#or not what you want to read right now peridot

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

Um, hi! Regarding that other anonymous asker wondering about the comic's enjoyability, I actually WAS one of the people who voted "I've never watched the show but I do read the comic" in that poll; all my prior knowledge about Steven Universe was from passive osmosis. I don't know anyone personally who likes it either, my baseline is limited to, like, the premise and 'hey I think that one's a major character?' every now and then (this was most recently Lapis Lazuli. Peridot I'm prettttty sure is canon, but I didn't recognise her right off. Betting that Sea Glass isn't. No clue about Jasper).

So if it's of any help, from my experience I do think that your comic is fairly accessible to folks outwith the Steven Universe fandom! I read long-form fanfiction for media I know nothing about on a regular basis, and it does a good job of explaining the core concepts required for the plot to hold water; it makes it much harder to spot foreshadowing that I feel may have been more obvious to experienced readers (e.g. I didn't get anywhere near working out Earl's issue because I didn't know that A. White Diamond could do mind control, or B. what societal role Pearl-class gems (is that the term?) hold relative to the Diamonds), but the actual narrative itself holds up well so long as you're willing to put the thought in. Actively following your blog helps a bit too, I've gotten extra context clues from the FAQ and asks you've answered.

My one warning would be that reading a long-form story for a fandom you don't know is a very different experience. The best way I could describe it is akin to reading Arthurian stories or folkloric retellings without studying the source material: while the main narrative is comprehensible, you become distinctly aware that certain parts are name-checking their original culture in a way that the author expects to be apparent but isn't, not to you. I spend a lot of time faintly baffled when I'm not cross-referencing between multiple fics for commonalities to reverse-engineer (also do that regularly, would recommend), which is fine! It's fun! Might not be for everyone, though.

I just want you to know I love this ask, and I was enraptured reading this. It's a very cool insight! Especially as someone with the exact opposite reading philosophy, this is extremely valuable.

It's neat to also get a confirmation about the fact that a lot of over-the-top stuff that was meant to echo the original show might not get pinged by those who aren't familiar with the original. Though to be fair, people didn't quite pick up on what was happening with Earl even when they knew what White Diamond's powers were.

I also find it hilarious to realize that Jasper might not be a recognizable original-show character to most outsiders. DEMOTED!

[sleepingdeath-light]

joyride ; 18+

requested by ; anonymous (kinktober entry)

word count ; 1010

content ; sexually explicit content, vaginal fingering (reader receiving), implied (stationary) car sex after the piece finishes

fandom ; the legend of korra

pairing ; asami sato x non binary afab reader

read also on ; ao3

minors and ageless blogs will be blocked

Republic City truly was beautiful in the early morning: all gorgeous golden sunlight, pleasantly cold sea air, and a landscape that never failed to leave you in awe no matter how long you've lived there. And given that most of the population would prefer to sleep in on national holidays, the two of you had pretty much the whole city to yourselves to explore and make your own, even if just for a short while.

Though, Asami's idea of 'making it your own' and 'creating new memories' didn't really give you much of an opportunity to explore the oft forgotten nooks and crannies of the capitol. After all, it's quite hard to admire the scenery when your girlfriend's perfectly manicured fingers are buried in your pussy playing with you in just the right way to have you seeing stars. Or when she's speeding, because you were sure that the speed limit was quite a bit below what was fast enough to not be able to decipher which blurs were buildings and which were plants (but what did you know, Asami was the experienced driver, not you).

Not that you'd ever dream of complaining when she looked so damn pretty in this light: soft lips, painted a flawless flirty red, curled upwards in that bright mischievous smile you fell in love with; peridot green eyes glinting with amusement that never looked away from the road ahead no matter how much you squirmed or moaned, the very corners of their lids crinkled with mirth as she continued to touch you; meticulously styled, black hair falling over one of her shoulders in perfect waves that you longed to run your fingers through, the strands just barely brushing against the lust reddened expanse of her cheeks; one hand casually resting on the steering wheel of the vehicle whilst the other effortlessly toyed with your soaking cunt to make a true mess of the freshly done up leather of the passenger seat (the wonders those hands could do... spirits, if they weren't already inside of you, you knew that by now you'd by downright begging for her to plunge those dextrous digits into your pussy without a care in the world for who saw or heard you).

She was as stunning as she was witty, and even as you became too far gone to give any proper response she continued to tease you. Occasionally allowing her gaze to flit down and away from the street for the briefest of moments to observe her handiwork and comment on it, all the while continuing to relentlessly thrust, and scissor, and crook her fingers inside of you.

Calling you the sweetest pet names whilst spreading her fingers as far as they can go inside of you, stretching you out further and further with every 'sweetie' and 'baby' and 'honey' that slips from those perfect lips. Cheekily mentioning how 'beautiful' the city looks and asking for your input whilst knowing that you're far too distracted by the circling of her thumb against your aching clit to even consider thinking of a response. Groaning in a way that made your pussy throb when she brushed her fingers against your g-spot and felt you soak her hand in response, her voice almost airy as she mentions how 'wet' you are and how much she wants to 'taste it' — but, thankfully for you, she presses on, continuing to use those experienced hands to bring you ever closer to the edge.

Thrusting two, and then three, of those long slender fingers into your entrance and using a mixture of crooking, and scissoring, and sliding to coax more sounds from you (more moans, more groans, more whimpers, and cusses, and pleas, and mindless repetitions of her name). Alternating between using the pad of her thumb and the heel of her hand to stimulate your clit, her own movements getting rougher and more desperate as time went on — as if she wanted to make you climax as much as you wanted to finish on her hand. Clenching her own thighs tightly and rubbing them together when you audibly started to mount your peak, her other hand clutching the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were starting to pale from how harsh her grip on it was.

Desperately trying to hold out for as long as she could until something snapped in you both, and you were sent crashing over the edge of orgasm whilst she ran out of patience and hurriedly, dangerously, swerved into the abandoned car park of some random office building, turning off the ignition a moment later. Though you didn’t even notice what she was doing; far too lost in the throes of pleasure to pay much mind to what was going on beyond what you were feeling in that moment, as if the rest of the world ceased to exist to you: too lost to the haziness of your own mind and the drowning out of all coherent thoughts to hear her unbuckling her seatbelt and clumsily fiddling with all of the buttons and zips on her pants; too focused on the white hot pleasure rushing through your veins and the waves of oversensitive gooseflesh that it left in its wake to even process her reaching over your spent body to slowly push your seat down until you were laying flat on your back; too caught up in the bleariness of your vision and the splashes of white that marred even the insides of your eyelids to see her as she straddled your lap with blown out pupils and started to downright beg you to let her taste you or touch you ('anything, baby, please'), her own exposed pussy clearly glistening with slick and aching for your touch and acknowledgement. Not noticing anything beyond your own high until you'd finally come back down to earth and were met with the sight and sound of your, very desperate, very beautiful girlfriend on top of you and pleading for her exhausted partner to touch her.

What a way to start the day.

[maximwtf]

Hello! If it's not too much of a bother - Can you make a part 2 for the peridot x sapphire reader? I really like the story so far. It's completely fine if you don't want to :D.

Peridot x Sapphire! reader /pt.2/

Pt. 1 - "Watch out!"

words: 1830

google docs pages: 4,5

Warnings: none?

opening: A sapphire has been assigned to join Peridot on her research concerning the kindergartens and the cluster on earth. What is there to do after she reforms?

AN// Agh, I’m sorry this took so long to make! I got very heavily hyperfixated on Striker from Helluva and couldn’t do anything besides draw him + work getting in the way- But, I was finally able to escape all of that and give you all this! :”D

Gif by: me

Not proof read!

                 “Keeping up hopes”

The light from the warp pad faded, allowing you to feel a cool, exotic, breeze on your form. With a firm hand you pressed the green gem tightly in your palm, making sure it was still there before taking a step off the warp pad. No possibilities or futures were swarming your mind, it was all clear. The shock from it all must have stunned your ability to see. 

With that you hurried away from the pad. A safe place to hide was a must, there you could wait until Peridot was ready to reform, and while she was coming back you could think of a plan. It seemed to be clear that the gems from earlier didn’t want you or Peridot around here. While in such deep thought, a cave wall came across your path and on that wall seemed to be an opening. An opening big enough to walk in it, which you did. There your gem began to glow, illuminating a beautiful light against the wet cave walls. With a few rocks on the floor of the cave, you set Peridot’s gem on the most flat one, sitting down next to said rock. It was so quiet, yet no visions were coming to mind. 

Your hands travelled up to your face, moving some of the hair out of the way of your eye. Now, more clearly you could see where you were exactly. From the opening of the cave you could see big green leaves, strong tree trunks and colourful flowers here and there, all different shapes and sizes. Some form of a body of water must have been nearby, since you could hear water slosh somewhere in the distance. From the roof of the cave fell down drops of water, which you could only see against the light that came from outside. They fell down, joining the small puddles on the cave floor. What an odd planet. 

A soft gasp left your mouth when the silent dripping sounds you had gotten used to suddenly got a little louder, and soon took over all sounds near by. The chirping sounds from earlier and the water in the distance disappeared, covered by the millions of water drops. Your gaze stayed on the cave opening, hand over your mouth. All the leaves were moving, bouncing at the force of the water droplets. They fell from the sky at a rapid phase, the dark clouds hiding some of the light from earlier behind them. But somehow, it was nice. 

While admiring the sight, a green glow emitted from right beside you. The green gem had risen up, and the bright light began to take form. This startled you, the hand from your mouth going up to your eye again, brushing the hair over your eye. Just then, the gem had chosen its form and Peridot fell on her legs, only much smaller this time. She swung her arms for a moment, before realising that things were different. “Where are my limb enhancers?!” Came from the green gem, making you bite back a smile at the sight. Professional. “I could not save them.” You replied, looking down for a moment. “I do not know where we are, but we need to move soon. We’re on their planet, which they know better than us.” You shook your head a little, standing up from the ground. Peridot listened, clearly embarrassed by her form, but she didn’t say anything more about it. Her gaze wandered to the opening of the cave, seeing that the sudden rain had almost gone out, just as suddenly as it had started. “We should go.” You suddenly say, as a vision hits you. There might be something here that can help you, but it all depends on Peridot. “Go where? I have no flask robonoids and no way to contact Homeworld.” Peridot whines, desperate. This Peridot really should start trusting you more. “Come. We’ll see.” A hum leaves your lips as you slip out of the cave, feeling the wet ground under you as you walk. By following the vision, it leads the two of you forward. No words are exchanged, not until something appears from behind the leaves and trees. It’s covered in vines and moss, someone walking by might not even see it. It’s an old gem ship, crashed here and left to rot. “There.” You point at it, jumping from the little cliff that the two of you had ended up on, gracefully floating down in front of the ship. Peridot growls silently, murmuring something as she drops her legs down the cliff fist, then allowing herself to drop down, sliding the last half. “We can’t fly this.” She groans, dusting herself off. “No, but we can use parts of it to perhaps build new flask robonoids. If the vision I saw is the most likely one, there should be more old abandoned gem tech like this on this planet.” You reply, going up to the door of the ship. As you approach, the lights near the door barely light up, only flickering under the vines. “Who is we? You’re not assuming I could build more from junk like this?” Peridot complains as she follows along. “I saw a future of you doing so.” You reply, not mentioning the other ones that had flashed by, where it all failed. Without hearing a word from her, you open the door to the ship, hopping in with the green gem following right behind you.

Even the inside had been taken over by nature, vines and different kinds of moss growing in the wreck. “Peridots like me weren’t made for this kind of stuff. Look at me!” She shrugs, seemingly stressed over her new form. “We don’t have many options, I’m afraid.” A sigh comes from your side as you look through for pieces to use. Peridot’s eyes are on you, and with some thinking she nods, even if you can’t see it. She understood to trust you and joined in on looking for usable parts from the ship. 

By moving from warp pad to warp pad the two of you continued to avoid meeting the crystal gems the best you could, while your future vision led you on to find more crashed ships to collect parts from. Peridot seemed to be getting better at piecing together the materials, the newer versions always looking better than the old ones. As time passed like this, the green gem grew more confident in her new found skill to use whatever she had near to build. 

The sound of gears turning got your attention, watching the first usable robonoid take its first steps. You had to bite back a smile yet again, but the ground under you froze a little. “Good job.” You said. Peridot seemed like she had stars in her eyes at the sight, but they soon faded. “We’ll need many…many more of these to fix the galaxy warp.” She sighed, leaning against a tree with her eyes closed. “Are you giving up now? We have everything we need, we just need to be careful.” You said, voice stoic as ever which made you sound so sure of your words. So sure you’d be able to leave soon. But inside your mind, so many of the futures ended badly, no matter how far you got. 

The green gem kept building more of the flask robonoids while you made sure to change your location based on the least likely place for the gems to show up in. From the time you had escaped from the with Peridot’s gem to now, you had only come across them a couple of times, of which only one had they seen the two of you, resulting in another getaway. But now, there was finally enough robonoids. Tonight you’d both either get caught or go back home. 

The same cave this had all started in served as your last resting place. All the robonoids were hidden somewhere in the closeby area, in the case that the gems would show up. Peridot broke the silence. “Do you think they’ll be mad? The diamonds.” She asked. It felt like she had changed as a person while on this ‘venture’. Though, you could say the same about you most likely. Visions came to mind, flashing back and forth. The future was unclear. They’d blame Peridot for failing the mission, and even if you’d walk off here free the truth was that Peridot was most likely going to get the punishment. Yellow Diamond wasn’t one to take it easily if one of the Sapphires was put in danger like this, and there wasn’t much you could see yourself doing about the green gem’s faith. Upsetting. “We’ll be fine.” You said, with a forced smile. 

The night set, but the butterflies in your body didn’t. This could be the end for the both of you, or the end for one of you or..anything could happen. Whatever it was, you were headed straight at it. With the flask robonoids at your feet, you all gathered on the now familiar warp pad and a bright light overtook your forms. It transferred you to the galaxy warp, a cool breeze hitting you in the face as you arrived. Peridot ushers the robonoids to work, all of them starting to slowly fix the warp. The green gem taps her foot against the ground, growling under her breath. You stand a couple steps behind her, mind filled with all the possibilities from before, new ones mixing into those. Suddenly, the robonoides step off and it feels like a millenia passes. The galaxy warp almost ‘blings’ and the cracks on it disappear. A squeal escapes the green gems, but it all soon fades as one of the warp pads illuminates a bright light and transports the gems you had met before on the same platform as the two of you. They don’t take a second to say anything, a clear plan in mind as they charge at you. 

Your eye opens wide, now the most possible future locking in. You lunge forwards and while doing so, you take a hold of Peridot’s hand. Due to her form being smaller now, you’re able to swing her easily to the galaxy warp. With a quick duck you avoid getting hit by one of Pearl’s spears, and with a tight grip of Peridot’s hand you both activate the galaxy warp, making your perfect escape. 

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Buttercup Lifts Couch & Mammon Becomes A Dad...? (2024)

------------------

Credit for Steven Universe Series goes to Rebecca Sugar

Credit for Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss goes to Vivienne "Vivziepop” Medrano

Credit for Invader Zim goes to Jhonen Vasquez

Credit for Undertale & Deltarune goes to Toby Fox

Credit for Transformers goes to Hasbro & TakaraTomy

Credit Transformers Animated Series goes to Sam Register & Matt Youngberg

Credit for The Powerpuff Girls goes to Craig McCracken

Credit for Danny Phantom goes to Butch Hartman

------------

if anyone is wondering, Pink-Pearl is suppose to still look like her original gem humanoid but she is also suppose to be a Moth, and well if Lonely-Pearl was a Moth in her corrupted form, it would make sense that Pearls in a Crossover between Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel and Steven Universe, they would be Moths but still look a bit how they originally looked.

I want to call Pink-Pearl by the nickname "Vollie" but it's okay not everyone calls her that, and it would be interesting in a Crossover Fanon Timeline she forms a friendship with Verosika.

and yes I gave that Soundwave a bow on their head, it is suppose to be one of those Sound-Wave copies of the Original Sounwave.

I have had the idea for a while, that Lancer mistakes Mammon as his Dad, just in a different outfit...

I worked on this drawing around January and I'm just now posting it on February...it was not great a few days ago, I know during my trying to write a theory that has to do with Sari that of course has to do with a Crossover with Hazbin Hotel and TFA...

the connection kept going on and off, and yeah I ended up noticing a bit too late that I forgot to put the word "just" and well it is called "Hazformers Theory: What Sari Could Be Doing With Her Autobot Friends MIA" but even when I was trying to write it, the connection kept going off on me, and it was only making me more mad and feeling not so happy...so even when I got lucky and was finally able to post it, but when I wanted to log back on to fix and edit what I notice I forgot to put down on it...and yeah I had finally got around to it today...

but I was having some trouble logging back on, which I think it was because of the connection going off and on me again, and it might of possibly messed up my password, cause when I did try to use it again today......it didn't turn out too well, I still couldn't get on and at some point I had to make a new password just so I could post not only some new fan theories, but also this drawing and that

I seriously wasn't having a good day, I couldn't really get to sleep and well I do feel a little tired right now, it doesn't help that what happen was I guess a bit stressful...

and anyway Peridot is being Feral and is suppose to have Doe Ears and a Tail, like Peridots end up with Deer like appearance.

Alastor ending up adopting her and having her on that very thing that we see her have on her in one of the episodes of Steven Universe, well it can be one of the ways to keep her from running off when she gets all feral...like it only comes off if she calms down and doesn't act all feral.

and even when you make the drawing big, to read what is being said...

here is what Mammon is saying...

"when did I become a Dad…? I don't remember having a kid…unless Stella has been keeping it a secret from me. oh man, do I need to marry Stella?! I'm NOT ready yet!!! I need to call Stella and tell her to pick up our little acciden-…cough I mean Son."

also in this drawing, Buttercup Utonium is 22 years old, so this is the much older future self of Buttercup.

I think I will post one more thing, than I will be heading to bed to get some sleep...I rather post it now than wait until either tomorrow or in a few days...plus if I'm able to, I may talk more about that Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss Theory that has to do with Soul-Partnership Contract...

anyway hope some find it funny that Lancer thinks that Mammon is his Dad, and making Mammon very confused...also I like the Mamtella ship between Mammon and Stella.....their ship name still sounds like a type of food you put on toast, and I don't know if many will end up using that Mamtella ship name or not, so far I'm the first to call those two by that ship name. XD

[errorryx]

blood moon – part three

read on ao3 | read part one | gemcyt/life series, 3.2k words

for this update, i scrapped an old scene that provided context but was otherwise very boring. if you're curious, there's a longer explanation available in my ao3 notes.

—

Bdubs woke up in the late morning to the sound of several people arguing in the next room. He recognized Grian and Cleo’s voices, so he got up to see what all the fuss was, only to run right into Pearl in the hallway.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Pearl said in a low voice. “I was just…”

“Snooping around?” Bdubs attempted to deliver this line with an intimidating glare, but he only managed a yawn.

“What? No, of course not! I just wanted—I wanted to talk to you, actually.”

“Why’s that?”

“Grian said you were an expert on building. I had a few questions for you.”

“Really?” He brightened. “What else did he tell you about me?”

“He said if I had any questions about making a base, I should go to you first.”

“Well, he’s absolutely right. I know everything there is to know about building. I built this base we’re standing in now, you know. It’s called a crastle.”

“It’s lovely,” Pearl said. “Probably my favorite base! Don’t tell Grian, though.”

“Oh, you flatterer.” Bdubs waved her off modestly. “I do my best. So what were your questions?”

“Do you know what a chimney is?”

…A chimney. Right. Yes, he definitely knew what that was. “It’s the top part of a fireplace,” Bdubs said with perfect confidence.

“And what’s a fireplace?”

“Why, it’s the place you put fire, of course!”

Pearl looked baffled. “Why would you need a place to put fire?”

This stumped him for a few moments. Why would anyone have a place for fire in their home? “It’s a very complicated question,” Bdubs said. “I could explain it, but it would take all day, and I’m sure you’d find it very boring.”

“Right, of course.” A small smile appeared on Pearl’s face. “I wouldn’t want to take up all of your valuable time.”

“Is there anything else you want to know?”

“I guess I want to know why you’ve all started building bases for yourselves in the first place,” Pearl said. “They’re very lovely, but I don’t understand what they’re for, exactly.”

“Oh, of course! You’re a pearl, so you’ve probably never had a space just for yourself, right?”

Pearl blinked. “I guess not.”

“When me, Cleo, Tango, and Impulse first got here, we found lots of old ruins,” Bdubs explained. “That’s where we got all our books. Let me see, where is it…” He got up and looked through the nearby bookshelf. “Here it is! Man-Made Wonders of The World.”

He presented the book to Pearl with a giddy smile. Pearl took it, flipping through the first few pages with delicate hands. “What’s a man?”

“It’s short for human,” Bdubs said. He was very proud of having figured that one out on his own. “They’re a type of life-form that used to live here on this planet a long time ago. Cleo thinks they’re extinct, because otherwise we would have found one by now.”

“And they built all these? Without gem technology?” Pearl’s eyes widened. “Where are these structures? Have you seen them all?”

“Well, that’s the problem,” Bdubs sighed. “This planet’s really big, and none of us have a working ship anymore. If we had one, we might be able to explore, but it would be a long journey on foot, and Cleo doesn’t believe me when I tell her I can make sure we don’t get lost.”

“That’s a shame,” Pearl said, so quietly that Bdubs almost missed it.

“Wait a minute!” he said. “You must have had a ship to get here, right? Where is it?”

Pearl looked very much as if an agate had just walked in and caught her goofing off. “Well, you see—”

“Bdubs!” Cleo called from the other room. “What are you shouting about?”

“Coming!” Bdubs answered. “Don’t go anywhere,” he told Pearl, before poking his head into the other room.

He was greeted with the sight of two unfamiliar gems, a rose quartz and a peridot, the latter of whom seemed to be attempting to hide behind Grian. (It wasn’t working.) “These are Lizzie and Mumbo,” Cleo told Bdubs. “They came here with Pearl, apparently. Pearl was just here a second ago, but…”

“Oh, she was talking to me!” Bdubs said. “We were having a wonderful little conversation about bases.” He glanced back into the hallway, but Pearl had already disappeared. “Huh. She must have wandered off.”

“Seems to be a habit of hers.” Cleo didn’t look too happy. “You entertain our guests for a minute, and I’ll go make sure she’s not rifling around in our storage.”

“Sure thing!” Bdubs’ arms instinctively went to perform the diamond salute, but he knew Cleo hated when he did that, so he disguised the gesture by clapping his hands together. “So how did you guys all get here? Where’s your ship?”

“They claim there’s no ship,” Cleo said on their way out of the room. Her tone of voice clearly indicated that she didn’t believe them.

“It crashed,” Lizzie told him very solemnly. “Horribly. Went up in flames and everything. Big disaster.”

“Funny coincidence,” Bdubs said, “that’s exactly what happened to ours.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pearl through the window, in the process of sneaking away. She met Bdubs’ gaze for a split second, and gave him a wink before vanishing from view.

—

Scott was out in the garden when Jimmy heard a visitor knocking at their door. Usually he waited for Scott to tell him what to expect, but it had been a while since they’d had any surprises, and besides, Scott rarely gave him a straight answer when it came to the future. So instead of waiting for him, Jimmy got up and opened the door by himself.

“Hi! You’re Jimmy, right?” Pearl stuck out her arm, and he took it, bewildered. “I just learned about handshakes from Bdubs. Did I do it right?”

“Probably,” Jimmy said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t know. What’s up?”

“You fuse a lot, right? I wanna talk about fusion.”

She must have seen Flower Agate at the party last night. “Yeah, sure. Come on in.” Jimmy stepped aside to allow Pearl to enter. She took a few steps, only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of a wall of ice between them.

“No,” Scott said evenly from where he stood at the back door, his arm outstretched. “Not happening.”

“Scott, what’s going on?” Jimmy backed away from Pearl, who looked just as confused as he felt. “Is something wrong?”

Scott ignored him. “I can’t tell what you’re planning,” he said to Pearl, “but it won’t work. You’re going to get yourself and a lot of other gems hurt.”

“What are you talking about?” Pearl asked. The ice only came up to her waist, but she didn’t try to step over it. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Her voice trembled on the words.

“Maybe not, but you will.”

“Is this about a future vision you saw?” Pearl said. “Just tell me what it was, that way I can—”

“I’m not taking that risk,” Scott said. “Just stay away from me and Jimmy.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Jimmy interrupted. “Can’t we talk about this? I’d rather have nobody get hurt, if that’s an option.”

“You and I can talk about this,” Scott told him. “But you—” he turned his attention back to Pearl, “—need to leave.”

Before Pearl could respond, Scott pushed the ice wall further forward, forcing her out the door. It slammed shut, and he hurried over to lock it.

“What has gotten into you?” Jimmy asked him. “Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to talk it out with her? What harm can one pearl do?”

“You really have to ask that question? You’ve met Joel.”

He couldn’t argue with that—Joel had caused a lot of trouble when he’d first arrived. But for the brief time they’d spoken, Pearl had been perfectly pleasant. “Can you at least tell me what’s going to happen?”

“I can’t,” Scott said.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t. There are too many possibilities right now. We’ll have to wait it out and see how things end up.”

Jimmy loved Scott, he really did, but sometimes he made Jimmy want to tear his hair out. “Then what’s the use of future vision if we still don’t know what to do?”

Scott didn’t answer him. Jimmy looked down to see a small ring of ice encircling the hem of his skirt.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said hastily, reaching to pry Scott free of the ice. He set him down on the couch. “Forget I said that. How about tonight? Can you see what happens tonight?”

“We go to the party,” Scott said slowly. “We fuse again. It’s—I think there’s a new fusion? It’s hard to see as Flower Agate.”

“So that’s good, right?” Jimmy asked. “We’re safe.”

“I think so.”

“We’re safe,” Jimmy repeated, with more confidence this time. “We’ll be fine.”

He hoped Scott believed him. He wasn’t sure he believed himself.

—

Mumbo was at a party with a bunch of rebel gems, and people were fusing.

At least, that’s what he thought they were doing. Pearl had warned him this would happen, but it was one thing to hear about it and quite another to see it for himself. Right now, the sapphire and the lapis lazuli were involved in a dance that made Mumbo want to politely avert his eyes—yet at the same time, he couldn’t look away.

“This is…a lot,” he said.

“Yeah,” Pearl agreed. “Are you freaking out? It’s okay if you’re freaking out. We can go back to the ship.”

“No, it’s alright!” Mumbo couldn’t imagine going back to the ship and letting this happen without him. “We can stay.”

The sapphire and lapis finally fused, and he got to watch in real time as their forms merged into one. It was slow and confusing and oddly beautiful. He let out a gasp when the ball of light finally solidified into a single figure, which stood taller than most of the other nearby gems.

“I’m trying to be supportive of Gri,” Pearl said. “I know he likes this. When he fused yesterday, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so…”

“Happy?” Mumbo guessed, searching for Grian in the crowd. He found him talking to a blue gem, with Scar somewhere off in the distance. Maybe Grian didn’t always fuse with Scar, then. Maybe he liked to branch out. “He seems really at home here.”

He’d officially reunited with Grian that morning, which had been wonderful, but…strange. Tense. Mumbo had been expecting everything to promptly return to normal once they found Gri, but it was becoming more and more obvious that that would not be the case. Even worse, Pearl seemed to be in denial about it, and Mumbo had been taking cues from her for long enough that he had no idea what to do.

His attention was pulled to the nephrite and green jasper he’d met earlier, who were—well, if the previous fusion dance had made Mumbo want to look away, this one made him want to bury his head in the ground. Still, he watched. He’d never seen anything even remotely like it. He couldn’t imagine himself ever making moves like that, but perhaps he could manage a twirl or two. Would he have to take off his limb enhancers?

“I don’t know what else to do,” Pearl said.  “Do you think if I fused with him, it would convince him to choose us instead of them?”

“Huh?” The second fusion dance had reached its culmination, but a third and a fourth had started up. Mumbo managed to tear his eyes away for a moment to look at Pearl. She had taken on an odd in-between color, which corresponded with the sun’s current position most of the way below the horizon. “Beg your pardon, did you say you were thinking of fusing with Grian?”

“I might as well try.” Pearl got to her feet. “I’ll just go ask him. No big deal, right?”

Mumbo was fairly certain that Pearl and Grian fusing would be a recipe for disaster, but he doubted Pearl would listen to him. “He’s been talking to that blue gem for quite a while now. You might be interrupting something.”

“I don’t care.” Pearl was fully red now. “We’re losing him. He’s in love with this planet. If we don’t offer him something better, he’s going to realize he prefers it to us.”

“Surely there’s a better way than—”

Pearl had already begun walking away before he could finish. Mumbo didn’t follow her. He’d seen enough of Pearl in her red state to know there wasn’t anything he could do except watch the disaster unfold in front of him.

“Boys,” a very sarcastic voice said behind him.

Mumbo looked up to see Rose Quartz—no, Lizzie—taking a seat in the grass beside him. “What’s a boy?” he asked.

“Not sure!” Lizzie said. “I heard Cleo say it earlier, just like that. I think it’s an insult.”

“Boys,” Mumbo repeated, trying to mimic her derision. He watched Pearl storm up to Grian and grab his arm, pulling him away from the blue quartz. “I really don’t understand pearls.”

“Me neither,” Lizzie said, with a little huff of exasperation. “Want a flower? I’ve been picking off the petals for fun.” She passed Mumbo a small white blossom with long petals, the stem severed halfway down.

Mumbo methodically plucked every third petal as he watched Pearl and Grian’s conversation from afar. He didn’t dare approach them, but he couldn’t help but wonder what they were saying.

—

“What are you even saying?” Grian said, throwing up his hands. “Have you gone mad?”

“Am I not good enough to fuse with?” Pearl asked. “You’ll fuse with spinels and quartzes but not me?”

“Pearl, I’m not—” Grian cast a glance at BigB, who was trying to mind his own business. It was proving to be a very difficult task. “I haven’t even fused with any quartzes yet, I’ll have you know. And besides, it’s not about what type of gem you are.”

“So why not? Spit it out.”

“I don’t think this is a good time.” Grian looked wary, but his mind was clearly made up. “Not while you’re still red.”

“That’s it, then?” Pearl threw up her hands. “You won’t fuse with me because I’m off-color?”

BigB winced at that one. “Woah, okay, I don’t think that’s—”

“Don’t you start,” Pearl snapped. “I’m talking to Grian right now.”

“Actually, I was talking to him first,” Grian said, before BigB could figure out a polite way to exit the conversation. “I know you’re still adjusting to living here, Pearl, but BigB didn’t do anything wrong.”

Pearl gave him a look of pure fury, then turned the same gaze on BigB, who immediately put up his hands in surrender. “Fine,” she said. “I get it. You’d rather hang out with your new friends.”

“Pearl, I don’t—”

“Whatever, Gri,” she said coldly, and turned on her heel, walking away into the dark.

Grian sighed. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he told BigB.

“Did you know her from somewhere?” BigB asked him. “That really didn’t seem like a conversation between two gems that met yesterday.”

“I guess there’s no point in keeping it a secret if she wants to have loud arguments in front of people,” Grian said. “Yeah, I know her. At least, I thought I did.”

“That bad, huh?”

Grian shrugged. “Something’s going on with her, but I have no idea what it is.”

“You think it has anything to do with the whole color-changing thing?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her do that before.” Grian stared off into the woods where Pearl had just disappeared. “I’ve never seen any gem do that before.”

“Me neither,” BigB said. “I bet if anyone knows, it’s Ren. He’s seen a lot of weird stuff.”

“You think he’d know something?” Grian looked even more worried at the prospect. “I’m not sure if I should bother him with this.”

“I can ask him,” BigB volunteered. “I don’t mind.”

He looked around at the rest of the party, finding Ren lounging in the grass by himself. He was surprised Ren and Martyn hadn’t formed Red Diamond yet, considering all the other fusions that were going on, but he wasn’t about to question it. “Hey, Ren! Can I ask you something?”

“What’s up, dude?” Ren waved him over. “Is something wrong?”

“Not with me,” BigB said. “I just wanted to ask, have you ever seen a gem change color?”

“Hmm.” Ren took a moment to think. “I can’t say I have. Not permanently, at least.”

“What about temporarily?”

“Well, that’s a different story. I’ve seen it happen a few times.”

“You have? Really?”

“Sure, have, m’dude. It’s pretty funky.” Ren sat up straight, immediately towering over BigB. “Happens sometimes on planets with different types of suns. Most gems look about the same, but sometimes a gem will go a bit—well, I don’t want to say off-color, but—”

“So it’s just a trick of the light?” BigB asked.

“Sometimes,” Ren said. “Sometimes nothing else happens, but—haven’t seen it myself, mind you, but I’ve heard certain gems will start to go a little off the rails, if you know what I mean.”

BigB laughed. “Like we all did when we got here?”

“Hey! Not all of us!”

“You’re right,” BigB said. “It was mostly you and Martyn.”

Ren sighed. “I suppose you’re not wrong. Why were you asking about color-changing gems, anyway?”

“You’ve met the new gems, haven���t you?”

“Seen ‘em, yes. Not really had a chat with any of them yet. I was planning on introducing myself, but I was worried I might intimidate them with my size.”

“You could always shrink down,” BigB suggested. “But yeah, Grian and I just talked to Pearl, and she was kind of…the wrong color? Last I saw her she was close to the same color as Grian, but this time she was red. Is that normal?”

“She was red, you say?” Ren looked alarmed. “Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. Saw it with my own eyes. Grian said it happened last night, too.”

“That’s…not good,” Ren said. “Where is she now?”

“She got upset and ran off.” BigB pointed in the direction he’d seen Pearl disappear. Ren’s frown only deepened.

“We should probably go make sure she’s okay.” He got to his feet, then looked down at BigB and hesitated. “Maybe I’ll take your advice on that shrinking thing. Wouldn’t want to scare her.”

BigB watched as Ren shrank down to match his height. Amusingly, Ren’s gem stayed the same size, making it look huge on his chest. It was odd to be able to look Ren in the eye, but BigB found he quite liked it.

“Alright, you lead the way,” Ren told him.

“Just you and me?” BigB asked. “We’re not getting anyone else?”

“We don’t need a whole group for one pearl,” Ren said. “She’s not hostile, is she?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then I’m sure we’ll be fine!” Ren flashed him a grin. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

—

<Previous part | Next part>

(I'll update this fic with the next part when it's done, but you can save it on ao3 if you want to make sure you catch it!)

if you read this all the way through and enjoyed, please consider reblogging!

[minijenn]

The wind was strong, and the ground seemed unreachable. Finally, however, someone opened their eyes…

“What?” Connie asked, finally regaining her conscience. The last thing she remembered was being a part of Stonipbel, and falling off the… 

“What?!” she asked again, this time much more nervously, noticing that they all were falling into the ground’s direction. 

“Guys, we are falling!” the swordswoman shouted, trying to warn her friends. However, she got no response.

“Guys?!” she called out worriedly for them. It was only then that she noticed that they were all ahead of her, each one getting closer and closer to their imminent end.

She noticed that Steven was the one who was closest to her. She did her best to reach out for him. 

“Steven!” she shouted out of worrying, holding his hand. 

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone! I am sorry!” Steven bawled, impacted from just facing all of his most recent traumas. 

“None of them would let me help them, I had no choice” he continued, feeling like he failed the thing he was best at: helping others. 

“It’s okay” Connie tried to reassure him.

“No, it’s not!” the gem boy replied. 

“But it’s okay to think about it. There is nothing else you could have done” the swordswoman didn’t give up. She may not have been there on a lot of important moments of her friends, but she knew that, whatever the three did, was an attempt to make things right.

“Don’t wanna feel this way” Steven explained. 

“You have too! You have to be honest about how bad it feels so you can move on” Connie advised him. The gem boy still seemed reluctant. 

“That’s how it was for me” she completed,  showing that she was already on his place. It seemed like he still had his own doubts about it…

“Okay…” he agreed, finally read to fuse once again. They joined their foreheads, forming Stevonnie. 1 was saved, 2 to go. 

However, now that they were fused, their surroundings were reflecting their mental state. A shade of orange covered the place, and the butterflies returned.

They were making it hard for Stevonnie to see anything below them… until they finally managed to find their next friend. 

“Mabel!” they screamed, running into her direction. They put their arms around her as a way to comfort the sweater girl. 

“Mabel, are you okay?” Stevonnie asked, noticing the tears on her eyes. 

“I am an awful person!” Mabel cried loudly, drowning in guilt. The fusion was confused. 

“What?! No, you are not” Stevonnie reassured them. But, their friend kept crying. 

“I AM! I knew you two had something going on, and my silly dumb heart still managed to crush after Steven! I am the worst!” the girl in the sweater wailed.

The fusion put their hands on Mabel’s head so that they could look at each other from eye to eye. 

“Mabel, you are not awful for that. Feelings are uncontrollable. We know you didn’t mean any harm” the fusion calmed her down. 

“We went through so much during this summer. It’s not that the reason we will fall apart” Stevonnie stated with a smile. Mabel seemed genuinely moved by their words. 

The sweater girl nodded, and they all fused into Mabonnven. Now, the orange background became a shade of red. The butterflies amount increased and it was getting hard for them to see anything. 

“Gotta find Dipper quickly” Mabonnven affirmed, desperately looking around for the missing Mystery Kid. The crimson hue around them and the butterflies made them feel like they were trapped in a maze. Fortunately, they managed to find the pine boy on the corner. 

“DIPPER!” they exclaimed, feeling a mixture of worry and relief to find him. They hugged him to calm him down. 

“It’s okay, we are here now” Mabonnven said, on a very parental tone. It seemed like it didn’t work. 

“He will never leave us alone!” Dipper shouted. The three-eyed fusion seemed confused. 

“Bill always has the upper hand. I though that, maybe after defeating him during that sock opera, things would have turned out well, but, NO! He fused with Peridot, took our journal… and… and…” the pine boy was panicking terrified of what was happening. 

This time, it wouldn’t be as easy as before. Bill was still around, and, they couldn’t make any new promises. 

“Dipper, we are just as scared of Bill as you are. And we have no idea if we will ever beat him or if he will ever stop hurting us” Mabonnven cried, still impacted by what Bill did to all of them. 

“But, I know for sure that, as long as we have each other, everything will be okay! We faced Bipper together. We faced Pyrite together. And we managed to get our memories back together too! There is nothing the four of us can’t do” the three-eyed fusion spoke. 

Dipper stopped crying, but he still didn’t seem that fine. 

“As long as we stick together, Bill will never be able of getting rid of us” Mabonnven affirmed, confident in themselves. Dipper finally seemed ready to continue. 

The fusion light appeared once again and Stonipbel was back into action. But, this time, things were even scarier. The red’s around them got so dark, that it seemed like black, and the butterflies were enough to appear as hurricane clouds. 

“Good thoughts! Good thoughts! Good thoughts!” Stonipbel repeated continuously, trying to get out of that situation. However, someone took advantage of that situation. 

“Well, well, well. Mystery Twerp. It took quite long to finally meet ya” that cursed yellow triangle’s voice haunted the place. 

“You! What are you doing here!” Stonipbel questioned, feeling nothing but hatred for the source of all their headaches. Bill giggled. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I am excited to see four little annoying birds getting hit by one big stone” he teased, with a humor as acid as always. 

The fourway-fusion snapped. 

“Shut up…” they hissed. Their skin started to slowly turn pink, and their eyes changed shapes. 

“What?” the triangle inquired, not listening what the fusion had said. 

“Shut up! You may always have the advantage with your tricks and your lies. But, you know what, Bill? As long as we are together, you will never… WIN!” Stonipbel shouted, unleashing a powerful pink aura and Bill’s direction. 

The triangle was taken aback by that. He started to have cracks all over his body… 

“Wh..3t[s 7hat//// M8s73ry T####” the triangle started to glitch, before disappearing in thin air. Not only him, but the dark red aura and the butterflies too. The fusion sighed in relief, until they remember what was under them. 

“Yikes!” they exclaimed in worry. They nervously shook their feet in an attempt to float.

As they were about to get squashed into the dirt, they managed to activate their powers and land peacefully. 

They started to laugh brightly, content with the victory they had today. Of course, they still had a long way to go, and some of their problems would never go away, but, none of that mattered now, because… 

“I am here…” the fusion stated, as they used their four eyes to look at the beautiful clouds in the sky. 

 ___________________________________________________

Author’s Note: So, I really wanted to attempt to write my own version of Mindful Education. In my head, at least, the final scene with Steven and Connie falling would involve Connie reaching one by one of her friends, and forming their fusions to end up back as Stonipbel. And, since we had Pink Stepper in RMD, I saw no reason to not put Pink Stonipbel in Mindful Education.

Anyway, this is more a “What if” than anything. I am sure you will come up with something better.

I might also write in the future something about the first time Bill and Rose fuse, (yeah, I like to write about Bill. First, Bill with White, then Bill with Pearl on Pearl’s Lament, and now, Bill with Stonipbel. 

Hope you liked it and BYE!

---

OH I LOVED THIS! THE IDEA OF CONNIE BEING THE ONE TO KICK THINGS OFF AND THE FUSION BUILDING UNTIL THEY’RE ALL BACK TOGETHER AGAIN??? THAT’S BRILLIANT IMO I LOVE THAT GREAT JOB!!! 

[thousandyearphantombunker]

how the fuck was Steven supposed to kill the diamonds? With the crystal gems a team consisting of like 8 people? One is a human girl with a sword, another is a random technician and another is a disabled soldier? With the breaking point? The diamonds are huge and have insane powers they could use to protect themselves with ease so...and if somehow he did find a way to kill them- what would the aftermath be? What would happen to the corrupted gems? The system on homeworld wouldn't have changed, they'd still kill the off colors, they'd still be colonizing planets etc. would spinel still be waiting never knowing anything about what happened to her friend? Like what would have happened- 'oh the diamonds will probably go right back to killing people if Steven let them live and therefore Steven will be responsible for all the blood on their handa when that eventually happens, it's also unjust and toxic that Steven forgives other peoples abusers on their behalf we always let the colonizers have redemption arcs and portray the people they hurt as villains for fighting back' yeah okay, you cop Steven is a moral failure who is guilty of colonization and hes an abuse apologist who ignore the victims and demonizes them(where we watching the same show? Did we not see Steven try to help centipetle? Did we not see him break down over the cluster- could Steven had forgiven the diamonds for the sake of the victims? I do give some shit to Steven for how he acts about rose but even then he's a teenage with PTSD)-The situation also changed from 'homeworld gems are coming back to earth after the war to create a geo-weapon, they thought they won the war and didn't care about colonizing the earth anymore' to 'now they want rose quartz to hang for as justice for what happened to pink diamond' to 'pink diamond faked her death and her attempt to escape the abuse and evils of her home ended up turning her friends into monsters and her deciding to die to create Steven has led her sisters trying to drag her back to homeworld to uphold the horrible caste system' no more going after earth the way they used too, now the conflict was personal.

su's ending was bad- it felt hollow rushed and like so much happened but also like not enough was happening- it was a mess but also, su is about restorative justice and changing unhealthy family dynamics, and that's actually great. I get pissy about Steven Universe's ending-lapis, peridot, lars and bismuth were completely irrelevant the complaints i have about white diamond are the exact same ones i have about the collector (i hate them both) the movie piled more shit onto rose's bad rep sheet when it was really unnecessary and the show only portrays the perspective she was a brat which was great at the start but once you see how internalized she was and that shes an abuse victim the show should have portrayed her more empathetically, and if we wanna talk about the show as a whole- i hate that shattering can be reversed fully now and that jasper didn't stay dead as much as i love her, i hate that the show never acknowledged how toxic sadie was toward lars (kidnapping him and steven the donut prank- lars was a dick but sadie was a psycho) or how its hard to defend pearl after they made her a total creep (even if you don't read fusion as sexual its still super uncomfortable to see pearl lie to garnet like that and take advantage of something that meant so much to garnet) and i dislike that peridot lost her edge and the episode "too far" pissed me off (amethyst you encouraged peridot to be mean and call garnet a slur, pearl a braindead slave and Steven an affront to nature but when she made an accidentally ableist remark while trying to compliment you that's when it became a problem?). Su botched a fuckton of its messages and the filler was hit or miss in terms of quality and a lot the hate was Deserved (it did get uncomfortably sexual when it came to certain fusions- and rebecca sugar being Jewish bi, nonbinary etc doesn't exempt them from criticism- it felt perverted in several parts and rocknaldo was a worthless episode though if I hear another anti-Semitic take on this show im gonna flip- y'all don't know what Nazism is please stop using that word without understanding it) but I while I have my complaints about the ending I think Steven changing the diamonds minds was the only appropriate way for the show to end, the show always was about making amends or living life after the carnage had settled without focusing on vengeance/perpetuating the cycle of violence it was always about seeing nuance and not seeing you people you come into conflict with as enemies. I'm not angry at the diamonds being redeemed, I hate how it was handled, I'm not angry at the show for saying bismuth was wrong I hate how it was handled she deserved better but Jesus christ can we stop acting like the only appropriate way the show could have ended is with Steven 'realizing pacifism is bad and killing the abusers/colonizers is the only answer' because fuck diplomacy and systemic change-

also Steven is fully willing to use violence, Steven would pick up a gun and shoot to before batman or aang would ever if it meant saving his world (this isn't me shitting on those characters just pointing out Steven isn't that extreme of a pacifist) and Steven carries a lot of anger as we see in su future (whether or not you think it's a hot mess it's canon) while i don't think he hates the diamonds he definitely resents them and is afraid of then but holds back (until he ya now gats... Way worse mentally), he wants to fix the system not get justice or vengeance or make huge moral judgements where he is in the right when he hurts others- steven isn't an abuse apologist who believes him self morally superior (he actually kind of is afraid of that) he isn't afraid to use violence if he seems it necessary (he's a diplomat and his skills lie in talking things out- of course he'd go to that first) he cares a lot of about the victims of the diamonds and people who have been hurt- even if they hurt him. Steven is deeply flawed his martyr complex reveals him to be incredibly entitled and desperate to be in control and for others to be hurt or bad so he can fix their problems so he can feel good about himself and deals with a lot of guilt and by future he has developed anger issues- but he always cared about others that's why he did what he did and does what he does

[problematicbots]

Winged Sentinel au: Snippet 8: Friendship?

TW: a lot of physical violence.

Standing in an open space close to Fort Maximus, Longarms was working on a console nearby. At this point, he had already read Elita’s Journal and he knew what part to use to expose Sentinel to the council his career yet for some reason Longarms found himself not immediately heading toward the council hall to show them what he found instead he found himself stalling for time for the whole  cycle always digging himself into work making up excuses to his lord Megatron to why he used this to his advantage

So far, it is working, but he knows eventually he can't do this forever, and Megatron's patience will wear thin. Yet, lucky that hasn't happened yet, and Longarms can on another day without revealing what's inside Elita's Journal to the rest of the council.

Until one day, he was met by an unexpected visit from Blurr, who ran towards him in a flash, looking tired and out of breath. Longarms, as much as he hated it since he was acting like an Autobot, couldn't help but stare down at him in genuine concern. 

Out of the ant of the Autobots, Blurr was the one he spread the time with as he remembered the initial agent taking him out to watch plays together, how they would spend hours discussing science together during Oregon breaks, and how he would sometimes lead a servo. 

 So Longarm watched the blue speeder pant for a little bit before collecting his bearings as his faceplate turned from exhaustion to excitement although the tiredness was still in his optics.

“oh thanks, Primus isn't my favorite prime “exclaimed Blurr in enthusiasm yet still clearly tired from his run,

Longarms’s spark swells at this: he was Blurr’s favorite prime, and he couldn't help but feel..honored..oh scrap, that Autobot propaganda was messing with his hard drive again…yet he couldn't help it as joyful tears fell down his optics. 

“Wait, I'm your favorite prime?” asked  Longarms clutching his chest plate with his servo 

“Well of course, actually hold on I got some for you ” replied Blurr searching for something on his person 

Longarms widened his optics in astonishment as Blurr pulled a yellow amulet that was shaped like a peridot gem and he placed it on his servo.

“You know how you always talk about different types of amulets, right? Well, I got this for you during the break. I hope you’ll like it, “ smiled Blurr.

Longarms felt his spark swell up more: he couldn't believe this; Blurr went out of his way to remember something that he liked and didn't do out of self-interest or for his cause. This was the sweetest thing anybody ever did for Longarms.

“Yo-you got this for me, and you came from earth just to give it to me,” stuttered Longarms, genuinely touched by the gesture.

“Yes, and not only that, but I collect samples that have evidence that suggests that the real spy may still be in our ranks, “ spoked Blurr.

Longarms’s spark thump ready when he heard that oh scrap, was Blurr going to find out that he was the real spy all along...no.. not now, not here.

“ Wait, how are you certain that Warp isn't still the spy?” gulped Longarms with viable nervousness  on his faceplate

“Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?” replied Blurr with a grin.

Longarms didn't want to hurt Blurr, but if he didn't do anything, he would be exposed to the Autobots as a spy, and his mission to ruin Sentinel's career would be a failure.

It was with either him or Sentinel’s career that was going to be destroyed. Either way, he was going to lose Blurr's friendship, so with a heavy spark, he reluctantly put away the amulet as his faceplate turned one of remorse for what he was about to do 

“Blurr, you’re a good guy, and I- I'm so sorry for this, “ sniveled Longarms.

“For what-” Before Blurr could react, Longarm expanded his servo and used it to try to slam Blurr into the ground, causing the blue speedier to join backward on the ground before he could get hit.

“L-L-ongarms what are you doing!” Cried Blurr backing against a wall with a look of pure betrayal and terror on his faceplate that broke Longarms's spark Yet the Decepticon spy managed to suck it up.

“My job,” spoked Longarms coldly, although his optics say otherwise as tears float down his faceplate before expanding his other servo.

SLAM  

SLAM

SLAM 

This time, he didn't miss his aim at precision: he successfully crushed Blurr into a cube using his servos alone. Usually, Longarms would be impressed by a feat like this; however, once he pulled away from the smashed Autobot, a look of pure shock and disguise flashed across his faceplate at what he did as he looked at his slightly bloody servos in fear.

Is this how the Autobots felt about the Decepticons…this fear..this terror... This wasn't respectful or honorable at all..this.. felt horrible, yet Longarms knew that he couldn't come back from this; he needed to get rid of the evidence, and most importantly, it was time to finally expose Sentinel to the council.

So with sharky sevros, he quickly gets rid of the blood on himself before picking up Blurr’s messed up corpse, and to his horror, there was still a spark…. Blurr was still alive.

Longarms, in a panic, rushed towards Cliffjumper’s office, where the red Autobot was doing some light paperwork, showing no interest in what Longarms was holding.

Longarms took a deep breath before passing blur- the cube over to Cliffjumper while trying to act casual but he was a complete mess.

“Toss this out, “ ordered Longarms to Cliffjumper, barely managing to keep it together as small tears dropped ped down from his faceplate before marching towards the council hall. His scared faceplate turned into one of determination, yet with doubt leaning in the back of his hard drive. 

Cliffjumper on the other servo didn't ask any questions and did what he was ordered to do toss the the cube into a garbage chute without second thought after all it’s his job to follow orders no matter what 

____________________________________________________________________

Ultra Magnus and the rest of the Council were in the middle of a meeting in a heated debate about something along the lines of a new unit called the “Aerialbots”  when suddenly…

 Longarms busted into the room with a datapad in his servo and approached the council of Autobots, who turned over to Longarms in bewilderment except for Alpha Trion, who was seen to have a little smirk on his faceplate. 

“Longarms, what is the meaning of this?!” demands Ultra Magnus, upset that one of his important meetings has been interrupted by another prime.

Longarms could see that all optics were on him. He nervously made a quick fake cough before speaking, not wanting anybody to think he was a crazy mech who had entered the room for no good reason, so he regained his bearings before apologizing. 

“Sorry for the interruption, sir; however, I believe you should read this,” spoked Longarms before tossing Elita’s Journal on top of the Council table with every council member looking in interest. “It's important.”

Ultra Magnus, although annoyed, did trust Longarm's judgment and was somewhat curious about what the datapad contained.

“Very well then” sighed Ultra Magnus, picking up the Datapad to take a closer look at it.

Longarms’s spark thump as he watched Ultra Magnus slowly swipe to the first few pages of Elita's Journal 

_______________________________________

Ever since that weird night, things have been different between Sentinel and the Twins.

Sure, they still do their usual training session, which was mostly just a few air tricks and reading protocols now since they were already done with the whole basic flight lessons, however on occasion, after every session, Sentinel would take twins out somewhere, whether it to Maccadam, emporiums, exhibitions and play performances. 

Of course, Sentinel makes excuses as to why he is taking these two to these places, like it being a part of their training. So, usually, he tries to make it seem educational or to make it seem like these trips were rewards for their progress so far.

When in reality, even Sentinel will never say it out loud: he likes spending time with them, and he doesn't admit that he may grow a bit attached to them, but only a little bit! Right?

It wasn't just Jetfire and Jetstorm that were pushing this change. Previously, he just changed himself to a jet out of frustration that he couldn't teach the twins how to fly, but nowadays, weirdly, being a jet has become a part of his identity, and he could never imagine being a grounded vehicle again.

Sentinel wasn't the only one to embrace his identity as Jet; he could tell that Jetfire and Jetstorm loved doing tricks in the air with them, rarely coming down back to the ground that Sentinel had to order them to do so.

“Another toast to another successful training session; keep up the decent work,  you two, for a couple of days, and you mi.t. if possible will be promoted to full members of the elite guard  “ announced Sentinel to the twins at their table at  Maccadam as he slowly raised a glass of oil.

“does..that mean we won't be kicked out of places anymore “ questioned Jetstorm still shaken up from the whole accident with the hostess yet lucky Jetfire was able to calm him down by sharing his oil with his brother 

“Not under my watch as, say before, under my command, you'll be treated just like any other soldiers with the same rights to dine, quit, rejoin, and be allowed in anywhere as you please unless it is against protocol  just any other Autobots “ spoked up Sentinel firmly “now anymore repetitive questions?”

Jetfire and Jetstorm as always stared at him in admiration: now that was their leader, not Ultra Magnus who never bothered to show off to most of their training sessions but Sentinel who had been here since day one

“No sir!” Squealed Jetfire and Jetstorm at the same time toasting to the prime by clinking their glass of oil together 

______________________________________

“ Sentinel sir I bet he's going do a backflip“ squealed Jetfire leaning closer on the theater’s balcony as he watched the play below with his brother quietly happy to side wearing 3D sunglasses and Sentinel in between them

“Wait…Why would he do a backflip? Is this play about the great war or something?“ questioned Sentinel, wondering what gave Jetfire the idea this was a stunt performance

“Because it would be very cool “ simply replied Jetfire with a little shrug. 

Sentinel raised his non-existent eyebrow in bewilderment and somewhat amusement since he didn't even know how to argue with that point so he decided to change the subject.

“Well…not as cool when you guys learn- I mean, how I  taught you two to do that Barrel Roll,” bragged Sentinel proudly.

“yeah that was pretty cool..” replied  Jetfire 

Ah, the classic Barrel Roll, the first trick that Sentinel ever did as a Jet, the same one he taught Jetfire and Jetstorm today.

He remembered it in perfect detail: he showed a diagram of a barrel roll to the twins explaining how to do it in detail before showing them an example by doing the stunt himself, when it was the twins' turn to do that stunt he flew alongside them watching them in anticipation and without flaw the twins successfully flip around in the without crashing into anything making Sentinel sign in relief.

Wait, why did he sigh in relief..he knew they were going to be fine, so how come..he felt a way of anxiousness over his  Hard Drive, but before he could think about it far, he was snapped out of the memory by Jetfire's excited screech.

“See, I told you he would do a backflip,” squealed Jetfir,e, pointing at the actor on stage doing the flip while Jetstorm’s jaw dropped in astonishment as little “ooooh” came out of his faceplate.

“All right, calm down, you two. This is a play, not a parade, “ lectured Sentinel, although in a bit lighter town than usual.

During these trips the trio were met with many optics prayed on them, most were looks of disgust, confusion, and.. interest.. an interest that Sentinel didn't like at all since a few Cybertronians were licking their glossa at them…fortunately Sentinel’s glare usually scared those..creeps.. off yet that wasn't always the case.

One day at an exhibition on the history of Elite Guard, the twins were sitting down and playing a game on a hologram of a battlefield on a table in the lobby of exhibition the while Sentinel in the background is having a back-and-forth argument with the ticket inspector holding up a pretty long line of annoyed or bored Cybertronians.

Yep, just another normal trip with their leader with Jetfire playing the battlefield game on offense while Jetstorm mostly chose defense,  everything was just fine 

 until an older femme approaches Jetstorm with a creepy look on her face that Jetfire doesn't like, and neither does Jetstorm.

“Hey huh, do you mind we’re kinda in the middle of something here? “ spoked Jetfire sternly, trying to act like his prime as he got up from his seat to stand in front of his brother protectly.

The elderly femme didn't listen to Jetfire and instead placed her servo on his shoulder and caressed it while Jetfire angrily tried to push her servo away while Jetstorm tried to tell her to cut it out luckily it didn't take long for Sentinel to notice quickly brushing his argument the ticket inspector to the slide before bolting over to the elderly femme.

“SERVO OFF THE AUTOBOT”  shouted Sentinel instinctively pulling the organic spray that he usually carries on him and quickly sprays it on her optics, which immediately makes the elderly femme fall l backward on the ground, catching everyone in the line's attention as they all grasp and whisper at the sight.

“My optics!” she screamed before getting up and rushing out of the exit of the exhibition, leaving everyone in shock except for the twins, who are once again grateful that their prime is here.

“IF I EVER SEE YOU FACEPLATE AGAIN, I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE SURE YOU’RE CHARGED WITH ASSAULTED  AND IS SENT TO THE DARKNESS PITS OF KAON WITHOUT A BERTH,”  screamed Sentinel after the elderly femme before turning around to check on the twins.

“Thank you, sir,” muttered Jetfire and Jetstorm with a sigh of relief.

Sentinel was about to say you're welcome when he noticed somebody took his spot in line and was able to get past the ticket inspector without any problems

That is it. Sentinel was officially done with the place. Not only his place in his line was taken, but his soldiers got assaulted without anybody doing anything about it. He decided that this wasn't worth it.

“Come on, let's get out of here. This place sucks anyway,” huffed Sentinel before leading the twins out of the exit leaving everyone in the exhibition in shock.

While the majority of patrons and staff in the exhibition went back to what they were doing although a bit shaken up, a small group of a few mechs followed Sentinel and the twins outside in interest, although, unlike the elderly femme, their interest is seen less creepy and more out of curiosity as the group watched in awe as the trip transformed into jets before flying off into the sky.

“That is the most marvelous thing I have ever seen!” exclaimed one white mech on the ground, looking over to his buddies. “ you know I wish I was a jet, I never felt comfortable in this frame”

“Hey, do you think if we join the elite guard we could be jets too?”  questioned a red mech in  excitement

“That's a great Powerglide!” squealed the same white mech from before.

“Wait what if we could get in trouble for this! ” gulped a Sliver mech nervously.

“Hey, come on, Sliverbolt, if the subcommander is doing it, I don't see why we can't, “ shrugged Powerglide.

Sliverbolt couldn't argue with that point as he stared up at the trio of jets Autobots flying further away into the distance 

Little did he know Sentinel overheard everything in the air, and the prime couldn't believe this: there were Autobots who were genuinely interested in flying, not in a creepy way wanting to join the elite guard. 

Sentinel never really thought of it before, but what if there could be a whole unit of flying Autobots on the elite guard ready to defend Cybertron? That isn't just him and the twins?

Now, that would be a sight to see, and perhaps using his duties as sub-commander to encourage a more pro-flying Cybertron, this would not only be a win for the twins but be a perfect way to beat Megatron at his own game.  Who knows, maybe one day, there could be flying Autobots outside of the elite guard, but for now, a unit is a small place to start.

“Huh, what do you know? I guess they aren't all creeps and cogheads after all, “ muttered Sentinel under his breath before returning to Fort Maximus with the twins.

Once the twins headed back to their quarters, Sentinel immediately went to work for six months to make a more pro-flying Cybertion by first proposing the idea of a whole unit of jet auto bots which he described to called the “Aerialbots”  to the council before promoting it with posters, broadcasts and just any form of media he gets his servos on to spread his message. 

The results were mixed with a few Autobots showing interest in flying and asking where they could sign up while others protested against the idea, and the council was still in debate about his idea.

Not the ideal results that  Sentinel wanted, but hey, at least there is interest, and if we can make that go higher, it would put pressure on the council to approve his idea. 

Despite all this, Sentinel somehow always finds time to train and spend time with the twins on occasion 

_________________________________________

“Sentinel, sir, I know this is supposed to supply run and all that but if you don't mind, I made this for you,” muttered Jetstorm, walking out of one store in the emporium and giving Sentinel a picture. 

Sentinel stared down the picture in brief confusion before his optics widened once he realized what the picture was: it was a messy drawing of himself with Jetfire and Jetstorm above the word “us” on it.

Sentinel didn't know what to say he was completely speechless as the spark swelled a bit but at the same, he had no idea what to do with it.. should he sign it on.. wait no that's ridiculous this wasn't an autograph.. this was sentimental ... he needed to.. put it somewhere important.. yeah that will do 

“Sentinel, sir, are you Ok? I can take it back if you want “ asked Jetstorm in concern that Sentinel hadn't spoken to for a full minute.

“N-NO-huh I mean I'm just going to take this to my office real quick, just make sure you and your brother come back to your quarters before closing hours ok..actually scratch that leave before 3..well you know what to do!” yelped Sentinel putting the picture away before bolting out the emporium leaving Jetstorm confused yet a bit amused.

That was their prime, a little weird, but their leader, whom the twins not only see as a mentor but as a friend too. 

_________________________________________

Jazz stood inside Sentinel’s office with the resignation note in servo, looking like a complete mess: his shades had a small yet visible crack on the left side. He just badly escaped multiple violent protests against jet Autobots.

Jazz remembered trying to convince the protesters that he was just passing by yet they didn't listen to him due to the fact he was wearing an elite guard symbol which the protesters saw “as pro jets” 

This resulted in him getting punched in the faceplate, and worst of all, he recognized most of the faces of the protesters: most of them were his friends or autobots he trusted..all turned on him for even associating  with jets. 

Sure, it was only one punch, and lucky the counter-protest th managed to pull him out of there's before things got ugly,  however, this was the final straw for Jazz's mental state: it used to take no time at all for him to reach Fort Maximus but now..well he lost count of the many days he was lost in the crowd of protesters and counter-protesters 

Ever since Project Vedette was approved, nothing other horrible things have happened. First, Sentinel crashed into that building; now, only Jazz was getting verbally harassed but also physically, and Nothing good could come out of Autobots fighting other Autobots. This was way too much for him 

So he approaches Sentinel's desk, ready to place the note there when he.. suddenly hesitates for a moment. 

He started having second thoughts about whether he should resign or not after all quitting probably wouldn't stop all this harassing probably won't stop even if quit and he would be leaving Sentinel behind to deal with these people

That would be so selfish of him to do so, especially toward someone who he kinda sees as a friend

However, at the same time..he sorta makes a whole scene at Maccadam about quitting, and if he backed out now…would he be harassed again?

There was only one way that Jazz could think of that could stop all this madness and gain everyone's respect again without anybody getting mad or hurt. It was simple but effective:  shut down both  Project Safeguard and Project Vedette. No more jets, no more problems, right?

So, with a sigh, Jazz turned away from the desk and was about to throw away the note in a nearby garbage chute.

CLICK 

Sentinel entered the office immediately spotting the note in Jazz's servo and the prime faceplate twisted into a look of surprise,  suspicion, and a briefly mortified

“Jazz… what that's in your servo”  questioned Sentinel as a look of betrayal crossed the prime faceplate.

Scrap.

[maria-ruta]

Favorite episode of Steven Universe and why? Favorite gem design?

oooh ive been thinking about su again lately and I love this show a ton so I'll be glad to to answer (ill put under read more lol bc thats a lot of text haha)

Favorite episodes:

the cat fingers - ooohwhat a wonderful body horror! and the first episode of the eries that made me go "haha what the fuck?" when i was watching it for the first time

giant woman - first intruduction of fusion and cute song and opal! ah good memories <3

the roses room - oh also such a good one

first aperience of lapis and episode after that - wow what there are other gems? and crystal gems are hiding something and maybe not so good? and monsters are also used to be gems? wowza! also such a beautiful visual with all the water magic and blind lapis and water tower

sugulite episode -oh hell yeah! also strong in a real way is a great song

STEVONNIE!!!!!!!!!! "screaches" tbh I love all the episodes when they appear (maybe except for the car races) - the first one and the one where Stevonnie has to survive on some alien planet for a while is "cheif kiss"

two episodes when the green hand apears and when we find out Garnet is a fusion - ah a CLASSIC <3

on the run - the song, the first time we see the kindergarden, the I NEVER ASKED TO BE MADE holy shit im so emotional over this episode, might be one of my very favorites

the episode where Garnet and Steven go to investigate what is the claster and they see those fucked up mutants - HOLY SHIT IT WAS SO SCARY AND UNCANNY I LOVE THIS EPISODE SO MUCH also one of my most faves

episode where Pearl gets very mad that lion belonged to Rose and that Steven knows something she doesnt and that Rose has secrets from her - when you see how fucked up it is, when for a second you could see she wants Steven to fall, but also knowing later on whats shes been going through... can understand why (understand, but not excuse)- such controvershal feelings but hey thats why we love this show dont we?

Timetravel sandclokes episode - hey another fucked what the fuck :D also love how Steven is surprised he can be so annoying lol

befriending Peridot <3

Pearl Steven and Greg build spaceship

Garnet shares abuility to see the future, so Steven and Connie don't get into snowstorm

bunch of rubies arrive and everyone play baseball - so fucking cute fhgfdhjfg

Garnet's story of how Ruby and Saphire met <3

When we see Blue Diamond in person for the first time and she steals Greg and how team goes to save him - so much good stuff, they tears, caused by Blue, the human zoo, THE AMETHYSTS <3 the whole diversion plan, the WHATS THE POINT OF FEELING BLUE song <3

First aperience of Smoky Quartz, Steven and Amethist having troubles feeling like shit, Jasper's downfall, the "you killed my diamond, your diamond - Pink Diamond!" and "come here sis" - very good

Peral goes puk and has a crush on pink haired biker girl UwU

Bismuth episode

traveling into Pearls head episode

Garnet wedding <3

the final is also so good (even tho its rushed and I WISH so much that there would be more of gathering rebels gems throughout the galaxy to overthrown the diamonds, but I know how pressed the whole crew was to finish the series right here and right now... even with all that, I think they managed to make a great final! <3 )

AAAND steven the future too

how all the traumas finall catching up - good shit

especially love the episode where Steven and Peridot make dream show

and the two perls episode also very good

Pearl and Bismuth rollerskate UwU

and when Steven was with Jasper

and the final <3

woof that was long haha

Favorite designs:

I love the main 3 (i remember when i was teen i hated new designs, compared to the pilot, but later on I started to think that new ones are better... idk, I think Garnet's square afro and huge hips and Pearl's nose are SUPERIOR)

I really like Rose Quartz's design - shes so prettyyyyyy

I liked Blue Agate design! those boots wowza!

Peridot and her cool limbs (i dont remember the name of those thingies)

Blue Diamond has cool design but

THE WHITE DIAMOND??? oh man, I love her design! so stunning but creapy! the use of white and black, the wibes of b/w old tv shows? very very cool

I ALSO love fusion designs so much!!!

I especially like how more stable fusions tend to have less limbs and have more humanoid form

I like how fusions that have amethyst in there tend to have very sharp teeth and even extra maw (exept for Opal... but maybe she just doesnt open her mouth wide enough for you to see hehe)

I like Pearl+Ruby fusion (sorry I don't remember her name... I dream to draw fan comics about them but eh...)

I also like how gems, who've been healed from their monstrocity still have some kind of monster aspects

like little horns and such

I like the gem that used to be the worm, who eated shiny things haha shes cute

AND SNOWFLAKE OBSIDIAN????? whats her buisness looking so swell????? shes so cool loking but she only been there for like... five seconds ToT

ok im done thank you

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 15- Part 1

Alright, so- Jasper Ward is still trashed, but maybe now it’ll be slightly less trashed than before. Let’s start by heading down this street for anything new.

Aha, new things! Just as I predicted!

Now, something I know we can do for a fact: go get that other police officer who was behind that one annoying vine!

There you are! Get over here so I can go get that item too!

Perfect! That’s both the Jasper Ward officers safe and sound, and that means the rest are all in Beryl Ward- as if we needed even more incentive to head over there. But what’s the super special item over there, before we get going?

That’s…y’know what, that’s still useful, I won’t complain.

Anyways, something else I want to check is- what?

Wild Pokémon can still be encountered? The heck? Get outta here, I’m trying to explore!

Like I was saying- I’m heading back to that one building with the guy freaking out over his Mareep because the one doorway was blocked by another vine. But now that the PULSE is gone, it should be open…

OH! That’s even better than what I was expecting! Which Field is this one gonna be about?

Well, it’s about time I got some info on those dang trees! I’ve only fought on that specific field about a dozen times already and can already get a decent idea of what it’s all about, but hey, better late than never. Though, given the U.I. issues, I might be better off just reading its info on the wiki…

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S ONLY SPECIAL BUG MOVES THAT GET THE BOOST- 

Anyways! Let’s head to the right side of the ward now that those other vines are all cleared, see what there is to discover. Like more street signs!

Pretty sure that just loops back around? Lemme go down and check-

Well, that’s even more handy! Hard to afford a lot of those right now, so I’ll take street Potions wherever possible.

And…yeah, it does just kinda loop back around. Good, that makes navigation even easier! But actually, since we’re down here, might as well just check in on the police station- I’m curious if the rescued officers will be there, and if anything special will happen if we talk to them.

Yeah, okay, nothing special here, let’s just continue with exploring.

Let’s see- there’s a house down here and an inconspicuous rock, is there a hidden item there?

No item, but- I can see Peridot Ward down there! Those are the gates the train came in from, and that house the first Magikarp thief was in! Hello down there!! How did none of you notice the tree horrors going on like right above all of you??

Anyways, into this house now-

Ohohoho, what have we here? A Mareep, running around super fast just like a certain guy in another building? Like Pokémon like Trainer, I guess. Let’s see what we can do to calm it down.

I- I’m sorry, she obtained the Mareep? Did she just steal that guy’s Mareep??

Um…okay?? Cool? Good for us? I had a feeling we’d get the Mareep in the end, but- right now, right here? Before even returning it to the guy?

Well, uh- we have it now. Now, what to name it…

Nimbus- there we go! Cumulonimbus clouds are often the ones associated with thunderstorms, and Mareep and Flaafy have those cloud-like appearances with their wool and all- like so, in its PokéDex entry:

But now that we’ve found Mareep, I wonder if anything will happen if we put it in the party and talk to that guy again? Well, let’s do exactly that and give it a try.

…Um. The guy…is gone? He has vanished into thin air? Maybe he went into the back room, hold on-

…Ah. Well…this is awkward. Uh…guess we can just…keep Nimbus, no strings attached. Good for us…?

Next

[archangel-izayoi]

Twisted Wonderland - Under the Apple Tree.. (Leona x OC)

Leona: Grr... You've got some nerve for waking me up, herbivore. Oh, you wanted to read this? Right, right! Now read it and let me sleep!

Amara walked around the courtyard, admiring the way the sunlight shone around her, making faint halations in her vision. Shielded by the tall apple tree, the girl sat on the bench.

She took out her sketchpad and proceeded to draw one of the apples growing on the tree, being so concentrated into it that she failed to notice a pair of peridot green eyes lazily staring at her.

Today, Leona was planning to nap under the courtyard's apple tree, as Crewel was taking his noisy class of herbivores to the botanical gardens to show them the various types of magical herbs and alchemy ingredients.

As he tried to doze off, his beastman senses picked up the scent of sweet oud, which his eyes followed to land on the girl sitting on the bench. Her long thigh-length chocolate brown hair fell down her shoulders, her vest told that she was from Scarabia, right.

Of course, she was the 3rd heir to the throne of Scalding Sands', the Iizhar Royal family. He didn't forget her, how could he? He had gotten mesmerized by her when she didn't step on his tail that day when she was walking in the botanical gardens, how her delicate hands softly put his rough lion tail aside, and she muttered "Leona-san, you should be more careful with your tail... what if someone had stepped on it and bruised it?"

Ever since that day, he stared at her from afar, and attended the joint classes they had. Yes, he wanted to see what she was up to!!! Always keeping to herself, this girl was a mystery.

Meanwhile, Amara was craving a light snack after drawing, "Ah, the apple tree. I can get one for myself..."

She stood on the tips of her toes, trying to reach the apple tree, but to no avail. Yeah, she was short, that's why.

Leona watched her struggle with amusement, as he made his way towards her with a smirk.

Amara felt a rough muscled arm hold her waist as she felt warm breaths on her ear. "Got you there, Iizhar."

He teasingly held the apple higher than her reach, making her try to get it. "Leona-san, can I have that apple please? I would like to thank you for your assistance."

"Not so fast. Give me a kiss on the cheek, then maybe I'll consider it~"

Amara's cheeks were coated with a slight pink hue as she turned around, "I-I don't need it, thank you once again!"

Leona laughed, showing his fangs, as he handed her the apple. She took the apple, running away to Ramshackle with her books.

She was a fun one to tease, huh? This surely wouldn't be the last time they'd interact, now...

Savannaclaw: You're still here? Now that you're already here, grab me a menchi katsu and iced tea!

[pixeledwings]

Get to know a simmer

@wanderlustwhims !! thank you for tagging me, ( admittedly i got very excited haha )

Show your wallpaper:

An adorable drawing of my d&d character, calliope, and her (then) boyfriend! by my amazingly talented friend @arynaxolotl

Last song you listened to: sharks by imagine dragons, but the portals album by melanie martinez is always on repeat in my head 😩

Currently reading: warrior cats 🐱 !! i'm a lil late to the party.

Last movie: i don’t even know? either thumbelina or stardust.

Last show: jersey shore family vacation. (SAMMI? COMING BACK??)

Craving: i really want cheese fries.

What are you wearing right now: a wrestling is gay shirt and donky kong pants.

How tall are you: 5 foot 5 exactly.

Piercings: None!

Tattoos: a few -- a matching flower bouquet with my SIL on my arm, a peridot gem to go with my friends lapis gem (in this house we stan steven universe), a hand holding planets on my inner arm, a D20 with death and live saves under it, and the love tattoo lil peep had written on his stomach, on my wrist. i want so many more.

Glasses/contacts: i need glasses, but apparently, it costs an insane amount to see normally 🤧

Last thing you ate: currently in love with these everything bagel pita chips. 

Favourite colour: pastels and straight black. there’s no inbetween. 

Current obsession: i’m really big into dolls. monster high forever & always. rainbow high has caught my attention recently!

Any pets: 3! a ball python named asmodeus, a leopard gecko named tiamat, and a black cat named meep.

Favourite fictional character: i have no idea. handsome jack is deff one of them. draculaura is another.

Last place you traveled: i went to NY for a wedding a few months ago.

this was fun !! i never really talk about myself, haha. i'm a shy and anti social creature, i am tagging you all awkwardly and lovingly

@hellgirl-ix @akitasimblr @a-sims-garden @crsentfairy

[natsumesakasaki666]

TSUMUGI BIRTHDAY 2023

Translation of mini talks, birthday story, and phone call

Mini talk 1

Tsumugi: Wow, are all those presents for me?! Thank you so much~♪

Could it be that these gifts were went by fans?

Well then, let’s leave it here in this spot for now.

Anzu: That’s a large pile of presents…

Tsumugi: ah, Anzu-chan . Thanks for helping me♪

So all of these were sent by fans. To think I’d received this many… I would have never imagined it

Mini talk 2

Tsumugi: The project proposal that I’ve been working on with Anzu-chan is complete!

I've sent it via “hold hands” not too long ago, it’d be great if you could take a look at it

…huh? Is that not why you came to NewDi?

Anzu: I came for another matter…

Tsumugi: Hmm, I wonder if I can make some time to chat with you in the common room…

Aha! It looks like I’ll have some free time later in the evening, if that’s okay with you♪

Mini talk 3

Sora: HaHa~♪ Senpai, Anzu, hello☆! Sora came to get you because the party is about to start~

Tsumugi: Hello Sora-kun. So it’s that time already…

Sora: woah, that large pile of presents next to Senpai is amazing. But it looks like it’s about to collapse

Anzu: Shall I place them in bags?

Tsumugi: That’s a good idea. I’m pretty sure I have some paper bags seomwhere around here…

Sora: Sora will help too! These presents are filled with feelings for Senpai, so Sora will handle each one carefully♪

—————story—————

Prologue

Tsumugi: Sorry for making you wait~

Good work today Anzu-san♪

Sorry but is it alright if I put these down here? It’s more presents I got from the party….

Well then, please excuse me. Oof ♪

Anzu: It’s very colorful

Tsumugi: Yes♪ Just by looking at it like this makes my heart flutter.

Some are from Natsume-kun and Sora-kun, and I also got gifts from Tsukinaga-kun and Saegusa-kun♪

Part 1

Tsumugi: Oh and everyone in the circle I’m in also gave me a present♪

Everyone in biblion gave me a cushion that looks perfect for reading books with!

Here it is! It has a nice soft squishy feel to it~♪ Anzu-Chan, you can go ahead and try touching it too!

Anzu: it feels nice

Tsumugi: Right♪ Reading a book while leaning against this cushion… it sounds nice doesn’t it?

Eichi-kun gave me some tea leaves as a gift, I'm sure if I brewed some to accompany my reading, it'll be an even better experience!

Part 2

Tsumugi: Phew, it’s nice to have a day where I can take it easy~

I’d never thought I’d receive so many gifts in one day

It’s possible that I may have received the most gifts ever

Anzu: you are adored

Tsumugi: Fufu, I’m so thankful for that…♪

Each and every one of them chose a gift with me in mind. That alone is more than enough to make me happy.

Part 3

Tsumugi: Um, Anzu-chan, what’s with the box you pulled out…?

“Sorry for adding to the pile” you say, it’s not a problem at all!

Thank you for the gift. Is it alright if I open it now?

Anzu: Of course

Tsumugi: Wow…! It’s an elaborate brooch! Fufu, it’s sparkling all over

Since it’s from Anzu-Chan, shall I put it on now♪

Part 4

Tsumugi: How is it? It gives off an elegant impression when wearing it♪

Hmm. If you look closely, the color of the stone in the middle is slightly different from the one swaying below...?

The stone below looks like the unit color of "Switch"….

Anzu: and the stone in the middle is…

Tsumugi: So that’s what it is, the color is based on Peridot which is August’s birthstone.

Come to think of it, Peridot symbolizes “hope” and “happiness”. It seems that happiness comes just by wearing this♪

Part 5

Tsumugi: Now then, shall we start heading home? We don’t want to get back too late.

Thanks for today. I’m so happy to receive such a lovely gift at the end of the day.

I’ll savor the happiness I felt today and give it my all tomorrow

Anzu: Let’s do our best together!

Tsumugi: That’s right♪ and I’ll give Anzu-chan more joy and happiness than what I received today!

After all, I am a magician who brings happiness to others♪

Phone call

Tsumugi: Hello?

Thank you so much for today!

The photos you sent were the ones you were taking with your phone right?

Everyone in each photo looks like they’re having fun, it makes me so happy

I look forward to working with you tomorrow!

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe Snake Eyes chapter 10: Crossroads (originally posted on October 30, 2023)

AN: And now, the moment I've wanted to write for so long ever since I first started conceiving of this grand finale: the redemption of Black Rutile. Normally, trying to turn a proud psychopath who was not ashamed to say she regretted nothing good would be a very hard thing to do, but after all the emotional beatdowns she suffered throughout this story, Black Rutile might as well need one. But while many might say Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender had the best redemption arc, I'm actually taking a different route for Black Rutile's that is heavily based off of Megatron's portrayal in the twilight years of the original Transformers IDW comics. Anyone who read those comics should be very excited to see what I have in store for Black Rutile. Otherwise, prepare to feel a lot.

Synopsis: After Nosiop throws her out, Black Rutile starts rethinking her views.

Cast:

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Yellow Pearl, Blue Pearl, Volleyball, The Black Pearl Brigade

Grace Rolek as Connie

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Dalmatian Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Christine Baranski as Hessonite

Olivia Olson as Citrine

Avi Roque as Cinnabar

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Idina Menzel as Amazonite

Halsey as Tanzanite

Mia Barron as Apatite

Awkwafina as Kyanite

Allison Janney as Pyrite

Zehra Fazal as Zoisite

Lena Hall as Bloodstone

Jodie Whittaker as Xenotime

Gina Torres as Andesine

Barbara Dunkelman as Amber

Kristen Schaal as Howlite

Catherine Tate as Lepidolite

Cissy Jones as Princess Naja Jormagundr

Henry Rollins as Captain Boa

Neil Flynn as Aescul

Samantha Newark as The Lapidarist

--

"Okay, how long do we have until Squamata leaves Serpentes and devours the rest of the universe?" Pearl asked as she, Garnet, Hessonite, Citrine, Aquamarine, Cinnabar, Andesine, Captain Boa, and Aescul watched a holographic image of Squamata continuing his rampage against the Slytherophidians.

"I'm betting not long." Hessonite proclaimed. "He'll eventually get bored and move onto another planet. Worst case scenario; he'll consume Earth or Homeworld next just to spite us."

"We need to act quickly." Garnet proclaimed stoically. "If Squamata succeeds in destroying this universe, there's no telling what kind of destruction he'll wreak upon other universes as well."

"It truly pains me to see Nosiop fall this far," Boa said mournfully of his prince's status. "I wish I could've informed Cobralan of this earlier."

"It's okay, Boa, we all didn't know," Aescul responded comfortingly before he turned around to find Black Rutile standing behind him. "Oh hey, I forgot you were still here!"

"Oh, hello, Black Rutile." Pearl greeted the Rutile. "Don't mind us. We're busy thinking of a way to save the known universe and beyond here. Just run along and play while we work here."

"But I can help!" Black Rutile continued urging the group. "Nosiop told me everything there is to know about Squamata, so unless you all want to die, I suggest you listen to me if you want to live!"

"Black Rutile, dear." White Diamond said calmly as she suddenly appeared behind her former subordinate. "They're making it clear that they're not interested in your help right now. So please, go run along and play by yourself while we sort things out."

"What are you, my mom?" Black Rutile scoffed as she stormed off in a huff. "Fine, but don't come crying to me once heads start rolling!"

"Someone needs an attitude adjustment," Aescul murmured at Black Rutile while watching her walk away.

"I think it's because we refused to believe her about Squamata," Garnet replied. "Perhaps she has been telling the truth and wants to change, but we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'll go talk to her." Cinnabar offered herself up and began following Black Rutile. "I've been her apprentice for centuries; I know her more than anyone else in this room."

--

Elsewhere in the castle, Black Rutile gazed out a window as she watched Squamata and his heralds start draining Serpentes of its energy, causing the land around them to decay. Black Rutile sighed nostalgically as she reminisced on how the Diamonds would cause the planets they colonized to die after draining them of their resources. But those days were long gone, just like what the universe will soon be once Squamata gets bored with Serpentes and moves onto another planet.

"Hello, Black Rutile." Cinnabar said as she walked up to Black Rutile and stood next to her, the two Gems now staring out the same window. "I'd like to talk to you about everything happening recently."

"Oh yes, about me betraying you all and unleashing Squamata only to get stabbed in the back as well?" Black Rutile asked.

"Exactly." Cinnabar answered.

"I know you and everyone else must hate me now for wanting to use the Lapidarist to push the reset button on all Gemkind," Black Rutile said. "But there's no harm in talking one last time before you disown your old mentor, huh?"

Cinnabar only responded by pulling out her broadsword and attempting to strike Black Rutile down. "You betrayed us! You betrayed me!" she screamed angrily as Black Rutile halfheartedly blocked the strike with her bowie knife. "What happened to you?! What have the Crystal Gems done to you?!"

"Enough." Black Rutile quietly commanded her former apprentice to stand down, which she obeyed.

"Did Steven finally corrupt you into his slave?" Cinnabar kept yelling. "Tell me, did he?!"

"No, it's not Steven's fault," Black Rutile sorrowfully revealed. "And I'm sorry if that disappoints you."

"But we believed in you. We dedicated our gems to you." Cinnabar cried in betrayal. "And this is how you treat us?!"

"Not just to me. Black Rutile declared. "But to your own twisted ego and selfishness as well that you used to serve my cause."

"But our cause was what you thought was best for all Gems!" Cinnabar exclaimed. "At least, I thought it was."

"You got that right." Black Rutile agreed dourly.

"I came here to tell you that we're teaming up with the Crystal Gems to stop Squamata from destroying the universe." Cinnabar revealed to her old mentor.

"Wait, seriously?" Black Rutile scoffed dryly. "And here you are, getting on my case for betraying you."

"Steven can be selfish and narrow-minded, sure, but he still accepted us despite what we've done because we have nowhere else left to go." Cinnabar added.

"Well then, off you go!" Black Rutile snapped at Cinnabar. "Go ahead and abandon your lives, your identities, the very reason you were created, all for his twisted ideals and principles!" The two Gems were silent for a few pregnant moments before Cinnabar sat down next to Black Rutile.

"The moment you tell me that this was all a trick, that you're going to kill the royal family and use their armada to conquer the universe, then Steven really did lie to us." Cinnabar stated, hoping what she just said would be true. "He doesn't care that we're without identity; he'll force a new one onto us."

"Ah yes, identity. I've forgotten how toxic that can sometimes be." Black Rutile declared calmly. "Speaking of identity, you're still falling for all the lies about how Pink Diamond didn't mean any harm in starting the rebellion, right?"

"Not entirely." Cinnabar answered. "She didn't care that so many lives were lost in her crusade against the Diamonds, but she still cared deeply for life."

"Organic life, I know." Black Rutile sighed. "So, what do you plan on doing with me now?"

"If you refuse to admit your flaws, I have no choice but to leave you here." Cinnabar declared coldly.

"And you found Aquamarine and the others?" Black Rutile then asked.

"A test. And you failed." Cinnabar replied. "I've been watching you for our entire sentence to Revanche 666. You've just sat in your cell with your eyes closed, doing nothing but think and think and think. And do you want to know what I think? I think for the first time in your life, you feel like you have no identity. You've been many things. An eager Rutile with big dreams, a confidant to White Diamond, a rebel leader. And now what?"

"A selfish fool." Black Rutile responded before turning her knife into a sword and gazing into her reflection on the blade.

"But why? If you did change sides, you'd become a Crystal Gem in all but name." Cinnabar wondered. "No more, no less. Why rethink your entire life now?"

"I once told Steven that the Rutile Rebels came together to seek retribution by any means necessary. I wanted to make him hurt, to make him feel the same pain that he unknowingly brought upon us with his blissful naïveté and optimism." Black Rutile explained to Cinnabar. "And the thing is, at the end of the day, I'm feeling the same pain I brought Steven, only far worse than I thought. If the universe sees you as a monster, what does it matter? The universe is filled with monsters. But when you start thinking that you're the monster."

Black Rutile let out a heavy sigh before continuing. "I came to hate what I've turned myself into. A cunning, devious, opportunistic, sociopathic monster that even Steven believed was beyond redemption. I thought the only way to restore my old legacy and set everything back to what it was before Pink even came into existence, probably the easiest way, was to gain the Lapidarist's godlike powers so I could rejuvenate the entire Gem race."

"You're not a monster. Well, you're not the monster that you think you are now." Cinnabar assured Black Rutile. "As humans would often say, nobody's perfect. We're all like Off-Colors in a way. We can't fit in with society, and that causes us to feel like we're alone in the world. It's why we formed the Rutile Rebels; we felt alone in Era 3, and you were the only one who could give us a purpose. Maybe in a couple of hundred years, we'll remember this conversation and laugh about how ridiculous it was for you to consider changing your ways."

"Consider, you say?" Black Rutile said, gazing down at her hands, calloused from years on the battlefield and years of plotting her grand uprising. "Look at me, Cinnabar. I'm a hopeless, bigoted shell of my former self. Ignorant and proud of it, too." She gently moved one of her hands to her face. "Would you still follow a Gem like me? My spirit now flickers when it once flared, but these days, all I am is nothing but bark without a single bite."

"I don't particularly appreciate hearing you say this." Cinnabar said nervously.

"Why not?" Black Rutile asked.

"Because this isn't you!" Cinnabar answered while taking her master's hands in her own. "Whatever happened to the Black Rutile I looked up to who bravely fought in the Rebellion, dared to challenge the Crystal Gems' tyranny, and basically conquered the Earth by turning the humans against them! The Black Rutile we followed, that we loved. What happened to her?"

I don't know." Black Rutile responded grimly. "I think she's dead."

"Dead?" Cinnabar asked sympathetically. "Or just resting?" The two fell silent once again, neither of them knowing the right words to say next.

"Just recently, I finally saw fit to talk with the Lapidarist." Black Rutile said. "But instead of asking her to rejuvenate the entire Gem race, I asked her what my purpose was now that I've lost everything because of Steven."

"And what did she say?" Cinnabar asked.

"She said that my true destiny won't be realized until I am at peace with myself or something like that." Black Rutile revealed. "She then showed me a vision of a possible future where I fought with Steven to save the universe. As a Crystal Gem. As a hero. As his friend."

"You're kidding. His friend?" Cinnabar gasped in shock. "But this is only a possible future, right?"

"Perhaps if I play my cards right, this could be my future right now." Black Rutile added with a slight smile. "Do you think there's any chance for me to make amends with everybody? Not just the Crystal Gems, but the Diamonds and all the other Rutile Rebels as well?"

"Destiny works in mysterious ways, I guess." Cinnabar realized what Black Rutile was planning to do and accepted it with a smile. "Go, change yourself for the better. You've already won me over."

"Thank you, Cinnabar, for listening to me." Black Rutile said and then suddenly hugged her old apprentice. "This is what is necessary to be forgiven, right?"

"Well, at least you're learning." Cinnabar laughed awkwardly. "Now, can you please let me go?"

--

"Wait, you're saying the ultimate fusion could be what now?" White Diamond gasped as she, Yellow, Blue, Spinel, and the Pearls stood before Princess Naja and the Lapidarist in the latter's secret chamber.

"Indeed, I believe it must be our only option." The Lapidarist stated. "Unless Steven has any other options."

"Well, there is the fusion with his human girlfriend, and I've also discovered he can fuse with his father," Blue replied. "But I think he might also be able to fuse with the pink boy and the fry boys, too."

"Ooh, ooh, can he fuse with me?!" Spinel asked while fluttering a pair of large eyelashes.

"Don't get too excited, Spinel." Yellow bluntly replied, much to the jester's dismay. "Anyone else he can fuse with?"

"Last I checked, he can fuse with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, or even all three at once." Blue Pearl replied. "I wonder how he'd fuse with some of the other Crystal Gems?"

As the Diamonds continued conversing, Black Rutile crept into the Lapidarist's chambers, hoping that she would take them all by surprise with her revelation. Still, there was just one factor she didn't consider. "I can see you, Black Rutile."

"No, you can't!" Black Rutile yelled as she tried to hide from the Lapidarist, no matter how omniscient Rebeuger was. "Okay, I give up! I just want to talk!"

"What is it this time, Black Rutile?" Yellow said with a roll of her eyes. "Here to bluster about the injustice wrought upon you again till the heat death of the universe."

"No, that's not it." Black Rutile said firmly. "I came here to apologize for what I've done to you."

"Could you please repeat that? I think I might need my hearing checked." Yellow Pearl snarked in surprise. "Surely this is another one of her lies, right?"

"No, I am simply baring my soul to you all." Black Rutile declared as she got on her knees and begged for forgiveness. "I ask of you, grand Diamonds, to accept my apology for all the horrible, selfish things I did to our people in the name of my delusional crusade for justice against those who have wronged me! My experiences here have finally humbled me and taught me that my actions have consequences!"

"Are you serious this time, Black Rutile?" Volleyball asked the repentant Rutile. "Are you not just lying to us again?"

"Why is everyone assuming that I'm lying?!" Black Rutile complained. "I'm being serious this time. I've been convinced that to be at peace with myself, I must make amends with everyone! Don't believe me? Ask the Lapidarist!"

"It's true." The Lapidarist proclaimed. "I told Black Rutile that she had a grand destiny, but it won't be realized until she is at peace. To calm such a troubled mind, she must reconnect with everyone she's hurt."

"Well, this is interesting," Naja said with an eyebrow arched. "What do you think, Diamonds?"

"Come to think of it, we are at fault for Black Rutile's descent," White said mournfully. "After allowing her to rise to such power because I thought it was funny, I didn't expect such a joke would go so far."

"So, we'll give you a shot, Black Rutile." Yellow added. "But make no mistake, if you really are lying, then we'll make sure to have your head on a wall."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, my Diamonds!" Black Rutile cheered as she crawled over to White Diamond's feet and began kissing them. "You are so kind!"

"Zip it." White bluntly responded.

--

Next on Black Rutile's itinerary was trying to reconnect with her ex-minions, who she found were already preparing for the coming final battle against Squamata and his heralds. Naturally, Pyrite's keen business acumen had helped the former Rutile Rebels acquire some weapons generously donated to them from the various competitors and Slytherophidians willing to lend a hand. All she needed to do now was to talk to them. Hopefully, Cinnabar would help them hear her out.

"Hey, everybody." Black Rutile greeted her former subordinates, only to be greeted with knives surrounding her in all directions. "Well, not my idea of a warm welcome, isn't it?"

"You know what you did, Black Rutile!" Dalmatian Jasper snarled angrily.

"Trying to sell us all out for power and using the Lapidarist to rejuvenate us!" Tanzanite added, just as furious.

"Making everything we did completely pointless since a godlike being can just do all the heavy lifting for us!" Amazonite proclaimed dramatically. "What was even the point of the Rutile Rebels to begin with in that regard?!"

"Okay, everyone, calm down. No need to antagonize her." Cinnabar stated, much to Black Rutile's relief. "Black Rutile here came to apologize to you all."

"Apologize?!" Eyeball shouted in alarm. "Surely you jest! Black Rutile has never regretted anything in her life!"

"Until now, that is." Black Rutile declared, which was met with gasping in surprise. "Yes, I know, I actually regret something for once. Let me explain."

"Someone pinch me; I must be dreaming." Cat's Eye muttered to herself while scratching her hair.

"This has to be a bad comedy." Pyrite added curiously.

"Earlier, Cinnabar and I talked with each other about my recent emotions and how I've grown to hate myself for what my constant failures have turned me into." Black Rutile explained. "Cinnabar tells me that we are all like Off-Colors in a way; we can't fit in with society, which causes us to feel like we're alone in the world. And I've realized that fits me in more ways than one."

"So does that mean you are, how do you say, repenting now?" Holly Blue asked. "I'm not sure I like this."

"Well, I'm not sure if I like you guys betraying me for the Crystal Gems either." Black Rutile responded curtly. "Nobody's perfect."

"Are you sure we can still trust you, my Rutile?" Andesine asked hopefully.

"I swear on my life." Black Rutile replied proudly. "Unless anyone threatens my life. In which case, you're out of luck."

"Eh, I'm fine with it if you are." Apatite said with a shrug.

"Not going to lie, I was getting kind of lonely without you yelling at us." Zoisite added.

"But make no mistake, just because you're showing remorse for how you've treated us doesn't mean we're just going to totally forgive you." Xenotime declared with a blade to her old boss's gem. "You'll have to work to earn our forgiveness. Otherwise, you will be executed for one wrong move."

"Calm down, Xeno, no need to be such a terminator and all that." Howlite tried calming Xenotime down by lowering her arm. "So, what do you plan on doing now, Black Rutile?"

"I bet she's gonna talk to the Crystal Gems next!" Kyanite proposed.

"Why yes, that is exactly what I was going to do." Black Rutile replied. "I'm already on shaky ground with them as is. I do not want to know how they'll react when they find out I'm telling the truth."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck." Bloodstone said with hope for her old master.

"Famous last words, as they always say." Amber added wryly before Black Rutile turned away and left.

"I never figured Black Rutile for an atoner." Emerald shook her head in surprise.

"Me neither," Morganite added, just as alarmed as the former pilot.

"But maybe this could be a fresh start for her." Pyrope suggested. "For all of us."

"It better." Demantoid responded sourly.

--

"Any updates, guys?" Lapis asked Laz and Zuli as the Crystal Gems gathered one last time before the inevitable final battle with Squamata.

"Those Universal Lords are really holding the line, but I'm not sure for how long." Laz declared.

"Only a matter of time before we're forced to fight." Zuli added.

"The combined powers of the Universal Lords are extraordinary, but it won't be long until they're forced to retreat." Squaridot added. "By the way, I can see Black Rutile approaching behind you." At that moment, the Crystal Gems turned around and stared menacingly at Black Rutile, fearing that she had nothing good to say.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back to us." Jasper frowned at Black Rutile.

"You have a lot of nerve being alive." Black Rutile responded just as harshly. "I suppose you're all going to act super suspicious about what I have planned, but I'm here to prove you wrong by saying I'm sorry." The Crystal Gems were dead silent in shock in response to this. "Hello, anyone? Bueller, Bueller, Bueller?" Nobody answered. "Stop ignoring me."

"I should've known this was coming." Garnet said coolly. "Please tell us you're sure you're not lying to us this time."

"No, I'm being serious, for crying out loud!" Black Rutile yelled. "I'm trying to repent for my sins here, so please hear me out!"

"A likely story, Black Rutile!" Bismuth threatened Black Rutile with her hammer dangerously close to the Rutile's gem. "It's gonna take more than just 'I'm sorry' to compensate for what you've done to us!"

"Yeah!" Peridot and Squaridot added.

"No, I've discovered that I'm more like you than I realized!" Black Rutile cried in desperation. "I'm just as much of an Off-Color as all of you because I never quite fit into the society you created, so I decided to take matters into my own hands!"

"I still don't believe this," Amethyst replied. "As Bismuth said, it's gonna take way more than a simple apology to make us completely forget what you've done."

"But that's literally what you've done to every foe you've encountered, even Emerald!" Black Rutile complained while angrily stomping her foot. "You, Steven, you and your friend can vouch for me, right?!"

"Okay, I'll only accept that you've changed on one condition." Connie stated while crossing her arms.

"What's that?" Black Rutile asked.

"Say my name," Connie suggested. "Can you say it?"

"Of course I can!" Black Rutile chuckled before she immediately lost track. "You're, uh, Connie Steven's-Annoying-Human-Friend!"

"You don't even know my name." Connie groaned in disgust.

"I certainly do!" Black Rutile claimed. "It's Meeska-Mooska-Mickey Mouse-svetlana!"

"Sometimes, it feels like you're not even trying to bother." Connie grimaced. "It's Maheswaran, Connie Maheswaran. Can you say it?"

"Connie Maheswaran." Black Rutile repeated.

"Now say, "I'm sorry that I've tried to kill you and your friends and destroy the planet all the time, Connie Maheswaran." Connie asked Black Rutile.

"I'm sorry that I've tried to kill you and your friends and destroy the planet all the time, Connie Maheswaran." Black Rutile said reluctantly. "There, are you happy now for once in your pathetic, unbelievably short, organic life?"

"Hey, everybody, calm down!" Steven shouted as he got between Black Rutile and Connie. "How about I talk things out with Black Rutile, and maybe we can reach an understanding? White Topaz, you can join too."

"Sure!" White Topaz exclaimed brightly. "Be back soon, guys!"

"I got a bad feeling about this." Jasper frowned as she watched her girlfriend leave with Steven and Black Rutile.

--

Outside the castle, Steven, Black Rutile, and White Topaz all sat together at the front steps as they watched the sunset on a doomed Serpentes, where Squamata continued wreaking havoc while his heralds laughed maniacally. "So, what inspired this, Black Rutile?" Steven asked his archnemesis. "What made you now want to change your ways after all you've done to me?"

"You think maybe she's finally understanding where you come from?" White Topaz wondered before Black Rutile calmed her down.

"Don't get too excited, Topaz," Black Rutile said. "I'm not necessarily changing my ways; I'm just finally realizing how toxic my worldview has been to both myself and others, and I've been apologizing to everyone I hurt, hoping that we can all move on together. I finally accepted that I'm just as flawed as any other living creature, human, Gem, or otherwise alike."

"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from." Steven replied. "My dad once told me that if every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs. In this case, you need to stop thinking of yourself as a porkchop by building this entire cult on the image of how perfect you think you are and blend in with all the other hot dogs in the universe, like me."

"I have no idea what your human food has to do with this, but you are indeed correct." Black Rutile said. "I said to Cinnabar that the only way I thought I could restore my reputation was to simply just erase everyone's memories of my actions through using the Lapidarist to rejuvenate all Gemkind, but after being abandoned by my minions and Nosiop's betrayal, I've realized that my glory days are long gone, so all that's left for me is just to accept the here and now and hopefully put my life back together." She then dropped to her knees with tears in her eyes. "Please, Steven, I know I'm asking for a little much, but would you please accept me as your friend?"

Steven was quiet for a moment as if trying to process Black Rutile's response, so the best he could do was give her a pat on the back that Black Rutile quickly turned into a hug.

"Whoo, group hug!" White Topaz cheered as she wrapped her arms around Steven and Black Rutile and picked them up in a big bear hug. However, their embrace would soon receive an unexpected visitor.

"Oh, what a touching scene." Nosiop hissed evilly as he towered over the three Gems. "Too bad I'll have to end it all once I assassinate Steven."

"Not on our watch!" Black Rutile exclaimed fiercely. "If you want to kill Steven, you'll have to go through me first, you scaly devil!" She then reached for White Topaz's hand. "Topaz, fuse with me!"

"Whoa, already?" White Topaz replied before she realized what Black Rutile had planned. "Wait, you don't mean-"

"No time!" Black Rutile yelled before the two did an impromptu tango dance, causing them to fuse into Lepidolite.

"HAHAHAHA, HEEEEERE'S LEPPY!" Lepidolite cackled as she embraced her grand return and pulled out her clawed gloves to use against Nosiop.

"A fusion, you say?" Nosiop chuckled. "This should be easy." Using the powers blessed upon him by Squamata, Nosiop made quick work of Lepidolite in their grand battle, but Lepidolite thought quickly and used her might to keep the evil prince at bay while making sure Steven was unharmed.

"Wait, let me help!" Steven yelled at Lepidolite.

"No, get out of here at once!" Lepidolite commanded. "This could be my last battle, and I intend to make it count!" With one last battle cry, Lepidolite charged at Nosiop and prepared to land the finishing blow, but Nosiop quickly dodged the attack and stabbed Lepidolite in the face, causing her form to destabilize.

"BLACK RUTILE, NO!" Steven cried in shock.

"This is goodbye to you all." Lepidolite monologued to herself in her final moments of consciousness. "To my Rutile Rebels, to my fellow Gems. And yes, even you, Steven Universe."

In a brilliant explosion of black and white smoke, a mighty fusion was eliminated, and her components were reduced to their gems lying at Steven's feet. Once known as menaces to the entire Gem race, they made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the boy they called their greatest foe. They were Black Rutile and White Topaz, partners in crime turned Crystal Gems at heart.

"In their last moments, people show you who they really are," Nosiop said with a smirk before slithering away in disgust. However, he felt a strange presence behind him as he turned around to discover that Steven was turning pink with rage at the prince's lack of empathy. "What?!"

"Okay, Inner Steven, don't fail me now," Steven muttered as he charged at Nosiop and threw a punch of pure serene fury. To Nosiop's surprise, Steven's current state meant that he was outmatched in every way imaginable. "I'm going to break you and throw you to the wind!"

"I need to get out of here!" Nosiop cried like a coward before flying away, knowing how outmatched he was. As Steven de-transformed and let out a sigh of relief, he heard Black Rutile and White Topaz's gems shimmering behind him, signifying they were about to gain new forms once they were reformed.

Once the pair's physical bodies were restored, White Topaz discovered that her white diamond symbol was replaced with a Crystal Gem star. Similarly, Black Rutile found that she had a star as well, where her white diamond symbol once was.

"You're back!" Steven laughed in delight as he raced up to hug them both. "And look, you're Crystal Gems now too!"

"Took me long enough to get one of these." White Topaz chuckled with pride while Black Rutile frantically tried to pull her star off.

"Get it off me, get it off me, get it off me!" Black Rutile yelled in terror before Steven put a comforting hand on her arm, telling her that things would be okay once she got used to things. "Uh, is there a way I can move this somewhere else?"

"Not that I know of," Steven replied just as he heard the Diamonds and the Crystal Gems step outside. "Hey guys, check it out! Black Rutile and White Topaz are Crystal Gems!"

"Babe!" Jasper yelled in delight before tackling White Topaz to the ground and kissing her. "I knew you'd get one someday!"

"Yeah, me too, honey!" White Topaz laughed.

"Okay, this is definitely going to need some getting used to." Pearl muttered. "Steven, as much as we'd like you to explain what happened, that will have to wait because White has something to say." She then turned to the Diamond and gave her a nod.

"Thank you, Pearl, for that marvelous introduction." White Diamond declared before turning to Steven. "Steven, we must fuse with you to stand a chance against Squamata." Steven then gasped in response. As much as he was happy to see that Black Rutile was starting on the path of forgiveness, there were still some things he needed to forgive as well.

--

Yep, White Diamond just went there! But with Black Rutile finally starting to redeem herself, fate could have other plans in store, and I don't think I have enough time to get everything I want in these final chapters as well. Go ahead, talk about how rushed Black Rutile's story here is and how she got off a little too easy, I'm on a tight schedule here! But now that I finally finished this really long-ass chapter, it's time we prepare for the coming conclusion of Snake Eyes and the end of Steven and Black Rutile's story. Happy Halloween everybody, and take care.

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Oasis: Day Eighteen (continued; part two)

Note from the author: Sorry it’s been a long time since I updated this (I even forgot what’s going on LOL). So, uh, if you, too, have forgotten the contents of anything between Day Seventeen — Day Eighteen (Continued), you might want to reread them because this contains details present in specifically those parts. (Un)Happy reading!

CW: Heavy talk of real-life religious doctrine… this will continue on throughout the book in varying degrees.

…

When I pressed her further as to what kind of convention it was, she said that I could go to the next one with her and see for myself… in exactly one year’s time. So it seems sure that I will be here for at least that long, or longer… for what purpose, I do not know.

I took her unwillingness to answer the first question as an opportunity to ask another, “Why are there tropical plants growing in the same place tundra animals are living? What is the nature of this place?”

“The whole Earth is a garden” She spoke as if I should have known this already, “There is no place without food because that is the way our planet was designed.” 

“You say ‘designed’ as if you mean by a god—“ The peridot eyes flicked up at me with renewed interest. Obviously I had struck a chord with her, “…what is your faith?” 

She paused for a long while before answering, taking time to clasp her hands and stare into the middle distance with her chin rested on them. I found it odd that she would have to enter a state of such deep thought to answer, what I thought, was a fairly simple question. Most people I’ve met were eager to discuss their beliefs with you, providing a snap answer as to what religion they belonged to, and why they have faith in it. However, I have met a few people who became angry even at the mention of beliefs, taking your honest question as an attack on their person. “Have I said something wrong?” I asked, hoping that was not the case with Sophia.

“If you mean to ask ‘Have you offended me?’ No; you haven’t… but you have said something very, very wrong. You should know by now that there is no such thing as ‘faith’ anymore.”

“So… you’re a— you’re all—“ I stumbled on a word I, for the life of me, could not remember, despite having identified with it myself at one time.

“No, you don’t understand: All faith is obsolete.”

“But that — whatever it’s called — is a complete lack of faith in God, or—“ I was getting frustrated with myself for not being able to remember, “a god… images.”

“Dulce, you were a scientist (assuming you haven’t forgotten that too). How often did the general understanding of science change over the years?”

“Quite a lot. Every year, something new is discovered. That can sometimes change how we do things; or sometimes it confirms we’re on the right track.”

“And if something that was once a theory became confirmed; was it not recognized as scientific fact?”

“Well… I guess you could describe it that way; but that’s not quite—“

“Regardless, once you had seen something to be true, believing turned to knowing, correct?”

I wasn’t in the mood to argue with her about the intricacies of scientific research when I saw she had no knowledge on the subject. She was driving at a different point, albeit, using an ill-fitting example to explain it; so I merely waited for her to finish with the example so I could learn whatever she wished to tell me, “I think I know what you mean.”

“We, the people of Earth, have seen definitive proof that God exists. We have all but seen God in person. We need no faith.”

I folded my arms, not so much out of doubt than of curiosity, “And what, exactly, did you all see?”

She raised an eyebrow at me, then stared at the picture on the wall, reciting something very familiar, “‘I saw also an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice and said to all the birds that fly in midheaven: ‘Come here, be gathered together to the great evening meal of God,  so that you may eat the flesh of kings…” I started violently, the blood drained from my face. Sophia saw my reaction, continuing even louder, without pause, “and the flesh of military commanders and the flesh of strong men and the flesh of horses and of those seated on them, and the flesh of all, of freemen as well as of slaves and of small ones and great.’ The nineteenth chapter of Revelation, verses seventeen and eighteen; yesterday you were screaming the passage in your sleep. Would you like to hear more?”

 I didn’t realize that, in my night terrors, I had actually screamed the words aloud, and felt briefly, as a result, like Sophia had invaded my mind and rummaged around in my memories. She had recited that which I could barely remember four words of, perfectly, in its entirety. To say I was horrified would have been a severe understatement. I must have said yes to her offer, because she continued:

“‘And I saw the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the one seated on the horse and against his army. And I saw the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the one seated on the horse and against his army.  

And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs with which he misled those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who worship its image. While still alive, they both were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulfur.  But the rest were killed off with the long sword that proceeded out of the mouth of the one seated on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.’ End chapter.”

Sophia smiled a reminiscent smile, “So, Dulce, whatever you remembered in that dream of yours is what we all witnessed:  total annihilation of a corrupt and evil system. But not only that,” she held up a finger, moving her head emphatically to the benefit of her point, “We have also witnessed its restoration. That is why we need no faith. Faith is the assured expectation of what is hoped for. We are neither expecting, hoping, nor wanting, for anything any longer. Paradise Earth as we now intimately know it, is the spiritual oasis after a long time thirsting in the desert. The act of faith is complete; we have drunk life’s water free.”

…

Tagging: @astudyinpanda@oldwoolhat@jiminy-cricket-but-gay@gorelabs

@straight-to-the-pain

@hallowgendered

@nova-3-the-exo

@bitalene

[cordeliaflyte]

Answer 1: I quickly grab for the hairstick.

Answer 2: I tell Col. Firesnuff and the salesclerk that the hairstick is on reserve for me.

Answer 3: I let Col. Firesnuff buy it and then attempt to pilfer it from him.

Answer 4: Col. Firesnuff got there first, so it's only fair to let him have it.