the above reasons. Your guys thoughts?

[shinobikage]

Saya Uchiha

Chapter One

Genre: Adventure, Action, Romance, Realistic

Rate: Teen

World: Naruto (Boruto’s Timeline)

Summary:  The war has been over, it’s been peaceful and technology has pushed progress forward creating a new era. The world of Shinobi is not as it used to be, but better. This story is centered around Saya Uchiha (OC) and her team/friends. The first chapter takes place the same day Boruto Uzumaki starts the Academy and it goes from there.

Warning: OC Centric, suicide attempt.

‘What difference does it make?’ Saya asks herself every single day, it is the first thought she has when she wakes and the last before she falls into slumber. Daily she wakes up, goes to work, and comes back home to the desolation overcrowded with screams of despair. There are so many expectations of her and all are overwhelming. She believes she is not good enough so her question once again is ‘what difference does it make?’ After taking a shower, she gets dressed and brushes her teeth. Staring into a fogged mirror as she had showered in the hottest setting she can possibly go. Her skin ached and was a little swollen with a hue of red rose color. She walks downstairs to her kitchen, being welcomed by the suns' rays. She fills the coffee maker with water turns it on. She puts some toast in a toaster after buttering each slice. She stands patiently waiting for everything to finish. A beeping sound breaks the silence, a strong rich scent of roasted beans fills the room and her mouth salivates. She walks over to the counter without any will left in her body.

“Coffee…” she whispers as she pours it into a mug, and sits down at the table with three slices of toast and two sunny side up eggs. Only the hands of the clock ‘tick tock tick’ prevents the room from being soundproof. Biting into the crunchy buttered bread, chewing slowly with no desire to continue eating because of the lack of company. She places both hands on the mug and grips it, seeking warmth from an object, seeking comfort in an object. She sighs and sips her coffee. She enjoys the warmth it brings, the scent it brings, and even the bitter taste with a hint of sweetness. It doesn’t really help her wake up, but it definitely gives her a good start, as it is one of the few things she seems to enjoy in life. After she was done eating, she puts on her boots and begins to head out. It's a sunny day, a nice breeze that caressed her skin and greeted her.

           As she walks through the village, few greet her because of her aloof presence, and those that do quickly regret it and distant themselves. ‘What’s up with that weird woman?’ ‘Shh, she will hear you! Look at her crest on the back, she is an Uchiha.’ ‘Seriously? I have had it with the Uchiha, they are all the same!’ ‘I don’t care if an Uchiha helped the Hokage save us, it was an Uchiha who caused the war in the first place!’ ‘They are all so pitiful.’ ‘Disgusting, their attitude is the worst.’ Whispers begin to drift in the atmosphere. Slowly brushing their way into her ears, thoughts that should have been kept to themselves, they travel like the wind. It’s not that she does not want to socialize, she has tried that in the past; and it’s all smiles at first, but then comes a time when betrayal and manipulation is always the outcome. People take advantage and in turn Saya remotes herself from having a social life. She prefers to avoid anything and anyone that can hurt her, especially a village that seems to hate her clan. She understands that her clan has caused a lot of pain and loss for the village, however she is not at fault. Still, she lets them be, as it is better to stay quiet than to confront people. This is her resolve. Despite this hatred towards her, the ambient is very peaceful, people are happy and rightfully so. A time of peace after the Fourth Shinobi War, nations are now getting along and working together. No longer making it their goal to destroy and overtake one other. She feels out of place, she wants to fit in but somehow, she is the piece of the puzzle that no one seems to figure out where it goes. She passes by a flower shop where a blond kid with light blue eyes rushes out and bumps into her.

“Watch where you are going lady!” he yelled as he ran towards the direction of the Academy.

“Good grief! Inojin you will hear from me when you come back! Are you okay? I apologize on behalf of my son. My name is Ino Yamanaka!” Ino comes out of the shop bowing.

“No problem, Yamanaka-san.” Saya mentions as she turns to walk away, she was used to people bumping into her as if she were a ghost that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Wait! Beautiful, don’t you think we should give her flowers for that? As an apology that is.” Suddenly a pale man with dark hair wearing an apron with flower patterns steps out with four blue irises.

“You see, he is our son and we own this shop. Please forgive him and stop by whenever you’d like.” The man smiled at Saya as he placed the flowers in her hands. ‘What a kind family’ she thought as she took the flowers.

“Yes, of course! These are freshly cut, please take them as an apology!” Ino smiles at Saya.

“This isn’t necessary it wasn’t a big deal, however, thanks…” Saya turned around with the flowers in hands and resumed walking. A little bit of joy sparked in her heart, however, it was not enough. She is also headed in the direction of the Academy, she may arrive late, she could run, but ‘what difference does it make?’

“Are we seriously the last ones?!” a furious almond haired girl with beautiful brown skin and emerald green eyes paces back and forth in the classroom.

“Just sit down, no matter what someone will eventually show up.” said a boy whose hair is cerulean colored and skin is tan. His eyes match the color of the azure sea. He was lying on the bench and he was yawning constantly.

“Don’t tell me what to do! You should just stay quiet, fish bait!” she says with a smirk.

“That’s not my name!” He sits up and clenches his fists.

“I…I don’t think we should fight… we are going to be teammates so…” a quiet timid boy fidgets as he tries to break up the argument. He has peach colored skin, white pearl eyes with no pupils, and rose gold colored hair.

“Tch, well our Sensei is so lame!” the girl pipes down a little and crosses her arms.

“Bring me a bucket.” The cerulean haired boy requests, at first the girl is angry at the request, but she realizes what he is planning and snickers.

‘They all sound so annoying’ Making her way through the halls of the Academy, Saya had heard most of the conversation ever since she stepped into the Academy. ‘These kids are the supposed genin? What a joke.’ She slides the door and suddenly the room goes quiet. She noticed they had placed a bucket of water on the floor, two of them have a smug look and the other is looking at the floor embarrassed.

“Is this supposed to be a team of clowns? I didn’t realize, must be the wrong classroom.” she closes the door and waits outside for their reaction.

“WHAT DID SHE SAY?!” the boisterous girl turns all red in anger and grinds her teeth.

“What? She just left? Is she really supposed to be our Sensei?” the cerulean haired boy gets up from the bench and stands next to the girl.

“LET’S GO AFTER HER!” she slides the door open and gasps.

“Did you really think your little prank was going to work on me?” Saya looks down on them with a menacing look and blocks the entrance.

“S-Sensei we—” the timid rose gold haired boy began to speak, but she cuts him off.

“Shut it, follow me so we can get this over with.” Saya turns around and she hears their loud and obnoxious footsteps following behind. ‘They are supposed to be ninja’ she sighs and continues to lead them.

“What is up with her?” the angry almond haired girl asks.

“No idea, she seems annoying. I heard she has already failed 5 teams, now I can see why.” The blue haired boy responds.

“Seriously? She broke the Sixth’s record?” the timid boy remarks.

“She makes me feel awkward.”

“Yeah, she seems very mean and cold too.” he mentions. Suddenly Saya stops and they all bump into her.

“Uwah!” they all rub their nose and look up to her. The feel shivers down their spine as they see her gloomy eyes.

“You know I can hear you right? Stop talking and pick up the pace.” She glares at them and then turns around and continues to walk.

“…” the genin follow her silently.

“Here we are. What you need to do is get these bells from me and—” Saya gets cut off by the almond haired girl.

“Hey, we just walked all the way from the Academy to the training grounds without saying a single word. I mean, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” the girl asked as she crossed her arms.

“What does it matter? It’s not like you guys are going to pass.” Saya’s expression are hard to read normally since she wears a mask. Their only clue of expression are her eyes and right now they look deadpan.

“What does that mean?!” the three asked at the same time.

“Fine. I am Saya Uchiha.” She says and a moment of silent drags on.

“And?”

“I don’t like you guys. Everything else is classified, clear?”

“You know, you are annoying Sensei.” The cerulean haired boy scratches the back of his head and looks away.

“Kai, b-be kind to…” the rose gold haired boy gets interrupted.

“Well my name’s Kaminari from the Arashi clan and I transferred from Kumogakure. I am here to prove the people in Konoha that Kumogakure is the strongest village. I will—“

“Become Hokage, yadda yadda I have heard this 5 times and you made it the 6th.” Saya cuts Kaminari immediately.

“WILL YOU LET ME FINISH MY SENTENCE?! I don’t want to be Hokage, I want to become the strongest ninja in the world!” Kaminari poses with her arms at her hips and looks up to Saya with gleam in her eyes.

“Pfft” Saya’s first clear reaction shocks the three wannabe genin.

“What’s so funny Sensei?” Baffled, Kaminari asks.

“You are.” Saya immediately answers angering Kaminari.

“Grr! You are the worst Sensei ever!” Kaminari stops posing and continues to bicker at Saya.

“Anyway, my name is Kai from the Ningyo clan and I transferred from Kirigakure. I don’t really have a goal or whatever, I am just doing this because my parents are forcing me.”

“You know? Your life sucks fish bait.” Kaminari had a deadpan face as she said this.

“Stop calling me that! I have a goal now, and it is to destroy your goals in life!” Kai points at her as he yells.

“WHAT?! WHY DON’T YOU TRY IT RIGHT NOW FISH BAIT!” Kaminari yells back.

“M-my name is Haruto Hyūga and my dream is to protect Himawari Uzumaki with my life.” The entire atmosphere changed after this awkward comment. Everyone was uncomfortable and it was silent for a while.

“W-what?” Haruto asked.

“So you have anger issues, you are lazier than someone I know from the Nara clan, and you are a creepy quiet boy who is obsessed with Himawari? I didn’t need the introductions, it’s pretty obvious to me. You guys are weird.” Saya responded.

“What was that?” Kai asked.

“WHAT?! SENSEI I AM GONNA—” Kaminari was cut off by Haruto.

“You are really bitter!” Haruto blurted out immediately covering his mouth regretting it.

“The task is to grab these bells from me. There are only two, so one of you will fail. Start!” Saya had a plan, what she wanted to see was not just teamwork, but she also wanted them to notice her suffering. She wanted to call out ‘If they can save me…’ she thought, and immediately dismissed the thought away.

“All of you failed. Go home.” She said sighing, disappointed. ‘What was I thinking? They are only genin, they can’t possibly see my struggles. Even if I kept dropping hints, it was no use.’

“You are so messed up, you know that right?” said Kai as he tried to get up from the ground but was exhausted. He reached his left side of his leg for his water bottle, but did not find it. ‘Where did it go?’ he thought as he panted.

“N-no… I can’t believe this.” Haruto mentioned as he teared up and clenched his fists. ‘I am not worthy to protect her…’

“Are you happy now Saya? Do you like doing this? You are not worthy to be called Sensei.” Kaminari was angry and she gave Saya a hateful look. ‘What the hell is all this about?’

“If you have complaints, go to the Hokage. It will all be over soon.” Saya disappeared right after that last attempt of cry for help. ‘Every single time, these kids think they know everything and can do anything but at the end of the day… what does it matter?’ Saya thought, she was disappointed and hurt because she believed in this team. For the first time, she believed that maybe they were able to see her hurt. ‘This was the last time anyway.’ She thought as she leaped from tree to tree.

“What does that mean?! What a jerk!” Kaminari looked at her team, they were exhausted and beat. She eased up and saw that Kai was having issues breathing. She scanned the area for his water bottle and found it.

“Geez, you really are like a fish outta the sea aren’t ya?” she mocked as she grabbed the water bottle and tossed it at him.

“It’s not something I can control yet, I have been separated from the ocean for a while. Plus I used most of my chakra.” Kai began to gulp down the water.

“It’d be funny if you start flopping around like a fish.” She laughed, Kai threw his now empty water bottle at Kaminari.

“Still… don’t you think the whole thing was weird? I mean, we worked together, that’s what I thought the bell challenge was about. But her comments, her ways of moving… it was strange. It wasn’t normal.” Haruto spoke surprising Kai and Kaminari.

“…So you noticed something was off too didn’t you?” Kai said as he scratched his head.

“And that genjutsu she placed us in was really weird too…” Kaminari mentioned as Kai and Haruto nodded. They stay silent for a while, thinking of what to do next.

“Well whatever it is, we should reach to the Hokage’s office before she does.” Kaminari said as she helped Haruto get up.

“Excuse me!” someone unknown calls out to the three students.

“W-who is—” Kai sat up straight after regaining some strength back.

“Kiseki nii-san?” Haruto says confused.

“You know this dude Haruto?” Kaminari asks as she points at him with her thumb.

“Yes, he is my cousin.” Haruto mentions as his right eyebrow perks slightly wondering why he was there.

“So he too is from the Hyūga clan?” Kaminari asks.

“Duh, look at his eyes.” Kai remarks after he yawns.

“Shut up fish bait!”

“Don’t call me—” Kai gets cut off by Kiseki.

“I could not help but overhear your conversation.” Kiseki immediately prostrates himself to the ground.

“Please forgive my friend! She has gone through a lot and she may seem very cold, but she is very caring! She feels all alone in the world and shoulders a lot of weight and responsibility! She doesn’t know how to ask for help, rather she feels like she is a bother! She resorts to being rude because she knows it makes people distance themselves from her! I know it’s a lot to ask but please! Forgive her!” Kiseki still stays in a prostrated position, not lifting his head to look at them.

“W-what is going on with her?” Kai and Kaminari asked.

“Well that was very blunt and personal, I am sure she would have liked to have kept that in priv—” Haruto was scolding Kiseki, but he gets interrupted.

“She has been struggling for a while and she distances herself from people on purpose. It does not mean she doesn’t like you, she just doesn’t want to get hurt. I have been away in a mission, it is the first time I am back in the village in 4 months. I haven’t been able to speak to her, I just got here. She is my rival, therefore I vouch for her!” Kiseki looks at them with determination in his eyes, ‘her chakra feels different.’

‘She seems annoying. I heard she has already failed 5 teams, now I can see why’ thought Kai.

‘You are really bitter!’ Haruto thought and guilt began to make him uneasy.

‘You are the worst Sensei ever!’ a flashback crossed her mind and she clenched her fists.

“Sensei, can you take us to her? I have to apologize otherwise I won’t be honoring Kumogakure.” Kaminari said determined, whether Kiseki helped her or not she would find a way.

“Yes nii-san, I owe her an apology as well.” Haruto felt uneasy, ‘something is not right’

“Whatever happened, we had no right to disrespect her.” Kai said as he thought ‘what was I thinking?’

“We want to be there for her.” They all said determined.

“Thank you! Yes! Follow me!” Kiseki got up from the ground ‘this is the will of fire burning inside of them! Surely these have to be the ones that can give Saya hope!’

‘It’s not just that, last thing she said was ‘it will all be over soon’ Kaminari thought as she followed Kiseki.

‘She kept quiet a lot, she spoke very little words’ Haruto thought to himself, his heart raced.

‘She seemed tired, she was distant and her expressions where robot-like. As if she trained herself not to let others know how she is truly feeling.’ Kai thought as he leaped through the trees.

           The shouts were overwhelming her ‘I can’t take this anymore’ she thought. ‘It all needs to stop, what does it matter? Every single day is the same, this loneliness and this constant voice. It makes me weak.’ Once she ignored the voices in her head, she discarded them as soon as she thought them. However, lately they have been increasing. Not just in quantity, but in volume, every single day they got louder and louder. They don’t let her sleep, they don’t let her think, they don’t allow her any time for bettering herself. They are there, constantly knocking at her door. The knocks started with fists, but now they have escalated to beating the door with bats and other heavy equipment. It breaks down her walls, it takes her and beats her up constantly. At the end of the day she is bloodied on the ground by her constant beating. Her vocals are damaged from screaming, dry lips from thirst, she was thirsty for help. Eyes blurry from blood covering her entire body and oozing. Inflicting pain onto herself to stop the voices, she was desperate to silence them, so desperate she had cuts and bruises all over her body. Numbness because all the nerve endings are damaged from this mental abuse. Her breathing was labored and her chest was rising paradoxically, her broken ribs from crashing against the walls. It hurt to even sigh.

‘Do it, no one will care’ says the voice.

‘Does it even matter?’

‘Not like anyone will miss you’

‘Who do you think you are?’

‘Stupid Uchiha’

‘Disgrace’

‘You are weird’

‘Pathetic’

‘Dishonor’

‘Failure’

‘Stupid’

‘Disgusting’

‘Pitiful’

‘I heard she has already failed 5 teams, now I can see why.’

‘You are the worst Sensei ever!’

‘You are really bitter!’

‘Worst Sensei’

‘Are you happy now?’

‘Annoying’

‘Messed up’

“SHUT UP!! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!! SHUT UP!” she yells and cries, certain that no one will hear her agony.

‘You don’t even matter.’

‘Do it’

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!” She falls on her knees, drowning in these thoughts. So deep that she doesn’t have the will to swim anymore, so dark that she can’t see the light above her. She feels helpless, worthless, she feels alone.

“AHHHHHH!!!” She punches the floor in frustration and hears something clank onto the ground. She looks to her side and sees a kunai peeking out from her pouch. Calling out to her, begging to be taken.

‘Grab it’ the voice says but she hesitates, however she somehow finds comfort in that kunai. The one thing that she believes can save her, is the thing that will kill her. She grabs the kunai desperately and she grips it with both hands. Trembling, she holds it up to her neck. Suddenly, a loud tumbling startles her and she activates her Sharingan by instinct. She looks up to see her door knocked down and four figures standing there.

“SAYA!” Kiseki yells and puts a hand out to stop the genin.

“S-Sensei!” the genin step forward, but feel helpless. The only thing standing between them and Sensei is Kiseki’s hand. They all stare in horror, never had they ever encountered something like this.

“It’s all over now, you don’t have to worry about me anymore.” She says as she closes her eyes and begins to drive the kunai towards her neck. Suddenly she feels a gust of wind, she hears a movement so fast it almost didn’t register.

“Ngh!” A gushing sound makes her open her eyes. She doesn’t feel pain, she only feels guilt and remorse. Her eyes widen.

“W-what?! Kiseki you—” Kiseki’s arm is in front of her with the kunai embed into his arm. She turns her head and sees Kiseki smiling, he embraces her as if securing her from any other harm.

“You can’t, you can’t die on me.” He whispers and immediately she hears footsteps rushing towards her. Young children’s cries fill the once empty lonely silent room. Cries of people she just met today. Cries of children that didn’t like her, the ones she made angry on purpose so that they hate her.

“Sensei! I am sorry! You are not the worst!” Kaminari yells as she grips Saya, hugging her from the front.

“And you aren’t annoying!” Kai blurts out, he is trying to control his tears but they slip down the cheeks uncontrollably. He hugs her from the left side, burying his head on her shoulder.

“I wasn’t right on calling you bitter! I am sorry!” Haruto repeats over and over as he tightens his hold on her right side.

“Please Sensei! Don’t do this!” They all say at the same time.

“You guys…” Saya is speechless. For the first time, she is speechless and not on purpose. She begins to cry, not just tears, but her whole soul is crying. Her voice comes out as broken, but in reality she is saved.

“See? we want you to live.” Kiseki says as he places his forehead on the back of her neck as tears slip from his eyes, caressing his cheeks.

“…passed…” Saya mumbles and the genin suddenly stop crying in order to hear her, they look up at her with trails of tears on their cheeks.

“Huh?” the genin say in unison.

“You all… passed… you are now genin.” Saya smiles while her tears cascade from her eyes onto her now damp mask. The genin smile and hug her tight as if to never let go of such a wonderful person. A misunderstood person who just needed warmth, real comfort and not from a hot cup of coffee. ‘Maybe there is hope in life’ Saya thought to herself as she smiled, a genuine smile that she had lost long ago.

To be continued.

I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, please leave a review!