#it’s like ‘you have. disease.’ ohh nooo

[rozugold]

Ok no more asking the internet why my back hurts, they’re giving scary answers

[99point9percentwhump]

Final round...

Welp you challenged me so here we go..

Knocking them off.. this or that..

Off a bridge or off a cliff.

Internal bleeding or bleeding out.

Deadly disease or poisoning.

Buried alive or roasted.

Buried vertical or horizontal.

Axe in back or shot close range.

pool of shark or piranhas

Tommy gun or shot gun

Hung, drown and quartered OR ties to a cement block and shoved overboard!

Cement bath or acid bath

Tulip bulb salad or rhubarb leaf salad (don't ask how i know this)

Mummification alive or falling down a well

Wood chipper or 1000 cuts

Bungee jump gone wrong or parachute not opening.

Decapitated or cut in half.

Unicorn impalement or sword.

Scorpion sting or snake bite

Oxygen deprivation or drowning.

Ta-da!! Ain't they good ones 😈🤣

Phew that made me think 🤔🤣

Ok who the hell...... how..... what.... Jaysus honestly woman!

SIIGGHHHHHH okok fiinnnneeeee

Off a bridge or off a cliff. Off a bridge I can still save him!

Internal bleeding or bleeding out. Wow... bleeding out put the poor thing outta his misery

Deadly disease or poisoning. horrible choices.... poisoning

Buried alive or roasted. Wut.... sh!t... erm.... go roasted it might be lesser of evils here 0.0

Buried vertical or horizontal. Ohh ohh I'm so glad the direction would change how quickly the poor bastard goes asdfgh.... IDK..... does vertical even mean.... Go with horizontal cuz now Im overthinking the vertical deaths

Axe in back or shot close range. depends HOW attached I am... the former reminds me of Haldir 😭

pool of shark or piranhas so you mean one giant man eating fish or a bazzilion mini man eating fish.... Shark just get it over faster? no youd either bleed out or drown... piranhas youll prob drown first.... I have nooo idea.... go shark good God....

Tommy gun or shot gun Even in death well go the way of the mafioso Tommy gun for sure

Hung, drown and quartered OR ties to a cement block and shoved overboard! Ive seen both these.... well go the death that sorta cleans itself up cement shoes it is

Cement bath or acid bath Holy hell...... cement Im just gonna stick with mob hits rn

Tulip bulb salad or rhubarb leaf salad (don't ask how i know this) Salad.... yeah thats deadly.... feel like there is more to this question.... tulip bulb sakad gives me Midsomer Murders vibes go with that

Mummification alive or falling down a well Put him down a well hope he smashes his skull and goes the way of Richard Shapre's enemy hehe

Wood chipper or 1000 cuts .... I being the way I am prefer something to bury thats not pulped remains..... sooooo 1000 cuts

Bungee jump gone wrong or parachute not opening. People have survived parachutes not opening and been ok in the long run well give him a fighting chance

Decapitated or cut in half. the former bodies twitching I can cope with but the latter could leave them still begging or screaming after so decapitation deffo

Unicorn impalement or sword. I am a traditionalist go for sword

Scorpion sting or snake bite Snake..... I think esp if its one that kills you faster lmao

Oxygen deprivation or drowning Drowning

Well that was... an experience @whumpookies 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

No after figure we're not 😭😭

AWWW HONEYYY NO 😭😭😭🥺🥺💔❤️

Well yeah but he can decide to break up with you too

But yeah honey totally valid :(((

Hmm not always though Tim

Oop true 😳

Punishing yourself like everyone else 😬

OOP that's the tea o.o

Bitesize therapy where you can't escape xD

Hmm

"Bailey" NO CELINA'S HERE ASK BAILEY

GORL I WAS RIGHT O.O

Celina's face XDD

SLFKGHDS YEP

Yeahhh diseases xD

LOL

Idiots xD

Yeppp slfkdjs

Oop Emma :O

UH OHHH

OHH NOOO

Uh ohh

OHHH BLOOD

Crap

Oh noo

?

Dead :(((

Poor girl 😭😭😭😭🥺🥺

Yeeeah she shouldn't be here

OOP yep dibs xD

Hmm nah there's gonna be an issue with her xD

Yeah probably not

But also near murder apparently lol

Yep xD

Yeah it's not great but it's an option

Okay whatever you say

"Took the words right out of my mouth" LOL

You needed to say it

Yeah :)

Yeah o.o

Dang all y'all right there lol

Ik it's your job lol but

Old zoo o.o

Yk memories xD

UH OH

Oh gosh :O ayyy she's okay!!!

Awww poor girl :(( 😭😭

It's not your fault honey <33

Right forgot which one was which, anyway interesting that he killed Emma first

Maybe just chance

Yeah real :(

Awww honey 😭

Honeyy tell the truth if you know it

Ahh because she escaped :(

Wasn't she already dead? Oh like kill her too

Oop suspicious old look out

The baby thing is sensitive to everyone too :(

Well kids in general

Maybe not Tim and Lucy but they have their own problems lol

Oope

I doubt he's in there

OPE O.O

Nahh there's gotta be somebody else involved

And there's already flies

Maybe they did it? Idek

His wife??

They're like "yeeeah he's dead"

Hmm okay hours

Ah crap right o.o

But she's there-

Okay phew

Hmm still suspicious

Oogh that look at the camera

OPE

Agh gosh

OH NO knife o.o

I wonder if she killed and now is just in it and thinks she needs to run? Idek

Agh gosh what a complicated place to run in xd

Yeeah that's annoying

Thissss is annoying

If somebody sees her and they slightly misspeak 😬

OOP she running

Uh oh

Why is that rando just walking by o.o

Aww honey :(((

Poor girl 😭

Awww 😭😭

This is wild

This is amazing acting though :(

OOP she killed both o.o

Awww honey 😭😭😭💔

Oogh those screams

This is so good but just ouch 😭

Wow

That was amazing but so sad :((

[lawrencegarte]

okay so my proposals for wish not sucking ass (under a read more cuz who really cares anymore HJGSKJHGASHJ just me!)

number one like i love a villain who's evil for no reason but with his backstory they really needed to lean really hard into magnifico actually just being traumatized and misguided??? they brought that up and then DROPPED it like a hot potato. like his motivations were so messy and confused i literally did not know what the fuck his deal was at any point during the film. it would have honestly been so much more impactful for me if he wasn't evil at all before using the stupid evil plot device.

i can't envision the movie WITHOUT the stupid evil plot device so in my mind i'm like. what if that was the thing that destroyed his family's kingdom. like imagine that. he turns to this thing that hurt him because he's like "yeah i can control this" but he can't oh nooo.... and then it's like ohh that's what happened before probably huh... trying to protect everyone by keeping their most important dreams from them is not the right move actually?? aw...

also magnifico just getting trapped in a cursed crystal forever was kind of wack. again it is a problem of just... really really messy characterization and plot building. like REALLY?? "evil magic, not even once" THAT'S your message???? you're going full 90's anti-drug psa short film messaging???? at no point did i feel like magnifico deserved just desserts. i felt too confused by him to buy into him being unrepentantly evil forever and ever. what was up with that.

like bro the moment when asha and magnifico bond over losing people so important to them, over them fruitlessly dreaming and hoping and wishing for them to be okay, felt SO important. that was set up for a solid movie about how just because it hurts, it can cause you so much grief and heartbreak, you can't just let go of your dreams. that dreaming and striving is important even if you fall, even if hope doesn't always come through you still need to hang onto it.

and that didn't happen at all and magnifico kind of stopped having trauma and overprotective parent disease and just was like a dictator for no reason. huh????????

anyway yeah start with an actually good magnifico, one who is genuinely just trying to stop his people from feeling the pain and loss he felt when he lost his family, and have him using the book not be out of like... pettiness?? but rather a genuine fear of threat for his people. he shouldn't hate his people!! he should love his people so thoroughly that it's heartbreaking when evil magic takes over and twists him into something malicious. and asha should feel this too!!! asha should take a moment to understand how the grief of losing somebody so important can so easily take hold of us. she should sympathize with magnifico even while feeling like this is wrong. and at the end maybe the two of them invite the wishes to bring back what was lost into their hearts. to accept even the saddest and most painful parts of themselves because that's what being human is.

also kill off valentino because he was really fucking annoying.

anyway there were bare bones of a film there but the end product wasn't even really a movie. 2/10. 100th anniversary baby!!!!

[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction to “Gotham” S2E19

Yep.  Told ya I’d get this one up.

AN:  I managed to record my reactions to this episode and hopefully I can transcribe what I said into this post.

Whoa....

What the....

“Has there been any improvement since he [Theo] woke up yesterday?”  “No.  But he's wonderful, isn't he?“  I... I wouldn’t say that...

“The Will and Order of St. Dumas.”  What?

*Jim stops by Arkham*  Oh SNAAAAAPPP!

“Pinewood Farms was started by Thomas Wayne in an attempt to cure humanity's greatest ailments on the genetic level old age, disease, even death.”  “But that's not what happened, is it?“  *snaps sassy Z-line in the air*  No it ain’t!

“Karen said the program tried to play God, and you [Hugo] ended up creating monsters.”  “I was just a researcher with no knowledge of that until it was too late.“  Uhh, ha ha, no.

“I’m [Jim] not here for a therapy session, Professor.”  Thank you.

“No.  It’s more like an interrogation by a man who is no longer a police officer.”  Ohh!

“[Jim] You're trying to make up for the sins of your past, and you believe that this case will somehow bring about your own personal redemption.”  *grimaces*

“Victor Fries is dead, Mr. Gordon.”  Well that is a lie.

“Really?  I saw him last night.”  Thank you!

“I [JIm] can read tells, too.  [Hugo] You’re lying.”  *claps and points at screen*  Yeeess!

Oh there it is!  There’s the theme!

*Ed explains to Aaron that the other inmate’s personality is not him via pretending to scold the air AKA “Lucy”*  OK, this is actually not a bad way to diffuse the situation.

Look at Ed being the negotiator when it comes to situations in Arkham! 

*claps*

“Go to hell, Ed.”  Thank you!

“Nobody beats me.”  Really?

“I [Jim] did.  See you never, Ed.”  Hahahaha!

There’s the Jim Gordon I know!

“What has no hands but might knock on your door, and you better open up if it does?“  Fate?

“I [Ed] can help you [Hugo] take him [Jim] down.“  You better not!

*One of the inmates tries to lick Ed*  EEEWWW!!

*Ed explains to Hugo how he manipulated the other inmates by simply listening to them and what they want*  Holy crap, Ed!

This is the Riddler!

“Everyone has a story...”  Azrael?

Ed, what did you do?

“We have got to give him [Theo] a great, heroic story.”  “We need to give him a good heroic dose of Thorazine, but you're [Hugo] the boss.“  ...Yes.

Uhhh.... is this a good idea??

“Hello?”  *in best Hugo Strange voice*  It’s me.

WHOA

“Don’t you [Theo] feel a father’s love when I [Hugo] look into your eyes?” *in high pitched voice* NOT REALLY!

“No. No. There is another life. There is a sister, a high tower-”  *puts hands on head in shock*  Ohhh, he [Theo] remembers Tabitha!

Whoaaa ho ho hoooo... oh my gosshhh...

“This man [Hugo] ordered my parents' death?  You're sure?“  Why would Hugo Strange order the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne?

“Bruce, I [Jim] know you're frustrated, but we need to do this the right way.”  “The right way? And how many times did that fail with Galavan?“  HOOO!!

“We'll work on Barnes, get him to sign off on a warrant and put Strange away for good.  The right way.“  Where are they gonna put Strange if they do arrest him?  Blackgate?  Probably not Arkham.

Is this immersion therapy [the St. Dumas video Strange is showing Azrael]?

AN:  The video actually reminded me of the conversion video from the video game “Outlast” (and no, I’m putting a link of that video in because it is also a trigger video from a disturbing game- a game that I’ve only seen gameplays for and don’t actually plan on playing anytime soon).

“This Dumas character was made a saint, performed a lot of miracles and so forth. And one of the miracles was bringing Azrael back to life.”  “I [Miss Peabody] still prefer Thorazine.“  Heeheehee!

What the heck did they do to Theo’s face?  Was that from when they re-stitched his face back together after removing the umbrella from the back of his head??

*Ed watches Miss Peabody take Aaron down to Indian Hill*  Oooohhh...

Oh my God, is this gonna be how Ed escapes?  Please do not follow them!

Yeah, where are they taking Aaron?

Waaait, they’re taking him to Azrael!  Oooohhhh...

Oh I like that shot of Ed with the rose-tinted windows behind him.

*Aaron meets Azrael*  Oh.  Snaaaappp...

“I [Hugo] am crafting your [Azrael’s] armor as we speak, but first, your skills must be tested.“  NOOO, he’s gonna kill Aaron!!

*gasps when Azrael knocks out Aaron with the briefcase*

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but good enough.  Try opening the chest, my son.“  Hahahaha...

[It’s like in “Hercules”]  “USE YOUR HEAD!”  “Riightt...”

Hahaha, this is exactly what happened!

“The Sword of Sin.  Your [Azrael’s] ally and instrument of justice, a vanquisher of evil for generations.  She thirsts for blood.”  How’d they get a sword?

“My lord, I [Azrael] am the Angel of Death.  James Gordon dies... tonight.”  Hooo!

Why would they [the GCPD] let the press anywhere near the crime scene?  That is way too close!

Where is the tape?  Where is the line?

“Listen, kid- Mr. Wayne- I [Barnes] don't care how much money or pull you have in this town.  I'm through talking to him [Jim].”  “Are you through listening to the truth?“  Whooo...

“What are you [Ed] gonna do with all this stuff, anyway?”  That’s a good question...

“I think Professor Strange is hiding something.  And I think that something is a secret way out of this dump.  So I'm gonna use this stuff to find it.“  This is totally like Jim Carrey-level Riddler right here... and I like this better than the actual Jim Carrey Riddler!

I like the Riddler better than Ed.  What’s goin’ ON?!?

“[JIm] You self-righteous punk.  You think you have all the answers?  Maybe you should run it yourself!”  “Maybe I will one day.“  HE DOES!

*softly gasps when the precinct lights go out*

“Who’s there?”  OH SNAP!

Here’s my question:  how did Hugo Strange get all the armor for Azrael?

If this armor’s bulletproof, I swear to God...

WHOA!

Grab his [Azrael’s] cape!

*Azrael leaps out of the precinct*  Whoa...

Masked man in a cape- Bruce, do not take any ideas from this for Batman!

“Calls himself Azrael.  Wants to kill me [Jim].  We know Hugo Strange is responsible.“  Do you?

“Excuse me, Captain.  I [Bruce] find your flippant attitude to be inappropriate.“  Hoo hoo hooo!

“I [Jim] can't make the moves I need to make if I'm worrying about you [Bruce].  You need to be at home, where Alfred can look after you.“  Bruce is like “...no... I’m never liking this.  When has there ever been a situation that I liked?”

Whoa!  Oswald, what the heck happened to you?

*gasps when Azrael gets flashbacks of his past life*

Whoaaa!

“I'm [JIm] not a cop anymore, remember?  I don't need to follow your [Barnes’s] orders.“  No, but you’re a citizen now, technically.

Through the Looking Glass?  We’re getting a sneak peek of Mad Hatter this season?

Dutch angle!

If Azrael tries to storm the GCPD to get Jim, I swear to God..

*The lights go out*  Oh snap, are you freaking kidding me?

Yeah, that’s freaking him [Azrael].  Hooooly crap.

He’s gonna bust through that window-

*Azrael crashes through the window*  Oooohhh!!

Oh he’s [Azrael] gonna do the superhero landing.  Wait for it!

Oh he didn’t- THERE WE GO!

*claps*  WHOO!  Superhero landing!

How do they not recognize Theo’s voice?

*gasps when Azrael butchers one of the cops*

Whoa!

*Barnes knocks Azrael to the ground*  Oh, go Barnes!

“We need a bigger gun.”  *laughing*  Yeah...

You’re gonna have to like nuke him!

Oh yeah, like a freaking pipe [wedged in the door handles] is gonna stop Azrael.  When he can literally punch a hole through the door!

[Barnes] Do not go at freaking Azrael WITH A PIPE.

“Let’s dance.”  *after a five second pause*  Put on your red shoes and dance the blues...  let’s sway!

*gasps when Barnes knocks Azrael to the ground*  Oh snap!

He’s [Barnes] gonna see his [Azrael’s] face!

*gasps when Azrael stabs Barnes in the knee*

NOOOOO!  NOOOO oh my God!

Nooooo!

*Jim comes onto the rooftop*  Ohhh snaaaappp...

This better not the end of the freaking episode.  I’m gonna riot.

“Come to me [Azrael], and I will show you [Jim] the way to hell.”  “I know the way.“  Whoooo....

*Jim manages to shoot Azrael off the rooftop*  OooohhhH!

*gasps when Azrael falls on top of the news van*

Nah, no no no no, Barnes ain’t freaking dying nope!  We’re not doin’ this.

*Tabitha, Butch, and Barbara go through the TV channels*  OH SNAP!  They’re gonna see the TV!

What the heck...

“OK, she [Barbara] scares me [Butch].”  Heeheehee!

“Do we have any limes?”  HAHAHAHA!

Oh my God, Oswald’s gonna go after hiiiimm [Azrael] ...

*counts off with fingers*  Wait, so Jim’s going after him, Hugo Strange is going after him, probably Tabitha’s gonna go after him to... teach him his humanity, Bruce is probably gonna go after him....

“Strange must be behind this.”  He’s always behind this.

“What the hell is happening to our city?”  That’s a very good question, Alfred!  You should ask that every single freaking time!

*trying not to laugh*  What the heck is this music?

*ends up boogie-ing to music while laughing*  This music!

AN:  It’s “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover” by Mitch Miller

Is Ed gonna encounter Azrael at the end of this episode?  Hoooly snot!

Hiii Indian Hill...

“Oh my.”  Oh my, indeed.

That’s a really good shot of Ed in the middle of the aisle

Oooooh, is this Jim’s leitmotif?

*puts hands around mouth* CGI TRANSITION PANNING SHOT!

*Azrael stands on top of the bridge overlooking the city*  Oh my God... that’s a freaking Batman pose!

*Azrael brings about the end logo by flourishing his cape*  YOOOO!!!

*about ready to lose voice*  That was so much Batman!  Before we even get Batman!  Aaaaahhh ha ha...

*jams out to ending theme*

[legendofzeldaalinktothepast]

Pathetic, Clinging Poetry - Chapter 4 (of 25)

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter 

I feel their burning gazes on our backs. My hands feel dirty, so I let go of yours And hide them in my sleeves.

Your smile fades, yet you understand That my hands have always been pristine. My nails are filed, my skin is soft; But soon, like yours, They'll be tough and callused, Patting down the soil for our garden. 

* 

Sunlight shone in through the window and roused Pearl from her sleep; with a tired whimper, she stretched and turned to peer at the clock on the wall. 6:21. While she'd only gotten roughly five hours of sleep, she couldn't recall any of her dreams and felt relatively well-rested; compared to her sleeping habits these past few weeks, that was good enough. As she sat upright and smoothed her hair out with her fingers, she heard the heavy footsteps of Jasper in the kitchen. Pearl pulled herself off of the couch, making sure to fold up her blanket, and quietly wandered into the kitchen.

"Good morning." Pearl greeted, her voice still a bit raspy from sleep.

"Hey." Jasper stirred some sugar into her cup of tea as she sat down at the kitchen table. "How was last night?"

"It was a lot of fun!" Pearl said, leaning against the doorway. "We played some video games, I held one of Peridot's hamsters..." She was also tempted to mention the centipede incident, but wasn't sure if Jasper wanted to hear something that disgusting while she was eating her breakfast. "Oh, and before you ask -- I was not annoyed by her friends at all! We got along pretty well, actually."

"That's good to hear." Jasper said, taking a sip of her tea. For a reason she couldn't put into words, Pearl wasn't quite satisfied with Jasper's response -- perhaps she wanted to hear some sort of apology for how insensitive she'd been towards Amethyst the previous night, but she decided it'd be best to let it go. With a tired smile, she sat down across from Jasper. "I've been doing a lot better, too... I applied for more jobs online, but as you probably know, none have gotten back to me just yet." she said, tracing her fingers along the patterns of the wooden table.

"Don't worry so much about that." Jasper reassured, waving a hand. "I'm not exactly short on money or anything."

"I guess it's not so much about that..." Pearl sighed. "I just... hate sitting around doing nothing all day. I get so bored, and my mind wanders, and I feel useless..."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Jasper shrugged. "Still, though... Wish I could do something to make you feel less shitty about it."

"Don't worry, it's my problem, not yours!" Pearl reassured.

"Yeah, but I care about you." Jasper said, reaching her hand across the table. "Don't want you feeling bad..." With a slight blush on her face, Pearl extended a hand and placed it on top of Jasper's.

"Thank you." she said, giving her hand a little squeeze before finally pulling away. "Perhaps I can find something else to do... But it seems I've already cleaned this place down to the bone, huh?"

"You sure have." Jasper smirked. "How about you go to the library or something? You still like reading, don't you?"

That idea perked Pearl right up. "Ah, you're right! I guess I hadn't really considered that... I brought a few of my favorite books along, but I've already gone through all of them, so... That might be a good idea!"

"There you go!" Jasper said. "Go read some books like the little nerdy girl you are."

Pearl chuckled. "Oh, I'm the nerd? I'm sure you had to do far more reading to become a surgeon than I've ever done in my lifetime."

"Yeah, but I read about organs and diseases and all that cool shit. You, on the other hand, read sappy gay romance novels. Nerd." Jasper teased.

Pearl burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh please, I don't restrict my reading entirely to romance! Sometimes I read nonfiction! For instance, one of the books I brought from home is about the discovery of our solar system! I really love reading about the universe... So perhaps I'll look for something of that sort when I go to the library today!"

"You're just proving my point even more. Nerd." Jasper stuck her tongue out, and Pearl playfully kicked her from beneath the table.

"You're lucky you're my friend." Pearl huffed, keeping a smile on her face to assure Jasper she was in on the joke.

"Ohh, what are you gonna do? Beat me up?" Jasper snorted.

"Maybe I will!" Pearl jumped to her feet and tackled Jasper in a hug. "I'll squeeze the life out of you like an anaconda! Hiss!"

"Oh, fuck! You're strangling me! I'm dead! Nooo..." Jasper pretended to gasp for air, and then suddenly went limp against the chair as if she'd died. Once she felt that she'd won, Pearl finally released Jasper from her grip. "I've defeated the oh-so-athletic Jasper, huh? Never thought I'd see that day."

Before Pearl could even finish her sentence, Jasper rose from her chair and lifted Pearl into her arms, squeezing her even tighter than before. "Not yet!" she said, spinning her around.

"Ah, it seems I spoke too soon!" Pearl giggled as she felt herself lifted from the ground.

After spinning her around for a few moments, Jasper placed Pearl back down on the floor, but the latter was still holding on tight. "Don't wanna let go of me, do you?" Jasper remarked, giving her a little pat on the back.

With a slight blush on her face, Pearl slowly pulled away from the hug. "Ah, right. Can you blame me? I'm touch starved."

Jasper placed a hand on Pearl's chin, tilting her head upward so she could look into her eyes. "What a coincidence, because I am too." she said, her voice just a hair above a whisper.

Pearl's heart raced in her chest; for a moment, she couldn't pull herself away from those golden-brown eyes. But she soon snapped out of her trance, slowly backing away from Jasper. She reached for her hand and gave it another squeeze to reassure her that she wasn't uncomfortable -- just uncertain. "Then... I'm glad we're close enough in our friendship that we can show affection like this. It feels like I never really left..."

Jasper looked slightly disappointed when Pearl moved away from her touch, but didn't want to cross her boundaries, so she didn't push any further. "Yeah, you're right. I'm so glad you're back." With a bittersweet smile, Jasper headed back over to the kitchen table and grabbed her dishes, placing them in the dishwasher. "But uh... anyway. I gotta head off to work soon." she said.

"Ah, right! I hope our little shenanigans won't make you late..." Pearl blushed.

"Nah, not even close. I usually get there pretty early, anyway." Jasper said, giving Pearl one last pat on the back before heading out of the kitchen. "I'll see you this afternoon, Pearlie."

"S-see you!" Pearl said, still visibly flustered from what had just happened. 'What a pleasant way to start to my morning...' 

* 

While some aspects of the library had changed -- furniture replaced, shelves moved around, walls re-painted -- for the most part, it was still the same library Pearl remembered from her childhood. They still had some of her favorite farm animal puppets in the kids' section, and she even recognized the familiar faces of some of the library workers.

As she approached the romance section, Pearl couldn't help but overhear the storytime session going on in the nearby activity room.

"...But when Goldilocks sat in the third chair, she found that it was just right!"

The soft, familiar voice alone was enough to cause Pearl's heart to leap with joy; fond memories of her childhood washed over her, and she couldn't resist the urge to take a peek inside. Pearl approached the door and peered into the small window -- but she made sure to just take a quick glance so she wouldn't come off as creepy. A group of small children, sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the floor, were arranged in a circle with a familiar, grey-haired woman as she read aloud from a book. 'Even after all these years, Mrs. Fluorite is still working here and doing storytime...' she thought, a smile spreading across her face. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be that age again, not having to worry about anything other than learning her ABCs or trying not to scrape her knees at recess.

Once she'd snapped out of her nostalgic daydream, Pearl turned her focus back towards the wide selection of romance novels. She dragged her finger across the spines of the books, searching for a title that jumped out at her... but none of them really seemed to catch her eye. So she simply chose the first book she saw -- perhaps it would be interesting, even though the cover was generic! -- and held it to her chest as she searched for somewhere to sit.

She remembered having a favorite couch, somewhere she would often sit together with Rose. They usually went on "dates" to the library with the intent of reading together, but Rose was never much of a reader, and usually ended up falling asleep on Pearl's shoulder instead. She remembered the seat being near a window, but when she approached that same window, she realized the couch was no longer there, and had been replaced with a single bean bag chair. Her heart sank as she sat down, realizing there was only room for one person to sit there, now. 'How ironic...' she thought. Shaking off her negative thoughts, Pearl got herself comfortable -- or at least as comfortable as one could manage in a beanbag chair -- and opened up her book to the first page.

After reading the first paragraph at least four times and not comprehending a single word of it, Pearl placed the book in her lap and let out a sigh. 'This was a bad idea.' she thought, leaning back against the wall. She'd thought this would be the perfect place to keep her mind busy, but all her mind could do was wander. And she hated herself for it, because it was incredibly cliche, but all she could think about was how much she wanted to be on that couch again with Rose resting against her shoulder.

'I wonder what she's doing right now...' Pearl thought, pulling her knees up to her chest. That borderline-romantic interaction with Jasper from earlier that morning had somehow made her even more touch starved, which provoked more pleasant-yet-painful memories of Rose. And the more she thought about Rose, the more she thought about the events that led to them being torn apart.

Her heart ached. 'I'm so childish...' she thought, tears welling up in her eyes. 'What if she's not even around here anymore? What if she moved across the country like I did? Wouldn't that be cruel...' Pearl wiped her face on her sleeve.

Pulling herself to her feet, she decided reading just wasn't what she needed right now. She placed her book on one of the return carts and began to head towards the exit; but not before spotting a colorful flyer hanging on the cork board.

"Looking for storytime volunteers! Must have a passion for reading, and a love for children!"

Ten little strips of paper with phone numbers hung from the flyer; Pearl reached for one of the strips and carefully tore it off. She wasn't so sure how she felt about kids, but reading was one thing she knew for certain she did enjoy. 'If I can't get a job, at least I can give this a try...' she thought. 'It's better than doing nothing all day...' Feeling a bit more hopeful, now, she continued out the door and headed to her car. 

* 

"Hey, P." Amethyst greeted when Pearl walked in the front door; she was sprawled out on the couch with her phone in her hand, only paying half-attention to the movie playing on the T.V. "Where did you go?"

"Oh, just took a little trip to the library." Pearl said, taking her shoes off and placing them in the closet.

"Oh, nice." Amethyst said. "Read any good books?"

"Not really... But I did find something that might be even better!" Pearl said, bouncing happily on her feet.

Amethyst sat upright on the couch, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "And what's that?"

"I found an opportunity to volunteer there!" Pearl said, unable to resist flapping her hands a little. "They need someone to help out with storytime! Doesn't that sound lovely?"

"Oh, like with kids?" Amethyst raised an eyebrow. "You're brave; I could never deal with more than one of those little shits at one time. But I'm glad you found something you like."

"To be honest, it's been so long since I've interacted with a child... There aren't very many in my family, after all." Pearl said with an awkward smile, sitting down on the couch beside Amethyst. "But it can't be that hard, right? I mean, I just have to read from a book while the kids sit there and listen, maybe help serve snacks afterwards..."

Amethyst smiled awkwardly; she was tempted to bring up the possibility that the kids might not simply sit there and listen like they're supposed to, but didn't wanna crush Pearl's spirits. "Yeah, that's true." she responded with a shrug.

"And if I end up not liking it, that's fine, I can just keep looking for more opportunities, but... I want to at least give it a shot!" Pearl said. "And... you know, they seem to be looking for multiple volunteers! So perhaps you could also give them a call, since you have about as much free time as I do! Would you like to do that?"

"Eh... I dunno about that." Amethyst smiled awkwardly. "If it was literally anything else, I'd consider it; but kids give me headaches, so I'll pass. Thanks for offering anyway, though."

"Aw, alright..." Pearl decided to let it go; she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little disappointed, but didn't want to pressure her too much. "But if you ever change your mind, just let me know, and I'll give you the phone number."

Amethyst began to say something else, but stopped as she heard the sound of a car door shutting. "Ugh, dickhead's home." she said, shoving her phone in her pocket. "Welp, I'm going back to my room."

Pearl's heart sank; if she didn't know any better, she'd think Jasper and Amethyst were the same person, considering she rarely ever saw them together in the same room. "Oh... mind if I come with you?"

Amethyst raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh... you sure about that?"

"Yes?" Pearl said, a bit concerned as to why Amethyst seemed baffled by her suggestion. "You know, it's the only room in the house I haven't seen yet... And I'm curious to see what it's like!"

"Uhh..." Amethyst had a look of uncertainty on her face, but forced a smile so she wouldn't concern Pearl. "You sure? Jasper thinks it's awful and doesn't like when I bring guests in there. It's just kinda... I dunno."

"I'm sure it's fine. And Jasper isn't my boss; she said it herself." Pearl said, rising to her feet and extending a hand to help Amethyst up as well. "Come on, show me! I want to see what it's like!"

"Alriiight." Amethyst said, standing up and heading out of the living room. "But if Jasper throws a bitchfit, don't say I didn't warn you."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's fine." she said, gesturing for Amethyst to lead the way up the stairs. Amethyst complied, holding the door open for Pearl once they reached her room.

Pearl was... intrigued, to put it simply. "Messy" wasn't the right word to describe it; in fact, the only word she could think of that could apply to Amethyst's room was "chaotic". Every inch of the wall was covered with posters, picture frames, canvasses with abstract paintings, or weird knick-knacks one could only find in the shadiest of thrift stores. There was a huge canvas sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by cups of water, paint, and stained newspapers. Her bed was unmade, and covered with a variety of stuffed animals and cloth dolls. She had a desk in the corner of her room, but every last inch of it was covered with more obscure knick-knacks and sheets of paper covered in chicken-scratch handwriting.

"So yeah, now you know why I hesitated." Amethyst said, shutting the door behind them. "I know it's a mess, but I like it this way, you know?"

Pearl approached one of the abstract paintings, dragging her finger across it. "Really, it's not bad -- it's just not what I'm used to!" Pearl said. "My mother's house was so... dull. Barely had anything on any of the walls... And not a splash of color in sight. Everything was either white, grey, or black." She turned back to Amethyst. "Did you paint these?"

"Yep!" Amethyst said. "All of the paintings in this house are mine, even the ones in our stairway. Jasper let me hang up a few of the ones she thought weren't hideous."

"They're all lovely!" Pearl said, clasping her hands together. "I didn't even know you were an artist! You're very good at it, you know."

"Eh, to be honest, I just kinda dick around and throw paint around without any sense of direction." Amethyst shrugged. "Sometimes it turns out sorta resembling something cool, other times it looks like I took a big rainbow dump on canvas. But I'm glad you like them."

Pearl chuckled, amused by Amethyst's odd choice in words. "Well, I think even the 'rainbow dumps' look very nice!"

"Aw, well, thanks." Amethyst said, a slight blush on her cheeks. "I'm glad."

"Look -- this one kind of reminds me of a sun setting." Pearl said, pointing to another canvas. "See? That looks a bit like the sun..." her finger traced a small, uneven, yellow circle off to the side of the picture. "And the colors around it are very reminiscent of a sunset!" She traced her fingers around the surrounding shades of pink, purple, and blue. "Was that intentional?"

"Not really, but I also noticed that after I finished painting it!" Amethyst said. "Like, I kinda paint things without really thinking about it, and then decide what it's supposed to be after I'm done. That... sounds super pretentious when I say it out loud, though."

"Not at all!" Pearl said. "That's unique! I like it." She turned to the current work in progress sitting on the floor; there were a flew splatters of green in each corner of the canvas, but nothing in the middle just quite yet. "And be sure to let me know when you're done with this one; it's looking lovely so far!"

"Pffft, you flatter me wayyyy too much, Pierogi." Amethyst said, giving Pearl a playful nudge. "It's really just a bunch of paint splatters... But, still, thanks." she added, not wanting to dismiss Pearl's kindness entirely, even though she didn't quite feel her art was deserving of it.

"Of course! I'm just being honest." Pearl said with a smile. "Ah, but--"

Pearl was cut off by the sound of a knock at Amethyst's door. "Amethyst?" Jasper's voice called from the hallway.

Amethyst bit her lip, looking at Pearl with an expression that said "oh shit". 

"...Yeah?"

"What the fuck are you doing?" Jasper asked.

Pearl pulled the door open, giving Jasper a reassuring smile. "Don't worry -- I asked to have a look in her room! I was curious, since it was the only room in the house I hadn't seen yet... She said you weren't fond of her showing it to guests, but I insisted! So don't stress, alright?" 

Jasper's expression was hard to read; she barely looked at Pearl, her glare boring right into Amethyst instead, who had her fists clenched at her sides. "That's all?" Jasper finally asked, her gaze softening as she turned it towards Pearl.

"Yes, Jasper." Pearl sighed. "Seriously, it's fine. You don't have to defend me from Amethyst. Now come on, let's go start dinner."

"...Alright." Jasper's tone didn't sound very convinced. She put a hand on Pearl's shoulder and guided her out of Amethyst's room. Amethyst sat on her bed with her arms crossed, refusing to look at Jasper or Pearl. "Yet I'm the insecure one..." she mumbled just under her breath. Jasper must not have heard this, or at least didn't care, because she didn't even react; Pearl, on the other hand, felt her heart sink at hearing Amethyst's tone of voice.

'Something isn't right here...' she thought, crossing her arms and refusing to look Jasper in the eye as she followed her down the stairs. 'I don't know what's going on between them, but... I really hope it doesn't get any worse.'