#peridot at first but it grew on me

[kooldewd123]

heartbreaking: character you love gets a redesign representing their growth throughout the story but you like the old design better

[peridot-tears]

Thanks for saying this @nebulousboundsofthisworld

I was in Germany as an expat, but I'm not white, and the difference between how people would treat me, an Asian American, and my white American friends, was egregious. Just based on my face, people thought it was okay to yell racist slurs at me, refuse me access in obviously-empty hotels, the list goes on.

I...can't even imagine what Turkish people in Germany, whether German-born or recent immigrants, go through. It's a place where people think it's okay to point at Black folks and say, "Look, an immigrant!" like it's a fucking zoo.

It wasn't just Germany either. Western and Central Europe were really like that for me. I do give people a bit more leeway when I'm in, say, Italy or Czechia because there isn't the same history of imperialism or level of privilege, but even then, there really isn't an excuse for when you actually decide to yell racial slurs at Asians. Which Italy is known for among Asian diaspora.

the dichotomy between the "immigrant" (someone from the global south who moves to the north) and the "expat" (someone from the global north who moves to the south) makes me feel fucking crazy. a white person who moves to asia is an expat but an asian who moves to the west is an immigrant. & how those terms are politicized and assigned class statuses, like the word "immigrant" tends to imply a blue collar worker (even if that isn't the case) while "expat" implies a white collar worker. the associations with "expat neighbourhoods" in asian countries is very very different from those of "immigrant neighbourhoods" in western nations. also how "immigrants" who dont assimilate are seen as "failing" and bad, lower class, a burden on society, etc. whereas "expats" not assimilating into local culture is expected and viewed as a sign of their higher status. the double standards are so insane

[beevean]

I want to hear your lapidot rant

I wrote this in 2018 lol, right after Reunited (and funnily enough the reunion between Lapis and Peridot, where the former literally just says "hey", pissed me off)

tl;dr it's a toxic ship with shaky foundations, an even shakier chemistry built on denial and stagnation, and whose harmful effects on Peridot got glossed over because the finale was rushed. Lapis was objectively a bad person to Peridot - which is not my problem! It makes sense for her character and her issues! But nothing came out of it! They just made up off screen and then stopped interacting but still acted like besties!

I had a similar friendship. I was the Peridot, bending backwards to make my friend happy, who then decided she didn't like me anymore and left me alone and heartbroken. This is why I'm still salty about how popular Lapidot used to be. I never got the appeal, and I felt cheated by the ending.

It doesn't help that Lapis and Peridot were genuinely better characters when separated. Back to the Kindergarten was the first time I liked Peridot ever since uhhhh that episode where she discovered her magnetism powers. Which also had her hanging out with Steven and Amethyst but not Lapis :) when around Lapis, she was reduced to the Silly Meepmorp Comic Relief and I couldn't stand it. And I grew tired of Disheveled Emo Teen Lapis very soon.

anyway the superior ship is jaspis because the show was very clear about how fucked up it was lol. i appreciate the honesty

But Amedot was cute too :) the two had much better chemistry together IMO.

[showtoonzfan]

I hate what happened to Loona and Blitzo's relationship because it went from Loona being a cold daughter, easily embarrassed by her father's affection, to her being an abuser who verbally and physically assaults Blitzo if he even breathes around her. It was painfully uncomfortable to watch Loona abuse Blitzo despite him doing nothing to warrant it, considering he's nice to her and showers her in love.  However, since Loona is traumatized, her abusive behavior is excused, and Blitzo is supposed to endure her mistreatment because she's his daughter. We’re supposed to like Loona but hate Stella despite both being awful abusive people. It's okay for Loona to be abusive because she's a "traumatized victim" who "doesn't know how to express her love" for Blitzo without abusing him, while Stella is just a spoiled, cruel bitch, who enjoys tormenting Stolas. It's incredible how abuse is acceptable in one situation yet considered wrong in another when it should be bad in both, regardless of the reason.

I agree, especially on Loona. It makes me gag to say it but, Loona actually had potential at first despite mainly being furry eye candy. According to Viv Hellhounds are under the imps, making them the lowest class, and having Blitz (another low class demon) adopt her and take her in from a horrible place where her kind is treated as nothing but labor could have been an intriguing story. The two could have connected, and Blitz could have earned her trust and have like a “it’s you and me against the world”- dynamic, the only problem is that not only did Loona apparently need to be an unlikable angsty teen trope who was just moody and on her phone 24/7, but she had to hate Blitz and treat him like shit. The thing that pisses me off is that the show never explains why Loona disliked Blitz in the first place. It makes no sense, and despite her perspective of being in a toxic environment for 17 years, Blitz was the one to literally take her OUT of said toxic environment and shower her with love. I’m not saying Loona needs to bow down to Blitz and idolize him for just adopting her, but I AM asking for it to actually make sense on why she treats him the way she does because I legit see no reason why aside from “she’s supposed to be an angsty teen!”- since that’s all Loona is good for according to Viv. The recent episode however just threw her potential out the window cause now she’s physically abusive to him? And it’s not funny, she’s not a teenager, (though I don’t blame people for assuming that since Viv can’t write her as the full grown adult she is) she’s this grown up woman beating up on her adoptive father for no damn reason. And I’m sick of fans saying “B-BUT SHE HAS TRUAMA, SHE GREW UP IN A TOXIC PLACE FOR YEARS!”- because it’s becoming fucking Steven Universe all over again. Just because Lapis went through trauma and was stuck in a mirror for years, doesn’t excuse her to put someone else (Jasper) through the same trauma SHE went through, and treat someone who actually put the effort in to change like utter shit. (Peridot). Just because you decide to share that a character like Loona has trauma at the last minute, doesn’t mean she gets off Scott free for treating the person who’s been nothing but nice to her like crap. Just because you went through trauma and trauma itself CAN turn people sour, doesn’t mean that makes it okay.

[the-new-blue-court]

Name: Variscite

Pronouns: any, with no preference

Variscite is the fusion between Peridot and Steven, who get along surprisingly well and have a lot in common. Her design is inspired partially by the Salmon Run worker outfit from Splatoon 3. Their personality is what motivated me, they're so fun to imagine: think Peridot when she was a villain and acted like a Team Rocket member, but actually powerful. He's extremely curious and, like a stereotypical mad scientist, will hyperfocus on his current interest and ignore everything else. However they will tone it back if Pearl, Spinel or Greg start complaining.

They have visible ears. Because as I drew, I started to like the idea of them more than finding a way to cover them.

They have four eyes: Peridot's eyes are on the visor, which is not transparent, while Steven's eyes are behind it, and are normally unseen.

Fun fact, they basically didn't exist three weeks ago. Their main personality trait was originally going to be given to a fusion between Steven and a human OC (created when I cared way more about the human side of the story); then I realized how perfect it was for a Peridot fusion, and I don't need an OC for something a canon character can do.

Like I said yesterday, "It's been so long since the last time I ACTUALLY finished what I started in less than a month. I even like the result, which is rare. I'm also proud because I barely traced anything. It's like sometimes I remember how to draw, but only occasionally (sad)".

I'm even prouder of this because, in terms of composition, coloring and lighting, it's very similar to my unreleased Mother of Pearl drawing. The problem with that drawing is that I started it with too much ambition and too little skill. I grew attached to some of the first shapes I drew despite them not being proportioned correctly, and that skrewed me over when I tried to make everything else. Who knows, maybe now I'll start Mother of Pearl from skratch and actually finish it?

(also this is unintentionally the 200th post)

[livewireprojects]

Bambi - Prototype Arthur(Also showing other past versions of Arthur)

I'm attempting to work on what's left of my Sonadowtober stuff but I'm semi distracted & constantly tired. This was meant to be part of a Sonadowtober sketch dump but decided to separate it. I'm gonna draw him again later in the actual sketch dump.

This is kind of a redraw/updated version of a past sketch I made back in 2021 of a design I kind of consider a prototype version of my OC Arthur that I named Bambi as a placeholder. Bambi was inspired by Sonic(and is meant to be the reincarnation of a character based on Sonic), Makoto Naegi(hair & hair color is based on his hair), Astolfo's hair, scenekid fashion & for some reason PowerEdd from Eddsworld as well as Corrupted Edd from the Eddsworld fandom but doesn't come up much.(Admittedly showed up in a past version of both Bambi & Arthur, Kurumi who is another past version of Arthur has it come up in some pics)

Summary:

Bambi is friendly & cheerful, he grew up with his dad & stepmom that care a lot about him. His dad was the friend of Bambi's mom & agreed to be her donor when she wanted a kid & had trouble with partners, she sadly passed after having Bambi, his dad took him in & though he & his wife miss their friend they're glad that Bambi is alive. Bambi has a good relationship with his parents though on occasion wonders what it'd be like if his bio mom was alive, his parents make sure he knows who she was/what she was like so he feels like he knows her in some ways.

Bambi has complications with energy possibly a chronic issue, if he's not careful he ends up weak & having mobility issues which leads to carrying a cane. A friend of his made him a device that looks like a flower meant to help with some of the issues & serve as a portable batter of sorts thanks to some kind of crystals attached to it. Bambi has powers & often saves some of the extra energy the flower has for in case he needs to use his powers in a pinch. He enjoys using his speeding powers & occasionally floating around when he has the energy to do so.

Here's the original sketch of Bambi, I kind of like how some of this looks more than some of the new sketch but can't do much

Here's some pics I put together of Arthur & Kurumi as examples. I don't exactly have many color examples so I did the best I could. You can see that at one point Kurumi had the hair antenna/long ahoges that Bambi has.

I also added in Peridot who is another character I made in the past & ended up scrapping. He ended up being turned into Kurumi at soem point. I think he was meant to be a mascot character for me but I moved on at some point. His name I think was inspired by Peridot from Steven Universe & I gave hung a peridot from his collar with his star charm also being peridot colored.

It's kind of funny how things went

Arthur is a star child also the reincarnation of a Sonic based OC of mine & an ex up-&-coming vigilante super hero that had to retire due to something that happened to him that led to turning into a gem person

Bambi is the reincarnation of a Sonic based OC I hadn't worked on

Kurumi is a star child that's housemates with his friends who are also star children, is an ex-superhero

Peridot is an alien that was adopted by the head of a hospital, studied hard to become a nurse & works in the children ward helping/comforting children

Here's another version of Peridot, this is a redesign I made of him before eventually retiring the character & some how turned into Kurumi. Admittedly his skin ton changed, I had trouble working on stuff.

His hair color & eye color is the same as Kurumi's & both wear star based charms. For a while Kurumi also wore the same collar as Peridot. I want to stress Peridot & Kurumi's eye color, ver2 Peridot, Kurumi & Bambi's hair color are heavily based on Makoto Naegi from Danganronpa.

Fun fact this drawing was the first pic I drew using my wacom tablet, was a little annoyed with it back then but it's the thing I use the most for digital drawing now. I think this came out pretty well though it was also at a time when I used canvas sizes that were too small so the image is smaller than I'm use to now.

[techie-waterwitch]

pearl, cinnabar, peridot (for lapis >:] )

Send “Talk about-” and a name for my muse to talk about that person!

"Hmm. Well, it's such a mystery who decided to send this one I'm sure."

"Guess I'll go in order to put things simply I actually have a small grudge against Pearl if I'm honest. If that's not something I haven't established enough with my many, many, hints. She does everything with the attitude of a human soccer mom but I guess I'd get to know her if she wanted that. Bossy and preachy."

"Cinna's a good friend of mine. I have a little bit of stroke saying her full name so I'm sticking to this way. "Cinna" and I go back to my earlier days of just starting out as a Crystal Gem at least, officially. She didn't like my nonsense at first, buuut~ I think eventually I grew on her like a barnacle."

"She's the last gem that people would expect someone of my free spirit to end up being good friends with; I'm a little perplexed myself that we made it work. I'm helping her with her confidence as crazy and far-fetched as that sounds coming from Me."

"Peri's one of the good ones as far as former roommates go. There's not a thing that I would change. She really had to work hard to break down my walls and gain my trust being my former captor; Today we are getting passed that just like I've done my fair share of toxic shit I'm not proud of. Peridot's strong even when she seems like she doesn't know what she's doing there's some kind of Peri-Plan that throws me for a loop. She's one of the deepest friendships I've had in my life maybe even a little more than that."

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

THIS IS APPARENTLY A LIST OF CHARACTERS ““MOST OF WHICH ARE WORSE THAN C!DREAM WHO WERE REDEEMED”” WHAT

BLUE AND YELLOW PEARL WERE LITERAL FUCKING SLAVES WHO DIDNT DO ANYTHING WRONG THEYD HAVE LITERALLY GOT FUCKING SHATTERED IF THEY DID ANYTHING BUT OBEY

GIDEON WAS LIKE A NINE YEAR OLD HE GREW OUT OF HIS CHILDISH CRUELETY

KING ASGORE H A T E D HAVING TO DO WHAT HE DID TO FREE THE UNDERGROUND AND HAD SO MUCH REGRETS LIKE HIS FIGHT IS BASICALLY HIM FUCKING COMMITING SUICIDE BY CHILD

LARS IS JUST,,, KIND OF A DICK? WHAT?

PERIDOT AGAIN LITERALLY DIDNT KNOW ANY FUCKING BETTER

PINK DIAMOND LITERALLY DEFECTED THE FIRST TIME SHE HAD ANY POWER

SPINEL WAS ANGRY AND LASHING OUT OVER SEVERE TRAUMA AND FEELING LIKE NO ONE LOVED HER ANYMORE YOU KNOW WHO THAT REMINDS ME OF? NOT FUCKING C!DREAM

THE DIAMONDS WERE AWFUL I CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE VALIDITY FOR THIS ONE WOW! ONE GOOD POINT.

FLOWEY IS LITERALLY A FUCKING CHILD AND HE LITERALLY GOT REDEEMED BY FUCKING OFF TO THE BOTTOM OF A CAVE?

UNDYNE WAS LITERALLY TRYING TO FREE HER COUNTRY SHE DIDNT DO ANY OF THIS SHIT OUT OF SOME SICK DESIRE FOR FUN LIKE C!DREAM

I’m so confused man,,,

[fairlyabookie]

A Phone Call Away

Author’s note: Day 3 of Promptober: Phone Call

The blinding sun cast its radiance upon a landscape of golds and greens, projecting shadows upon a sea of estates, nearly glimmering in morning glory. Cobblestone streets twinkle and shine under the sun’s rays as citizens weave about in the streets, waking up to a pleasant morning. Jack almost missed this sight. Savanaclaw, a second home to the first year, warmed up to him with its resemblance to an oasis, a nestling ground for him and fellow students to relax and call home after a long day of class. Here, his true home of the Shaftlands, welcomed him home with open arms with its transcendent beauty. He wouldn’t admire how much he missed his own home.

Upon his arrival, two little critters, their voluminous tails of white bustling behind them, catch him mid-step. Toothy grins from both younger siblings welcome him,

“Big bro, you’re home!”

The little brother exclaims, nuzzling against Jack’s knee. His sister follows, already melting the older brother’s heart.

“I’m home. What do you have on your hand?”

“I’ve found some wild fruit over at a friend’s house! They have sapphire berries and peridot pears! Look!”

From just a quick glimpse, Jack could distinguish the flawless glimmer of the fruit - a precious sheen and makeup so fine, it would make a fortune if the Howl family chose to sell it.

“Good job finding it,”

A brotherly ruffle on the head elicits a sheepish smile from the younger sibling.

“Now, make sure to keep that in a safe place and show that to Mom and Dad during dinner, alright?”

“Yes, Big Brother!”

The two siblings oblige, but were quick on their feet to help their brother with his belongings. Being as athletic as he is in stature and agility, they easily take his luggage to his room, where he settled on the bed. Fatigue permeated his body, his muscles feeling heavy after a long day of toil from getting his belongings together and transporting back home. A light lunch would simply do to alleviate his exhaustive state. Suddenly, his phone chimes, [Reader]’s caller ID popping off in the interface.

“Jack speaking.”

“Hi, Jack.”

[Reader]’s soft voice answers on the other side of the line. Jack could picture a timid smile by their lips when they answered. His heart throbbed - he left his heart back at school, didn’t he? How [Reader], a classmate and friend, managed to worm their way to his heart was beyond him.

“How’s things going back home?”

“Good, my siblings showed me some fruits when I got home. They’ve grown since I last saw them.”

“That’s great.”

[Reader] replies airily. The silence following their words grew heavy. He bit down his lip, guilt swirling in his bosom. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned going home in the first place.

“How are you doing? Did Crowley make you do more work on campus?”

“Yea, since I’m stuck here with no way home, Crowley is making me look after school during Spring Break and Summer Break. I’m sure you know how he is..”

Right, they’re still looking for a way home.

“Yeah, I could stay behind to help you.”

“No, you don’t have to do that, Jack. You do have family waiting for you at home; I’m sure your folks will miss you even more if you don’t come home for the break.”

Jack’s heart broke even more. Helpless in the face of [Reader]’s situation, he still wanted to help them, as a friend, as a partner, and furthermore, as someone who cared about the student. If only [Reader] could understand, if only they could reciprocate his feelings. Don’t be foolish. He scolded himself, prompting himself for a response.

“They’ll be fine. My siblings will keep each other entertained and my parents can take care of them until I come home.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a capable family.”

“Yeah.”

A light chuckle emitted from [Reader]. From the call, it sounded like a scoff, but Jack knew it was a chuckle. They’re smiling. A chuckle out of bitterness, nostalgia for their family, or just a shallow chuckle, Jack couldn’t tell. If only I could see their face right now. He closed his eyes and pictured [Reader] standing before them, their charm and radiance just as he imagined. For a brief moment, he thought of taking him here, to take a break from Night Raven College and enjoy time with his family - maybe a better alternative in comparison to staying there all by their lonesome during breaks.

“I miss you.”

Jack froze. He’d never thought to hear those words from them, let alone on the day he returned home. To think we’ll be talking on the phone like this for two weeks. He could’ve stayed over with [Reader], so they can at least have someone to talk to during break. Yet, they could handle themselves - he saw their resilience as a magicless student in a magic enforced campus, diligent in their studies and sometimes mediocre attempts on practicing such magic. It was clear that they weren’t from this world; however, they were trying hard to fit in with their classmates.

“I miss you too.”

Jack replied, a bitter smile by his lips.

“I’ll call you back, alright? Don’t want you to get too lonely out there in school.”

That was a promise. Crowley wasn’t much help in communicating with [Reader], on top of being a headmaster, the eccentric man had “other matters” to attend to. [Reader] needs all the help they can get. With a new conviction, Jack awaited for their peer’s answer.

“Big bro Jack!”

A unison of voices anchors him back to reality. Anything that [Reader] had said before that he couldn’t hear.

“-call you later, Jack. Looks like you’ll be busy with your family.”

Jack fought back a sense of frustration. Should he ask for [Reader] to repeat what they said? For now, he’ll have to wait; the voices of his younger siblings were getting closer, urging him to play with them.

“Yeah.”

I love you.

The call ended on a bitter note. If only he had more time. If he had more time, he would’ve told [Reader] on how things will look up if the rest of the first years work with them, if they can perhaps work something out to find their way home, and if they can possibly come up with a lead.

“Big bro Jack, big bro Jack!”

“Yea, yea, I’m coming.”

Yellow gold eyes soften, tears brimming at the corners. A deep breath halts the dam of emotions welling up inside him. He parts with his phone, giving it one final glance before closing the door to his room.

[nothing-fancy94]

Tomorrow’s Yesterday

"You know you're going to have to stop this one day, Shadow."

"Maybe... but today is not that day."

His voice came out strained, and his hand squeezed hers tightly as he held it. Amy turned her head to look at his face through the pillars of grass separating them as they lay in the middle of a green hill. He looked just as he did any other day, but she knew this wasn't her Shadow. Her Shadow didn't stare at her with desperate eyes, and sad lines etched in his face. Her Shadow didn't profess his love for her any chance he got, her Shadow didn't have to leave.

"It's dangerous... you can't meet yourself. You could ruin the timeline."

"I know my Rose... just please... can we lay here just for a little while longer?"

Amy moved her vision back and forth between his ruby irises. She hated seeing this Shadow, this broken version of him that tore her heart to shreds. And yet she always gave into his pleading, she could not say no. She knew that even though this was not her current Shadow, it was him in the future. This was his future. So she turned her head and stared at the sky, allowing him this brief moment of peace. One she knew he wanted to last an eternity.

"Chaos... you're beautiful."

She immediately grew hot, and jerked her hand, trying to remove it from his grip. But he held firmly on, his steady red eyes burning into the side of her head. She wanted to escape the intensity of his gaze, the strength of his desire. She wondered for the hundredth time why he chose her. Why did he love her?

"Shadow, please..."

"Don't. Call me like you used to..."

Amy looked over at him, her peridot eyes searching his. She hated when he did this. When he asked her to be someone she wasn’t… or rather wasn’t yet.

"As I told you before... I don't call you this..."

"Maybe not now, but you will."

"My love."

Amy swallowed the large lump that had started to grow in the pit of her throat from the moment he’d looked at her. She didn't know if her inability to say no to him had come from her current Shadow, or the one that seemed to appear whenever she was alone. It had started the day after their first date. She’d seen him watching her from a distance, and whenever she had confronted him about it, he had - in her mind - played dumb. He acted like he wasn’t there, watching her from just out of sight at any chance. She'd started to feel crazy. Or at least she’d thought he was messing with her. Finally, the breakthrough had happened when they’d been eating ice cream in a park. He had slipped up. She caught Shadow trying to shoo away a barking dog, and yet he was also sitting beside her, staring with displeasure at the melting cream in his hand.

She’d made an excuse to go to the bathroom, and had approached the second Shadow, who upon seeing her had quickly disappeared in a flash of yellow. The next time, she'd set a trap, and when he'd been caught, she'd forced it out of him. This Shadow was from the future... from a time where she was no more… a time where she had left him alone.

So she shut her eyes, her willpower to say no dying a bit more every time they met. Every time he said her name. Her lips parted, and she whispered his desire,

His whole body relaxed, and his ruby eyes trembled before closing. They were shut so tight she knew he was holding back tears, something that she was not used to seeing Shadow do. Amy turned and fell on top of him. He let out a gruff groan of surprise, but it didn't take long for his arms to wrap around her. She wanted to hold him, wanted to remove the pain that so obviously lived in his heart. More than one time she had considered breaking up with him in the present... because if they weren't a couple then he wouldn't become this sad. She buried her head in his shoulder. She never could... no she was never brave enough. She wasn't strong enough. Her Shadow was so naïve when it came to love, he had never even said it to her. He still blushed anytime she went to grab his hand, still gruffly pushed her aside in front of their friends. His scowl was more frequent than his smile. But she didn’t mind any of that because when she was with him, she felt complete. She didn't know how to leave him.

"This is unfair... It's cruel." She didn't dare to look at his face as she mumbled the words, knowing that it hurt him just as much as it hurt her.

"I know Rose, believe me... I know."

Amy felt tears steam unabated from her eyes, soaking her cheeks and his fur beneath his jaw. His arms tightened around her, his lifeline, his love... his rose. Oh how it hurt to hold her, the thorns of time and death prickled him. But even if he bled, even if he was scared and even if the thorns pierced through his heart, he would hold her for as long as she allowed. It was cruel, but it was all he had.

"When you do this... I don't know how to face you... you know, the you from this time."

"I'm sorry, I just lov -"

"Don't say it!" She practically screamed, her body tensing and trembling in his arms.

"Not when you have yet to say it now."

She felt him jerk beneath her, she knew she'd hurt him but this time she didn't care.

"That's one of my regrets... I wish I had said it sooner, had married you sooner, had been with you-"

Amy thrust her hands down, and broke through his arms. She glared down at him, diamonds falling and shattering upon his cheeks, salty to his lips. But her eyes were on fire, bright with rage.

"Don't you say that! Don't you regret your life! I may not know the future like you do, I may not have to live life without you like you do, but I know the you from now.

"You are kind without knowing, you stumble through our dates like a puppy with large paws, everything we do is new to you. And I love that about you. I don't care if it takes you a hundred years to say you love me back, I will wait... but I don't want to hear it from you! It won't feel earned, it won't feel special! So. Don’t. You. Dare. Take that away from us… from him."

Amy was breathing heavier now, and her eyes were now shut, she didn't want to see the pain that she knew was in his eyes. But surprisingly, after a few moments of silence, a deep rumble like the rolling of mountain springs rippled through the air. Her eyes snapped open to locate the source, and she nearly cried.

Impossibly, she saw that he was laughing. At first she was frozen in shock, she had never seen Shadow smile so brightly before - not her Shadow nor this one - let alone openly laugh before, and she found the sound contagious and intoxicating. Soon she felt her gut clench, and her lungs hitch, and suddenly she had rolled over next to him once more, her laugh wracking through her body as tears continued to stream down her face.

"Why... are you... laughing?" She accused through her own laugh.

Shadow began to slow his chuckling and he looked over at her, his ruby eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I was just reminded of your strength. You always knew how to roughly knock the sense right back into my head... I always wondered if your choice of weapon was more than just a coincidence."

Amy pouted at his words, and her arms folded across her chest as she looked to the sky once more.

"And you always know how to get under my quills."

Shadow chuckled again at her comment, he wouldn't tell her, but that phrase had been said more than once in their life together. He allowed himself a few more minutes to stare at her face, before he stood and brushed the grass from his fur.

"As always, Rose, I can not win against you. I'll try to stop coming so often."

It was the words she wanted him to say, but once they had been uttered, she felt a frantic worry develop in her heart. And somehow she didn't want to let him go...

"Wait... I know what I said, but I also don't want you to leave and wallow in grief forever… isn't there something I can do?"

He looked down at her, at her young and bright face, the concern that shone in her peridot pools, and the way her quills fell onto her shoulders as she sat up straight in her worry for him. He wanted to steal her away, take her to his time, lock her up and never let her go, find some way to ruin her, some way to make her last forever. However, a rose  will always wilt, it was a fragile existence... but wasn't that what made them so beautiful in the first place?

"What's wrong? You gonna miss me?"

Her eyes narrowed at his teasing tone, and she looked to the ground, her pointed ear folding back in embarrassment.

"No... I'm worried that you will... I hate the thought of you being alone..."

It's because I hate the thought of you being left alone, Shads. I love you and want you to have someone to love after I'm gone.

The words she’d said so long ago - or was it the words she had yet to say - echoed through his ears. He had forgotten about it after all this time. That argument a few years into their relationship. The argument about starting a family. He’d been against it... not confident in his ability to be a father, not wanting to share his time with Amy with another. But she had said those words after hours of yelling, and they had come forth in a broken whisper. And so he had relented, not understanding the meaning behind those words until now. That's right... she would never be completely gone... she lived through their children.

He looked down at her, tears brimming in her eyes as she thought about his perpetual loneliness, and he bent down, one hand landing on her shoulder, the other curling behind his back. His lips touched her forehead, and she flinched, but held still as he kissed her gently. He wanted to kiss her lips, to hold her to him. But he wouldn't, because he already had.

He stood straight once more, and looked down at her with a smile, one she had never seen before, but hoped she would see again.

"Whoever said you left me alone."

The words were heavy with unspoken promises, and she opened her lips to ask, but then she heard a shout behind her.

"Rose!"

Her head turned, and she saw Shadow at the bottom of the hill, his arms crossed, and his brow hardened with youth. His expression would have come across as aggressive to anyone else but her. She saw the softness in his crimson eyes, and the small happy twitch in the corner of his mouth as he looked at her. She smiled back, but then remembered, and turned away to look at where he had been, but he was gone.

"What are you looking at? "

Her head turned towards his voice, gruffer than the one who had just left, but it was the voice she knew, the voice that stirred her heart and made her feel safe. But as her eyes met his, his face suddenly morphed from curiosity to panic. She wondered why for a second, but then a breeze blew past them, and she felt a cold wetness on her cheeks. She was crying, large tears rolling down her muzzle.

Shadow's hands jerked forward than backward, and his brow furrowed further as he nervously tried to figure out what to do. He hadn't seen her cry like this before, and it unnerved him. She watched as his fingers twitched and his mouth frowned, and she felt an unbearable adoration for him bloom in her chest. That's right, he wasn't gone. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down to the ground with her, their bodies tangling into a heap.

"Amy! What the hell -"

"Shhh, when a girl cries, you're supposed to hug her."

There was a brief silence and she swore she could hear him think about her words. But then his arms awkwardly held her. There was no confident strength like the other Shadow, no desperate clinging that set her blood on fire, no passionate grasp. There was time for that later, he would learn... for now this was her favorite hug.

"I know you won't understand this right now, but listen to me," She implored him, voice trembling and arms clenching onto him tightly causing a loud huff to escape his lungs.

"Chaos... what is it?"

"Don't love me too much, okay?"

He pulled slightly away from her, and his crimson eyes looked shocked and belligerent.

"I - I don't -"

"Yeah, yeah. I forgot that love is too large of a concept for you right now. Just... just promise me that you will remember this... please?"

The seriousness in her tone must've worried him enough, because he nodded, and pulled her back to his chest.

"Okay Rose... I promise."

She sighed in relief, her head further nuzzling into the small curve of his neck. And as he held her, and as she clasped onto him, she looked at that patch of grass just a few feet away. The patch that was flattened by a hedgehog who didn't belong in her time, but would always weigh in her heart. One day he would know the meaning behind her words, and she prayed that maybe he would find peace.

The words she had said did save him, but it was not the words she had just forced upon him now. Rather it’d been the ones she’d said in frustration for his future, that had brought color back into his world. Words that she did not realize she will spend a lifetime to bring to fruition, just for the final piece to be laid in their past.

I hate the thought of you being alone.

[ruki--mukami]

I got inspired while reading romeo and Juliet, hence why the writing might be more.. fancy? //

This was their first faithful encounter, the hunter attacked the vampire before her savagely but it was clear that her heart held no will, he mind kept no hate, towards the vampire before her, for her attacks were slow and like moves of a dance that she wished to put out with him.

Each one of her steps were light on the ground below as the harsh rain soaked her up from head to toe, allowing her hood to fall off at once, revealing a face so beautiful it would put Aphrodite to shame.

Beautiful thin green eyes, pillow like pink lips with cheeks that were adornes with freckles, hair a deep orange that framed her pale face beautifully.

Those eyes held not a look of hatred, but one of love from the bottom of her heart, for she had fallen- but it was a love that was destined to drive them both mad and leave each other longing for more.

The silver claws she adored fell to the ground as her knife stabbed to the ground deep and hard, she was trapped in an embrace given by the vampire to seize her movenents all at once, and it left her staring longingly at him.

Love upon the first sight she put upon him, she couldn't stop the fluttering of her heart as it roughly slammed itself against the hard bones of her ribcage.

“You… How dare you,” the Vampire lowly commented upon such sudden proximity. What might have appeared as an embrace shared between those typically reserved for affectionate couples was Ruki’s way of incapacitating the hunter before him, the clanging thud of a silver knife scraping against the asphalt outside the manor’s entrance amidst the surrounding petrichor permeating the air and a torrential stampede soaking the paved roads. Taking the woman into his arms was simply his instinctual response to what he already surmised was a concealed weapon beneath the cloak that concealed a world of beauty, from her scintillating tresses of sunset to refulgent peridots that harbored not one iota of a threat. “Have you suddenly lost your courage? Normally I’d decapitate the likes of you by now, but I must admit… I’d never take one of your appearance as a hunter who slays my kind.”

Chests melding into one another, the Vampire could practically sense the thunderous pounds of her heart akin to the storm off in a distance that rained the carnage of electricity to end any mortal’s life. That same voltage, the flowing current as fast as light itself, coursed through Ruki the moment their eyes met. Confusion suffused him instantaneously, the only response he could muster being a desecration of the hunter’s fallen hood and by extension her dark cloak reminiscent of umbral hours. First her neck came to view, then her shoulder once he shredded through the weak fibers with protruded nails only a supernatural could summon. The very ones she most likely detested, given her occupation.

“What’s the matter, little hunter? Afraid you won’t land a single blow? Well, that was your first mistake.”

Thousands of thoughts and speculations flooded his mind like the incessant rainfall as Ruki wondered about her reason for visiting the Mukami estate. Did she hold a vendetta against all Vampires, or was her purpose more specific than that? Perhaps someone hired a hit on him specifically. Regardless, the sharp ivories he brandished with aplomb carved their way into the hunter’s jugular, then her shoulder, all in search of the sweet ichor that would grant him unparalleled satisfaction. Abounding pulchritude before him fueled each vehemently passionate bite, blood besmirching his ashen and frigid lips.

“Ahh… Imagine my luck, encountering one as delectable as you… How does it feel, being bitten by he who will tame you?” The embrace only grew tighter as he drained her redolent life force, caging her body in his. “Hm… I should like to make you mine in due course. Tell me why you came here today and perhaps I’ll be gentle with you.”

[dawn-universe-au-blog]

I have a question, does Dawn have any traumas?

A LOT

First of all, when Dawn found Lapis in her gem form, she decided to obviously remove her from the mirror and set her free (this without the consent of the Crystal Gems). Lapis thought that Dawn was Pearl, who finally had made out her mind to free her, so, as a revenge she caught her it a water bubble, without knowing that this could drown her. The other Gems came to the rescue and save her, while Lapis took all that salty water from the earth. Dawn demanden explanations from them, they told her all the truth about Lapis, making her feel bad and guilty about Lazuli, 'cause if she'd knew that Lapis was trapped there, Dawn would've freed her earlier.

Also, since she was little, horrible nightmares about the Gem War haunts her. At first, she doesn't know what's the reason of these dreams, and think they're just night terrors; but as she grows up, she realizes that they aren't just nightmares, but memories of her mother trapped in her gem.

Also, this is how she dicovers the true about Pink Diamond. At first, the Crystal Gems told her that the one who broke Pink was Rose, until she began to dream about her drawing Rose's sword and shattering Pink. Again, she confronts Rose, and they fight, without reaching any agreement. That's when she summons a holo-Pearl, and talks to her, wishing to her to finally tell the truth. But she just confirms what she already knew: she's not the real one, just an hologram that Pearl left for Dawn to make her feel closer to her mother. The holo-Pearl just tells Dawn to look for her in her dreams.

The following pic is a vignette of a comic I've been working on, called Diamond Dreams. Soon, I'll post it on tumblr and leave the link here so you can read it!!!

Before knowing all the truth about Pink, Dawn has a mental breakdown, and surrenders to Peridot (who doesn't have her redemption arc yet) claiming that she is the renegade pearl, Pink's pearl and the one who truly shattered Pink Diamond (believing in everything she'd seen in her dreams). Peridot is in a dilemma over whether to give her up to the diamonds, or just let her live, as she realizes that the earth is a place worth protecting. But she just gets carried away by what she believes is morally correct, and calls Yellow Diamond, hoping that she will send a ship to pick them up, so they can execute Dawn in Homeworld. They put her on trial, and before they could kill her, after all the zircons argue, Peridot realizes that Dawn is innocent, because she doesn't even know how it happened. While the diamonds are arguing with the defense Zircon, Peridot decides to do the right thing, takes Dawn, and runs away, taking the ship where they arived to scape from Homeworld. The diamonds react too late, and when they just start looking for them, Peridot and Dawn are already getting on the ship, to go to earth. They aren't in a hurry to find them, as they know they'll be on the earth. So it gives Dawn plenty of time to learn the full truth about the past of her mother and Pink Diamond, even if Rose isn't willing to talk about it.

(Also, Peridot goes mad for betraying her diamond).

When she was 4 y/o, Dawn and her father moved to Jersey, and there she went to school. Even if Greg didn't want to, on Pearl's orders, he took his daughter to school. Dawn could easily have been homeschooled, but without her mother around, Pearl knew that it'd be hard for Greg. Her early kindergarten years were normal, until she hit first grade. The kids started bullying her when they heard she was an hybrid, and were skeptical about it. The bullying grew, and it also became a physical thing. Greg never didn't notice, 'cause Dawn healed her injuries with the dropper of Rose's tears that she gave to her. Greg only found out when she finally fought back, discovering that she also had gem powers. She threatened the children with a sword, and as a consequence, she was expelled from school. Her father took the decision of not to take her to any other school again, in fear that the kids would do the same to her. After this, Greg began to overprotect and give her whatever she wanted, feeling guilty for never having done anything to avoid the bullying. That was when she started to wear her beanie to hide her pearl. Even if she didn't want to accept it, she started hating her gem half.

They moved out and returned to Beach City, because of Rose, who offered Dawn a place at the Crystal Temple when she found out that she had the same gem powers as her mother, as she needed something that was kept in Dawn's gem. Rose decided to train her, so she could control her powers, until Rose finally got what she needed. Dawn got frustrated by this, and insisted to Rose to keep the training, 'cause she really wanted to became a Crystal Gem. Garnet supported the idea of ​​Dawn moving in with them, and convinced Rose to make a house suitable for her. That's how, at the age of 11, Dawn went at her first mission with the Crystal Gems. The gems didn't really expect nothing from Dawn, they just let her join to the team because it's what Pearl would've wanted. So Dawn begins to feel under the renegade pearl's shadow. She feels needy to get the attention of the gems, and that's why she tries to be outstanding at anything (like fighting, fencing, speaking languages, etc.) That ends up mentally exhausting her, so she gets depression.

All of this results in her corruption, at 15 years old.

I have to redesing her corrupted form lmao. I'm going to post a reference sheet of Dawn in a couple of hours!! So you can see all of her life stages.

Thank you so much for reading!! You can help me by reposting, liking and commenting for a better reach!!! See you later ♡

[scarletarosa]

Belial

One of the goetic demons and is a king who serves under High King Lucifer in his domain. Like all other goetic demons, Belial is a deity who served the Source as an Angel many ages ago. This information was shared to me by Belial and also learned through my workings with this magnificent infernal god. 

Rulerships: politics, law, rhetoric, tactics, strategy, diplomacy, prosecution, truth, and justice/retribution

History: In the distant past many eternities ago, Belial was created as the second being within this Universe, many ages after Lucifer (the First-Born) came into existence. These two and the rest of the elder Angels were all directly created from the Source, the supreme god, who is formless and incomprehensible. The Angels were all created to manage the Universe and be agents of the Source and his feminine counterpart, the Queen of Heaven (who created some Angels as well). As the first-born deity of this Universe, Lucifer is the most complex, so he became leader of the Angels and was at the head of the Seraphim order. As the second-born, Belial was in charge of the Cherubim (the second-highest order of Angels) and was appointed as an Archangel as well. This lasted for countless ages until the corrupted Aeonic god, Jehovah, entered the Universe from the Void; leaving behind his duties of forming Universes in order to usurp our Universal Throne.

After arriving, he immediately began causing mass destruction and giving out malicious orders to the Angels. Lucifer began a rebellion against this, with Belial being the second Angel to join him in the Fall. After a long traumatic war, Jehovah defeated the rebels and threw them into Hell; condemning them all to this bleak wasteland. Once here, the dark and twisted energies of Hell began to alter the essences of the Fallen ones, making their energies dark as well. Their wings blackened, they grew horns, and some developed red eyes, spikes, claws, or other strange features. They were now a race that came to be called “demons”, and the strongest of these became the three High Kings of Hell: Lucifer, Satan, and Leviathan.

Since Belial had always followed close to Lucifer’s own values, he joined his kingdom and was made one of the kings. And due to Belial’s natural talent for persuasion and finding the truth, he was also appointed as Lucifer’s Truth Tester, or General Investigator. Overtime, Belial gradually became just as much connected to deceit as truth, since he realized the convenience of lies and their many uses. With deception, he often uses it as a method to teach truth (similar to how Lucifer does at times), test whether someone is telling the truth, but also lies whenever he feels the desire to. For this reason, the Christians began calling Belial the “Father of Lies”. Besides this, there was a time in the past where Belial was fond of the Samurai of Japan and encouraged their ideas of Bushido. Yet this was not to last since the Samurai were eventually all killed off by their Emperor. Nowadays, Belial does not much care for humanity in general and has very low expectations of others since people constantly make the same mistakes.

Rank: King

Elements: Air and Fire

Colours: Cream, Black, Vermillion, Metallic Grey, and Peridot Green

Appearance: An elegant gentleman in his late 30’s with short, wavy black hair, dark brown eyes, and light skin. He wears classy outfits or suits that are usually black in colour and wears leather dress shoes. Normally, Belial doesn’t manifest his horns and wings but tends to do so when angered. During battles, he wears elegant dark armour and his choice weapon is either a longsword or katana.

Personality: Belial is very confident, suave, intelligent, strategic, sophisticated, and is a connoisseur of refined tastes. He speaks smoothly and can be sarcastic, though never reveals much about himself to others. He is also willing to speak to anyone of any religion as long as they don’t waste his time or are interested in seeking truth. Belial especially loves speaking to Abrahamists in order to challenge their perspectives (which he never fails at) and takes great amusement in the terror they feel when their veils of ignorance are being lifted. Yet this is too easy of a challenge for him since it doesn’t take much for Belial to convince others of things. So far, the only one who can match Belial in the intellectual art of persuasion is Lucifer.

Overall, Belial tends to have very little patience with humans and doesn’t wish to be disturbed unless someone is serious. He wishes to either provide truth (if he chooses) or assist in certain matters. Otherwise, he won’t show up and does not like to stay around people just to be friendly. For those who work with him, Belial may act as a pedagogue and will have patience for those who try to succeed, even if they fail. However, if a person complains about things without ever trying to make things better, he will have no patience for them at all. As for those who try to sexualize Belial against his will, he severely punishes them and does not forgive it. The same thing goes for those who mock him, call him nicknames, or make him appear “soft”.

In regards to politics, Belial strongly prefers to cunningly solve things through diplomacy and making intelligent maneuvers towards prosperity (even if we must manipulate or deceive in the process). Therefore, Belial may also teach that lies have their place and are not as bad as we have been taught. He also says how truth is the most hated of all virtues because this world is in love with lies. Those who speak the truth wholeheartedly are often called liars and are usually murdered in the end. Because of this, lies are often very necessary and can be used to gradually teach certain truths that would not usually be accepted. Along with Lucifer, Belial is a master strategist able to create incredibly complex plans in order to make the best future possible. He is even in favour of space colonization, provided it is done intelligently and not greedily. For this value of progress, he tends to share his plans of a better world to promising politicians (which is difficult since the majority of politicians in every country are corrupt). Besides strategy and rhetoric, some of the other things Belial tends to enjoy are elegance, classical music, sword fighting, martial arts, horse racing, chess, the game “Go”, expensive things, Versace fashion, luxurious libraries, stock markets, Rolls-Royce cars, satin sheets, mahogany, and the following instruments: violins, pianos, clarinets, and saxophones.

How to call him: Speak to Belial as you would with any other god, be polite and considerate. Contact him through telepathically speaking in your mind, directing the words to him (you can do this verbally, but if malicious spirits hear, they may pretend to be him). When inviting a Goetic demon to you, try to dress well for them since they are divine and royalty.

What he can help with: mutually served interests and dynamic progress through smart resolution and maneuvering. Helps with resolving conflicts through strategy, silencing and/or harming enemies (if he agrees they should be punished), advises on intelligent political maneuvers towards prosperity, and teaches harsh truths

Belial’s Enn (for meditation or devotion): Lirach Tasa Vefa Wehl Belial

Offerings: champagne, pink champagne, expensive wine, spiced rum, dry gin, Irish coffee, beef liver, smoked salmon, lobster, caviar, truffle chocolates, veal, veal fillet, pigeon meat, ostrich meat, basmati rice, truffle mushrooms, ground black pepper, cinnamon, Siberian ginseng, red roses, white roses, black roses, daggers, katanas, longswords, mahogany writing desks, black marble, black tourmaline, black star sapphires, snowflake obsidian, peridot, expensive pens, expensive wristwatches, Italian leather men’s shoes, expensive men’s coats (high society), gold, gold foil in oil, silver, bonsai trees, fancy chess boards, black dice with white dots, fancy playing cards (preferably black and white), expensive colognes

*no pork or lamb offerings, he detests them

*also don’t offer chicken or turkey since he will not accept these

[anti-anti-stevinel]

I don't know if you're still active here, but I need to... say this. Hopefully you are okay with this really long text...

-> There's still so many people who say Stevinel is pedophilia. I. just. don't. get. what's. in. these. people's. minds!

I mean, look at a literal rock that uses light to form a body that was supposed to be, literally again, childish (that is, a kid, unlike any gem ever created before Spinel) for Pink Diamond (because she was childish too) but ended up being left behind, abandoned in a garden of all places. No changing EVER. Spinel symbolises, not only abandonment, but being STUCK IN THE Past. Stuck As The Past. In Time Lock. The only moment she actually DID CHANGED was when she discovered the real truth. Then, she went from childish, lovable, trusting, to angst teenager (even antis can admit that, surely?) with depression and trust issues. I'm quite sure she has PTSD too (believe me, I'd know...)

Remind you of someone? That's right. Steven.

Steven started childish, lovable, trusting... A child. And then he ended up being more angst and a Teen with depression and PTSD. And probably with some trust issues (at least not as trusting as before)

What I see here is both of them first as children that had to grow up (tho in different ways; and one as a half human and the other as a full gem - emotionally and psychologically, as gem physically don't age) to a teenager (not yet adult) (tho All the characters can grow. They aren't to stay forever the same, if some fans don't want to, or stay the same if other fans want too, but without the need to attack each other because someone disagrees. Agree to disagree exist, you know? And no, it doesn't mean you can comment hurtful words) with one too many traumas

...because what else is there that we don't know about Pink D and Spinel?

- If these two weren't created to be two sides of the same coin, then I really don't know what else to say 🤷🏼‍♀️ -

And some of us were kids who grew up with the show, and so with Steven and the rest of the characters.

-> Then there's the: but is toxic; or, it's incest.

Spinel was toxic during her moment of weakness, in a lot of pain, anger and self hate. She was hurt and wanted to hurt back (being abandoned hurts more than what people think, unfortunately, and will always be there, present. In doesn't ever go away, even if you forget about it or force yourself to forget it... You can only learn to live with it, like with any other trauma). That happened to many people in real life, but that doesn't make all of them permanently toxic people

Actually, if that was the case more than half of the whole Earth's population would be toxic and alone, or hurting someone all the time (that isn't part of simple selfishness, money, war, religion, race and/or politics related), but it's not like that. Most of them are victims/survivors. Most importantly, I have the feeling that we all need to search the whole meaning with a lot of examples of what being Toxic means and how it works (I think it's obvious who is actually hurting who in the fandom...)

There's also the fact that other characters had been toxic at some point (if we really have to use what some people might believe toxic means: to hurt someone, attack or trying to kill)

Pearl did, multiple times, try to kill Steven. Some accidentally, once because of misunderstandings and hurt when he was a baby, indefensive

Amethyst probably too, tho accidentally, not even knowing that if it wasn't because of Steven's half gem part, he would actually be dead already

Lapis did also try to kill Steven at some point and changed, and had a toxic relationship with Jasper (but not necessarily with the rest of the gems. Toxic is both ways, people, so it's not solely Jasper)

Peridot too. She also changed and became better (tho I believe she was never considered as a toxic character?)

Even Greg and Connie hurt Steven, lied and used him at some point (they did, don't lie to yourself, everyone) And Lars too... He even humiliated him.

About Incest. How? How, exactly, could there be any incest when it wasn't ever stated that they were familiy? Nor are gems related to each other. Lapis Lazulis aren't related to Aquamarines. Pearl aren't related to the Diamonds. And Amethyst aren't related to Jaspers, Agathes, etcetera

The only reason we view some as siblings, or anything family related (that isn't just friendship or Steven-Pink D/Rose Q) it's 1- crewuniverse said that or, 2- the gems itself stated it as such

In that drawing so many talked about of the Crystal Gems, Steven and Spinel there with the word Family above them, guess what: it meant Spinel wasn't part of the family bc of the way she was separated in all the ways it could be shown in said drawing. There's a difference between her and the crystal gems + Steven. It is easy to see, very obvious

But even if that wasn't right, and they were considered family, well... guess what again: couples can be family too! Even friends can be part of a family! It's more about the feeling and the connection one feels, and not that much about blood (which, I'd know too) (tho I know that a romantic relationship with a biological familiar isn't exactly approved by many, and it can be considered immoral... gems aren't exactly created by blood, are they?)

And that's my point. Gems don't have family per se. I think Rebecca (or someone else from the crewuniverse?) stated the same, and that the only reason the Crystal Gems were considered Steven's family now is because they ADOPTED him. They considered themselves as his family

Rose was literal family to Steven, but the rest of them was only part of the family even before Steven because they themselves were closed to each other

Rose and Pearl had a romantic relationship before Greg (and other humans) (and maybe a bit during Greg time too?)

Amethyst saw Rose as a maternal figure because of the way she was created and the way both interacted, probably

And Garnet? She was a new fusion. New to life on Earth. To me she always seemed to be more of a friend, or a cousin of sorts if some want to put her as part of the family (tho I already said that friends can be considered part of the family too, sometimes)

📢 So, again. Where's the pedophilia? Where's the toxicity? (apart from some parts of the fandom) Where's the incest?

-> This isn't about: age means nothing, or they have a childish mentality and so they are a kid. No. This is about Gems being Aliens, ageless, sexless and genderless (unless they decide the pronouns they want for themselves)

-> They don't age. Again. They don't grow up unless it's related to experiences and emotions, and that only means they develop, they still don't grow up in a Human sense

They are Not Humans, so stop comparing them

Well... That's all I wanted to let out. I apologise for... All of this 😅☝🏻

Gah, don't know when this was sent, but yeah, totally agree.

[creepyjirachi]

im so deeply curious on how you wish su couldve ended. genuinely i would love to hear ur thoughts

oh good god. kendra if literally anyone else on the planet had sent me this ask i would have assumed they were heckling me. this is like diffusing a bomb.

okay. so i haven't watched the show in a long time, like literally since it was airing, and i never rewatched. so if i were going to have a specific Better Ending in mind, i would have to rewatch the whole show first to get reacquainted with all the lore. BUT.

mostly, i just would have liked the show to have had more time. rebecca sugar and the crew took a massive risk on the gay wedding, and they understood that the show could have been cancelled right there. and that basically happened. their priorities were what they were. they wanted it that badly. i get that. but, obviously, the ending was very rushed.

su has a lot of flaws, but one of the things they actually did very well was having characters who were complex people who evolved naturally over time. except for when they didn't do that. i thought the diamonds, all of them but especially white and yellow, had very bad arcs. their development was so fast it was almost instantaneous. they were built up for so long over the course of the series, and the stakes with them were super high. i didn't think their changes of heart were very realistic. it didn't make enough sense for who they were as people. and it all just happened so, so quickly. it just fell flat to me, and it felt unearned and insincere.

i also didn't like how the finale just kind of threw in all the loose ends for no reason. every remaining steven fusion, just like...... was there. even though in previous episodes, those would have been earned by exploring the relationships between the characters in a meaningful way. but, whatever. chuck them in, who cares, the show is cancelled. ugh.

and beyond the finale itself, i just didn't really like how certain characters were written towards the end? peridot became like, dumb comic relief when honestly her redemption arc was one of the best things the writers pulled off on the show. they just constantly beat rose quartz's corpse as well, which....... started out as a deconstruction of her image as a Perfect Sacrificial Hero. which i liked. i like rose. i like that she's this bizarre antihero who simultaneously saved the whole planet but also (unintentionally?) imploded everything around her. everyone on the show has a complicated relationship with her and her memory, and that's a good thing! but in the later seasons, we almost exclusively see her in a negative light, even compared to characters like the other diamonds who did WAY worse things and DIDN'T try to grow or change. the way her story was told just gave off the impression that she was a complete fraud, liar, and manipulator the entire time. which, in my opinion, she wasn't! she changed and grew profoundly over time, much like literally every other character. i just would have liked much more closure for rose's story, rather than using her for endless angst fuel when she's the only character who cannot speak for herself. but whatever. whatever!

final gripe: a lot of plus size women (including me before i figured out i was trans) found a lot of joy in rose quartz over the first couple seasons. she was this beautiful, powerful, beloved character who was fat. i saw a loooooot of posts back in the day about how grateful people were to see her on screen. and i'm not going to say that she should have remained one-dimensional or that making her complicated was wrong. but having her turn into The Devil Of The Show just...... hits me kinda wrong. i wouldn't go as far as to say it's bigoted or anything, but it just makes me sad. it's like giving a kid their first and only toy, only to reveal that the toy is full of spiders. like, ouch.

[jackarychaoti]

DWC2021-#1 - Rebirth.

- [Music] -

Ardenweald.

Going through the motions in the Shadowlands, Jackary had only one goal. His original intentions were to find Darnath and get him the hell out of here, to be reunited with his mate. Yet a snare in those plans overtook the dragon’s entire world by storm. It was in the endless glimmer of the forest of rebirth that Jackary had felt at peace and like he was home for the first time in years. No matter how long he spent in The Dream, it was always truly empty… Empty without her.

But here?

He couldn’t explain it until he began to watch the guardians be drained of their own anima, their own power of rebirth to be brought back into the world. A haunting notion for any druidic being and though he wanted to save them all, the closer to the Heart of The Forest he wandered in aimless pursuit, the more he could feel a familiar tugging at his own heart, his whole chest lit aflame. And that was when he saw it.

A mere seed, larger than the others but something called him forth, the warmth in his chest only grew when he came ever closer and unknowing why a single tear escape without warning to cut through the dirt on his cheek. Jack could only feel a hand on his shoulder by an ally he’d grown to respect in Ardenweald and in that moment, it all became clear.

“It seems to know you. But its death was so violent…”

No, it couldn’t have been.

“Will you help me calm this one? The spirit is restless.”

Nodding in agreement, Jackary reached forth to aid his own spiritual energy to try and calm the soul, but where he was taken was a haunting memory.

‘STOP! STOP YOU’RE GOING TO KILL HER!!!’

Fear.

That stench of dragon’s blood splattered all across white marble stone as Darnath stood there, shaking and trying not to cry as his arms were being clamped down on by a powerful set of fangs. He was trying to protect those around him, particularly Jack from falling to a fate darker than the Nightmare that was already consuming him. The pleading Death Knight looked up into the Emerald’s corrupt eyes, storm grey met crimson in silent begging.

Not like this. Please... Not like this.

‘STOP IT!!’ Jack’s plight rang out on deaf ears, his hands shoved hard at anyone he could reach to stop their casting, their attacks, and yet he was frozen in place, even unable to save his own Knight through blurred eyes.

‘MOTHER!’

Yanking his hand back, Jackary zoned back into the reality of where he stood, those same tears that flowed back then again ran down his cheeks, not for the sudden realization of who he stood before, but also the knowledge that the reason he had hated Darnath that night, that he hadn’t tended to the grievous wounds wasn’t that his Knight had slain the creature that adopted him in this world…. But because at that moment, Jackary realized that Darnath had been trying to save him and those around them. All Jack could do was come to terms with was that his mate truly was trying to save…

“Mother...”

The search for Darnath halted. Jack remained close to the pod for as long as he could, resting against it to ease his weary soul, his tired heart, and hurting body. He’d been through so much and it was comforting, up until a moment where it was nearly all taken away again.

“We cannot afford to continue giving it anima, even if it is my sister’s pet.”

There Jack stood, boiling in anger as the White Queen he served had threatened to simply snuff out the only light his heart had been able to find. Would he attack such a diety? Without hesitation.

“SHE IS NEEDED! DON’T DO THIS!” Again he pleaded those words, once more his breathing was erratic and he was hunched over but this time… This time he was ready to fight. “DO NOT LET HIS ACTIONS BE IN VAIN! SHE IS NEEDED MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!” Darnath needed her… Leon, Sulfyr, Fang… Every Druid, every Emerald, everyone who had ever been in her grace or was there the day she was struck down.

“I need her…” Sniffling, Jack moved to wipe his face furiously, unable to will the tears away from his stinging eyes. “I don’t want to lose my mom again…” Like a child, lost and helpless, Jack further felt his world shatter around him until a soft sigh sounded and caught his ears. Such rendered the pathetic expression to pull up from his arm, emerald eyes were nearly red from the growing Nightmare that was willing to spill forth and plague the entire lands to save a single pod… a single seed.

“Bring her to the Heart.”

Something spiked a small glimmer of hope in Jack’s chest and through the procession to escort the anima pod, Jack’s form returned to its original shape, the wingless dragon stayed close to flank the living soul, protecting it with everything he had. What felt like an eternity of holding his breath, the Heart was finally revealed and with that, the very life essence was given to grant the wish that Jack had begged the stars for since that fateful night.

The pod sprang alight with the warm glow and with each cracking bloom, it peeled open like a flower greeting the spring after a long, harsh winter. Tendrils of a familiar soul escaped, writhing upward until familiar wings formed and with a loud, chest-rattling roar, the Aspect sprang back to life, taking her full shape in all of the former glory that it was.

The Rebirth of Ysera.

Struck in shock to see her again, Jack stood there awkwardly, his tail coiled around himself akin to a whelp, uncertain if it was alright to run over and latch onto something. Jack found himself shy - what if she didn’t remember him? He watched several others rush to greet her and once she raised her vision to him, a low rumbling purr called to him.

There was no hesitation and the dragon sprang forth, and no matter how large Jack truly was, he was dwarfed at that moment by the Aspect - his Aspect. Crashing into Ysera, the smaller dragon writhed against her, nuzzling in a ferocity that was desperate for attention until he hid away under her wing. Claws clung tightly, his tail coiled around her where it could.

“Jackary…” It was a gentle coo but she still was soft with the fragile beast, for even now she could see the new scars, the new wounds, and a broken heart. “Where is your Champion?”

“I d-don’t know…” How could he? He couldn’t even feel his bond with Darnath anymore and the painful reminder had him shove his face hard into her side, coiling up like a timid whelp too scared to leave the nest.

“I wanted to thank him… He sacrificed so much that day for us.”

Something inside broke when a warm feeling came over him and through the streams of tears he’d suffered through The Maw and since realizing it was her, his heart slowed its racing. Her confirmations that Darnath’s actions had been for the betterness of Ysera and Jack’s own safety caused his head to lower and--

Eyes snapped open, feeling uncomfortable wetness down his face. Peridot hues darted this way and that to look around in the darkened room, the sun had already begun to set - but how long had he been asleep? The brief, existential dread that it may have been another two years was quelled with a soft coo.

“Hey…”

Jack turned his attention to face the voice, that familiar soft grin plastered on the handsome face of his Champion, his Knight, his mate. A hand reached up to cup along Darnath’s jawline a moment to assure he was real, to feel over the familiar skin and runes that were there to keep the man’s face intact.

“It was just a dream.”

But it wasn’t… It was a reminder. A reminder of how far they’d come and how far they still had to go. A reminder to look beyond and see past the veil of emotions, to trust.

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