#read: cubic zirconia

[lordhavemurthy]

i cannot explain to you the amount of pure, unfiltered rage i feel at people

[esotericawakenings]

Check out this amazing CZ ring that we just got in.

[just-here-with-my-thoughts]

It's Zircon Time!

(If you are the same age as me you may well have read that like you were a Power Ranger saying "It's Morphin' Time" and you wouldn't be incorrect because we're going to talk about how zircon slowly degrades from crystalline to amorphous structure over millions of years... so...)

I'm excited to tell you about gem-quality zircon!

@theproblemwithstardust I have no idea if you're still interested but heads up I got carried away I think I wrote over 3k words about this you may need snacks and an interval

Zircon & Double Refraction

Zircon is a naturally occurring gem mineral, chemical formula zirconium silicate and crystallising in the tetragonal system. It is a uniaxial optically anisotropic gemstone (remember, optically anisotropic means light is split into two when passing through the crystal) and in its rough form occurs as elongate to squad tetrahedral crystal with bipyramidal terminations.

(What does that mean? It means it's a rectangle with two triangles at the ends, and the rectangular section might be long or short!)

Even as a rough crystal zircon will show some of the features it is well known for - such as its sub-adamantine lustre (meaning the near-diamond-like brightness of surface reflection of white light) and (if the crystal is transparent enough) a high birefringence value means internal features are viewed as doubled.

Woah... you just chucked a LOAD of science terms at me! What does any of it mean?

Let me tell you about double refraction in zircon! I'm so excited by it!

I'll break these terms down one at a time:-

Refraction - the bending of light as it passes through the crystal

Double refraction - two rays of light get bent at slightly different angles! (Remember that as an optically anisotropic material, zircon splits light into two rays)

Birefringence - the difference in the amount the two rays of light are bent by

You know how when you stick a straw in a glass of water, it looks as though it is slightly bent? That's refraction at play! When light passes between two mediums of different optical densities (for example from air into water, or air into a gemstone) the light is bent. The angle is it bent by is related to the substance it passes through. We use refraction in gemmology to identify gemstones, because every stone refracts (bends) light by a different amount.

In an optically anisotropic gemstone the two rays of light are both bent by different amounts. We can measure how much each ray of light is bent by, and the difference between them, to help identify them!

Fun fact, the 2 rays of light are referred to as the ordinary ray and the extraordinary ray - that is important for identifying stones by their RI but I'm getting off topic for zircon!

The important thing in zircon is that it has Very High Birefringence. That means that the two rays of light are bent by so much that when they leave the gemstone and reach the viewer (that's you!) you see a doubled image of whatever is inside the stone - double vision!

(If like me you wear glasses, it feels like looking at the gemstone without your glasses on - everything just sliiightly out of focus...)

If a zircon has inclusions, each of these will appear to be doubled when viewed through the crystal. Even easier to spot, and present even in an inclusion-free stone, is the doubling of the back facets of the gemstone! That's right, when you look through the stone at the pattern of facets on the other side, they will appear to be doubled.

Haang on a sec - what about the Optic Axis, I hear you ask?

An Optic Axis is a direction in an optically anisotropic gemstone in which light behaves as though it is passing through an optically isotropic material. That's a material where light travels as a single ray rather than splitting into two - so when viewed from the right angle, a zircon crystal will let light pass through as a single ray, and you won't see any double refraction at all!

Fun fact! In a uniaxial crystal, there is one optic axis and it is always parallel to the c-axis (the long dimension of the crystal).

This is all pretty neat, right? If you want your colourless zircon crystal to pass as a diamond imitation, it should be cut with the table perpendicular to the c-axis. That way, when you look straight down at the top of the stone, you won't see any of that dizzying eye-visible double-refraction - diamonds are optically isotropic, so they only ever transmit a single ray of light :)

(I mean there are tons of other ways to differentiate diamond and zircon, but at a glance, it would make for a better imitation...)

Metamict Zircon

Wouldn't it be great if zircon were always so easily identifiable in part due to its high birefringence? Not a lot of stones that have eye or loupe visible birefringence - most of them are much smaller values (ie. the difference in the angle the two rays of light are bent at is much smaller)

Sad news for you friends, but zircon does not always stay in this nicely ordered highly crystalline state, behaving as a tetragonal optically anisotropic crystal should.

You see, the thing that gives zircon it's colour is Uranium. That's right, radioactive uranium!

And even when it is only present as a few ppm (parts per million) in the zircon structure, the radiation emitted by those atoms is enough to start breaking through the bonds between other atoms in the zirconium silicate structure, and slowly but surely the structure of zircon is transformed from highly organised crystalline bonds, to irregular and disorganised amorphous atomic arrangement.

Why am I talking about this off the back of birefringence values?

Because amorphous materials are optically isotropic - that is, light behaves the same in all directions. No more double refraction!

(In case you haven't noticed yet you are actually taking a stroll through the gemmology section of my mind and encountering Related Thoughts in the exact order in which they are stacked and catalogued in my Mental Shelves, I hope you are keeping up but hit me up in the comments or reblogs if you need me to circle back to anything?)

But! I hear you cry - if you identify zircon by it's birefringence, how do you tell it's zircon when it's altering to an amorphous state?

When zircon becomes amorphous - also known as becoming metamict, it doesn't suddenly change all at once. There will be areas of crystalline structure interspersed with amorphous areas. When viewed with a 10x loupe, this gives the stone a hazy or grainy internal appearance. Although many gemstones show various types of zoning, the hazy zoning associated with metamict zircon is quite distinctive.

The colour of zircon also changes during this breakdown of the crystal structure, becoming a greenish colour instead of the usual browns, reds, yellows.

Heated zircon can be colourless or even bright blue - I kinda assume they would follow the same path when becoming metamict but can't say for sure! That said, I know from my own experimentation that heated blue zircon goes a murky grey-brown on exposure to UV, so perhaps it really is all the same process :)

Diagnostic Absorption Spectra in Zircon

What if the zircon is completely metamict? What if there is no birefringence at all, and you can't be certain that the haziness inside the stone is identifiable as hazy zoning?

Well, don't forget that a lot of gemmological identification involves combining different observations and test results - it's very rare to be able to do a single test and say "THIS. It's definitely THIS."

That said... there is a test we can do on zircon which provides a diagnostic result, even in the absence of all other tests!

We can check the Absorption Spectrum!

Holllllld up... better go over what we mean by Absorption Spectra.

When white light passes through a gemstone, it is modified via absorption...

Wait, go back a bit further.

White light is actually made up of light of all coloured wavelengths from 400nm (violet) to 700nm (red) - this is called the 'visible light spectrum' as these are the wavelengths the human eye can detect!

When all colours of light at once reach the human eye, the mind interprets it as 'white' light.

When the colour is modified because one or more wavelengths are removed, we then start to perceive colour.

For example, when light passes into a corundum crystal coloured by chromium, most violet, some blue, and all green and yellow and some orange light is absorbed. The resulting colour you see, made up from transmitted red and a little blue light, is red!

By the way, the absorption I just described is for ruby! :)

BACK TO ZIRCON!

The uranium in zircon causes a unique absorption which can be viewed with a spectroscope. Many gemstones, even colourless ones, show various absorption spectra. Relatively few show a diagnostic absorption spectra, which has a pattern of absorption unique to that gem species and colouring element. Although you should always back up your gemstone identifications with multiple pieces of evidence, with a diagnostic feature you can make a positive identification of gem species even in the absence of other information.

So what does zircon's diagnostic absorption spectrum look like?

Well, that can vary depending on whether it is high (crystalline) zircon or low (metamict) zircon, and whether it has been heat-treated to alter it's colour!

The defining feature in all types of zircon is a diagnostic absorption line at 653nm (about half-way along the red area of the spectrum).

In heat-treated colourless or blue zircon, this may be the only absorption line present.

In other zircons, as well as the 653nm line, you will see up to 40 other absorption lines or bands scattered throughout the spectrum.

(Oh backtrack a moment again! When viewing the absorption spectra, the black lines are the wavelengths that are being absorbed :) Please do remind me to tell you this stuff, I forget because I Thought It Was Obvious (as Tech would say) but I'm doing my best to cover the basic science as well as gemmology here)

Metamict zircon still shows a diagnostic absorption spectra, including the line at 653nm. However, many of the absorption lines and bands have become distinctly fuzzy-looking - this is another helpful piece of evidence to determine whether you are looking at high zircon or metamict zircon.

(Still here, team? I have been writing for 2 hours and we're 1700 words deep, so take a break if you need it, hydrate or diedrate... save this post for later... close the tab and back slowly away from the screen because you didn't realise you were getting into all this when you clicked below the read-more...)

Toughness and Dispersion

Other features of zircon that are important when considering its use as a gemstone are it's relatively high hardness, but low toughness.

Hardness and toughness? Aren't they the same thing?

No :D

Hardness (in gemmological terms) relates to the ability of a material to resist being scratched when the sharp point of another material is dragged across the surface. Zircon has a Moh's Relative Hardness rating of 8/10 - that's pretty good resistance to being scratched!

However, it has Low toughness. Toughness relates to the ability of a material to resist being fractured or cleaved as a result of physical impact. In short, zircon chips easily. When faceted as a gemstone, it tends to chip along the sharp edges between the facets, accumulating numerous small fractures which are described cumulatively as 'nibbled facet edges'.

Remember when I said there were numerous other ways to tell the difference between diamond and zircon? This is one of them! You would not expect to see wear like this to a diamond - however, unless your zircon has been very well cared for, you would expect the facet edges to show a certain amount of abrasion due to its low toughness... and yes, if you view those chips through the crystal, they will appear to be doubled due to the high birefringence :)

Other features of zircon include a high Dispersion Index.

Dispersion is the splitting of white light into its spectral wavelengths when passing through two inclined surfaces of a transparent material (think the Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon prism splitting the single ray of white light into the rainbow!)

Guess what? When you facet a gemstone, it almost always has two inclined surfaces of transparent material! In gemstones with a high Dispersion Index, you will see more dispersion - that is, when you tilt them, you will see more flashes of coloured light (blue, green, red) sparkling back at you from the facets than a gemstone with a low dispersion index.

You can see dispersion even in gemstones with a body colour - they don't have to be colourless to see it! That said, it can be harder to spot some of those dispersed colours against the body colour - so this feature may be more prominent in colourless or light coloured zircons than in deeper colour samples.

Aaaaaaaand I think that's it? At least, I think that's everything I wanted to cover with you about gem-quality zircon today!

BUT WAIT!

The fun's not over :P

I'm pretty sure I promised a comparison between naturally occurring zircon, and common artificial material cubic zirconia!

(Just when you thought you were free...)

Natural vs. Artificial

Zircon is a naturally occurring, crystalline, inorganic mineral formed by natural processes. Don't forget, the chemical formula is Zirconium Silicate and it crystallises in the tetragonal system.

Cubic Zirconia (shortened to CZ) is an artificial crystalline material grown by man. The chemical formula is Zirconium Oxide and it crystallises in the cubic system.

Notice how I say artificial, not synthetic? That's an important distinction.

Synthetic materials have a direct comparison in nature. All synthetic gemstones are artificially grown, but not all artificial materials are considered synthetic.

To be classified as a synthetic gemstone, the result of the artificial growth process must be chemically, physically and optically identical to the naturally occurring mineral.

Cubic Zirconia has no natural counterpart. It is completely artificially created. Hence, it can be referred to as artificial or as a simulant (meaning it is simulating/imitating another natural material).

Cubic Zirconia

CZ is grown via the incredibly metal sounding process of SKULL MELTING

Fun fact! CZ has a higher melting point than any material you could make a crucible of to melt it in. So when we make it, we have to melt it inside a skin, or 'skull', of solid CZ, with a liquid inside. We can go into the science another time if you like, but the quick version is it's like heating up lasagne in the microwave, and the middle gets hot whilst the edges are still cold... that's how we melt the centre of the CZ mix whilst keeping in in a cooled skull of its own solid material :)

Above a certain temperature (I want to say off the top of my head with a melting point in excess of 2600 degrees Celsius), zirconium oxide adopts a cubic arrangement - nice and symmetrical, and optically isotropic (light moves as a single ray and behaves the same in all directions). However below temperatures of around 2000 degrees Celsius, zirconium oxide would crystallise in the monoclinic system. Woaaah! That's not terribly symmetrical! We want it to be cubic zirconia, the same in all directions.

To stop the zirconium oxide mix from changing to a monoclinic arrangement as it cools, we need to introduce a stabilising element. Most often this is a rare earth element such as yttrium, which bonds with the zirconium oxide structure and forces it to retain its cubic arrangement even at lower temperatures. Cool, right?

(ahaha I didn't mean to make that joke... cool... cos we're cooling the mixture... it's late and I've been typing for a long time now I hope you're still with me...)

Fun fact, due to it's super high melting point, you actually need to start the melting and recrystallisation process by inserting a thin wafer of pure zirconium into the ingredient mix inside the Skull. This can then be melted, which will then oxidise, and start a chain reaction of melting and bonding with the surrounding material :)

CZ Optical Behaviours

CZ is cubic, meaning it is optically isotropic, so you will only have single refraction (a single ray of light transmitted) no matter which direction you view the stone in.

This is enough to differentiate it from zircon, which is optically anisotropic with high birefringence, but what about diamond, the gemstone that CZ so frequently imitates?

Don't worry - we can again look at features such as the absorption spectra, and hardness/toughness as well as lustre to tell the difference.

The lustre (surface reflection of white light) of CZ is lower than that of diamond (adamantine) or zircon (sub-adamantine). I want to say CZ is bright vitreous (bright glasslike)? So with practice you will learn when the surface reflection just doesn't seem quite bright enough to be diamond...

(It's bothering me that I skipped the formal lustre definition earlier so here it is now: lustre is the quality and quantity of white light returned via reflection from the surface of the gem material towards the viewer)

CZ has a really high dispersion index - that's the splitting of white light into its spectral colours, remember, the coloured sparkles you see when you move the stone! CZ has a dispersion index even higher than diamond, so if the stone seems to be returning too many sparkles of colour... it's probably too good to be true.

CZ also grows free of inclusions, and the absence of internal features is a huge warning sign that you're looking at an imitation rather than a diamond!

As well as these optical features, CZ will also show surface features to differentiate it from zircon or diamond. The facet edges even in well-cut stones are typically rounded and soft, and although they don't tend to accumulate the 'nibbled' look of chipped zircon, the facets can be scratched - typically picking up a 'frosted' look if they are particularly heavily worn.

Remember when I mentioned using yttrium or a similar element to force the zirconium oxide mix to retain it's cubic structure? That's what causes the absorption spectra in CZ!

CZ shows a REE (rare earth element) spectra. It's not diagnostic like a zircon spectra is, but it is highly characteristic. Both coloured CZ and colourless can show it - REE spectra typically manifest as clusters of many fine absorption lines mostly distributed in the yellow-green area of the spectrum.

Iiiiiii think I might actually be done now (except the zircon vs CZ comparison strayed into grounds of differences between diamond and its common simulants so I'm trying not to get doubly triply side-tracked into synthetic moissanite which is ALSO doubly refractive with loupe-visible doubling of internal features due to high birefringence and only gets to old the term 'synthetic' on a technicality because naturally it is almost impossible to find gem-quality moissanite outside of rare meteoric impact events...)

(Guess what synthetic moissanite is silicon carbide crystallising in the hexagonal system and is created by a process known as sublimation - where a material goes from solid to gaseous or plasma state (or back) without passing through a liquid state in between!)

Hmm I realise by the time I post this I will have added photos but I think I'll save as a draft for now and maybe sleep before I do that... **Photos added now! Microscope still not set up so you have to make do with my internet searching, sorry

I hope you have enjoyed today's citizen science gemstone lecture brought to you by the ability to recall memorised information without checking my notes and the parasocial relationship I have projected onto you, the Tumblrites, hoping that you will love the science side of gemstones as much as I do!

just-thoughts-about-gems (this is the place to ask your gemstone questions)

[wheelie-sick]

okay okay some people really really need to hear that when you're describing an image you're trying to get to the point of the image, not add as much detail as possible.

Case A (a real description), I want you to guess at what this is:

[ID : A screenshot of a Facebook (?) post by user Anna Jakubik Chenard in a thread/group called Weird (and Wonderful) Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared. Text reads "Searched multiple secondhand markets and found these vintage bracelets to create the perfect [descriptive word that gives this away] bangle stack". Two photos below the text show a closeup and a slightly further back shot of a wrist sporting 7 bracelets. From furthest up the arm ('bottom') to closest to the wrist ('top'), they are: A medium thick pale wood bracelet ; a thin dark bracelet with small shiny facets all along the circumference, but that overall gives the impression of being a textured dull brown or dark gray ; a slightly-rounded square-shaped warm yellow bracelet ; 3 stacked wavy-edged bracelets about the same size as the yellow that are, from bottom to top, ketchup red, mustard yellow, and light green (arguably lettuce-leaf green) ; a pale wood bracelet twice the thickness of the 'bottom' one, with shiny, clear plastic or cubic zirconia stones evenly spaced in off-set rows and the circumference.]

answer beneath the cut to prevent accidental cheating

if you guessed anything other than "a collection of bracelets that look like a hamburger when stacked together" you are wrong.

getting into too much detail often means skipping over the point. it's also just super obnoxious to listen to!!! I don't need to hear all that. get to the point.

"ID: A Facebook post with the text "Searched multiple secondhand markets and found these vintage bracelets to create the perfect hamburger bangle stack" two photos are attached of a bangle stack with a clear resemblance to a hamburger." is a much more effective description that is also a quarter of the length

longer is not better

[ellesthots]

Fateful Beginnings

IV. “unmasked”

parts: previous / next

plot: set on a new (and flashy) candidate for your paper, you end up getting more than you bargained for.

pairing: battinson!bruce wayne x fem!reader

cw: 18+, blackmail, sexual harassment (sleazy Oz), uneasy tension

words: 2.9k

It was as if you'd told her pigs could fly.

"Did you get prior authorization from Wayne Enterprises?"

Ah, shit. You knew she would balk at the idea if she knew you hadn't made contact with him yet, so you lied. "He agreed to it just this afternoon." Feeling a tad guilty but trying to shake it off, you ended the call shortly after when she told you she'd meet you outside the venue with the needed supplies for entry. Thankfully she was more knowledgeable about the goings of the city than you were, as she knew the start time: six. You had about an hour to shower, change, and do whatever hair and makeup you could manage.

And do that you did. The shower felt manic, scrubbing so hard and quick that the nearly-healed scabs on the palms of your hands reopened, burning and raw. You did your best to ignore the pains as you blow-dried your strands and brushed your teeth. You groaned when you realized the only 'formal' outfit you had was the dress you'd worn the night of the shooting. It had some snags which the sequins lightly concealed, and you had to take a spare toothbrush to your matching heels to rid of the caked mud. Your hair was cooperating, much to your amazement, and you decided to put it back in a slick, middle-part pony for your dark locks. Rummaging through your desk you found a pair of cubic zirconia stud earrings, hastily fixing them to your ears with one hand while your other smeared some foundation on.

5:45 rolled around and you had narrowly made it to your cab after hyperfixating on your makeup in the mirror. You left with only your phone and keys, pre-paying for a cab to and from so you didn't have to worry about losing your new wallet... again. You grew increasingly anxious the closer you got to the event, knowing full-well you would likely have to turn in a paper three days from now that was not an interview with the elusive billionaire. Consequences would have to be dealt with later, however, and you knew you could probably make up another lie to cover your first one, that he had simply stood you up. In fact, you had so little hope for him accepting the interview you hadn't bothered to think up a single question.

City hall was dramatically busier than anticipated. Swaths of both citizens and paparazzi huddled around the entrance, forcing your courage to shrink. Maybe it was a terrible, terrible idea. Maybe you'd make a fool of yourself. But that didn't matter—you'd be out of Gotham before the month was out. You thanked the driver, keeping your head on a swivel for the professor.

"Ms. Y/L/N!" Dr. Vry greeted you with unexpected warmth, embracing you in a hug before handing you a voice recorder and press badge. The glimmer in her eyes was intimidating, knowing that you had effectively lied for it to occur. "I await your paper with bated breath. So excited to read his first interview."

Gulping back guilt you had thanked her and wobbled your way up the stairs in your heels. The concrete slapped the soles which didn't help your baseline unsteadiness. The reality of the choice was setting in as you surveyed the entryway, full of Gotham's elite. You didn't get much of a good look before you tripped on the final stair, throwing your arms out to catch your fall.

Bruce got out of his car and handed his key to the valet, hiding a wince from the many photographers frantically screaming his name. His night-oriented eyes narrowed to protect from the harsh flashes of light reflecting not only off their lenses but the many puddles littering the caves in Gotham pavement. He focused on a dark strip of tar as he navigated toward the front steps, tucking his hands in either side of his rough wool overcoat.

Hordes of Gotham's elite climbed the stairs ahead of him, and he intentionally avoided eye contact with anyone who seemed like a Bruce Wayne superfan. He wasn't in the mood to be in public today, but it was a local government mixer; in other words, an excuse for the socialites to get drunk on wine the general public couldn't afford one bottle of while still keeping up appearances. As a Wayne, his attendance was nearly mandatory. In the past he had ignored Alfred's pushes to mingle and faced backlash. After a few scathing think-pieces in the Gotham Gazette, a mediating member reached out due to waning finances. More money than he knew what to do with, he'd signed on for a generous recurring donation which had apparently caused a mass amnesiac event. Shocking. Only cost a few million to be back in good graces.

The foyer smelled musty, the muddy puddles dragging in the scent of dirt and chemical rain by way of red-bottoms and kitten heels. Bruce refrained from reacting, his eyes moving him about the room with stealth. Wine tables. Servers. His gaze lingered toward the entrance where a group of men were eyeing women as they walked in. Before he could intercept, a sharp elbow slid across his lower back and someone grabbed his knee, a cell phone bouncing across the ground toward the refreshments. He buckled as his knee was pushed forward, falling swiftly onto his ass. You hadn't realized who it was, embarrassment tinging your cheeks as you immediately began to apologize, shocked at how quickly you'd made an ass out of yourself.

You pushed yourself up to a crouch and forced yourself to make eye contact with the stranger. You didn't particularly want to face a rich guy in Gotham you'd just pummeled into the ground, but it would have been worse to simply run off into the night. The man had dark brown hair that was now obscuring his face, and pale skin. You couldn't make out much more before you'd locked eyes with the Batman.

Oh fuck.

You began to apologize and his body became tense at the sound of your voice. That familiar guttural tightness consumed him as he looked forward and once again met those big, bright eyes. It was you. You stared back at him with your mouth slightly open and he froze, forgetting to fix his face for just a moment. It was an expression he'd only seen once previously when he had come to Alfred after his first try-on of the suit. His chest felt as if knives were sharpening themselves on the lining of his lungs, slicing his esophagus to asphyxiate him. No. No. NO.

Your teeth went cold as shock washed through you, snagging at your chest and skipping your heartbeat. It registered like a narration, too big to neatly conceptualize or shelve away. What do you do when you realize the country's most eligible bachelor is also the country's most infamous vigilante?

He couldn't read you beyond your initial surprise, and it panicked him. The sound of blood pulsing in his ears deadened the sound of the crowded room, yet he was still highly aware of being surrounded by the last people he'd ever want to find out. He begged his thoughts for an answer on why you'd shown up right here, right now.

His fear disarmed you, rendering you unsteady. You needed to gather yourself, you were starting to sweat under his piercing gaze. Head spinning. World-shifting. You spun around and instead went to pick up your phone, the throngs of people already back to their own conversations. The celebrities of Gotham weren't too interested in the wellbeing of anyone besides their own... and even then they never went out of their way to help another. You noticed your phone alight in the corner by the snacks and made a beeline for it, careful to lift your feet with every step so as to not have another incident.

Thank god, you thought to yourself as you knelt down to pick up your phone. As you began to examine the screen for any dents or scratches (there were none) you stood up to someone tapping your shoulder. You had half a mind to think it was Batman—Bruce. He wasn’t in the suit. Fuck, he’s really the Batman?

"Ay, what's a pretty girl like yourself doing in a city like this, eh?" You turned to see a taller, thicker man with rough skin and a heavy accent staring back at you. He had on a checkered suit with a white shirt tucked underneath, and smelled strongly of tobacco. The bow tie caught you a bit off-guard, as did his demeanor. He looked you over as he licked his lips, making you turn your nose up. The man didn't even notice. "Sweetheart, with a body like that you'd make a killing at my lounge." His black eyes moved from staring at your chest to your face, a devilish grin plastered to his mouth.

You cleared your throat, putting your phone into your trouser pockets. You gave as professional a smile as you could manage and nodded at him. "I'm actually here to get an interview," the absolutely terrible vibes of the man made you forget about your realization and as you walked past, he put a firm hand on your shoulder.

"C'mon," he egged, positioning himself closer. His voice was rough and jagged, every neuron in your body telling yourself to get away from the stranger. He continued without shame. "You can audition for me in the room next door, huh?" His firm pressing on your shoulder pushed you forward toward a side door. Anxiety churned your stomach. "Sir," you scrambled. "I really have to get this—"

"Miss? Excuse me, Miss?"

Your wide, nervous eyes snapped back to face Mr. Wayne, and you heard the stranger chortle. It was a nauseating sound. "Ah, Bruce Wayne!"

He wasn't looking at him, instead at you with a fervent gaze. He'd decided he would assume you knew, assume his interpretation of your gaze was correct. Otherwise, how would he have known about this interview? You'd only told him as Batman. "I was told to meet you here for the interview."

Relief poured over you like sinking into a freshly filled pool in thick August heat. You opened your mouth to speak, but whoever the person was interrupted, yet again. "With all due respect, Mister, we're in the middle of business."

Lacking so much hesitation as to nearly cut him off altogether, Mr. Wayne responded shortly. "I don't have much time so I'd like to start it now." Even if you were going to expose him, you didn't deserve to be groped in a closet by the city sleaze.

He held out his arm for you to take and you did so without reservation. You would've run into a lion's den if it meant escaping him. As you linked your arm around his, you couldn't help but notice the dense muscle hidden beneath the dusty wool and the steadiness with which he guided you through the crowd. If you had any hesitation to trust your realization of his double life, it had melted away. No person was this densely packed with pure fight other than Batman.

A part of you was excited. You'd felt so lost with everyone navigating the city so seamlessly but finally, finally you had been given a secret. You knew something no one else knew. Then, fear. What if he tried to get rid of you? What if he was leading to a private area where there were no witnesses? You knew he was viewed as a protector in the public eye, but as far as you knew no one had ever deduced what you'd noticed immediately. The fear in his face had been palpable and —

He dropped your arm right at the door as soon as he remembered where he was and who he was. He wasn't in the suit, he was Bruce Wayne, and he had a woman on his arm. If Alfred saw any rumors of romance he'd have to deal with his delighted smile and repeat questioning. If the paparazzi noticed, you'd be more at risk. Noticing he wasn't in the suit stunted his courage and kept him sheepish. He'd been a dick to you in the alleyway, leaving you hanging alone in the alleys of the city. He hadn't left, he reminded himself. He'd simply gone out of view and then followed you as you wandered through the city back to your apartment, to make sure you got home safely. But you didn't know that. He needed to be curt, but kind enough to ensure you didn't make a scene when he declined this interview for a second and final time. Don't look at her. Not even for a moment.

"You should go." His voice was gruff, but only slightly reminiscent of Batman's. He did a good job separating his two identities... to everyone besides you, you wondered.

"The interview—"

He let out a strained chuckle. "That's not happening." You were really going to barge in and assume he would bow to you? Give his first interview to a student journalist? A stranger that had stalked him until he could be cornered in public? He had to laugh at your audacity. His laughter, however, unsettled you and lit a fire in your abdomen. Who was he to be laughing? A soft rage boiled up to your throat, and you thought about blackmailing him. I know who you are, you'd say. I could tell everyone right now about your double life. But you knew that was just your desperation and ego talking. Plus... you were a bit scared of him and what his body was capable of.

Instead you turned on your heel and walked back through the foyer. Rather, you tried to... but your heel caught on the lip of the entry mat and you lurched forward, Mr. Wayne catching you by your elbow. Frustrated, he snapped at you. "Would you at least try to stop tripping over everything?"

Shame tinged your cheeks pink and cast your eyes to the floor. You could count on one hand all the times you'd worn heels, and you only bought a pair to try and fit in with the Gotham scene. You were intimately reminded of how much you didn't fit in, and a flood of emotion cascaded through you. Tears stung at your eyes and threatened to spill over as you yanked your arm away from his grip. Through your periphery you noticed his face soften, his brows lightly knit in a v with what seemed like genuine concern.

He opened his mouth but before he could speak you rushed down a side hallway in search of a restroom. Him being concerned somehow made the tears come even faster. Don't cry in public. Don't cry in public. You threw yourself into a stall and put your back against the door as tears streamed down your face. Your body wracked with sobs; you missed home. The city was so dirty, crime was so high, and you just wanted to be back in your hometown where people were safe and kind. Even Mar was having a good time—you just weren't right for this place. It was too hard, too bad, too mean. Unyielding. As you thought about the failed interview attempt that rage burned inside you yet again. You had a secret that you could wield. Everyone else in the city would use it against him in a second. He thought he could be an ass to you and not get any recourse? He had another thing coming.

You stomped out of the bathroom after patting away the tear streaks in your makeup. To your surprise, Mr. Wayne was waiting in the hallway outside the bathroom. With narrowed eyes and clenched fists you sauntered over to him. "I could tell everyone in this room who you are." You crossed your arms and let your weight rest back in your right hip. His brows raised in shock. He was going to apologize, but certainly not now. His voice was low and menacing. "You wouldn't dare."

You ignored the rumble of fear that puttered around your stomach. "Do the interview or I write an exposé." You surprised yourself as it came out. It was true; either way you would be able to fill the pages. Whether or not you actually would write the second option... he didn't need to know. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I can't believe this."

"Which one is it? Hmm? I don't have all day." You didn't need to tack on that last part, but you thought it might get under his skin. It did. He wondered whatsoever could be so important that you would need to hurry him. "I actually have an event right now, if it weren't obvious—"

"It's your funeral." You hoped he wouldn't call your bluff and stormed halfway down the hallway before he called after you. "Fine." A pause. "But you only get ten minutes."

"Twenty." You countered, and he let out a groan of annoyance. He strode past you visibly angry, muttering, his mind a mess of so many emotions he couldn't pin down a single thought. "Get around back, then meet me at Wayne Tower. Let's get this over with."

[blond-yallternative]

TSC boys will be TSC boys (ft. Cody, my beloved nb)

Low-stakes fanfic in which 3 backliners (Cody, Lucas, and Jean [included against his will]) bet 3 strikers (Jeremy, Nabil, and Derrick) that if the backliners can keep the strikers from making any successful shots on goal during a team exercise, then Jeremy will get his ears pierced.

Of course Jean balls out and so do the other 2 so the strikers lose.

Jeremy is deathly afraid of needles (in my head), and Nabil can't join them because he's going home to eat dinner with his family, but Pat joins in last-minute.

Pls be kind this is my first ever fanfic (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

By the time practice was over and they had all showered, changed, and dispersed to their cars, it was past six in the evening. The drive to their destination took less than fifteen minutes, and soon they were pulling into the parking lot of a low, dingy strip mall that looked like it had needed a fresh coat of paint about two years ago. The studio that Nabil had Googled for them was nestled in the far right corner under a large sign emblazoned Black Eye Tattoo. Between the second and third words, a large eye gazed out over the parking lot with a swirling design where its iris and pupil should’ve been. After they parked, Jeremy drummed his fingers on the steering wheel out of time with the pop song on the radio as he stared up at the sign. A few moments later, they spotted the rest of the boys and Cody heading towards them, and Jeremy twisted the key to kill the engine with a long-suffering sigh. He shooed Derrick off his car when he tried to strike a provocative pose on the hood, and Pat held the door of the place open for all of them as a doorbell chimed over their heads.

Jean was more than a little intimidated by the woman standing behind the counter inside. Her jet black hair hung in choppy bangs over her forehead but the rest was tucked behind her ears, making it easy to see the neon rings that stretched her earlobes to twice the normal size. Her haughty gaze didn’t change as the six of them filed through the door and crowded the small lobby space. Pat and Derrick flopped down on the low, bloodred velvet couch set against the far wall, so Jean and Jeremy leaned against the front windows. Cody and Lucas eagerly approached the front counter. The air felt near-frigid after the California heat outside, and Jean savored the sunshine warming his back.

“Aren’t you gonna go check out the options?” Derrick asked Jeremy, who cringed. “I’d rather not look at any of this until absolutely necessary,” he said, and Derrick smirked. At the counter, Lucas and Cody were explaining the situation to the indifferent-seeming woman. Jean squinted to read the cursive scrawl on her metal name tag. Cherie, with a little hand-drawn border of black flowers and vines. 

“All the stones here are available for lobe piercings, organized by size,” she said, dragging her finger in a line over one section of the glass counter that separated her from the lobby. Jean listened a little closer than he normally would, but her voice carried no hint of a French accent. “All our metals are surgical-grade steel, and they come in silver, gold, rose gold, or black finishes. No difference in price.”

“What’s the cheapest option?” Lucas asked. Cherie gave him an unimpressed look that said she was sick of servicing poor college students, but she tapped a black fingernail against the glass. “This one, three millimeter cubic zirconia. $65.”

“That’s quite the chunk of change for two little holes,” Pat muttered from the couch. Jean figured he hadn’t meant to be overheard, but Cherie said, “One.” 

The group looked at her. She clarified. “The $65 is for one piercing. And that doesn’t include tip,” she added, giving them a pointed look. When half the group made a sound of disbelief, Jeremy shushed them with a “Hey, guys.”

Lucas rounded on Cody. “So you’re loaded or something?” he asked, gesturing to their heavily-studded face. 

Cody grinned. “My friend’s aunt owns a tattoo shop. She does mine for free.” 

Lucas slapped his palms on the counter and sighed in dramatic relief. “Well, call her up then!” 

“Dude, she lives in Arizona.” 

Lucas sank to rest his head on his flattened hands in defeat. In the end it was decided that Jeremy would only be getting one ear pierced, but even when Cody and Lucas pooled the cash in their wallets they could only come up with $59.37. With a sigh, Pat chipped in a $20 bill to cover the rest plus tip, and Cherie swiped up the money to store it in the cash register. She surveyed all six of them now standing closer to her counter, and sighed. “You all want to come back, don’t you?” They nodded, and Jeremy said meekly, “Yes ma’am, if that’s okay.” She sighed again but tossed an impatient “Come on, then,” over her shoulder as she strode towards the back. She led them to what appeared to be the largest of the individual rooms of the main part of the studio, and bade Jeremy to sit on the black-cushioned chair in the center. There was one smaller plastic chair to the left of it, and Pat pushed Jean towards it before he could make a beeline for the back of the room. Jean sat as Cherie told the rest of them, “I’m going to need some space. Go stand in the corner over there.” The four of them obediently shuffled over and leaned against the graffiti-covered wall.

Cherie asked the room, “What’s the finish?” 

“Uhhhhh,” Lucas droned, and Jeremy looked to Jean, of all people. Cherie repeated the options to him. “Silver, gold, rose gold, or black.” Jean thought for a moment, studying Jeremy’s face. 

Well, it was not going to be black. But which of the other three? He narrowed his eyes, considering. Spray-painted daffodils, the Trojan statue from their first walk through campus, and a yellow cardboard dog flashed through his mind. “Gold,” he said decidedly, and Cherie nodded in agreement. Jeremy smiled at Jean, but the expression was a bit tight. 

“And which ear am I doing?” 

“Which one’s the gay ear?” Derrick asked, and Lucas snickered. Jeremy twisted in his chair to give them a look, but Patrick doubled down on it. “If the shoe fits, my friend,” he said with a shrug. “Cody, make them stop,” Jeremy complained, but Cody was too busy laughing along with Lucas. Jeremy sighed and faced forward again. “I’ll just do the right ear. I normally sleep on my left side.” After a beat he added, “Please don’t tell them whether or not that’s the gay ear,” and Lucas and Cody’s laughter rang out again.

He held still when Cherie commanded, and then inspected the purple dot she marked on his right ear with the handheld mirror she passed him. He turned and tucked a stray curl back so Jean could see it, too. It looked perfectly centered, so Jean nodded. 

Satisfied with her preparations, Cherie swiveled on her wheeled stool to rub hand sanitizer over her hands and pull on black latex gloves. At the snap they made against her wrists, Jeremy winced. “I like your nametag,” he said randomly, and Jean heard one of the boys snicker. Jeremy continued hurriedly, “You know, Jean here is French. You two might get along.” 

“Ooooh, parlez vous français?” Cody said in a ridiculous high-pitched voice. Lucas laughed maniacally as Derrick replied, “Oui oui, monsieur dumbass.” Jean looked around to see which of the instruments in the room he could use to put himself out of his misery as quickly as possible, but Cherie laughed, too. 

“I don’t speak French, actually. This is just what my grandpa used to call me. I don’t even pronounce it correctly, I know, but I still like it.” The entire room turned to look at Jean in anticipation. 

He gave Cody and Derrick a flat look. “I’m not going to say it.” Various sounds of protest arose from their corner, but Cherie started fixing the gold stud onto a long, sharp instrument and Jean saw Jeremy’s face go positively ashen. When she looked up, Cherie saw it too. 

“Are you afraid?” she asked bluntly, and Jeremy didn’t hesitate before nodding. The boys giggled from the corner. She kept her eyes on Jeremy, her expression unchanged. “That’s not a problem. It’s better if you look away, not close your eyes.” She dug her heels into the floor to wheel herself closer to Jeremy’s right side. “Would you prefer if I counted down, or just did it?” 

Jeremy swallowed. “A countdown, please.” 

Jean could practically feel the anxiety radiating off him with every breath. With a sigh, he shifted his chair to be parallel with Jeremy’s, and didn’t face him as he rested an elbow on Jeremy’s armrest. He cleared his throat. He could feel Cherie and Jeremy’s eyes on him but refused to look their way, and after another second he felt Jeremy’s hand curl under his arm to grip his bicep. His palm was warm and even sweatier than Jean expected, but Jean didn’t pull away. He ignored the whispered conversation happening in the back of the room. 

“Ready?” Jeremy nodded with a tense set to his jaw. Jean grimaced at the crushing grip his captain had on his arm but didn’t let himself move an inch. 

“Okay. Three, two, one,” Cherie said calmly, and Jean blinked in surprise. She had pushed the needle easily through Jeremy’s ear right after two. Jeremy blinked too, then loosed an exaggerated sigh of relief and said, “Dang, that actually wasn’t so bad! Do you do that trick with everyone?” His grip slackened, but he didn’t take his hand off Jean's arm.

“Only the wimps,” Cherie said matter-of-factly, and Jeremy laughed, a little giddy. The boys and Cody peeled off the wall to come admire the stud, and Jeremy only removed his hand from Jean when Cherie passed him the mirror again. Jean tried to be subtle about rubbing the now-sweaty inside of his arm against his shirt, but Jeremy was turning his head this way and that to see the piercing from different angles, completely oblivious. Cody gushed compliments, and Derrick said, “Yeah, gold was definitely the right choice.” Patrick clapped a hand on Jeremy's shoulder in approval.

Jeremy swung his legs over to hang them off the chair and face Jean with a beaming smile.

"What do you think?"

Jean considered the sparkle of the little earring in Jeremy’s lobe, bright against his flushed skin, and met Jeremy’s eyes. “It suits you,” he said simply. And it was true.

Somehow, Jeremy’s smile grew, and the stud twinkled like a miniature star as he kicked his feet.

As they all spilled back into the lobby a staggered chorus of “Thank you, Cherie!” arose from all five of the others. Pat already had his hand on the horizontal bar of the front door when Jean realized they had all turned to look expectantly at him again. He sighed and faced the counter. 

“Merci, ma chérie.” 

The sweet smile that curved Cherie’s lips seemed to soften her entire hardcore appearance, and she waved them all out amidst the chiming of the doorbell and the others’ whoops of triumph.

[seoksgrl]

happier than ever, 4. : knj namjoon x reader friends to strangers to lovers

tws: alcoholism, depression, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide

note: this chapter was a hard one to write, and a hard one to read, please heed the warnings!

m.list prev | next

You’ve been staring at the shop window for twenty minutes now, and you know the only reason you haven’t been shooed away with a broom is because you know the owner. Mrs Ahn’s shrewd eyes watch you from behind the aged glass, her knowing gaze watching you with equal parts pity and weariness. You’re still dressed in the clothes you went out in last night, and you haven’t been back home to change - you stink of stale booze and cigarettes, but people pass you as if you’re not there. 

The necklace is still in the window, and you come to stare at it every so often when you’re feeling particularly sorry for yourself, when you want to remind yourself of the waste of breath you have become. The necklace only fetched a few won, being fake and all, but the night you’d pawned it, the few notes it got you was enough to buy three bottles of whiskey. 

Today, you’ve decided to punish yourself a little longer than usual, staring at your mother’s necklace on the other side of the glass, letting the cubic zirconia glint at you like a wicked wink, mocking you for being the worst human being on planet earth. It almost hurts a little, and that's all you allow yourself before you turn away, walking down the street like a coward. 

“Y/N, dear,” Mrs Ahn calls, and you stop for a second, pausing in your step because this moment has strayed from the usual routine. When you turn, the old woman is watching you with those same eyes that remind you of the liquor you’d bought after seeing her that night, and you look away, down at the pavement, “Did you need something?”

Mrs Ahn has never been a cruel woman, nosey, yeah, but never cruel, and you know she is only asking with the hopes that you might suddenly morph back into the old version of yourself, the one that's easier for everyone to digest. 

“I know today is a hard day for you,” She says, her voice on the icy breeze carrying that same sorrowful lilt that drives you insane, “it’s the first since she passed, isn’t it?”

She knows it is, so you’re not sure why she’s asking, and you’re not going to answer either. The slur in your voice almost seems permanent now, but for some reason you don’t want her to hear it, so you nod and turn away, ignoring the several other attempts Mrs Ahn makes to call your name. 

It’s been two days since Namjoon came to your house, kicking out some guy whose face you don’t even remember, let alone his name. Any normal person would’ve thanked him, but you didn’t, instead you kicked him out and smashed up the living room, making it more of a mess than it already was. At least now you don't have to clean up your own messes anymore - not that you have been lately, anyway. 

Everytime you see Namjoon, it feels like swallowing cement, like you’re rooted in place with nowhere to go. His eyes make it impossible to move when you’re in their sights. Perhaps that’s why your immediate reaction upon seeing him is always anger, to look away from him for fear of him seeing all your ugliness. There sure is a lot of that lately. 

The sun begins to set, and you let your hazy mind focus on the one thing you planned to do today. It’s not often you make plans anymore, not ones that don’t involve the bar anyway, but today is important. It may be the most important plan you’ve ever made, but first you have somewhere to be. 

Taking the brown-bag covered bottle of wine from your coat pocket, you take a swig, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand and walking across the street towards the cemetery. 

“Looking good, man,” Jooheon says, wiping his hair back off his forehead. 

The heaters in the lobby have managed to ward off the sudden icy weather that’s fallen over Yeocho. Namjoon’s almost positive that if he looked outside, snow would begin to fall, and he can’t deny he always loves watching the first snow of the year. He always used to sit with you, usually watching from your bedroom window, his head automatically turning so he could see your twinkly eyes staring out at the dark, nose twitching in anticipation. 

The memory is a sharp, swift kick to the gut at moments like this, especially after the last interaction the two of you had. He wants to make it right, to go see you, but he doesn’t want to smother you into accepting his presence again. You’re going through shit, terrible shit, and he knows most of how you’re feeling. 

When his mom died, you were there for him day in, day out, much to Seokjin’s annoyance. The older man never said anything, but Namjoon could tell at the time, even during your hushed phone conversations with him when Namjoon was sat by the fire, as you snuck off into the kitchen to make hot chocolate and call Seokjin to explain why you wouldn’t be coming over again. 

The house had always felt empty when you had to leave for work at the studio, and Namjoon can only imagine it’s a hundred times worse with you in the house alone every day. He feels ill at the thought of you curled up on that old sofa crying. 

“Namjoon?” Jooheon says again, shaking Namjoon from his own form of torture, “You good?”

“Uh…yeah,” He smiles weakly at Jooheon who stands over him, handing him a beer. Namjoon’s hand aches from pulling up floorboards all day, and he’s sure he’s gonna have a couple of calluses on his hands. Though, it’s almost nice to feel the hard days work in his whole body instead of the usual lower back pain he leaves the office with, “Thanks, man,”

“Still thinking about, Y/N?”

Namjoon almost startles a little like when he was a teenager. Oh, there were so many times he was asked questions about you, mostly by his mom. How’s Y/N, honey? Did you see Y/N today? Have you asked that girl out yet? Namjoon fights off a smile at his mother’s insistent voice replaying in his mind, glancing up at Jooheon as he sips at his beer, “Yeah, actually. Just worried about her,”

“Aren’t we all?” Jooheon blows out a whistle, “She shouldn’t be on her own in that house. If she sold that place, she would be able to buy back the studio in no time,” Jooheon snorts, “Or better yet, get outta this place,”

“Yeocho has it’s charm,” Namjoon says, feeling oddly defensive about his hometown, “Besides, Y/N would never sell that house. She loves it. Aside from that asshole ex of hers, it was probably the only thing holding her back. The house and her mom,” his voice grows wistful, “I should go see her,”

“I can come if you like? I mean…” Jooheon gives Namjoon a cheeky smile, “she still likes me,”

Namjoon rolls his eyes, almost missing the flicker of jealousy in his chest, “Thanks for the reminder,”

By the time Jooheon and Namjoon get to your house, Namjoon can already tell you’re not home. The lights are off, and there’s a stony silence that surrounds the property, it’s almost eerie, and it sends a chill running down his back. When he knocks on the door a second time with no answer, he starts looking around, trying to shake his memory. 

“What you looking for?” Jooheon asks, cupping his hands to look through the darkened window, he backs away just as Namjoon finds it - the spare key under the plant pot. There’s an odd sense of warmth that flows through him, another thing that hasn’t changed, “A spare key? I don’t know, man. Isn’t this breaking and entering?”

“Not with a key,” Namjoon says, not feeling totally thrilled by the idea, but he has to get this icky feeling off of him. Something feels wrong, “I just want to check,”

When the two men enter the home, it’s trashed, smashed glass in the kitchen, a mirror toppled in the hallway, sofa cushions ripped and tossed aside like garbage. The scent of alcohol drifts throughout the whole house, and when Namjoon steps in a puddle of liquor, he finds something that makes his blood run cold. 

“Is that a match?”

Jooheon’s perplexed voice rings loud in the silence house, and Namjoon bends to pick it up. The match is black at the nub, a signal it had burnt, and from the smell of it, recently too. “Yeah,” Namjoon says, his voice sounding very far away to his own ears, “she missed,”

“What?”

“She threw it to hit the booze,” He walks further into the house, the alcohol staining the dusty carpet in dark blooms, and suddenly Namjoon can’t breathe, “she…she meant to burn it down,” 

Jooheon is deathly silent beside Namjoon, and it’s only within a few seconds that he springs into action, a hand on Namjoon’s shoulder, “I’m gonna call the cops, you check upstairs and I’ll take another look around here. Try to stay calm,”

Namjoon is so beyond the point of calm that he feels as if he’s gone into shock. He can’t imagine what you were thinking, or maybe he can and just doesn’t want to admit it. His body moves independent of his brain, and he’s sure it's just pure adrenaline fuelling his actions as he drops the burnt match in the wastepaper bin by the stairs, gripping the hand rail as he takes the stairs two at a time. 

Your bathroom, his first choice to look, is clear. He chances a look in your mother’s room, his heart sinking and lifting within one breath as he finds it completely untouched, your mom’s hospital-grade bed still tilted upwards as if she had been sitting up. His eyes fall to the chair beside the bed, and he shakes his head, a lump rising in his throat. 

You shouldn’t have had to go through that alone, to watch your mom slowly pass away. Why the fuck wasn’t he here? His chest is heaving by the time he pushes open your door, and he’s not sure if it’s relief or panic that has his blood rushing in his ears. Your room is empty, save for the utter chaos that perfectly summarises your life. He smells alcohol and vomit, and he wants to retch, mostly because of the reality of how your life has been. If he didn’t realise it before, he does now, he can’t ignore it as the sight of clothes, bottles and grime lay scattered around your bedroom. His eyes glance up, muscle memory from the years he spent laying on your bed with you and looking at the freshly painted planets done by your mother, an artist just like you. 

He feels a tear leak from his eye, dribbling down his cheek to where his jaw tightens. He turns away from the room in shame, jogging down the steps just in time to see Jooheon race from the kitchen, his eyes wide and hopeless as he shakes his head. Even as Jooheon confirms it, Namjoon knows exactly where you are, and he doesn’t wait for his friend, racing out of the door and into the freezing night air. 

His breaths sweep around him in clouds of white smoke, his chest almost aching from how cold it’s gotten in the moments he spent searching your house, and he doesn’t have time to get out his phone for the flashlight before he’s taking that well-beaten patch, his feet slipping on a rock or two along the way. He’s pushing aside the grass, breathing hard as the tears cool on his face, this heavy dread sitting in his stomach, almost painful, enough to make him want to lean over and retch onto the waterlogged bank of the lake. 

He gets to the clearing, finding the pier, but you’re not on it like last time. He skids to a stop, almost slipping on a patch of black ice as he runs his hands through his hair, tugging at the strands. Jooheon must’ve followed him, because a pool of white light comes up beside him followed by his friend, panting. 

“Y/N!” Namjoon cups his hands, Jooheon standing close by as he swings the flashlight out to the lake, “Fuck!”

“The lake’s frozen,” Jooheon says, almost too quiet, his eyes narrowed as he continues shining the light out to the water’s surface. It’s on the second or third sweep that Namjoon grips his wrist, forcing the light towards a hunched, black shape on the water. “Jesus,”

Namjoon is panting, his eyes almost blurry from the adrenaline running through his system, and his lips are numb when he speaks, “The lake isn’t strong enough,”

Jooheon’s hands reach up to clutch at his hair as Namjoon speaks, realising the predicament. Namjoon tugs the flashlight out of his hands, the pool of light finding the back of your head as you begin to turn. 

You’re far away, but Namjoon can see your blotchy red cheeks, the bottle in your hand and the sway in your steps. You slip once, and Namjoon’s heart jumps into his throat, but when you right yourself, you stare at him with lifeless eyes. With a trembling lip, you raise your hand, doing something he never thought he would see you do again. 

It’s an old game the two of you used to play, spelling out letters on each other’s palms so the other could guess the word, but this time you’re not close enough to reach his palm, so you settle for spelling it in the air instead. The light on you is trembling as Namjoon fights to hold the torch steady, and you manage to spell out two words. 

I’m sorry

And then, Namjoon’s world ends as you stomp your foot once, breaking the ice and falling into the dark, cold water below. 

taglist: @maryseesthings @rkivesfilm @btsffreader92 @creolesoul2seoul @kissme-ornot

[boyslit]

since my brain isn't letting me write new stuff, y'all wanna read the wip i had that sparked every path? it's kind of condensed brain-soup style but has key points and dialogue i wanted to include. :3 the doc name was just "ring"

---

(much, much later: a return to belobog for a week. Caelus catches up with old friends and old flames.)

koski came across a ring he's been holding onto for… no reason. reminded him of someone. more sentimental than valuable so he hasn't sold it. it's just cheap cubic zirconia, pretty as it is. he could probably have gotten someone to buy it at a high price thinking it's expensive orange topaz but… the thought of someone else having this sits wrong in his stomach. he's definitely not thinking about it lying in a box in his jacket pocket as he lies with Caelus after fucking. he holds his lover instead and pretends he's not leaving again in three days

catches a ride to the next stop with the express crew. swears he'll get off at the next stop, he's just wanting to make it off jarilo vi and into new markets. there's a whole wide world and new economies to learn to hustle after all. it doesn't hurt he can spend an extra day or two with Caelus.

when they disembark on a lively civship they still spend a couple days together before sampo realizes if he doesn't force himself to let go he's going to cling to Caelus forever

he secrets the ring into Caelus' pocket directly before they leave each other-it's a messy snoggy goodbye ofc. Sampo's off to find greener markets. Caelus is off finding side quests and people to help. eventually he digs in his pockets for money for lunch (some little hole in the wall Dan Heng knew about and only takes cash) and finds the ring. it's gunmetal finish with a brilliant yellow topaz. just like his eyes, even in a marquise cut like his diamond pupils. there's no way it was a coincidence. but why did sampo sneak it into his pocket?

it fits his ring finger perfectly. he feels warm and happy anyhow. it was nice to have something to remember him by since their work was taking them so far apart.

friends comment on ring later. c mentions he found it in his pocket earlier. m and dh exchange glances. "so he didn't propose with it, he just snuck it in your pocket? how cowardly."

"propose? propose what?"

"uh getting married? duh."

"well that doesn't sound like him anyway. is that what people do, ask someone to marry them with a ring?"

"yes????”

"March, he has even fewer memories than you."

"ooh, right. sorry"

cae studies the ring in his hand and thinks. "it's probably just a … a thing. something to remember him." later he snaps a picture of it on his hand and sends it.

c: [left me a surprise huh?]

[it's pretty. i like it]

[thanks <3]

he doesn't expect much in the way of a response but he did get a reply

s: [reminded me of you]

there's nothing else after that and Caelus feels a jolt of nervousness, wondering what's up. he tries to prod with humor

c: [careful, koski. you're getting dangerously close to sentimental~] a tilde to ensure the mood got through

it's a few minutes before he gets a reply. when calls reads it, he wonders if sampo has been writing and rewriting the text. it doesn't sound much like him

s: [i think i fell over that cliff a long time ago]

Caelus feels his breath catch in his throat- a heavy warm feeling collecting in his chest. they were never for talking about feelings. at least not honestly. sampo's dramatic declarations were mostly that- dramatics… but, maybe they hadn't been all bluster after all? Sampo's response hadn't been couched in poetic language. Even through text, it sounded like it had been muttered quietly, something he was terrified to admit out loud but unable to keep in any longer.

caelus swallows against the dread of the unknown and calls him instead. counts the rings. sampo picks up on the third ring.

“hey.”

“hi.” caelus wonders at the quiet, single syllable greeting. “you still on the Luofa?”

“mm. thought i’d get a …little drink before turning in for the night. skiff leaves in the morning.”

“is it any good?”

“finest plum wine on the entire Luofa~”

caelus chuckles. “that doesn’t tell me if it’s good.”

there’s a long moment of quiet. “i’ve been a bit… preoccupied. more interesting thoughts to hold my attention.”

“mm.” caelus leaned back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “feel like sharing?” after a moment of quiet on the other side, he added, “anything to do with the ring you left me?”

“everything to do with it,” sampo whispered.

curled up in bed with the phone pressed to his ear, it felt like sampo was right next to him. caelus waited.

"my plans haven’t changed. you’ve got your work to do and i have mine. our paths are diverging.” sampo stares deeply into the crystal glass of plum wine without seeing it. “and it’s killing me to let go.” the slight break in sampo's voice nearly broke his heart. smooth-talking sampo koski didn't falter or stammer… unless the truth was that painful to tell.

“do we have to?” caelus whispered.

“we should.” that wasn’t a yes. that was the answer of a man who wanted anything but the path he was on.

“where are you?” caelus said suddenly. he pulled himself off the bed and shrugged on his jacket. “gilded frog by the jetty?” He saw the plum wine advertised when he and March and Dan Heng had wandered past that afternoon with snacks in hand.

“don’t,” sampo whispered, lowering his head to his hand. “that’s just going to make this so much harder.”

“you didn’t say we had to, just that we should,” caelus argued, taking off down the hall at a run now, dodging the night maid and skidding around the corner once outside. He waved apologetically at the person he dodged around and kept going. the frog wasn’t too far from their hotel after all and he was the second fastest of their little team. “i don’t want to let go either,” he said breathlessly. “wait for me.”

“cae-”

“please.”

the bartender’s head snapped up as someone burst into the little tavern, panting, phone still pressed to his ear. Sampo turned around, his own phone still at his ear, and locked eyes with Caelus. Caelus grinned and put the phone away, striding across the rest of the place towards the bar.

Sampo sighed, gave him a weary, tipsy smile, and put the phone away. This was only going to hurt a thousand times worse at the end, but seeing Caelus again now, that impending pain seemed light-years away. When they’d met, he would never have thought in a million years that this surly, grouchy-looking little punk harbored a smile like that.

It weakened his heart.

"Cae…" Caelus strode up to him, grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Just like that, whole again. Everything missing had returned. Sampo wound his arms around Caelus' waist and hugged him tightly.

[wizard-irl]

Buying Crystals - Common Fakes

Part 5 of 7 in a guide for buying crystals. Read the rest here!

We are finally at the wholly fake crystals! These crystals are either dupes of real ones, real crystals passed off as other crystals, or man-made crystals without a natural analogue. I'm excited to get into this because once you know what to look for, its hard to be scammed.

And to be clear, if you value any of these, either as collector's items or as spiritual tools, that's perfectly fine. My issue is when people try to pass off crystals (or not-crystals!) as something they're not.

Real Crystals Sold As Fakes

Howlite - A very common dupe for turquoise. Real turquoise is very expensive, so cheap turquoise is likely to be dyed howlite. This may also be called turquenite. Acetone removes dyes.¹ ⁶

Malachite - Genuine malachite is green to dark green (never stark black), the colours fade together softly, without uniform patterns, and often with circular patterning. Conversely, fake malachite, often made of resin, may have black, hard lines, and uniform patterning normally without circular patterns.²

Clear quartz - Clear quartz is often faked using glass. Real clear quarts will have some kind of inclusion, even if they’re not visible to the eye, and will NEVER have bubbles in it.³

Obsidian - There are many types of natural glass, such as obsidian and moldavite. Real obsidian is opaque, dense, and its colours range from black to brown. Many fake obsidians promise vibrant colours impossible for real obsidian to form as.⁴

Moldavite - Moldavite is incredibly rare due to not only being found in one location, but being exclusively formed by meteorite activity. Real moldavite will be mossy-coloured, while fakes may tend towards light green. White moldavite is not real; it is typically calcite.⁵⁻⁶

Moissanite - Natural moissanite is incredibly rare. Most on the market will be synthetics.⁶

Citrine - Citrine is heated amethyst, but most citrine on the market will be artificially heated and sold as natural. Natural citrine has a colour ranging from olive to lemonade, and will never be found on a geode. A telltale sign of artificial citrine is any sign of a parent geode, especially a bright white colour on the bottom of the crystal, as well as the crystal’s colour generally looking “crispy” or bright orange.⁹

Prasiolite - Green quartz is incredibly rare in nature, and thus, most found on the market will be heat treated amethyst of certain localities. Typically, natural prasiolite is light, translucent green, while darker varieties are treated.¹¹

Geodes - Geodes are typically made of quartz, but less commonly calcite, dolomite, aragonite, akerite, hematite, magnetitie, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite.¹² Anything else is either incredibly rare or nonexistent. Many geodes may be dyed, modified, or sold as crystals they are not.¹³

Man-Made Crystals Without Natural Analogues

Glass (artificial) - There are many types of glass that are sold as natural crystals, such as goldstone (erroneously marketed as sunstone) and opalite (opal imitation, erroneously marketed as moonstone).¹⁰

Smelt quartz - Also known as cherry, blueberry, etc. quartz, are made of dyed glass.⁶

Slag - Slag is the byproduct of smelting. Names of commonly sold slags are: Fordite/Detroit agate, Sieber agate, andara crystal, rosarita, leklai, Frankfort green, and Leland blue.⁶⁻⁸

Cermikite - Also called alum crystal, these are commonly made in “grow your own crystal” kits. They are made of potassium aluminium sulphate.⁶

Chalcanthite - Synthetic crystal made of copper sulphate. Natural chalcanthite is incredibly rare and grows as fibrous crystals. This is a toxic crystal.⁶

Lopezite - Synthetic made of potassium dichomate. This is a toxic crystal.⁶

Cubic zirconia -  Diamond imitation made of zirconium dioxide.⁶

Further Reading

I cannot list all possible fakes and dupes. However, I can point to a few sites.

Crystals Rock

The Vug

Mineral Expert

If you need more specific advice, I'd say to simply search "how to tell if [crystal] is real/fake."

In the next part, we are discussing the root of why we need to be so careful when it comes to buying crystals: capitalism.

Sources

"How to Spot Fake Crystals", Crystals Rock.

"Fake of Real Malachite?", The Citrine Circle.

"How to Tell If Your Clear Quartz is Fake", Manifest and Flow.

"Real Vs Fake Obsidian Stone", How to Find Rocks.

"Real Vs Fake Malachite: How to Tell Moldavite Is Real", Truly Experiences.

"Toxic Crystals, Fakes, and Forgeries", Solstice Stones.

"Leland Blue Stones", Leelanau.

"Rosarita Stone History", TFD Jewellery.

"(Real vs Fake Citrine) How To Tell If You Have Real Citrine", Rock Seeker.

"'Fake' Crystals — Opalite, Goldstone, and More.", Marble Crow Blog.

"Prasiolite", The Quartz Page.

"Geode", Britannica.

"Are There Fake Geodes? (How To Spot Man-Made Geodes)", Rock Seeker.

[rcreveal]

The Trouble with a Keen Manager

A canon typical story set in the early 1990s just barely pre-Anti Christ S1 where Crowley loses most of his powers and needs help from new friends and old while he fights to regain his old power and autonomy...and just not to get discorporated! Banter, humor, drama, pining. Ch 1 of 22: This one is finished, so I won't leave you hanging, too long. Psst-Crowley in a kilt most of the story...

Chapter 1:

Aziraphale puttered about his bookshop dusting the stacks and looking over at the door from time to time. Drifting past his desk, he glanced at a book seller’s catalog laying open with colored ribbons marking his new purchases. Humming to himself happily, the angel’s fingers hovered over one of his most anticipated new selections.  Then he shook his head and set himself off to reorganize the Jane Austen.  Every time a new movie or television adaptation came out he had to guard his first editions from the depredations of the book buyers!

Oh he just couldn't wait!

Recently…

Crowley toyed with a self-addressed order postcard of the kind that might be “blown in” to a magazine or journal.  The kind of postcard that was an advert for double glazing, questionable self-care products, guaranteed cubic zirconia jewelry, and books not yet available in local shops.   They’d fall like raining frogs out of the magazine of the poor soul that just wanted to pilfer a little look at an article without buying the whole magazine AND they were each little temptations!  It’d been wicked fun suggesting ‘blow ins’ to the advertising blokes.  The little irritation to millions of people forced to wrestle with scooping up the pieces of paper or being inveigled to litter was a bonus for his reports.  Sometimes he’d sit across from a magazine stand just to watch it.  

Crowley had been sitting on a bench across from a magazine stand smiling to himself as the blow ins fluttered down, seeing the familiar crease between the brows and shuffled stooping and swatting for the little cards.  They even got away from people purchasing a magazine.  Littering thus tarnishing an otherwise upright citizen.  The rather excitable university student with the baggy jumper over baggy non-descript pants hadn’t noticed the card falling out when she’d stuffed the magazine into her bag.  From over the road it looked like she was taking home a deadly dry scientific journal of some sort.  During a lull in shoppers, Crowley had poured himself up from the bench and sauntered over to see what adverts had added to the litter on the city street, grinning to himself as he riffled the debris with his pointy toed shoe.  It was another bad day for double glazing!   Leaning over to see what sort of advert could possibly be in that dry old magazine, his fingers closed over the little bit of cardstock he’d marked falling from the student’s bag.

Flipping the little card over, he’d let out a ‘huh’ as he read the advertisement over the top of his sunglasses to better see the colored picture, looking more like a middle aged man who’d eschewed his readers than a debonair demon.  Pocketing the card, he wondered if he might just find a copy there…where had they moved now?  Oh, right, Carlton House Terrace, he turned to cross St James Park.  He could do with a brandy and they still had a clubroom there, surely.

Well that was a disappointment.

The tea room choices weren’t exactly what he’d remembered from the Royal Society, but the zip and tingle of all the thinking going on in the building was headier than most vintages as he meandered through the public exhibits.

“Pardon me, but would you carry this book?” Crowley asked the young man at the Royal Society book shop, flipping the card in front of his nose.

The fellow peered at the little card in Crowley’s hand and a smile broke over his face.  “Oh, I am so excited to see this one, sir!  Can’t wait to get my hands on it!”

“So, you don’t have a copy here?” drawled Crowley.

“Nooo, sir, that’s an American publication.  I don't know when we’ll get a copy.  You could ask your local bookseller to order one for you, if you don't want to wait,” the young fellow added helpfully.

A slight grimace on his face, Crowley pocketed the card again, “Thanks anyway,” waving a couple of fingers at the building,  “Like what you’ve done with the place,” Crowley sauntered away affecting nonchalance.

But the demon was thinking, ‘Yeah, he might, but…nah, not worth the risk.’ Crowley had rarely asked for anything from him outside the bounds of the Arrangement, and the business with the holy water made him even less likely to expose himself like that again even on a much smaller scale. Definitely not right now.  There were other ways.

The advert marred the perfect black austerity of Crowley’s huge desk.  It was a temptation, so that should be alright, plausible deniability and the like.  Pity Crowley was currently the focus of the temptation.  Worse, he could feel the laconic eye of the Pit on him more often these days.  Someone seemed to be going through a keen phase, so he’d been toeing the line more than he liked lately.  Made more difficult by some of the recent administrative changes.

Running his thin fingers over the address side of the card, Crowley pushed the card away and strove not to look at it.  Failing that, grumbling in the back of his throat, Crowley flipped the card over and let his eyes rangehungrily over the advert.  Holding the card up to eye level he looked at a red and yellow swirl on a deep black background and ground his teeth.  

A fruitless day of calling booksellers found that no one was planning on getting a copy of the book he wanted anytime soon.  Most had asked if he had inquired at the Royal Society.  

As he worked through the Book Sellers listed in the Yellow Pages from A to Zed (skipping the first shop listed under A, of course) some of the older shop owners started to offer ‘helpful’ suggestions.

“If it’s an unusual book that you’re after, you should check out A. Z. Fell’s in Soho.”

“You know, that Mr Fell gets books from across the pond pretty frequently,” another offered. 

“Mr Fell has connections for discerning patrons like yourself.  I can give you his number, if you like.”

After a few more exchanges like this, Crowley’s frustration was rising, as was his speculation that ‘Mr. Fell’ might not have always been entirely above board with his book collection.  With rising spirits, Crowley imagined the ‘dangerous’ ideas hidden in books and pamphlets banned over the years now lying in wait in the dusty corners of the book-hoarder’s shop to spring upon some unsuspecting mind.

Finally accepting that no bookseller in London was getting the book any time soon, he dialed the angel’s phone number by memory.  But he still had to figure out a way to get the book without letting his traditional adversary know it was for him.

***

Aziraphale strolled into St James park with interest piqued, just stopping to pick up a bag of breadcrumbs before making his way to the lean figure of Crowley who stood over by the pond with hands deep in pockets staring at the ducks.  Walking up to the duck pond some way away from the demon, Aziraphale started feeding the ducks and by pure happenstance, I assure you! drifted down to stand next to Crowley.

Without looking at him, Aziraphale murmured, “It’s been a while!  How’ve you been keeping?” politely, but a little cooly.  The angel had not cared for finding his home city surrounded by the dread sigil odegra.  Aziraphale didn’t much care for motorways in the first place, (too fast) but he suspected that Crowley might have had something to do with the M25 turning into an evil prayer wheel.

Making a sour face, Crowley replied, “Nnggh, gotta new manager.  Keen.”

“Really?  Keen how?” Aziraphale asked blandly.

Crowley grunted, “Some actual new ideas!” he said, sarcastically, “Memos requesting line item audits of miracles performed and how each upheld the glorious Great Plan for Satan’s supremacy.”

“Oh, that’s a blow,” Aziraphale replied solicitously.  “Home Office did that to me once.”

“You? Why?” Crowley replied, surprised.

“Said I’d made too many ‘frivolous’ miracles.” Aziraphale explained.

“Yeah?  Why would they say that?” Crowley replied with a little sarcastic smile, reminded of all the little restaurants and cafes the angel enjoyed.  Remembered rescuing Aziraphale from the Bastille when his miracles had been cut off.

Aziraphale hmmphed a little, turning to cast breadcrumbs in front of the demon, and noted the unaccustomed shabby look of Crowley’s clothing and his shaggy, tousled hair, it couldn’t be said to be a style (which wasn’t actually true, Kurt Cobain fans would have considered Crowley’s hair the height of fashion, except that they didn’t do high fashion).  That was odd.  Crowley kept his wardrobe pristine and took more care with his coiffure than Aziraphale.  

“Did they, ah,” Aziraphale inquired delicately, “‘Tighten the purse strings’ on you?”

After blowing out an expressive snort, Crowley slouched further, turning this way and that, “I’ve had to maintain clothing!  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to maintain silk while performing assignments in a rainy environment!?”

Raising his eyebrows and rolling his eyes to the side, Aziraphale smiled a tiny smile and said, “Well yes, dear boy, I do have some little facility in that department,” which the demon knew very well.  They’d had endless little disagreements about why Aziraphale kept his clothing fresh and tidy the human way and Crowley constantly cheated with miracles.  So, something was definitely amiss, but what?  “Why don’t you come by later and I can give you some tips.”

“Dunno.  It’s like someone’s staring at my back all the time!” 

So they would have to be extra cautious, “I’ve just gotten a new wine in from the New World, supposed to be rather special?”

“Mmmm,” Crowley wasn’t going to risk Hell’s new attention for a Pinot Noir.

“And a Scottish single malt.”

“MMmmm, yeah, alright,” Crowley acceded.  Risking Hell’s attention for whiskey was another matter.  The angel only drank that particular type of ‘demon drink’ with him.

“Well I’ll be off then,” Aziraphale said airily, passing just in front of Crowley as he walked purposefully out of the park.

Turning back to the ducks after the angel’s abrupt departure, Crowley looked down, only then noticing that Aziraphale had tucked the half empty bag of breadcrumbs into his pocket.

Shaking his head with a warmer smile on his lips, Crowley took out the bag and enjoyed feeding the ducks.

[justop-jewelry]

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[ask-a-goldsmith]

Hello my good people - I previously told you about different diamond simulants and their effectiveness in this post. However, I neglected to say anything about how to actually tell diamonds and diamond simulants apart. This post will be focused on how to tell simulants from genuine diamonds, rather than from each other, because that's generally what needs to be done.

I'll be trying to avoid repeating myself as much as possible here because posts about "what makes diamond simulants look like diamonds" and "how to tell diamonds and simulants apart" have quite a bit of overlap. I digress. (I digress a lot. Get used to it.)

First up - glass and plastic. Glass and plastic are made to sparkle, not fool anyone looking close. If a stone has rounded edges, It's plastic. You can also touch the stone to the back of your hand or your lips - if it's room temperature or warm, it's plastic.

Glass is slightly harder to tell, though most glass stones will have chips along the edges of the facets. If there are no chips, check for refractive index differences by looking into the stone through the large, flat top(known as the table). Slowly tilt the stone away from yourself. If you watch carefully, you should be able to see straight through glass stones at some angles. This trick should generally be used with others though - cubics and poorly cut diamonds also show this sometimes.

White sapphires are where it gets hard for amateurs to tell - the differences are mainly in the general look and feel of the stone and may require some practice. White sapphires will have a grayish, almost flat look to them, and no fire(colourful flashes). They will also be cut deeper than most diamonds, but that's near impossible to see in many settings. To check if a stone is a white sapphire, watch it while moving it around - if there are no colourful flashes, and the surface doesn't look like glass or plastic, it's probably a white sapphire.

I will note - these stones hardly ever exist in a vacuum. It's important to look at the quality of the jewelry that they're set in, and the other stones around them when determining if a diamond is genuine.

Cubic zirconias are where you will almost definitely need professional help - these bastards are hard to tell apart from diamonds, especially in settings. And yes, the bastard title is deserved. Several years in this industry has given me Opinions. Anyway. The easiest(non-destructive) way to tell a cubic from a diamond is to flip it upside down and look through the bottom facets, known as the pavilion. You know what? We need a diagram.

This trick is pretty easy with loose stones - take your tweezers, and move the stone(table down) across some printed lines. I usually use business cards, because they're right there and the line size works well. With a genuine diamond, you may see some darkening or a very faint line somewhere in the stone. With cubics, you'll be able to see right through. Generally not to the point of being able to read through it, but you can obviously see the line moving under the stone. ...I say obviously. Take anything I say is clear or obvious with a grain of salt. It's obvious to me, but probably not to the general public. Oops. This trick is MUCH harder with stones set in a ring - which is unfortunate because most stones are set in rings. If you can see the back of the stones, huzzah! You can sometimes do the same trick as with loose stones. If the stone backs aren't visible or the trick isn't working, as far as I know, you're kinda stuck with eyeballing it or the destructive method.

The other way to tell cubics and diamonds apart is to (maybe) destroy them! Yayyy! The grit used in sandpaper is harder than cubics, but softer than diamonds. This means that you can just sand the top of the stone a little, and if it's damaged, whoops! That was a cubic. The downside to this is it destroys the cubic, which usually results in angry people wanting their "diamond" replaced. Sigh.

The final diamond simulant I'll be talking about is moissanite. Moissanites are, as previously mentioned, my preferred diamond simulant. However, they are not the hardest to distinguish. Because of their double refractions, moissanite has a slightly fuzzy look up close. Up close being at like 5-10x magnification, but that's beside the point. You can also check if the stone has a higher-than-normal level of fire, though that needs to be done in comparison to a real diamond and is less effective than just checking for doubling.

There's absolutely no point talking about lab-grown diamonds, as they are actual diamonds. And therefore indistinguishable other than a laser-etched serial number. Some extremely fancy machines can tell the difference, but that is pretty irrelevant to the vast majority of people.

So! I hope I've answered all your(not asked lol) questions. If you have more or want elaboration on anything said here, let me know! I would love to talk about it!

[goldhartzjewelry]

The Original Vs. Simulant Face-Off: Decoding Gemstones - Diamond vs. Cubic Zirconia vs. Moissanite

Dive into the dazzling world of gemstones with our latest blog in our blog post in the series, Gold Hartz - Beginner's Guide:- "The Original Vs. Simulant Face-Off: Decoding Gemstones - Diamond vs. Cubic Zirconia vs. Moissanite". By unraveling the mysteries of diamonds, cubic zirconia, and moissanite, individuals can confidently navigate the gemstone market, ensuring that their jewelry choices reflect both personal style and informed decision-making. Click on the link to read more:

[georgiapeach30513]

My fav soba defender excuse that I’ve read recently is that she can’t promote her work because mean fans bully her. No seriously, there were actually discussions on other blogs where they claimed she wasn’t lazy and ungrateful, she was told not to promote her work so they wouldn’t harass her.

Yet….soba shows up to a appletv premiere and a GQ event and a Paris fashion show. Didn’t promote any work there either or other people’s work but did manage to look like a deadpan mannequin.

She was in PT the whole time and didn’t show up to her latest film festival Q&A. But is happy to show up to a more high profile event for a big men’s magazine promoting her “fashion” and cubic zirconia set from QVC.

Come on yall. Even if you Iike soba, can’t you see how transparent these noodles are???

(Sorry I hope this wasn’t too mean)

She’s not promoting her Portugal work. Don’t worry, when Mother Mary comes out, she’ll be all about that. Just wait.

At least she got an in season Miu Miu dress this time.

[andrewmoocow]

Little Homeworld Life chapter 25: A Temple Divided (originally published on June 12, 2023)

AN: At long last, everything begins coming together in the first part of this two-part finale to Little Homeworld Life. Afterwards, we only have Snake Eyes left to cover before finally closing the door on Steven Universe: Alternate Future. Almost every single plotline we've been setting up throughout the entire series will reach what I hope is a satisfying conclusion here, from Black Rutile's control over the Internet, how the Crystal Gems' actions have consequences, the return of Cinnabar, and many more. I think this might be one of the darkest chapters of the series yet, so hold onto your butts as it all comes crumbling down.

Synopsis: With some new and old allies by her side, Black Rutile begins making plans for her latest revenge on the Crystal Gems by breaking them up using some long-forgotten secrets. Meanwhile, President Eduardo Suarez fights for his life against Black Rutile's human supporters.

Cast:

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball, Ruby, Doc, Navy, Army, Leggy, Mega Ruby

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst, Famethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, The Black Pearl Brigade

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli, Phoenix Lapis Lazuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Erica Luttrell as Sapphire

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Dalmatian Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Jon Wurster as Marty

Shanelle Grey as Sally Grove

Casey Robertson as Neil Michaels

John Kassir as Reginald Anderson

Lin-Manuel Miranda as President Eduardo Suarez

Wendie Malick as Vice-President Theresa Maxwell

GZA as Major General Wade Grant

Tim Curry as General Lloyd Waller

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon

Martha Higerada as Topaz

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald, Chest Emerald

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid, Eyeball Demantoid

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Olivia Olson as Citrine Twins

Avi Roque as Cinnabar

Gina Torres as Andesine

Awkwafina as Kyanite

Allison Janney as Pyrite

Zehra Fazal as Zoisite

Lena Hall as Bloodstone

Jodie Whittaker as Xenotime

Idina Menzel as Amazonite

Halsey as Tanzanite

Mia Barron as Apatite

Sarah Jessica Parker as Dumortierite

Cavetown as Diaspore

Barbara Dunkelman as Amber

Kristen Schaal as Howlite

Christoph Waltz as Francis von Bowling

Featuring Stephanie Beatriz as Arleen Suarzez

Xolo Mariduena as Huey Suarez

Leslie Grace as Riley Suarez

Peter Barto as Secret Service Agent

With Alyson Hannigan as Lavenderine

And May Calamawy as Chrome Chalcedony

--

One lovely summer day in Beach City, the Crystal Gems were getting ready for a party. But it wasn't just any party, they were preparing for Ruby and Sapphire's wedding anniversary party and the anniversary of their professional alliance with the Diamonds. The Gems were hard at work on making sure the party was perfect, but little did they realize that this party would be pooped on very soon.

"Okay Zirconias, just put that banner over to the right!" Pearl ordered the Heaven and Earth Cubic Zirconias to move a banner reading 'HAPPY ANNIVERSARY RUBY AND SAPPHIRE' into her requested position. Unfortunately, the two Cubic Zirconias were far too small to carry it and made it fall down. "Okay, maybe I should've told someone else to do it."

"What do you mean you're on a wedding cake shortage?!" Amethyst complained over the phone to a bakery. "Who in the world could possibly want that many cakes?! Oh, the Royal Family? Yeah, that makes sense. I'll just call someone else. Thanks anyways, choom."

"So, how's the happy couple doing right now?" Bismuth asked Ruby and Sapphire as the red and blue married couple oversaw the preparations.

"We're doing wonderful Bismuth, thank you." Sapphire smiled gently.

"Can you believe it's only been four years since we learned Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond?" Ruby asked. "Sometimes, I feel like it's been even longer. Like, way longer!"

"It does feel that way sometimes with everything we've done since then," Pearl added. "Between going to Homeworld, meeting White Diamond for the first time, starting Era 3, the Demantoid & Pyrope crisis, building Little Homeworld, the Spinel crisis, and fighting Black Rutile, it's just been too much."

"Hey Lapis, how's the weather looking?" Amethyst called to Lapis, who was high in the sky to check the weather.

"Looking pretty good, so far!" Lapis replied. "Though I think a storm might be coming soon." She added, pointing to some faint storm clouds in the distance. "Should we start worrying about that? I mean, can't have bad weather on a wedding anniversary."

"I'm sure it won't matter." Ruby declared. "No silly old storm can keep us down! Right, my laughy Sapphy?"

"Oh Ruby, you dog!" Sapphire laughed as Ruby held her one-eyed wife in her arms and kissed her. However, the storm would unknowingly become the least of their worries. Hidden in the distance, Black Rutile snuck into the beach house with a plastic bag full of Gem shards in her hand, hoping that her enemies were far away enough to not notice her entering.

"This had better work." Black Rutile muttered to herself while opening the door to the bathroom and grabbing the three bottles of the Diamonds' essence from the mirror. "I got a lot riding on these bottles to bolster my forces."

After filling the bathtub with water and pouring the essence in, Black Rutile pulled open the bag and dumped the Gem shards into the tub. She sat at the tub crouching in anticipation, hoping what she heard about how Jasper was resurrected after being shattered by a power-mad Steven was true. Suddenly, she saw a light emerging from the tub. "Yes, it's working!"

Black Rutile watched in excitement as Zoisite's deceased team of Phoenix Lapis Lazuli, Eyeball Demantoid, Chest Emerald, and the Citrine Twins were fully restored to life. "Happy welcome back day, my friends!" she exclaimed. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Black Rutile! You may remember me for rising to the top of White Diamond's court only to realize how much of it was built on a lie by my Diamond's demented sense of humor!"

"I'm sorry, I'm going to need a refresher here since I just came back to life." Phoenix Lapis muttered while getting out of the tub and shaking water out of her hair. "Your Diamond did what now?"

"Listen to me, I shall explain everything along the way." Black Rutile stated as she helped the rest of Zoisite's formerly deceased subordinates out of the bathtub. "Just follow me to this place called Little Homeworld that I'm forced to reside in here on Earth."

"Oh, you bet I'm going to need a heads up." One of the Citrine twins muttered as Black Rutile led the newly revived Gems out of the bathroom and onto the Warp Pad.

--

"How's it looking, Howlite?" Bloodstone asked Howlite as the two of them, along with Apatite, Tanzanite, Zoisite, and Demantoid worked together on rebuilding Cinnabar's Rejuvenation Blaster, last used against the Black Pearl Brigade during Cinnabar's attempted takeover of Homeworld.

"Firing rate is at an optimal state," Howlite replied as she did some coding on the Blaster's reprogramming powers. "And at Cinnabar's suggestion, we've increased the permanence of the weapon's effects on Gems. Though there is one strand of code that we've yet to cover."

"Yeah, whatever, when can we test this baby?" Zoisite exclaimed as she took the Rejuvenation Blaster and pointed it around.

"Not yet Zoisite, you have to wait until we have built enough for everybody!" Demantoid yelled while snatching the blaster away. "Plus, as Howlite said, there is but one strand of code we've yet to fix." Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Can someone get that?"

"I'll get it," Apatite said as she walked over and opened the door to see Black Rutile standing outside. "Oh, hey boss. Need anything?"

"I'd like to see Zoisite, please." Black Rutile responded politely. "I have something she'd like to see." As Zoisite got up and walked to the front door at the mention of her name, Black Rutile moved to the side to reveal the assassin's old team behind her. To say Zoisite was overjoyed to see them again despite their untimely demises would be an understatement. Instead, she was overcome with so much joy, she started sobbing as she pounced on her old gang.

"Apparently, the Diamonds' essences can restore shattered Gems." Black Rutile muttered as she turned away from the touching moment. "Kind of renders everything we've sacrificed completely pointless, huh?"

"Not right now, in the middle of a long-awaited reunion." Zoisite cried softly while wrapping her former subordinates in a group hug just as Dalmatian Jasper entered the scene.

"Aw, we missed you too, boss." The chest Emerald said. "So, this Steven fellow is the reason you're stuck here?"

"It's not just him, but the entire corrupt system the Crystal Gems have forced onto us!" Black Rutile declared. "I have lost everything thanks to them! My status, my possessions, my armies, everything!"

"Basically, she's out for revenge." Dalmatian Jasper reiterated. "So Zee, this is your old team, huh?"

"Yes, I'd like you to meet everybody." Zoisite sighed happily before pointing to each member of her hit-squad. "This is Phoenix Lapis, that's Demantoid, this is Emerald, and those are the Citrine twins."

"We can talk later, it's planning time." Black Rutile declared as she walked inside her house. "The pieces are all about to fall into place once more. Let me ask you all, how were the Crystal Gems always able to save the day all the time?" she asked her minions. "Well, it's because they had the power of teamwork. Now, this leads me to come to a conclusion. What if we were able to turn them against each other somehow? All we need to do is break the weakest link."

"Finally!" Marty cheered as he emerged from the shadows behind Black Rutile. "I've been itching to make a move on those extraterrestrial dykes for ages!"

"The white man using slurs against members of a minority he hates so much." Sally Grove added dourly. "Typical."

"We are ready and willing to serve, my Rutile." Francis von Bowling proclaimed while Lennie, Milton, Rasputina, Konstantin, Pavel, and Leo stood behind him. Pavel held a tablet that had Neil Michaels' face on it.

"Anything to finally show up Pearl for all she's done to me." Neil groaned in exasperation.

"Good to see my team is still on the same page." Black Rutile declared deviously. "Now, Dr. Brenner, connect me to Mr. Johnson."

"With pleasure, my Rutile." James Brenner said sadly as he turned on Black Rutile's computer to show the white supremacist podcaster Reginald Johnson's face on it.

"Hello?" Reginald asked while adjusting his camera. "Oh hey, the alien lady! I've heard about you!"

"Ah, Reginald, so glad we could talk on this momentous occasion." Black Rutile answered. "You may know me as Black Rutile. Revolutionary, influencer, terrorist. I believe Sally Grove may have talked to me."

"Yeah, I've heard her talk about you, but I was barely paying attention because she kept going on and on about how just because I'm a white man, that doesn't mean I can get away with everything," Reginald said. "I swear, women on the Internet, am I right?!"

"I'm standing right here, white savior!" Sally complained. "Having us on the same team was a bad idea!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Black Rutile yelled at Sally and Reginald. "Reggie, are you and your followers all set for Operation: Olympus Down?"

"Yep, about 2,000 strong, give or take!" Reginald proudly stated. "Most of them are still ticked off that Ronald Crump lost to Suarez in the election! Even with all his men, that old fart won't see it coming!"

"So, remind me what this has to do with the president?" Sally asked Black Rutile.

"It's because he was there to help the Gems stop my plans the first time around, and I plan on getting my revenge!" Black Rutile answered. "In all my browsing of the Internet, I have learned one thing that ruled them all, that if you expose someone to anger long enough, they will learn to hate. And boy have these creatures been exposed to plenty of hate!" She began displaying many controversies over the years to prove her point. "Hatred, bigotry, war, destruction, all over the silliest of things like a video game, movie, or TV show with a cult-like fanbase torturing someone with a different opinion, corrupt businessmen destroying the environment, or feeling intimidated by a person of a certain minority being superior to them in every way imaginable."

Black Rutile then projected a chessboard from her visor with pieces representing the Crystal Gems. "To put it simply, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate shall lead to suffering." She began to rearrange the pieces, with Garnet, Pearl, and Bismuth on one side, while the other side had Lapis, Amethyst, and Peridot.

--

Back at the anniversary party, preparations were almost complete. All that was left to do now was to invite guests, buy decorations, find a cake, and get the party started. So far, almost everyone who attended the wedding had invitations written, along with a few friends the Gems made since then. Meanwhile, Greg was sent off to find a cake for the party.

"Okay, quick question everybody." Lapis wondered while making some RSVPs. "Where do we stand with the Diamonds right now?"

"I think they might still be upset with us for calling them out on how their treatment of Pink started all this mess," Garnet replied. "But thankfully, as far as I know, they haven't decided to get revenge and turn back to their old ways, as much as Black Rutile would probably kill to see that."

"Let's just send an invite just in case. If they don't want to come, that shouldn't be any of our business." Pearl said before sealing an envelope with Amethyst's tongue. "I'm just worried though. What if what they said about how we treated Steven was true?"

"Eh, what's past is prologue, or whatever that play said," Amethyst responded coolly. "I'm not ready to go through that whole drama again."

"Still, can you believe how long it's been since the Rebellion?" Lapis mused, making a nearby Bismuth start looking uncomfortable. "Feels like yesterday that I was sent down for a visit only to get chucked into the Rebellion, and then I got poofed and stuck in that mirror."

"Hey, uh, Pearl?" Bismuth called for Pearl. "Can I speak with you for a second? Preferably alone."

"Oh, of course," Pearl said as the blacksmith took her aside to have a private chat behind one of the destroyed stone hands. "What's on your mind, dear? Something about the Rebellion, I suppose."

"Well, it's about how Lapis got involved in things." Bismuth nervously stated to Pearl. "You know how she was poofed and put in that mirror? Well, it turns out I was the one who poofed her."

"What?!" Pearl squawked in shock before Bismuth put her hand over Pearl's mouth, hoping Lapis wouldn't overhear them. "Did you just say you were the one who poofed Lapis?" she said more quietly through Bismuth's hand. "How?"

"I didn't know how it happened either," Bismuth admitted sorrowfully. "I was just in the zone and mistook her for a soldier. It only took until getting to know Lapis better that I realized I'm basically the one who ruined her life."

"Oh, Bismuth, don't be too hard on yourself," Pearl replied soothingly, putting a hand on her rainbow girlfriend's chin. "I'm sure Lapis will understand once you open up to her. Did you really keep this from her for this long?"

"I just haven't had the heart." Bismuth shook her head while looking out at Lapis having fun with Peridot and Amethyst by dunking some fruit punch on Teal Zircon's head. "Just look at her, so happy and free. Do you really think I'm the kind of gal to do that to someone? No, no, a thousand times no!"

While Bismuth declared herself to not be the kind of Gem to keep such a terrible secret for so long, someone was planning to do that for her. Nearby, Morganite kept herself hidden behind another hand while eavesdropping on the two Rebellion veterans. "This is going to be juicy." She purred to herself before disappearing without a trace.

--

"Ay, dios mio, dealing with those Arasaka chumps and trying to stop their oil drilling was harder than I thought." President Eduardo Suarez sighed in relief as he ended another long day of work for the country he ran while walking into the Oval Office. It was a hard job to be sure, but a satisfactory one nonetheless as he loved doing what he could to help the American people. Plus, coming home to his family made even the most challenging of days more worth it.

"Papi!" Eduardo's children, 15-year-old son Huey and 16-year-old daughter Riley cried as they ran up and gave their father a welcome back hug.

"How was work today, Dad?" Huey asked his dad. "How much trouble did those Arasaka people give you?"

"Ugh, they kept me in their offices for hours!" Eduardo complained to his son. "They kept going on and on about how because they're so rich, they deserve everything! Newsflash Saburo, you're saying you're richer than the freaking President! Millionaires, am I right?"

"If I were you, I'd have just told them to shove off!" Riley added eagerly. "They don't know who they're talking to at all!"

"Now, Riley, no need to get so intense." The president's wife Arleen Suarez said as she walked into the office and kissed her husband-in-chief. "Just rest now, mi amor. You earned it after today."

"Thank you, dear." Eduardo sighed contently before he heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" A secret service agent then entered the room. "Good day, sir. Anything you'd like to tell me?"

"Mr. President, sir, there is someone who'd like to speak with you." The agent said in a robotic monotone. "Him and his army of more than 2,000 followers who voted for Crump in the election."

"I'm sorry, what?" Eduardo said before Reginald Johnson kicked down the door to the Oval Office and strode in with an exaggerated swagger like he owned the place before sitting down at the president's desk. "Sir, I'm going to ask you to remove yourself from my desk at once, por favor."

"Sorry el Presidente, but you can't tell me what to do anymore!" Reginald yelled angrily while pointing an accusing finger at the president. "You and the rest of your kind have been a stain on our green Earth for way too long now!"

"Oh poo, another prejudiced douchebag." Riley snarked. "Look pal, if you think you can just strut in here and tell my dad how much you hate him for his race, then you're in the wrong place! My papi can have your ass folded like a bad hand of cards with just one secret service guy!"

"I'm not talking about his race, ya idjit!" Reginald roared. "I'm talking about guys like him who bend the knee to those damn Crystal Gems who think that they're the rulers of the Earth now!"

"Do not say that about my friends." Eduardo retorted firmly while slamming his hands down on the desk. "They are some of the nicest people I've ever met, human or otherwise. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now because a deranged sociopath would've destroyed the Earth!"

"And that's the problem!" Reginald argued back. "They may have saved Earth, but they're destroying it in other ways too. I'm only doing what's good for people like me and you here, amigo, because that Steven boy's peace-loving ways will be the death of us all! It's in our nature to fight and hate, Eddy, and you simply can't fight nature! The wind blows, rain falls, and the strong prey upon the weak!"

"And what makes you think you can talk down to us like that?" Arleen said, resolutely standing by her husband and children. Reginald simply smirked and snapped his fingers, letting his army of angry followers do the talking for him. Men and women alike were all armed to the teeth as they barged into the Oval Office and surrounded the president's family. "Okay, point taken."

"EVERYBODY SCATTER!" Eduardo screamed in terror as he punched one of the gunmen in the face, grabbed his gun, and started running. "We'll meet back up at the Washington Monument, just go!"

"But what about you?!" Huey exclaimed.

"Leave these bigots to me and the secret service guys!" Eduardo said as he fired at more shooters, their bulletproof vests keeping them from dying as the president ran for his life.

"AFTER HIM!" Reginald screamed while unholstering a rifle from his back and giving pursuit. "That boy ain't right, and I'm gonna set him right whether he likes it or not!"

"Yippee-kay-yay, hijo de puta!" Eduardo shouted before firing a cartridge's worth of bullets at the angry white man chasing him. As more secret service employees began joining the firefight, Eduardo's quick thinking kept Reginald on his toes until he passed by the sitting room, where he made a shocking discovery. "Oh no!"

"Dad, help us!" Riley cried as she, Huey, and Arleen were cornered by more of Reginald's men.

"Mi familia!" Eduardo yelled back as he tried to charge into the sitting room to save them, only for Reginald to wrap his arm around the president's neck while pointing a gun at his temple. "You monster."

"I'm just giving you a choice here, chief." Reginald purred evilly. "Either give up, or somebody's getting iced today. Either way, my TubeTube channel is going to make me a millionaire."

"So that's what this is for, just some dumb clickbait?" Eduardo hissed in disgust. "I can see it now in big capital letters across the Internet. 'PRESIDENT LEAVES FAMILY TO DIE' or 'MAN SAVES COUNTRY FROM PSYCHO PRESIDENT'. This isn't about us, it's about you and your online fame!"

"You could say that." Reginald concurred. "My offer still stands. Which one of you is going to die?"

"No one!" the secret service agent from earlier declared as he barged in and tried to free President Suarez while disarming Reginald. "In the name of the United States, I hereby place you under arrest!"

"Not on my watch, sheep!" Reginald screamed as he and the agent wrestled each other.

"Run Mr. President, we shall handle things from here!" the agent yelled as the SWAT team burst into the White House to combat the terrorist threat.

"Fine, I'll go." Eduardo wheezed in pain before struggling over to his captive family. "Be strong, you guys. I'll be back soon."

"We'll be brave for you, papi," Riley replied, trying to keep a brave face despite the overwhelming odds.

"When I woke up this morning, I didn't expect my day to turn out like this." Huey muttered disdainfully.

"You're stronger than they'll ever be, darling," Arleen assured Eduardo before the two shared a passionate kiss. When the husband and wife ended their kiss, Eduardo then charged at the window and broke it as he jumped out of the White House's second floor.

"Okay, that went worse than I planned," Eduardo muttered as he got up from the fall. "Ooh, I think I may have broken a few bones." Just then, a limo pulled up close to where he landed and his vice president Theresa Maxwell poked her head out the window. "Theresa?!"

"Get in!" Theresa yelled tersely while opening the door for her president. "I saw those guys on the news before they started storming the place, and I just knew they'd be coming after you! Now come on!"

Despite his injuries, Eduardo's willpower and drive to protect his family kept him going as he struggled towards the limo and got in. As soon as he closed the door, the limousine drove as far away from the White House as possible.

"Excellent," Reginald smirked as he looked out the broken window and watched as the president escaped. "That son of a gun can run, but he sure as hell can't hide." He then pulled out his phone to begin making a call. "Reginald to Black Rutile, come in Black Rutile. Operation: Olympus Down is almost complete. We seized the White House, but the president managed to get away."

"Doesn't matter to me." Black Rutile responded. "Just as long as he's too distracted to help the Gems when I take them by surprise. Black Rutile out!"

--

Back at Little Homeworld, Black Rutile had finished her call to Reginald before she looked over at the progress on the reconstructed Rejuvenation Blaster. "How's it looking, everybody?"

"Reconstruction has officially been completed, now to find a test subject," Demantoid replied. "Who do you suggest, my Rutile?"

"I might have a few Gems in mind." Black Rutile said just as Morganite entered her house. "Morganite, I trust that your reconnaissance mission provided some fruit."

"Indeed, madam," Morganite answered with a bow. "I have reason to believe that Lapis Lazuli's misfortunes can all be blamed on that one Bismuth that she claims to be friends with. No doubt a useful tool for our cause. Perhaps one we can use to bring one of the Crystal Gems to our side. Now that I've done your dirty work, it's time to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Ah yes, what I would give you in exchange for restoring your loyalty in me." Black Rutile remembered. "However, I'm going to need Demantoid, Pyrope, and Emerald here as well."

"We're right here, my Rutile," Emerald said as she and Pyrope entered from the darkness. "What do you request?"

"I have recently come to a realization." Black Rutile replied while contemplating her new Rejuvenation Blaster. "Some of these Gems under my thumb have gotten a little soft with the time they've spent here on Earth. And since I'm set to make my grand return, I simply cannot have such weak subordinates."

"What are you implying, Black Rutile?" Pyrope asked, fearing the answer she'll soon get.

"What I'm implying is that I have no room for such weakness in my forces." Black Rutile said as she made it very clear that she intended to use Emerald, Morganite, Demantoid, and Pyrope as the first victims of the Rejuvenation Blaster. "Hence why your services will no longer be needed. Or at least, your services as your current selves." With an evil grin on her face, Black Rutile fired at the four Gems and made them writhe in enough pain for them to poof. Everyone was left gobsmacked at her cruelty, especially Tanzanite, but to Black Rutile, this was just another day for her. "Will anyone else attempt to fill their shoes?"

"How could you do that to your own subjects?" Tanzanite said with quiet outrage. "I thought you were fighting for their freedom! This is not what a leader should do! And I should know, I served under Rose Quartz before learning how much of a liar she was!"

"Would you care to join them as well?" Black Rutile shut Tanzanite up with a mere point of her Rejuvenation Blaster. Even though she had finally started questioning her new leader, Tanzanite meekly shook her head before walking away, just as Black Rutile's four victims reformed with only one thing to say.

"All hail Black Rutile." Emerald, Demantoid, Pyrope, and Morganite droned in reverence of their leader, any trace of their former selves now seemingly erased. "All hail Black Rutile."

"Excellent, it's working!" Black Rutile cheered. "With this, I can brainwash as many Gems as I please, but I suppose one will be far easier than the rest. And I won't even need the Blaster!" Putting the Blaster down, Black Rutile called for another of her subjects. "Aquamarine!"

"Yes, my Rutile?" Aquamarine asked her beloved superior.

"Find me Lapis Lazuli at once and tell her everything she needs to know about her so-called friends." Black Rutile ordered Aquamarine. "It's time to break our weakest link."

"Tell her what?" Aquamarine wondered before Black Rutile whispered an incredibly juicy, long-buried secret into her ear. "Oh, that is just perfect! I'll tell her as soon as I find her!" With a spring in her step, Aquamarine soared out of the house and away from Little Homeworld in search of Lapis.

"Now then, anybody else has something to tell the class?" Black Rutile asked her subordinates around. "How about you, Holly Blue? How have you been practicing fusion with Cat's Eye?"

"Oh, it's wonderful, my Rutile." Holly Blue replied merrily. "She makes such a wonderful partner."

"By the end of the day, the two of us will be more unified than the Crystal Gems!" Cat's Eye agreed and the two laughed heartily.

"Those two, I swear." Andesine rolled her eyes at the duo. "So when shall we strike, my Rutile?"

"Yeah, I'm getting impatient here!" Amber cried. "I need to hit something fast!" To try and relieve her stress, Amber threw a punch at Cinnabar, who barely flinched at the attack.

"Can't say I missed you, Amber." Cinnabar coolly stated. "So, clarify this for me. Are we just going to wait until the secret's out for us to strike?"

"You read my mind, dear Cinnabar." Black Rutile smiled at her student. "I really missed you, you know."

--

At the exact same time, Lapis had just emerged from a startup party supplies shop with bags full of decorations for the anniversary party. "Wow, who would've guessed Peridot would want this much stuff? It's just only everybody in town and then some coming to the party." As Lapis prepared to take flight, she suddenly heard someone let out a familiar bratty cackle. "What do you want, Aquamarine?!"

"Nice little shop you found here," Aquamarine said as she perched atop the shop's sign. "Too bad it's on the planet where your life as you knew it ended, huh?"

"Uh, what are you on about this time?" Lapis asked with a roll of her eyes, practically itching to fly as far away from whatever bloviating Aquamarine was about to spout this time. "Look, I'm on a very tight schedule here, so if you have something to say, just make it quick."

"Very well then." Aquamarine huffed in frustration while puffing her cheeks. "Now, I have a question to ask you. Did you ever wonder who poofed you during the Rebellion, my friend?"

"No, I don't think I ever knew and I don't care," Lapis replied grumpily. "Now please, let me go."

"No no, I have something amazing to tell you!" Aquamarine yelled while pulling at Lapis's leg. "Did Bismuth ever tell you?"

"What did she tell me?" Lapis replied nervously before the smaller blue Gem dropped quite possibly the biggest bombshell she ever heard in her life.

"That she poofed you in the Rebellion." Aquamarine declared with a smirk, causing Lapis to drop her shopping bags in horror.

"Wait, you're kidding, are you?" Lapis asked as her reality began crashing down on her. "She wouldn't do that!"

"But she did!" Aquamarine replied with a cheeky, psychotic smile. "For you, the day Bismuth ruined your life because she saw you as a mere soldier was the most horrible day of your life. But for her, it was Tuesday."

"But, but why?!" Lapis shrieked in denial while dropping to her knees and clutching her head between her hands. "Bismuth was such a good friend of mine, but now you tell me she was keeping this from me for centuries?! How could she?!"

"She just didn't have the heart to admit it." Aquamarine shook her head sympathetically before placing a hand on Lapis's back. "Go on, be the bigger Gem. Tell them how you really feel."

When Lapis looked up at Aquamarine, it wasn't with tears of betrayal. She instead stared at the other Gem with fires of hatred and deceit. This was like when the Crystal Gems left her in the mirror for thousands of years without realizing a Gem was trapped inside it, only far worse. This time, they were trapping her in a cage of lies and secrecy. Without even a word to Aquamarine, Lapis flew back to the Crystal Gems, not even bothering to come back for the decorations because she was that angry.

"Excellent," Aquamarine smirked before, out of curiosity, she decided to take a peek at what Lapis bought from the store. "What is this?" she muttered while pulling out a chintzy napkin with 'TALE AS OLD AS TIME, SONG AS OLD AS RHYME' monogrammed on it. "A little on the nose, much?"

--

"What's taking Lapis so long with the decorations?" Bismuth murmured as she paced around the sand in front of the other Gems. "We plan on holding the party tomorrow, we can't start without the whole gang together!"

"Hey, I think I can see her now!" Peridot exclaimed while spotting Lapis in the distance flying towards the Crystal Temple. "Hey wait a second, why doesn't she have the decorations?"

"And she looks very upset too," Garnet added. "Something isn't right." As soon as Lapis touched down and marched towards the Crystal Gems with her fists balled up, Garnet immediately tried to ease the tension. "Hello, Lapis! It's a lovely day we're having today, storm notwithstanding!"

"Shut up, don't do that. Just don't." Lapis growled furiously, sending shivers down the Crystal Gems' spines before she snapped. "How could you have kept this from me?"

"Kept what from you?" Pearl asked, only for Lapis to immediately shut her up with a slap across the face.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Lapis shrieked angrily. "You all knew that Bismuth was the one who poofed me all those years ago when I first traveled to Earth, that was how I was left to be put in the mirror that Pearl found on the Galaxy Warp, stuck in her gem, and just left me to collect dust for thousands of years! But did anybody try addressing my trauma?! No, I was just left to play dumb games! After all, happily ever after here we are, gotta stay positive!"

"Lapis, calm down please," Bismuth said while trying her hardest not to yell back at her as the other Little Homeworld Gems gathered around to watch the conflict. "I was barely thinking when I punched you in the back, I didn't notice that you weren't just another soldier!"

"Hey guys, I just got back with the cake!" Greg cheered as he walked in on the Gems with a big wedding cake in his hands before he quickly realized what was going on. "Uh, what did I miss?"

"Lapis, we had no idea the mirror contained a sentient Gem!" Garnet exclaimed. "Just calm down and we can sort this out!

"How can I calm down when this is all your fault?!" Lapis roared, now at her absolute breaking point. "Anyone else care to take their side?"

"Lapis, I know it's hard, I know you're stressed, but you have to take a chill pill!" Peridot tried calming her best friend down. "Garnet, Bismuth, and Pearl didn't do anything wrong here!"

"I thought you were on my side, I thought you loved me!" Lapis yelled at Peridot as the storm finally came and rain began pouring down on the party.

"I do love you Lapis, I just want everyone to get along!" Peridot said before looking at Garnet, Pearl, and Bismuth. "But seriously, I thought we were all friends! How could you have kept this from her for this long?"

"Yeah guys, I thought you were better than this!" Amethyst added, now suddenly taking Lapis's side. "What? I thought the sides were a little uneven."

"Lapis, if you don't calm down and listen, I'll have to do it myself." Garnet threatened Lapis by summoning her gauntlet.

"Go ahead, make my day." Lapis retorted by summoning the rainwater from above and firing raindrops like bullets at Garnet.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" all the other Gems began chanting at the brawling Crystal Gems before getting into a massive brawl themselves. Friends and lovers all quickly turned on each other as they began taking sides. Half of them sided with Lapis, Peridot & Amethyst, while the other half sided with Bismuth, Garnet & Pearl. What was thought to start as a lovely day for a wedding anniversary soon turned into a nightmare.

"Guys, the cake!" Greg yelled, trying to hide how he was unable to process everything happening by paying more attention to the cake quickly getting spoiled by the rain. But he wouldn't have to worry any longer as Teal Zircon was tossed straight into him, completely destroying the cake in the process. "Well, that was $616 wasted."

--

Elsewhere, the vice president's limousine finally arrived at One Observatory Drive, where a secret service agent opened the car door and allowed Eduardo & Theresa to leave.

"Oh gracias Theresa, you have no idea how glad I am you came in at the nick of time!" Eduardo said gratefully to his vice president. "It all happened so fast! I was just getting back from dealing with Arasaka, then those protestors showed up and took my family hostage, and apparently, they're working with Black Rutile too! We have to go back, Maxwell, we have to save Arleen and the kids!"

"Oh trust me, Eddy, I got all the help you need right here." Theresa confidently stated as she pushed open the doors to reveal Major General Wade Grant standing in the main hall in anticipation of the president's arrival. "Wade, I got him safe!"

"Wonderful, Terri, just the man I need to see!" Wade cheered as he took Eduardo by the hand and dragged him away. "I sent the SWAT team as soon as I heard what was going on, and I got worried for your safety. Luckily, help has arrived."

Wade then took Eduardo into the kitchen, where a group consisting of many secret service agents, some members of his cabinet, and General Lloyd Waller were all waiting for him. "Welcome to la resistance, Prez." Theresa declared. "Hope you survive the experience."

"President Suarez, it's so good to see you!" Lloyd cheerfully greeted Eduardo while rolling his wheelchair up to the president and shaking his hand. "Been quite a while, hasn't it? After I nearly got stabbed to death saving you from Black Rutile, I had to take a sabbatical during my recovery process and went off to Florida Island."

"It truly is a delight to see everybody here." Eduardo sighed happily before putting on a serious face. "But we can save happy greetings for later. We need to think of a plan to save my family and take back the White House! Any ideas?"

"Perhaps first, we can listen to this message from Black Rutile and an unknown second party." A secret service agent said while presenting a computer with Black Rutile and Sally Grove's smug faces on the screen.

"Black Rutile!" Eduardo said furiously while snatching the computer out of the agent's hands so he can talk with the self-proclaimed revolutionary one on one. "What business do you have taking my family hostage?!"

"I call it revenge." Black Rutile stated. "You were the one to instigate saving Steven the last time we met even though I convinced you he was a threat, so you are but one of many people I am striking back at for my misfortunes. In addition, my special friend Sally Grove here was the one to contact Reginald and help him organize his plan."

"Greetings Mr. President, you may call me Sally Grove." Sally introduced herself to the president. "Influencer, online critic, proud servant, and kindred spirit of Black Rutile. I never liked the Crystal Gems to begin with, or heck, anybody in general, but using them to prop yourself up just makes me sick. You're just like all the other men I've ever met."

"You take that back, young lady!" Wade yelled at Sally. "I don't know what your problem is, but if we weren't already on the verge of a national crisis, I'd use my military power to teach you a lesson!"

"You're only proving my point!" Sally complained. "You know, this can all be avoided if you agree to our demands."

"What are you suggesting?" Lloyd asked the two on the computer.

"Either surrender your presidency and allow me free reign to conquer the world or else your family will die!" Black Rutile threatened. "And to show that we mean business." Suddenly, one of Reginald's men took an agent by surprise by breaking his arms through the kitchen window and dragging him outside before giving him the mother of all vicious beatdowns.

The agent wasn't even given a chance to fight back because of how unprepared he was for an occasion. But then came the worst part. The agent tried to crawl back inside by opening the door, but the terrorist slammed his boot on the agent's back before slamming his head into the door well. And he did it again. And again. And again. And again. This brutal moment seemed to go on for hours until the agent was left possibly on the brink of death.

"That is how I mean business." Black Rutile concluded as the agent was helped to his feet by Tulip Dennis & Victor Molano before being dragged away to somewhere safe. "Either end your term early or horrible things will happen to you and everyone you ever loved. And don't even try to call the Crystal Gems for help, they're too busy with their own interpersonal conflicts to pay attention. Until then, that's all folks." The feed finally ended, leaving everybody in the vice president's kitchen dead silent as they began thinking about what to do next.

"So, what happens now?" Theresa asked awkwardly while trying to process the horrible sight they just witnessed earlier. While everybody started panicking, Eduardo was left catatonic with fear as he continued standing there fearing for his family, his country, and his alien friends.

--

"This is delicious!" Black Rutile laughed evilly as she and the other Rutile Rebels watched the civil war between Gems below them from the lighthouse. Though the way they say it, it was more of a childish feud that quickly went out of control.

"I guess abducting the Crystal Gems and holding them hostage won't be necessary, huh, boss?" Pyrite asked while arming her Rejuvenation Blaster. "They're already occupying themselves as is."

"Oh, don't be hasty, Pyrite!" Black Rutile replied as she aimed her sights on a random Gem. "Not until I'm sure it works perfectly!" With a target in view, Black Rutile pulled the trigger and launched a beam of light at a random Amethyst, making her writhe in agony before making her poof. "YES! YES!" She then turned to her subordinates. "Now Rutile Rebels, we shall strike!"

"Finally!" Holly Blue and Cat's Eye cheered before they joined hands and kissed, their forms merging into a tall, curvy, green Gem with bob-cut hair, a tight catsuit, high-heeled boots, a domino mask, and a pair of whips holstered around her waist. The fusion's name was Chrome Chalcedony.

The Rutile Rebels and their human allies then leaped into action, joining the struggle between Gems and pointing their Rejuvenation Blasters around before firing at random Gems. Left and right, various quarreling residents of Little Homeworld were shot down and reduced to their gems, much to the shock and horror of everyone else.

"Everybody, take cover!" White Topaz yelled while rounding up some Gems and racing them to safety.

"That's right, you pacifistic whelps, keep running!" Chrome Chalcedony laughed evilly as she and Bluebird Azurite kept firing at more Gems in their way.

"We might win this one," Teal Zircon declared intensely to Topaz. "you get to the panic room!"

"We don't have a panic room!" Topaz shouted back as Black Rutile cornered her and Teal.

"Aw, Teal and Topaz, I see you're already here." Black Rutile smiled as she presented the two with spare Rejuvenation Blasters. "Would you care to join this grand occasion?"

"I see what this is," Topaz said firmly. "This is all that your big plans were leading up to. Well frankly, I don't think we have a place among your ranks anymore."

"Ditto." Teal agreed before she narrowly dodged a blast from the Rejuvenator Blaster and began running for the hills. "Run Topaz, run like the wind!"

"I got you two!" Jasper exclaimed as she grabbed Teal and Topaz and dragged them to the beach house.

"Aw, you really do like me!" Teal replied cheerfully.

"Oh, be quiet," Jasper growled at the Zircon before she turned back and watched Lapis, Peridot, and Amethyst continue their fight with Bismuth, Garnet, and Pearl.

"I'm going to enjoy making you pay for what you've done to me!" Lapis snarled as she hoisted Bismuth by the neck with a wing forming into an arm and began strangling the blacksmith. "I am Lapis Lazuli, and I will not be anyone's prisoner anymore!"

"Please, I'm sorry, have mercy on me!" Bismuth choked and gasped mid-strangulation. "If you would just listen!" Suddenly, however, Bismuth was ripped out of Lapis's grasp by a massive red hand belonging to Mega Ruby. "What the?!"

"Surprise!" Mega Ruby laughed as she was briefly unfused to absorb Bismuth into her body, making the blacksmith's head stick out of the fusion's shoulder as a result. "Hey Black Rutile, we got one!"

"Perfect." Black Rutile smirked before looking to the rest of her troops. "Now, everyone round the others up!" Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Peridot were then brought forward in chains by Kyanite and Xenotime. "Looks like you were too angry at each other to see this coming, huh?"

"Of course, you'd take advantage of this!" Garnet snapped at the Rutile.

"Let's be frank, you were going to break apart anyhow." Kyanite laughed while slamming Garnet's face into the sand. "Hey CC, how's searching for the others going?"

"Unfortunately, they're a bit too good at hiding." Chrome Chalcedony declared as she emerged from the beach house with a particular book in hand. "However, I did find this on one of the shelves. 'When Your Child Wants Some Time Apart' by George Ikari, eh?"

"I got that book for Steven!" Pearl yelled at the fusion of Cat's Eye and Holly Blue. "Whatever you do, don't do anything to it!" As if Chrome wasn't listening, or maybe she deliberately didn't pay attention, she ripped the book in half with a grin.

"Looks like you all could use a little alone time," Chrome said with a snap of her fingers, allowing for all the Gems hit with the Rejuvenation Blasters to reform as mindless servants of Black Rutile. The Crystal Gems gasped in horror as various Amethysts, Jaspers, Pearls, Topazes, fusions, Rubies & Sapphires, Peridots, Lapises, Aquamarines, Bismuths, Agates, Demantoids, Pyropes, and various other Gems that previously wanted to live a free life on Earth had only one thing to say.

"All hail Black Rutile." The amnesiac Gems droned as they raised their arms and marched toward their former teachers. "All hail Black Rutile. All hail Black Rutile. All hail Black Rutile." Watching the onslaught from afar, Lapis shook her head with no amount of sympathy before changing her attire into a new dress bereft of any imagery connecting her to the Crystal Gems with a hooded cloak to hide her face as she flew away, abandoning the life she once knew as she left for parts unknown.

"Just so we're clear, this is still all your fault." Peridot angrily said to Bismuth.

"My fault!?" Bismuth argued with the tiny technician. "You were the one who interrogated her!"

"I only came along with Jasper to check up on the Cluster!" Peridot bickered. "If anything, she and Garnet are to blame since Garnet was so strong, it convinced Jasper to fuse with Lapis and they tortured each other as Malachite for months on end!"

"That is an unbelievably lazy excuse." Garnet coolly said despite how furious she was at the accusation. "Like I said, Pearl and I didn't know the Gem in the mirror was Lapis."

"And that made you try to take Lapis away from her only friend at the time?!" Amethyst bickered with Garnet and Pearl. "Face it, if you were honest with Lapis the whole time, this wouldn't have happened at all!"

"Will all of you be quiet already?" Xenotime asked.

"It's adorable how you keep blaming each other for your own follies instead of pointing fingers at the sociopathic monster in your midst who is getting away with everything as we speak." Black Rutile proclaimed before she looked over her shoulder to notice that Lapis had disappeared. "Chrome Chalcedony, be a dear and bring the Crystal Gems back to Little Homeworld while I follow Lapis."

"It shall be my pleasure." Chrome Chalcedony beamed as she lead the new and improved Rutile Rebels away from the ruined party while the rain finally stopped, and Black Rutile pulled out a hoverboard from her gem to follow Lapis.

Having been completely ignored this whole time, Greg was left shell-shocked at what he had just witnessed. All was quiet in the area that was supposed to host a fun anniversary party, but the storm combined with the fight had ruined everything. Then suddenly, a large orange hand patted him on the shoulder. "You, Steven's dad, wake up!"

"Jasper?!" Greg yelped at Jasper standing behind him. "Where have you and White Topaz been this whole time?"

"Saving Gems, what else." White Topaz replied before turning to the beach house. "I think they're gone, guys, it's safe to come out now!" Soon, the Lapis twins, the Black Pearl Brigade, the Diamonds' Pearls, Nephrite, Desert Glass, Albite, Beryl, Tiger's Eye, Serpentine, Larimar, Snowflake Obsidian, Monazite, Diaspore, Dumortierite, Skinny Jasper, Carnelian, Orange Spodumene, Cherry Quartz, Blue Chalcedony, Chrysocolla, Bixbite, Biggs Jasper, Grossular Diopside, the Cubic Zirconias, both the Watermelon Tourmalines, the Rose Quartz trio, Flint, Chert, Kunzite, and a Gem Greg assumed he never saw before all emerged from the beach house, all afraid of what could happen next. "We could only save these guys. The rest are all gone, all slaves to Black Rutile now."

"But they're not gone completely," Cap said as she stepped forward. "When my team and I were hit by those Rejuvenation Blasters, the effects seemed permanent. Then Nacre here, previously known as Shell, helped restore our memories. If that's the case, there's a good chance that will be the case with everyone the Rutile Rebels has shot."

"So what happens now?" Greg said nervously before looking at the big, bird-like Gem. "And who are you supposed to be? I don't think I ever saw you before."

"My name's Lavenderine, pleased to meet you." Lavenderine introduced herself by shaking Greg's hand. "Sorry that I'm seeing you for the first time in such bad circumstances, but-Ooh, is that cake still fresh?!" She raced over to the ruined cake and began pecking it with a huge, beaklike nose. "Hm, still some flavor left."

"Regardless, Black Rutile thinks she may have won, but we're all still here, together." Diaspore proclaimed.

"I don't understand. I don't understand how this all happened." Teal Zircon stated as she began making a speech. "How we go through this. I mean, I knew the Crystal Gems, and then they're just, they're just taken down by some crazy Rutile I thought was running a book club, and I don't understand why she can't just get over her horrible losses and live a quiet life." Everyone was taken aback by how profound she was sounding right now. "It's stupid. It's human and stupid, and, and Lapis was crying and not talking, and earlier I was having fruit punch and I thought, well, I got fruit punch all over me, surely that'll be just one part of a day we'll look back on and laugh. And she'll never see Peridot, or Bismuth, or the others, not ever, and no one will explain to me why!"

"It's tough losing someone to be sure." Dumortierite proclaimed sorrowfully. "But we are the Crystal Gems, and we'll always save the day! If she thinks we can't, we'll always find a way!"

"But that leaves the question." Laz declared. "What now?"

"I hope Lapis is doing okay." Zuli agreed as everybody gazed over the horizon with no clue as to what happens next.

--

Far away from Beach City, Black Rutile surfed the ocean on her hoverboard in search of Lapis, hoping that she'd be able to answer the terraformer's prayers for help and maybe add another Crystal Gem to her roster. "Now, if I were an insipid terraformer, where would I be?" Suddenly, she heard a loud rumbling sound and looked over in the distance, where she discovered a familiar building rising from the water.

"The Lunar Sea Spire?!" Black Rutile exclaimed before guiding her hoverboard to the fallen temple. Even though it was in ruins and a few Crystal Shrimp littered the spire, it was still relatively intact. "Oy, someone should pick up after themselves." The Rutile terrorist mused as she reached the very top of the tower, where Lapis was on her knees gazing at the sky. "Hello, Lapis."

"What do you want?" Lapis harshly asked Black Rutile. "Let me guess, are you here to mistreat me like the Crystal Gems did?"

"No, I came here because I have now realized the two of us are more alike than I initially believed." Black Rutile said as she walked towards Lapis and sat down beside her. "Think of it, the two of us were created to serve the Diamonds and were very good at it. But after coming to Earth, our lives just started falling apart and we haven't been able to get back to normal since."

"What, you want me to join you or something?" Lapis continued.

"What do you think, my dear Lazuli?" Black Rutile grinned before standing up and offering her hand. "Would you care to help me prevent any other Gem from suffering like we did?" Lapis then closed her eyes before turning her head and sticking her hand out to Black Rutile. As soon as Black Rutile helped Lapis up and walked her away from where she sat, Lapis was a Crystal Gem no more. Now, she was a Rutile Rebel.

--

With the Crystal Gems finally eliminated from the equation, Black Rutile now had full control over Little Homeworld. To make it better, she now had another former member joining her after realizing she and Black Rutile were very much alike.

"So what are we going to do with this, my Rutile?" Lapis said as she, Black Rutile, and Dr. Brenner stood together atop the whirly-bird tower, gazing out at Beach City and the surrounding area. "I mean, this whole place officially belongs to us now."

"Something that I've wanted to do for a long time now, and I need your help to do it." Black Rutile replied. "I want you to raise this insipid town to the sky! Use all the moisture into the ground to turn Little Homeworld into my flying fortress!"

"As you wish, my Rutile," Lapis said without a shred of emotion as she raised her hands to the air, making the water droplets in the ground rise up and burrow into the ground to make the town fly. What was once a happy little village for Gems to unlearn the old ways of the Diamonds quickly became an airborne dreadnought that Black Rutile could finally call home, and the Crystal Gems were powerless to stop her.

"Now then, let's begin the invasion!" Black Rutile commanded her new brainwashed troopers. "I want you to not stop until Beach City is annihilated!"

"Hold on one second, Black Rutile!" James finally spoke out against Black Rutile. "I have tolerated your antics for so long because I believed that maybe you'd listen to me and change yourself for the better. But alas, your plans have finally convinced me otherwise. Brainwashing all these innocent Gems was bad enough, but now you convinced an emotionally vulnerable Gem to join you?"

"What can I say, preying on the emotionally vulnerable was how I gathered my subjects." Black Rutile shrugged. "And I don't think I appreciate your tone, doctor. I'm afraid I'll have to cancel all future appointments from here on out." She turned to Lapis. "Lapis, show the doctor where he stands now."

With any sense of emotion drained from her, Lapis grabbed James by his shirt collar and tossed him off of Little Homeworld to his possible death, only to be saved at the last minute by an orange blur grabbing him in the nick of time.

"Who can stop me now?!" Black Rutile laughed her loudest and most monstrous evil laugh yet as the entire Rutile Rebels gathered behind her in triumph. "WHO?!"

Faraway from the flying Little Homeworld, a certain human girlfriend of Steven had just returned home from college for spring break.

--

And so, the curtain draws as we end part one on possibly the darkest note I've written for any of my stories yet. The Crystal Gems have been turned against one another, Lapis has joined Black Rutile, the president of the United States is at war with a terrorist who I admit to taking a few cues from Monsoon from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance while resisting the urge to make him say "Memes: the DNA of the soul", and Black Rutile has officially taken over Little Homeworld. In their darkest hour, will the remaining Gems led by Jasper, White Topaz, Teal Zircon, and Topaz find the strength to stand up for what is right and save the world? We'll just have to wait and see.

[chetnaaxe024]

Shop Quality Inexpensive Earrings Online

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Conclusion

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Whether you're looking to add a new accessory to your everyday look or searching for a special piece for an event, buying inexpensive earrings online can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.